The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  “She doesn’t have an outlet for the loss and rage she feels as a result of those events, so she’s taking it out on you. The reason she doesn’t lash out at the paladins is probably because they experienced the same battle and thus share her pain.”

  Seriously? Neia said in her head.

  So it was because she didn’t fight in that battle?

  How stupid.

  Half the squires had participated, and many had died. That Neia wasn’t selected to go was mere luck. It wasn’t the result of any choices she had made herself.

  “So with all that in mind, let me say this. Please just hang in there. The Sacred Kingdom needs her now.”

  “…Even if she takes out her unhappiness on others and causes them pain?”

  “Yes.” He looked at her with sorrowful eyes.

  Fury coursed through her veins, and she wanted to scream at him. She could acknowledge that Remedios was strong. But Neia had worked hard to ensure the delegation arrived safely in the kingdom. She stayed on top of the subhumans’ patrols and kept watch longer than anyone else when they camped for the night. They had arrived safely because of Neia’s efforts, so it seemed to her that for the duration of this trip, she was no less valuable.

  In the end, she suppressed her seething emotions.

  She had to keep it together for the sake of the people suffering in the Sacred Kingdom. If removing one of them from the equation meant they became powerless to stop the people’s suffering, that would be far worse.

  And once they returned home, she would be freed from her duties. She only had to endure a little longer.

  Neia nodded with a smile. “Understood. If that’s what the Sacred Kingdom needs from me, then I happily accept.”

  •

  Not long after Neia returned to her room, the Blue Roses arrived at the inn. Neia stood at attention along the wall with the other paladins.

  Eventually the door opened, and the party entered.

  She wasn’t a fangirl, per se, but the arrival of these adventurers who were famous even in the Sacred Kingdom did thrill her a bit. These were other women who had reached heights she could only dream of. There were so many things she wanted to ask them. Not that she would get the chance, but…

  They’re one of the three adamantite adventurer teams in this kingdom… The Blue Roses…wow…

  She had heard their names and appearances in rumors, but seeing them right in front of her, she noticed some discrepancies from what she had imagined.

  In front stood their team leader. A priest wearing a water god sigil around her neck. Judging by her Demonic Sword, this was Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.

  Her features were so alluring that Neia felt attracted even though she didn’t have much interest in the same sex. She didn’t look like someone who had reached the highest adventurer rank through combat prowess alone. If she were wearing a dress, she would have been the embodiment of what a commoner like Neia dreamed a princess was like.

  She spoke with a voice that matched her beauty. “Thank you for inviting us. We are the Blue Roses.”

  Remedios, who had stood to welcome them, bowed her head slightly and greeted them. “I thank you for coming, Blue Roses.”

  “To receive an invitation from Lady Remedios Custodio, bearer of the Sacred Sword and a paladin whose unparalleled abilities are known far and wide, is an honor.”

  Remedios was rather stiff and monotone during these formalities, but Lakyus spoke naturally. The rumor that she was a noble’s daughter must have been true.

  “Ah, I’m also, uh, happy to meet the bearer of the Demonic Sword. Ahem. Please have a seat. Oh, and these people around us are paladins. I’d appreciate if we could allow them to listen to our conversation. And, ummm, if there’s time afterward, I’d love it if you could show me your sword…”

  “With pleasure. And I do hope you’ll show me yours, too. All right, we’ll be accepting your hospitality. Everyone, please.”

  The Blue Roses all sat in whatever position they pleased. Some were already propped up on their elbows, while others crossed their arms. The casual brazenness was strangely becoming due to their famous power and capability.

  “Should we introduce ourselves first?”

  Gustav piped up, perhaps to give Remedios a breather. “No, that won’t be necessary. Stories of you all have traveled far and wide in the Sacred Kingdom. Apologies, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m the deputy commander of the paladins, Gustav Montagnés.” Remedios smiled calmly at his reply.

  “Is that so? I hope the rumors are good.”

  “O—”

  “Yes, we’ve heard nothing but good things. The stories of your exploits thrilled me.”

  Remedios was about to say something when Gustav intercepted. Glossing over the momentary confusion, he exchanged smiles with Lakyus.

  “I’m happy to hear that. I’d love to know what rumors you’ve heard, but we’re here because our presence was requested. We wouldn’t want to waste your time. Could we begin by going over the matter in question?”

  “Hmm. Before we do that, I’d at least like to get that girl’s name.”

  Surprised at the remark, Neia discovered one of the thief twins pointing at her. The other twin was also eyeing her with interest.

  They must have been Tia and Tina. In all the tales of the Blue Roses that had made their way to the Sacred Kingdom, none featured these mysterious twins.

  And they were pointing at her.

  She felt like she’d be thrust out from a dark wing onto a brightly lit stage. The words Why? How? What? raced circles around her mind.

  “She doesn’t have the build of a warrior. Her muscles are totally different from ours.”

  “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

  It was Gagaran the warrior who jumped in to respond.

  “Just what I said… She’s not a warrior no matter how you look at her. This is a warrior.”

  “Whoa there. A body like this gets built through experience.”

  “You mean she’ll transform into something like you?” The thief’s expression sharpened. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s horrible to say to the poor thing.”

  “Hey, aren’t you being a bit harsh? You’ve trained with me! C’mon!”

  “Nothing changed, though. I only got sore ribs because you gave me a crazy bear hug while I was sleeping and—”

  “That’s enough, you two… Apologies for my half-wits.”

  “Nothing to worry about. This here is Neia Baraja, one of our squires. Her keen senses helped us a great deal on our journey to get here.”

  “Got it.” She said it with zero emotion, so it wasn’t cute at all.

  “…Hmph. It’s our fault, but this conversation isn’t getting anywhere. If neither of you have any objections, why don’t we get down to business? And there’s not really any point to you two acting like nobles. Does anyone have an issue with just speaking frankly?”

  Lakyus said, “Evileye,” disapprovingly.

  The arcane caster, Evileye. She was immensely powerful and never removed her mask. Her body was particularly petite—some rumors said she was from a different, smaller race.

  “No, that’s fine. I’m not so clever when it comes to nuanced communication.”

  “Commander…”

  “…Hoh-hoh. Your boss is quick on the uptake. Now how about ours? If they’re going to pay us a proper intelligence fee, then they’re our employers. Rather than taking forever to feel one another out, why not just jump straight into money matters and get the contract over with?”

  Lakyus sighed, and Evileye grinned as she continued.

  “There’s our boss’s tacit approval. Now, before we decide the fee, let’s confirm the nature of the request. I’d like to hear it from you, but I presume it’s about the demon Jaldabaoth rampaging through your country, right?”

  “You know already?”

  “Whoa, whoa. You think nobles would have info we don’t? Some merchants travel by water to the Kingdom. And t
he various branches of the Adventurers Guild exchange intelligence to some extent. Putting that aside for now, how about it? Want to trade what we know? We’d rather have the info than the money.”

  “Mmph… C-can I consult with Gustav for a moment?”

  Evileye gave them a go-ahead gesture, and Remedios and Gustav stood and went to the room next door—the bedroom.

  “Um, is it okay if I get some water?” Gagaran asked Neia, pointing at the pitcher and cups on the table.

  Why are you asking me?! Though a nervous wreck, she managed to reply, “Yes, of course. Go right ahead.” Her voice didn’t shake, and her manner was so perfect, she wanted to pat herself on the back.

  By the time Gagaran finished pouring the water, Remedios and Gustav were coming back.

  “We’ll pay an intelligence fee, so could we just hear what you have to say?”

  Huh, thought Neia. She wondered why Remedios didn’t agree, when she found even paying for their accommodation a waste. Probably because Gustav told her not to, but what was his reason for convince her?

  “Well, that’s fine. I just thought that if we knew the current state of the Sacred Kingdom we would be able to offer more targeted information.”

  “We’ll pay the agreed fee.”

  Gustav put a small leather pouch on the table.

  “Hmph. Hey.” Evileye jerked her chin at one of the thieves. The thief’s hand zipped out to grab the bag, and she tossed it once. Catching it, she nodded at Evileye.

  She must have confirmed from the weight in her hand that it was the correct amount of money.

  “All right. I, Evileye, will speak as our representative… That said, as I mentioned before, saying you want ‘all’ the information there is about Jaldabaoth is a bit like trying to lasso a cloud. I’ll tell you what happened in this country in detail, but first we should confirm the basics. Jaldabaoth looks like this, correct?”

  Evileye took a pen and paper from the reading desk on the side of the room and began sketching a portrait with flowing motions. But what she ended up with, no matter how kindly one viewed it, was no better than a child’s scribbling. Remedios was saying, “No, he was m—” when one of the twins grabbed the picture and ripped it in half before anyone could stop her.

  “Why you— What do you think you’re doing?!”

  Evileye was furious, but the other twin took the opportunity to grab the pen, move it rapidly over a new piece of paper, and thrust the finished portrait out. “Mm…nnnngh…” came a frustrated groan from beneath the caster’s mask. To be blunt, the new drawing was incomparably better.

  Yes, the outfit was difficult to describe in words. It comprised unfamiliar garments from some foreign land. And that weird mask. When Remedios saw the picture, she clenched her first and said, “That’s the guy,” like a snarling beast.

  Seeing that response, Evileye seemed to compose herself; she quit chewing out the thief and turned back to Remedios.

  “Then that’s one thing we know for sure. It’s the same man—er, demon. Well, if there were a whole bunch of them popping up all over, that would be a problem, so I suppose we should consider this a blessing. Okay, so—”

  Then Evileye explained what had happened in the kingdom, and Neia frowned inwardly as she listened.

  She was prepared to confirm the extent of Jaldabaoth’s strength. And the existence of a demon army filled with powerful, scaly demons was something she had known about already, so that was no surprise.

  But the news that there were five maids who could hold their own against the Blue Roses in a fight deepened her despair.

  I don’t recall any reports of maid demons in the Sacred Kingdom. Does Jaldabaoth keep them up his sleeve as a last resort? So there’s more to come…?

  “What have you estimated his difficult rating as?”

  The Blue Roses exchanged glances at Gustav’s question. It was their representative, Evileye, who answered. “First, let me say this: The number I’m about to give you is only a guess. Keep in mind that he could be higher or lower. That demon seems to be around two hundred.”

  “Two hundred…” It was Gustav who practically choked the words out.

  Neia nearly gasped herself, but she just barely managed to hold it back. Along the wall, some of the knights had failed, exclaiming in the same way Gustav had. Remedios was the only one who maintained her calm completely. Her expression didn’t so much as twitch.

  Neia seemed to remember that 100 was the highest a human could hope to defeat.

  “Two hundred—so how strong does that make him, specifically?” Remedios asked frankly, and Evileye wasn’t quite sure what to say.

  “Something at difficulty two hundred has never appeared in the human world before, but, well, an old dragon is around one hundred.”

  “An old dragon…? I’ve never fought one of those… I suppose it’s about the same as the guardian god of the sea?”

  The guardian god of the sea was a sea dragon who lived in the water.

  Its arms, legs, and wings had atrophied, and instead it had a long tail. It certainly looked more like a dragon than a sea serpent, and it was as or more intelligent than humans. The gentle creature often protected people’s boats if they presented offerings.

  Neia had been lucky enough to see it once, albeit from a distance, with her family on a trip to Limun.

  Its neck stretched up out of the water with enough majesty to be worthy of the epithet guardian god. She couldn’t believe a human could defeat it.

  “Commander Custodio, comparing it to defeating the guardian god of the sea is a bit… If there were any fishermen here, they wouldn’t be very happy. But anyhow, Jaldabaoth is twice as strong as an old dragon…”

  “Right. He’s more powerful than the evil spirits the Thirteen Heroes defeated. Anytime he shows up in the human world, a catastrophe is guaranteed; multiple countries will fall into ruin. That’s the kind of strength we’re talking about.”

  “But you said when Jaldabaoth was on his rampage in the Kingdom, Sir Momon of Raven Black drove him off. Does that mean he’s equally powerful?” Gustav took a breath. “Or did he have a special item that was able to repel the demon?”

  Evileye’s attitude changed.

  Naturally, Neia couldn’t see her expression beneath the mask, but from the way she was moving, it seemed like she might have been blushing.

  “It didn’t seem like he was using an item. But he was just so gallant! During Sir Momon and Jaldabaoth’s sword fight, I was battling the demon’s underlings, so I wasn’t able to watch the entire time, but what I managed to see was absolutely astounding. It’s just the kind of fight you would expect from a hero of heroes, the bravest of the brave.”

  “I-is that right?” That was all Gustav could manage to say, edging away as Evileye leaned forward during her passionate explanation.

  “It is! Truly, it was amazing. Sir Momon fought Jaldabaoth while protecting me, after all.”

  “He fought Jaldabaoth—that monster—head-on? Really?”

  “What are you getting at? I saw it with my own two eyes. Are you saying I’m lying?” Evileye’s voice took on a severe tone when she shot that back at Remedios.

  Gustav hurriedly intervened before the atmosphere got any tenser. “Uh, no, she just thought that if perhaps Raven Black took advantage of some weak point, then maybe we would have a chance, too. Apologies that she wasn’t clear.”

  “No, I apologize for the childish attitude Evileye is taking with you,” Lakyus responded.

  Neia wondered if it was really all right for them to gloss over the tension while almost pretending the two in question weren’t even present.

  “Hmph… If Jaldabaoth had a weak point, and if Sir Momon used it to win, I highly doubt a demon that powerful would leave such an opening unchanged.”

  “That’s true… I suppose Jaldabaoth could compensate with magic items or his subordinates.”

  The maids were news, but they were aware that Jaldabaoth had a few immensely powerful demons
under him.

  From what they had gotten out of subhuman prisoners, he had at least three.

  The demon controlling the wilderness where the subhumans lived.

  The demon controlling the bay city Limun.

  And the scaly demon leading the subhuman army.

  “Oh, right! Could you give us the details on that scaly demon?”

  “Yes, would it be possible for you to tell us what sort of abilities it has?”

  “Sure. I can tell you more about the demon that Evileye and I fought.” Lakyus’s story about what abilities it had and how it fought ended with the demon being defeated by Brain Unglaus, a warrior said to be as strong as Gazef Stronoff.

  “…That’s strange. After Jaldabaoth took the Sacred Kingdom’s capital, he didn’t make any further moves—the one leading the subhuman army was a scaly demon. Maybe it wasn’t really defeated?”

  “Hmm… I’ve met Brain before, though; he doesn’t seem like the type to lie. Maybe it wasn’t a unique monster, but simply an upper-tier type?”

  “You mean as long as some condition or another is met, Jaldabaoth could summon an unlimited amount of them? Or multiple copies?”

  Neia didn’t use magic, but she had learned about it to some extent.

  It was difficult to summon more than one monster at a time.

  The issue was that if someone cast a summoning spell while they already had one active, the previous spell would peter out, returning that monster, and summoning a new one in its place.

  However, advanced casters were able to summon multiple monsters from lower-tier spells—for example, using tier-four magic to summon multiple monsters that could be summoned with tier-three magic.

  “I don’t know. His summoning method is a mystery. Given how powerful he is, I imagine summoning multiple demons would be possible, but…then we’re left with the question of why he didn’t do that in the kingdom. Supposedly, a rare handful of casters specialized in summoning can create monsters of more than one race at a time, but…”

  “So if the scaly demon was defeated, maybe Jaldabaoth could have summoned it again right away?”