172 – Return (4)
When I first met the king, my first impression was not that good.
The subject, who looked much younger than me, smoked a cigar and maintained a crooked posture.
It was like watching a juvenile delinquent out of his prime.
However, the king who appeared before me had a different impression.
The cigar in his mouth disappeared, his posture was straight, and his eyes were dead.
“Don’t be too surprised. “I just came here because I wanted to meet you alone.”
And the tone of voice addressed to me was quite calm.
No, the tone was lowered to the point where it could be said to be a little weak.
“Why did the King allow me…”
“Because there are many things I want to know about you.”
The king’s attitude was clearly too contrived.
Obviously, his tone and attitude were crooked and bad.
In fact, he could not say anything to the subjects around him and only watched them.
According to common sense, even if a much younger girl were to leave the house, how much would she weigh?
A little while ago, I could tell that everything he showed at the investiture ceremony was an act.
“It’s just you and me here.”
“…”
“I promise on the king’s honor. “No matter what you say, I will never reveal it.”
“Do you want something from me?”
“…To be honest, yes.”
The reason why you came to see me in a place where no one was around.
It was clearly to say something that other people should not hear.
“You are a hero.”
“This is too much praise. “More than me, my colleagues…”
“There must be a reason why such colleagues follow you and join you.”
Contrary to the king’s expectations, I was not a great person.
But that is just my position.
From my opponent’s perspective, I am a hero who defeated two of the Four Blades.
He is one of the most powerful people in the world.
Therefore, there are people who respect and envy me, but there are also people who are afraid of me.
“Can you answer my question honestly?”
“…I’m listening.”
The king is much shorter than me and looks up at me.
As of now, she was just a young girl, not the monarch of a country.
Her strangely shriveled body and trembling voice represented her feelings.
“Tell me what you think of me.”
“The King is a pillar of the kingdom…”
“That’s not the question I meant to ask.”
The king approaches me step by step.
Then he carefully reached out his hand and grabbed my forearm.
“I want to know what you think of me…”
When the hard and cold mask was broken, the delicate true feelings that were hidden were revealed.
The weak inner self that he had to hide as the king of a country.
But he was showing his sincerity to me.
Am I that afraid, or are they placing expectations on me?
“I also know the rumors about the King.”
“…”
“But the king is completely different from what the rumors say.”
Unless she is an idiot, she probably knows the bad rumors about herself.
A female who enjoys sodomy and is arbitrarily indecisive.
But the woman in front of me didn’t look like that at all.
If she is a person with a good head.
The men by her side are trustworthy allies.
His unruly personality may be due to the fact that he is walking the tightrope in a battle of conflict with a traitor.
Therefore, from the king’s point of view, the existence of me is.
It was both a crisis and an opportunity that I had never faced before.
‘So you came to see me in person?’
I was able to roughly understand the situation.
To understand my intentions and ask for help.
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Without anyone knowing, the king came to me in person.
What would happen if I kicked her out?
Will the dozens of men waiting outside attack me right now?
Or will you just give up and let me go?
“What do you think of Jim…?”
“I definitely think he is a great monarch.”
“…If what you say is sincere, I would like to ask you one favor.”
The hand that was still holding my forearm slowly came down.
When I finally reached the back of my hand, I could feel its cold body temperature.
“Be a knight for me, not for the kingdom.”
How much did you think about it to tell me this?
While the king in the first episode was a truly incompetent man.
The king in front of me now looked quite different.
Is this also a change that occurred as the episode progressed? I couldn’t figure it out.
Of course, we cannot rashly conclude that she is her castle.
She still didn’t know if she was a good person, but she thought it would be a good idea to trust her for once.
“I want peace. And I think the King feels the same way.”
“If you do it for me, I will do my best to create a world for you.”
He carefully removed the King’s hand and knelt down on his knees.
Raising her head, she was finally in a position where she could look down at me.
“I swear. “I will be loyal to the King.”
“Thank you…”
When I showed my courtesy in front of her, I expressed my gratitude in a trembling voice.
And then she took out a long sword from the display case next to her.
He placed the blade on my shoulder.
“I will appoint you as knight commander.”
A completely different atmosphere from the throne room just a moment ago.
Even though it was just the two of us, we were finally able to hold a proper investiture ceremony.
“From now on, you will protect the kingdom as a knight for me.”
Not for her kingdom, but for her.
I was able to realize how big a responsibility these words create.
“Raise your head.”
As he raised his head as ordered, the king carefully held out the long sword he was holding with both hands.
A long sword made for the purpose of combat, not a sword made for decoration or ceremonial purposes.
I was able to recognize the identity of the knife at first sight.
“It is a long sword that has been given only to those personally recognized by the king throughout the royal family.”
Pure white blade and blue sheath.
It was the same weapon as the long sword that Erina had.
In the first episode, Erina was recognized as a hero and was given the title at the knight commander’s investiture ceremony.
In this episode, it came into my hands.
“If you don’t like it, you can take another weapon.”
“No. “I will accept it gratefully.”
When I received the sword directly from the king, I could feel the flow of magical power.
Ordinary weapons required magical power to be used to use skills.
This sword was emitting magical power on its own.
“Besides this, you can take any weapon you like.”
“Thank you.”
When I finally handed over the treasured sword, the king smiled and held my hand.
I was led by her hand to raise her body, and she wrapped my hand with both hands.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of getting you caught up in the nobles’ secret struggle.”
“…”
“Please subdue the demon lord. “That is the fate of a true warrior.”
I don’t know if her promise will be kept.
Still, I believed she wouldn’t lie to me.
“I have one last thing to tell you.”
“I’m listening.”
“Count Julia. “Keep it her secret.”
Because Julia’s abilities were outstanding, she was even given a noble title.
The king did not completely trust her.
“She is too ambitious. “She is definitely not someone who will be satisfied with being a noble.”
Honestly, that is true.
She trusted me and gave me full support, so she’s a mess.
If she had her pretender with her, she might have become a nuisance.
That’s why the king was on guard against Julia.
“If you have any wishes, I will do my best to help you.”
She said she would attach a messenger to secretly deliver her letter to the king.
Also, I will try to prevent pressure and conspiracies against me as much as possible.
He promised to provide full support to enable him to function externally as a warrior.
“Don’t worry, anything that Julia can’t do will be taken care of by Jim.”
The thing that made me most reluctant to become a warrior.
This is because I was bothered by the numerous pressures, criticisms, and demands coming from people around me.
It was welcome news that the King himself said he would resolve the matter.
However, I became bothered by a slightly different problem.
“I’m not saying you should pretend to be with Julia. “I also trust her abilities.”
“…”
“But, you are my own knight. “Always keep that in mind.”
With those last words, the king turned his back.
***
“Okay. “It looks like they brought it out as they pleased.”
Yulia smiled with satisfaction as she saw me come out with a considerable amount of weapons.
A long sword received directly from the king, a shield and leather armor selected from the armory.
In addition, she prepared all the weapons for her colleagues.
“Good job. “The opportunity to receive a gift from the King is rare.”
“Thank goodness. “I don’t think there will be any worries about weapons.”
As Shunella said, she even obtained a treasured sword that was close to her final equipment.
In fact, it could be said that most of the preparations to confront the devil were completed.
What remains are two of the Four Blades and the Demon King himself.
If you kill only three bosses, you can reach the ending.
‘Of course, Erina is the biggest problem.’
Although it wasn’t enough yet, it was slowly catching up with Erina.
If not only me, but also Kayla, Serica, and Tyria gathered together.
I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be defeated even if I faced Erina.
Of course, we must do our best to prevent such a situation from happening.
“Thank you for your hard work. Now, I will guide you to the mansion.”
“Yes. Let’s hurry.”
“For your information, you must give a speech in the square in the evening. “It would be better to prepare in advance.”
Although the investiture ceremony was completed at the royal palace, the schedule was not yet over.
Meeting people at the festival site and giving a speech.
It wasn’t very pleasant, but you have to do what you have to do.
“Yes. “Let’s go back quickly.”
Before that, I decided to take a breather in my new home.
Let’s head towards the mansion and away from the palace.
We were separated from the garrison that was protecting us, and we were left alone.
“So, how was the palace’s armory?”
“…It was much bigger than I thought. There were also gold coins and luxury goods piled up.”
Then, Julia’s expression subtly hardened.
Then she looked around and lowered her voice and said:
“Why on earth is there wealth piled up in the armory?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
“How many people are starving to death because they don’t have money right now?”
According to Julia, the economic situation of the kingdom has deteriorated rapidly.
It’s also because of the ongoing war with the Demon King’s army.
It is said that the recent heavy blow to the village of Helen was decisive.
The village, which was the center of the economy, was attacked and suffered numerous losses.
It is even said that numerous refugees were created.
“In the midst of all this, you are being extravagant. “I don’t like it.”
“Julia. “Please be careful what you say.”
Yulia kept her mouth shut when Schnella warned her.
The dissatisfied expression still did not subside.
Now that I think about it, hadn’t she spoken ill of the king before?
Of course, it was not a big problem because the rumors about her king were so vicious.
At least we could see that Julia did not trust the king.
In that sense, the king could be said to have an accurate understanding of Julia.
‘It’s a pain in the ass.’
As the number of people around us increased, the number of things to worry about also increased.