The Demon King's Paladin Part 1 Vol 2.

Chapter 303. Accepting Requests

" So... You're asking me to take in your wife... Ms. Victoria... And your daughter, Kim? But are you really sure? I mean, do you really want to put all of your faith in your last wish to a stranger like me? I know I'm a Paladin, but you've never even had a conversation with me before?"

After making sure that I understood what it was Patrick was asking of me, I made sure to repeat it to him. Once I did, he began to nod his head.

" Wait, you're going to look after a widow and her daughter, My Love?"

" Darling, what is this that you're speaking about?"

For some reason, I felt a strange pressure at my back that was worse than when the God Of The Blackwoods had appeared earlier in the night... Wait, there's a third source of pressure, where is that coming from? I looked behind me, only to see my wives' pouting while looking at me... And there was Princess Alice... She was staring strangely at me now, but was it her? Maybe she thinks I'd cheat on Sarah? But I won't. She should be able to tell what kind of guy I am by now, right? Regardless, before Sarah and Anna begin to imagine anything weird, I better explain.

" Basically, Victor is here, along with his Father and another person, who we'll get to after this, I imagine... Anyways, his father, Patrick, has asked me to take in his wife and daughter. He wants me to give his wife a job so she and her daughter can live comfortably, after he moves on. This seems to be his last request. Can you pull back on the strange pressure now? Now then, My lovely Wives, who I love deeply and who I would never dishonor, has the explanation been satisfactory?"

It seems that my explanation was good enough for them, or maybe it was from me saying how I love them deeply. With both of my wives now in a better mood, I turned back to Patrick and Victor and waited for Patrick's reaction to my questions earlier.

" You're well-loved aren't you, Lord Paladin?"

" Just call me Matthew, there's no reason you should be stuck following the rules now."

Patrick seemed taken aback, Victor just shrugged his shoulders at his dad, and the woman, smiled. While we haven't actually been introduced, I have a sneaking suspicion I know who she is. Regardless, Patrick seemed to accept my offer as he began to talk to me again.

" Well, then Matthew, I understand that this is a lot to go on, you don't know me from a hole in the wall after all. But my family... I've been at my home since my death... It's not good. My wife, she used to be so full of life, now she can't even step out of our front door. My daughter, she was so... Energetic... Now, she struggles to even smile. The only time they show any emotion is when they're crying together because they don't know where we both are. They think we abandoned them. So, why am I asking you? It's because you're the only one I can turn to. You can hear my voice; you can help me speak to them and let them say goodbye. And you're also the only one who can help them when I'm gone."

Victor was finding it hard to hear Patrick speak, he was turning away from us so we couldn't see his face. Patrick was barely holding it together. The pain in his voice is hard to bear. I made a decision before he even finished speaking. Flashes of my own memories being stuck in my room after my parents were gone went through my head as he spoke about his wife and daughter.

" Okay. I'll help you... Help them... Let us handle this first with Baron Fracks and his family, then we'll go to your home... For what it's worth, I'm not going to say that he's completely blameless in all this, but his mind was weakened from the loss of his wife, the true enemy, the God we just finished fighting, he's the one you should really blame for what happened. He preyed on his grief-stricken mind and eventually, he was able to assume control over him."

The range of emotions that Patrick and Victor showed on their faces were all quite broad. I didn't know how else to tell them the information. I gave them a moment to really absorb what I had said. While they did that, I turned to the woman who was patiently waiting for Patrick and Victor to say their piece to me.

" Lady Cindra, that is your name, right?"

The woman nodded to my words. I found it somewhat strange to see her here. In a way, her death was the beginning of the spiral that caused this entire situation. She was a very beautiful Demon. Her long flowing orange hair was eye catching and her 4 red eyes seemed to be full of warmth, like a mother watching over her children. Even with all of that, I could see it, behind the warmth, she was terribly sad. Why wouldn't she? Her children are crying over their dying father, her husband. And the lands she worked so hard to govern well with her husband were all ruined from the battle. Black and green plants and their viscera were scattered all around what looked like an arid dessert from the ground's nutrients being absorbed by whatever spell the God Of The Blackwoods's used. Ripped limbs and corpses of Demons were also all around the place from the plants that had attacked the small army we had gathered. The reason why the Counts were so slow to join the fight along with Sarah, Anna, Princess Alice and I was because they were busy protecting the town and saving as many lives as they could from those demonic plants. Even with all of these reasons running through my head, I'm sure that Lady Cindra had even more reasons running through her mind. Yet she still had the strength to speak to me with the dignity befitting a lifelong Demon Noble.

" Yes, that's who I am, Matthew."

Lady Cindra took a deep breath after responding to me, then someone else asked me a question.

" Wait! Lady Cindra is here as well!?"

Princess Alice was shocked at me saying Lady Cindra's name. I nodded my head to her. I looked to see what Sarah and Anna were thinking as well... They seemed to just slowly inching closer to me for some reason. I'm sure that's just my imagination, so I should return to the conversation with Lady Cindra. I turned back to her, and she continued to speak to me.

" Thank you for protecting this land and its people.... And for saving my children time and time again during this battle."

" I didn't do it alone; we all had a part to play. In the end, you could say that it was your family that ended this entire battle. You 3 were watching the battle, weren't you?"

" Yes, we did. Still, you are the reason that my daughter was freed from being a hostage. My son was dying, and you healed him from that terrible cut from that evil creature. And to top it all off, you've given our family and friends a chance to say goodbye to My Husband properly. I don't think I could thank you enough for this."

She bowed her head to me after she finished speaking. It felt strange to me that I was being thanked by someone who was a stranger. It's quite a different reaction to me than what Zana had done since I arrived here. Regardless, I didn't want Lady Cindra to continue bowing while we spoke, so I quickly asked her to raise her head.

" I accept your thanks, but please, you can stop bowing now."

" Of course."

She smiled as she stood back up straight. Now that her thanks were all out of the way, we could finally move on to the main reason she was here along with Patrick and Victor. I guess it would be better for me to ask her instead of the other way around... Especially because Patrick had just asked something of me as well.

" Lady Cindra, you've come here with Patrick and Victor for a reason, right? What is it that you wanted my help with?"

She seemed surprised that I said that. She returned a smile to me before responding to my question.

" To think someone so young could piece together that I had an ulterior motive. Not bad, you may just have a knack for being a Noble after all, Matthew."

It seems I made a good impression somehow. After letting her compliment sit with me for a minute, Lady Cindra finally gave me an answer to my question.

" I want you to interpret my words to my family, before My Husband and I leave for whatever is next for us. Can you do that for me?"

This was a little less surprising than what Patrick had asked me. I also thought that it would be something like this. Since it shouldn't be much of an issue, I nodded my head to her request.

" Thank you... So very, very much."

Again, Lady Cindra smiled, but the smile was filled with an emotion that I didn't understand.