29 - CHAPTER XXIX "Fleeing"

--Wake up.

I saw a ceiling of prestigious style with intricate goldsmith's work.

"...... I know that ceiling."

The king is depicted as being served by eight demons with his army at his back.

The ceiling painting is a screenshot of a photograph taken at the time of the victory in the battle to determine the world champion.

This was a room in the castle of Alkimaira, the king's bedroom.

"Why are you here ......?

When I woke up, I was struck with a sense of weariness.

Then dizziness. My vision shook. I lay down on the bed.

"...... you passed out."

Gradually I remember.

The clearing of the Noblewood soldiers.

The recapture of the capital of Lattestwood.

Healing the unhealed wounds.

The agreements between the countries were settled and the post-war process was roughly finished.

That is the last image that remains in my memory.

If you check the clock in the virtual window, it is almost noon the next day. Apparently, I had been unconscious for more than half a day.

"I feel sick.

With a desire to wash away the unpleasant sensation, he reached for the pitcher of water on the side table. He poured the contents into the gold-worked cup and slurped it down in one gulp. My thirst is quenched, but my mood remains the same. But then..,

"...... can you move?"

A sudden question.

I am definitely uncomfortable, but not so much that I can't move.

Thinking back on my condition before I fainted, it was rather puzzling that I was only feeling this ill.

My body must have suffered a considerable load from the continuous use of the "secret" potions that I had forced myself to use. It would have been normal for me to stay in bed for a few days.

I looked over and found two notes on the side table where the pitcher was placed.

They must have been left by Levee, since she is the only one who can enter this bedroom without the king's permission.

I picked up the first note and found a brief message in beautiful handwriting. I read through the contents of the message, and I am satisfied with my physical condition, which has recovered to a certain extent.

"You used the holy water of the World Tree, ...... no wonder."

It is a rare item, so rare that even the superpower Alkimaira possesses only three of them.

It is an item that can eliminate all kinds of abnormalities and fully recover all ability values (status), but it is so rare that it has become a topic of conversation (news) because it is so difficult to obtain.

Although it is possible to obtain it rarely in the events of the Trial of God, even a few large countries cannot avoid losing their forces, and some of them have lost almost 30% of their forces because of their insistence on obtaining the item.

In the game, only the player could use the "holy water of the world tree", but Liewe, at his own discretion, took it out of the treasury and used it on Helian. The note said that , but I could not blame her.

It was a rare item, but Helian's condition must have been so critical that she had no choice but to use it without permission.

Then we read the second note, which reads <>.

This made sense as to why Levee was not with him. Unlike the time of the rebellion, now is the immediate aftermath of the war. Although he declared that he would finish the post-war processing, it was only a rough part of it, and there was still a lot of preparation and chores to be done for the detailed coordination. They are probably doing some of the work for us.

I feel uneasy to entrust my work to someone else as a conditioned reflex.

However, I shook off my anxiety when I remembered that even in the game era, Levee, the king's aide, and Ertina, the domestic affairs officer, had performed some of the tasks on behalf of the player.

Although only the player could make important decisions, they had taken care of all the miscellaneous matters that did not need to be decided by the player himself. If this is the case, then I can trust them this time as well, and it will not be a big problem. It seemed dangerous to completely trust the events of the game era, but on the other hand, I also felt that the girls would be fine.

First of all, Helian himself was not in a condition to conduct political affairs.

"............"

I got up slowly and threw my nightclothes on the bed. He takes his usual clothes out of the closet and changes into them, and leaves the room with a gray hooded robe that he does not usually wear - a tabard robe that can be worn over his cloak.

"This is our king ......!　You're awake."

The Kingsguard waiting in front of the door salute at once.

The sight of the living armored men standing in a row, saluting without a stitch of disarray, was overwhelming in itself.

"Oh, ...... I'm going out now."

"You're not ...... well, I beg your pardon. Then escort yourself."

No, that's not necessary. I've been thinking about it.

Well, I'm sorry to say so, but ......

No problem. It's the king's order. If Rieve or Balan complain, explain that you were strongly ordered to do so by me."

As he walked away, he made up a smoke screen with a suitable excuse.

The living armored man, who had been told that he had been ordered by the king, stopped, unable to follow.

Then Helian turns the corner of the corridor and, taking advantage of the opportunity when no one is looking, he puts on a gray robe and hides his face.

The sound of a single shoe echoes inorganically through the empty corridor as they move away from the castle toward the outside. There was no sign of the king, only a solitary "someone" walking alone. Soon, the sound of the shoes goes down the grand staircase, through the entrance, through the garden, and under the gate, and away from the castle.

--The king has fled the castle.

+ + +

The town was filled with excitement.

The city of Alkimaira, where food, clothing, and shelter are provided and the night is safe from other threats. Many of the people there live happy lives.

However, even the citizens of Alkymyra, as demons, have more or less the same fighting instincts. It is natural for demons to feel that simply enjoying peace is not enough for them, and many of the people are stressed out due to the unprecedented crisis that has forced them to move to an unknown land.

Then came the recent order for the entire army to go into battle, and the dream of the king himself leading the entire army into battle. It is no wonder that the demons were so excited that they were on the rampage, as if they were trying to release their anger and resentment. The result is a bridgehead in another world, and a victory to be proud of.

The citizens greeted the army's triumphant return to their homeland with loud cheers and snowstorms of flowers. The victorious soldiers, too, proudly puffed out their chests and were showered with applause like rain.

Have they been waiting there all along? When the flower fairy spots her lover's face among the crowd of soldiers who are going through the Arc de Triomphe one after another, she rushes to him. After a soft embrace, the young man is handed a handmade flower crown, and the soldiers around him are coldly scornful and reproachful.

The young man, who hears the jeering and cursing mixed in, drops a kiss on his lover's cheek as if to show it to the others. The women shouted yellow and the men voiced their disapproval.

Then, the young man, grinning as he hugged his bashful lover, received a blow from a blue demon man who looked as if he might cry tears of blood.

But in return, the flower fairy woman gave him a snappy slap. The slap by the flower fairy woman seemed to break through the defense of the blue demon tribe, and as a result, the man ended up with bright red leaves stuck on his cheeks.

His friends who were watching the scene were pointing their fingers and laughing foolishly, and a playful skirmish started between the blue devil man and his friends who had found the point of anger they couldn't do anything about.

It is now a full-blown festival.

Even a day after the battle, the excitement continues, with the soldiers boasting of their war results to each other in the bars, and the citizens in attendance encouraging them to "tell us your tales of valor". The soldiers were so pleased that they even performed a dance to display their war results in a grand manner.

"Then they attacked with wind magic from a long distance!　Ten or twenty blades try to reap my life, but I'm not the one to turn my back on such a feeble blade of wind!　I jumped headfirst into the space where the wind magic was blowing and intercepted it with my fists!　I wish you guys could have seen the look on their dumb faces when I did that, d*mn it!"

"...... What's with the ten or twenty blades, you overdid it, you idiot. By the time you were brought into the front line, there was nothing left to catch that could be organized.

"Well, it's true that we only killed a few of them, ...... but it's true that we beat them head on when they were shooting wind magic at us in groups!"

"They were all small fry that could only send a few wind blades per fish. It's more embarrassing to get wounded by them, you idiot.

"You didn't kill any of them, did you?　I know that you were carrying a big f*cking axe and by the time you got to the front line, the battle was almost over!　How does it feel to go on a field trip carrying a big axe all the way out there!"

"Fine, get out the front door, you son of a b*tc*!　I don't need an axe against you!　Let's settle this with our fists!

The brawl suddenly broke out. >>The crowd is cheering for the musicians, and they hold impromptu betting booths to collect bets from the audience.

Everyone was laughing.

The brawlers were no exception, and although they were angry at first, they were now exchanging fist blows with each other, laughing at each other. Citizens and soldiers present clinked their beer mugs and began to slurp down their drinks, using the brawl as a snack.

On this particular day, even the strictly disciplined 2nd Corps patrolmen were only able to say, , and everywhere in the city, >The chants of "I'll be back!

--Amidst all this, there was Helian, wandering aimlessly with his head down.

His expression is dark and heavy.

Many people look at him suspiciously, as he is so different from the bustle around him, but on the other hand, there is no commotion, despite the fact that the king, Helian, has gone to the castle town.

This is thanks to the effect of the ash robe he wears on his head. [The robe of ashes, which is an extremely rare player-only piece of equipment in Tactics Chronicle, is covered with a powerful deception spell that fools the viewer's perception. <, and thanks to this robe, Helian was able to wander around the city without anyone noticing his true identity.

"I'm ............ tired."

How far have we walked?

I have nowhere to go.

I just wanted to get away from the castle, the symbol of being a king.

I'll calm down when the night is over.

Unfortunately, he still remembered what he had done yesterday, and the memory of it tormented him.

It was something that had to be done.

He had no choice but to use force.

They were vermin, not men.

I only rescued the suffering half-elf.

I told myself that, and even though they were vermin that did not consider people to be people, the enemies I defeated were in human form. As a Japanese with a sense of decency, I have some pangs of conscience.

--But the monsters who were jubilant in front of me had none of that.

They recounted with realism how they had defeated the Noblewood soldiers, and proudly held up their weapons that had ended the lives of their enemies, and the audience, young and old, male and female, listened with delight. I felt like I was being shown the crucial difference between humans and demons.

Helian, the king of demons, will continue to be at the helm of the country.

He must rule well so as not to bring misfortune to his people, take a firm and strong stance in diplomacy with other powers with which he will come into contact, and when war comes, he must inspire his people and stand at the forefront of it. He must continue to be a man worthy of being the king of all demons.

There is no way he can ...... do that."

The speech I gave the other day certainly gained the people's support.

The response was greater than we had imagined, and it is no exaggeration to say that we received tremendous support.

However, if one were to ask whether this was due to the charisma of the king (Helian), Helian would shake his head. The people expressed their approval with a sniffle, but Helian interpreted that it was only successful because it appealed to the fighting instinct of the demons who wanted to fight. He was a mere student who liked to play games, so he could not possibly have any charisma.

So, would he have to continue to fight?

No, that's a no-brainer.

This time I was able to fool myself into thinking that it was vermin control. But there is no way that the other forces that Alkimaira will come into contact with in the future are all such outcasts.

The fact that we were able to overwhelmingly defeat the enemy forces of the Noblewood has confirmed that our military power is quite high even in this other world, but that does not mean that we intend to follow the path of the High King. I have no intention of following the path of the High King.

However, if he is to remain a king without fighting, he has to be charismatic enough to win the people's will even if he insists on unwillingness to fight, or he has to demonstrate his superior leadership and political power. But Helian is just an ordinary Japanese and a student. Political science and imperialism are far beyond his expertise. There is no way he can do it.

"Are you kidding me? ...... I'm just a student. I can't do politics. ...... Why is this happening?

If you don't act like a king, you will eventually lose faith and rebel.

And if he rebels, Helian, a fragile people, will have no way to resist.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue to present the image of the King of All Evil.

But as king, he has little skill in diplomacy.

The knowledge he has gained from his university lectures is only a temporary knowledge.

"Someday, you will be exposed. And when he is out of shape, he will be abandoned. ....... If they give up on you, they will betray you and kill you. ......"

I was aware that my thoughts were stuck in a bad loop.

But there was no one to talk to.

This was not something I could talk about, even with Levee.

There was no one who understood.

In Alkymyra, with over 100,000 people, I was the only human being.

There is no way to return to the real world.

I don't even know if there really is such a way.

But it is difficult to continue living as a human being in this world.

In this land of monsters and beasts, we can only survive by relying on the power of demons. Even if you were lucky enough to escape the forest and reach a place of rest, the Sixth Legion would easily find out your whereabouts.

After all, even the option of <> is stated as a precondition for <>.

"I don't even know if I can return to my original world.

It is impossible to remain the ideal king.

One day you will be betrayed and die.

But if you run away, you will be found easily.

If they find out you ran away, they will be disappointed and kill you."

I'm stuck.

That's what I think.

I don't know why, but I wanted to scream.

I can't take this anymore.

I've had enough.

Why do I have to go through this?

I thought I had a perfectly normal life.

You've never bothered anyone, you've never been on the stage, you've just lived your life as an ordinary person.

And then one day, while you were enjoying the game as usual... you suddenly find yourself in another world.

You are the king of demons, living in a world where the law of the jungle is the law of the jungle.

I don't understand.

It's a joke.

It's beyond absurd.

No family, no friends, no familiar landscapes.

This sky does not even continue to Japan.

"How did this happen? ....... Why did I end up in another world......?

The feeble mutterings disappeared into the hustle and bustle.

I continued walking aimlessly, forgetting where I had been until I arrived at a corner on the outskirts of town.

I looked up and saw a signboard with a picture of a mug overflowing with sake.

It is a mark of a bar that has been used since the days when most of the people in the country could not read.

The building to which the signboard was attached looked rather old. The plaster on the walls was peeling in places, and the walls, which had been repaired and repaired many times, had a mosaic pattern. The building, which asserted itself that it was only proud of its age, looked exactly right for a seedy tavern.

"...... Liquor, huh?"

Helian has never been a drinker.

When he joined a club at the university, he was offered a drink, but he stubbornly refused. The older members of the circle were displeased with the new student's refusal to drink even though he was invited to the welcome party, but he still felt that he could not drink because he was a minor.

I was ridiculed as a hard guy, but rules are rules. I may not have been an honorable person, but I was a good person to the extent that I tried to obey the law (rules).

However, I may not be obliged to obey the laws of Japan until I am kidnapped by this world. I hear that drinking sake helps you to forget your bad memories. In a desperate mood and with a little more vigor, I pushed open the door of the bar.

As soon as he enters the bar, Helian is greeted by the strong smell of alcohol, the savory aroma of burning meat, and the sight of demons slamming their mugs against each other.

Dwarves and elves, who normally do not get along with each other, stand shoulder to shoulder in celebration, and a dwarf (Korobokkur) stands on the shoulder of a giant, offering ale and a smile. Even in this bar, the triumphant demons seem to be in high spirits.

The customers' demons were lying around here and there. The one lying with a bruise on his right eye must be the loser of a fight. Helian looks for a vacant seat, avoiding the happily sleeping dwarf with a bottle of wine in his hand.

It seems that even such a small bar is very popular today, and most of the seats are occupied. Fortunately, two seats at the corner of the counter were vacant, so Helian took one by the wall.

"Welcome!

A husky, wrinkled voice came from behind the counter. It was probably the master of this bar. His voice was as old as the building itself.

Without looking up, Helian looks for a menu to order.

Are you new here, sir?"

"...... is that right?"

We don't have a menu.

Huh?　He frowns.

What do you mean there's no menu? Even if it is a bar, serving sake is not enough. I don't know about you, but I'm sure they order some snacks and drinks.

It's an old tradition. >Ever since the owner said that, we've stuck to this style.

No, it may indeed help to create an old-fashioned atmosphere in the developing or ...... medieval era, but it is too inconvenient. It is too inconvenient to know what you can eat and drink without asking the waiter. I don't know if it is to create an atmosphere or not, but I would like to complain about the owner's management policy.

"I don't care what kind of alcohol you have, just serve me whatever you want."

"If you're a first-timer, how about some of our recommended ales?

Okay, that's it.

Anything.

As long as it gets me drunk.

I don't really care what it tastes like as long as I can forget about the bad things.

"Hey, wait."

A half-size cup is placed in front of me with the easygoing voice of a stand-up ramen store owner. The refreshing sound of carbonation tickled my ears.

The liquid glowed amber. As I was about to drink it, I felt a slight sense of resistance from the decency of a minor, but I took it in my mouth at once as if I didn't care. The smell of alcohol almost made me gag. A bitter taste on my tongue. For a moment, I was tempted to spit it out, but I held back. However, I could not swallow it.

"Um, is there a seat next to ...... available?"

A woman's voice asks with slight hesitation.

Helian nodded bluntly and answered. Then, struggling with the alcohol in her mouth, she casually looked at the owner of the voice.

Then, "Well, excuse me..."

A girl of about 15 years old sat down in the seat next to me.

Halfway pointed bamboo ears. Green eyes with a light that was both sharp and kind. Skinny frame and fresh skin. A half-elf (...... half-elf (・・・・・・)) with a face I've seen somewhere recently, but not quite as young as I'd like.

--There she was, the queen of Llatestwood.

She blew.

"Bwah!　Gee, gee, eh ......!"

"Kyaaaah!　Eh, huh?　What's going on?　Are you okay?

The girl next to me (Leifa) hurriedly pulls out a hand towel from her pocket while screaming at the strange behavior of the young man who burst out without warning.

The king and queen have a chance encounter in a bar.