The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  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, the
y 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 addi
tional 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.