Chapter 7

At the gate of the royal palace, carriages loaded with merchants' goods lined up.

Tonight, a victory banquet is being held to celebrate the defeat of the terrifying undead monster, and it also serves as the debut of the Holy Knight and the Holy Maiden. As a result, the faces of the merchants and the palace servants who were coming and going were all bright.

What was being brought in included mountains of food and alcohol, as well as expensive fabrics and jewels, which seemed to be for some unknown purpose.

Beside this scene, a man, the assistant to the prime minister, sighed as he supervised the inspection and stamped the inventory of the cargo.

– Is it really necessary to indulge in such luxury at this time? Even if there is a political motive, I just can't help feeling...

The report stated that the undead monster in the northern part of the kingdom had been largely dealt with. However, many people had been displaced from their homes.

In his position, he did not have the courage to object to the higher-ups' decisions. He had a wife and children, and he could not easily express his righteous indignation.

The man furrowed his brow, suppressing his troubled feelings. The face of an acquaintance who had thrown away his position and left the palace yesterday came to mind.

– It seems the king's order to return was too hasty. I don't understand the battlefield, but...

He understood the king's intentions intellectually. The appearance of a Holy Knight who had obtained the Holy Sword was a rare event, not seen in this region, including this country, for over a hundred and several decades. The Holy Knight's exploits had already reached neighboring countries.

It was said that the man who became the Holy Knight was originally a low-ranking knight, the second son of a minor baron – in other words, a commoner. The country wanted to honor his achievements with a title and quickly secure his loyalty. Furthermore, they wanted to recognize his marriage to the Holy Maiden and proclaim the favor of the goddess both domestically and to neighboring countries. Fortunately, there were no unmarried princesses or high-ranking noble daughters of suitable age.

– No, to begin with, the Holy Knight already had a wife in the capital...

Given that he himself had a wife and children, a bitter feeling spread in his chest.

"Leave behind a worthless wife who can do nothing."

The words of his direct superior, the prime minister, lingered in his ears.

– Worthless, huh. If that's the case, many of the people in this country would be the same. ...I might be the same.

In the corner of the bustling and festive royal palace, he silently continued his work while his heart grew cold.

Then, he thought of his acquaintance who had objected to the king upon his return and left the palace.

The assistant to the prime minister's old friend was the commander of the kingdom's knight corps until yesterday. He had abandoned his prestigious honor and resigned, returning to the northern part of the kingdom. The gag order had been imposed, and only a few high-ranking officials knew about it. It seemed they didn't want to dampen the festive atmosphere of the banquet.

– ...It's foolish. ...Well, in the end, I can't do anything either, just thinking about self-preservation...

The only thing the man could do was pray for his friend's bravery and safety.

---

As the sun began to set, the victory banquet started.

The grand hall of the royal palace was lavishly decorated, filled with elegantly dressed nobles. In the center, the king solemnly received the knightly oath from the Holy Knight, who had drawn the Holy Sword.

Everyone in the room was captivated by the sword, which was beautifully engraved with the ivy relief, a symbol of the goddess. A murmur of admiration rose from the crowd.

In a corner of the grand hall, a group of new low-ranking knights watched the scene. Despite feeling out of place, they looked on with envy, but a few of them tilted their heads in confusion.

"Hey, didn't the Holy Sword kind of glow white?"

"Yeah, that's how it looked on the battlefield..."

"Well, there's no undead monster here, right?"

"...That's true..."

The young knights' whispers, who were still not fully versed in etiquette, were drowned out by the general murmur of the hall, and no one paid them any attention.