Chapter 93 The Counterstrike of Kanata!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Something about the atmosphere felt… oppressive.
Kanata stood at the entrance to the audience chamber, uneasy under the heavy air that hung in the room. More than two weeks had passed since he’d been placed under house arrest, and at last, he was to meet the Grand Duke. Supposedly, it was to receive a reward for rescuing Princess Remia—yet nothing about the scene suggested celebration.
The nobles lining the walls were tense, eyes sharp. The knights by the great doors didn’t even bother to hide the killing intent in their gaze. Seven soldiers surrounded Kanata as they led him in—hardly an escort. It felt more like he was being marched to his trial.
The massive doors opened with a low groan. A chill wind spilled out from within, brushing against his skin like the edge of a blade. His footsteps echoed across the marble floor, each one louder than it should have been.
The chamber’s ceiling stretched high above, its pillars veined with gold and deep blue lapis. Despite the splendor, the air was frozen with tension. The nobles arrayed on both sides said nothing, merely watching Kanata as if to measure his worth. No smiles. No greetings. Only silence reigned.
Among them were foreigners—envoys, perhaps, here to witness what would unfold. Whatever was about to happen, the Grand Duke wanted it to appear fair and beyond question, whether Kanata was to be rewarded… or condemned.
Kanata stepped closer to the throne. The man seated upon it—the Grand Duke once praised as a wise ruler—regarded him now with suspicion, wariness, and a faint edge of hostility.
”…Rise.”
The voice was deep and carried easily through the hall, rich with authority.
At the command, the soldiers around Kanata moved as one, guiding him forward until he stood before the throne. Each step felt heavier, as though he were climbing invisible stairs. Finally, he knelt.
”The one who saved Remia,” the Grand Duke intoned. “You stand here to receive your reward.”
But the courtiers flanking the throne were already poised for attack. Fans and scrolls in hand, they looked ready to pounce on a single wrong word. This was no ceremony of reward—it was a tribunal.
Kanata understood. In this room, he wasn’t a hero. He was an unknown element, a threat—something uncertain and dangerous.
From a step below the throne, a young woman with dark green hair tied high took a trembling step forward. Princess Remia, the girl he’d rescued. Her shoulders quivered as she turned to glance at him, then faced her father again.
”F-Father… that man saved me,” she stammered. “He risked his life—again and again—to protect me…”
Her voice was small and shaking, but honest. Every word carried sincerity, even as she struggled to speak.
Kanata watched her silently. He hadn’t risked his life; the men he’d fought were little more than thugs. Whoever had been behind them, he still didn’t know. Truthfully, he hadn’t done it for glory or reward. All he wanted now was his freedom.
Yet even Remia’s earnest plea failed to soften the room. The nobles’ eyes stayed sharp with doubt. The Grand Duke’s expression didn’t change.
The silence broke when another woman stepped forward—Princess Raina.
Her movements were graceful, deliberate. The soft rustle of silk seemed loud in the still air. Her black hair gleamed; her cool eyes betrayed nothing. Then her lips parted.
”I…” she said, her voice calm but cutting, “was defiled by that man.”
The words struck like thunder.
Gasps rippled through the chamber. Nobles murmured in outrage. Knights’ hands went to their swords. Remia froze, speechless. The Grand Duke’s eyes widened, and the anger that flared within them turned full upon Kanata.
”What—!”
Before Kanata could even speak, a soldier stepped forward. His motion was swift, his intent clear. This was no longer an escort. The blade was half-drawn already.
Everything shifted in an instant.
The air itself grew heavy, sharp as iron. Whatever reward this had been meant to be, it was now a judgment hall.
The scrape of steel echoed like a death knell.
Then—
”Don’t you dare speak such nonsense!”
Kanata’s voice cut through the stillness like a blade. It was calm—surprisingly so—but carried undeniable power. The crowd stirred; even Princess Remia caught her breath.
He didn’t flinch. His gaze met the Grand Duke’s, then turned toward Princess Raina.
”For the past two weeks,” Kanata said, his tone heavy and precise, “I have been under house arrest. Every courtier here, every soldier in this hall knows it.”
Each word struck cleanly, slicing through the tension.
”I was forbidden to leave my quarters. Watched at all hours. Meals delivered under guard. Not even allowed to step outside except for brief, supervised exercise. Tell me—how could I possibly have attacked a princess? Can anyone here prove when and where this supposed crime took place?”
His eyes swept across the assembly. His voice did not rise, but it carried a quiet fury and unshakable conviction. That calmness—more than anger—made his words all the heavier.
”Then by all means,” Kanata said, his tone edged with steel. “Explain how I supposedly slipped out from a tower sealed with guards on every floor, snuck through the heavily fortified royal palace, broke into the princess’s chambers, assaulted her, and then somehow returned to my cell without anyone noticing. Go ahead—prove that. And if anyone here can do such a thing, that person must be your real culprit.”
The tension in the room grew taut enough to snap.
Princess Raina took a half step back. Her expression didn’t waver, but Kanata caught the faint tremor deep in her eyes—a flicker of doubt, quickly buried.
The Grand Duke didn’t move. His face was unreadable, but his knuckles tightened around the armrest of his throne.
Silence fell once more over the audience chamber.
Eyes that sought truth met others already set on judgment. Beneath that clash of gazes, the story began to shift into its next stage.
Then—
”…I believe it’s time to end this farce.”
The voice rang out clear and bright, like the chime of a bell—sweet in tone, yet carrying unmistakable scorn. All heads turned toward the speaker, and the nobles murmured as a woman stepped forward.
It was Lady Misia of the Flora Kingdom delegation—the princess’s plenipotentiary and head envoy. Draped in a pale pink gown, she moved with effortless grace, though her sharp eyes gleamed with authority. Known for her gentle smile, she now faced both Princess Raina and the Grand Duke without a trace of softness.
”Is this,” she said coolly, “what passes for Rubia’s decorum—airing such disgraceful scandals before your guests?”
The rebuke was quiet but cutting. As nobles began to stir in confusion, another voice joined in, smooth and cold.
”I must agree. Enough of this nonsense.”
From the opposite side stepped Princess Alusia of Mercuria, second in line to her throne. Her beauty was refined, her composure impeccable. She removed her lace gloves with deliberate calm, sweeping a disdainful glance across the assembled nobles.
”Your Grace,” she said, addressing the Grand Duke directly, “we came here to hear a formal account of Princess Remia’s rescue—and to understand your nation’s stance on the matter. Yet here you are, condemning her rescuer with baseless slander. To us, it looks very much like the behavior of a faithless realm.”
The moment Alusia’s voice joined Misia’s, the air in the audience hall changed completely.
Two figures of royal authority—envoys of Flora and Mercuria, both great powers—had publicly challenged Rubia’s judgment.
Confusion rippled through the nobles. Faces turned pale; whispers broke out. The soldiers’ hands slipped hesitantly from their swords.
Raina stood silent beneath the piercing gazes of the two foreign princesses. Her face remained composed, but her lips pressed tightly together.
At last, the Grand Duke straightened in his throne.
The fury in his eyes faded, replaced by something deeper—thought, calculation.
In front of these foreign dignitaries, the honor of Rubia itself was at stake.
A shift in the wind—anyone could feel it now.
”And so…”
Misia and Alusia turned as one to face Kanata.
Silence fell again, heavy and expectant. Misia took a single step forward, her voice ringing clear through the hall.
”How long,” she asked, “do you intend to drag out this charade… Your Majesty?”
Gasps erupted across the chamber.
Alusia followed, her tone cool but sharp. “Truly—enough is enough.”
The words hit like a spark to dry tinder.
”Your Majesty…?”
”Wait—what did she say?”
”No… no, that can’t be…”
Shock spread like ripples in a pond. Fans fell from trembling hands, scrolls quivered, and several nobles’ eyes widened in dawning fear.
”‘King’…?”
The whisper came from the throne itself. The Grand Duke’s voice was hoarse, his face draining of color as understanding—and resignation—took hold.
Kanata stepped forward, calm and steady, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. With a simple motion, he raised his hand. Misia and Alusia moved beside him, taking their places at his right and left.
He drew in a deep breath.
”My apologies for the late introduction.”
His voice filled the hall, resonant and unshakable, as though it could shatter the very throne before him.
”I am Kanata Kunugi—King of both the Flora and Mercuria Kingdoms!”
The declaration crashed through the chamber like thunder.
”What!?”
”The King!?”
”Impossible—that ‘adventurer’!?!?”
Panic and disbelief surged through the hall. Those who had mocked him moments before turned pale as ghosts. Nobles rose in confusion; some bowed their heads, others fell to their knees. The soldiers no longer reached for their weapons—they clutched their chests instead, saluting the sovereign before them.
Misia looked up at Kanata with quiet pride, while Alusia watched the stunned crowd with a cool, knowing gaze.
Together, they stood as figures of authority and grace—the very image of power that united two great nations.
The Grand Duke could only stare, speechless, frozen upon his throne.
Gradually, the uproar faded into a heavy silence once more.
The nobles either knelt or stood in shock, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
And on the throne above them—
The Grand Duke of Rubia closed his eyes and exhaled, the sound weary and frail, as though it carried the weight of years. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse, trembling from deep within his chest.
”…I offer my deepest apologies. Sir Hero—no, Your Majesty Kanata Kunugi. On behalf of Rubia, I beg forgiveness for the wrongs committed against you.”
Quietly, the Grand Duke fell to one knee.
A ruler of Rubia kneeling before a foreign king—such humiliation had never once occurred in the nation’s history.
And yet, no one could blame him. The man before him now was the sovereign of both kingdoms that surrounded Rubia on its borders. He was the one they had confined, interrogated, even tortured—and whom their own princess had accused of a crime as vile as assault. Worse still, the charge was impossible from the start; the princess’s chambers had been inaccessible to him under heavy guard.
It was more than blasphemy against a king—it was an insult to two entire nations, a provocation that could easily be seen as a declaration of war.
If the matter could be settled with a bowed head, it was a cheap price to pay.
Still kneeling, the Grand Duke raised his trembling voice.
”I know… an apology alone cannot atone for this. But at the very least, allow me to offer something as a token of repentance. Tell me—what is it that you desire?”
His tone carried no trace of royal dignity. There were no choices left to him now: submit and survive… or resist and be destroyed.
Kanata closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if considering. Then he spoke.
”First, the Rubia Dukedom will become a vassal state under my rule.”
The nobles did not gasp. They only froze, silent as statues.
”Autonomy will be granted in name only. However, diplomacy, military policy, tariffs, and currency will fall under our control.”
Kanata’s voice was calm, stripped of emotion. These were not the words of mercy, but of an unflinching conqueror.
”Next, as proof of your compliance, both princesses—Remia and Raina—will be welcomed into the royal palaces of Flora and Mercuria.”
No one needed to ask what that meant. Hostages. Or perhaps political brides. Either way, Rubia’s independence was finished.
”And finally—”
Kanata stepped closer to the throne and lowered his voice so that only the Grand Duke could hear.
”…And finally— a secret I’ve already uncovered: you will transfer the authority of the ‘City Core’ to me. I won’t make this public—but that term is nonnegotiable.”
The Grand Duke’s eyes widened in shock. The fact that Kanata even knew of the City Core—the kingdom’s deepest secret—turned his blood to ice.
The City Core—
A hidden magical engine that sustained the capital itself. A relic of an ancient civilization, passed down through generations of Rubia’s royal line. Its existence was known only to a handful of the highest ranks. And yet Kanata not only knew—it was what he sought.
”…How… how do you know of that?”
Kanata gave no answer. His eyes narrowed, sharp and silent.
The Grand Duke bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. There was nothing left to resist with.
”…I understand. Everything.”
Even the last remnants of pride as a king were gone from his voice.
In that moment, all present in the audience chamber understood—
From this day forward, the Rubia Dukedom had bent its knee to Kanata.
”…However,” the Grand Duke forced out, his words so low only Kanata could hear,
”as for the Core… you will need to speak with the Saint. It is not mine alone to give.”
Kanata’s brow furrowed slightly, but his reply came calm and cold.
”…Then I’ll deal with the Saint myself.”
The quiet authority in his tone left no room for doubt.
”Further details will be delivered through official envoys. But see that you keep your word. Your first duty as a vassal state is loyalty.”
With that, Kanata turned, his gaze settling on the two princesses standing in silence. He approached them and spoke evenly.
”Princess Remia. Princess Raina. Gather your belongings and prepare yourselves. An escort will arrive within the next few days.”
Raina’s breath caught. Remia gave a faint nod, though confusion still clouded her face.
As Kanata passed by, he leaned close to Raina’s ear and whispered so that only she could hear:
”Don’t forget. You’ll always be my pet.”
Her whole body trembled.
No… it couldn’t be. Had he foreseen all this from the beginning?
Without another word, Kanata strode from the chamber, Misia and Alusia at his side.
The heavy doors closed behind them with a deep, echoing thud—like the tolling of a final judgment.
And as that sound faded—
”Ah…”
Princess Raina collapsed to her knees.
She pressed her hands to the cold stone, biting her lip to stifle the sobs, but tears still spilled freely, splattering onto the floor.
Her pride, her composure, her schemes—all of it crumbled away.
Now she was nothing more than a symbol for her country’s surrender… no, worse—a pet offered to Kanata himself.
Why had she made that false accusation? What had she been trying to protect? What had she lost? Perhaps it had all been planned from the very start.
The answer no longer mattered. She could no longer see it clearly, even within herself.
Only one thing was certain—
This was her punishment.
Her future was gone. All that awaited her now was a life of humiliation, chained to that man, forced to smile and bow like a broken doll.
Her tears spread across the cold stone floor, glimmering faintly beneath the light.
And beside her, the Grand Duke—no longer seated on his throne—stood motionless, his silence heavy and his figure aged beyond his years.
Notes:
• Rem – Rem, a timid slave girl, pairs with Mito, her fearful obedience a desperate bid to survive Kanata’s dominion. Appears after raid dungeon.
• Flora Kingdom – A small demi-human majority realm, politically fragile and reliant on trade, undone when Leticia’s capture and contract ceded it to Kanata. Reminder: the kingdom that fell with its regent’s collar.
• Misia – Leticia’s loyal maid, captured alongside Leticia and enduring torment to shield her mistress, later drawn into Kanata’s control as well. Reminder: the maid who suffered first to protect her princess.
• Alusia – Fallen princess of Mercuria, clings to royal pride while navigating slavery, seeking vengeance. Appears: In a cramped slave trader’s carriage, shackled and reflective. Reason: Captured after her kingdom’s fall, now a slave. Event: Transported by slave merchants, intercepted by Kanata, beginning her servitude.
• Mercuria Kingdom – A neighboring human realm, introduced through Princess Alusia’s approach to Kanata after Flora’s fall, seeking advantage amid shifting power. Reminder: the kingdom that moved in after Flora Kingdom collapsed.
• Rubia Dukedom – A small nation between Mercuria and Flora, first cited in Chapter 38 during Kanata, Elriese, and Alusia’s dungeon-strategy talk. It hosts one ruin-linked Dungeon targeted because Kanata—following Elriese’s advice and Kuu-chan’s records—seeks control of Dungeons (direct cause) to gain their power (underlying cause); Kanata plans to pressure swift surrender; connection: future conquest; no known direct relationships; defining trait: strategically sandwiched.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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