Just one day later, I was visiting the castle.
I had been exhausted from exerting myself so much the night before and had been trying to sleep when I was interrupted by a clammer of noise and voices outside the house. The sound of knocking at the door and countless people calling my name had me worried, and I had opened the door wondering what was going on. There, I’d found someone standing at the entrance claiming to be the king’s messenger. I had boarded their carriage and let myself be escorted to the castle and into its audience chamber.
The audience chamber was a spacious, expansive room—big enough that it could have accommodated all my collection desires had it been my own. A tapestry, embroidered with the image of a lion I assumed to be the national crest, hung on the far end of the room. A platform beneath it bore the throne, in which sat an old man dressed in regalia. Because the attendant who had led me this far had opened the grand double doors and informed me that “beyond this vestibule, His Majesty awaits you, sir,” I knew the man seated before me to be the sovereign himself.
I started to kneel, but the king stood up before I could pay my respects.
“Aah, Mr. Kaito. I’m glad you came.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty. I’m honored to receive your invitation,” I said and bowed my head.
I hadn’t become the Sword Saint. Even so, here I was, invited to a royal audience inside the castle, somewhere I’d never imagined even in my wildest dreams I’d go.
Despite the unexpected nature of my summoning, I had a pretty good idea why I had been called. There was something the king wanted to say to me about the incident with Vlad last night.
I had spent the rest of the day following the battle flying in circles over the city and showering it with mist from Cure Beam. I had been too busy to distribute supplies in Hybrid Town, so I had planned to go today, but I, of course, could not turn down a royal invitation. Oltea and Frieze were waiting for me at home. I wanted to get this over with quickly and make my way back home to get started, but...
“I asked you here so that I might express my gratitude for your brave conduct last night. For protecting the Royal Capital from harm, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said the king.
“Oh, not at all, Your Majesty. I was just doing what I had to do,” I said. It was true: I had defeated the man who had masterminded an attempt on my life, and in the process, I’d protected the city and friends that I loved. Beyond that, I had been able to satisfy my urge to fire beams to an unprecedented degree and experience immense pleasure in the process.
Of course I welcomed the display of gratitude, but having the ruler of the entire country go out of his way for my sake was a little much.
“Be that as it may, had you not done so, the entire city—perhaps the whole kingdom—might have been destroyed. To think that a monster had concealed itself in the guise of an adventurer right here in the heart of the land...”
After everything concluded, I had found Favel and told him everything I had learned about Vlad’s true intentions and nature. From there, the information seemed to have made its way to the king.
“As the man charged with governing this land, it behooves me to show my appreciation to the man who saved it from annihilation. And so, in accordance...” said the king, signaling someone with a glance. A man standing in the corner of the room, presumably a royal retainer, made his way to us with an excessively heavy leather bag in tow.
“A small token of my gratitude. Please, take it,” the king said.
“What is it?”
“Gold coins.” If the bulging bag was full of gold coins, it must have been at least eight hundred. We were already on track to pay off the mortgage, but with all this wealth, it could be taken care of in one go. Beyond that, I’d be able to supply Hybrid Town with tons of provisions.
But...
“I cannot accept,” I said.
The king’s face betrayed his surprise. “And why not? You needn’t be humble. It’s an appropriate reward for saving the entire country.”
“Even so, I can’t take it. Not after what has happened to the city,” I said. Vlad’s brainwashed minions had been mostly people from Section Two, and as such, the area had suffered greatly from the incident. Even the house I used to live in with Oltea had been partially destroyed.
Apartment buildings comprised most of Section Two’s housing. Even one destroyed building could displace numerous people. An uptick in demand meant a rise in rents that could push the destitute of Hybrid Town into the city streets. Eight hundred gold coins were a drop in the bucket against that kind of market shift, but still...
“I’d like you to set aside that money for reconstruction.”
“Reconstruction... You’re sure that is all right with you?”
“Of course. Even without money, I’ve got more than enough to be content.”
“Is that so?” the king asked. He wore an expression of admiration as he sighed, considering what he had heard, and then smiled.
“The list was accurate as to its description of your character,” he said.
“The list?” I asked.
The king nodded. “An index of Sword Saint candidates that arrived just yesterday. I suppose you must be very good at what you do, Kaito. There’s no shortage of positive impressions from your guildmates recorded under your heading on the document. Taking into account your performance yesterday, I see no reason to hesitate in granting you the title.”
“Really?” I said, thoughtlessly raising my voice to a near yell in excitement.
The king’s eyes sparkled as he looked on. “Not the reaction I expected. You want to become Sword Saint so badly?”
“Yes! I’ve heard that anyone appointed as Sword Saint is granted a wish as a reward!” I said.
The king’s face became a little uneasy. He frowned ever so slightly. “That’s true, but...I’m not sure what we could give that would satisfy you given your refusal of such riches just a moment ago,” he said.
It was true that my request might not be the easiest to fulfill. It would take a lot more money than eight hundred gold, and what’s more, it wouldn’t be a onetime deal but an ongoing change.
Still, it was the reason I had wanted to become Sword Saint. Now that I had done it, I had nothing to lose by at least asking.
“What, then, is your wish?”
“The introduction of a rationing system.”
“Rationing system?” the king asked, puzzled.
“Yes. I’d like food delivered regularly to the people of Hybrid Town and, if possible, to all the hybrids in the kingdom. Distributing daily would be difficult, of course, but even a week’s worth every seven days would do.”
“Now just what are you talking about?” demanded the retainer who had handed me the bag of gold earlier. At some point, he had returned to the corner of the audience chamber, but now he was walking back over with an unpleasant look on his face.
“I realize it’s no easy task to accomplish,” I said.
“Whether it can or cannot be done is besides the point. Opening the treasury for the sake of the beastkin is foolish. They’re already living here in the Royal Capital without asking for our help. If they don’t like it, they’re always welcome to leave. Besides, if they would just cultivate the land themselves, then—”
“Will you shut up?” the king loudly rebuked his retainer.
“B-But, Your Majesty! We already risk our lives to protect them from monsters, and now he asks us to go further and distribute food to them? They—”
“‘Protect them from monsters,’ eh? And where were you last night, then? Up there, fighting the threat?” the king asked.
“W-Well, no... I wasn’t fighting, but...”
“Then I don’t want to hear another word from you about how we ‘protect them from monsters!’” the king said sharply. The retainer shrank into silence.
I was glad the king had stood up for me, but it wasn’t the same as granting my wish. Like the retainer had said, distributing food to the hybrids inside the city would be expensive. It wasn’t difficult to see why the crown might turn down such an obligation during this critical period of reconstruction.
Even though it had been said that becoming Sword Saint meant getting one’s wish granted, there were practical limits to such things. A week’s worth of food every week might be too much to ask. If that wish was denied, I would propose three days’ worth of food every week. If that too was refused, I would try again at one day’s worth. It wouldn’t be enough to fill all the stomachs in Hybrid Town, but it would be better than nothing.
The king looked as if he was considering, his brow furrowed in honest thought.
“You are the Sword Saint, after all. And the hero who saved this country from
ruin.”
“Well, I’m no hero, but...” I began. A title like that ought to go to someone who had done something more important. Something like defeating the Demon King himself. It was too grand an accolade for someone like me, who until recently was just a regular old salaryman.
“There’s no need to be so modest. Practically everyone in the country would agree that the title suits you. If I were to deny our champion his one and only request...I would not be able to face the ancestors. The shame would be eternal. For that reason, I will happily grant your wish.”
Yes!
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Gold doesn’t please you, but helping others does... If you swear the oath as Sword Saint to protect our fair lands, I have no doubt the ancestors will be able to rest easy as they journey home.”
“Yes! I promise I’m prepared to take the oath at the Spirit Festival and adhere to it with all my heart,” I said.
The king smiled brightly. “Wonderful! I will send a messenger later with further details pertaining to your schedule on the day of the festival. Until then, I anxiously look forward to our next meeting,” he said.
“Understood. Truly, thank you so much, Your Majesty,” I said, bowing my head deeply and leaving the audience chamber behind.
“Now just what the hell was that attitude about, hmm?!” I heard the king say, reprimanding the unruly retainer.
Once I was outside, I used Jet Beam to take off and fly home.
“Welcome home!”
I entered our home—luckily undamaged from the recent clash—and Oltea and Frieze ran over to greet me. They looked at me with eyes full of curiosity.