Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Comedy and Tragedy - 4
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Offense said,
" The curse is perfect. Go on."
"Right. You keep bickering with Kaild for a bit."
I leaped lightly from the rear of Agril.
With such an overwhelming spectacle unfolding before the territory's residents, no one would pay any mind to some trivial squabble high up in the distant sky.
No one had even spotted Agril yet, from the looks of it.
I positioned myself at a suitable distance from the battlefield.
Then I drew my sword and swung it.
'Rip Space!'
My Rip Space skill had originally been developed as a counter to Idria's spatial authority.
Modeled after hers, it looked exactly like it.
The only question was whether I could create a space as massive as the ones she made...
Srrrrk.
It happened far more easily than I'd thought.
[You said it felt like sawing through a tree at first.]
'Don't bring up old stories.'
[No, it's not that long ago chronologically.]
'Anyway, this should be plenty.'
Anyone could see it was Idria's spatial authority.
To the people of the continent, that power was synonymous with the Demon King—no one would ever dream a 'hero' could wield it.
I took a light, deep breath.
Then, mimicking the Demon King's languid, leisurely tone as best I could, I said,
"That's enough. Kaild. Looks like we're busted."
Neril had already cast a voice amplification spell, so my voice boomed out, echoing loud enough to reach the territory's residents beyond the walls.
Even from this distance, I could see Kaild's face stiffen.
Perfect.
I continued,
"This territory is already done for. Let's head back, Kaild."
"W-What... Who the hell are you?!"
"You're asking my name? After all this time together, how cold of you."
"Ah, no, no! Everyone, this is a frame job!"
"Even if I tell you to drop it, you'll keep going. Better we pull back now before your reputation takes even more damage."
I pressed on quickly.
"Because you need to play the fake hero who bolsters my power."
At my damning words, Kaild let out a howl.
"Uwaaaah! Shut up! Who are you? Who?!"
That's when I spotted someone grabbing Kaild's arm from afar.
I focused my vision for a closer look.
Pirensha.
Her face had gone deathly pale as she shook her head.
The sharp Pirensha had realized.
From the residents' perspective, no excuse or explanation would fly—this was a flawless play.
[From their side, it'd probably be better if Idria herself showed up to argue it out...]
'She can't. Not with you here.'
[Yeah. She's got her properly bound and beating her. Feels damn good for once.]
Then it happened.
Thud.
Kaild shook off Pirensha's arm.
He leaped down from the ramparts.
Boom.
As the dust cleared, his feral face came into view.
"Maide Mohan! It's you!"
"......"
"I don't know how you mimicked Idria's authority, but fat chance. I'll smash your filthy tricks!"
He was furious from head to toe.
Rage has a way of clouding judgment, after all.
Kaild, you're helping this Maide out once again.
[Why are you acting so chill? Counter him quick.]
'No need for me to say a word.'
[Huh?]
'Just watch.'
My silence only enraged Kaild further, and he shouted again.
"Come out here already! Show yourself!"
"......"
"Or should I come to you? Fine, I'll come!"
That's when it happened.
Whoosh. Thud.
Something dropped at Kaild's feet from atop the ramparts.
A small pebble.
But what followed weren't pebbles.
Thud thud. Clang.
Arrows, spears, swords.
Attacks laced with clear hostility.
"......?"
Kaild slowly turned around.
And he saw.
The soldiers' furious expressions.
He heard.
Their screams tearing at their throats.
"Shut your trap, you traitor to humanity!"
"Who the hell are you to frame Sir Maide?!"
"You're humanity's disgrace!"
"You deceived the continent. You fooled us all!"
"You dare impersonate a hero while siding with the Demon King?"
"Sir Maide! Kill this trash right now!"
These were the polar opposite of the cheers Kaild craved.
The play was over.
A comedy to me, a tragedy to Kaild.
I timed it carefully and said to Trail,
'See that?'
[Y-You don't mean...]
'Kaild really doesn't get people. I've felt it since before the regression.'
[......]
'Once you've earned people's trust, you have a duty to keep it to the end. Or you end up like that.'
The greater their faith in Kaild as the true hero, the more piercing the betrayal and rage when it shatters.
We'll confirm later, but Kaild's reputation was plummeting exponentially right now.
Time to wrap it up.
"If you hate it that much, I'll head back first. See you later, Kaild. And Pirensha."
Pirensha staggered atop the ramparts.
She was still doing better than him, though.
Thud.
Kaild had collapsed right there.
Stones and weapons rained down on his dazed head.
Along with curses.
"Hey, you damn bastard. Say something!"
"Insane. To think we hailed that thing as a hero."
"I'll expose your true colors to the whole continent."
"Die! Just die right now!"
I slowly closed the space.
Then, while all eyes were on Kaild, I crouched low and made my way to Agril.
Neril pulled me up with flight magic.
Adwin blurred my presence with necromancy.
Thanks to them, no one noticed until I was back aboard Agril.
Offense hurried over and placed a hand on my neck.
"It's gonna hurt again."
"Urk."
"Done. Like I said before, you handle it well."
"How do you stay so calm doing this?"
"Save the praise—hurry up. Time to finish this."
"Right. Good work."
Offense stepped back and released the curse on himself.
His face shifted from Maide back to Offense.
And just like that, I'd handed off the baton safely.
From atop Agril, I shouted loudly,
"Everyone! The truth is finally out!"
"Ooooh."
"Kaild Wake! You filthy betrayer of humanity. I'm coming down to execute you now."
I prepared to leap from Agril.
But Pirensha beat me to it, hurling herself forward.
Whoosh. Thud.
She grabbed the raving Kaild by the scruff.
And with an utterly mournful expression, she muttered something.
I strained my eyes and read her lips.
-Mom. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry.
......
Mom?
Who?
[From the context, Idria.]
'No way. What family ties?'
[She might be like family to them.]
'......'
That's when it happened.
The space tore open once more.
Not by my doing this time.
A genuine rift from Idria's authority.
Neril muttered,
"Now she's showing it outright. That she's on Kaild's side."
"At least in this territory, they're finished. Since it's already out, she figures it's better to extract him quick than let him die by my hand."
"Hmm. Anyway, I'm recording this footage nicely. We'll use it later."
"If it can be used."
Neril's face darkened at my words.
Jenia soothed her.
"It's okay if the Apent View isn't saved. It's not your fault, Neril."
"Velosian..."
"Yes. So no long faces now—we need to wrap this up. Right, Maide?"
I nodded.
A glance below showed Kaild and Pirensha had vanished.
All that remained were the exhausted, fallen monsters.
Time to clean up.
"Neril."
"Yeah. Here."
I took the Withering Jewel and clenched it in my fist.
Then I drew my sword and raised it high toward the sky.
"Everyone. Now I'll sweep away the monsters. Please wait just a moment."
"......!"
"A power infused with all humanity's hopes for a better future. A happier life. Watch closely, all of you."
And inwardly, I shouted,
'Attack with Light!'
[Don't even accidentally shout skill names. Everything we've built goes poof.]
That bad, huh.
My 'Attack with Light' was actually the ability of Adin, lounging up there playing heavenly god.
That's why it looked so profoundly holy.
In this moment, with Kaild exposed as a fake, it was the absolute perfect finisher.
"Begone, you filthy monsters!"
I slowly swept my sword from one end of the monster horde to the other.
A brilliant, radiant light poured from the blade's tip.
It flew toward the monsters, erasing them one by one.
"Kuaaaagh!"
"Keeeek."
"Uwaaaah!"
Monsters of every grotesque shape vanished.
[Non-lethal okay here?]
'I don't know why you care, but yeah. Monsters have no souls.'
[Oh.]
'My Blood Letters judges by whether a soul went to the afterlife—black or red. Since the Impelrium boosted it, his non-lethal follows the same rule.'
As that chat wrapped up,
The light from my sword began to fade.
Where the light had swept, nothing remained.
The monsters' bodies had vanished without a trace.
A roaring cheer erupted.
"The monsters are all gone?"
"J-Just by pointing his sword..."
"Ooh, that holy light."
"As expected of the hero! That's how a hero should be!"
"Sir Maide! Hero!"
"Thank you so much. Sniff sniff."
I closed my eyes and savored the cries.
That's when it happened.
[Ding! Obtained 45,000 Fame Points.]
[Fame Points needed for next level: 330,900/500,000]
[Your name will echo throughout Havel Territory henceforth.]
[Total Fame Points to be acquired from this incident: 45,000]
[Your name is echoing in Drucker Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Quelk Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Rior Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Aebis Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Raynus Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Tetra Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in the capital. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Hasfil Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Dronor Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Atrium Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Gavril Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Your name is echoing in Peck Territory. (All points collected!)]
[Neril Slaine thinks of you as 'My Pride.']
[Jenia Side thinks of you as 'Humanity's Hope.']
[Offense Daik thinks of you as 'Worthy of Respectful Cunning.']
[Adwin Ain thinks of you as 'Acknowledged Hero.']
[Risel Vaint thinks of you as 'The One Who Rights All Wrongs.']
[Serein Magnus thinks of you as 'The One Who Always Finds a Way.']
Huh?
45,000 points?
And with the later collections, that's 90,000 total?
'What's going on? A glitch?'
[What are you talking about?]
'No, usually it's 20-30k max.'
[This one's on another level.]
Trail continued in a somehow pleased tone.
[You've finally been recognized as the continent's one and only hero. At least in this territory.]
'......'
[The oracle before didn't boost you much because there were two heroes. Now it's down to one.]
'Oh.'
[Of course people are shouting your name to the heavens.'
I felt a swell of emotion in my chest.
Trail chuckled.
[Hey. Crying?]
'As if.'
[Heh heh. Gotta show you more. To make you really tear up.]
'Huh? What?'
[Look at this.]
Thud.
The continent map popped up.
My eyes went wide.
[Maide Mohan Cumulative Fame: 330,900]
[Kaild Wake Cumulative Fame: 340,270]
Kaild's fame had tanked massively!
Exactly as much as mine had surged.
Trail said,
[You've caught up. Maide.]
'......'
[Beaten that bullshit unfair oracle. You've finally caught up to Kaild.]
In the end, my eyes welled up.
I couldn't let the residents see, so I whipped around.
Showing my party instead.
"M-Maide?"
"Bro, what's up all sudden?"
"He's just that happy..."
"Something wrong?"
"No way. Everything went perfect."
"Why on a good day like this."
I rubbed my face lightly and said,
"Just checked with Trail."
"Yeah."
"I've caught up to Kaild's fame."
The next moment.
My party members wore the exact same expression.
Heroes and true comrades indeed.