I was Declared Insane…
On that day…
The magnificent conference room of Lombard Castle was deadly quiet.
Surrounding the round table were the venerable King Lombard XVIII and the dignitaries of the kingdom…
Each of them, maybe upon seeing the large parchment I affixed to the wall… or perhaps contemplating the research presentation that went on for about an hour, remained quiet.
“Asuru, it’s…”
“Huuuh! What is it!?”
I briskly replied to my father, who finally spoke up.
My heart is filled with pride.
From reaching adulthood at fifteen until today, over the past five years… I have spent almost every day in the royal archives of ancient manuscripts, dedicating myself to their translation and analysis.
And today’s research presentation is the culmination of my work.
My father’s following words will likely approve my plan and indeed involve allocating a large budget and personnel…
However, the words conveyed by His Majesty were completely unexpected… They were the exact opposite.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“…Eh?”
Despite the disrespect, I looked at His Majesty in astonishment.
But, His Majesty… my father was looking at me with a cold gaze that did not seem like what a parent would direct at their child…
Looking around, I realized it was the same with my two elder brothers.
No, it’s more than that…
Both the General and the Court Magician, along with the Ministers…
Each and every one of them was looking at me with the same kind of gaze.
“Our Lombard family is the descendants of ancient civilization leaders… Up to this point, it is good. It aligns with the history of our nation.”
After conveying that in a solemn tone, His Majesty pointed to a parchment pinned on the wall.
On the parchment were conceptual illustrations of the artifacts of a super ancient civilization.
I drew this based on the contents of ancient manuscripts.
“So, you claim that our ancestors have left a legacy for their descendants… is that correct?”
“Indeed.”
Didn’t I just say that?
Swallowing those words, I nodded politely.
His Majesty sighed deeply… very deeply.
“So, uh…
That relic is hidden in the Land of Death. And using it, any desolate land can be reborn as lush greenery.
In addition, this ancient relic also possesses the ability to produce various tools used by ancient people…
Is that what you claim?”
“That’s correct.”
In confirmation, I nodded again.
Another deep sigh.
This time, not only His Majesty but everyone else except me sighed.
“Surely, you have lost your mind…
Was it a mistake to let my youngest child do whatever he wanted until today because he was so cute?”
“Your Majesty…?”
Putting a hand on my head, I spoke to His Majesty, who shook his head.
I’ve lost my mind, I’ve lost my mind… You have been saying it for a while now.
Even though I had explained so thoroughly, logically, and in an organized manner, from the method of deciphering ancient scripts to their meaning…
His Majesty, who seemed to have aged ten years in this short time… My father said while looking at me.
“Such a convenient and great thing… it simply cannot exist.”
“Whaaaa-!?”
Father, what are you trying to say!?
“…Be silent.”
It’s been this way for ages…
Even if Father gets angry, he will never raise his voice.
Merely, calmly imparting correct guidance with composure.
Even now, he speaks like that.
However, unlike before… Even though Father is calm now, he is not correct.
“Father, what are your thoughts on this…?
Since Asuru has said this much, how about granting him the Land of Death as territory and allowing him to conduct the exploration?”
“But, dear brother, that land has been a place of exile for ages…
To send him to a place like that means…?”
“Indeed. It signifies banishment from the royal family.
Removed from the family tree, the name Asuru Lombard will not be left in history.”
“If Asuru is okay with that, then…”
Ignoring the discussion between Father and me, my older brothers engaged in their own conversation.
Upon hearing that, Father stared at me and spoke.
“This is the opinion of your brothers, but…
What do you think?
Will you believe in your correctness and search for this relic, even if it means losing everything?
How about it…?”
Whether it be Father or my older brothers, they probably aren’t seriously considering banishing me….
It seems that they are plotting to silence the stubborn youngster by presenting clearly unreasonable conditions like this.
That is to say… my five years of youth were denied and dismissed with a shrug.
I heard the sound of something snapping within me.
“…I accept.”
“…Asuru?”
Father looked at me with a puzzled expression as I spoke defiantly, holding back my tears.
This is it, the final moment….
This will be the last time I see my father, someone I’ve held in high esteem until now, only to be disappointed in the end…
“Banishment from the royal family, that’s perfectly fine if I can have that land as my territory!
With that, I’ll take my leave!
…I have preparations to make for my exploration trip starting tomorrow!”
While everyone was stunned, I left the conference room.
To demonstrate the accuracy of my claim…
To repay the people who have kept me alive with their taxes to this day.
For that reason….
Starting from that moment, I lost the last name Lombard and became simply Asuru.