Chapter 20
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The weight carried by the name Royal Knights was greater than one could imagine.
Of course, the fact that the Royal Knights were the heroes of the continent also played a part, but their true value lay in the symbolism of being the first united order of knights in the history of the continent to include all races.
Before that, the races didn’t get along well with each other.
In a way, it was natural.
Even in modern society, weren’t there countless people who made a fuss over slightly different skin colors?
Moreover, here, the races themselves were different.
Naturally, they couldn’t help but have poor relations. At best, it ended with public criticism.
At worst, they didn’t hesitate to go to war.
But the situation changed drastically.
The worst adversity that required all races to unite their strength appeared before them.
So, for the time being, they put aside their old grudges and established an order of knights with the intention of saving the continent first.
That was none other than the Royal Knights.
In other words, the Royal Knights had the symbolism of being an alliance where they reluctantly joined forces for now, whether they liked it or not.
In fact, they had even mediated disputes between races.
But what if those Royal Knights disappeared?
What else?
Naturally, it would immediately turn into a mess.
In fact, even the joint council where representatives of the races gathered didn’t convene for several years in the original work where the Royal Knights were annihilated.
They hated to see each other’s faces, but they would suffer disadvantages if they didn’t attend the council.
But the council they had forcibly attended was suspended, and they stopped seeing each other altogether.
Naturally, the ties of the alliance began to loosen.
The result was the original situation where more than 80% of the continent’s territory was seized.
Fortunately, there was the barrier of the Holy Empire.
If it weren’t for that, the continent would have long been destroyed by the demons, as described.
And all of that was nothing more than a snowball effect caused by the annihilation of the Royal Knights.
“But the start of that was self-destruction due to politics?”
[Shamefully, that’s right.]
At first, it was a trivial issue, he said.
Granting small favors that didn’t even amount to problems.
But they piled up and became disputes, and eventually, it turned into this mess.
“This is absurd.”
[I think so too.]
“So? What should this old man do?”
Ah, darn it.
I accidentally let my guard down because it was too absurd.
Fortunately, perhaps because the situation was so serious, no one paid attention to my way of speaking.
The man in the crystal ball continued.
[If there’s any silver lining, it’s the fact that not all Royal Knights members have died.]
“You mean they avoided total annihilation?”
[Strictly speaking, it was indeed annihilation. Out of more than 20 knights, only 3 survived.]
“3 people… They did well to survive in that situation.”
This was sincere, at least.
Because in the original work, it was stated that not a single one survived and they were completely annihilated.
Anyway, even if the Royal Knights were rotten, having them around would be helpful.
[That’s why I have a request for you, Sir Hans.]
“…?! Your Majesty!!!”
“???”
What?
Your Majesty?
I was startled because Clarence had addressed the man kneeling inside the crystal ball as Your Majesty.
If it was Your Majesty, could it be the king who ruled this country?
Then, had I been speaking casually to the king all this time?
Cold sweat began to flow down my spine.
No matter how much time stop I had, my current skill was only at the level of an ordinary person.
At least, I wasn’t at the level to speak casually to the king.
I hurriedly tried to kneel, but before that, the other party had already moved first.
Soon, the king shouted.
[Please lend us your strength, Sir Hans!]
“What do you mean…”
[The Royal Knights are currently on the verge of collapse.]
“On the verge of collapse?”
He continued his explanation.
Although there were only 3, the Royal Knights had at least managed to survive that hell.
However, the problem was their next move.
[One of them has already left the Royal Knights. The remaining two are still arguing, blaming each other. The future of the continent is bleaker than ever.]
“Crazy.”
[Could you please mediate and guide them directly, Sir Hans? I’m pleading with you, putting everything on the line!!]
“…”
So, even though they had barely survived and returned, they still hadn’t come to their senses and were fighting each other?
I newly realized that it was no wonder the Royal Knights were almost annihilated.
Crazy bastards.
There was no room for choice here.
No matter what happened, the existence of the Royal Knights as a signboard was an absolute benefit.
Otherwise, it would lead to the worst situation, like in the original work.
In the original game, more than 80% of the continent’s territory fell into the hands of the demons.
Honestly, I had no confidence in surviving that hellish situation.
No matter how much time stop I had.
As long as my basic skills were lacking, there would definitely come a limit someday.
I nodded my head.
No matter what happened, the name of the Royal Knights had to continue to exist.
[As expected of you, Sir Hans. I believed in you.]
“No, but…”
[Oh my, look at the time. I’m sorry, it’s time for the joint council. Don’t worry. I’ll make the preparations in advance.]
I’m not kidding.
I really thought he was some kind of rapper.
Only after the rapid-fire words ended did I finally react.
But it would have been rude to interrupt in the middle.
What should I do?
How should I do it?
Uh… While I was thinking, I ended up missing the timing.
I sighed.
Then, Clarence, who had been quietly listening, stood up and said,
“Are you ready? I will escort you to the capital.”
“Is it necessary?”
“Yes, I can escort you, so it’s fine.”
“…Still, wouldn’t you need a guide?”
Clarence said that due to the situation, we had to depart for the capital first.
I nodded my head.
The remaining two might become irreversible if we didn’t act quickly.
Of course, I had no confidence.
I knew they weren’t the type to be swayed by a few words. But I had to do my best.
Before things got even worse.
But they wouldn’t tell me to join the Royal Knights because of this, right?
I had that thought for a moment, but I soon dismissed it.
I currently had no proven skills.
Of course, I did win against demons and fought, but the condition for joining the Royal Knights was to be able to defeat at least a mid-level demon like a [Blood Bird] to be considered for the Royal Knights.
But joining the Royal Knights just for defeating one low-level demon and one monster?
It was like not just drinking the broth but gulping it down with a bowl.
“But why didn’t you tell me from the beginning that the person contacting us was His Majesty?”
“Didn’t I tell you at first?”
“What?”
“That I am a member of the royal guard directly serving His Majesty the King.”
“…”
So, you want me to infer it on my own?
Are you a crazy bastard?
* * *
The Joint Council.
This council, where the leaders of all races and prominent figures gathered, had the purpose of stability and peace of the continent, and furthermore, harmony between races.
At least, that was the superficial reason. But in reality, it was nothing more than a fight over who could gain more benefits.
And right now, the council was in a complete mess.
[That’s what I said, didn’t I?! The expedition was too reckless!]
[Huh? Are you making excuses now?!]
[In a way, it can be said to be the lack of skills of the Royal Knights.]
[No! It’s the fault of the dwarves for not preparing the supplies on time!]
[Oh? I didn’t know the Queen wished for suicide.]
“…”
Blaming others was at a cute level.
Anyway, not only did they disparage the Royal Knights who had died fighting on the battlefield, but they even directly pointed fingers and criticized their enemies.
The reason they were fighting like this was simple.
They didn’t want to take responsibility for the failure of the Royal Knights’ expedition.
Because they were afraid that disadvantages might come to them.
Therefore, they weren’t meeting in person and holding the council through crystal balls like this.
If they met directly, they wouldn’t be able to shout at each other like that.
“Now is not the time to fight among ourselves, is it?”
But that also meant that the human king had an opportunity.
At his words, everyone closed their mouths. Because he had the right to speak.
The one who had opposed the Royal Knights’ expedition until the very end.
The one who had stuck to his words with conviction while enduring all sorts of ridicule and disadvantages.
That was the position the current king held.
“Anyway, what’s done is done. The priority should be to come up with a secret plan to overcome the current situation.”
[You’re babbling as if there’s some secret plan.]
“It’s not that there isn’t one at all. Would you like to hear it?”
Everyone closed their mouths as if they had agreed.
Perhaps they felt humiliated to listen to the words of the human king they had ignored until now.
The king, who took their silence as a tacit agreement, opened his mouth.
“Our top priority is to rebuild the Royal Knights. You all agree on this, right?”
[That’s true.]
[We can’t kill the demons without the Royal Knights.]
“Actually, there is a suitable candidate for that.”
[What do you mean?]
This was an opportunity.
To wash away the stigma of being the only race without a Royal Knight and gain an advantageous position in this [Blood Alliance].
However, it was a method with a very high risk.
“Single-handedly slaying numerous monsters and killing the notorious Gourmet with a single strike.”
If successful, they could definitely gain an advantageous position, but if they failed,
they could lose even the position they had barely secured now.
It was truly high risk, high return, all or nothing.
“Furthermore, the only one who predicted the annihilation of the Royal Knights before they set out on the expedition.”
However, even in such a situation, the king had no hesitation.
In the first place, to gain something, one had to be prepared to lose.
And if he, the human king, didn’t believe in humans, who would?
“I have found a candidate for the new commander of the Royal Knights.”
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