Episode 009
The Kingdom of Ersha
At the knights’ training grounds located by the capital’s northern gate,
Kwaaaaaaang—!
once again today, a tremendous roar rang out as waves of mana swept through the air.
However,
despite being called the knights’ training grounds, not a single knight could be seen anywhere nearby.
No doubt it was partly because the discipline of the kingdom’s knights had grown terribly lax, but…
“……Ugh!”
“Oh my! My mistake. My mana is so powerful that I never imagined the range would expand this far….”
The biggest reason was surely the Hero’s party, who caused a ruckus here every single day.
A gray-haired man tapped the floor of the training ground with his staff and pushed up his glasses as if sneering.
Was there anyone in the kingdom who did not know him?
The divine artifact Caduceus, practically his symbol, emitted a faint glow.
The Hero of Magic, Dmitri.
As befitted his title, he possessed immense mana as a matter of course, and at a young age had even mastered chantless casting and triple incantation…
A monster who, among all neighboring nations, was always counted among the top five when it came to magic.
As one corner of his mouth curled upward,
‘That obnoxious bastard…!’
the chestnut-haired girl who had been blown all the way to the edge of the training ground by the explosion bit down hard on her lower lip and glared at the Hero of Magic.
“…….”
“Oh dear… Are you angry? My apologies. However…”
Like an actor on a stage,
Dmitri continued his absurd little performance, tilting his head with exaggerated gestures.
“To think that you are a ‘Thief’ class in charge of scouting for the Hero’s party, and yet you cannot even dodge a basic Fireball…”
Then he covered his mouth with his hand and let out a snickering laugh.
His behavior was far removed from that of someone praised by the world as a “hero,” but in a way, it was only natural.
Dmitri the Hero.
Apart from his outstanding magical ability…
“As expected of a party member of the useless Hero. Your skills are trash as well.”
he was also famous for his ugly appearance and petty personality.
“……!”
She, Rein, narrowed her eyes and instinctively clenched her fist, but
‘Tanas may have no skill… but I’m different!’
when she saw his party members waiting right below the training ground, she released the strength from her hand.
“To think your ability amounts to only this… There would be no need to have you spar with the thief in my party. It would be a waste of time.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Lord Dmitri.”
“The dirt splattered on my robe had been bothering me… Thank you.”
Because there was no one on her side here.
For whatever reason, Dmitri seemed to harbor ill will toward me.
No, there was no doubt about it.
‘Why? I can’t think of anything at all…?’
Since she had joined as a companion at the request of the Church, she should originally have been treated in a manner befitting a member of a Hero’s party, but
“…….”
if he used sparring as an excuse like this, even the Church could not intervene.
That ugly bastard was probably aiming for that and kept picking fights like this.
It was painful for now, but…
‘I just have to endure a little longer.’
Two more months… no, three at most.
It was only a temporary party anyway.
“…Haa.”
Rein let out a small sigh, brushed the dirt off her arms and legs, and staggered to her feet.
Normally, there would have been a man who handed her a cold wet towel, but now…
‘Tanas…’
She already missed him.
“Lord Dmitri, let us go in now.”
“The sparring is not over yet.”
“There is always tomorrow, is there not? Furthermore, we have a dinner appointment with the First Prince today, so all of us need time to prepare.”
“That’s right, Hero!”
At their request, Dmitri stared at his party members for a moment, then looked back at her standing there in such a wretched state and clicked his tongue softly.
“Hmm, you are all correct… And she is filthy as well… In that case, we shall stop here for today.”
“…….”
“Rein… was it? Why not try improving your skills a little more? Perhaps because you are a commoner, there truly isn’t a single thing you’re good at.”
The words made her blood boil, but
“…Yes, understood, Hero.”
there was nothing she could do except clench her teeth.
“Ah… Please don’t take it to heart. I have a personality that simply cannot lie, so it cannot be helped.”
The Hero, who mocked Rein to the very end,
“Hero Dmitri!! Urgent news! Please enter the palace at once!”
looked at the soldier who had suddenly come running and frowned slightly.
“What is this commotion?”
“I was only given the order, so I do not know the details… The letter is here, so you should be able to find out soon, Hero.”
“Hah, honestly… Would you hand it over?”
For a brief moment,
violent fury swirled across Dmitri’s face, which had been twisted into a vile smile.
“……Kuh!”
“Lord Dmitri, what is the matter?”
“…Tanas… That son of a bitch, he’s screwing me over like this again?”
“……?”
At the sudden mention of his name, Rein’s eyes widened.
‘Huh? Why is Tanas’s name…?’
“Hero, what is wrong? What in the world is written in the letter…?”
Dmitri ground his teeth audibly and said,
“They have caught the true culprit who murdered the Imperial Princess….”
Then he swept his ominous gaze over those around him.
“Th-then isn’t that good news? Why are you angry…?”
“Normally, it would be, but… that bastard apparently insisted he was certain one of the other four Heroes had an accomplice!”
“Is that true? Did the kingdom’s special investigation unit and the Church of the Three Goddesses not name Tanas as the prime suspect? There is no way the words of the useless Hero would be accepted…”
“Haa… What nonsense are you spouting! Since the true culprit has been caught, of course that useless Hero bastard must have been released as innocent! More importantly… look at this.”
Dmitri pointed to the lower part of the letter and turned to his party members.
“Th-this is the Sword Master’s seal…!”
‘Eek!’
Even Rein, who had been holding her breath and eavesdropping on their conversation, trembled at the words “Sword Master.”
Because…
the Sword Master was a living legend itself.
As a woman, she had won the kingdom’s martial arts tournament at the youngest age in history, and before even reaching adulthood, she had fought on equal footing with the Empire’s Four Knights, earning fame among the neighboring nations.
And was that all?
She had cut down the leader of the cult that had been eating away at the kingdom with a single stroke, and had even driven away the gigantic ogre that had been wreaking havoc along the border…
Her achievements were not inferior even when compared to the heroes of legend.
“I don’t know how that useless bastard Tanas persuaded that person… but to dare mention me… that piece of trash!!”
“Does this mean there is definite evidence? In that case, you must enter the palace as soon as possible!”
“I will go at once, so all of you follow me.”
With that as the last of their conversation, they hurriedly made their way toward the royal palace.
“…….”
She, Rein, blankly stared up at the sky and slowly walked across the training ground.
‘Tanas is innocent?’
Who did it?
This was far too soon compared to the plan.
She had definitely intended to spirit Tanas away first, then look for an opportunity to prove his innocence…
‘Th-then what happens now?’
For now, since Tanas had been found innocent, wasn’t that good?
No…
That was not the problem.
If he had been declared innocent, then the chance to help him…
the chance to change his mind had disappeared.
The chance to return to the way things had been before, when they traveled together, teasing Tanas just enough to make it fun….
“……I-it’ll be all right, won’t it?”
Since it was kind Tanas, he would not hate her, but perhaps he was a little disappointed?
When he had been falsely accused of murdering the Imperial Princess, had not everyone turned their backs on him and instead tried to send him to the execution platform?
…In the worst case, he might even think he had been betrayed.
‘St-still, I treated him the best out of the three, so it should be fine… right?’
As if resigned, Rein plopped down in a corner of the training ground,
and though she thought hard for quite some time, no clear answer came to her.
‘I still don’t really know…’
She could ask Seria about the difficult things later.
Yes.
The important thing was not the past.
It was the future they would build from now on.
She simply had to treat Tanas better from this point forward!
Rein tried her best to spin her happy thoughts, attempting to shake off the anxiety welling up from within her heart like spring water, but…
“…What am I really going to do?”
it was not very effective.
************
At that time,
““Ta-Tanas is innocent…?””
‘How on earth did he manage that from Prisson Prison?’
‘Who helped him?’
The situation was the same for Arshe and Lurein.
They bit their nails anxiously and sank into thought.
Among them, the one taking it the worst was, of course…
“Wh-what is going on…?”
A cute girl with pink hair grown down to her waist held the letter, her hands trembling violently.
As if she could not believe it,
she read the words again and again, but
“…….”
the contents did not change.
Naturally so.
From the moment they had failed to send him to the execution platform, the plan had already gone very far off course.
“Lady Seria… Are you all right? What in the world does it say…?”
The party’s mage spoke up curiously, but
“Wh-why did they handle the work like this!”
“Hic!”
“…I’ll be going to the capital for a bit.”
“Yes, yes? H-huh? Please wait! Lady Seria!!”
Now, she could hear nothing at all.
Because her mind was filled entirely with thoughts of him.
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