I'm posting a little early today because something came up.^^
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But only for a moment. As he recalled what he had to say, a troubled look settled over his face.
“I’m sorry, but there is one thing I must ask of you.”
“Please speak.”
“If, by any chance, the Kassim Mercenary Corps were to join hands with another kingdom. If, in that case, that kingdom were to invade our Pencilut… could you please st-stop it?”
The knight commander’s face had turned red before he knew it. Having to ask such a thing of the son of his former subordinate was deeply embarrassing. But remembering that he was responsible for Pencilut’s safety, the knight commander poured all his passion and sincerity into persuading Mitchell. Understanding his inner thoughts, Mitchell nodded with a firm expression.
“Please do not worry about such a thing at all. Pencilut is none other than my father’s homeland. And I have already been deeply moved by your character, Commander. From now on, there will never be any occasion on which I point my sword at Pencilut. If the matter you mentioned should ever occur, I will stop it even at the cost of my life.”
The knight commander’s face brightened at once. As if there were nothing more to think about, he seized Mitchell’s hand.
“Th-thank you. Truly.”
Damon, who had been listening silently, tossed out a dry remark. It was part of his plan to raise Mitchell’s standing and make certain Riley’s punishment was wrapped up cleanly.
“Do not worry. I already received a definite answer from him on that matter as a condition of his joining. He said he would absolutely refuse to join unless I promised it, so I had no choice but to permit it.”
“……”
“From now on, the Kassim Mercenary Corps will not be hostile to Pencilut. Nor will we, under any circumstances, kill the knights or soldiers of your country. By the promise made with Swordsmanship Instructor Mitchell.”
Because he was bound by the restrictions of the Sevenfold Severance Prohibition, Damon could not kill under any circumstances. Thus, this was something he could promise without the slightest hesitation.
However, the repercussions that promise had on the King of Pencilut were tremendous. For the King of Pencilut, who did not have a particularly strong desire for conquest, it was as if the very thing he had feared most had vanished. So long as that issue was resolved, the strength of the Kassim Mercenary Corps was not especially necessary to him. After all, unless the opponent was the Crocen Empire, there was no kingdom with the power to threaten Pencilut.
Of course, he could not help but feel grateful to the one who had made that possible. The King of Pencilut stepped through the knights and came forward, looking straight at Mitchell.
“I shall never forget the efforts you have spared no effort in making for the safety of Pencilut. As repayment, I hereby grant you a title, and I promise that it shall take effect at any time should you return to Pencilut.”
The quick-witted knight commander drew the sword from his waist and held it up respectfully with both hands. Receiving the sword, the King of Pencilut approached Mitchell.
“Kneel.”
As soon as the knight commander spoke, Mitchell immediately knelt on one knee and paid his respects. The King of Pencilut raised the sword and touched it to Mitchell’s shoulders in turn.
“I grant you the title of baron. Though it is not a high title at present, I promise that if you return to Pencilut, I shall bestow upon you a title and territory befitting you. And one more thing. I also promise you the privilege of becoming a member of the Royal Guard Knights without undergoing any examination.”
Within the king’s words lay an indirect invitation for him to return to Pencilut without fail. To be honest, it would have been a lie to say he did not covet a Sword Master.
A Sword Master was not someone one could obtain easily. Among hundreds of paladins, only a tiny few could surpass the wall of the Sword Master. Especially in the case of someone like Mitchell, who had become a Sword Master at such a young age, his potential for future growth was quite literally limitless, so it was impossible not to desire him. Naturally, Mitchell was not so dull that he failed to notice that intention.
“I am deeply overwhelmed by Your Majesty’s grace. Once the mercenary corps’ mission is over, I shall certainly return to Pencilut so as not to betray Your Majesty’s goodwill.”
Because he had been strictly educated from childhood, Mitchell’s attitude did not deviate from etiquette in the slightest. The king, looking satisfied, handed the sword back to the knight commander.
“Baron Mitchell. I shall watch your achievements closely. I hope that as a member of the Kassim Mercenary Corps, your fame will resound across the four seas, and wherever you may be, you must never forget who you are.”
“Your Majesty’s words. I shall engrave them into my bones.”
“Then depart. I shall have my guards see you off.”
Having finished speaking, the king turned away. Thinking that the danger to Pencilut had disappeared, his steps felt especially light. The knight commander approached with a smile.
“I shall have the guards hold a farewell ceremony for you. I sincerely pray that you hunt many dragons in the future.”
“I do not think there is any need to go that far.”
Damon received him with a somewhat more courteous attitude. He, too, had come to feel considerable favor toward the knight commander, Duke Karsus, because of his attitude.
‘From skill to character and loyalty, he lacks nothing as the commander of a nation’s Royal Guard Knights.’
Since there was no need to deliberately draw attention, Damon decided to leave quietly.
“We plan to depart for a distant place. For that reason, we will ride the Bone Dragons and travel. Still, I thank you for your kindness, Commander.”
“Not at all… If you ever pass nearby, please stop by at any time.”
“I shall.”
Having finished their business(?), the mercenaries began climbing onto the Bone Dragons one by one. Since they had already ridden them once before, no one hesitated. Except for one person.
Katroi approached Damon with a rigid expression.
“I have no desire to ride. My pride simply will not allow me to entrust my body to such accursed monsters.”
Damon’s answer was simple.
“Then follow us on your own.”
“I shall.”
As if he did not want to show himself before the many guards, Katroi silently cast a flight spell.
“Aviation.”
The moment the incantation ended, his body shot up into the sky at a terrifying speed. Damon watched him, clicking his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. I suppose, being a dragon in his own way, he doesn’t want to ride on the corpse of his kin.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
When the knight commander asked back with a puzzled expression, mischief once again stirred in Damon’s mind.
“I do not know whether you have heard, but that fellow is the White Dragon we captured in Raytona. Since we received his ransom, we spared his life at least. To be honest, dragons only at the Wyrm class are nearly useless. It felt like a waste even to make him into a Bone Dragon, so we simply drag him around with us. Tsk, tsk. A pathetically weak fellow, yet his pride alone is strong…”
“……”
“If he gets cheeky while I’m keeping him around, I intend to wipe him out on the spot.”
The knight commander stood with his mouth hanging open, unable to continue speaking. It was astonishing enough that they had captured a dragon that had reached the Wyrm class, but on top of that, they were dragging it around by force… He could only manage to say this.
“Y-you are truly extraordinary.”
As Damon climbed onto the Bone Dragon, he replied indifferently.
“There is nothing extraordinary about it. If you handle dragons properly, they are not such difficult opponents…”
Before his words had even ended, the Bone Dragons began to flap their wings. The wingbeats were so powerful that the lines of Royal Guard Knights staggered, unable to keep their balance.
Kwa-rurururu.
The two Bone Dragons began to soar, letting out strange cries. As if they did not feel the weight of the dozen or so humans they carried at all, the Bone Dragons rose high into the sky in the blink of an eye.
The knight commander and the Royal Guard Knights of Pencilut could only silently look up at the Kassim Mercenary Corps as they quickly became two dots and vanished. After a long while, the knight commander let out an exclamation.
“Hoo. What a truly extraordinary mercenary corps.”
Shaking his head from side to side, the knight commander suddenly seemed to think of something and looked over the line of Royal Guard Knights. He had to erase any absurd thoughts that might, by chance, begin to grow in their heads.
“As they said, if one knows the proper method, it may be possible to hunt dragons. But that applies only to them. Until now, countless knights have gone off saying they would hunt dragons and never returned. I say this out of concern, but because of what happened today, there must never be any occasion on which you look down on dragons and challenge them, or set out to hunt them. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
When the knights answered in unison, the commander nodded in satisfaction.
“It is somewhat regrettable that I did not ask where Hales is. It would truly be nice if I could meet him after so long and reminisce. I cannot help but wonder just how on earth Hales trained his son.”
Above the knight commander’s head as he muttered quietly to himself, the clouds drifted leisurely by.
Contrary to his words that they would go somewhere far away, the Kassim Mercenary Corps had to set foot on the ground before long. It was because the backs of the Bone Dragons were far too cold. Since most of the party could control mana, their ability to withstand cold had improved dramatically, but one person was an exception. Because Juliana kept whining with her face turned blue, Damon had to make a decisive choice.
“It’s so cold I can’t bear it anymore.”
“You’re a bundle of trouble from beginning to end.”
Letting out a sigh, Damon landed the Bone Dragons. Since their next destination was the neighboring Kingdom of Tezeros anyway, there did not seem to be any problem with walking. Damon briefly considered casting magic on Juliana, then soon shook his head. He, too, preferred leisurely walking while enjoying the scenery to flying through the sky.
Kwa-rurururu.
The two Bone Dragons landed on the ground, spewing out strange cries. Damon, the first to jump down, wore a pleased expression.
“People really are meant to live with their feet on the ground.”
Juliana quickly jumped down with a sickened expression.
“Phew, it would be better to sit on ice.”
Having breathed in the cold air of the north for nearly a year, the bodies of the Bone Dragons were, in a word, lumps of cold itself. Following him, the mercenaries climbed down one by one. The smile had still not disappeared from Mitchell’s face as he landed lightly. Seeing that, Damon clicked his tongue.
“You brat. What are you grinning about like some gutless fool?”
Mitchell’s face flushed faintly.
“I’m happy because I think my father’s honor will be restored. It feels like I’ve managed to be filial to him for once.”
“Haha. You little rascal. You’ve got filial piety, contrary to how you behave.”
“My character has always been on the good side, you see… Ow!”
When Damon promptly smacked him and glared, Mitchell made a tearful face and clutched his head.
“How can you hit me out of nowhere?”
“I thought only your skills had improved, but it seems your shamelessness has grown even more. Looks like all your ability has gone straight to your mouth.”
After glaring at Mitchell for a moment, Damon’s expression hardened.
“In any case, it turned out well. At least you now have a place to entrust yourself to later.”
Mitchell’s eyes widened.
“Wh-what do you mean? I have no intention whatsoever of leaving the Kassim Mercenary Corps.”
Damon quietly turned his gaze to the sky.
“If we catch every dragon in Truvenia, we will have nothing left to do. Of course, it is more likely that we will fail to achieve that goal…”
After speaking, Damon looked over the mercenaries’ faces one by one.
“If, by some chance, I die while hunting dragons, run away at once and disband the mercenary corps. The source of the power possessed by the Death Knights and the Bone Dragons is me. Therefore, if I die, their lives will vanish as well. At that point, you will no longer be able to hunt dragons.”
A troubled look had settled over Damon’s face before he knew it.
“Thinking about it, I believe this matter was handled very well. Now that Mitchell has obtained a place to entrust himself to, I intend to gradually resolve the question of where the rest of you will go as well.”
The moment he finished saying that, Mitchell’s strong protest burst out.
“That is impossible. If, by any chance, something unfortunate happens to you, Damon, I have no desire to live either. We are comrades who share life and death.”
At Mitchell’s words, the mercenaries nodded as if to say he was right.
“If we live, we live together, and if we die, we die together.”
“Though the days of our birth may differ, the day of our death must be the same.”
A smile brushed past Damon’s lips.
“You brats…”
When one thought about it, their mindset was no different at all from that of the Guardian Demon King Army. Another Guardian Demon King Army had been born on the continent of Arcadia.