"..."
In the royal palace in Re-estize.
Here, a middle-aged man wearing silver armor, with a tired face and black hair, kneels before an old man with white hair sitting on the royal throne.
The kneeling man is Gazef Stronoff, confidant and leading knight of Re-estize, while the old man with white hair is Ramposa III, the current king.
Gazeef kneels of his own accord, his mind unable to stop overthinking what has happened, the weight of guilt falling on his strong but weary shoulders as shame clings to his body like a disease.
"Stronoff..." Ramposa III murmurs in a tired voice. No one but him knows what Gazef is going through right now. The man once known as the invincible warrior had failed in his mission.
Ramposa III rubs his beard lightly with concern and anxiety. At a time like this, he doesn't know what to say. Simple words to comfort his friend don't seem appropriate, and for the first time in a long time, the king, Ramposa III, is nervous.
"I... will find the culprit, my lord," Gazef says with determination, although his words are more of a promise to himself than a promise to the king.
The strongest warrior in the kingdom raises his head slightly to look at his lord, King Ramposa III. He has aged, although Gazef does not want to admit it. It was not so long ago that the king enjoyed full health and youth, and now, the king looks like an old tree bearing its last fruits before winter.
Gazef forces a half-smile. After all, that's life. Time takes its toll faster than one thinks. Every day a person grows older, and with every second, the hour of death draws nearer.
Gazef looks at his lord's wrinkled face. "Is this the fragility of life? A life is nothing more than a spark that lights up the day for a couple of seconds, only to go out the next moment..." Gazef thinks with some sadness.
His last failed mission made Gazef mentally return to the past, to those days when war was raging, when death was a daily occurrence, and when the peopl lost their life at every moment.
In his heart, a slight foreboding grows, fear of the future takes hold of his soul for uncertain reasons, and his eyes look at King Ramposa III, who brought peace to Re-estize, as the man who represents the end of an era.
But why?
Gazef rubs his neck lightly at these strange feelings that have taken hold of his body from one moment to the next. Perhaps this is a premonition.
"Rest for a week for now, and return to your duties refreshed..." Ramposa III orders, that is a gift for his faithful friend.
Gazef bows his head slightly, nods, does not complain, just obeys, and a moment later leaves the royal hall.
His recent failure to protect the Carne village made Gazef start thinking about several things at once.
"The strongest in the kingdom," he murmurs softly. If he had to say so himself, he doesn't consider himself the strongest in the kingdom, or even the best. He had long ago met people more powerful than him, such as the Blue Roses adventurers, for example.
So, Why do people continue to idolize him as the strongest in the kingdom?, Gazef partially understands why this is so. It all started with an advertising campaign to establish his image as the protector of the kingdom in the minds of every citizen.
Only in this way could the peasant who works his whole life, the merchant who risks his life, and the adventurer who lives on the edge of life and death have something to lean on, mentally speaking, of course.
Gazef, even in his armor, walks through the streets of the Re-estize kingdom with no apparent emotion on his face. The people who pass by him cannot help but look at him with admiration, with respect, but above all, with hope.
He smiles slightly, carefully observing the hopeful faces of each of the people he sees, and at the same time, he cannot help but feel a giant weight bearing down on his shoulders.
Is he capable of keeping people's hopes alive?
His recent visit to the Carne village proved otherwise, past wars proved otherwise, the people who die every day due to insecurity in Re-estize prove otherwise, but the people still believe in him.
Gazef blinks, observes, and in front of him, standing like an imposing statue, is fear—not the fear of disappointing his people, that fear was overcome some time ago, but the fear of death.
With each day, with each hour, with each minute, and with each second, that fear grows in his heart, growing like weeds fed by incessant rain in a gloomy sunless world.
Gazef swallows hard. Perhaps a little alcohol could calm his growing anxiety and fear, but if he knew that his recent fear of death was instilled by the necromantic magic left behind by Hiyama in the Carne village, there's no telling how he would react.
...
*Knock*
"Sir?" A beautiful elf smiles and looks innocently at the man who enters the door, making some noise. Her heart couldn't help but beat a little faster, her lips pursed, and she unconsciously squeezed her legs together.
"What a handsome man..." the elf thinks before welcoming Gazef.
"Sir, sir, please come this way, I have a table reserved for you..." The elf sings in a high-pitched voice, but none of this can catch Gazef's attention.
Instead, Gazef observes the people in the tavern. Well, there aren't many people besides him, just a group of several people who seem to be occupying a table, chatting animatedly.
Gazef smiles as he watches people talking as if they were old friends, and then, a small needle pierces his heart, "How long has it been since I went out for a drink with my friends?" Gazef narrows his eyes.
"Wait, Do I even have any friends?" Gazef opens his eyes wide as he remembers. His daily training made it almost impossible for him to form good friendships, and finding a partner is impossible for him, the strongest warrior in the kingdom.
Gazef watches for a moment as the people talk happily at the table and decides to simply approach them.
Under the confused gaze of the elf who was planning to take Gazef to a secluded place to flirt with him, Gazef himself heads to the table where some annoying and noisy people are sitting.
"Ahem, gentlemen, Do you mind if I join your gathering?" Gazef bows slightly as he approaches where the Sword of Darkness and Matt are enjoying a greasy dinner.
"..."
There is a brief moment of silence.
All the members of Sword of Darkness stare wide-eyed at Gazef. After all, he is a well-known figure in the kingdom, and for a man like him to come and join their little banquet is something... too exciting for the small minds of these adventurers.
However, among all these adventurers, one in particular does not even look at Gazef. It is Ninya, who is busy trying to flirt with Matt.
"Sir?... I mean, it would be my pleasure, Sir Gazef," Peter, the leader, quickly stands up to invite Gazef to take a seat. Lukrut and Dyne nod their heads nervously.
What could the strongest warrior in the kingdom want sitting at the same table as them?
Matt, who doesn't know who Gazef is, swallows the food in his mouth before looking at him. "Damn, bro, is it really comfortable to wear that tin while you eat?" Matt says the first thing that comes to mind.
Matt's comment causes another awkward silence. Peter, Lukrut, and Dyne are about to stand up and bow to Gazef to apologize for Matt's comment, but Gazef simply looks at his armor before bursting out laughing.
"Hahaha, certainly, certainly, it's uncomfortable, Sir?..." Gazef looks at Matt curiously.
"Matt, you can call me Matt," Matt smiles before pushing a plate of food with meat just brought by the waitress toward Gazef, and begins to pour some wine into a glass and pass it to the man in silver armor.
"Friendly..." Gazef thinks before smiling and receiving the glass filled with wine.
A few days later.
Daisuke Hiyama, dressed in an elegant robe and smelling of roses, enters through an elegant door. He left Enri Emmot in charge of his new Undead territory some time ago before coming to Princess Renner's palace for an important meeting.
After opening the elegant door, a spacious dining room is revealed, with a large table decorated with all kinds of ornaments and dishes of food that look like works of art welcoming him. Red silk curtains neatly arranged on the walls and a large window at the back make the place look pleasant.
Hiyama smiles slightly, and the people who were near the window, looking at the outside scenery, turn their bodies to look at him.
Five beautiful women and one woman with more muscles than a bodybuilder who looks like a man are watching him, so Hiyama smiles.
"Your Majesty, Princess Renner... ladies of the Blue Roses, I have arrived for the meeting," Hiyama bows elegantly before taking a few steps forward.
Under the curious gaze of the women, Hiyama sits down at a chair at the table and begins to eat.
"..."