The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I Page 10

“That must be it. But that’s if he’s using magic to do the summoning. If it’s a skill, things might work differently.”

  “You don’t know for sure?”

  “No, sorry. We haven’t confirmed much at all.” Evileye’s shoulders slumped in an obvious way.

  “…Hmm, I don’t really get it.”

  “…Commander, I’ll explain later.”

  “No, explain now, even just a little. I can’t keep up.”

  This is our leader, the one in charge of us all…

  “So then, did he also summon that nasty bug maid?”

  “I don’t know. I sure hope not…”

  The Blue Roses began discussing among themselves.

  “Ummm, may I say something?” Neia spoke up hesitantly. All eyes turned to her, and the pressure was so enormous she nearly regretted it. Maybe she could have just waited for someone else to bring it up. But the die was cast. She steeled her resolve and asked her question. “This might be a very basic question, but where did Jaldabaoth come from? Has a demon named Jaldabaoth been around throughout history?”

  “It’s unclear. I looked through all sorts of books, but I didn’t find the name anywhere. I tried searching based on his appearance as well, but there weren’t any clues.”

  “Could it be an alias? Like he wanted to go cause trouble under a different name?”

  “That should be impossible. The name of a demon—and the same goes for angels—is an integral part of its existence. In order for a demon to appear, the wedge of its name needs to be driven into the world. Because of that, it’s apparently impossible for them to go by any other name. Some experiments have even shown that they’ll vanish if they even try.”

  Neia knew next to nothing about demons and angels, but if a caster from an adamantite adventurer team said so, it must’ve been true.

  “If he came from some remote part of the continent, it would make sense that we didn’t know anything about him…but at that point, anything is possible, so we just have no idea.” Evileye shrugged.

  “…Hey, what if Jaldabaoth’s appearance was different? You looked him up based on the way he looks in that picture, but what if that’s a disguise?”

  “Ohhh?” Evileye leaned toward Remedios. “Tell me more.”

  “We had Jaldabaoth in that form in a tight spot, but then he revealed his true nature…” Remedios closed her eyes. “And we were utterly defeated.”

  “Can you tell me the details?”

  “That much is fine, right, Gustav?”

  “No objections here. If by describing him we can gain more information, keeping it to ourselves would be our loss.”

  “Really, I’d like to just tell them everything,” Remedios mumbled to herself. Then she began explaining Jaldabaoth’s true form to Evileye. Partway through, her face grew clouded with rage—she must have been recalling a battle no one in the room was present for.

  “I see. I’ll try searching again based on that description. I’d like to let you know what I find out, so can you tell me how long you’re planning to be in town?”

  “Right now we don’t have specific plans. But so, does that mean the description doesn’t ring any bells?”

  “Lakyus, do you recognize it?”

  She shook her head.

  “What she says. Sorry.”

  “Understood. We’ll inform you once we have a plan.”

  “But now we have to consider the worst-case scenario. It’s possible that he held back in Re-Estize to spread false intelligence.”

  “You mean…his true aim was in our country, and his goal in yours was something different?”

  “Maybe. If his main objective was in the Kingdom, then it would have made sense for him to reveal his true nature here. Or maybe he was alarmed by Sir Momon’s strength and decided to save it for later to prevent his scheme from being ruined? I hope that’s not the case, but…”

  Evileye’s comments left the room in a gloomy silence. It was so quiet that even faint breathing noises sounded loud. In the tension that followed, with everyone wondering who would speak first, it was Lakyus who proved her courage.

  “So to back up a bit, we’d also like to hear some info about Jaldabaoth. What we know is only our own analysis after meeting him. We haven’t figured out his purpose, true form, or abilities.”

  “Summoning demons to collect intelligence would have been an option…except it corrupts your soul. And even if you summon lower-tier demons, they often don’t know much about the higher tiers. So we’d need to get in touch with someone capable of summoning more powerful demons.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who specializes in summoning demons.”

  It was Evileye who commented first. Then one of the twins.

  Well, you wouldn’t, usually…, thought Neia.

  Fortunately, evil casters who specialized in summoning demons never became very powerful—because they usually either ruined themselves or were hunted down.

  Of course, there could be individuals who avoided such grisly ends, but they lurked in darkness and were hardly out and about making friends.

  “Still, though. Isn’t it aggravating to sit around and do nothing? I wanna be able to make him cry next time he comes to the Kingdom! But for that, we need info—as much info as we can get our hands on.”

  “Also, when he came to the Kingdom, he didn’t bring subhumans. If he took subhumans under his wing as a result of failing in the Kingdom, then we need to be even more cautious.”

  Gagaran and the other twin voiced their thoughts as well.

  “So you want to know what we know?”

  The Blue Roses all nodded, and Lakyus finished. “We’ll pay you the same as what you paid us.”

  “Commander, can I take over negotiations from here?”

  Remedios agreed immediately to Gustav’s suggestion.

  “Then we’d like our compensation in a different form, not cash.”

  “And that would be? We’ll try to provide what you ask, but I can’t simply promise that anything will go… That said, if you want to be connected to an influential noble, I think we can arrange that.”

  “Oh? Thank you for that, but actually we’re after something else. Would you come to our country and fight with us?”

  Silence fell over the room once more. After a few seconds—no, probably more—there was finally a sound. Lakyus had leaned back in her chair.

  “Apologies, but we can’t compensate you in that way.”

  “…We’re after the information in order to not die. Doing it that way would defeat the purpose.” Evileye shrugged her shoulders as if to say, No can do.

  “We’re not saying you have to face Jaldabaoth. You could be on standby in the rear dispensing healing magic.”

  “Don’t lie to us. You definitely need more help than that.” Gagaran rolled her eyes.

  It was true. The northern part of the Sacred Kingdom had been conquered by Jaldabaoth and could hardly put up any meaningful resistance at this point. Most of the people had been sent to the camps, and the few remaining paladins were hiding out in caves.

  “No, it’s not like that. We’re just barely holding the subhuman invasion back.”

  The Southern Sacred Kingdom’s territory was still intact, and the troops guarding the southlands and Jaldabaoth’s army were sizing each other up. If that could be counted as holding back the invaders, then they were.

  Lies versus truth. Neia knew the truth, so she felt Gustav’s response was closer to a lie.

  “Would it be possible for you to come?”

  “Sorry.”

  Remedios had straightened up to ask, but Evileye’s reply was a clear no. And the silence of other members must have meant it wasn’t just her opinion but the collective’s decision.

  “…Honestly, I said we were just barely holding them back, but…we’re actually in rougher shape. The Northern Sacred Kingdom is lost, but we still have some forces remaining in the south. Still, it’ll be impossible to beat Jaldabaoth with them alo
ne.” Gustav poured some water into his cup and took a drink. Then he spoke again. “The reason the country wasn’t swallowed up in a single gulp was that the naval forces managed to pin Jaldabaoth’s troops along the coast. If he found a way around that and continued advancing south, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  But that was what the people of the north thought, since they knew Jaldabaoth’s power. The people down south may have had completely different ideas. Maybe they thought they could drive him off on their own.

  That was a sign that information wasn’t being shared effectively, but it was partly due to other issues between the two regions.

  In the south, a majority of the nobles opposed a woman overriding her elder brother’s claim to take the throne.

  Which is why, in order to avoid a split, the Holy Lady had ignored the slanderous rumor in the south that she had attained her position through collusion with influential shrines and that her aide, Kelart Custodio, had been pulling strings from behind the scenes.

  After that, the south never acted, so they managed to avoid an all-out confrontation, but that was because power had been balanced. Now that the north had collapsed, the south didn’t need to play nice anymore. The southern powers were only a few steps away from eclipsing the north.

  At this juncture, with Jaldabaoth attacking, it seemed absurd that fighting would break out between humans. And catching glimpses of the power struggle surrounding the decision of who would be the next king made Neia, a commoner, uncomfortable.

  “That’s no good.”

  “It’s not. Our few air units in the naval forces sustained heavy losses battling flying demons. We won’t be able to hold Jaldabaoth’s army back forever. We need some kind of breakthrough. Please lend us your strength! Even just for a month or two! We’ll do our best to provide whatever compensation you ask! Please save the Sacred Kingdom!”

  When Gustav lowered his head, Neia and paladins bowed and said, “We beg you!”

  Then the quiet room filled with Lakyus’s voice. “Please raise your heads. And I’m sorry, but we can’t go to the Sacred Kingdom.”

  “Why not?!”

  Neia jerked her head up at Remedios’s shout and saw her leaning out of her seat, glaring at Lakyus.

  “I doubt he’ll stop with defeating the Sacred Kingdom! He’ll probably just gather his strength there and then attack you! If we don’t defeat him now, things will only get worse!”

  “Yes. There is a good chance that’s what will happen.”

  Before Gustav could stop her, Remedios barreled ahead. “So if you understand that, then why won’t you help us?! It’s not only you! The nobles here and in our own country—they don’t get it at all! We should be combining our powers to fight!”

  “…The reason our kingdom’s nobles can’t help you is a bit different from ours. How much do you know about the Nation of Darkness?”

  It was a country built upon usurping one of the kingdom’s cities. And it was a horrible place ruled by an undead king. That was what the people of the Sacred Kingdom knew. When Remedios explained as much, Lakyus smiled wryly.

  “Right. You have it almost correct, but there’s one part you’re mistaken on… It’s true that undead are in charge, but supposedly the humans living there are safe.”

  “……Huh? But undead despise the living.”

  “But there are all different kinds of undead, right? And the King of Darkness is an undead ruler. It must be easy for him to get the undead below him to submit and not harm the humans.”

  Evileye pouted audibly.

  “Come now, Evileye… Anyway, since we have this issue of the Nation of Darkness, we aren’t able to support you. And we sustained terrible losses in the battle against the Nation of Darkness. We’ll be feeling the effects of that for years to come. Even the nobles who appear wealthy don’t actually have assets to spare.”

  “Still, though! Shouldn’t Jaldabaoth be handled as soon as possible?! He’s actually out there harming humans as we speak. The Nation of Darkness or whatever isn’t hurting people, right?!”

  “…I don’t think I need to explain how dangerous it would be to open another front while a country is already exhausted.”

  Remedios faltered.

  “And two members of our party were actually killed in our fight with Jaldabaoth. We resurrected them with a spell, but they still haven’t reached their former strength. If we ventured to the land Jaldabaoth is ruling in such a state, we could be wiped out.”

  “But it’s like Gustav said—you don’t have to fight him!”

  “Is this lady serious…?”

  “Tia! Excuse us. Um, I’m sorry, but I just don’t think things will go that smoothly. If there’s even the slightest chance that we would have to face Jaldabaoth, we have to turn down the job. We need to gather our own strength and prepare for the future…in case Jaldabaoth attacks Re-Estize again.”

  The faces of the Blue Roses were unwavering; it didn’t seem like it would be possible to convince them.

  Eventually Remedios spoke in a choked voice. “Then who will save our country?”

  The Blue Roses exchanged glances with one another.

  “There’s only one answer.” It was Evileye who replied. “Really, you should have talked to him first.”

  “…Who?”

  “Sir Momon, of course! The one who repelled Jaldabaoth the first time.”

  “Ohhh! That makes sense!”

  “Please wait, Commander Custodio… Isn’t he…I mean…?”

  “So you’ve heard? Yes, he’s in the Nation of Darkness working for the king. You’ll have to persuade the King of Darkness.”

  “Urk!” Remedios exclaimed.

  Neia understood how she felt. It was a pretty complicated matter for a subject of the Sacred Kingdom to go to an undead for help.

  She sensed that, even as a squire. Remedios, commander of the paladins and bearer of a Holy Sword, was probably even more eager to avoid anything of the sort. But there was power in her eyes as she looked at the Blue Roses.

  “…If that’s our best shot at defeating Jaldabaoth, then let’s do it. Or really, it’s our only choice. Would you mind writing us an intro to this Momon g—?”

  “Sir Momon, Commander.”

  “R-right! Do you think you could write us an intro to Sir Momon?”

  2

  After the meeting with the Blue Roses, Neia and the other members of the paladin delegation were quick to depart the royal capital. Not only was there no longer anyone in Re-Estize who could help them, but they realized it would take months to gather any information about Jaldabaoth’s true form. Plus, they now had a lead in the form of Momon, the only person with any chance at defeating the demon leader.

  Above all, their wish to do something for the people suffering in Roebel spurred them on.

  Giving their horses only minimal rest, sometimes using magic, they proceeded east along the highway at a pace impossible for normal travelers.

  After passing one final village, the party entered the buffer zone between Re-Estize and the Nation of Darkness.

  Low hills obstructed their view, and there was no telling when a monster might emerge from the occasional patches of virgin forest. It was former Kingdom territory, true, but that only meant the chance of being attacked was slimmer, not zero.

  Neia kept her sight, smell, and other senses sharp as they moved through that terrain.

  Doesn’t seem like there’s anything waiting along the highway. And no signs that large carnivores recently passed this way.

  The highway was a dirt road. Apparently, they would soon enter an area under royal jurisdiction, which would be better maintained. For most travelers, having a proper road was more convenient, but Neia preferred being able to see tracks in the dirt.

  She looked down at her palms.

  She wasn’t terribly fond of her hands.

  They were toughened from training, though it wasn’t as if she hated them. She just hated her lack of ability.

 
She inherited her keen senses from her father, but unfortunately, she didn’t get anything similar from her mother.

  Neia’s mother had been a paladin of some reputation, as well as fairly good with a sword. But her daughter could train all she wanted—she simply didn’t have the aptitude. She hadn’t even trained with her father’s specialty, the bow, but she was rather adept at using one.

  Well, she was probably lucky to have inherited even half of their superior skills. But the special powers paladins acquired could only be used with close-quarters weapons. An aptitude for ranged weapons was pointless for someone aiming to join the ranks of paladins.

  She returned her hands to the reins and held them tightly.

  She lifted her hips a bit and adjusted her position on her saddle. She had spent quite a long time on her horse since departing Roebel, leaving her butt and groin incredibly sore.

  If she asked one of the paladins, she could get them to relieve her pain with a lower-tier healing spell, but she was a grown woman. Such a request was too embarrassing. And since her discomfort was so minor that it didn’t affect her ability to ride, it was even harder to bring up.

  …I can just rub some herbs on it later like always. I owe it to my dad for that one. When he talked to me about what to do if you got a sore butt, I was annoyed, but… Hmm, did I ever apologize for that…? Sigh…

  She bit back the tears threatening to form in the corners of her eyes.

  “Oh, Commander. We can see the pavement up ahead. We’ll be in Nation of Darkness territory soon.”

  It was a strange sight to see that partway down the highway the road was suddenly paved.

  “Right. So should we just go straight there? Or will we camp somewhere on the way?”

  Neia looked up at the sky.

  “If we don’t run into any issues, we can reach our destination before sundown. But we’ll have to move pretty fast. What should we do?”

  “Let me talk to Gustav quick.” Remedios pulled her reins and slowed down to talk to her second-in-command.

  So this is Nation of Darkness territory…? Where are the soldiers? There’s not even a fort. The Re-Estize side had one…

  Normally, there would at least be a guardhouse on the border, but this country didn’t have one. She had heard that the Nation of Darkness only had one city, so she thought maybe all the troops were concentrated there.