The Hypocritical Hero
“Hypocritical hero bastard!”
Chapter 4. The Hypocritical Hero Bastard!
I glared coldly at the flustered man.
“Didn’t you say you’d strip naked and dance earlier?”
“T-That was…”
I held out the acceptance certificate toward him. It had been issued directly by the Royal Academy.
“Got it? Now dance. While I’m still asking nicely.”
“Hup…! Y-Yes, sir! Understood!”
The man clearly had no idea what the certificate even was, but he hurriedly tore off his clothes anyway. Whoosh! Then, completely naked, he began to dance. Shake. Shake. He must have been terrified of me.
I watched for a moment before sitting back down. The sight was too disgusting to keep looking at.
“Um… how long do I have to keep dancing…?”
“Keep going if you don’t want to die.”
“Yes, sir!!”
The tavern had grown remarkably quiet. Everyone was frightened by what they had just witnessed. I took a satisfied sip of my drink. It had been far too noisy earlier.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
That was when it happened.
Creak—!! Thud—!!
The tavern door burst open violently. Three rough-looking men strode in. They were all large and clearly dangerous at a glance. They carried themselves with bold confidence, as if nothing could stand in their way. Even they, however, froze at the sight before them.
Shake. Shake.
A completely naked man was putting on a show in the middle of the tavern. Of course, their shock only lasted a moment. Soon they began shouting in loud, displeased voices.
“What the hell is this?!”
“Kahaha! Is this some kind of special performance?”
“Disgusting.”
The other patrons stiffened, clearly worried that trouble was about to break out. The most uncomfortable person in the room, however, was the naked dancer himself. He wore a miserable expression, unsure whether to stop dancing because of me or keep going because of them.
I spoke up.
“That’s enough. Watch your mouth from now on.”
“Y-Yes, sir! Thank you!!”
He shouted loudly, then scrambled to put his clothes back on before returning to his companions and drinking his beer again. What an incredible lack of shame.
They must have heard my voice.
“Ah! Captain!!”
“Leader, you were here?!”
In an instant, they transformed into docile lambs and hurried over to me. Their earlier bravado had completely vanished. These men were my subordinates.
Soon my table was surrounded by large, muscular men.
“Three beers over here!”
“Bring the most expensive snacks too!”
“Yes, sir! Right away!”
I waited while they placed their orders. Once they finished, I spoke.
“I passed.”
The area around me fell silent.
“……”
“……”
It only lasted a moment. Then came the loud laughter.
“Pfft.”
“Hahahaha!!”
“Oh man, Captain! Your jokes are getting better! Khahaha!”
I frowned slightly. They immediately stopped laughing and stared at me with wide eyes.
“W-Wait, are you serious?”
“You actually passed the Royal Academy’s exam…?”
“Yeah.”
They had probably heard the news but hadn’t believed it. I don’t exactly have the image of an idiot… I was considered quite intelligent and had proven it many times. Yet their reaction suggested otherwise. The mercenary stereotype was apparently that powerful.
“C-Congratulations!”
“That’s incredible, Captain!!”
“Our leader truly possesses both brains and brawn—”
“Enough. Just drink.”
“Yes, sir!!”
The drinks arrived just then. Like proper mercenaries, they drank heartily. The beer was gone in no time.
I hadn’t called them here just to brag. I got to the main point.
“About the next Mercenary King…”
“……!!”
“Kuh…!!”
“Hup…!”
The three mercenaries froze mid-drink. I was the Mercenary King, but I was also the leader of the Steel Mercenary Group. These three were my core executives. They had all stopped drinking and were now rolling their eyes nervously. They probably coveted the title of Mercenary King. But it wasn’t something that could simply be handed over. The Mercenary King was someone recognized by all mercenaries. Therefore—
“I’ll keep doing it. Even after I enter the academy, I’ll still be the Mercenary King. No objections?”
“……N-No objections.”
“Kahaha! Of course you should stay as our leader, Captain!”
“Obviously the Mercenary King will always be our leader!”
Unless a mercenary greater than me appeared, I would remain the Mercenary King. That fact wouldn’t change just because I entered the academy. There was one problem, however—the mercenary group I led.
“The Steel Mercenary Group will still be left behind.”
“T-That’s right!”
“Kuh! The Steel Mercenary Group…!!”
The mercenaries’ eyes widened again at those words. Greed flickered across their faces. The Steel Mercenary Group was the strongest in the kingdom, and I had personally built it from the ground up. I had even recruited these three myself. Unfortunately, I was entering the academy—and would have to live in the dorms. Maintaining the group myself would be impossible.
“Jerome.”
“Y-Yes, sir!!”
His eyes grew wide at my call. Jerome was the vice-leader of the Steel Mercenary Group. It made sense to leave it to him. He was also the most reliable. The other two looked disappointed but quickly shook their heads, giving up on their greed. To me, all three of them were ridiculous.
“From now on, you’ll be…”
“F-From now on… Gulp.”
“The temporary leader of the Steel Mercenary Group.”
“F-Finally, I get to be the temporary leader of the Steel… Wait, temporary?!”
“Of course it’s temporary. Were you trying to swallow it whole? You want to die?”
“N-No, sir! I’m sorry!”
He immediately bowed his head. His face had gone pale—he looked genuinely terrified. I turned to the other two.
“You two didn’t misunderstand either, did you?”
“N-No, sir!”
“Absolutely not!”
The Steel Mercenary Group was something I had worked incredibly hard to build. Handing it over for free was out of the question. Besides, I needed the group because of my special ability. I couldn’t give it away. Instead, I raised their salaries a little. That should be enough to make me a decent boss(?).
“Kahahaha! I’m satisfied!”
“M-Me too.”
“O-Of course we’re satisfied!”
Fortunately, all three seemed content. I nodded quietly. It was a good thing I had thoroughly drilled discipline into them.
“Ah, and you know the group’s operating funds are tight, right?”
“W-Well… yes, we know.”
I was quite sensitive about money. Probably because I had lived in a capitalist society. Because of that, I could never stand to see my subordinates slacking off.
“Then you know you’ll have to start working right away, right?”
“Yes…”
They would probably have to start working without even seeing my entrance ceremony. This part I like.
I raised my glass with a bright expression. Everything had worked out well.
A few days later.
Today was the entrance ceremony for the Royal Academy’s Special Class. I headed toward the academy’s main gate. From here on, no one was allowed to enter on horseback. Only on foot.
Once again, a large crowd had gathered at the main gate. But something felt different from the exam day. Everyone was watching the new students entering. There had always been this tradition, but the number of spectators this time was on another level.
“That’s…!! It’s Grand Duke Philip!!”
“Huk! The prince is here too!”
“Don’t tell me that robe…! Then that must be the famous genius archmage…!”
People’s eyes widened at the sight of figures they would rarely see in their lifetimes. Cheers erupted.
“Grand Duke Philip! You can do it!”
“Your Highness!! Stay strong!!”
“Archmage!! We hope you win(?)!”
They were choosing the last person who would go to Earth. Naturally, everyone passionately cheered for their favorite.
This isn’t some audition show…
The academy allowed people of any age to enroll. Still, younger students had an advantage when it came to learning. Rumor had it that younger applicants received more favorable scores on the entrance exam. As far as I knew, almost none of the successful candidates were over thirty. That included the grand duke, the prince, and even the archmage.
It was almost time to go in.
Should I head inside now?
That was when it happened.
Kyaaaaaaaah—!! Waaaaaaaah—!!
A massive cheer erupted, completely different from the ones before.
Tsk, so he showed up.
I frowned slightly. Someone I really didn’t want to see had appeared.
Right on cue—
“I-It’s the Hero!!”
“It’s the Hero!!”
“The Saintess is with him too!!”
The kingdom’s most famous and popular Hero had arrived, accompanied by the Saintess from his party. The area around the main gate instantly descended into chaos. Everyone cheered for the Hero, showing their respect.
I could only find the scene absurd.
How hypocritical can that bastard be…
I actually knew the Hero. More precisely, I had once been part of his party. Of course, the Hero had banished me. The memories from that time weren’t exactly pleasant. Still, I had changed a lot since then. I had gone from a mere mercenary to the Mercenary King. Even so, I had no desire to meet him.
I’ll just go in after the Hero passes.
I planned to enter once the Hero was gone. As far as I knew, he was one of the last to arrive. He probably wanted to make a grand entrance as the protagonist. The Hero soon walked through the main gate amid thunderous cheers. Only then did I reveal myself. I intended to slip in quietly.
But as expected, I was far too famous as well.