An Audience with the King
The riots stirred up by the underworld organizations didn’t take long to quell. Luina’s bow carried as much destructive force as its range, and the heads pierced by her arrows were obliterated completely—shattered beyond any hope of fragments or remains. That was why the soldiers who arrived late simply hauled away the corpses littering the streets, while the blood splashed across the pavement was scrubbed clean by mages who showed up even later.
It took barely three hours to restore the chaotic streets to order, broken buildings notwithstanding. After that, Luina and I gave our statements and a brief account of events, then calmed a bewildered Elia before securing lodging for the night.
The following day, after spending the night at our lodgings…
Knock, knock, knock───
Suddenly, someone rapped on the door of our room. The knock carried a refined cadence, suggesting the visitor had come on important business rather than anything untoward. I asked Luina and Elia to step back, threw on some light clothes, and opened the door.
Click───
“…Who is it?”
“A pleasure to meet you, Sir Kael. I bear a message from His Majesty the King.”
“Ah.”
The man standing in the hallway wore the formal uniform of a royal palace attendant. At the mention of a message from His Majesty, I let out a short sound of understanding. After all, I had already guessed this would happen the moment I handed over Benjamin and Sherda yesterday. There was no need to be surprised.
“An audience with the king, I take it?”
“Yes. His Majesty also commands that your daughter accompany Sir Kael and Lady Luina to the palace.”
“Our daughter as well…?”
“Indeed. His Majesty said, ‘They didn’t invite me to the wedding and denied me the chance to witness it, so let us meet this time instead.’”
I see. Picturing Arad’s face from the attendant’s words, I couldn’t help but snort with laughter. Even in his old age, the man was still so petty. He must have been slightly miffed that we held a quiet little ceremony among ourselves. On top of that, while he himself hadn’t been invited, his own son and the crown prince, Enoch, had been. Knowing Arad’s narrow-minded streak from our younger days, I was certain he was sulking.
“Very well. We’ll enter the palace today, then.”
“His Majesty requests your presence by three o’clock this afternoon. We will make the necessary preparations, Sir Kael.”
The attendant bowed deeply in gratitude for my ready acceptance and withdrew. Watching his retreating figure descend the stairs, I muttered to myself with a small sigh.
“Looks like I’ll need to stop by the house first.”
If we were going to see Arad, I had to fetch our family’s formal attire. I closed the wide-open door, already running through the bare minimum court etiquette I would need to teach Elia. It was eight in the morning, the sun just beginning to rise. We still had plenty of time.
After returning home to gather the formal clothes, giving Elia a quick lesson in palace etiquette, sharing a meal, and spending a pleasant stretch of time together as a family along the streets of the royal capital, the appointed hour arrived before we knew it.
Luina and I each took one of Elia’s hands and made our way toward the royal palace at the heart of the Shardena Kingdom, where Arad awaited us.
Clack───
“Pardon me. May I ask you to identify yourselves?”
As we approached the palace gates, a halberd shaft dropped in front of us. Luina and I pulled off the robes that had been covering our upper bodies. The soldiers’ eyes widened slightly at our revealed faces, but they must have been accustomed to high-ranking visitors. They quickly schooled their expressions.
“Identities confirmed. Welcome, Sir Kael, Lady Luina, and Lady Elia.”
“You may proceed inside.”
Swoosh───
The halberd that had barred our path lifted once more. On the now-clear path, Luina and I took Elia’s hands again and stepped forward. Past the entrance and into the palace gardens. Perhaps because it was spring, the fully bloomed flowers filled the air with sweet fragrance that tickled our noses.
“It’s been a while for me here too. Almost four years, I think?”
“Really? You came a few times after the war ended?”
“There were occasional matters to discuss with the kingdom, so I visited as an envoy myself. I stopped by twice, if I remember correctly.”
“My last visit was right after the war, so it’s already been eight years for me.”
The last time I had entered the palace was eight years ago, immediately after the war ended. This visit, then, marked my first audience and palace visit in a full eight years.
Thanks to my unaging body and the eternal life that came with it, my sense of time had grown hazy. Eight years didn’t feel particularly short or long to me. But when I considered that Elia had been a newborn back then and was now this grown, it suddenly felt like an enormous span of time.
Come to think of it, Elia…
The thought of my immortality and Elia’s growth naturally dredged up the dark worry I had kept buried deep in my chest—the knowledge that one day she would die before me.
No. I shouldn’t think about that.
I shook my head the moment the thought surfaced, forcing it back down. Elia was only eight years old. She still had a long life ahead of her, and no one could predict how the world might change. My job was simply to live and act for her sake. What kind of pathetic father would I be if I let gloomy thoughts ruin the memories I should be making with a daughter who loved us so openly?
Pushing the dark notion back into the depths where it belonged, I stepped past the garden and into the palace proper—the main hall. We were greeted by a formation of knights in gleaming armor.
Clack, clack───!
““Welcome. We sincerely rejoice at your visit to the royal palace.””
The two knights standing at the front placed their hands over their hearts and offered crisp salutes. Then the knight positioned directly before us, facing us squarely, did the same.
Clack───!
“I will guide you from here, Sir Kael, Lady Luina, Lady Elia.”
It was Zenle, wearing a faintly mischievous smile.
“Eh…?! Master!”
Elia’s eyes flew wide in surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected to see Zenle here. Zenle answered her call with a slight crinkle of her eyes in a hidden smile.
But the moment passed quickly. Realizing she was on official duty, Zenle wiped the playful expression from her face and returned to her usual blank mask. She bowed to us.
“You may leave your belongings and weapons with our knight order. I will escort you to the audience chamber afterward.”
Luina and I handed over our robes, my sword, and the World Tree branch to the knights on either side. Elia gave them her robe as well. The two knights stepped aside to clear the path, and Zenle took the lead.
“This way. His Majesty is waiting.”
Of course, the knight commander had always handled royal audiences like this, but after eight years I had forgotten. It seemed Luina had too. That was why Zenle’s sudden appearance had caught us off guard—and exactly why she had allowed herself that mischievous little smile earlier.
Somehow it feels a bit annoying.
Maybe it was because we had spent three years together. She had grown far more comfortable with us, and it made her seem cheeky. Or maybe that was just my imagination. I decided I would tease her properly later if the chance arose, and continued following Zenle down the corridor.
At last we reached an enormous door. At Zenle’s signal, the guards on either side seized the handles and pushed. The door—easily five meters tall—opened with a deep, resounding groan.
Rumble rumble rumble───
Once it stood fully open, the long audience chamber stretched before us. At its far end sat Arad, the king, now well into his later years, upon the throne. Flanking him on both sides stood long lines of knights. We followed Zenle inside.
“Your Majesty, I have brought all those scheduled for today’s audience.”
“Mm.”
At Arad’s casual wave, Zenle walked briskly to stand directly behind the throne. Arad then looked at us and issued orders to the knights behind him, excluding Zenle.
“All knights in the audience chamber except the commander—leave your posts.”
“““As you command.”””
The knights turned one by one, starting from the rear, and filed out through the still-open door. Once they had gone, the only person remaining besides us was Zenle, who both knew us well and served as Arad’s personal guard.
Only then did Arad rise from his throne, where he had been sitting with solemn dignity. His face broke into a wide grin.
“Ahaha! Sir Kael, Lady Luina! It has been far too long!”
Even though this was a meeting between the king and two ordinary citizens, Arad raised his voice in warm greeting. To anyone else it would have been an unthinkable breach of protocol, war heroes or not. Behind the throne, Zenle’s eyes widened into perfect circles.
It made sense. She had only become knight commander seven years ago—well after the Human-Demon War ended. When Luina had her audience four years earlier, it had been a formal occasion with other officials present, so she had never witnessed this side of the king. And my own last visit had been eight years ago. In other words, Zenle still had no idea what kind of relationship existed between Arad and me.
Her stunned reaction felt like sweet payback for her earlier cheekiness. I simply smiled and returned Arad’s greeting without comment.
“Hey, it’s been a while, Arad. Eight years?”
“Indeed. Eight years may feel short to you, Sir Kael, but for someone like me it is quite a long time. I am hurt that you never visited even once, and that you did not invite me to your wedding…”
“It couldn’t be helped,” Luina said. “Neither Kael nor I wanted the wedding to turn into a spectacle. Enoch could slip away quietly, but you could not, Your Majesty.”
“Still, disappointment is disappointment, Lady Luina… But never mind that. Is this lovely child your daughter, Lady Elia?”
As expected, Arad expressed his grievance about the wedding while gazing at Elia with open fondness. Though she looked momentarily flustered, Elia politely bowed exactly as I had taught her.
“This subject of the kingdom, Elia, greets Your Majesty the King…!”
“Oh ho ho! How wonderfully polite! You seem even better-mannered than our princess was at that age. There is no need to be so formal, child. Do not think of me as the king. Simply consider me the friendly grandfather who lives next door.”
The same man who had carried the full weight of royal dignity moments earlier now chuckled warmly, looking every bit the kindly old man from next door. He had put on quite a bit of weight since his muscular youth, and his belly was now generously rounded. It seemed that as the time to pass on the throne drew near, he had learned to set aside kingly solemnity. To me, however, he still looked like the same immature Arad from the old days. I couldn’t suppress a sigh.
“Good grief… Aren’t you completely destroying the kingly image for our daughter?”
“By the time she grows up, Enoch will already be the next king, so it should be fine. When that day comes, I will visit you often in person as well, Sir Kael.”
“No thank you. I don’t need a troublesome guest like you.”
Even after stepping down from the throne he would still travel with an entourage. The mere thought of frequent visits made me shudder, and I waved my hands hurriedly in refusal.
As we laughed and chatted together in such warm harmony, I caught sight of one particular figure in the corner of my vision.
“……???”
Zenle stood there with her mouth hanging open in the most idiotic expression. I burst into silent laughter.