80. contact (3)

“Meet His Majesty the King.”

When Maxim greeted with minimal courtesy, the king let out a low laugh. The king of this country was sitting with his chin resting on his face, looking very tired. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the leader of the escort knights standing behind him.

The leader stood with his hands behind his back with a blunt expression that didn’t change as he did last time.

“Reunions always happen in circumstances that exceed expectations, don’t they?”

“It seems so, Your Majesty.”

“I don’t mean to doubt your ability to slash and kill the Behemoth. However, Jim has such a nasty temper that he has to go out and test it to make it clear, so please understand the previous example with your broad tolerance.”

“How can I blame Your Majesty for his prudence?”

The king gestured to defeat the escort knights who had come with Maxim. The knights bowed their heads and climbed the stairs to leave the pub.

“I had a feeling that we would meet again someday, but I never thought we would meet like this. It’s embarrassing.”

“Please take the word, Your Majesty.”

When Maxim said in embarrassment, the king shrugged.

“If you don’t say that you are ashamed, how would you describe the state of a country’s king who fell like this because he couldn’t properly guard his seat of power?”

“How can you say that it was only thanks to Your Majesty’s determination that this country was saved?”

“It was not luggage that saved this country, but knights and soldiers who risked their lives in the no-man’s-land. If you were the one who cut off the monster’s head, how could Jim show any condescension?”

The king said that and let out a short sigh.

“Well, it’s about putting gold on each other’s faces like this and putting yourself down. The words seem to go on endlessly.”

Maxim looked at the king’s fingertips pointing to the chair.

“Sit down. The story will be long.”

“I’m sorry.”

Maxim carefully pulled out his chair and sat down. The king opened his arms to Maxim, who was still wary with a nervous look, and started talking.

“If you want to ask a question, feel free to do so. I think you probably have a lot of questions right now.”

“Why did His Majesty come here in person?”

Maxim asked without delay. The king smiled, as if he was happy with Maxim’s attitude without hesitation.

“To answer that question, I must first tell you where we are.”

The king turned his head and looked around the bar. Arms were lined up in one corner of the wall. A map of the royal capital was spread out on the long table on which the king was leaning his elbow, and a game word that seemed to represent the king himself was placed, preparing for the next move.

The king playfully tapped the crowned horse with his fingertips. The horse did not collapse as if it were about to fall, and kept its place like a talisman.

“This is directly connected to the Royal Palace. It can be said that it is a rabbit hole that has been prepared since the time of the king in order to prepare for ‘unexpected situations’.”

Maxim frowned slightly at the king’s words that he spat out casually.

“…Is it okay if I tell you that to me, a foreigner?”

At Maxim’s question, the King burst into a small laugh.

“The moment you set foot here, you are no longer an outsider. It was we who offered not to draw the line, and you accepted it.”

The king is by no means an outstanding military man. However, the solemnity and dignity that came from those words became a weight and oppressed Maxim. Although the party that the pressure captures did not blink an eye.

“Do you regret it?”

The king, realizing that his prestige was of no use at all, withdrew the pressure. If it was a fish that could be caught simply by coercion and pressure, that knight would have been able to fall into Beninga’s hands. If it wasn’t for the coincidence of interests, if it wasn’t for the knights who were loyal to the kingdom, would there have been a chance to convince them like this?

The king faced the golden eyes, recalling Maxim’s disposition. Maxim answered, facing the king without wavering.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Regret, that’s absurd. The moment he made up his mind to regain what he had already lost, Maxim was determined to make it through this mess no matter who he was on. Upon hearing Maxim’s firm gaze and reply, the King let out a sigh of relief.

“This is not the only rabbit hole prepared by the royal palace. This place will also be scrapped today.”

The king pointed to the part where the palace stood tall on the open map. The royal palace and the back alleys of this royal road were adjacent to each other at a fairly close distance in a straight line.

“Has it been explained?”

“…Yes.”

“The existence of this passage is unknown even to my queen. Only Jim and his loyal escort know.”

The king’s voice was bitter. However, the king, who soon shook off even that subtle expression, continued.

“The introduction is long. First of all, there are two reasons why I came here myself.”

The king held out his index and middle fingers.

“The first is a contact with the adventurer’s guild.”

The king stopped.

“Are you trying to join hands with the guild?”

“We are already working on the preliminary work. The guild is in conflict with Beninga’s reign. They must know very well that it is not the royal palace that is pressuring them now.”

The King narrowed his eyebrows.

“…The person who currently leads the entire adventurer guild has been blessed by the former king. I am not a person who does not know faith, so I should be able to be with you. I don’t want to use the grace bestowed by the previous king to protect my throne. Now is not the time to choose the means.”

It was inevitable, the king said firmly.

“Currently, the situation in the palace is difficult. That’s a fact you know very well. Benning is growing in size day by day.”

The king shook his head.

“The most troublesome thing is the cause Benning puts forward.”

“Are you referring to the second prince?”

The king responded with silence.

“There is still time before they can stretch and go into action. It’s still not showing proper movement. That means they’re never in a hurry. Do you know what that means?”

“…Impatient in rebellion means lack of strength and cause. But the Count’s attitude is still relaxed…”

Maxim looked at the king as if to check the correct answer. The King nodded to continue.

“There is no doubt that the power is ready. So, does that mean that supporting the second prince is a sufficient justification for them?”

That’s the answer.

The king thought to himself, but the last step was still left.

“For details, I will tell you the second reason why I came here myself, and then I’ll talk about it.”

The king folded his index finger. In an instant, the atmosphere surrounding the king changed. The atmosphere of a king who treats his subordinates extremely naturally, not the atmosphere of being threatening or trying to suppress it with authority. Before Maxim could properly ponder his doubt, the king’s mouth opened.

“Maxim Appart, the jackdaw of the kingdom and the eldest son of Baron Apart.”

As his body remembered, Maxim jumped up from his chair and knelt down. The king nodded in satisfaction and spoke softly.

Passed. No, it’s more than passing.

It was good to see you in person. The king internally thanked the commander of his loyal escort knights for forcing him on.

“Your current position is dismissed. And, at the same time as being reassigned to the kingdom’s 1st escort,”

The king’s eyes flashed.

“I will give you a secret name.”

The king spoke in a firm, strong voice. Those words were the horn that started the war, and also the sentence of judgment to punish the reckless gangsters.

“Become Jim’s hands and feet, and become his eyes. Become the shadow of the royal family and sharpen that sharp dagger.”

And,

“Become a sword that cuts down the wicked group that disturbs the royal family and the kingdom.”

“God, Maxime Appart, I will obey your command.”

Maxim did not hesitate at all. The king’s words ignited the fuse to revenge that Maxim had been holding on to.

“Keep your head up again and sit down. It’s ridiculous that the king resigns his position in a place other than the royal palace.”

The king sighed.

“After all is well, these words and titles will be officially announced in the royal palace in front of everyone. At the same time as praising your performance in the no-man’s-land.”

“I’m sorry.”

The radiant dignity faded in an instant. The king again became a crouching hermit.

“…I’m sorry to you, but I looked into your past a little.”

Maxim trembled slightly.

“A lot happened at the Knight Academy. It was not enough that a promising prospect was appointed to an unattractive place, so the field evaluation was strangely low.”

“…it was because of my lack of skills.”

The king shook his head and denied Maxim.

“It didn’t take long to find out that the Bennings were cheating. However, I don’t know exactly what tricks they used to get you into such a downfall.”

The king clicked his tongue, saying that he seemed to be working in a much more secretive way than he thought.

“The reason why I didn’t notice it was because Jim was immoral and his eyes and ears were not clear. So, without hesitation, I intend to ask you now. Could you please tell me?”

what happened.

Maxim was looking at the unknown face of the king. If there had been an opportunity like this before, if only I could have risked being caught on a leash and told everything about it. If only I hadn’t deliberately dropped Theodora.

Is it resentment? Maxim tried to hide the pain in a corner of his uncomfortably throbbing heart.

sorted out the words. Maxim took a deep breath and started talking.

“I am cursed.”

From the last final exam at the academy, the knights he went through, and the story of being demoted to the raven knights, to the present. Maxim carefully separated the stories that were acceptable and the ones that were not.

While Maxim calmly told the story, the king and the commander of the escort knights listened intently to Maxim’s story, as if not to miss it. Occasionally, my eyes lit up when I heard about the illegal methods used by Beninga.

“…Right. It is the seal of the Auror.”

“It seems to destroy my body and memory when fully activated.”

“I don’t want to marry my daughter, I don’t want to have her as an enemy, and I want to have her under my command because I’m greedy for my skills. I have a lot of greed.”

For the first time, the escort knight commander opened his mouth. To that harsh evaluation, the king nodded as if agreeing.

“Curse, study of black magic in the Mage Tower. Academy intervention. Thanks, I was able to find out a lot of facts. I just want to say thank you.”

“no. I can’t say anything if my shame is helpful to your majesty and the kingdom.”

“You are very eloquent.”

The king faced the face of the unbroken knight. No, I would say that he is a person who has been broken several times and then rises again.

“Now the process is over. You have been officially assigned to the 1st Guards, and will operate inside and outside the palace while hiding your name and face.”

“I will do my best as a dog.”

Alright then.

The king clapped his hands. Somehow, seeing the trace of mischief in his eyes, Maxim was frightened inside. It was as if he was looking into the eyes of a no-man’s-land knight who was contemplating what kind of trouble he would inflict on himself.

“After I embraced you like this, there were more than one or two things I wanted to do.”

Maxim raised his head involuntarily. As if he knew things would turn out this way, the captain of the escort knight sent a look in his eyes telling us to work hard.

“We need to lay the groundwork to bring down the Benning family. But, those who can be the cornerstone that Jim is looking at now are far away in the east.”

The king calmed his eyes again seriously. Realizing that the ever-changing attitude of the king was to seize the initiative, Maxim adjusted his attitude.

“While I hold out in the royal palace, head east, into the no-man’s land.”

East, no man’s land. A strange light appeared in Maxim’s eyes as he listened to the story.

“Meet Count Agon and the Marquis and tell them the current situation. And,”

The king was very satisfied with Maxim’s positive attitude and ended his speech.

“Would you like to push away the ruffians who are currently pressuring the royal family? Let me hear Jim’s suggestion.”