Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Scar-4
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The commotion had died down, and the waitress wiped the messy table and cleared the dishes as if nothing had happened.
Just as I was about to head upstairs, a noble burst into the inn with his guards in tow.
"What brings you here, my lord?"
"Emergency! All you adventurers, assemble in front of my manor by tomorrow!"
"Pardon?"
Panting heavily, the noble began issuing the summons.
"You, you, you! And... right, you were an adventurer too. Grab a sword and shield somehow and come out."
"Even with my leg like this?"
The waitress slightly hiked up her skirt, revealing her wooden leg.
"Don't complain. Armless cripples and old folks alike—we need everyone."
"What in the world..."
"Orcs are swarming the area. Over a thousand by rough count. Can't you tell I'm rushing around like a madman doing this myself?"
Glancing around irritably, he locked eyes with me and shouted again.
"You! You too... Hmm, and the maid beside you..."
"I heard she's a noble too. Were you planning to call on her?"
The lord bit his lip, then asked me in a slightly softened tone compared to before.
"Is she really a noble? If I may ask without offense, what house?"
"...Leodrín, I believe."
"Damn it. Never heard of any survivor male from there, but you're adventuring? This is insane..."
Slamming the table irritably, he spoke to me with a face full of worry.
"Well, we could use an extra pair of hands... Should've studied central politics if I knew it'd come to this. Anyway, adventuring's off the table right now. I'll invite you to my manor for the time being—don't move a muscle."
"...What exactly is happening?"
"As I said, an orc horde is on the move."
It didn't make sense. Even moving as fast as I could, it'd been less than a week since leaving the capital.
There was no way the Demon King's Army could reach this close.
"The Demon King is dead."
"The demons are rampaging even fiercer! Monsters spawn and revive endlessly as long as there's demonic energy—hundreds or thousands, doesn't matter. Without the Demon King, the energy won't replenish, but..."
"Even so, for them to come this far..."
The lord let out a deep sigh, then ordered the waitress to bring a bottle of liquor. He downed the cheap stuff without a grimace, like a veteran of many battlefields.
"Reinforcements were supposed to arrive ages ago. But the Empire delayed due to their own issues."
"The Empire's issues?"
"They promised to wipe out the enemy we're facing—under the command of Her Highness the Princess... Ah, now the Hero—and only then send aid here."
I bit my lip.
"But something happened in the capital, and the Hero can't move. The orc packs, dozens just days ago, swelled to thousands overnight... Now we're fighting for survival."
The capital was nearby, sure, but not every territory had vast populations, power, or armies.
If the lord himself had to barge into taverns yelling for adventurers, his standing forces wouldn't amount to much even gathered.
"Anyway, moving's dangerous. Reports say they've tamed local wolves into war hounds—they don't tire. Draw attention, and no matter how strong you are, you're dead."
I hadn't cared much about what the Hero was up to, but even I knew she was busy.
That day I crossed paths with the Archer, she was returning with her knights—battle scars evident, though I hadn't the time or reason to scrutinize then.
Even accounting for that, I hadn't expected such massive orc hordes to appear suddenly—but it wasn't impossible.
"...I'll think it over."
The noble whirled around and barked at the adventurers, still wearing dissatisfied looks.
"I know you hate this. But I'm taking up sword myself! Even my fourteen-year-old son will wield one and a shield!"
Legally, adventurers had no duty to join wars.
The Emperor's direct order, or a noble proxying it, could conscript them—but this lord didn't strike me as high-ranking enough.
"Anyone fleeing will die miserably! If I thought running worked, I'd have handed that noble over a horse first!"
I'd somehow become a signal of how dire things were.
Who knew how much he believed my claim of nobility. Wandering knights and adventurers with noble blood weren't rare, so maybe he just wanted to minimize risks.
"Understood..."
The waitress sighed deeply and slumped into an empty chair.
"If you get it, I'm off to the next spot. All soldiers are spreading the word too. Can't dawdle here!"
Shouting to the end, the noble mounted his horse tied outside the inn and galloped off. His guard hurried after.
"...What do you plan to do?"
Seris looked at me with a worried expression.
"Let's talk upstairs first."
As I climbed the stairs, the waitress's voice rang out from behind.
"Ah, Dad! Know where my armor is?"
"Probably buried in the warehouse somewhere..."
Her father's weary voice drifted faintly up the stairs into my ears.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The crowds had gathered at the cathedral right away. But the nobles hadn't sat idle.
Rather than yelling undignified in the streets, they'd quietly assembled at court to make their presence felt.
"When can our house's troops return? The promised date has passed."
Pressuring the Emperor over the fake Hero wasn't easy for nobles either.
Unless they had the real Hero secured, pushing ahead without her consent could backfire spectacularly.
After all, the Emperor and his most loyal retainers knew her better than anyone.
"The demon threat isn't over yet."
"Then what of the promise made at the celebration? We informed our vassals and soldiers of the return schedule based on that..."
But raising the topic burdened the Emperor greatly. His ministers maneuvered to force it, gradually cornering him.
"Wasn't the plan to deploy the Platinum Knight Order? Without the Hero's power, severing the demonic source would consume unimaginable resources."
Even openly contradicting the Emperor like this stemmed from such calculations—a calculated rudeness.
"Ahem..."
The Emperor, and Elenor beside him, knew it well.
The nobles had already settled it among themselves. Agreeing now and moving Elenor and the Platinum Knights would just provoke others to cry foul over the Princess's crimes.
—Haven't even explained the fake Hero yet, and now dodging by targeting an easy foe.
—Couldn't use the Hero's power in this fight either. Clearly, the Goddess revoked that vile fake's strength.
It was a deadlock. The Emperor could bury it with authority, but at the cost of major concessions.
"At least, they need their rewards. The Demon King is dead. To stave off backlash, we must pay accordingly."
Elenor bit her lip in silence.
Even those who'd fought on real frontlines, sacrificing countless comrades, hadn't received fitting recompense.
Letting those who'd lounged near the capital get rewarded first was unacceptable. Yet rejecting their demands wasn't feasible.
"I promise we will, but circumstances aren't favorable right now."
Moreover, the palace had scraped together magic materials for the forced return ritual.
Funds weren't abundant to begin with—taxes cut, vast sums spent to minimize frontline losses.
And preparing more materials for Enel's potential return meant payments beyond their means.
If it were mere debt, they could gather it given time. But the nobles wanted more—that much was obvious.
"Then return our rights instead. We must handle this crisis internally. And promises... were already broken once."
"...What exactly do you want?"
With a troubled face, the Emperor began hearing their demands. Elenor clenched her fist tighter under the table.
The beautiful nation her father had built his life for was slowly crumbling.
And the cause lay with her.