After he cut down the slave traders and saved Tenko, he hugged her. In tears, he said, “I’m sorry I’m late, and I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything. Even still, I’m happy I was able to save at least you.” The king welcomed Tenko, who no longer had a family, into his own. He raised her as if she were his own daughter, and Alma also treated Tenko like her own sister. Tenko, who had lost everything, including the will to live, was saved by King Auld and Alma. She owed a great debt of gratitude to the king, and when he was on his deathbed, he said to her, “Please take care of Alma...of Alvin. Please protect Alma and be by her side.”

  I was supposed to become a knight, a knight who would protect Alvin...who protects Alma, Tenko thought as her face was wet with tears. She lifted her head and could see from her place on the high ground Alvin fighting with the dragon in the central square. Why am I not right next to Alvin? Why am I so far away, just sitting here pathetically? Tenko thought.

  “I-I...” The harsh truth of what was happening to her was as clear as day. Tenko’s body wouldn’t move, and she was afraid. From the depths of her soul, she feared fighting the dragon. More than wanting to protect, she wanted to be saved. Tenko no longer had any right to be Alvin’s knight. Upon realizing this, Tenko sank to her hands and was about to cry out when she heard a voice.

  “Jeez, you guys are a sight for sore eyes. You’re shaking in your boots from one little old lizard,” the voice said, and a hand was placed on Tenko’s head. “It’s said, ‘A knight’s bravery glitters in their hearts.’ So, getting over your fears is something a knight should do, right?” It was Sid, and he stood there looking into the distance with a fearless smile.

  “Sir Sid?!”

  “A-All right, Sir Sid is here! We can win!”

  “The dragon won’t be a problem for Sir Sid!” The students of Blitze class, whose spirits had been devastated, were now excited from Sid’s arrival. At least, they were until they noticed his appearance.

  “Huh? Sir Sid? What’s going on with you?” They were all shocked by what they saw. Sid looked like a ghost. Particles of mana were spilling from his body and appeared to be fading away. His whole body looked ragged, as if he had gone through battle after intense battle to arrive here.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting. Everything’s okay now,” Sid said and smiled as if nothing was wrong. However, Isabella, who came with Sid, stood behind him and shook her head with a look of anguish. It was then that the students realized what was happening. They didn’t understand exactly what was going on, but they knew that Sid was going to disappear soon. It wasn’t anything strange. After all, it was unnatural for someone from the legendary age to be resurrected in the present day. Things were just returning to their natural state.

  “You can’t do it after all?” Their faces once again transformed into a look of despair.

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry,” Sid said firmly to put his students at ease. “I have enough strength to take down one or two of those baby lizards in a flash. After that, I’m going to leave the rest to you guys. So long,” Sid said and was just about to head off to fight the dragon when he was stopped.

  “P-Please wait! Sir Sid, do you intend to die?!” Tenko shouted, and Sid halted in his tracks. “What are you doing?! Even I can see that you’re dying right now, Sir Sid! You’ve already lost so much mana. There were problems with bringing you back from the dead after all, weren’t there?!” Sid answered only with silence. “Why are you still trying to fight?! You’re just going to die!” Tenko ranted and raved like a child. “But why?! It’d be okay if you ran away, right?! There’s nothing wrong with that! There shouldn’t be anything wrong with that!”

  It was hard to tell what Sid was thinking as he turned around toward Tenko. However, he looked straight at her and said, “Look, Tenko. Who are you—no—who are you all making excuses to? Why are you lying to yourselves like that?” Sid said, and Tenko froze at his words. It wasn’t just her. Sid’s words struck a chord in the hearts of the students who were watching Tenko and Sid with bated breath. Even though they didn’t say it out loud, what Tenko was saying represented what everyone was feeling inside. We’re weak. We can’t win. We’ll just die in vain. We have no choice.

  However, after Sid looked around at the students trapped in such weakness, he clearly stated, “A knight tells only the truth. Their bravery glimmers in their hearts. Their swords defend the defenseless. Their power sustains virtue. And their anger...destroys evil.”

  Everyone listened to Sid’s poetic words, and they stood there dumbfounded. It was like a list, where each string of words was just some flimsy, cheap ideal. However, the words had a power to them, and they lit a mysterious flame in the hearts of those who heard them.

  “What was that just now?” Tenko asked, puzzled.

  “They are the ways of an old knight,” Sid said a little proudly. “A knight isn’t just some vassal who blindly serves the king—or a mere professional soldier. Knighthood is a way of life. A knight is one who lives righteously without any pretense in their heart and soul.” Sid looked around at his students and questioned them. “Aren’t you knights? When you look at Alvin, you don’t feel anything? Is nothing burning in your souls? Does nothing tremble when you see the will and determination of this young future king who is trying to save everyone?” Tenko gasped, but Sid was indifferent as he looked at Alvin fighting far away. “I’m sure Alvin will be wise and kind, the perfect king, and his light will shine hope into everyone’s heart. But reality is infinitely cruel. No matter how many noble ideals a king may have, there is only so much one person can do. The perfect king needs a knight. It is a knight’s duty to bridge the gap between the king’s ideals and reality.” The students were silent. “So, I’ll ask you all again. What are you?”

  Alvin had finally reached her limit. Considering the difference in power between her and her opponent, it was a miracle it hadn’t happened sooner. A strike from the dragon’s tail, which swung like a mighty storm, finally caught Alvin. Of course, it was not a direct hit but a hit through Alvin’s wind shield. However, Alvin was unable to take the impact like she did before and was blown away like a ball hit by a bat. She slammed into the wall of a nearby building, which collapsed from the impact. The building instantly became a mountain of rubble, and Alvin lay on top of it, powerless. Her entire body hurt like it had been shattered into pieces. The consequences of burning her Will and moving her body past their limits had caught up with her in a terrible way. Something inside Alvin severed, and the heat from her body drained out all at once. Alvin could barely move a single finger and was unable to fight.

  “I still...” Even so, Alvin tried to use her sword like a cane, urging her trembling body to stand. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t do it. Every time she tried to stand up, her legs would lose strength and she would collapse in a heap on the ground. Then, with a roar, the dragon leaped high into the air and in an instant landed right in front of Alvin. The impact caused the royal capital to shake violently, and Alvin’s body bounced around helplessly. The dragon roared at the sky and pointed its open jaw toward Alvin as it prepared to devour her once and for all. The dragon’s mass of swordlike fangs in its large open mouth filled Alvin’s dazed vision as it drew closer and closer.

  I had a dream, Alvin hazily thought while on the verge of death, gazing at her impending doom like it was happening to someone else. Indeed, ever since Alvin was a child, she had a secret dream. It was a childish dream where Sir Sid, whom she idolized from the tales passed down in the royal family, would serve her as her knight and be by her side when she became king. Having to live her entire life as a man, it was the one dream she was able to hope for. I’ve idolized Sir Sid in those stories ever since I was a child. I was in love with Sir Sid long before I met him, Alvin thought. Looking back, he was probably her first love. It was silly, falling in love like a character from a story like that but...that was how she truly felt in her heart. So, when her first love really came back to life just like in the royal stories passed down, her heart leaped. She was so excited it felt like her chest was going to burst. But Sir Sid isn’t my knight. He’s the knight of my ancestor, Arthur, Alvin thought. Of course. Sid had once offered his sword to Arthur from the bottom of his heart. His loyalty was always to Arthur, and it was only out of this devotion that Sid protected Alvin. Still, if I could one day become a king worthy of your sword, then... Alvin believed that if she did that, then Sid would swear allegiance to her as her knight. That was the only salvation and only hope for this girl who couldn’t even wish for a normal love. But it looks like this is it...

  Alvin’s first love, and the dream she always held, was coming to an end. On the path to her goal, she was going to be eaten alive by this dragon. She had so many regrets. What would happen to the royal city after she died? What would happen to her friends? However, what she regretted most of all was being unable to gain Sid’s loyalty as a knight.

  I regret it. I truly do. Alvin couldn’t help it when tears slowly began to roll down her face. Still, this is okay, isn’t it? The knight of my dreams came back to life and stayed by my side. He protected me, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? After all, that in itself was a miracle that should have been impossible. I should be satisfied with that. I was able to stick to my path to the throne. Everything was unfinished and half-baked, and, in the end, I didn’t accomplish a single thing. Right now, the only person who might praise me in the afterlife is my father, Alvin thought in a daze. At last, the dragon’s opened jaws, which were like a cauldron from hell, closed in on Alvin. If the dragon snapped its jaws shut, Alvin’s upper half would be finding its way to the dragon’s stomach. Goodbye, Tenko, everyone, and Sir Sid. As to be expected at one’s final moment, Alvin tensed up and closed her eyes.

  However... “Hey, it’s a little early to be closing the curtain on your path to the throne, isn’t it?”

  Following those words was a resounding crash, and the dragon’s howl of pain echoed throughout the royal capital.

  “Huh?!” Alvin opened her eyes and exclaimed in surprise. Standing right in front of Alvin was the knight she had wanted to see more than anyone else right now. It was Sid, right in the middle of her blurry vision. Sid had dealt a blow to the side of the dragon’s head, and the impact sent it reeling. The dragon was so shocked that it took several steps backward as it shook its head. “S-Sir Sid, what are you doing here?!”

  “It’s not just me,” Sir Sid said with a grin.

  “Alvin!” At that moment, several figures rose up around the dragon, and with a yell, Tenko boldly leaped from the side and fiercely thrust her sword into its right eye. The sharp edge of the sword pierced the eyeball, and it began to flail its arms and legs in more and more of a frenzy from the intense pain. Just then, Christopher, Elaine, Lynette, and Theodore all appeared with a battle cry. They surrounded the dragon and slashed at it from all directions with mortal determination. The dragon was dazed from Sid’s first attack, which had given it a severe concussion, and Tenko had crushed its right eye. This combination of attacks had put the dragon into a complete state of confusion, and it was completely unable to catch the students who were attacking it like winged insects.

  “E-Everyone?! Why?!” Alvin said, astonished at what she was seeing. Alvin’s friends then all spoke.

  “Alvin, sorry we’re late!” Christopher said.

  “We’re truly sorry and ashamed of our weakness!” Elaine added.

  “W-We’ll fight too!” Lynette stammered.

  “Yeah, this is no time for aspiring knights like us to just stand back and watch!” Theodore exclaimed.

  As they all spoke, they desperately attacked the stumbling dragon. Carelessly getting caught by the dragon’s feet as it writhed in pain meant instant death. However, despite these deadly circumstances, and despite everyone being pale with fear, they were fighting with all their courage.

  “Alvin! I’ll fight too!” With tears in her eyes, Tenko shouted as she released a series of furious attacks. “I may not deserve it anymore, but please let me be your knight! Right now, I’m weak, but one day I’ll be a great knight like Sir Sid!” Tenko said as she and the others fought their desperate battle against the dragon.

  “Thank you...everyone,” Alvin said as her heart became full.

  “You’ve done well too, Alvin. Great job,” Sid said. “Now it’s time for me to do my last job.”

  “Y-Your last?”

  “Yeah. It was short, but living for a second time wasn’t so bad.”

  “Sir Sid...your body?” Alvin said, finally noticing that there was something wrong. Sid didn’t answer, and for a while, the two of them were silent. Eventually, Alvin realized something else. “I see... Yeah, that’s right,” Alvin said, and her gaze fell sadly. “The truth is...I knew that there was no way a dead person could truly come back to life. No matter what kind of miraculous magic you use, it’s impossible.”

  “Yeah...”

  “So, you’re going to disappear...”

  “I am.”

  “But I finally got to meet you. No, I hate this. This is...this is...” As Alvin hung her head, large warm tears spilled from her eyes and soaked the ground.

  Sid looked down at Alvin as she cried and said, “As for your battle just now, you really aren’t fit to be king,” Sid said harshly. “Why would the king charge in all alone by themselves? If the king is killed, then that’s it for their country. That’s why you should have sacrificed everything else to escape.” However, despite Sid’s harsh words, he gave Alvin a gentle smile. “But I like it.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve seen the path you’re taking to the throne. You are no less than Arthur. You’re a king worthy of my service.”

  “S-Sir Sid?”

  In front of the confused Alvin, Sid kneeled down and placed his hand on his chest. He then swore an oath to Alvin. “Please forgive my rude words and actions up to now. I hope that you will allow me to be among the knights who serve and dedicate their sword to you. From now on, my sword, my soul, and my everything belong to you. And please, give me your final command. Soon, I will leave you behind to depart to the afterlife, but I swear to you on my name, Sid Blitze, that I will fulfill your last command with all my might, my lord.”

  “Y-You mean...” Sid’s words left Alvin temporarily stunned, but she did her best to give him a smile. “I’m really glad I got to meet you. And I’m truly happy that I got to become a king with you as a knight! Thank you, Sir Sid...my knight,” Alvin said, and then something happened. Inside of Alvin and Sid, something started to resonate. “Huh? What’s happening? I feel hot!” Alvin exclaimed.

  “What the hell is this?!” Sid said, and they both felt a burning sensation on their right hands. When they looked at their hands, they were shocked to see that the crest of the sword was burning brightly. The crest had changed—a crown now appeared over the sword. Then a large amount of mana rose up from Alvin and became particles of light.

  “Huh?! Wh-What’s happening?!”

  “This is...” The sword crest on Sid’s hand also began to glow and had changed shape in the same way.

  “S-Sir Sid! Your body!” Something strange was happening to Sid’s appearance. The mana that came from Alvin floated down and was pouring into Sid. After just looking like he was going to disappear at any second, Sid’s figure returned to normal. His depleted mana was replenished, and Sid regained his original power. “Wh-What is happening?” Then, an unfamiliar image and unfamiliar words played in their minds like some kind of flashback or memory of unknown origin.

  “That is the crest of the bond between a king and their knight. When the king has true faith in their knight, and the knight holds true loyalty toward their king, the crest will show its true power, and you will be truly revived.”

  As Alvin was dumbfounded next to him, Sid opened and closed his fist. For a while, he continued to do this, like he was thinking about something, before eventually speaking up. “I see. So that’s what it was, Arthur,” Sid murmured like he had figured something out and turned to look at Alvin again. “Alvin, there’s nothing to fear anymore.”

  “Sir Sid?”

  “I take back what I said. I won’t be heading to the afterlife for a while. You have me, and I am your loyal knight now. I will absolutely live up to your expectations and lay the path for you to walk to the throne. Give your first royal decree now that I am your knight,” Sid said, and Alvin was at a loss for words.

  However, Alvin gradually understood what Sid was saying. As her body trembled, she smiled happily and said, “I am honored and proud to have earned your loyalty. Please lend me your strength! Protect everyone! Protect this country! My knight, Sir Sid!” Alvin said with tears in her eyes.

  “Yes, my lord,” Sid answered with a grin. A new lord and servant had been born. Just then, Sid jumped high into the sky and leaped at the dragon.

  As Tenko and the others were desperately fighting the dragon, their eyes went wide with surprise. Suddenly, several lightning bolts fell from the sky with a mighty roar and pierced the dragon’s entire body. Then a burst of blinding light caused their vision to flicker black and white. Sid descended from the heavens and slammed his right fist into the dragon’s skull. As soon as he made contact, the dragon let out a roar of anguish and stood on its hind legs, throwing its head back from the unbearable pain.

  “A-A lightning strike?! What was that just now?!” Tenko said.

  “Jeez, you guys are pretty good when you put your minds to it,” Sid said, landing softly. “Still, a monster of this class is too much for you guys to handle. Leave the rest to me.”

  “Sir Sid?! I-Is your body okay?”

 

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