The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  Oh! Could that be part of the point? That terrifying undead wasn’t just to cow us but also to lessen the shock of other subhumans appearing? They really put a lot of consideration into making it so humans and subhumans can coexist together here…

  Apparently, the King of Darkness wasn’t just an extremely powerful undead.

  Paying no mind to the party’s reaction, the naga entered the silent room. Then it bowed its head slightly.

  “Sorry I kept you waiting, humans who wish to enter the city. I am one of our immigration officers, Ryuraryusu Spenia Ai Indaloon. I’m a naga. Well, you won’t be meeting those of my occupation very often, so it’s fine to forget about it. Sorry to be so brisk, but let’s begin. I’m going to be briefly explaining life in this city, how it differs from nearby cities, and things to keep in mind while you’re here… First of all, drawing weapons inside the city is prohibited.”

  That’s a perfectly normal warning. Neia relaxed her shoulders somewhat.

  “Hmm. It seems many of you thought that sounded like a normal warning.” Ryuraryusu squinted at them. “I can see it on your faces. But remember: In the Nation of Darkness, all manner of races walk the streets. You may even see undead shuffling along. Even if it’s against a being you know as dangerous, drawing your weapon first is a serious crime.”

  “Wait. Are you saying that if we encounter a dangerous being, we should just run away?”

  “No. In this city, dangerous beings shouldn’t harm you. I’m just saying not to jump to conclusions if you still feel scared or threatened.”

  “Can you guarantee that we won’t be attacked?”

  “I can. The dangerous beings swaggering around here that you are most likely to be afraid of are His Majesty the King of Darkness’s servants.” Ryuraryusu’s lips curved into a slightly tired smile. “I think after a day in the city, your sense of danger will grow numb, but, well, it’s that first day that’s the issue. Oh, but if you’re defending yourself, using your weapons is fine.”

  “Aha. So for defense, there’s no problem.”

  “Yes, exactly. And in this city, we use mind control to investigate crimes. You’ll need to accept that.”

  Neia’s eyes widened. And it wasn’t only Neia’s. A murmur went through the paladins, and Remedios spoke up as their representative.

  “Hold on, please. Is the Nation of Darkness that behind the times? You allow magic like that? What about the courts, then?”

  Normally mind control magic would never be used to interrogate criminals.

  For example, Dominate could turn anyone into a criminal temporarily, and Charm could probably be used to create a scapegoat. Since criminals could be created at will with such spells, using them was viewed as something only a brutal tyrant would do.

  “I hear they use them in court as well. Oh, but the King of Darkness would never make you say anything false. Please don’t worry about that.”

  Anyone could say that, but who would believe it without thinking? Using mind control magic meant that if the country felt someone was a menace, it could frame and dispose of them with ease. There was no way humans could trust an undead they had never even met.

  No one said anything, but everyone seemed to have the same opinion.

  “Before I continue, perhaps I should ask: Would you rather just leave now?”

  “…No, we can’t do that. We’ll go in.”

  “Ohhh? That was the fastest answer I’ve ever gotten. Merchants usually take a moment to talk among themselves… Then allow me to continue.”

  Most of the things Ryuraryusu said after that sounded crazy—like, “There are undead carriages on the streets”—but the one that stuck out the most was “Don’t be surprised to see dragons flying overhead now and then. Make sure your horses don’t panic.”

  If dragons were flying over the city, they would have bigger problems.

  A dragon was the kind of opponent that a hero could challenge perfectly prepared, but then still lose and die fighting. That was why warriors dreamed of slaying a dragon. Crushing a monster despite such an overwhelming power gap with trained-up powers, a group of friends, and battle gear earned anyone who succeeded a reputation—a feat attainable only by a select few.

  If a dragon appeared in a human realm, what kind of chaos would usually ensue?

  I can handle undead after seeing that guard, but dragons…? N-nah, I mean if it’s just one on patrol in the sky, then maybe…? And I’ve heard their powers are really different depending on how old they are.

  A newborn dragon whelp was still a dragon. A little one like that would probably be much easier to tame than that undead.

  “Well, that’s about it. Thanks for listening. Could you leave this room and follow that soldier up to the gate, then?”

  “Sorry, do you mind if I ask some questions?” Remedios raised her hand.

  “Hmm? About what?”

  “Do you feel like you want to kill us or, like, eat us?”

  “The old me probably would have. But now those things are prohibited, and not only that, now that I’ve seen His Majesty, I wonder what the point would even be of lower life-forms quarreling.”

  “His Majesty is that powerful?”

  Ryuraryusu smiled in an utterly exhausted way. “The power he possesses is dozens of times greater than what you imagine. The Supreme One and his subordinates all have extraordinary power… Frankly, there’s no safer place than this city His Majesty is protecting.”

  Remedios was quiet; she seemed to be thinking.

  “I don’t know what you came here to do, but since you listened to my lesson, I’ll teach you something else. A friend I drink tea with—a widow—told me that an utter fool antagonizes the Supreme One, while a wise man throws himself at his feet and begs for mercy.”

  The naga’s voice was surprisingly emotional. Maybe the “friend” was a fib and it had really happened to this naga, Ryuraryusu.

  “Thank you for your warning.”

  Remedios stood, and the rest of the party followed.

  Bringing up the rear, Neia bobbed her head at Ryuraryusu and left the room.

  4

  The delegation walked through the city of E-Rantel. Their destination was perhaps the city’s most luxurious inn—the Golden Glimmer—recommended by the guard.

  Neia looked at the people they passed by.

  From what Ryuraryusu had told them, she had expected the place to be full of undead and subhumans, with barely a human to be seen, but that wasn’t the case. It was mostly humans.

  The only undead she had seen was a group of the same type as that guard, out on patrol, and skeletal horselike figures wrapped in fog that pulled carriages.

  Meanwhile, the subhumans were all strange types.

  There were goblins who marched in an orderly fashion down the streets with the dignity of seasoned warriors. That shattered Neia’s preconception of goblins. No, not only hers. She heard shocked gasps from the paladins as well.

  There was also a maid with a face like a rabbit’s and another subhuman that looked like a frog standing upright.

  It’s more like a normal human country than I thought…well, except not. But I would never guess a horrifying undead king was ruling here.

  None of the people they passed by seemed frightened. Neia wasn’t sure if that was because they had broadened their worldview and gotten used to it or because they weren’t worried about coexisting with undead. Either way, there didn’t seem to be any confusion in the streets. She even heard children laughing now and then.

  I guess he’s way better than Jaldabaoth, then…

  Remedios’s horse abruptly stopped. The leader of the group had halted, so that meant the rest of the party necessarily stopped as well.

  “Excuse me, you dwarves, there. Can I have a word?”

  She addressed three dwarves doing maintenance on the road. There were also three skeletons performing construction work on their orders.

  The skeletons didn’t really faze Neia, but she did feel
slightly relieved to finally see something she could win against. That was how surprising everything had been since they had arrived.

  “What? Eh? Who are you all? What country are you from?”

  “Sorry to talk down at you from my horse. We’ve come from the Sacred Kingdom, and we’re trying to find the Golden Glimmer. Could you give us directions?”

  “The Golden…the Golden Glimmer? Oh, you mean that fancy inn?”

  The dwarves gave them a rough idea of how to get there. It was slightly different from the way the guard had mentioned, and it seemed like the destination was a bit off. But Neia was sure that asking directions wasn’t the primary objective.

  “Aha. I’m grateful for the help. Gustav, a thank-you.”

  Gustav dismounted and showed them some money.

  “Oh, directions we can give for free!”

  “That’s all right. We interrupted your work, after all.”

  “Are you sure? Well, thanks.”

  A dwarf approached to receive the tip. Then he grinned. “With this money, we’ll get to eat tasty food, so you have our gratitude.”

  “No, don’t worry about it… So what are you up to here?”

  “Hmm? Can’t you tell by looking? Road maintenance. Because His Majesty the King of Darkness wishes it. It’s mostly people from this city doing the labor, but we were brought on as technical advisers,” he said, and then laughed heartily. “Ga-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

  “I see. And what about those undead?”

  “They’re skeletons we borrowed from His Majesty the King of Darkness. I have to say, undead really are great for simple manual labor. I see them in a totally new light now.”

  “You use undead…?”

  “What’s so surprising about that…? Well, I suppose if you’re a traveler, it would be. But in the Nation of Darkness, we take it for granted. I’ve heard undead are a huge help in the villages—because you can order them to take care of even tough chores like plowing the fields. You know, undead don’t get tired, and they don’t need to sleep or eat. Plus, they understand spoken language and follow orders—they’re the best! There’s no way we can go back to the days of horses and oxen. Even my own country has started adopting them little by little.”

  “You mean not the Nation of Darkness but the dwarf country?”

  “Yep. We came from there and are staying at an inn in the subhuman quarter at the moment.”

  “The subhuman quarter?”

  “That’s right. That’s what the area where races besides humans stay. It used to be the city’s slum district, but they tore all that down. The area was constructed so that people from all sorts of races would be able to have a comfortable stay. Well, I don’t think the area will be finished for a long time, but there’s already a nice house where people like us who are smaller than humans can stay without any struggles.

  “We were really brought in to be in charge of that project!” One of the other dwarves shouted.

  “I see. But if you tore down the slums, then where did those people go?” The commander’s eyes seemed to flick toward the undead.

  “I don’t know the details, but I heard they were dispatched to the villages. There were a lot of abandoned villages near this city, so to restore them, I heard they were just giving away fields. Apparently the way they use undead is even more amazing. I heard they started a massive agricultural project with undead labor. It makes the food prices here pretty cheap.”

  “Cheap isn’t the important part. The important part is that there’s lots of tasty food! And drink! If I lived here, I’d get fat in the blink of an eye!”

  “If I go back fat, my wife’ll say, ‘You didn’t bring any for me?’ and get grouchy, so I have to go back skinny!”

  “Whoo, guess I got lucky.”

  The dwarves all laughed in the same hearty way again. “Ga-ha-ha-ha!”

  “Lastly, do you know the name of the skeleton horse undead?”

  “No. No, but it doesn’t matter. It won’t hurt anybody. The thing’s nothing but bones, but it’s somehow superstrong, so it’s great for transport.”

  “I see… Thank you!”

  “Thank you, too. Have a good trip!”

  Parting from the dwarves, the group continued on toward the inn.

  “Commander. Why did you ask the name of the horse undead?”

  Neia was wondering the same thing. She had figured that would be the thing Remedios was least interested in.

  “…Gustav. I asked because ever since we saw them, you’ve been acting kind of strange.”

  “Oh…”

  “So do you know what they’re called?”

  “…Maybe—I have an idea, but…it’s probably not right. It couldn’t be. I must be misunderstanding something. The undead I’m thinking of would be impossible to control.”

  “Hmm. Well, if that’s what you think, it’s probably the truth.”

  That was the end of the conversation.

  Eventually, after following the direction from the guard, they reached a magnificent inn that must have been the Golden Glimmer. There was a sign with writing on it, but since they couldn’t read the characters used in the kingdom, they could only guess what it said. Re-Estize and the Baharuth Empire had once been part of the same country, so they had many things in common, but Roebel was never part of that dominion.

  “Gustav, go on ahead and book our rooms.”

  “Understood. Hey, two of you come with me.”

  Gustav went toward the inn accompanied by two paladins. A few minutes later, just one of the paladins came back.

  “Commander. We were able to get rooms with no problem. The stable is around back, so we’re to take our horses there.”

  “I see. Got it. Squire Baraja! Take the horses.”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  She tied them to a tree in front of the inn and then transferred them one by one to the stable. Normally, it would be the squire’s job to care for the horses, but here the inn would do it, so she took advantage of that luxury and went inside.

  The inn smelled so nice she thought maybe they did it to counteract the smell of any guests who walked in reeking of the stables.

  There was definitely some kind of incense or perfume.

  From the outside, it seemed the same class as the place they stayed in Re-Estize, but from the inside, she felt like it might even be a step above. It was enough that she was embarrassed to stand there dirty from her long trip (although at least she had wiped down with water, so hopefully she didn’t smell).

  Neia went to the room the inn employee directed her to and knocked.

  “Who is it?”

  “Squire Neia Baraja.”

  Inside the door was one of the paladins, still in his armor. Perhaps E-Rantel was so different from what they imagined during their travels that they were eager to get down to business, loath to even take a moment to recuperate.

  “Good timing. We’re about to have a meeting.”

  She wondered if it was really necessary for her to participate, but it wouldn’t do to say that aloud. If her superior was telling her to do something, then obeying was the way to get ahead in the world.

  “All right, so today we’ll request an audience with the King of Darkness as planned. I’m counting on you, Gustav.”

  “Of course, Commander. What will everyone else do? The idea was to have them meet with influential individuals to request assistance…”

  Since Sir Momon was an adventurer, they were planning to go to the Adventurers Guild, but Ryuraryusu had told them the guild was practically on hiatus. The King of Darkness’s subordinates were fulfilling requests instead.

  “Let’s go to the guild anyway. If there are any adventurers with free time on their hands, we can invite them to the Sacred Kingdom.”

  “Understood. Then…”

  Gustav gave orders to two of the knights, and they got started on their tasks immediately.

  What kind of job would Neia get?

  As a squire, her main task
s were polishing the knights’ armor and swords, doing the laundry, and even mending. Most of those who were currently knights had experience doing such chores.

  I guess the commander might be an exception since her unparalleled ability propelled her up to the rank of knight right away…

  “So what will the rest of us do? Should we stay at the inn?”

  “Well, from the rumors we heard in the kingdom, I expected this to be a much darker place, but it seems like a pretty normal city… Going out in small groups is probably fine?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but it doesn’t seem like there are likely to be any sudden dangers.”

  “I see. Then maybe we should have some people go to the shrine and see if they can be a go-between for us with Sir Momon.”

  “The ruler of the city is an undead. I imagine the shrines don’t have much pull.”

  “But we’re paladins—holy knights. It would be strange if we didn’t at least visit the shrine.”

  Gustav frowned. Remedios was right.

  “Yes…yes, that’s true.”

  “Don’t you think it’s important to hear from the people who live here and not simply rely on what the King of Darkness shows us?”

  “That makes sense, too…”

  But what should we do if we come across something we can’t let stand?

  Gustav must have arrived at that question, and that was why he was being evasive.

  Neia thought to herself.

  Paladins are embodiments of justice. So if we act as we’re supposed to, it might result in the King of Darkness criticizing us. If, as a result, he refused to assist the Sacred Kingdom and untold thousands suffered, would it still be the right thing to do?

  She remembered her father, how he said he didn’t understand the paladins’ idea of justice. While she was training and aspiring to be a paladin, Neia hadn’t thought much of it, but since Roebel was faced with these troubles, she was feeling less confident and recalled his words often.

  If she could have asked her mother, her doubt might have vanished, but her mother was already gone.

  I have no choice but to answer for myself.

  While Neia was pondering all that, the conversation continued. It was decided that a pair would go to the shrine of the Four Gods, and several other pairs would see the city and gather intel. Remedios and the others would stay behind at the inn so they could be easily contacted in case anything happened.