Chapter 62: The Sky King and the Inherited Name
“The Sky King’s throne room is this way.”
After their complete defeat, the Royal Guard Captain agreed to lead us to the Sky King in exchange for me repairing his wings and equipment.
“But I must say, Sir Rex, your skill as an engineer is truly magnificent! To think we can fly so freely, even inside the castle’s narrow halls!”
The Royal Guard Captain, Baldi, chatted cheerfully as he flew slowly down a hallway that was, by no means, wide.
“Ha… hahaha… It truly was a mistake to challenge someone who can so casually offer this level of technology…”
For some reason, his laugh was strained, and it felt almost self-destructive.
“By the way, why is this castle so run-down? In fact, this isn’t a castle at all, it’s a fortress, isn’t it…?”
It seemed we still had a ways to go, so I decided to ask about the unease I’d felt since I first saw the place.
“We don’t know much about that, either. The story we hear is that the first Sky King, His Majesty, declared this place to be his castle.”
Hmm. So they chose this as their headquarters for a specific reason.
“But why is it so wrecked?”
Since I’d started the small talk, Liriela also voiced her own question.
“That is…”
For a moment, the Captain glanced at Karm, but Karm gave no reaction at all, so the Captain sighed and answered.
“The rocks and minerals of these sky islands have a unique composition… which makes them rather problematic to process.”
Ah, he means the Gravium.
“In the past, there were ways to manage it, but that technology has long since been lost. That’s why we’re limited to these kinds of emergency repairs.”
He was right. If you used materials containing Gravium—which floats at the slightest bit of magical power—as building material, those parts would just try to float away.
Even if they were held in place by some kind of mortar, if those parts were constantly trying to rise, the adhesive would eventually break down, and they’d fly off into the sky. I bet that happened in the past, so they just gave up on properly restoring the fortress.
“And they’re still using it as their main base, even in this state.”
Exactly. Just as Liriela said, there must be a compelling reason why they have to use this place. Was it the location? Or was there something in this fortress they needed?
My questions just keep piling up instead of getting solved.
…But, well, I have to admit, this mystery is kind of exciting, in an adventurous way. A vanished Sky Continent, a mysterious race of people, and a half-destroyed fortress. It’s just like the stage for a grand story.
It’s a parade of mysteries that reminds me of one of the most popular stories from “The Tale of the Great Swordsman Liguard”—the adventure in the Undersea Labyrinth!
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“This is the throne room, where His Majesty the Sky King awaits.”
“This is it?”
For a throne room door, this just looks like a normal door.
The Royal Guard Captain knocked.
“Your Majesty, it is Baldi.”
Ah, so the Captain’s name is Baldi.
“…Enter.”
“Excuse us.”
When the reply came from within, Baldi entered first.
“Please, go inside.”
Karm motioned for us to enter. We followed him into the audience chamber, and Karm came in behind us, closing the door.
“This is…”
The first thing that caught my eye upon entering were rows and rows of armor, packed tightly against the walls. They were arranged like knights guarding their lord, seeming to intimidate anyone who entered.
“Wait, this armor is…”
“You’re late. Have you captured the trespassers?”
A voice from ahead pulled my attention away from the armor. At the far end of the room, there was a large desk, and a single man sat behind it. That’s… the Sky… King?
He was, without a doubt, a king. He was the very picture of a king, wearing a crown and a red cape.
But his appearance was completely out of place in this room. No matter how you looked at it, this was just an office.
The large desk looked to be of decent quality, but only at a level appropriate for a fortress commander, not a throne or desk fit for a king.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the guests who have traveled from afar.”
Baldi said, introducing us.
“This is Sir Rex, a traveling magic item engineer, and his companion, Lady Liriela.”
“Guests? A magic item engineer? What are you talking about? My order was to arrest the trespassers! Why have you brought such suspicious people here? I gave no such command!”
Well, I can understand why he’d say that.
“W-Well… you see… Sir Rex here is an engineer of considerable skill. I judged him to be an extremely valuable asset to our nation and brought him here.”
“What does that matter! I gave you an order: arrest them! Seize these people at once!”
But in response to the Sky King’s command, neither Karm nor Baldi made any move to obey.
“What is it!? Why do you not obey my command!?”
The Sky King flew into a rage at his disobedient men.
“A-Actually, Your Majesty… these individuals are unbelievably strong. Even with our entire knight brigade, we were utterly powerless.”
“The Royal Guard… fared the same.”
Karm and Baldi bowed their heads to the Sky King, apologizing.
“An opponent you couldn’t defeat!?”
The Sky King stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief.
“A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I am a traveling adventurer. My name is Rex.”
Might as well greet him with a smile. Karm and the others already told him they couldn’t win, so he probably won’t try anything funny.
Or so I thought. The Sky King’s reaction was the complete opposite of my expectations.
“Silence, you peasant! For a mere commoner to speak to Me is the height of disrespect!”
Oh, dear. I made him angry. It seems he’s the other kind of noble—the one you can’t reason with.
Nobles are split into two types: those you can talk to, and those who just push their own agenda, refusing to listen to commoners. Most nobles don’t really care about commoners, but you can at least have a conversation with the first type if there’s profit in it for them.
But the second type? They don’t care about profit or the situation. They simply refuse to listen to anyone they see as beneath them. They stubbornly believe that anyone of a lower station must instantly carry out their orders. So, when their orders aren’t carried out, they throw a tantrum, just like a child. Just like he’s doing now.
“Who do you think I am! I am a descendant of the great Seraphium Royal Family, rulers of the Sky Continent since the age of the Demon War!”
And there it is. When things don’t go their way, they immediately bring up their family name. It’s such a tiresome pattern… wait.
“The Seraphium Royal Family?”
I couldn’t help but repeat the name.
“That’s right! The great and only true rulers of the Sky Continent, the Seraphium Royal Family!”
“What’s that?”
No, seriously, what is that?
“Wh-What!?”
The Sky King, who had clearly expected me to prostrate myself, was flustered by my unexpected reaction. I mean, it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever heard that name. Not in my previous life, nor the one before that.
“H-Hmph. Then I shall educate you, you ignorant fool. The Seraphium Royal Family is the name of the great royal line that once ruled the Sky Continent, the massive floating island that existed in these skies!”
“No, that’s a lie.”
I refuted his words without a second’s hesitation.
“Wh-What did you say!?”
The Sky King had just claimed his family went back to the Demon War, but no such royal family existed on the Sky Continent. At least, not during the time I was fighting the Majin.
“The royalty of the Sky Continent consists of only five families: Skyark, Lysandra, Orsilphes, Stormval, and Creudam. During the war with the Majin, no royal family named ‘Seraphium’ existed.”
“Wh-What nonsense are you…!?”
The Sky King tried to deny it, but I wouldn’t let him.
“It’s not nonsense. At that time, the Sky Continent was ruled by five nations, and there was no room for any others. The kings of the Sky Continent were known as the ‘Five Star Kings’ precisely because they were ruled by those five families. If there was a sixth, they would have been called the ‘Six Star Kings,’ wouldn’t they?”
“Goodness… I’ve never heard such a story.”
“Indeed. My late father always said that the records from before the Sky Continent’s fall were scattered and lost long ago.”
Even Karm and Baldi, the Sky People, were staring wide-eyed in shock. Just like how they didn’t know the cause of the continent’s collapse, it seems they’ve lost all records from before a certain point in time.
“This is a matter that can be easily verified by visiting a library on the surface and checking the ancient records related to the Sky Continent.”
Even back then, there were plenty of books written about the Five Star Kings. Some of them are bound to be left in a library somewhere. Mostly gossip, though.
“Who… Who in the world are you…?”
The Sky King glared at me, his face bitter.
“I’m just an adventurer. Now… who in the world are you?”
There’s no doubt. This man is a fake king. But I wonder how long he and his ancestors have been deceiving the Sky People. Is this also connected to the mystery of the vanishing continent?
“Ugh… uuh… Ku…”
Just then, the King’s groaning changed.
“Ku… kukuku… Ku-hahahahahaha!”
“Y-Your Majesty!?”
Karm and Baldi were stunned by the King’s sudden transformation.
“Hmph. To think you knew the names of the ancient royal families. But you’ve talked a bit too much. Know this: I can no longer let you leave. I cannot even let you live in my dungeon!”
Is this the classic “silence the witnesses” part?
“My loyal knights! Obey your master’s command!”
At the Sky King’s shout, the eyes of the armor lining the room began to glow. Their bodies shuddered for an instant, and then they all began to move at once.
“Wh-What is this!?”
Karm and the others panicked as the armor suddenly sprang to life. It seems the King hadn’t told his subordinates anything.
“Mail Golems, for protecting important people. They’re usually disguised as decorations and placed in key areas of a castle or fortress. When a battle breaks out inside, the golems activate as a defense force to fight intruders.”
“Hoh. You know your-stuff. Impressive, for a mere magic item engineer.”
For the first time, the Sky King looked impressed.
“That’s right! This is the reason the Sky Kings of old chose this broken fortress as their castle! To serve as their trump card in an emergency!”
The Sky King grinned.
“I get that the golems are your soldiers, but why stick to this fortress? If the golems are so important, why not just move them and build a new castle somewhere else?” Liriela asked, despite her surprise.
“They couldn’t do that… probably because these golems were deployed specifically to defend this base. They’re likely restricted, in some way, to only operate here. The King’s ancestors knew that, so they made this fortress their headquarters.”
I then pointed at the Sky King… or more precisely, at the chair he was sitting on. The chair that was thrumming with magical power.
“And that chair you’re sitting in… that is the magic item for commanding these golems. It’s the true throne that controls this base.”
The Sky King clapped his hands at my deduction.
“Impressive. You’ve figured it all out. But knowing and fighting are two different things! These golems were once renowned as the strongest soldiers on the Sky Continent!”
The Sky King laughed with delight.
“Now that these golems are active, you have no hope of winning. I’ll kill you here and ensure no unnecessary information leaks to the outside world.”
By “unnecessary information,” he means the fact that the Seraphium family doesn’t exist. Which means he’s in big trouble if that gets out.
“Golems! Kill them!”
Following the King’s command, the golems began to move. With a heavy, grinding sound, they drew their swords—which were also magic items.
“Y-Your Majesty! The golems are coming for us, too!”
Karm cried out for help as the golems, which he thought would only attack us, advanced on them as well.
“Hmph! You, too, heard what you shouldn’t have. This is perfect. You can die right along with them.”
“”N-No…!””
Karm and Baldi let out cries of despair. Well, after being so casually abandoned by the person you swore loyalty to, I guess you’re allowed to cry a little.
“Now, finish them!”
The golems raised their swords and charged.
“Gk!”
Liriela readied her spear, but I held up a hand to stop her.
“Leave this to me.”
I said, calmly. I turned my hand toward the golems and quietly unleashed my magic.
“Burst Wave!!”
A fan-shaped shockwave of magical power erupted from my palm and slammed into the attacking golems. The heavy, metal-armored golems were sent flying back with ease. And since they were blown directly backward… they were, of course, blown straight toward the Sky King.
“Gubya!?”
The golems smashed through the desk. The King was knocked from his throne, hit by one of the rolling golems, and then buried under another one that landed on top.
“Guheh… Gak.”
Yep. Poetic justice. A fitting end for a man who refused to talk and attacked us instead.
“Well, poorly maintained golems aren’t much of an opponent.”
Besides, these golems were clearly an obsolete model. This was probably a fortress that had been supplied with outdated equipment, just like the knights’ wings and weapons.
“I-Impossible… They’re… golems! The weapons… feared as the main military force… of the Sky Continent…!”
“Ah, golems were feared because they could wage a war of attrition with limitless numbers, and, being inorganic, they could fight day and night without tiring. A small number of them, however, can be handled just fine by any fighter with a decent amount of skill.”
“N-No…!”
This time, the Sky King was truly speechless. His downfall was overestimating his golems.
What’s more, the Sky Continent had a small population, so they used golems—which were originally for labor—as part of their military. That fact got twisted over time, leading to the misconception that they had an endless army of them. Of course, that truth was a state secret known only to a few at the top.
How do I know? Because I’m the one who designed the original golem framework they used on the Sky Continent back in the day.
“Well now…”
I loomed over the pinned, fake king.
“I believe it’s time you tell us everything you know. Won’t you, Miiiiister Sky Kiiiiing?”
