The Platinum Box
There was something I had to do before cutting through the soldiers to reach the lord's castle.
I asked the man once more.
"Is Priest Andrew at the shelter?"
"Ah, he probably is."
"Thanks for telling me."
"Not at all…! If it weren't for you, Successor, we'd all be dead. And besides…"
He was talking about the warp explosion.
The man continued.
"What you said for the fallen knights… it was a great comfort. Without you, Successor, the city would still be drowning in grief."
Five hundred knights had joined the Great Expedition. All of them had died.
Yet their deaths had been quietly buried.
Some still believed they might be alive. Others ground their teeth, calling it a dog's death no one even acknowledged.
If I, who claimed the title of the Knight King's successor, had not stepped forward myself to console them, the city would still be sunk in deep darkness and sorrow.
"It was only what I should have done."
"Even that 'should have' is something no one else ever did. Anyway, don't worry about the soldiers. I'll drag them somewhere out of sight."
The man bowed deeply and began hauling the unconscious soldiers away.
The commotion in the city center.
The residents of the residential district who recognized me opened their windows and quietly bowed their heads.
It was a silent agreement that this incident would pass without anyone knowing.
At the very least, the people of the territory were on my side.
First I have to find Priest Andrew.
Stopping by the lord's castle had never been part of the plan.
The only reason I had returned to the Knight's Garden was to meet Priest Andrew.
Andasar was one thing, but there was something even more important.
The Platinum Box.
The reward given only to the first-place finisher among those who sealed the dimensional rift!
I had obtained it, yet I could not open it myself.
Only an honorable priest who can recite the Hymn of Praise can open it.
For reasons I did not know, the system had been designed so that only an "honorable high priest" could open a Platinum Box.
And the only "honorable high priest" I knew was, at best, Priest Andrew.
That was only natural. Every truly honorable man had died during the Great Expedition; only the dishonorable had survived.
On the way to the shelter, Isaac wore an expression of pure bewilderment.
Successor? Successor to whom?
He still could not make sense of Randolph's identity.
At first he had been certain the man was nothing more than a Corpse Crow.
It had gone far beyond mere disguise or transformation; he had simply been a Corpse Crow.
How could a being who had passed through the Mythic Gate of Mystery, drawn the attention of every monster in Kramdel, become one of the Five Lords, seized a star, and even made the Star Guardians covet him possibly be human?
…He was human.
The impossible had become reality.
He really was human.
Even now Isaac could not tell whether this was a dream or waking life.
He was clearly human, and Isabella beside him was human as well, yet the shock of the Corpse Crow form had been so overwhelming that it still lingered.
Then, suddenly, they had teleported into the city called the Knight's Garden, and the man was being revered as "Successor."
The way every resident of this city looked at him was anything but ordinary.
Respect. Reverence. Trust.
All three shone equally in the eyes of the territory's people.
Is he the heir of some noble who rules the city?
No matter how hard he thought, nothing else came to mind.
The curiosity was driving him mad.
He barely managed to keep his itching mouth shut.
The Knight's Garden.
What kind of place was this?
In the past it had been called the greatest "knight training ground" in the entire Balan Kingdom.
Among the thirteen great cities of the Balan Kingdom, it had been ranked the highest.
For a man to command such presence in a place that had produced countless powerful knights…
Even the lord of the city or his heir would find it difficult to earn this much faith from the people.
Had his virtue simply been that great?
"……Successor. You have finally returned."
When they arrived at the shelter, Priest Andrew came out to greet them.
He glanced around and carefully ushered them inside.
"Please come in first. There are many eyes watching."
"Very well."
After confirming the party, Priest Andrew led them into a secluded room deeper inside the shelter.
Then, lowering his voice, he spoke.
"Maxim of the Eight Heroes is rampaging through the city. If the Successor reveals himself now, a great many troublesome situations will arise."
Troublesome situations.
If I openly claimed to be the Knight King's successor, a clash with Maxim—who styled himself one of the Eight Heroes—was inevitable.
Perhaps Maxim already knew that the Knight King's successor had visited the city.
Even if he did not know that successor was me.
"I know."
"And it seems your party has grown."
"Mm."
When I first came to the city there had been only Isabella and me—two people.
Two had become four.
To be precise, with Ahram it was five, but Ahram was currently trapped inside the leather bag Isaac was carrying.
So the added members were three.
Isaac, Ahram, and—
I slowly removed the helmet from the Dullahan who had been following behind us.
"Wait. Don't tell me…?"
Priest Andrew's eyes began to shake wildly.
"A-Andasar?"
The face of the one who had been following in armor was familiar.
Priest Andrew's hands trembled violently as he reached toward Andasar's face.
"Merciful heavens…! Andasar…!"
Tears poured from Priest Andrew's eyes like a waterfall.
Her pale skin was as cold as a corpse's.
Yet she was unmistakably his daughter Andasar, the one he had searched for so desperately.
He had barely dared to hope, yet the promise had truly been kept.
Priest Andrew bowed his head deeply.
"Successor of the Knight King, thank you. Thank you. How can I ever repay this grace…!"
"Cough! Ghk!"
At the same moment Isaac choked on a violent cough.
So this was what it felt like to be utterly speechless.
He had just heard something he simply could not believe.
The Knight King? Don't tell me… the successor of that Knight King, Wilhelm?
There was only one being called the Knight King: Wilhelm.
The Fifth Lord recognized by the White King of the North was the successor of Knight King Wilhelm?
……What kind of absolute nonsense was this?
For a long while Priest Andrew clung to Andasar's hands and face. At last, still overwhelmed with emotion, he turned his gaze back to me.
Successor of the Knight King.
He had half-doubted it, yet if the man had gone all the way to Kramdel and brought her back himself, there was no longer room for disbelief.
Still, one thing remained hard to accept.
Fame:724
Evil Karma:27
Priests could see a person's honor and evil karma.
Yet while the Successor had been away in Kramdel, his fame had risen to an absurd degree.
Seven hundred twenty-four!
That is higher than even most honorable knights.
Not merely knights—numbers like that were rare even within the Goddess Sect.
It was a level one might or might not find among the cardinals.
What on earth could a man do in such a short time to accumulate that much honor?
His evil karma had risen a little as well, but compared to the fame it was negligible.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
Yet he set every such question aside.
Andasar. The man had brought his daughter back.
Even if her head had been severed and she had become a Dullahan, even if her memories seemed incomplete… from this moment on he would never let her go again.
"Open this for me."
If he was ready, there was no need to waste time.
I immediately took out the Platinum Box.
The moment Priest Andrew saw it, the corners of his eyes began to tremble.
"Th-This is… a holy relic, is it not?"
"A holy relic?"
"Holy relics can appear differently to each person. B-But this is unmistakably a holy relic of the Goddess Sect. And for some reason it is sealed."
"Then can you break the seal?"
"Normally this would be a task for His Holiness the Pope himself… but yes. I believe I can do it."
Priest Andrew nodded with a resolute expression.
If the man entrusted this to him, he would have to succeed even if he could not.
It was not merely because the promise had been kept.
The man was honorable; he fully deserved such courtesy.
"Good."
I had been worried it might be impossible.
A sealed holy relic, of all things.
I handed the Platinum Box to Priest Andrew and added one more request.
"And one Indulgence as well, if you please."
"……Another Indulgence?"
This would be the third.
At the request for even the last Indulgence he could issue, Priest Andrew looked at me with puzzled eyes.
"One I used on you. One I used on Andasar."
"Ah… then the remaining one?"
"I intend to use it on myself."
"But your evil karma is not particularly high. Compared to your fame, there is no real need to use an Indulgence…"
I shook my head.
Priest Andrew's words were not wrong.
Yet as I gazed past the wall toward the lord's castle, I spoke quietly.
"I have a feeling I will need it very soon."
A young man with short red hair.
Maxim, called one of the Eight Heroes, sat in the lord's seat with his legs stretched out across the desk.
"Hey, Marquis Weiser. How long do you plan to hold out?"
"……I will settle this with Duke Scien myself."
Marquis Weiser sat in the visitor's chair.
It was humiliation. Yet there was nothing he could do.
Maxim was the messenger sent by Duke Scien and the officially recognized successor of Duke Scien himself.
Moreover, the one who had broken the promise was the marquis; he had no choice but to endure the humiliation.
"Duke Scien has already paid the full price. Do you truly not understand that if you fail to keep the promise, the peace of this territory is finished?"
"Just a little more time…!"
"Listen. That Hudson bastard, the sudden change in the marquis's attitude—do you really think I don't know?"
"……"
"If this fact reaches the duke's ears, everyone here will be slaughtered. I'd appreciate it if you kept in mind that I'm still showing you some consideration."
Marquis Weiser closed his mouth.
As expected, he can't say a word.
It had been a week since Maxim arrived in this territory.
He had already grasped every circumstance of the place.
That Hudson bastard is clearly deeply involved with the Pure White Knight.
At first he had thought the man was merely a wealthy merchant, but the look in Hudson's eyes when he gazed at Serengeti, the Pure White Knight, had convinced him.
There was something between the two of them.
And if that fact reached Duke Scien's ears, this city would disappear.
Too valuable to let vanish. I'll take it myself.
So Maxim had changed his thinking.
He would dig into this weakness and devour the territory for himself.
While receiving succession lessons from the duke he had already inherited one city, but that alone was not enough.
Maxim intended to surpass the duke and become king of the Balan Kingdom itself.
Until recently he had been nothing more than a mercenary captain, yet no one could predict the ways of the world.
I'll swallow this city as well before the Round Table Conference begins. Then no one will be able to ignore me.
Maxim was receiving subtle contempt from the other heroes.
But if he became the master of two cities, they would never dare ignore him again.
After firmly establishing his position at the coming Round Table Conference, he planned to wield enormous influence on Earth as well.
Just thinking about it, just imagining it, sent a thrill through him.
The scene of him thoroughly crushing the noses of those who had looked down on him played vividly before his eyes.
"One day of my waiting is worth a million gold. The money you prepared seems to run out today—what do you intend to do about that, Marquis?"
With a leisurely air, Maxim spun the dagger he had been twirling between his fingers and drove it into the lord's desk.
For someone who called himself a hero, his mannerisms were identical to those of a neighborhood thug or street punk.
Marquis Weiser could not understand how such a man was called one of the Eight Heroes.
Yet all he could do was bite his lip and clench his fists until they threatened to crumble.
Serengeti had only just recovered her body.
If only her consciousness would return, she would never have to suffer humiliation from the likes of this man.
I should never have borrowed money from Duke Scien.
Marquis Weiser deeply regretted his choice.
But it was already too late.
Someone even more vicious than Duke Scien had entered the territory.
Either abandon the territory or abandon Serengeti—he could see no other path.
That was when it happened.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Ghk!"
"S-Save me…!"
The outside grew noisy.
The sound of soldiers collapsing like autumn leaves in a gale.
The screams of soldiers filled the lord's castle.
Maxim's brow furrowed.
"How dare… who the hell?"
He did not know who it was, but some insolent bastard without the slightest sense of fear had barged into the place where he—the great one of the Eight Heroes—was present.
The crime of disturbing his mood. That crime would be paid for with a life.
Whoosh!
The moment Maxim yanked the dagger from the desk, ominous black flames began to writhe across his entire body.
I was getting bored anyway. Perfect timing.
But then he changed his mind.
Daily life here was unbearably dull.
Harassing Marquis Weiser was fun for a day or two, yet it had already been a full week.
This worked out well. Anyone who could cause this much of a ruckus would be stronger than the knights of this place.
I'll show them the true power of the Demon Heart.
A body incomparably stronger than before.
He would engrave it thoroughly into Marquis Weiser's mind.
Maxim rose slowly from his seat, eyes filled with murderous intent.
Priest Andrew had told me.
Avoid him. Maxim was nothing more than a passing typhoon.
"But… tell me just one thing. Are they truly heroes?"
In other cities it might have been different, but many people of the Knight's Garden harbored doubts about the Eight Heroes.
Especially about Maxim.
If Maxim were truly one of the Eight Heroes who had left for the Great Expedition into the Demon Realm and produced results, he would never have shown hostility toward the successor of a fellow hero and toward this city.
The first act of tyranny Maxim had committed upon arriving in this city was to smash the monument.
The monument engraved with the names of the five hundred knights who had entered eternal rest.
He had smashed it and ground it to dust.
In its place he had left the names of the Eight Heroes.