Side Story 1: The Knights of Alcahl

The world was in an age of war, with countries everywhere constantly seeking faraway lands to invade, and receiving retribution in turn. In spite of the troubled times, however, a small country in the middle of the Eastern Continent was successfully maintaining its neutrality thanks to its wise king’s peerless worldly wisdom. Without any enemies, Alcahl — for such was its name — was shockingly peaceful in comparison to its neighbors. The most violent altercations within its borders were between those who’d had a pint too much to drink, and such matters were quickly resolved. Today, too, a gentle and calm morning greeted the rolling green expanses of this nation.

“Hnnggg...what a wonderful morning we’re having again. The sun is so bright!”

A certain big-built old man stretched with a satisfied groan as he stepped out of his house. The well-worn suit of gray plate armor that he was wearing seemed at odds with the early hour, but the man himself did not seem bothered by it in the least as he made his way through a morning stretch routine. It was almost like the armor was a part of his body.

“My love, you’re wearing that old thing again? You really do love your work outfit, don’t you?”

From the same doorway emerged a woman who looked barely past thirty. Her mannerisms were refined and graceful, but there was a certain playfulness about her. Thanks to this, there were many who thought her far younger than her years. Even taking this into consideration, however, the age difference between her and the armored man was enough for them to be father and daughter. Yet she had referred to him as “my love.”

“This is not my work outfit. It is my soul — my very way of life!”

“All right, all right. Looks like you’re as passionate about your work as always, my lovely knight.”

Indeed, this old man and younger woman were a married couple with a significant age gap. And they were not just any married couple, but one known throughout the neighborhood as a hopeless pair of lovebirds. They were extremely close to each other, and even had a child who had just passed ten years of age.

“Indeed, and off I go!”

“But you haven’t had your breakfast, my love! You aren’t old enough to go senile yet.”

“Gahaha, that was a good one!”

“I didn’t mean it as a joke, goodness. Come back in, the table’s been set.”

“This smell...it’s white rice!”

“It’s bread and you know it. I’m glad to see you in top form today, my love.”

It was still early morning, but the conversation between these lovebirds was already filled with jokes and laughter.

◇ ◇ ◇

After finishing off his breakfast, the old man set out for his workplace in the very same attire. Of course, his jurisdiction covered all of Alcahl, so perhaps it would be more accurate to say that this was merely one part of his workplace. His feet eventually brought him to the training grounds of the kingdom’s order of knights.

“Good morning, Captain!”

A knight who had been practicing his swings stopped to greet the old man. He even went so far as to trot over first, and his voice was filled with respect. From this, it could be seen how high in esteem this older man was held. The title of his position was Knight Captain of the Alcahl Knight Order.

“Good morning to you as well. Glad to see you training hard.”

“Of course I am. After all, the safety of this country rests on our shoulders.”

Every single member of Alcahl’s revered knight order had unmatched — well, all right, their strength wasn’t exactly “unmatched,” but they all loved their country dearly, and the amount of zeal with which they took to their training could be said to be without equal.

The country was at peace thanks to the king’s masterful leadership, but the knight order knew better than to simply sit back and grow complacent. They patrolled the surrounding lands with great frequency and actively took responsibility whenever a dangerous monster appeared, very much living up to their roles as the country’s protectors.

“By the way, Captain. That box in your hand...”

The older man was indeed holding something wrapped in a large cloth. Almost as if it were a baby, he was cradling it in his right hand with the utmost care. The wrapping was pink and embroidered with hearts. In other words, it was extremely eye-catching. Even the old man’s subordinate couldn’t help but notice and ask about it, even though he already knew the answer.

“Well asked! This is, of course, a perfectly normal lunch box.”

“Ahh...so Betty-san made it, did she? You’re making me jealous, Captain.”

“Ahem. It’s a lunch box made lovingly by my wonderful wife!”

“Why did you reword it?! Are you doing that to spite me?! Goddammit, why do you have a wife who’s even younger than I am, while I’m still single?!”

The old man clearly wanted to brag to someone. “I’m just saying, even Connie helped with today’s lunch box. Guess I have no choice but to carry this to my grave.”

“You want to kill me with jealousy, is that it?!” cried the young man towards the undoubtedly besotted face that was hidden behind his superior’s helmet. Then he sighed. “About that lunch, though, you should probably eat it, or else your daughter will get sad.”

“What was that?! You think you know more about Connie than I do?!”

“Arg, you’re so annoying...are you satisfied yet?”

“Mm! Very satisfied.”

It was an exchange that took place nearly every morning within the Alcahl Knight Order. Over the ten years that this little routine had been going on, the lighthearted conversation had done a lot to help break down the barriers between ranks within the order, bringing the members closer together. Whether the old man purposely kept it up for that reason was anyone’s guess. However, there wasn’t a single doubt in the minds of the knights that he would have been the same way had he been blessed with a grandchild.

“Oh, right, there’s been a summons for you, Captain. It was from the king.”

“The king, you say? Why didn’t he just send the messenger straight to my home?”

“He probably didn’t want to interrupt your morning time with your family.”

“Ahh, you have a point. That sort of consideration is almost second nature to that king of ours. All right, I’ll go pay him a visit now.”

“Take care. And I’m saying this just in case, but...you can’t brag about your lunch box to the king, all right?” the younger man laughed in jest. After all, no matter how much the Knight Captain loved his wife and daughter, surely he wasn’t that lacking in common sense. The subordinate had cracked the joke with that assumption in mind.

“Why not? I do it every day.”

“What?”

Apparently, there was a huge difference between what the two men thought of as common sense.

◇ ◇ ◇

The old knight headed for Alcahl Castle, then made a beeline for the throne room. The country’s seat of power was more like the residence of a feudal lord rather than the palace of a royal family. However, that was only in comparison to much larger kingdoms. Within Alcahl, nothing came close to the scale and quality of its ruler’s abode.

“...and that is why the egg dishes made by my daughter, Connie, are the best in the world! One day, I’ll share some with you, my king!”

“Didn’t you already bring me some the other day? And I do concede that I loved every bite of it. Slightly burnt, but clearly made with the utmost care, and tasting of a warm, loving family. You’re raising a fine daughter.”

This king was famous even among the neighboring countries as something of a sage. That byname reflected not only his own capabilities but also his generous heart, caring personality, and the deep love that he held for his country.

And yet, within his own residence, in front of his own throne, the man who held ultimate authority over the country was being forced to listen to a fervent speech by an old man holding a pink lunch box. And that was not all; this king had previously been compelled to eat the home cooking of the old knight’s daughter as well. Someone witnessing this scene for the first time might be provoked into crying, “What the hell is a mere subject doing to his king?!” But this was actually a rather common occurrence in the castle.

Should the old man be admired for his nerve? Or should the king be praised for his magnanimous personality? Either way, in spite of appearances, the two were close friends, so there was no problem with the lack of formalities.

“Your Majesty, it’s almost time...”

That said, if these two friends were left unchecked, they would continue their idle talk for hours on end. Although it pained him to do so, the minister who had been standing in attendance beside the king spoke up to bring the conversation back on track.

“Oh, is it already that time? Thank you. Well then, let’s get to the real reason I summoned you today.”

“Of course, of course. Apologies, my king. It appears I became too engrossed in our conversation. How embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry about it, old friend. There is no greater indication to me that our country is at peace. I very much welcome our talks.”

Laughing merrily, the King of Alcahl turned to the minister at his side. The minister promptly spread open a map — which had been prepared ahead of time — to show the knight.

“This is a map of Alcahl, isn’t it?”

Due to its small size, the kingdom had only one major city — which was where the royal palace was located — with the rest of the country being lush, green farmland with small villages scattered throughout.

“Yes, Knight Captain. If you would look here, please.”

The minister pointed to a spot in the south. A closer look revealed that several Xs had been drawn here and there.

“Sightings of a new monster have been reported from many people in this area. These markings indicate the locations of each sighting.”

“A monster...so we’re talking a subjugation expedition?”

“Yes, but...the opponent this time seems a bit troublesome...” The minister’s words trailed off, as if he were searching for a way to break bad news.

Seeing this, the king said simply, “According to eyewitness accounts, we supposedly have a demon on our hands.”

“A demon?!”

The old knight could hardly be faulted for his surprise. After all, demons were ranked up there with angels and dragons as the three races with the greatest strength in the world. The most recent Demon Lord in history, Gustav, had himself been born from the demon race, although — in spite of the title — not all “Demon Lords” were. The accounts of his final fight with Serge Flore, the Hero of the era, spoke at length of the terrifying powers that he had wielded.

“Thankfully, we’ve had no casualties so far,” said the king. “Our demon is a lesser one.”

“That is a relief. Even so, we cannot let our guard down.”

“Indeed. And that is why it would be dangerous to leave it alone.”

The fact that it was a lesser demon was no great consolation, for even lesser demons possessed strength and intelligence at least on par with Rank B monsters. Even veteran Rank C adventurers were helpless against such an opponent; it would take the best of the best to put up a fair fight.

The problem was, as most of the other monsters to appear in the center of the Eastern Continent were low level, the adventurers that stayed in the area also tended to be of lower ranks. As such, monster subjugations largely fell to the knight order. A demon showing up was an extremely rare occurrence. But since it had appeared, it needed to be dealt with.

“I grant you full authority to form the squad you deem most suitable. Do everything you can to keep casualties to a minimum. Come back to me alive. That is an order.”

“Leave it to me. The demon shall be struck down without fail, and I will return to a parade of triumph.”

The old Knight Captain clapped a fist against his chest armor with a loud crash.

“Old friend, don’t expect too much in the way of a parade, all right? You know how tight our country’s finances are.”

“Please do not fret. Being welcomed back by my wife and child is enough of a celebration for me.”

“You would say that.”

Amid the warm laughter echoing through the throne room, the old man stood up and looked straight ahead, his expression fierce.

“Indeed I would! When I return home, my daughter is always at the door, waiting for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bragging here. But when she starts telling me what she’s done during the day in that happy, excited voice, the pure joy that wells up inside of me...”

In an animated tone, the man continued to expound on what a blessing it was to be welcomed back by his wife and child.

◇ ◇ ◇

Shortly after the captain’s audience with the king, thirty knights could be seen proceeding in a straight, orderly line across the rolling green countryside that characterized southern Alcahl. The armored figures, perched on top of similarly armored horses, kept a wary eye on their surroundings. The tension in the air was palpable, prompting nearby residents to maintain a healthy distance.

“Oh, it’s the knights! Heeeeeyyyy!”

“Look, mommy, the knights waved back at me!”

“Stop it! The esteemed knights are in the middle of a mission! I apologize for my son’s behavior!”

Well, not all of the residents stayed away. Children waved at the passing procession, in response to which the knights waved back. Parents chided their little ones, in response to which the knights gestured from atop their horses that they didn’t mind. Clearly, the friendly personality of the Knight Captain had rubbed off on the knight order as a whole.

“Children being energetic sure is great, isn’t it?”

“So true. Children are national treasures. Now, let me tell you about my daughter —”

“AH! We’re almost at the location of the first sighting!”

“O-Oh, I suppose we are.”

The change in topic was admittedly forced. However, when considering how far back the old man and his subordinates went, being made to listen to this topic several times each day sure added up quickly. Being a faithful husband and a devoted father were both great things in and of themselves, but neither were topics that people liked to hear about for prolonged periods of time.

Now that they were close to their destination, the old knight himself grew serious. “We can only hope that the target hasn’t moved elsewhere yet,” he murmured.

“I agree, I’m worried about the nearby villages as well. But then again, the area around here is flat enough to grant a good view of the landscape. Considering how big lesser demons are, we should be able to spot our target immediately. Not that I’ve seen one for myself before.”

At least one of the knights had been paying attention while attending his village’s place of learning when he had been young. The thing about demons was, the weaker they were, the more monstrous their appearance. And the more powerful they were, the more humanoid they looked. The demon that had shown up this time was the former. Almost all of the eyewitness accounts described it as “a big purple monster.” The only reason they even knew it was a demon was thanks to an adventurer with Analyze Eye who had spied on it from afar.

Now, if their target had been an archdemon, it would have merited the dispatching of the most powerful knights in the kingdom and the hiring of Rank S adventurers to boot. If there had been any Heroes alive at the time, they would surely have been called upon as well.

“I haven’t seen one before, either. They don’t venture out from Abyssland all that often.”

“In any case, we’ve already evacuated the nearby residents. The fact that there hasn’t been a commotion yet means we’re still in the clear, right, Captain?”

“Let’s not be overly optimistic. Ow, my waist...”

“Oh, are you finally going to retire, Captain?”

Since they had set out, nothing particularly noteworthy had happened. Being on horseback was taking quite a toll on the old man’s body, and he found himself wanting to finish things up quickly so that he could head back home. The smiles of his wife and daughter came into his mind. The slightly burned egg dish. So delectable.

“What nonsense are you talking? As long as I live, I will be a knight. This is my calling.”

No matter the state of his body or how much he missed his family, he always took his duties seriously. That was the line the old man had drawn for himself.

“By the way, Captain, you seem to be in an especially good mood. Did something happen?”

“Good eye! I got to talk about all of the things I enjoy today, so I’m feeling quite content.”

“I’m sorry?”

Thanks to the sacrifice of the king and his minister, the old knight — his bad waist aside — was in top form.

◇ ◇ ◇

“There it is.”

“So huge...”

The knights had dismounted and were now hiding amongst the shrubbery.

Deep within the woods that lay even farther south than the southernmost village was the target of their subjugation mission. The monster, which stood just under three meters in height, had bat-like wings, skin a poisonous shade of purple, and a face far too ugly to glean any emotions. It was an amalgamation of everything meant to incite fear in the human mind.

“Looks like it’s in the middle of a meal.”

“So gross...”

The demon was sitting on the ground, slurping blood from the carcass of what was likely another monster that had been living in the forest. The giant corpse, which looked like a cow with one horn, was lying on its side, devoid of life.

“Oh, good, it’s not a human.”

“It’s too early to feel relieved. This changes nothing; the next victim could very well be one of the villagers.”

The absence of the characteristic cheer in the old man’s voice reminded the others to mentally prepare themselves.

“Everyone, be on full alert. From this point on, we’ll be communicating by hand signals alone until we engage the creature.”

Whereas the common man would have been frozen with fear at the sight of a demon, the knights of Alcahl calmly sprang into action. Taking extreme care to not alert their quarry, the fighters spread out to their separate positions. Cleverly using the nearby trees for cover, they surrounded the entire clearing to prevent the demon from escaping. Once they were all in their respective places, the old man raised a hand slightly, then swung it forwards.

Swoosh!

“RUAH?!”

The knights positioned in front of the demon had fired their arrows. And these were no ordinary arrows but steel ones, made specially to combat large monsters like this. Although they dealt no magical damage, the physical destruction they caused was quite impressive indeed. As hoped, the many shafts pierced the demon’s thick skin, drawing streams of poisonous-looking green blood. However, the wounds were too shallow and none were fatal.

“Everyone, CHARGE!!”

“SIR, YES, SIR!”

Immediately, knights holding lances and kite shields leaped into view on either side of the demon. They kept their shields in front of them and used their lances to keep the enemy at bay, taking care not to get too close or back up too far. The creature whirled left and right in confusion and surprise. These knights knew their roles well and fully understood that this was not an opponent that could be defeated by charging in recklessly. Not by someone without equal power and strength, at least.

“RRRUUAAHHHH!”

“Hold on a — everyone, be careful! This thing can spit fire!”

The knights on the front line quickly ducked behind their shields. The roaring flames slowly melted the steel, disfiguring the Alcahl crests that were carved onto the shields’ surfaces. It was all too easy to imagine what would happen if those flames reached one of the men.

“A breath attack?! What, does this thing think it’s a dragon?!”

“Don’t panic! At least its range isn’t all that great!”

The demon’s counterattack left the knights unsure of how to continue their assault.

“You lot on the other side, attack now!”

Hearing their captain’s order, those stationed at the demon’s back immediately leaped into action. The monster laughed scornfully as if to indicate that it had expected such a move. With a terrible cry, it began to spin like a top, spraying flames all around it. Even the cow-like creature that had been abandoned by its feet caught fire. The entire area was being transformed into an oven, and the knights were left with no recourse but to hunker down behind their shields.

“You thought you had us, didn’t you!”

“RRRRUUUAAAHHHHH!!”

There was a soft whoosh and the demon screamed in pain. A steel arrow protruded from its right eye, and green blood was gushing out.

The man who had shot the arrow silently clenched his fist in a pose of triumph. “Yes! Bull’s eye!”

“Well done. As expected of a single man!”

“What?! Me being single has nothing to do with it! Ugh, anyway, I’m leaving the rest to you!”

“Mhm! Clear the way!”

The old knight rushed forward from the back, his beloved greatsword held at the ready. So furious was his charge that he seemed to be an entirely different person from the man who had been complaining about a sore waist earlier. The other knights stepped back to open a hole in their ranks.

“Gugegege...”

Incomprehensible chanting came from the demon’s mouth. Magic gathered around both of its hands, and was released all at once.

“A Black Magic smokescreen?! This bastard has some tricks up its sleeve!”

Having realized that it was outnumbered, the demon had chosen to make its escape. Its intention was to take advantage of the confusion and breakdown in communication resulting from the smokescreen and forcibly smash through the circle of knights. It was still far superior to the order in terms of individual strength. If it threw everything it had against a single knight or two, breaking through would be a simple task.

Or so the demon had thought. There was, however, a huge problem with its plan. To be more specific, there was a mistake in the assumptions underlying that plan. There was indeed one among the humans who possessed the power to stand on equal footing with the demon itself.

“Doesn’t...matter!”

The old man’s sword screamed as, with brute force, he swung it fast enough to whip up a gale of wind that blew the smoke away in an instant. The demon, who had been lying in wait, was immediately exposed.

“AGITO!”

A flying slash flew towards the beast. It did not even have time to scream.