Chapter 304: The Knight Order…? (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 304: The Knight Order…? (4)
Walking toward the garden with Yutia, who seemed to be in a better mood than usual, Alon listened to her explain why she had dropped by the Count’s estate.
“A meeting?”
“Yes. As you know, rioters and bandits have been rampant lately.”
Alon nodded, recalling what Siyan had mentioned a few days ago.
“……The situation must be more serious than I thought.”
“Did you not know, Master?”
“No. I was aware to some extent.”
From Alon’s perspective, it was impossible not to notice what had been happening recently.
‘……It wasn’t intentional, but I am benefiting from it.’
Unlike other territories that were in chaos due to bandits, the Palatio Territory was strangely quiet. Because bandits didn't swarm the area, merchants were visiting more frequently than ever before.
“So, you stopped by on your way to that meeting?”
“That’s right. But word is that something is happening over in the Empire as well.”
“The Empire?”
“Yes. They say a war has broken out within its borders.”
“…….”
The Empire.
It was a nation that had maintained a hostile relationship with the United Kingdoms since ancient times. It was also the setting for Calypsophobia, another game created by the same developers who made Psychedelia.
‘Was there a war in the Empire at this point in time?’
Alon pondered for a moment but soon shrugged it off.
In truth, a war occurring within the world of Calypsophobia wasn't something Alon needed to worry about. As far as he knew, the Empire would never declare war on the United Kingdoms unless one or two of the member nations were on the brink of collapse.
Besides, above all else, Calypsophobia had its own protagonist.
‘I believe the name was…… Ner?’
Ner.
Just like in Psychedelia, the protagonist of Calypsophobia—who could be chosen as either male or female—saves the chaotic Empire from destruction. In other words, even if Alon didn't pay attention to the Empire's current affairs, the protagonist of that game would handle it somehow.
‘Besides, unlike the people here, that protagonist is a natural-born munchkin…… Weren't they strong enough to solo one of the four fractured imperial factions?’
As he entertained these thoughts, Yutia continued.
“And I also had something I wanted to tell you, Master.”
He pushed his wandering thoughts aside and focused back on the conversation.
“Something to tell me?”
“Yes. I was wondering how you would feel about establishing a church within the Count’s estate.”
“A church?”
“Yes. If you’re okay with it, Master.”
“Hmm—”
Alon considered it briefly.
From his position of having to build Divine Land, building a church in the Count Palatio estate might make things a bit awkward. However, he didn't particularly feel like refusing her, so after a moment of thought, he nodded.
“If that is what you want, go ahead.”
“Thank you for your permission, Master.”
“But why the sudden desire to build a church here?”
“My reason for building it?”
Yutia hummed, placing a finger against her cheek, then smiled and asked a question of her own.
“Well, would you like to guess, Master?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Yutia beamed at him. Alon thought for a moment before answering.
“……Expansion?”
“No.”
“Then……?”
He couldn't fathom the reason. When Alon asked again, Yutia held up two fingers.
“There are two reasons. One is because there are more cats than I expected.”
“……Cats?”
Alon instinctively glanced over at Blackie. Blackie, who had been sleeping comfortably on the Sea God’s back until a moment ago, now had pupils that were trembling violently. He looked as if he were saying, ‘M-me?’
“And the second reason is—”
Ignoring Blackie, Yutia leaned in close to Alon’s side.
“—I felt it was time to move a bit more proactively.”
She whispered softly into his ear.
“……Proactively?”
“Of course, I’m talking about proselytizing.”
Yutia smiled.
“……I see.”
Alon didn't fully understand, but he gave a quiet nod for now.
* * *
Yutia left the estate after asking him to stop by Rosario once his work was finished.
A few days later.
‘Come to think of it, I meant to ask her how she knew about the Sins, but I missed my chance.’
Feeling a lingering regret, Alon called out to Evan, who was walking ahead of him.
“Is everything ready for the trip to Divine Land?”
“Yes, everything is prepared. We can depart immediately.”
“How long will it take to get there?”
“Hmm—based on our last assessment, it should take about a day.”
The two walked while conversing casually. Soon, they passed through the outer castle gates.
“What do you think?”
“……There are more than I expected.”
Alon couldn't help but let out a small exclamation as he saw the soldiers and knights packed tightly in front of the gate. Fifty knights and six hundred soldiers were ready to depart for Divine Land. Seeing them in person made the numbers feel much larger than they sounded on paper.
‘And even though it’s only been a few days, they seem well-trained……?’
The soldiers and knights stood in perfectly aligned rows. Deus stood before them, looking on with satisfaction.
Alon scanned the faces of the knights. Since there were quite a few, he couldn't check every single one, but he spotted familiar faces he had noted during the interviews, including Simus.
As he observed them, a question arose in his mind. The knights’ expressions seemed incredibly…… resolute.
Of course, Simus looked much better than before, and it was natural for them to be tense in the presence of their lord, but some of the knights looked so solemn it was almost puzzling.
“My Lord, we should head out soon.”
“Right.”
At Evan’s prompting, Alon headed toward the carriage.
“How do they look?”
“They seem very determined,” Alon replied as they walked.
“Well, isn't that a good thing? It seems Deus is doing his job well.”
Evan nodded in satisfaction.
“……They’re essentially just a defense force for Divine Land. Is that level of intensity really necessary?”
“Well, the better trained they are, the better, right?”
“I suppose, but……”
It felt as if he were looking at an order of knights on the brink of war. It nagged at him.
Then, Evan let out an ‘Ah’ as if he had just remembered something.
“Come to think of it, when Deus was training the knights, he held individual interviews with each of them. Their attitudes definitely became more serious after that.”
“……After the interviews?”
“Yes.”
……Just what on earth did he say to them?
The thought crossed his mind, but Alon quickly pushed it aside. As Evan said, having well-disciplined troops wasn't a bad thing.
Once inside the carriage, Alon began to calmly organize his future tasks.
‘First, I’ll establish Divine Land, then I’ll visit Silli to discuss the matter of the divine people. I have a favor to ask her anyway…… though I’ll have to stop by Laxas first.’
Recalling Line’s words, Alon finished his mental preparations for Divine Land. Then, he thought back to what had happened in the East.
‘Meet the Observer…… huh.’
He stroked the curved jade in his pocket, remembering the entity he had seen. An unknown being with knowledge that could explain everything he didn't know—an entity so overwhelming that merely looking at it caused him to weep tears of blood.
‘……Will I be able to hear something this time?’
Alon gazed out the window as he continued his reflections. It was an afternoon like any other.
* * *
Simus, who had been crushed by low self-esteem when he first arrived at the Count Palatio estate, had recently begun to regain his confidence.
Contrary to what his master had told him, there were many Master Knights at the Count’s estate. The captains of the five squads were all powerhouses who had reached the level of Master Knight, and Simus himself was the vice-captain of the 5th Knight Order.
The reason Simus was able to find his confidence despite this was the recognition he received from the captains and vice-captains, who were also Master Knights. In other words, he realized that his common sense wasn't wrong—it was the knights of the Palatio family who were abnormally strong.
Furthermore, even Deus, who was passionately training the knights, acknowledged his talent. Thus, his self-esteem was on the mend.
However, the arrogance Simus once possessed had almost entirely vanished. Though it had only been a week, he had learned humility through countless duels—especially those against Deus.
Or rather, to be precise, humility had been forced upon him. No matter how much everyone acknowledged Simus’s talent, Deus’s talent and skill were on a level so distant it was hard to even feel jealous.
Thanks to that, Simus was learning humility while his talent blossomed smoothly. At the same time, he had no doubt that he was approaching his dream of ‘returning home in glory as a top-tier knight admired by all.’
……Or at least, that’s what he thought until a moment ago.
“…….”
Simus stared at Deus with a bewildered expression. However, Deus remained perfectly serious, not even blinking.
“Uh—”
Simus trailed off, mentally retracing how he had ended up in this situation.
This morning, he had set out for Divine Land with the Count. After stopping early to set up camp, they had immediately begun training. Then, the instructor, Deus, announced he would be conducting individual interviews, so Simus had sought him out after training.
He had been curious about what was said in those meetings, seeing how every other knight came out looking so solemn.
“……I beg your pardon, Instructor. Could you say that one more time?”
And then, he heard it.
“Did I not tell you?”
Deus’s words.
“You will become the ‘King’s Sword.’ The King’s Sword that crushes anyone and everyone.”
“Does that mean—”
“Even if I don't say it, you already understand, don't you?”
Simus looked into Deus’s eyes, searching for any sign of a joke. There wasn't a hint of falsehood; his gaze was utterly sincere. Simus realized that Deus meant exactly what he said.
“…….”
Simus instinctively thought of his dream. The dream of returning home in glory as a knight everyone looked up to. He was certain that the dream he held was a hopeful and wholesome one.
It was supposed to be……
‘……Why?’
When he finally snapped back to reality, he realized he was already on a ship where failure meant treason and success meant revolution.
And what’s more.
“Therefore, I shall train you so that you never suffer defeat against anyone.”
It was a ship he could never get off.
‘I just wanted to be an admired knight……’
Simus’s thoughts scattered and vanished into the air.