Chapter 184
A long red carpet ran over the polished marble floor to a stunningly beautiful throne. Bizarrely, a truly colossal hammer—larger than any adult man—loomed behind the throne. It was the mighty hammer of Wilhelm, the first king of Reinhardt, favored by the god Naga.
“Is he coming?” asked the man sitting on the throne. Many people stood on both sides of the red carpet with bowed heads, but the man on the throne had his head held high.
The man was none other than the King of Reinhardt, the Lion King and Superhuman, Ryan Geiger. He truly deserved to be called the Lion King, considering his demeanor and bearing.
“Hoho…!” The Lion King chuckled softly. He seemed overjoyed when he sensed the approach of someone carrying with them a powerful energy.
Ryan didn’t even have to guess to know the identity of the person manifesting such immense energy. The person in question seemed like they didn’t have any intentions of hiding their energy that rivaled even Ryan’s.
“So you want to act like a tyrant rather than a king? I’m not sure if that’s going to work here…” The Lion King muttered to himself as he rose to his feet.
He stood up because the person in question was already standing just outside the door.
Soon, the door would open, and he would finally meet the new King of Reinhardt. The new King of Reinhardt, Master Joshua Sanders, was the youngest king in Reinhardt’s history.
Creak.
The door creaked open, and a young man with navy-blue hair and abyss-like eyes appeared. The young man was handsome—so much so that even the Lion King could swear that he had never seen someone as handsome as the young man throughout his long life.
In his heart, he preferred His Highness Ulabis as the new King of Reinhardt rather than an Imperial, but what could he do? Honestly, he didn’t feel that bad anymore since the new king was giving him so much excitement.
“I’ll make sure to let you feel the same excitement as well, Joshua Sanders,” muttered the Lion King in a low voice.
After taking a moment to compose himself, he said with a wide smile. “Welcome, the new King of Reinhardt!”
“Your Majesty!”
At the Lion King’s words, the people in the throne room fell to their knees, aside from the Lion King.
Joshua swept his gaze across the crowd before staring at the Lion King.
“Hoh...” The Lion King softly gasped.
He had already seen it, but seeing Joshua up close rather than from a distance made the Lion King feel that Joshua was truly a work of art. He couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time he felt like this toward someone.
“Raise your heads. Shouldn't you look at the face of your next ruler?” said the Lion King with a pleased smile. “I’m sure that you will be happy to see him.”
At that, the vassals of Reinhardt rose to their feet. The succession ceremony still hadn’t taken place, so the ruler was still the Lion King rather than Joshua.
“I'm busy...”
“What?” The Lion King tilted his head at Joshua.
“Let’s skip everything unnecessary and get to it.”
“...” Joshua’s words caused a veil of silence to fall over the throne room.
However, Joshua didn’t really care about their feelings as he said, “If the Mercenary King decides to accept my challenge, then he should arrive here within the month. The match won’t happen immediately, but even if we take our sweet time, it will still happen within the next two months…”
“In the interim, I will have to leave Reinhardt for something important.”
“Well, that’s…” The Lion King thought about it for a moment before asking, “Is it that important?”
“Yes.” Joshua’s reply was succinct, without giving more information about the matter he had to handle personally.
The Lion King went quiet for a while before saying, “If it’s something that has to be taken care of as soon as possible, then there’s nothing else we can do about it. I’m sure that the Avalon Empire is already waiting for you.
He then chuckled and continued. “All right, let’s get started with the formalities and finish everything today.”
“...!” The eyes of the vassals in the throne room widened when they heard the Lion King’s shocking words.
“No, we must not do that,” said the Lion King’s attendant, rejecting the idea.
“What?” The Lion King questioned.
Kingaitu, a young man with green hair and frog-like cheeks, stepped forward. He was a confidant of the King of Reinhardt both because of his knowledge and because of his genuine concern. He was also in charge of Reinhardt’s finances.
“The people of the continent still criticize you as nothing but a nominal king. Are you really going to treat a succession ceremony as a mere formality? Do you really think that this is all a joke?”
“...” The Lion King smiled sadly at Kingaitu’s words.
The people of Reinhardt had always been criticizing him as a mere figurehead of a king, but he knew that he wasn’t really being criticized because he had done something wrong. It was all because the people simply hadn’t accepted him.
Kingaitu was smart, so there was no way he had no idea about Reinhardt’s internal affairs. As such, Kingaitu’s actions could only mean one thing.
‘It means that he’s determined to put a leash on the new king from the very beginning,’ muttered the Lion King while shaking his head. ‘If Kingaitu is pushing forward this strongly, then there's nothing else I can do to help…’
He was akin to a lion that had lost all of its teeth. The only thing he could do was step down. New wine for new wineskins.
From now on, Joshua had to lead these people in his own way.
‘You cannot be a king just because you have the skills. At the very least, you must have good eyesight and the ability to read the room and be able to handle things well. If you try to force people to do things, you will only make them resist you.’?The Lion King seemed interested in what Joshua would do against the opposition. ‘Even though he’s as good as the rumors say he is, it will still be difficult for these people to serve someone half as old as they are as their king. They won’t be happy about it.’
The Lion King smiled and rubbed his chin. ‘Well, show me what you got, Joshua Sanders. What will you do about those who refuse to change?’
Beneath the stares of the Lion King himself and the vassals of Reinhardt, Joshua finally opened his mouth and spoke, “Since when did Reinhardt care about the opinions of the rest of the continent?”
“What?” Kingaitu asked blankly. He seemed dumbfounded by Joshua’s words.
However, Joshua remained articulate despite the pressure as he continued. “An individual with sufficient skills can become the King of Reinhardt, regardless of their background and bloodline. Isn’t that the will of the prideful Naga?”
“That’s…”
“What a shame. I have defeated many famous and powerful people, and I got to where I am today with my skills. It’s a bit disappointing to see that the leaders of Reinhardt are too scared to make such a trivial decision for fear of being criticized.”
Joshua’s voice was thick with disappointment.
However, the young man’s words made Kingaitu’s heart race.
“Now that I have seen just what kind of a place Reinhardt is with my own two eyes, I’m afraid I will have to turn down the offer of becoming the ruler of this place.”
“...!” The eyes of the vassals widened. Did he just say that he wanted to give up the chance of becoming the King of Reinhardt?
It had to be known that Joshua would definitely be able to live a life of luxury and extravagant pleasures as long as he held the position, even if he would end up as a figurehead similar to the Lion King.
“Are you saying that you’re going to give up the throne?” asked Kingaitu. He wanted to make sure that he heard it right.
Joshua didn’t even hesitate as he said, “I can’t possibly do anything about Reinhardt on my own. I also don’t have the confidence to lead people who had long become stagnant and resistant to change…”
”If I had to be wary of the continent’s opinion of me whenever I make a move as the King of Reinhardt, then yes, I won’t accept the offer.”
“...”
Joshua’s meaningful words pierced the hearts of Reinhardt’s vassals. His background only served to add more weight to his words.
“Then, I shall get going.” Joshua turned around and started walking away.
“W-wait…!” Kingaitu unconsciously took a step forward.
He looked impatient and anxious. He clearly didn’t want Joshua to leave just yet.
The Lion King laughed at the sight of that. ‘I don’t think it’s just a skill anymore. It’s more of an art at this point.’
Honestly, even the Lion King felt like cheering for Joshua at this point. The Lion King had never seen someone who could capture the hearts and minds of people with just a few words. It seemed that Joshua Sanders had also perfected the art of the heart, along with his many other skills.
However, Joshua acted like he didn’t hear Kingaitu as he continued walking away. The further he got, the uglier the vassals of Reinhardt looked. They were ashamed to have displayed such an ugly impression of them to the new King of Reinhardt.
Kingaitu gave up and exclaimed, “I-I was wrong, Your Majesty!”
At that, Joshua finally came to a halt.
“I-I made a mistake. I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty. Please, help us change Reinhardt.”
“I would also love to see a brand-new Reinhardt, Your Majesty.”
“We were at fault, Your Majesty!”
The other vassals hurriedly spoke up.
“...”
Joshua swept his gaze across them without saying anything. After a while, he eventually said, “Do not be bound and be restricted by ceremonies.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty!” exclaimed the vassals.
“Don’t let the opinion of others influence you.”
“We shall not be influenced, Your Majesty!.”
“Stick to your beliefs and principles…”
“It shall be done, Your Majesty!”
The vassals exclaimed. They looked like they were also making a vow to themselves.
“I shall lend you all a hand.” Joshua swept his gaze across the vassals and said, “I am Joshua Sanders, your new king.”
“...!” The vassals stared wide-eyed at Joshua. What a reliable king! Yes, this was what a ruler should be like! The hearts of the vassals madly pounded against their chests, making them feel like their hearts were on the verge of bursting.
He was the new King of Reinhardt. He was their new guiding light.
Thud!
The vassals got down to their knees and bowed to King Joshua. The way they kneeled and bowed felt different from when the Lion King ordered them to do so earlier. This time, their gesture felt like it had come from the bottom of their hearts.
“All hail His Majesty the King!”
The voices of the vassals exclaimed at once. They shouted so loud that their voices could be heard from beyond the Royal Palace of Reinhardt.
1. A saying meaning that in order to start something new, you have to throw out the old things. Usually used when starting anew or if you need to refresh your mindset.
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