The Knight's Unwavering Loyalty
“Commander! It’s been far too long!”
“Secretary Lusteria servie Avenoah, it has indeed been a long time. I am relieved to see you unharmed.”
“I’ve always told you it’s fine to call me by my name… No matter how much time passes, you never change!”
After exchanging light greetings with Lusteria, Crawford turned his gaze back to Neromeltia. She reached down and personally helped him to his feet as he knelt on one knee. Though tall for a woman, Neromeltia found herself looking up at Crawford once he stood. The sight filled her with deep satisfaction. He was a knight whose very presence inspired strength and trust.
“You have endured much. Thank you for protecting my people.”
“I merely performed the duty of a knight. If anything, I am a defeated commander who failed to protect my liege. Rather than praise, I deserve punishment.”
“There will be no such thing. Excessive self-reproach and humility from a vassal only burdens me.”
Crawford offered a gentle smile as he looked down at his sovereign. He had always believed her to be kind, merciful, and warm-hearted. Even if she had returned after a thousand years only to rebuke him harshly or even take his head, he had been prepared to accept it with humility. Though betrayal among key figures had occurred, a knight who failed to anticipate and guard against it had no excuse. The slaughter of his people, their enslavement, and the burning of the nation were unforgivable failures. As long as he lived while his liege had met death, he deserved to offer his neck without protest. At least, that was how he saw it.
Yet his sovereign forgave everything and calmly acknowledged his merits. Not a single word of reproach left her lips. Instead, after her resurrection, she had come to find him rather than the other way around. Even after a thousand years, she had not forgotten him. She had accepted and forgiven a defeated commander who had only watched his nation fall. Crawford thought himself a fortunate knight to serve such a ruler.
“O benevolent Demon Lord. The grace you have shown this unworthy one shall be repaid with loyalty until my final breath.”
“You have already been doing so, have you not? Hehe.”
After bowing once more to reaffirm his fealty, Crawford gestured respectfully for his liege to proceed. At his old-fashioned invitation, Neromeltia and Lusteria naturally followed the direction he indicated.
“Welcome to Under Barkus, my lord.”
Before long, a massive stone wall appeared before the group. It seemed to have been built from fragments of stalactites, and given how unnaturally large the formations in this cavern were, the existence of such a barrier made perfect sense. Watchtowers lined the top of the wall, and guards stood watch with crudely fashioned stone spears—also carved from stalactite fragments.
“So only the two of you arrived. I assumed you would be accompanied by the forward scouts.”
“They were so terrified by the Demon Lord’s Luina that they collapsed on the spot. Isn’t that right, Demon Lord?”
“Uh… well, yes, that’s what happened.”
“I, too, sensed the Luina and realized my liege had returned. In that moment, everyone in Under Barkus capable of detecting Luina saw hope.”
Crawford listened attentively to Lusteria’s account of their journey into the cavern. Though his demeanor remained impeccably courteous, his eyes suddenly turned sharp and menacing.
“That aside… not only did they fail to recognize their own sovereign, but they also collapsed without mounting a proper defense against an intruder’s presence… It seems my training was far too lenient……”
“Go easy on them, Crawford… Hm? ……. …You understand, right?”
If Crawford wore that expression, the individuals in question were as good as dead. A thousand years ago, he had been an exceptionally strict commander, a figure of terror to his subordinates. After suffering a devastating defeat and spending a millennium in hiding, his intensity had only grown worse. Failing to recognize their liege was already unforgivable, but being so overwhelmed by someone they had labeled an intruder that they collapsed outright was something he could never tolerate. For an instant, killing intent flashed in his eyes.
“Those boys weren’t even born when I was still alive, and they clearly lacked the ability to sense Luina. It’s no fault of theirs that they didn’t recognize me. Besides, one of them even managed to swing a sword at me. He risked his life to press a blade against my neck—that courage deserves praise! Calm your anger, Crawford! The knights you trained were brave!”
“Grrk… To think a blade reached my liege’s precious neck…!!!”
Neromeltia belatedly realized that if she hadn’t defended them, Crawford’s fury might not have escalated this far—but it was already too late. She could only silently wish the four Black Knights luck as they faced Crawford’s hellish training.
“Hahaha…… Look over here! Tomatoes and potatoes are growing! Wow, there’s even corn!”
Lusteria forced an awkward laugh and changed the subject to soothe Crawford’s smoldering rage, which would have erupted had Neromeltia not been present. Though it was a desperate improvisation, she was genuinely impressed by the farmland. Beyond the stalactite wall’s entrance lay an impressively vast agricultural field. It was astonishing that such a variety of crops could be grown in large quantities within this deep, sunless underground cavern.
“Ah, did you see the sand fleas at the coastal cliff entrance?”
“Yes! They were absolutely horrifying and disgusting! Ugh… I still get chills just thinking about them!”
“Those swarms of sand fleas were deliberately placed there. It was a precaution to make anyone who discovered the hidden entrance think, ‘There’s no way survivors would be in a place like this.’ As this story implies, we never venture outside unless absolutely necessary. That’s why obtaining food from the surface was impossible.”
The scale of the facilities suggested a considerable number of survivors. Gathering enough food from outside to feed them all would have required constant coming and going—far too risky, as it would inevitably lead to discovery.
“That is why we gathered those among the survivors who could use magic and had them create an artificial sun using Sun Creation magic to grow crops.”
“Creating a sun alone wouldn’t have been enough.”
“We dug mines by hollowing out the cavern interior to secure soil. We also located underground water veins to secure a water source.”
Hearing Crawford’s straightforward explanation, Neromeltia felt one of the burdens in her heart lift. While in the Underworld, she had often worried whether any survivors of Hemonigent remained. After her resurrection and learning of Terraris’s situation from Lusteria, she had been pained by the thought of survivors enduring starvation and suffering. She had felt ashamed to face her people who had hidden for a thousand years while fighting hunger. Yet contrary to her fears, they did not appear to be suffering from famine or raids by the Humian army.
Seeing the color return to Neromeltia’s cheeks, Crawford immediately understood what worries she had carried and offered more details to ease her mind.
“We also have livestock. The refugees brought a few cattle, pigs, and chickens. We fed them agricultural byproducts like crop roots and straw, and supplemented their feed with surplus grain. We even have sheep and goats, from which we make alcohol and cheese from their milk, and we weave their wool into clothing.”
Neromeltia’s expression brightened further as she listened. Though the fall of Hemonigent and everything that followed was in no way her fault, her position as Demon Lord above her people had instilled in her a sense of debt. She had never shown it outwardly, but the thorn lodged deep in her heart had tormented her for a thousand years. Crawford saw this as his first duty upon reuniting with his liege after a millennium. He strove to show her that they had been living healthily. He wanted to ensure she would never again have cause to blame herself or feel pain. He believed the fall of Hemonigent was his own fault alone—for failing to detect the surprise attack and betrayal as the knight responsible for defending the capital and the nation. While he had protected and led the refugees, his liege had remained alone in the Demon Lord’s castle, expending every last ounce of power to erect a magical barrier and holding back the enemy until her final breath. She had willingly sacrificed herself to protect Hemonigent’s people. With that in mind, it must never happen that his sovereign blamed herself. No matter what, he could not bear to see such a benevolent liege suffer heartache. Crawford never exaggerated or fabricated reports, but he continually emphasized that the people had survived safely while recounting the facts. Their conversation continued until they reached Crawford’s residence at the center of Under Barkus.