Episode 31: The Fall of the Kingdom Knight

“Guh… ugh…!”

At my words, Narcian’s face pales.

“Now then…”

I glance around at the city guards, offering a gentle smile.

“Could I ask you to seize this man and take him away?”

“Th-this is the king’s direct domain! Y-you don’t have the authority to order such a thing…!”

Narcian shouts desperately.

“That’s true. I’m merely the lord of the Kreving family, and I have no command over the city guards in this land. That’s why I’m only asking, ‘Could I ask you to take him away?’”

I hold up an envelope emblazoned with the laurel crest, showing it to Narcian and the guards.

“I intend to report what happened here to the king. It’s quite an intriguing tale for a souvenir from my travels.”

Narcian’s expression hardens, and a wave of tension ripples through the guards.

In other words, I’ve subtly warned them, ‘If you mess up here, I’ll tattle to the king.’

“With that in mind, let me ask again.”

I look at the guards once more, smiling calmly.

“Could I ask you to seize this man and take him away?”

A moment of hesitation. Then, the man at the front of the guards steps forward, resolve in his eyes. He’s a slightly lean, middle-aged soldier with a sharp, resolute face. Placing a hand on his chest, he salutes me.

“U-understood…!”

With that response, he immediately orders the soldiers behind him.

“Take these knights into custody! Restrain them at once!”

“B-but, Squad Leader…!”

“I’ll take responsibility as the squad leader. Do it!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The city guards swarm the unconscious knights, binding them with ropes and handcuffs one after another. And then, their hands reach for Narcian.

“S-stop! Let go! You bastards!”

Narcian desperately tries to shake off the soldier attempting to cuff him.

“D-do you think you’ll get away with this!? Y-you lot… you’ll pay for this later…!”

“Oh, one more thing.”

I turn a cold gaze on Narcian and speak quietly.

“Don’t even think about seeking revenge out of spite against the city guards here or the woman you tried to harm earlier. If you dare do something so foolish, I’ll recommend to the king that you be executed. Having such a despicable person among the kingdom knights would be a stain on the king’s honor.”

“Wha…!”

Narcian’s face contorts. The royal authority he had always relied upon had now become a flame that would consume him—a realization that painted his expression with despair.

“N-no…”

His front teeth missing from the punch I landed earlier, Narcian screams.

“Why… why should I be treated like this by mere commoner soldiers…!”

Tears welling in his eyes, Narcian tries to stand and flee. But the squad leader’s baton comes crashing down on his back.

“Gah! Y-you…!”

“…Please come quietly, Sir Narcian.”

As Narcian falls to his knees, the guards pin his arms and snap handcuffs on his wrists.

“You are under arrest for assault against that woman and Count Kreving.”

The squad leader declares in a matter-of-fact tone.

“N-no, stop! If I’m arrested, I’ll be stripped of my title as a kingdom knight!”

“No need to worry about that, Narcian.”

“Huh…?”

I approach Narcian and speak to him gently.

“Having raised your sword against me, who is on my way to the king, you’re looking at a minimum of twenty years in prison. And life in the dungeons is harsh. I highly doubt a man like you could endure it. You’ll almost certainly die in there. Being stripped of your knighthood is the least of your concerns.”

“Ah… aah…”

Narcian collapses, his expression blank with shock. Catching this out of the corner of my eye, the squad leader approaches me.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Count Kreving.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you.”

Thanks to them, I was able to orchestrate a fitting end for a villain like Narcian. But the squad leader, seemingly unable to grasp my meaning, gives me a puzzled look.

“Um, excuse me…”

A voice calls out from behind, and I turn around. Standing there is a woman with bobbed brown hair.

“Th-thank you… for saving me! M-my name is Anetta. If it’s alright, I’d like to repay you…!”

“No need. I didn’t intend to save anyone in the first place.”

Having witnessed the downfall of the villain Narcian, there’s no reason for me to linger here.

“If any of Narcian’s associates try to harm you, contact the Kreving family immediately. I’ll crush them.”

With that, I snap my fingers, calling my steed, Noctis. Mounting its back, I leave the scene behind.

“It was a detour… but it was worth it. I got to see a villain shine brilliantly before plummeting to his ruin.”

◆

“…”

Anetta stands in a daze, staring in the direction Siegfried had departed.

“He left like the wind, didn’t he?”

The squad leader mutters softly.

“Yes…”

“As soldiers, we’d want someone like him leading us.”

The squad leader murmurs with feeling.

As city guards, they had been powerless against the tyranny of kingdom knights like Narcian, burdened by guilt and helplessness. Siegfried had shattered those feelings in an instant.

Anetta nods silently to the squad leader’s words, her thoughts racing.

(As I thought, the kind of hero you’d find in fairy tales… doesn’t exist. But that man… he’s something more…)

In a fairy tale, a hero who defeated Narcian would receive a grateful kiss from the maiden, accept gifts, and the story would end happily ever after.

But… Siegfried sought nothing.

He effortlessly tore down the walls standing before Anetta and the squad leader, then simply left.

The story would go on. As if to say he’d continue shattering barriers in the future, no matter how many stood in his way.

(More than a hero… a truly remarkable person…)

Anetta quietly clasps her hands in front of her chest.