The Third Hero (2)
This is... genuinely unbelievable.
I had spent the past year serving as the Hero of the Empire. As one might expect, that meant constant contact with the Empire's key figures — and every single time, I came away with the same impression.
The Empire was absurdly short on talent.
For a nation of its size, the number of people who could genuinely be called competent was vanishingly small. One after another, they were useless — all mouth and no substance. Not a single one of them was worth a damn.
Why was that?
Back then the question had crossed my mind, but I'd been too busy to dwell on it. Now, though, I knew the answer for certain.
One look at the circus of appointing Alex as Hero told me everything I needed to know.
Is there literally nobody in the Empire who uses their brain?
It simply meant the people at the top had no eye for talent whatsoever. How could anyone even think of making Alex the Hero? Anyone with half a functioning pair of eyes would never have made that call.
Even giving them the benefit of the doubt on Herald — Alex was an absolute no.
Sure, both of them had a zero percent chance of beating the Demon King. But the feel of it was completely different. Appointing a man like this as Hero was no different from performing a ritual to ensure the nation's ruin.
And this guy is far weaker than Herald.
By my assessment, Alex was considerably weaker than Herald. On the surface, a man in his prime like Alex might look stronger. Maybe his raw strength and reflexes even edged Herald out.
But that was all there was to it.
In every sparring match between Alex and Herald that I could remember, I had never once seen Herald lose. The seasoned cunning that came from Herald's decades of experience was not something you could dismiss. He was far stronger than some cocky greenhorn knight who put all his faith in brute force.
Of course, both of them were laughably inadequate compared to the Demon King — or to me. But Alex was nowhere near good enough to even challenge Herald.
And he has zero loyalty to the Empire, either.
That was the biggest problem of all. Alex didn't particularly care about the Empire. The Alex I had known was a profoundly self-centered man. From the conversations I'd had with him, he'd become a knight not to protect the Empire but to advance his own career.
Ambition wasn't wrong in itself. People have desires — that's just human nature. I couldn't condemn him for that. But a knight was still supposed to have certain basic principles. By that measure, Alex fell woefully short. The quality of the man himself was simply rotten.
And the Empire had entrusted a man like that with the office of Hero, of all things. Other posts might have been forgivable. The Hero's seat absolutely was not. The power and legitimacy that came with the title were immense. Give a greedy man that kind of authority, and a coup wouldn't even be surprising.
On that front alone, Alex was a man who raised every red flag imaginable.
Wow... how does a country fall apart this badly in just one month?
Honestly, I'd figured the Empire's fortunes were already on the decline from the moment I left. But I never imagined it would collapse this fast. It had only been a little over a month. Going under this thoroughly in a single month took real talent.
At this rate, total ruin within a year was a lock. They say even a rich man can coast for three years on fumes — how does an entire Empire not even last one?
Forget it.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. It made me feel like an idiot for spending a full year killing myself to protect a country like this. Frustrating didn't even begin to cover it.
It wasn't that I felt any pity for the Empire that had cast me aside. It was just... excessive. Even for them.
I finally closed the newspaper. I'd finished my meal, and I had no desire to waste any more time watching the Empire make a fool of itself.
Time to get moving.
I had places to be. Escorting Ria back to the Artes Kingdom was one reason I'd come here, but I had my own original purpose as well. It was time to take care of what needed doing.
I stood up from my seat.
Alex, once a Knight Commander, had become the Hero.
The process had been anything but easy. When the decision to appoint him was announced, not every official in the Empire had agreed. After all, they too had seen him lose to Herald in sparring matches. Officials familiar with Alex's usual conduct opposed the appointment outright. They petitioned the Chancellor, arguing that Alex was unfit to be a Hero. Some even suggested calling Lee Hansu back. Others proposed summoning a new Hero from another world, just as they had with Lee Hansu.
"Please trust me, Chancellor. I will defeat the Demon King. I swear it."
But the Chancellor pushed the appointment through. Alex had pleaded for a chance, and the Chancellor decided to give him one.
It was true that Alex fell short of Herald. You couldn't ignore the gap in experience — that was why Alex had never once beaten him. But looked at another way, if they'd fought properly, Alex might well have won. Every match between them had followed the same pattern: Herald outmaneuvering Alex with clever tactics. In a straightforward contest of strength, the outcome was anyone's guess. In terms of pure natural talent, plenty of people rated Alex above Herald.
And so the Chancellor named him Hero. It could work out. It was possible.
Heh heh. So I'm the Hero now.
Alex had confidence of his own. He was well aware that he'd never beaten Herald — but that didn't mean he was the weaker man. He might have lost the matches, but he had never once been weaker than Herald. He'd planned to prove it by defeating him someday. It was a shame Herald was already dead.
Still, it hardly mattered. He was the Hero now. All he had to do was kill the Demon King that Herald had failed to defeat, and the point would be made.
And while I'm proving myself... why not become Emperor too?
Alex had no intention of stopping at mere success as a Hero. He wanted more. If he toppled the Demon King and earned that glory, wasn't the Empire itself his for the taking?
On the surface, the Chancellor ran the government — but behind him stood the Imperial Princess. She simply never showed her face, so most people didn't know. Once this was over, Alex planned to marry her. Then he would become Emperor and rule the Empire himself.
Whether the Princess would look kindly on a marriage to him was an open question. But he had ways of handling that.
"Good day to you, Sir Alex. We are the party members who traveled with Sir Herald."
While Alex was busy fantasizing about his future after defeating the Demon King, visitors arrived. Women with faintly melancholy expressions — the Hero's party members who had gone with Herald to subjugate the Demon King. They greeted Alex with a touch of nervous caution.
They had every reason to be wary. They were the party that had failed. It wasn't entirely their fault, but they had failed twice now. What if Alex refused to take them on?
They didn't think he would... but the mere possibility was enough to worry them.
"A pleasure. I'm Alex — Knight Commander of the Red Dragon Knights. Or rather, Hero Alex, now."
Their fears proved unfounded. Alex was nothing but gracious. The moment he saw them, he offered a courteous greeting, and the party members exhaled in relief. The worst-case scenario they'd dreaded hadn't come to pass.
"I've heard the news. That the former Hero, Sir Herald, has fallen... A terrible loss."
And he went further still. Alex offered them comfort.
"But don't worry. I will defeat the Demon King. Trust in me. I am different."
He gave them courage and hope. He vowed that, unlike the two Heroes before him, he would absolutely bring the Demon King down.
"We believe in you, Sir Alex. Please — defeat the Demon King. We will do everything in our power to support you."
Watching him, the party members decided to follow Alex. This time, a truly good man has become the Hero, they thought. Yes... with this man, maybe they really could defeat the Demon King. Expectation swelled in their hearts.
But that feeling would not last long.
"Haha. Thank you. Though, party members — there's something I'm curious about. Tell me..."
Alex spoke casually, almost as if testing the waters. What came next was a thoroughly dangerous proposition.
"Would you be interested in toppling the Empire and founding a new nation?"
"...Excuse me?"
Had the Hero just proposed that they join him in open rebellion?
At Alex's words, the party members froze in unison, stunned.