Banished: The Strongest Hero
I was exiled. I am a Hero—the strongest one summoned to this world, no less. So why the hell was I stuck in a place like this?
Creak...
Sitting idly in my prison cell, a knight approached and spoke to me.
"An investigation into your crimes is currently underway. It's a mere formality since so many people witnessed it, but it was His Majesty's consideration, so you should be grateful."
"Hah..."
I sighed, watching the soldier walk away. Where the fuck had it all gone wrong?
I hadn't been kind to everyone. Sure, I'd acted on emotion sometimes—I'm only human. But I could swear on my life I'd never done anything truly vile since coming here.
My charges? Raping the kingdom's Saintess and murdering her to cover it up. Utter bullshit, obviously.
Crunch...
I didn't know who was behind it. But someone had framed me on purpose. One person or a whole group, who knows. Once I found out, though, they wouldn't get off with just dying.
The next morning, a different knight showed up.
"Some people have requested a visit. Frensia, Laterion, Shailia, Henessi, Merian... and a few others, but their requests were denied. His Majesty didn't approve them."
"Why the hell are you telling me this? If it was the king's order, you could've just ignored it without saying a word to me."
The knight fell silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
"Capier. You're someone I admired growing up. I watched you bravely fight monsters and protect people—that's what shaped me. I became a knight because I wanted to be as cool as you. Sure, some say you're prickly and hurt people with your harsh words, but I never saw it that way. Your actions never matched those words."
He clenched his fist tightly and continued.
"I don't know why they wanted to see you. Maybe to ask questions because they want to believe you, or maybe to tell you they're disappointed. Personally, I think they want to believe in you. That's why I'm telling you this."
"Hah... As if. With all these fucking witnesses piling on..."
"You never know. So do your best to prove your innocence. If things keep going like this, it'll be the death penalty for sure—or exile if you're lucky."
"..."
"Death's bad enough, but exile means leaving the kingdom. Out beyond the gates crawling with monsters. Your strength as a Hero should handle that fine, but the real problem is you'd be cut off from everyone inside completely."
"If you avoid execution and get exiled, you won't be able to contact anyone from the kingdom. You'd have to live as strangers to the very people you risked your life for. And if they get caught associating with you, they'll face punishment too. People will distance themselves."
"Doesn't matter. I never expected much to begin with."
The knight shook his head pityingly.
"Most think you're a heinous criminal. But some still believe in you—don't forget that."
With that, he left some food in the cell and trudged away.
"Urgh... Aaaagh..."
In front of the prison, the knight who'd brought me food yesterday was getting beaten.
"You fucking bastard... Capier's a criminal now. And you're cozying up to a scumbag like that?"
"P-please... stop..."
Thud. Thud.
The one-sided beating from several men mangled his face more with every blow.
"Fucking moron. I'll report you as a traitor—you'll get what's coming."
The knight dropped to his knees, begging.
"P-please... don't... It was a mistake... Mercy, I beg you..."
His hands trembled uncontrollably. The man grinned and pointed at me.
"If you really want to prove your innocence, tell this asshole yourself. Say he's a heinous criminal."
The man hesitated, then met my eyes. I nodded back with a blank stare. Do whatever.
Finally, he spat out the insults.
"That... filthy criminal scum. Daring to rape the Saintess... You deserve to die..."
"Puhahaha! This guy's actually doing it? Pathetic fuck. Fine, I'll let it slide this once."
Once the others left, the man stayed on the ground, sobbing.
"I'm... sorry..."
No need to apologize to me. I'd never expected much anyway.
"Doesn't matter. I wasn't counting on anything big."
"Sob..."
He wept even louder. It was fine. Humans were like that. Self-preservation always came first, right? No hard feelings.
'Can't go causing trouble for no reason.'
From the visitors' reactions, the king had already decided I was guilty. Low-level grunts wouldn't act so boldly on their own.
I'd briefly considered ways to clear my name but quickly gave up.
Morning broke, and I was dragged before the king by several knights.
"Hero Capier, hear this!"
In front of a massive crowd, the king bellowed sternly.
"Capier not only raped the kingdom's Saintess but murdered her to cover it up. Witnesses to this heinous crime include 1st Knight Order Captain Pochentri, 3rd Knight Order Captain Pelloy, and their knights. Is this true?"
The king glanced at them, and they all bowed their heads.
"Yes, we confirmed it with our own eyes."
The crowd murmured in shock. Nearby were the women who'd fought the Demon King's army with me. Some cried, others looked incredulous, a few glared in disgust. One stared in blank despair.
Obviously, this was a frame job. I wanted to shout my innocence, but this wasn't the place for that.
"Capier's acts are inhumane crimes, and his attempt to conceal them with murder makes the offense especially vile."
"By rights, he deserves execution."
"But!"
Bam!
The king slammed his staff down and roared.
"Capier has slain the Demon King's elite forces and their minions as a Hero."
"He has saved Knight Order Captains from fatal wounds in battle multiple times, protected villages from burning to ash, and earned countless merits."
"Above all, when the Demon King invaded, he saved Us and the Queen's lives. Separate from this crime, his achievements are unparalleled in kingdom history."
"Considering his great deeds, executing him for one mistake would be unjust. Therefore! I shall impose a different punishment than death on Hero Capier."
"Hero Capier is hereby exiled from the Ellinsier Kingdom effective immediately. Entry is forever forbidden!"
Silence fell over the area at the king's words. He gestured, and heavily armored Knight Order Captains approached me, clad in massive armor and wielding deadly weapons. To an outsider, it looked like they were prepping for a giant monster.
'Lonely.'
The captains crept forward tensely.
"Please leave, Hero. No... Capier."
Their spears aimed at my face, but it was fine. Sharper than any blade were their bitter expressions.
I turned and walked out the gates alone.
Step.
Step.
Step.
That day, the kingdom's strongest Hero was banished.