Hope and Despair
Another night after the onslaught of the [Black Demon King] and the Black Knight ……
“The fact that the Black Knight protected His Majesty should have been enough to make up for the loss of temper that occurred at the time of the Imperial Competition and the rebellion of Harmal the Knight Guard. The other nations present will have no complaints.”
In the conference room, an important meeting was being held with the King and George at the head and several members including Marton and even Shiro.
“On this point, it suggests to the countries that the Black Knight is attached to the Kingdom of Light. Isn’t there anything to worry about?”
“Duke Dee, please be careful not to upset the Black Knight. I am counting on you to do that.”
“You don’t need to tell me, I will pay attention to this.”
With a bitter smile as he pushed up his glasses, Marton responded as if it were a matter of course.
“Even I, who had never focused on martial arts, could understand how scary it was to be an enemy of him. How powerful is he to be able to infiltrate a heavily guarded Royal Castle with such ease? Although we don’t know his true face and purpose …… , we are lucky to know that he is not hostile towards us.”
“…… Actually, I have considered the possibility that the Black Knight is [Knight of the Black Skeleton].”
“I’ve certainly considered the possibility, but the shape of the armor is different. …… and the fighting style I’ve seen before, although at first glance it looks a bit similar, it’s not.”
[Knight of the Black Skeleton]
That is the legendary knight who is the beloved of the [Demon King of the Isolated Island]. He is a known enemy with the rank of a warlord. His skeleton-like full-body armor, covered in calamity, was a symbol of terror among the armies of the Light Kingdom, as he wielded his sword and shield, scattering the Light Kingdom’s army again and again, bathed in blood.
“More than those now the question is ……”
“…… [The Black Demon King], isn’t it?
Hearing Shiro’s words, the faces of the crowd turned ugly.
Along with the birth of the hope that was the Black Knight, there was also a huge threat that could overshadow it.
“I didn’t think … he would be that terrible …. ”
The king could not help but hold his head.
They, along with the people of the Royal Castle, had experienced firsthand the power that was above even the worst expectations they had previously made. So it could not be helped.
In that instant, the evil and powerful magic that emerged from the tower unquestionably dragged everyone in the city into an abyss of fear.
“The only good thing that happened ….. was that the hero Lionel was beautifully finished off in the form of being defeated by the Demon King. If we had advertised that Celestia, who arrived after that, had driven him away, the people and soldiers will be a little calmer.”
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
“I understand.”
Judging that to be the best solution at this stage, King Light adopted Marton’s proposal.
Although Marton and the King did not say so, they did consider the possibility that the Black Knight infiltrated Royal Castle after tracking the Demon King, and that such a thing would provide a very reliable hope.
The reason why the Demon King had killed Lionel was also unknown.
And besides that, in Celestia’s opinion, because of this incident, there was a possibility that even the [Demon King of Isolated Island] would act.
“…… Then, we will talk about his purpose and the response to the [Black Demon King] itself later. Now there is a lighter topic …… about the misconduct of the evil child, who really did use magic props. I wonder if a serious protest needs to be lodged with the Kingdom of Kujaro regarding this matter, their king’s eldest son will be visiting in the near future, and we can send additional emissaries on top of that, if you please.”
Putting a quick end to the headache of questions that were not metaphorical but literal, Marton raised a subject that did not require much thought.
“I’ll leave it to you, let it go. I’m looking forward to your tactics …… as usual.” (King)
“Okay. Leave it to me.” (Marten)
Because the opponent was his own daughter this time, King felt very angry. In normal times, the king would control the bullish Marton’s words, but this time he did not do so.
Marton agreed with a smile on her face and nodded contentedly.
“There were many more headaches. The issue of Harmal and others’ successors, and the request from the Archbishop of the Angel Cult to meet His Majesty, etc. ……So why not take a break here?””
“Phew. …… I’m glad you asked for it. After all, it’s doing something I’m not used to. My eyes and shoulders are getting a little sore.”
Shiro continued with an immediate sigh at Marton’s proposal.
Both the king and George understood that this was a proposal to look after the too-busy king, so they complied with Marten and Shiro’s kind offer.
“Let’s do so.”
“Then let them make tea right now. Gentlemen, can I have some black tea?”
George immediately stood up and went forward to give the order to the soldiers at the door.
“…… But speaking of which, Celestia-sama is not here. After all, it’s only been a day since yesterday’s incident, is she resting?”
Marton asked the King as he leaned back in his chair with his characteristic taut smile.
“…… No, she seems to have gone to school.”
“Why …… is that?”
“I don’t know …… I don’t understand my own daughter.”
The king, who answered this, and Marton, who naturally thought about it, could not find any answers at all, and their minds were still working at full capacity even though they were obviously resting.
♢♢♢
While King and Marten were chattering in the conference room.
In the middle of Light School, there were cheers for the first time in a long time.
The crowd was approaching the saloon like a storm.
Then the figure who had started it all, having reached the reception, turned to face the crowd at the back.
“Can you please be quiet?”
Although the person in question herself simply pressed her index finger to her seductive lips and spoke a common request.
However, the effect was enormous.
All the men and women in the room turned red and shut their mouths, and it was easy to enforce a silence.
“…… Then …… is Mr. Glass in, please?”
Turning back to the seasoned servant who was also overwhelmed by her aura, she inquired.
“……”
“Are you listening?”
“Yes! Excuse me, excuse me! Glass, right! I’ll go and get him for you in a minute!”
With a profound salute, the other side walked towards the inner room with an anxious expression.
On the other hand she continued to look over with her usual kind of smile and listened sideways.
“- Glass-kun! The break is over! There’s an appointment for you! Come out quickly!”
“…… I’ve only just entered the break. You should understand at a glance, shouldn’t you? I’m having a late breakfast.”
“I know. But it’s Her Highness who has appointed you!”
In the quiet of the reception, there was the sound of arguing in the servants’ lounge.
“I know. If it’s this noisy, anyone will know even if you don’t tell it. But, as I said before, I am firmly against the appointing system …… so please allow me to reject it.”
“You b*stard!!!”
From there came the unbelievable words.
“Go now! Everyone wants to replace you to the point of shedding blood and tears! But you…. Now, it’s really urgent!”
“Wait, no, this, not yet… I’m still eating chazuke!!!”
“I told you to stop that!”
……
There was a momentary silence.
Then at the doorway where the servant had disappeared, a figure came whooshing out.
“- I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I’m so sorry. I’ll take over from here.”
“No, I’m sorry that it was during your break.”
Glass responded tactfully as if the dispute had never happened, and Celestia smiled in response.
“There’s no need to apologize to Your Highness, it’s all because of that old man …… Anyway, I’ll show you the way. This way, please.”
“Yes, please.”
♢♢♢
If I hire employees in the Demon King Castle in the future, I will definitely listen to the opinions of my subordinates. I will definitely do that.
I can’t believe he took away my delicious chazuke. Are you kidding me? ……
It was a break that I could finally make after being charged by Princess Erika in the morning.
“I heard that you, Mr. Glass, came back to the royal castle yesterday …… May I ask what the inconvenience is?”
“If you mean to say something about that commotion, it was a little embarrassing but I stayed in the corner trembling like that because I was too scared.”
“Is that so? …… I’m sorry for having prepared what I thought was a foolproof system.”
From behind, a voice that felt sorry from the bottom of her heart came.
Don’t apologize to the killer, it makes me feel very ashamed.
“It can’t be helped. Come in, please.”
I opened the door to the new saloon and guided her inside.
“Yes.”
Princess Celestia passed through without a hint of caution.
Judging from what happened yesterday, she probably didn’t doubt Glass.
I sighed reassuringly, and then entered as well.
“So…”
Just when I closed the door and turned my head to prepare to speak… With a bang, a slight shock hit me.
The aroma that I had smelled when I passed earlier reached my nostrils even more strongly.
Then I felt a soft, yet powerful touch.
I looked down with trepidation ……
“…… Got you, oh. –Your Majesty the Black Demon King.”
