Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Even the Charismatic Knight Duke Has a Favorite
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A knight appeared in the Karognar territory.
The knight's helmet, uniform, and cape formed an awkward ensemble that should have looked out of place.
But the aura emanating from the man wearing it overcame that awkwardness entirely.
"Who's that guy?"
"No idea. Never seen that style before."
Amid the stares of the crowd, the knight—Duke—felt immensely pleased.
"Hm."
'I do look pretty cool.'
It was a frivolous inner thought that didn't match his appearance at all.
Duke straightened his attire and checked the time.
'A bit early to meet up with Rex.'
In the original story, there was a description of him entering during the day and coming out around sunset.
He had thought the author just wanted to set the mood with the sunset, but now that it was reality, there was a good reason for it.
'Finding someone in a slave caravan is a total pain.'
As the wandering knight Duke searched for a missing child, he realized something.
Finding people in slave caravans was an utter grind.
From experience, many had broken spirits and wouldn't even respond to their names, and others had faces so changed they were unrecognizable.
Above all, slave traders lacked any professional pride(?), so asking if they had someone yielded nothing but shrugs.
And since Rex didn't know the name or appearance—only the shoes—he had to identify A that way, so entering in the morning and leaving in the evening wasn't unreasonable.
'Anyway, I've got a lot of time left.'
Checking the time now, he needed to allow about three hours to find A.
'Where should I kill time?'
That was when it happened.
Gurgle.
'Oh, right. I skipped lunch.'
Duke had been so engrossed in gearing up that he'd completely forgotten about lunch.
A simple sandwich crossed his mind for a moment...
'Argh. But that's lame.'
Sitting at the plaza fountain in this outfit, munching a sandwich? Way too casual.
He considered a restaurant, but the menu was the problem.
'Ah, I never thought about what to order in what persona...!'
To not have planned that out over 200 years...!
Originally, he planned to settle in some mansion, hire a personal chef, dismiss all the servants, and eat alone in his room.
That would enhance the mystique.
But he hadn't planned for this transitional period before settling down.
'Ugh... What a blunder...!'
Did the charismatic final bosses in the story calculate even this?
Duke felt awe rising within him.
Just then, a woman's voice called out from behind him.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps Sir Awik?"
At the voice addressing him, Duke instinctively brought his hand to his helmet.
'Huh. I'm clearly wearing a different helmet.'
The wandering knight Duke Awik was symbolized by battered armor and a red cockscomb-like plume.
In contrast, Rex's knight Duke Awik looked far more refined and imposing.
'How'd she recognize me?'
Plus, he clearly remembered the blacksmith saying the helmet had a mild perception-obscuring function.
'Did that blacksmith scam me?'
As his thoughts reached that point, Duke inwardly cursed the blacksmith, who was probably fighting a fierce defense war for different reasons.
But no use dwelling on it now.
Resigned, he turned toward the woman who had spoken to him.
The first things he saw were the headpieces and hats of what looked like her escort knights.
Duke was quite tall for a human.
Lowering his gaze a bit more, he saw the crown of the head of the woman who had called him.
A blue hair ribbon stood out amid her black hair.
Lower still, and snow-white skin peeked through her locks.
Just confirming that made Duke's heart pound wildly.
'No way...'
He lowered his head further.
And met her eyes.
Beautiful black irises reminiscent of obsidian met his gaze.
'Ah...'
For the first time, Duke's role-play began to waver.
As Duke suppressed the cheer rising from his dantian depths, the woman confirmed his face and...
"Sorry, your mana felt similar to someone I know..."
"It's Duke."
"Pardon?"
"I don't know you, but yes, I'm Duke Awik. And who might you be?"
The woman bowed gracefully toward Duke, maintaining her poise.
"Sorry again for addressing you so suddenly. My name is..."
'Yu Hana.'
Duke instinctively held back the name that almost slipped out.
Fortunately, he didn't interrupt her.
"...Yu Hana. I'm the lord of a neighboring territory to this one. I'm here on business and happened to run into you, Sir."
Behind his helmet, Duke bit his lower lip, overwhelmed with emotion.
'Oh, heavens. I don't usually believe in you, but thank you today.'
He was so moved he thanked the skies he usually ignored.
And for good reason—Hana was his favorite.
'Yu Hana.'
She was the first in this world to show that Rex's dream could become reality.
In a world where people killed territory folk, friends, even family to climb realms amid karmic backlash,
she proved to Rex that everyone could ascend together without such methods.
In short, she was Rex's senior, mentor, and spiritual pillar.
'Thanks to you, Rex kept his humanity to the end.'
Her precedent allowed Rex to reject realm ascension through evil deeds until the novel's conclusion.
Thus, her presence lingered throughout the story, and Duke liked her the most.
But she wasn't Rex's heroine.
Duke barely maintained his RP, which felt ready to shatter before his favorite, and nodded.
"Hana... In the Eastern Ten-Nation Alliance, doesn't that mean 'the foremost'? Correct?"
What Duke meant as a stiff nod from tension looked slightly arrogant due to the helmet.
Hana's escort knights showed faint displeasure at his demeanor.
But in contrast to her escorts, Hana seemed pleased.
As if Duke respected her homeland's culture.
Her escorts missed the shift in her mood, but oddly, Duke sensed her state perfectly despite it being their first meeting.
'She looks happy.'
He didn't know why, but facing his favorite character's joy lifted Duke's spirits too.
However, Duke couldn't just bask in happiness.
He knew her fate.
'Hana doesn't end up with anyone.'
She had taught Rex about good deeds and justice.
Shown that consistent training and effort could make one strong without evil,
proven rule by law and justice amid lords who defaulted to exploitation and human sacrifice,
and demonstrated welfare—a foreign concept here—could let everyone prosper.
Yet strangely, no flags ever flew between her and Rex.
And the reason was revealed early in the novel.
Because she... ultimately took her own life.
For her territory folk, no less.
Yu Hana died early in the novel due to her karma.
In this world themed around karma and heavenly punishment, she committed an act unforgivable even by its grim standards.
An absolute taboo, even when exploitation and murder were seen as necessary evils for realm ascension.
Cannibalism/human sacrifice.
She broke that worst taboo.
Of course, she had dire circumstances.
Early in the story, her territory was invaded, plagued by beast hordes and epidemics—a string of misfortunes requiring urgent power.
In the end, she resolved with her knights and devoured them as her shadows.
The power from eating her knights was overwhelming.
'Cannibalism is undeniably effective for realm ascension.'
No wonder demonic races like orcs and goblins grew so fast.
Cannibalism yielded far greater realm gains than mere killing.
But the karma piled up was incomparable.
Even in this world, where stacking realms faster to endure karma was trendy, cannibalism wasn't recommended.
It tanked karma values beyond any cost-benefit.
'That's why humanity dominates the earth, not cannibalistic monsters.'
Hence the taboo.
'But Hana knowingly broke it.'
To protect her beloved territory.
And after defending it, she faced curses galore.
Territory folk feared greater famines due to her, zealots condemned her shamelessly.
In the end, fearing her karma would doom the territory, she took her own life.
Or maybe karma wasn't the issue.
Perhaps guilt toward her subordinates, betrayal toward her folk, and emptiness proved too much.
"Please protect this beautiful land of Sneria."
She left that plea to Rex and ended her life.
Afterward, Rex started from this very territory but made her inherited Sneria his base.
Sneria ultimately became the empire's capital, a great honor,
but her story was a sad ending.
"Sorry for this one-sided request."
He recalled her sad smile as she slit her own throat at the end.
And that sad smile overlapped with her current faint smile.
He shook his head and returned to reality.
She was still alive.
And he had enough knowledge and power to change that tragic future.
She was diligent but couldn't escape medieval knowledge and common sense.
She had leadership and diligence, but lacked politics and power, leading to tragedy.
Fortunately, this worldline didn't need to repeat it.
No need to be gloomy now.
He continued the conversation with the Hana before him.
"Sorry, but I don't recall you."
He had no idea why she recognized him.
So he asked.
He didn't want layers of misunderstandings piling up.
Fortunately, she wasn't offended by the question.
"That makes sense. When we were on the same battlefield as you, Sir Duke, I was just one resistance army officer."
'Uh. No way...'
Cold sweat poured from under his helmet.
She whispered without giving him time.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you, Lord Opfir."
Oh god.
We decided to change locations.
She led me to a restaurant, and I naturally followed her to a private room.
"I'll speak with Sir Duke alone, so wait outside."
Her voice brimmed with charisma, contrasting the sweet tone she used with me.
'Sis is so cool.'
As expected from the Queen Hana I knew.
As I inwardly clapped, her escorts protested.
"Lady Sneria!!"
At that, I realized one fact.
Right, her given name was Sneria.
Coming from the East, she had a unique naming system.
Her registry name (hard to use officially): Hwi
The name used in society after adulthood: Ja
And the self-given nickname: Ho
(It's a bit more nuanced, but roughly that.)
In society, use Ja; closer friends use Ho.
And only...
'Family or true close ones can use Hwi.'
Beyond not being allowed, they often didn't reveal it.
Using it without closeness was a challenge to duel.
'But why with me...?'
Did she introduce herself with Hwi??
While I puzzled, she debated with her knights.
Their arguments varied but boiled down to:
- Being alone with this crazy monster bastard. Too dangerous.
My mood soured slightly yet improved.
Pleased their insight pierced my realm,
but annoyed they'd seen through my "disguise."
'Am I actually bad at acting?'
Past as Opfir exposed, realm exposed.
Despite 200 years of solid identity laundering, was I just in my own Truman Show? Gloomy thoughts leaked, affecting the atmosphere enough to make it heavy.
Somehow misreading that, the knights flinched.
Some saw it as a threat and reached for weapons.
Then Hana stopped them.
"If he wanted to kill me, you lot wouldn't matter."
"..."
"And he's not the type anyway."
No, Queen, why say it like that? It'll hurt their feelings.
Separate from that, I felt good.
Being acknowledged by her.
As I subtly swelled with pride, the knights seemed convinced and withdrew.
In the end, only she and I remained in the restaurant room.
After sending out the knights, she closed the door.
She wrapped the room in her specialty shadow magic for perfect soundproofing, then spoke.
"Um... actually, it's..."
"???"
Her demeanor shifted the moment the knights left.
Where was the diligent, perfect queen I knew? A shy girl stood there.
She fidgeted with her fingers.
'Damn...'
She's cute.
My hand itched uncontrollably to pat her head.
Even though she was tall for a woman—up to my chest—it made her cuteness explode.
'Snap out of it. Why keep breaking RP?'
As I lost my composure to her, she finally got to the point.
"Could I maybe... just shake your hand once...?"
Hearing that line, I was certain.
'Oh, heavens.'
200 years living for the ruthless, charismatic final boss.
If all that hardship was for this moment, it was worth repeating again.