Return to the Royal Castle ①
“I don’t think it will come to that, but…”
“What’s wrong?”
“What if we return to the Royal Castle and they say I wasn’t the real Hero, and that they would detain or execute me?”
“Hmm…”
After rummaging through the corpse of the Earth Dragon, we resumed our journey. About two hours had passed according to my internal clock, and as we walked through a vast field devoid of anything, Fana posed that question beside me. I rested my chin on my hand, gazing upward as I imagined the situation. Considering the most comfortable and free course of action I could take, only one answer came to mind, and I voiced it.
“If that were to happen, I would make them disappear.”
“…Who would you make disappear?”
“Everyone. Everyone who was in the Royal Castle at that time.”
Even if there were a few skilled individuals among them, the only one who might pose a challenge, based on my memories from five years ago, would be the Knight Commander. Even if a couple of others joined in, they wouldn’t stand a chance against a coordinated group of Dragons. And even if I faced some difficulty, I could turn the entire area where the Royal Castle stood into a wasteland in just two hours.
“Well, you could do that… but yes, I suppose. I don’t have any sense of loyalty, nor do I have any aversion to killing, so I could indeed do it.”
“Ah, it’s no trouble at all. Besides, I have no ties there, nor do I have any acquaintances among them.”
“Hmm, then what should I do in that case…”
“Huh? …Ah, now that you mention it.”
I had instinctively pushed the thought from my mind, but upon reflection, Fana’s official affiliation was indeed with the Knight’s Order. If I were to become an enemy of the Royal Castle, Fana would have to choose between betraying her loyalty to side with me or remaining loyal to her order.
It wasn’t a relationship where I could kill her without hesitation, and if I were to confront her directly, she had enough strength that it wouldn’t be easy to take her down. An unexpected obstacle had emerged from an unexpected direction.
“……Alright, I’ll side with you.”
“……Are you sure? You have family and friends, don’t you? If it comes to that, I won’t hesitate to eliminate your family and friends as well.”
“Yes. I thought it over lightly, but I want to prioritize you over my family and friends. Even if I were to detain you and hand you over, all I would gain would be praise and the burden of your accomplishments. So, it feels like a better choice to rampage alongside you and escape without regrets.”
“……That’s surprising. You decide so easily.”
“Is that so? I’ve been with you for five years. We’ve shared meals, fought on the battlefield, and faced death together. With someone I’ve been so deeply involved with, I should prioritize that over some invisible loyalty that I didn’t even choose for myself, right?”
“I see… I see.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
How can you say something so embarrassingly straightforward?
…I hadn’t really considered it, but is it really that significant? I had thought she might say something about being devoted to loyalty, but it seems I had a more substantial place in her heart than I expected. I hesitate, yet I can still calmly choose to kill if it comes to that…
“……Well, if that’s the case, then it’s fine.”
“Yes… ah, and about that.”
“……What is it?”
“If you were accepted, and then asked to kill the Demon King, what would you do?”
“The Demon King?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
To be honest, I had only set out on this journey to kill the Demon King because I was the Hero. Therefore, once I ceased to be the Hero, I was nothing more than an ordinary commoner, so it didn’t matter to me… but I had nothing else to do.
If the purpose of defeating the Demon King were to vanish, and I were asked what I wanted to do next, I couldn’t think of anything in particular.
If I had to say, I might want to earn some money to live comfortably in my old age, but I could easily find a Dragon, sell its corpse to a merchant a few times, and make enough… but then again, doing it for free doesn’t sit well with me.
“I’ll refuse any requests that don’t involve compensation. If there is a reward, then I’ll accept.”
“A reward, huh?”
“Yes, a reward. The mission of defeating the Demon King was only undertaken because I held the title of Hero, and now that I’m no longer that, I can’t find a reason or significance in accomplishing it. If anything, since I’ve already killed so many of the Demon King’s Army Executives, I might as well finish off the remnants and the Demon King, but… I want a reward.”
“Is it really that important? Even after killing the Demon King’s Army Executives, you haven’t accepted any rewards at all?”
“That was because I had a mission to fulfill.”
“Huh?”
“Is that difficult to understand?”
“Ah, yes, it is.”
Hmm, how should I explain this? The truth is, there was no other reason. Even if I were battered and on the verge of death, a Hero is simply someone who kills the Demon King, and accepting something in return for that process goes against my principles, so I had refused.
Conversely, since I was no longer a Hero, I had no direct ties to the Demon King. Therefore, I couldn’t find a reason to go after the Demon King without a compelling justification.
“Ah, I see.”
“Huh?”
“When you protect someone of your own volition, you refuse any reward, but when you take on a job to protect someone, you accept the reward. It’s a similar feeling.”
“……I see. In that case, I can certainly understand… So, what specifically do you want?”
“Money and medical supplies.”
“……You have no greed, do you? If you’re going to take on the task of defeating the Demon King, you could ask for a title, land, or even royal bloodline without any issue.”
“I don’t find any of those appealing… they all seem like a hassle.”
“A hassle… that is indeed true. Even if I were in a position to demand something, I wouldn’t want any of that.”
“Right?”
All of those things are a hassle. If I were to demand a title or land, there would be backlash, and I’d have to fulfill corresponding duties. As for royal bloodlines, they don’t seem attractive to me, and I have no interest in royalty. Well, unless it was someone like the Third Prince I fought alongside on the battlefield; then I might find it somewhat interesting.
In any case, considering the various troubles that would likely arise, asking for straightforward payment in the form of money and medical supplies would be more than sufficient. That way, there wouldn’t be any backlash.
“Well, that’s about it. In any case, I won’t be staying in this country forever.”
“You mentioned that… should I also abandon my family name?”
“If you’re going to abandon it, make sure to follow the proper procedures. I don’t want your father chasing me down because you were seduced or something.”
“Ah, of course. I have enough sense for that.”
“Then… what is it?”
“Huh? …Ah, something smells.”
As we walked through the field, a pungent odor wafted toward us from somewhere. I couldn’t sense any particular presence, hostility, or gaze directed at us, so I could only assume it was coming from quite a distance away.
However, this feeling… where have I encountered it before? Ah, I remember now.
“Hey, let’s go.”
“Huh? Did you remember something?”
“Yes, we should hurry. If we get closer, you’ll remember too.”
“……Understood. Then let’s hurry.”
I called out to Fana, and we began to run across the field. We veered slightly off the straight path back to the Royal Castle, but this was no time to worry about that. We headed toward the source of the odor, which was likely the root of the issue. The fact that the smell was drifting without any presence meant it was either of considerable scale or from a massive body.
“!! Undead!”
“Yes. And if the smell is that strong…”
“A large-scale parade…!!”
“Or perhaps a gigantic Undead.”