eurekapd Chapter 168 The Frozen Kingdom (Part 4)
Chapter 168 The Frozen Kingdom (Part 4)
"Respected travelers, do you have any special needs?" The king sat quietly on his throne, but faced the two travelers below without any royal airs.
Without a doubt, at the moment the entire kingdom was thawed, Elena and Jean became the heroes of the entire kingdom. The people believed that they had saved them from the evil magic of the demon Ludra.
Whether out of genuine affection or political necessity, the king treated these two saviors with the highest honors.
“We’re going to continue our journey,” Elena said.
Previously, in addition to a large reward of gold coins, the king had also sincerely pleaded with Qin and Elena to stay and serve as the kingdom's royal magician and captain of the knight army, offering them royal treatment in the hope that they would stay.
On the one hand, it was a way to repay them for saving the kingdom, and on the other hand, it was to give the kingdom, which had been ravaged by plague and snow, a boost of confidence.
"I see..." The king looked somewhat unhappy, but didn't say much. "Is there anything else we should do? Don't be shy."
“We want to take Ludra with us,” Elena continued.
"Take that demon away?" the king asked, looking somewhat displeased.
“Let me make this clear, she’s not a demon. In fact, you were saved because of her,” Elena said. “I’ve emphasized this many times already.”
But no matter how many times Elena emphasized it, people still refused to believe the facts they didn't want to believe.
The idea that Ludra was the source of the plague and the culprit who froze them was deeply ingrained in them. They preferred to believe that the two saviors were simply making excuses to avoid fame and to do good deeds anonymously.
Therefore, true heroes are now barely surviving and still burdened with infamy.
“Actually, I know,” the king sighed.
you know?
Elena was somewhat surprised.
“Yes, I know her well and I know her character,” the king said, as if reminiscing. “Besides, as a witch, if she wanted to kill us, she would have had many other ways than spreading the plague.”
"then you……"
“I know what you’re trying to say. Why shouldn’t I, as the king, speak up? Why shouldn’t I vindicate her?” the king said. “Do you think people will believe me now, even if I’m the king? Even you, the great heroes who saved us, are unwilling to abandon your inherent prejudices. Do you think they will believe what I, the nominal king, say?”
"What about before? What about when she was misunderstood before?" Elena did not accept this explanation.
She couldn't really say she was particularly kind-hearted, but Ludra's experience made her deeply dissatisfied, even though the person involved seemed indifferent.
"My two benefactors, how old are you this year?" the king suddenly changed the subject.
"It is very impolite to ask a girl her age."
"Indeed... if I weren't the king, I probably wouldn't have been able to find a wife," the king said with a self-deprecating laugh. "What I'm trying to say is that, faced with the choice between the kingdom and the hero, I chose the former."
“At that time, the kingdom needed an outlet to keep going—although I felt very sorry for Ludra, and although I knew she couldn’t possibly do all this, the kingdom needed such a channel to vent its frustrations,” the king explained.
"So you sacrificed her?"
"Yes. You can think I'm selfish, and I also think I'm not fit to be a good king, but to be fair, most people would make the same choice if they were sitting on my throne."
The atmosphere of the meeting suddenly became somber.
After saying this, the king suddenly seemed to have unloaded some burden, and his spirits lifted considerably. At the same time, he also seemed to have aged a few years.
Ultimately, it all comes down to their own selfish motives.
Ultimately, it was fear that if Ludra were exonerated, the people's anger might be directed at the king, potentially jeopardizing his throne.
He needs Ludra to take the blame for the failure of a monarch.
In the end... he still insists on bringing up the kingdom's greater cause, claiming it's all for the kingdom's sake, and you really can't accuse him of being wrong.
Because if it were you... your choice would likely be the same as his.
“I have wronged Ludra. I and the kingdom owe her a great deal. Whatever she wants, the kingdom can give her,” the king said. “But I am sorry, I cannot exonerate her.”
The king said nothing more after that.
So quiet, like a sculpture.
……
"The air is so fresh, it feels like I've gone back ten years," Ludra exclaimed, sitting in her magic wheelchair. Despite losing an arm, a leg, and an eye, she could still travel by using her magic wheelchair.
It would be very inconvenient if no one was there to look after them.
The three people behind her remained silent, their thoughts unknown.
A highly talented magician may have to wait several years to pass the witch exam and become an apprentice witch. An apprentice witch needs to find a witch master with enough talent to take her on as a disciple and undergo several years of certification before she can become a full-fledged witch.
As a witch grows old and her magical abilities decline, she may choose to relinquish her witch title and become an ordinary person, or retain her witch status as a great witch but no longer be qualified to take on disciples.
Every great witch was once an absolutely brilliant and outstanding magical talent.
Even though she has now been given the title of "Grand Master" and has become an elder, her magical attainments are still unmatched by those who have just become witches, and her experience is enough to benefit many people for a lifetime.
This great witch dedicated almost her entire life to the kingdom that gave her birth and nurtured her.
She could have thrived anywhere, but here she was a demon condemned by everyone, even though she was the savior holding a flickering candle in the darkness.
In the end, he was deported.
“I’m an old disabled person and I haven’t said anything, so why are you all silent?” Ludra said.
"I'm just a little upset," Elena said truthfully.
"Irena, why did you choose to travel?" Ludra suddenly asked.
"Huh? Why are you asking that?"
"Just answer. Respect the elderly and care for the young; don't ask questions in return when older generations ask them."
"It sounds a bit like my mother's rambling. I wonder how my parents are doing in Roberta?" Elena sighed. "They don't seem to know about Qin... I wonder what Dad would do if he found out... Never mind, I shouldn't think about that now."
“I travel because I love it,” Elena said.
"That's right. As a witch, don't you have a million ways to live a better life than constantly traveling around? Have you ever regretted coming out to travel?"
"Sometimes, I guess..."
"But will you regret making that initial decision to travel?"
Elena did not answer.
Ludela gazed calmly into the distance: "Everyone has moments of regret, whether for past mistakes or youthful folly; but as long as we make the most of the present moment, that's enough."
"Regardless of the past, because we cannot change it."
"Don't worry about the future, because the future will change because of us now."