The first time I met him was inside an illusory space created by the Monarch's power. My task was to test the one who entered that illusory space. The Monarch said he wanted to know whether this human had the qualifications to become his vessel. But somehow, I already knew. That this would be the last order the Monarch would ever give me. Since forgiving the Rulers, the Monarch had lost all interest in war — there had to be a reason he was showing this much attention to a mere human. Perhaps I had already been sensing, even then, that I would be parting ways with my Monarch. But the Monarch's orders were absolute. I had no thought of questioning his intentions or trying to dissuade him. I could only reply that I would carry out his command. That was all I could do. And so I stood in the illusory space — my original power mostly sealed away — to test his worthiness.
'People of this world call spaces like this a Dungeon, don't they?'
Deep inside this virtual Dungeon, which seemed modeled after the audience hall of the royal palace, a tall throne sat upon a raised platform. My memories were hazy now, but I gazed around, drawing upon what I recalled from when I was still human.
'My, my… using the Monarch's power to create a stage this elaborate. Quite impressive.'
I ran my fingers along the thick pillars lining both sides from the entrance all the way up to the throne's dais, marveling at the planner's ability. This meticulousness — it was gradually reshaping that human's body into one capable of accepting more of the Monarch's power. Just then. I sensed someone approaching.
'Already…?'
Caught off guard by how quickly they were coming, I hurriedly climbed the throne and sat down. But once I was seated and thought about it more carefully, it struck me — wasn't sitting here a little presumptuous? This human I was meant to test carried the Monarch's consciousness within him. Was it really right to be seen sitting on the throne in front of the Monarch himself? The thought gnawed at me.
'…'
In the end, I judged that I absolutely must not be seen in such an irreverent state. I scrambled down from the throne and hid behind the nearest pillar. Cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crack! The door opened at the worst possible moment, but fortunately, the dim surroundings meant he didn't seem to notice me fumbling around. Thank goodness. I had nearly turned the Monarch's carefully planned test into a farce through my own blunder. Letting out a sigh of relief, I waited until he was about ten paces away, then stepped out from behind the pillar and blocked his path.
'…!'
Through the still air, I could feel his tension. A young man. My gaze upon him was anything but kind.
'That man is the one the Monarch chose…'
Even without this being my final assigned mission, I had no intention of going easy on him. If I judged him lacking, he would die right here, by my hand. Fueled by that fighting spirit, I watched as the man raised his clenched fists before me.
'…?'
Surely he didn't mean to defeat me with his bare hands? For a human, his courage was admirable — though only for a moment. To fight him on equal terms, I shed my cloak and dropped my weapons one by one.
'…!'
Why did he keep flinching at every single thing I did? That look in his eyes — willful and unbroken — was something I could appreciate. But would his skill actually match that glare?
"Hagh!"
The result came quickly. Thud. Even though I was barely using my true power, he still knelt before me. It was disappointing. But just as much as I was disappointed, I was also relieved. If he didn't have what it took to inherit the Monarch's power, that meant the Monarch could remain the Monarch a while longer. For the first and last time, I felt relief at my Monarch's failure. And I resolved to grant him a final befitting of his courage — the courage with which he had fought in this human body. Using the authority the Monarch had temporarily granted me, I summoned the sword that lay far away. I intended to take his head in a single stroke, sending him off with as little pain as possible. That was the greatest mercy I could offer him. As if reading my thoughts, he willingly bared the back of his neck.
'A wise choice. Not just courage, but wisdom to match… A man truly worth admiring. But to dissuade the Monarch, I have no choice.'
I carried out the beheading on the one who had chosen an honorable death. But just then. The look in his eyes — which moments ago had seemed to accept death quietly — changed. Clang! My sword was caught in his hand, and his short blade sank into my face. Grrraaaaaaah! I was shocked. More than the fact that he had blocked my sword, I was stunned that he had refused to give up until the very end. And it was only belatedly that I realized — the look he'd shown in that moment bore a striking resemblance to the gaze I knew from my Monarch.
'That's why the Monarch…'
My spirit broken, I couldn't properly respond to his relentless barrage of attacks. I was slammed against the wall. Kuuang! Stabbed over and over. Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Finally, the armor protecting my neck could hold no longer and shattered. Cr-crack! The power he possessed versus the power I possessed — since this was a test to judge his worthiness, my stats should have been several tiers above his. And yet. I lost. Was it because I had written him off as merely human and let my guard down? Or was it a miracle born from his refusal to give up? Through my fading vision, I saw him — both hands raised high in triumph.
"Ahhhhh!"
The fact that seeing this made me smile, even now, probably meant I wasn't in my right mind anymore. In my dimming consciousness, my gaze drifted upward. The pillars stretching endlessly upward held up something I couldn't see clearly through the darkness. The distance I could only sense in the dark seemed to mirror the distance between me and the Monarch, and I felt a pang of sadness.
'Should I be glad that the Monarch's choice was correct? Or should I be sorrowful that I couldn't change his decision…'
Unable to settle on an answer, I lost consciousness just like that. Until he came to me once more and shouted, "Rise."
* * *
He cared for me. Perhaps because I was his first — or rather, not exactly the first, but close to the first — soldier. I was often grateful for the warmth I felt from him. What especially stayed with me was… a single thing he said to me one day.
"Once your rank goes up, we'll be able to have a real conversation, won't we?"
How could I express the surge of emotion I felt at that smile? No matter what he thought of me, to me he was my master, my friend, and my comrade. Together we fought through countless battles. We fought side by side — sometimes against magical beasts, sometimes against monsters, sometimes against Hunters. When he was happy, I was happy. When he was in pain, I was in pain. When he grieved, I grieved. Even knowing that the deeper my loyalty to him grew, the fainter my longing for my previous master became — I gradually came to accept my new Monarch. Of course. It wasn't always easy. There were plenty of moments that were outright mortifying.
"Use this one."
Trusting a sword that shot out lightning, I fought a woman who was stronger than me at the time — when I still had numerous restrictions on my power.
"Is that Black Knight that just came out really the strongest summon you have?"
'…'
Enduring such humiliation. And I ended up becoming an unintended roommate with a shadow soldier who possessed monstrously powerful abilities.
'…'
Keeping such a roommate by my side — one who was extremely faithful to his nature, and whose nature happened to be savagely violent — made me realize just how much I missed my formerly dignified old comrade. That was exactly how I felt when I reunited with Bellion. So honestly… when Bellion knocked Beru down, it was a little satisfying. Just a little. But my joy at reuniting with an old comrade was short-lived. Before long, wasn't Bellion starting to be influenced by Beru too?
[Hey, this black flag… Wouldn't the Monarch be pleased if we planted it on top of that castle?] […Are you serious?] [I may not have any talent for building things like the ants do, but if it would make the Monarch happy, I'll do anything.] [That's not what I meant… Never mind.]
Well, the new master's reaction went without saying. Anyway, with the original Shadow Army joining forces from the rift between dimensions, his power only grew stronger. Contrary to my worries, he treated "the soldiers of the previous Monarch" without any discrimination, and as one united force, we were ready to face any battle for him. After the brief training and rest time passed — like the blink of an eye — our resolve was soon put to use in the war against the Monarchs. We fought with everything we had for his sake, and he led the war against the Monarchs to victory. When he was battling the Dragon Emperor, all of us watched that final confrontation from within the shadows. The duel between two Monarchs was so beautiful it nearly overwhelmed us with emotion.
[Kieek, what's this. Igrit, are you crying right now?] […Shut up.]
There was a brief moment when the entire Shadow Army got worked up and thrashed around in the shadows, thinking danger was near. But at that moment, the army of the Rulers poured through a gate opened in the sky! Waaaaah! Seeing the reinforcements rain down from above, we roared with cheers.
["Should've gotten here sooner!"] ["Did they really time it on purpose just to give us heart attacks?"] ["If I were up there, I'd have smashed them first, seriously."]
On the surface, we grumbled and complained, but in truth, we all embraced one another, celebrating our master's victory. But our song of joy didn't ring out for long.
"Could you use the 'Chalice of Reincarnation'… just one more time?"
He said he wanted to turn back time and erase all traces of the Monarchs and Rulers from the world he lived in. Having once been human myself, and having had people I wanted to protect, I understood that feeling all too well. Perhaps if I had the same choice, I would have made the same one? I respected his decision. My comrades and I were prepared to face not just the Monarchs' armies, but any enemy once more — for him. But not everyone could be invited to that fight. When word came that some soldiers would cease to exist once time was reversed, those who met the condition collapsed to the ground, wailing. I consoled Iron, who had been with us for so long; Grid, who had offended the Monarch from the very beginning of his existence and suffered greatly for it; and the other soldiers who were sobbing uncontrollably. And so the moment of farewell ended. After being sent back in time, a new war was given to us. Our master grew ever more skilled in battle, and we grew stronger along with him. There were several close calls along the way, but each time he overcame one, he became unrecognizably stronger. After roughly thirty years, every enemy had been destroyed, and only the 'Army of Destruction' remained. The Monarch's clash with the Dragon Emperor. While our master fought the enemy's supreme leader, we held off the ancient dragons. One of them — Granod — spoke to me as I was furiously cutting down the dragon army.
[Igrit! You were one of the two wings of the Shadow Army — and yet you follow the orders of a Monarch who was nothing more than a human? Aren't you ashamed?]
The creature — barely maintaining its dragon form, reverting to human shape, clutching the sword embedded in its chest and gasping for breath — I stared down at it for a long while. That was right. I had forgotten. The time I'd spent with my new master had been so glorious that I'd completely forgotten about the previous Monarch. When had it happened? When had the former Monarch vanished entirely from my mind? Granod had long since breathed his last, but even as battles raged all around me, I couldn't bring myself to leave that spot for the longest time. Could it be that my former master — once everything to me — now held only this much meaning? That thought bleached my mind white. And then—
"Igrit!"
From somewhere, a shout rang out that snapped me back to attention. I quickly raised my head. From the direction my gaze fell upon, a blinding light was erupting.
'Dragon Breath!'
The Dragon Emperor — having expended most of his power in the fierce battle against the Monarch and reverted to human form — was unleashing a breath attack aimed in my direction. No. He hadn't been aiming at me. I just happened to be standing in the path where the Dragon Emperor was firing. It was simply misfortune. But almost every accident happens because of that small twist of luck, and it costs the victim their life. This time, it was my turn. Kuuaaaah! Seeing the flash of light, I realized it was already too late. Unable to react in any meaningful way, I froze. And I resigned myself to death. Facing the light that was about to engulf my vision, I thought: Perhaps this… is punishment for having completely forgotten the former Monarch I swore my loyalty to. If so, I should accept it gladly. I am, after all, a sinner. As I waited for my final end to arrive at the speed of light — in a single instant, someone appeared before me and caught 'Dragon Breath' with one hand. Kuuuaaaaaaaaaa! The Dragon Emperor's devastating attack was burning that someone's left hand, but he showed no intention of withdrawing it. Without knowing why, I cried out toward the figure shielding me — shielding all of existence — from the flames that could incinerate the world.
[Monarch!]
When the Dragon Breath finally ceased, the Monarch turned to look at me, as if scolding me.
'…!'
Just as when he had called my name moments earlier, my mind snapped into focus once more. The Monarch, who had only glanced at me briefly, charged back toward the Dragon Emperor. I raised my sword to face the dragons attempting to encircle me. Clang! Sword clashed against sword, sparks flying, and the dragonfolk torn apart by my blade screamed in agony. That's right. I had never forgotten the former Monarch. The devotion I held for him had simply been inherited by the current Monarch. What could possibly be wrong about giving everything in loyalty to the successor the former Monarch had chosen? I am a knight. The Monarch's sword. One of the two wings that lead the Shadow Army. And if — if the day ever came that I had to part with the current Monarch as well, I would add to the farewell I never got to say to the former Monarch: Every day I spent fighting under the Monarch's command was a glorious one.
[Graaaaaaah!>
With a fierce battle cry, I leapt forward into the dragons charging toward me.
* * *
The war ended safely, and we returned with the Monarch to his world. Crunch, crunch. Late into the night, as the Monarch studied diligently, I spoke to him from within the shadows, sharing my line of sight.
[Monarch, the answer to question fourteen is number two, not number one.] "Oh, really? Thanks."
The Monarch, who had been expelled from the place called middle school for not meeting the required attendance days, had entered a new battlefield known as the GED exam. He was maintaining near-perfect scores on practice tests, but he occasionally let his guard down like this and let a question slip by. When that happened, who else would support the Monarch? Bellion, the commander-in-chief, who was built like a mountain? Or Beru, the legion commander, who, however clever, was still nothing but an insect? In the end, it had to be me — the one who had graduated from knight academy with top marks during my time as a human.
"But the answer to fourteen… it says one. Would you bet your life on number two, Igrit?"
The Monarch's keen observation, as he unfolded the answer key, prompted me to concede with all the dignity of a knight.
[It seems my training is still insufficient. I will strive to improve further for the Monarch's sake.] '…'
I am the Monarch's knight. The Monarch's sword. The Monarch's battlefield is my battlefield. Now that the Monarch has set foot on a new battlefield, it seems my glorious days will continue for some time to come.