The Namekeeper
Escorting the Namekeeper. The greatest honor a knight could enjoy. Even so, I didn't feel particularly overwhelmed by it.
After all, I'm not a resident of this world.
The very position of Namekeeper was something I'd only learned about today.
'Right now, there's no one better suited to this role than you.'
The situation — half of the Black Moon Knights wiped out by monsters. Even I had to admit that I was the only person currently capable of shouldering that duty.
'So that's why they handed me a captaincy that's nothing but a title.'
It would have raised eyebrows in every possible way for a mere rank-and-file member to occupy such an exalted seat. It was hastily arranged, yes, but appointing a captain-class knight as escort at least kept up appearances.
"Thanks to that, I get a first-class express ride. Lucky me."
"Woof?"
I idly ran my fingers through Rir's fluffy fur and gazed up at the stars hanging outside the window. Unlike Seoul, the night sky here was always densely studded with the Milky Way. Thanks to that, I'd developed a habit of looking up at the sky whenever night fell.
"If Baek Seo-ha or Si-hyeon saw me, they'd say this sentiment doesn't suit me at all."
And yet, no idealist existed quite like me. Hadn't I spent my whole life chasing a dream I could never reach?
Come to think of it, I hadn't really looked at the sky since experiencing the world's destruction.
'There was no reason to.'
All I could see was blood mist and corpses. All I could hear was someone's death, or someone's last words. That was exactly why I wanted to chase the ideal all the more — and exactly why I focused even harder on reality instead. I gave everything I could, while keeping my eyes fixed on what I truly wanted. The end of that road, though, was never a pleasant one.
After all, I died cleaved apart by a greatsword.
"...Enough wallowing."
It was time to start thinking strategically. I could feel it instinctively: this Grand Mandate of Heaven would be the last event I experienced in this world.
"No, I don't even need instinct for that one."
The message that had appeared before my eyes mere moments ago replaced my guess with confirmation.
The Grand Mandate of Heaven
▷ Reward: ???
A single phrase, written cleanly with no supplementary explanation whatsoever. It meant that everything about the Grand Mandate of Heaven was, in effect, my objective.
'Going by the Graveyard of Knights—'
The Namekeeper's mission was never fulfilled. In the end, Grempel remained the 'Nameless King,' and the one who finally delivered his name was me, with the System's help.
'The Namekeeper died before completing his duty.'
Which meant that something went wrong midway through the Grand Mandate of Heaven. With overwhelming probability, it was Theo's doing. When the name was about to go to someone other than himself, he sabotaged the ritual so as not to lose royal authority to Leo. The Namekeeper's death meant no king was ever born, and for reasons unknown, Theo eventually transcended his vessel, became a Monarch, and turned this place into the 'Graveyard of Knights.' That was the most plausible account.
'If so, the way to change that future is simple.'
Protect the Namekeeper perfectly. Stay at his side and ensure that the name reaches Leo, as it was meant to.
Truthfully, if I had my way, I'd skip straight past all that and lay hands on Theo myself — but it isn't one hundred percent certain. I don't know this world's exact future. I'm banking on Theo becoming the Monarch, but I can't say for sure that he actually became one and destroyed the world. And in the unlikely event — through some tiny sliver of possibility — that it was Leo who became the Monarch, then me standing in Theo's way would only end up facilitating the Monarch's birth.
'Safe and certain. Make the outcome diverge from the Graveyard of Knights.'
Escorting the Namekeeper. That would become the branching point of this world — and my final objective here.
Pale dawn light spread across the land. A morning that seemed to arrive more slowly than usual.
"Hngh."
I got up earlier than normal and finished preparing. A light morning workout ran me through my usual routine — call it my own personal schedule, one I'd kept systematically since before my regression.
"Whew."
After exercising, I washed up briefly and dressed. A dignified suit of armor, as if forged from polished obsidian.
Creak.
I opened the door, stepped out of the building — and found an unexpected person waiting for me.
"Captain?"
"Forget 'Captain.' Just call me noona. We're not even in the same unit anymore."
Lunan gave a mischievous grin and thumped me on the shoulder.
"You've been discharged already?"
"Not quite. But I've recovered enough to take a short walk on my own. My body's always been sturdy, ever since I was a kid. That's why I became a knight, after all."
For all her bravado, the traces of injury were still plainly visible all over her body. It made me realize all over again just how catastrophic the monster attack had been.
"Besides, I barely brought you in before you made Captain. I do have an eye for talent, don't I?"
"It was the timing, mostly. If things were normal, I'd never have landed the captaincy in a hundred years."
If they'd suddenly seated me in the captain's chair without any crisis, the objections would have piled up sky-high. The Black Moon Knights' members probably had to swallow a bitter pill over it.
"Even so, you'd have made Captain in record time eventually. Our order doesn't care about track record or seniority — skill comes first."
And so we traded a short conversation. A little light, perhaps a little playful.
"..."
After chattering away for quite a while, she fell silent and looked up at the sky. A different sky from the night one I knew — pastel tones where sky blue and yellow mingled softly.
"...It's today, isn't it?" she said.
"The Grand Mandate of Heaven."
"Yes."
"Escorting the Namekeeper. That's truly a magnificent honor."
Her bright tone carried something hidden beneath it.
"You know, ever since I was little, I wanted to be a knight. A knight who guards the King's side, who always stands firm against the enemy."
"..."
"Thankfully, I had the talent. I was able to make that dream come true quickly."
Lunan's words continued on.
"But once I actually achieved it, it didn't stir much in me. Instead, every day was spent twisting myself into knots just to hold onto the position, to earn more recognition."
She turned her head and met my eyes.
"And that's when I met you. You — a possessor of talent I couldn't even begin to compare myself to."
"You flatter me."
"Flattery, my foot!"
A bitter smile spread across her face.
"Honestly, I always thought I'd be the jealous type whenever I saw someone better than me. My pride has been a stubborn, filthy thing since way back. A chronic competitiveness addict who couldn't stand having anyone above me."
"..."
"And yet, the feeling I had when I watched you—"
She laid bare the emotion she'd been scrambling to hide.
"Was awe."
At the same time, her eyes seemed to shimmer faintly. Like a child who had just found a dream to hold.
"Watching you made me want to keep cheering you on. How far you could go, how much you could do. As your captain, I can admit it might have been reckless of me... but—"
My own reflection looked back at me from those pure eyes.
"I wanted to become like you."
"...Like *me*, of all people?"
"To me, you were never 'of all people.' Unbelievably strong, yet never flaunting it. A knight who fights quietly, alone, in the background. That was the you I aspired to be."
There was much I wanted to say, but I chose not to. At least for now, the feeling of wanting to protect that admiration of hers came first.
"I just... suddenly wanted to say that before you left."
"And thanks to that, we're late for assembly."
"Huh?! W-wait, really?!"
"Kidding."
"...I really don't like you."
Her brow twisted for a moment before she burst out laughing.
"Come back safe, Captain of the 8th Division."
"Understood, Captain."
"I told you, you don't need to call me Captain anymore."
"I refuse. I'm going to keep calling you Captain."
If wanting to be like me was her stubbornness, then calling her Captain was mine.
'Being spoken of so highly still feels awkward.'
And yet, thanks to her, I felt I might be able to see myself in a slightly more positive light.
"I'm off, Captain."
"Come back safe."
Even though this might, perhaps, be the last time I ever saw her — I accepted that farewell gladly.
And at last, I set out for where the Namekeeper waited. Toward the place where this world's ending lay.
Generations of Namekeepers received the name at the 'Tomb of the King,' at the very center of the kingdom. It was where the First King, progenitor of the royal bloodline, slept — and the tomb itself took the form of a vast dungeon. It had originally been designed to prevent grave robbery, but over time mana pooled there, until the place eventually mutated into a dungeon.
It wasn't a complete dungeon, though. The Tomb of the King had no dungeon 'core.'
'Halfway between dungeon and tomb.'
That was the Tomb of the King — the main stage of the Grand Mandate of Heaven.
"This about right?"
After a long carriage ride toward the kingdom's center, we hacked our way through forest and pressed on for another long stretch.
"What kind of tomb doesn't get a single round of clearing? Honestly."
The road to the tomb was long and brutal. The area was so thick with mana that monsters popped up without warning, and every step snagged us in a tangle of rampant vegetation.
"Did they build it somewhere like this on purpose? Or did it just end up this way after the fact?"
Just as my irritation was starting to brew—
"...Here we are."
We had finally reached the Tomb of the King.
On the outside, it looked like a pyramid of stone. Tier upon tier stacked in stepped layers, wound through with green vines. An exterior that radiated mystery and sanctity in equal measure.
"You...?"
As I stood admiring the tomb, someone called out to me. I turned — and saw a familiar face.
"Huh. I never imagined you'd be the one to come out as the Second Prince's escort."
"It's been a while."
I extended my hand in greeting.
"Sir Chadwick."
One of the two knights who had tried to recruit me back then. A knight of the White Sun — the man who would have been my captain, had it not been for my goal.
"Well, this is unexpected. I hadn't predicted you at all."
"Let's just say a number of things came together."
Word had it Chadwick had been at the Shadow Garden that day as well. Judging by the absence of any major injuries, he'd somehow fought his way through with skill rather than luck.
"Still, I didn't expect them to entrust the escort duty to a rank-and-file soldier."
"Ah, I'm not rank-and-file anymore. I got promoted, actually."
"Vice-captain, is it? Well, that much is—"
"No. Captain. Captain of the 8th Division."
"..."
Chadwick, wearing a face uncharacteristically dumbstruck, quickly cleared his throat and straightened his attire.
"A pace that makes my old offer look rather embarrassing..."
"I got lucky. No — in situations like this, maybe I should say unlucky."
Flushing the stray thought out of my head the instant it surfaced, I moved on.
"By the way... where might our escort subject be?"
I searched for the Namekeeper's whereabouts.
"Don't tell me something happened before he even made it here..."
It wasn't an impossibility. The journey here had been punishing enough.
"Felled? Who, precisely, would be doing the felling?"
Just then, a voice rang out from the sky. Or more precisely, from the peak of the tomb.
"What an insolent fellow."
Whoosh!
The man standing atop the tomb moved to our side in a single bound. Perhaps in his late forties. A face of considerable dignity, flecked with a slightly unkempt beard.
"An honor to meet the descendant of the Archmage."
Chadwick saluted formally.
'Am I supposed to do that too?'
As I fumbled into a half-baked pose, the man waved his palm.
"Enough. I didn't come to do this work for the sake of collecting greetings."
He stroked his beard as he spoke.
"Well met, servants of the princes. I am the descendant of Eigert, entrusted with this era's duty as Namekeeper."
Regrettably, I already knew his name.
The necromancer monster whose life I had taken with my own thrown javelin.
"Wengrum Eigert."