The Empire Calls
The imperial messenger had come to escort me back to the empire.
I had anticipated this arrival to some degree. The empire held the status of patron nation to the Hero’s party, granting it the right to investigate the expulsion of that party. During such an investigation, alliances with nearby kingdoms were inevitable.
No matter what the Hero had written about why he expelled me...
One thing was certain: there were no kind words in the letter.
“This concerns the Hero’s party, I see.”
“Yes. Well… that’s part of it, but please do not worry too much. Before departing, I have already prepared for this situation.”
It was indeed a favor that the messenger had come to assist with the investigation of the Hero’s party. Yet a part of me felt regret at the thought of drawing in Alex or even Roberto, my close friend, into this mess.
“There is no need for you to go to such lengths on my account.”
“It is no trouble, Your Highness. Lord Alex and I were already somewhat informed of the Hero’s party’s situation. And we know how Lady Isabel has been performing there.”
If my sensitivity had been even slightly richer, I might have shed tears at that moment.
Putting up with an incompetent Hero was one thing, but the stress I had endured in silence for so long…
I even wanted to shout that I would drink until I passed out if I had to, just to forget about it all.
But having someone understand me like this was reward enough.
“We are also considering forming a second Hero’s party. Though it will not be easy…”
“A second Hero’s party…?”
“Yes. A party centered on me to replace the current one.”
A second Hero’s party…
That meant removing the current Hero, Eric, from his position and disbanding the party.
“Is that possible?”
“Of course not easily. The internal nobles and other kingdoms will resist fiercely. But in a time when the Hero has vanished, it might just work.”
“What? The Hero has vanished?”
Until mere days ago, I had heard from the king that the Hero’s party had entered the Kubera Dungeon.
Even accounting for the dungeon’s difficulty, I had expected the Hero to struggle there.
Yet…
No matter how incompetent and foolish the Hero was,
he should have at least withdrawn strategically and returned safely after failing to explore the dungeon.
But he had failed to do so. He had foolishly lingered and disappeared.
“Disappeared” was too mild a term. We could not even find his body, so it might as well be called that. Or perhaps he was still trapped somewhere inside the dungeon.
“Only you should know this, Your Highness. This information is known to only a very few—Gruysen Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom, and myself.”
As Alex spoke, his eyes kept darting toward the door, as if checking whether anyone might be listening.
If the news of the Hero’s disappearance spread across the entire continent…
A great turmoil would surely follow.
“Have the reinforcements departed?”
“Yes, they have left. However, we have yet to find capable individuals to search the dungeon.”
If I myself were to enter the Kubera Dungeon as a reinforcement now, there might still be a chance to save the Hero.
But I knew that neither the Hero nor his nation, Gruysen Kingdom, would ever call upon me.
They would rather die than acknowledge me.
Perhaps it was even fortunate for me.
If the Hero and his party members died in the Kubera Dungeon, the world would desire a second Hero’s party. Even if I did not become the Hero, I could still become a party member and obtain the opportunity to defeat the Demon King.
Only then would I fulfill my promise to the goddess and return to my original world, bringing peace to this realm.
If the Hero truly had died, it would be a tragedy. But if many people achieved their purpose and peace through this…
Wouldn’t that make me the true Hero after all?
*
The next day,
I resolved to head to the empire without further delay.
There was nothing particularly keeping me here,
and if I visited a nearby Holy Kingdom, a temple might exist, raising the possibility of hearing the goddess’s response.
Cali did not seem to wish to return home, so I would take her with me.
The problem was Princess Sophia.
“Lord Lowell!! Do not go! Huh? Sniff…”
At the very moment I was about to depart after final preparations, Princess Sophia came running and clung to me.
Even the maids, sent by the king’s order to pull her away, could not break her resolve.
“Princess, once my business in the empire is finished, I will return.”
“No! Lord Lowell!! Then take me with you!!”
“Princess… that is a bit…”
In Moncrito Kingdom, Sophia was the sole princess and the primary heir to the throne.
The king, watching from behind, rubbed his forehead in pain.
“I will definitely return later. You can write me letters in the meantime.”
Despite my repeated reassurances, Princess Sophia clung to my arm with no intention of letting go.
Recent events—the arrest of her uncle, Duke Eranty, on treason charges, and the imprisonment of her cousin and only remaining relative on similar charges—had left her deeply shaken.
But the greatest pain was that, beside her, there was no one she could rely on.
“Letters…?”
“Yes. If you feel very ill or in dire danger, send me a letter. I will come running at once.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Elves do not lie.”
Of course…
Elves do lie.
But I had no choice; I had to lie to comfort her and make her release my arm.
“If I really send a letter, you will come?”
“Yes, of course. Until then, listen well to His Majesty and continue your studies to lead this kingdom well.”
“....Yes… I understand.”
Finally, I managed to pry Princess Sophia away, boarded the carriage, and set off.
The king, standing at the back of the carriage, mouthed his thanks and bid me farewell again.
Although I had claimed to have exterminated the assassins who tried to kill the princess, I could not hide my discomfort as the one who had placed his own brother, Duke Eranty, in the underground prison.
Shortly after,
The carriage left the palace and began to leave the royal road.
Princess Sophia had run all the way to the palace gates to see me off, but I felt a small sense of liberation and even a lightheartedness.
“Your Highness seems to be quite popular.”
“Haaah…”
Alex, watching me and Sophia from inside the carriage, smiled and finally spoke up. I let out a deep sigh in response.
“By the way, who is that child, Your Highness?”
As Alex boarded the carriage, he had been staring at Cali, who had attached herself to my side.
Just like last time…
“She is my daughter.”
“What?! Y-your daughter?!”
Cali glared at me with disdain, axe eyes narrowed.
Somehow, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this joke.
Earlier, teasing Sophia had been fun.
Now, watching Alex’s eyes and mouth fall wide open in shock, a smile naturally crept onto my face.
“It is a joke. She is merely a child I am temporarily caring for on behalf of an acquaintance.”
“A-ah… y-yes…”
Cali stared at me as if I were an odd person for enjoying the situation.
I deliberately ruffled her hair, messing it up on purpose.
****
Sixteenth day inside the Kubera Dungeon…
The Hero’s party had been trapped on the third floor of the dungeon, unable to move, with their remaining food supplies now so scarce that even supplies for the return journey were insufficient.
The only fortunate aspect was that they had found a safe space at the end of their wandering on the third floor.
Yet no one among the party members, except the Hero, seemed happy about their current situation.
Adelia, the Saintess, was still suffering from a leg injury and could barely move.
Selina, the mage, had been forcibly squeezing out mana, leading to overuse and the inability to recover it.
In this state, even if I, expelled Lowell, were to arrive as reinforcements, it was uncertain whether we could safely escape the dungeon.
The situation for the Hero’s party was one of imminent crisis.
“Adelia, how is your leg?”
While the Hero rested, Selina, who had taken first watch, approached Adelia, who had not risen from her spot after serving as lookout.
“I am fine. Selina… are you not in pain? Taking watch for my share…”
“I am fine. Do not worry about me—pay attention to your leg.”
Selina pretended to chat naturally with Adelia while glancing at her leg wound.
It was not improving; the injury was worsening, and she knew it would not heal anytime soon.
“I am sorry… Adelia… I should have stopped Lowell from being expelled then… If I had, you would not have suffered like this… and our party would not have ended up in such a state…”