The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  “Wh…why…?”

  It was hard for humans to understand subhuman facial expressions. But this one was clear.

  It was fear and despair.

  “…Martial arts are foreign to me. I don’t know if skills became arts or if arts are warriors’ magic spells, but it made me think that if I encountered someone at my level, the experience and knowledge of martial arts could be what decides the fight, you know? That’s why I took your attacks head-on, but…it seems like you’ve already shown me everything you’ve got.”

  The king gave a jocular shrug and then took off one of his nine rings.

  He didn’t do anything else. The only action was removing the ring. Nevertheless, an extraordinarily terrible, cold atmosphere enveloped them.

  Neia gasped and looked up. She thought the sun might have frozen and shattered, but it was in its proper place, shining as always.

  Then were this chill and this dark presence being emitted by the king? Could this atmosphere even be created by a single being?

  S-so this is the King of Darkness…the caster who killed an army of over ten thousand…

  “Then I don’t need to fight you anymore.”

  He took a step toward Buser.

  Meanwhile Buser, trembling, took a step back—as if pushed back by the invisible pressure the king exerted.

  Buser must have been sensing the abnormal presence more strongly than Neia. It seemed to have hit him that he couldn’t hope to challenge the King of Darkness. The way all his hairs stood on end was proof of that.

  “W-wait. Please wait. Just wait a minute.” Buser raised his right hand and dropped the sword he had been holding. “I—I surrender.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I have information about Jaldabaoth’s army. See? I’m extremely useful. I’ll definitely be a boon to you.”

  “I see.”

  “…A-and besides that, you’re planning on fighting Jaldabaoth, right? I’m way more powerful than humans. If you allow me to command my tribe, I vow to be your vanguard in the fight against Jaldabaoth—that piece of shit, Jaldabaoth.”

  “Oh?”

  “……P-please wait. That’s not all! If you want, I’ll give—er, present you with all the treasure I’ve collected. It should be enough to pay for my life.”

  “Is that it? Are you done with the sales pitch?”

  “I—I, uh…” Buser looked around restlessly and then turned back to the King of Darkness. “O-oh, yeah. I mean no. Th-there’s still a whole lot more. If there’s anything you want, I could go get it for you—no, I will! I’m sure I will! Really. Trust me!”

  “Hmph. What I really want isn’t something you’ll be able to go fetch for me.”

  Neia sensed irritation in the King of Darkness’s voice. And Buser, confronting him, must have felt it more strongly.

  “W-wait—wait. Honestly, just wait. Please? Heh-heh-heh-heh.”

  It was a servile laugh. The attitude he’d had when they challenged him and he’d called himself a king was nowhere to be found anymore.

  “I’m sorry for misspeaking. No, I mean, I apologize. Truly, I do. I was wrong. Really.”

  “Hmm…”

  “S-so what do you say? I—I—I think I can be useful to you. Heh-heh. What a fool I was to make an enemy out of an undead king. So I was hoping I could get a chance to make up for that mistake… Heh-heh. You won’t regret it!” Buser got down on his knees, clasped his hands together, and begged for mercy.

  Neia didn’t feel sorry for him at all. No, it made perfect sense to her; that was the posture an enemy should take before the King of Darkness’s true form. And she also had a vivid recollection of what the naga she met in the Nation of Darkness said: A wise man throws himself at his feet and begs for mercy.

  What would happen to someone who didn’t immediately throw himself at his feet?

  “I see… I like people who recognize their mistakes and try to fix them.”

  “S-so then?!” Buser beamed. But his joy was taken away a moment later.

  “But I think Pestonia and Nigredo would object to making you my subordinate. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything as wasteful as only taking your skull. I’ll do my best to find a use for every part.

  “Now die,” he said, lifting a bony finger.

  “Ngh! N-n-noooo! I don’t wanna die yet! Wait! Please! I beg you! Don’t kill me! I-I’m pretty valuable! I’m valuable enough to make you happy! Really! Believe me!”

  “All living things die. The only difference is whether it happens sooner or later.”

  “No! Don’t look at me with those eyes! D-don’t kill me!”

  Buser stood, turned tail, and began to run.

  So a living thing can run this fast when death is near? Neia thought in an unconcerned way with wide eyes.

  But the King of Darkness’s magic was faster.

  “How stupid. Death.”

  Nothing happened. There was no huge explosion, no fantastical lightning.

  But Buser dropped to the ground with a thud. That was all.

  “It’s too bad we couldn’t get any useful intel, but oh well… I guess we’re finished here. Any objections, Miss Baraja?”

  “N-n-no, Your Majesty, you’re not mistaken.”

  “No? Then…let’s call the paladins and tell them we killed this subhuman leader. But, hmm…this is actually kind of bad…”

  4

  Taking the city and freeing the people was accomplished easily with the King of Darkness’s powers.

  The attacking paladins and subjects hardly took any damage, and although some of the prisoners sadly lost their lives in the confusion, that number was surprisingly small.

  Surely the King of Darkness was the only one who could have achieved these results. To the point that it even occurred to them that if they would have entrusted the job to him from the start, not a single person would have died.

  People were thrilled to be liberated; some shed tears at receiving a bowl of soup. The streets were filled with smiles as Neia and the king walked along.

  Though they had heard their liberator was the King of Darkness, it probably couldn’t be helped that when they actually saw him, there was surprise, confusion, and an urge to avoid looking at him.

  That said, it wasn’t about whether Neia could accept it or not. If the king was offended, she probably would have done something, but he didn’t seem to care. On the contrary, Neia felt that doing something might be disrespectful.

  She called after him as he walked ahead of her.

  “Your Majesty, where are you going?”

  The king was looking was down at his hands, so he answered without turning around. “To that large building at the center of town. If that’s the enemy HQ, we need to investigate right away. The paladins are busy liberating the captured people, distributing food, healing wounds, imprisoning subhumans, and so on.”

  Neia cocked her head. “It’s such a huge building. You don’t think they’ve searched it already?”

  The one who took the city was definitely the King of Darkness, but the detail work after the fact was being done by knights and militia members. She figured they would have already checked the building he was headed for.

  The king stopped in his tracks and stared at Neia. Then he shrugged and set off walking again. “Oh, right. I actually have a subordinate standing by warning them not to approach. So I don’t think they’ve examined it.”

  “Huh? But that’s not what you said—”

  “Miss Baraja. I’ve told you a lot of things so far, but once in a while, you need to try thinking on your own. For instance, what do you suppose is the reason I should investigate as our representative?”

  “Ah—yes, Your Majesty!”

  He looked back down at his hands. He was carrying the items that Buser had been equipped with. As they walked, he was appraising them to see how enchanted they were.

  From what he had gathered, the sword was Sand Shooter; the armor, Turtle Shell; the shield, Lanza’s Merits; the horn caps
, Unhesitating Charge; the rings, Ring of Second Eye and Ring of Sprinting; and the cape, Cape of Protection.

  His necklace, among other items, also appeared to be enchanted, and though the king said their powers weren’t much, he seemed happy.

  Lowering her eyes from his back to the ground, Neia did as told and tried thinking about why he would insist on searching the building himself. But no compelling reasons jumped out at her.

  But she figured if she bothered him now for the answer, he would get annoyed. She respected the king and was scared of getting cast aside for being useless.

  As she was racking her brain, the building in question came into view.

  Two undead—high wraiths—stood before the entrance.

  When the King of Darkness approached, the pair opened the way to let him and Neia through.

  “This…appears to be the residence of this city’s ruler.”

  Neia didn’t know which noble was in charge, but she could guess it was someone who was at least a baron but not higher than count.

  “Yes. I haven’t let any undead inside, either. We are the first. There might be subhumans who haven’t been incapacitated yet, so be careful.”

  “What?! But Your Majesty, that’s—!”

  She wasn’t sure if she should tell him to stop or not. Because another side of her whispered in her head, Well, it’s the King of Darkness; he’ll be fine.

  “I have to go. This could be the enemy’s base, the lair of the subhuman boss. I mean, it’s just so big—someone as strong as Buser might be in there. I want to get this liberation over with neatly.”

  “Oh!” Hearing the answer to her earlier question, it made perfect sense, and she smacked her forehead. She was simultaneously grateful for the King of Darkness’s deep compassion.

  So he didn’t want the paladins to go near the place because a powerful being might be hiding out there? Was he saying weird stuff before because he felt bashful about it being known that he was fighting to protect other people and didn’t want to admit it outright?

  Though she knew it was irreverent to have such a feeling, she thought the King of Darkness was awfully precious.

  “…So, uh, does that make sense?” he asked, peering over at her. When she nodded, he cheerfully replied, “Oh, good.”

  He’s that happy because I understood something…? What a kind person…

  “I understand that you don’t want to be the center of attention!”

  “…Hmm? Ah…yes. You…you get it? That I don’t want to stand out?”

  “I do, Your Majesty!”

  The king seemed to be mulling something over. That was somehow adorable, too.

  “………Okay, then, shall we go?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty!”

  As a squire, she felt it was entirely inappropriate that the king be the vanguard, but when she tried to move ahead of him, he wouldn’t allow it. She gazed admiringly at the back of this courageous being. From the point of view of someone ranking lower, there was definitely something thrilling about a king who led the way.

  Upon passing through the broad entryway, Neia asked, “Where should we start? I don’t sense anyone around, but…”

  “Hmm… Miss Baraja, you seem to have excellent vision and hearing, but how about smell?”

  “To be honest, I’m not as confident about my sense of smell. Even so, I think it’s better than the average human’s. And taste is about the same level, although I’ve never tasted poison, so I couldn’t serve as a taste tester…”

  “I see. So can you smell the death and loathing in this room?” He said the words death and loathing with the supreme spirit of a king.

  “Death and loathing?”

  “Over here.”

  The King of Darkness strode off. There was no hesitation in his gait. He was walking as if he knew this place and knew what was coming.

  Death and loathing….? Those things don’t smell… Or is it something His Majesty can detect because he’s undead? That would mean we’re heading for something giving off those…!

  Neia gripped her borrowed bow tightly. It was possible that she would need to shield the king and step ahead of him to shoot. She hadn’t been able to do a thing during the fight with Buser. If she didn’t make herself at least a little useful, there would be no point to her being there.

  They advanced without seeing any subhumans and eventually reached a door that seemed different somehow from all the others. It was made of iron, and it looked terribly thick.

  This door that looked like it belonged on a prison cell appeared in an otherwise typical noble residence. It felt so out of place that it made Neia extremely uneasy. The feeling was so strong that it was almost like she had been hurled into some other mysterious location.

  “What…?”

  “In here… You don’t have to come with me, you know.”

  To Neia, that wasn’t an option. Seeing her shake her head, the King of Darkness shrugged and pushed the door open.

  Perhaps because the king was so strong, the door swung easily open. It really was thick, though; it had to have been special order.

  The King of Darkness entered the room.

  Crap! I shouldn’t have let him go first into unknown territory! I’m such an idiot!

  Neia hurried in after him.

  She had expected something out of the ordinary, given the thick door, and the atmosphere was unusual. She wondered if this was what a torture chamber was like; she’d never seen one, only heard rumors.

  For starters, there were no windows.

  Bars embedded in the walls glowed red, but this was magic light, not natural.

  There was one wooden desk and two wooden chairs. The one other door was also made of iron like the one they had entered through.

  The King of Darkness stood in the center of the room and looked around. Then Neia realized something was on the desk.

  “…Your Majesty, there’s a paper here, but what’s this?”

  Written on the paper were characters Neia had never seen before. She could guarantee that it wasn’t Sacred Kingdom language.

  “Hmm… Does it look like demon language?” The King of Darkness produced a monocle. Perhaps noticing Neia’s confused look, he explained. “It’s a magic item that will allow me to read this. I only have one. And it also takes up a lot of mana. Miss Baraja, do you know anyone with a similar power to read unfamiliar writing?”

  “A power to read unfamiliar writing?”

  “Yeah. Or if you know someone who might know how to read this, that’s fine, too. For example, someone with talent that allows them to read other languages…”

  “Sorry, I don’t really…”

  Neia was a mere squire. She had no occasion to come into contact with information about people like that.

  True, she had heard stories from other squires, things like, I have a friend who has a talent; he can tell you what temperature your bath is, or, One of my relatives is a sailor with a talent that lets him walk on water for five seconds. Any longer and he sinks, though… They were always these minor abilities that left her scratching her head, nothing of the sort the king was looking for.

  “I see. That’s too bad. Do you think Lady Custodio would know someone?”

  As the commander of the knight order, it seemed like she would have opportunities to hear all sorts of news. But Remedios’s reputation gave Neia pause. Would she really use her brain for remembering things like that?

  “…I’m not sure. It would be better to ask her directly.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Or maybe the other fellow…” The vague reply must have meant he felt the same way as Neia.

  “But if there isn’t anyone, what will you do?”

  “Hmm? Oh, I don’t need to do anything about it. If we could read information left behind by Jaldabaoth’s side, it might affect how we plan, right?”

  When he explained something that anyone could have realized with a little thought, Neia felt embarrassed for asking such a foolish question.r />
  “If there’s no one who can translate, then I guess we have no choice but for me to use my magic, but then we’ll have to really be on the lookout for Jaldabaoth—because if we encountered him while I was low on mana, we’d have to run away… But this does make me curious. It’s only one page; maybe we should read it.”

  “It’s really all right?”

  “Yeah, I’ll make sure I save enough mana.”

  The king put on the monocle and looked over the document. It wasn’t as if there were any visible indications, but the magic must have been working. He seemed like he was able to read it. That said, he didn’t have any eyeballs, so all she could think was that he was probably reading.

  After a short time, he took off the monocle.

  “It really does use a ton of mana.”

  To Neia, who had seen a priest grow unsteady on their feet after using too much mana, the king didn’t seem to have overexerted himself, but it was probably discourteous to compare him to normal casters. He must have a huge amount of mana.

  As Neia was thinking those things, the king approached the other door, opened it slightly, and peered inside through the crack.

  Neia picked up multiple faint breathing sounds and the smell of blood.

  Clenching her bow, she tried to get between him and the door, but before she could, he thrust out a hand.

  It meant Stay back.

  “Hm…mm… Miss Baraja, this place was being used by the demons, not the subhumans. That document was about some experiments they were performing.”

  “…Experiments the demons were performing?” Even before she asked, she knew it couldn’t be anything good.

  “Yes. Things like cutting off one creature’s arm and attaching it to another or cutting them open and trading their organs. Starting from the precedent of these exchanges between blood relatives, they were observing what happened between humans and other creatures—not only subhumans, animals, too—if they did those things and then cast healing magic.”

  “That’s horrifying! Sticking parts of a relative to someone sounds especially insane!”

  “……So when they do those experiments, they need to keep the victims alive, at least long enough to discern the cause of death.” With that, he turned around and jerked a thumb at the door behind him. It was enough that Neia could guess what he was going to say next. “The victims are in there, alive but still sliced open.”