A cabin a little way off from a village on the eastern outskirts.
A knight in leather armor, possessing striking looks, embraced his mother.
"I will return as a fine knight."
His white-haired mother smiled warmly as she took out a sword from a box and handed it to him.
"It's not the best, as it was your father's sword from long ago. But the village blacksmith has refined it, so it should serve you well."
"My father's sword?"
"Yes, I've told you many times. Your father wasn't a renowned knight, but he was well-respected in the city."
"Ah!"
"If you have your father's blood, you will surely become a great knight, Carlsson. I have no doubt you will."
"…Yes."
The knight departed from the house.
His mother waved a small handkerchief behind his back.
Neither wore a sad expression.
The reason for his departure was positive and clear.
'Imperial Army Commission.'
A rural knight being admitted as a cadet officer in the Imperial Knights.
He was the embodiment of the saying "a dragon rises from a small stream."
His steps away from home were light.
'Finally, I'm a full-fledged knight.'
Carlsson walked towards the city with a joyful heart.
Thus began his life as a knight of the Imperial Army.
But the reality of being a full-fledged knight was far from what he had imagined.
Despite enduring grueling training daily, his skills did not improve as much as he had hoped.
When he left home, he thought himself a genius and believed he would quickly become an officer.
But even after three years, he remained a cadet.
"Damn it."
On the day he failed his fourth promotion exam, he prayed in despair.
"God, why am I here?"
His mother's words before he left home echoed in his ears.
'Your father was a great knight.'
Mother, if that were true, we wouldn't be living in the outskirts but in the city.
'If you have your father's blood, you will surely become a great knight.'
No, the path to being a great knight was too difficult.
My father, who died on the battlefield before I could meet him, must have been an ordinary knight.
That's why I'm still a cadet after three years.
'I have no doubt you will become a great knight.'
The knight bowed his head.
Tears dripped from Carlsson's chin.
At nineteen, he still hadn't become a mid-rank knight.
The step from three stars to four stars was an insurmountable wall.
While he struggled in what was called the deadlock promotion stage, his comrades rose to higher ranks.
He pondered deeply.
Should he give up on becoming a knight and return to his hometown?
Even if he switched to being an adventurer, it wasn't too late.
"Hey!"
Someone called out to Carlsson.
When he turned his head, he saw a woman in a blue dress waving an apple above her head.
"Do you want this?"
She threw the apple with all her might.
Carlsson stepped forward and reached out to catch it.
Thud.
"P, Princess?"
"Don't cry, stay strong!"
The princess said nothing more, smiled brightly, and left.
Carlsson stared at the spot where she had been for a long time before taking a big bite of the apple.
Crunch.
"…Delicious."
Princess Maybel, the fourth princess of the Duchy of Sirion, located in the southern border region of the empire.
This was his first meeting with her.
After that day, the princess visited Carlsson several times.
Each time, Carlsson controlled his expression and bowed his head in greeting.
He couldn't show a weak side to the daughter of the lord.
Someday, I will become her guardian knight.
'Someday.'
One day, the princess took out a small, threadbare doll.
"I got this from my mother when I was little. It's a lucky doll."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, ever since I've had it, only happy things have happened to me."
"I see."
"So take this with you to the next exam. I'll lend it to you until you pass!"
"N, no, it's fine."
"What do you mean, it's fine? Don't cry when you fail again, just take it!"
The princess stuffed the doll into Carlsson's arms. He unconsciously accepted it and replied.
"Understood."
"See you again. You have to pass the exam and become my guardian knight!"
"…Yes."
After that day, Carlsson increased the intensity of his training.
He trained at a level that others couldn't endure.
A year passed, and Carlsson became incredibly strong compared to others.
Then, the moment he had been waiting for arrived.
"Magnus Carlsson, you are hereby appointed as the 3rd Captain of the Purple Rabbit Knights."
Carlsson's appointment ceremony was held.
"I will follow the order."
In five years since moving to the city, he became an officer.
If he had been promoted through the ranks of centurion, centurion, and commander on the battlefield, it would have taken at least ten years.
At just twenty years old, he not only became an officer but also reached the position of knight captain, which was remarkable.
After that, Carlsson had happy days as a member of the Imperial Army.
He even had enough leisure to rest in the training grounds.
'I wonder how the princess is doing.'
He needed to return the doll.
Despite his busy schedule, he occasionally thought of the princess who used to throw apples to him in the training grounds.
But he couldn't go to see her directly.
How could a mid-rank knight go to meet the lord's daughter first? He could only wait for her to come to him.
Amid these prosperous days, Carlsson received an order.
"Find the 4th Princess, Maybel."
The princess who had shown him kindness was captured by the enemy.
Without hesitation, Carlsson accepted the order.
"Leave it to me."
He immediately organized a unit and launched a rescue operation for Maybel.
The captors hadn't gotten far.
They were likely hiding in the forest, waiting for an opportunity to cross the border.
Carlsson's prediction was accurate.
He found the enemy assassins who had taken the princess in a small temple deep in the forest.
They held the princess as a hostage and resisted, but they were quickly subdued.
Carlsson rescued the princess, and as they were about to leave the temple.
"Sorry, Captain."
Stab!
His lieutenant stabbed him in the back with a sharp dagger.
The blade penetrated the gap between his armor plates, making a chilling sound.
"Y, you?"
The lieutenant grabbed the princess's wrist and pulled her along.
"This country is already finished."
"…Who ordered this?"
"That, I do not know. But if you die, the princess can live. So go quietly."
The princess cried out.
"Sir Knight!"
The lieutenant knocked her out by striking the back of her head.
Thud.
He hoisted her onto his shoulder and left a final message for Karlson.
"Even if you survive, don't return. Only your family's death will await you."
After that, the lieutenant, the princess, and all the soldiers left.
Karlson slumped in the shrine with a hollow smile.
"Did I struggle so much just to die here?"
A whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind.
His mother waiting for him back home.
The promise to become an honorable knight.
The mission yet to be completed.
The dreams unfulfilled.
"Sigh..."
"Am I really going to die like this?"
Karlson forced himself to sit up, looking around.
"...Is anyone there?"
His voice echoed emptily.
"Damn it!"
Was it because of the blood loss? As time passed, his vision blurred, and his mind grew foggy.
Amidst the narrowing field of vision, the faint image of the princess created a hallucination.
'You must become the knight commander and protect me.'
Karlson pulled out the doll from his chest and fell forward.
"I need to return it."
Thud.
He wandered in chaos for a long time. His past and the future he dreamed of were all jumbled together.
After a long period of wandering, he finally regained his senses when he faced his younger self before leaving home.
'I can't die like this.'
He had to get up somehow.
He closed his eyes and prayed fervently.
"...Please."
In the holy name, grant me a chance to save the princess.
'If I can fulfill that will.'
I will follow your will, whatever it may be.
As soon as he finished his prayer, a heavy voice echoed in his ears.
[The contract is established.]
"?!"
[Worship the one who sent me for you.]
Crack!
Two horns protruded from Karlson's forehead as he lay dying.
"Argh!"
[Granting you the power of an apostle by the will of the divine.]
Crack, crack!
Karlson's skin and flesh were all peeled off, and his intestines spilled onto the ground, leaving only his bones.
"Ugh!"
Then, from somewhere, metal pieces flew and stuck to Karlson's body, forming armor.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
[You are now the eleventh apostle, Demon King Magnus Karlson.]
The eleventh apostle. Demon King Magnus Karlson.
[Show despair to those who come to the tower by the will of the divine.]
* * *
In the past, someone who taught me chess once said,
'The king should move busily, and the pawns leisurely.'
This was so different from the basic common sense of chess players. Typically, it's the other way around—place the king in a safe spot and send the soldiers to fight at the front.
'If the king dies, the game ends.'
So, it's right to place the king where the enemy cannot target him. This is a natural strategy, not only in the game but also on the actual battlefield.
Besides, how could the 'king' on the chessboard, positioned among other pieces in a limited area, move busily?
I didn't understand his meaning back then.
But as time passed, I realized what he wanted to convey.
"Come on."
I stood at the forefront, facing all the approaching gargoyles, leaving my party members behind.
Buzz—
Bang!
With one strike per gargoyle.
Of course, their attacks didn't reach me. The moment they attacked with their sharp claws, I concentrated my aura there to block them.
'Good.'
The person who taught me chess probably wasn't just talking about the game.
This time, I saw things I hadn't noticed in my previous life.
With those who had surrounded me like a wall now gone, I could finally make correct judgments.
The 'Guardian Knights (Pawns)' who always watched over me with my father's eyes.
The 'Priests (Bishops)' who incited wars under the pretext of divine will.
The 'Imperial Army (Knights)' who tried to seize continental dominance using young me.
And the 'Butler (Rook)' who locked me in Strange Castle under the guise of protection.
Lastly, 'Katarina (Queen)' who caused strife between me and my siblings beside my father.
In this life, I walked my path without their interference. Thanks to that, I could grow much faster than before.
Bang!
After defeating all the attacking gargoyles, I beckoned to Deadlord.
"Now it's your turn."
Deadlord drew his sword to face me.
Clank.
As the worn hilt was drawn from its scabbard, green aura resembling thorny vines enveloped the blade.
Screech.
"Impressive."
He began to move.
Thud.
Just one step forward, and an overwhelming killing intent enveloped my entire body.
Even Rocs, who possessed the blood of gods, couldn't help but avert his gaze. Such an incredible power!
"Your turn."
Deadlord's voice lowered.
I nodded slightly at him and gestured for Cynthia to step forward.
Thud.
Cynthia took a step forward.
Deadlord tilted his head in confusion.
"What are you doing? Didn't you want to fight me?"
"You'll find out soon. Just move quickly."
After hesitating for a few seconds, he took another step forward.
I moved Cynthia in the same manner. Soon, the two met at the center of the chessboard.
'I won.'
There was no need for me to step in for this fight. Facing Cynthia, Deadlord froze momentarily.
Then, he knelt on one knee and bowed his head to her.
Thud.
"...Why are you here?"