King slowly set down his teacup, looking into Raiden Ei's purple eyes, which were filled with seriousness and even a hint of desperation. He shook his head and said decisively:
"No."
"..."
The air fell silent for a moment.
Seemingly having never considered the possibility of being rejected, Raiden Ei froze in place, looking lost and bewildered.
King's reasoning was simple.
Being a king was exhausting.
Governing a country couldn't just be about killing all the time.
It would involve dealing with endless government affairs and coping with the schemes of various factions. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
How could that compare to his current life? As a "Guardian," he occasionally "reasoned" with people, but spent most of his time in leisure and comfort.
Moreover, if he became the King of Inazuma, the Silly Furina over in Fontaine might be so sad she'd cry herself unconscious. That simply wouldn't do.
A flash of urgency crossed Raiden Ei's crack-covered face.
She bit her lower lip as if making a monumental decision. Stepping half a pace forward until she was almost touching King's face, she lowered her voice, yet spoke with exceptional clarity:
"Then... then I'll be the concubine."
"Pfft—!!!"
This time, Yae Miko truly couldn't hold it in. She nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, and her large pink tail exploded with a "bang," every hair standing on end!
She suddenly lunged out from behind Ei, forgetting her fear. Grabbing Ei's shoulders, she shook her frantically, her voice cracking:
"Ei!! Are you crazy?! Do you know what you're saying?! Be—be a concubine?! What kind of concubine? To whom?!"
"Did you get your brain damaged in the fight yesterday? Wake up!!!"
Lynette, who had been debating whether to jump into the sea or pretend to faint, was now completely petrified. His cat ears were stiff and his tail was ramrod straight, like an exquisite cat-boy sculpture. Only his mind was racing with a barrage of "?????".
This amount of information... was even more terrifying than hearing that Lord King was an alien!!!
And just then—
"Creak."
The cabin door was pushed open again.
Lumine walked out while rubbing her eyes and yawning, clearly having just woken up. "Morning... why is it so noisy out here?"
Clorinde followed behind her, still in her sharp outfit, though her eyes still held a bit of morning haze.
Kuki Shinobu also poked her head out. She had been resting in a guest room on the ship last night and came out to investigate after hearing the commotion.
The three of them stepped onto the deck just in time to hear Raiden Ei's earth-shattering "I'll be the concubine."
"..."
Time seemed to have hit the pause button at this moment.
Lumine's hand froze mid-rub. Her amber eyes instantly went wide, her small mouth hung open, and her half-finished yawn caught in her throat, producing a strange "he-wuh" sound.
She stared blankly at Raiden Ei, then at King. Her head was buzzing as if countless Paimons were screaming and flying around inside.
Be... be a concubine?
The Raiden Shogun... for King... as a concubine?
Did I not wake up yet, or has the world finally gone completely mad?!
The sleepiness on Clorinde's face vanished instantly. Her purple pupils constricted, and her hand reflexively moved to her sword hilt, though she didn't know who to point it at.
For the first time, a look of blank bewilderment appeared on her cold and elegant face. Her CPU was clearly overloaded.
The information was so inconceivable that she fell into a brief state of system failure.
Kuki Shinobu was even more stunned. She subconsciously raised her hand and gave her cheek a hard pinch.
"Hiss—that hurts!"
It wasn't a dream!
The deity of Inazuma, the majestic and supreme Raiden Shogun, really just said those words?!
This was ten thousand times more terrifying than seeing Arataki Itto suddenly become scholarly and knowledgeable!!!
"..."
King looked at the disastrously chaotic scene triggered by a single sentence, especially the "I'm serious, I'm not joking" expression on the culprit Raiden Ei's face. He felt his temples starting to throb again.
He raised his hand and rubbed his brow firmly, interrupting Yae Miko's "frantic roaring."
"Stop."
His voice wasn't loud, but it brought instant silence to the deck.
King's tone was filled with helplessness:
"Beelzebul, have you still not figured out why Inazuma became like this?"
Hearing this, Raiden Ei nodded vigorously, her purple eyes shining with a clear yet foolish light of wisdom:
"I have figured it out."
King was slightly taken aback. He was surprised this blockhead could actually have an epiphany.
Everyone on the deck pricked up their ears. Even Paimon forgot his hunger and floated in the air, his small face serious as he waited for the "brilliant insight" of the God of Inazuma.
In the silence, Raiden Ei continued in an exceptionally firm voice:
"The reason Inazuma became like this, in the final analysis, is because I was too weak."
King: "...?"
Everyone: "???"
Raiden Ei was completely oblivious to the freezing air and the stunned expressions around her. Immersed in her own logic, she glanced at King with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
"If I could be as strong as you, so strong that no one dared to make any moves in my presence..."
"Then, all problems would never have happened."
Her eyes grew brighter as she spoke, as if she had discovered the ultimate secret of statecraft.
"Power is the foundation!"
"As long as one possesses absolute power, one can bring about absolute order!"
"I must work harder to train and become stronger in the future!"
"Thank you, King."
"It was you who made me understand this truth. My former self was, after all, just a frog in a well."
"..."
Yae Miko gave up on thinking. She covered her face with her hands, her large pink tail drooping limply on the deck. The entire fox emitted a greyish aura of "it's hopeless, just wait for death."
Lynette began to seriously consider the research topic: "Permanent decrease in intelligence caused by hearing excessively absurd statements."
Lumine's mouth twitched, her eyes full of pity as she looked at Raiden Ei.
Clorinde maintained a blank face, her CPU emitting the hum of overload once again.
Paimon scratched his head and whispered to Lumine, "She seems to have a point... but why do I feel like something is weird?"
King felt the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
This country girl... besides muscles, is there really nothing else in her head?
True, her strength couldn't compare to his, but it was clearly more than enough, right?
She could easily wipe out the nation of Inazuma by herself.
But the result?
Under the absolute military deterrent of her "Musou no Hitotachi," weren't there still many people who dared to scheme right under her nose, making a mess of Inazuma and leaving the citizens in misery?
This isn't a question of whether you have enough power at all, hey!
King tried to bring the conversation back on track. Looking at her with the eyes one would use for an idiot, he spoke slowly:
"Is there a possibility..."
King pointed at himself, then at Raiden Ei.
"Even if you become as strong as me, or even stronger than me."
"Inazuma will still rot if it's meant to rot."
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"