The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom: Part 1

“Shut up!”

Remedios barked again. However, this was not something she should be saying to a king from another country who had come all this way to save her. There were actions which were acceptable, and actions which were unacceptable.

Anger welled up in Neia’s heart.

“What you need right now is to change the situation, not sit around and butt heads in frustration… Ah, it can’t be helped. I shall turn things around, then.”

After muttering to himself, the Sorcerer King turned away from them — towards the gate — and began walking. Due to his sudden movement, nobody managed to call out to him before the Bafolk shouted a warning.

“You there, in the mask! I told you to back off, didn’t I?”

“I will not back down! What do you think a single human life means to me!?”

“W-What!?”

“Our aim is to kill every single one of the Bafolk here! It doesn’t matter what happens to the humans! 「Widen Magic — Fireball」!”

The Sorcerer King extended his hand with a shout, and the fireball that flew forth blew away the Bafolk and the boy he was holding.

The enormous burst of flame also consumed the watchtower.

Everyone on top had been slain by that attack. The Bafolk and his hostage fell onto the Sorcerer King’s side of the wall.

“「Maximize Magic — Shockwave」”

The spell which followed blasted away the half-ruined gates. In addition, it scattered the Bafolk who were erecting barricades behind it, blowing a huge hole into their defenses.

“Come, you paladins! Attack! Kill the Bafolk inside to the very last man!”

As though awakened by his voice, Remedios came to and replied:

“You son of a bitch—!”

“—Captain!”

“Grrrrgh! —Charge!”

The paladins moved forward in response to Remedios’s words. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that they had abandoned all attempts at thinking and fully subordinated themselves to her orders.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Gustavo left those words behind and moved on. After that, there the paladins and priests — the more sensible ones, at least — directed grateful looks at him. Remedios was the only one who was staring at the Sorcerer King with open displeasure.

The Sorcerer King addressed Neia in a quiet voice.

“—Miss Baraja. Did you think I would save the boy with a spell beyond your imagination?”

Indeed, the thought had crossed her mind. However, the Sorcerer King must have had some reason for his actions.

“Ah, yes, I did. It is as you say.”

“Hm, perhaps that might be so.”

The Sorcerer King nodded, and Neia listened in silence.

“Indeed, I could have done so. By using the various spells I have learned, saving a single boy would be a trivial task. However, I could not do that. That was because I could not allow the Bafolk to see me rescue a boy.”

Doubt crossed Neia’s face for the first time, and the Sorcerer King gently explained to her.

“If I allowed them to know that hostages were effective against us, the prisoners inside would be used as meat-shields to block our attacks in battle.The paladins would be at a loss, and they might end up being wounded or killed. Due to our dire lack of manpower, even one fewer paladin would constitute a great disadvantage… at least, according to Lanchester’s laws[1].

The Sorcerer King walked to the gate, and Neia hurried after him.

“On the other hand, once they know the hostages are useless, they will simply become hindrances to the Bafolk. Now, when they are being attacked and the enemy is about to come through the walls, do you think they have the time to leisurely kill off their prisoners? Murdering people who can’t resist ought to be a very low priority then.”

“It is as you say.”

“Indeed. Rather than waste time killing people, they would prepare to stop the enemy incursion instead. Therefore, it was necessary to use a method that would clearly illustrate the pointlessness of taking hostages.”

He was right,

If Remedios had her way, they might end up being unable to save anyone in the end.

The Sorcerer King slowly lifted up the body of the boy by his feet.

“Your Majesty, let me—”

“—This is a job for me.”

Neia accompanied the Sorcerer King as he carried the boy to the place where Remedios had planted her banner.

The Sorcerer King laid the boy on the ground. Neia wetted a cloth with water from a waterskin, and wiped away the grime on the boy’s face.

His cheeks, his wrists and his thighs were all shockingly thin.

It clearly illustrated the harsh conditions under which they lived.

“Those Bafolk bastards…”

“Perhaps this should not be said, but do allow me to say it anyway. I am the king of the Sorcerous Kingdom, and not the king of the people who reside in this country. Thus, I can calmly make this decision. I would choose to save a thousand people’s lives over a single life. But if this boy alone were a citizen of my nation, I would prioritize saving him instead. If you cannot accept that—”

“—No, thank you very much. I can understand how you feel… Your Majesty is just.”

“...Hm? What do you mean?”

“My apologies. Ah, maybe it should be, Your Majesty is righteous?”