I am the king of Aimebisalon—Leo Edward Aimé-Bisalon.
This entire morning nearly gave me a stomachache from shock, and now I am resting in my office.
Two days ago, I learned that Samidoride was resting in the forest northeast of the capital, and that once it awoke, it would fly straight here. So ministers and I discussed through the night how to protect the capital, but every plan was unrealistic.
Then yesterday, a message arrived that our neighboring country, Battlettis, intended to invade us. Those brutes whose intelligence never catches up with their age actually wanted to increase our burden while we were troubled by Samidoride.
To defend against them, I deployed most of our soldiers to the battlefield, leaving only a small number to resist Samidoride.
But Samidoride is not something that such numbers can resist. Thus, I had no choice but to request aid from adventurers.
And at 10 a.m., a letter arrived from the Adventurers' Guild stating that Samidoride had already been hunted down by two sixteen‑year‑old adventurers—a boy named Karen and a girl named Lina.
How was I supposed to believe such an absurd claim? Yet the letter carefully described the process of the hunt down, and even mentioned they had taken in a young dragon who had lost its father.
So I summoned them. If they were lying, I would convict them of the crime of deceiving the royal family—punishable by immediate execution.
But when they appeared before me, they did not kneel. Such blatant disrespect was more than enough for execution, yet neither of them showed the slightest fear.
The boy stared straight at me as if waiting for me to speak, while the girl held a red creature in her arms without even looking my way. They acted as though my status meant nothing to them.
They gave me the feeling that a single wrong word might cost me my life, and that made me fearful—forced to think thrice before I spoke.
Then they presented Samidoride's corpse as proof that they had truly accomplished a task no one had achieved for years. Their strength frightened me.
Only then did I remember: these were the Rainbow-ranked adventurers known as Black Knight and Snow White Princess, who had reached the bottom level of the dungeon and shattered its records in just over a year.
The Guild Master, Dex, had once written requesting the creation of new adventurer ranks, and had delivered items from the dungeon's new environment—books written in unknown scripts, bizarre clothing, and foods never before tasted in this world.
Throughout the discussion, however, Karen did most of the talking. Lina did not say a single word, nor did she seem inclined to deny anything.
When it came time to grant their wishes, their first request stunned me—they wanted the young dragon to become a citizen of our nation. I had no idea whether dragons posed danger to the country, so I did not intend to agree.
I thought I had found an opportunity to pressure them into pleading with me. But they came fully prepared—even willing to kill the dragon themselves, despite how close they seemed to it.
But from the fact that they wished the dragon to be accepted by the people, I could tell they bore no hostility toward me. Thus, I agreed.
Their second wish surprised me again. I thought they would ask to become nobles, but instead, they merely wanted an open plot of land to build a house. I had thought I could win them over effortlessly, but I was wrong.
From their complete lack of respect toward me, it was clear they never intended to serve me. Their attitude was one of "you mind your affairs, we'll mind ours." Their power rivals that of a nation—I could not persuade them even if I wanted to.
And then that fool Mandello Brandalla dared disgrace me by assuming Samidoride belonged to the nation, making us look like thieves—and even slandered them.
From how they watched the knights dismantle Samidoride's corpse without leaving the training grounds, I already sensed their distrust. And that idiot perfectly proved their distrust was true.
If not for the fact that his father saved my life when I was a child, I would have banished him long ago. Fortunately, Karen did not pursue the matter.
At that moment, someone knocked, asking for permission to enter.
"Come in."
I gave permission, and the door opened to reveal Sword Saint—Anthony Somart. I have known him since childhood. He is an idiot who loves swordsmanship so much.
"Your Majesty."
He was here because I had things to warn him about—and complaints to vent. Since it would be a long conversation, I rose and moved toward the sofa.
"Sit. I'll summon someone to prepare tea."
"No, please sit, Your Majesty. I will give the order."
"Well."
After ordering the maid, Anthony sat opposite me. I began speaking.
"Anthony, do you know why I said you fail to grasp the situation?"
"Because our country is still preparing for war with Battlettis, and yet I said I wanted to abandon my post to train my swordsmanship. That was extremely irresponsible."
"That is not the reason. Battlettis only plans to invade after Samidoride destroys us. Once news spreads that Samidoride has been hunted down, they will withdraw."
"Then why can I not return to training?"
The maid entered with tea. After taking a sip, I answered.
"Because you seem unable to grasp Karen's strength."
Earlier, Anthony wished to test Karen's power. That gave me hope—I had forgotten that such a person was among us. I thought it would be easy to bring his arrogance down.
But I was wrong again. Anthony could not match him. I have trained with a sword myself; I could tell that no amount of training would allow Anthony to surpass Karen. That is why I said he failed to see clearly.
"No. I see it clearly. I will one day redeem myself."
Anthony believed that training would make him victorious. But whenever it came to matters of the sword, he always became foolish. At this point, I could only try to advise him.
"You are a Sword Saint. Losing in swordsmanship is unacceptable to you. But listen well: do not challenge Karen again. You will regret it."
Anthony shook his head.
"I don't understand. I won't give up. I will challenge him many times until I win."
His words irritated me, and I responded bluntly.
"How clear must I be? You cannot defeat him. Our nation cannot afford to provoke him. If you keep challenging him and he grows annoyed, he may cripple your knight career just as he nearly did today. Do you understand?!"
Today's match ended because Karen struck Anthony's wrist with a wooden sword. Had it been a real blade, Anthony would have lost both hands.
"In that case, just choose Karen as the next Sword Saint."
This fool! Does he not understand that I am worried for him? And besides—Karen never offered me such an option. I slammed the table.
"Will you listen?! Look at his attitude today—do you think he would accept?! It is impossible to recruit him as our nation's strength. But we also cannot eliminate him; he is a man who repays grudges a hundredfold. If we fail, the entire nation will perish! Do you understand?!"
I slammed the table several more times, making the tea nearly spill. My hand hurt terribly. Anthony calmly sipped his tea and nodded.
"I see. So that is the reason."
Finally.
"Good. You are undoubtedly at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, but Karen is on an entirely different plane. I do not wish to lose a friend like you."
"I understand. I will give up on challenging Karen."
With that, I could finally relax. As royalty, I have few close friends. Anthony is one of the precious few I can share my burdens with. In return, he shares his worries—but they are always about his daughter.
"Good. Now let me vent."
"Is it about Mandello Brandalla again?"
When not discussing swords, Anthony regains his intelligence as a duke.
"Yes, him again. You saw what he did."
I ranted about that foolish Mandello Brandalla—a dull-witted man born into nobility by pure luck.
Useless in every way except abusing authority. If his father had not saved my life, I would have executed him long ago. Even his position in the castle was begged for, with his subordinates doing all the work.
"He claimed Samidoride belonged to the nation and even drew his blade on Karen."
"His behavior has utterly disgraced me. If Karen hadn't chosen to overlook it, I would have exiled him to the frontier long ago. And every time he says, "Please forgive me for my father's sake," I am forced to give him light punishment! Especially his eldest son—causing trouble daily and abusing power. Their entire house contributes nothing but bad rumors, dragging down my prestige!"
I grew angrier as I spoke, slamming the table louder than before. But I needed to vent to a friend—otherwise the frustration would eat me alive.
Anthony calmed me gently.
"Edward, drink some tea. As for his son Okabuz, hasn't he been quiet lately? I heard he challenged Karen a year ago and became well-behaved afterwards. He's even studying and helping people."
"He fought Karen? Did he truly change? What happened?"
The fool's son is also a fool. What exactly did Karen do to reform him? I hadn't heard from the boy in a while.
"I heard he insulted Karen's companion—the white‑haired girl. The match didn't even begin before he wet himself. Afterward, he mopped the entire Adventurers' Guild floor before leaving."
"Is Lina? In that case, that fool was truly lucky. What a pity."
A shame indeed. Had he insulted Lina even once, I could have removed a great thorn from my side. Truly—what a pity.
"Edward, that fool discriminates heavily against commoners. After what happened today, he might cause trouble."
"Indeed. He did not witness your defeat at Karen's hands. If he causes trouble, I will inevitably suffer the consequences."
Nobles value face, and I am no different. But if the fool angers Karen, Karen will come after me next.
Just as Karen demanded punishment for the gate guard—the superior bears responsibility for the subordinate. So long as Brandalar remains a noble, I cannot escape liability.
"But we could use this chance to eliminate him while earning Karen's goodwill."
Anthony was thinking too simply. What do I have to offer Karen? Karen and Lina hunted down Samidoride, even had the strength to protect a young dragon. One displeasure from them could destroy the nation.
"You're mistaken. It is Karen who would be doing us the favor. Everything hinges on whether he chooses to pursue my responsibility."
"I was foolish."
"It's fine—you were never the type to rely on brains."
I teased him, and he glared at me.
"…Yes, yes, I'm an idiot. Must you say it every time?"
"Hahaha. I speak so only because you are my friend. I will assign people to monitor that fool. You need not worry."
As king, I cannot speak like this to subordinates. Only to close friends.
As for that fool's movements, I have always had people monitoring him, hoping to catch him committing a crime serious enough that I no longer have to consider his father's legacy.
But he has accomplished nothing more than petty mischief. He lacks the wits for any major scheme. A convenient scapegoat at best.
To be honest, I would prefer to let Karen deal with him—but I fear Karen might come for me afterward.
(Would it work if I explained the situation to Karen?)
I thought about it and gave up. I cannot force Karen or Lina to involve themselves in noble affairs. They are not people I can afford to provoke.
I will handle this nuisance myself.