Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

King Pax

THE NEXT MORNING, we walked right up to the castle’s front gate.

At first, the guards on duty studied Zanoba’s face suspiciously. They hadn’t expected him to come, and he’d sent no word in advance. Even stranger: he’d come on foot instead of by carriage, and his one bodyguard, Ginger, was nowhere to be seen. It was hard to blame them for having their doubts.

After a bit of questioning, however, they seemed to realize Zanoba wasn’t an impostor. Straightening their backs respectfully, they stepped aside to allow us passage.

The stiff formality of their movements really made clear the lofty status enjoyed by the royal family in Shirone. Zanoba was only the brother of the king, but you wouldn’t know it from the looks on their faces. 

Then again…maybe they were a bit on edge. The other royals were purged in a bloody massacre quite recently, after all. 

In any case, we asked for an audience with King Pax, and were ushered to a waiting room. After about an hour, our request was granted. The two of us were promptly escorted to the throne room.

Five people waited for us within that chamber. 

I recognized the man seated on the throne of Shirone immediately. He hadn’t changed much in appearance…or in height. And judging from the way he leaned back arrogantly in his seat, his personality seemed unchanged as well.

It was the same Pax Shirone that I remembered.

On closer examination, he looked a bit more mature, and there was a subtle hint of strength in his eyes. But those were the only real differences I saw.

Next to him sat a beautiful girl who looked young enough to be a middle schooler. She had slightly curly blue hair and wore a sleek white dress. I could almost have mistaken her for a Migurd, but the shade of her hair was notably different from Roxy’s. She must have been from a different race. 

The girl’s eyes were vacant and unfocused. Judging from the coronet on her head, though, I assumed that she was Pax’s queen. Pax had one arm draped casually behind her. At a glance, it almost looked like an innocent display of affection, but I knew better. The man was clearly fondling her butt right now. Did he think he was being subtle or something?

Well, whatever. I didn’t have time to be critiquing his treatment of some random concubine right now. My attention turned to the person standing at the woman’s side—and that was where it stayed. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

It was a man who looked to be in his mid-forties. He was solidly built and carried a sword at his hip, but he wore only the lightest of defensive gear. Nothing about him looked remotely imposing, and his attitude seemed mild enough. I would have walked right past him in the street without a second thought. 

Unless I got a good look at his face, anyway.

To call him gaunt would have been an understatement. His cheekbones seemed likely to push their way out of his papery skin at any moment. An eyepatch covered his right eye; his left, sunken deeply in its socket, looked as lifeless as a glass bead. I felt like I was staring at a zombie. Or maybe a demonic pirate captain from some old movie.

In other words: this was a man with a skeletal face.

I had no doubt that I was face to face with the Death God, Randolph Marianne.

A pair of armored knights flanked this central group of three. I assumed they were among those who’d been dispatched here from the King Dragon Realm along with Randolph.

“Your Majesty. It is I, Zanoba Shirone. I have returned from the Magic City of Sharia in answer to your summons.”

As he spoke, Zanoba stepped forward and dropped to one knee. From the looks of things, he didn’t have any issue bowing and scraping before his little brother. I kneeled as well but made sure to keep the Gatling gun hidden underneath my robe fixed on Randolph. 

Pax studied Zanoba from above for a moment, then pulled his hand off his consort’s backside and licked it. “You certainly made excellent time.”

“The matter clearly called for urgency, so I made the utmost haste.”

“Oh, did you, now? And here I was, thinking you must have been lurking somewhere inside Shirone in the first place. I never got word that you’d crossed our borders, you see…”

We’d made it to Shirone a mere month after receiving Pax’s letter. Normally, the trip from Sharia would take an entire year. You couldn’t blame the guy for having his suspicions.

“Indeed,” replied Zanoba. “I came under attack repeatedly during my journey, so it seemed wisest to make my way here in disguise.”

“Even after entering Shirone?”

“It was then that I grew more cautious.”

“Ah. I see.”

Pax snorted quietly, but appeared content to let the subject drop. It seemed he wasn’t going to press too hard for an explanation of Zanoba’s quick arrival. After settling back on his throne, the king pointed at me with a jerk of his thumb. “And what about your companion here?”

“His name is Rudeus Greyrat, Your Majesty—as you may remember.”

“I wasn’t asking you for his name.”

“What were you asking, in that case?”

“I’d like to know what he’s doing here, obviously.”

“I recruited him to our service in the city of Sharia. He is a powerful mage, so I thought he might prove useful in the coming war.”

This was another explanation we’d worked out in advance. In this world, magicians were highly valuable weapons of war. Even Intermediate- or Advanced-tier mages were effective at creating fortifications, and large-scale attack spells could wipe out entire legions of troops. In a simple one-on-one duel, swordsmen held the advantage over mages of equal skill. But as the scale of a battle grew larger, so did the importance of magic. In times of war, even the haughtiest of kings would lower themselves to flattery if it meant earning the services of a Saint- or King-tier mage.

And yet, Pax responded with a snort. He studied me for a moment with a cold sneer on his face, then turned his attention back to his brother.

“Is that so? To be frank, Zanoba, I rather assumed you brought him here to kill me.”

As soon as those words left Pax’s mouth, I could feel a sudden ripple of hostility from the two armored knights who flanked the throne. It seemed the knights the King Dragon Realm had loaned Pax were relatively loyal to him. He supposedly had ten at his disposal; including Randolph, there were three in this room. I found myself wondering where the other seven were. 

In all honesty, though, maybe it wasn’t that important. This pair didn’t look too dangerous.

“Certainly not, Your Majesty,” said Zanoba sharply. “I haven’t the slightest intention of opposing you.”

“Hmm. So it doesn’t bother you that I seized the throne by force?” 

“I can’t say that it does. I pledged my loyalty to Shirone, not its former king.”

“But I’m sure you don’t intend to pledge yourself to me, either.”

Zanoba didn’t say anything in response to that.

Pax let out another snort, looking more bored than anything else. Another man might have interpreted Zanoba’s silence as evidence of disloyalty, but it didn’t seem to bother him too badly.

“Enough of this. To be frank, brother, I don’t particularly care what your real intentions are.” Pax paused to gesture with his chin at the armored men who stood behind his throne on either side. “Take a good look at these gentlemen. These are the elite knights I brought back with me from the King Dragon Realm.”

The two armored men bowed deeply at Pax’s words, although the Death God stifled a yawn and nothing more.

“This man here is particularly fearsome. His name is Randolph Marianne, known also as the Death God. Ranked fifth among the Seven Great Powers.”

Starting slightly as Pax gestured toward him, the Death God apparently decided to introduce himself. He took a single step forward with a strained expression on his face, cleared his throat, and began to speak. 

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sirs. I am indeed Randolph Marianne. I was born in the King Dragon Realm, but raised on the Demon Continent. I am of mixed race—part Human, part Elf, and part Immortal Demon, among other things. I earn my living as a knight, serving in the King Dragon Realm’s Blackwyrm Knights under the command of High General Shagall Gargantis. Murder is my area of expertise. I can kill quite literally anyone. Although I follow no specific style, I’ve dabbled in both the North God and the Water God traditions. I am commonly referred to as the Death God, which leads some to take me for a crazed serial killer, but I assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. I’m a gentle soul with a passion for cooking. I do hope we can be friends.”

Having rattled off this little speech without a moment’s hesitation, Randolph offered us a half-hearted attempt at a smile before stepping back into his former place. I got the sense that he badly wanted to be somewhere else.

“Quite a character, isn’t he? But I’d encourage you not to underestimate him. He’s the one who cut down my brother’s finest guards in the blink of an eye and secured me the throne.”

It sounded like Randolph had basically handled the whole thing all on his own. Not that surprising, given his place on the Great Powers list. Orsted seemed to think he’d lost some of his edge over the years, but that clearly didn’t mean he was a pushover.

“How about it, Zanoba? Shall we face him off against that mage of yours and see which one comes out on top?”

…Ah. So that’s how they’re going to play it?

They had a clear chance for the Death God to kill me right here and now. It struck me as an absurdly simplistic trap, but that meant nothing. The Man-God had never been good at coming up with fancy strategies.

“Surely you jest, Your Majesty. It would hardly be advisable to deprive ourselves of a valuable weapon with war on the horizon…”

I glanced over at Zanoba and realized there were beads of sweat forming on his brow. Was he…actually trying to protect me? It seemed that way.

Pax looked down on his brother with an expression of sincere amusement. He clearly took a lot of pleasure in making people flinch and stammer. It brought back some memories of the time I’d spent as his prisoner on my first visit to Shirone. This was the kind of guy who loved reminding you of the fact he had the upper hand. Once he saw the panic spread across your face, he’d usually back down and insist that he was only joking.

But if the Man-God was manipulating him, all bets were off. Finding some way to pit me against Randolph would be his top priority.

I’d braced myself for the possibility in advance, of course. I knew going in that it might come to this. Still, if I had to fight the Death God, I wanted to do it in the Magic Armor Version One…and that was currently in storage on the outskirts of the city. I would have to lead off with a smokescreen, not an offensive spell. Then I’d grab Zanoba, flee the castle, and return in my full suit of Magic Armor. That was my best chance to survive.

Just as I reached this conclusion, however, Pax leaned back lazily in his seat. 

“Hmph. I was only joking, obviously.”

Oh. Uh, I guess we’re not doing this after all?

A bit surprised, I glanced over at Randolph to find him stifling yet another yawn. From all appearances, he wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation. I was starting to wonder if that man might be sleep-deprived or something. He yawned as often as a college kid who wanted everyone to know he’d pulled another all-nighter. I’d never seen someone look so profoundly bored before.

“I’ve heard the rumors about your Rudeus Greyrat myself,” said Pax with an indifferent shrug. “Although aided by the Armored Dragon King, he supposedly defeated both the Water God Reida and the three blades of the North God in the Kingdom of Asura. And Randolph here is a precious asset on loan to me from the King Dragon Realm. I’m sure he wouldn’t lose the fight, but if I got him badly injured I’d be too ashamed to face His Majesty.”

Apparently this was all Pax had to say about me. 

He repositioned himself on his throne and fixed a sharp glare on his brother, abruptly changing the subject. “On another note…if I’m not mistaken, brother, you seem to be quite wary of me.”

“In my defense, Your Majesty,” replied Zanoba, “our last parting wasn’t on the best of terms.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose that’s true enough. You may rest assured, however: I’m not interested in picking a fight with you after all these years.”

Pax crossed his legs and rested his elbow on one knee, then leaned his cheek against his fist. Hmm. Was he trying to look as arrogant as humanly possible, or did it come naturally to him?

“I grant you my forgiveness for your trespasses.”

“My sincerest thanks, Your Majesty,” said Zanoba, bowing his head. “It is far more than I deserve.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Smug was probably the best word for the smile on Pax’s face in that moment. It was the smile of a man who felt utterly confident in his superiority. There was no doubt in his mind that he could crush Zanoba if he wanted to, but he would generously decline to do so.

“In fact, Zanoba,” Pax continued, “perhaps I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“Hm?”

“You see, it was that unfortunate incident which provided me with a chance to change.”

I really wasn’t sure what kind of change Pax was referring to. In appearance, he was still the same rotund little man as ever. At a glance, at least.

Yet, as I studied him more carefully, I realized he’d actually lost a decent amount of weight. It was hard to tell from a distance, especially with him leaning back on that throne, but his waist and chin were a bit less flabby than before. His neck was thick, but looked more muscular than anything else. It seemed like he’d actually gotten in shape.

…Of course, I gathered he was talking about something a little more profound.

“I won’t deny it—when they shipped me off to the King Dragon Realm to serve as a hostage, I wept with anger at the unfairness of it all. For many days, I bitterly cursed your name, and that of Rudeus Greyrat.”

Zanoba swallowed audibly.

“But then, I was changed.”

Pax looked over at the girl sitting at his side. She turned to meet his gaze. There was something in their eyes that almost looked like trust.

“I hope you won’t mind if I reminisce out loud for a moment.”

Silence. Without waiting for us to reply, Pax launched immediately into his tale.

“The story begins some time after my arrival in the King Dragon Realm. Largely ignored by my hosts, I grew increasingly sullen and withdrawn. But then, I met a certain girl.”

Not that I minded. There was always a chance he’d start blabbering about his new best friend the Man-God.

“This girl seemed to spend all her time alone in the gardens, doing nothing in particular, with a melancholy expression on her face. No one spoke to her, and she spoke to no one. When I asked her what she was doing, her reply was always ‘Nothing, really.’”

Over time, Pax developed an interest in this strange, quiet girl. He made a habit of speaking to her in the gardens every single day. The girl wasn’t talkative, but she always replied when Pax spoke to her. She knew almost nothing of the world, and seemed to take great pleasure in hearing him describe it. Her happiness proved infectious, and Pax began to consciously look for topics of conversation that might interest her.

“But then, one day, I happened to overhear a bit of palace gossip. Rumor had it that the shame of Shirone had grown close to the half-wit girl.”

They were thought to be a fitting couple. But there was much concern expressed about the dreadful possibility they might reproduce, and fill the palace with children just as worthless as they were. It was a rumor meant to inspire malicious laughter.

“In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to cut the heads of those vicious gossips from their shoulders.”

Back in Shirone, it would have been trivially easy to arrange. Anyone who slandered a member of the royal family, no matter how drunk they might be, would suffer dearly for their mistake. Here, however, Pax could do nothing.

“In the King Dragon Realm, I had no authority. No power.”

It was a moment of bitter, painful frustration. He yearned desperately for some way to take revenge. But the only thing he could do was cry bitter tears into his pillow. When the tears stopped coming, he tried to dismiss their words as the opinions of fools—best forgotten entirely.

It didn’t work.

From that day forth, Pax approached his life with newfound diligence and determination. He’d put his self-indulgent ways behind him forever.

“I don’t even know myself why I changed so suddenly, but I suppose I wasn’t a particularly stupid boy to begin with. And I wanted to prove that there was nothing worthless about me.”

Dropped into an unfamiliar environment, he met unfamiliar people, experienced unfamiliar feelings…and began to act in unfamiliar ways. Just like that, he’d turned over a new leaf.

I understood exactly what he was talking about, of course. It sounded a lot like my first years in this world.

In any case, Pax began working very hard to improve himself. He threw himself into the study of magic, along with his other academic subjects. Apparently, his build limited what he could accomplish with the sword or on the playing fields, but he clearly hadn’t lived a sedentary lifestyle either.

Then, a year and a half before the present, Pax had participated in a grand academic tournament of sorts (which sounded vaguely like a mock exam) and produced results that placed him among the most promising young scholars in the King Dragon Realm.

This achievement caught the eye of the king himself. He was said to have remarked, “That boy was sent to this kingdom as a hostage in all but name, and he still strives to make a better future for himself. Truly admirable. Such efforts warrant recognition.” 

In other words, he took a liking to Pax on the spot. Summoned to the throne room, Pax was offered his choice of a reward.

“You’ve earned it, my boy. What will it be? Gold? An appointment? If you wish, I’ll even permit you to defect from Shirone and become one of my subjects.”

The king’s suggestions were generous enough. But without a moment’s hesitation, Pax responded, “I would have your Eighteenth Princess.”

His beloved’s name was Benedikte Kingdragon, and she was one among the king’s many daughters. Her mother was a demon of unknown origin. The king had employed her on a whim and impregnated her on another. 

Benedikte herself wasn’t even in the line of succession. Though officially granted the title of Eighteenth Princess, no one truly treated her as royalty. Quiet and inexpressive by nature, she’d acquired a reputation as a half-wit. And yet, Pax asked for her hand in marriage. 

The king hesitated briefly before accepting his request. “I might have denied you one of my other daughters, but Benedikte is no great loss. However, she is a royal princess—at least in name. You’ll need to secure your own position first.”

He proposed that the King Dragon Realm should send Pax back to his homeland of Shirone. Once he had assumed a suitably prestigious office there, Princess Benedikte would be sent to join him as his wife. Shirone could offer up another prince to take his place as a hostage. This way, the marriage could be arranged without appearing irregular.

However, the Kingdom of Shirone politely declined to accept the king’s proposal. Pax had caused no end of trouble back home in his youth. They likely wanted him to stay in the King Dragon Realm for the rest of his life, and they certainly didn’t want to hand over another of their princes in exchange for him. 

The king was enraged by this reply. The Kingdom of Shirone was something very close to a vassal state of the King Dragon Realm, and their refusal to obey him would be punished. He loaned Pax his realm’s strongest weapon, the Death God Randolph Marianne, along with nine other knights who seemed amenable to serving Pax—and sent them off to launch a coup d’état.

By arranging for the slaughter of Shirone’s royal family, he had seated Pax on the kingdom’s bloodstained throne.

“…And so, it all simply fell into my lap. I have my rank, my prestige, the woman I love, and the finest underling any king could ask for.”

As he spoke these words, Pax wrapped one arm around the girl beside him, and glanced meaningfully at the Death God. A blush spread across the girl’s expressionless face; Randolph shrugged. Apparently the girl was this Princess Benedikte Pax had spoken of in his story. 

Hmm? Hold on a second, though. He rattled off his whole life story for us, and I didn’t hear a single word about the Man-God.

Initially, I’d assumed Pax was guided to the throne by a few convenient “prophecies.” Maybe I jumped to conclusions on that one. I mean, his sudden transformation into a diligent young man did sound a little fishy, but…the single most suspicious character in that story was definitely the king of the King Dragon Realm. He’d popped up out of nowhere to offer Pax a huge reward, then flipped out on an allied kingdom over something that seemed incredibly minor. It would make sense if he was acting on the advice of the Man-God.

Then again, it wasn’t like it had to be either him or Pax. They could both be disciples for all I knew.

“Do you understand now, Zanoba? At this point, I don’t have any reason to resent you.”

“I do indeed! A most impressive tale, Your Majesty. I’m overcome with admiration!”

Zanoba bowed his head yet again, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion. As he lifted his face from the ground, he gingerly posed a single question. 

“But I do wonder…given that you have the finest of knights at your disposal, why did you feel the need to recall me to Shirone?”

“Hah!” snorted Pax disdainfully. “I should think it would be obvious.”

Did the man have to be so pompous about everything? It was seriously slowing down the conversation. Didn’t help that Zanoba spoke just as formally, mind you…

“To be sure, Randolph could deal with this invasion easily enough. But while he is my underling for now, he is a knight of King Dragon, and in time I must return him to its king. What would His Majesty think, to learn I was incapable of defending my own borders without relying on a borrowed blade?”

Ridiculous as that sounded, he had a point. The only reason he was sitting on this throne was that he’d impressed the king of the King Dragon Realm. If he wanted to stay there, he needed to keep doing that.

“A man like me must prove his usefulness continually. Surely you can see that?”

I knew where he was coming from. I was constantly trying to demonstrate my usefulness to Orsted, after all.

“In any case, br—Zanoba, I believe I’ve explained myself sufficiently. You may suspect I called you here to take my revenge, but that simply isn’t true. The situation is exactly as I described it in your summons—my coup has left our armies weakened, and the northerners wish to take advantage. Under such circumstances, I need warriors like you. We have put the past behind us; all I would ask now is that you serve me well.”

As he spoke those words, Pax jerked his chin down slightly. The movement could hardly be called a bow, but it seemed like a gesture in that general direction.

I wasn’t sure why he’d stopped himself from calling Zanoba brother, though. Was it more kingly to pretend you weren’t related to your family?

“But of course, Your Majesty,” replied Zanoba with a nod. “It was for this very purpose that I was kept alive for all these years.”

He hadn’t hesitated. His answer came so quickly, in fact, that it caused Pax to raise a dubious eyebrow.

“Do you truly mean that, brother?” he asked. “I am a usurper, who took this throne by force. Does that not bother you in the slightest?”

He was blatantly testing Zanoba, but I understood his reasons for doing so. Pax had massacred all of their other siblings. Perhaps he no longer held a grudge against Zanoba, but that didn’t mean the feeling was mutual. It would have been perfectly understandable for Zanoba to come here looking for revenge.

Zanoba looked up at Pax and hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head again in silence. 

Watching his brother struggle to find an answer to his question, Pax jerked his chin upward to a more imposing angle. “You may speak freely.”

This was an important moment. Zanoba’s answer would probably determine whether I found myself fighting for my life against the Death God. Randolph looked completely disinterested in everything taking place around him, but he would doubtless spring into action with ferocious speed at a single word from Pax. I would need to blind him, slow him down, and blast through the castle walls to make our escape route.

As I braced myself for the worst, Zanoba opened his mouth to speak at long last.

“Whoever holds the throne of Shirone, and however they might rule—the fact remains that my life’s purpose is to protect this kingdom from her enemies.”

For a moment, there was silence in the throne room. Zanoba hadn’t answered Pax’s questions directly. But his implied message was clear enough: he would obey the new king’s orders, and make no moves against him.

Pax frowned slightly, perhaps uncertain what to make of this. Was Zanoba an ally or an enemy in the making?

He ultimately seemed to give up on trying to decide. “Hmph,” he muttered. “Well, it’s all the same in the end.” 

And then, in a voice far louder and more confident, he issued his commands. 

“Zanoba Shirone, I order you to organize the defense of Fort Karon. Your troops have already been deployed there. Take up your post as their commander, and hold back the invaders from the north.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

After drawing himself up to his full height, Zanoba bowed deeply one last time, and our audience came to an end. I followed my friend out of the throne room, feeling like a man who’d just dodged a bullet.

***

After our conversation with the king, the two of us were shown to our room for the night. Zanoba’s own bedroom no longer existed, so we’d be staying in a guest room on the second floor of the palace. A guard, presumably another knight from the King Dragon Realm, was posted outside the door. Supposedly, this was for our protection, but he was clearly there to keep an eye on us. Pax had his lurking suspicions about Zanoba.

Zanoba and I would be departing for Fort Karon in the north first thing the next morning. I wanted to explain the situation to Roxy, but we were under surveillance at the moment. Sneaking out to see her could be risky. There’d be time enough to fill her in once we met up on the road.

I followed Zanoba into the room, deciding I’d try my best to relax for now. Despite Zanoba’s royal status, he was sharing a single room with me tonight. I guessed Pax thought it would be easier to monitor our movements if he kept us in one place. We sank down onto the room’s facing sofas and took a moment to catch our breath.

“Well, that was something of a surprise. Pax seems to be a worthy king.”

It was Zanoba who eventually broke the silence. His tone of voice was the same as ever, and there was actually a hint of happiness on his face.

“You think?”

“Understanding that the Kingdom of Shirone should be protected by its people, he asked me for my help despite our personal differences. A most admirable attitude, wouldn’t you agree?”

Well, sure, when you put it that way. He’d more demanded help rather than asked nicely, in my opinion, but maybe that wasn’t worth getting into.

“I know you were quite concerned about his intentions, Master Rudeus, but people do change. And they do make mistakes.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Pax’s methods may be violent, and his tactics sometimes incorrect. But I believe he’s doing the very best he can for the kingdom.”

I couldn’t deny Zanoba’s thoughts altogether. Pax really had changed for the better, at least to some degree. He was at least trying to move things in the right direction. But his intentions weren’t the only thing I had to worry about. Or even the most important thing.

“Okay, but what if he’s being manipulated by someone?” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “Like, I don’t know…an evil god.”

Zanoba responded with surprising seriousness. “Hrm. You refer to your own sworn enemy, I presume?”

“Huh? Did I tell you about this?”

“I was at the table when you discussed it with Sir Cliff.”

Oh, right… Zanoba was present for that conversation, wasn’t he? But as I remembered it, he didn’t believe anything I was saying…

“At the time, I rather thought that you had made the whole thing up,” Zanoba continued. “However, once I witnessed Orsted’s curse weakening under the effect of Sir Cliff’s magical implement, I realized the truth in what you said—that you and he were allied against a most malicious foe.”

Well, this was news to me. But if he’d figured out that much, it couldn’t hurt to tell him the rest. He was already mixed up in this, after all.

“All right. I guess I should tell you the whole story, then.”

“My thanks, Master Rudeus.”

I proceeded to give Zanoba a more detailed summary of my history with the Man-God.

After covering all our past encounters, I explained my concerns about the current situation. I made it clear there was a chance that Pax was currently under the Man-God’s direct control.

“Hrm… I see. However, Pax never so much as mentioned this Man-God in his tale. Perhaps there’s no connection whatsoever?”

“This god manipulated me for years, Zanoba. He’s slippery. There’s no telling what strings he might be pulling behind the scenes.”

Even if Pax wasn’t a disciple himself, someone close to him might be—like the Death God or Benedikte, for starters. At the moment, I was most suspicious about the king of the King Dragon Realm. Since the Man-God could control up to three disciples at once, however, it felt safe to assume he’d position at least one of them in Shirone itself.

“Ah, yes. He deceived you into doing battle with Orsted, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“And now, you’re concerned that he might deceive Pax into coming for your life.” Zanoba cupped his chin in one hand thoughtfully, then continued in a murmur. “I suppose I’ll have to protect him, in that case.”

Uhm…pardon?

“Sorry, does that mean you’re going to fight for him if it comes to that? Against me?”

“What? No, no,” said Zanoba with a laugh. “I could never raise my hand against you, Master Rudeus. You’re hardly a threat to Pax in any case—you were instructed to spare his life, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but you said…”

“I meant I would protect him from the Man-God, naturally.”

Phew. Okay, that makes more sense. He’d startled me there for a minute. The last thing I wanted to think about was Zanoba changing sides on me at the last moment. That would really leave me out of options…

All that aside, it felt pretty odd to hear him talk about “protecting” his brother. “You know, Zanoba, I didn’t think you actually cared what happened to Pax.”

For a moment, Zanoba looked at me in blank surprise. Then he propped his chin back on his hand and pondered my remark. 

“I suppose I didn’t, up until today. After all, I hadn’t even seen the man for many years.” Zanoba furrowed his brow thoughtfully, humming under his breath. “But now that I think about it, this may be the first time he’s ever turned to me for help like that!”

All of a sudden, Zanoba’s frown gave way to a cheerful smile. Weird. He had to know that Pax was only using him, right? He’d never been the kind of guy to take pride in his dependability before. Well, maybe some of his determination to protect Shirone was carrying over to its king. They were relatively similar goals, after all.

In any case… I was having a lot of trouble guessing what the Man-God’s plan was this time. It wasn’t clear who any of his disciples were, and there was no sign of anyone trying to kill me at the moment. It felt like I was missing something—overlooking some crucial piece of the puzzle.

It was always possible that this “trap” was a mere figment of Orsted’s imagination. I couldn’t afford to be too optimistic about that possibility, though. Most likely, there was a trap here, and I simply hadn’t yet discovered it.

The list of possible dangers was basically infinite, so I knew it wouldn’t be productive to spend my time considering them one by one. Regardless, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

Convincing Zanoba to come back home was clearly going to be a challenge, too. Pax wasn’t threatening him in any way at the moment, or at least, there’d been no sudden assassination attempts. If he asked Zanoba to stay here permanently in some key military position, it was hard to imagine that Zanoba would refuse.

Frankly, unless Pax tried to have him killed, my chances of convincing him to leave seemed dim at best. So long as his life wasn’t in danger, he’d essentially moved back home to take a job, you know? A boss like Pax was likely to demand a lot of mandatory overtime…but at the end of the day, Zanoba had the right to choose his own employer as he pleased.

Still, there was a good chance Pax would change his attitude eventually and try to dispose of Zanoba. At the moment I had no evidence he was planning anything, but that didn’t rule out the possibility. It wouldn’t do much good to have my suspicions confirmed after my friend was murdered. I needed to find some sign of Pax’s real intentions in advance.

On top of that, even if Pax had no interest in harming Zanoba right now, he could change his mind at any moment. And right now, I had nothing solid to go off either way. Somehow, I had to search for evidence that might not even exist.

God, I think I might go bald from stress…

Resigned to the fact I wouldn’t reach any useful conclusions on my own, I resolved to ask Roxy for her thoughts tomorrow.