Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The cure has been distributed and Orbus and his peeps are besides themselves with joy. Belca is destined for the throne; good times all around!

Except for Orcelito who is dying in the dungeon.

He's crying for Kiliko while Orbus and his men look on. One guy asks why they couldn't put him in a decent room; Orbus says they don't have time. They need to spread a rumor before Belca ascends to the throne...

Orcelito overhears them, knowing they're taking advantage of his condition...

So at Regia Solaris, Kiliko's men have found the Hokulea daughter and discover that she was taken by someone. It can't be Lord Lagen or Sparrow Hawk because too many traces were left...then again, that could have been done to throw them off the trail. Kiliko tells his guard to keep searching, telling Crow that they should have went against Lord Lagen earlier if he knew he was going to pull this. Crow is on his side till the end.

Meanwhile, Lord Lagen tells his attendant that Kiliko is officially a waste of time and he's going to focus on leveling up his low-level subordinates.

Eco is being stalked by "Ramses" on his way back from the cafe only for Seamrog to tackle him down.

Seamrog and Musca (on Seamrog's back) tells a shocked Eco that "Ramses" is the guy who has the book they're looking for. Lizelotte wanted to meet him so they were looking for him. Seamrog and Musca go off as Eco meets with Lizelotte, the two noting they're allies for the moment due to shared goals. Eco is shocked that Lizelotte is working for Kiliko...and thrown when Lizelotte reveals that Kiliko is going against his father who is very much still alive. But that can wait: the tied-up Ramses has awakened. He gives his spiel about being a humble messenger who doesn't know anything and says he barely knows Lilia since he was just ordered to correspond with her. He says if they untie him, he'll tell them something cool like how Lilia was the one who killed Prince Hector...

Lizelotte is very interested in that tidbit but Eco says that he wants to try something first. He makes Ramses drink poison and says that if he wants to live, he'll need to take an antidote on a regular basis. So, new arrangement: do what Eco says and he'll get to live (and if he gets the antidote himself, he'll just get the crap beaten out of him). No obedience, no life.

So in Neue Favrille, Rondarea City Mansion, Eco is invited as an official bard. He leaves his new slave (Ramses) with the guards on his behalf as he is taken to another room. Lilia sees Ramses and he tells Eco about her.

Kiliko is informed by a messenger that the Viceroy wants to end Kiliko's ability to give orders. Kiliko says that's only because the two in an argument right now and things are tense; take what he says with a grain of salt.

Tenko and that knight guy are on guard, the latter whining about working with Hokulea because he wants to fight them, especially Tenrou.

Belca is stuck in a room with Linna, whining about how he can't do anything. Tenrou comes with food and the guys talk about the records for a bit. Linna casually says he would work with Belca if he wasn't royalty and Tenrou says he still wants him to marry his sister.

So...the King's Sword's captain because shit is getting weird. His subordinate is about to join him when they are attacked by Shingetsu, mistaking them for enemies. She leads them away as an apology.

In The Suburbs of Neue Favrille, the Londalea Estate, Lilia ends the chapter overhearing Orbus talking about the Hero King's song.

Next chapter is the last one.

Chapter 49

Final Chapter.

Eco is walking through the town's square with his new captive Ramses, walking by Lilia who vaguely recognizes him. Tenko comes by on horseback to pay Eco for his song...while letting him in on the fact that he's being followed. Eco knows Lilia has been stalking him for a while and says it's time Tenko was let in on a little secret...

But first, back to Orcelito! He's still in his dungeon room when a guard comes in to give him stuff, even offering to help him change. Orcelito says he's fine and the guard leaves while a Duke named Barto approaches the guards from outside. He asks them to leave so he can talk to Orcelito alone. They do and he walks in, offering his assistance to escape with the prince. Tein, who is disguised as a guard, comes in to sneak Orcelito some snacks only to find Barto choking him.

Tein pulls Barto off only to find a knife lodged in his throat. Orcelito thanks Tein for the "assist" and tells him to take care of the body.

Lord Lagen is waiting for Barto to come back and assumes he has betrayed him. His attendant tells him that there is a rumor that something is happening around the city and asks him to have a look.

Kiliko receives a letter inviting him to a party, apparently written by the very much still missing Orcelito. He knows Orbus is trying to manipulate Belca...or Lord Lagen is trying to lure him out. Belca says as long as Crow and Shingetsu and the others are on their side, they won't go down that easily. If there is a chance, they need to take it because they're running out of time. Still, a guard offers to escort Belca, telling Kiliko to leave because it is Orcelito's wish for Belca to go alone. Crow wants to push through but Kiliko tells him to hold off: the Adin Knights are with Belca and the Hokulea are a bit further away.

They walk along the walls, the guards leading them to a room. Walking through the door, Belca finds Orcelito, alive and well (?)! Belca cheerfully greets him...only for Orcelito to tell him that he will not be handing over the throne and that Belca will die here.

You see, he knows that Reitz was a liar and a murderer and that his blood runs through his family's veins. But Belca's mother, and therefore Belca himself, have the Rovisco's blood running through theirs making Belca the biggest obstacle to Orcelito ascending to the throne.

The citizens watch from below the walls...and so does Orbus and his attendants, who have set the whole thing up. One of Orbus' attendants asks if Orcelito can even fight in his condition but Orbus says it doesn't matter: the citizens need to see him point a sword at Belca with the explicit intention of usurping the throne. Meanwhile, Theon's wife representive asks where Barto and Tein are, confusing Orbus as well...

Belca is being attacked by Orcelito, Belca calling him out on him acting crazy out of nowhere while mentally noting he can barely hold onto the hilt. Orcelito tells Belca to draw his sword while Belca wonders if he's being controlled by someone before dismissing the possibility because if the poison was that convenient, Hector would still be alive. It's at the moment he realizes that Orcelito is fully intending to die on that wall but he still doesn't know what he wants. Belca tries to talk him into standing down, saying their bloodlines don't matter. He just wants his brother back.

Meanwhile, Tenko corners Lilia, the latter confused why she's being chased. Tenko identifies her as the girl who asked Hector for a kiss...giving her the perfect opportunity to poison him. She realizes she's being followed by Hector's main attendant and draws her hidden blade to fight him off but he quickly disarms her. She asks if killing a lowly subordinate will really satisfy him and Tenko says yes...for now. After all, when Belca takes over, he will accomplish Hector's dream.

Back to the wall, Orcelito agrees with Belca...but he'll still fight. You see, it's not just Reitz's blood that's tainted, it's the blood of the people who turned on Reitz, the elders' blood, that's tainted as well. Orcelito is going way off script, shocking the guards and pissing off the lords. Belca answers if that's true then Kiliko should be the one who ascends to the throne because his family are the true descendants of Rovisco. Orcelito then tells Belca to carve a new way for the kingdom with Kiliko before the citizens shout from below, asking if what Orcelito said is really true. Linna runs up to say that Orcelito needs to be taken down for treatment and Belca agrees, saying that he can't be sprouting weird shit off without conversing with everybody first. Tired of this shit, one of the lords orders the guards to capture Belca so that he and Orcelito can't dish anymore. Orcelito keeps them at bay though with the power of "I still have the fucking Plague, you idiots". Belca has had enough and calls for the Hokulea to help him but Orbus comes onto the wall, ranting for everyone to capture the princes. A guard grabs Orcelito and Orbus then orders for the rebels (the citizens watching below a.k.a. witnesses) to be executed, which they are via arrows. Orbus says that's Orcelito's fault for running his mouth too much. The Hokulea, specifically Shingetsu and Tenrou arrive, and Belca tells them to protect the citizens below, even though he's just been ordered to be captured. On the wall, it's Belca and Linna vs. the guards.

Orbus goes over to Orcelito, saying he won't let The Plague kill him. No, he'll use the torture devices used on the Hokulea to make his death as slow and painful as possible...before he realizes he's been cut by Orcelito's hidden knife.

Meanwhile, Kiliko and Crow take down the guards sent by the Elders before we cut back to the guards being freaked out by Orbus, for all intents and purposes, being infected with The Plague. Orcelito holds his knife to his throat, thinking that he's leaving everything to Belca, only for Linna to hold off the guards and for Belca to dash over and knock the knife out of his brother's hands, saying he was here to bring his brother back, not engage in this weird heroic suicide crap. The representative from earlier tries to take control by ordering the guards to capture Belca only for Crow to hold a knife to the back of his neck, ending that nonsense. Sitting down with Orcelito, Belca says the High Priestess told him that, for all his shittiness, Reitz still made a fortress that protected people, cultivated land and gave flood control to the rivers. So if Orcelito is really worried about becoming like him, he should focus on doing as much good as he did if he wants to take the bad with it.

Below the wall, Linna sees the old man with the Rovisco's documents...

But meanwhile, Lord Lagen is getting away in a carriage. He says he can wait as long as it takes to try his plans again...only for his drivers to be Eco and Ramses. "You're such a pitiful man...let's stop cursing others, Father."

The next day, the remains of a burnt carriage were found in a forest near Neue Favrille.

The fates of the rider and the occupants remain unknown.

Some time later, Musca is demanding to play with Subaru but Tenrou tells her off, saying the High Priestess needs to study. Musca then tells Seamrog to kill Tenrou because he's annoying...even though he might become her big brother.

Anyway, because of the rebels and the plan to assassinate the royalty, the four territories, Lobnec, Theon, Londelea and Goldfritz will be temporarily listed under the king's direct control territories. Orcelito says how lively it is and Kiliko says it'll be livelier when Belca returns from territory inspection. Eco is alive and will be stopping by Neue Favrille to attend the crowning ceremony. Tenko will send a letter to the Holy Grounds. Also, Orcelito wants to make that school for the Hokulea after all. He says Belca left him behind in charge of the throne but he's expecting him to come back for it someday...even if it's by force.

So the merry band of Hokulea featuring Belca are retracing the steps of Azelprade's voyage, effectively doing what Reitz and Rosvisco did lifetimes ago.

The end.

Final Thoughts

Good manga overall, if bloated at times...

You can see throughout I struggle to remember character's names and there are a bunch of details I end up missing because I didn't think they were important at the time. But that's my problem and not the story's. The characters are good, the story is tight and the art is not painful to look at. Got that whole "gay purely in a digestible subtextual way" thing that I and more than a few others are trying to move away from but otherwise, I like the relationships in this story and I looked forward to the characters' interactions. I recommend to anyone interested in medieval political low fantasy drama.

Ultimate Score: 7.5/10

Chapter 47

Lord Orbus is eating food, thinking that everyone is heading to Neue Favrille. Belca is working on the cure so, in a sociopathic sense, The Plague was a blessing in disguise. Also, Orcelito is in his grasp so he has a perfect story to form: Kiliko tried to take the throne and Orcelito helped him by killing Prince Hector. A messenger comes into his room and Orbus asks if he has any news from Neue Favrille. Eco's song about Belca is still popular so Orbus orders for Eco to found so he can be put to better use...

At Neue Favrille itself, the King's Sword are defending the nuns who escaped chapters ago. Eco is mad that a particular knight is kissing up to them...but forget him, Musca and Paige are talking. They sent the letter but Musca is worried that Orcelito will be unhappy with her, considering that she very much isn't in Shez. Paige assures that since bad things are happening, traveling is unsafe so they should stay put. Plus, the King's Sword is here so they should be fine. She is very much still afraid of the Hokulea being at the castle though but it turns out Musca has been talking to one of them (Shamrock) and, through empirical evidence, has figured out that they are not scary sinful monsters but actual people. There's is a good chance that people have been lying to her her entire life about them...

At Regia Solaris, Tenrou runs out of the bath because he isn't into beefy guys. Belca stops him and asks where Shingetsu is and Tenrou answers that she's looking for the knight with sun hair. This pisses him off because the Hokulea and the King's Sword are supposed to be mortal enemies but she's just treating them like people! Belca wants to search too but Linna forbids it, saying it's too dangerous. Belca asks what he can do then and Linna says they have to ask Tenko and Lord Lagen to see what can be done. But first, tea and custard buns for the grumpy prince!

Kiliko confers with his council that he has received a direct order that Belca is to be made the Crown Prince, straight from Orcelito. In his letter, Orcelito apologizes for getting Belca and Musca wrapped up in his problems and that while Kiliko was a dick to Belca, he asks him to forgive him because Kiliko isn't that bad. More importantly, he's useful so he asks that he uses him as a subordinate. Oh, and don't tell Musca about The Plague. Belca, being in the room, says he wants to find Orcelito to confirm this but Kiliko says he's missing. Belca wants to look for him but Lord Lagen's men are looking for Belca to kill him so that's out. Lord Lagen's men may also try to cure Orcelito but for all the wrong reasons...this confuses Belca because Lord Lagen is supposed to be dead, right?

Kiliko confesses his father is alive and that Orcelito specifically asked for Belca to not be handed over to him.

Thinking about this at tea time, Belca is still besides himself. He doesn't know why Kiliko is suddenly acting like a good vassal and he doesn't get why his brother is acting like this. They've known each other their entire lives and he still barely gets him. Linna says that's impossible because both have the king's blood but considering Reitz's history...oh wait, doesn't Belca have Rovisco's blood in him? It looks like he'll have to talk to Kiliko, as much as the thought annoys him.

Under the chapel, Orcelito is listening in on the guards and learning the senator's plans. Somebody in the cult's clothes comes and tries to kill him but he acts crazy to throw them off, believing it be a kind of test. The assassin leave, revealing herself to be Lilia who's disappointed at Orcelito's apparent insanity if still suspicious.

Sparrow Hawk shows up on the roof to greet Kiliko. Sparrow Hawk tells him to keep searching for Orcelito while leaving Belca's case to them. Kiliko plays dumb when he's asked where Belca is but Sparrow sees right through it, saying that his father is pissed enough.

Eco is eating lunch at the place we found him at the beginning of the manga before chatting with the waitress about carriages coming in and out of town. Meanwhile, Kiliko is making sure the people of the kingdom are accommodated (with help from Tenko) before Tenko brings him some tea when he's back in his room. He assures him it's totally not poisoned before Kiliko drinks it. Then Tenko asks him about the details on Hector's death, saying the official story is it was from The Plague. He thinks it was due to some medicine...but Kiliko's silence and Tenko continued questioning makes it clear who he thinks is really behind it.

Kiliko doesn't deny his final accusation that he was involved so Tenko draws his sword and pins him to the table. He doesn't kill him though; no, when Orcelito is found and The Plague is cured, then Kiliko's time will be up. Kiliko himself agrees. Then a guard walks in and sees them. Belca and Linna, serendipitously walking outside, overhear the commotion and rush over to see Tenko having knocked down the guard to defend himself. Kiliko says he and Tenko were just playing around and the guard (Crow!) is relieved, if injured. Belca blames himself for letting Tenko do too much so he asks to speak to Kiliko. First on the agenda: did he kill Hector? Kiliko says yes. But Belca says he's only hearing half the story and orders Kiliko to spit it out. Kiliko says he had hoped to become friends with Hector or at least control him but Hector was having none of his shit. The poison that Hector got actually came from one of Orbus' men. It's supposed to erode someone of their free will but with some people, it just kills them. Belca already knows why Hector was targeted: he wanted to reveal Rovisco's records. Belca tells Kiliko about what the Stone Capital's tre history is and Kiliko surprises him by revealing that he already knows. Belca asks if Kiliko wants revenge but Kiliko says he just wants to be free. He understands if Belca doesn't trust him but Belca says he does...because Orcelito does.

Belca tells Tenko that he shouldn't be aiming his vengeance boner at this guy...then gets up and forcibly fist bumps Kiliko, saying that he still owes him an ass-whupping for Linna and the Hokulea's sake. The chapter ends on that note.