The Midnight Leave: What It Means to Be Human

“Come on. Let’s get out, while we can.”

As the traitor turned away and the Monsters began to follow him, “Axis Demkil” started to give chase after he swiftly recovered his helmet to put it back on, but Head Captain Zeke Waldhart stood as an obstacle that blocked his path.

“Are you actually letting them get away?!”

Waldhart answered “Axis” as if he was disinterested in the question, but his tone became austere as he continued to berate him.

“I already told you that correcting your behavior is my biggest priority at the moment. In fact, you’ve proven yourself to be more of a danger to us all than any Monster! First, you blatantly disobey orders and rush ahead of the rest of us, and then you unleash an attack that could have wiped us all out along with the forest!”

“I was facing the Storm of Destruction, who had wiped out the Fifth Squad all on his own! I couldn’t afford to hold back!”

“Yet, you held something back, didn’t you?! You were about to unleash something even more devastating before I interrupted, weren’t you?!”

“Axis” fell to silence upon those questions, closing his lips tightly as if to seal them shut. Hiding his face and keeping secrets from his own allies proved to the Head Captain that the Slayer could not be trusted.

“Anyway, we wouldn’t have stood a chance against Nexus alone, fighting along with someone as reckless as yourself. It’s even more dangerous now, with him involved.”

“Do you mean that traitor...? You know who he is, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. He’s my former Vice-captain, after all. I haven’t heard or seen anything regarding him at all this past year, so I thought that he might not have survived that incident, but tonight has proven that is not the case. We have to cancel our search and reconsider our approach.”

“Hold on…” Suddenly, “Axis’s” tone changed as he confronted Waldhart, “did you say that he was your Vice-captain?! Is that the reason why you allowed his escape, and why you won’t chase them now?!”

“Don’t be foolish,” Waldhart responded bluntly. “I didn’t allow their escape. I decided that chasing after them was too risky while you were amongst our ranks. Now, we’ll be heading back to make our reports to the King.”

With that, the Head Captain turned away from “Axis,” heading back towards the path out of the forest and towards the capital. “Axis” glared as he begrudgingly followed, muttering under his breath.

“Oh yes… I’ll make sure Father gets a fully detailed report…”

#

Half a day later, the search party returned to Demkil’s capital, Akira, with zero casualties, but ultimately failed at their objective of recapturing Nexus. The captains included in the search party gave their reports to the King in his throne hall first, and then “Axis Demkil” provided his details last, expecting his father’s perspective to be skewed against him.

The throne hall was quite large; according to what “Axis” heard, the castle had just recently had its repairs finished, so he couldn’t help but wonder if it was always so large, or if it had been expanded during the process. Perhaps because of that, the thrown hall was barely decorated as well, as the ceiling and walls were bare and grey, matching the marble-tiled floor and the black carpets across it. The only thing truly decorative was the throne itself, which seemed well cushioned as the King sat upon it comfortably, but the shining silver seat also seemed out of place.

There was nothing else to look at in such a boring room, and “Axis” was getting more impatient as he waited to hear his father’s thoughts on what had taken place, but before he could prompt a response, the King suddenly stood and stepped down from his throne.

“Come walk with me, son.”

“Axis” nodded while expecting a walk around the castle, but scrambled into his helmet when he realized that the King meant a walk throughout the city. Akira was definitely the grandest of all the cities of Demkil. Well, in truth, the capital was really the only city, with its large buildings made of brick and stone, and the bustling people, as the remaining areas were smaller towns and villages, with buildings made of wood and less of a population. There was an obvious decrease in wealth the farther from the capital one ventured, with the only exceptions being places like Swinger’s estate, where Demkil’s investors and supporters, as well as other Nobles who chose to live outside of the capital for reasons, owned their own territories on Demkil’s outskirts.

As they walked by the citizens, “Axis” expected to hear applause and cheers spread out upon recognition of the King, but once again, his expectations were betrayed. When people did notice the King, they silently bowed before going back to their business, and it almost seemed as if they were forcing themselves just to make that light gesture. Upon closer inspection, there were people who noticed the King from a distance, out of direct eyesight. Until “Axis” turned towards them, they were staring, if not glaring with contempt. The Slayer was tempted to call them out, but before he could, the King suddenly addressed him.

“According to the Captains’ reports, you acted hastily and endangered your fellow knights. Is that right, Axis?”

“But Father… I mean, Your Majesty, I have already explained my actions in my report. More importantly, what about Waldhart allowing Nexus to escape with the traitor? Isn’t it clear from his act that he may still be attached, and how that may hinder his responsibilities for his position?”

“We’re not talking about the Head Captain’s actions, but yours, Axis. You’re rushing to prove yourself, and if you keep this up, you’ll only prove to be a nuisance. It was clearly too early to get you involved with Nexus.”

“Axis” wanted to argue, but restrained himself in consideration of the fact that they were in public, and the King’s reputation already seemed to be in a poor state. The King seemed to approve as he continued with a lighter tone.

“Worry not. I did not expect immediate success from you, so I am not disappointed. I understand that you saw an opportunity to display your skills and didn’t want to hesitate. I also understand that you believed you had a better chance against Nexus on your own, and that the traitor’s sudden arrival was the main factor that prevented your victory.”

“Then…!”

“However,” King Demetrius spoke more sternly as he cut off the Slayer’s interjection, “I still must agree with the Head Captain’s assessment. You were not as prepared as you thought you were, and you underestimated and undervalued your allies. You should know that one of the most important requirements for being a model Slayer is compliance. Someday, you will become the Hero of Demkil and succeed me somewhere in time, but for now, you are still a neophyte at best. When superiors give you orders, it’s because they have already crafted a strategy for handling an incident, but acting on your own accord can ruin everything. From now on, you will follow the orders of your superiors without question, understood?”

“Yes, Sire…”

After nodding solemnly, “Axis” kept his head low in vexation. Of course, the King wasn’t done with his lecture just yet.

“Surely, you’ve noticed it. Even though I am their King, the people treat me with so little regard, just enough to act politely to my face at least. It’s very clear that I am disliked, and do you know why?”

Rather than answering the question, “Axis” spoke his thoughts aloud as he randomly recalled the unpleasant memory.

“‘Shirley…’”

“What was that?”

“No, I mean… My apologies, Sire, but I do not know why.”

“Listen carefully, son: if you wish to be praised as a hero by the people, you have to consider the consequences of your actions and choices. The Head Captain was upset with you because you disregarded him and the rest of the party, just as the people are angry with me because I have ignored their pleas for the past year.”

“I thought that the Head Captain was angry because I wouldn’t show him my face or explain my power.”

“He was upset about that as well, but you were doing as I instructed in that case. I have focused everything on finding a way to defeat Nexus and preparing for the arrival of more Fourth Tier Monsters, or even those above that level, that I could not focus on any of the people’s concerns. Instead, I focused on building... No, raising you up, along with setting up other measures for the sake of Demkil’s future. Nonetheless, people remain unsatisfied as their feelings and thoughts are left unheard.”

At some point during the lecture, they had returned to the castle, walking through the beautifully colored garden. Since they had returned to a more private location, “Axis” spoke more freely.

“But Father, I don’t understand… If they at least understand that what you’re doing is for their sake, then why should their feelings or thoughts even matter? As long is Nexus is slain and Demkil remains standing, they should be thankful.”

“I don’t disagree, but the positions that we have is more dependent on appearance rather than intention. Consider this one of the many inconsistencies of this world; ‘where there is benevolence, there is malevolence.’ Even if your actions will save people as a whole eventually, they’ll count them all as atrocities if they have to suffer any losses as a result. That’s just how we Humans are…”