They're Insane
King Carlos II's question was perfectly reasonable. Honestly, if I had been in his place, I would have asked the same thing. If the enemy was truly plotting something inside the royal capital, and if the plan was to round them all up in one strike and annihilate them completely, then the correct move would be to act in secret. Stay quiet enough that they wouldn't suspect a thing and simply continue with whatever they intended to do.
But we had announced our arrival with fanfare. The Heroes were coming, and everyone knew it. Even if we could somehow conceal the news that their master had shown up as well, how exactly were we supposed to hide the Guardian Hero and the Fighter Hero waving cheerfully from the carriage?
“At this point, isn’t it basically the same as warning the enemy not to try anything stupid?”
Both Gerard and Iris immediately twisted their expressions. Iris in particular looked ready to swing a fist, her face turning downright vicious. The king’s words must have grated on her nerves.
“Is Your Majesty implying that I came all the way here just to warn the people plotting inside the royal capital to hurry up and run away? Is that what you’re saying?”
“It couldn’t possibly be that. You are the master of the Heroes, after all.”
“Then there was no need to say it. I’m quite offended.”
“I feel the same. Even as word of the Heroes spread in every direction, not a single incident occurred inside the royal capital. That is because everyone here shares one heart and one will in rejecting them. To speak of mishaps in such a place… This is by no means an easy target. It is the capital of a kingdom with a long and storied history. The roots of our proud royal family run deep here. This is the royal palace.”
His confidence wasn’t completely groundless. The knights and soldiers stationed here were indeed among the finest on the continent. If the entire royal guard charged at once, they could probably hold their own against a single Hero. And the monsters, high-grade creatures, and Demon God worshippers these people had faced before were the sort the Heroes could sweep away without effort, so the knights should have been able to handle them too. That seemed to be what everyone, the king included, believed.
It wasn’t a foolish assumption. The only real problem was that something far worse was coming.
“…You make a fair point.”
“Hmm?”
“Now that I reconsider it, you’re right. With the Heroes entering the royal capital like this, even madmen would think twice about acting openly.”
Still, I had no desire to waste time explaining everything in detail. People who refuse to believe will keep refusing no matter what reasons or persuasion you offer. They’ll insist they’re right and you’re wrong, that they couldn’t possibly be mistaken. Once it reaches that point, the only remaining option is to force the issue, but doing so against the king would render all my disciples’ hard work meaningless. As their master, the least I could do was avoid destroying what they had built through so much suffering.
“Your Majesty is correct. It will not be easy for the enemy to make their move, and with the Heroes already here, only a madman would proceed. Absolutely.”
“Then…”
“It was my mistake. If I caused any offense, I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”
“…”
“That is all I wished to say. May I take my leave?”
Before the other side could say anything else or entertain second thoughts, I made my desire to leave perfectly clear. In any case, the king had no real justification to stop the Heroes. They had only been invited briefly to the palace for greetings and to meet this so-called master. He would probably be glad to see us go quickly. To them, the Heroes were a blade they could not wield. Without them the monsters would run wild, so they kept them close, but since they could not control them freely, the Heroes remained an uneasy presence at best.
“…As you wish.”
With King Carlos II’s permission, I bowed and immediately withdrew from the audience chamber. My two disciples followed close behind with hurried steps.
Grind.
Iris was grinding her teeth, while
“Hoo…”
Gerard let out a heavy sigh filled with fury.
We reached the path leading out of the palace. With no knights hovering nearby anymore, we could freely curse the king without consequence.
“I’m sorry, Master. I knew it would turn out this way.”
“Ugh, my fists are seriously itching. That brain-dead moron.”
“I thought he would at least stay on guard, but he’s utterly pathetic.”
“His head must be packed with nothing but shit. With a brain like a toilet, it’s no wonder the country keeps sliding downhill.”
“Don’t bother yourselves over it. I did it on purpose.”
“…Pardon?”
“What?”
My words left both disciples staring at me in open confusion.
“What do you mean by that, Master?”
“Yeah, what do you mean? On purpose?”
“Talking yourself hoarse to someone who refuses to believe you only leaves your throat sore. It’s better to just say ‘Ah, I see. How impressive you are,’ and walk away. Leaves them feeling uneasy.”
“…Were you hoping the king would chew on your words later and reconsider?”
I gave Gerard a slow nod.
I am the master of the Heroes, not the king’s. No matter what advice, information, or persuasion I offered, the final decision belonged to the king, not some guest like me. Carlos II was probably feeling uneasy right about now. It wasn’t that he distrusted the royal capital’s defenses. But the master of the Heroes wouldn’t speak lightly. On top of that, cities once thought impregnable were falling, and nobles who weren’t fully loyal to the crown might be harboring other ideas. If those people created openings while moving in and out of the palace, if the king’s brave knights and soldiers had missed something, and if the events I warned about came to pass… what then?
“His head’s probably about to split open. He might have spoken boldly in front of me, but people tend to imagine all sorts of things once they’re left alone.”
“You deliberately lit a fire under him.”
“You could put it that way. Depending on the opponent, sometimes you need to pour oil or fan the flames. This time there was no need. Your very presence is the oil and the wind.”
Would the Heroes have come to the royal capital for a casual outing if they were insane? Bowing their heads, accommodating the royal family’s demands? He would conclude there had to be a reason, something that left them no choice. Within a day—no, half a day—he would come looking for us again. He still held absolute faith in the royal capital’s defenses, yet he could not completely dismiss the Heroes’ warning. So he would ask us to explain in detail and share our plans, preserving his pride while still seeking practical benefit. I was almost certain that was how it would play out.
“The palace visit ends here. Ignore anyone who comes from the palace, no matter who it is.”
“Is that really all right, Master?”
“They dismissed our words first, so they can deal with the consequences. No matter how much of a guest I may be, you are Heroes. The ones with the most real combat experience, the ones who have fought the hardest. Why should I go back to people who won’t even listen and repeat myself nicely?”
After speaking, I expanded my senses once more. I had already pushed my detection range to its limit inside the audience chamber earlier. I had wondered whether they might notice me openly scanning the area, but sadly even the high-grade knights guarding the king had failed to detect it. Their swordsmanship might be decent, but they were sorely lacking in every other respect.
Nothing.
As expected, I sensed nothing unusual within the royal capital. Not a single person giving off that distinctive stench. There was always the chance I had missed something, but this was not just any building; it was the royal palace. Beyond using my senses like this as an outsider, there honestly wasn’t much else I could do. Even if Iris had come, she wouldn’t have been able to identify anything more precisely than me. Knowing that, she had left the task to me and was keeping watch outside.
“Master.”
Iris, who had been grumbling curses at the king, suddenly called out to me. When I turned to ask what was wrong, the Fighter Hero tilted her head.
“Now that I think about it, that part does worry me.”
“What does, Iris?”
“There’s me, Senior Brother Gerard, and even Junior Sister Daisy. Word about you has probably spread by now too. Three Heroes plus one person with strength beyond even the Heroes. That’s the current situation inside the royal capital, right?”
“You’re wondering what happens if they get scared and abandon the plan they were preparing. Is that it?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
As I had said earlier, it was a valid concern. These were the Heroes who had been sweeping through monsters, high-grade creatures, and Demon God worshippers with equal ease. Not one or two, but three of those Heroes had entered the royal capital. At this rate, it would be smarter for the enemy to simply give up on whatever preparations they had made inside. Even summoning five high-grade monsters would be barely possible, and only if they sacrificed the entire population of the royal capital. Without that, the Demon God worshippers had no chance of victory. Assuming that was the limit of their preparations, anyway.
“If they lacked confidence they wouldn’t act, but I believe they will.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because they probably have absolute confidence in what they’ve prepared.”
“…By what they’ve prepared, you mean the monster summoning?”
“That could be part of it. Or perhaps something even greater.”
And we must not forget who we were dealing with: Demon God worshippers. People who were not merely insane but completely, irreversibly mad. Psychopaths who would gladly sacrifice their own parents and children. For such people, after pouring so much time and effort into their preparations, now that their plan was on the verge of revealing itself, backing down would be too painful. The target was right in front of them. Who would turn around and walk back the way they came? Even a rational person would struggle with that. How much harder would it be for Demon God worshippers?
“Keep preparing. In this world there are great events that will happen no matter what, and there are madmen who will carry out their intentions no matter what stands in their way.”
“Understood, Master.”
“By the way, where did you say Daisy was staying?”
“She has a large residence on the outskirts of the royal capital.”
“That girl barely participates in monster hunts or creature subjugations, I hear. I’ll have to give her a proper scolding.”
While the other disciples traveled around with people or alone, working diligently, only Daisy was apparently staying put at her residence. It was only natural that she should be reprimanded. But the moment I said so, both Gerard and Iris made expressions that suggested they were less than enthusiastic.
“Ah… still, she keeps developing all kinds of new magic and teaching it to people. Quite a few of them are useful. The new portable magic scrolls, for example.”
“Magic scrolls existed before, didn’t they?”
“They were expensive and rare, so people couldn’t use them freely. But after Daisy developed the new versions, even low-grade monsters can be handled easily with just those scrolls.”
“…Is that really all? The reason you don’t want to send her out?”
Gerard let out an awkward laugh. These two were definitely hiding something.
“Master, I’ll be honest. It really does seem better for Third Senior Sister to just stay there. Or we only take her to nearby places and have her cast a few spells.”
Iris picked up where Gerard left off.
“She’s so clumsy that she sets the campsite on fire almost every night when we camp. Tripping while walking is normal for her, so we always need horses or carriages. Even then she slips getting into the carriage or falls off the horse… and she causes every kind of accident you can imagine. I feel bad saying this, but she’s completely ruining the Heroes’ reputation.”
“…”
I had been worried about that clumsy personality of hers ever since I taught her, but I never imagined her senior disciples would be this fed up with it.