Yuri headed toward the royal capital with Fenek.
The atmosphere was uneasy.
The townspeople rolled their eyes as if wary of all directions, and if they happened to see Yuri's group, they quickly averted their eyes with a frightened expression.
Normally, when a knight appeared, children would follow along, but instead, they hid behind their parents' legs.
Yuri looked at Fenek.
"What's going on? Is this place always like this?"
"No. It's changed recently."
Though different in nature from Briol, the Holy Kingdom was also known as a country that upheld the teachings of God and was said to have relatively little class discrimination.
But this sight was more like the Empire.
The Imperial Capital where Yuri had stayed was mostly made up of nobles or wealthy people, so discrimination was not as noticeable there, but in other regions of the Empire, treatment varied greatly depending on social class.
Yuri clicked his tongue.
"The atmosphere is heavy."
"We have to restore it."
After riding for several days, they arrived at the royal capital of the Holy Kingdom.
The city was clean and well-organized. White buildings reminiscent of temples stood in rows, and at every street corner, there were statues praising God.
Once inside the royal capital, Yuri's group followed Fenek's lead and unpacked their belongings at a nearby inn.
Judging from the subtle exchange of glances, it seemed the innkeeper had ties with the secret society Fenek had mentioned.
"This place is safe."
"That means other places aren't safe?"
"The royal guard is roaming the streets, saying they're rooting out dissidents. Whatever the pretext, once you're reported, it becomes troublesome."
"Is that so?"
The more he heard, the more puzzling it became. It didn't match the image Yuri had of the Holy Kingdom.
"So what do we do now?"
"Let's move when night falls. The Holy Knight is waiting for you."
"The Holy Knight?"
"Yes. Until then, you should stay hidden here."
Yuri had no choice but to remain confined to the inn. Sitting in his room and thinking about what lay ahead, he eventually noticed the sun setting.
When night came, Fenek knocked on his door. Yuri strapped Guilty to his waist and stepped out.
"Follow me quietly."
Yuri glanced at the other companions' rooms, but Fenek shook his head.
"Just the two of us are going."
The two slipped out of the inn separately. There were hardly any people around at night. Keeping their heads down, they walked along the darkened streets.
Before long, they arrived at a lit tavern.
Most shops in the royal capital of the Holy Kingdom closed at night, but this one was bustling with customers.
Yuri sat down with Fenek.
"What is this? Are we here to drink?"
"No. Please wait here for a bit. It's part of disguising our identities."
"What does that mean?"
"I'll be back."
"Huh?"
"Stay seated."
Tapping the table while looking at Yuri, Fenek got up from his seat.
Yuri stared blankly at his retreating back, then raised his hand.
"Over here!"
A server approached.
To hide his noble status as royalty, he used a rough tone.
"Hey, brother, my throat's been in a drought. Bring me a cold beer!"
"Ah, yes."
While waiting for Fenek, Yuri drank the frosty beer.
"Hits the spot. Where the hell did that guy Fenek go?"
As Yuri grumbled, someone suddenly sat down across from him.
"Excuse me, there's no empty seat. Would you mind if I joined you for a bit?"
Setting his beer mug down on the table, Yuri wiped his chin with his sleeve and twisted his lips.
"And who are you to just sit at someone else's table without permission?"
"Pardon?"
"My shoulders are broad, and this table's already cramped. You think I'll be comfortable with you sitting here too? Get lost!"
As they were moving under the guise of a secret society, any outsider interfering could ruin things.
And because it was hard to fully hide the natural dignity of royalty, Yuri deliberately scowled fiercely to drive the man away.
But the other man was no pushover either.
"Look at this guy, unbelievable. Calling this table cramped? You serious?"
"What?"
"You're looking down on me because I'm alone, right? Judging by your build, you're well trained. Is it because I'm scrawny that you think you can treat me like that?"
"It's not like that…"
"Brother!"
As if waiting for that cue, he gestured toward the outside of the tavern. A large, hulking brute soon appeared.
He strode over and looked down at Yuri.
"What is it, little brother?"
"This pale bastard insulted me."
"What?"
"I asked to join him, and he told me to get lost with some filthy words I can't even repeat. If it's no, it's no, but why swear at me? What did our mother ever do to him?"
"No, no, when did I ever say anything like that…"
The big brute's face twisted up in anger.
"How could you!"
His face was covered in spiky whiskers, giving him the look of a tiger.
It was strikingly similar to the "Javid" mask Jared had worn before.
"Did you really say that, young man?"
"N-no."
"Then why are you lying?"
"I'm telling you, I didn't."
"This won't do. Hey, brother!"
This time, the brute gestured outside. A short but solidly built man strode in.
"What is it, little brother?"
"This pale bastard insulted our third brother."
"You little punk…"
Suddenly surrounded by the three brothers, Yuri realized something.
They were already seated at regular intervals as if they were one group from the start.
"No way…"
Looking around, he saw there were no empty seats left in the tavern. New customers had to line up outside.
He understood their intention.
They were targeting an easy mark to take over his seat and avoid waiting in line.
And that "easy mark" was him.
"Damn…"
Had he ever been seen as easy prey before? The Guilty at his waist writhed, eager to taste blood.
But Yuri held back.
"Fine. Let's share the table."
"After insulting my younger brother, you still want to sit together? No, hand over the seat and get lost!"
"Listen."
Yuri's eyes narrowed.
"I know what you're up to, but today I'll let it slide. So let's not get worked up, and just have some beer together. I'll buy you each a drink. This beer is damn good."
At this point, the best option was to avoid causing a scene until Fenek returned.
The three exchanged glances, then nodded.
The short eldest brother grinned.
"So you are a reasonable man."
Yuri raised his hand.
"Hey, over here! Bring three ice-cold beers to freeze these brothers' throats! No, make it four, counting mine!"
Soon, the mugs were set in front of them.
The four of them drank together.
"Beer from the Holy Kingdom is the best. The Holy Brewery has been doing a fine job lately."
"No, brother, the Grace Brewery is the best."
"I think the Faith Brewery is better, brothers."
Yuri joined in.
"Briol's Chivalry Brewery is the best, gentlemen."
When drinking together, everyone became friends. They each shared stories of beers they knew, growing closer in the process.
More mugs of beer went around, and now all four faces were flushed red.
The eldest of the three brothers spoke.
"Hey, young friend, I'm sorry about earlier."
Yuri shook his head.
"It's fine, brother. Isn't that just how life is?"
"From the look of it, you're carrying a sword and seem to be skilled in martial arts, so why did you just give up your seat? You didn't seem afraid of us."
With a bitter smile, Yuri downed his beer before replying.
"These aren't those kinds of times anymore."
"What do you mean, not those kinds of times?"
"A shadow has fallen over the Holy Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom where children used to play outside until night is gone. It's an age of gloom. Naturally, that means people's hearts have less room for generosity, don't you think, brother?"
The three stared at Yuri. Yuri raised his beer mug and spoke.
"What I saw just now wasn't three thugs trying to steal someone else's seat, but three lonely men who just wanted to find their place and be treated well, even if only in this tavern."
Silence lingered at the table.
The second brother, the burly one like a bandit, suddenly held out his palm. Yuri slapped it in return, making a sound.
"My apologies."
"No problem."
"You're right, young friend. The truth is, I guess you could say I'm unemployed now. I once held the best position, recognized by all, but after an accident, I lost my abilities and started dragging my feet. My colleagues, afraid I'd be looked down on, hid the fact I'd been in an accident. So I keep pretending to be fine, while behind my back I'm treated like a has-been…"
"My condolences, brother."
Yuri clinked glasses with him.
Then the short eldest spoke.
"As for me… I had a brother. Not these two, a real blood brother. But one day, he suddenly got bewitched by something and tried to sell our family treasure to some high-ranking noble. Things went wrong, and he ended up thrown in prison. Now I have to take full responsibility. It's… really overwhelming."
"My sympathy, brother."
Yuri clinked glasses with the eldest as well.
Lastly, the youngest, who had barely been noticeable, spoke up.
"I… well…"
"You what?"
"I just did what these two told me to. I have no story. People usually don't believe me when I say that, but really, nothing much happens in my life. I have no particular worries."
"That's annoying, brother."
Yuri didn't clink glasses with him.
"A world where living without trouble makes you the object of envy… that's the Holy Kingdom for you."
The second brother asked Yuri.
"Young friend, what's your story?"
"Me?"
"You've got the eyes of someone with a story too."
"I'll tell you," Yuri said, with a bitter smile.
"My older brother tried to kill my father. Maybe he already succeeded. He's been missing ever since. My family's a complete wreck."
"Oh dear…"
"My word…"
"You have my sympathy."
The four of them silently raised their mugs and drank.
"Shall we order another round?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright."
"Let's drink up…"
Just then, Fenek, who had been gone for quite a while, suddenly appeared.
He looked down at Yuri and the three brothers.
Though he didn't show it outwardly, there was a trace of something like disappointment in his eyes.
"So you've been drinking."
Yuri spoke.
"No, sorry. These guys suddenly joined me…"
The second brother cut in.
"What, man? Can't we have a drink? Huh?"
"Please stand."
"Life's crap, alright? So we had a few beers with this guy. Got a problem?"
"Let's go."
"Oh, come on…"
They seemed to know each other.
Yuri looked back and forth between him and Fenek. Fenek sighed and leaned close to whisper to Yuri.
"This is the Holy Knight."
"…Huh?"
***
After leaving the tavern, they went into a nearby alley, opened a shabby-looking door, and went down to the basement.
Beyond the unassuming exterior lay a spacious, clean interior.
As soon as he sat down, Yuri pointed at the three men whose faces were still flushed.
"So you're telling me this guy is the Holy Knight? Really?"
Fenek, sitting beside him, nodded.
"Yes."
"Well… shouldn't a Holy Knight be a bit more refined, slim, and… a handsome young man like Laurent?"
"He used to be."
The Holy Knight narrowed his eyes.
"What's wrong with the way I look? I'm not ashamed of myself."
"You've got beer in your beard."
"Ahem…"
"Let me introduce him properly. This is the Holy Knight, Francesco."
Yuri shook hands with Francesco.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Yuri Briol."
"Francesco. We should have a drink again sometime…"
The way he made a drinking gesture with a grin didn't match the image of a Holy Knight ranked among the ten strongest paladins.
Fenek went on to introduce the eldest.
"And this is the dwarf, Umstein."
"Good to meet you."
"Pleas—"
Yuri, who had been shaking hands casually, suddenly widened his eyes and stared at him.
"What?"
"Umstein."
"No, the part before that…"
"He's a dwarf."
"Why?"
Umstein's eyes went wide.
"What do you mean, why? I was just born a dwarf."
Earlier, Yuri hadn't thought much of it, but now he noticed that not only was he short, but his large nose and piercing eyes were subtly different from a human's.
Dwarves, like elves, were called a legendary race. But while elves still had a known last survivor, Inariel, and the existence of their hidden home, the World Tree Forest, dwarves had no confirmed existence at all.
It was only said in legend that they lived somewhere deep beneath the mountains.
"My word…"
Yuri's gaze turned to the youngest.
A Holy Knight, and now a legendary dwarf had appeared.
He couldn't even begin to guess the identity of the last one.
At last, the youngest opened his mouth.