The Point of No Return (3)
In the banquet hall where the hero party had withdrawn, Emperor Carlos sat with his eyes closed, his face twisted in displeasure. Through the closed eyelids, the true nature stained by fatigue twitched subtly. The emperor muttered to himself.
“The way the world flows is so unpredictable… truly annoying. Of all things, to have the hero party born from the Sarubia family… I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. All forces that supported someone other than me must fall.”
Carlos had not been the first prince. This was the case of a ruler who seized power through bloody political struggles. The most powerful candidate originally had been Prince Charles. In other words, Carlos’s greatest rival had been none other than Prince Charles himself.
And that same Prince Charles’s strongest backer had been the powerful noble family, the Sarubia Count household.
With all his rivals and their backers now completely purged, it was only natural that Carlos would despise the Sarubia family. The count, Sart Sarubia, was his mortal enemy that he had wanted to kill the moment he saw him. He had not been able to do so because of the count’s original prestige and the fact that a young girl was still active on the front lines.
Sylvia Sarubia.
A shining presence even at the academy.
A hero of countless victories over the demon beasts.
If the emperor carelessly purged such a person, a rebellion could break out from within.
Still… no matter who the emperor was.
He was the strongest power holder, after all.
He had planned to exterminate the Sarubia family by any means necessary. Until very recently, that was.
Yes… until the new hero party was selected.
“Tsk tsk… Hestia is a problem too. The saintess keeps nagging at me… Even though she’s my daughter, it really doesn’t sit well with me. Anyone who interferes with my power must disappear.”
Even the goddess Hestia, who was also a saintess, had no objections to the hero party she selected. It was an unwritten rule that the emperor could not protest the goddess’s choice. Rebellious behavior against the goddess would directly challenge his legitimacy, after all.
In the end, with Sylvia becoming the hero, political punishment against the Sarubia family became impossible. The emperor, who was supposed to be the saviors and hope of humanity, the hero party, purging them? It would be obvious that neighboring countries or lords would rise up in protest.
In short, it was a matter of justification.
“Truly infuriating. Having to smile and see off people I want to chew up right now… Is there no way to purge those guys? At least not Sart and Sylvia…!!!”
“Present.”
A tall, gentle man wearing glasses stood quietly beside the emperor. The Lord Protector, Zero, naturally interjected.
“Your Majesty is a being above all others. How could there be no way?”
“Tell me, Zero. The reason you, who were once a commoner, were named Lord Protector was your exceptional intellect. Use that brain of yours to help me.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. In fact, Your Majesty has no need to worry at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a matter of timing.”
Zero replied.
“If this expedition succeeds, the Four Heavenly Kings will die, our forces will grow stronger, and public opinion toward the emperor will improve. In other words, His Majesty’s power will increase. Isn’t that something to be happy about?”
It was a correct assessment. In fact, the empire’s authority had been established under the justification of representing humanity and supporting the hero party. The more the hero party shone, the higher the empire and the emperor rose in status.
“However, Zero. What if the expedition fails?”
“That would be even better. Then we can blame the defeat and… depose Sylvia and drive the Sarubia Count family down the path of ruin, right?”
“Indeed… it makes sense. No matter what happens, it’s a win for me.”
“Exactly. This is the king’s battlefield, after all. Hahaha… Throwing one’s body into a battle whose outcome cannot be predicted is something only the lowly do.”
“Correct. Then hurry up and issue the order to deploy to the party, Zero. I’m growing impatient waiting.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
Zero bowed deeply in greeting, then returned home to change his clothes. It was etiquette to show before the hero party. He was a man who always valued etiquette appropriate to the situation. But when he returned home, he found him and his daughter Sindy came running over to him.
“Daddy! Are we going to meet the hero party?”
“Yes. But why are you asking that?”
“I want to go too!”
“Why?”
“It’s a chance to see the hero party I admire up close!”
“Hmm… you admire the hero party?”
“Yes! Especially I really respect Lady Sylvia! I want to become a wonderful knight like her too!”
“Oh? Is that so? Then shall we go together?”
“Yes! Daddy!”
Zero took his daughter along with a light heart. The empire’s number two man, the Lord Protector, approached the party who were resting at a nearby inn with his daughter. The hero Teo was eating at the ordinary-price inn’s dining hall.
Zero quietly approached and said.
“Hero, to be staying in such a humble place is unexpected. There must have been invitation requests from many places, right?”
“I rejected them all.”
“Why?”
“The hero exists for the people. I thought indulging in luxury was not the hero’s duty.”
“This hero is quite splendid, indeed.”
Zero thought so. The previous hero had indulged in luxury and pleasure, a failure who had brought shame. Teo’s demeanor shone all the more brightly by comparison. For a hero like this, it would be possible to introduce his daughter. Of course, in the sense that she was the target of admiration.
“This girl is my daughter Sindy. She says she admires the hero party. I brought her here so she can meet you up close once.”
“Oh, I see. So you’re Sindy?”
“Yes! It’s an honor to meet the hero! But I really like Lady Sylvia! I want to become a cool knight like her! Where is Lady Sylvia?”
“The other members are enjoying their own time. If you meet Sylvia, is there something you want to tell her? I’ll pass it on.”
“Then please tell her this: There are many girls who admire Sylvia! The most popular woman in the empire, they say!”
“Haha. I’ll definitely pass it on.”
“And! When I meet Sylvia someday, I’ll ask her to take me as her disciple!”
“That’s good. Sylvia is truly a wonderful swordsman.”
After the two finished their warm conversation, Zero brought up the main point.
“I’m grateful for treating my daughter kindly, Hero. I have brought the emperor’s decree.”
“The emperor's…? What is it? Please tell me.”
“The order is to depart for the Demon Continent immediately. Do not delay.”
“I see. I thought the time had come. Understood. I’ll assemble the other members and leave right away.”
“I wish you good luck.”
Teo gulped down the wine in his cup with a gulp, gulp and rose from his seat. His back was that of a real man. Courage, sense of duty, integrity, and sense of justice were all contained within it. The ideal hero, Teo, who everyone dreamed of, had completed his preparations to move forward, forward, forward, looking only to victory. He shouted via the telepathy shared by the party members.
“Now head to the port! Deployment!”
Replies came back immediately from Christine and Scarlet.
“”Okay.””
Sylvia replied a moment later.
“I’m going too. I’m ready.”
Now… it seemed like there was a glorious path ahead of them. But— the other side was not idly waiting. When Teo and the members of the hero party gathered at the port, accompanied by the sound of the ship’s bell, a single raven flew up.
Though no one paid attention to the cawing sounds, in truth, that raven was a subordinate of the Four Heavenly Kings. It simply relayed what it had seen to its master.
“Understood.”
From the distant Demon Continent, Sharon Sarubia responded coldly. She was targeting her life and even the news of the strongest warriors from humanity coming did not faze her at all. She remained calm, like someone enjoying tea time. However, in front of her was a muscular man trembling like a withered tree. He screamed in fear.
“Please!! Please send me back home!! What the hell is going on!!! The hero party is already destroyed, right?! I, I am now a nobody!! Please!! Send me back home!!”
His name was Dawson. A knight from the previous hero party. Dawson had also been a highly touted talent who graduated at the top of the academy, but after losing the previous war, he had been captured as a prisoner. Looking at Dawson with eyes like he was looking at a bug, Sharon said.
“A nobody? Not so. You have value.”
“W-what?”
“Yeah…”
“Ugh!!”
Sharon drew her sword at invisible speed and stabbed Dawson’s heart. With one scream, Dawson died. Or rather, it seemed like he was dying. He shed tears of blood while dying. Or perhaps he was already dead. At least not as a human.
“The previous hero party was no fun. There was no one to excite me. Still, you Dawson had some ability. This time I want you to use that ability for me.”
“Uuuuuk…!!”
“Become a demon… fight the hero party.”
“Gurgle!”
Dawson’s hair turned red. He had become a demon. Though even as a demon, he was nothing but a combat puppet without reason or wisdom. This was one of Sharon’s skills. Turning the stabbed opponent into a demon to command. She had intended to use Dawson in this battle.
“Of course I could kill the entire hero party by myself. But this time there is someone I want to go on a date with without any hindrance.”
Sharon Sarubia bit that name into her mouth.
“Come, my descendant Sylvia. You are an opponent that looks tempting to kill after a long time. After a thousand years, the descendant of our family born is to be killed by my own hands… You did well to become a demon. Humans can never enjoy this kind of fun, after all. Hahaha… Waiting for you, Sylvia. My meaty chunk.”
Sharon’s laughter made the surrounding atmosphere sink into gloom. Now, the fight could not be avoided anymore.