After talking with the Royal Knights and the Royal Knight (in training)... I also exchanged greetings with others with whom I had a shallow connection. Among them were the knights of the Black Tiger Knight Order, and the royal medical staff who had taken care of me with all their heart. I felt a little guilty remembering how they had frantically searched for me whenever I secretly left my seat for reasons such as training or taking a walk.

At the time, I had thought, 'Why are they making such a fuss over nothing?' But thinking about it now, I suspected that the Black Prince had repeatedly warned them because he was afraid I would disappear without a word.

Anyway, I shook their hands one by one with a sorry heart.

Also, the nobles who had stood on the Black Prince's side would come and loiter nearby. I wondered what was loitering around, and when I glanced at them, they would be startled and run away.

"...?"

They weren't dragged here, they came on their own two feet, so why were they so startled and running away? It was absurd. I thought that nobles were a truly difficult bunch to understand.

[I don't think it's their problem.]

"Then?"

[Try smiling gently. So that people who see you won't be scared.]

"Like this?"

[Tsk... never mind.]

"No..."

Most of them hesitated and ran away like that, but a few of them succeeded in gathering their courage and talking to me. I tend to dislike nobles, but that's because nine out of ten are rotten trash. I don't dislike the normal nobles who make up the one in ten. Like the model of our nobles, Count Stavanger.

If they were trashy nobles, I would have slapped them myself. But the ones who approached me were different from the nobles I knew. Do they resemble their master? Or did they follow the Black Prince because their values aligned?

They were not the arrogant and uselessly proud nobles I had often seen. They were serious and courteous noble sirs who knew how to show respect to others. Come to think of it, if they had opposed the Black Prince's will, they would have already fallen into the abyss with the First Prince. Because the Black Prince was reigning as a ruthless tyrant.

Of course, I am also an infinitely kind man to those who know how to show courtesy, so I treated them kindly. If the words you send are beautiful, the words that come back will be beautiful. Why can't most nobles understand this simple rule?

They were a little surprised by my kind appearance, and then they thanked me, saying they had watched me fight bravely. Why were they thanking me? When I realized the simple proposition that if the Black Prince had lost, it would have been this side, not the First Prince, that would have faced a bloodbath, it was easy to understand. From their perspective, I was a hero who had saved the nation.

'Ashuban, the hero who saved the nation, rests here.'

Thinking of my epitaph that might one day be engraved in the Blake Kingdom, my chest swelled. I had literally become the king's knight, so isn't that possible?

Anyway, thinking about it that way, it didn't feel like someone else's business, so I picked out some helpful words and told them.

"Please take good care of our unlucky King."

"...Pardon?"

"He's a psycho, but not that much of a psycho. It would be even better if you could hit him on the back of the neck once in a while when he tries to bite everyone like a mad dog. Or you could start a rebellion once in a while to snap him out of it."

"Ah, yes..."

Perhaps afraid that they would be accused of insulting the king if they talked any longer, they all slowly moved away.

And so, after unintentionally chasing away all the nobles, I leaned against the balcony, gently swirling the cup in my hand like a high-ranking noble.

"How about it, Master. Do I look a bit like a noble?"

[If you try a little harder, you might become a scoundrel disowned by your family.]

"That's not bad either."

As I received the Heavenly Demon's praise and looked around the banquet hall... I could occasionally see faces I hadn't seen before.

"Hmm."

Looking closely, I noticed a few of the knights who had fought in the decisive battle on the First Prince's side. He had said not to kill them if possible. It seems our talent-hungry Black Prince had accepted the useful ones among them as his own people.

As I was watching Sir Walpole and Sir Stefan talking and laughing... someone approached and spoke to me.

"Hello."

When I turned around, a neat-looking man was looking at me. I responded with a nod.

"Hello."

The man looked at my eyes for a while without a word, then asked.

"Mr. Devil. Do you remember me?"

"Hmm?"

Everyone called me Devil Knight or Sir Ashuban. Why was he calling me Devil? And why the 'Mr.'?

I examined his face closely again. A vague face that I seemed to have seen somewhere, but also seemed not to have. In conclusion, it was an unfamiliar face.

"...Who?"

The man smiled and introduced himself.

"I'm Sadler. The one you saved from Mad Linda."

"...Ah!"

Only then did I remember. The masked men that Linda had been dragging around. The men who had taken off their masks and shown their faces when I had dropped Linda from the cliff. The men who had all thrown their masks away and laughed loudly as they watched them fly away in the wind. He must have been one of them.

I was happy to see him and patted his shoulder.

"Now that you say it, I remember. Nice to meet you, Sadler."

Sadler, who had become a free man, smiled.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you too."

"Have you been well?"

"I have been well. How have you been, Mr. Devil?"

"Not bad. What are you doing here?"

"I came with my master."

"Your master?"

"I am a servant of the Tedford family, Mr. Devil."

"Oho. That's right."

Actually, I didn't remember, but I pretended to know.

"When I told my master that I had a lifesaver, he gladly let me come."

"Aha... hmm?"

Come to think of it, my enemy was in the same space. I quickly looked for Linda, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Sadler, who was watching me blankly, said.

"Ah, I saw Linda."

I felt somewhat awkward and scratched my head, saying as if making an excuse.

"I ended up taking her with me. It seems she somehow survived even after falling from that high cliff."

"I see."

"You don't have to worry. I've told her well. I've also put a guard on her."

"I wasn't worried."

"Really? Then that's a relief. What did Linda say?"

"She didn't seem to recognize me."

Sadler gave a bitter smile.

"The moment our eyes met, I froze without realizing it. But Linda just blinked her eyes innocently."

I looked at his expression for a moment, then asked.

"Is that a relief?"

"If it's a relief, then it's a relief. I suddenly had that thought. If she doesn't remember, there's no reason for me to remember either. I've forgotten too."

"That's a good thing."

Still, the good thing was that Shushruta had also disappeared, and the less good thing was that Joy, who had been playing with them, had also disappeared. It seems they had gotten bored of the banquet hall, filled their stomachs, and gone out to play. Since Shushruta was there, nothing bad would happen, but... I'm worried that Joy will be a bad influence.

"I came because I wanted to talk to you for a moment."

I looked at Sadler.

"Spit it out."

"Yes."

Sadler straightened his clothes, stood up straight, and looked at me. For a moment, I had a feeling that this moment would remain in my mind like a painting.

"Thanks to you, Mr. Devil, I was able to go back home and see my mother again. She had aged a lot, perhaps because she was worried about her worthless son. Fortunately, she passed away with a smile on her face."

At the unexpected words, I stared at Sadler blankly.

Sadler smiled and said.

"You were my hero, but now you've become the hero of the nation. You're amazing."

"...."

"Always be healthy. I hope you are always full of good things. I will always be cheering for you. I hope you achieve everything you set out to do. I will not forget your kindness. Once again, thank you."

Receiving such sincere thanks, I was at a loss for words. Is this what it means for words to have a high density? I felt strange and didn't know how to respond.

In the meantime, Sadler bowed his head deeply, then immediately turned his body and went down the stairs.

As I was standing there blankly, watching Sadler's retreating back...

"...That's touching."

"Agh, you scared me."

When I turned around, Sir Aron, the Royal Knight who had been the host and judge of the decisive battle, was standing there.

"When did you get here?"

"I've been here for a while."

"A Royal Knight eavesdropping."

"Eavesdropping? I was waiting for my turn and happened to overhear."

"Your turn?"

"Yes. I have something to tell you."

I looked at Aron's shameless face.

"What is it?"

"You're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"That's right."

"I have a message from Sir Serkov Wintermeier."

My ears perked up.

"...Frost?"

"Yes."

I nodded and answered.

"Spit it out."

Aron cleared his throat and then delivered Frost's message.

"I haven't forgotten the promise. You can hold the sword after you win."

"...Haha."

So he meant that if I wanted to hold Frostfang, I had to defeat him first. One more reason to come back here someday.

"Of course. That's how it should be. It's only right to beat him up and then hold it. Sir Aron."

"Yes."

"Tell him to wipe his neck and wait."

"Understood."

Aron stared at me blankly.

"Is your goal to hold all the famed swords of Ophosis once?"

"Why do you think so?"

"You held Vlad once, and you seem to be coveting Frostblade too."

"Is life any fun if you just live as it flows? You could say it's a very personal and small goal to add some trial-and-error fun to life."

"Aha. You live an interesting life."

I nodded.

"That's how it should be. They said life is worth living."

"Who did?"

"Someone."

"Yes."

***

Early in the morning. I changed into clean clothes, straightened my attire, and then followed the servant sent by the Black Prince. Shushruta dragged the half-asleep Linda and followed behind me.

She asked very cautiously.

"Are you really leaving now?"

"Yes."

"...."

I asked the servant who was guiding the way for a moment's understanding and then turned around. Then I grabbed the shoulder of Linda, who was staggering from sleep and being dragged by Shushruta, and asked.

"Linda."

"Huh?"

"Say it clearly. I won't ask twice. Are you coming with me?"

"Yeah..."

Linda, still drunk with sleep, flailed her arms and clung to me.

"I'll follow you anywhere, Devil... ugh!"

Splat.

I pushed the clinging Linda to one side and then looked at Shushruta.

"And you?"

"...."

"Now. Here. Decide for sure."

"B-but I haven't even said a proper goodbye to the old man yet."

"Wasn't that a goodbye then?"

"Who would say goodbye like that when leaving on a long journey?"

"What's the big deal? The old man seemed to have understood it that way."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. So all that's left is your choice."

Shushruta thought for a moment, then took out that old compass from her pocket. Then she stared at the compass and circled around me.

'...What is she doing?'

By the time she had circled three times, she snapped the compass shut and looked at me with a resolute face, as if she had made up her mind.

"Alright. I'll go."

I asked for confirmation.

"Where?"

"To the Maia Kingdom."

Shushruta said to me with an incredibly shameless face.

"This Shadow Phantom Shushruta will accompany you. You should know it's an honor."

Remembering when we first met, a small laugh escaped me.

"Alright. Follow me well so you don't get left behind. We're going fast."

"Yeah! Got it."

I picked up Linda, who had stuck to the floor and was sleeping, and then followed the servant into a certain building.

There, the Black Prince was waiting for me with the two knights who followed him like shadows, and with dark circles under his eyes that were even darker than the day before.

"...You've come."

His voice was listless.

I looked at his tired face with curiosity and asked.

"The preparations?"

"All done. You just have to go."

"Alright. You're quick."

"...Thanks to someone, I stayed up all night preparing."

I tilted my head.

"Does teleportation magic usually take that long to prepare?"

"It's to minimize the margin of error, you fool."

"No, I said I'd accept that margin of error."

"It's a problem for this side if you die in vain."

"Well, I'll be."

It seems he had stayed up all night to correct that margin of error as much as possible.

"Just set the coordinates and it's done."

"Oho."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Tell me now. Where are you going?"

Answering where I was going was to reveal where I had come from. I had kept it a secret from this dark-hearted Black Prince, but now the time had come when I had no choice but to reveal it.

It wouldn't matter, right? What can this guy do when I'm leaving right away? Especially since I had become his knight as he had requested.

Therefore, I answered confidently.

"Have you heard of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps?"

"...!"

The Black Prince's eyes widened at once.

"...The Sherwood Mercenary Corps? You're from there?"

I simply nodded.

"Yes."

The Black Prince stroked his chin with a very serious face.

"...I see. Now I understand. To think there was such a strong person besides Gustan of the Greatsword."

"Even if you investigate me separately, you won't find out much. I'm still growing."

"Is that so..."

Sir Fluffy and Sir Smith, who were standing behind, also looked quite surprised.

"When you go back."

The Black Prince, who had been lost in thought, stroking his chin, raised his head and looked at me.

"If there's anyone who wants to work for the royal family, send them over anytime. Talented people are always welcome."

Our king, who couldn't hold back and was coveting talent again. How much is he trying to change Blake?

"Well... we'll see."

When I answered vaguely, the Black Prince nodded his head and said.

"Then are you planning on returning to the Maia Kingdom?"

"That's right."

"Then if I set the coordinates to the Maia Kingdom..."

Halt.

Our king, who had been muttering something, froze.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

Flinch.

"N-no. No problem at all."

The Black Prince, who was unusually flustered and even stuttering.

"Open the door and go in, and tell the magicians there your destination. Well then, I'm busy, so I'll be going."

Suspicious. Very suspicious. Saul's words that a problem was bound to arise came to mind anew.

I grabbed the shoulder of the Black Prince, who was trying to slip away after spewing his words.

"Hey, don't be so disappointing. Between us, you have to watch me go, right?"

The Black Prince glared at me.

"Bullshit. Since when were we a 'watch me go' kind of relationship?"

"Our king has a potty mouth."

"Let go of me! Sir Roetgel, Sir Smith. Seize this man at once."

When I gave them a look, the two knights smiled slightly and opened the door.

I dragged the Black Prince inside while his two knights watched. It was a bigger room than I thought, and dozens of magicians in the same attire were standing in a circle around the magic circle. They saw the dragged-in Black Prince and their eyes widened.

"Let go of me, I said!"

Only then did I let go of the Black Prince and look around the room. The windows were all blocked, so it was completely dark, and a large magic circle in the center was glowing faintly. It was an incredibly complex magic circle with various metaphysical shapes and unrecognizable language written on it. Just looking at it made my head spin.

Among them, a magician who looked old said to me in a calm tone.

"Stand in the center of the magic circle."

Following his words, I stood in the center of the magic circle with Linda tucked under my arm and Shushruta.

The old magician asked.

"Your destination?"

I answered confidently.

"The Maia Kingdom."

How long had I been waiting for this moment? Come to think of it, everything I had done after falling from the cliff was for this very moment.

Finally... I'm going back!

"Impossible."

Finally, these damn mercenary guys... what?

"What did you say?"

The old magician answered with a blank face.

"I said it's impossible."

"Why?"

"The Maia Kingdom is blocked by the mysterious fog that covers the Mist Cliff, so the flow of mana is cut off."

"...."

I spotted the Black Prince trying to run away and immediately chased after him.

"You son of a bitch, Black Prince!!!"

(End of Chapter)