The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom: Part 1

“How wonderful it would be if we could unite the group in that way. It sounds like a dream organization.”

“Mm… wonderful, you say?”

The Sorcerer King suddenly looked at the ceiling, but his eyes seemed to be gazing at something further away.

“Yes, that truly was the organization of my dreams.”

“Ah, ahhh. No, not like that. Unfortunately, my country is not such a group. Still… kuku.”

The Sorcerer King went quiet, and then he laughed warmly,

“It would be interesting if it was.”

“Interesting, you say?”

Part 2

They had decided to adopt the Sorcerer King’s suggestion of attacking the prison camp by the shore which was as far from their base as possible. It would be easier to hide their tracks by the sea, and given the distance, they would be able to buy some time before the enemy verified the location of the Liberation Army after the attack.

However, there was a problem.

If it was too far, the chances of being spotted by enemy scouts was very high.

Therefore, they decided to attack the furthest prison camp within their travel range.

Neia asked a question of the Sorcerer King, who was riding a horse beside her.

“Your Majesty, we will be making our approach on horseback until we reach the village. Are your preparations complete?

“Ah, but of course. However… I did not hear much about the operation details. What sort of tactics will they use? I do look forward to it.”

“You look forward to it?”

“Kuku, I’ll be able to see some of the Holy Kingdom’s tactics at work. What abilities will they use to break down the camp gates? Or will they fly over the walls and infiltrate through the air? I doubt they will be so unwilling to let me see that… The thought that they might have an ability I have not encountered excites me.”

The Sorcerer King will surely be disappointed, Neia thought uneasily.

The Holy Kingdom’s basic siege tactic was to launch a two-pronged attack with angels from the air and infantry from the ground. They would probably do the same thing this time round. Or rather, they did not have the manpower to do anything else.

Neia looked at Remedios.

Practically all of the Liberation Army’s fighting power was now advancing.

The Captain raised her lance, from which the Holy Kingdom’s flag fluttered in the wind.

“Let’s go!”

“Ohhh!”

The Captain spurred her horse, which began to move, and the paladins followed behind her. They were still some distance from the village, so they could not go at a full gallop, but a trot.

“The paladins are carrying freshly-cut logs; are they battering rams?”

“Yes. Our Liberation Army only has paladins and priests. Nobody is skilled at opening doors or other infiltration skills. Therefore, all we can do is mount a frontal assault. Our Captain is a skilled swordswoman, but for breaking down gates, tools like that would be faster.”

“So they’re not using magic, but seek to physically break it down with a battering ram? Aren’t they going to use ladders or the like? Can the magic of paladins carry them over walls?”

From what Neia had seen and heard, there were no spells which let them make ladders.

“I apologize, but I have never heard of such magic before.”

“Neither have I. That said, I have heard that there are some paladin spells which allow them to fly, although those are of quite a high tier.”

“Is that so? You even know about paladin spells…”

Truly, he was the Sorcerer King. He possessed great knowledge even about spells he could not cast.

“That’s because the enemy might use them. It took a lot of effort to memorize every spell there was. Since I was not talented, I had to make up for it with hard work. The more you know, the closer you are to victory, although that was what a friend told me, hm.”

She could not believe what he said about having no talent. However, there was something more important that she had to say.

“Your Majesty, if you have any strategies to recommend, I will relay them to our Captain.”

It was quite likely that someone as capable as the Sorcerer King had already come up with a more effective plan than what the Liberation Army had. That was why he was acting this way.

“Eh? No, no, I shouldn’t. Ah, well— about that. Liberating this prison camp is not my job, but yours. Attacking these prison camps is the first step in finding a better way to do things. They need to realize that themselves, which is why it must be done this way.”

The Sorcerer King was right. Or rather, everything he said was right.

However, just for today, Neia wanted to borrow the Sorcerer King’s strength. That was because their war was fought to save the suffering masses, and she wanted to choose a path which was faster and which could save more people.

“I fully agree that what Your Majesty said is correct. However, I pray you will still lend us a hand.”

She immediately knew she was being very rude. However, Neia still bowed her head and pleaded with the Sorcerer King anyway,

The Sorcerer King looked forward for a while before speaking again.