Chapter 354 - Kdianat Rangdiers Nauril

"Halt."

As they reached the walls, a guard barred their way with his spear shaft. Encrid reflexively examined the guard's position and stance, the direction his feet pointed. Two men blocked their way, with others standing behind them. The two in front were nothing special. Hardly worth discussing their level of skill, really. 'Raw recruits.'

Encrid and the Lunatic Company called soldiers with battlefield experience but no training raw recruits. That was by the standards of Border Guard's standing army. His eyes met those of a soldier behind the two who appeared to be their senior. The man glared, as though demanding how Encrid dared look him in the eye. 'Sloppy.'

In a fight, he wouldn't even be able to stop Encrid's opening draw. More than twenty guards manned the gate. Apart from the soldiers inspecting carriages and carts off to one side, four had come over: the two blocking the way, their senior behind them, and a middle-aged man at the very back wearing a feathered hat at a rakish angle instead of a helmet. A long, slender sword hung at his waist. His stance alone stood out. Could Encrid cut him down?

He was weighing the question and sizing the man up when Rem spoke. "You're making it too obvious."

It was a warning. No sooner had Rem finished than the other man opened his mouth. "Well, look at you. You were sizing me up, weren't you?"

The man in the feathered hat tilted his head as he spoke. His perception was exceptional. His skill would be, too. Without a second thought, Encrid nodded readily. "... And you just admit it?"

The man muttered, then raised his voice.

"How many altogether?" The question was directed at his subordinate. The soldier in front looked the party over. "Seven and a Beastman? What's with that horse? What's wrong with its eyes? Uh, and is that a panther?"

He spoke as he inspected them one by one. What an absurd group. The panther in particular was a wild animal, a beast. If it caused trouble, it would certainly be a headache. The guard subtly lowered his spear point, apparently wary of the panther. Or was he simply frightened? Encrid had nothing to say. Esther was a panther, but no one in Border Guard had gone out of their way to make an issue of it. Why? Because she was the mage at his side. Everyone knew mages were mysterious, peculiar people. Some thought Esther was simply a panther, but that was fine, too. To them, she was Encrid's pet. In other words, no one in Border Guard had challenged anything he did. But this was the capital. Even getting inside was a problem. Should he turn back here? His assignment was to escort Krang to the capital. Getting through the gates was a separate matter, surely not his responsibility. "It's all right."

As he considered it, Krang touched his shoulder.

"If you worry over every little thing, even what should work won't. A sage told me that, but I'd forgotten without realizing it." "Hm?"

Wondering why he was bringing this up now, Encrid looked at him. Krang's eyes shone.

"You'll become a knight, won't you?" At his earnestness, Encrid nodded.

"Of course."

"Then let me ask again. Why did you stand beside me?" Krang continued whispering. Meanwhile, the wary guard in front of them was growing harsher by the moment.

"You can't bring an animal in without a leash. More importantly, do all of you have entry permits?"

"Don't often see a bunch who look this determined to cause trouble. Mercenaries?"

The feathered hat was adding his own comments. Krang had spotted a flaw hidden in Encrid's words, and he had to ask. Protecting him because he didn't know his worth was merely a pretext. With his headache gone, Krang could see it. Encrid didn't act for reasons like that. Saying he would protect him because he didn't know his worth implied calculation.

What lay behind that calculation? He wanted to know. To Krang, Encrid was an upright man who advanced without losing his way. Such a man wouldn't weigh gains and discuss worth. If he had offered that excuse anyway, something must be troubling him. That was Krang's conclusion. "Why did you make that excuse?"

Encrid was genuinely impressed. This fellow's perception could put even Krona-loving Krais to shame. Calling it an excuse made him feel as though Krang had read his mind. He belonged to Border Guard. He hadn't forgotten that. Had he been an idiot who never considered the consequences, he would never have survived this long. He understood his position, and he knew the repercussions his actions could bring.

What if Count Molsen threw a fucking fit right now? ["So that does worry you?"]

That was the answer he'd received when he'd discussed it with Big-eyes. The fellow had such an irritating way of speaking.

["Make excuses. Give justifications. Stick to your story to the bitter end."] It was a good approach. And this was his excuse, his justification:

Was Krang really worth that much? Enough to come with assassins as part of the package? He didn't know. Since he didn't know, he'd keep him alive for now. He knew nothing; he'd only dealt with people who attacked. That was all. Yes, he knew nothing.

That was Encrid's current position. But Krang had seen through all of it and asked his question. Could Encrid tell him without the excuses? That was what he was really asking. "Because you..."

Encrid thought as he spoke. If a knight was one who protected, a king was one who ruled. He felt no burning loyalty that drove him to defend Naurilia. Rather than belonging to this land, he was simply someone born here. But that didn't mean he loved nothing in this country. He cherished the small town where he'd been born. He could not turn his back on the people who had raised him, a parentless child who otherwise would surely have starved. ["Wouldn't it be nice if there were no wars?"]

So said the fruit seller, trimming the rotten corner off an apple before splitting it in half to eat. ["Wouldn't life be better if everyone showed a little consideration?"]

So said the old serving woman who roasted potatoes for him over the heating fire. ["That damned war. The young fellows must love it. Tsk, tsk."]

An old woman who said she had once barely kept herself alive by selling her body lamented her life.

["Without the war, I'd have married quietly, had children, and spent my days making stew."]

Her hodgepodge stew had warmed his belly like nothing before it. ["You're a genius."]

There had also been a mercenary who called the young orphan a genius and urged him to survive. The man had lost a leg and was full of bluster, but he loved children. He knew to look after a starving little beggar before filling his own stomach. Encrid's childhood had been full of hardship and adversity, but he hadn't entirely hated it. Truly, he hadn't. All those people lived in this country.

He knew nothing of royalty, nobility, or their politics. Only... "I think you'd do a good job."

Might something change if this man, Krang, became king? It was intuition, a prediction. Encrid was no prophet who could see the future, so it could fairly be called a gamble. "Choose me, Encrid. Become a knight and stand beside me."

Krang spoke. His words seemed imbued with Will. His determination reached Encrid as an intangible pressure. Words meant solely for the man named Encrid. Even then, he did not nod. Krang spoke before he could.

"I don't need an answer."

He lifted his head. He had found peace amid the threat of assassins. And that peace had brought him to this realization.

'If your sword is at your waist, mine is in my mouth.'

It was in his mind, and it ran through his blood. Now it was time to wield it. "Matthew."

Krang called his guard by name, and the man stepped forward. The soldier glared.

"Who are you?" At Krang's instruction, Matthew spoke.

"In the name of this land's sole, supreme, and wise Queen, I proclaim that the royal house's only rightful heir has arrived." The words were difficult. The guard blinked. His senior, at least, had his wits about him.

"What did you just say?"

He caught his subordinate by the shoulder and pulled him back before the man could resort to force. "Precisely what you heard."

Matthew's voice was quite loud. Loud enough for anyone to hear. Though the gate was noisy, his words reached the ears of everyone nearby with perfect clarity. "What did that man just say?"

"The royal house's rightful heir?"

"Is he saying he's some child the Queen's kept hidden?" Anyone with a little intelligence knew that Naurilia's internal affairs were extremely complicated at present. A kingdom's succession was always a sensitive matter. The Queen wasn't old, but she had no children. Those in the know were also aware that, though she had a husband, she could not bear a child. "Such insolence."

Matthew spoke for everyone to hear, though his words were directed specifically at the senior soldier barring his way.

"My lord is a scion of Naurilia's royal house. His name is Kdianat Rangdiers Nauril." Royal names were usually long. They sometimes incorporated syllables taken from the names of previous generations. By that standard, Krang's name was short. That was because he had lived in hiding as a bastard son. He hadn't even heard this name until he was grown.

And so... "Call me Krang."

Wherever he'd learned the trick, Krang spoke with something close to ventriloquism. Encrid glanced over, and he continued.

"That's my real name anyway." He had been called that since childhood. That made it his name. It didn't sound like a lie.

'I was wrong.'

Encrid had thought it an alias. Now it looked like a name made from the opening syllables of Kdianat Rangdiers, but calling it his original name must mean he had used Krang first. "You hold your heads high before royal blood!" Matthew shouted.

"... This is the first I've heard of a prince. Shouldn't you first provide proof?" The man in the hat, in charge of the others, stepped forward from behind the senior soldier. He was the captain of this gate's guards. At the south gate captain's words, Krang took a step forward. "What do you require to establish my identity?"

"Impersonating royalty is a grave crime."

"Then arrest me and take me in." As he spoke, Krang drew a pendant from inside his shirt. It was not whole, only half a piece. He had been wearing it around his neck. The royal coat of arms was clearly visible on it. The pendant was so ornate that no clumsy artisan could hope to imitate it. Smaller than a palm, it unmistakably bore the royal arms even with half missing: three swords and the Sun Beast, with its round head and flaming mane. The symbols of the royal house. This half bore the Sun Beast's head. "I'm told my sister has the other half."

Only the Queen could use this to confirm Krang's identity. But did that mean the captain should let him through? He was in a predicament.

Then came a voice. "I'll vouch for him."

It came from behind the guard captain. When had he arrived?

"I, Marcus Vaisar, pledge my name that this man is indeed the kingdom's rightful heir and a scion of the royal house." The guard captain knew the matter was out of his hands.

"Escort him inside."

There was no alternative. He could hardly reject a guarantee made in the name of a Centerpole house. From here, it was the business of those in the palace who killed people in the name of politics. He dealt in steel, not words. Still, he couldn't simply let them all through.

'I'll hold his companions here.' Of course, he never got his way.

"They're all my people. Will you detain them?"

The blond man who had declared himself royalty approached with a bright smile. 'I'm well and truly fucked.'

If he simply let them pass, the noble bastards would hound him afterward. With bad luck, he might lose his head for admitting a band of traitors. But grit his teeth and bar the way? Well, if this fellow really was royalty, he'd lose his head just the same. Even a complete idiot was unlikely to impersonate royalty in the capital, let alone before a guard captain, so the man was almost certainly telling the truth. Which left him unable to choose either option. With the captain caught in that position, Krang continued, his smile unchanged. Each word pierced the captain's heart. What noble, what person in authority would say such things? Never in his life had he heard words, or an order, like these. "Say I insisted. Say I was unreasonable. Tell them it was all because of me."

Marcus nodded his agreement as well. A shiver ran through him. The guard captain was forty this year. At his age, his heart was stirring. His emotions threatened to surge.

'Who is this man?' Before he could speak, Marcus Vaisar approached and quietly reassured him.

"I'll see to it that you suffer no consequences."

The captain nodded. His eyes never left Krang. He seemed a very strange and singular man. Encrid and his companions merely watched.

"Damn, having royalty at your back is fucking great."

Only Rem voiced his admiration. True to his words, no one stopped them. The wild horse with mismatched eyes was one thing, but even a panther strode boldly into the capital unchallenged. They had no time to look around the city. Alerted by the guards, an escort arrived from the palace. These were the men known as the Royal Guard. Every man wore a plate breastplate and similar armor, carrying a long spear, a shortsword on either hip, and a kite shield slung diagonally across his back. All wore helmets coated in gold. With their visors lowered to show only their eyes and the area around their mouths, they radiated intimidation. Their matching attire and unsmiling eyes seemed to proclaim their authority. They approached and formed a ring around the party. "We will escort you to the royal palace."

The man directly before them spoke. He alone wore a dull, dark-gray helmet, its surface left ungilded. The sight might have cowed an ordinary person, but who here was ordinary?

"See them sweating? Poor bastards, in this heat."

That was Rem's assessment. Jaxon was as silent as ever, but inwardly welcomed the development. He had needed to find an excuse to enter the palace anyway. Dunbachel's eyes darted from side to side as she whispered,

"Are we just going to follow them?"

Was there any reason to go all the way into the palace? That was what she meant. The Beastman had sensed danger. "Want to head back? Go on ahead."

Encrid sounded indifferent. Dunbachel promptly shook her head.

"If the Captain stays, I stay."

"Suit yourself." Curiosity stirred within Encrid. Curiosity about what Krang was doing now. This was no battlefield where steel spoke in place of words, but watching Krang stride forward, he looked like a general prepared to face a hundred men, or a thousand, alone. The sight made something tingle in his chest. Something about Krang stirred his own desire.

["Want to get better?"]

For some reason, Rem's words came to mind. When he'd nodded at that obvious question, what had Rem said?

With that memory in mind, Encrid watched Krang's back.