Part 1: Fate
The sun had already climbed high into the sky, casting a bright morning light across the state-like expanse of the capital area.
Haruto wakes up late today, his eyes slowly opening to the quiet safety of his room.
After shaking off the lingering weight of sleep, Haruto decided to go for a walk to clear his mind.
He left his quarters and began walking through the bustling, wide stone streets of the city.
The morning air was crisp, but as he moved deeper into the urban center, a loud murmur of voices began to echo from the avenues ahead.
Turning a corner, Haruto suddenly saw a heavy, crowded people's gathering packed tightly into one place.
A large wooden stage had been erected in the center of the square, drawing a massive audience.
Standing prominently on the stage, Princess Ariel was actively giving a speech to the public.
The surrounding crowd was completely full of slums peoples, their faces worn and marked by years of harsh living conditions.
"My people, I understand your conditions," Princess Ariel says, her voice projecting across the open square.
"But for me, it is incredibly hard to instantly help every single one of you at the exact same time."
"However, I am trying my absolute best to give you the proper things you desperately need."
"Food."
"Houses."
"And a decent lifestyle."
"We are constantly working to make sure your life becomes significantly better," Princess Ariel says, her hands extended toward the crowd in an appeal for patience.
On the other hand, the gathered slum peoples were not comforted by her words, actively protesting against her on the spot.
Loud shouts and angry remarks rippled through the gathering, stating that she is doing absolutely nothing for them in reality.
They shouted back at the stage, claiming she didn't do anything impressive or visible to change their daily suffering.
And they were openly saying she is worthless and useless as a leader.
The voice of the crowd grew louder, repeating that she has done nothing tangible for them since taking power.
Hearing the harsh, synchronized backlash, Princess Ariel feels nervous behind the wooden podium.
She saw everyone protesting against her authority, their angry gazes fixed upon the stage.
Under the immense weight of their hostility, she become afraid for a moment, her hands trembling slightly.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her fluttering heart.
Then she again started saying that they need to trust her, promising that she would definitely do something impactful for them soon.
But the angry peoples still kept saying the exact same thing, drowning out her voice with their protests.
As Haruto stood at the edge of the square watching the political friction, Ken suddenly comes up to him from behind.
"So you finally wake up," Ken says, his deep voice muffled behind his heavy knight helmet.
"Yeah, I did," Haruto says casually, before gesturing toward the chaotic stage.
"But didn't you think you should stand by her side right now?"
"As so many people are actively protesting against her in the open," Haruto says.
"No needed, let's go anywhere else," Ken says simply, turning his helmed head away.
Haruto looks at Ariel one last time as she struggled to maintain order on the stage, and then he goes away from the crowd alongside the armored knight.
As they walked down a quieter, parallel street away from the noise, Ken says.
"About to stand by her side right now, it's not actually necessary."
"As the ruling princess of this kingdom, she absolutely have to face these structural conflicts on her own."
"And she also should adapt to handling these heavy problems by herself."
"If I always stand by her side to protect her from words, then she would learn nothing about true leadership."
"And she will always depend heavily on me to bail her out," Ken explained.
Haruto replied with a calm, analytical tone.
"If that's truly the case behind your actions, then it's okay to say."
"But what's actually the root problem with the slums, and why are things like this?"
Ken paused in his tracks for a second, the dark slit of his visor staring into the distance before he says.
"If I have to tell you the story from the very beginning, then it goes exactly like that."
Point of View of Ken
When I was a mere 5 years old.
I already have become a protective elder brother.
But during that harsh time period, I was living deep in the absolute poverty of the slums.
That time, the Fate kingdom's economic conditions were very bad and unstable.
We sometimes have to go completely hungry for a full week without a single scrap of bread.
Then, we could just sit in the dirt and hope that by some miracle, the royal castle would distribute some leftover food to the public.
Shortly after giving birth to my younger brother, the pressure became too much.
My father and mother both tragically died due to severe hunger.
That time, fully one-third of the entire population living in the slums dies due to starvation and lack of resources.
And because of the constant death, the people also lost the hope of living altogether.
Seeing the bodies in the streets, I wanted to die as well, wanting to give up entirely.
But when I turned my head and saw the fragile face of my younger brother.
I made a choice, and I started to live solely for him.
I started to teach myself how to fight, learning how to throw punches and swing blades in the dark alleys.
And to keep us alive, I used to steal food directly from the castle supplies.
And because of the heavy guards, I have to do it completely secretly.
And if someone accidentally finds me stealing food in the dark.
I showed no mercy on them, and I used to kill them on the spot before they could alert the guard.
I felt no remorse, because I deeply hate all of them.
I thoroughly hate the all castle peoples who lived in luxury while we starved.
And that's exactly how I somehow managed to feed my younger brother day after day.
And also feed myself to maintain my strength.
I was incredibly selfish that time.
But I truly don't care about anyone else's survival that time.
I don't share a single piece of the stolen food with anyone else in the slums.
The food I steal was all mine and my brother's alone.
If any desperate person tries to forced me to share our food.
I killed them ruthlessly by ripping their head right off their shoulders.
And then, one fateful day, my luck ran out and I was caught by the elite Fate knights while stealing food from the royal storehouse.
They overpowered me, captured my body, and sent me straight into a dark prison cell.
Because of my violent record, the high officials decided to execute me immediately.
As at the mere age of 12 years old.
My confirmed kill count was already at 400 people.
That's why the military hierarchy saw me as a massive, untamable threat to the kingdom.
That time, the reigning king was Princess Ariel's father.
He looked at my records and decided to execute me without delay.
But during the trial, something entirely unexpected happened.
Princess Ariel requested her father to show some Mercy on me.
I was totally shocked that time, sitting in my chains.
It was the very first time a royal person shows any form of genuine kindness towards me.
After a lot of persistent requests from the young princess.
They finally agreed to leave me alive, commuting my death sentence.
I was totally shocked by the outcome.
As I was leaving the castle gates as a free person, still processing my survival.
Then Princess Ariel suddenly comes walking up to me.
And without a word, she slaps me hard across the face.
She stared into my eyes and told me that.
It's not good, the terrible things you did to survive.
But you can still change, I truly believed that you can.
You should work hard to proved my father wrong about your execution.
And I want you to give me a firm promise right now that you will become a good person, and also become my loyal personal knight in the future.
That time, hearing her bold words, I felt something completely different stirring in my heart.
Like I just get a brand new, definitive goal for my life.
And with that vow in mind, I returned to the slums to check on my household.
But when I arrived at our shack, I saw my younger brother lying bloodied on the ground.
While I was away, other desperate slum people tried to steal our remaining hidden food supplies.
My brother tries his best to stop them from taking our livelihood.
But they brutally beat my brother with sticks and rocks without mercy.
And he was very severely injured, his breathing shallow.
I ran forward and hold him tightly in my hands, panicking.
"Please, please hold on, you are the only one that I have left in this world," I cried.
"And you are the only thing that keeps me alive and motivated me to live."
"I live only for you," I says, my voice breaking.
My heavy weep drop directly onto his pale face.
At that exact moment, the sky darkened and it started to rain heavily, washing away the blood on the ground.
My dying younger brother looked up at me and weakly replied.
"Stay alive for me... big brother."
He took his very last breath.
He died right there in my hands.
But as I sat in the rain, I don't feel a sudden urge for blind fury or guilt.
I clearly understood it's all my fault for leaving him unprotected, and that vengeance would solve nothing.
I don't go for bloody revenge against the neighbors.
Instead, I firmly decided to completely change myself like I promised the princess.
From that very day onward.
I stole a giant, heavy iron sword from a blacksmith, which was officially my last robbery.
Then, I isolated myself and started to intensely train myself in swordsmanship.
And I do brutal training for 15 hours a day without fail.
And I did backbreaking hardwork until my muscles tore and my body completely refused to move.
During that long time period of training.
I eventually get a sudden news about Princess Ariel from the city travelers.
Her father, the king, had tragically died of illness.
And since her mother had died before her actual birth, she was left entirely alone.
Now, she suddenly becomes the sovereign princess of the Fate kingdom at a very young age.
She took the throne at the mere age of 12.
I was that time 17 years old.
I deeply realized that she also lost many precious things in her life, just like I did.
I regularly saw her from the distance during her royal processions.
As a young age where every normal child should enjoy their life in play.
Princess Ariel's daily life was entirely filled with immense political pressure and constant public criticism.
All though, despite being so incredibly young.
She done a lot of great things for the kingdom's infrastructure.
She successfully stabilized many broken things for the kingdom.
And she also helps the slums people a lot by establishing feeding lines.
That's why her exceptional maturity cause the Fate kingdom to rise rapidly in structural development and economically.
I was in complete shock and admiration.
She become a true Idol to me.
And so, I worked twice as hard for her sake, and when she finally turns 18 years old.
I entered the official open exam for the princess Knight selection.
I passed every single combat and tactical exam with perfect scores.
And I successfully become her personal knight.
I was that time 23 years old.
When I knelt before her, she still distinctly remembers me.
And she vividly remembers I was the exact same lawless guy who almost got executed years ago.
Now, seeing my armor, she felt incredibly happy that I have finally become a good person.
And she was proud that I kept her ancient promise to become her knight.
Part 2: Normal Flow
The narrative point of view again goes to normal as Ken finishes speaking.
"All though, even after she has done a lot of great work for the kingdom."
"Still, many people suffered a lot in the lower tiers."
"But I don't blame her actions at all."
"She is trying her absolute best every day."
"And to completely remove the presence of the slums entirely would naturally take many years of work."
"So I am not worried about her current struggle on the stage."
"I firmly believe she could do it and win them over," Ken says with absolute conviction.
"That's nice."
"It's a great story, actually," Haruto says, acknowledging the knight's past with a small nod.
"Okay, I am going back to her side now, because I am afraid if the crowd gets too wild, anyone started to attack at her," Ken says, adjusting his gauntlets.
Haruto also byed Ken, waving his hand as the knight walked back toward the square.
Then, Haruto goes alone towards a local market street to continue his walk.
As he strolled past the stalls, he saw a vibrant flower shop displaying colorful blooms.
And he saw a person standing in a short distance, staring intently at the flower shop employee.
Haruto finds the behavior highly suspicious, his analytical eyes narrowing.
He goes directly towards him and asked him what he was doing.
The person become deeply afraid at first by the sudden confrontation, stuttering, then he quickly tell everything to Haruto.
Actually, that person's name is Koi.
And he is a regular active Fate knight.
And he happens to have a massive crush on one of the female employees working at the flower shop.
So he is just trying to find out should he go up to her and ask her to go on a date or something similar, lacking the courage.
"I can easily help you with that problem, but you also have to help me in return," Haruto says, forming a plan.
"If you could actually help me talk to her, then sure, I will gladly help you if I could," Koi says, desperate for assistance.
Haruto nods, then goes directly towards the flower shop counter and smoothly talks with that specific girl that Koi was talking about.
Then, out of no way, after a few calculated words from Haruto.
That girl leaves her post and goes straight towards the nervous Koi.
And they both started to talk with smiles on their faces.
Seeing the plan succeed, Haruto decided to leave them alone for now so he would later talk with Koi about the favor.
But just as he turned to walk away, a small girl from inside the flower shop ran out and hugged Haruto tightly.
Haruto saw her face and instantly realized it's the exact same small girl from the chapter 30.
And it was the very same girl Haruto had brought flowers from during his earlier time in the city.
She talk with Haruto for a long time, her eyes bright with excitement.
She was very happy that Haruto comes here to visit the shop again.
She likes Haruto very much as a person.
Haruto also kinda likes her a bit in return, because her innocent demeanor strongly reminds Haruto of his own younger brother.
Haruto felt kinda good inside, experiencing a rare moment of comfort.
And to support the shop, Haruto also brought some fresh flowers from that shop.
And then, Haruto goes back towards Koi, who was now standing by the street corner.
And Koi was very happy and ecstatic that the girl is completely ready to go for a date with him.
And now, keeping his end of the bargain, Koi asked what Haruto wanted from him as a favor.
Haruto asked for one specific thing.
A reliable horse for a ride on a specific day in the near future.
"Okay, sure! Whenever you need it, just talk with me in the castle courtyard by asking my name," Koi says gratefully.
"Okay," Haruto says simply.
Haruto then turned away, walking down the street as he thought to himself.
"Now the plan is almost perfect."
"Just I need a little more time to build comfort with her," Haruto thought, his mind shifting back to the cathedral.