Crazy.
I didn’t think it would go over 4.8 million in one go.
I couldn’t hold back the itch in my throat any longer.
So I hurriedly signaled to Neril.
Neril waved her hand slightly and said,
“Cancel Append View.”
“Uaaagh!”
“M-Mide? What’s wrong?”
“We did it. We really did it.”
This was probably the first ti anyone had seen this excited.
Everyone was taken aback.
I shouted, almost ready to jump in place.
“My fa just passed 5.3 million.”
“H-how much is that supposed to an?”
“I told you. The minimum needed to kill Velosian is 4.8 million. So… that ans…”
Just as my excitent made stutter, Idria gave a small laugh and said,
“Then you can finally kill Velosian now.”
Yeah.
That’s right.
Even the Velosian inside the special room, I could kill him now.
Tears welled up in everyone’s eyes.
“I can’t believe it actually happened all at once…”
“Mr. Mide’s idea is sothing no hero in history ever ca up with.”
“And now, we can judge the Demon King with our own hands.”
“The end is finally in sight.”
“Haah… it’s been rough, really.”
“Honestly, I was more nervous about ssing up my lines.”
I cald everyone down and said,
“Right now it’s at 5.3 million, but depending on how far the aftereffects spread, it could still rise further.”
“Do you think we can kill Aktion too?”
“I don’t know how much fa we will need to kill Aktion, but no matter how high it is, it won’t exceed Velosian’s level. We are really at the final stretch now. You all did great, truly.”
Then Idria interrupted.
“Can you take this thing out of now?”
“Oh, right.”
I pulled out the sword lodged deep in Idria’s body.
She brushed her hand over the hole in her abdon.
It closed up instantly.
She said,
“I didn’t think your party mber would actually throw a dagger coated with real poison.”
“I grabbed the wrong one by mistake.”
“I’m sure you did. Anyway, I will bring the children.”
Crackle.
As she tore open space, Sobius, Pirensha, and Sabach appeared.
Unlike Pirensha, who had vanished without a trace, or Sabach, who had simply fallen, Sobius should have had his head cut off.
“Your neck’s back on nicely, huh?”
“My mother made preparations for that beforehand.”
So Idria was secretly quite invested in this act too.
Pirensha spoke in a tone showing clear displeasure.
“So, what do we do now?”
“You three should hide. Until the trial ends, Idria will keep you hidden.”
“And after that?”
I didn’t bother answering.
Idria gave the answer instead.
“They will have to rely on humanity’s rcy.”
“……”
“Don’t make that face.”
Idria soothed the children.
Then she turned to .
“I would like to rest a bit.”
“Go ahead. Once we are ready for the trial, I will call you. Just show up with a sword stuck in your stomach. You can make one that looks like the Hero’s sword, right?”
“I already forged a fake Hero’s sword once. Making another lookalike is nothing. Easy work.”
She pointed at .
“But isn’t it troubleso for you to be carrying that sword around? It’s supposed to be stuck in my stomach, isn’t it?”
“Neril is the one who made the Hero’s token too. Turning it into an ordinary sword is easy magic.”
“Good. Then let’s part here.”
“Get so rest. Aktion is still alive, so be careful.”
“Alright.”
Crackle.
Idria opened a rift in space then disappeared with her subordinates.
Only then did I feel certain that everything was truly over.
Thud.
As I sank to the ground, my party mbers sat down with .
Physically, it probably hadn’t been that hard.
But everyone looked completely exhausted.
Suddenly, their performance from earlier flashed through my mind.
We hadn’t practiced together or anything; it was just a play relying on a rough script and quick wits.
Even so, my party’s “lies” had been excellent.
Still, I couldn’t resist teasing them.
“You guys are really bad at lying.”
They all burst into laughter.
Neril said,
“Just like our leader.”
After a brief rest, we returned to the capital.
And instead of requesting an audience with the Emperor… the Emperor ca to greet us first.
“Hero! Brave ones!”
He had thrown aside all decorum and authority, arms wide open to welco us.
We landed on the roof of the imperial palace.
Normally, it was a place the Emperor would never co to, but he was waiting for us there.
I scratched my head and said,
“Your Majesty. What brings you up here?”
“I simply couldn’t sit still and wait any longer.”
No, he had clearly arranged a welcoming ceremony for the returning victors.
I glanced down over the imperial city.
A massive crowd.
Almost everyone in the capital was waving handkerchiefs or flags at us.
If soone didn’t know the situation, they would probably think a massive uprising had broken out.
I asked,
“Has the evacuation of the capital not been completed yet?”
“No. As you instructed, it will be finished within a month. We are proceeding with the evacuation district by district.”
“Then why so many people?”
“These are all those who chose to remain in the capital. It was inevitable, really.”
At those words, I nodded, then looked down again.
“It’s the Hero!”
“The Hero looked at !”
“Yeah right, he looked at .”
“Ahh… how can soone be that handso?”
“To make even the Demon King kneel before him… that’s on a whole different level from just killing one.”
“But where’s the Demon King now?”
My sharp hearing caught that last voice.
This would need a bit of explanation disguised as a speech.
I asked the Emperor for permission.
“If you don’t mind…”
“Of course, Hero.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“I an, whatever you wish to do is fine. In this case, it seems you wish to speak to the people.”
“Ahem. Is that all right with you?”
Even if he had turned over a new leaf, the Emperor was once soone who coveted the Hero’s position and tried to assassinate .
But now he bowed deeply and said,
“You are a Hero like no other in history. There were three Heroes before you, and I don’t an to diminish their deeds… but none can compare to you, Sir Mide.”
“……”
“With the celestial god gone, all the hopes and expectations of humankind now rest upon your shoulders. Whatever you choose to do, I will support it.”
Knowing the truth, I felt uneasy.
Those three Heroes of the past, despite the ssage window telling them to leave things to the next generation, had devoted themselves wholly to the world and to humanity.
And in the end, they fell to Velosian, lost their mories, and vanished into the underworld.
‘I’m not even worthy to reach their feet.’
[But your fa surpasses them all.]
‘That’s not the point. I’m wondering if I could have made the sa choice they did back then.’
[I believe you could have.]
This guy always overrates .
Anyway, I said,
“Then excuse for a mont.”
“Yes, take your ti.”
Leaving the Emperor behind, I walked to the very edge of the rooftop.
My party lined up beside on both sides.
The cheering that was already deafening grew even louder.
“Uwaaaaaa!”
“Hero! Hero!”
“Thank you so much! Sob…”
I looked over each of my party mbers’ faces.
They all nodded with calm smiles.
Ssshh.
I saw Neril quickly cast a sound amplification spell, so I took a deep breath and shouted,
“The Demon King has knelt before humanity!”
Since Append View had been stopped midway, news of whether Idria had accepted my proposal or not wouldn’t have spread yet.
They could probably guess from our bright expressions, but hearing it from my own mouth carried a different weight.
Yet the cheers didn’t grow louder.
They quieted down instead.
Tens of thousands at least must have gathered, yet not a single breath could be heard.
But I could feel their emotions surging even higher.
‘Look at those eyes.’
[Bloodshot red. Not surprising.]
I shouted again,
“The Demon King of Lies, Idria, is sealed within . She can no longer use her power!”
“……”
“As you already know, I believed that rely killing the Demon King was not enough. The Heroes of the past all slew the Demon King, but that was not the sa as judging her.”
“……”
“I will make the Demon King apologize to all of you. I will make her undo with her own hands everything she has done!”
“……!”
“From this day, this hour forward!”
Ugh, my throat’s about to give out.
Neril clicked her tongue lightly.
She probably ant I didn’t need to shout so loud with the sound amplification spell active.
But I couldn’t help it.
What mattered now wasn’t the volu of my voice, it was the weight of it, how deeply it shook the hearts of everyone listening.
I cleared my throat and shouted again.
“From this day, this hour forward, humanity no longer needs to fear the Demon King!”
“……”
“Because humanity has defeated the Demon King in the clearest, most undeniable way possible. You no longer need to be afraid. You are the ones who triumphed over the Demon King!”
“Uwooooooh!!”
At last, the emotions everyone had been holding back burst forth.
They expressed their joy and ecstasy in every possible way.
So cried and embraced those around them.
So leapt into the air.
So waved flags they had prepared, others blew trumpets with all their strength.
So blew across the mouths of bottles like horns; others simply sat down and wept.
Neril whispered, careful not to let her voice carry into the amplification spell.
“What a sight. In the best sense.”
“Yeah.”
“People will rember this mont for generations. Of course, I have already made sure of that.”
“Append View?”
“Yup. A story this grand shouldn’t stay confined to the capital. The whole world is watching us right now.”
Trail chid in.
[No wonder. Take a look at this.]
Tap.
A screen window appeared.
Not as dramatic as when I first ntioned the Demon King’s trial, but still, a steady increase.
Just how high was this going to climb?
‘Calm down. Gotta wrap up the speech.’
I decided to end things by answering what everyone must be wondering.
Swoosh.
I raised my hand, and the roaring quieted.
Speaking now in a far calr tone than before, I said,
“Idria is being escorted separately. Though she is sealed by the Hero’s sword, a Demon King is still a Demon King. She will appear only when we are certain it’s completely safe.”
Then soone shouted,
“H-Hero! When will that be?”
I didn’t know who it was, but that was the perfect question.
“That will be at the ti of the ‘Demon King’s Trial’! As soon as preparations are complete, we will hold it.”
“……!”
“Anyone who wishes to may attend the trial. We will soon announce the date and location.”
“We will be waiting!”
“Haha, thank you. Hmm… how should I close this…”
I shrugged.
“I will end with what I want to say to all of you.”
“What you want to say to us?”
“Yes. Nothing special.”
I paused briefly, then bowed my head toward everyone below the palace.
It wasn’t planned, just a spur of the mont gesture, but my quick-witted party mbers bowed with in perfect sync.
Murmur, murmur.
The crowd grew restless, apparently bewildered that the Hero and his companions were bowing to them.
Then I lifted my head and shouted,
“Everyone, you have done well! This victory belongs to you!”
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