Chapter 105. Eternal Virgin Declaration
Chapter 105. Eternal Virgin Declaration
A ruler who had inherited the right of succession far too soon, his predecessor's chronic illness having worsened beyond remedy.
One who had received an education befitting his noble bloodline, yet whose youth left him lacking in experience and seasoned judgment.
A leader of insufficient quality who, far from resolving his predecessor's failings, maintained those policies unchanged and barely managed to keep the institution afloat—and so on and so forth.
The assessments surrounding the Arhen Kingdom's king were uniformly negative, and Arhen himself was not unaware of it.
For the weight of that responsibility fell far too heavily upon a young man who, only a few years prior, had been little more than a boy.
"Your waist is unguarded."
Indeed, had it not been for the loyal retainers who supported him, it would have been no surprise had he crumbled at any moment.
The one now receiving the strikes of his wooden sword was one of those cherished retainers.
"You're putting too much weight into your lower body. Maintaining balance is well and good, but if you fixate on it, you won't be able to swing your sword properly."
"Then, would it be correct to do it like this?"
"Rather than swinging the blade in a straight line, it would be best to make use of wrist movement. Like so...."
Come to think of it, had she not taught him meticulously from the fundamentals in just the same way back when he was still a prince?
Her manner was stern, but from Arhen's perspective, it was something he even found himself glad to receive.
All the more so because ever since ascending the throne, he had been hounded by the weight of his responsibilities, spending each day in exhaustion.
"Your body is already taxed with the administration of state affairs, so strictly speaking this isn't necessary, but...."
Several dozen minutes had passed since he began receiving light swordsmanship instruction in that manner.
Berdia, who had settled into a spot at the base of a tree to sit facing him for a brief rest, spoke to Arhen with care.
"Still, if you intend to train in swordsmanship through diversions such as this, would it not also be acceptable to ask Darkan rather than me?"
Darkan.
Arhen's personal guardian knight who had accompanied him here, and one who—like Berdia—had made her name as one of the Ten Greats of the Continent.
At present, she leaned against a nearby tree with her arms crossed, wholly absorbed in guarding the perimeter.
A taciturn and rigid disposition—truly a demeanor befitting her, Arhen thought, and he answered with an apologetic smile.
"Darkan refuses to do anything beyond the duties she has been assigned. You, who have crossed battlefields alongside her far more than I, know that better than anyone, do you not?"
"...Yes, well. She was quite reticent even in those days. It was that very steadfastness that allowed so many of us—myself included—to rely upon her."
"To think that comrades who supported one another through such trials would both rise to become two of the Ten Greats of the Continent—if fate truly exists, this may be exactly the sort of thing people mean by it."
"It is not a station grand enough to be called fate. The title of the Ten Greats is something that simply follows once you've entered death's maw and survived."
Put another way, it could also be interpreted as confidence that one could enter death's maw and survive—yet Berdia's face, as those words left her lips, was tinged with something bitter.
It could hardly be otherwise. For it meant she had faced countless deaths to preserve that life, and had endured without ever breaking.
"...Be that as it may, considering your position, a certain measure of pride is surely warranted."
Arhen, too, understood what lay in her heart, and did not press the point.
If anything, he felt gratitude: a believer who gave thanks for the gods' blessings, a knight who had sworn fealty to the royal house—she inspired the masses and elevated the crown's standing.
Had there been no idol like her, the assessment of Arhen as a boy-king would have seized him by the scruff of the neck, and the task of steering the nation would have proven far more difficult.
All the more so in times such as these, when many—including the Anti-Human Coalition—stood opposed to the Arhen royal house.
"However, speaking now from my personal standpoint as king...."
And whenever gratitude ran too deep, what always settled in its wake was guilt toward her alone.
What followed were words that bordered on concern, steeped in that very apology.
"I would have you seek, even if only a little, your own happiness."
"My happiness, you say?"
"Berdia, have you ever given any thought to a marriage contract?"
A marriage contract. The fundamental covenant required to formally bind oneself to a member of the opposite sex and establish a household.
Berdia had long since passed the usual age for marriage, and yet her beauty alone—undimmed even beside maidens in the flower of their youth—was such that anyone would be quick to affirm it.
Considering her fame and standing, there ought to be no shortage of men across the continent who would gladly be joined to her.
"I cannot say the thought has never occurred to me, but...."
Yet however ideal the conditions might be, so long as she was not bound by her house and forced into a political marriage, whom she joined herself to was a matter of her own free will.
She understood Arhen's sentiment, but she had already sworn an oath to place the greater cause above her own life.
"Ironically, I have seen far too many on the battlefield who did concern themselves with family. Some say that having something to protect allows one to fight with greater desperation... yet in the end, such convictions are nothing more than personal creed. Once they have died, only silence hangs over their graves."
"Are you saying that the dead cannot speak, and therefore cannot comfort those left behind?"
"Though I possess the confidence to face even an officer of the Demon King's army in direct combat, I—as it happens—have no confidence that I could bear such grief."
It was not that she had no desire to create precious bonds. Rather, what she feared was leaving behind the sorrow of those who were left to mourn....
Her nature was straightforward and virtuous; it was a reasoning that felt entirely sound. Arhen, too, regarded such character as worthy of the deepest respect.
"...The officers you previously faced—were they truly so powerful that you had to prepare yourself for the end?"
"Yes. They were such that I was made to truly grasp that not all officers are of the same rank."
Berdia recalled the Great Forest Defense Battle from some time ago.
The battle around the World Tree had been a three-way struggle: the elves and the kingdom's forces fighting alongside the Human Alliance, and two officers of the Demon King's army each commanding their own factions.
The Queen of Nightmare Demons, Garbonia—and Balmash, King of the Orcs.
Among them, Balmash's martial might was so absurdly overwhelming that it could even scatter her own defenses, which were said to be as unyielding as an iron wall.
"I was fortunate only in that Balmash was utterly mad with obsession over Garbonia. Had I faced him directly, I would surely have been defeated. Given that experience, I fear it will be some time before I can give due consideration to what you have just proposed."
If she ever came into direct conflict with him again, she would stand directly in his path—and when that time came, victory would be far from guaranteed.
And so she would never, of her own free will, take anyone as a life companion.
Unless, of course, it came about through another's coercion rather than her own volition.
"...Even so—what if it happened regardless?"
Arhen pressed Berdia once more for an answer, despite the attitude she maintained.
At that question, Berdia regarded him in silence, a note of puzzlement in her gaze.
"Regardless, you say?"
"Well, you say circumstances are unfavorable and there's no helping it—but even so, surely you have something of an ideal type, do you not? Come, speak your mind openly here and now. Are we not on close enough terms for at least that?"
A bright smile played at the corners of his lips.
Sensing that it sprang from pure goodwill, Berdia's expression went blank for a moment before she rested her chin on her hand and began to contemplate the matter in earnest.
"If I must name one...."
Though her position left her unable even to dream of a relationship with the opposite sex, that was solely because she placed the greater cause above her own life.
She, too, possessed what could quite properly be called personal preferences.
But how could the romantic sensibilities of one who had lived her life as a warrior possibly resemble those of an ordinary person?
She had never taken any interest in relations with the opposite sex, and even if an opportunity presented itself, she would never be able to properly harmonize with such a person.
Therefore, if she were to be bound to someone, it would be better for the other party—not herself—to hold the initiative in that relationship.
Yes—someone possessed of a discipline and strength of will that would not falter even before her own.
"If I must name one, it would be a man stronger than myself."
"A man stronger than you, you say?"
"Yes. I have never given it much thought, but if pressed to name an ideal, I would say a man strong enough to overwhelm me."
Berdia nodded and emphasized the point once more.
The expression etched onto her face was serious yet somehow light.
Utterly devoid of tension, one might say. At that attitude—which in itself betrayed not a single falsehood—Arhen wore a dumbfounded expression and shook his head.
Even among the Ten Greats of the Continent, it was notoriously difficult to determine superiority between them. And yet she named a man stronger than herself as her ideal.
"That... sounds to me as though there exists, at minimum, no marriageable candidate among all of humanity."
"Heh heh. One is free to interpret as one wishes."
At Arhen's consternation, Berdia let out a soft laugh and rose to her feet.
After a brief stretch, she stood before Arhen, offered a courteous gesture, and made ready to take her leave.
"Now, it is about time, so I shall take my leave."
"Ah, right. Was today the day you were to rejoin the party?"
Just as he said, all of her business at the royal castle was now finished.
That afternoon, she would depart the castle and gradually rejoin the party, after which she intended to proceed in earnest with the preparations necessary for the hero party's activities.
There were still areas where they were lacking, so much would need to be supplemented—but considering the party's rising rank, that too was only a matter of time.
As she reviewed her plans, calling to mind the intermittent reports she had received, someone stepped into her path as she began descending the mountain, blocking her way.
A figure she could not bring herself to ignore.
"...Darkan?"
Arhen's guardian knight, Darkan.
She who until moments ago had been leaning silently against a tree now stood before Berdia, extending forward what she held in her hand.
A pair of wooden swords.
The same ones used earlier when instructing Arhen in swordsmanship—she had personally picked them up and was now offering one.
"...Are you suggesting we spar?"
Berdia voiced the thought that the gesture aroused in her.
No particular reply came, but Darkan did not avert her gaze.
Silence was tantamount to affirmation.
Having long understood that disposition, Berdia took the wooden sword offered to her and glanced back at Arhen.
"It would seem I can spare a short while. Would that be acceptable, Your Majesty?"
"Well, I suppose a brief delay is permissible. More than anything, I too wish to watch the two of you test each other...."
Yes—was this not a rare opportunity to witness two of the Ten Greats of the Continent gather and contest their strength?
A spectacle that money could not buy. No doubt, even if he were somewhat late, once he explained the circumstances, his retainers would immediately understand—and proceed to ask after the outcome.
And so it would be entirely acceptable to spare a little time and observe the two of them compete.
"Your Majesty, an urgent matter!"
But no sooner had the chance to witness such fine entertainment presented itself than someone came sprinting up breathlessly, shouting Arhen's name.
The Knight Commander who guarded the royal castle.
That the Knight Commander himself had come rushing in person, rather than a messenger, could only mean the news was dire enough to warrant it.
"Lady Berdia!? Ah—yes. Lady Berdia. Most fortunate that you are here!"
And it was not only Arhen for whom the message was intended.
No sooner did the Knight Commander register Berdia's presence than he faced her directly and hurriedly began to relay the matter at hand.
"Lady Berdia, it appears you must return to the hero party with all haste! At present, the Hero has been ambushed by Garbonia, and...!"
"...Serika has?"
Upon hearing the news that followed, Berdia's brow furrowed fiercely.
The tidings brought by the Knight Commander were not something that could be dismissed.
***
And so, after hearing that news, she hastened out of the royal castle and arrived at the city of adventurers.
"Serika!!"
Berdia, who had ridden for days on end, kicked open the door of the dwelling that served as the party's base of operations and surveyed the scene within.
A sight that matched the letter's description in every detail.
"Seri... ka?"
The moment she beheld the Hero's condition at the center of it all, her face drained of color.