Chapter 72 - Volume 3 (2/2)

I look behind me, at the carriage. He was standing there, similar to the Pandora’s Box, a box that should never be opened but was opened nonetheless.

「Edilka. You should have come out sooner, lad.」

His Majesty was still smiling, not being afraid of speaking out the name of this walking natural catastrophe.

「–––––––––––– Yes, I should have.」

I heard his vague voice devoid of any warmth. I was afraid to look back at him. Finally, that man steps out of the carriage. He lands firmly on the ground, rays of sun reflecting in his armor and his blonde hair shining like gold. To everyone gathered it was a very easy to understand reaction, as the crowd almost instantly falls silent. But even so, the man’s expression doesn’t change.

Yes, it was still expressionless. You wouldn’t be able to read a single emotion of him. But I was able to understand. I knew that this small gesture must have hurt him pride as a man greatly, and I was breaking into a cold sweat just thinking about how this situation would develop later.

「DIE! KLANVEN!!!」

There was a stranger running straight towards us with a knife that he was holding in both of his hands. The believers that were present, as well as the priests and priestesses of the Great Temple started screaming. The temple knights tried to stop the man, but he managed to evade them and was getting closer with bloodshot eyes. Someone else tried to grab the stranger’s hand from behind, but to no avail.

「Filmina, watch out!」

「Eh? Ehh!?」

I could hear a loud voice, and the next thing I know, someone pulled me strongly and I was hugged tightly by His Majesty. In front of my eyes, I could only see white. It took me a while to realize that it was the pure-white of His Majesty’s robes. Apparently His Majesty shielded me with his own body, even though he was the one who was being targeted right now.

He may not look like it, but His Majesty was surprisingly strong. So much in fact that I couldn’t move. I only managed to move my head just a little, to see the man with a knife about ready to strike –––– But then something else caught my eyes.

「Guah!?」

The assailant raises a voice full of pain as the sword strike was directed precisely at the knife he was holding in his hands. The assailant lost his balance and fell to the ground, and in the next moment there was already a sword pointing to his throat, held by the blonde knight.

「Hurry up and seize him!」

The man gave a short command and the temple knights appeared right next to him, holding the assailant down and tying him tightly with a rope. The assailant thrashed about in an attempt to escape, but when he realized it was all worthless effort, he began to shout towards His Majesty.

「Let me go! This man is a low-born, unfit to become the high priest! He does not understand what it means to be bestowed with such honour and he does not get the suffering of the people!」

Judging by his clothes, the assailant must have been a vicar or assistant priest. It would be hard to imitate these robes and the overall atmosphere that was surrounding him. It was one thing for a mere commoner to commit murder, but for the member of the clergy it was simply unheard of. The guardian deity of this country was the goddess that blessed all life and took it away in equal amounts. Committing murder would go directly against the very nature of priests, against the very purpose of the Goddess they served. Even so, seeing that man right about now, spouting curses towards His Majesty, his words about “the extremists aiming to take his life” suddenly became all too real.

The would-be assassin was taken away by the temple knights, leaving me in His Highness’ arms and with a man who sheathed his sword, and a crowd of people that was still stirred because all of the unrest. I stayed in His Highness’ arms for some more and eventually that man turned towards us. His eyes were seriously glaring towards us! Still glaring fiercely at me, Edilka turns to His Highness and speaks up.

「Just for how long do you plan to stay like this?」

Finally, His Highness’ arms relax and he lets me go. Free to move once more, I bow down deeply before His Majesty.

「Thank you very much, Your Highness. Thanks to you no harm came over me.」

「Don’t sweat it, Filmina. Truth to be told, it would be a bigger disaster if something happened to you than if it would happen to me.」

Having said that, His Majesty tenderly stroked my cheek, but I would like for him to say such things much quieter and not in front of such a large crowd of people. From somewhere amongst the crowd you could hear shouts like: “Long live His Majesty Klanven!”, or “His Majesty’s kindness knows no bounds!”. I really wanted to thank His Highness properly, but with such an atmosphere it was impossible for me.

And thusly, the first assassination attempt at His Highness’ life was thwarted without any casualties. Once the assailant’s weapon was confiscated and the uproar settled down a bit, the cheering resumed even louder, as the people cheered for His Highness’ kindness and profound wisdom. The world was truly a difficult place to understand.