Chapter 210 - The King of Heinkel

Ferda quietly bowed his head in respect.

“First, allow me to apologize regarding your son. I had no sincere intention of insulting the dead.”

“You... already knew?”

“Yes.”

“And yet you left his father in agonizing pain.”

“It was necessary.”

Resentful eyes glared at him, though without the fury they had held at their first meeting.

“Yes, I suppose it was necessary. I was the only fool in that affair, after all. I hope this is the last time we speak of it.”

“Of course. Please, have a seat.”

Duke Yurei sat where Ferda indicated, and Ferda served him a drink. His first taste of alcohol in so long was wonderfully sweet.

“Now, tell me what you intend to accomplish by freeing me.”

“As things stand, war could break out between the Heinkel Kingdom and the Arken Empire. I assume you know that.”

“I've heard it more times than I care to count.”

“We would like you to give a speech calling for an emergency session of the Grand Council.”

“An emergency session...”

It was the best way to defuse the threat of war. That made the proposal all the more puzzling.

“You belong to the Empire yourself. Why would you want me to take that course?”

“For an imperial citizen, your death would be ideal, Duke Yurei. It would mean acquiring some excellent territory.”

Duke Yurei snorted. “So the Empire has a traitor in its midst.”

“Call me what you will. I am here for my fiancée.”

“Does the Empire's will conflict with that of Her Highness Valdrova?”

“They are attempting to start this war by invoking Demons far too lightly. Demons must be eradicated from this continent. If that cause is twisted into a pretext for personal gain, it will only bring greater chaos.”

“... That sounds reasonable.”

Ferda's answer had been clear and firm. Duke Yurei studied him. There was an uncanny depth of experience in those eyes.

“At least you're not the sort to be in cahoots with that damned grand duke.”

“Certainly not.”

Duke Yurei covered his face with a hand and pondered before speaking.

“First, I must send a letter. I need to get word to Heinkel.”

“I'll arrange it.”

Ferda handed him pen and paper, and Duke Yurei began to write. He explained that he had escaped safely with the help of Bunny Swallows. He made no mention of Ferda. Leaving a written record of his involvement would be repaying kindness with harm. He finished the letter by explaining that he was now under protection, but in poor health.

“Send this to the Heinkel Kingdom.”

“Understood.”

A messenger mounted his horse and rode off. All that remained was to wait for a reply.

“Let's talk, Regent Ferda,” Duke Yurei said, pouring a drink.

“Once they learn you've cost them such a fine opportunity to expand their territory, they won't take it lying down... How do you intend to handle relations with the Empire?”

“Milk it for all it's worth while I still can. Isn't that the immediate goal?”

“You say things that would turn a lord's stomach without a moment's hesitation.”

“But you like the sound of it, don't you?”

“I suppose I do.”

He gave a faint chuckle and drank. He tried to keep smiling, but the corners of his mouth refused to rise.

“William...” Duke Yurei ventured the name cautiously.

“Why are you putting him to work like that?”

Ferda was a little surprised. He had never imagined the duke would take an interest in him.

“He would be a match for any knight in skill or refinement... I wondered why he was still serving as a mere village security captain.”

“He has become tied up in quite a few matters, but I agree that he has exceptional potential. I did try to bring him into the Grand Duchy's service as a knight. William himself refused.”

“And you let him refuse so impertinently?”

“One shouldn't trample on a man's convictions, should one? He even turned down the Empire's offer to make him a Guardian Knight.”

“He rejected an imperial knighthood as well?”

“He asked that it be honorary only, which amounts to the same thing.”

“...”

How could one persuade a man who didn't even want to be a Guardian Knight? Duke Yurei's expression grew complicated. Ferda could only infer that the two had spoken about something.

“The Empire won't be sending any more pursuers. Rest comfortably here for the day.”

“... Thank you.”

After drinking, Duke Yurei fell asleep, and Ferda quietly waited for the next day.

The messenger returned to Ferda the following day. The handwriting on the reply belonged to Sigmund Heinkel, king of the Heinkel Kingdom. He had written:

-I shall come to welcome my friend in person.

* * *

Ferda and Duke Yurei arrived at a plain within Heinkel's territory. It was their rendezvous point.

“This brings back memories,” Duke Yurei said, gazing across the plain with nostalgia in his voice.

“Sigmund Heinkel... We were so young back then that I called him Sig. We used to play at being knights together on this plain.”

“So that's why he's coming in person.”

“It is hardly a kingly decision, but I understand it. His Majesty and I have been together since childhood. We've seen each other through nearly forty years, sharing joys and sorrows. He is a brother and friend like no other.”

Bitterness touched Duke Yurei's expression. “That made it all the harder to bear being captured in an enemy country, leaving such a friend behind.”

“...”

“I can hardly tell you how pathetic I feel, letting emotion blind me to the bigger picture.”

“Who wouldn't have done the same?”

Emotions stirred desire and clouded judgment.

As the sun approached its zenith, something caught Yurei's eye. A fluttering banner was rising from beyond the hill. Its emblem unmistakably belonged to the Heinkel Kingdom. The sight of the standard-bearer's emblem filled Duke Yurei with such emotion that he nearly burst into tears.

Dozens of elite knights lined the hill, displaying the might of Heinkel. The standard-bearer at their head moved aside, revealing a middle-aged man wearing a golden crown.

“Perry! My old friend...!”

Sigmund Heinkel dismounted his white horse and ran toward Duke Yurei. The duke dismounted as well and walked forward. Ferda followed, studying the king of Heinkel.

'So that is Sigmund Heinkel.'

Ferda could tell at a glance that he was not a man suited to kingship. As he ran toward them, his face was that of a deeply kindhearted middle-aged man. Was that why Ferda instinctively felt uneasy?

Yurei restrained his overwhelming joy and paid his respects. “You cannot imagine how glad I am to see you, Your Majesty.”

“The feeling is mutual. I began preparing the moment I saw your handwriting!”

“I apologize for making you rush out to meet me.”

“How could I sit and wait when my friend had returned alive? But... who is this man here?”

The king of Heinkel looked toward Ferda—the presence making their emotional reunion awkward—as he asked.

“This is Regent Ferda.”

“Ferda? The one you told me about...?”

Sigmund looked as though he could not understand why Ferda was here. Ferda merely offered a quiet bow while Duke Yurei gave a brief explanation.

“Without the Regent's help, I could never have dreamed of escaping.”

“Ah, is that so? Then he is our benefactor. Let us not linger here. We should go to the castle. Surely this calls for a banquet?”

“There is no time for that,” Duke Yurei said urgently.

“As you must have suspected, the Empire is manufacturing a pretext for war.”

“Yes, I've heard.”

“Now that I've escaped, we must prepare a counteroffensive. Summon all the kingdom's nobles so we can discuss it.”

“Ah, about that...”

There was something strangely chilling in the king's tone. Those few syllables were enough to make Ferda instinctively gather his mana.

“You needn't give that much thought.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

That was when Duke Yurei began to sense that something was going wrong.

“Yurei. We have no intention of avoiding war.”

“What do you mean? You won't avoid war?”

Duke Yurei could not understand. The king of Heinkel both feared and hated the horrors of war. How could this pacifist king be steeling himself for battle?

The king spoke without so much as blinking. “The Empire wants war with us, and the other kingdoms are desperate to tear pieces off us. I did a great deal of thinking while you were gone.”

“If that has led you to choose war... we are all doomed, Your Majesty. Please reconsider—”

“Do not worry, Yurei. I have power. The power to protect our kingdom.”

“Power...?”

The king raised a hand. What happened next made Yurei doubt his own eyes.

“Ah... ah!”

A flame formed of mana bloomed in the king's hand. A man who had never had any connection to magic was wielding it with ease. But that was not the only problem. His dark flame devoured all the surrounding light. The king smiled at this magic that defied the natural order.

“Look at this flame... Isn't it magnificent?”

Yurei could only tremble as he watched. “Your Majesty... No, Sigmund... Have you... made a pact with a devil?”

“I have not. Haven't you told me time and again? Devils never strike a bargain at a loss.”

“Then who in the world gave you this power?”

“The Demons.”

Yurei staggered. “You've... joined hands with Demons?”

“I had no choice. But I have no regrets, either.”

“Sigmund...”

“For they opened my eyes.”

The light of reason vanished from his eyes.

“To how meaningless the affairs of this world truly are.”

Madness filled the void. Yurei gathered his wits and reached for his waist. A sword had been provided for him as a mark of respect.

“Why must we endure misunderstanding and suffering? Why live in pain for an afterlife that does not exist?”

“Sigmund... Do not say another word.”

“A past of suffering, a present of suffering, a future of suffering. How wonderful would it be to lay it all aside and live forever in a dream?”

“Please! Do not give me a reason to cut you down!”

“Yurei... my friend. I wish you could know this feeling too.”

“Sigmund!”

Yurei drew his sword and slashed at the king. One clean strike sent the king's head flying, and the body beneath it crumpled lifelessly. Then something astonishing happened.

“What...?”

The head that had belonged to the king until the moment of the strike was now that of a helmeted man. Looking closer, Yurei recognized the helmet of the standard-bearer who had led the procession. Then where was the standard-bearer?

Yurei looked up. The king of Heinkel stood where the standard-bearer should have been. Holding the banner, he looked down at Duke Yurei in disappointment.

“You... do not understand after all. The others were the same. Springfield, Hosho...”

He raised a hand. “But once they saw what I had seen, they realized their folly.”

The knights behind him drew their swords in unison.

“I will open your eyes as well.”

He lowered his hand. The knights charged as one.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

“Protect Duke Yurei and the Regent!”

Ferda had only a little over ten escorts with him. They were hopelessly outnumbered against the charge of more than fifty knights. Yet they would have been fortunate if that were all.

“What are those...?”

As the horses thundered closer over the rough ground, their forms grew increasingly distorted. The knights' skin blackened, and the horses' muscles swelled violently until there were dozens of demonic creatures. In an instant, the king's knights had become Demon riders.

Ferda assessed their strength.

'The transformed knights are Knight-class. And their warhorses are nearly as strong.'

A single Demon rider had enough power to wipe out an infantry battalion with ease.

“Regent Ferda...” Duke Yurei called his name in a trembling voice. He looked at Ferda's face, but the young man was utterly unshaken. He had remained composed from the start.

“There is no need to worry.”

That was because he was always prepared.

“I requested reinforcements five minutes ago.”

What good could that do, even if he had sent the request five minutes ago? Yurei looked around, but there wasn't so much as a single damned ant on the plain.

“There is one place you haven't looked yet.”

Ferda pointed overhead. Blue sky, the fiercely blazing sun—and a dot. The dot turned red and grew larger.

BOOOM!

It landed in the middle of the Demon horde. The impact shook the ground, making Duke Yurei stumble.

'Did he summon a meteor?!'

The last he knew, Ferda Valdrova had been a 4th Circle mage. Summoning a meteor required at least the 6th Circle. But the object that had gouged a crater in the ground was no meteorite.

“An axe...?”

It was an enormous axe that even an ogre-sized creature could barely wield. And it was not the only thing coming down. When he looked up again, a silver comet was hurtling through the sky.

CRAAASH!

The second comet snatched up the axe and charged straight ahead. When Duke Yurei caught sight of its figure, he was even more astonished. The one who had seized that enormous axe was a girl far smaller than the weapon. A girl wearing a maid's uniform, at that.

Yet the pair of horns rising from her head and her tail made it clear she was no ordinary girl. The way she held the axe alone proved she was a seasoned fighter.

Luri Silverwind. Before she was a maid, she had been a spawn of Silverwind, the girl known as the nightmare of Frost Giants. She plunged into the midst of the Demons and brought her axe crashing down.

BOOOM!