My World to Free-use

223: The king?

“Strange, is it not?”A knight captain riding on his horse next to me asked.

“Not only was it the royal family who came to us, but this force… seems unexpected for a simple expedition.”

Another knight next to him replied.

No, they were not talking to me. Some were still under the impression that I was a royal, hence why there was a formation of knights around me.

They weren’t insulting the royal family or anything, so they had no qualms talking in my presence.

Well, I couldn’t help but agree with their observation.

It actually was the royal family that came to us, not the other way around. Sure, the Carlson house was in the way of their destination, but it was still unprecedented for a royal family to pick a lord's house that served them. It would have been the other way around, even if it had been a hassle for the Carlson house.

And the other point the knight raised about the force. That was another major point.

Twenty thousand strong. Five thousand, among whom were the soldiers and knights of the Carlson house. The rest, about fifteen thousand, belonged to the royal family.

I didn’t know the situation of the neighboring nations, but they must be panicking at the moment because a military as vast as this was heading to the edge of this kingdom.

The only plus point was that the edge didn’t meet the border of another nation but the border of deserted plains, an unclaimed forest that, for some reason, no one expands to, even if there are no monsters there.

I tried searching for the significance of that forest among the people, but there was no definite answer.

Some said it was the forest of the gods, and some said it was a treaty not to claim that land among the nations of this continent.

I only learned about this a few days ago, before leaving, so researching it in the library wasn’t possible either.

Anyway, while the number of this army was big, it wasn’t the full might of the nation. As far as I was aware, the kingdom’s army was around a hundred thousand, and each lord's house had about five thousand military personnel, so the scale wasn’t as big as one would expect from a war.

Thanks to the military back home, an attack from the neighboring nations wouldn’t be a problem either.

Well, if I were them, I would have never let go of this chance. And even if it wasn’t the other nations, it would have been the other lord houses that would have jumped at the opportunity.

But the only reason they weren’t doing so was because of the uncertainty of this battle.

Everyone knew a battle was imminent, but no one made a move. If, by any chance, Elara was the one to survive, those who touched what was hers wouldn’t die a beautiful death like having their heads chopped off. They would be subjected to a far more cruel fate.

And aside from all of that…

“It is him, right?”

“Yes. I cannot believe it either.”

“This… This is not simple, is it?”

“It sure is not.”

The cause of this ruckus among the knights was the man in shining golden armor with equally shining blonde hair, pale skin, and a handsome face, even I couldn’t help but be a little envious of, riding at the forefront of this small army.

No, it wasn’t a legendary knight or anything. That might be what one might glean from how he was simply riding on his white horse without showing as much as even a little bit of arrogance, with a benevolent smile on his face.

But it wasn’t so at all. His identity was far simpler, and that made it a hell of a lot more complex at the same time. Believe it or not…

It was the damn king of this kingdom.

~~

Fire crackled as food was prepared for the entire army. A luxurious course was prepared for the nobles, even out here in the woods, as hundreds of cooks kept cooking, more than half of them especially focused on cooking for those with noble blood.

As the food was served, I took part and kept serving everyone. I took the duty to serve the Lord's table, where the king and queen sat, the king still in his golden and white armor, his blonde hair flowing like a dream, and the queen sat next to him, her chestnut hair flowing gently in the slow wind.

Elara took the place next to the queen, and Carlson sat next to her. On the other side, next to the king, some officials sat, enjoying the food as they chatted with one another.

A gentle smile on the king’s face as he chatted with the nobles without so much as a flicker in his expression.

Carlson seemed like he was sitting on the edge; his face stiffened as if he had done something wrong.

Elara kept her gaze straight as she ate with the queen, and the queen, with her gentle demeanor, also chatted with the people left and right.

“Serve His Majesty more wine.” A knight standing close to the table, especially for this task, called out loud.

I immediately grabbed the wineskin and went to pour the king the wine.

“Thanks.” The king said in a smooth voice, a voice the dream of every young woman.

“I am unworthy of your gratitude, your majesty.” I immediately bowed and said, as I stepped down the platform, still facing his direction. Turning around and leaving would have been bad news. When a royal says thanks, you don’t say ‘you’re welcome.’

This is what you do. You bow and tell them their gratitude is wasted on you.

“At ease, young man.” The king said with a smile, his smooth voice the same as before, and his smile the same as before as well, but the chatter around us had stopped. Everything had come to a still silence in an instant.

I wondered if I had done something wrong, but that wasn’t so. I couldn’t raise my head to see, but I could feel it. The fear emanating from the air.

Those around the king, except a few, were trembling in fear, even if they didn’t show it.

“Come here, young man, and raise yourself.” The king said, calling me to him before he told me to raise myself. Which meant I would have to walk up to the platform in a bowed posture like this.

And I did just that, I walked forward, my body bent at a sixty-degree angle until I arrived on the other side of the table, exactly opposite from the king, and then raised myself, but still kept my head lowered.

“Tell me, young man. What is your name?” The king asked, “I am George.” He added before I could reply, saying only his first name, as if it was a gesture he was showing me.

“M-my name is J-Jack, Your Majesty.” I stuttered out my name.

“Jack… A good name.” The king said, swirling the wine glass in his hand, before he asked, “Tell me, Jack. What master do you serve?”

“I-I serve Lord Carlson.”

Yeah, in no way was I going to say Elara’s name here. That would be the shortcut to death here.

“Is that so? I thought you served me.” The king spoke in a confused tone.

“M-my deepest apologies! Your Majesty!” I said, immediately lowering myself again, this time fully falling on my knees on the raised wooden platform, “All subjects naturally served his majesty the King!”

“Hahaha. No need for this, Jack. I’m just jesting around.” The king said, lightly waving his hand, pulling me to my feet with the flow of his mana.

And no, he wasn’t saying that to lighten the mood or give me a false sense of relief. He really was messing with me. Just that. He did because he could. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I… I…” I tried to say something, but no words came out of my mouth. I had to act perfectly, lest they attack me right here.

“As I said, I was just having some fun, Jack. No need to be worried.” The king once again spoke nothing but the truth before he pointed at Carlson and said, “Look, Lord Carlson’s glass is empty. Fill it, please.”

That ‘please’ at the end could have been my death sentence. But at least he was drinking the special wine. Maybe he would like it.

And…

“L-Lord Carlson…” I stuttered his name as I refilled his glass.

Carlson was unfortunately double-screwed.

“Thank you, Jack,” Carlson replied and didn’t wait for me to say anything in return before he waved his hand, sending me away.

I followed his order, backing away while bowing slightly, and walked down the platform, doing my best to hide the smirk on my face as I vowed to wipe the smirk of that bastard king from his face soon enough.

~~

Yesterday's chapter. Let me know if there are any mistakes.