5 The King's Last Wish (Revised)

In a room where a man is doing some task on his desk. There is so much paper on the table that he had no idea where they come from.

It was night. With enlightenment from the open window and a glass lamp, the man remains awake to fulfill his duty.

At that time, a voice reaches out to the man from outside.

"Still working at this time, huh"

The man realizes whose voice is that. Put down his pen, the man talks to the outside voice.

"I thought you already gone somewhere, Roland"

In the outside, standing Roland leaning against the wall. Folding his hand and look up at the endless night sky.

"I still have a task that man was given to me, you know. Of course, I wouldn't go somewhere without giving a report"

The atmosphere feels quite heavy between them. Although there is no hostility, still, there is no kindness in their heart either.

The man inside let a sigh and leaning his sore back to the chair. Then with the heavy feeling, he spoke to Roland.

"You know the kingdom in his serious condition. And here you are, back from holiday with no guilty"

The man gives a serious-looking on his face outside. But to who his eyes aiming there was no same feeling.

"From the eleven of you guys, you were the only one who knows me better. Of course, because you are the one who brought me here. And HERE you are, guessing there is no soreness in my heart. I think you are just the same as others, huh"

There is no heavy feeling returned by Roland. But he gives the man words of feeling betrayed that made the man feel guilt.

The man holding his head out of tiredness and then apologize.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I'm just too tired and had no sleep well these days"

Tiredness begins to swallow the man. He even holds his head with two hands, prevent it from falling.

"Oliver"

Roland calls out the man. Which is one of the paladins, Oliver, One of Roland's Greatest Ally and the Leader of all Paladins.

"You know what that man last wish, don't you?"

The last wish of the king. That is what Roland means. For who he didn't there when the accident happens, Oliver doesn't know exactly. But if he predicts that must be,

"To find the next king?"

Oliver gives his thought to answer Roland's question. There is no answer back from Roland, so it was true,

"That our Lord give you the last duty?"

With the death of the king, there will be no more duty that comes from him. And with his death, Roland was given the last and heaviest task of all of them. To search and to choose the next king to replace the old one.

"Are you against his demand?"

"No, of course not. I just..."

Oliver stops his words in the middle. Prevent to not hurting his best friend feeling with what he said might be wrong later.

"Wait, I almost forgot that you're king's nephew, right?"

"Well, I even don't care much with that fact anyway, because after moved to this palace, he already considered that I'm one of his sons"

Roland once is a noble's children in the kingdom territory, and his mother is king sister. But an incident happened back then wiping out homes, families, and territories that his families protect.

He managed to survive and hide for seven years in training his skills, he founded by Oliver and brought to the kingdom. There he met again with an uncle, the king. From there Roland lives a life as a Knight in King's Order, Paladin.

Together with his eleven allies, they could manage to protect the kingdom from any form of danger.

Although the fact of the death of the king made their connection – The Paladin, has begun to lose. The fact that Oliver working all alone is one of the results.

However, a fact that Roland was already close with the member of the kingdom – King's wives and children, made the king's last wish is not a challenging task.

"But, only if you could manage to protect the palace for like eight years, maybe I could give this kingdom a younger version of that man"

Roland told his plan and at that same time, he also gives his buddy a help request. Oliver confused at first if he could just choose the next king now, why would they have to...

"Did you already choose who to give that honor to?"

Roland doesn't answer and doesn't want to. But Oliver already trusts his best friend whatever his choices could be.

Oliver smiled in silence. Feeling too complicated because from tomorrow his task will be getting harder.

"Could you at least show me, that the throne key is in your hand?"

Oliver asking for a thing that the king might be given to Roland. Roland showed his hand out of the window. There Oliver can see Roland invent an arcana disk above his palm. Then a key fall from that magic disk to Roland's hand.

"You could save that thing in your creative space?"

Oliver was quite surprised that Roland can do that kind of thing with his arcana skills.

"So where do you want me to save it?"

"Uh, well, I know that is the safest place in the world, even though only you could control your skills, but what if an incident happened and you get killed."

"Honestly, I can't imagine an incident that would kill me. But if you that afraid of losing this key, I will give you an alternative plan, so don't worry about it"

Oliver himself can't think what might would kill Roland, except a dark lord who has the power to bring this world to an end.

Even though that sounds impossible because of the fact they live in another dimension, but anything can happen. Just like the incident that killed the king.

Oliver furrowed his brows in worried. But what comes from outside makes him quite surprised.

"Did you know, the fact that vermillion children that assault this place is only in their twelve years in this world"

"Yeah, I know that. That's cruel don't you think, to make them do that kind of thing"

"Even though they already kill all of the guards in this palace. Made their way to the throne room, even though they are not the ones who kill the king, you still have a pity feels for them?"

Roland speaks with heavy feeling just like Oliver did before. From there Oliver remembered something, that the only one who kills all of the vermilion children is the man outside this room.

Oliver feels ashamed because he didn't realize what his best friend feels because of that incident.

"I'm sorry"

"You don't have to. The fact that the traitor is in jail and will have his punishment already satisfied me. You will kill him, don't you?"

"Of course, planning a king assassination, and succeded, is what we absolutely can't tolerate as people from this kingdom. Death is just like light punishment for him. I will think about another punishment that would make him regret his action"

The atmosphere feels heavy when they talked about the man that kill the king – one of their ally in Knight in King's Order, Paladin. The one who promised to loyal to the king and his kingdom. The traitor who killed the king and scapegoating the vermillion children.

"I think that's all"

Roland wants to give goodbye to his best friend. But before he leaving the scene Oliver stopped him.

"Wait! Just that?"

"Yeah, what else should I tell you?"

"That's impossible that you will leave this kingdom without any reason, right?"

Oliver's question made Roland remember the girl which he left in the hut.

"Well, I think our twenty years made you know much about me, huh"

"Of course, because that's just me who wants to become your friend. As Astolfo, well, he's an exception because he's your cousin from the beginning. So, who is that, a person who made you want to dedicate yourself to him, or her?"

Oliver smiled at his question. Because he feels happy, his best friend had found a person who might be making his life colorful again.

"She's the survivor of that incident"

At first, Oliver couldn't understand what Roland means. And what comes first from his mind from Roland's answer is something he couldn't believe.

"There was a survivor who can escape from you?"

Oliver glares out of confusion. As for Roland, he talks calmly to not make Oliver misunderstands.

"There is, yet she's not escaped from me, she escapes from her friends. Leaving them behind because she's just simply want to live. She doesn't want death. I thought their friends think the same though. Still, they prefer death rather than live in this hell"

There is even more complicated matter that Roland has to bear in his hearts.

Oliver feels guilty because he had though his part was the heaviest in this situation. But on this night, when he just met with his best friend after that incident, there is so much burden that he keeps in his heart.

"I – I..."

"You don't have to feel sorry about me. All I want is you to keep the focus on keeping this place safe for the next king. And always prepare for every danger that could give this kingdom a bad threat"

"Roger that"

Oliver answer without hesitates at that request.

"I will do my best as the leader of Knight in King's Last Order"

Both of them smiled at Oliver's words. There is no more doubt at their hearts on each other.

After that moment, a chill wind coming from outside, pass through Oliver's face. The atmosphere becomes quiet again just like the moment when he alone. Maybe that's because Roland had already go. Back to where he was before.

Oliver smiled and muttered, "Maybe I should come to see her tomorrow" under his breath.

***

Roland comes back from the royal palace just like the way he was doing before. Now he is in front of the hut. But what he thought it's was there before, now it is gone. The hut, the place he left the red-haired girl, was burning in fire.