A King's Demeanor is the 848th chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary[]
In Kaku Kai's villa, located in Zhao's capital Kantan, members of the Kaku Kai Faction gather and discuss the imminent war with Qin. One official brings up that he had heard that Generals were gathering at Bu'an the other day, and another brings up that he had heard Ri Boku was coming for an audience with the King that day to give his greetings before departing for battle. A third official states that the situation was complicated, that they could not have Ri Boku succeeding, yet the Qin army defeating theirs and marching on to Kantan would make the situation worse. Another voice brings up the possibility that too much interference with Ri Boku could lead them to suffer the same state as Han, but the idea of Zhao being destroyed is ridiculed before another voice asks where his certainty came from. Someone brings up reports that the ministers and civil officials in Han kept important posts in Shintei, but another person challenges the idea, pointing out that their opponent was Ei Sei, someone who had endured horrific abuse from everyone in Kantan during his childhood, and that Zhao would certainly face the full force of his vengeance. Kaku Kai points out that if they remain the second-ranking faction at court, and Ri Boku defeats the Qin Army and establishes himself, they would be purged in a single day, and so they had to make a move now or have no way to survive.
An official turns to You Ka and asks if he could think of a good plan, mentioning that he had heard that You Ka had some influence within Ri Boku's camp, and asking if he could think of any weakness of Ri Boku's. You Ka respectfully says that although he had infiltrated Ri Boku's camp on Kaku Kai's orders, Ri Boku's guard is tight and he had been unable to penetrate Ri Boku's inner circle, and so had not yet devised a decisive plan. You Ka states his opinion that during the reign of former King Tou Jou, there was an opening to exploit because Tou Jou and Ri Boku were at odds, but Ri Boku was not at odds with the current King, and expresses his opinion that driving a wedge between them would be difficult.
Kaku Kai watches You Ka for a moment and then asks You Ka if he was still his "dog". You Ka salutes Kaku Kai and promises that he is, and would remain so regardless of what happened until the day he died, even volunteering to disregard his life and personally go to cut off Ri Boku's head. Kaku Kai dismisses the matter, saying that if You Ka could do that, he would not have been in that predicament, and instructs You Ka to continue to infiltrate Ri Boku's camp and find his weakness. A messenger appears and announces that Ri Boku would be arriving in Kantan shortly, and Kaku Kai makes his way to King Yuu Boku.
In a pavillion, Yuu Boku engages in bondage and other sadistic forms of sexual gratification with some others as he receives the news of Ri Boku's arrival. He dismisses the group, who ask to continue without him but are not given permission to do so, in order to view Ri Boku's arrival after hearing that he was arriving through the nearby east gate. Yuu Boku decides to take the stairs up to the Kouki Bridge, and officials struggle to keep up for him. He starts to hear crowds cheering as he walks up the stairs, and reaches the top just in time to see Ri Boku's arrival and be astounded by the sheer intensity of the fervor of the crowd gathered to welcome Ri Boku.
The thought that Ri Boku might be the true King of Zhao crosses his mind. A short distance away, he overhears officials talking about Ri Boku's appearance being Zhao's salvation, following in the footsteps of Ren Pa and Rin Shou Jo. They comment that Zhao had a succession of foolish kings, but strangely produced great generals that helped them remain as one of the six Warring States. They briefly imagine the state of Zhao if Ri Boku would become King; Zhao would be truly safe and secure, but are stabbed and thrown off by Yuu Boku's men, sneaking up on them after having heard them. The men falling off the wall draw You Ka's attention.
In Kantan's royal court, Kaku Kai and his faction watch Ri Boku and his men greet Yuu Boku. Right as Ri Boku announces that he would be taking his leave, Yuu Boku tells him to wait, and asks Ri Boku if he properly thought of him as King. Ri Boku affirms that he does, and Yuu Boku commands him to strip naked there and then to prove his loyalty. Ri Boku tells Yuu Boku to compose himself, and that they were not in his palace where amusements were indulged in. Yuu Boku silences the officials who had risen to chastise Ri Boku, and asks Ri Boku why he seemed to always be defying the king. Ri Boku tells Yuu Boku that he has no intention of defying him, and was merely trying to serve for the sake of Zhao and him. Yuu Boku asks Ri Boku if he was lying about serving him, and Ri Boku respectfully tells him that his admonishment was for Yuu Boku's own good, pointing out that subservient vassals that did nothing but flatter were a harm to the state and king. Yuu Boku sees why his father hated Ri Boku, and tells Ri Boku to know that there are people who did not find ordinary things simple. Ri Boku apologizes, but gently insists that a king must be strict with himself.
Yuu Boku dismisses the matter, chalking taking his amusement too far to his slight inebriation. He brings up the fact that he had never met with his father while he was alive, but says that it would not have been a very respectable sight even if he had. Ri Boku suggests that it is always possible to learn the ways of a king even without having seen the former king, and offers to teach Yuu Boku after he repels the Qin army. Yuu Boku chuckles and declines, jestingly accusing Ri Boku of taking away his pleasures. Ri Boku asks to discuss the matter of his pleasures as well after the war. Yuu Boku instructs Kaku Kai to entrust Ri Boku with an additional 50,000 troops from Kantan, and commands Ri Boku to annihilate the Qin army and return to Kantan in triumph once more. Ri Boku's men gasp at the sudden boost to their forces, and Kaku Kai and You Ka watch on silently.
Characters[]
Zhao[]
- Kantan
- Kaku Kai
- You Ka
- Tou Jou (Mentioned)
- Yuu Boku
- Rin Shou Jo (Mentioned)
- Unnamed servants
- Unnamed civilians
Qin[]
- Ei Sei (Mentioned)
Chu[]
- Ren Pa (Mentioned)