The day after the two who claimed to be the Hero and the Demon King woke up, Christopher made his usual journey to the royal palace.
It was his twenty-fifth consecutive day on duty.
He wished, even just a little, that he could stretch his wings—but now was not the time for that.
Although the king knew of the knights’ existence, he still longed for a savior to appear and rescue the world.
There was no room for complaints about fatigue.
Christopher had to earn the king’s trust quickly and ensure his peace of mind.
Still, his body was honest, and exhaustion was creeping up on him.
The two who had awakened yesterday had apparently fought a life-or-death battle before arriving here.
If they had started fighting again on this land, the kingdom would have faced enormous trouble.
Fortunately, they had chosen to temporarily set aside hostilities, avoiding unnecessary conflict in this unfamiliar territory.
No… wait.
If they had clashed, he could have intervened, subdued both of them, and clearly demonstrated his superior strength.
Perhaps then the king’s trust in him would have been restored.
…What a waste.
Lost in these thoughts, Christopher found himself standing in front of the palace gates.
The guards’ armor gleamed with the emblem of ice.
It seemed his unit was responsible for security today.
“Good work. Has anything unusual happened?”
He called out, and the guards straightened up.
“As of now, there’s nothing unusual in terms of security… but—”
“What is it? Something besides security?”
“The two who appeared at the palace the day before yesterday… Captain Levin of the Earth Knights’ Battalion decided to test the abilities of the ones claiming to be the Hero and the Demon King. About thirty minutes ago, he took them to the training grounds. There are still three hours until the audience with the king.”
“What?!”
Levin’s impulsive behavior again.
He often acted on his own assumptions, ignoring proper command.
“Understood. Thank you for the information. Keep watch.”
With a brief nod to his subordinates, Christopher quickened his pace toward the training grounds.
Levin was always self-centered.
Even on the battlefield, he lacked the awareness of a true commander, often charging to the front lines to engage enemy leaders, indulging in the glory of battle.
While he did achieve results, he lost control over his subordinates, many of whom perished.
Such a man should never lead a battalion.
One day, the Earth Knights’ Battalion would belong to him—Christopher swore silently.
Still, he could not deny his curiosity to witness the two’s true power.
If they were unworthy of being called saviors, he would see them expelled from the kingdom even before the king’s audience.
He arrived at the training grounds.
As he pushed the doors open, the scene before him stole his breath.
A group of knights lay scattered across the ground—more than twenty in total.
All were elite members of the Earth Knights’ Battalion.
And at the center stood a young man: Zeke.
He held a wooden sword and remained perfectly still, radiating an aura so imposing it seemed to make the air itself tremble.
“W-what is… this…?”
Noticing Christopher’s gaze, Zeke lifted his head and offered a bright, refreshing smile.
“Good morning, Christopher.”
He greeted him as if nothing had happened, calm and serene.
“Did… you do this, Zeke?”
“Yes… Captain Levin wanted to test our abilities, so I sparred with the Earth Knights’ elite members, one by one, using a wooden sword.”
“Kuh…”
At those words, Levin curled up on the ground, letting out a strained laugh.
He clutched his stomach and tried to get up, but even that simple movement seemed painful.
“Ha ha ha! Christopher! This is incredible! Not even the elites of the Earth Knights’ Battalion could defeat him! A true Hero!”
Levin’s voice echoed across the training grounds, and the laughter seemed to vibrate the air itself.
Impossible…
Levin might be loud-mouthed, but his skill in battle was real.
Yet the young man standing before him had faced all the elite knights—including Levin himself—without suffering a single new wound.
Looking closer, Zeke bore only the scars from yesterday’s fight; no new injuries were visible.
He had taken on over twenty elite knights and remained completely unharmed.
Levin’s words about “the Hero” now rang painfully true.
“Levin, your swordsmanship is formidable as well.”
Zeke smiled gently and spoke softly.
“Hah. No need for flattery. I couldn’t land a single strike on you, even while still recovering.”
Levin’s smile was that of a man utterly defeated, yet strangely satisfied.
Watching him, it was clear he had genuinely enjoyed the thrill of battle.
“Hey, Chris. Do you want to try?”
Levin joked, inviting Christopher.
No way.
His own strength was roughly equal to—or slightly below—Levin’s.
If he swung at Zeke, he would be crushed to the bone.
“No, I’ll pass. I don’t want to waste any energy before the king’s audience.”
He excused himself with practiced ease and moved past the scene.
The Hero’s power was overwhelming…
And the woman calling herself the Demon King had fought on equal footing with him.
That meant she, too, possessed comparable strength.
In the corner of the training grounds, the female Demon King sat with her arms crossed, watching the exchange with a bored expression.
These two were far stronger than he had imagined, and his own strength was nowhere near theirs.
A heavy, suffocating frustration weighed down Christopher’s chest.
コメント