The Emperor's Madness and the Porter's Duel
In the imperial palace, where silence was demanded, only one man wailed as if the world were ending. His name was Charles de Lydorphia. But no one dared call him by name. He was the emperor, after all.
“Cynthiaaa~~ My Cynthiaaaa! I finally thought I’d found you, only for you to die! Uuuuugh!!”
“Cynthia! You ran away from the palace, and when I heard you were adventuring with the hero, I dared to hope we’d meet again! How could you be dead?! Aaaaaah!!”
The one-eyed duke, wearing a monocle, tried to intervene after noticing the foreign envoys whispering among themselves. “Your Majesty, please compose yourself. There are eyes watching…”
“Shut up! How could a bastard like you possibly understand the pain of losing family?!”
Charles was the only son of the previous emperor, who had himself been the only son of the emperor before him. As the sole heir across three generations, he had ascended the throne with unassailable legitimacy and overwhelming authority. While his political acumen was considered decent, his absolute power had become truly untouchable. If he had one flaw, it was this: his love for his daughter was excessive. Even Cynthia couldn’t endure it and had fled.
After that, imperial soldiers were given a second duty alongside protecting the nation: they must find the imperial princess.
Yet the moment they learned the princess had been hiding in the hero’s party, the hero—who had just returned to the capital—announced her death. The culprit, according to him, was a porter named Werther.
“Hero Leonhart! It must have been Werther who killed Cynthia!”
“Of course, Your Majesty. We all saw it clearly.”
Leonhart spoke without a single drop of hesitation, spitting out lies as smoothly as breathing. The rest of the party members wore uncomfortable expressions, as if they’d swallowed thorns.
“Hero… is this really okay? The truth is that the mage died protecting you during battle and went missing, right?”
“Shut your mouth! Do you want to cause trouble for us? Anyway, Werther’s already dead, so we can just pin everything on the dead guy!”
Leonhart harshly rebuked Teresa’s worried whisper, then shot his companions a sharp glare to keep any potential traitors in line. The knight Jeanne would follow her lord’s orders without question, and the elf Sharon wasn’t the type to defy the majority. Teresa couldn’t come up with a better idea, so she simply closed her mouth.
“Find Werther! Whoever brings me that bastard will receive one hundred shillings! I must see him die with my own eyes!”
“I understand Your Majesty’s feelings completely. However, the threat of the Demon King’s army grows stronger by the day. We must set out on another arduous journey, but we are critically short on funds. We require the Empire’s support.”
“Once you kill Werther, I’ll give you as much money as you want!”
“…With all due respect, that man is skilled at hiding. It will take time to locate him—”
“We’ve captured Werther!”
Leonhart, who had been trying to collect his payment and leave before any sparks flew his way, felt his heart sink at the sight of his former comrade being dragged in, bound by ropes. The timing could not have been worse.
“Werther! How are you still alive—”
“Fuck… I really didn’t want to see that shitty face again.”
Werther’s attitude was far more insolent than Leonhart remembered. Of course it was. There was no longer any need to coax the hero into fighting the Demon King’s army, so his true personality had come out. He had been tempered by all kinds of harsh labor since childhood and possessed a heart of steel. Having endured five years of profanity-filled package loading and unloading, his mental fortitude had always been strong.
“I didn’t get to see the Demon King’s face, but at least I get to see the emperor’s like this.”
“Shut your mouth, you wretch!”
Even as soldiers forced him to his knees, Werther casually tossed out jokes. In contrast, Leonhart’s face twisted with rage. He stroked the holy sword, clearly looking for any opening to kill the man.
“I’ll answer before you ask why I killed Cynthia—I didn’t. I didn’t even know she was dead.”
“The hero testified that you are the true culprit who killed Cynthia.”
“That’s because he’s trying to cover up his own mistake by sacrificing the most convenient scapegoat. Why would I kill Cynthia? I was the one desperate to kill the Demon King. I was the tank who willingly let my limbs get torn off to protect the party members. The idea that I would kill a mage is absurd.”
“But in reality! Cynthia is dead!”
“Where’s the body? Why don’t you examine it?”
“There isn’t even a body! Cynthia… my Cynthia! How lonely she must be!”
Werther showed no interest in the emperor’s hot tears. He turned his gaze toward Leonhart. For the first time since they’d met, Leonhart looked away in fear.
Damn it! I thought he was dead and pinned everything on him! Why is he alive again?! If that bastard starts spouting nonsense, we’re screwed! I have to shut his mouth!
“In my opinion, the hero was probably too fucking weak to protect Cynthia from the monsters. Isn’t he just blaming me because he’s embarrassed?”
“What did you just say, you son of a bitch?!”
“Wait a moment, hero!”
The emperor blew his nose into silk (a handkerchief worth an ordinary person’s yearly salary) and calmed the hero.
“Are you not satisfied with killing my daughter? Now you seek to disparage even the hero, the hope of humanity?”
“The tavern owner who reported Werther said this man is an extreme hero-hater.”
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
The noble who had brought in the criminal added an explanation that made the emperor nod. At this point, it would be fine to simply cut off the man’s head. However, the room was already filled with countless soldiers, knights, politicians, and even foreign envoys. They had all heard the nonsense Werther had spewed. Rumors that the hero sponsored by the emperor was a weakling could not be allowed to spread. That would threaten the prestige of the Lydorphia Kingdom, which claimed to be the Empire responsible for defending humanity. After all, a hero was an excellent political tool.
“What do you think, hero? That man called you a weakling. One too weak to protect my daughter, no less.”
“That couldn’t possibly be true. It’s the nonsense of a man lost in delusion. From the beginning, he wasn’t even a proper party member—just a laborer. He must have gone mad with resentment and lost touch with reality. Wouldn’t sending him to the guillotine solve everything?”
“Hmm… Isn’t there a better way?”
“Pardon?”
The emperor glanced sideways to confirm that the diplomat from a hostile nation was watching the situation with great interest. He felt the need to display the dignity of the Empire.
“Prove publicly, right here, that you are not a weakling.”
“What do you…”
“If you personally kill that traitor in a duel, it should ease the resentment of my poor daughter’s departed soul a little. Besides, quite a few people here wish to see your strength with their own eyes.”
Indeed. The reason foreign envoys had gathered today was to verify the hero’s true abilities, which they had only heard about through rumors. The Empire had been demanding tribute from various countries under the pretext of sponsoring the hero. The reason they generously provided support funds was simple: no matter how much money was given, the party’s expenses were limited to roughly five people, and the rest all went into the emperor’s pocket. In other words, it was pure profit for the emperor.
On the other hand, those paying the tribute were growing suspicious about whether their money was being wasted. They had no good way to verify the hero’s accomplishments since he was always off on distant journeys. The rumor of “The hero’s party that returned defeated by mere orcs” had become easy prey for smaller nations. That was why so many people had gathered—to determine the truth behind the rumors and find something to criticize.
The emperor needed to quell their dissatisfaction so he could continue collecting tribute. Honestly, from the emperor’s perspective, it didn’t matter how strong Leonhart actually was. The Demon Continent where the Demon King’s army lived was located across the sea to the east. Meanwhile, the Lydorphia Kingdom was at the western edge of the human continent. In other words, the Demon King’s army could never reach the imperial palace. Even if they did, it would only be after humanity had already been destroyed. In truth, it was thanks to this geographical advantage that Lydorphia had been able to build its power.
“Deliver judgment upon that wicked… the worst criminal in the Empire’s history with the hero’s holy sword. This is an official duel, and I, the emperor, shall stand as witness.”
“Um… that is…”
“There’s no problem with that, is there?”
In a time when the necessity of the hero system was being questioned, it was crucial to show everyone the hero’s power. However, choosing too strong an opponent as a test subject risked the hero’s defeat. In that sense, Werther was the perfect sacrifice. He had an ordinary build, the eyes of someone born poor and left with nothing but malice. His face was decent enough (though the emperor thought he looked like some gigolo), but the clothes he wore were utterly shabby. Most importantly, no magical power could be felt from him at all. Even the emperor, who wasn’t particularly sensitive to magic, could see that clearly.
Therefore, it would be beneficial in many ways to let Leonhart dramatically slay Werther in front of everyone. As for Cynthia’s death… the emperor had his own way of dealing with that grief. A secret he kept from others.
“The imperial palace is very spacious. There’s more than enough room for two men to swing swords at each other. What do you say, Leonhart? Surely you won’t refuse my earnest request as emperor?”
“…Understood.”
Having finished all his political calculations, the emperor left no room for refusal. The hero, the very embodiment of “strong against the weak, weak against the strong,” lowered his head under the pressure of authority and slowly drew the Holy Sword Exode. His hands were trembling. This was, after all, his first real duel. But if the opponent was Werther, he honestly didn’t think he could lose even if he tried. That guy couldn’t use any magic, and his stamina and swordsmanship were both pathetic. He was just trash. In fact, this was a lucky break.
Leonhart had also felt the suspicious gazes directed at him. This was the perfect chance to wash away the stigma, collect a hefty sum, and return to his carefree wandering life.
“Very well, Your Majesty! Before Your Majesty’s eyes, I shall take the head of that traitor who killed the princess!”
“Haa… what a load of bullshit.”
“What did you say, Werther?! This is His Majesty the Emperor’s presence! Watch your tongue!”
“Your Majesty the Emperor. I have a question as well.”
Still bound by ropes, Werther raised his head proudly and asked the emperor.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“What are the victory conditions?”
“Since this is a duel, it’s obviously a deathmatch. Whoever dies loses. Ah, of course there is also the option of admitting defeat… but any honorable man would rather die than utter the words ‘I lost’ with his own mouth. By the way, the moment you surrender, it’s straight to the guillotine, so don’t bother with any clever tricks.”
Werther said that was enough and asked no further questions. The soldiers released his bonds, and soon the two men faced each other. Royalty, nobles, and knights from various countries watched as spectators, with the emperor—the highest authority—acting as witness. Yet Werther’s expression remained utterly calm.
“Haa~ Fuck. In a way, this actually turned out well for me.”
“You bastard. Have you given up on life? You have no skills at all…! You don’t even have a sword! You haven’t learned any martial arts, so why are you so relaxed? Can’t you see the sword in my hand?!”
Unlike Leonhart, who stood ready for the duel with the holy sword in hand, Werther was empty-handed yet casually stretching his shoulders. He complained that being tied up for so long had left his body stiff.
“Stop talking and try to kill me with that fancy holy sword of yours if you can. I’ll listen to your bragging after you’re dead.”