Chapter 15: Conquest Festival IV
“Impressive… Anon.”
He had gathered and scrutinized information in this distant land, piecing together deductions to arrive at the truth entirely on his own. He was a genuine armchair detective.
“So, he—the Hero—is the root of all this, right?”
Thinking back to those days still brought forth bitter memories.
“Most likely.”
In response to Anon’s inquiry, I nodded, driven by a simple thought. I avoided making a definitive statement, but there was no longer any doubt that he was the cause of it all.
“Can you tell me what you know about Hero Ryuguin?”
Anon asked me. There was no point in hiding it. If it were him, he would surely deduce what had transpired between me and Ryuguin from even the fragments of information I provided.
“Alright. Where should I start?”
I thought it might be better to share everything with my close friend Anon before addressing the important figures of the country. However, my intentions went beyond just that—
I took a sip of the now lukewarm tea. As Anon quietly awaited my response, I began to speak slowly.
First, I talked about Ryuguin. I described what kind of person he was from my perspective and how he had lived since being summoned. The essence of this story was not merely about Ryuguin’s character; it was far more complex.
He had “something” that had twisted the lives of many.
To convey that, I had to discuss my past interactions with him and the girls around him.
I mentioned Puffy, Mika, Ange, and Eris—how they had confessed to Ryuguin and started to serve him. I recounted how those close friends had suddenly changed, treating me coldly as if they were entirely different people… I shared everything.
Talking about those days was quite exhausting. Yet, I thought that if it were Anon, I could share it all. The conversation then shifted to the events in Bordaf.
After I managed to contact Pulmy-san, I finally realized that I had been caught up in some kind of anomaly. Then, just recently—I had reunited with the girls in the Sealed Labyrinth, and as our conversations deepened, they returned to their former selves.
It was quite a challenge to relay everything in one go, but I managed to convey all that had happened to me without leaving anything out.
Once I finished, Anon rested his chin on his hand and seemed to ponder for about a minute before saying,
“Ichiro, I’ve come to understand something from your story.”
“…What is it?”
“Before I share that, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it… Stop building suspense.”
“First of all… thank you for all your efforts for this world. And I’m glad to see that you’re safe.”
My face flushed with warmth. I was blushing.
“Stop it! I’ve been praised too much since yesterday, and it’s making me feel awkward!”
“Don’t say that, just listen. From now on, you don’t need to actively engage in labyrinth exploration. The crisis of this world should be resolved by its people. For the injustices you’ve faced, you deserve a formal apology from the country, and you should be rewarded appropriately for your great achievements. I will make sure that happens.”
“But, as I said earlier—”
Before I could finish my response, he placed a hand over my mouth.
“Stop. I understand what you want to say and your intentions.”
He asked me to wait a moment and stood up. He prepared a fresh cup of tea and refilled the empty plate with snacks.
“From your story, I’ve gathered several insights regarding the Hero.”
“…”
“Well, it’s simple once you organize the situation. The Hero possesses two abilities.”
Anon stated confidently.
“Considering the episode about Pulmy’s ‘two memories,’ the Hero has the ability to implant ‘false memories’ into others, though I’m not sure about the range or targets. Let’s call this Ability Alpha.
And regarding the sudden change in the girls, it seems he must be using some special ‘powers’ like ‘Charm,’ ‘Mind Control,’ ‘Body Manipulation,’ or ‘Brainwashing.’ I can’t tell if it’s due to a skill, an item, or something like the ‘Demon Eye’ or ‘Demon Mouth’ from the Primitive Curse, but let’s refer to this as Ability Beta.”
Hearing him articulate this made everything click into place. That time, and that time, and that time—
“While it’s possible that Ability Alpha was triggered by Ability Beta… but if that’s the case—”
I couldn’t tell how much truth he had grasped from my story.
“You mentioned that the Hero’s skills are Limit Break, Hero’s Sword, Growth Rate x5, and Advanced Light Magic: Extreme, right?”
I nodded.
“Unfortunately, even experts often don’t fully understand skills. The suspicious one is the Hero’s Sword, but we can’t deny the possibility that he possesses a skill that allows him to conceal his skills.”
In other words, the Concealment Skill.
“Well, no matter how much we ponder here, we won’t find an answer.”
“Then, what should we do—”
“I don’t know what has brought about his two ‘abilities.’ However, if we know that ‘something exists there,’ we can devise countermeasures. It’s a difficult task, though.”
“How do we do that…”
“We need to consider and eliminate all possible factors, including the three I mentioned earlier—skills, items, and the Primitive Curse.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I can do it. Of course, I will need your help and Omi’s as well.”
I felt my face break into a smile. He must have sensed it too.
“Now, with this, I hope to alleviate your worries about not being able to accept the country’s summons.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
I had two reasons for not intending to respond to the summons from the country. One was that I knew revealing the truth would put Mika and the other two in a difficult position.
The other was about Ryuguin’s abilities. To explain their situation, I had to discuss Ryuguin’s powers, but the story was so absurd that who would believe it? However—
“If I can make them acknowledge that it was all the Hero’s fault and that they were victims themselves, they should be able to hope for a significant reduction in their sentences.”
Anon eased my worries.
“…Thank you, Anon.”
I felt the tight knot in my heart begin to unravel. I was relieved to be presented with a future where the girls wouldn’t fall into further hardships.
However, there seemed to be something lacking in front of Anon. It must have been his impulse. He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.
“I feel frustrated.”
The hooded figure was now within touching distance.
“While you seem relieved about the girls, I’m not the same.”
His grip on my hand was almost painful.
“I can’t help but feel frustrated thinking about your current situation, where you aren’t being recognized. Moreover, I can’t stand seeing you being wrongfully accused.”
I felt a drop land on my hand. It might have been something that fell from under his hood, or perhaps I was mistaken.
“But this is just my selfish feeling. You have your own circumstances. I understand that people aren’t that strong. So, I have no intention of forcing you to respond to the summons from the country.”
He maintained his arrogant demeanor until the very end. Yet, within that, there was—
“Rest assured. Even if you don’t respond to the summons, I will manage things with the girls on my end.”
There was a profound kindness in his words. With that, we concluded our conversation.
Should I respond to the summons or not? I still needed more time to take that next step. Yet, the warmth of his drop lingered in my hand.
As I was considering returning to Hidden Mountain with Sena after searching for Sensei, Anon suddenly recalled something.
“Tomorrow morning, the Tezoro Brothers will come to see you from the Old Capital (Bienetta). They’ve made significant contributions regarding the Sealed Domain. Be sure to show them some appreciation. They’ve been eagerly waiting to meet you.”
I have an announcement regarding the details of the promotion and the recent updates that were previously limited to supporters, which I have now made available for everyone to read.
Additionally, on November 19th, the first and second volumes of the printed comic adaptation will be released simultaneously!
Furthermore, the latest chapter of the comic adaptation is now available on the Manga BANG app or the Manga BANG website! And finally, behold Orphe… witness her stunning beauty!