Rubel’s Furious Scolding

The royal castle’s courtyard was dyed red by the evening light.

Marius, whose crimes had been exposed and whose punishment had been pronounced, tried to lash out.

Because of that, the guildmaster Rubel kicked him off his feet.

Hands tied behind his back, Marius stayed sprawled on the ground, his blond hair disheveled as he glared up.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I just gave an idiot the punishment he deserved. Without knowing how outstanding a hero Alec was, you tricked him and dragged him down. That is an unforgivable act.”

“Huh? Alec, outstanding? What are you talking about? Even without the kill count padding, he was just a completely unimpressive hero!”

“Oh? Within just a week of quitting as a hero, Alec defeated the Hell Lich that had the Royal Capital in an uproar, defeated the Wyvern that had started nesting, and discovered and cleared the dungeon’s incursion. Even after quitting as a hero, he’s been acting far more like one—unlike a certain someone.”

Marius sat up on the ground and, for the first time, glared at me where I was standing in the corner of the courtyard.

“You! You’re the one who killed the Wyvern! You stole my achievement just to disgrace me! How far are you going to get in my way?!”

“No. That was a coincidence. If it was only the achievement of a B-rank Wyvern, you could have just gone and taken down some other A-rank instead.”

“Ghh…!”

Stung by the simple logic I had thrown at him, Marius glared at me with eyes that looked like he wanted to curse me to death.

But Rubel brushed back her red hair and spoke.

“It’s because you’ve always stolen achievements that you think that way. You assume everyone else does to others what you do yourself.”

“…!!”

Marius’s face flushed bright red and he looked away.

“Besides. There’s something you, who only supplements yourself with Serâge through your sword, will never be able to do.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? There shouldn’t be anyone who can use hero magic as well as I can, you know? Alec couldn’t use a single spell!”

“Right. At a glance, it looked like Alec couldn’t use magic. But in reality, that’s not how it was. Alec had his hero magic active all the time, so even when he ‘used’ it, it only looked like nothing was happening!”

“What did you say?!”

“Come again?!”

“Seriously…?”

“No way!?”

It wasn’t just Marius; even I and everyone else—Liricia included—were shocked.

“Most likely, he had Party Heal, Mana Supply, Repel Monsters, Annihilate Monsters, and probably even magic damage reduction all running.”

“H-how can you say something like that?!”

Marius forced his voice lower even as it cracked, trying to bluff.

Rubel snorted through her nose.

“I can tell. It’s because I’m the same type.”

“Huh?”

“I am a cursed child, you see. Watch—Seal Release: ‘Purge.’”

Rubel pulled off one of the jingling accessories she wore—a ring from her index finger.

In that instant, red flames burst from her index finger.

As she kept taking off more rings, each finger in turn went up in flames.

By the time she finished, her whole palm was blazing like a torch.

Lit by the glow of the flames, Rubel flashed a fierce grin and spoke.

“I was born with an enormous amount of magic power. Just taking off one ring does this. If I were to remove all of my sealing accessories, everything within a five-hundred-meter radius would turn into a blazing hell. That’s why I can infer that Alec is doing the same thing with his Serâge.”

“So you’re saying he’s the hero version of that? But if he has nothing to show for it, then it’s just wasted treasure, isn’t it?”

“Sure, that’s how an ordinary person would judge it. But there’s a fact most people don’t know. Ever since he became a hero, not a single S-rank monster has appeared.”

“That kind of thing… has to be a coincidence, right?”

The priestess lifted her blue hair with a proud tilt of her chest.

“No. I checked the records of heroes and hero candidates from other countries as well. Since Alec became a hero, not one single S-rank has appeared. So no one has defeated one—no one except a single person…”

Rubel gave a wicked little grin.

“Right. In these thirty years, I am the only one who has defeated an S-rank-class monster. I found an S-rank Ancient Gear Golem sleeping in the depths of an ancient ruin, defeated it, and brought back proof, and that was how I was recognized as an SS-rank adventurer.”

“Th-that doesn’t even count as physical evidence…”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s purely subjective. But to defeat an S-rank monster, I spent over ten years travelling the world searching for one, you know. For personal reasons, I absolutely had to become SS-rank. And yet I could not find even a single one. That was when I realized it. Because Alec is constantly releasing a massive amount of Serâge, S-ranks never appear, and the world remains at peace! And that is why some fake little rich boy who isn’t releasing any Serâge could never, ever take Alec’s place!”

Rubel kicked Marius flying again.

He let out a frustrated groan and rolled over the white sand.

The King let out a sigh and raised his hand.

“Seize the criminal and take him away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The soldiers who had been standing by the wall rushed forward, yanked Marius to his feet, and surrounded the Minister as they led them both away.

Marius kept screaming until the very end.

“I! How dare you do this to me! I won’t forgive you, Alec! I’m brilliant! It’s only natural that I should be the best at everything! You should be praising me more! Aaaahhh!”

In the end, he was dragged off wailing like a child.

It was a pitiful sight in every possible way.

The courtyard grew quiet.

The King looked at me with the gentle expression of a grandfather watching his grandchild.

“As expected of you, Alec. Even after leaving the hero’s post, you still act as a hero… You truly are the real hero. I am sorry I could not protect you.”

“No, it’s all right. It’s already in the past.”

The King had opposed my dismissal from the beginning, so I had never held a grudge against him.

Besides, if he hadn’t secretly increased my consolation money tenfold, I would never have been able to be with Liricia.

“That being said, Alec… would you consider returning to the hero’s post?”

Well, I had figured that would be what he asked next.

I looked over at Liricia beside me.

She looked at me with violet eyes that were both happy and a little lonely.

I shook my head and turned back to the King.

“I’m sorry. It really is all in the past now… Besides, during my time as a hero, I always felt as if I had somehow buttoned things up wrong. Right now—”

I reached out and took Liricia’s hand.

She gave a little start and her white habit swayed, but she gripped my hand back tightly.

For some reason, the priestess and the mage both let out a regretful little cry of “Aaah…” along with a sigh.

Ignoring them, I looked straight at the King and spoke.

“Right now, I feel like everything is finally meshing together. Things are perfect as they are.”

“I see… You have my thanks for all you have done for so long… What will you do from now on?”

“I plan to do what I can, and what I want to do, and live my life that way.”

“I see… Do your best, then. …I would like you to come by the castle to show your face from time to time, though.”

“Yes, understood. …Then, please excuse us.”

I bowed my head, then left the courtyard hand in hand with Liricia.

As we walked down the castle corridor, I heard small footsteps running up behind us.

When I turned around, I saw it was the priestess. Her blue hair and cleric’s robe swayed as she hurried over.

“Alec, I’m sorry. I should have realized much sooner.”

“No, it’s fine. Normally, no one would even imagine a hero committing fraud. On the surface, he did seem like a decent guy.”

“Even so, I’m sorry!”

The priestess bowed her head deeply, her blue hair falling forward.

Scratching my head awkwardly, I spoke.

“Raise your head. If anything, I should be thanking you for investigating. If I had tried to do it myself, it might have taken me decades. Thank you.”

“You really are kind, Alec… and this person is?”

The priestess looked sadly at Liricia.

Liricia gave a serene smile and snuggled closer at my side.

“My name is Liricia… and, well, I’m his precious person.”

“I see… I wish you happiness, Alec. And, Liricia, Alec is a good man, but he can also be a bit absent-minded, or rather, too straightforward for his own good, so please watch out for him, all right?”

“Yes, of course. I will cherish him and support him.”

Liricia smiled, calm and confident.

At that, the priestess’s shoulders slumped.

“Being with you always made me feel at ease and relaxed, Alec… It’s a shame.”

“Maybe it was the healing effect of all the Serâge leaking out of me. Anyway, thanks for everything.”

“See you—no, I mean, I’m sorry, and thank you very much! Farewell, both of you, and stay well!”

The priestess waved at us with a smile, though it looked like she was holding back tears.

We said our goodbyes as well and left the castle.

The Royal Capital was wrapped in the light of evening.

We headed for the shop so we could go home.

As we walked through the streets, Liricia pressed her ample chest against my arm and snuggled close.

She looked truly happy, and there was a spring in her step.

“Heehee. It seems the people who matter really did understand how wonderful you are, Master.”

“As long as it gets through to you, Liricia, that’s enough for me.”

“Master… that makes me so happy.”

Her beautiful profile, bathed in the setting sun, was filled with a smile as radiant as an angel’s.