***
Morning.
Kiera was looking out the window.
Far off in the garden, ordinary adventurer parties were arriving one by one.
At present, the House of Duke Toledo was ambitiously preparing for an eastern expedition, with the Hero Kiera at the forefront.
Their plan was to reclaim part of the continent’s eastern region occupied by the Demon King’s army and thereby widely flaunt the prestige of House Toledo.
An enormous investment had gone into it.
Dozens of ordinary adventurer parties had been hired to support Kiera in battle, and hundreds of personnel were being mobilized for their convenience.
Needless to say, a tremendous amount of supplies would be poured in as well.
It was no exaggeration to say that House Toledo had staked everything on the eastern expedition.
However, the Hero Kiera, in whom the duke had placed his trust, was weighed down by mountains of worry…
Today as well, she covered her face with her own hands and let out a sigh.
It was pitch black.
She couldn’t see what lay ahead.
A few minutes later, Lucy entered the room and relayed Duke Toledo’s words.
It was an invitation to go hunting together in the afternoon.
“Tell him I’m sick.”
“You’re going to avoid it again today? Since you keep refusing to go out, the duke seems to be getting irritated.”
Who knew how many times she had refused by now?
The next day.
Duke Toledo suggested that, in order to foster cooperation and solidarity, they subjugate monsters together with the common adventurer parties recruited this time.
But Kiera refused that as well.
Without the power of the Hero, there was nothing she could do.
She avoided combat and only attended social gatherings.
Because of that, misunderstandings gradually began to arise.
Rumors were spreading within the duke’s household that Kiera was arrogant.
They said that if she didn’t feel like it, she would even refuse the duke’s requests and do whatever she wanted.
On top of that, she was being criticized for liking to come out and play at social events every night.
Along with this, Duke Toledo was also extremely displeased with Kiera’s attitude of repeatedly rejecting his proposals.
However, each time, his eldest son, Yosef, persuaded his father, and the results of Kiera having grown close to him all this time began to shine.
Yosef, having fallen for her all on his own, worked hard to defend and protect Kiera.
Thanks to that, public sentiment within the duke’s household was able to calm down to some extent.
And a few days later.
Kiera finally set out on the eastern expedition together with House Toledo.
After a grand departure ceremony, roughly five hundred people left the city.
At the head of the procession, Yosef, who was riding beside Kiera, spoke.
“For now, our first destination is Nofha, the capital of the Kingdom of Basilite. We plan to stop there, finish resupplying, and then continue our journey.”
“I see. Understood.”
Kiera answered weakly and pulled her hood down tightly.
Recently, as her black hair had grown out more, she wore a hood wherever she went.
‘I’m still the Hero. The power of the Hero will definitely return.’
Kiera bit her lip with an anxious expression.
In contrast, the horse she was riding calmly moved forward.
A large crowd of people followed behind.
***
Nofha, the capital of the Kingdom of Basilite.
Once they passed through the city gate, well-paved roads and orderly streets laid out like a checkerboard unfolded before their eyes.
“Wow, the smell of a big city after so long~ Huuup, haaah~”
Maru smiled brightly and looked around.
The first thing that caught his eye was a golden statue of a certain female Hero.
At five meters tall, it was quite large.
Amazingly, it was made entirely of pure gold and had been erected in the plaza before the city gate so that many people could see it.
He unconsciously walked up to it and looked up.
“It’s a statue with a strangely familiar face.”
“You must have seen her a lot in history books.”
Edward spoke proudly.
“It is a statue commemorating Lady Alexia, who saved our kingdom from a violent dragon twenty-five years ago. At the time, our kingdom had been devastated to the point that not a single place was left intact, and this lady, who was eighteen at the time, and her companions saved a country that had nearly collapsed. They were true Heroes.”
“She killed a dragon when she was only eighteen? That’s no joke. I’ve never heard this story before. This is my first time hearing it.”
“Isn’t it truly amazing? I wish I could become as strong as Lady Alexia too.”
The two of them chatted for a while in front of the golden statue.
“Now then, shall we go to the palace? I want to introduce you to my father and mother as soon as possible.”
“Wait a moment.”
Maru straightened himself in front of the golden statue, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes.
“(Mumble, mumble.)”
“What wish did you make?”
“Nothing much. I just have an illness where I pray whenever I see a hero.”
“That is a fine illness. I would like to catch it too!”
The two headed straight for the palace.
And after entering the palace, they were able to meet the king and queen without issue.
“It’s nice that this time it didn’t cost any money. But whenever I look at you, I can’t breathe.”
Even after seeing the prince return from hardship, the king treated him coldly.
“How did you get out? No, the young man standing beside him. You speak. Did you save the prince?”
Maru hesitated for a moment.
‘Looks like Edward is living with even worse disregard than I thought.’
He glanced at Edward.
Edward, utterly unable to read the mood, was simply looking at the king with a proud expression.
He seemed to have no thoughts at all.
He was just an idiot.
‘Ah, what do I do?’
Maru cleared his throat and answered loudly.
“I… have no talent in martial arts. Rather, I was the one who survived by the skin of my teeth thanks to His Highness the Prince.”
The retainers around them tilted their heads.
“The prince saved him? That can’t be.”
“If he really subjugated a bandit gang, the sun would rise in the west.”
Amid the murmuring, Edward poked Maru in the side and winked.
“Is this the start of the operation where I take the credit and you take the treasure? Hehe, thank you.”
Seeing that innocent face, regret suddenly surged through Maru, but since he had already said it, he decided to push through to the end.
“Prince Edward’s exploits were truly remarkable. He even defeated ten bandits by himself.”
“Is that true?”
Everyone around them looked doubtful, as if they couldn’t believe it.
The king glanced over the reactions of his retainers, then adjusted his posture.
Though he had been cold at first, it seemed he was inwardly pleased to hear that his son had distinguished himself.
The king gestured.
“Tell us in detail how the prince distinguished himself and defeated the bandits.”
Maru became a jester in front of many people.
He moved his hands and feet vigorously, exaggerating Edward’s nonexistent exploits and making the people gasp in admiration.
“The prince really did that?”
Everyone tilted their heads, but since there was a witness, they had no choice but to believe it.
“After defeating the leader of the bandits, His Highness the Prince said this to me! ‘My friend! A hopeful future lies ahead of us! I have swept away all the bandits, so come, rise again and let us stride forward with vigor!’ That is what he said.”
“Ohhh!”
He received applause and cheers from the retainers.
When the story ended like that, the king and queen’s faces were filled with satisfaction.
Edward, shameless as he was, knew it was a lie, yet he smiled calmly at the people’s enthusiastic response and raised his hand in return.
“Hahaha, I have always been this sort of person!”
In any case, the meeting with the king ended pleasantly for everyone in that manner.
Afterward, Maru was assigned a good room and took a rest.
“Ah… what am I even doing?”
He lay on the bed and rolled around for a long while.
Then he suddenly sprang up, poured water into an empty cup, and offered a prayer to God.
“O God, does my voice reach you? O God. O God?”
No response.
“You’re ignoring me again.”
It was unfortunate, but should he put it off until next time?
There was something he wanted to ask.
Why had his chest hurt around the time he had almost finished taking care of the bandits?
He was spacing out while thinking back to that moment when, all of a sudden, there was a knock.
It was the elderly chief attendant.
“His Majesty summons you.”
All of a sudden?
“I will go at once.”
He did not know the reason, but since the king had called him, he had no choice but to meet him.
He straightened his clothes and went outside.
The king was waiting not in the grand reception room, but in a small reception room located in a secluded place.
“I called you because I wanted to thank you.”
With both of his wrinkled hands, the king gently clasped Maru’s right hand.
“Thank you for making my unworthy son look proud.”
Maru widened his eyes in surprise.
“…You knew everything?”
“Of course I did. I was the one who raised that child. How could I not know? That child, subjugating a bandit gang? Even a cow would laugh.”
“Please forgive me for speaking falsehoods to Your Majesty, who stands as high as the heavens.”
“The bandits were swept away, the prince is praised by the people, and all of it is a good thing. How could I punish you?”
The king smiled warmly.
“There is only one thing I wish to ask. Did Edward ask you to do it? On this point, I truly want to hear the truth.”
Maru answered immediately.
“I decided it on my own. I swear, His Highness the Prince did not request it. Before coming here, I heard rumors about the prince and felt pity for him, so I did it.”
“Good. That is a relief. If Edward had coerced you, I would have scolded the child. But since that is not the case, that is truly fortunate.”
From what he had heard from Edward, Maru had thought the king was only strict and frightening, but in truth, he was a father who loved his son more than anyone.
The king let go of the hand he had been holding until then and picked up a scroll lying on the table.
“Will you make a deal with Us? I believe you would carry it out well.”
He held the scroll out to Maru.
When Maru took it and unfurled it, it was a letter of appointment.
‘Letter of Appointment as Royal Secretary’
Maru looked at the king.
The king was drinking a beverage made with apples, honey, and vinegar.
“I think you gave me the wrong document.”
“You have risen in the world as of today. Congratulations.”
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to appoint me as a secretary? Wait a moment. What exactly did you see in me?”
“Your acting ability.”
“I have to leave.”
“I will not hold you for long. With your help, I want the prince’s authority to be restored and respected. If you carry out the mission well, I will grant you a portion of my direct domain so that you may settle here.”
“Land, huh. That sounds nice. But I’m not attached to land.”
“Then what more do you desire? Tell me what you want.”
“Land.”
“Did you not just say you were not attached to it?”
“Now that I think about it again, having a multi sounds good too. It would be an achievement I could boast about to my mother.”
“You have parents? If a commoner owns land, they would be pleased. What does ‘multi’ mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything in particular. One month. I’ll stay with him for exactly one month.”
“Half a year.”
“Two months.”
“Five months.”
Words like that were exchanged, and the king asked him to “do exactly as you showed us.”
In other words, Maru was to act as a secretary with no talent in martial arts and simply make it look as though the prince had subjugated everything, whether monsters or bandit gangs.
“This matter will be known only to the three of us: Us, you, and Edward. The fewer people who know a secret, the better. You must say nothing of it to the queen or the princess either.”
“I have trouble trusting people these days. I would like you to write a pledge clearly.”
“You make a bold proposal to Us.”
“I was raised in that sort of place.”
And so, starting the next day, Maru took Edward with him and began raiding every bandit hideout near the royal capital that came into sight.