The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom: Part 1

The rapidly changing situation left Neia confused and unable to move. Once she regained her calm, she smiled to herself.

The Sorcerer King had destroyed in seconds the portcullis which the paladins had worked so hard to just dent.

The strong really are unfair...

Neia jogged after the Sorcerer King, and he turned around in front of the immobile Bafolk.

“So, how about them?” he said, while indicating the motionless demihumans and the children they were holding. “It’s only temporary, you know. Go tie up everyone here.”

“Then I’ll call the paladins over.”

“That would be a great help. Unfortunately, I am still radiating a fear aura. Everyone who steps into it will be terrified. Therefore, please ask them to take the appropriate measures. I believe priests ought to have 「Lion’s Heart 」 while paladins have… hm, ask them to use 「Under Divine Flag」, how about that?”

“You actually knew about that…”

The Sorcerer King chuckled, and then walked through the Bafolk, as if to fill the gaps between them.

“Gooooohhh!!”

A strong-looking Bafolk fell from above with a growl, holding a spear. It had probably jumped down from the city wall.

Its eyes were red and he was foaming at the mouth. It was clearly not in a normal state of mind. It looked like he had gone mad.

“I see. Savagery… no, berserking? Certainly, that would negate fear and other mental effects — oops.”

The Sorcerer King skillfully evaded the stabbing spear. It was a crisp, efficient movement, one unique to trained individuals. However, the Sorcerer King’s evasion meant that a Bafolk who had become a statue ended up being stabbed by its compatriot’s spear instead. The spear pierced straight through its body, and it collapsed to the ground, spraying blood everywhere.

The berserk Bafolk no longer seemed able to tell friend from foe.

“Give me a break.”

The Bafolk raised its spear. Was he going to sweep with it? However, Neia could not launch an arrow.

The Sorcerer King approached the Bafolk, like he wanted to block her shot.

Certainly, it was wise to close the distance given the spear’s length. However, the Sorcerer King’s next move deviated from common sense.

With a swift movements, he pressed down on the Bafolk’s head from left and right.

Perhaps it was because the Sorcerer King was surprisingly strong, but the Bafolk could not escape the Sorcerer King’s grasp no matter how it thrashed. Having given up on that, the Bafolk thought of something else; it gripped the front portion of the spear and drove it through the Sorcerer King. No, to be precise, it looked to Neia like it had driven the spear through him.

However, the Sorcerer King did not flinch. Perhaps a defensive spell had stopped it.

“You’re not like that Troll, after all.”

With a sickening squitch, the Bafolk’s eyes popped out of its skull.

This was clearly a lethal injury. No, one could say that this was even worse than a fatal wound.

The Sorcerer King let go, and the Bafolk collapsed on the ground. Its limbs twitched around on the ground, but it was hard to say that those movements were consciously driven.

“May, may I know what you did?” Neia nervously asked from behind, and the Sorcerer King dusted his hands off as he nonchalantly replied:

“I crushed its skull. Sometimes, berserk individuals don’t go down even when they’re fatally injured. Still, if you destroy the brain, it should be fine… Still, it really was weak. Barely harder than an eggshell… are you kidding me?”

Neia’s face twitched.

His Majesty really doesn’t have any gift for making jokes...

“All right, Ms. Baraja, call the paladins. Tell them to secure this area so I — we can continue forward together.”

“Yes!”

Neia ran back outside at top speed, to where the paladins were. When she looked there she saw several Bafolk lying at the paladins’ feet.

Since they could not have run out from the gate, they had probably been Bafolk who, in their attempt to flee the Sorcerer King who was the source of their fear, had chosen to jump off the walls, and this was the result.

After reaching the paladins, Neia hurriedly relayed the Sorcerer King’s instructions. After that, she rushed back at top speed to the Sorcerer King’s side.

After Neia returned, the Sorcerer King said, “Then let’s go,” and entered the city streets.

The question of why no new Bafolk had come after the city gates had been breached immediately faded away.

Neia heard groan after groan. It made her think that this unliving city was moaning.

“This, this is…”

“I ordered the undead I released to spread fear. This is the result. Some hostages might have been trampled in the confusion… well, all you can do is treat it as a sad accident. Give up on them.”

She cast her eyes outward, and a horde of Bafolk was running towards them, with desperate — probably — looks on their faces. They looked just like harried prey animals, and Neia even found them a little pitiful.