The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

Chapter 3 | Initiating the Counterattack

1

The carriage swayed along.

It belonged to the King of Darkness. Contrary to its plain exterior, the inside was luxurious and sophisticated, as well as superbly functional. Neia was especially impressed by the cushions that prevented sore bottoms even during long journeys.

She stole a glance at the King of Darkness as he sat across from her, his eyes gazing out the window.

He was a terrifying undead, but his presence wasn’t as overwhelming as when she had first met him during the audience.

Perhaps that was because they had more time to talk together during this journey.

One thing she had learned was that he was very generous.

The King of Darkness had the dignity of a king. Even the slightest movements he made exuded a royal gravitas.

But sometimes in this carriage, he acted like any normal person. And especially of late, those moments had grown more frequent.

How generous of him to assume a folksier attitude out of consideration for Neia, who was so nervous to be riding with him. Surely the reason those moments had increased was that he had gotten used to the act.

The reason he didn’t operate in that mode with anyone else had to be because the others were paladins, people of rank.

It’s so kind of him to go to such trouble for a foreign commoner…

What was he looking at? He probably wasn’t watching the paladins riding alongside them. He must have been looking at something else—something that had nothing to do with Neia—

“Hmm? Did something that fascinating land on my face?”

“What?! No, Your Majesty, excuse me. There’s nothing on your face…”

Apparently, she had spaced out and ended up staring at him. He seemed puzzled and rubbed his cheek with a bony hand.

“It certainly is awkward to ride together like this with no conversation. Hmm. Shall we talk?”

She had gotten used to it somewhat, but the idea of being his conversation partner still made her stomach hurt.

“We don’t know each other very well, so I’ve been avoiding topics that might be private, but now we’ve been riding together for a few days. Maybe we can open up a bit. Will you tell me your story, Neia Baraja?”

“My story?”

Her “story” was such a vague topic; she had no idea what the King of Darkness would find entertaining.

“Right. Well, for example, why did you become a squire? What does your job entail? Would you tell me about that?”

“If that’s what you’d like to hear, Your Majesty.”

She bowed her head and began talking as requested. That said, it wasn’t a very exciting story. There wasn’t anything interesting about her family or her work as a squire.

They told me not to leak any information about the Sacred Kingdom, but I’m sure this sort of thing is all right.

Or rather, if she hid even those things, she wouldn’t be allowed to say much at all.

Eventually, her uneventful tale lacking the usual four-part structure came to a close, and the King of Darkness nodded deeply.

“I see, I see. So, Miss Baraja, you’re a rare bowman squire.”

“Not to the point that I can say it so proudly, Your Majesty. I’m just better with a bow than a sword; actually, I constantly get told to put more effort into my swordsmanship.”

To Neia, a bowman was someone with great skill, like her father. She was only a little more capable than the average person.

“…Or rather, you’re an aspiring paladin who is skilled with a ranged weapon. That’s extremely rare. I’d recommend that you work on your archery skills. If you have people who specialize in swordsmanship, you can leave the swords to them.”

“Thank you.”

The King of Darkness was speaking sincerely, and Neia could tell that he really believed what he said deep down. She did wonder what he meant when he murmured to himself, “Weird combinations are the path to rare classes.” It seemed significant, like some sort of metaphor.

“I’m sorry you were forced to do the tricky job of looking after me. I feel bad not only for you but for the others. They could better utilize your skills by positioning you outside, no?”

Neia’s eyes widened at his kind remarks.

This was the part of talking to this king that was bad for her heart.

Not only was he the head of his nation, he was an overwhelmingly powerful individual. Yet, instead of speaking to her from on high, he did her the favor of interacting with her as an equal.

No! I can’t let his kindness spoil me! I have to take a step back!

Neia composed herself.

“Everyone knows I’ve been ordered to accompany you. You needn’t worry. And in the first place, there’s nothing more important than accompanying you.”

“I see… I’d really like to offer you some sort of compensation.”

He had offered to pay her something previously. Of course, she had refused, but it seemed like he was bringing it up again. Neia immediately began selecting words she could use to politely turn him down, but the King of Darkness hadn’t finished.

“That said, accepting something from a foreign king would probably be bad for someone in your position. So please accept my verbal thanks. I’m sure I’ll cause lots of trouble for you, but I appreciate your assistance.”

Then the King of Darkness bowed his head.

A king was bowing to her, a mere squire.

The weight of a country rested on a ruler’s shoulders, of course. Just as it was said that making light of a king meant making light of a country, it was normal to think that a country existed through its king.

In other words, a king bowing his head meant his country bowing its head. Of course, it surely wasn’t unheard of for a king to bow to someone of high standing.

But Neia was a commoner from another country. He didn’t even need to thank her.

I can’t believe it. He’s a wise king—it’s not as if he doesn’t understand the implications of bowing to me. So is he bowing like any normal person because he thinks I’m so—no! I can’t get full of myself. I couldn’t be that valuable. This is just proof of how broad-minded he is; he even thanks regular people… Oh crud!

“Please stop, You Majesty! Please raise your head!”

Right, saying that should have been my first priority.

The King of Darkness looked up, and Neia breathed a little sigh. Frankly, if anyone had seen what just happened, there would have been an uproar.

“Your Majesty.” She took a knee on the narrow bit of floor. “I’m no one special, but I vow to work loyally and wholeheartedly until your business is concluded.”

It was only natural that she return the king’s gesture of respect.

She ignored the voice that said he wasn’t the king of the Sacred Kingdom and bowed her head.

“Oh, come on; raise your head… Now, would you sit back down and finish your story? We’re not there yet, are we?”

“No.” She sat down and looked out the window. “Yesterday, thanks to Your Majesty, we were able to pass through the broken wall. We’re traveling roads no one is likely to spot us on, so it might take a while. Still, I think we’ll arrive at our base by tomorrow or the day after.”

They called it a base, but it was really just a cave.

“I see. So we still have quite some time, then. Tell me the rest of your story. I haven’t heard why you decided to make attaining holy knighthood your goal yet. If you’re good with a bow, couldn’t you have gone that route? Why did you choose to be a paladin? To uphold justice? Or because they’re the pride of your kingdom?”

“No.” She smiled and remembered her childhood like it was yesterday. “Because my mother was a paladin.”

And one who was reliable with a sword at that, a totally different sort of knight compared to her daughter, Neia.

“I seeeee. So she told you to? Or you looked up to her?”

“Oh no. She always told me
not
to be a paladin. And she wasn’t very good at being a parent. She could do laundry and mending, but when it came to making meals, she was hopeless. It was all so sloppy. Meat coming out underdone was never a surprise.”

It was her father who always cooked, and when she was a kid, she thought that’s how it was at everyone’s house.

“…I see. Even though she was against you becoming a paladin, she didn’t stop you when the time came—she was a good mother.”

“Oh no. When I told her I was going to become a squire, she brought out a sword and said, ‘If you can defeat me, I’ll allow it!’ The reason she finally let me was that my father hopped in to shield me. I would never have won in a fair fight.”

The first time she experienced the intent to kill was in that moment.

“……Ahhh, that’s a nice, uh, a nice family you had, then…”

“Yes. The neighbors gave us strange looks, but I think I had a good family.”

“……I see. That’s good… S-so why did you end up aiming to be a paladin? You never thought to follow in your father’s footsteps…? Or was he a stay-at-home dad?”

“No, he served the country as a regular soldier. But, hmm…I wonder why I never thought to do what he did. I got these sinister-looking eyes from him; maybe I resented him for that.”

Neia put her pointer fingers to the corners of her eyes and wobbled them.

When she was little, her friends would often say,
Why are you glaring at me? Are you mad?
She always complained to her father about it. And whenever her mom overheard, Neia would end up getting clocked across the head.

Thinking back nostalgically, she said, “But maybe because I’ve expanded my worldview as a squire, I’ve realized these eyes are also a gift. Well, not that I needed the permanent scowl.”

“So what are your parents up to now?”

“My father died on the wall in battle with Jaldabaoth. I lost contact with my mother, so I don’t know what happened to her, but I imagine she died protecting the city. I’m sure she would have resisted to the end.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

The King of Darkness bowed his head again. The second time it wasn’t such a shock, but it was still enough to get her flustered.

“Please look up! You don’t need to bow to a regular person like me!”

“It was inconsiderate of me to go into such depth on the topic of your deceased family. I didn’t realize, but apologizing is still the right thing to do.” He looked up and cocked his head.

N-no, that’s only when you’re someone’s equal. A king and a commoner from another country are not equals. And you’re also coming to our rescue…

“What? I can think of lots of reasons why it wouldn’t be. You know, if someone saw you bowing to me, they might, uh, look down on you. Since I’m just a squire.”

“…Mm. I see. Yes, you’re right. That’s what it means to be a king.” Then he mumbled, “This is hard.”

He must have meant that even though they had grown closer, it was difficult to be open with someone from a foreign country.

“Okay. Then, I don’t mean this as an apology—I’d just like to lend you this, Miss Baraja.”

He put a hand in his robe and pulled out a bow.

Huh?!

It was way too big to hide under his clothing. Neia blinked a few times, but reality didn’t change.

“It’s an enchanted weapon. Use it to protect me.”

The bow was made in part from animal parts used as is, but rather than giving it a feral feel, it imparted a sense of sanctity.

She could tell just from looking at it. Frankly, it was such a valuable item, she could call it
super
-valuable.

“This is Ultimate Shooting Star: Super. It was made with ancient rune technology. I’ve actually been carrying it around to lend to someone. Oh, and there were actually runes carved in here, but I guess they’ve been worn down so you can’t see them anymore. That’s unfortunate.”

Neia wanted to scream, but she suppressed the feeling with all her might.

Thinking sensibly, she absolutely had to refuse it. There was a good chance this item was a national treasure. Could he really lend it to a foreigner so casually?

Maybe it only looks…? No, that can’t be! It’s definitely an amazing weapon!

“What’s wrong? You won’t accept it? You’re my bodyguard, right? I just thought that you should have some decent gear.”

“Urk!”

That made sense.

She found her head spinning.

“Ohhh, sorry. Is it because it looks so flashy? If that’s the case, then I have another that’s more subdued called Great Bow: Special. This one’s also made with fantastic rune technology.” He reached into his robe as he spoke—

“P-please stop! I’m very satisfied with this one! Please don’t trouble yourself with the other one on my account!” She practically shrieked to keep him from pulling out another weapon. If she saw whatever he brought out next, she felt like she might go insane, and if he lent it to her, she could very well end up spending the entire day just polishing it.

“Your Majesty! I’d be honored to borrow Ultimate Shooting Star: Super!”

She accepted the bow with shaking hands.

It was more ornate than most bows, and it looked awfully heavy but surprised her by being light in her hands. The moment she grasped it, she felt energy flow into her, strengthening her muscles, but she was also sure that even without those effects, it was surprisingly easy to carry.

Oh, this is nuts. I was hoping that maybe it would be an item that looked fancy but turned out to be nothing special inside, but this is definitely a wild one. It could even…be better than the Holy Swords…? Huh? Hold on… Th-that shouldn’t be possible, right?

“Oh? Just so you know, that’s not even a very fancy bow. If you want something else—with better performance—let me know.”

This was bad. If she continued this conversation for much longer, she would be in trouble. If a mere squire had better gear than the leader of the Sacred Kingdom, there would be issues.

“Thank you. I appreciate your concern for someone as lowly as me…”

I can’t let anyone else lay a hand on this
, she thought, gripping it tightly.

The King of Darkness was nodding to acknowledge her gratitude, and she smiled at him. She felt like her face was going to spasm, but she hid the fact as skillfully as she could.

“When you show it to the others, please tell them I lent it to you.”

Do I have to show them?! Really, I wanted to wrap it up and tuck it away somewhere…but I guess I can’t do that with a weapon he lent to me for his protection, huh…? Ahhh, this is giving me a headache. And he said this isn’t a fancy one…? His Majesty’s standards are too high… Will he demand compensation if I accidentally scratch it? From who?! Ugh, my stomach hurts… I don’t want to think about the bow… Ah!

Neia remembered she had a perfect conversation topic that she hadn’t brought up yet. “Your Majesty! I saw the giant, majestic statues of you in your country!”

“Oh?”

His voice was abruptly much softer, so she wondered if she had said something wrong.

This king had made his name the name of his country. She figured that he loved being the center of attention and had commissioned the statues in order to make his power known throughout the region.

Maybe I didn’t compliment them enough?

“The statues not only portray your greatness but also make your power known more widely. The Sacred Kingdom has none that can match them.”

That wasn’t a lie. Besides being huge, they were also the height of artistic construction and so lifelike it seemed like they could start walking around at any moment.

The sea dragon statue at a place called Lighthouse Point was comparable in size, but it wasn’t as well crafted, and the elements had worn away at it until it started looking pretty sad.

“My subordinates often say the same.”

Oh, I see! He gets praise from his subordinates, so he means that he takes that much for granted!

“They seem to be making plans to build similar statues at various places throughout the nation.”

“I see. That might be a good way to spread word of Your Majesty’s greatness.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Uh, mm-hm. But I’m not sure how I feel about putting statues of myself around my country. Yet, my subordinates say they want to build one over three hundred feet tall in the center of town to tell the world how great I am. The idea that bigger is better is simplistic, though.”

“Why is that?”

“Ahem.”
The King of Darkness cleared his throat. For a moment, the question of if he got a sticky throat even as an undead occupied the back of Neia’s mind, but he was about to speak, so she didn’t want to interrupt. “It’s not material things that indicate a king’s greatness.”

“Ohhh.”

Neia was awfully shocked. Of course she was.

In the moment, she forgot that he was an undead and began to truly respect him.

This guy is a real king.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of him clenching his fists.

“Of course, it’s a different story if plentiful ‘things’ allow my subjects to live their lives in freedom and comfort. But you know, even if I show people my greatness with a statue, what does that mean? I want to be known for a peaceful reign.”

“You’re quite right!” Neia swallowed. Then she asked, “Your Majesty, as an undead, why is it you put so much thought into caring for your people?”

The King of Darkness’s compassion for his subjects was no act. She began to wonder if he was really even an undead.

“…I don’t really think about it a ton. This much is normal, isn’t it?”

Neia was shaken.

Is this the true greatness of a king?

Is this the sort of thing the Holy Lady and the high-ranking nobles thought about as they ruled the people?

Or is it because he’s undead? Does his immortality give him that perspective?

Neia didn’t have the answer.

“And what the heck. If it’s over three hundred feet tall, people will complain about it blocking the sun.”

When the great king continued with that jokey comment, Neia was once again astonished by his humility.
He’s a king among kings.

•

The Sacred Kingdom Liberation Army’s base was, as the King of Darkness had noted, a natural cave nestled in the side of a rocky mountain.

In one corner was a groundwater spring. The ceiling wasn’t very high, but space was plentiful, and they could fit their horses inside. Additionally, mushrooms nearly half the height of a human provided a pale-blue glow, so they didn’t need additional lighting.

The reason they were familiar with this location was that a party of paladins had been sent to exterminate the monsters who once used it as their lair.

After deciding to use the place as a shelter, the refugee knights had put some effort into splitting the space into different areas. In the sleeping zone, there were even room-like partitions. They had gone to the trouble of cutting down trees in the forest that spread out at the foot of the mountain a hundred yards below and building simple furniture with the lumber.

Even so, it was still a cave.

The total number of evacuees was 347: 189 paladins; 71 priests, apprentices, and associated staff; and 87 regular folk with nowhere to go. There was no hoping for a private room.

Naturally, they didn’t have a suite to offer a foreign king.

The undead King of Darkness and the people of Roebel didn’t need to spend much time face-to-face, and the Sacred Kingdom wasn’t keen on him coming into contact with the classified intelligence floating around in the cave.

Yet, they couldn’t very well say they preferred that he make liberal use of Teleport and spend most of his time in the Nation of Darkness.

In the end, they were forced to move around some baggage and create a room for him.

Normally, a messenger would be sent ahead to allow for ample preparation time, but the Sacred Kingdom was currently under subhuman rule. They couldn’t risk sending a paladin ahead of the group if they couldn’t scout for enemies, and Neia was waiting with the King of Darkness in his carriage outside. They must have been frantically moving bags, carrying over a bed, a chest of drawers, and so on. They were also supposed to be hanging up a Nation of Darkness flag they had borrowed.

“…Hrm.”

“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”

“…I don’t mean to offend you guys, but I have a few questions. If you can answer, please do. We don’t seem to be covering our tracks. Is that okay? Will someone go out later to hide them?”

The King of Darkness spoke evenly as if he were reading, and Neia’s eyes went wide.

He was exactly right.

Climbing up this uninhabited mountain would definitely leave tracks.

And on top of that, the hoofprints of the horses the paladins had with them would be spotted instantly by someone who knew what to look for. So was it only coincidence that they hadn’t been discovered until now? Or—

“Y-Your Majesty. We haven’t been covering our tracks. Do you think they let us go on purpose? …But why?” she asked, her voice quivering.

On their journey together, she had learned that the king before her was incredibly wise. She was correct to think that he might tell her the answer right then and there.

“…Well, there are a range of possible explanations, but the most likely is…”

For a moment, Neia thought it would be better to have him explain to their leader and not just her, but she couldn’t hold back her fearful curiosity.

“…that they don’t want to lose track of the liberation army, don’t you think?”

“Lose track of us?”

“Yes. Maybe this isn’t a very good metaphor, but say they found a nest of naughty mice. If the mice scattered, wouldn’t that be a pain? They must be waiting till all the mice gather to get rid of them all at once.”

Oh! He’s exactly right. I can’t imagine any other reason. I’m amazed he could analyze the situation so well after only being here for a few minutes… He seems to even understand how our adversaries think… Wow.

“As long as the circumstances don’t change, I doubt we have anything to fear. But I guess the tricky thing is that it’s not only our circumstances that could affect the timing of their attack. Naturally, theirs are a factor, too…”

Neia could only marvel at the king’s intelligence, how he could point out all these things so precisely.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! I’ll go report that to the commander right away.”

“Then I’ll come along.”

“Huh? But you must be exhausted from the long trip. They’re preparing a room for you, so wouldn’t you rather rest?”

“Did you forget? I’m an undead! I never need a break.”

That was true. She had completely forgotten.

Undead were beings who never tired. She remembered learning, for that very reason, that it would be hard to escape from an undead that could move as fast as she could. That utterly ordinary knowledge and her entire preconception of the undead had been shattered thanks to the King of Darkness. He was so different from what she had been taught to expect that she wondered sometimes if he wasn’t a human caster wearing a skull mask.

“Oh, I appreciate that. Then would you come with me?”

“Of course. And you don’t need to thank me. We’re in this fight to defeat Jaldabaoth together.”

She knew that by “we” he meant the Nation of Darkness and the Roebel Sacred Kingdom, but she heard it as him and her, which was a bit of a thrill.

Eventually someone knocked on the carriage door.

“Your Majesty, your room is ready.”

Neia was the one to open the door.

When the paladin standing outside saw the bow Neia was holding, his eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.

She had never taken the bow out of the carriage before—because it happened that the King of Darkness hadn’t left the carriage since lending it to her. As a result, she had come this far without showing it to anyone.

…He’s surprised. Yeah, I know exactly how he feels. It’s definitely not the kind of weapon a squire would have…

Feeling the eyes on her, she turned back to the carriage and bowed her head.

Looking down at the ground, she didn’t raise her head until she had confirmed that the King of Darkness’s feet were settled. Then she turned to the paladin and asked, “Excuse me, but there’s something I’d like to talk to Commander Custodio about. Could you take me to her? His Majesty has said he would like to come along.”

“U-uh, yes. Understood. Then please follow me.”

The order they entered the cave was paladin, King of Darkness, Neia.

The pale-blue light from the tall mushrooms was pretty creepy. In some places where multiple mushrooms clustered together, they cast monstrous shadows on the wall. And since the humans’ skin was illuminated pale and blue, they looked almost like the dead, but strangely, that didn’t bother Neia now.

As they walked through the cave, they sometimes saw paladins on guard, as well as priests and commoners.

They had probably heard from the others, but they still couldn’t conceal their shocked stares at the King of Darkness.

They’re being so rude…

The King of Darkness probably wouldn’t get angry. He was extremely warmhearted, but that was exactly the sort of person who was terrifying when they did finally get mad.

With that in mind, she probably should have told them not to be rude, but telling every single individual would have taken all day, and it wasn’t really the sort of issue that could be solved by a quick warning like that. To the people of the Sacred Kingdom, and to living things in general, undead were naturally the enemy.

I could tell the commander…but, well, they aren’t drawing their weapons, so that’s halfway decent at least…

She suddenly noticed the King of Darkness take out a piece of paper and stare at it. She wondered what it said, but he was shielding it with a hand, so she couldn’t read it.

Eventually, they reached their destination, where voices overlapping in vigorous debate could be heard behind a curtain.

“Commander Custodio. His Majesty the King of Darkness has come with Squire Baraja.”

The room instantly fell silent.

At that point, the paper that had been in the king’s hand was nowhere to be seen.

“Have them come in.”

At their commander’s voice, the paladin raised the curtain.

The eyes of the paladins and priests—people who hadn’t been part of the delegation—contained a multitude of emotions as they stood to greet the king.

Even Neia could tell. So she was sure the King of Darkness could as well. But she didn’t detect any change in his mood from behind.

He can’t not have noticed what the atmosphere is like in here. Maybe kings just don’t sweat the small stuff…

“Listen, everyone. This is His Majesty the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. Unable to watch our country continue to suffer, he came personally to aid us. Take care to mind your manners!”

Hearing Remedios’s comments, everyone in the room immediately bowed to the king.

When they raised their heads, he began to speak with a stately air. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. I’m coming to your aid not as a nation but as an individual. And I’m sorry to visit you so suddenly, but there’s something I realized since arriving, and I wanted to ask what you all think about it. I’ll have the aide you provided for me, Squire Baraja, explain.”

The king stepped to the side, so Neia slipped past him to come forward.

“Hello, everyone. Allow me to explain what His Majesty noticed.”

She told everyone what he had told her. After her short explanation, a heavy silence ruled the room.

“…So what do you think we should do?” Remedios asked the being next to Neia.

“No, first I want to know what you think. I came to fight Jaldabaoth, not take command. If I do too much leading, won’t there be trouble after I defeat Jaldabaoth?”

A murmur unsettled the room.

“…Or would you rather I took charge? If so, I’ll save this country in the optimal way.”

That would probably be best, wouldn’t it? His Majesty may be an undead, but everything he says is right, and he keeps his promises. At this moment when so many of our people are suffering, maybe the right thing to do is accept another country’s king.

“The only one above us is Her Majesty the Holy Lady. Sorry, but we can’t have another country’s king command us.” Remedios refused immediately.

“Ngh!”

We should do whatever it takes to save the suffering people. Isn’t that why you decided to use another country and its wonderful king?!

Neia hung her head. She couldn’t let the complicated feelings inside her show.

“For our reference, would you tell us what you would do, Your Majesty?”

“If it were me? Once I made any move, I would look for a new base right away, I think.”

“A new base…?”

Everyone in the room subordinate to Remedios frowned. They didn’t have any other places to hide.

“You don’t seem to have any ideas. In that case, your only choice is to plan an operation on the assumption that the more moves you make, the sooner Jaldabaoth’s army will attack… Okay, that’s enough from me, I think. I’ll go to my room now.”

Neia started to go with him, but he stopped her.

“Sorry, Miss Baraja, but I’d like you to stay here and listen as my representative.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

He can’t be thinking of me as one of his people, but he accepts me as a representative.
Then he would be disappointed if she didn’t do her best to fulfill the role. The thought of the King of Darkness being disappointed in her made her heart uneasy somehow.

“Okay, I’m counting on you. You’re fine with that, right, Lady Custodio?”

“I have no objections if it’s what Your Majesty wants.”

Having received that reply, the King of Darkness turned to go along with the paladin who had guided them.

Once they were around a corner and out of sight, a priest spoke up. “So that’s the King of Darkness… Commander Custodio, are you sure we can trust him? I’m not sure anything good will come of chasing off one monster by inviting an even more terrible one in…”

“Exactly. Escaping our current suffering by doing something that will poison us in the long run… Well, that’s the typical pattern of someone ruining themselves.”

“We already discussed that. Let’s not rehash it. The poison is already coursing through us.”

So they don’t even call him His Majesty?

Neia was irritated by the way everyone was acting since the king left.

She understood how they felt about undead as subjects of the Sacred Kingdom; their attitude was utterly natural. Actually, it was stranger that Neia took issue with it.
Why am I annoyed?

“We see the value in using him… You’ve explained it to us quite clearly. I’m just not sure even we priests will be able to provide an antidote.”

What did they mean “value in using him”? Why try to decide if they could take advantage of someone who noticed their mistake and even offered them a plan to fix it instead of thanking him?

Ohhh, I see. There’s something I sense from His Majesty that the Sacred Kingdom is lacking right now: nobility. That’s why my heart is so…

How lucky she was.

She had been given the opportunity to ride in the same carriage and decide that the King of Darkness was a ruler worthy of respect despite being an undead.

So maybe the correct thing to feel toward these people was pity.

“By the way, Squire Baraja. What’s that bow you have there?”

“Oh, it’s a weapon His Majesty told me to use; he lent it to me just for the duration of this mission.”

“…Can I see it for a minute, Squire Baraja? We should examine it to make sure it isn’t enchanted with any harmful magic.” A priest reached out a hand.

She probably should have handed it over, but—

“No, sorry.”

The priest went slack-jawed. His face said he never expected to be refused.

“This is a weapon I received from His Majesty to be used to protect him. I can’t allow anyone else to touch it.” She spoke with her eyes downcast, so the anger inside her wouldn’t show.
He’s cooperating with us, yet you only want to use him! Why would I hand it over for even a second?

“Commander Custodio, what is the meaning of this?”

“My thoughts exactly. Squire Neia Baraja, you need to—”

“So then, I can tell His Majesty?”

The atmosphere in the room froze.

“Fine, whatever. Let’s move on.”

Hmm, so she’s aware that they’re saying things that would be problematic if His Majesty were to find out.

“Before we do that, Commander Custodio, shouldn’t we send Squire Baraja back to the king?”

Neia saw the priest’s eyes flick toward her bow momentarily.

She understood what he was getting at, and she responded with a look that showed none of the disgust rising within her. “My apologies, but His Majesty ordered me to stay and listen. I’d appreciate it if you would allow me to be here.”

“Hmm… Gustav, what do you think?”

“His Majesty told her that in front of us. If we sent her away now, it could cause trouble.”

“I see. Then let’s have her stay.”

You really said all that right in front of me, huh?
thought Neia as she bowed and expressed her gratitude.

“So what should we do about what the King of Darkness said? It’s easy to say we should move, but… Does anyone have an idea of somewhere safe we could go?”

If there were someone like her father, Pabel, here, who had ranger skills, they would have been able to make or find a space where this amount of people could camp long-term. But there was no one like that in this group.

“The King of Darkness—His Majesty was saying that he thought Jaldabaoth wouldn’t make a move as long as we didn’t. So we just need to find somewhere to shelter before he does anything, right?”

The paladin’s suggestion gathered supporters. But Neia knew that nothing good would come of putting off the issue. They would only end up panicking.

“It’s not only an issue of location but also of food. Right now, our supplies are keeping well because it’s winter, but we’ll still only barely make it through. It seems like you weren’t able to get assistance in Re-Estize, but shouldn’t you at least have bought some food?”

“Unfortunately, the food in the Kingdom was more expensive than we could have imagined. And even if we could have bought it, how would we transport enough to feed all these people for several months?”

“Deputy Gustav, I understand what you’re saying, but without food we’re doomed. Maybe we really should try to obtain some from the south? Or we could move our base closer to the coast and transport food from Re-Estize by water?”

“We don’t have the money for that. We tried getting support from the wealthy merchants there, but we didn’t get a good response. And from the south…” Gustav winced. “They don’t realize how close the danger is to them, that our navy being worn down means the same as going to the guillotine.”

“We need something to motivate the south to cooperate.”

“A base, food. We have heaps of problems.”

“…Is Her Majesty the Holy Lady’s resurrection likely?”

“Unfortunately, according to the Blue Roses, tier-five magic probably won’t work when there is no body or the damage is too severe.”

“…Could His Majesty the King of Darkness do it?”

“You’d borrow the power of an undead?”

“We have no choice. Once Her Majesty is resurrected, then our main problem is Jaldabaoth.”

Everyone looked to Remedios, who was scowling.

“…We’re shelving that issue for later. I considered our options while we were traveling—the first thing we’ll do is free the people imprisoned in the camps.”

A few people nodded in agreement.

“Aha. All the people of the Sacred Kingdom have combat training. Each village liberated is another military force…if they’ll fight. But if we do that, our food issues will be even more dire.”

“That’s why we attack the camps. They must have food there.”

“Oh! Good thinking as always, Commander Custodio.”

The paladin’s comment made Remedios grin.

Neia looked at her smug face with icy eyes—because she knew whose idea it had been.

“And we’ll have those people help us to liberate more camps. At some point, we’ll be sure to find a noble who could put us in touch with the south. Before Jaldabaoth can mobilize his army against us, we’ll build our own and launch an attack of our own. That should throw off their plans.”

“Aha!”

Now there were more voices chiming in.

“That should be our plan. Squire Baraja, inform the King of—”

“One moment, Commander. I think it would be better to have me talk to him. We should follow all the etiquette when explaining an operation to a king.”

Gustav was right. But Neia had the feeling that wasn’t the only reason for his proposal.

Still, since she didn’t know what Gustav was up to, she couldn’t object.

“I see. Well then, let’s do that. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

•

Neia went with Gustav back to the King of Darkness’s room. A paladin stood before the door, which was only a sheet of cloth. It wasn’t clear if he was on guard against those who would harm the person inside or the person himself.

Gustav directed him to leave, so he went away.

Neia furrowed her brow.

If he had the guard leave, there had to be some other reason he had come besides explaining their plan. She didn’t think he would attempt an assassination, but if it came to that, she would have to take up her weapon to defend the King of Darkness.

“Your Majesty, King of Darkness, it’s Gustav Montagnés and Squire Neia Baraja.”

Having received permission to enter, Gustav went in first.

It was such a dreary room that the memories of the inns they’d stayed at in the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Nation of Darkness were depressing. Or rather, this wasn’t the sort of room a king should have to stay in.

There was no helping that the walls were the bare rock of the cave, but the furnishings were also so shabby.

Paladins learned to sew during their service as squires, but they never learned to build furniture.

That said, the bed the king was sitting on was splendid. Its dark gleam made it seem like it had to be made of obsidian. White bedding was spread over the top.

Normally anyone would be flabbergasted and wonder where such a fine bed had come from, but Neia knew this was nothing for the King of Darkness, so she wasn’t terribly surprised. And he could have teleported back to his country and brought it over.

But Gustav didn’t know the King of Darkness as well as Neia did, so his reaction was different. “Y-Your Majesty, where did that come from?”

“This?” The King of Darkness pointed at his bed. “I created it with my magic. And the bedding is pretty much the same. I’m pretty sure it’s one hundred percent cotton from somewhere or other; it’s comfortable to lie on. If I could sleep, I’m sure it would be quite pleasant.”

Gustav had received the answer to his question, but all he could do was murmur, “O-oh…” Well, Neia couldn’t blame him. Even her eyes glazed over as she thought,
You can really do anything with magic…

“Anyhow, I see that Miss Baraja has returned, but what can I do for you, Deputy Commander?”

“Oh, uh, right! I don’t mean to underestimate Squire Baraja’s abilities, but I thought it might be better if I came to explain things.”

“Hmm… If that’s what you decided, then an outsider like me can’t really talk. But I would like to say one thing.” Something dark mixed into the red flame of his eyes. “I sent her because I believed she could do the job. For you to show up, even if you’re her boss, says to me that you doubt my ability to judge people—I’m a bit offended.”

No matter how people looked at him or how they acted toward him, the King of Darkness had never appeared angry, but now Neia saw him slightly upset for the first time. The fact that it was anger because he trusted her warmed Neia’s heart. No one else valued her that much.

“Do excuse me!”

“If you’re going to apologize, it should be to her, not me, but whatever. How about that explanation, then?”

Gustav said what he had to say, and the King of Darkness made a vague noise—“Hmm”—in reply. “I see. So what do you want from me? Or did you really just come to share that with me?”

“Ah, I just wonder what you think of the plan.”

So that’s what it was about.

He wanted to pick the king’s brain and had used Neia as an excuse in order to come. He must have had the guard leave because it would be problematic if the consultation was overheard and word got out that he was subordinating himself to a foreign—not to mention undead—king.

What’s the point of hiding it now…?

It was already clear they couldn’t get by without borrowing the King of Darkness’s strength. Sooner or later, everyone would know.

Wouldn’t the best course of action for the Sacred Kingdom be to inform as many people as possible of the king’s compassion and maintain an attitude of gratitude?

I can understand not trusting undead or being on guard, but His Majesty isn’t like them…

But they probably wouldn’t believe it if Neia said that. They might think she was under the influence of a spell like Charm.

How can I get everyone to trust His Majesty? Ultimately, we have to overcome their preconceptions, but I can’t be so impertinent as to say something like, “Please go mingle with the people.”

As Neia was thinking, the other two continued their discussion.

“…Mm, I’m pretty sure I said I wasn’t going to give you any input on your plans.”

“I know, but I’m begging you. We only have one shot. If there’s anything, even something small, we can do to avoid failure…”

“That’s the issue right there. What if I gave you advice and the plan still failed? I couldn’t be held responsible for that.”

“Yes. That’s why I was thinking we could keep this between Your Majesty, me, and Squire Baraja.”

“And Miss Baraja? You don’t think it would be better to leave her out of it?”

“No, I thought it would be good to have a third party present. And someone with her special abilities might be able to point out some different possibilities.”

“…Hmm. Then let’s talk a bit. You’re fine with that, right, Miss Baraja?”

“Oh! Yes, it’s fine with me.”

“Then, from what I heard of your plan, there are a few things that concern me. First is food. I agree that the camps might have some, but I doubt it’s very much. We don’t even know if they are feeding the prisoners properly. If it were me, I’d be reducing the amount of nutrition they get to weaken them so they would be incapable of revolting. And you mentioned using them as soldiers, but what will they use as weapons? Do you have a stockpile in this cave?”

“No, we don’t. We thought we would have to get them from the camps.”

“Do you understand how dangerous this plan is if it relies on the camps for everything?”

“Yes, but it’s very important to rescue the suffering prisoners.”

“I agree with you there. They may be losing their love for this country as time goes by. But I do think you should at least have a plan for food. Honestly, I think getting the south to cooperate would be best. What can we do to make that happen?”

“We need the royal family. The Holy Lady passed away, but it can’t be that the entire royal family is dead. If we can rescue a member of the royal family that the south supports, we could request assistance through that person. That would also obtain us a place to evacuate to… By the way, Your Majesty, the Holy Lady did die, but do you think you could do something with your powers?”

“Do something?”

“Bring her back?”

“Ah. It’s not impossible.”

He said it so simply that for just a moment Neia couldn’t believe her ears. Resurrection was said to be the essence of faith magic. Only a handful of a handful of people could cast it. How many people in the world could speak of it so casually?

“Of course, I’d want compensation. And where is the body? What condition is it in?”

“At present, we don’t know where the body is or what condition it’s in. We’d like to pay whatever amount Your Majesty requests.”

The King of Darkness waved him off. “It’s hard if there’s no body. Even the extent of the wounds changes things. It’s possible that if I resurrect her without a proper corpse, she’ll end up undead.”

“W-we can’t have that.”

More than not having it, if the Holy Lady were turned into an undead, the entire kingdom would probably go to war.

“You don’t have anyone in the Sacred Kingdom who can use tier-five spells?”

“My apologies, but I don’t know.”

“Oh…? So where are the other members of the royal family?”

“We believe they’re probably in one of the prison camps. Given the amount of time that has passed, they surely aren’t hiding out in the city somewhere.”

“P-prison…? You have no idea where they are?”

Gustav said they did not. The King of Darkness looked up at the ceiling.

“Hmm…I guess we just have to play it by ear.”

“Yes. We don’t have any paladins who are skilled at reconnaissance…”

“I see…” The king nodded. “Building a robust organization with talent that can handle all sorts of information is paramount… But even with multiple intelligence agencies…”

“Th-that’s why I’d like to request Your Majesty’s help. Would you be able to do something with magic?”

“Magic isn’t as omnipotent as you think… First, I need more information about these prison camps. Show me a map with details.”

“My apolo—”

“I don’t think we have one here, so why don’t I go get one?” Neia interrupted.

Maps were national treasures. The more detailed they were, the easier it was to attack or defend as necessary. Allowing a neighboring country that could be an enemy in the future to know the geography of your entire region could only bring harm. That must have been why Gustav tried to refuse.

But.

Neia couldn’t allow it.

She couldn’t allow the King of Darkness to be merely used.

If they were going to borrow his wisdom, they owed him.

Gustav gave her a sharp look, but Neia pretended not to notice.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll take a look at it later. Okay, Miss Baraja, sorry to put you on the spot, but tell me everything you know about this region’s geography.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

They both acknowledged, and then Gustav raised the cloth and left.

Once they could no longer hear his footsteps, the King of Darkness murmured, “You don’t have to worry. I came here for my own benefit, too. Jaldabaoth’s maids are worth a lot.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

He must have been talking about the map situation.

Neia’s chest felt warm. How happy she was to have her efforts actually appreciated.

“But. This is a really a tough spot. I don’t know how you all managed to get this far with an organization that can be divided so easily.”

“My humble apologies.”

“Ah, I didn’t mean to have you apologize… It’s just a pain that your organization isn’t a monolith. Haven’t you ever voted when opinions clashed and let the majority rule? With a condition that no one was allowed to complain after the fact?”

“It would be wonderful to have an organization that worked like that. It sounds like a dream.”

“Hmm…wonderful, huh?” The King of Darkness gazed up at the ceiling. But his eyes seemed to be looking much further away. “Yeah. It does sound like a dream.”

“Is there an organization like that in your country, Your Majesty?”

“Oh, uh, nope. Unfortunately, we don’t. But you know…hoh-hoh…” He chuckled softly. “It would be interesting if we did.”

“Interesting?”

“Now then, you were going to tell me about the surrounding region.”

2

The party approached the prison camp under cover of night.

Following the King of Darkness’s suggestion, they had decided to attack a camp that was as far away from their camp as possible and also by the sea. Traveling by boat meant it would be easier to hide their tracks, and if they attacked somewhere away from their base, it would be harder for the enemy to confirm it was the liberation army’s doing.

But there was one problem.

If they went too far, there was a good chance an enemy scouting party would spot them en route.

As a result, they would attack a prison camp only as far away as was manageable.

Neia turned to the King of Darkness on his horse next to her and asked, “Your Majesty, we’re going to ride all the way to the village. Are you ready?”

“Yes, of course. The only thing is…no one has told me what the plan for the operation is. I wonder what strategy they’ve chosen. I’m looking forward to finding out.”

“Looking forward to it?”

“Heh-heh. I can get a peek at how the Sacred Kingdom strategizes. What abilities will they use to bust down the gate? Or will they fly over the wall to launch their assault? I imagine they won’t be holding anything back, so I’ll be able to see it all. It’s exciting to think that someone might have a skill I’ve never seen before.”

He’s definitely going to be disappointed
, thought Neia sadly.

The Sacred Kingdom’s basic strategy for attacking an enemy fort was to have angels attack from overhead while sending the infantry charging in. She figured this time would be no different. Put another way, they didn’t have the forces to do anything else.

Neia looked at Remedios and the others.

Almost the entire liberation army force was up ahead.

When the commander raised her spear, the Sacred Kingdom flag affixed to it fluttered.

“We ride!”

“Ooragh!”

The commander kicked her horse and was off. The other knights followed behind her. The village was still quite far, so they were moving at a canter rather than a full gallop.

“The paladins are carrying a big log over from the forest. Is that going to be a battering ram?”

“Yes. Since the liberation army is only made up of paladins and priests, we don’t have anyone who can open the gate or sneak in. Our only option is to break it down. No matter how adept our commander is with a sword, having a tool like that makes it easier to destroy a gate.”

“So you’re not breaking it with magic but with physical blows from a battering ram… Do you use ladders? Are there spells that you could use to get over the wall?”

There were different types of magic—arcane, faith, psychic—but the kind that paladins used was different and was cast via an energy called providence. Fallen paladins such as dark knights also used providence magic.

Neia had never seen or heard of a spell that could create ladders.

“My apologies, I’m afraid I don’t know.”

“I’m the same. I know there’s a spell for flight that paladins can use, but I think it’s in a rather high tier.”

“Oh, really? I’m impressed that you even know about paladin magic…”

The king was truly brilliant. He had deep knowledge about types of magic he didn’t even use.

“Well, because an enemy might use it. I worked hard to learn about as many types of magic as possible. I didn’t have much natural ability, so I had to make up for it with effort. My friend always said the more you know, the closer you are to victory. Hmm.”

She couldn’t really believe that he had no natural ability, but there were other things they had to discuss.

“Your Majesty, if you have a plan, I can relay it to the commander.”

The clever King of Darkness might have already come up with a better strategy than the one the liberation army had. Maybe that was why he was being modest.

“Huh? N-nah, let’s not. Well, mm-hm, hrm. Freeing the prisoners is the Sacred Kingdom’s job, not mine. As you raid more of them, you’ll begin to get a feel for what works. That’s the first step. You’ve got to notice these things yourselves!”

He was right. Or rather, everything he said was always right.

But Neia was hoping that, just for today, he would give them advice. This was a fight to rescue the innocent who were suffering. She wanted to make sure they chose the method that would save the most people the fastest.

“I know you’re right, Your Majesty. But I beg you to lend us your wisdom.”

She knew it was rude to ask while they were riding. But she still bowed her head to plead with him.

The King of Darkness looked straight ahead for a moment and then said, “Hmm… Neia Baraja, don’t make me repeat myself. Success is born of failure. Even if the plan you come up with without my help doesn’t work, you need to accept that without fear. Such an outcome would be a necessary failure on the way to success.”

His words sent a stabbing pain through Neia’s heart. He couldn’t always be there to help them. The King of Darkness was telling her that in order to rebuild their country independently, there would be sacrifices made as a result of thinking on their own, but that they would be needed nonetheless.

And it was exactly as he said.

But with his power, they might be able to save more people.

Is accepting sacrifices to maintain our independence…just?

What is justice?

Was saving more people just? Or…?

Her thoughts spiraled, and it seemed like she would never find an answer.

“Let’s believe in their abilities.”

All Neia could do now was pray that it wouldn’t end in a huge sacrifice and a sorrowful spilling of blood.

The party headed directly for the prison camp.

There were some hills along the way to the village, but something like a watchtower had apparently been constructed, so if they went from the front, they would undoubtedly be spotted. But it was also true that they were only capable of frontal attacks.

Eventually, the village came into sight.

It seemed like they had a proper night guard in the watchtower atop the gate. The alarm bell rang immediately, and the village erupted in a flurry of activity.

Neia squinted at the watchtower.

The subhumans resembled two-legged goats with long hair. They wore mail shirts and were armed with large spears.

If she remembered correctly, they were called bufolk.

Their race lived in mountainous regions, and their sturdy legs performed like a goat’s, allowing the fearsome warriors to get a foothold on even the slightest ledges and climb right up fortress walls. Neia also remembered her father explaining that their long hair tangled around swords, so after killing one, it was necessary to clean the blade or the cutting edge would be dulled.

The spears the bufolk carried were long enough that they could attack people on the ground from the top of the gate.

She had been worried that they would tighten up their defenses at once, but apparently they weren’t that well trained, because they panicked a bit, which gave the liberation army time to prepare.

The priests got off their horses and got right to work summoning angels.

The paladins also dismounted and held up their shields—probably to protect the ones holding the battering ram from attacks from above. But that wasn’t all the knights. About ten of them remained on their horses and headed for the village’s flank.

“Miss Baraja. Was that small group of soldiers sent around to make sure that no subhumans flee from the camp and bring word to their allies? If any did escape, you would lose the war even if we won this battle.”

“Th-that’s right! It’s exactly as you say!”

How easily he saw through all their tactics. All Neia could say was that she expected nothing less.

But she did wonder where the King of Darkness had learned such tactics.

Beings with tough skin, like subhumans, didn’t usually wear armor. Beings with sharp claws probably didn’t carry swords. The reason humans wore armor and wielded swords was that their flesh was vulnerable.

If there was no need to rely on clever adaptations, then there was no need for them at all. Then why in the world would the King of Darkness, said to possess such overwhelming power, be familiar with the tactics for attacking a castle?

“Where did you acquire such detailed knowledge, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm? Knowledge? Ohhh, you mean my guess from before? Right. Tactics like that, the friend I mentioned before taught me, and I tested them in battle—well, I learned in all sorts of ways, I suppose. But I never thought I’d be applying those lessons here.”

“Was the friend you had very strong as well?”

“Hmm. Well, his strength wasn’t in fistfights or magic battles but elsewhere. In that sense, I’m still probably not as strong as him.”

He laughed an amused “hoh-hoh” with that smile particular to fond memories.

She felt almost as if she were with another human.

Maybe the King of Darkness used to be human…

Neia was never fooled by stories of turning undead through the power of magic. She knew they couldn’t be true. She had been taught that undead weren’t born voluntarily. But…

The world is such a big place…

During her journey with the delegation, she had learned how small her world had been.

What was across the sea, over the mountains, or deep in the forest? Was there someone wise who would chuckle at her hesitation and tell her the answer?

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

“No, I wasn’t scolding you. I was just a little worried because it seemed like you were spacing out while riding your horse… We’re headed into combat. I know you must be anxious.”

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”

Just then, Remedios, having thrust the flag shaft into the ground, drew her Holy Sword.

“Everyone, our first battle to free this land from Jaldabaoth begins now! For justice!”

In reply to her shout came a roar of “For justice!” Then they all charged as one.

“There they go. If you’re planning on participating in the attack, shouldn’t you be closer to the front, Miss Baraja?”

“No, I have my duties as Your Majesty’s squire. Leaving you here to go off to battle would be…”
Unthinkable—I could never.
She shook her head.

“O-oh, I see.. Th-then to change the subject…you haven’t lent that weapon to anyone, have you?”

“No, not even once! Your Majesty lent this to me. I would never allow anyone else to touch it.”

“Ah… I see. Uh, hmm. I appreciate that.”

She had the feeling the pitch of his voice had dropped, but she wasn’t sure why.

Did I disrespect His Majesty somehow…? I don’t know. Should I apologize?

As she was wavering, he changed the topic.

“Well, we’re here, after all. I looked around and made sure there are no subhumans concealing themselves with magic. Why don’t we go up close enough that we can keep an eye on the battlefield? I’m sure we can let the priests handle things here… What do you think?”

“As you wish.”

It would have been rude to tell someone as powerful as the King of Darkness that it was dangerous to go closer.

Just as she and the king approached the camp, where the alarm bell was clanging harshly, the fighting began.

Angels assaulted the watchtower above the gate, and the bufolk met them with their spears. Arrows were loosed from a turret. They were aimed not at the angels but at Remedios, charging at the head of the knight group. Since there was no chance of hitting their own, and she wasn’t carrying a shield, it made sense to try to hit her.

But she had skills unlike any other.

She sliced down any arrows that flew her way, all the while maintaining her speed.

Several of the angels attacking the watchtower descended on the turret in a counterattack. Three bufolk corpses fell out of it in moments.

At that point, the paladins had reached the gate and were starting their assault with the battering ram.

The wooden gate swayed once and emitted faint splintering sounds. “Again!” cried a knight.

The gate swayed again, more this time.

Another hit.

One of the gate’s logs went crooked. Neia could hear the cheers of the paladins even at a distance. There wasn’t enough room to get in yet, but a few more blows, and the gate would be completely destroyed.

A few of the angels went inside. Neia couldn’t see them, of course, but they must have been stopping the bufolk who had come to protect the gate.

“Get back!”

The sudden shout drew everyone’s attention.

It had come from the watchtower over the gate. How he had gotten up there was unclear, since the angels were supposed to be occupying it, but there was a single bufolk.

The problem was what he held in his hand.

“Get back!!” he repeated.

In the bufolk’s right hand was a girl—only six or seven years old—and he was holding a knife up to her throat.

“If you don’t get back, I’ll kill this human!”

The girl wore a soiled dress, and her face seemed dirty as well. Though she was still alive, her body dangled lifelessly side to side—as if to inform them of how the humans were being treated in the camps.

“You coward!” one of the paladins screamed.

“Get back—now! Look!”

A commotion ran through the knights. What happened? From their distance, and at night, Neia couldn’t make out every detail. But the King of Darkness was different.

“…It seems the child is bleeding from her neck.”

“No!”

“He can’t have killed her; her value as a hostage would—”

“All units, fall back!”

The paladins followed Remedios’s order and withdrew.

The priests in the rear had a hard time grasping the situation, but they gathered that something unexpected was happening, so they pulled the angels back as well. At the same time, they ran up to where Neia and the King of Darkness were. They must have wanted to see what was going on.

“More! Move farther back!”

The paladins responded to the bufolk’s shout by beginning to creep back even more.

Neia could see the bufolk guard changing in the watchtower. Those who had been injured in the fight with the angels were replaced by fresh personnel.

“This is bad.”

“Yes, it is.”

Neia slowly reached for the bow she had borrowed. The bufolk was using the girl as a shield. For that reason, there weren’t many places she could aim, so killing him in one shot would be quite a challenge.

Still, if she didn’t do it, who would?

I wish I had trained more with my bow
, she thought as she pulled an arrow from her quiver.

Just then, the King of Darkness put a hand out to obstruct her line of fire.

“That’s not what I meant. They’d better cut it out. This is already pointless.”

Before she could ask what he did mean, he was walking toward the group of paladins.

They were all unsure how to save the girl.

Priests had a spell that could bind someone’s movement, so many were in favor of using that, but magic required a certain range to be effective. Could they approach that close? If the enemy disapproved, would the girl be killed? Everyone had different opinions, and they didn’t seem to be reaching any kind of conclusion.

That was when the King of Darkness and Neia showed up.

“How long are you going to spend debating? This is a bad scene.”

When the King of Darkness spoke, all eyes gathered on him.

“We know, but—”

“Commander. Please calm down… The enemy is over there.”

Gustav checked Remedios, who had raised her voice in frustration.

“No, Lady Custodio, you don’t know. Once he learns a hostage is effective, he’ll show you he wasn’t only bluff—”

As if those words were the signal, the bufolk slit the girl’s throat. Even from a distance, the spurt of bright-red blood was visible. When he let go of her body, it crumpled to the ground.

Silence.

As if everyone’s brains were refusing to accept what had just happened.

Remedios returned to her senses first, and her shout roused Neia.

“How could you do that to a hostage?! We did as you asked!”

“Hmph!” Next the bufolk held up a boy. “That’s why I brought another one! Now stay back!”

“You cowardly bastard!”

“Heh. You’re such a fool. You didn’t think I’d have another one waiting?!”

Remedios’s clenched fists shook violently. Then she spat an order. “Everyone, pull back!”

“Order the ones who circled around on horses to gather up, too! Now!”

Neia could hear Remedios’s teeth grind. The noise was so loud it was a wonder they didn’t crumble and fall out of her mouth.

“Gustav, order them to come back…”

“B-but!”

“If we don’t, that boy will die! Hurry!”

“That’s a bad move. Now that he knows hostages get results, giving him any more time will only reduce our morale and end in more losses.”

Remedios, red in the face, glared at the King of Darkness the way she would an enemy.

“If we keep this up, there will have been no point to the sneak attack. And I can hear them carrying something to the gate. If they create a barricade, it’ll take longer to break through—”

“Shut up!” Remedios roared, and the King of Darkness closed his mouth. “Does anyone have a good idea?! A way to do this where nobody dies?!”

No one said anything.

There couldn’t possibly be such a convenient way out of this. Maybe things would be different if they had someone with stealth skills, but they didn’t.

And Remedios surely knew that. If it didn’t occur to her, with her animal instincts in combat, then it didn’t exist.

So why can’t she accept that?

Why is she so hung up on no one dying?

The King of Darkness’s words crossed Neia’s mind—
Is this a necessary sacrifice?
Without a huge power gap and a lot of luck, there was no way no one would die.

“Commander Custodio.” Neia’s voice sounded unnaturally loud. “Can’t we finish this now with fewer sacrifices?”

Remedios’s fierce eyes turned on Neia.

The strong warrior’s passionate gaze nearly had Neia trembling, but she knew she wasn’t wrong.

“There’s no justice in that!” Remedios yelled.

Justice? What even…?

All the paladins in the area had clammed up; they apparently didn’t intend to comment. She suddenly felt surrounded by hostile forces, but when she began to back up, a hand wrapped around her shoulder.

When she looked, it was—as she thought—the King of Darkness.

“I support Miss Baraja.”

He agreed with her in a low voice. But to Neia, it was like having billions of allies.

“Shut up!” Remedios yelled again. That was no way to talk to a king who had come from far away to aid them. There was forgivable behavior, and then there was unforgivable behavior.

Fury welled up inside Neia.

“What we need here is to break through the situation, not get irritated with one another… Well, since we have no other choice, I’ll change things,” the King of Darkness murmured. Then he strode away from the group—toward the gate. It was so sudden that before anyone could stop him, the bufolk shouted a warning.

“You in the mask! I told you to stay back!”

“Nonsense! How much value do you really think a single human life has?!” he shouted back in a voice just as loud.

“Wh-what?!”

“Our objective is to kill all the bufolk here! We don’t care what happens to the humans! Widen Magic: Fireball!” With that shout, he thrust out an arm and sent the ball of fire that appeared in his hand flying toward the bufolk atop the gate and the boy.

The watchtower was engulfed in a massive explosion of flames centered on the two figures.

Everyone there crumpled from that single attack. The bufolk and the boy he had grabbed fell in a headfirst tangle toward the ground.

“Max Magic: Shock Wave.”

In the follow-up attack, the half-destroyed gate was blown away. The barricade the bufolk behind it must have been putting up was also busted through, so it was as if a gaping hole had opened up.

“All right! Paladins, charge! Kill every last bufolk you find inside!”

His voice seemed to shake Remedios out of it.

“What do you think you’re—?!”

“Commander!”

“Nnnngh… Charge!”

At Remedios’s command, the paladins began to move. Or more accurately, they gave up on thinking and simply did as ordered.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Gustav said before racing off.

The other paladins and priests—those who were reasonable—sent the king looks of gratitude. Only Remedios was upset.

The King of Darkness spoke to Neia in a low voice. “Miss Baraja. Did you think I was going to save that boy with a spell you people could never have imagined?”

She did, a little. But she was sure there was a reason he did what he did.

“Oh y-yes, I did.”

“Hmm. I’m sure you did.” He shook his head.

Neia simply listened in silence.

“Sure, it was possible. It would have been easy to save this single boy with all the various spells I’ve acquired. But I couldn’t. Saving the boy in front of the bufolk would have been disastrous.”

For the first time, Neia looked puzzled by something the king said, and he kindly explained.

“If they had learned hostages were useful, they would have employed all the prisoners inside as cover. They would probably have been literally used as shields in combat when they felt threatened. That would have made the paladins hesitate, which could have resulted in many of them getting injured or worse. We don’t have a huge force, so losing even one paladin would be painful. That’s what Lanchester’s laws say…”

The King of Darkness walked toward the gate, and Neia followed.

“If, on the contrary, the bufolk learn there’s no point to hostages, then the prisoners are only in their way. But do you think they have time to leisurely kill prisoners when they’re under attack and the wall is being breached? Killing unresisting people is probably low on their list of priorities.”

“I see what you mean.”

“Then there you go. Rather than waste time killing people, they’ll spend it preparing to stem the assault. So we had to kill him in a way that would demonstrate that hostages had no value.”

He was right.

If they had done things Remedios’s way, it was possible they wouldn’t have been able to save anyone at all.

The King of Darkness gently picked up the corpse of the fallen boy.

“Your Majesty, I—”

“This is my job.”

Holding the boy, he and Neia returned to where Remedios had stuck the flag into the earth.

After he laid the boy on the ground, Neia wet a cloth using the water from her leather drinking pouch and wiped the dirt off the boy’s face.

His cheeks were hollow, and his arms and legs were shockingly thin.

It was clear what a horrible environment he had been in.

“Argh, those bufolk…”

“Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I will anyway. I’m the king of the Nation of Darkness, not of these people. That’s why I can make a levelheaded judgment—like saving a thousand instead of just one. If this boy were from my country, I probably would have prioritized saving him. If you don’t agree with that—”

“No, thank you, Your Majesty. I understand what you were thinking… You’re very just.”

“…Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Sorry. I mean, you were upholding justice.”

What
am
I saying?
She herself wondered.

She thought perhaps he was stunned speechless, but in his deep compassion, he answered her.

“…Um? Er, no, I don’t think I’m terribly just. In the first place, it’s for someone else to judge whether justice is served or not. What I do is very simple. I want to make my name known far and wide…”

Neia flashed back to the statues.
If he wants to make his name known, does that mean he wants to be the center of attention after all?

“That said, I’ve decided I don’t have to force it… Ah, sorry, I’m rambling. My only goal is for me and the children to live in happiness; that’s all—and that is everything.”

She doubted that an undead had children. Maybe he didn’t mean his children by blood but children in a wider sense? Or did he think of the people of his nation as his children?

Either way, he’s very kind. A world where children, the most vulnerable, can live in happiness must be a wonderful place. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to take that boy’s life if this is how he thinks…

It seemed as though there was sorrow on the skeleton’s face in profile as he gazed at the gate.

“Sorry for the boring conversation. That’s enough chatting. Miss Baraja, I’m in no position to talk like I know anything, but I hope you’re able to find your own sense of justice.”

“…May I ask you one more thing? Would you have done what you did if it was one of your subordinates who had been taken hostage?”

“…This is just me complaining, but I have enough other problems with my subordinates.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“A long time ago I asked them something out of curiosity: If you were taken hostage and used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with me, what would you do? Every one of them said they would kill themselves so as not to be a bother. So I said, couldn’t you wait for me to send someone to rescue you? I’m happy they’re devoted to me, but I just wish they were a bit more…how can I put it? My subordinates are rather extreme.” He flexed his fingers in frustration as he grumbled wearily.

That’s a pretty luxurious worry to have for someone in charge of a whole country
, Neia was thinking when Remedios, armored, blood on her sword, appeared at the gate. She had her helmet off, but her hair was plastered to her head with sweat; she looked completely worn out.

She gave some sort of instruction to Gustav standing by behind her, and then Neia felt their eyes meet for a moment. No, it was more accurate to say that when she looked at the King of Darkness, Neia happened to be standing in her line of sight.

Remedios went back inside without saying anything, her face emotionless.

Instead, Gustav came jogging toward Neia and the king.

“Your Majesty, you have our gratitude. Some damage was done, but we’re confident it was kept to the minimum thanks to Your Majesty’s powers. Normally our commander would thank you herself, but she’s upset by the people’s tragic circumstances. I hope you’ll allow me to say it in her place.”

Gustav glanced at the boy and then lowered his eyes.

“It doesn’t bother me. Be a comfort to your commander.”

“I will, thank you.”

“By the way, what sort of tragic circumstances?”

“We heard from some that we rescued that the prisoners were getting their skin torn off. It wasn’t subhumans skinning them but demons that Jaldabaoth had sent over.”

Neia thought Remedios being upset was just an excuse for her rudeness but apparently not.

As Neia stood there in shock, the King of Darkness cocked his head. “Why were they being skinned? What was the reason? Were they eating it? Like chicken skin?”

“I have no idea… It doesn’t seem as though the subhumans were involved… Do you have any ideas, Your Majesty? Could it have been for some kind of demonic ritual?”

“No, sorry. I don’t have a clue, either. Really just no idea. Why would Jaldabaoth do that?” The King of Darkness answered with genuine puzzlement, and they all exchanged glances, cocking their heads. But anyhow, it was the act of a demon. It was entirely possible the purpose was simply a desire to torment humans.

“…Let’s ask the priests later. And then, Your Majesty, we’re searching around to make sure no subhumans are hiding so we can finish them off. I think it’ll take a little longer.” With that, Gustav set off back toward the gate.

Then after some time had passed, people started to appear at the gate.

The prisoners. Like the hostage boy, they were wearing clothes unthinkably threadbare, considering it was winter. The paladin who must have escorted them was visible for a moment at the gate opening and then disappeared back inside. Either there were so few people that they were shuttling them, or they hadn’t finished taking control of the village. Perhaps both.

With joy expressed in every movement of their bodies, the liberated prisoners walked toward Neia.

But once they were within a certain distance, they stopped in their tracks.

They must have spotted the King of Darkness. After a few moments, they started walking again. Maybe they thought he was wearing a mask.

One of the men rushed forward.

Running up to them, out of breath, he kneeled before the boy on the ground. No, perhaps it would be better to say that he fell to his knees.

Then he caressed the boy’s cheek, and when he confirmed there was no life in him anymore, his sobs were practically screams.

It had to be the boy’s father.

Neia bit her lip.

The father cried, calling his boy’s name, and the King of Darkness addressed him gently. “I’m the one who killed him.”

Neia stared at the king in shock.
You’re really bringing that up now?!

But the wise King of Darkness wouldn’t suddenly broach the topic without some sort of objective in mind.

“Wh-why would you do that?!” The father looked up with hatred blazing in his eyes.

And in response, the King of Darkness smiled wryly. “To save the rest of you, of course.”

“Wh-what?!”

For just a moment, the father’s eyes brimmed with fear. He must have realized that the king’s face was no mask or illusion. And when his eyes cast around for help, they landed on Neia.

But before she could say anything, the King of Darkness asked a question. “So let me ask you: Why didn’t you protect your son? He was hauled out before us as a hostage!”

“I did, but they took him! They’re stronger than me—there was nothing I could do!”

The King of Darkness put on that wry smile again. “Then I have another question. Why are you alive?”

That caught the man off guard.

“I’m asking you why you didn’t die protecting your boy. Lives don’t all have equal worth. I would have thought you valued your son’s life above all from the attitude you showed just now, so why didn’t you put yours on the line for him?”

The others were watching the conversation unfold from a distance.

He must have been anxious and frightened and angry at the one who had killed his son.

“Wh-what are you saying…?”

“You failed to protect him. Don’t blame someone else for that. It’s your fault for being weak. And it seems like you might be misunderstanding something… I’m stronger than the bufolk, who you said were stronger than you, you know… Given that you’re mourning your son, I’ll tolerate a little mouthing off, but if you go too far, I’ll kill you.” He extended a bony finger and pointed at the man’s face.

“B-but you’re powerful—you’re powerful and that’s why you can say that! We’re not all strong like you!”

“No, you’re right. I can say it because I’m one of the strong ones. And you—you’re weak, so of course things are taken from you. It’s utterly natural for the strong to take from the weak.” He surveyed the other people around them. “You all experienced it in there, didn’t you? At the hands of the powerful bufolk?”

“So if you’re strong, you can just do whatever you want?!”

“Yes. If you’re strong, anything goes. That’s the law of this world. And it applies to me, too. If I encountered someone stronger than me, I would lose everything in just the same way. That’s why I seek power.”

Neia understood why the King of Darkness wanted Jaldabaoth’s maids.

He wants power to protect his country, to protect the children of his country. So it’s really…all about power…

“Well, but that’s why you weaklings were sheltering under the supposedly powerful Sacred Kingdom… I do pity you, being under the protection of a nation so weak. If it were my country, the Nation of Darkness, protecting you, this sort of tragedy would never have happened. Why? Because I would have done everything in my power to defend my people and driven the bufolk off.”

No one said a word.

The King of Darkness’s perspective was hard-boiled and cruel, but he was explaining this world like it was.

The only way to refute it would be to appeal to emotions instead of reason. But the greatest emotion they felt toward him—fear—wouldn’t allow it.

“Th-this guy’s an undead, isn’t he? What is an undead doing here?!” Too frightened of the King of Darkness to say anything, the father turned on Neia.

But before she could say anything, the king spoke up.

“That’s obvious. I’m here to save your country. And in reality, you were just saved by this undead. If you don’t like that, then how about trying to rescue your kingdom on your own?”

At that pronouncement, the man turned to look at Neia, but she couldn’t say anything—because the King of Darkness was speaking the truth again.

If the humans could have defeated Jaldabaoth alone, the King of Darkness wouldn’t have been there.

Terrified, the man scooped up his boy’s body and ran away. The people in the direction he fled looked fearful.

Whether the king was talking to the man’s back or to himself, Neia didn’t know, but she heard him murmur, “If I were weak, I would lose everything, too. That’s why I can never stop seeking power. I have to remember that there must be someone out there as strong as me.”

3

After attacking one prison camp and freeing the people there, the liberation army moved on to another camp the next day.

It wasn’t due to momentum, but rather the pressure of several concerns. One of the biggest problems was, as feared, that there wasn’t actually much food stockpiled at the camp.

The subhumans weren’t feeding the humans very well, and they had a system of transporting food over from a small nearby city on a regular basis, which meant very little was stored locally.

The group of subhumans delivering food from this city were surely functioning as a sort of lookout to check if anything abnormal was happening at the camps. Even if they killed all of them and stole their food, when that group didn’t return to the city, word would get around that something had happened at that camp.

Naturally, Jaldabaoth would find out right away. And there was a good chance that if that happened, he would come at Neia and the paladins with an army too huge for them to defeat.

At the end of the post-raid meeting, where she stood behind the King of Darkness and listened without saying a word, waiting through such a long period of disarray that her feet hurt, two plans had been suggested.

One was to take the achievement of liberating a single camp, evacuate south, and let the army that was supposed to be down there decide what to do next.

The second was to be more assertive and head to the small city to capture it.

Both of these conflicting opinions had their issues, but Remedios shouted enough that they went with the latter.

She had a top secret reason for choosing to storm the city.

According to a subhuman they had interrogated—and then killed, of course—someone who was perhaps a member of the royal family was possibly being held prisoner there.

If they really did find some royalty, things could take a turn for the better. Even if the person wasn’t royal, someone with high standing and connections would be plenty good news. They would be able to leverage the debt of their rescue to get the person to put pressure on the Southern Army and request support.

But there was one question Neia couldn’t get out of her mind.

“Your Majesty, do you think there’s really a member of the royal family or an influential noble in this city?” she asked as they rode side by side.

Neia was allowed to ride in order to match the King of Darkness’s pace. Otherwise, her horse would have been taken and put to work carrying luggage.

“You know, I think it’s a trap. Even if it’s not, there’ll be a proportionally large force guarding the place; there could even be demons. It seems like Commander Custodio and the others understand that. They’re willing to fight the battle anyway. Sometimes you just have to gamble.”

It was clear that if they didn’t ask for help from the south soon, people would start to die of starvation. Even Neia could see that they wouldn’t be able to maintain the liberation army.

Eventually the little city came into view up ahead.

Riding at the tail end of the party, she watched the people walking in front of her.

They were subjects of the Sacred Kingdom they had rescued from the prison camp. The reason they were armed and marching even though they really needed a rest was that estimates said there were more subhumans in this city than at the previous camp.

Many of the people were weaker than anticipated, so it was impossible to expect much of them as soldiers, but every little bit helped, so they were mobilized.

Since it was difficult with Neia’s abilities to keep this many troops safe from the subhuman scouting patrols, they prioritized time and hurried onward.

But as a result, the army’s exhaustion mounted, and as more time went by, more adults ended up riding uncovered wagons. They were nodding off on that wagon that was bumping around enough to make regular passengers sick, so they must have been unspeakably tired. Meanwhile anyone with the energy to walk was made to do so, including children.

Priests weren’t accustomed to this much walking and sometimes eyed the wagon enviously.

Even if we make it there, we’ll have to go straight into combat. Can we really pull it off in this condition?

In their strategy meeting on the road, it had been decided that they would launch the fight to take the city immediately. There was neither time nor food to lose.

While it was still bright out, it was too dangerous to attack inside the walls the enemies were manning.

It was better to approach the enemy at night, but humans were at a disadvantage since they couldn’t see in the dark. Especially for citizen draftees who had only received basic combat training, night fights were very dangerous.

Considering that and other factors, the plan was to attack while it was still daylight.

Up ahead, ranks began to form. The forward-most line was composed of the paladins, and behind them came regular subjects carrying a wooden barrier they’d built from broken-up prison camp houses. Last were the priests.

The operation was the same as the previous raid: Angels would keep the soldiers on the wall busy while the paladins brute forced their way through the gate. The role of the common people was to add numbers and mass, mainly to show the enemy how many they were as a show of force. They were instructed to avoid combat, but that if necessary, they were to fight in teams to outnumber their opponents.

“Now then, let’s see what they can do…,” the King of Darkness murmured idly.

He would be observing, not participating.

Really, they wanted his help taking the city, but no one had been able to bring it up in the meeting. He must have felt their imploring eyes and ignored them. Now he was at the farthest point in the rear.

The battle began just like the previous one.

Though the city was small, it was still the biggest one in the area, so the gate had a grate reinforced with iron that could come down, as well as a brattice. Not only that, but the walls were made of stone instead of wood, which meant its gate and walls were sturdier than the previous village had been able to build for its camp. Still, the little city’s population was less than ten thousand, so the walls weren’t tall or thick enough to be considered truly formidable.

One could say it was a pain for the attackers and a worry for the defenders.

Remedios led the paladins in a charge, and the angels attacked the subhumans up on the city wall.

But here and there, angels took hits from the subhumans, turned to particles of light, and vanished.

They were up against the bufolk like at the previous prison camp, but as they were defending a city instead of a simple village, they posed a greater threat here.

One with a splendid spear stood out in particular, though he concealed himself behind a parapet. He seemed to be the one slaying many of the angels.

Then he howled a battle cry.

It was probably some sort of skill, but it didn’t affect the angels or the paladins trying to bash through the gate. It was unclear whether the area of effect was just small or if it was a power that affected allies only. But it was probably a good idea to remember that he had a skill.

Below, the two sides were clashing fiercely at the gate.

Behind the grate—from inside the city—the bufolk were thrusting their spears, but knights blocked those attacks with shields that had spikes on the bottom, defending their allies working the battering ram. Remedios was even slicing the protruding spears apart.

Boiling water poured down from the brattice, and the steam rose back up. But the paladins had anticipated this sort of attack, so they had preemptively cast Fire Energy Protection. It bothered them about as much as a splash of water.

Of course, it was winter, so once the temperature of the water dropped, it would present a different issue, but for the time being, they were fine.

If it had been boiling oil instead of water, they might have had trouble keeping a grip on their swords, but perhaps oil was too valuable to the subhumans; they didn’t use that type of attack.

The slowly advancing commoners put down the wooden barrier they had brought from the previous camp and used it as a shield. Really, something metal would have been better, but they hadn’t been able to procure those materials, so this was the best they could do. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. Behind their barrier, they began hurling slings. They aimed at the subhumans the angels were fighting. Granted, they weren’t used to combat, so they hit the angels just as often.

That amounted to friendly fire, but the angels had resistance against physical attacks, so it wasn’t an issue. Of course, the damage was only reduced—they weren’t completely immune—but the rocks the people were slinging didn’t cause that much damage to begin with. Ultimately, the subhumans they were aiming at were hurt more.

Each time an angel was defeated, the priests summoned a new one and sent it to the front line. Though there weren’t large numbers of them, since fresh, uninjured fighters kept being added, the gradual decline of subhuman resistance was visible even from where Neia was watching.

“…Huh. I guess assuming the enemy has cast a defensive spell and pouring cold water instead would be more useful. In the winter cold, their body temperatures would plummet in no time… And usually they’d have protection against fire, not chill.” The King of Darkness seemed to be matter-of-factly analyzing the battle in a low voice.

Neia had no idea how to reply. No one had died yet, but some had sustained serious injuries in this fight; how could she just say,
Yeah…
?

“So you don’t want to fight? With the bow I lent you, you could probably do pretty well.”

Neia’s role was to attend the King of Darkness and be his shield, so she wasn’t ordered to participate in combat.

But—and she had this feeling last time as well—he seemed to want her to use the bow.

He wants me to use the weapon he lent me? I could try shooting from here, but I would hate to miss the first shot I take with it…

As Neia was about to answer after mulling it over, a roar went up from the gate. It appeared the grate had gotten bent out of shape.

The roar must have been cheers from the paladins and shrieks from the subhumans.

When the gate broke, the paladins flooded in.

With Remedios showing off her skills, the stunned bufolk would only become more panicked.

But then the paladins fell back as a murmur went through the group.

With her sharp vision, Neia could see what was happening between the gaps in the crowd of knights.

It was the same scene as before.

A bufolk holding a smaller child than last time was giving orders to the paladins from the other side of the gate.

She couldn’t hear what he was saying from where she was, but she could imagine well enough.

The paladins pulled back, with Remedios and Gustav leading the way. They ordered the priests, “Have the angels retreat. If we don’t, he’ll kill the kid.”

“This again? We can’t hear the conversation from back here. I’d like to go over there and join in. Would that be okay with you?”

“You don’t need to ask my permission, Your Majesty.”

Gathering nervous looks from the people between the gate and their original position, Neia and the King of Darkness advanced to where Remedios was debating what to do.

“We should negotiate with them, like I thought.” It was Remedios who said that. Everyone else had their helmets off and their brows furrowed. Their faces said that, knowing what had happened at the first prison camp, they couldn’t agree with her.

When the king arrived, they still hadn’t come up with an answer.

No, it seemed that everyone was trying to convince Remedios that it was impossible to save the child.

A pointless exchange of opinions ensued, generating no concrete plan, and a few people were trading glances when eventually Gustav focused his eyes and raised his voice. “Commander! Didn’t we debate all this already?! No matter how much time we could have taken, no matter how much we could have thought, there was no way to save those kids!”

Neia knew that they had remained in the tent after the King of Darkness left the operation meeting going over the arguments again. And she understood it was impossible to do what they were doing without shedding paladin blood.

Remedios bit her lip, saying nothing. But—

“Commander! We cannot be victorious without sacrifices! We need to let one go to save many more!”

Neia saw Remedios’s eyes blaze crimson. “That’s not how someone under Her Majesty the Holy Lady fights! I am Her Majesty’s sword! She wishes for all her subjects to live in peace!”

“But the Holy Lady is…”

Before Gustav could say
dead
, Remedios screamed. “The next holy king hasn’t stepped up yet! So shouldn’t we uphold the beliefs of the holy ruler we swore loyalty to?! Would you break your vow of allegiance?”

Oh, I see
, thought Neia.

Remedios was bound by the wishes entrusted to her by the object of her devotion.

The holy knights who served the Holy Lady, who loved her subjects, wouldn’t be forgiven for leaving any of them behind.

The only one who would be able to break those bonds was whoever the next person Remedios swore allegiance to ended up being.

“Am I wrong?! Who did you all devote your swords to?! What was the ceremony you participated in to become paladins?! Who do you think this order of paladins serves?!”