The Scapegoat on Stage
“Kim Youngho. Some of you might recognize his name. He is the porter of our Hero Party. What is a porter, you ask? They carry our luggage, yes, but they also handle all the menial, dirty work. In other words, you could say it's the position that contributes the absolute least to the Hero Party.”
“Some even argue that a porter is nothing but a drain on resources—an expense, rather than an indispensable member.”
“Yet, Kim Youngho was the very first person I recruited into the Hero Party. And the reason is simple: he is my friend. Yes, as some of you may know, I hail from another world. Youngho is a dear friend of mine who crossed over from that same world, a friend with whom I shared a deep bond.”
“I wanted to preserve that friendship here in Lidorphia. Although I was chosen as the Hero and Youngho was not, I didn't want such a trivial difference to create a rift between friends. I wanted to give Youngho a respectable role.”
“A porter... I only hoped Youngho would be satisfied with that position. After all, what does it matter who is the Hero and who is the porter? In the end, isn't the noble cause of defeating the Demon King and bringing peace to this world what truly matters?”
“And so, I set out on my journey alongside Kim Youngho. After welcoming Cara, Lora, and Stella into our ranks, our party achieved countless feats. I am sure you have all heard of our exploits through the public reports.”
“We did not merely slay various demons; we reclaimed humanity's lost territories and ultimately succeeded in slaying the Demon King himself. Yes! That is correct. We killed the Demon King. The tip of my blade pierced his heart, and his corpse was left to rot, devoured by maggots until nothing remained. We truly believed our journey had ended there.”
After his long, theatrical speech, Kim Hyungkeun paused to swallow. At the mention of the Demon King's demise, the crowd gazed upon the Hero with a mixture of profound awe and terror.
“But we were wrong. The Demon King is not entirely dead. He split his soul into four parts, distributing them among his Four Heavenly Kings to preserve his existence. We must embark on a new adventure. To defeat the Four Heavenly Kings...”
“Hyungkeun. That's enough. Get to the point already,” I interrupted, unable to tolerate his grandstanding any longer.
“Right. The point,” Kim Hyungkeun agreed, nodding. In the next instant, his eyes flared with a fiery intensity.
“But before we set out on this new quest! We must look back at the path we have walked! And if there is something we must purge, we shall purge it! If there is something we must repent for, we shall repent!”
His speech was veering wildly off the course I had anticipated. Hurry up and announce to everyone the sacrifices I made for this party. Do it.
“Yes! Our party cannot embark on this new adventure as we are!”
Yet, Kim Hyungkeun...
“Because!” Far from heading in the direction I wanted,
“There is a traitor in our midst!” He had derailed completely.
“Kim Hyungkeun. You...”
“And the name of that traitor is none other than Kim Youngho!”
Like a seasoned show host, Hyungkeun presented me to the crowd. I felt more eyes locking onto me than ever before in my life. It was the first time I had ever received such overwhelming attention.
“Hyungkeun. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Everyone, lend me your ears!” This crazy bastard ignored me completely, continuing his solo act. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I could see several people pointing fingers at me.
“Kim Youngho is a traitor! He does not stand with humanity!”
“Hey, Kim Hyungkeun! I'm asking you what kind of bullshit you're spewing right now!”
“Give it a rest, Kim Youngho. It's pathetic to watch.”
“Huh?” Was he out of his mind? What nonsense was he babbling? Was he... acting? To my eyes, it was a laughably terrible performance, but the crowd was already falling into the trap Hyungkeun had laid.
“What? The porter betrayed humanity?”
“The Hero said so himself.”
“If the Hero who defeated the Demon King says it, it must be true.”
“Betraying humanity... that's an automatic death sentence, right?”
Ominous words that were hard to ignore began to drift through the air. I couldn't let Hyungkeun control the room like this. Everything coming out of his mouth was an absolute fabrication.
“Hey, Hyungkeun. Me, a traitor? What kind of absurd nonsense is that? Why don't you explain it so even I can understand?”
“Why play dumb now? Weren't you the one who told me, 'If I can't have their love, if I can't have them, I'd rather destroy them all'?”
“What?” Another incomprehensible lie spilled from Hyungkeun's mouth. He then turned to call the other party members.
“Lora, Cara, Stella.” The three of them stepped forward, their faces blank with bewilderment.
“You girls know, don't you? How obsessed Kim Youngho was with you. How desperately he wanted you.”
“W-well, we know that, but...”
“What does that have to do with betrayal?”
“Tell us, Hero. Are you saying that smelly wretch betrayed us?”
“Yes,” Hyungkeun continued.
“The night before we fought the Demon King, Kim Youngho told me. He said he confessed to the female members but was brutally rejected. He claimed that since he was dumped by you all, he had no reason to live, didn't care about humanity, and was going to side with the Demon King.”
“That is pure bullshit!” I roared, unable to hold back. What infuriated me the most was seeing Lora, Cara, and Stella nodding along as if it actually sounded plausible.
“I never did anything of the sort!”
“Of course, I tried to stop him. I advised him that no matter how heartbroken he was, he shouldn't abandon justice. But then, Kim Youngho demanded I lend him the Love Rune. He wanted to use its power to brainwash his comrades.”
Ugh...! The bastard was mixing truth with lies to make his claims sound credible. Before I knew it, the noose of suspicion cast by the crowd began to tighten around my neck.
“Naturally, I refused. Forcing and manipulating the hearts of my comrades was something I couldn't even dream of doing. Then, Kim Youngho declared that he would side with the Demon King instead. He ran off somewhere in a hurry. I had my doubts, but... that was when you ran to the Demon King and leaked our surprise raid. That is why the Demon King knew we were coming and split his soul among the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“No! That's a lie! I never did that!”
“If that's not the case, then why isn't the Demon King dead? The surprise raid I planned was flawless.”
“How the hell should I know, you bastard? The operation didn't fail because of me.”
“You should stop lying. It's getting pathetic.”
“Kim Hyungkeun... you son of a bitch!” As harsh words echoed through the palace, the King, who had remained a silent observer until now, finally intervened.
“Hmm... The testimonies conflict. I shall conduct the questioning myself. First, I ask the members of the Hero Party. In your estimation, who is the one telling falsehoods?”
The women looked back and forth between me and Hyungkeun. Their gazes were fraught with deep unease.
“I don't know...”
“This is all so sudden for us as well...”
“Humans lie as easily as they breathe. As an elf, it is difficult for me to discern the truth.”
The King changed his line of questioning. “Then, is the Hero's claim that the porter confessed to the female members and was rejected indeed a fact?”
“Yes,” the three members answered in unison.
“Then, do you believe it is possible the porter harbored a grudge against you?”
“It's possible.”
“Come to think of it... Mr. Kim Youngho's attitude did become strange the day after his confession.”
“Indeed, he grew as cold as a different person starting from that point.”
That was because the effect of the Love Rune had worn off.
Their suspicious glares screamed, Could he really have betrayed us? Don't look at me with those eyes. I am absolutely not a traitor, you miserable bitches.
“Actually... I did catch glimpses of Kim Youngho desperately begging the Hero for something a few times.” Shut up, Cara. It's not what you think.
“Trying to manipulate our hearts using the Love Rune? If it's Mr. Youngho, who was obsessed with us like a stalker, he is more than capable of doing such a thing.” What do you know, Lora? What do you possibly know about me?
“It seems not only his body reeked, but his very soul was corrupt. To think we adventured with such a creature makes my skin crawl.” Stella, it seems you've completely made up your mind that I'm the traitor. Ha... Fine. I get it. Of course you would.
When I think about it, it's only natural. You all harbor a deep, visceral hatred for me because of the Rune of Sacrifice. Your hearts are so hostile toward me that you'd fall for Hyungkeun's laughably flimsy logic. There was never a chance you would take my side. I'm done. I was an idiot to expect even a shred of support from you.
“Your Majesty. You need not watch this farce any longer.”
“What do you mean, porter? Are you aware that your life hangs in the balance at this very moment?”
“I possess the evidence to prove my innocence.”
Instantly, Hyungkeun's eyes narrowed. “Prove what? What could you possibly have?”
Ignoring his question, I addressed the King.
“Among the belongings I surrendered on my first day here, there should be an item called a 'smartphone.' Recorded on that device is a conversation between myself and Kim Hyungkeun. Please allow me to play that recording here and now. Once you hear it, everyone present will understand exactly why Kim Hyungkeun is framing me with these absurd lies.”
“What... Y-you recorded it? That conversation?” Cold sweat broke out on Hyungkeun's face as he froze. For the first time today, I got to witness his genuine, unmasked reaction—and it felt absolutely glorious.