The Hearing, Part 4
The Holy Sword was embedded in a rock, just like the swords of legend. In an ancient ruin nestled in the mountains surrounding the Royal Capital, it had remained quietly, as if asleep, driven deep into the stone.
Elroy, who had ventured out under the guise of an ordinary adventurer, had stumbled into the ruins by chance and drawn the Holy Sword from its resting place.
It wasn't that other adventurers hadn't tried to draw the sword before. In fact, it was practically an annual ritual for any adventurer passing near the ruins, yet the Holy Sword had never budged so much as a millimeter. Some had even tried to shatter the rock itself, but their efforts were utterly futile.
"Ah, forget it. Let's go."
"Damn it, I just wasted my energy. What kind of sword can't even be pulled out with mana-reinforced strength?"
"Do you think they call it the Holy Church's sacred treasure, a divine relic, and the Holy Sword for nothing? You need to be worthy. And you, my friend, are definitely disqualified."
Over time, attempts to draw the Holy Sword gradually dwindled. The knights of the Royal Capital, unlike the adventurers, knew the sword would not budge, so they didn't even bother trying.
Thus, the Holy Sword, which seemed destined to remain a mere legend, was finally drawn by a young man who had visited the ruins for the very first time that day. That was how Elroy became the Hero. And that was almost the only piece of the original Elroy's past that I knew.
"Hero, step forward with the Holy Sword."
The minister, who seemed to have pawned off whatever manners he had at the start of the hearing, spoke to me in an imperious tone. I shook off my stray thoughts and looked back at him.
"Are you truly questioning my worthiness as the Hero right now?"
"We ask the questions here, not you. Hero, step forward with the Holy Sword."
This minister certainly had a knack for getting under people's skin. If I lost my cool and shouted here, the atmosphere I had painstakingly seized would instantly flip back in their favor. If I could ever meet the original Elroy, I'd tell him to fix his attitude. Just how arrogantly had he behaved in the past for this man to declare with such manic eyes and voice that he lacked the qualifications of a Hero?
"And if you deem that I lack the qualifications, what do you plan to do then?"
A deeply grotesque smile spread across the minister's face.
"If there is someone with greater aptitude than the current Hero, would it not be only right to appoint them instead? In that case, you would no longer be the Hero, nor the commander of the expedition."
Looking at his face any longer was going to make me sick.
"If you admit your faults even now, take responsibility, and step down from your position as commander, we can pretend this inquiry into your worthiness never happened. There is no need to complicate things, is there?"
So this was what he really wanted. For me to get cold feet at his proposal and declare my surrender. I let out a soft sigh.
"Well, you are free to question my qualifications. But how do you propose to test them? Are you going to hand the Holy Sword to the knights you brought along and have them perform sword forms?"
If you don't know anything, just shut up, please. As I spoke in such a roundabout way, the minister's face contorted further, his clenched fists trembling.
"...According to legend, the Holy Sword bestows divine power along with light upon those it chooses," the minister said, having barely managed to suppress his anger.
Like the seasoned politician he was, he seemed adept at managing his emotions. Of course, his voice was tight and strained, as if he were speaking through gritted teeth.
"If it finds its true master, the Holy Sword will surely show some change. A form entirely different from how it appears in your hands right now."
The minister pointed a finger at the Holy Sword hanging at my waist.
The Holy Sword grumbled in my mind. Just wait a bit. Those faces of theirs will rot like old fruit soon enough anyway.
"Now, it is up to you, Hero. What will you do—"
"Let's do this."
I stepped down from the platform. At my sudden movement, the ministers flinched. How do they survive in politics with such weak hearts? Snorting softly, I drew the Holy Sword with my left hand. The blade gleamed under the light of the chandeliers hanging from the council chamber's ceiling.
"Wait, Hero! What on earth do you think you are doing?!"
The minister turned pale, flapping his hands like chicken wings. Ignoring their reactions entirely, I lightly drove the Holy Sword into the floor in the very center of the chamber. I made sure not to use too much force, lest I leave a massive crack in the stone.
Thud.
The ministers watched my actions with a mixture of confusion and fear. Gently wrapping my hand around the hilt, I sent a final request to the Holy Sword.
I'm counting on you.
Why bring that up now?
With a bitter smile, I let go of the hilt and stepped back. I felt a bit guilty, but the current me had no memory of drawing the Holy Sword for the first time. Taking a deep breath, I proposed the plan I had devised.
"I believe you all know how I was chosen by the Holy Sword. I drew it from a rock in a ruin on the outskirts of the Royal Capital."
The chamber fell silent, waiting for my next words. Once all eyes were locked onto the blade, I pointed directly at it.
"There is no need for me to demonstrate my swordsmanship. If there is anyone here who can pull that Holy Sword from the floor, I will step down from my position as the Hero and my title as expedition commander, and hand over all my authority and duties to them."
A massive stir ran through the ministers. Amidst the commotion, the eyes of the minister who had been badgering me wavered. My sheer confidence seemed to have given him a sudden, bad premonition. But since he was the one who had brought up the challenge, he couldn't back down now. Georg was looking between me and the Holy Sword in confusion, while Bishop Andre watched me with a hand propping up his chin, his eyes gleaming.
"...You seem remarkably confident, Hero."
"And you, Minister, seem remarkably lacking in it. If you wish to apologize for questioning my worthiness and back down right now, I would be happy to retrieve the Holy Sword."
He probably never expected me to take it this far. Well, to be fair, I wouldn't have been this confident either if the Holy Sword hadn't spoken to me. Just think of it as rotten luck, Minister.
"...Very well. If you insist on going this far."
He's putting on quite a show for someone who isn't even the one drawing the sword. At the minister's nod, the knights waiting in the back stepped forward. True to their training, they showed no signs of agitation—except for Georg. Georg looked at me as if asking, What on earth are you thinking? I answered by simply looking back at the Holy Sword.
"Want to go first?"
I asked Georg playfully. He stared at my face for a long moment, trying to read my expression, before letting out a sigh.
"I will try first."
"Yes, Commander Georg of the Grey Bear Knights. As a member of the expedition, you are more than qualified. Give it a try."
I was the master of the Holy Sword, yet I had no idea why the minister was the one giving permission. While I narrowed my eyes and glared in his direction, Georg approached the Holy Sword and gripped the hilt. Every eye in the chamber locked onto him. Giving me an apologetic look, Georg tightened his grip.
"...!" Silence. "Hup!" Silence once more.
"Commander Georg? I believe I told you that you may begin."
The minister spoke in a puzzled tone. Georg looked visibly flustered. Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead, proving he was genuinely putting every ounce of his strength into pulling the sword. I thought he might hold back a little out of camaraderie, but he was as stubborn and inflexible as ever.
"...I am trying."
"What?"
"I am putting all my strength into drawing the Holy Sword."
Georg spoke in a dazed voice. He then shook his head, let go of the hilt, and stepped back. A low murmur rippled through the ministers.
"Do not play games, Commander Georg."
"I swear on my honor. I was giving it everything I had."
As Georg spoke in a stiff voice, anxiety began to cloud the minister's face.
"Is there no other knight who will try?"
The minister's voice dropped. The knight commanders exchanged glances. Among them, a knight who had been glaring at me with sharp eyes throughout the hearing raised his hand and stepped forward.
"I will give it a try."
"Very well, Commander Alberto of the White Falcon Knights. Proceed."
I was being treated like a complete bystander now. I wished someone would at least hand me a snack.
The knight named Alberto stepped forward confidently and gripped the sword without hesitation. The glare he shot me right before grabbing the hilt seemed to say, I'm still better than you. With a relaxed smirk, Alberto gripped the hilt and tried to lift it. Naturally, the Holy Sword didn't budge.
"...What? This can't be."
The thoughts he should have kept to himself slipped right out of his mouth. What a spectacular reaction. Alberto adjusted his stance and gripped the Holy Sword with both hands, as if trying to yank a radish out of the ground.
"Hyaaah!"
He let out an unsightly grunt, straining his forearms and lats. Of course, the Holy Sword remained completely motionless, and only Alberto's face flushed a deep, dark crimson. His struggle continued for several minutes, ending only after the minister, unable to watch any longer, yelled at him to stop three times.
"...Next."
But the next knight, and the one after that, fared no better. Far from drawing the Holy Sword, they couldn't even make it budge. With each knight's failure, the color drained from the minister's face, and the authority in his voice as he called the next candidate withered away. The other court nobles in attendance began glancing back and forth between me and the minister.
"Ngggh!"
The last one—a knight even larger than Georg—collapsed backward. Sitting flat on the floor, he panted heavily and shook his head.
"...It's impossible. No matter how much I reinforce my body with mana and strain, it won't budge."
"You... you useless fools."
The minister ground his teeth so hard they sounded like they might shatter. Unable to contain his anxiety and rage, he leapt up from his seat and marched forward. None of the other court nobles, including the hearing's chairman, made any move to stop him; they simply watched.
"Are you mocking me?!"
The minister grabbed the hilt and tried to pull with all his might. An old man like him is going to throw his back out doing that. He strained, but the Holy Sword remained completely unyielding. No longer caring about how pathetic he looked, the minister clung to the hilt and began to shriek.
"Nggghhh!! Aaaaargh!!"
I slowly walked over to the minister, whose face had turned beet red as he screamed. Watching this farce go on was no longer even amusing; it was just pitiful. I leaned down to look at him as he continued to strain, and his jaw trembled as he looked up at me.
"Ugh... What... what did you do to the Holy Sword...?"
"Let's end this farce now."
I gently pushed the minister aside and grasped the Holy Sword. The now-familiar mana of the sword flowed into me, and as if on cue, her voice echoed in my mind.
Then it's time to deliver the finishing blow.
Without exerting much effort, I slowly drew the Holy Sword upward. The blade began to glow with an auspicious light from its very base. Once it was fully drawn, it unleashed a brilliant beam of light that enveloped the entire chamber, forcing everyone to bow their heads as if witnessing a divine miracle.
"...Crazy."
Someone muttered in sheer disbelief.
"Oh, Heavens..."
Bishop Andre's voice drifted past, trailing off in rapturous awe.
I raised the Holy Sword, pointing it toward the ministers seated in the chamber, and declared:
"I, and no one else, am the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword."
The light of the Holy Sword faded. Gritting my teeth, I endured the aftereffects of the first-stage release and sheathed the sword once more. The chamber was plunged into absolute silence, every eye fixed solely on me.
"Do you understand now?"
The minister, still slumped on the floor, shook his head frantically. It's your defeat. Even if you refuse to accept it.
"No... No. This can't be."
"Enough. We shall conclude the hearing here."
Cutting through the minister's denial and the heavy silence, a woman's voice echoed across the chamber. Though she did not speak loudly, her voice carried an uncanny clarity that engraved itself into the ears of everyone present.
The ministers gasped in shock and turned toward the source of the voice. I, too, looked in that direction, my eyes widening in sheer surprise.
It was her. I swallowed hard and gripped the Holy Sword, which asked in curiosity:
The one who appointed me as the expedition commander and granted me the authority over its personnel. I had never in my wildest dreams expected her to show up here today.
Along with the Holy Sword's voice, the doors to the chamber swung open. The sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway drew closer and closer.
Click. Clack.
As the presence grew distinct, and all the silence and confusion that had built up since the Holy Sword's drawing converged onto a single point, a voice rang out like thunder through the chamber.
"Her Royal Highness, Queen Agnes Blanche Lumiere—the rightful ruler of the Kairos Kingdom, the strict judge, the great warrior, and the benevolent protector of her people—is entering!!!"