Ch.5555. Out of Necessity (1)

The rain fortunately stopped a day after we departed. Thanks to that, our return to the capital was very smooth. Before leaving Evernode, there was only one order from the royal palace: when we reached the vicinity of the capital, we were not to enter immediately but to stay in a nearby town and send word to the palace.

So we were waiting in a town about two hours by horse from the capital, for permission from the palace or other communication. Since it was a small town without many people, and we couldn’t freely show our faces, we rented a room at an inn and just sat around. As a bonus, we tried every possible game with the playing cards Daphne had brought from somewhere.

“Why didn’t they tell us to return right away?”

Daphne muttered as she drew a card from Marianne’s hand. This game was Old Maid. I drew the card at the very end without much thought, then held out my hand to the person next to me.

“It must be for the victory parade. How they stage the hero’s triumphant return will affect morale.”

Leonard, a knight who had gone north with us, said as he drew from my hand. The joker in my hand moved to Leonard’s. The other knights who had been dispatched with us from the capital remained in Evernode to complete their deployment period, and only Leonard was traveling with us to report back.

“The people of the capital will complain about having another victory parade so soon after the last one.”

When I made this joke, George snorted a laugh beside me, nodded, and then let out a long sigh. He seemed to be recalling old memories. Or maybe he’d drawn the joker.

“The last victory parade was difficult. There was internal discord during the process of catching the Kraken. We had to put on a show of being a harmonious party of heroes while we were completely at odds with each other—what a headache.”

George shook his head as if disgusted.

“Watching you and Aryen was like walking on thin ice, Ilroy.”

“…I suppose it was like that back then.”

The reason George could only watch the conflict between Ilroy and Aryen was simple. It was a fight that couldn’t be stopped from the beginning. There could be no compromise in the face of a calamity that could destroy the world, and they could only debate the quantity of deaths.

“Well, this time I can participate in the victory parade with a much lighter heart.”

George, who had only one card left in his hand, dusted off his hands and stood up. How many times has he won now? Between getting possessed by the alcohol spirit and drinking heavily last time, he might actually be the one who enjoys himself the most while pretending to be quiet.

“I think it’ll be a huge success if I can do half as well as I did at the departure ceremony.”

I frowned deeply, and Leonard giggled, agreeing with George.

“I was surprised then too. At the departure ceremony for the Third Calamity, I never expected the hero who barely spoke at the previous victory parade to say such things.”

Then Leonard dusted off his hands and stood up. I had only one card left in my hand. If Marianne drew from my hand, I would be finished, and only Daphne and Marianne would remain in the game.

“I look forward to your speech this time as well.”

“…I didn’t really prepare anything special back then either.”

Daphne and Marianne didn’t seem to hear our conversation. Daphne drew a card from Marianne’s hand and visibly relaxed. Marianne, on the other hand, showed no change in expression as usual. In a game like this, it seemed unfairly advantageous, to the point where one might accuse her of cheating.

“[Tch, I thought I would be the first to pass.]”

For the record, I was playing by proxy. In the middle of the game, the Holy Sword had started hinting at which cards to choose—the middle one, the one at the very end—showing that it wanted to play too, so I just went along with what it said. To be honest, it didn’t seem very good at picking cards.

“[When did I ever say I wanted to play! I was just… you were so frustrating to watch…]”

Ah, yes. Is that so? I guess you really didn’t want to play after all.

“[Don’t respond like that!]”

I bit my teeth hard and pinched my leg to keep from laughing. Meanwhile, the battle between Marianne and Daphne was reaching its climax. What was amusing was the contrast between Daphne’s changing expressions and Marianne’s expressionless face.

“Ugh…”

Daphne’s hands were trembling. She had one card left, while Marianne had two—one joker and one card to end the game. Daphne was staring into Marianne’s eyes, trying to find any sign of emotion, but there was no way she could see such a thing in Marianne’s eyes. Instead, it was Daphne’s eyes that were showing agitation as she stared at Marianne.

“Is it this one…?”

Just as Daphne closed her eyes tight and picked a card, there was a knock at the inn door. Leonard went to check, and Daphne sighed with both relief and disappointment as she put the cards away. The old hinges creaked as the door opened, and Leonard froze in the doorway.

About 1.5 seconds later.

“Your Majesty the Queen—!”

“Quiet. Don’t greet me, and everyone stay where you are.”

Queen Agnes Blanche Lumiere was entering the room with a hood over her head, her finger to her lips. Her blood-red eyes, characteristic of the queen, shone through the hood. With our party, Leonard, the queen, and her guard knight all in a room meant for three or four people, it felt suffocatingly cramped.

“It’s a bit chaotic in here. But it can’t be helped.”

The queen pulled back her hood to reveal her face. I greeted her with wide, surprised eyes.

“Your Majesty. How did you come all this way?”

“How could I sit heavily on my throne to welcome a hero who has defeated two Calamities for the first time?”

The queen spoke jokingly as she looked at me. Then she came closer and sat right in front of me. Everyone in the room was surprised by her informal manner. Her hand rested on top of mine. She squeezed my hand firmly and smiled faintly.

“Hero Ilroy, you’ve done very well. I wanted to tell you that first.”

I bowed my head deeply, unable to hide my honored and flustered feelings.

“Not at all. It’s thanks to Your Majesty’s trust in me.”

“Now more people will believe in you.”

The queen nodded with a small laugh.

“Let’s talk a bit about the victory parade. The format probably won’t be much different from last time. The hero’s party will walk down the main street to the palace, and people will watch you as you walk. Unlike the departure ceremony, I won’t ask you to say anything. Just showing you returning victorious will be effective enough.”

I nodded heavily.

“To be honest, I don’t feel like ending it with just a parade, but since there are still several mountains to climb before we can truly celebrate, I suppose we should be satisfied with this for now.”

The queen smiled regretfully. Indeed, defeating the Calamity isn’t just my achievement but also the queen’s and the Kingdom of Kairos’s. It’s no wonder she’s so pleased.

“Just be yourself, Hero Ilroy.”

“…I will do so.”

I was relieved that the process was simpler than expected. The queen looked at me nodding and suddenly slowly brought her hand toward my face. I froze like a statue under her faint smile and red gaze, and her soft hand touched my face.

“Don’t hide your wounds. Let everyone know that you’ve returned from a fierce battle.”

The queen’s gaze shifted to my shoulder. Bandages were slightly visible through my clothes.

“Dress as if you’ve just returned from battle. Show them how you fought. Give people faith and imprint your existence on them. Then there won’t be noisy internal discord like last time.”

The queen’s voice was bitter as she said this.

“Forgive me for turning even your battles into politics, into a stage that isn’t even funny,”

“I don’t mind. If it can give people faith.”

The queen responded to my answer with a small laugh and relaxed the hand holding my face.

“Still, I think you could dress up a bit more for other things, like at the departure ceremony.”

The queen said this as she brushed my hair aside. As my bangs were swept away, clearing my vision, I could see the queen’s face clearly. A curious, cold, yet beautiful face. When I blinked in surprise, the queen chuckled and released my face.

“Yes. You could show more varied expressions in front of me too. You’re always either expressionless or looking honored.”

The queen left me blinking blankly and greeted the other party members. George greeted the queen familiarly, and Marianne was as consistent as ever. Only Daphne, like me, greeted the queen while frozen in place. Feeling a sense of kinship and familiarity with that appearance, I sighed softly.

“[Yeah… so that’s how she uses her position.]”

Somehow, I heard the Holy Sword muttering like that. After conveying her greetings and congratulations, the queen smiled and rose from her seat. The door closed again, and we heard the sound of the queen’s footsteps fading away. We looked at each other’s faces with the feeling that a storm had just passed through.

After a long silence, George spoke first.

“…So, who won the game just now?”

“…I don’t know.”

Daphne murmured, looking at the pile of cards she had already put away.

==

Almost three months had passed since the departure ceremony. The residents of the capital had heard rumors that the hero had successfully defeated the Fourth Calamity.

“There was a lot of noise about it, but in the end, he succeeded again.”

“I’m not sure. There were rumors last time too—did the hero really accomplish it?”

“If he defeated it, that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Despite all the talk, he did defeat the Calamity.”

The reactions were varied again. Skepticism hadn’t completely disappeared, but the spark of hope was being kindled, along with cheers and faith. Curiosity drew them to the streets. Long before the hero opened the city gates, the streets were already packed with people.

To see the hero’s return, or to find evidence of doubt.

People looked toward the city gates.

Clank.

The gates opened. The first to enter were the capital’s guards escorting the hero’s party. Beyond the guards, there were people on horseback. Beyond the armored knights—there was the hero, looking as if he had just finished battle. With a tired but iron-willed expression, the hero was entering.

“…Doesn’t he look different somehow?”

“Come to think of it, the atmosphere too…”

The slight naivety that had remained was gone. As the hero approached, he emanated a magical aura that encompassed the people. They stared at him in a daze. I fought. I fought and won. The hero, saying this with his entire body, looked around at the crowd and gave a faint smile.

Then, a halo appeared above the hero’s gray hair. The thorny halo shone brightly, seeming to wrap the hero in light. Thud. Thud. People began kneeling here and there. They were believers of the Blue Orthodox Church. They put their hands together toward the hero and began reciting prayers.

“That’s… the appearance of a hero.”

People turned their heads as if enchanted, following the hero. Hero. The appearance of a hero. Some began to cheer for the hero, while others suddenly began to cry. The hero raised his Holy Sword high into the sky, just as he had at the departure ceremony.

That he had won.

Light burst forth from the Holy Sword, illuminating the street brilliantly.

Turning doubters into believers. Light to those trapped in darkness. Courage to those trembling in fear. The hero’s march continued like that, shining a new light throughout the capital all the way to the palace.

==

The next day, waking up in the hero’s room for the first time in a while, I received a letter that Marianne handed to me during breakfast. The sender was Bishop Andre Zabine. I opened and read the letter.

The content was very brief.

‘Congratulations on defeating the Fourth Calamity. I will visit you soon. I would like to see you briefly with Marianne.’

I frowned as I looked up, and Marianne shrugged slightly as if she knew nothing about it.