Episode 2: The Hero Takes His Own Life (2) – His Dignity Trampled Down
Alberic returned to the royal capital with a broken heart and began to live quietly in a small house on the outskirts of the city, but soon the town was filled with unjustified slander and bad publicity against the "Hero".
He reportedly tried to seduce a princess and was harshly rebuffed, and he repeatedly groped the daughters of prominent families. Some of the worst ones involved lining his own pockets by begging the king for the people's tax money.
While it was possible for Roger, who was a money-grubber, Alberic couldn't do so.
For some reason, when I asked my contacts in the guild, all I got was "I didn't know" or rather, they didn't know what was the origin of the rumor. I found that odd and contacted Irene and asked her to use her position as a saint to investigate the situation from outside the kingdom.
I used my own contacts and cooperation to investigate from inside and outside the kingdom and discovered that the bad rumors were political maneuvering by the King and royal family, who were displeased with the "hero's" fame and popularity, to discredit Alberic.
In a peaceful world where the threat of the Demon King had disappeared, the power and prestige of a hero was a real threat to kings and nobles. I felt disgusted as I recalled a phrase from my previous life before I was born and raised in this world, "After the cunning rabbit is cooked, the hunting dog is killed".
While I was struggling to clear Alberic's name, the rumors were spreading as fact before I knew it. Its speed was beyond my imagination, and I couldn't help but feel the evil of malice combined with power. The situation had deteriorated to the point where it was beyond my ability to handle it on my own.
Alberic's bad reputation was spreading like a proverbial wildfire, and the people of the royal capital, who had been so proud of Alberic before he defeated the Demon King, now hated him as if he had been their parent's murderer.
There is no way that gentle, peace-loving Alberic would do such things.
I and the few residents who were close to the hero party refuted the rumors, but in the end, it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
After that, Alberic started to stay at home more and more, and when I visited him out of concern, his attitude remained the same, which made me feel even more anxious.
I sent a letter to Roger asking for help with Alberic's situation, thinking that the empire, which was as large as the kingdom, might be able to change the current situation from the outside, but no reply came back.
I contacted Falty's sister, with whom I had a personal relationship, to ask her if she would allow him to escape to the elven country, but she refused, saying that she did not want to cause any trouble for Falty or the elven nation.
……In hindsight, Alberic may have already decided at this time how he wished to end up.
―――And a short time later, I received a direct order from the King.
An assassination order to take down the traitor Alberic. I belonged to the adventurers' guild of the kingdom, so the king had the authority to order me to do things.
And the reason I was ordered to assassinate him was probably because of my close relationship with Alberic, and because I was the only one in the party who could kill him, compatibility-wise.
Roger belongs to the empire, it would be impossible for Irene, who specializes in healing, and Falty is a princess from an elven country who was attracted to Alberic in the first place and is assisting him. So, I was the only one who could do it.
――――By now I'm thinking he's an idiot.
I alone could kill everyone in the castle.
I can only wonder what these old men are thinking with their arrogance and stupidity, without the slightest idea that they themselves might be harmed. Ah, he truly is the King of Fools.
I honestly think the prince, who innocently wants the hero's sword without the slightest idea that I would refuse, and the princess, who wants to take the hero's corpse with her to play with and toy with, are both insane.
The reason why I did not immediately slay the nobles and ministers who were cajoling such rulers was because I thought that it would be better to start a rebellion with Alberic so that these people would die already.
After I responded, "I see," while concealing my opposition to the King, I called Alberic to the top of a hill overlooking the royal city.
Frankly speaking, just the two of us, me and Alberic, could conquer this country by force in less than a day.
Mere guards and knights can't even put a scratch on me in the face of the Celestial Knight's protection, and it's not like the hero's holy sword only activates against demons, so there's no problem with killing people. I understood when I was given this power that a hero is not just a convenient tool for people, but a person who has overwhelming power to defeat the Demon King and could even slaughter those he didn't like.
The ability given to him was to follow his heart. Then he should follow his heart and destroy the ungrateful people of this country.
――――Alberic, however, chose to take his own life.
The king ordered the assassination and I suggested a two-person revolt against it, but Alberic did not nod and just shook his head sadly.
"Raoul. I am tired of it all. ……I'm sorry."
Stained with the colors of dusk, he drew his sword in a beautiful, flowing gesture. And he ended his own life, hoping that I would see where this would lead.
When I informed the king of Alberic's death, he was overjoyed. I did not want the princess to desecrate Alberic's corpse by giving it to her, so I returned it to the Light with my "Celestial Sword" technique, but I recovered the hero's sword and gave it to the king as proof of his defeat. The prince said "The Holy Sword shall be mine! and snorted, but unfortunately, the sword itself is powerless now.
The " Holy Sword" of the heroes is a skill given to Alberic. This sword will never again release a torrent of radiance to cut through the enemy.
After that, the king rewrote Alberic's death as a beautiful story to suit his own convenience, and the people of the royal capital, who had despised Alberic, turned around and mourned his death. I couldn't help but be amazed at how ungrateful and shitty the people in this country were.
……Some of those who were in close contact with the hero party and refuted the rumors raised their eyebrows at the trend.
―――Sometime later, I would be informed by the dead Alberic that this world would be destroyed in the not-too-distant future.
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Sousaku - 創作 - We Create! 