As soon as the knocking woke him, the man sat up and forced his mind into a state of alertness.
"... Sir?"
The Paladin inhaled deeply before answering through the door, his mouth irritatingly dry.
"I'm awake, thank you."
As the footsteps of his maid got quieter and quieter before disappearing entirely, Gustav Montagnés stretched with a yawn. His room was lit only dimly by the first light of dawn, and chilly in a way that made his luxurious bed seem even more delightfully inviting. But now was not the time to rest. The Paladin-Captain was still in deep sleep less than 30 seconds ago, but was already forcing himself to stand up and start dressing, just like every morning. Well, every morning he didn't have company.
Waking up this readily was as much a feat of discipline as it was a testament to how many times Gustav was forced to fall asleep clutching his sword's hilt, mouthing desperate prayers. Prayers to the old Four Gods. Prayers that he would wake up to the rising sun, and not a dagger in his throat. Prayers for the whole delegation's safety. Prayers that they would succeed in finding foreign aid to repel Jaldabaoth.
In the end, all those prayers proved worthless.
It wasn't the Four Gods' intervention that saved his homeland. It was an entirely new God.
It wasn't the False Four Gods' intervention that kept the delegation safe. It was the downright suicidal scouting missions conducted by an extraordinary squire. Missions that always made Gustav wonder if she was really that prodigiously brave, or just ready to die.
Her Holiness always stood out for one reason or another, didn't she? If only Gustav could've recognised her potential. Not that anybody could possibly predict just how much she would achieve, just how high she would rise above them all. Every single day, the Paladin struggled with feeling as if he was in some sort of dream. The living Goddess who could move the hearts of so many, the Hero of Kalinsha, the eternal wife of Ainz Ooal Gown... How could she be the same sweet girl Pabel the Black was known to go so soft over? The same girl who often failed to mask the sound of her weeping as the delegation gathered around warm campfires. The same girl who was so often singled out, and even bullied by the former Captain. The same girl Gustav felt he had to defend from this bullying.
It was difficult to reconcile these two sides to Neia Baraja. It was difficult to think of the two women as the same person.
It seemed Gustav was also absorbed by endless thoughts of 'what if?'. What if Her Holiness hadn't considered Gustav's attempts at helping enough, and decided to take revenge on him upon securing power? What if he never had the decency to step in and help reign in Remedios' anger? Would Her Holiness have lost the will to fight and given up altogether? What if Her Holiness didn't survive the war? What if he had the decency to help more, to try to understand better?
... Once fully dressed in something befitting his status, Gustav sought the nearest pitcher of water. After that, it would be time to feed his two bunnia some treats. And definitely cuddle them, too.
And then, it would be time to put on several more layers. It snowed again tonight. Thinking about that made Gustav envy his pets, whose fur grew to adapt to the season on its own.
... ...
The royal palace of Hoburns was in a rather strange, uncertain position. After Roble had fully united with the Sorcerer Kingdom, it was expected that Her Holiness would make the palace her own. Although it may or may not have made for a powerful symbolic statement, the High Priestess refused, and so the massive and opulent castle complex now mostly served administrative or ceremonial purposes, as well as something of a headquarters for the Paladins.
Making his way through one of the outer courtyards, Gustav spotted several groups of squires honing their swordsmanship by sparring in the fresh snow.
The Captain had come to see it all as a bit of a farce.
What were they even training for? A single Death Knight matched the late Remedios Custodio in her prime. The Order wasn't even worth factoring in when considering the Sorcerer Kingdom's military power. And Roble was fanatically devoted now, so the Paladins weren't even good as props for Her Holiness to surround herself with in an attempt to expand the faith. At this point, Gustav felt the Paladins still trained and recruited just for the sake of it.
Such recruits were sometimes victims of their ignorance. Not that anyone could blame them. It felt as if almost every batch had at least one person ask about the former Captain. At that point, they would only be told something vague about Custodio being a great warrior, a patriot who bravely and selflessly fought against Jaldabaoth's invasion before dying suddenly in an accident. It was another thing that made Gustav ask himself all sorts of questions, and it probably would for the rest of his life.
Would Custodio be content with the silencing of her true opinions regarding His Majesty? Or would she refuse such a state of affairs, even at the cost of being remembered as a most foul heretic? What if it was all revealed earlier, before Her Holiness's gospel took such a strong hold of Roble's people? Would it have stifled the faith's growth? If so, to what extent?
...
Even though Gustav could of course enjoy private meals, he was currently heading to one of the palace's several large dining halls to eat with Lishka alongside her lower ranked peers.
The squire had insisted that their romance's impact on her schedule would be minimal. Lishka had a great deal of pride despite her rather timid temperament; she was determined to complete her training and become a fully-fledged Paladin based on her own merit, to earn independence and respect without any shortcuts, something she would almost certainly succeed in by next winter.
Turning a corner, Gustav spotted his lover standing near the large double door which was open for most of the day, allowing any passers-by view of the dining hall's feasting and talking occupants. The two exchanged warm smiles before playfully waving to each other across the great hallway. She was alone, as usual. She didn't really have anyone else to talk to, except some scarce remaining family.
... ...
The Paladin-Captain sat down at his luxurious office's desk with a quick exhalation before immediately reaching for the first document of today's stack.
... After a few quiet minutes of reading the multi-page report, Gustav put a hand to his chin. It was unusual for a relatively minor incident of a single guard's excessive use of force to gain much public attention. But since there were dozens of people publicly disagreeing with this former lawman's prison sentence, it might be in the church's interest to investigate it as a concern regarding public relations. Quickly skimming the whole thing again, this Vincent Sartori seemed like had some respectable accomplishments early on in Jaldabaoth's invasion, and the specific altercation leading to disciplinary action began as a verbal one. Gustav concluded that the church would most likely exaggerate how much the civilian provoked Sartori, and use his status as a veteran to greatly lighten his punishment, though at least a symbolic one would be unavoidable. While putting the document aside onto a hereby created 'forward to the church' pile without leaving any official statement of his own, the Paladin also thought about a name attached to most of the reports.
'Mattia Aiello... Where have I heard that before?... Ah, right. Aiello had a nasty kick and was a funny drunk, turning into a sort of mentor figure about things he clearly had no idea about. We both had the same rank back then, huh? Good times. Is he the one that got married last summer? Or was that Zornhut?'
With an amused nod, the Captain returned to present. The next document was a standard report on last month's expenses. With a sigh, Gustav mentally prepared to stare at large numbers.
…
Hello again! Oops, another super short chapter! I didn't even think I'd release anything like this but then I suddenly had several Gustav ideas, so think of it as an unplanned bonus while I continue preparing the next proper-length one! Unfortunately I don't think I'll manage it just yet, so the end of the year is a better estimate for its release. Thank you for your patience and feedback! :3