The Price of Trust, Part 3
"I made a certain promise to Youngho. Once we defeated the Demon King, I promised to lay everything bare to you all. There's no reason to hide it anymore..."
Yes, you bastard. Spit it out. Just say it already. Stop teasing them and get on with it!
"There is a massive secret between Youngho and me. It's something you all absolutely must know."
Damn right. It absolutely is.
"I fully intended to make a clean breast of everything once the Demon King was dead."
The eyes of Cara, Lora, and Stella darted back and forth between Kim Hyungkeun and me, filled with curiosity.
"Right here, right now!"
I waited anxiously for Hyungkeun's next words. I swallowed hard, my throat dry, as time seemed to slow to a crawl. The moment I had anticipated for so long was finally right before my eyes. Or so I thought.
"However..."
But of course, Hyungkeun went back on his word yet again.
"Now that we've actually slain the Demon King, I've had a change of heart."
"What...? What did you say?"
"You all heard the Demon King's final words. He split his soul among his Four Heavenly Kings. In truth, the Demon King is not dead. Our adventure is far from over."
"Hey, Kim Hyungkeun."
Unable to hold back any longer, I took a step forward. Hyungkeun raised a palm to stop me.
"Calm down, Youngho. I'm not finished speaking yet."
"Choose your next words very carefully. Before I break your jaw."
"We must continue our journey. We have to hunt down every single one of the Four Heavenly Kings scattered across the Demon Continent. In a way, this will be an even more grueling quest than what we've faced so far. I can't guarantee how many years it will take."
"Hey!!"
"However!" Hyungkeun raised his voice.
"Our porter, Kim Youngho, has made it clear that he cannot continue this journey. Even in my eyes, his patience has reached its absolute limit. I believe we must embark on our next quest without him. Isn't that right, Youngho?"
"Of course it is! I'm sick and tired of this!" I barked.
"But that's not the point, Hyungkeun! Stop changing the subject. Tell them about the Rune of Sacrifice and the Love Rune!"
"To whom?"
"To Lora, Cara, and Stella! To our party members!"
"And will that really be enough for you?"
"...What?" What is this bastard talking about?
"I am going to set off on a new adventure with our companions. But what about you? What are you going to do?"
"...What do you mean, what am I going to do? I'm going to rest, you idiot."
"Do you even have any money?"
Money. I had none. Every single coin I earned had been spent on those girls.
"Our journey is being reported to the entire world in real-time through magazines and newspapers. Every detail of who did what is public knowledge. But, I'm sorry to say, Youngho, you haven't personally slain a single demon, so your contributions aren't recognized. If you leave the party like this, everyone will assume you were kicked out."
"So?"
"You won't even receive proper compensation from the royal court. How are you going to survive without any money, Youngho?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"You need to have your contributions recognized. Not just by a few companions, but by everyone."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"First, let's return to the royal palace. We have to report that the Demon King is dead, but also that the war isn't over yet. Once we're back, you can take a good rest in the capital. We can also take a brief break before setting off on our new adventure."
"And then?"
"I will announce it before His Majesty the King and the ministers. I'll tell them exactly how much you helped us."
"Ha... So in the end, you're pushing the promise back again? I'm pretty sure I told you this was your last chance."
"No, think about it, Youngho. We're going back to the capital anyway, and you need money."
"No. I'm not letting you slip away like an eel anymore. At the very least, tell them right here that you used the Love Rune on me. That has nothing to do with the King. If anything, it concerns them."
I pointed my finger at our female companions.
Hyungkeun stared at me with a deeply displeased expression for a long moment, then leaned in to whisper so only I could hear.
"Wait... let's talk for a second, Youngho."
"Why? Why can't you just say it here? Why do we need to have a secret conversation? What I want is for the truth to be revealed where everyone can hear it."
"I get it, so just come over here for a second."
Hyungkeun lured me a good distance away from the others. Then, he spoke in a placating, patronizing tone.
"I know, Youngho... I know how you feel. You must be incredibly frustrated."
"Frustrated doesn't even begin to cover it. You don't know a damn thing about how I feel."
"Sigh..."
"You're acting incredibly suspicious, Hyungkeun. Why do you keep delaying the promise? Why can't you just speak? There's no reason you can't!"
"Actually, there is a reason."
"What is it then? If you have a mouth, let's hear your excuse."
"The truth is... just as the Rune of Sacrifice has its restrictions, so does the Love Rune."
"What?"
"You aren't allowed to speak of the Love Rune's effects. If you tell anyone about it, the rune becomes permanently unusable."
"..."
That was information I didn't possess.
"So what... you're just going to leave me to be treated like absolute trash by those women? That's not what we agreed on!"
"I'm just asking you to understand that keeping this promise isn't easy for me either. It's practically the equivalent of permanently losing one of the three runes that make up the Hero's authority."
"You had no problem dumping the Rune of Sacrifice on me, yet you sure talk a big game."
"I really am sorry about that. I mean it... We're friends, aren't we? Of course I understand how you feel."
"Sigh... So what are you saying? You want to keep the secret forever just so you can keep abusing the Love Rune?"
"No, of course not. No matter how precious the Love Rune is, I can't just stand by and do nothing when you're suffering this much."
"You're only just realizing that now? Just now?"
"Instead, since I'm going to help you, I want to do it properly."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Before the Love Rune becomes useless, I want to use it to repay my debt to you."
"...What?"
"Don't you get it? Just pick any girl you want. I'll use the Love Rune on her to make her fall madly in love with you."
"...Sigh..." A hollow groan escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"Unbelievable. Is that really the best way to repay me you could come up with?"
"If you don't want to, then don't. I just thought it would be a waste to let it go to waste, considering how insanely powerful the rune's effect is, as you've experienced firsthand. Honestly, whether I leak the secret of the Love Rune today or tomorrow, it's all the same, right? Once we're back in the capital, there will be plenty of beautiful women. You can just enjoy yourself with whatever girl you want. In the meantime, we'll defeat the Four Heavenly Kings and send you back to Earth."
"...Are you serious?"
"You've always sacrificed yourself for us from the shadows. It's the least I can do to repay you, isn't it?"
"..."
Hyungkeun placed a hand on my shoulder. Like a true friend. I didn't brush his hand away.
"This is really... really the last time, you bastard."
"Hahaha. Thanks for believing in me, buddy."
In the end, the day passed without Hyungkeun ever spitting out the truth.
We departed the Demon King's castle and took the shortest route back to the capital. The King welcomed the Hero Party, who returned bearing tidings of victory, with grand pomp and circumstance.
"Oh, Hero Kim Hyungkeun! The greatest Hero in history! The entire kingdom rejoiced upon hearing the news of your victory over the Demon King! You are truly the savior of this world! Ask for anything you desire, and it shall be yours."
"Your Majesty. I have a report to make to you," Hyungkeun said, locking eyes with me.
"Oh! What might that be? I shall grant whatever you ask."
"It is not something to be spoken of here. I wish to deliver a highly important report tomorrow, so could you summon the key ministers of each nation?"
"If that is your wish, then of course it shall be done."
Hyungkeun and I looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. At least for now, I wanted to believe that everything was going smoothly.
"To repay you for saving the world, I would grant any request. But tell me, what kind of being was the Demon King? Please, share your tale."
The King spent private time with Hyungkeun, praising his achievements, while the women fled to their quarters as if terrified that I might try to cling to them.
I returned to the small room assigned to me. Lying on the worn-out bed that perfectly symbolized my current status, I was lost in the thought that this would be my final night of being treated like dirt, when a sudden knock echoed at the door.
"Who is it? Come in."
"Hehe... It's me, Sir Youngho."
"Wait... You are..."
The visitor was none other than Princess Isabella of the Lidorphias Kingdom. The beautiful princess would often visit my room, eagerly begging me to tell her stories of my travels like an excited child.
"Your final journey is over, right? I came because I was so dying to hear what the battle with the Demon King was like."
"The final journey... Well, yes and no."
"?! W-what do you mean? I'm so curious!"
"Would you like to hear?"
I gave her a brief account of what had transpired during this expedition. Isabella listened intently, her face alive with emotion, gasping and empathizing at all the right moments.
"...And that's why Hyungkeun asked to gather the ministers tomorrow—to reveal everything."
"Everything? Can't you tell me beforehand? Just between us?"
"I cannot."
It wasn't so much that I wouldn't, but rather that the curse prevented me from speaking even if I wanted to.
Isabella collapsed onto the mattress and let out a playful groan.
"Aw, come on~ Not even to me?"
"No."
"Ah... What a shame. But Sir Youngho, listening to your story raised a question in my mind."
Isabella said, her expression turning as sharp as a detective's.
"What is it?"
"What if the Hero is lying?"
"...Lying?"
"Yes. What if, in truth, he has no intention of revealing the truth and plans to betray you? What will you do then?"
"Hahaha..."
"This isn't a laughing matter, is it? You would be in a very difficult position, Sir Youngho."
"Do I really look like such a fool that I wouldn't have considered that possibility?"
"?! D-does that mean you have a plan?"
"Don't worry. I have a Plan B."
"W-what is it?"
"Heh..."
To be honest, I didn't trust Kim Hyungkeun to his bones either. In fact, I had harbored a sliver of doubt about him since the very first day we were pulled into this game world. That was why I had taken a certain precaution in case he decided to stab me in the back.
"...I recorded it. Everything he said to me."
Before handing over my modern belongings to the King, I had used my smartphone to record Hyungkeun blabbing about the Rune of Sacrifice. That audio file was still saved on my phone. Even if Hyungkeun betrayed me, all I had to do was play the recording.