Chapter 3 | Initiating the Counterattack

 

1

The carriage swayed along.

It belonged to the King of Darkness. Contrary to its plain exterior, the inside was luxurious and sophisticated, as well as superbly functional. Neia was especially impressed by the cushions that prevented sore bottoms even during long journeys.

She stole a glance at the King of Darkness as he sat across from her, his eyes gazing out the window.

He was a terrifying undead, but his presence wasn’t as overwhelming as when she had first met him during the audience.

Perhaps that was because they had more time to talk together during this journey.

One thing she had learned was that he was very generous.

The King of Darkness had the dignity of a king. Even the slightest movements he made exuded a royal gravitas.

But sometimes in this carriage, he acted like any normal person. And especially of late, those moments had grown more frequent.

How generous of him to assume a folksier attitude out of consideration for Neia, who was so nervous to be riding with him. Surely the reason those moments had increased was that he had gotten used to the act.

The reason he didn’t operate in that mode with anyone else had to be because the others were paladins, people of rank.

It’s so kind of him to go to such trouble for a foreign commoner…

What was he looking at? He probably wasn’t watching the paladins riding alongside them. He must have been looking at something else—something that had nothing to do with Neia—

“Hmm? Did something that fascinating land on my face?”

“What?! No, Your Majesty, excuse me. There’s nothing on your face…”

Apparently, she had spaced out and ended up staring at him. He seemed puzzled and rubbed his cheek with a bony hand.

“It certainly is awkward to ride together like this with no conversation. Hmm. Shall we talk?”

She had gotten used to it somewhat, but the idea of being his conversation partner still made her stomach hurt.

“We don’t know each other very well, so I’ve been avoiding topics that might be private, but now we’ve been riding together for a few days. Maybe we can open up a bit. Will you tell me your story, Neia Baraja?”

“My story?”

Her “story” was such a vague topic; she had no idea what the King of Darkness would find entertaining.

“Right. Well, for example, why did you become a squire? What does your job entail? Would you tell me about that?”

“If that’s what you’d like to hear, Your Majesty.”

She bowed her head and began talking as requested. That said, it wasn’t a very exciting story. There wasn’t anything interesting about her family or her work as a squire.

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, they 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 additional 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.

And on top of that, the hoofprints of the horses the paladins had with them would be spotted instantly by someone who knew what to look for. So was it only coincidence that they hadn’t been discovered until now? Or—

“Y-Your Majesty. We haven’t been covering our tracks. Do you think they let us go on purpose? …But why?” she asked, her voice quivering.

On their journey together, she had learned that the king before her was incredibly wise. She was correct to think that he might tell her the answer right then and there.

“…Well, there are a range of possible explanations, but the most likely is…”

For a moment, Neia thought it would be better to have him explain to their leader and not just her, but she couldn’t hold back her fearful curiosity.

“…that they don’t want to lose track of the liberation army, don’t you think?”

“Lose track of us?”

“Yes. Maybe this isn’t a very good metaphor, but say they found a nest of naughty mice. If the mice scattered, wouldn’t that be a pain? They must be waiting till all the mice gather to get rid of them all at once.”

Oh! He’s exactly right. I can’t imagine any other reason. I’m amazed he could analyze the situation so well after only being here for a few minutes… He seems to even understand how our adversaries think… Wow.

“As long as the circumstances don’t change, I doubt we have anything to fear. But I guess the tricky thing is that it’s not only our circumstances that could affect the timing of their attack. Naturally, theirs are a factor, too…”

Neia could only marvel at the king’s intelligence, how he could point out all these things so precisely.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! I’ll go report that to the commander right away.”

“Then I’ll come along.”

“Huh? But you must be exhausted from the long trip. They’re preparing a room for you, so wouldn’t you rather rest?”

“Did you forget? I’m an undead! I never need a break.”

That was true. She had completely forgotten.

Undead were beings who never tired. She remembered learning, for that very reason, that it would be hard to escape from an undead that could move as fast as she could. That utterly ordinary knowledge and her entire preconception of the undead had been shattered thanks to the King of Darkness. He was so different from what she had been taught to expect that she wondered sometimes if he wasn’t a human caster wearing a skull mask.

“Oh, I appreciate that. Then would you come with me?”

“Of course. And you don’t need to thank me. We’re in this fight to defeat Jaldabaoth together.”

She knew that by “we” he meant the Nation of Darkness and the Roebel Sacred Kingdom, but she heard it as him and her, which was a bit of a thrill.

Eventually someone knocked on the carriage door.

“Your Majesty, your room is ready.”

Neia was the one to open the door.

When the paladin standing outside saw the bow Neia was holding, his eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.

She had never taken the bow out of the carriage before—because it happened that the King of Darkness hadn’t left the carriage since lending it to her. As a result, she had come this far without showing it to anyone.

…He’s surprised. Yeah, I know exactly how he feels. It’s definitely not the kind of weapon a squire would have…

Feeling the eyes on her, she turned back to the carriage and bowed her head.

Looking down at the ground, she didn’t raise her head until she had confirmed that the King of Darkness’s feet were settled. Then she turned to the paladin and asked, “Excuse me, but there’s something I’d like to talk to Commander Custodio about. Could you take me to her? His Majesty has said he would like to come along.”

“U-uh, yes. Understood. Then please follow me.”

The order they entered the cave was paladin, King of Darkness, Neia.

The pale-blue light from the tall mushrooms was pretty creepy. In some places where multiple mushrooms clustered together, they cast monstrous shadows on the wall. And since the humans’ skin was illuminated pale and blue, they looked almost like the dead, but strangely, that didn’t bother Neia now.

As they walked through the cave, they sometimes saw paladins on guard, as well as priests and commoners.

They had probably heard from the others, but they still couldn’t conceal their shocked stares at the King of Darkness.

They’re being so rude…

The King of Darkness probably wouldn’t get angry. He was extremely warmhearted, but that was exactly the sort of person who was terrifying when they did finally get mad.

With that in mind, she probably should have told them not to be rude, but telling every single individual would have taken all day, and it wasn’t really the sort of issue that could be solved by a quick warning like that. To the people of the Sacred Kingdom, and to living things in general, undead were naturally the enemy.

I could tell the commander…but, well, they aren’t drawing their weapons, so that’s halfway decent at least…

She suddenly noticed the King of Darkness take out a piece of paper and stare at it. She wondered what it said, but he was shielding it with a hand, so she couldn’t read it.

Eventually, they reached their destination, where voices overlapping in vigorous debate could be heard behind a curtain.

“Commander Custodio. His Majesty the King of Darkness has come with Squire Baraja.”

The room instantly fell silent.

At that point, the paper that had been in the king’s hand was nowhere to be seen.

“Have them come in.”

At their commander’s voice, the paladin raised the curtain.

The eyes of the paladins and priests—people who hadn’t been part of the delegation—contained a multitude of emotions as they stood to greet the king.

Even Neia could tell. So she was sure the King of Darkness could as well. But she didn’t detect any change in his mood from behind.

He can’t not have noticed what the atmosphere is like in here. Maybe kings just don’t sweat the small stuff…

“Listen, everyone. This is His Majesty the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. Unable to watch our country continue to suffer, he came personally to aid us. Take care to mind your manners!”

Hearing Remedios’s comments, everyone in the room immediately bowed to the king.

When they raised their heads, he began to speak with a stately air. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. I’m coming to your aid not as a nation but as an individual. And I’m sorry to visit you so suddenly, but there’s something I realized since arriving, and I wanted to ask what you all think about it. I’ll have the aide you provided for me, Squire Baraja, explain.”

The king stepped to the side, so Neia slipped past him to come forward.

“Hello, everyone. Allow me to explain what His Majesty noticed.”

She told everyone what he had told her. After her short explanation, a heavy silence ruled the room.

“…So what do you think we should do?” Remedios asked the being next to Neia.

“No, first I want to know what you think. I came to fight Jaldabaoth, not take command. If I do too much leading, won’t there be trouble after I defeat Jaldabaoth?”

A murmur unsettled the room.

“…Or would you rather I took charge? If so, I’ll save this country in the optimal way.”

That would probably be best, wouldn’t it? His Majesty may be an undead, but everything he says is right, and he keeps his promises. At this moment when so many of our people are suffering, maybe the right thing to do is accept another country’s king.

“The only one above us is Her Majesty the Holy Lady. Sorry, but we can’t have another country’s king command us.” Remedios refused immediately.

“Ngh!”

We should do whatever it takes to save the suffering people. Isn’t that why you decided to use another country and its wonderful king?!

Neia hung her head. She couldn’t let the complicated feelings inside her show.

“For our reference, would you tell us what you would do, Your Majesty?”

“If it were me? Once I made any move, I would look for a new base right away, I think.”

“A new base…?”

Everyone in the room subordinate to Remedios frowned. They didn’t have any other places to hide.

“You don’t seem to have any ideas. In that case, your only choice is to plan an operation on the assumption that the more moves you make, the sooner Jaldabaoth’s army will attack… Okay, that’s enough from me, I think. I’ll go to my room now.”

Neia started to go with him, but he stopped her.

“Sorry, Miss Baraja, but I’d like you to stay here and listen as my representative.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

He can’t be thinking of me as one of his people, but he accepts me as a representative. Then he would be disappointed if she didn’t do her best to fulfill the role. The thought of the King of Darkness being disappointed in her made her heart uneasy somehow.

“Okay, I’m counting on you. You’re fine with that, right, Lady Custodio?”

“I have no objections if it’s what Your Majesty wants.”

Having received that reply, the King of Darkness turned to go along with the paladin who had guided them.

Once they were around a corner and out of sight, a priest spoke up. “So that’s the King of Darkness… Commander Custodio, are you sure we can trust him? I’m not sure anything good will come of chasing off one monster by inviting an even more terrible one in…”

“Exactly. Escaping our current suffering by doing something that will poison us in the long run… Well, that’s the typical pattern of someone ruining themselves.”

“We already discussed that. Let’s not rehash it. The poison is already coursing through us.”

So they don’t even call him His Majesty?

Neia was irritated by the way everyone was acting since the king left.

She understood how they felt about undead as subjects of the Sacred Kingdom; their attitude was utterly natural. Actually, it was stranger that Neia took issue with it. Why am I annoyed?

“We see the value in using him… You’ve explained it to us quite clearly. I’m just not sure even we priests will be able to provide an antidote.”

What did they mean “value in using him”? Why try to decide if they could take advantage of someone who noticed their mistake and even offered them a plan to fix it instead of thanking him?

Ohhh, I see. There’s something I sense from His Majesty that the Sacred Kingdom is lacking right now: nobility. That’s why my heart is so…

How lucky she was.

She had been given the opportunity to ride in the same carriage and decide that the King of Darkness was a ruler worthy of respect despite being an undead.

So maybe the correct thing to feel toward these people was pity.

“By the way, Squire Baraja. What’s that bow you have there?”

“Oh, it’s a weapon His Majesty told me to use; he lent it to me just for the duration of this mission.”

“…Can I see it for a minute, Squire Baraja? We should examine it to make sure it isn’t enchanted with any harmful magic.” A priest reached out a hand.

She probably should have handed it over, but—

“No, sorry.”

The priest went slack-jawed. His face said he never expected to be refused.

“This is a weapon I received from His Majesty to be used to protect him. I can’t allow anyone else to touch it.” She spoke with her eyes downcast, so the anger inside her wouldn’t show. He’s cooperating with us, yet you only want to use him! Why would I hand it over for even a second?

“Commander Custodio, what is the meaning of this?”

“My thoughts exactly. Squire Neia Baraja, you need to—”

“So then, I can tell His Majesty?”

The atmosphere in the room froze.

“Fine, whatever. Let’s move on.”

Hmm, so she’s aware that they’re saying things that would be problematic if His Majesty were to find out.

“Before we do that, Commander Custodio, shouldn’t we send Squire Baraja back to the king?”

Neia saw the priest’s eyes flick toward her bow momentarily.

She understood what he was getting at, and she responded with a look that showed none of the disgust rising within her. “My apologies, but His Majesty ordered me to stay and listen. I’d appreciate it if you would allow me to be here.”

“Hmm… Gustav, what do you think?”

“His Majesty told her that in front of us. If we sent her away now, it could cause trouble.”

“I see. Then let’s have her stay.”

You really said all that right in front of me, huh? thought Neia as she bowed and expressed her gratitude.

“So what should we do about what the King of Darkness said? It’s easy to say we should move, but… Does anyone have an idea of somewhere safe we could go?”

If there were someone like her father, Pabel, here, who had ranger skills, they would have been able to make or find a space where this amount of people could camp long-term. But there was no one like that in this group.

“The King of Darkness—His Majesty was saying that he thought Jaldabaoth wouldn’t make a move as long as we didn’t. So we just need to find somewhere to shelter before he does anything, right?”

The paladin’s suggestion gathered supporters. But Neia knew that nothing good would come of putting off the issue. They would only end up panicking.

“It’s not only an issue of location but also of food. Right now, our supplies are keeping well because it’s winter, but we’ll still only barely make it through. It seems like you weren’t able to get assistance in Re-Estize, but shouldn’t you at least have bought some food?”

“Unfortunately, the food in the Kingdom was more expensive than we could have imagined. And even if we could have bought it, how would we transport enough to feed all these people for several months?”

“Deputy Gustav, I understand what you’re saying, but without food we’re doomed. Maybe we really should try to obtain some from the south? Or we could move our base closer to the coast and transport food from Re-Estize by water?”

“We don’t have the money for that. We tried getting support from the wealthy merchants there, but we didn’t get a good response. And from the south…” Gustav winced. “They don’t realize how close the danger is to them, that our navy being worn down means the same as going to the guillotine.”

“We need something to motivate the south to cooperate.”

“A base, food. We have heaps of problems.”

“…Is Her Majesty the Holy Lady’s resurrection likely?”

“Unfortunately, according to the Blue Roses, tier-five magic probably won’t work when there is no body or the damage is too severe.”

“…Could His Majesty the King of Darkness do it?”

“You’d borrow the power of an undead?”

“We have no choice. Once Her Majesty is resurrected, then our main problem is Jaldabaoth.”

Everyone looked to Remedios, who was scowling.

“…We’re shelving that issue for later. I considered our options while we were traveling—the first thing we’ll do is free the people imprisoned in the camps.”

A few people nodded in agreement.

“Aha. All the people of the Sacred Kingdom have combat training. Each village liberated is another military force…if they’ll fight. But if we do that, our food issues will be even more dire.”

“That’s why we attack the camps. They must have food there.”

“Oh! Good thinking as always, Commander Custodio.”

The paladin’s comment made Remedios grin.

Neia looked at her smug face with icy eyes—because she knew whose idea it had been.

“And we’ll have those people help us to liberate more camps. At some point, we’ll be sure to find a noble who could put us in touch with the south. Before Jaldabaoth can mobilize his army against us, we’ll build our own and launch an attack of our own. That should throw off their plans.”

“Aha!”

Now there were more voices chiming in.

“That should be our plan. Squire Baraja, inform the King of—”

“One moment, Commander. I think it would be better to have me talk to him. We should follow all the etiquette when explaining an operation to a king.”

Gustav was right. But Neia had the feeling that wasn’t the only reason for his proposal.

Still, since she didn’t know what Gustav was up to, she couldn’t object.

“I see. Well then, let’s do that. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

•

Neia went with Gustav back to the King of Darkness’s room. A paladin stood before the door, which was only a sheet of cloth. It wasn’t clear if he was on guard against those who would harm the person inside or the person himself.

Gustav directed him to leave, so he went away.

Neia furrowed her brow.

If he had the guard leave, there had to be some other reason he had come besides explaining their plan. She didn’t think he would attempt an assassination, but if it came to that, she would have to take up her weapon to defend the King of Darkness.

“Your Majesty, King of Darkness, it’s Gustav Montagnés and Squire Neia Baraja.”

Having received permission to enter, Gustav went in first.

It was such a dreary room that the memories of the inns they’d stayed at in the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Nation of Darkness were depressing. Or rather, this wasn’t the sort of room a king should have to stay in.

There was no helping that the walls were the bare rock of the cave, but the furnishings were also so shabby.

Paladins learned to sew during their service as squires, but they never learned to build furniture.

That said, the bed the king was sitting on was splendid. Its dark gleam made it seem like it had to be made of obsidian. White bedding was spread over the top.

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 sight.

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?

“Where did you acquire such detailed knowledge, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm? Knowledge? Ohhh, you mean my guess from before? Right. Tactics like that, the friend I mentioned before taught me, and I tested them in battle—well, I learned in all sorts of ways, I suppose. But I never thought I’d be applying those lessons here.”

“Was the friend you had very strong as well?”

“Hmm. Well, his strength wasn’t in fistfights or magic battles but elsewhere. In that sense, I’m still probably not as strong as him.”

He laughed an amused “hoh-hoh” with that smile particular to fond memories.

She felt almost as if she were with another human.

Maybe the King of Darkness used to be human…

Neia was never fooled by stories of turning undead through the power of magic. She knew they couldn’t be true. She had been taught that undead weren’t born voluntarily. But…

The world is such a big place…

During her journey with the delegation, she had learned how small her world had been.

What was across the sea, over the mountains, or deep in the forest? Was there someone wise who would chuckle at her hesitation and tell her the answer?

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

“No, I wasn’t scolding you. I was just a little worried because it seemed like you were spacing out while riding your horse… We’re headed into combat. I know you must be anxious.”

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”

Just then, Remedios, having thrust the flag shaft into the ground, drew her Holy Sword.

“Everyone, our first battle to free this land from Jaldabaoth begins now! For justice!”

In reply to her shout came a roar of “For justice!” Then they all charged as one.

“There they go. If you’re planning on participating in the attack, shouldn’t you be closer to the front, Miss Baraja?”

“No, I have my duties as Your Majesty’s squire. Leaving you here to go off to battle would be…” Unthinkable—I could never. She shook her head.

“O-oh, I see.. Th-then to change the subject…you haven’t lent that weapon to anyone, have you?”

“No, not even once! Your Majesty lent this to me. I would never allow anyone else to touch it.”

“Ah… I see. Uh, hmm. I appreciate that.”

She had the feeling the pitch of his voice had dropped, but she wasn’t sure why.

Did I disrespect His Majesty somehow…? I don’t know. Should I apologize?

As she was wavering, he changed the topic.

“Well, we’re here, after all. I looked around and made sure there are no subhumans concealing themselves with magic. Why don’t we go up close enough that we can keep an eye on the battlefield? I’m sure we can let the priests handle things here… What do you think?”

“As you wish.”

It would have been rude to tell someone as powerful as the King of Darkness that it was dangerous to go closer.

Just as she and the king approached the camp, where the alarm bell was clanging harshly, the fighting began.

Angels assaulted the watchtower above the gate, and the bufolk met them with their spears. Arrows were loosed from a turret. They were aimed not at the angels but at Remedios, charging at the head of the knight group. Since there was no chance of hitting their own, and she wasn’t carrying a shield, it made sense to try to hit her.

But she had skills unlike any other.

She sliced down any arrows that flew her way, all the while maintaining her speed.

Several of the angels attacking the watchtower descended on the turret in a counterattack. Three bufolk corpses fell out of it in moments.

At that point, the paladins had reached the gate and were starting their assault with the battering ram.

The wooden gate swayed once and emitted faint splintering sounds. “Again!” cried a knight.

The gate swayed again, more this time.

Another hit.

One of the gate’s logs went crooked. Neia could hear the cheers of the paladins even at a distance. There wasn’t enough room to get in yet, but a few more blows, and the gate would be completely destroyed.

A few of the angels went inside. Neia couldn’t see them, of course, but they must have been stopping the bufolk who had come to protect the gate.

“Get back!”

The sudden shout drew everyone’s attention.

It had come from the watchtower over the gate. How he had gotten up there was unclear, since the angels were supposed to be occupying it, but there was a single bufolk.

The problem was what he held in his hand.

“Get back!!” he repeated.

In the bufolk’s right hand was a girl—only six or seven years old—and he was holding a knife up to her throat.

“If you don’t get back, I’ll kill this human!”

The girl wore a soiled dress, and her face seemed dirty as well. Though she was still alive, her body dangled lifelessly side to side—as if to inform them of how the humans were being treated in the camps.

“You coward!” one of the paladins screamed.

“Get back—now! Look!”

A commotion ran through the knights. What happened? From their distance, and at night, Neia couldn’t make out every detail. But the King of Darkness was different.

“…It seems the child is bleeding from her neck.”

“No!”

“He can’t have killed her; her value as a hostage would—”

“All units, fall back!”

The paladins followed Remedios’s order and withdrew.

The priests in the rear had a hard time grasping the situation, but they gathered that something unexpected was happening, so they pulled the angels back as well. At the same time, they ran up to where Neia and the King of Darkness were. They must have wanted to see what was going on.

“More! Move farther back!”

The paladins responded to the bufolk’s shout by beginning to creep back even more.

Neia could see the bufolk guard changing in the watchtower. Those who had been injured in the fight with the angels were replaced by fresh personnel.

“This is bad.”

“Yes, it is.”

Neia slowly reached for the bow she had borrowed. The bufolk was using the girl as a shield. For that reason, there weren’t many places she could aim, so killing him in one shot would be quite a challenge.

Still, if she didn’t do it, who would?

I wish I had trained more with my bow, she thought as she pulled an arrow from her quiver.

Just then, the King of Darkness put a hand out to obstruct her line of fire.

“That’s not what I meant. They’d better cut it out. This is already pointless.”

Before she could ask what he did mean, he was walking toward the group of paladins.

They were all unsure how to save the girl.

Priests had a spell that could bind someone’s movement, so many were in favor of using that, but magic required a certain range to be effective. Could they approach that close? If the enemy disapproved, would the girl be killed? Everyone had different opinions, and they didn’t seem to be reaching any kind of conclusion.

That was when the King of Darkness and Neia showed up.

“How long are you going to spend debating? This is a bad scene.”

When the King of Darkness spoke, all eyes gathered on him.

“We know, but—”

“Commander. Please calm down… The enemy is over there.”

Gustav checked Remedios, who had raised her voice in frustration.

“No, Lady Custodio, you don’t know. Once he learns a hostage is effective, he’ll show you he wasn’t only bluff—”

As if those words were the signal, the bufolk slit the girl’s throat. Even from a distance, the spurt of bright-red blood was visible. When he let go of her body, it crumpled to the ground.

Silence.

As if everyone’s brains were refusing to accept what had just happened.

Remedios returned to her senses first, and her shout roused Neia.

“How could you do that to a hostage?! We did as you asked!”

“Hmph!” Next the bufolk held up a boy. “That’s why I brought another one! Now stay back!”

“You cowardly bastard!”

“Heh. You’re such a fool. You didn’t think I’d have another one waiting?!”

Remedios’s clenched fists shook violently. Then she spat an order. “Everyone, pull back!”

“Order the ones who circled around on horses to gather up, too! Now!”

Neia could hear Remedios’s teeth grind. The noise was so loud it was a wonder they didn’t crumble and fall out of her mouth.

“Gustav, order them to come back…”

“B-but!”

“If we don’t, that boy will die! Hurry!”

“That’s a bad move. Now that he knows hostages get results, giving him any more time will only reduce our morale and end in more losses.”

Remedios, red in the face, glared at the King of Darkness the way she would an enemy.

“If we keep this up, there will have been no point to the sneak attack. And I can hear them carrying something to the gate. If they create a barricade, it’ll take longer to break through—”

“Shut up!” Remedios roared, and the King of Darkness closed his mouth. “Does anyone have a good idea?! A way to do this where nobody dies?!”

No one said anything.

There couldn’t possibly be such a convenient way out of this. Maybe things would be different if they had someone with stealth skills, but they didn’t.

And Remedios surely knew that. If it didn’t occur to her, with her animal instincts in combat, then it didn’t exist.

So why can’t she accept that?

Why is she so hung up on no one dying?

The King of Darkness’s words crossed Neia’s mind—Is this a necessary sacrifice? Without a huge power gap and a lot of luck, there was no way no one would die.

“Commander Custodio.” Neia’s voice sounded unnaturally loud. “Can’t we finish this now with fewer sacrifices?”

Remedios’s fierce eyes turned on Neia.

The strong warrior’s passionate gaze nearly had Neia trembling, but she knew she wasn’t wrong.

“There’s no justice in that!” Remedios yelled.

Justice? What even…?

All the paladins in the area had clammed up; they apparently didn’t intend to comment. She suddenly felt surrounded by hostile forces, but when she began to back up, a hand wrapped around her shoulder.

When she looked, it was—as she thought—the King of Darkness.

“I support Miss Baraja.”

He agreed with her in a low voice. But to Neia, it was like having billions of allies.

“Shut up!” Remedios yelled again. That was no way to talk to a king who had come from far away to aid them. There was forgivable behavior, and then there was unforgivable behavior.

Fury welled up inside Neia.

“What we need here is to break through the situation, not get irritated with one another… Well, since we have no other choice, I’ll change things,” the King of Darkness murmured. Then he strode away from the group—toward the gate. It was so sudden that before anyone could stop him, the bufolk shouted a warning.

“You in the mask! I told you to stay back!”

“Nonsense! How much value do you really think a single human life has?!” he shouted back in a voice just as loud.

“Wh-what?!”

“Our objective is to kill all the bufolk here! We don’t care what happens to the humans! Widen Magic: Fireball!” With that shout, he thrust out an arm and sent the ball of fire that appeared in his hand flying toward the bufolk atop the gate and the boy.

The watchtower was engulfed in a massive explosion of flames centered on the two figures.

Everyone there crumpled from that single attack. The bufolk and the boy he had grabbed fell in a headfirst tangle toward the ground.

“Max Magic: Shock Wave.”

In the follow-up attack, the half-destroyed gate was blown away. The barricade the bufolk behind it must have been putting up was also busted through, so it was as if a gaping hole had opened up.

“All right! Paladins, charge! Kill every last bufolk you find inside!”

His voice seemed to shake Remedios out of it.

“What do you think you’re—?!”

“Commander!”

“Nnnngh… Charge!”

At Remedios’s command, the paladins began to move. Or more accurately, they gave up on thinking and simply did as ordered.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Gustav said before racing off.

The other paladins and priests—those who were reasonable—sent the king looks of gratitude. Only Remedios was upset.

The King of Darkness spoke to Neia in a low voice. “Miss Baraja. Did you think I was going to save that boy with a spell you people could never have imagined?”

She did, a little. But she was sure there was a reason he did what he did.

“Oh y-yes, I did.”

“Hmm. I’m sure you did.” He shook his head.

Neia simply listened in silence.

“Sure, it was possible. It would have been easy to save this single boy with all the various spells I’ve acquired. But I couldn’t. Saving the boy in front of the bufolk would have been disastrous.”

For the first time, Neia looked puzzled by something the king said, and he kindly explained.

“If they had learned hostages were useful, they would have employed all the prisoners inside as cover. They would probably have been literally used as shields in combat when they felt threatened. That would have made the paladins hesitate, which could have resulted in many of them getting injured or worse. We don’t have a huge force, so losing even one paladin would be painful. That’s what Lanchester’s laws say…”

The King of Darkness walked toward the gate, and Neia followed.

“If, on the contrary, the bufolk learn there’s no point to hostages, then the prisoners are only in their way. But do you think they have time to leisurely kill prisoners when they’re under attack and the wall is being breached? Killing unresisting people is probably low on their list of priorities.”

“I see what you mean.”

“Then there you go. Rather than waste time killing people, they’ll spend it preparing to stem the assault. So we had to kill him in a way that would demonstrate that hostages had no value.”

He was right.

If they had done things Remedios’s way, it was possible they wouldn’t have been able to save anyone at all.

The King of Darkness gently picked up the corpse of the fallen boy.

“Your Majesty, I—”

“This is my job.”

Holding the boy, he and Neia returned to where Remedios had stuck the flag into the earth.

After he laid the boy on the ground, Neia wet a cloth using the water from her leather drinking pouch and wiped the dirt off the boy’s face.

His cheeks were hollow, and his arms and legs were shockingly thin.

It was clear what a horrible environment he had been in.

“Argh, those bufolk…”

“Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I will anyway. I’m the king of the Nation of Darkness, not of these people. That’s why I can make a levelheaded judgment—like saving a thousand instead of just one. If this boy were from my country, I probably would have prioritized saving him. If you don’t agree with that—”

“No, thank you, Your Majesty. I understand what you were thinking… You’re very just.”

“…Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Sorry. I mean, you were upholding justice.”

What am I saying? She herself wondered.

She thought perhaps he was stunned speechless, but in his deep compassion, he answered her.

“…Um? Er, no, I don’t think I’m terribly just. In the first place, it’s for someone else to judge whether justice is served or not. What I do is very simple. I want to make my name known far and wide…”

Neia flashed back to the statues. If he wants to make his name known, does that mean he wants to be the center of attention after all?

“That said, I’ve decided I don’t have to force it… Ah, sorry, I’m rambling. My only goal is for me and the children to live in happiness; that’s all—and that is everything.”

She doubted that an undead had children. Maybe he didn’t mean his children by blood but children in a wider sense? Or did he think of the people of his nation as his children?

Either way, he’s very kind. A world where children, the most vulnerable, can live in happiness must be a wonderful place. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to take that boy’s life if this is how he thinks…

It seemed as though there was sorrow on the skeleton’s face in profile as he gazed at the gate.

“Sorry for the boring conversation. That’s enough chatting. Miss Baraja, I’m in no position to talk like I know anything, but I hope you’re able to find your own sense of justice.”

“…May I ask you one more thing? Would you have done what you did if it was one of your subordinates who had been taken hostage?”

“…This is just me complaining, but I have enough other problems with my subordinates.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“A long time ago I asked them something out of curiosity: If you were taken hostage and used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with me, what would you do? Every one of them said they would kill themselves so as not to be a bother. So I said, couldn’t you wait for me to send someone to rescue you? I’m happy they’re devoted to me, but I just wish they were a bit more…how can I put it? My subordinates are rather extreme.” He flexed his fingers in frustration as he grumbled wearily.

That’s a pretty luxurious worry to have for someone in charge of a whole country, Neia was thinking when Remedios, armored, blood on her sword, appeared at the gate. She had her helmet off, but her hair was plastered to her head with sweat; she looked completely worn out.

She gave some sort of instruction to Gustav standing by behind her, and then Neia felt their eyes meet for a moment. No, it was more accurate to say that when she looked at the King of Darkness, Neia happened to be standing in her line of sight.

Remedios went back inside without saying anything, her face emotionless.

Instead, Gustav came jogging toward Neia and the king.

“Your Majesty, you have our gratitude. Some damage was done, but we’re confident it was kept to the minimum thanks to Your Majesty’s powers. Normally our commander would thank you herself, but she’s upset by the people’s tragic circumstances. I hope you’ll allow me to say it in her place.”

Gustav glanced at the boy and then lowered his eyes.

“It doesn’t bother me. Be a comfort to your commander.”

“I will, thank you.”

“By the way, what sort of tragic circumstances?”

“We heard from some that we rescued that the prisoners were getting their skin torn off. It wasn’t subhumans skinning them but demons that Jaldabaoth had sent over.”

Neia thought Remedios being upset was just an excuse for her rudeness but apparently not.

As Neia stood there in shock, the King of Darkness cocked his head. “Why were they being skinned? What was the reason? Were they eating it? Like chicken skin?”

“I have no idea… It doesn’t seem as though the subhumans were involved… Do you have any ideas, Your Majesty? Could it have been for some kind of demonic ritual?”

“No, sorry. I don’t have a clue, either. Really just no idea. Why would Jaldabaoth do that?” The King of Darkness answered with genuine puzzlement, and they all exchanged glances, cocking their heads. But anyhow, it was the act of a demon. It was entirely possible the purpose was simply a desire to torment humans.

“…Let’s ask the priests later. And then, Your Majesty, we’re searching around to make sure no subhumans are hiding so we can finish them off. I think it’ll take a little longer.” With that, Gustav set off back toward the gate.

Then after some time had passed, people started to appear at the gate.

The prisoners. Like the hostage boy, they were wearing clothes unthinkably threadbare, considering it was winter. The paladin who must have escorted them was visible for a moment at the gate opening and then disappeared back inside. Either there were so few people that they were shuttling them, or they hadn’t finished taking control of the village. Perhaps both.

With joy expressed in every movement of their bodies, the liberated prisoners walked toward Neia.

But once they were within a certain distance, they stopped in their tracks.

They must have spotted the King of Darkness. After a few moments, they started walking again. Maybe they thought he was wearing a mask.

One of the men rushed forward.

Running up to them, out of breath, he kneeled before the boy on the ground. No, perhaps it would be better to say that he fell to his knees.

Then he caressed the boy’s cheek, and when he confirmed there was no life in him anymore, his sobs were practically screams.

It had to be the boy’s father.

Neia bit her lip.

The father cried, calling his boy’s name, and the King of Darkness addressed him gently. “I’m the one who killed him.”

Neia stared at the king in shock. You’re really bringing that up now?!

But the wise King of Darkness wouldn’t suddenly broach the topic without some sort of objective in mind.

“Wh-why would you do that?!” The father looked up with hatred blazing in his eyes.

And in response, the King of Darkness smiled wryly. “To save the rest of you, of course.”

“Wh-what?!”

For just a moment, the father’s eyes brimmed with fear. He must have realized that the king’s face was no mask or illusion. And when his eyes cast around for help, they landed on Neia.

But before she could say anything, the King of Darkness asked a question. “So let me ask you: Why didn’t you protect your son? He was hauled out before us as a hostage!”

“I did, but they took him! They’re stronger than me—there was nothing I could do!”

The King of Darkness put on that wry smile again. “Then I have another question. Why are you alive?”

That caught the man off guard.

“I’m asking you why you didn’t die protecting your boy. Lives don’t all have equal worth. I would have thought you valued your son’s life above all from the attitude you showed just now, so why didn’t you put yours on the line for him?”

The others were watching the conversation unfold from a distance.

He must have been anxious and frightened and angry at the one who had killed his son.

“Wh-what are you saying…?”

“You failed to protect him. Don’t blame someone else for that. It’s your fault for being weak. And it seems like you might be misunderstanding something… I’m stronger than the bufolk, who you said were stronger than you, you know… Given that you’re mourning your son, I’ll tolerate a little mouthing off, but if you go too far, I’ll kill you.” He extended a bony finger and pointed at the man’s face.

“B-but you’re powerful—you’re powerful and that’s why you can say that! We’re not all strong like you!”

“No, you’re right. I can say it because I’m one of the strong ones. And you—you’re weak, so of course things are taken from you. It’s utterly natural for the strong to take from the weak.” He surveyed the other people around them. “You all experienced it in there, didn’t you? At the hands of the powerful bufolk?”

“So if you’re strong, you can just do whatever you want?!”

“Yes. If you’re strong, anything goes. That’s the law of this world. And it applies to me, too. If I encountered someone stronger than me, I would lose everything in just the same way. That’s why I seek power.”

Neia understood why the King of Darkness wanted Jaldabaoth’s maids.

He wants power to protect his country, to protect the children of his country. So it’s really…all about power…

“Well, but that’s why you weaklings were sheltering under the supposedly powerful Sacred Kingdom… I do pity you, being under the protection of a nation so weak. If it were my country, the Nation of Darkness, protecting you, this sort of tragedy would never have happened. Why? Because I would have done everything in my power to defend my people and driven the bufolk off.”

No one said a word.

The King of Darkness’s perspective was hard-boiled and cruel, but he was explaining this world like it was.

The only way to refute it would be to appeal to emotions instead of reason. But the greatest emotion they felt toward him—fear—wouldn’t allow it.

“Th-this guy’s an undead, isn’t he? What is an undead doing here?!” Too frightened of the King of Darkness to say anything, the father turned on Neia.

But before she could say anything, the king spoke up.

“That’s obvious. I’m here to save your country. And in reality, you were just saved by this undead. If you don’t like that, then how about trying to rescue your kingdom on your own?”

At that pronouncement, the man turned to look at Neia, but she couldn’t say anything—because the King of Darkness was speaking the truth again.

If the humans could have defeated Jaldabaoth alone, the King of Darkness wouldn’t have been there.

Terrified, the man scooped up his boy’s body and ran away. The people in the direction he fled looked fearful.

Whether the king was talking to the man’s back or to himself, Neia didn’t know, but she heard him murmur, “If I were weak, I would lose everything, too. That’s why I can never stop seeking power. I have to remember that there must be someone out there as strong as me.”

3

After attacking one prison camp and freeing the people there, the liberation army moved on to another camp the next day.

It wasn’t due to momentum, but rather the pressure of several concerns. One of the biggest problems was, as feared, that there wasn’t actually much food stockpiled at the camp.

The subhumans weren’t feeding the humans very well, and they had a system of transporting food over from a small nearby city on a regular basis, which meant very little was stored locally.

The group of subhumans delivering food from this city were surely functioning as a sort of lookout to check if anything abnormal was happening at the camps. Even if they killed all of them and stole their food, when that group didn’t return to the city, word would get around that something had happened at that camp.

Naturally, Jaldabaoth would find out right away. And there was a good chance that if that happened, he would come at Neia and the paladins with an army too huge for them to defeat.

At the end of the post-raid meeting, where she stood behind the King of Darkness and listened without saying a word, waiting through such a long period of disarray that her feet hurt, two plans had been suggested.

One was to take the achievement of liberating a single camp, evacuate south, and let the army that was supposed to be down there decide what to do next.

The second was to be more assertive and head to the small city to capture it.

Both of these conflicting opinions had their issues, but Remedios shouted enough that they went with the latter.

She had a top secret reason for choosing to storm the city.

According to a subhuman they had interrogated—and then killed, of course—someone who was perhaps a member of the royal family was possibly being held prisoner there.

If they really did find some royalty, things could take a turn for the better. Even if the person wasn’t royal, someone with high standing and connections would be plenty good news. They would be able to leverage the debt of their rescue to get the person to put pressure on the Southern Army and request support.

But there was one question Neia couldn’t get out of her mind.

“Your Majesty, do you think there’s really a member of the royal family or an influential noble in this city?” she asked as they rode side by side.

Neia was allowed to ride in order to match the King of Darkness’s pace. Otherwise, her horse would have been taken and put to work carrying luggage.

“You know, I think it’s a trap. Even if it’s not, there’ll be a proportionally large force guarding the place; there could even be demons. It seems like Commander Custodio and the others understand that. They’re willing to fight the battle anyway. Sometimes you just have to gamble.”

It was clear that if they didn’t ask for help from the south soon, people would start to die of starvation. Even Neia could see that they wouldn’t be able to maintain the liberation army.

Eventually the little city came into view up ahead.

Riding at the tail end of the party, she watched the people walking in front of her.

They were subjects of the Sacred Kingdom they had rescued from the prison camp. The reason they were armed and marching even though they really needed a rest was that estimates said there were more subhumans in this city than at the previous camp.

Many of the people were weaker than anticipated, so it was impossible to expect much of them as soldiers, but every little bit helped, so they were mobilized.

Since it was difficult with Neia’s abilities to keep this many troops safe from the subhuman scouting patrols, they prioritized time and hurried onward.

But as a result, the army’s exhaustion mounted, and as more time went by, more adults ended up riding uncovered wagons. They were nodding off on that wagon that was bumping around enough to make regular passengers sick, so they must have been unspeakably tired. Meanwhile anyone with the energy to walk was made to do so, including children.

Priests weren’t accustomed to this much walking and sometimes eyed the wagon enviously.

Even if we make it there, we’ll have to go straight into combat. Can we really pull it off in this condition?

In their strategy meeting on the road, it had been decided that they would launch the fight to take the city immediately. There was neither time nor food to lose.

While it was still bright out, it was too dangerous to attack inside the walls the enemies were manning.

It was better to approach the enemy at night, but humans were at a disadvantage since they couldn’t see in the dark. Especially for citizen draftees who had only received basic combat training, night fights were very dangerous.

Considering that and other factors, the plan was to attack while it was still daylight.

Up ahead, ranks began to form. The forward-most line was composed of the paladins, and behind them came regular subjects carrying a wooden barrier they’d built from broken-up prison camp houses. Last were the priests.

The operation was the same as the previous raid: Angels would keep the soldiers on the wall busy while the paladins brute forced their way through the gate. The role of the common people was to add numbers and mass, mainly to show the enemy how many they were as a show of force. They were instructed to avoid combat, but that if necessary, they were to fight in teams to outnumber their opponents.

“Now then, let’s see what they can do…,” the King of Darkness murmured idly.

He would be observing, not participating.

Really, they wanted his help taking the city, but no one had been able to bring it up in the meeting. He must have felt their imploring eyes and ignored them. Now he was at the farthest point in the rear.

The battle began just like the previous one.

Though the city was small, it was still the biggest one in the area, so the gate had a grate reinforced with iron that could come down, as well as a brattice. Not only that, but the walls were made of stone instead of wood, which meant its gate and walls were sturdier than the previous village had been able to build for its camp. Still, the little city’s population was less than ten thousand, so the walls weren’t tall or thick enough to be considered truly formidable.

One could say it was a pain for the attackers and a worry for the defenders.

Remedios led the paladins in a charge, and the angels attacked the subhumans up on the city wall.

But here and there, angels took hits from the subhumans, turned to particles of light, and vanished.

They were up against the bufolk like at the previous prison camp, but as they were defending a city instead of a simple village, they posed a greater threat here.

One with a splendid spear stood out in particular, though he concealed himself behind a parapet. He seemed to be the one slaying many of the angels.

Then he howled a battle cry.

It was probably some sort of skill, but it didn’t affect the angels or the paladins trying to bash through the gate. It was unclear whether the area of effect was just small or if it was a power that affected allies only. But it was probably a good idea to remember that he had a skill.

Below, the two sides were clashing fiercely at the gate.

Behind the grate—from inside the city—the bufolk were thrusting their spears, but knights blocked those attacks with shields that had spikes on the bottom, defending their allies working the battering ram. Remedios was even slicing the protruding spears apart.

Boiling water poured down from the brattice, and the steam rose back up. But the paladins had anticipated this sort of attack, so they had preemptively cast Fire Energy Protection. It bothered them about as much as a splash of water.

Of course, it was winter, so once the temperature of the water dropped, it would present a different issue, but for the time being, they were fine.

If it had been boiling oil instead of water, they might have had trouble keeping a grip on their swords, but perhaps oil was too valuable to the subhumans; they didn’t use that type of attack.

The slowly advancing commoners put down the wooden barrier they had brought from the previous camp and used it as a shield. Really, something metal would have been better, but they hadn’t been able to procure those materials, so this was the best they could do. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. Behind their barrier, they began hurling slings. They aimed at the subhumans the angels were fighting. Granted, they weren’t used to combat, so they hit the angels just as often.

That amounted to friendly fire, but the angels had resistance against physical attacks, so it wasn’t an issue. Of course, the damage was only reduced—they weren’t completely immune—but the rocks the people were slinging didn’t cause that much damage to begin with. Ultimately, the subhumans they were aiming at were hurt more.

Each time an angel was defeated, the priests summoned a new one and sent it to the front line. Though there weren’t large numbers of them, since fresh, uninjured fighters kept being added, the gradual decline of subhuman resistance was visible even from where Neia was watching.

“…Huh. I guess assuming the enemy has cast a defensive spell and pouring cold water instead would be more useful. In the winter cold, their body temperatures would plummet in no time… And usually they’d have protection against fire, not chill.” The King of Darkness seemed to be matter-of-factly analyzing the battle in a low voice.

Neia had no idea how to reply. No one had died yet, but some had sustained serious injuries in this fight; how could she just say, Yeah…?

“So you don’t want to fight? With the bow I lent you, you could probably do pretty well.”

Neia’s role was to attend the King of Darkness and be his shield, so she wasn’t ordered to participate in combat.

But—and she had this feeling last time as well—he seemed to want her to use the bow.

He wants me to use the weapon he lent me? I could try shooting from here, but I would hate to miss the first shot I take with it…

As Neia was about to answer after mulling it over, a roar went up from the gate. It appeared the grate had gotten bent out of shape.

The roar must have been cheers from the paladins and shrieks from the subhumans.

When the gate broke, the paladins flooded in.

With Remedios showing off her skills, the stunned bufolk would only become more panicked.

But then the paladins fell back as a murmur went through the group.

With her sharp vision, Neia could see what was happening between the gaps in the crowd of knights.

It was the same scene as before.

A bufolk holding a smaller child than last time was giving orders to the paladins from the other side of the gate.

She couldn’t hear what he was saying from where she was, but she could imagine well enough.

The paladins pulled back, with Remedios and Gustav leading the way. They ordered the priests, “Have the angels retreat. If we don’t, he’ll kill the kid.”

“This again? We can’t hear the conversation from back here. I’d like to go over there and join in. Would that be okay with you?”

“You don’t need to ask my permission, Your Majesty.”

Gathering nervous looks from the people between the gate and their original position, Neia and the King of Darkness advanced to where Remedios was debating what to do.

“We should negotiate with them, like I thought.” It was Remedios who said that. Everyone else had their helmets off and their brows furrowed. Their faces said that, knowing what had happened at the first prison camp, they couldn’t agree with her.

When the king arrived, they still hadn’t come up with an answer.

No, it seemed that everyone was trying to convince Remedios that it was impossible to save the child.

A pointless exchange of opinions ensued, generating no concrete plan, and a few people were trading glances when eventually Gustav focused his eyes and raised his voice. “Commander! Didn’t we debate all this already?! No matter how much time we could have taken, no matter how much we could have thought, there was no way to save those kids!”

Neia knew that they had remained in the tent after the King of Darkness left the operation meeting going over the arguments again. And she understood it was impossible to do what they were doing without shedding paladin blood.

Remedios bit her lip, saying nothing. But—

“Commander! We cannot be victorious without sacrifices! We need to let one go to save many more!”

Neia saw Remedios’s eyes blaze crimson. “That’s not how someone under Her Majesty the Holy Lady fights! I am Her Majesty’s sword! She wishes for all her subjects to live in peace!”

“But the Holy Lady is…”

Before Gustav could say dead, Remedios screamed. “The next holy king hasn’t stepped up yet! So shouldn’t we uphold the beliefs of the holy ruler we swore loyalty to?! Would you break your vow of allegiance?”

Oh, I see, thought Neia.

Remedios was bound by the wishes entrusted to her by the object of her devotion.

The holy knights who served the Holy Lady, who loved her subjects, wouldn’t be forgiven for leaving any of them behind.

The only one who would be able to break those bonds was whoever the next person Remedios swore allegiance to ended up being.

“Am I wrong?! Who did you all devote your swords to?! What was the ceremony you participated in to become paladins?! Who do you think this order of paladins serves?!”

The ceremony to become a squire involved an audience where one’s sword was dedicated to the holy king. And when someone else ascended to the throne, the same ceremony was held again, and the paladins swore allegiance to their new king. So all the paladins in the order had dedicated their swords to the Holy Lady.

“Or what?” The tone of her voice abruptly changed—to an icy one devoid of all warmth. “Do you think her wish to bring joy to the weak and make this a country where no one cries was wrong?”

“She wasn’t wrong! But given the circumstances…it needs to be changed!”

“By who? Who’s going to change it?! Tell me that. What greater justice is there than striving to not let a single person die?!”

Gustav fell silent.

Neia realized her earlier idea was mistaken.

Remedios wasn’t ruled by her devotion to the Holy Lady’s ideas.

She thought she should serve justice. That meant no matter how hard the road was, no matter how impossible it seemed, she had to stay the path and forge ahead.

Which was more just: saving the many at the expense of the few or wanting to save both the many and the few?

It went without saying.

The latter, of course. But it was too idealistic, and any normal person would give up on it right away. Remedios must have been aware of that, but still argued that they should save everyone.

She held up an ideal that normal people would abandon.

That was why she was such an elite paladin, as well as the commander of the Sacred Kingdom’s order.

Being unable to comprehend that Remedios was after that lofty justice made Neia feel like the pitiful one.

Perhaps some of the paladins felt the same way; a few hung their heads in shame.

The King of Darkness’s justice of abandoning one to rescue a thousand was a king’s justice, while Remedios’s justice of wanting to save both was the shining ideal.

They were both just. Neither was wrong. Still—

Unless you have power, your actions won’t achieve justice.

If there were some being Neia couldn’t even imagine, like a god, far more powerful than Remedios, who would help them, they would probably be able to save the child and the city’s people. Then there wouldn’t be a single issue.

But that wasn’t reality. They were stuck here precisely because no one could come up with a way to avoid losing lives.

You need power in order to serve justice. Ahhh, I wish I were strong… Then Jaldabaoth never could have sullied this land…

“…Sorry to interrupt while you’re duking it out with your opinions, but at this rate, you’re not going to reach a conclusion.”

The extremely levelheaded comment made all the heat in the atmosphere dissipate.

“Your Majesty…”

“Lady Custodio. At this rate, word will spread, just like last time, that hostages are effective. I don’t think there’s a way to take this city without anyone dying.”

“I disagree. There must be a better way—a way where no one dies or has to grieve!”

Remedios’s voice was pained, but the King of Darkness answered in an even tone. “I really doubt there is… This is taking too long, though. It’s just going to be a repeat of last time.”

Remedios bit her lip hard. It seemed like she drew blood.

“…So…Commander. That child will have to be a sacrifice.”

“But—!!”

“Right. I’ll handle the rest. With all the time that’s passed, even if you all attacked with the resolve to die if necessary, this won’t end with a mere few casualties.”

“Are you sure?!” Neia blurted instinctively. “Your Majesty’s mana is for fighting Jaldabaoth. Won’t you be at a disadvantage if you use some now?!”

“That’s true, Miss Baraja. But I have no choice if we’re trying to save as many people as we can… I can’t do it with no sacrifices, but there will be fewer than if you guys did it. So how about it? Shall I make the move?”

“There will be…sacrifices…?”

“Unfortunately, yes, Lady Custodio.”

Remedios hung her head and walked away—toward the city and where the anxious subjects looked on.

“Excuse us, Your Majesty. Allow me to ask for your help in her place,” said Gustav.

“Sure… This is a petty question, but…will you be grateful?”

The king’s question puzzled them for a moment, but they agreed immediately. Neia didn’t overlook her momentary worry about why he was asking something so obvious, though.

“Okay. Then I’ll take this city on my own. If you see anyone fleeing, kill or imprison them as you see fit. Personally, I’d like to get some information out of them, so I’d appreciate it if you could take prisoners. And I’m going to use undead—don’t let that get you too worked up.”

Without waiting for their reply, he set off walking toward the gate.

“Greater Magic Seal. Mass Hold Species.”

Without pausing on his way, he began to cast some spells.

After two or so, he waved his hand, and figures wavered into being.

There were ten of them.

Their presence was particular to undead and difficult for the living to abide. The transparent beings bore expressions of anguish.

They were wraiths. Neia had learned in her monster lectures that they appeared as the same race as the viewer. But the way three shadowy figures were mixed together in one was something she hadn’t heard of.

“High wraiths.”

The grotesque forms followed behind the King of Darkness. The grass withered beneath their feet. Since it was winter, it was already brown, but the blades rapidly shriveled as their moisture left them.

“Go and wait for my instructions.”

With motions that seemed unbound by gravity, the undead floated into the air in perfect formation. In just a few seconds, they faded into the blue of the sky, and even Neia with her keen eyes couldn’t pick them out.

She wondered if he didn’t need to explain to them what was going on but figured that if he could come up with such a perfect plan, he wouldn’t forget something like that.

“Wh-what are…?”

“High wraiths. Since they’re incorporeal, they can go through walls and whatnot… Not that they can pass through anything, but… I suppose that’s not what you’re asking, though. They’re one move toward taking the city. Now then, Miss Baraja, I’ll have you stay he—”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Hmm… Then wear this item around your neck.”

“Wh-what is it?”

The King of Darkness took a necklace featuring a large carnelian set in a pentagram.

“It’ll give you perfect resistance to fear. High wraiths scatter it everywhere they go… I’ll give you one warning, and that is not to go rushing into the confusion. Sometimes those ruled by fear become capable of terribly powerful attacks. I may not be able to protect you completely, but if you still—”

“I’m going with you.”

“R-right. O-okay, then. Got it.”

Neia put on the necklace.

“Still, though… They’re fighting a war. There’s no way to do battle without anyone dying.”

Neia winced at his joking tone.

Of course that wasn’t what Remedios meant. It couldn’t be that the King of Darkness didn’t understand her intention, so it must have just been his idea of a joke, but that said…

His sense of humor is a bit…

As she was thinking that perhaps it was his single weak point, they arrived at the gate.

“Fall back, paladins. I’m going to attack the city now. You can all head to the rear. Yes, that’s right. All the way back there.”

The King of Darkness instructed the knights farthest from the front line to move away and then strode toward the gate as if he were walking through an empty field.

“Hey, get back or this brat is—”

Eventually he was face-to-face with the bufolk holding the child hostage.

It was extremely difficult to read the expressions of subhumans, but he seemed surprised. The others nearby had the same look on their faces. Well, Neia would be just as surprised if the King of Darkness suddenly showed up.

“…A-an undead?”

The single voice triggered a wave of that word—undead—through the subhumans.

“That’s right. And you’re ‘the living’, I think? I seem to remember learning the word for that in another language a long time ago, but I’m not confident I can get the pronunciation right.”

“Wh-what? Why are you—? Seriously…wh… Wait, a human?” His eyes flicked to Neia. “You! Are you controlling this undead? You creeps!”

She thought of all sorts of things she could say, like, I’m not a necromancer, or Show the King of Darkness some respect, but she stayed silent.

“Sorry to interrupt while you’re confused, but—”

“Get back, undead! I’ll kill this brat!”

The bufolk clenched his hand around the boy’s neck.

The boy was alive, but there was no life in his face. The King of Darkness seemed to be reflecting in his leaden eyes, yet he didn’t react at all. But Neia still heard a little gasp when the bufolk squeezed his throat.

“Ha-ha-ha! You’d use a human as a hostage against me, an undead? That’s rich.”

The bufolk’s eyes widened. What a creepy expression. That Neia had the wherewithal to calmly observe must have been because she was standing behind the immensely powerful King of Darkness.

“Human! Make this undead leave!”

But I’m not controlling him…

“Hmm. Shall we begin, then?”

“Eh? Get back! Back, I say!”

Perhaps the bufolk sensed something? Still clutching the hostage, he retreated a step.

Neia could see other children who must have also been brought along as hostages. But the bufolk didn’t move to kill them as a warning. They must have begun to question whether live humans would work as hostages with an undead, an enemy of the living.

Neia sensed something like a dark wind blow by. That moment, the bufolk froze. Ever since the King of Darkness had appeared, their eyes had followed his every movement so as not to miss anything, but this was an extreme change. Their eyes and mouths gaped, their faces twisting. And it wasn’t only the bufolk. Even the children who seemed hardly conscious of being alive reacted dramatically.

Neia didn’t understand the subhuman expressions, but she did the human’s. The emotion the children exhibited was fear—an unimaginably overpowering fear.

“Hegh-heeaaaagh!” The bufolk let out strange cries.

“Hmph. Release Mass Hold Species.”

There was a magic circle, and a spell went flying from the King of Darkness. All at once, a large number of bufolk, plus the hostage children, all froze with their faces still twisted up, like horrifying statues. But they didn’t seem dead. She could hear faint—and rather labored—breathing noises.

From above—up on the wall—came a number of shrieks. And behind her, she heard the thuds of flesh being pounded.

“Okay, let’s go.”

She was distracted by the sounds for a moment, but when she looked ahead, there was the grate—

“Greater Break Item.”

—and a clamorous noise echoed. It was what used to be the grate, now scraps of broken wood and metal, falling to the ground like rain.

“…Yeah, when you use this to break down a building, it takes a lot of mana… And it didn’t even reach over there… I guess I just have to accept that the lesser can’t take the place of the greater.” Grumbling to himself, the King of Darkness climbed over the little mountain of grate fragments and stepped through the gate with no one to stop him.

Neia was so frazzled by the rapidly changing situation she couldn’t move. Once she regained her composure, she found herself smiling.

The paladins had worked so hard to dent that grate, and the King of Darkness took mere seconds to demolish it.

Being strong is like cheating.

She jogged after the king. When he reached the frozen bufolk, he turned to look at her.

“Okay, these guys”—he indicted the stiff subhumans and imprisoned children—“are only frozen temporarily. Do me a favor and tie them all up.”

“Why don’t I call the paladins, then?”

“That would be a great help, but I’m currently giving off an aura of fear. Anyone who comes within range will fall victim to its control, so they’ll need some sort of resistance. Priests should be able to use Lion’s Heart, but I think paladins have…Banner of the Divine?”

“Wow, your depth of knowledge is…”

The King of Darkness chuckled and wove his way between the bufolk. Just then—

“Rrrrrrooooaargh!”

With a roar, that strong bufolk with the spear landed in front of them. He must have jumped off the wall.

His eyes had gone red, and he was foaming at the mouth. He wasn’t in his right mind. It was almost as if he had gone insane.

“Aha. So he’s gone berserk…? Or mad? That could be a side effect of fear— Oops.”

The King of Darkness dodged a spear thrust with a superb motion. It had that lack of excess movement only those with training were capable of. And as a result of him dodging, a frozen bufolk was impaled on the friendly spear. He dropped to the floor as his red blood sprayed.

It seemed the mad bufolk had lost even a sense of who was on his side.

“Sheesh…”

The bufolk raised his spear. Was he going to sweep? In that case, the children the King of Darkness had saved could be caught up in the attack.

Neia hurried to ready her bow. But she couldn’t shoot.

The King of Darkness had advanced toward the bufolk right in her line of fire.

Certainly considering the length of the spear, the King of Darkness’s decision to close the distance was correct. But the next thing he did made no sense.

He quickly sandwiched the bufolk’s head between his hands.

The King of Darkness must have been awfully strong, because no matter how the bufolk struggled, he couldn’t escape. Giving up on that, he gripped his spear farther up the shaft to stab the king. Well, it looked to Neia like it pierced him.

But the King of Darkness didn’t so much as flinch. Had he blocked the attack with defensive magic?

“You’re different from that troll.”

With a nasty spurting noise, the bufolk’s eyes popped out.

One look was enough to tell it was a lethal wound. No, it would be worse if that hadn’t killed him.

When the king let go, the bufolk fell to the ground. His arms and legs were flailing, but Neia had trouble sensing any will behind the movements.

“Wh-what did you do to him?” she asked timidly from behind, and he answered nonchalantly as he shook his hands out.

“Crushed his skull. When someone’s in a frenzy like that, you could deal a lethal blow and they still might not go down. But if you completely destroy their brain, it appears to be a different story… But wow, he was so fragile. Only a little thicker than an eggshell—I’m joking, you know!”

Neia face twitched as she laughed.

Yeah, he really has no sense for humor…

“Now then, Miss Baraja. Call the paladins. We’ll have them secure this area, and then I—we can go on ahead.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Neia raced back to where the paladins were to find several bufolk collapsed at their feet. They couldn’t have come through the gate, so they must have been trying to escape the source of their fear—the King of Darkness—and jumped.

When she reached the knights, she quickly relayed the king’s instructions. Then she raced back to him.

And when she arrived, he said, “Okay, let’s go, then,” and set off down the street.

Neia’s question of why no more bufolk had rushed over after they broke down the gate was immediately resolved.

She could hear multiple screams. It was almost as if the city itself, inorganic though it was, was shrieking.

“Wh-what’s…?”

“The result of having the undead I sent in spreading fear. It’s possible that hostages will get trampled in the panic, but…we’ll just have to let that go as a tragic accident.”

She saw several frantic—probably, judging by the expression—bufolk running toward them. They looked like a collection of little animals being chased, and she almost felt sorry for them.

They must have been awfully frightened to come running toward a being even more powerful than those undead without realizing it.

“Hmm… No humans around? In that case, Max Widen Magic: Fireball.”

The shot of fire that flew from the king’s hand landed right in the middle of all the bufolk, creating a huge, fiery explosion for just an instant. When it disappeared, bufolk corpses littered the ground.

“It might be best to wait here, but…it seems the enemy ringleader is nearby. Apparently, he’s holed up in the central square of this city resisting the high wraiths’ fear, so I’d like to go on ahead… What do you think?”

“I think it’s best to do whatever you think, Your Majesty.”

“You do, huh? Then let’s go.”

As they walked, she could hear screams coming from all around as if people were being tortured. And it seemed like the subhumans weren’t concerned with sanitation—there was rotting garbage and excrement everywhere. Neia frowned instinctively.

“…By the way, Miss Baraja. What do you want to do about that?”

When she looked in the direction he was pointing, she saw naked humans.

Their hands, men and women alike, had been nailed to trees. They seemed to have frantically tried to escape the fear, which left their arms covered in blood.

The subhumans must have tried to make a barricade out of humans.

They were slumped and exhausted, as well as emaciated, but there didn’t seem to be any immediate threat to their lives.

The point of this raid was to save people. Even if Neia followed the king, she couldn’t do anything. So staying back to help these people and get them to a safe place seemed like the right course of action. But one thing worried her.

What would she do if they were attacked by subhumans during the evacuation?

Ha. Why am I hesitating? Our commander would just save them. If I can’t do that… It really all comes down to…power, doesn’t it?

“You’re unsure. Then let’s just leave them for now. There don’t seem to be any subhumans around here. They’ll probably be safer here. Let’s go!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Though slightly reluctant, Neia followed the king to the square. She didn’t understand how he knew the way, but she figured he must have been using some magic or something.

Soon they came upon the square, which was like a marketplace at the heart of intersecting roads.

“Mm. So we weren’t able to get through this without any sacrifices.”

When she turned toward where he was looking, she saw that there were human corpses mixed in with the subhuman dead. They must have been trampled in the panic caused by the fear.

“…It couldn’t have been helped.” Neia figured he was joking, but if they had brute forced their way into the city, there would have been far more losses. All things considered, the taking of the city with the king’s overwhelming power had probably kept sacrifices to a minimum.

He shrugged slightly without saying anything and then gestured with his chin toward the center of the square.

The subhuman there was larger than all the others.

He had the curled horns of a goat and silver body hair. His impressive physique made him look like someone it would be wise not to mess with.

The ends of his horns were encased in ornate golden caps set with jewels, and he wore a green breastplate with a turtle-shell-esque pattern. Wrapped in a rust-red cape that seemed to be made out of processed animal fur, he carried a large shield set with two large yellow jewels in the center with his left hand and a bastard sword with a faintly yellow blade with his right. He was the embodiment of an imposing warrior’s brave spirit.

He was one of those most fearsome subhumans—one with training. And he was probably a king or had some other sort of comparable standing.

If Neia had been alone, she would have definitely run away.

“Hmm, hmm, I’m exceedingly curious which item is suppressing his fear.”

The King of Darkness’s amused remark must have referred to not only the subhuman’s armor and weapons but also the rings on his fingers, the necklace that covered everything from his neck down to his chest, and maybe the accessories hanging from each hip that were made from what seemed to be three human baby skulls each.

The subhuman, watching the King of Darkness with his green eyes, glared at Neia once they approached.

“A new undead challenger and behind him…a necromancer?” Partially concealed behind his large shield, he was most likely on guard against eye-based attacks that monsters like medusas had. “You’re no slouch, coming into this city and driving my tribe this far into a corner… Wielder of horrifying magic and manipulator of the enemies of all living things, let’s hear your name.” The bufolk pointed his sword at Neia.

“N-no, hold on. You’re wrong. It’s not me!”

“…What?”

When she looked to the King of Darkness for help, he put a hand to his chest and looked back at her.

“I’m impressed you could tell. Yes, this is my master.”

“N-no! P-please wait a second! Your Majesty!”

What is he talking about? He really has no sense for jokes.

As Neia flailed around in a panic, he smiled at her.

“Hmm. Feeling better?”

“Huh?”

“Okay, that was a stupid joke.” With a motion befitting a king, he flapped his cape and faced the subhuman. “I’m the one who sent the undead after you. I’m an undead ruler, Ainz Ooal Gown, King of Darkness, from the country northeast of here, the Nation of Darkness. What’s your name?”

“I’m Buser, Mighty King Buser… Tell me, King of Darkness, what is that girl for?”

“She’s my servant. So what’s your deal? Do you want to be killed? Or do you want to throw yourself at my feet? I’ll let you choose whichever you like better.”

“On my honor as a king, I say bending the knee one time is plenty.”

Buser held his sword across the front of his shield. He slowly curled his body into a stance that pointed his horns forward like a goat’s.

“Hmm… Then I’ll play with you a bit. Miss Baraja, you can just watch. By the way, you goat. You seem to have a lot of enchanted items equipped, but I don’t sense any magic from those accessories at your hips. Are they special in some way?”

“Hoh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It’s called fashion, you bag of bones.”

“Hmm… You remind me of a subordinate of mine.”

Listening to their conversation from behind him, Neia was shocked to think he had a subordinate like that.

“They’re nicely shaped, don’t you think? I selected these exquisite pieces with utmost care from my pickings in this city.”

“…Ah. I see. I understand how you feel. Fashion is apparently quite important. My maids drove that point home for me… Now then, let’s begin. Create Greater Item.”

When the King of Darkness cast the spell, a black sword appeared in his hands.

Why is His Majesty using a weapon?

He was an arcane caster—and a supremely adept one at that.

That meant normally he would only use a weapon if he was stuck in a fight without enough mana. Some arcane casters didn’t even carry a weapon simply because they were heavy.

Why had the King of Darkness chosen to fight with a sword?

Is it because he used up so much mana on his way here? That’s really bad… The whole point of him coming was to fight Jaldabaoth…

He had cast Fireball several times, plus frozen a lot of enemies in their tracks using magic, not to mention summoned a ton of undead; that all took mana, so it was possible he was running low.

It must cost a lot to summon those undead…

She had no idea how strong high wraiths were, but they had to be much stronger than regular wraiths. Summoning a bunch of them had to require an awful lot of mana.

For example, when a priest summoned an angel, one spell summoned a single being. Or several weaker ones. With that in mind, he must have been using quite the high-tier spell—maybe a six.

A tier-six spell…

Neia swallowed hard.

Tier six was an unprecedented realm. The Holy Lady could use up to only tier four. This was two levels up from that.

It was simply unthinkable, but for the King of Darkness, perhaps it was possible.

If he used a tier-six spell to summon high wraiths, I get why it would use up so much mana. But if that’s the case, shouldn’t I be helping him?

Neia looked at the king from behind as he confronted the subhuman. His opponent, whom she could see over his shoulder, looked strong; Neia didn’t feel like she or any number of people like her could help at all. But the King of Darkness exuded a proud sovereign attitude; it was clear he had no intention of starting a fight he couldn’t win.

Maybe he’s a magic swordsman–type arcane caster?

There were pros and cons to raising one’s skills in both sword fighting and casting. The main pro was the diversity of tactics that became available, while the main con was the risk of failing to be truly proficient at either skill set.

So what was the King of Darkness’s case?

The two combatants watched each other closely as they slowly began to move.

The distance between them closed until their weapons were within clashing distance. Buser was the first to attack.

“Shield Rush.” Holding his shield out in front of him, he charged.

The King of Darkness blocked it head-on with his sword.

It appeared that absorbing the entire impact of someone so large charging at full speed was impossible—the king was knocked quite a ways back. Well, it was hard to tell since he landed so neatly on both feet, but it seemed like he had been sent flying.

It was surprising to see the King of Darkness, who had crushed a bufolk’s skull with his bare hands, get knocked back, but being made of bones must have rendered a full block impossible. Neia had heard of the advanced martial art called Fortress, which could completely neutralize all impacts, but only especially strong warriors could acquire it.

Both of them charged at once, and their swords clashed.

The pace of their exchange was so furious, even Neia couldn’t follow it. Her vision could only register the slight pause as the blades collided.

If she joined the fight, she had no doubt she would be cut down with a single blow.

The rapid clashing of steel on steel created a metallic racket.

Their skills were well matched, and with each collision of blades, they were performing both offense and defense.

Should she be astounded at Buser swinging his mighty sword with a single hand? Or should she be in awe of the King of Darkness swinging a huge sword with two hands despite being a caster?

She had never seen a fight at this high of a level, and she was sure there was no opening for her to get involved.

She slowly moved behind some cover, so as not to be in the way. She had to at least avoid being taken hostage.

They’re swinging like crazy, but neither of them are injured… And like, the King of Darkness is just…too amazing…

The idea that a caster could be this skilled with a sword blew her mind.

Is he using some kind of awesome spell?

All she could think was that he was using some incredible spell she had never heard of.

But still—

At this rate, His Majesty will definitely win. Or is that his plan? To prolong the fight?

Undead didn’t get tired. And being in combat probably didn’t stress them out. Everything worked to Buser’s disadvantage.

Buser seemed to realize that, too, and his expression gradually twisted.

If he has an ace move, he’d better—

Neia was stunned. The King of Darkness had suddenly hurled his giant sword at Buser.

Then a dome of light encircled Buser as a countermeasure.

The barrier of light subsided immediately, but the flying sword only grazed Buser’s body as a result.

Oh no!

Neia was about to leap out from behind her cover. The king was unarmed, and—

“Huh?”

Before she knew it, he was gripping a black halberd.

Buser must have felt the same way as Neia. His eyes were huge.

“You didn’t even cast a spell, so how…? And where did the sword you threw go…?”

“It was merely a silent cast. Don’t worry about it… Now then, my subordinate taught me how to use this thing, but I’m not very confident. Sorry in advance for sucking.”

The king shifted nimbly into a fighting stance with the halberd, creating indescribable tension.

Warriors usually specialized in a single type of weapon, such as swords, axes, or hammers.

The king employed centrifugal force to swing the halberd. He slipped his hand down the shaft to aim for Buser’s feet, which would be hard to defend. It was an attack he could have only pulled off with a long-handled weapon.

Just as Buser lowered his sword to block it, the halberd jerked up.

It was a feint.

He had put quite a lot of strength behind it, but Buser managed to raise his sword instantaneously to defend.

It seemed the King of Darkness really was better with a sword than a halberd. That is, his attacks flowed with the beauty of martial art, but the motions were slightly awkward, and even Neia could follow them with her eyes.

After blocking the centrifugal force of the halberd’s arc, Buser jumped back.

“Sandstorm!”

The sand spurting from his sword spread into a wall and attacked the King of Darkness. The king must not have been able to see a thing.

She had her doubts whether he had eyeballs but regardless, having his vision obstructed was an overwhelming disadvantage.

“Kind Affection, Bundled Seal! Sturdy Arm, Strong Blow!”

Using a martial art Neia didn’t know, plus a high-level one for increasing the damage of a mighty blow, Buser came charging at double the speed he displayed before.

His horn caps started to glow in a strange way; they looked almost like shooting stars.

“Khaaaaa!”

“Hnf!”

The King of Darkness received the blow that came down with his halberd and—

“Ha-ha!”

—Buser’s jeering laugh echoed out.

Then came the sound of breaking steel.

Neia’s eyes grew large.

“No way! Weapon breaking?!”

Weapon breaking caused damage directly to weapons, but its effects varied considerably depending on the material the target was made with and how much damage it could withstand. Buser must have used the earlier martial arts to fortify the attack.

Neia was anxious to help, but when she saw notice Buser’s eyes go large in the next moment, she froze.

“It’s not even chipped!” Buser shrieked in shock. “What is that thing?!”

Buser retreated in a reversal of his previous confidence, rather than attack again, while the King of Darkness brandished his halberd, tracing beautiful arcs through the air.

“…I created this with my magic. You really think it would break so easily?”

“Weapons made with magic should be fragile!”

“Oh? You seem to have some experience, but stereotyping is dangerous. Sometimes you’ll fight people whose magic weapons you can’t break.”

The king let go of the halberd, and it vanished. It must have been the same move he had used earlier with the sword.

Then after he made grasping motions in the air, he was suddenly holding a black longsword in each hand.

“…Okay, what are you going to do next? That couldn’t have been your fail-safe plan, right?” The King of Darkness took a step forward. “…If you have something up your sleeve, now’s the time for it. I’m not a nice enough guy to let useless enemies live.”

“Hoh-hoh-hoh! What are you talking about, undead? Bravo for blocking all my attacks, yes. You were truly magnificent. But weren’t you only able to do that because you were focused on defense…? I know you never get tired. So you think that if you just keep fighting, you’ll eventually win.”

He saw through the king’s plan!

Neia was worried. Even she had realized. There was no way Buser, a superior warrior, wouldn’t notice.

“Ah, I see. That’s one idea. A good one actually. But unfortunately, mine is different.” The King of Darkness spread his arms and approached unguarded. The swords in his hands disappeared like smoke.

“Watch ou—!”

But faster than Neia could shout, Buser brought his sword down.

And then…

“What?!”

Buser frantically swung his sword again and again.

“What the—?! What?! What’s going on?!”

He screamed with each blow—because the king, despite taking each and every hit, was perfectly fine.

“In that case—!” Buser held up his shield and used a martial art. The king took the full brunt of his shield charge but didn’t stagger backward a single step.

On the contrary, Buser ended up retreating slightly.

“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.

“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.”

Even though she had anticipated it, the reality made Neia’s mind go black for a moment. Next came rage at the demons who had performed such inhumane experiments.

“Miss Baraja! Have the priests come on the double! And Commander Custodio and the other knights! Hurry!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

In a corner of her mind, a voice asked if it was really okay to leave him alone, but it was an order from someone trustworthy, wise, and powerful. Surely, she didn’t have to worry. The voice died down instantaneously.

•

The priests opened the door and went inside. The way their shoulders jumped at that moment said more than words about how appalling and ghastly the scene was.

Neia was watching as the King of Darkness turned over the paper they had found to Remedios and Gustav.

“I want you to look at this. It tells the names of the people in there and what was done to them. There are these other documents as well, but it’s unclear if they are more of the same or something else, like part of Jaldabaoth’s plans. Can you read them?”

Remedios took one glance, frowned, and handed the paper to Gustav.

Gustav shook his head. “I can’t make head or tail of it. But you were able to read this one page, right, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, using a magic item. The issue is that the item requires a lot of mana—critical mana I need to conserve for the fight with Jaldabaoth. So I wonder if either of you know anyone who can read this. It could be someone with a literacy ability or even someone you think might be able to do it.”

“No, I can’t think of anyone. The southern nobles could be hiding someone who can, but I highly doubt it.”

“Oh… Then what should we do? I’d like for you guys to figure out how to read the rest of these.”

“Would it be possible to borrow your item, Your Majesty?”

“No. It’s one of my nation’s treasures, so it’s the same as how you can’t lend the sword at your hip so easily. To a caster like me, this sort of item is more precious than a sword.”

Remedios and Gustav looked at each other.

“Understood. Then we’ll do our best. Also, we have another issue. Apparently these orcs were imprisoned here. What should we do with them?”

The orcs didn’t come to attack the Sacred Kingdom; they were brought here by Jaldabaoth as captives. Questioning them wasn’t yielding any useful intelligence, so they weren’t sure how to handle them.

“Hmm…got it. Can you tell me where they are? You’re fine letting me take care of them?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Gustav gave simple directions. The city wasn’t that big to begin with, so it didn’t seem like they would get lost.

By the time Neia had memorized the general route, an exhausted-looking priest opened the door.

“Ohhh! How’d it go?! How are the people doing?!”

“We’ve at least cast healing magic on those who were alive. It was our first time treating people who had been so horribly abused, so we’ll stay a little longer and keep an eye on them. Then, if nothing is wrong, we’d like to bring them out of here.”

“Got it. Then we’ll send over some paladins and militia members to help.”

“Understood, Lady Custodio. Then if you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty.” The priest opened the door and went back inside.

Watching the priest go, the other four realized they had nothing else to do here, and moved on to their next destination.

For Neia and the King of Darkness, that meant to the orcs.

“If there are demons around, it’d be handy to have someone who can see through transformations,” the king mentioned to Neia as they were walking.

No demons had been spotted in the city, but given the presence of demon writing, he must have surmised that demons were or could be around.

“Demons transform?”

“Yes, some of them—into men, woman, or sometimes animals.”

“Oh… So you’re hoping for someone with a talent for seeing through transformations? My apologies. I’ve never heard of one like that. Oh no, I have heard a legend like that. I remember reading it in some book, but I have no idea if anyone currently can…”

“…I guess I should ask Lady Custodio about that, too.”

“Are transformations like illusions? I tend to think of illusions as tricky magic spells, but…”

“First of all, there’s a big difference between a transformation and an illusion, but it’ll take too long to explain, so allow me to omit the finer details. In any case, you shouldn’t underestimate illusions! How terrifying the magic gets depends on how quick the illusionist’s wits are. And particularly if they’ve truly specialized instead of just putzing around.”

“Specialized?”

“That’s right. For example, Perfect Illusion can deceive all five senses. And someone who has reached the ultimate powers of illusion can acquire a move that can only be used once every few days but allows them to deceive the world.”

Deceiving the world was an act on a level Neia couldn’t even imagine.

“How amazing a feat is that, deceiving the world?”

“From what I’ve heard, it can do anything any other tree of magic can do. To put it simply, you could even use it to resurrect the dead.”

“What?! But it would be an illusion, right?”

“Yes, causing the world to be under an illusion is the illusionist’s ultimate power—because if you can deceive the world, then your deception becomes the truth.”

“Whoa” was the only way she could react. Hearing that if someone mastered illusion, they could do something so powerful, it was so awesome that she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it.

“So does anyone in this country keep track of talents?”

“No, I’ve never heard of anything like that. Does the Nation of Darkness track talents?”

“We don’t yet. I’d like to in the future, but it seems like it will take quite a bit of work… It might still be a decade or so off.”

Apparently, the King of Darkness was thinking about things even ten years in the future. Maybe that was the difference—a big one—between kings and commoners.

•

The orcs were in a building that had its windows boarded up from the outside. It was fairly large, probably the second or third largest in the city.

A number of paladins clustered at the gate and seemed to be wary of what was inside.

When they saw the King of Darkness approaching, they all dropped to one knee in a show of respect.

“I heard from Lady Custodio that there were orcs in this building. Can I go inside?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty!”

“Then you can all leave and do whatever other work you have to do.”

The paladins looked up. “But the commander ordered us to guard this location. We can’t leave.”

“…I see. Then I take back what I said.”

With that, the King of Darkness passed between the knights and pushed the door open. Neia followed him, of course.

A potent acidic smell wafted out and into Neia’s nose. It wasn’t poison; it reminded her of the smell of a prison cell she had visited a long time ago with one of the paladins. There were other stomach-turning odors mixed in.

“What in the world…?”

She had wondered when the commander had brought it up: Why were the orcs brought here?

Though she knew she would find out soon, the wings of her imagination spread. If this isn’t a problem that only affects the orcs, if it could be a rallying point in the fight against Jaldabaoth, maybe some subhumans will resist, too.

While she was thinking, the king continued opening doors. It already felt normal to have him leading the way.

They left a room and entered a hallway.

Walking in it for a moment was enough to tell that this building was dirtier than a prison.

It was filthy with blood, vomit, and excrement. She couldn’t begin to imagine what had happened here, but it was a terrible environment.

Orcs were subhumans about as tall as humans with piglike faces; they were said to be a tidy race. There was no way they would stay somewhere like this by choice.

Neia looked at the long hem of the King of Darkness’s robe and worried that his splendid clothing would get dirty, but there was no way she could ask him to wait outside. There was no one with the wisdom to stand in for him.

Eventually, Neia’s sharp ears began to hear things that indicated the presence of a large number of living things, including a child crying and a voice that sounded like the mother trying to calm it.

They’re orcs…? Not humans…?

Neia was at a loss. She had never considered that they would have families and raise children. The orcs that came to Roebel were invaders, enemies to be hated; she had never thought anything about them past that.

Neia was still confused when the king opened the door.

The awful smell grew worse, and shrieks went up.

“An undead!”

“It’s a skeleton! What’s he doing here?!”

“Those humans! They sold us to undead! Shit!”

“Controlling undead? Those grimy humans.”

“Mama! Help!”

“My boy!”

The king stopped in the doorway. He must have been confused, too.

“Ju— Ahem. Shut up!”

His order caused the room to fall silent. But it only lasted a moment.

In the next, the shouting echoed twice as loud as before. What they were saying was hardly any different. No, it seemed like voices lamenting their fate and saying they didn’t care what happened to them as long as their children were spared had increased.

“………Sighhh.” The king let out a tired sigh. Then he punched the door with all his might. He was incredibly strong despite being all bones; the hinge busted and the door went flying. When it hit the wall, it made a startlingly loud noise. The subhumans quieted all at once.

“Shut up. The next one of you to talk had better brace yourself.”

In that silent, frozen atmosphere—where some mothers frantically covered their children’s mouths—the king took a step into the room, and the subhumans all edged away.

“It’s not as if I came here to kill you. Quite the opposite—I’m here to set you free.”

It was hard for a human like Neia to grasp the emotions of the orcs’ piglike faces. But this one time, she was extremely confident.

The look was That’s a lie!

“It’s a pain if you all talk at once. Have a representative come forward.”

After a moment, an orc went to step forward, but the one next to him held him back. Then he came to the fore instead.

It was a thin orc, but he looked like he must have been quite built at one point.

“…So you’re the representative?”

The orc nodded without saying anything.

“…What? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Um, could it be because you told them to shut up, Your Majesty?”

“…I thought I allowed him to, but I guess it didn’t get through? I permit the orc who stepped forward to speak. First, let’s hear your name.”

“I’m Diell of the Gan Zuu tribe—Diell Gan Zuu.”

“Diell, okay. First question: Is there anyone here you don’t know or whose personality has changed as if they were someone else?”

“N-no, there’s no one like that here.”

“Then next, tell me why you’re all imprisoned here.”

“…Do you know about the demon Jaldabaoth?”

“Of course. He’s my enemy. Or rather, I came here—to the Sacred Kingdom—to kill him.”

Their faces said, Definitely a lie. Certainly before Neia knew him, she might have thought the same thing. But not anymore.

She showed herself beside him and spoke. “His Majesty is telling the truth. I’m a citizen of this country, so please listen. Jaldabaoth brought you along with the allied subhuman army to invade this land.”

Diell’s expression changed slightly.

“Wait, a human… I think a female?”

You think? Neia wondered what that was supposed to mean, but she couldn’t tell the orcs’ sexes by face; it must have been the same for them.

“We aren’t attacking this country. There shouldn’t be a single orc tribe that cooperated with Jaldabaoth. Which is to say, we resisted, so we were brought here as punishment.”

“Hmm… What did he do to you once you were here?”

The question seemed to shock all the orcs, not only Diell. The ones who seemed to be mothers held children close. Neia could also hear retching and other vomiting noises.

“…Honestly, what is he doing?” the king mumbled to himself. “Um, I seem to have asked a bad question. Should I bring some water? Or is there something else you want?”

His attitude changed completely. He seemed extremely flustered. Perhaps he felt guilty for causing the orcs to relive painful memories. It was probably less than respectful for her to think such things, but he seemed almost like a parent trying to comfort a kid that one of his children made cry.

This must be how a king thinks when he views both humans and orcs as subjects of his country…

To the inhabitants of the Sacred Kingdom, subhumans were enemies. If they were in the same position, they probably wouldn’t have anything kind to say to them.

“We don’t want anything special. Just please don’t make us talk about what happened. It wouldn’t be fun to hear, and for us, it was hell. If you ordered us to talk, we would have no choice, but please at least let us do it where no one else can hear.”

Hearing a female orc softly crying, Neia was terrified. What in the world was done to them?

“…This is a problem,” the King of Darkness mumbled, but there was so much going on that Neia didn’t know what he was referring to. “Also, um, yeah. If you’re against Jaldabaoth, then we’re also here to ask if you’d like to cooperate with us, since we have a common enemy.”

Diell lowered his eyes. “Once, we wanted to fight, but not anymore. After everything the demons put us through, our spirits are broken. We have no courage left.”

“Then what will you do if I liberate you?”

“If possible, we’d like to go back to our village, and if there are any of us remaining there in safety, we’d like to take them and move far away to somewhere Jaldabaoth can never reach us.”

The king nodded.

“Then how about the domain I ru—?”

“We refuse! We know how dangerous it is to displease you. It would be smarter to agree now and then flee with all our might at a point where it seems like we can escape. But nothing is worse than betrayal. So if we refuse now, at least we can hopefully die less painful deaths.”

“What…?”

Their refusal was so firm, the King of Darkness seemed confused. But Neia understood Diell’s feelings so well it hurt. Until she met the king, she thought undead were the enemy of all living things, too.

“…Uh, my domain isn’t a horrible place or anything. We even have a diverse population of subhumans!”

“Lies! You must be lying! You can’t fool me or any of the rest of us! They must be undead subhumans!”

Half-crazed Diell was Neia’s former self. That’s why it was her duty as someone with more experience to explain what she had learned about the true nature of this king.

“His Majesty is telling the truth. He may be an undead, but he manages to show kindness to the living as well. He loves children and governs subhumans equally, and his subordinates respect him. As proof of that, they built huge statu—”

“Miss Baraja! That’s really enough, so if you could just…”

“But Your Majesty!”

“Please… Really, just please…”

If he was saying please, she really did have to stop.

“Human, are you being mind controlled?!”

“No. I’ve seen his nation with my own eyes. The first subhuman I ever met was a naga.”

A murmur went through the subhumans as they exchanged glances with one another. Some voices asked, “What’s a naga?” but she ignored them.

“There was also a subhuman with a face like a rabbit’s. I’m not a resident of the Nation of Darkness, and it’s true that the time I spent there was short, but I still know that the people who live there aren’t wearing the expressions of pain and fear you were a minute ago. And of course, they weren’t wounded like you are now.”

The subhumans looked down at their emaciated bodies. They had lost so much weight they were like sticks.

“It’s as she—Miss Baraja—says. Still, I’m sure you can’t believe us. But I promise on my honor as Ainz Ooal Gown that you would never be treated so unreasonably if I were ruling over you. That’s because everything I rule belongs to me. If one of my subjects gets hurt, that means one of my belongings is damaged. And don’t worry; if you say you don’t want to live under my rule, I won’t force you to. You should live how you like. For now, I’ll arrange things so you can return to your village.”

“…Why are you being so kind?”

It seemed to Neia that Diell had set aside his preconceptions and faced the true King of Darkness for the first time.

“Hoh-hoh… I want to defeat Jaldabaoth. That means the subhumans he brought here are in my way. So sending you back to your village is one way to chip away at his power.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you spread word that I’m kind, unlike Jaldabaoth, it might cause unrest within his army, or even some defections.”

“Ah, I see.”

It was hard to believe someone when the deal only seemed to benefit one’s own side, but it seemed that subhumans, like humans, were more likely to trust someone if a deal showed benefits for both sides.

“But I don’t think it’ll be that easy. Most of Jaldabaoth’s subordinates are thirsty for blood. Even if we go back to our village and spread word, I doubt it will have much effect.”

“That’s fine. I just want to make every sort of move I can. And if Jaldabaoth is ruling through fear, there might be subhumans who are willing to rebel against him. So I’m repeating myself, but you’re sure you don’t want to cooperate with me in the fight against him?”

“…We can’t. I told you: We just don’t have the will right now.”

“I see. That’s too bad. And you don’t feel like coming to the Nation of Darkness, either?”

“It’s not a bad idea to enter under the protection of someone as immensely powerful as you. But we can’t decide that on our own. Maybe we’ll take you up on the offer after discussing with the others.”

“Diell!”

“Dombas, I know what you want to say. But we won’t be able to defend our village on our own with this demon around. This would have been our fate either way.”

The orc called Dombas must have understood that. He bit his lip and lowered his eyes.

“I see. If you intend to come to the Nation of Darkness, you will have my full support as its king. There are many kinds of people living in my lands. I’d like for you to work together with them and live as subjects of my country.” The king’s tone had softened.

In the Sacred Kingdom, subhumans were enemies, but in the Nation of Darkness, subhumans were fellow citizens. Where does that huge difference come from? Neia realized the answer right away.

From His Majesty, huh…? Because of his immense power… It really does all come down to power…I guess…?

“All right, I’ll provide enough food to see you home. And soldiers as escorts. I imagine it’ll take a lot of time and effort to get home in your condition.”

“You’re willing to do that much for us?”

“Certainly. Sob at the generosity of the Nation of Darkness’s king and tell everyone you meet. So, Miss Baraja, could you leave the room? I’m going to perform a secret ritual that people from outside the nation shouldn’t see.”

“Understood,” said Neia, but as she was leaving, she couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely. What he said made perfect sense, but even though she understood, she found herself struggling to accept it.

From the other side of the broken door they’d propped up, the number of orc breathing noises she could hear rapidly decreased. It was as if they were leaving the room, and maybe they were.

The king had been saying that he could teleport once he knew a place, so he was probably using that power on them.

Eventually she could hardly hear anything, and when, after a little while, she heard the clacking of a single pair of footsteps, it was the King of Darkness alone who appeared before the door.

“Sorry I kept you waiting.”

“Not at all.”

The room was an empty shell. He must have used a spell that Neia couldn’t even imagine in order to teleport them all. Or maybe he had some other way, like a magic item.

“Now then, let’s meet up with Lady Custodio and find out what the plan is.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

•

After leaving the orc camp, the two asked a paladin they encountered where Remedios was. At the entrance of the building they were directed to, they found not her but Gustav.

“Oh, Your Majesty! I was just about to call you.”

Gustav was different from when they had met him last. There was life in his voice, and he was so cheerful it was as if the light of hope was overflowing from inside him. Maybe he’d come across a way to break through some part of their difficult situation? Perhaps wondering the same thing, the King of Darkness inquired.

“Did something happen? It seems like you have some good news.”

“Yes! There’s someone we’d love you to meet. Come this way, please.”

Maybe it was an influential noble or a member of the royal family?

Gustav led the King of Darkness—and Neia, for some reason—into a room.

Sitting on two of the simple wooden chairs inside were Remedios and an emaciated man.

They both rose to greet the king.

Gustav introduced the man. “This is Master Caspond, elder brother of the Holy Lady.”

Certainly, once it was pointed out, the man did resemble the profile of the second holy king engraved on the kingdom’s gold pieces. Neia’s eyes widened to learn that he had actually been imprisoned here.

“Master Caspond, this is the king of the Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown, His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown. He’s assisting us.”

“Ohhh, I don’t know how to thank you, Your Majesty. Very pleased to meet you. Just as he said, I’m the brother whose clever little sister got ahead of me.”

Remedios frowned at what she perceived to be nasty remark. But it seemed she couldn’t behave normally before someone in line to succeed the Holy Lady, so all she did was lower her eyes.

“Ahhh, I see. Pleased to meet you, Master Caspond.”

The two of them looked at each other for a time.

Neia wondered what they were doing, but eventually the King of Darkness held out a hand, and Caspond took it.

Usually the superior person was the one to offer a handshake.

Common sense would say that compared to someone who was in line to be a king, an actual king, albeit of a small country, would be superior. And it would be natural to be humble before someone providing one with assistance. Neia figured the king had waited to offer his hand for a moment out of respect.

He’s so modest and broad-minded.

Neia was impressed. She saw Gustav nodding in admiration out of the corner of her eye.

“Your Majesty, apologies for meeting you in such a sorry state. I would have much rather appeared in dress appropriate to our stations…”

“You have nothing to be ashamed about. A noble’s elegance isn’t a matter of clothing. You must be exhausted after being imprisoned for so long; let’s continue the conversation sitting down.”

“That’s very considerate of you. I’ll take you up on that.”

When they released their hands, the king sat first, followed by Caspond.

“I’m just so glad you’re all right. Why did they have you locked up in this area?”

“Because I had managed to run this far! Baron Bagunen was a great help. How is he doing, Commander Custodio? After we talked last, you took him away.”

“Yes. Baron Bagunen’s wounds weren’t terribly serious, and they weren’t life-threatening. But the poor environment left him physically drained, so he’s in a deep sleep.”

“The priests can’t do anything with their magic? I’d love to have him lend us his wisdom.”

“The priests used up what mana they had healing the wounded, so they’re resting now. My apologies, but unless it’s urgent, we should conserve mana.”

“Well, I suppose I can’t argue with that, Commander. But he did everything he could to get me here safely, so if at all possible… You see what I mean to say, I’m sure…”

It wasn’t Remedios but Gustav who understood and bowed low.

“Now then, there’s one pressing matter I’d like to get confirmation on. Is there anyone in this region who can see through transformations or illusions?”

“Why do you ask that, Your Majesty?”

“To be on guard in case a demon is lurking among the prisoners in disguise.”

Caspond looked at Remedios. “Commander, can you answer His Majesty’s question?”

“Ah, apologies, but I’ll go ahead and answer as second-in-command. I’ve never heard of anyone with abilities like that.”

As the king was thinking with a “Hmm,” Caspond pressed Remedios.

“If His Majesty is this worried about it, it must be important. You swear to the gods you don’t know?”

The two paladins nodded, and Caspond turned to Neia. There’s no way a squire like me would know someone like that, she thought but hurried to nod as well.

“Squire Baraja, you don’t know, either, huh…? What? Don’t look so surprised—the commander told me your name. I appreciate your work attending to His Majesty.”

“Thank you!” Neia bowed, flustered.

“That’s right. She’s an excellent assistant—I wish I had a squire like this.”

“Y-you must be joking…” Her voice trembled.

Seeing that, Caspond and the king chuckled, but their faces reassumed their solemn expressions immediately after (though the king was expressionless).

“I hate to reveal my ignorance like this, but demons have the ability to transform into other people?”

“Demons are able to transform in order to corrupt people, but it’s not as if they turn into someone specific. They just change into a human. They don’t use someone’s face as a model. So if…mixed in with the prisoners…there’s someone nobody recognizes, we need to keep an eye on them.”

“So then we need the prisoners themselves to check on one another…”

“An illusion would make it a bit more complicated. With an illusion, they could change into someone specific. Right, like…” The king cast a spell, and his skull head turned into Caspond’s. “This is an illusion. But it’s a low-level one. As you can see, neither my clothes nor my voice has changed. And it’s not as if it copies your memories or thoughts. So if we have people talk to someone who knows them well, it’ll be clear right away.” The king’s white skull face returned. “There are several ways to handle clothing and voice, so the best is to have conversations and see.”

Neia realized with a start that the question he had asked the orcs earlier was a precaution against this issue.

He’s always so brilliant. It’s amazing how he manages to consider all these different things…

“I see… Well, you heard him. Get to work.”

“Please wait. We can also anticipate the appearance of a demon showing its true nature. I think you should stay near someone strong like Commander Custodio.”

“Ah, understood. I’ll make sure to operate with her around.”

Gustav bowed his head.

“Master Caspond, that was everything I wanted to confirm. If you have anything else…”

“Very well. Your Majesty, my plan is to head back south. I feel like I need to meet up with the army and bring it up here to the north to attack. I was held captive with several other nobles, so I want to hear from them and create a plan that takes into account which of them might be able to help.”

“Hmm. I don’t know the nobles of this country, so if you think that’s what we should do, then that’s probably fine… You’re not going to raid other camps to liberate more prisoners?”

“Not now. Moving through territory under Jaldabaoth’s control, we’ll stick out with too many people. Plus, it’ll slow us down. I want to avoid losing more lives as a result of trying to save people.”

“…Then what about letting the people escape to the south, and we raid the camps on our own?”

“Commander Custodio, you’re the one allowing me to sit in, but we haven’t heard your opinion.” Caspond’s voice was completely different from when he was speaking to the king.

Remedios bit back her annoyance and said, “I agree with you, brother of Her Majesty—mm, Sir Caspond. But we’ve already taken out two, including this one. There might be reprisals. What do we do about that?”

“Nothing.” Caspond shrugged. “I don’t think we can retake this territory without any deaths. There could be tens, hundreds, or even thousands dead. But we have other priorities.”

Neia saw that both Remedios and Gustav were shocked at the way he was talking about abandoning the people. Neia could only coldly feel that this was about what she expected from royalty.

“Master Caspond, you’ve changed, huh? You used to be so kindhearted when it came to the people.”

“What’s that about, Commander Custodio? Are you disappointed? Feh!” Caspond’s expression warped. His lips twisted to bare his teeth. His gaze had sharpened and filled with ridicule. “If you had experienced that hell, your personality would have changed, too. You wouldn’t be able to say such pretty things anymore. I feel sick… It seems you…haven’t heard what they did to us. You should ask someone. You’ll understand what unholy evil the demons are.”

He seemed like another person. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that something dark and murky was seeping through the expression he had forced himself to wear.

“If possible, I’d like to kill all the subhumans…” He glanced at the King of Darkness, and the king shrugged.

“After we interrogate them, you can do what you like. Although I already freed the orcs.”

“Well, that can’t be helped, though it is terribly unfortunate. Then again, the orcs went through the same horrors we did… Would you have turned them over to me in exchange for a Holy Sword?”

“I’m a caster, so a sword doesn’t really do much for me…”

Caspond laughed weakly in response to the king’s joke.

Remedios’s emotionless face was in stark contrast to his pale countenance.

It had sounded so much like a joke, but Caspond must have been serious.

Neia shivered. What could possibly have been done to him that he would hate even imprisoned subhumans enough to give away a royal treasure?

“So are you going to abandon this city?”

“If possible. Still, we need to heal the liberated prisoners and send a messenger to the south first. If you could stay here for at least a week, that would be much appreciated. Once we retake this land, I’ll add what reward I can to whatever Commander Custodio promised you.”

“Wonderful. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

•

One minute after the King of Darkness left the room accompanied by Neia…

“Okay,” said Caspond. “Now that he’s gone we can move on to the main topic.”

“Yes. It will be quite a challenge to protect so many people while we travel. It would be great if we could get some sort of reinforcements from the south or some wagons or something to use.”

Caspond smiled faintly at Gustav’s suggestion. “Don’t be ridiculous. Who said we were going to talk about that?”

“The main topic isn’t how to travel south?”

“I’ll be frank. I have no intention of escaping south right away. We’re going to clash with Jaldabaoth’s army here.”

“That’s too reckless!”

Remedios continued after Gustav’s exclamation. “We may have the city walls, but if we were surrounded and ran out of food, that would be the end. Only a fool would fight a siege battle without reinforcements.”

Remedios didn’t use her head much, but she could be trusted when it came to combat. Gustav nodded in agreement with her confident assertion.

“Still, we need to fight here.”

The pair’s puzzled looks made Caspond smile even more coldly as he explained.

“I heard that the King of Darkness is conserving his mana for the fight with Jaldabaoth…” Seeing Gustav nod, Caspond continued. “But that will cause problems. He’ll defeat Jaldabaoth, take the maids, and go back to his nation. But we need him to get rid of the subhumans that have flowed into our kingdom. We need to put him in a situation that forces him to help us.”

“But that would break our promise with him…”

“If he uses his magic to kill a few subhumans, fewer Sacred Kingdom subjects will have to be sacrificed. So which are you choosing, a promise to an undead or the lives of innocent subjects?”

An agonized look appeared on Gustav’s face, while Remedios replied without changing her expression at all. “The innocent subjects of the Sacred Kingdom, of course.”

“Then there you go, Commander. So we have to get him to fight. But since we made a promise, we’ll need a good reason to break it.”

“That’s why you’re going to clash with Jaldabaoth’s army?”

“Yes. More specifically, we’ll start preparing to head south, but it’ll take too long, so the army will surround us. We’ll have no choice but to ask the King of Darkness for help. What do you think?”

Remedios and Gustav exchanged a glance that said, It’s not bad, but…

“There’s one problem. Won’t having him use his magic put us at a disadvantage when it comes time for him to fight against Jaldabaoth?”

“I’ve heard it doesn’t take that long to recover mana.”

“My sister said the same thing.” Remedios’s sister had been a priest. If it was something she said, no one could really object.

“We’ll purposely let a few subhumans escape. Then we’ll lure Jaldabaoth’s army here—before our food runs out.”

“…How many troops will show up, I wonder.”

The three of them had already exchanged information; they estimated Jaldabaoth’s troops after the earlier battle to number slightly less than a hundred thousand.

There were armies of twelve races and then another six races that weren’t as numerous for a total of eighteen.

The twelve races were…

Snakemen. A type of subhuman that had the head of a snake. Said to be a relative of lizardmen.

Armats. A race reminiscent of bipedal rats with fur like steel. Said to be a relative of kuagoa.

Caven. Like apes slightly larger than humans. Eyeless due to atrophy.

Zerun. A slimy race with upper bodies like eels that sprouted arms and lower bodies like indigo maggots. Though they seemed like grotesques, the fact that spells targeting subhumans were effective against them indicated they were actually subhumans.

Bladers. An insect-like race with swordlike blades jutting out of the backs of their hands and covered in exoskeletons like armor. Similar to the zerun, they were classified as subhumans because they were susceptible to magic targeting subhumans.

Horrunners. Subhumans with horse legs who excelled at sprinting. They had astonishing endurance and hardly required any breaks while running.

Spidan. Subhumans reminiscent of spiders with four long, thin arms and slender legs. They could make clothing out of the thread they spat up. The garments made with those threads were hard as steel.

Stone eaters. Possessed primitive weapons. Terrifyingly, they had the ability to spit rocks they ate. Those rocks could easily fly a hundred yards and had no trouble denting iron armor. But since they couldn’t launch them indefinitely, they were less formidable if one could ride out the initial attacks.

Orthrouses. Like kentauroses, only half carnivorous beast instead of half horse. Stronger in combat than kentauroses but can’t run as fast.

Magiroses. Innate magic ability allowed them to use up to tier-four spells. The magic type they could wield apparently manifested visibly on their bodies as tattoos. The stronger ones were covered in them head to toe. Some of them were also casters, and in those cases it was rumored they could use up to tier five. Perhaps those were lord-tier individuals.

Pteroposes. A race of cliff dwellers that excelled at gliding. They could also fly, but it took quite a bit of energy, so they could only do it for a certain amount of time per day. And after that, they wouldn’t even be able to glide. As long as they didn’t fly, they could whip out cutting gusts of wind that were difficult to protect against even in armor, so they were stronger when they weren’t flying.

Then there were the bufolk.

The other six consisted of races that either had members who were very strong individually or didn’t have a tendency to live in close proximity or cooperate.

Ogres.

Pri-um, a race similar to ogres that possess control over the earth and were considered by some to be a powerful species. Their special powers were deeply associated with dirt and soil.

Va-um, similar to pri-um but with water powers instead of earth.

Nagarajas. A race of people with scaly snake bodies equipped with arms. Though their name was similar to naga, the two were actually completely different races and didn’t get along. Born with the ability to cast several spells, they sometimes also used weapons and armor.

Spriggans. A race with the ability to change size at will. Essentially good; evil spriggans were exceedingly rare. But whether good or bad, if they got out of control, they were impossible to handle.

Zooostias. With upper bodies of beastmen and lower bodies of carnivorous beasts, this was a race similar to kentauroses and orthrouses. They wore lamellar armor and carried oval shields. They didn’t have any special abilities, but they served well as heavy cavalry possessing the power and ferocity of wild animals. Since zooostias were individually quite strong, orthrouses often relied on them; it could be said that their relationship resembled that between goblins and hobgoblins. But given the zooostias lack special abilities, they weren’t terribly difficult foes for adventurers who could use Fly or the like; still, in a head-on clash, an orichalcum team would have a tough fight ahead of them.

“According to the King of Darkness, the enemy could be staking out your base, right? In that case, they probably know about the troops here, so it’s best to assume the enemy knows what kind of numbers we have, too. That means he won’t send too many, which will work in our favor. But there’s one problem.”

“Food.”

“Yeah. The priests should be able to make some with their magic, but even if we had them use up all their mana, it wouldn’t be anywhere near enough. And we can’t just eat subhumans like they eat us.”

Remedios and Gustav looked disgusted, but all three of them were aware that some subhumans ate humans.

And it was why they knew that if they made it a battle to see whose supplies would hold out the longest, they would lose. Every prison camp doubled as a storehouse packed with food for subhumans.

“How long will our food last? We should f—”

“The orders to calculate it have already been given. And I’m also checking if we have a blacksmith who could adapt some of the subhumans’ equipment so we could use it.”

“Nice going, Commander.”

The trio’s meeting in preparation for a siege battle scenario continued for a while. After a little over an hour, they must have reached a conclusion they all agreed on; they exchanged smiles.

“Okay. Get us prepped for a siege.”

A week later, when they had less food and they really needed to start heading south, the subhuman army appeared far off on the horizon.

But it was a far greater force than any of them had expected.

5

Watching the city begin to panic as the enormous host of subhuman soldiers drew closer, Ainz slowly crumpled to the ground.

This was not a metaphor.

The extreme strain that had built up in his mind mentally exhausted him despite being undead, and his knees hit the ground. He covered his face with his hands.

What do I do…? What am I supposed to do now…?

Ainz had been basically following the script that Demiurge prepared.

Naturally, it wasn’t as if he had written out every word and gesture—there was a lot of ad-libbing—but even so, Ainz felt he had adhered to Demiurge’s plan.

Or rather, the problem was that there had been too much ad-libbing.

Frankly, most of what Demiurge’s manual said was Go with the flow.

This is extremely unhelpful. That’s what Ainz thought the first time he laid eyes on it.

If Ainz were a brilliant person, perhaps he could have perfectly played the role of the King of Darkness. But unfortunately, Ainz only had average, or possibly even slightly below-average, abilities.

And so a fierce fight broke out between the two of them.

To summarize, Ainz pleaded, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this. Write a more detailed plan, and Demiurge humbly answered, I couldn’t possibly insult your intelligence in such a way, my lord. Ainz was disadvantaged from the start, but then Albedo joined in, cementing his defeat.

Which is how the operation manual that left everything up to him remained in use.

If Demiurge was picking on him, he might have been able to find another way to fight back, but the present situation was the result of the trust and respect his subordinates had for him.

Especially when he could tell they were thinking, You’re sure to get better results than us, Lord Ainz, so it wouldn’t do for us to limit you, there was simply nothing he could do.

Using a little common sense, would a king really go off to another country on his own…?! This is so forced… But I’ve made it this far. I bent over backward a few times and nearly failed, but I’ve made it this far.

He didn’t believe in any gods, but he sure wanted to pray to one now.

I wish Demiurge and Albedo would at least take into account my strengths when they tell me what to do…

When they gave him impossible tasks, it sucked all the motivation right out of him.

……Okay, c’mon. Hang in there, me. If you can get past this, the rest’ll be comparatively easy.

Ainz tensed his legs and stood up.

The plan was reaching the middle stage, the climax, and it was The Worst.

Demiurge had told him that if they were to build a defensive line at this city, he would attack until 85 percent casualties were reached.

Ainz didn’t feel anything about that.

If that was what Demiurge thought, it was surely better than whatever he would have come up with. If that many dying was good for Nazarick, then that was what should happen. Actually, it made him wonder if killing more would be even better.

The problem was that Demiurge wanted a list of the people he shouldn’t kill.

If that were all, Ainz could have listed some random names and been done, but there was a condition: It had to be people who either worshipped Ainz or seemed likely to join his side.

When Demiurge got in touch to say, Knowing you, Lord Ainz, I’m sure you’ve already mesmerized a number of humans like you did that dwarf, so please tell me their names. I’ll take care not to kill them, Ainz wondered if he was being sarcastic.

“…There’s no one…” Ainz moaned in spite of himself.

There wasn’t anyone who worshipped him.

On the contrary, he could feel—tangibly—the intense hatred for undead the Sacred Kingdom had.

How was he supposed to overcome that adversity to get someone to adore him?

But there was no way he could tell Demiurge there wasn’t a single person.

Demiurge was utterly convinced that Ainz was capable of captivating people. So what would he think if he told him that getting even one was impossible?

My stomach hurts…

The dwarf Demiurge mentioned was probably Gondo Firebeard, but that had been pure luck. He just happened to land a critical hit on a weak point; there was no way such good fortune would repeat itself.

And it was thanks to having Gondo as a source of information that he had been able to strike so effectively at the rune crafters. But he didn’t have someone that close to him in the Sacred Kingdom.

He had succeeded in getting on friendly terms with the squire Neia Baraja, but that was as far as their relationship went.

And he had lent her a magic item to deepen their friendship—not that that was the only reason—but he wasn’t sure how effective it had been. She was always looking at him with the eyes of a murderer, so he didn’t think he should expect much.

If I told him there was only one, what would he say? Ainz asked himself.

Would Demiurge’s image of him shatter into a zillion pieces if he did that?

And then what would happen?

I told him back in the dwarf country that I wasn’t as smart as he thought, but he doesn’t seem to have believed me… This is bad. How high has he built me up in his mind? Or, like, is the feeling that he keeps building me up bigger and bigger just in my head? Doesn’t this usually happen in the opposite way?

The expectations were painful. Not burdensome—painful.

The old him never knew what a heavy, stifling thing loyalty was. What hurt the most was how great his subordinates thought he was.

Maybe this is just the right time to let him know that I’m not as awesome as he thinks. But if the plan he’s been working on for so long fails because of me, then what? If I worked for several years on a deal and then one dumb remark from my boss ruined the whole thing…

Ahhh, he thought, and would have been pulling his hair out except he didn’t have any.

What should I do?

What’s the optimal answer?

No matter how many times he simulated the outcome in his head, Demiurge looked at him with disappointment in his eyes. He couldn’t reach a satisfying conclusion.

It’s because they expect too much—it’s because I’ve climbed too high that I’ll take so much damage when I fall. That’s the whole reason I keep telling them I’m not so great…

Ainz’s own plans failed pretty often.

Ainz reached into space and took out a sword.

It was a normal sword with runes carved in it.

But it contained as much power as the bow he had lent to Neia.

Of course, this wasn’t a rune weapon crafted by the dwarves. The runes had no power at all; this had been made with Yggdrasil technology.

Sigh… Ainz had a number of these weapons prepared. His original plan was to lend them to people on the Sacred Kingdom side. The point was to talk up the rune gear made in the Nation of Darkness by telling the people of the Sacred Kingdom wowed by the items’ power that they were finished products.

That was the other reason he had lent Neia the bow.

He thought the people who saw it would all want to borrow gear from him.

Alas…

Ainz cradled his head. Why doesn’t anyone ask me to borrow gear…? That bow is so flashy. I was sure it would catch people’s attention… Should I have forced her to go fight on the front lines with it…?

Just then, Ainz jumped. There had been a knock on his door that caught him off guard.

He swiftly checked for wrinkles in his clothes. After putting the sword away in extra-dimensional space, he clasped his hands behind his back in a ruler-like pose and called loudly toward the door. “Who is it?”

“Your Majesty, may I come in?”

From the other side of the door, it was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. Normally, he would ask for a name, but Demiurge had let him know ahead of time to expect someone, so he allowed the person to come in. “Sure, come on in.”

Once the person entered the room, they shape-shifted.

They had a head like an egg, and their eyes and mouth were like cutout holes. Three slender, inchworm-like fingers extended from each hand.

It was a doppelgänger.

Demiurge had asked to borrow one.

As monsters go, doppelgängers weren’t very strong.

Even when transforming, they could only copy powers up to around level 40, so they ended up weaker than they were in their natural forms. Their most impressive power was probably their ability to use weapons with lots of conditions, such as those that required karma points. Still, they couldn’t use legacy-tier or higher gear.

The creature looked at Ainz with wide eyes and then bowed.

“I’m terribly sorry for the disrespect, Lord Ainz. I hope you’ll have mercy on me.”

“Don’t worry about it. You only did your job. I have no complaints about that.”

“I’m not worthy of your grace.”

Ainz glanced toward the door. “Aren’t you extremely busy right now? Being in charge of a lot of different things must be tough. And is there someone outside the door? If so, we need to lower our voices.”

“It’s all right. When I told everyone I was going alone because I was going to see you, no one objected.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” said the doppelgänger. But they probably still needed to exercise some caution. “So, Lord Ainz, what should I do?”

“About what?” he said, but actually, he knew why the doppelgänger had come.

In fact, he was supposed to tell the doppelgänger—yes, about the people who worshipped him.

“Do excuse me. I’ve come regarding the matter of who should be spared, of who is loyal to you.”

“Hmm…” Ainz nodded benevolently and began walking.

Naturally, he didn’t leave the room. He merely paced around it. He was sure that the eyes of the doppelgänger were following him, though it was impossible to tell by looking at what they were focused on. That said, it would be frightening if they weren’t looking at him.

There wasn’t much time. Thinking frantically, Ainz froze.

He wasn’t sure if he had arrived at the right answer. But he had no clue about how he could fudge this.

If he were human, his heart probably would have been obnoxiously loud, but in this body, he didn’t have any pounding organs.

As intense emotions welled up and were automatically suppressed, leaving only smaller waves to press in on him, Ainz finally answered the doppelgänger.

“Right. I’ll be honest. There’s no one we need to save. Thin them out as needed.”