The curious actions of a "son".
King of Shiverihas’ Point of View
The King was troubled. Dragons attacking? No, that wasn’t the issue anymore—a young man claiming to be his son had appeared. And yet...
He wasn’t coming.
It had been an hour already. This castle wasn’t so large that it would take that long. What could he be dawdling over?
No, that was concerning, but what about the dragons? Where had they gone? What happened to them?
"Your Majesty, urgent news! Lord Sheez has challenged the young man, demanding he prove his claim by fighting him!"
Ah, of course. If this young man was truly his son, Sheez and his brother’s children, Luciz and the others, wouldn’t leave him be. They might even drive him away if they deemed him an impostor.
As for the dragons, perhaps they had just passed by and flown away. If they were still around, surely someone would have reported it.
"Very well, let’s go. Lead the way."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
However, the young man claiming to be his son wasn’t there. Instead, what he found was a pile of defeated knights.
"As expected of Your Majesty’s offspring… Your Majesty, if you do not intend to make him your heir, please consider allowing me to adopt him as my son…"
The commander of the royal guard muttered this before fainting. But the King still wasn’t sure if this young man was actually his son. True, in this nation where strength was everything, the King was acknowledged as the mightiest, but even he couldn’t take on this many knights at once.
It seemed that the supposed son wasn’t present anymore. Still, judging by the torn-up ground and vivid signs of battle, this young man must indeed possess incredible strength.
"Where is the man claiming to be my son?"
"Ah, yes! Lord Luciz and the others… they…"
The King was led to the prime minister’s office. But why here...?
Knocking and entering the room, the King was met with a visibly excited Prime Minister Gand.
"Your Majesty! If you don’t intend to make him your heir, please allow me to adopt him as my son!"
Not you too. Listen, I haven’t even met this so-called son yet. I can’t decide anything without confirming who he is!
"Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t even met him yet."
"What…?"
Don’t “what” me. That’s the truth. I haven’t met him yet.
"Where is the man claiming to be my son?"
"I heard he went to the dining hall…"
"… Why?"
Come meet me directly! How many detours does he need to take?
"Apparently, Lord Luciz and the others told him to defeat the strongest woman in the dining hall to gain recognition…"
Those idiot brothers. I’ll throttle them.
It’s their fault, isn’t it? And why is this supposed son of mine going along with it so easily?
When the King arrived at the dining hall… the so-called son was, of course, nowhere to be seen. Somehow, he had expected this.
"Your Majesty! If you do not intend to make him your heir, please allow me to adopt him as my son!"
Not you too, Skosh.
(Skosh, incidentally, was a formidable woman known as the strongest in the dining hall. A no-nonsense, tough-as-nails type who didn’t tolerate wasted food.)
What’s with everyone? Why does everyone want to adopt this supposed son of mine??
"I haven’t even met him yet. There’s no way I can make such a decision."
"Oh."
Yeah, figures. Once again, this so-called son had apparently been dragged off somewhere. Exhausted, the King decided to wait in the audience chamber. Surely, he would show up eventually. Probably.
But was this supposed son planning to take over the Kingdom?
"Uncle, you’re late! How dare you keep *Our Liege* waiting—such disrespect!"
"Indeed! *Our Liege,* this is the King of this nation."
When the King resigned himself to waiting in the audience chamber, the supposed son finally appeared. Along with the idiot nephews.
The kKng, overwhelmed by accumulated stress, promptly unleashed his full wrath on the idiot nephews, thoroughly thrashing them. Surely, he was not at fault.
The supposed son seemed startled, but there was no helping it. Though his gaze was calm and gentle, his appearance was strikingly similar to the King’s, as if he were gazing into a mirror.
What do you think about this chapter?
