Who Wants to be a Hero? I Just Want to Farm in Peace with my Knight

Chapter 16: Thinking of You

"Your Majesty, Sir Keyne is here to request a meeting." An elderly man said as he approached the king.

"Sir Keyne? Let him in. I've been wanting to speak with him myself." The King said with a smile.

The man elegantly turned and headed out of the room. The next moment, Sir Keyne entered alone.

"Your Majesty, I'd like to discuss some important matters." Keyne said politely.

"We also have a lot we wish to discuss with you." The king said with an eager expression. He had heard about Sora from Archmage Galen, his Queen, and his daughter but the one who spent the most time with Sora was Keyne. He was curious what his Commander of the Palace Knights thought of the man they had summoned.

"What would you like to know." Keyne asked. Setting his own matters aside for the moment.

"We've been wanting to know what you think about Sir Sora?"

"He is an amazing individual with a kind heart, but who seems to have suffered many injustices in his life. I can't say what they are, but when speaking about certain topics he sometimes shows a deep melancholy. A look I often saw at the orphanage." Keyne said as he thought of the time spent with Sora.

  Sora might have thought he was hiding it well, but Keyne had been watching him carefully. He didn't miss the unease or sadness Sora felt when speaking about his life in his old world or worse when others asked him to remain in the Capital. Sometimes when he was shown kindness his guard would go up. These were similar to how children who suffered abuse, or some form of injustice acted at the orphanage.

"Do you believe his life in his own world was one of suffering?" The king wondered. He had felt guilty for summoning Sora because of the accusation that it was an abduction, but if Sora was suffering then one could say they saved him.

"No, I believe Sora may have suffered when he was a child. What kind of suffering and for how long I couldn't say. But he gets very sensitive when discussing freedom."

"What do you mean?" The king asked.

"When his 'freedom' is threatened he has difficulty relaxing. For example when he is asked to remain here at the Capital. He clearly doesn't like the idea of being unable to live on his own terms in a place of his choosing."

"Why do you think that is?" The king asked curiously.

"I cannot say. All I can say is that Sir Sora only wishes to live quietly." Keyne said.

"We hoped that after living here he might be more willing to aid us. The fact he came from a more technologically advanced world seemed useful for the development of our kingdom, but if you believe he'd prefer to remain anonymous things might not be so." The king admitted.

"I don't believe he intends to simply spend the rest of his life farming, but if he is requested to do anything he might perceive it more as a command and show reluctance. It's best to watch from afar and not interfere in his life." Keyne noted. He had heard Sora mumbling about being a craftsmen at some point but he planned to keep it a secret for the time being.

"We understand and we will do our best to keep the others away from Sir Sora. Even so he may still be approached by those with ulterior motives." The king warned. He was kind and gentle, but that did not mean he was a fool. As king he understood the inner workings of the court and nobles better than anyone.

"In regards to Sir Sora's safety, I have come here with a request." Keyne said as he tried to steer the conversation towards his goal.

"Request, that's right you came to discuss something with us. What is it?" The king said.