Chapter 69: The Two Who Aren't Kings

"Thirty minutes before the meeting time. Yep, business as usual."

I checked the large clock tower—the only reliable way to tell time in this city—and breathed a sigh of relief.

Today was the day I'd promised to meet Julia. No matter what, making a woman wait felt wrong.

The problem was that she was extremely punctual. It wasn't hard to imagine her arriving ahead of schedule. Not because she'd feel bad about making me wait, but because she hated showing weakness.

"Shion's the same way. They really care about things like that."

Maybe it was the influence of the Spear King, but they tended to see everyone around them as enemies.

And it wasn't just those two. The sisters, Leila and Laila, were the same.

"Well, the Spear King candidates weren't really comrades. They were rivals... people competing to drag each other down. I guess it can't be helped."

"Candidates for Spear King" sounded nice on paper, but in reality, it had been nothing more than a process for selecting that woman's next body.

Rank too low, and you were cast aside.

Finish first, and the previous Spear King stole your body.

Finish near the bottom, and you'd be expelled, possibly left to die.

You had to work desperately hard, yet couldn't stand out too much.

There was no way a system like that wouldn't pile on stress.

If it were me, I'd have developed a stomach ulcer without question.

Thinking about how Shion had managed to hold onto first place all that time made me realize just how awful their circumstances had truly been.

"Still, it's nice that the source of all that stress is gone. All three of them have calmed down a lot."

With the former Spear King gone, they had gradually started showing their true personalities.

The change was especially obvious with the sisters.

Leila openly called Julia her best friend and didn't even try to hide how much she adored her.

As a result, her stalking skills had improved dramatically.

I often saw Julia scolding her because of it.

Laila had changed too, though less obviously.

After the King's Battle ended, she frequently challenged me to duels. Recently, however, she seemed more interested in sweets than fighting and was often found snacking on pastries.

I didn't mind being challenged to practice matches—it was good experience—but fighting the "Mighty Spear" every single day was exhausting.

My style relied on technique, but brute force that crushed technique was my greatest weakness. Against someone who could genuinely overpower me physically, I had to constantly devise new strategies.

It was a headache.

"Though Julia's still a bit concerning."

She had changed too.

Unlike before the King's Battle, she no longer radiated hostility, and we could hold normal conversations now.

But perhaps because she'd become the Spear King, her naturally serious personality had started surfacing.

Her mind was completely occupied with reforming the Yaranri Kingdom.

To the point that she'd forgotten how to rest.

Every day, she buried herself in documents sent from the Yaranri Kingdom, frowning as she worked.

Apparently, the previous Spear King had shown no interest in politics whatsoever, leaving everything to her attendants.

Julia and the others had studied governance because they were expected to become aides in the future.

At the same time, however, they had also been training as Spear King candidates.

Balancing both couldn't have been easy.

Though it meant showing weakness to Swordria, Julia had requested assistance from civil officials, and we'd been helping her.

The result was the discovery that the kingdom's condition was far worse than anyone had expected.

"This is going to take forever to fix... And what's with barely having any contact with other countries...?"

I remembered Julia muttering those words to herself.

They were remarkably pessimistic.

Apparently, it had been extremely rare for the Yaranri Kingdom to interact with other nations, even during the King's Battle.

Not only was there little diplomatic exchange, but merchants and food supplies were almost entirely self-contained within the kingdom.

The Swordrian officials assisting her had bluntly described it as being practically under national isolation.

"If I start meddling too much in that, it'd be crossing the line. People could reasonably call it foreign interference."

There wasn't really anything I could do about this matter.

Julia wouldn't want me involved anyway.

At most, I could help ease trade restrictions between Swordria and the Yaranri Kingdom.

Which meant that the only thing I could really do for the exhausted Julia was spend time with her and help her unwind.

As two people who had suddenly become kings against their will, maybe it was important to teach her that it was okay to forget everything and have fun once in a while.

"U-Um... excuse me... are you perhaps the Sword King?"

"Hm? Uh, yeah, that's me..."

While I stood beneath the clock tower, lost in thought, someone suddenly called out to me.

It was a young girl who appeared to be a local resident.

She couldn't have been more than ten years old and looked incredibly nervous.

Her eyes sparkled as she held something out toward me.

An autograph board.

The kind people used when asking for signatures.

"I watched the King's Battle!! Please give me your autograph!!!"

"O-Oh... haha. I guess I've become famous."

I'd hardly ever been asked for an autograph before.

The people in the capital felt too close and familiar for that sort of thing.

Then again, I'd spent most of my life either in my hometown village or the royal capital.

I couldn't really be surprised.

Feeling oddly pleased, I accepted the board and scribbled my name across it in a flowing style.

It would probably be impossible to read, but if I was signing autographs, this felt appropriate.

I even drew a little picture beside it.

"Here you go."

"Th-Thank you so much!!! I did it, Ichi-kun! I got an autograph from the King!!!"

"No way... You actually got one? That's amazing..."

The girl immediately ran over to a boy who had been watching from a distance.

His eyes were full of amazement and envy.

They were probably childhood friends.

Something about their interaction reminded me of Hikari and me.

And there was no doubt about it.

Those two cared deeply for each other.

They just hadn't figured out what those feelings meant yet.

As someone who had passionately supported every possible romantic pairing throughout my life, my eyes did not deceive me.

"Excellent...! Watching a relationship like that develop, seeing the confusion and eventual realization... that's the best part...!!"

The only tragedy was that I wouldn't get to witness it myself.

I'd be leaving this city soon.

Once I was gone, I wouldn't be able to watch their budding romance unfold.

But that was okay.

If my efforts as the Sword King allowed them to experience a sweet, youthful romance, then I could gladly burn my life away for it...!!

"That's right. I'll become the strongest Sword King...!!"

"What are you even talking about all of a sudden in the middle of town?"

"Please don't interrupt me. I'm finally consuming an essential nutrient I haven't had in ages...!!"

"The people you're staring at are getting confused. Turn around already!"

CRACK!

My head was forcibly twisted nearly all the way backward.

Had the King's Sword not strengthened my body, that might actually have killed me.

"Thanks. You've restored my sanity."

"...I honestly thought you'd get angry about that, but instead you're thanking me."

"Well, sure, I want to see where their relationship goes, but scaring them isn't my goal."

I waved to the boy and girl who had been watching us.

They waved back before running off together.

It was such a heartwarming sight.

I could watch them forever and never get bored.

Honestly, I wanted to keep watching even now.

"You're completely different from when you're working as the Sword King. Is that your true nature?"

"Hmm... I think both are the real me. When I'm working, I have to take things seriously. Otherwise, people suffer."

If my mistakes only affected me, then that would just be my own fault.

No big deal.

But whether by chance or fate, I had become the Sword King.

And once I'd accepted that responsibility, I had to carry it through.

People live within society by fulfilling their responsibilities.

Each person plays their role and becomes part of something larger.

And society exists to protect and enrich those people.

"That's my philosophy. If society only makes people miserable, then I think it'd be better to tear it down."

"That's painful to hear. Thinking about my homeland, it fits your definition of a society that deserved to be destroyed."

What the Spear King had done for five hundred years was nothing less than slowly poisoning the nation.

No justification could excuse that.

In the end, we never learned why she had done it.

Whenever I tried to speak with her, she directed overwhelming hostility toward me.

Though, to be fair, I felt much the same toward her.

Maybe fighting really had been the only option available to us.

"You're going back to change that society. To change that country. I think that's incredible, Julia."

"...Coming from someone who was dragged out of commoner life, suddenly crowned Sword King, and then forced to fight us, that's hard to accept."

"That'd be a waste. People who work hard deserve praise."

"Then shouldn't you praise something else first? Like this outfit, which I spent until the last minute choosing—with Leila and Laila helping me."

Her annoyed expression contrasted sharply with her clothing.

It was nothing like the work attire I'd seen her wearing recently.

Nor was it the practical combat outfit she'd worn during the King's Battle.

Her legs extended from a miniskirt, covered by knee-high socks.

Between them was a strip of exposed skin.

My eyes instinctively drifted there, but I quickly suppressed the inappropriate thoughts.

When I looked away, my gaze naturally moved upward.

She wore a slightly oversized jacket that looked a little too large for her small frame.

The sleeves covered part of her hands.

Those were what people called "moe sleeves," right?

And attached to the jacket was a large hood.

With cat ears.

"...What? Are you saying it doesn't suit me?"

"No, I think it suits you really well. Honestly, it's cute. It matches your vibe perfectly."

My vocabulary failed me.

But I'd spent almost no time in my life complimenting beautiful girls on their clothing.

Please forgive me.

I figured it was better to be straightforward than to stumble through awkward metaphors.

"Hmph. I'll give you a passing grade as a bonus. Before next time, read a book and improve your vocabulary."

"So there's definitely going to be a next time we go out together?"

"Wha—!? N-No, that's not what I—!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Her face turned bright red like a boiled octopus.

Then she pulled up her hood to completely hide her expression and started repeatedly smacking my back.

She also delivered remarkably accurate kicks to my shins.

At this point, I was convinced she was a professional.

People from certain industries would probably pay money to trade places with me.

Naturally, I had no intention of accepting such an arrangement, so they'd just have to settle for watching from afar.

"Still, I've never seen clothes like that before. Hikari and Alicia pay attention to fashion too, but I've never seen them wear anything with that kind of design."

"...Leila bought it herself. She said she found it in some random shop."

"Really? Is the Yaranri Kingdom famous for clothing or something? Can I buy clothes there too? Maybe some cool all-black outfits?"

"'Cool all-black outfits' is such a childish idea..."

Why did every woman complain about my casual wardrobe?

I thought it suited me perfectly.

Was it embarrassing to be seen with me or something?

The hearts of women were truly mysterious.

"Still, despite your terrible taste, your outfit isn't bad. At least it's not black."

"Oh, Hikari and Alicia picked this one out for me. They basically turned me into a dress-up doll for three hours. Honestly, I still don't understand why it was so entertaining. Watching those two try on different clothes would've been way more fun."

"...Just hurry up and let's go. It's not like we've even decided where we're going."

"Eh? Ah! Hey, wait! Why are you walking so fast!?"

Snap.

The moment I heard something snap, Julia turned her back and briskly walked away.

I hurried after her.

Leaving a girl that attractive alone wasn't exactly safe.

She'd probably feel more comfortable looking around with a man accompanying her.

Thinking that, I chased after her.

"Hey... is the Sword King actually that dense?"

"He's out on a date with a girl and still talking about other girls. What's wrong with him?"

"What did you expect? He's Toma. Besides, you're the one who dressed Her Majesty the Spear King up like that."

"...Those clothes came from Leila's secret collection. Things she'd bought because she wanted to see Julia wear them someday. She even imported them from the Aikatem Kingdom. They cost an absurd amount of money. Honestly, even as her sister, I'm a little disturbed."

"A-Ahahaha... W-Well, it sounds like Toma-kun liked them..."

"Ah, they're leaving. Alright, let's keep watching and make sure they don't cause any trouble."