The Delusional King's Decree
I was leisurely descending the second-floor staircase, basking in the morning sunlight, when Norman greeted me from below.
"Master. Did you sleep well, sir?"
"Yeah, Norman. Did you sleep well too?"
The butler had been waiting at the bottom of the stairs and now bowed with impeccable formality. But unlike his usual warm morning greeting, his face looked slightly rigid.
"Norman. You don't look so good. Something disagree with you?"
"Rather than indigestion, it's news from the capital that turns the stomach. Please have a look at this."
The newspaper Norman handed me had its front page dominated by an enormous portrait of Garon V, the new king of the Garon Kingdom—renowned as the strongest nation on the continent—alongside a sensational headline.
What the hell? Is this guy insane?
Lia's voice immediately rang inside my head. What kind of dog barking is that?
Lia. Back in the days of previous heroes, was there ever a crazy kingdom that tried to start an open war the moment the Demon King was defeated?
Nope. Not once in my memory. Most kingdoms were so battered by the Demon King's forces that they were desperate just to survive and rebuild their own lands. Postwar recovery alone usually took years.
Then why the hell are these bastards so full of energy and throwing a tantrum?
Lia fell silent for a moment before answering in an unusually cautious tone.
Well... I think it's your fault.
What? My fault?
Yeah. You're on a completely different level compared to past heroes. What normally takes others ten years to finish, you wrapped up in record time. The kingdoms suffered minimal damage. That's great and all, but the continent's strongest military has been sitting idle with nothing to do. So they're stirring up chaos to seize continental dominance while they can.
Well, no matter how strong the Garon Kingdom's army is, they can't fight every neighboring country at once. This is probably just political theater to squeeze some cash out of them.
I didn't think much of it. At least, not until that shocking news reached me a few days later.
"Master."
Norman's expression when he greeted me upon my return was even colder and stiffer than it had been days earlier.
"The Garon Kingdom has begun to move in earnest."
"What? Did they actually declare war on the neighboring countries?"
"It's close enough. The Garon Kingdom has started deploying large-scale regular forces to every border region touching their territory and positioning them for advance. The entire continent is now gripped by extreme tension."
"...They're seriously planning to take on the whole continent?"
The continent fell into panic at Garon's insane march toward war. But Garon V's tyranny didn't end with mere displays of force.
"That's not all. They've unilaterally announced that if the defense fees aren't paid, they will double the tolls on all trade routes passing through Garon Kingdom territory effective immediately. Any merchants who refuse will be seized by force at the border."
"Wow. What a bunch of two-bit thugs."
"The even more ridiculous part is the territorial dispute. Garon V suddenly produced an ancient map from the Empire era five hundred years ago and is now insisting that the border fortress of the Alderan Kingdom was originally their land."
"So they're demanding the territory?"
"No! They're pressuring them to accept joint administration of the land."
Joint administration, my ass. It was a blatant scheme to nibble away at the territory bit by bit.
A tax bomb that held merchants by the throat, paired with absurd demands for land backed by a five-hundred-year-old map. The news spread across the continent like wildfire.
That guy Garon V is definitely going to make the all-time list of craziest kings.
Everyone on the continent finally realized it. In this age of peace that arrived after the Demon King's death, the new king of the Garon Kingdom, Garon V, was completely insane.
A few days later, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Garden of Salvation.
"Master. A guest has requested an extremely private audience. They've concealed their identity thoroughly, but it is someone we cannot turn away, so I escorted them to the reception room."
When I followed Norman into the mansion's deep reception room, an elderly man wearing a thick robe rose from his seat. He carefully lowered his hood, and my eyes widened slightly.
"What brings the Archbishop of the Erna Church all the way here? Especially without a single escort."
The archbishop gave a bitter smile and bowed deeply in greeting.
"I apologize for intruding at this late hour, Hero. The matter is so grave that I had no choice but to move in secret."
"Please, sit. This room is completely soundproof, so speak freely."
The archbishop sat across from me on the sofa. He didn't even glance at the offered tea, his face heavy as he began.
"The Goddess has not sent a direct oracle, but... our church leadership has been engaged in serious discussion regarding Garon V's abnormal behavior."
"Discussion?"
"Yes. Whether the insane policies he is currently pursuing could truly emerge from a sane human mind. We have concluded that he may be under the control of surviving high-ranking demons, or has perhaps become their servant outright."
"Isn't that a bit of a leap? Just because he's doing crazy things doesn't mean we should immediately label him a demon."
"We thought so at first as well. So we dispatched our elite paladin order to the Garon Kingdom to uncover the truth, under the legitimate cover of a diplomatic delegation. However..."
The archbishop's wrinkled hands trembled on his lap.
"They were disarmed and subdued before they could even meet Garon V. After suffering unspeakable hardship and humiliation, they were expelled like dogs."
"...Huh."
A dry laugh slipped out before I could stop it. This had crossed the line by a mile. Openly crushing and humiliating the Goddess Church's paladin order with force was tantamount to declaring war on the faith of the entire continent.
"It defies common sense to treat the paladins of the Goddess's Church so recklessly, no matter how powerful the Garon Kingdom may be. Such arrogance would be impossible without the demon race as a powerful backer."
The archbishop stood and bowed deeply once more.
"That is why I earnestly implore you, Sir Sian. Could you investigate in secret on the church's behalf to determine whether Garon V has truly become a servant of the demons?"
I rested my chin on my hand, leaning deep into the sofa, and let out a long sigh.
"Archbishop. Aren't you overestimating me?"
"Not at all! With the Hero's overwhelming power, breaking through the Garon Kingdom's net would be—"
"It's not a question of force." I cut him off. "The opponent isn't the Demon King's army or mindless monsters. We're talking about the regular army of a legitimate human kingdom. Unlike during the Demon King subjugation, I can't just carve through everyone in my way and storm the king's bedroom, now can I?"
"Of course not. We never intended to ask for such a crude breakthrough."
The archbishop pulled a parchment scroll from his robes and placed it on the table.
"You must have heard the rumors that the Garon Kingdom is concentrating troops at the border and preparing for war. During all of this, they have been purchasing slaves in massive quantities from across the continent."
"And?"
"Our church has secretly recruited one of those slave merchants."
"...You recruited a slave merchant?"
"Yes. We are not simply shoving you forward blindly. The plan is to disguise you as either an escort for that merchant caravan or as a slave yourself, allowing you to cross the border quite naturally."
They've prepared pretty thoroughly, haven't they?
"Furthermore, with your overwhelming strength, we are confident that even if the plan fails and your identity is exposed, you will never be captured by the Garon Kingdom."
So their first priority was infiltration, and their backup plan was my absurd strength. I scratched the back of my head, utterly dumbfounded.
"Haa. At least I see you have an actual plan instead of just telling me to charge in naked. But this is no small matter, so I need time to think it over."
"Of course. I fully understand the weight of your consideration. We will not rush you."
"I'll send someone to the church once I've reached a decision."
The archbishop rose and bowed deeply one final time.
"May the Goddess's benevolent will accompany the tip of your sword, Hero."
After he left, I sank back into the chair in the reception room.
Hey, Lia.
What? You thinking of accepting that offer?
No, before that—doesn't something feel off? We definitely killed the Demon King. No doubt about it.
That's right. We even smashed his heart to pieces.
Didn't we wipe out all the major demon commanders and leadership inside the Demon King's castle too?
We purified every last one without leaving a single speck of dust.
Then how can there be a servant of the demons? Where the hell would a demon powerful enough to brainwash and control the king of the continent's strongest nation even be hiding?
No matter how I looked at it, the pieces didn't fit. Once the Demon King was dead and his leadership annihilated, no demon should have remained with the power to control a national ruler.
The more I think about it, this doesn't seem like demonic control at all. That king bastard just seems like a genuine, purebred lunatic.
It was probably the church higher-ups, their eyes bloodshot after their paladins were humiliated, feeling like they had to do something—anything. But whether the truth leaned one way or the other, the headache was the same. If Garon V really was being manipulated by a hidden high-ranking demon, the continent's hard-won peace would be shattered once more. If he was simply a madman, the continent would plunge back into the flames of war anyway.
The feeling that I needed to see the truth with my own two eyes grew stronger than ever.