#1036 Like a Protector

I find myself in a bit of a quandary.

Who would have thought that being a Lifeless King would make it so difficult to interact with the common folk?

There are times when the reality hits me, that this form of mine is a symbol of fear for most people.

“Uh, don’t go forgetting that for even a second. You are a Lifeless King, one who makes even crying babies shut up.”

Veil has that exasperated look all over her face.

You’ve got it easy, though.

All you have to do is turn into a human, and you instantly blend right in, whether it’s in a city or a village.

“If you’re so jealous, why don’t you just transform, too? With your Lifeless King magic, it’s gotta be a piece of cake, right?”

She’s not wrong. There’s little that lies beyond my reach when it comes to magic.

If I wanted, I could change my form so completely that even the most skilled sorcerer wouldn’t know the difference.

But... something about that feels dishonest.

I came here to live among the people, to learn from them, and to observe the truth of their lives.

If I hid myself behind a façade, it would defeat the purpose.

“You just like to complicate things for yourself, huh? So what’s the plan? Give up and head home?”

No, no. I didn’t come all this way just to give up so easily.

What kind of example would that set for the students I’m always teaching?

“True, but you can’t keep sulking around the edge of town. As long as you’re here, everyone’s on high alert.”

Ngh... She’s right.

From where I stand, I can see a few of the townspeople, glancing nervously in our direction.

Judging by their outfits, they’re probably town guards.

They’re definitely wary of me.

“They’re not exactly what you’d call a ‘formidable force’ for dealing with a Lifeless King if you ask me. It’s kinda sad that this is the extent of their town’s military power, honestly.”

Mm, if they had to face me and your dragon power, it’d be a catastrophe.

Lifeless Kings rarely leave their dungeons, and when they do, it’s often to indulge in destructive whims, like laying waste to a human settlement, for instance.

Their fear is understandable.

“It’s like this town is teetering on the edge of destruction.”

I can’t, in good conscience, allow things to escalate further.

Very well. It seems the only wise course is to withdraw for now.

“Don’t look so down, old man! I’ll treat you to some ramen on the way back!”

Ah, when you say "ramen," I suspect you mean more of that dragon essence broth, don’t you?

You know, I’ve already had my fill of it, all for your sake.

“Trouble! We’ve got troubleeeee!”

What now?

Things just got loud all of a sudden. Is it coming from the center of town?

“What’re you so surprised about? You’re the walking embodiment of ‘trouble!’”

I admit we may have caused a bit of an emergency in this town.

But we’ve been here for a while now, so it’s strange for people to just start panicking now, don’t you think?

And the direction the shout came from is odd.

If they were frightened of us, the noise should’ve come from around here, shouldn’t it?

But the scream... it came from across town.

Something else is definitely going on!

“Even if that’s true, nothing could be worse than you. So why don’t you just stay put?”

No!

If something’s happening and I do nothing while innocent people are in harm’s way, I’ll never forgive myself!

I’m going!

As long as someone’s calling for help, I’ll be there!

“Can’t you see you’ll just make things worse by intervening?! Hey, wait up!”

By the time I got to the town square, the situation has already escalated.

A rough-looking man stands there, brandishing a knife.

And worse, he has a kid in his arms, using them as a hostage.

The crowd has gathered around, blocking his escape, but they hesitate to act, clearly fearing for the child’s safety.

“Don’t move! Get any closer, and this brat is dead!”

So, it seems my worst fears were realized.

Just outside the crowd, I see a woman—likely the child’s mother—held back by others, tears streaming down her face as they try to console her.

“What in the world is going on here?! What happened?!”

“Eeeeeeeek! A Lifeless King!!!”

I grab one of the guards to ask, but as soon as he saw me, he panicked so badly I couldn’t get a single coherent word out of him.

“Compose yourself! You’re supposed to be the one protecting the peace of this town! How can you be this spineless? Snap out of it!!!”

“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to stay calm when you’re the one scaring him to death...”

My scolding seems to have shaken him a bit, and the soldier slowly starts explaining the situation.

Here’s the gist of it.

First off, that guy over there holding the kid hostage and waving a knife around is a thief.

He’s part of a notorious gang that’s been wanted for some time now.

It seems he managed to sneak into the town unnoticed.

He blended in among the crowd, escaping the eyes of the guards and townsfolk alike.

“Probably because some pseudo-corpse showed up.”

Not now, Veil.

Let this old man finish talking before you interrupt.

...An evacuation order was issued, and everyone in town started moving.

But that’s where things went south for the thief.

When everyone started gathering to evacuate, the thief, who wasn’t supposed to be there, stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Who’s that? Who’s this guy?” People started asking, and the thief got cornered.

In a panic, he grabbed the nearest kid and holed up, leading to the current standoff.

“I see… so all this chaos started because I caused a commotion?”

“Exactly.”

What a disaster!

Innocent people, no, worse, an innocent child, is in danger, and it’s all because of me! This can’t be allowed to happen!

Citizens of this town, I implore you to leave this matter to me!

I swear on my life that I will rescue that child without a single scratch!

“Uh... huh?”

“See? They’re probably just too confused by the sudden turn of events.”

It’s all right.

This town has probably been peaceful for so long that no one knows how to deal with a real crisis like this.

“The guy who caused the chaos is now offering to fix the chaos. That’s some next-level irony. No wonder everyone’s brains short-circuited.”

Hush, Veil.

We need to focus on preparing to rescue the hostage.

Looking at the thief, he’s on edge, clearly cornered.

Even the slightest provocation could set him off, and we can’t risk that happening while the child is in danger.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Yeah, what do we do?”

Veil and the town’s soldiers ask in unison. Ah, how delightful, hoh-hoh-ho.

Watch and learn! The mighty Lifeless King has a trick up his sleeve.

I scan the area, searching for something useful.

Aha! Just what I need.

“You there, craftsman!”

“Eeep! Y-Yes, sir?!”

He looks terrified, but fear not! I mean no harm.

Now, let’s see…

“This paint you’re using—it’s black, right?”

“Y-Yes...?”

Perfect.

Without further ado, I remove my robe.

My beloved robe is a pristine white, but not for long.

I dunk it right into the black paint!

“WHAT?!”

“What is that pseudo-corpse doing?! Has he lost his mind?!”

Oh, Veil, even you don’t see it? My brilliant plan?

Now, my robe is completely black.

Time to put it back on. Behold!

I now look just like any ordinary priest!

“Of course! If anyone else approaches, they might spook the thief, but if it’s a priest, a man of God, the thief will surely lower his guard!”

“What quick thinking! What genius!”

Hmhmhm, some of the townspeople are starting to catch on.

Fear not, everyone! I, the Lifeless King, shall save the child, even if it costs me my undead life!

“...Uh, didn’t that robe belong to you when you were the Archbishop? So… you were already a priest. You didn’t really need to change it at all, right?”