Chapter 23: A Promise Beneath the Starry Sky

"Welcome back, Your Majesty. I deeply apologize for the trouble you encountered immediately upon your return…"

"No, really, you don’t need to worry about it. I can honestly say I had fun, in my own way."

In the end, it took until the middle of the night to stop Torikopi-Slime-chan. I—or rather, he? she?—was caught by it and ended up enjoying a midair nap, but it seems everyone else had a rough time and has already gone to rest.

Minister Depron, who had evacuated alongside the non-combatants inside the castle, ordered everyone involved to keep this incident confidential. After that, he’s been handling the aftermath.

Honestly, I think the one who suffered the least from all this was me, since I got to rest inside those soft tentacles. For now, Torikopi-Slime-chan has been sliced apart mainly by Hikari and has shrunk down with its core at the center—now only about thirty centimeters in size.

At Clarice’s plea, disposal was postponed, but that means we still have to impose some form of punishment on her. That’s part of my duties as king, so I’ll have to get used to it… though I’m not sure if someone like me—a former commoner who spent most of his time training until recently—can really handle it.

"Well then, good night. You should get some rest early too, Minister."

"Indeed. Once I finish these documents, I will retire."

He left my office carrying a stack of papers, but from the look of it, he was fully prepared to work late into the night. I should probably inform his wife and have her drag him home.

I already know there’s nothing urgent, so it wouldn’t be a problem for him to rest… he really is too serious for his own good.

"Alright… I guess I’ll get some rest too… though I’m not really sleepy."

After getting used to efficient rest with minimal sleep during training—and even napping while being carried off—I wasn’t tired at all. On top of that, I’ve gone through things like fighting for three straight days without sleep, so this won’t affect me tomorrow.

At times like this, I find myself at a loss and end up gazing at the night sky from my room’s window. Unlike the faint, hazy sky I vaguely remember from my past life, the stars here are vividly clear.

Countless stars, close enough to feel like I could reach them if I stretched out my hand, each shining in its own color. It makes me feel like stars, just like people, have their own individuality—and I can’t help but be captivated.

"Alright…"

Unable to resist, I open the window and lean out. Gathering magic power in my palm, I activate a spell.

"Dark Star"—a spell that recreates the gravitational pull normally triggered by channeling magic into a holy sword, but without using the sword itself. The magic forms into a black sphere, and the moment it leaves my hand, it begins pulling in whatever has been designated. Right now, it’s set to attract only me.

I toss the "Dark Star" upward into the sky from the window. It stops after rising a certain distance, then releases its pull to draw me toward it.

Not resisting, I leap out the window. My body is lifted by the force, rising into the air until I reach a point even higher than the royal castle, where the stars appear even clearer.

"Even from here… they’re still out of reach, huh…"

I murmur quietly, but reality doesn’t change. Even if I go somewhere with a better view, even if I stretch out my hand, I can’t grasp the stars I want. Of course, that’s only natural—but somehow, it still makes me feel a little lonely. Maybe I’m just being sentimental.

"I want to go home…"

The words slip out without thinking, but they’re undeniably my true feelings. I want to go back—to that liquor shop, to those noisy, lively days I spent with Mom and Hikari.

But that wish won’t come true. I know that better than anyone. I’m the only one recognized as the "Sword King," and if I abandon that position, it could end up causing trouble for them.

That’s exactly why I chose this path myself. And yet… when I trace the scars left behind from painful experiences—the wounds that still ache, remnants of the Demonic Mist Forest—I can’t help but think about it.

All I wanted was to stay there. That’s all. And yet even that simple wish can’t be granted. The unfairness of it makes me burn with frustration.

"Ah… damn it. I’m tearing up."

Hikari was always by my side. That’s why I was never lonely. And I have my pride—I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t want to show tears to the childhood friend I cherish. I decided I would only ever show her my smile.

Even so, when I’m alone, in moments like this, the tears come spilling out. Things I can endure when someone is with me become too much to bear when I’m alone. It’s a bad habit I’ve had since I was a kid.

Hovering in midair, I quietly keep reaching out toward the stars. I know I’ll never reach them. It’s meaningless—but for some reason, I feel like I have to.

"Lord Toma…?"

Lost in thought and not paying much attention, I hear a faint voice. Turning back and looking down, I see Alicia standing there in her nightgown.

Maybe, like me, she couldn’t sleep and came out to the balcony to look at the stars. I’d forgotten that most bedrooms have balconies with a view of the sky.

It might already be too late, but I wipe my face with my sleeve to hide my tears and put on a smile. I don’t know if it looks natural, but I don’t want to make her worry.

"What are you doing up so late? I just couldn’t sleep, so I came out to look at the stars."

"Me too. I have trouble sleeping when I think about the upcoming meeting with the Kingdom of Yaranri."

While weakening the "Dark Star," I descend and land on her balcony. It’s quite high, but after everything I’ve been through, this level of height doesn’t scare me anymore. I’ve even been thrown from heights overlooking entire forests and had to deal with it.

Alicia looked beautiful even from a distance, but up close, her beauty was on another level entirely. Maybe it’s because she usually wears clothes that don’t reveal much skin, but her thin nightgown is almost too much to handle.

Unlike Hikari’s healthy, slightly tanned complexion, Alicia’s skin is flawless—pale, without a single blemish—giving off her usual air of purity. And yet, the sight of her bare legs and shoulders, revealed by the warm weather, would captivate any man.

If I keep looking, I might end up doing something reckless, so I quickly avert my gaze. I’m a healthy man, after all—I don’t trust myself to stay composed when faced with this.

"When I can’t sleep, I tend to look at the stars. The night sky from my hometown and the one from here—they’re exactly the same. It makes me nostalgic, realizing that the stars don’t change no matter where you see them from."

Not wanting to let my thoughts wander further, I end up speaking about something she didn’t even ask. It’s something I could never say to Hikari—something I refuse to show her, since I don’t want her to see my weakness.

Perhaps surprised to hear me say something like that, Alicia widens her eyes. Seeing that gives me a slight sense of discomfort, but when I think about it, I realize I’ve never shown this kind of vulnerability before. I guess I’ve always come across as mentally tough.

"The stars you can see change with the seasons, so I’m looking forward to seeing if it’s the same here."

"…Lord Toma, may I ask you something?"

"Of course. Ask whatever you like."

Hesitantly, struggling to find the words, she spoke—as if unsure whether it was something she was even allowed to ask.

"Do you want to go home, Lord Toma? Don’t you wish to return to your homeland? How can you endure something so unfair?"

"I don’t have a hometown. I was chosen from the orphanage I grew up in as a Saint candidate, and ever since then, I’ve done nothing but train to become a Saint. I don’t even know where I was born, and I’ve never once wanted to become one… yet that’s all I’ve ever trained for."

Alicia is just an ordinary girl. A girl who kept smiling while wearing the mask of a "Saint." Everyone only ever saw her through that mask. That’s why she never took it off.

"I don’t know any way of living other than being a Saint. I was always told my purpose was to serve the Sword King, and I waited for a Sword King who might never even appear. I kept thinking that without the Sword King, my life had no meaning… watching the previous Saint, I came to believe that completely."

The protagonist who should have removed her mask doesn’t exist in this world. I don’t think I can take his place. Even so, I couldn’t stand seeing her wear such a sorrowful expression forever.

"Please tell me, Lord Toma. How can you endure it? Being covered in blood, feeling pain and fear… unlike me, you weren’t even prepared for years knowing you’d become the Sword King. So why… why can you try so hard to fulfill your role?"

If I could understand that, then maybe I could too… It looked like she whispered those words, but they never became sound, fading inside her mouth.

But I understood what she truly wanted to ask. It wasn’t about how I endured that training.

What she really wanted to know was why I try so desperately to fulfill the role of the Sword King that was forced upon me. That was the question buried deep in Alicia’s heart—a girl who had lived as a Saint, yet had begun to doubt that very way of life.

"…You see, I lived in my hometown all my life. I never even left my village until I came to the royal capital. Everyone there could read and write, and for some reason, my mom had a ton of books, so I studied a lot."

What comes to mind is the hometown I was in until recently. It’s true that nothing much happened there, and the days were pretty mundane. But within that ordinary life, there were always smiles.

There were farmers, blacksmiths, traveling merchants who went from village to village, and hunters who ventured into the forest to hunt beasts.

And the place where all those people gathered was my family’s tavern. I loved listening to them talk so happily about their day, and I never once thought that kind of life was boring.

As a shipper, I had to settle for finding comfort in things like dog-and-cat couples, though.

"I want to go back—right now. But if I did, it would cause trouble. Not just for the people here, but eventually even for the people in my hometown. That’s why I can’t run… and I don’t want to."

I’m not the kind of person who dreams of taking on a heavy responsibility like being king. I don’t have that kind of work ethic. But I absolutely don’t want those people to suffer. I don’t want to cloud those smiles.

"Being king doesn’t suit me. I don’t even want it. I can’t say I have a strong sense of duty. But even so, I’ll keep going. I was chosen, and my future’s already been decided—but at least I can choose how I walk that path."

That’s right. Just like I once swore—long ago, before I was even aware of things like a past life.

"I’m going to keep smiling. Because there are people who would be sad if I looked like I was suffering. So I’ll smile, even if I have to force it. No matter how hard things get, I won’t forget to smile. Even if people think I’m just being carefree, that’s one thing I’ll never change."

I wanted to see her smile. I didn’t want to see her cry. That’s why I keep living by that promise. Because I want to spend my days with her smiling. It’s only natural for a man to want the girl he likes to smile.

"That’s… amazing. I… I can’t think like that. I can’t try that hard. I’ve always been so focused on myself…"

"…You know, Alicia, if you want to stop being a Saint, I think you should. It might not be easy right away—there’ll probably be a transition period—but once that’s done, I think you should be free to live however you want."

"But… I don’t understand what ‘freedom’ even is. This is the only way I’ve ever lived. I don’t know any other way."

"In that case, why not stay at the castle and work as a maid with Hikari? I’m sure she’d be happy to have a junior. Though… she might train you pretty harshly."

Yeah, I can easily imagine it. Hikari may be blunt, but she’s the dependable big-sister type. She’d definitely support Alicia.

"I chose to continue being the Sword King myself. But you never had that choice. So I’ll create one for you—a path you can walk. I’ll stay with you until you find a path you actually want to take."

"…But if I stop being a Saint, I’ll have no value. I’m not even suited to being one in the first place. The real me is much uglier… I’ve just been deceiving everyone."

"You’re not worthless. Not even close."

I couldn’t accept those words. As someone who’s been saved by her, as someone who’s experienced her kindness firsthand, I couldn’t accept that kind of self-denial.

"You don’t understand how incredible it is to be kind. Mask or no mask, there are definitely people who were saved by your actions. Not because you were a Saint—but because you helped them with a smile. Your kindness has saved people."

"That’s not true. If I wasn’t a Saint, I wouldn’t have done any of that. That’s the kind of person I am…"

What she wanted was affirmation. She wanted to hear that she was “not fit to be a Saint.” She thought that if she heard it, she’d be able to accept it. But I couldn’t affirm that.

If it were him—the protagonist—what would he do? I started to think about it, then stopped. Even if I tried to imitate him, my words wouldn’t reach her. She spoke to me with honesty—I didn’t want to respond with anything less.

"I think… no matter what I say right now, it won’t fully reach you. Because the version of you I’ve known is the ‘Saint.’ So words from someone like me won’t truly reach you."

"……………………"

"That’s why—from now on, I’ll see you. Not as a Saint, but as yourself."

I didn’t really know who she truly was. Everything I knew came from seeing her through a screen, and I didn’t even know how accurate that was.

So I’d get to know her from here on out. Even if it was late—I believed that was something I could do.

"I’ll look at you—just you—and prove that your kindness is real."

"You’ll… find me? The me who isn’t a Saint?"

"I will. I’ll find you, get to know the real you… and then I’ll tell you properly—just how wonderful the person I see truly is."

At those words, Alicia gave a faint, somewhat shadowed smile—nothing like the smile of a Saint. As if to say, this is who I really am.

"…I won’t expect too much, but I’ll wait."

"I’d be more motivated if you did expect something, though. So let me at least make you a promise."

This was a promise I was making on my own. A vow I intended to fulfill.

Even if I couldn’t make her happy the way he would, I’d bring her as close to that happiness as I could, in my own way.

"I’ll find a reason for you to be allowed to smile, Alicia."

Even without being a Saint, I’ll prove that you’re someone truly wonderful.