Chapter 37
Chapter 37
The knight stared at the white door beyond, lost in thought.
It had been a worthy end, one earned by protecting the final legacy of his former lord.
But claiming he had no regrets would have been a lie.
He could not stop thinking about his wife, who would surely be drowning in grief. He worried about the young lord who would now shoulder his burdens without a trusted vassal to lean on.
When he thought of his children and even the retainers he had barely finished teaching, he wondered whether it was truly the right time to close his eyes forever.
"...There is no helping it."
Even so, when all was said and done, he was an old man who should have retired long ago.
There were still things left undone, but fate had pushed him toward death. There was no room left for choice.
The dead stepped aside, and the future belonged to the living.
Unless they were the people of the territory themselves, no one would even know he had died. For a while, at least, no warlords would dare march on Bellark.
"I can only trust the younger generation."
In that sense, this ending was not so bad.
He had managed to buy enough time for the retainers to grow.
And even if unexpected troubles arose before then, neither his wife nor his children would ever abandon Bellark.
"...My lord."
And it was not as though he felt only regret.
He had fulfilled his duty as a knight until the very end.
Now, he even had the honor of standing beside his former lord once more.
"If it would not be considered disrespectful, may I dare voice a personal wish?"
This time, it was Raden von Bellark who nodded.
The former king lightly shook his head, granting his vassal permission to speak.
"If I could serve you once more, it would be the greatest joy of my life."
With the clatter of metal armor, the knight knelt.
"Would you please grant me that honor?"
This, too, was a habit and custom that had existed for decades.
The knight regretted that he had failed to protect his lord's final moments. At the very least, he wished to stand at his side in the afterlife.
Thinking about it, there was no reason for a king to refuse such a vow.
It was the pledge of a loyal and dependable knight.
After all, standing beside his lord had once been as natural to him as breathing.
Moreover, Raden was a kind man.
He would never reject the plea of a younger brother he had cherished for so long.
Sir Lekun had no doubt of that, which was why he knelt without hesitation.
Yet strangely enough—
< ... >
The King of Bellark showed no reaction.
Instead, he turned his back on his vassal and began walking toward the white door.
"...?"
The knight frowned in confusion.
This was unlike him.
His lord should either answer the request or scold him for failing to protect him in his final moments.
Such a cold response felt unfamiliar.
"Your Majesty...?"
The man simply stood before the door and stared at him.
It was hard to believe that this was the same person who had been talking nonstop just moments ago.
The sight of that talkative man's lips pressed firmly shut felt deeply unnatural.
< Hmm... >
Ignoring the knight's confusion entirely, his lord sank into thought before finally speaking.
< How are Eden and Selene doing? >
It was strange that his lord was pretending not to hear the vow.
Still, a vassal could hardly ignore a question from his master.
"Very well, Your Majesty. Especially your bloodline. He has grown into an extraordinary young man."
The knight simply assumed he was not the only one who still held attachments to the world of the living.
"Recently, he even solved a water-quality problem that renowned scholars had failed to resolve."
And somehow, praising the young lord felt no different from praising one of his own children.
< Good. That is truly a relief. >
It is all thanks to you. I sincerely thank you.
The king murmured his gratitude quietly, almost as if speaking to himself.
That, at least, sounded like the Raden he remembered.
The king clasped his hands behind his back and once again wandered near the white door.
< But you know... >
Watching him, Sir Lekun tilted his head.
What exactly was his lord trying to do?
Had he gone mad from spending endless time alone in this place?
The old knight's bewilderment gradually turned into concern.
< Lekun... you seem to have arrived sooner than expected. >
"...What kind of joke are you trying to make?"
There were countless reasons for the knight to feel deflated by those words.
"I have already reached an advanced age. Perhaps I still look like a fledgling from your perspective, but I am at an age where death could come at any moment."
Unlike this man, who had surpassed even the realm of Master Knights.
Unlike beings akin to vampires.
He was merely an ordinary human.
Considering his unremarkable origins, reaching his current level through sheer determination alone was already a miracle.
< I see. So much time has already passed. >
The ruler tapped his finger against the ground as though idly passing time.
For some reason, it almost felt as though he was deliberately avoiding the knight's vow.
< Yet Bellark's Champion was never the sort of man who would fall so easily. Are you not the warrior who crossed the border and slaughtered thousands of barbarians alone? >
The knight could not tell whether it was praise or mockery.
"I did my best. But I suppose even determination cannot defeat age forever."
Still, Sir Lekun admitted his weakness without hesitation.
Now that he was dead, there was little point in clinging to meaningless pride.
Wounds that once healed after only a few days of rest had become burdensome.
His skin regenerated more slowly.
His bones creaked.
Even the flames of his aura had begun to fade.
The weakening of his body was simply a reality he could not deny.
< Forget everyone else. What about Selene? >
Cracks slowly formed in the old knight's composure.
He had answered every question faithfully, but his lord kept delaying any response to his vow and speaking of unrelated matters.
Frustration was beginning to build.
"I only feel sorry toward her. But Selene is still a very young elf. Rather than spending her life remembering an old short-lived man, perhaps she should meet another elf and begin anew."
< Your children—especially your eldest son—would never allow that. >
"I understand how they feel. But Selene's life belongs to Selene. I only wish for her to make the choice that will bring her the greatest happiness."
< Hmm. But is not her happiness found in you? That child never once looked at another man besides you. >
That much was true.
Since childhood, she had followed the orphan boy everywhere, endlessly calling him brother.
And though Sir Lekun had never been brave enough to show it, he had harbored feelings for the little elf even when they were both very young.
Even so, he had never dared reach for her hand.
He always wondered whether someone like him deserved such a beautiful and precious girl.
"...So."
One reason he had swung his sword to the point of exhaustion was to become his lord's blade.
But another reason was to become a man worthy of the elf he loved.
"What exactly are you asking of me?"
He was still a man.
Over the years, he had beaten down hundreds of scoundrels who sought his beloved.
It had been a difficult position to earn and an even harder one to protect.
"But some things simply cannot be helped."
What meaning did any of it have now?
"A dead man has no right to selfishly bind his partner to himself."
Boom!
His fist slammed into the formless ground with a thunderous impact.
"Your Majesty, why discuss a future that cannot be changed? Once you accept my vow and I pass through that door, everything will be over—"
For perhaps the first time in ages, genuine anger filled the knight's face.
His lord refused to acknowledge even his oath.
Worse, he had touched the deepest wound in his heart—the fact that he could not remain beside his wife until the end because of his short lifespan.
Regardless of his loyalty and respect, patience had never been one of the knight's strengths.
"To begin with, the only thing left for me now is..."
Part of it was the anxiety his lord's behavior stirred within him.
There was only one path left before him: to follow his lord and ascend.
Perhaps that anxiety acted as the spark.
...!?
Before the conversation could continue, a strange phenomenon unfolded before his eyes.
Raden von Bellark stood at the center.
On both sides of him, shimmering distortions slowly began taking human form.
"You are...?"
Among them, one figure stood out more than any other.
A woman standing directly beside the king.
Her abundant silver hair carried a faint blue hue.
Her lips were firmly pressed together.
Deep sorrow lingered at the corners of her eyes.
Yet despite that, she radiated the dignity of a mistress who seemed capable of embracing everything.
Even in death, the former lord's partner remained every bit the queen she had once been.
"...Your Majesty the Queen?"
Following her appearance, more familiar figures gradually revealed themselves.
"You all...?"
The people who had once wielded swords beneath the same banner.
The people who had designed the territory while carrying magical tools.
The people who had devoted every day of their lives to scholarship.
Their duties had differed, but they had all served the same lord.
His comrades.
And what truly shocked him was that not one of them reached out a hand toward him.
The knight thought it strange.
It felt as though his old companions were treating him as someone different from themselves.
Though in truth, they were different.
Unlike him, every one of them had shed blood for their ruler.
And until their final moments, they had remained at the king's side.