Episode 141 – Hero
by Afuhfuihgs
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The most important thing when telling a lie is a confident attitude.
The bigger the lie, the more brazen you have to be.
If there’s fake evidence with a bit of truth mixed in, that’s the icing on the cake.
And I already had everything prepared.
The moment has come to stab Robin in the back with the dagger I’ve been honing through a time of pain and patience.
Robin’s high authority and shining achievements will pour out like blood, and the moment has come for Robin’s empty face, with only a vacant shell remaining, to look up at me.
But ridiculously, Robin hasn’t realized that fact yet.
“Th-that’s nonsense! It’s a lie! Slander! The Demon King!”
Robin’s urgent voice echoed through the banquet hall.
The Inquisitor, with the divine power of Truth Detection in their eyes, also nodded and said.
“After the banquet at the Imperial Palace last time, I interrogated Count Boldiras for a week. At that time, the Count testified before my eyes that he was not involved in Jennifer’s heretical acts. And I confirmed that was the truth.”
As Inquisitors, nicknamed the Iron Hammers of the Goddess Church, they weren’t easily swayed by my lies.
However, my preparation was thorough.
“That’s because the Count wasn’t the one who orchestrated all these schemes.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Duke-nim, please tell them.”
At my call, someone rose from among the guests.
Piaadu, the son of Duke Villard de Valguir.
To be exact, it was Daniel wearing Piaadu’s skin, but only Banata and I knew that fact.
Robin shouted, seemingly unable to understand.
“Duke Valguir, what is the meaning of this?”
“…Count, everything started with my father.”
Piaadu strode forward and approached the Emperor.
At Ellie’s gesture, Deborah stopped Piaadu from getting any closer, and Piaadu stopped in his tracks and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty, please allow me to speak.”
“Hehe, what is all this about?”
“I am here to reveal the truth about the atrocious and terrible things that Count Boldiras and our Duke’s family have committed.”
“Oh, let’s hear it… speak,”
“Duke Valguir!”
Robin couldn’t understand the bizarre situation unfolding.
He was in league with the Demon King? What kind of nonsense was that?
Even if the evil deeds he had done were numerous, that was one charge Robin had never committed.
But the fact that Villard and he were plotting treason against the Emperor was definitely true.
Robin didn’t know what that brat Piaadu was about to say, but he instinctively knew that something bad was about to happen, and he urgently moved towards Piaadu.
However, Deborah blocked him.
“Stay still, Robin. Do not approach His Imperial Majesty any further.”
“…Deborah,”
“Are you now calling your teacher by name so carelessly? Just because you’ve become the Commander of the Knights, you’ve gotten too big for your britches.”
“…You bitch,”
“Ha, it seems you look down on someone retired like me? If you have the confidence, draw your sword, if you have the confidence to draw your sword in front of the Emperor, that is!”
“…Keuk, Yo-Your Majesty. It’s all a lie. It’s slander!”
The Emperor said to Robin with a relaxed expression.
“I’ll listen to what the young head of the Valguir Dukedom has to say, isn’t it a deeply rooted Dukedom with even the right to inherit the throne?”
“N-No, Piaadu, stop!”
Piaadu, who was Villard’s young son whom he had seen since childhood, and even Robin’s prospective son-in-law, was clearly a Duke of higher status than Robin.
But how desperate he was, Robin even dropped the honorifics and urgently called out to Piaadu.
Piaadu, no, Daniel, ignored his father’s urgent voice, nodded, and began to speak.
“After the sudden death of my father, former head Villard, I found a document containing a terrible truth while cleaning up the house.”
“A document?”
“Evidence of involvement in the recruitment of party members at the launch of the Hero’s Party 23 years ago, and… evidence of colluding with Count Boldiras to assassinate His Majesty and gather the Noble Faction.”
“What?!”
“And, Father… no, Villard was a traitor to humanity who pledged allegiance to the Demon King from the beginning along with Jennifer!”
At Piaadu’s confession, people began to stir again.
In particular, the Noble Faction, who had gathered in agreement with Villard’s intentions, were very surprised.
Among them, there were a few who knew about the rebellion against the Emperor, but the majority were lower nobles who only knew the purpose of pressuring the Emperor to increase their influence.
They had never imagined that they would be involved in treason against the Emperor.
Much less that they had become allies of the Demon King, the enemy of humanity.
The nobles were gaping in shock.
And that was the same for Robin.
“Wh-What…”
“Didn’t you know, Count? Jennifer was a citizen of the Valguir Royal Family, with Villard as their king. You may have just been following Villard’s orders, but Villard was a traitor to humanity who sided with the Demon King from the beginning.”
“That, that’s nonsense!”
“Then, how would you explain Banata’s appearance? How else would you explain why a child born between you, a human, and Mena, a beastkin, is a demon!”
“…N-No! What the hell are you talking about!”
That’s it.
At this moment, I could feel all the surrounding air changing.
I could no longer find any goodwill in the nobles’ gazes towards Robin.
A puppet of the Demon King, a traitor to the Emperor.
There was no way a politician would defend him.
Banata was fidgeting and stuck close to my back.
Ellie looked at me with eyes mixed with admiration and laughter.
Deborah was also wearing a satisfied smile.
Mena was watching Robin’s downfall with burning eyes.
And Mella was crying with her eyes closed and her head bowed.
“Nonsense… What a bizarre load of bullshit… It doesn’t even make sense!”
Robin spat out words without even completing a sentence.
Actually, that was true.
It was a great lie, but there was still no evidence to speak of.
No, it wasn’t just that there wasn’t any yet, it was practically nonexistent.
Because Robin, Villard, and even Jennifer, in reality, had nothing to do with the Demon King.
But since I had already succeeded in planting suspicion in people’s minds, what I needed now was not evidence to prove the facts, but evidence to add credibility to my testimony.
Thankfully, Robin created the timing.
“Salvire… Baron, what is it… What is the reason for telling such lies!”
“Lies? It’s a clear and obvious truth, Count.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think I’ll believe such nonsense you’ve made up? Who would!”
“I didn’t make it up.”
“Then who! Who’s spouting such nonsense!”
“The Goddess.”
“What?”
“The Goddess told me directly.”
The Inquisitor’s expression slightly frowned.
The Goddess told him directly.
They wouldn’t easily believe that such a thing, which had never happened even to the Pope-nim, had happened to this foreigner who drifted in from another continent.
Robin also scoffed and said.
“The Goddess…-nim? Ha, now that I see it, this was all just a madman’s ramblings!”
“…”
“Not even the Pope-nim, not even I, the Hero who married the Saintess! Are you saying that the Goddess gave a revelation to the likes of you?”
“No.”
“Ha, I knew it…”
“The Goddess gave the revelation to the Hero.”
I cut off Robin’s words and slowly raised my hand.
“…What”
“And,”
I drew the Holy Sword from my hand.
From the empty air, a dazzling white light flashed, and the Holy Sword, heavily wrapped in that blazing white divine power, was held high in my raised hand.
The Inquisitors all widened their eyes.
Edward even lost strength in his legs and slipped off the chair he was sitting on, kneeling on the ground.
Not only the Inquisitors, but all the nobles looked at the thing in my hand with expressions of disbelief.
Even Ellie, Deborah, and even the Emperor were surprised by the shining sword and opened their mouths.
The Holy Sword that had lost its light after defeating the Demon King.
After 20 years, the Holy Sword was shining brightly.
“Look! Look closely at this sacred sword that lost its light in your hands, which were deceived by the Demon King’s schemes!”
“…No way.”
“The Goddess came to me and bestowed this sword upon me along with all the truth!”
“It’s a lie… That sword is in my mansion…”
“If you don’t believe me, have someone find this Holy Sword in your mansion! Or!”
I threw the Holy Sword at Robin’s feet and shouted.
“Pick up that sword, let’s see if that Holy Sword shines even then. Robin.”
“…Ah,”
Robin froze and stared blankly at the Holy Sword that had fallen at his feet.
The Holy Sword, emitting the same brilliant light as it did in his hands in the past.
That sword of a very familiar shape was lying at Robin’s feet.
“Why? Pick it up.”
“…”
“If you still want to say you’re the Hero, then pick it up!”
Robin slowly bent down and picked up the Holy Sword.
As soon as Robin’s hand touched it, the Holy Sword became like a simple iron sword and instantly lost its light.
Everyone sighed at the sight.
Robin’s hand holding the Holy Sword trembled violently.
It seemed as if he couldn’t bear its weight.
Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t bear the weight of the Holy Sword, which was only about 5 kilograms.
What he couldn’t bear was the weight of this incomprehensible truth unfolding before his eyes.
Eventually, Robin dropped the Holy Sword from his hand.
Along with the sound of the Holy Sword falling helplessly to the floor and bouncing away, I said quietly.
“The Goddess said.”
“…N-No…”
“I am the Hero.”
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The silence that enveloped the banquet hall continued for a long time.
In this scene where bizarre, confusing, solemn, and sacred things had happened all at once, no one could easily make a sound.
The Inquisitors who had witnessed the traces of the Goddess before their eyes,
The nobles who realized what they were involved in and were terrified,
Deborah and Ellie, Mella and Banata, Mena, and even the Emperor, who were admiring my inspired lies.
Robin, who had finally barely realized that he had lost everything he had built up in an instant.
And I, who was enjoying Robin’s expression, also didn’t say anything.
I was curious about how the Goddess would be viewing this situation.
Would she be interested? Or would she just be watching indifferently?
I was thinking that when.
“…Ha, hahaha”
What broke the silence was Robin’s laughter.
“Ahahaha! Hahaha!”
Once a noise occurred, everyone started moving all at once as if they had been released from a curse.
The Emperor ordered the knights waiting outside the banquet hall to capture Robin.
The nobles hurriedly tried to leave the banquet hall, but when Ellie ordered that no one be allowed to leave, they were terrified and sat down.
Mella sensed that everything was over and closed her eyes.
Banata put on her hood again and hid her tail.
The Inquisitors picked up the Holy Sword, knelt down, and handed it back to me.
Mena was watching Robin until the end.
Deborah, while firmly holding Robin’s arm, looked at me like that, and then,
“You fucking bastards!”
Deborah’s arm soared into the air, scattering blood everywhere.
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