And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 32

Eventually, the King let out a long, heavy breath.

“It seems there were various misunderstandings… Our confrontation was entirely the fault of those two.”

As if that could ever be true.

I let out a silent sigh deep within my chest.

How conveniently “justice” is rewritten. Looking at the sheer transparency of his smile, a cold emotion bordering on nausea surged through me.

“Let us begin the negotiations anew.”

—Very well.

I pulled the corner of my lip up ever so slightly. If it moves the conversation forward, I will even make use of that hypocrisy.

The King raised his voice, projecting an air of forced majesty.

“First, I shall present our conditions. You will return the soldiers and the citizens to this country at once. Ordinarily, I would demand reparations, but as King, I recognize that I lacked composure by believing the words of those two. Therefore, if they are returned, I shall waive the reparations. Let that be the end of it.”

To think he could say such a thing after mobilizing an army in a fit of rage.

“Have you already forgotten the signatures of the people?”

“As I said, that was merely something you—”

“‘You’? Mind your tongue.”

Julius’s low voice cut in like a blade, instantly silencing the King’s simmering roar. I maintained a polite smile on the surface while laughing inwardly.

“Kh…! Furthermore, while you seem to have absorbed two-thirds of this nation’s land, I will only grant independence to your original territory. You will return the rest to my kingdom immediately. Also, from this point forward, should you seek to expand your territory through alliances with other nations, you must first obtain my permission.”

With every word he spat out, the King’s cheeks flushed deeper with irritation. I lightly fluttered my fan and fixed my gaze directly upon him.

“My power is not something to be used for selfish desires. It was not my ‘Power of Words’ that made the citizens and soldiers refuse to return, nor was it my power that made other territories wish to join my nation. Words that go against the Goddess’s will cannot be realized, and the same holds true for Anne. While Anne used magic circles for the migration, it was the people’s own will that decided to step into them.”

The moment those words fell, the meeting room froze solid. In the silence, the truth rippled outward like waves on a pond.

“Common sense dictates one magic circle per person is the limit.”

“And yet, that many people… all at once…?”

“The Apostle of the Goddess…?”

“Surely, that’s impossible—!”

Astonishment. Fear. Disbelief. All of it overlapped, filling the hall.

“Next, regarding the return of the other territories: I cannot comply. At first, I intended only for my own lands to be independent, but I have changed my mind. I shall take the remaining third as my territory as well, and make this entire nation mine.”

“W-what are you saying?! That is no different from seizing the throne itself!”

The King’s indignant shout vibrated through the air.

“This is tyranny!”

“So, this was your goal from the start!”

The high officials’ curses rained down on me like an avalanche. Behind my fan, I deepened my smile and spoke quietly.

“In a sense, this is for your own sake.”

The men wrinkled their brows, unable to grasp my meaning.

“A capital without citizens. The cessation of logistics. Withered supplies. Tell me, how exactly did you intend to continue your rule?”

One of the high officials asked, his throat trembling.

“I-if it comes to that, what becomes of us? Are we to be reduced to mere lords of a single estate?”

I slowly slid my gaze toward the King. His face, painted in rage and desperation, turned pale and twisted hideously.

“What nonsense are you asking?! I am the King!”

His scream reached no one’s heart. Every eye remained fixed on me.

“On the day the people vanished, I called out: ‘O children of the Goddess who grieve for this country.’ Did any of you hear it? No, of course you didn’t. The voice of the Goddess cannot reach those who do not grieve for their nation.”

Those without a people are not called kings. Those who do not care for their people are not rulers. It is as simple as that.

“Then, what do you intend to do with us?”

A voice that couldn’t suppress its trembling leaked from the King’s side.

“—My. I believe I told you a long time ago.”

I snapped my fan shut with a sharp clack. In that instant, the air grew taut.

“That day, when you told me to go to the Temple… I said, ‘I shall leave that so-called honor to you.’ Have you already forgotten?”

The day they presumed to decide my destiny for me.

“You should all go to the Temple as a family. You may serve the Goddess Aurelia for the rest of your lives. What an honorable duty it is. If your devotion is true, you may even find your way to the Goddess’s side in death.”

A sweet, inescapable shackle. Silence piled up soundlessly in the room.

—This was not a threat.

I desire only one thing: the happiness of the people. For those who have looked down upon the people—the children of the Goddess—there is no path left to live but to repent and serve the Goddess.

Heh. After all, you were the ones who claimed it was a “great honor.”

I won’t let you utter a single complaint.

The faint sound of someone biting their lip felt as vivid as a scream in the silence.