kscans

Chapter 123 - Case Closed?

We left the arena and headed for the waiting rooms. As we walked down the corridor, the trio came towards us from the opposite direction.

Both groups stopped. Molzi glared at us, furious. "Do you have any idea what you've done?! Huh?!"

He was trying to intimidate me like a common thug.

I replied calmly, "I accepted a challenge from an idiot and won. That's all."

My face was a blank mask.

My answer made Molzi tremble with rage. "You…? Do you even know whose son I am?!"

To this absurd question, Tina and I both answered. "I don't know."

"I do not."

It was the plain truth.

Molzi seemed to compose himself, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "Then listen up! I am the son of General Goltor! The hero who just defended the Empire! How's that for intimidating?!"

He puffed out his chest and declared it proudly.

So he was that general's son. I couldn't believe that a general with such a serious and sincere image could have such an idiot for a son. Well, I suppose a brilliant parent doesn't always have a brilliant child.

Molzi puffed out his chest even further. "So? What do you say? If you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, and offer up that beautiful woman, I might just consider forgiving you."

His face was a mask of pure malevolence. How ridiculous. 'Might consider' meant he had no intention of forgiving me at all.

Just as I was about to say something, a voice came from behind Molzi.

"Oh? My, how important you've become. Whose son did you say you were?"

Molzi jumped in surprise. He slowly, fearfully, turned around. There stood General Goltor, dressed in noble attire.

Molzi broke into a cold sweat. "W-What? C'mon, Father! I was just talking about being your son."

As Molzi groveled, the general said, "Indeed, I have two children. My eldest son is serving with distinction in the knight order. My second son, I have left to his own devices."

He spoke without a trace of emotion.

Molzi's fawning expression didn't falter. "Th-That's right! I'm your second son! More importantly, these people! They utterly humiliated me in the arena! They only became A-rank because of your great deeds, Father, yet they show no gratitude at all! They're insolent fools! You should arrest them and have them executed immediately! Oh, but I'll be taking the beautiful woman for myself."

His last words were dripping with greed.

The general approached us. "I apologize for dragging you into my second son's selfish antics."

He bowed his head.

I lowered my posture slightly. "Not at all. While it's true that parents are responsible for their children, he is a grown man. The responsibility should be his to bear alone."

I was indirectly saying that the general was not at fault, and Tina echoed my sentiment.

Seeing this, Molzi cried out, "??? Father? Why are you bowing to these commoners?! Didn't you approve of what I've been doing?!"

The general looked at his confused son. "Approve? Come to think of it, I've never said anything about what you do, have I? Why do you think that is?"

There was a hint of anger in his voice. Molzi hesitated. "W-Well… because… you never say anything about what I do, so… I thought you approved?"

"Precisely," the general roared, his voice shaking with fury. "Because you… are a worthless idiot son who isn't even worth lecturing!"

Molzi let out a small yelp and fell on his backside.

The general's anger had not subsided. "Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! The reason I've said nothing until now is because lecturing trash like you is pointless. I'd rather spend that time serving the people!"

He berated him with uncharacteristically harsh words. This was a side of the general I never expected to see. The rest of us could only watch in silence.

The general took a deep breath, composing himself slightly. "You've really changed. You used to dream of becoming an adventurer, training hard and even acquiring a skill. ‘Super Hearing’ is a skill that lets you hear even the faintest distant sounds. You used it to find hidden enemies and fight to protect your comrades."

"But once you became A-rank, you changed for the worse. You'd make up excuses to skip work. You'd use your noble status to threaten staff who tried to correct you. And to top it all off, you started womanizing. Disgusted by your behavior, your comrades left you, one after another, did they not?"

Pity laced the general's words. Molzi retorted, "B-But… even though I became A-rank, I didn't get any respect! They just kept pushing difficult jobs on me! Besides, I still have two comrades left, don't I?!"

He pointed at Loose and Dord behind him.

Seeing this, the general muttered, "If only those two had truly stayed for your sake."

His words hit Molzi hard. "W-What? You two stayed for me, right?"

At his anxious question, the two women glanced at each other.

"Not really," Loose said with a bored expression. "I only stuck around because you paid well."

Dord added, "And I just wanted to use your connections to get my hands on a grimoire."

She clutched a book in her bag protectively.

Their words sent Molzi's face into a mask of despair. He had believed the two who remained after all the others left must have held some affection for him.

But he was wrong. They had only stayed for their own selfish reasons.

Molzi pleaded with them. "This is a lie, right? Tell me it's a lie!"

Unable to accept reality, he watched as they simply said, "Goodbye," and walked away.

He stared blankly at their retreating backs.

The general spoke, his face impassive. "You're too pathetic for words. But I have no intention of overlooking your actions up to this point. Molzi, from this day forth, you will be sent to the separate estate. And you are forbidden from ever leaving it."

It was a cruel sentence for Molzi.

Before he could say anything, three soldiers appeared and led him away. Only Tina, the general, and I remained.

The general began, "I truly am sorry. I know this has been an unpleasant experience for you…"

Before he could continue, I cut him off. "Not at all. No one could have predicted something like this. Please, don't worry about it."

I ended the conversation with a vague platitude. The last thing I wanted was another reward as an apology.

The general seemed to understand. "Well, if you say so, I won't press the matter further. I shall take my leave."

He turned and walked toward the entrance.

Finally, it's over, I thought with a sigh of relief. But then the general turned back.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to mention. Her Highness Princess Yorune will be formally coronated as Emperor tomorrow. I have already informed the guild that you two will be participating in the escort. You can get the details at the guild."

He dropped an absolute bombshell.

Before I could say a word, the general was gone, leaving the two of us behind.

As I stood there, stunned, Tina placed a hand on my right shoulder. "We don't have a choice. It's a request from the royal family."

So there was no getting out of it.

Meanwhile, in the princess's office, Yorune had just finished organizing her documents and was rehearsing for the next day.

It was a crucial day; failure was not an option.

Satisfied with her practice, she took a short break. Staring up at the night sky from her window, she wondered if it wasn't too soon for her to become emperor.

But she knew she couldn't afford such thoughts. The delegations from other nations would be arriving the day after tomorrow at the earliest. She had to be coronated before then. Receiving dignitaries without an emperor on the throne would be a blow to the nation's prestige. It had to be done tomorrow. There was no other way.

There was also the matter of requesting those two for escort duty.

They were heroes who had saved the country; she absolutely wanted them to attend the coronation. However, they were still commoners, even if they were A-rank. They couldn't just walk in. If she had simply invited them, they would have undoubtedly found a reason to be absent.

So, she had to create a situation they couldn't refuse. It was the only way.

It felt a little forceful, but… oh well. There was also the matter of the children. The escort duty was just a pretext; she hoped they could just enjoy themselves. That's what Yorune told herself.

All the while knowing full well how much of a massive inconvenience it would be for the two of them.

And so, the frantic yet ultimately trivial incident in the Empire came to a close. But the princess did not yet know that one year after she became emperor… an event she couldn't even dream of would occur.