Abandoned Bastard of the Royal Family Volume 7 (FINAL) Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2 – Furfanil Temple

“So this is the Furfanil Temple.”

Schild muttered as he observed the structure in front of him.

The temple was a sanctuary deep in the mountains, far away from the capital.

According to some reports, the first king, Primera Schildride, received divine blessings at this place for his unparalleled prowess, which he thereby used to establish the kingdom he is about to rule today.

Since then, the temple has been a sacred place for the royal family and has also become a forbidden place that must not be visited without permission.

The sect that the common people in the country believe in, the Raina Gata Convent to which Sister Greidia and others belong, is of a completely different branch.

It was, so to speak, an object of worship reserved for the royal family.

After climbing up the steep mountain, he finally found a building that appeared to be man-made.

It was a majestic structure that could be called a temple.

Schild opened the gate and entered, but there was still no sign of a single person inside.

It was a remote and isolated place, and it seemed natural that it would be uninhabited, but the temple was well maintained, with no speck of dust on the outside.

“Surely, there must be someone in here. This is just too clean for a place unattended for a long time,”

Schild also muttered his thoughts, coming in without a single companion as a rule of the ritual.

He went deeper and deeper into the temple.

Then finally,

“Welcome, my dear.”

Schild met someone at the far end.

Standing alone at what appeared to be an altar, the ‘entity’ greeted as if he was waiting for Schild.

He had a very strange physiognomy, looking like an older adult and at the same time a child, fat and at the same time thin.

He looked very healthy, but at the same time, he seemed to be in a state of decay.

“Finally, I have met someone. I was just about to give up and go home.”

“There were several people who said the same thing. Some people interpreted me as some kind of demon and shouted at me. Some were polite and respectful. Others were simply horrified. All sorts of reactions, and each were unique in its own way.”

“And I assume you are… the priest that administers this temple?”

Though he was making these assumptions, Schild didn’t have that impression on the other party.

The person in front of him did not give me any sense of stubbornness like Sister Greidia, despite the fact that he is a priest who should be suitably formal and solemn.

On the contrary, he could sense a stupefying, enigma-like sense of uncertainty that he could not grasp, even though he felt like he could.

“I will ask you a question, soon-to-be-king.”

“No preamble or anything!?”

Apparently, the ‘Rite of Passage’ has already begun.

The entity then pulled out two items.

One is a scepter, the other a sword.

Even though Schild was facing ‘him’ directly, he didn’t know when he took them out.

Just where did he hide them?

“Which will you take in your hand?”

The scepter? Or the sword?

He was asking him to choose one or the other.

“Obviously… this.”

Schild took both.

As he interpreted it, this was a question regarding the king’s policy, using these things as symbols.

The ceremonial scepter symbolized law and the power of authority.

The sword, used in battle, symbolizes the army and the power of might.

“Which powers do you intend to utilize when you become king?” the entity must be making him choose one.

But Schild held both the scepter and the sword.

“Politics is a strange thing. If a man thinks he can do everything with a single tool, he is not qualified to be a king. He must acquire both influence and control of his own armed force, and he must do that on his own. How can he claim to reign over all the people if he cannot do that?”

After saying this, however, Schild immediately threw down both the sword and the scepter he got from the ‘man’.

He even said, “I don’t need these kinds of things from you,” while doing so.

“So, are you implying that it is not the wisdom or strength that matters but the will of the heart?”

“I have already shown it in my hands, and you still don’t understand? My answer is “all of it”.”

“……”

“Also, why should I answer to you? Isn’t the people the king who should answer to, for it is he who bears the fate of these people?”

Hearing this answer, the emissary lifted his mouth with a jerk.

It was only what Schild could describe, for the other party both seemed twitching and smiling.

“Very well, then, let me ask you the second question.”

“How many questions are there in total?”

“Suppose you have a loved one – a wife, a child, a best friend – and that person is dying. You can go and save them. But in doing so, you would cause damage to the nation and cost thousands of its citizens. Suppose there is such a situation. What will you choose?”

“That’s a very unrealistic situation.”

“You have one person close to you and ten million innocent people. Which would you rather abandon and which would you rather save?”

“I’m not even going to answer that question because it’s too stupid.”

Schild cuts the entity off with a single sentence.

“You seem to want to test me, but you yourself are not even qualified to test me with such stupid questions.”

“And why is that?”

“Because the conclusions you draw from your empty hypotheticals have no effect on reality.”

Someone close to you. Who is it?

What are the dangers? What is the way to help, by wisdom or power?

And who are the innocent people who will be sacrificed in exchange?

“Even if such a crazy situation does exist, it is the duty of a leader to scrutinize the situation within a limited time and make a last-minute decision. If all they have to do is adhere to the template answers that have already been predetermined, then there is no point in a society needing a king. They should just obey those instructions they have in hand instead.”

“……”

“I’m going to tell you something because I think you’re mistaken. I did not come here to be given the throne by you; I came here to take it from you.”

Schild still had not a shred of desire to be king.

“Who would want to do that? It’s a dirty job that only gets harder if you take it seriously. But someone has to do it. And that’s why I’m here.”

“……”

“If you’re still going to be a pain in the ass, then I will go back from here. I no longer care about your offer.”

“You’re going to stop being a king?”

“No. I’m still going to be a king. And I will take the throne.”

With unprecedented supremacy, Schild began again.

“I will be king, whatever you say here. It is you who don’t have a choice. And it is I who will make all the people in the kingdom happy, whether you want it or not!”

Schild’s annoyance was already at its peak. If the priest said any more sophistry, he would immediately raise his fist then and there, smash his face and leave the temple with a bloody hand.

Thankfully, the priest did not.

Or rather, the entity laughed again, this time so clearly that his gums showed.

“Good.”

He said.

“I haven’t seen a king as articulate as you for some time. Not since the first Schild, that is.”

“The first!?”

“Very well. Looks like there’s no need for any more muddled questions from you. Let us move on to the final judgment.”

At that moment, the priest’s appearance changed.

The figure of unknown age became a fresh, young human of strange age.

His stupendous physique of a man became a full-bodied beauty of a woman.

Her skin, which looked as if it had been diseased, became shiny and healthy.

Her breasts swelled, her buttocks rounded, and her blonde hair, reminiscent of a stream of honey, fell from her head. Even her bare skin seemed to glow with a golden light.

“We will now hold a final hearing.”

There was no longer any room for stupor.

And the woman who appeared, clearly and unmistakably of immense beauty,

“I am Furfanil, the guardian goddess who has watched over you royalty since the first Schild. Show me the qualities of a king, new Schild. Not with words or force, but with your fierceness that gushes from you.”

She declared onto Schild.

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