The Ex-Girlfriend with a Blade Stands Before the King
The royal guards leveled their spears in front of the main gate of the Black King Castle. The reason was simple: Kardia Noxbell had arrived with her sword strapped to her waist. And she hadn't come alone. Three soldiers from the eastern barracks were with her. One of them was Radin—the soldier who had trusted my Royal Decree and walked past the edge of Kardia’s blade.
“Surrender your weapon,” the gatekeeper said, his voice rigid. Honestly, I wanted to praise him. He hadn't even stuttered, despite the fact that his opponent was Kardia Noxbell. If it were me, I would have already drafted three versions of my last will and testament in my head.
Kardia looked at the gatekeeper. Or rather, she looked at the tip of his spear. “I keep my own sword.”
The guards tightened their grips. The air grew taut. I was sitting on my throne when I received the report.
“……She won’t surrender her sword?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Hermun replied.
I closed my eyes for a moment. Damn it. My ex-girlfriend, armed with a sword, had failed the security screening. Don't people usually meet their exes at a cafe? Isn't it normal to sit down with a cup of coffee, offer an awkward smile, and engage in the usual polite, fake-friendly banter like, “How have you been?” But why does my situation always come in a package deal with royal palaces, rebel soldiers, and attempted weapon smuggling? At this point, she’s not an ex-girlfriend; she’s a disaster alert.
Kardia Noxbell is approaching. Please evacuate the interior.
“Your Majesty,” Hermun said. “What shall you do?”
I pressed my fingertips together. I wanted to run away. Of course I wanted to run away. An ex-girlfriend with a sword is a literal existence. The word 'ex-girlfriend' is scary enough, but she’s actually carrying a blade. In the context of a web novel, this isn't a story of regret; it’s a horror story.
But I lifted my head. “Let the soldiers in first.”
“And Kardia Noxbell?”
“Let her follow.”
Hermun’s eyes flickered, just a fraction. “What about the sword?”
I thought for a moment. If I told Kardia to surrender her sword, a bloodbath might start right at the front gate. If I let her bring it in, my own neck might end up bleeding. Neither option was sane. I thought I was living in a real-life dating sim, but the penalty for failing the route is decapitation. The developer has a truly twisted personality.
“Station Barkan, the Captain of the Black Armor Guards, in the audience chamber.”
Hermun’s eyes moved again. “Barkan, you say?”
“Yes.” I pressed my fingertips together. “If Kardia Noxbell draws even half an inch of her blade, stop her.”
“Are you ordering me to kill her?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Do not strike first.”
Hermun didn’t answer immediately. That was even scarier. Telling him not to strike first ultimately meant that if it became necessary, he should strike.
Damn it. My life has become one where I have to deploy bodyguards before meeting an ex. At this point, it’s not a romance; it’s a counter-terrorism operation.
“Let her in on the condition that she does not draw her sword.”
“And if she refuses?”
“Then Kardia Noxbell has defied a Royal Decree.” I said it in a low voice. “In that case, Barkan will make the judgment.”
Hermun bowed his head. “As you command.”
A short time later, Kardia Noxbell entered the audience chamber, her sword still at her hip. She did not kneel. Her greeting was not deep. She bowed her head exactly once. By the standards of etiquette, it was lacking. As a provocation, it was sufficient. The guards on either side leveled their spears. Kardia didn't even pay them any mind. That woman had likely looked at more spear tips than human faces in her life. That was what made her even scarier.
Behind the spearmen, a man in black plate armor stepped forward. Barkan, Captain of the Black Armor Guards. He was one of the few in the Black King Castle who could block Kardia’s first strike right now. Of course, saying he could block it didn't mean nothing would happen. If Kardia drew her sword, Barkan would move. If Barkan moved, the guards would move. After that, the only thing left to decide was who would be the first to spill blood on the floor of the audience chamber.
Great. It wasn't a royal audience chamber; it was a high-end coliseum waiting room.
Radin and the two soldiers stood behind Kardia. Their faces were pale. I felt sorry for them. They had trusted the Royal Decree and come here, only to be caught like hostages in an ex-girlfriend confrontation event. Their lives were truly being screwed over by fate.
I didn't look at Kardia. I looked at Radin first. “Name.”
Radin knelt. “It is Radin, Your Majesty.” His voice was cracking.
“Did you lay down your weapons?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Did you register your names in the ledger?”
“Yes.”
I nodded. “Then you are not traitors.”
At that moment, Kardia opened her mouth. “Do you believe that a single word can erase a crime?”
The air in the chamber turned icy. Wow. That’s a brutal opening line for an ex. Isn't it usually, “It’s been a while”? She starts right off with, “Does your administrative action have any legal validity?” She wasn't a nostalgic memory; she was a combat power-leveling gauge.
I looked at Kardia. “No.”
Kardia’s eyes narrowed. “Then?”
I said slowly, “It is erased by a single Royal Decree.”
The room went silent. I sounded a bit like a Demon King just now. The problem was that even I was slightly surprised by what I’d said. A self-administered Demon King experience. The customer satisfaction is high, but the operator is panicking.
Kardia didn't smile. “A Royal Decree.” She said in a low voice. “Are you trying to protect a soldier’s neck with paper, a ledger, and a stake?”
“No.” I looked at Radin, then back at Kardia. “I am protecting them.”
Kardia’s hand paused near her hilt. I said, “That is what a Royal Decree exists for.”
“You used to talk a lot, Your Highness.” The words came fast. Faster than a sword. “You spent more time with books than swords, dreaming of romance and peace. You would hold your breath at the smell of blood. You always asked for the path that didn't require fighting.”
Ah. Don't start the reading of my dark history. This is a royal palace, not an interrogation chamber for my character hosted by my ex. Please.
I ground my teeth inwardly, but outwardly, I didn't even move my head. “Not ‘Your Highness’.”
Kardia’s eyes froze. I said in a low voice, “I am the Demon King.”
A short silence. Kardia looked at me. Those eyes were searching for the Lucion of the past. The man who would hold his breath at the smell of blood. The hand that would move a beat too late even when holding a sword. The weak prince who thought of conversation before fighting. Kardia probably wanted to find those traces. She probably wanted to look down on me. She wanted to confirm that I was still weak.
But I had to tell her I wasn't that man. In truth, I was still much the same. I hated the smell of blood, I was terrified of swords, and even now, if Kardia moved just one step, I felt like my heart would quit on me. But if I let that show, I’d really die. All my dreams and hopes would vanish. A Demon King can be scared on the inside, but if he shows it on the outside, he gets crushed.
Kardia gestured toward Radin with her chin. “I heard the Royal Decree.” She said. “I saw the ledger.”
One step. The guards’ spear tips followed her movement. Barkan’s hand also rose to his hilt. “Now, say it with your own mouth.” Kardia pointed at Radin. “Is this soldier allowed to live?”
Radin’s shoulders flinched. The two soldiers bowed their heads. Every gaze in the audience chamber was fixed on me. Great. This is just great. My ex-girlfriend with a sword has lined up three people and is holding a public accountability interview. The interviewee is me. If I pass, I keep my royal authority. If I fail, the Royal Decree dies. Where is the HR department?
I looked at Radin. He couldn't lift his head. If I back down here, it’s over. The amnesty I promised becomes a lie. The soldiers who trusted my decree and came here won't move for me ever again. And Belion will laugh.
I said, “He is allowed to live.”
Kardia’s gaze didn't waver. I corrected myself. “No.”
Radin flinched. “He must live.”
This time, Kardia’s fingers stiffened just a little. I continued, “Because he is a soldier who trusted my kingdom and walked past the edge of a blade.”
A single breath flowed long through the audience chamber. Radin lifted his head. His face showed he wanted to believe, but couldn't yet. A face terrified that if he believed, he’d just be killed again. I looked straight into that face.
“Radin.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You laid down your weapon.”
“Yes.”
“Therefore, the Black King Castle shall not hold you accountable for your crimes.”
My voice didn't tremble. Thank goodness. My hands were shaking slightly under the desk, but I was so grateful for the desk. Furniture is truly great. Half of royal authority is actually maintained by desks.
Kardia said, “Words are fine, but—”
“Words come first.” I cut her off. “The sword comes after.”
Kardia’s lips tightened just a fraction. “And if the sword reaches first?”
“The owner of that sword will take responsibility.” I looked at her blade. “Kardia Noxbell.”
I called her name for the first time. Her hand moved closer to her hilt. The guards’ spears lowered further. Barkan’s sword rang out with a tiny sound inside its scabbard. Damn it. If I mess this up, I’m going to be folded in half while lecturing about law in front of my ex-girlfriend. Case name: New Demon King vs. Black Flame Knightess. Result: Plaintiff deceased.
I kept my voice cold. “I will not ask why you brought a sword inside.”
Kardia’s eyes narrowed. “But if you draw that sword in front of my soldiers—”
I paused for a beat. “At that moment, you cease to be Belion’s blade and become evidence of treason.”
The audience chamber went completely silent. This time, even Kardia couldn't speak immediately. She could inflict a serious wound on me. She was probably capable of it. If I raised my sword to oppose her right now, the result might be decided in three seconds. The result would be on the side of my death. But she couldn't draw her sword. Because the moment she did, what I said would become the truth. The sword of a traitor who drew steel in front of a soldier who had accepted a Royal Decree. She would be creating the evidence with her own hands.
Kardia knew that. That was why she looked even more displeased. Good. That’s probably good. No, please, let it be good. I’m half-guessing whether I’m saying the right things myself. What even is politics? Is it the art of a scared person pretending not to be scared while pinning name tags on other people’s swords?
“Your Majesty,” Kardia said. This time, it wasn't ‘Your Highness’. I didn't miss that single word. If I had missed it, I wouldn't be fit to be the Demon King.
“You said you would let that soldier live.”
“That is correct.”
“Then you must feed him, house him, and protect him.”
“I shall.”
“Those who survive the battlefield do not live on words alone.”
“I know.” I looked at Radin. “Write it in the ledger.”
The scribe looked up. “Radin and two soldiers. Weapons surrendered. Amnesty accepted. Temporary protected status.” The pen moved.
I added, “Provide meals. Assign quarters. Separate them from the soldiers of the eastern barracks.”
Hermun’s eyes flickered minutely. Kardia heard it, too. I continued, “And no one is to lay a hand on them for the reason that they were once Belion’s soldiers.”
The scribe’s pen stopped. “Write it as a Royal Decree.”
The pen moved again. At that moment, Radin’s shoulders dropped a little. Just a little. He didn't fully believe he had survived yet, but his body had realized before his mind that he wouldn't be killed right this second. Kardia saw that. She was a woman who knew well how a soldier’s body changed. That was why she must have seen it even more accurately. The moment words changed a person’s body.
Kardia’s hand slowly fell away from her hilt. It wasn't a surrender. It wasn't an admission, either. It was merely a confirmation. The man she had discarded was still weak. He didn't wield a sword, his power base was fragile, and he wasn't stronger than Kardia. But. He no longer died by pretending to be weak.
Kardia said in a low voice, “If it were the Lucion I knew, you wouldn't have been able to say those words.”
I looked at her. “Not ‘Your Highness’.”
Kardia paused for a moment. And then, very quietly, she corrected herself. “Lucion, Your Majesty.”
The declaration, spat out coldly, fell onto the floor of the audience chamber. I held my breath inwardly. Damn it. I only tried to save one soldier. And my ex-girlfriend with a sword has started measuring me all over again.