Ch.64Side Story: Preparation

Charlotte sat on the throne at the heart of the royal palace, looking down at her knights who had assembled in perfect formation.

Their full-body armor gleamed brilliantly in silver, with perfectly fitted helmets and the royal emblem engraved over the position of their hearts.

The armor itself exuded a terrifying sense of authority.

Sunlight streamed through the glass gaps—so transparent that one might mistake them for empty space if not for the supporting lattice. The armor adorning the knights’ bodies shone even more brilliantly.

The Royal Knights.

These knights, worthy of being called the kingdom’s elite forces, knelt on one knee with their right hands placed over the emblem on their hearts, bowing their heads deeply.

Each held a weapon in their left hand. Most carried swords, some held spears, and a few rare ones wielded weapons of unusual design.

Their number was exactly ninety-nine. The knight captains knelt closest to Charlotte’s throne, followed by the regular knights.

“I shall ask,” Charlotte said.

Looking at the Royal Knights arranged in nine rows of eleven, aligned with absolute precision, Charlotte spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“What are you?”

“We are Your Majesty’s sword!”

A unified, resonant voice echoed throughout the central hall. There was no pretense, no falsehood. It was an answer that could only come from believing with all one’s heart and strength.

The first tenet of the Royal Knights: Be the sword of Charlotte de Gargantua.

A wielded sword must not have thoughts of its own. Nor should it hesitate. Even if it breaks without piercing what lies before it.

Charlotte spoke again in her impassive tone.

“What are you?”

“We are Your Majesty’s shield!”

It was the same as before. The Royal Knights answered in perfect unison without the slightest disarray, their response beginning and ending at precisely the same moment.

The second tenet of the Royal Knights: Be the shield of Charlotte de Gargantua.

A shield held forth must not have thoughts of its own. It protects its master with all its heart and might. Even if it cannot withstand and is pierced through.

Charlotte spoke again in her impassive tone.

“What are you?”

“We are Your Majesty’s will!”

The voices grew even louder as they delivered their answer. This was their pride, and there was no reason for it to diminish.

The third tenet of the Royal Knights: Be the will of Charlotte de Gargantua.

The path Charlotte takes is the path the Royal Knights must follow, and the orders Charlotte gives are the tasks the Royal Knights must fulfill.

If ordered to become a sword and cut down enemies, they will cut. If ordered to become a spear and pierce enemies, they will pierce. If ordered to become a shield and block enemies, they will block.

For that is the reason for the Royal Knights’ existence.

Charlotte opened her mouth one final time.

“Who are you?”

“WE ARE THE ROYAL KNIGHTS!!!”

An answer erupted, incomparably louder than the first, second, and third responses. It felt as though the castle vibrated from their voices alone.

The title of Royal Knight was their pride and dignity.

The simple fact of pledging loyalty to the Sovereign filled their shoulders with strength and made reverence for Charlotte well up within them.

Ordinary nobles were not permitted to pledge loyalty to Charlotte. Nobles were merely tools for governing the kingdom more efficiently.

If a tool failed to fulfill its role, it would be replaced with another, and even if it performed its role well, that was all there was to it. Nothing more was expected, nor was there reason to expect more.

Moreover, even proper performance of duties did not earn praise. They were meant to be used until broken, then replaced.

Only two groups were permitted to pledge loyalty to their Sovereign: the Royal Knights and the Royal Mages.

Perhaps from the Royal Knights’ perspective, one might question why the Royal Mages—who collectively were less than dust before their Sovereign—even existed.

But they never did so. The Royal Knights would never commit the blasphemy of questioning something Charlotte herself had established.

A faint trace of satisfaction colored Charlotte’s voice.

“I accept your loyalty with a generous heart. I permit you to serve me.”

To permit them to serve—in a way, it was an incredibly arrogant statement.

But not one person present objected to Charlotte’s words. Rather, they trembled slightly as if deeply moved.

All except one.

Serena Elizabeth. She alone was the exception.

She did not kneel, did not bow her head, and was not trembling with emotion.

Standing on both feet with eyes full of contempt, she merely fidgeted idly with World Eater.

Charlotte, of course, passed over Serena without comment. The other Royal Knights dared not even think of raising their heads, so they could not see what Serena was doing.

“Carry that loyalty until death claims you.”

Thud. The Royal Knights answered by striking their weapons against the floor. The dull sound echoed throughout the central hall.

At that signal, all the Royal Knights were reverse-summoned. Blue magic circles glowed beneath their feet, and their forms transformed into clusters of light before disappearing.

Now only Charlotte and Serena remained in the vast central hall.

Charlotte wiggled her right leg, which was crossed over her left thigh. The high heel on her foot dangled precariously, yet never revealed her bare foot.

She rested her elbow on the throne’s armrest, raising her arm vertically and naturally placing her chin on her clenched fist. With her chin propped up and gazing forward, Charlotte spoke.

“You look most displeased with me, First Knight Captain.”

Serena flinched momentarily. She seemed to be contemplating how to respond. After clenching and unclenching her hands for a while, Serena chose the most conventional option.

“Mind your own business. I have no obligation to speak to you.”

Ignoring her.

But Charlotte, as if anticipating such a response, began to grate on her nerves.

“There is no obligation. However, with such a face, your emotions are readable even when one does not wish to read them.”

“My lord commanded me not to engage in pointless quarrels with you. Shut your mouth.”

“Though you say that, are you not fully prepared to fight? Do you think I haven’t noticed the venom already seeping into your tone?”

“……”

Realizing that continuing would only disadvantage herself, Serena closed her mouth. Though every word, action, and glance irritated her immensely, there was no better option than to endure.

Her lord had given a command, and following commands was the natural order of things.

In a way, Serena was no different from the Royal Knights. The tenets of the Royal Knights applied fully to her as well.

The only difference was to whom her loyalty belonged.

If her lord were to command such behavior from her, Serena might burst with joy so overwhelming her heart could explode.

Of course, since such behavior would disappoint her lord, she would desperately restrain herself. Failing to follow orders was far more frightening than death.

Thus, Serena chose silence. To obey the command.

If she continued this exchange, Serena would likely be the first to get entangled and draw her weapon, and that cunning woman would not miss such an opportunity.

“Silence, I see. That’s probably the best action your stupid head could come up with. I can understand perfectly. How could one expect human-like thinking from a beast?”

Serena paid not the slightest attention to Charlotte’s words. Having already decided to ignore them, her resolve remained unshaken.

Instead, she drew World Eater from her waist.

Her lord had explained when handing it over that this magic sword could summon even an arch-demon to the mortal realm if desired, so she should handle it with care… but well.

To Serena, it was simply a sword that was more durable and resilient than others.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her lord’s words. If her lord called it a magic sword, then it was a magic sword. That was an immutable truth.

It was simply that Serena was far stronger.

When she first grasped the handle, there had been some buzzing attempt to invade her mind, but she had simply crushed it with raw power. There had been no such attempts since.

Taking a shallow breath, Serena swung World Eater toward the castle wall. Only Charlotte could perceive how many times she had swung in that brief moment.

The next instant, the dark gray bricks supporting the castle wall collapsed along their patterns.

Remarkably, the surrounding glass windows remained as brilliantly clean as before. She had precisely carved only the castle wall without stirring even a speck of dust.

As if she couldn’t stand being in the same space any longer, Serena leapt through the gap. Watching her retreating figure, Charlotte raised one corner of her mouth.

She brought the tips of her right thumb and middle finger together and rubbed them slightly. Immediately after that fleeting motion, the fragments rose into the air.

The time it took Charlotte to perfectly restore the castle wall was exactly the same as the time it had taken Serena to carve it.

“…You should return as quickly as possible, my dear.”

In the now-empty central hall, Charlotte muttered words that no one would hear.

Because otherwise, who knows what she might do.