The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  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 si
ght.

  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?