Finale (3): Audience with the King
Night gave way to dawn. Sunlight crested the walls and began to pour light into Barenberg, which had lain submerged in darkness.
Smoke still rose from the back alleys in places, and the shattered buildings alone whispered, faintly, of what had happened there.
"Temporary shelters are this way!"
"If you're injured, come over here!"
Meanwhile, the Lete Bridge—the span that linked the back alleys to the Second Commercial District southwest of the royal palace—was thronged with people who had fled the alleys.
On the far side of the bridge, soldiers of the Royal Guard were guiding the refugees toward the shelters.
And then…
"That should be sufficient. Avoid any strenuous movement for about a week and rest."
"Thank you."
With those words the physician snipped the bandage with his scissors. Schwarz looked down at the splinted arm, then rose from his seat and stepped out of the tent.
The moment he pushed the flap aside and emerged, the sun, just beginning to peer over the walls, made him wince; he shielded his eyes with his still-uninjured hand.
"What did he say? Is it bad?"
"He said there's a slight hairline fracture. I'm to avoid any violent movement for a while."
Milia, who had been waiting outside the tent, asked with a worried face. Schwarz answered with a faint smile.
If they had been delayed even a little longer back there, something would have broken for certain.
Recalling the moment, he let out a quiet breath of relief.
"That's a relief, then."
"If it hadn't been for you, My Lady, it wouldn't have ended this lightly."
Milia looked at him as she spoke; Schwarz offered her another small smile.
In that final instant—if not for the spear she had thrown—he could only imagine what would have happened, and the thought alone sent a cold sweat down his back.
"You always know just what to say."
Whether she sensed his feelings or not, Milia let out a short, amused huff of laughter.
Just then—
"Milia. Schwarz."
"…?"
A voice from behind made them both turn.
"Father?"
"My Lord Count."
What met their eyes was none other than Bernus himself.
As Schwarz bowed, Bernus raised a hand as if to say it was unnecessary.
"So the two of you are… not entirely unharmed, I see."
His gaze settled on Schwarz's bandaged and splinted arm.
"Only a slight crack in the bone, my lord. Nothing serious—please don't trouble yourself over it."
"Then I am glad to hear it."
"So? Is something wrong? Weren't you busy with the cleanup?"
Milia asked, puzzled, as Bernus nodded.
Because Milia and Schwarz had ended the incident so thoroughly, Bernus and the soldiers had been left with nothing but the aftermath. The crisis had collapsed buildings across large stretches of the back alleys and eroded the ground itself, producing a considerable number of displaced people. Even now, refugees continued to stream from the alleys toward the shelters.
"Hmm…"
At her question Bernus made a low sound and wore a look of mild difficulty.
Surely not another problem…
The two of them watched him with that thought in mind. Bernus let out a short sigh and spoke.
"His Majesty the King wishes to see the two of you. Immediately."
"…"
"…"
Silence fell at once.
"Ha…?"
"His Majesty…?"
A moment later both of them stared at Bernus in blank-faced disbelief.
A short while later…
"Why on earth am I even here…?"
"I—I know, right…?"
They walked a corridor of the royal palace. An unmistakably luxurious carpet stretched beneath their feet as Bernus, Milia, and Schwarz made their way forward.
It was early morning; the hall was empty and utterly still.
"Hoo… Calm down. Just calm down…"
"…"
Milia muttered to herself as though casting a self-suggestion. Schwarz, too, could not hide the tension on his face.
And little wonder: the place they were heading was one permitted to fewer than one percent of everyone in the kingdom.
How long they walked, they could not have said.
At the end of the corridor, before a door where an elderly man stood waiting, Bernus halted. The old gentleman bowed with impeccable courtesy.
He was of a build similar to Bernus, with gray hair and eyes that spoke of long years of experience. The dignity that radiated from his precise movements was enough to draw even Schwarz's quiet admiration.
"We have come to see His Majesty."
"Please wait a moment."
The elderly gentleman answered, carefully opened the door, and stepped inside.
"Remember this. That is Marquis Rendrin del Vain, His Majesty's personal aide."
"So that was him…"
Milia nodded at Bernus's words.
Rendrin del Vain. A loyal retainer who had served the present king, Alfons Leoric von Elianos, since the king's youth—a man who, the royal family itself excepted, could fairly be called the second most powerful figure in the kingdom.
The realization of exactly where they stood settled over them afresh; Milia and Schwarz exchanged tense glances.
"You may enter."
The door opened again and Rendrin emerged, holding it for them.
Bernus offered the marquis a light nod of the head and stepped through; Milia and Schwarz followed.
And then—
"Wow…"
"What is this place…?"
The sight that unfolded before them drew soft gasps from both.
A vast palace garden. From a central fountain, slender waterways radiated outward. Along those channels, flowers and trees shaped by unmistakably expert hands displayed their individual beauty.
Compared with the plain, unassuming garden of the Count's estate, the scene before them might as well have belonged to another world.
"Come along."
Bernus's voice recalled them from their daze. They composed their faces and followed him deeper into the garden.
A short while later they reached the great fountain at the garden's heart.
Beneath it, at a small table set with tea and refreshments, a man was seated.
His once-blue hair and beard had turned almost entirely white. The face that had once been nearly free of lines now bore the marks of time—large and small wrinkles settled in place. Yet the blue eyes, filled with a strong will, looked almost unchanged from three years before.
Alfons Leoric von Elianos.
The King of the Elianos Kingdom sat before them.
"Are these the children?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Bernus answered and advanced, slowly sinking to one knee. Milia and Schwarz followed his example. Looking upon them, Alfons spoke in a solemn tone.
"Raise your heads."
There was a weight of majesty in his voice. The three of them lifted their faces. Alfons regarded Milia and Schwarz, then closed his eyes as though summoning old memories.
How long he remained so, they could not tell.
"Time truly does fly. To think those little ones have already grown this much…"
He spoke as if the three intervening years had passed in a blink, and a faint smile touched his lips.
"It is an honor that Your Majesty remembers us."
"First, be seated."
Alfons looked at the bowing Milia and invited them both to sit. When they rose and carefully took their places at the table, he cleared his throat, composed himself, and began.
"First of all, I must offer you my thanks."
"We only did what needed to be done."
Milia bowed her head once more toward the faintly smiling king.
"I trust you understand how vital that 'what needed to be done' was for the kingdom. Without you, we would likely have remained ignorant of those creatures until they were upon our very doorstep. In effect, the two of you saved the kingdom from a great crisis. Would it not be fitting to take a little more pride in that?"
"Your Majesty is too kind…"
Milia could only lower her head, at a loss.
It was only natural. In this kingdom, those permitted an audience at such close range with the king were vanishingly few. For Milia, still short on knowledge of high society, every moment felt like a trial.
Watching her, Alfons turned his gaze to Bernus, let out a soft chuckle, cleared his throat again, and looked at Schwarz.
"When my daughter first spoke of you, I thought, 'Is that so?' But seeing you now, it seems her eye was true."
"You flatter me, Your Majesty."
"Thank you for saving my daughter's life. It is only words, I know—but I hope you will understand that this is all I can offer for now."
"Your Majesty is far too generous."
He had acted only because it was the right thing to do. He had never sought any reward for it, and so Schwarz shook his head as he answered.
"Let us move on to the main matter."
In the next breath Alfons regarded them both.
"I summoned you in order to bestow a reward for what you have done."
"We merely fulfilled our duty. How could we accept a reward for that?"
"In any case, your daughter takes after you to a remarkable degree."
"…"
Alfons gave a short laugh at Milia's words and shifted his gaze to Bernus, who bowed in silence.
"No matter that it was duty—reward for outstanding achievement is only proper. Or do you wish me to make it a royal command?"
A royal command.
The weight those words carried was immense: an order issued in the name of the king himself. No one in the kingdom possessed the right to refuse it.
"Th-that isn't what I meant…"
Faced with Alfons's firm tone, Milia trailed off in flustered confusion.
"Then accept it without further protest."
"Your Majesty is most gracious…"
In truth, the outcome had already been decided. With a faint smile Alfons spoke; Milia, resigned, answered in a voice that accepted the inevitable.
"Milia Valentine. To you I grant the qualification of a Royal Knight."
"…!!"
At Alfons's next words Milia's eyes flew wide.
If one were to guess her thoughts, they would surely have been:
Did I mishear that?
With stiff, almost wooden movements she looked toward Bernus.
But what could Bernus do? All he managed was a helpless shake of the head that said there was nothing for it.
"You have already proven your worth more than sufficiently. To demand further proof of you would be nothing but a waste of time."
"Y-Your Majesty is too generous!"
A shiver ran through her entire body. Milia rose from her seat and sank to one knee before Alfons.
"And Schwarz."
Still wearing that faint smile as he watched the scene, Alfons now turned his gaze upon Schwarz.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"The same for you. I shall bestow upon you the rank of Royal Knight as well."
"…!!"
The words that followed struck Schwarz like a blow from a club to the head.
"Your Majesty!"
Even Bernus seemed to think this time it had gone too far; he cried out in urgent protest.
"This is a decision I have made after thorough deliberation. I will hear no objections."
"…As you command."
Cut off by Alfons's tone, Bernus could only bow his head and withdraw.
"Think of it as payment for saving my daughter's life."
Alfons spoke thus to the still-dazed Schwarz.
Three years earlier, the incident in which Schwarz had rescued Elis from assassins had clearly reached the king's ears as well.
At this point even a fool could see there was no way to refuse.
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless."
"Your investiture ceremony will take place in the near future. I shall send the precise date by letter, so take note of that."
Schwarz rose and, like Milia, knelt before Alfons. Looking upon him, the king allowed a faint smile to touch his lips once more.