“I have to go. This could be the enemy’s base, the lair of the subhuman boss. I mean, it’s just so big—someone as strong as Buser might be in there. I want to get this liberation over with neatly.”
“Oh!” Hearing the answer to her earlier question, it made perfect sense, and she smacked her forehead. She was simultaneously grateful for the King of Darkness’s deep compassion.
So he didn’t want the paladins to go near the place because a powerful being might be hiding out there? Was he saying weird stuff before because he felt bashful about it being known that he was fighting to protect other people and didn’t want to admit it outright?
Though she knew it was irreverent to have such a feeling, she thought the King of Darkness was awfully precious.
“…So, uh, does that make sense?” he asked, peering over at her. When she nodded, he cheerfully replied, “Oh, good.”
He’s that happy because I understood something…? What a kind person…
“I understand that you don’t want to be the center of attention!”
“…Hmm? Ah…yes. You…you get it? That I don’t want to stand out?”
“I do, Your Majesty!”
The king seemed to be mulling something over. That was somehow adorable, too.
“………Okay, then, shall we go?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
As a squire, she felt it was entirely inappropriate that the king be the vanguard, but when she tried to move ahead of him, he wouldn’t allow it. She gazed admiringly at the back of this courageous being. From the point of view of someone ranking lower, there was definitely something thrilling about a king who led the way.
Upon passing through the broad entryway, Neia asked, “Where should we start? I don’t sense anyone around, but…”
“Hmm… Miss Baraja, you seem to have excellent vision and hearing, but how about smell?”
“To be honest, I’m not as confident about my sense of smell. Even so, I think it’s better than the average human’s. And taste is about the same level, although I’ve never tasted poison, so I couldn’t serve as a taste tester…”
“I see. So can you smell the death and loathing in this room?” He said the words death and loathing with the supreme spirit of a king.
“Death and loathing?”
“Over here.”
The King of Darkness strode off. There was no hesitation in his gait. He was walking as if he knew this place and knew what was coming.
Death and loathing….? Those things don’t smell… Or is it something His Majesty can detect because he’s undead? That would mean we’re heading for something giving off those…!
Neia gripped her borrowed bow tightly. It was possible that she would need to shield the king and step ahead of him to shoot. She hadn’t been able to do a thing during the fight with Buser. If she didn’t make herself at least a little useful, there would be no point to her being there.
They advanced without seeing any subhumans and eventually reached a door that seemed different somehow from all the others. It was made of iron, and it looked terribly thick.
This door that looked like it belonged on a prison cell appeared in an otherwise typical noble residence. It felt so out of place that it made Neia extremely uneasy. The feeling was so strong that it was almost like she had been hurled into some other mysterious location.
“What…?”
“In here… You don’t have to come with me, you know.”
To Neia, that wasn’t an option. Seeing her shake her head, the King of Darkness shrugged and pushed the door open.
Perhaps because the king was so strong, the door swung easily open. It really was thick, though; it had to have been special order.
The King of Darkness entered the room.
Crap! I shouldn’t have let him go first into unknown territory! I’m such an idiot!
Neia hurried in after him.
She had expected something out of the ordinary, given the thick door, and the atmosphere was unusual. She wondered if this was what a torture chamber was like; she’d never seen one, only heard rumors.
For starters, there were no windows.
Bars embedded in the walls glowed red, but this was magic light, not natural.
There was one wooden desk and two wooden chairs. The one other door was also made of iron like the one they had entered through.
The King of Darkness stood in the center of the room and looked around. Then Neia realized something was on the desk.
“…Your Majesty, there’s a paper here, but what’s this?”
Written on the paper were characters Neia had never seen before. She could guarantee that it wasn’t Sacred Kingdom language.
“Hmm… Does it look like demon language?” The King of Darkness produced a monocle. Perhaps noticing Neia’s confused look, he explained. “It’s a magic item that will allow me to read this. I only have one. And it also takes up a lot of mana. Miss Baraja, do you know anyone with a similar power to read unfamiliar writing?”
“A power to read unfamiliar writing?”
“Yeah. Or if you know someone who might know how to read this, that’s fine, too. For example, someone with talent that allows them to read other languages…”
“Sorry, I don’t really…”
Neia was a mere squire. She had no occasion to come into contact with information about people like that.
True, she had heard stories from other squires, things like, I have a friend who has a talent; he can tell you what temperature your bath is, or, One of my relatives is a sailor with a talent that lets him walk on water for five seconds. Any longer and he sinks, though… They were always these minor abilities that left her scratching her head, nothing of the sort the king was looking for.
“I see. That’s too bad. Do you think Lady Custodio would know someone?”
As the commander of the knight order, it seemed like she would have opportunities to hear all sorts of news. But Remedios’s reputation gave Neia pause. Would she really use her brain for remembering things like
