Chapter 28: Are You Ready?
A torrent of water poured down upon him, extinguishing the flames that engulfed him like a frog being crushed. Of course, this was to put out the fire, courtesy of the Calm Person’s magic from the church. However—most of the onlookers were anything but calm.
In response to Ryuguin’s earlier words, one of the archbishops, without a thought to the fact that Ryuguin had just been a blazing inferno, shouted loudly.
“This insolent fool!! So you were plotting against us all along, weren’t you?! You false Hero!!!”
Another bishop raised his voice in anger.
“If you were the real Hero, you would know who this person is!!”
The eyes of the one who spoke were filled with rage and joy, and he continued to shout even louder—
“All the misdeeds you have committed until now! They are utterly unforgivable!! Do you know who this person is?! This person is—”
The Sensei raised a hand to silence him.
“That’s enough. There’s no point in discussing my identity here.”
The Sensei looked at Ryuguin with a coldness I had never seen before.
“After all, what good would it do to explain myself to such a wretch? As long as you lot understand who I am and realize that the Hero’s words are steeped in falsehood, that is sufficient. The truth has already been laid bare and exposed to the light of day. This scoundrel deserves neither mercy nor agreement.”
There was none of the usual gentleness in the Sensei’s voice.
“This is where it ends for him.”
“Ha!! As you wish!!”
At her command, the church officials raised their voices in unison. It was the decisive blow against Ryuguin’s suspicions. Chancellor Madison, who had been watching the scene unfold, judged that the tide had turned, even without a detailed explanation. However—
“This is absurd!! I am the Hero!! You all are nothing but mere mobs from a backward world, lacking in wisdom and intelligence!! This is all wrong from the very beginning!! It must be some kind of mistake!! Yes!! It absolutely must be a mistake!!”
Madness flickered across his face. This was the fate of someone who had acted as they pleased until now.
“You say I stole Yamada’s achievements?! Ha!! Of course, they are all my accomplishments!! They belong to me!! Mine!!”
He shouted with a grotesque expression.
“Is there even a single complaint from the so-called victims?! There isn’t, is there?! Is there anyone crying out that they’ve been robbed?! No, there isn’t, is there?! You said the victim was Yamada, didn’t you?! But that person is nowhere to be found!! He’s already dead!! If you can bring him out, then do it!!”
His voice was so loud it seemed he might bleed from his throat. Ryuguin screamed at the top of his lungs. Anon whispered in my ear.
“We’re fully prepared. Let’s show them something.”
I felt Sena’s presence behind me.
“Ichiro, go reclaim everything.”
With her words at my back, I removed my mask and took a step forward, then another. And then—
“Ryuguin, did you call for me?”
As he turned around, shouting, “What the hell!! Don’t get in my way!! You uncivilized monkey!!” the moment he caught sight of my face, his expression shifted to one of shock, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
“Ichiro Yamada has returned, just as you wished.”
Ryuguin stumbled back a few steps, losing his balance once more, and fell to the ground, sitting on the dirt.