Macha's curse.
The curse of the incarnation, brought upon by Macha's husband and Conchobar. The men of Ulster were now rendered powerless in urgent moments, experiencing the same pain as a woman in labor.
The punishment for the culprits, the farmer and Conchobar. The farmer's fate had been decided as execution, but... the punishment for the royal, Conchobar, was still pending.
"Your Majesty! Conchobar is of royal blood! He must be pardoned!"
As expected, the faction centered around his father, Cathbad, opposed Conchobar's punishment. Everyone else wanted Conchobar to be punished, but only they were against it. How troublesome...
"The punishment I have decided upon is merely a one-year exile. Are you making a fuss over just one year? Is it such a problem to have him experience the life of a poor farmer for a year? As royalty, it is all the more important for him to understand the lives of the people. Or are you saying that I, who have returned from the Land of Shadows, am common?"
"It is not that, but the people will surely mock the royal family! What if they were to kill Conchobar!?"
"We can simply engrave a rune of protection on Conchobar. It is a Primordial Rune, so not even skilled warriors can break through it. Or, Cathbad, how about you go with him?"
"Th-that is..."
"You don't want to do that, do you? Then what are you so worried about? Conchobar has been given the utmost consideration because he is royalty, a punishment that does not even befit his crime. He deserves no less than death."
"But there is the dignity of the royal family! How can you say such a thing!?"
THUD…!
"And who was it that dragged that dignity to the very bottom! It was your son, Cathbad!"
"..."
"...Very well. Then, let us hear the opinion of Nessa, who has been quiet this whole time."
Nessa, the daughter of the former king and Conchobar's mother, had always participated in the meetings. She had been quiet ever since Conchobar's atrocity. As I asked her, everyone's attention turned to her. Cathbad glared at her with angry eyes, as if to tell her to defend Conchobar at once, and Nessa slowly opened her mouth.
"I agree with Your Majesty's punishment."
"What!?"
"Hoh..."
At Nessa's words, Cathbad and the retainers of his faction were shocked. It was unlike her, who would always defend Conchobar no matter what he did.
"The atrocity that Conchobar has committed is, as a mother who gave birth to him, as a mother who knows the pain of childbirth, an inhuman act that can never be forgiven. Not even a beast would do such a thing... I am even considering disowning Conchobar."
"Nessa, how could you...!"
"Quiet. Cathbad, I did not ask for your opinion."
For Nessa to say such a thing, she must have been not just disappointed, but shocked by Conchobar.
"I have heard your opinion, Nessa. I will not interfere in family matters such as disownment. However, if even his mother says such a thing, then I believe Conchobar's guilt is clear. His punishment will be as I have said: a one-year exile to a remote farm. During his exile, he will be stripped of all his rights as a member of the royal family. I will not accept any objections. If anyone wishes to go with him, I will gladly send them. This is my final act of mercy. Is there anyone who wishes to go?"
No one raised their hand. Cathbad, of course, and even Nessa, who had spoken of disownment, were the same.
And so, the meeting ended. It was decided that Conchobar would be sent off the next day with only the bare minimum of his belongings.
"Nessa."
"...What is it?"
"It's unlike you. I was just wondering if you were alright."
After the meeting ended, I called out to her as she was leaving the council chamber. She looked empty, like someone who had given up on life...
"...I wanted my child to become king."
"....."
"It is a treasonous thing to say, is it not? But you, of all people, know it well… but I think it is impossible. Now… Conchobar, my only child. I never thought he would be so inhuman. I have given birth not to a human, but to a monster less than a beast… how could he make a pregnant woman race against a horse? Knowing that his own mother was pregnant with him in such a way, that she endured a day of agony in the water so that he could inherit the throne… how could he do such a thing? I do not wish to see such an unfilial son anymore."
"...You're like the you from your childhood. The day I was appointed as the heir, you looked at me with eyes of hatred. Even if you couldn't become queen, you hoped that the child you would have in the future would become king. That's why you went to Cathbad, wasn't it?"
"Haha… it was all for naught. I have now come to realize the depth of my foolishness. What was so important about the throne, that I would give birth to such a monster?"
She smiled a detached smile and left the council chamber.
Nessa… after she changed, I too kept my distance from her, and we came to dislike each other. But seeing her so detached, it reminds me of the old days, and I feel a sense of pity.
You! You don't have a mom or a dad, do you!?
…That is correct.
Then you're all alone, with no family!?
Yes…
Then I'll be your older sister!
O-older sister…?
I heard everything! Father said he would be your father! Then I'm your older sister! I'm the princess of Ulaid! So it's no problem for me to have a little brother like you!
…Hah, what's that supposed to mean?
It means I'll protect you!
You'll protect me… isn't that an abuse of power?
What's so abusive about protecting your little brother!? Hehe, just trust me. This big sister will protect you!
Thinking back on it now… we certainly got along well when we were young. Was our relationship really one that could be broken over a single throne…?
"...I'm still worried."
I engraved a rune of tracking and surveillance on a runestone and threw it at Nessa. The quietly fallen runestone flashed with a rune of concealment and became transparent, following Nessa. I sat on my throne, closed my eyes, and shared my vision with the runestone.
Nessa entered her room, and Cathbad was waiting for her.
"What is it…"
"What? Is that all you have to say! To send Conchobar to the countryside for a year, what were you thinking! Are you in your right mind!"
"Even that is not enough. I will disown Conchobar. Then, Conchobar will no longer be a member of the royal family."
"You've truly gone mad! I was the one who saved you from being sold off as a bride to another country, how could you do this!"
Sold off…? What kind of nonsense is this? How could they sell her, a princess of Ulster?
"All the other countries are different tribes from Ulster! If you had become a queen of another country, you would have surely been looked down upon as being from Ulster and then cast aside! Who was it that took you in, it was me! The one who has served as the court druid and high priest for two generations of kings, me!"
I see… because of her different origin. This is some fresh new bullshit. There has been no such precedent in other countries. She is a full-fledged royal; to do such a thing would lead to war. Where is this nonsense coming from? Could it be… that old geezer Cathbad has been gaslighting her like this since the old days?
"Yes. I have come this far because of you. Because of you, because of your petty lust for power, I gave birth to that monster. You have always been like this, promising to make me queen. To make me the mother of a king and present me with absolute royal authority… you were the one who told me that Fergus would cast me aside once he became king."
"Look! This is the proof, is it not! After Conchobar, it will be my turn, and then yours! Why can't you understand!"
Hmm… look at that.
"I wonder… looking at the current Fergus, I think I may have been mistaken. It is Fergus who cherishes Cú Chulainn, who could threaten his own throne, more than anyone else. Seeing how much he loves his wives, I wonder if that is really true."
"Can't you see by how he is casting out his own nephew, Conchobar!"
"That's what I'm saying. Conchobar is not human. He is a piece of trash, less than a beast. Cathbad… I trusted you. I trusted you, my father's right-hand man, who always worked for the royal family… even then, I trusted you and embraced your old, ugly body to conceive Conchobar. But… you are not looking at me. You are just seeing me as a tool for the throne. Now… now I can finally see it clearly."
"...You truly continue to disappoint me. To be pushed aside from the position of heir by that Fergus fellow, to not even be able to properly manage Conchobar, to not even be able to seduce that Fergus fellow… you are utterly useless."
SMACK!
"Kyah! Y-you… did you just hit me!? Me, a member of the royal family! Even if you are my husband, we are not even officially married!"
"Of course not. Who would marry a woman like you, who has no value other than as a mother? It should have been like this from the beginning. It was a mistake to leave your ego intact so as not to be discovered by that Fergus fellow."
"Wh-what did you say…?"
"The suggestion I had carefully planted has been slowly unraveling since he returned. Now, I will have to risk my life to make it work for the rest of my life."
"Th-that's… a-a suggestion…? Then, the ill feelings I had for Fergus were…"
"It is not even worth telling you. It only pains my mouth… it will be a short time, but I will give you value as a puppet. If you die at Fergus's hands, there will surely be a chance."
"....Th-then… my life up until now has been…"
"You were nothing but my tool. A mother to bear a royal child, nothing more, nothing less. If you had at least followed my words, it would not have come to this. It was a problem that you were influenced by that Fergus fellow…"
"How, could you…"
….
BOOM!!!!
"Wh-what was that!?"
"I heard everything…?"
The door to the room was broken down, and Cathbad and Nessa were shocked. Outside the room, all the retainers of Ulaid, including the priests, were glaring at Cathbad from the doorway.
"Th-this is…"
"I sensed something was off in the middle and summoned the retainers… this is the height of depravity. How could a man who is the high priest be so depraved?"
"H-how…"
Click!
I retrieved the runestone, and Cathbad, a druid himself, was shocked by the runestone that he had not been able to detect.
"I see, so you were the reason Nessa came to hate me. A suggestion, I had no idea. In the first place, I never thought you would do such a thing. For me not to have noticed… was it dispelled as soon as I returned?"
"...."
Even if it was a suggestion, his skills as a court druid were certain. If the suggestion had been in place for a long time, it would not be strange for her to think that her feelings were her own. The fact that it was dispelled because of me means that I dispelled it with something… was it because of the Primordial Rune of Curruid Bolg? No, that's not important right now.
"What are you doing? Seize him. Arrest Cathbad for treason."
""Yes!""
"Th-this cannot be! How dare you! I am Cathbad, the one who has devoted my strength to the royal family as the court druid for three generations! What are you doing!"
"Lord Cathbad… we are disappointed."
"We thought you were a man who worked for the royal court, but we were mistaken."
Even the retainers of Cathbad's faction shook their heads at him and declared their separation. And so, Cathbad was dragged away helplessly.
I dismissed the retainers, and only Nessa and I remained in the room. Nessa was kneeling with her head bowed.
"...I'm sorry."
"...."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I'm sorry....."
She shed tears and spoke words of apology to the empty air. Were those words meant for me, or for her father, the former king?
"I'm sorry for being like this….. I'm sorry for being a foolish princess...."
"....Nessa."
"...I'm sorry, Fergus… you did nothing wrong… like a fool, I hated you…"
"Nessa. We're still family, aren't we?"
"....."
Nessa looked up at me with surprised eyes, tears streaming down her face, and then, choking back sobs, she answered.
"———Yes…!"
Fergus… take care of Nessa. She has changed a lot, but she is still your family. She used to care for you so much… I am worried that after I am gone, your relationship will remain strained. Please, if anything happens to her… you must protect her.
"When we were young… you said you would protect me, didn't you? Now, I will protect you, sister."
I've kept my promise, Father.