In a certain room of the royal castle, Arthur and I are having our wounds tended to by some of the castle's maids.
My nose drowned in the fierce aroma of the medicinal herbs used in the medicine mixture, which made it easy to tell that a main ingredient is most likely "purple grass". I'm flattered they would use such a rare herb that cannot be found easily on a commoner like me. Purple grass, from all I've heard, is a very effective medicine ingredient which cannot be cultivated no matter what methods farmers attempt and can only rarely be found growing in the wild. The main characteristics of this plant are its healing capabilities which can render even the most grievous of wounds as injuries one would not fret about, as it can heal them in no more than half a day.
I glanced at Arthur, who looked quite unusual. He looked as if all life had left his body. His glowing golden hair seemed to have a hint of white to it now, his skin was shining and turned completely pale, and his eyes seemed like those of a corpse. He even failed to give me a soul-piercing stare this time. Even his words lacked the high and mighty aura they once had. Whenever a maid would ask something like "Please move your hand so I can apply the medicine", he would only barely utter a weak "sure".
Here we are, in the room of the Crimson Throne. Few rays of sunlight flowed into the room through the cracks between the curtains, and dimly illuminated the various masks on the faces of those present.
Though it is called the "room of the Crimson Throne", it might as well be called the "Crimson Room", as the room is dyed in a crimson red color by its various curtains, tiles and other furniture, all of the same color. I do wonder sometimes about which of the past kings was responsible of such an abomination.
Both I and Arthur, are each kneeling on one knee before the king, who rested on his throne. Around a day and a night had passed before both our grave wounds vanished, as if they were never there before, so we were both able to move on our own and drag ourselves to the throne room, after we had been summoned.
The tired old man's coarse lips finally parted:
"Your actions have brought disgrace upon both you and I, Sir Great Raven."
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Looking at Arthur from the corner of my eye, he looked even more lifeless and dead than the day before. His eyes were those of a hopeless rodent drowning in a cesspool. I could also see that his hair was even whiter than before, as if the flames inside his soul had frozen over. The king then continued:
"Therefore, to relieve you from such shame and disgrace, I shall give you your final order as one of my loyal knights."
It was as if my eyes instinctively shifted to look towards the old man who stood up to continue speaking. I could barely contain my gasp when I saw his eyes that were fixated on Arthur. The king had eyes that were those of a demon, which had a strong, purple, flame-like glow in them. What shook me even more, was the dark black glow that emanated from the black blade he unsheathed. Simply looking at both him and his blade gave me the feeling of sinking and drowning in a bottomless swamp.
The demon's lips parted once more:
"Arthur, execute yourself."
The glow emanating from the blade grew even more dense, and moved in a way that almost seemed like it was enveloping Arthur, who, without saying anything other than "Yes, my lord.", took out his own blade and plunged it deep into his heart.
As Arthur's body lifelessly collapsed onto the ground, the old gray-haired demon sat back on the throne. Both him and the guards on each of his sides paid no heed to neither my shocked expression, nor to the new lifeless corpse that was dying the already-crimson floor with its blood.
And neither the glow from his sword nor his eyes could be seen anymore.
The king cleared his throat then uttered cheerfully:
"Ah, forgive me, Sir Kazimir, I do realize that it was improper behavior to execute him right before I make a request of you, but he really has become quite the nuisance. I should have dealt with him ever since rumors of him fooling around with various women and murdering newly appointed knights became part of the gossip of housewives. For someone who held the title of "Selria's mightiest knight", he was quite pathetic, wouldn't you agree?"
With a shaking voice I could barely stop from trembling, I said "Yes, my lord."
"And worry not. While you both participated in an unofficial duel, we are well aware that it was Arthur who persisted in insisting that you battle him, therefore there shall be no shame brought upon you. Now, Sir Kazimir, as I have great faith in your abilities, I would have been very eager to appoint you as the kingdom's new "Great Knight", as a replacement for that lifeless fool besides you. However, I have a position much more suitable for someone with abilities such as yours. While you are a knight, you do not necessarily care for honor or dignity, and you use any methods at your disposal to carry out your duty. I have learned that much from observing you and the way you guide your men on the battlefield. Therefore, I am hereby relieving you of your duties as captain of the Ash Phantom. From henceforth, you are to serve as my daughter Brenna's knight and guardian."