False Accusations
The Emperor asked out of the blue.
“Hero Kyle, just what the hell have you been doing out there?”
“Pardon?”
“Pardon? Did you just say ‘pardon’ to me?”
There was nothing friendly in that voice. I nearly lifted my head and met his eyes by accident.
I had entered the imperial palace for an audience and was kneeling on one knee in formal respect. My purpose was simple: to request military support for the search for the Demon King who had fled. So what exactly was this situation supposed to be?
The Emperor snorted as he watched me, speechless with confusion.
“Hah. So you mean to play dumb to the very end.”
No, I genuinely had no idea.
They never gave me a fucking scrap of support on a normal day, and now this nonsense? Was he going through menopause or something?
I was still trying to figure out how to politely ask what the hell this tantrum was about when he unrolled a sheet of parchment and began to read.
“Hero Kyle. Though you stand as the representative of humanity, you have committed three crimes.”
“…Crimes?”
I knew it was rude, but I couldn’t hold the question back. Crimes? Ever since I arrived in this world I had devoted myself diligently to my duties as Hero and nothing else. I had never committed adultery. I had never even lost a battle to the Demon King’s forces. I had never fallen to lust or greed; I had focused solely on exterminating the Demon King’s army. To hang crimes on someone like me was absurd.
“Hah.”
“You bastard! How dare you show such insolence before His Majesty!”
The ministers glared and rebuked me for the dry laugh that escaped. I didn’t care. More than injustice, the whole thing felt ridiculous. It had to be one of two things: either some misunderstanding, or someone had framed me. I wanted nothing more than to snatch that letter and check the handwriting, but causing any more of a scene would only pile more “crimes” onto me. For now I held back.
Might as well just listen quietly for now.
The Emperor cleared his throat and continued.
“Ahem. First: Hero Kyle squandered the support funds from every nation on pleasure, or secretly siphoned them into his own fortune.”
“Wow…”
“Second: Hero Kyle forcibly molested women in every village he visited and attempted to force relations upon them.”
“Haha.”
A hollow laugh slipped out. How could every single accusation be the exact opposite of everything I had actually done? At this point I was almost curious what the final charge would be.
“And third: Hero Kyle, you colluded with the Demon King’s army. I even hear you paid tribute to the Demon King himself to guarantee your own safety. Is all of this true?”
I could give no answer. If I opened my mouth, I was certain laughter would come pouring out.
The Demon King. Looking back, I had come all this way because of that one bastard. Killing him and bringing peace and rest to this continent—that single goal had driven me through five years of hell, and at last the chance to end it had arrived.
In the last war I had driven the Holy Sword into the Demon King’s heart. If I had pulled it free again the heart would have burst and he would have died, but the fierce resistance of the demonkin had stopped me. Still, they could not have fled far with a mortally wounded Demon King. If we committed troops to a search now, we would catch him for certain.
If only this situation had not happened.
Fuck. I made it all the way here…
The problem was that I had no evidence to refute any of it. Of course I didn’t. How could there be proof of things I had never done?
I forced down the nameless emotion rising in my chest and asked the Emperor one last time.
“Your Majesty. If I say I didn’t do it, will you believe me?”
“You bastard! How dare you speak such—”
“—If you’re not going to answer for him, then shut the hell up.”
I turned my head and warned them; the ministers averted their eyes. Under normal circumstances that alone would have been grounds for immediate execution, but that was none of my concern.
Five years. My five years had turned to foam in an instant—all because of this worthless frame-up. One more step. Just one more step and it would have been over!
Whether the Emperor knew that or not, he ignored my question and simply pronounced my sentence.
“Hear me, Hero Kyle. Ordinarily your crimes would warrant execution on the spot, yet in consideration of your past devotion to humanity and the duties you have performed as Hero, I shall show clemency by stripping you of every honor belonging to the Hero.”
He judged my charges unilaterally and never answered my question. He spoke as though granting mercy, yet to me it was the worst possible outcome. I no longer felt it was even worth arguing and simply stared out the window.
“Haa. The weather’s disgustingly nice.”
The way they were rushing to close the matter without a single investigation made it clear this had been the plan from the beginning. Even if I had brought proof and cleared my name, the result would have been the same.
Before I left I asked the Emperor one final question.
“So who was it? The one who sent that letter.”
“Naturally I cannot tell you.”
Yeah. Of course not.
I had no idea how deep the collusion ran, but I hoped at least that it was the demonkin sowing discord rather than the humans I had tried to protect. That way, when the time came to settle accounts, I wouldn’t have to hold back.
“Hoo… And what am I supposed to tell my companions?”
Above all, I had no face left to show the comrades who had trusted me and followed me this far.
I left the imperial palace and returned with heavy steps to the inn where my companions waited.
Silence filled the inn room. Five people were crowded into a single chamber, yet not one of them opened their mouth. Though it was only early evening, not a single lamp was lit, and an unnameable tension hung in the air.
…Ding. A signal came from the magic tool. First-class Mage Muni began to read the message written there. Every gaze in the room locked onto her at once.
“…The palace?”
“Yeah.”
“W-what does it say?”
The members asked, voices tight with anxiety. She answered at once.
“It’s done.”
And at the words that followed, smiles spread across every face.
“The Hero’s crimes… have all been acknowledged.”