Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Drunken True Talk - 1
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Neril asked.
"Maide. Did you find something out?"
I hurriedly composed myself and tried to answer casually.
"Hmm. I guess it's fine to share it openly now. I just checked through Trail—my current reputation is about 280,000. Kaild's is around 410,000."
Everyone's faces went blank, at a loss for words.
After a moment, Risel finally spoke.
"That's a gap of about 130,000. I can't quite wrap my head around it, but..."
"You can think of it as gaining 20,000 to 30,000 per quest completed, on average."
"No way—that's a massive difference!"
"Exactly. It means the quality of those two oracles was worlds apart."
To be precise, the difference in their content was the key factor.
"Idria labeled me as the Demon King's vanguard. That's the decisive reason I couldn't catch up to Kaild's reputation."
"Let's head back to the starting line right now! We grab that Heavenly God by the collar and demand a new oracle, no matter what."
"It's an oracle from the Heavenly God himself—do you think people will listen if we say, 'You forgot one thing'?"
"..."
"Far from listening, they'll just say the first oracle was right after all. A new oracle would be a total own-goal."
The party fell silent for a moment.
I continued in a gentle tone.
"But there's good news too."
"Huh? What..."
"At least in the territories we've passed through, there's no unrest at all. My reputation shines brightly there."
"...!"
"Trail asked me to pass this on. He says to keep doing what we've been doing. We'll definitely turn this around."
Trail protested.
[I never asked you to pass that on, you punk.]
'Don't be shy.'
The party fell silent once more.
This silence lasted quite a while.
They were feeling the same chest-swelling emotion I had just moments ago.
"This feels kinda weird."
"It's touching. Really."
"All the work we've done so far has been stacking up bit by bit. Without us even realizing."
"I can see hope now. Thank goodness."
"We just keep doing what we've been doing. Just like Trail said."
The mood lifted considerably.
I was about to add my own words when Neril spoke first.
"But can we change the subject for a sec?"
"Of course."
"Thanks. Maide, we'd set the capital as our destination, right?"
"Huh? Yeah."
"Is there something specific you need to see there?"
I shook my head.
"Not really. I just wanted to check how public opinion had shifted in the most populous place."
"Then let's change destinations. We can check public sentiment with Trail's... ability anyway."
I tilted my head.
"Fine by me... but where to?"
"Gavril Territory."
"Gavril Territory is..."
"The one ruled by the Enerica family."
I drew in a sharp breath.
Offens cautiously spoke up.
"It's a place with quite the connection to you, then."
"Yeah. But don't get the wrong idea. I'm not suggesting it for personal reasons."
"Then?"
"I can't believe none of you caught this. Look at Maide's face."
At her words, everyone's eyes turned to me.
I touched my face and asked.
"What? Something on my face?"
"That's the problem—there's nothing."
"Huh?"
"Sigh. I'm talking about the Hero's Mark. The mark."
Ah!
Our mouths dropped open in unison.
It was the same conversation we'd had when we first met Neril.
She'd said that when an oracle comes down, the Hero's Mark appears on the forehead, and she'd claimed she could fake it somehow.
Jenia nodded emphatically.
"You're right. Every hero in history got their mark after the oracle."
"Exactly. But nothing showed up on Maide."
"What could be the issue?"
"I'm thinking that bastard Heavenly God left it out on purpose. Even if we go back and ask for it..."
"He wouldn't listen. Honestly, I doubt he'd even show up again just because we blow that horn."
She was right.
This was a pretty serious problem.
Jenia asked.
"So you're saying you'll fake a mark for him in Gavril Territory, Neril?"
Neril nodded.
I had no idea what she planned to do there or how, but for us with no clear next goal, it was like a ray of light.
I spoke sincerely.
"Thank you so much. Even I was feeling lost for a moment."
"No big deal."
"Right now, with our reputation hopelessly trailing due to that half-baked oracle, nothing's more urgent than getting a mark."
"Exactly. Without it on your forehead at this point, Idria's fake oracle becomes the truth."
I was about to thank Neril again.
Because determination had returned to our party's eyes.
Humans can muster strength again in even the toughest situations if they have a concrete next goal.
Neril had given us that.
No joke—she looked more beautiful than ever in that moment.
For some reason, I wanted to express that feeling.
"Neril. You're really..."
"But sis, what do you mean we have to go to Gavril Territory to make the mark?"
Adwin's interruption forced me to close my mouth.
For some reason, Offens and Risel both tapped their foreheads.
"So young."
"Very young."
"Huh? You're not talking about me, right?"
"Ears work fine, huh."
"Because he's young."
Adwin tilted his head.
Then Neril shrugged and answered.
"It's the Hero's Mark, of all things. Can't just whip it up with some run-of-the-mill magic. If the fake gets exposed, Maide stops being a hero."
"True."
"There's a graveyard keeper who guarded the Enerica family tomb in Gavril Territory... was there. His warehouse holds various family treasures."
She meant the old man Gray Palm and his gang had killed.
Recalling when I'd first met Neril after my regression brought a wistful feeling, but I didn't show it and asked.
"Didn't Gray's gang take all the treasures?"
"Remember how I hunted down each of those bastards and unleashed atrocities on them?"
"Yeah."
"Back then, I tracked down the treasures they'd sold off. Got them all back and neatly returned them to that old man's warehouse."
Ah. I got the picture.
Jenia spoke up.
"Not the best time to bring this up, but what about the magic book my father had? The timeline doesn't match for Gray's gang stealing it."
"Right. That was 30 years ago."
"..."
"That book... well, it was during a slump of mine. Not important, so let's skip it?"
"Sure. It's irrelevant now anyway."
Neril smiled faintly, gratefully.
Then she got back to the point.
"Anyway, among the treasures I recovered from Gray's gang, there's one I need to pick up. For the Hero's Mark."
"What is it?"
"You'll see when we get there. Maide, this okay with you?"
I nodded as if it were obvious.
"Of course."
"Good. Jenia."
Jenia nodded vigorously and shouted to Agril.
"Agril, full speed to Gavril Territory!"
Agril's speed picked up again.
Serein left to infuse holy power into Agril too.
She's basically on autopilot now.
As the seats emptied out, I scratched my head and spoke to Neril.
To pick up where Adwin had cut me off earlier.
"Hey, Neril."
"Yeah?"
"You're really..."
"Oh right. Jenia! Don't go all the way into Gavril Territory. You have the map?"
Neril cut me off and ran to Jenia.
Her face seemed a bit flushed, or maybe it was my imagination.
Adwin snickered.
"See? Neril sis cuts you off too. It's not because I'm young."
Offens and Risel looked at each other.
"So young."
"Very young."
Stop it. I'm gonna cry.
That's when it happened.
Ping.
A screen window popped up suddenly.
A red one.
'Huh? Idria?'
[......]
'No?'
'It's her authority, alright. But it feels a bit off... probably just my imagination.'
I tilted my head.
Trail continued.
'Either way, she's definitely spying on us.'
'She drops a fake oracle and immediately uses her power again. She must have power to spare.'
'Doesn't seem like it, from what I can tell.'
Trail was right.
The screen turned blue again.
She'd withdrawn her spying in just a few seconds.
Trail said lightly.
'We didn't give anything away, at least.'
'No.'
[What?]
I touched my forehead gently.
'She found out I don't have the mark.'
[......]
'Which means...'
We might have a showdown in Gavril Territory.
Kaild peered at his reflection in the stream.
It was there.
Clearly etched on his forehead.
"Khuh-huh. Uwooo."
A sound escaped his lips—laughter or a roar, he couldn't tell.
The Hero's Mark.
God's irrefutable guarantee, branded on his forehead.
In that moment, he felt like he could sincerely bow to Idria.
So he turned to do just that.
But.
"Huff huff."
Idria wasn't in a position to receive thanks.
She clutched her chest with a pained expression and collapsed.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Worm. Help me up. Let's go inside the cave."
"Y-Yeah."
Kaild supported Idria and took her inside.
He laid her on the flat rock where she always slept.
Kaild asked.
"You okay?"
"Don't ask stupid questions. Can't you see I'm not?"
"...Even in this situation, I have to ask—but the oracle you gave me was fake. So how did the Hero's Mark appear on my forehead?"
"If I can fake an oracle, what's a mere mark to me?"
Idria coughed a few times before continuing.
"Don't worry. No magic or spell will detect your mark as fake. My 'authority to create fakes' is undetectable."
Kaild was more concerned with Idria's increasingly pallid face.
Not because he cared about her.
What really worried him was himself.
'If she dies like this, I'm in trouble. She'd be gone, the sacrifice I need to become the hero.'
Then Idria coughed again and said.
"Cough. I overdid it, after all."
"Even for a Demon King, mimicking that level of oracle must be tough, huh?"
"Even adding a single word to an oracle takes immense power. By my calculations, I shouldn't be this weakened."
She took a labored breath and continued.
"No choice. If I hadn't tampered with the fake oracle like this, Maide's reputation would have surpassed yours by now."
"You really think he got an oracle from the Heavenly God?"
Idria opened her mouth to answer.
But she didn't need to.
Golden light poured down from outside the cave.
"N-No way?"
"Looks like he pulled it off."
"A human forcing an oracle from the Heavenly God? How is that even possible!"
"Instead of yelling, go check. I don't want to be exposed to that irritating light."
Kaild bolted out of the cave without a word.
And there, he heard the voice of the 'real' oracle.
-The Demon King of Lies and Deceit, Idria, has descended.
-Thus, I appoint a hero: his name is Maide Mohan.
-Gather under him and oppose the Demon King.
Just three sentences.
Idria's oracle had slandered Maide as the Demon King's servant.
But the real oracle didn't slander Kaild as a fake hero.
It didn't mention Kaild at all.
Kaild rushed back into the cave, grinning from ear to ear.
"Idria! It's fine, it's fine."
"......"
"The real oracle didn't even mention me. It just flatly declared Maide as the hero. Totally different from your elaborate one!"
"Cough."
"Idria?"
Then Idria vomited black blood.
As Kaild hurriedly approached—
Ping.
Someone grabbed his shoulder.
'Who?'
He hadn't sensed a thing.
Kaild felt a chill run down his spine.
As he tried to turn—
"Don't turn around. Don't speak."
"......"
"You're not worth my time."
Whoosh.
The voice's owner flung Kaild backward.
Kaild was fairly burly, but he flew helplessly and crashed into the cave wall.
"Urk."
Only then could Kaild see the owner of the voice.
He was a knight clad head to toe in heavy armor.
Not the radiant silver of the Knights of Light, but somber black armor.
The black-armored knight rushed to Idria and said.
"Lady Idria. Are you alright?"
"Sobius. You've seen me at my worst."
"No need for such words. I won't deny you've pushed yourself too far."
"Heh heh. No helping it. If I hadn't added those lines to the fake oracle, Maide's reputation would have overtaken Kaild's by now."
Sobius glared sharply at Kaild.
"Do you really need to go to such lengths for trash like him?"
"I'm not doing this because I like him."
"Sigh."
"Anyway, Kaild, listen well."
Kaild struggled to his feet.
He wasn't thrilled about Sobius tossing him, but he wasn't dumb enough to rage here.
"What?"
"Now that you've received the Hero's Mark, only one thing remains. You, as the hero, must kill me."
"...!"
"The fake hero appointed by the Demon King kills the Demon King. No greater lie exists. It will grant me unimaginable power. With that power..."
"......"
"With that power, I will unleash the ultimate falsehood."
So this is the climax now?
Kaild thought so, but Idria shook her head as if it were absurd.
"But right now, I'm too weak."
"You look it."
"How much fear will humanity have for such a feeble Demon King? I need to be stronger. Invincible. My infamy must echo everywhere."
Kaild understood.
Suppose he killed Idria right now and declared the Demon King dead across the continent.
Most continentals would react with, 'It's over already? That quick?'
No way his feats would leave an impression.
"The more I shine, the bigger the lie you'll reap afterward."
"Exactly. So I need some time to recuperate."
"Got it. What do I do till then?"
"Two things."
She breathed heavily and continued.
"First, introduce your party members to the world."
"What? Make new companions now?"
"No hero in history fought alone. A hero without a heroic party isn't a hero."
"......"
"You must be an undeniably 'real' hero. Even if it's just for show, introduce new party members."
Kaild didn't get her last remark.
"Introduce? You talk like they're already ready."
"Isn't your first party member right here?"
Kaild's eyes widened.
Idria looked at Sobius and said.
"My first finger. I know it's reluctant, but become Kaild's first party member."