King Sekirans Distress
* * *
Sekiran Neverfall is not a capable king.
Although hes not a bad person, he lacks motivation.
Make up your mind, Sekiran Be a good king.
His sister said that, and sacrificed her life as a tribute for the Princess Sacrifice Ritual, to support the future of Neverfall.
What is the Princess Sacrifice Ritual?
To put it simply, its a ritual to melt down a sacrifice into a sludgy liquid, converting their soul and everything into magical power, and use it as energy to operate Neverfall.
Royalty with vast magical power, especially young women, are considered to be the most suitable sacrifices, and many princesses, other than Sekirans sister, have sacrificed themselves to support Neverfall.
Sekirans sister, through brainwashing-like education, was completely convinced of the necessity of the ritual, and became a sacrifice without any doubt.
Happily believing that this devotion would support her beloved brothers reign.
But, however.
That devotion that death.
It was ironic that it wounded the young Sekirans heart, and hindered him from developing the heart of a king, like the previous kings of Neverfall.
It was nothing but a tragedy.
And since they didnt realize the possibility of that happening, the brainwashing education that Sekirans sister received was indeed twisted.
* * *
After his sisters death, the once cheerful and innocent prince completely changed.
He spent every day feeling depressed and showed no motivation for anything.
And that didnt change even after he ascended to the throne.
That being said, King Sekiran didnt want his people to suffer needlessly.
He didnt dislike his people.
So he lived as a king moderately.
Halfheartedly.
Aimlessly.
On the other hand, he hated Great Spirit Atmo, who demands sacrifices.
You could even say that he loathes it.
It was Great Spirit Atmo who killed his sister who demanded the Princess Sacrifice Ritual.
Theres no way he wouldnt hate it.
And yet, Atmos pronouncements are absolute.
Whenever he receives an email on his Kings Bracelet, King Sekiran must obey it.
That is the absolute rule, since the birth of the Neverfall royal family.
In this country, the royal family is nothing more than a convenient pawn to the Great Spirit Atmo.
Or a disposable, battery.
It was humiliating.
But he didnt have the energy to openly rebel against Atmo.
King Sekiran just lived day after day, depressed.
He appointed Nabokoris, who is clearly a villain, as prime minister, to annoy Atmo.
If the country is in turmoil, Atmo would be troubled, right?
With that motivation, he chose Nabokoris.
But contrary to his expectations, Atmo didnt react to this blunder.
And Nabokoris was even more ruthless than he expected.
The people just suffered and were hurt even more Sekirans petty rebellion ended with that worst possible result.
Before he knew it, Nabokoris had grown so powerful that even the king couldnt ignore him, and he couldnt easily dismiss him.
All he could do was provide a little support to the people.
King Sekirans days became even more depressing.
* * *
The birth of his daughter, Air, didnt ease King Sekirans distress.
Rather, her existence became a further burden on his heart.
Of course, he loved his daughter.
He loved her unconditionally.
But as he watched Air grow, becoming more and more like his beloved sister every day, King Sekiran thought.
Wont this child, too, be chosen as a sacrifice in the Princess Sacrifice Ritual?
And once he thought that it was all over.
King Sekiran began to distance himself from Air.
He confined her to a detached palace, and avoided seeing her as much as possible.
So that he wouldnt get attached.
To those around them, it seemed that Air, despite being a princess, was being treated coldly by King Sekiran.
Air herself thought so too.
But in King Sekirans heart, it wasnt like that.
King Sekiran loved Air.
Thats why, although he distanced himself from her, he tried to ensure she had a comfortable life (however, due to rampant embezzlement by officials, Air wasnt receiving enough child support), and he brought in Ijokis, a heroine who once served as the head of the secret service, as Airs personal maid, also serving as her bodyguard.
When he received that worst possible order from the Great Spirit Atmo, Offer Air as a sacrifice for the Princess Sacrifice Ritual, he indirectly helped Air and Ijokis escape, by deliberately reducing the security at Airs detached palace.
King Sekiran is a bad king.
You could even say hes a bad father.
But he truly loved his daughter.
* * *
It was only after the Great Spirit Atmo, finally losing its patience, threatened the lives of all the citizens of Neverfall, ordering him to bring Air back, that King Sekiran took Air from Takataka.
King Sekiran, for some reason believed in him.
In the small Mice Tribe boy, and the power he possesses.
Hell definitely save Air.
Hell make Air happy, in his place.
He really doesnt know why.
But King Sekiran suddenly became convinced of that one day.
So King Sekiran waited.
For Takataka to overcome all the trials, and come to rescue Air!
* * *
And yet.
He thought Takataka had come, but.
It was a mysterious girl, with an ominous aura, who came instead.
King Sekiran and Emi stared at each other for a while, in silence.
And then, once again.
King Sekiran asked Emi.
Who are you?
And of course, Emi retorted
I said, who are YOU!?