“ALISA, I don’t have any proof you’re Altana, the Merchant of Death. And in the end, our side didn’t have any casualties, so I’ll let you go this time,” I told her, dropping Impenetrable Defense and Teleport Jam.
“I appreciate that. You’re soft, letting me go even though you suspect I’m Altana.”
“Say what you want, but I show my enemies no mercy.” I looked her straight in the eye. “I’m going to see Abel in two weeks. Take whatever shots you want at me then. Right now, you aren’t my foes, but I don’t mind making the hero one if it comes to that.”
I knew that things would get annoying if the hero were my opponent, but if he was going to keep dragging me into situations, then it was the same end result either way.
“All I wanted was to see you fight. I didn’t want to make an enemy of you. I told you: I want to work with you. And now that I’ve seen just how strong you are, it’s my turn to show you how useful I can be.”
She then leaned in and whispered information into my ear about the hero. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter; I’d already taken measures against him.
“Well then, Arius. I look forward to seeing you in the Ishtobal Castle.”
And with that, she left.
✦ ✦ ✦
ALL the loose ends had been tied up just as day was breaking. Not that it took that long when you were using magic.
Having finished their work, the Ministry agents and knights were taking shifts, catching a quick snooze. Sophia was still acting unruffled, smiling as she chatted with Milia, but I knew the smile was forced. Milia also had put on a brave face.
“Hey, you two, do you have a second?” I asked, standing in front of them. “When I was a kid, Sophia, you told me I didn’t need to force myself to smile.”
I was five, and it was my first time making an appearance in high society. It was just after I’d fought a group of bandits and killed people for the first time. It took some time, but I eventually came to terms with what I’d done. However, I faked being fine and smiled to not worry those around me. So, when I was at the party and met Sophia, she told me I didn’t have to force myself to smile.
“I know you’re determined to fulfill your duty as Eric’s fiancée, but this is the sort of thing you’ve got to work through slowly, work it out inside yourself. So, don’t force yourself to smile.”
“Arius… Thank you…” She smiled, a genuine one.
“And Milia, I understand how you feel, wanting to support your friend. But you don’t need to force yourself to smile either. Sophia will still be receptive to your feelings if you’re open with her.”
“He’s right, Milia. I’m sorry I made you push yourself so hard too.”
“Oh, no, Sophia. Just…you don’t have to push yourself so much either.” Milia trembled as tears started to run down her cheeks, and tears began cascading from Sophia’s eyes as well.
The two hugged each other and, with my job done, I left. I was just their friend. It wasn’t my place to hold and comfort them.
✦ ✦ ✦
TWO weeks later, I went to the royal castle of Ishtobal.
In a hall with a high ceiling, a red carpet led to a throne at the far end, flanked by rows of armed soldiers menacingly lining each side. Around the throne were Alisa and the other members of the hero’s party.
I walked slowly down the red carpet toward Abel. He had wavy green hair and emerald-green eyes and sat with his legs crossed, leaning against one arm. It was an incredibly arrogant way of sitting.
“Thank you for inviting me today, Your Highness,” I greeted as I bowed to him. I hated formalities, but it wasn’t like I didn’t know proper etiquette.
“So, you’re Arius, the youngest SSS-rank adventurer in history. I am the hero, Abel Lionhart. Welcome to the hero’s party. And don’t call me ‘Your Highness.’ It’s ‘my hero.’”
I’d put off meeting Abel for a month. Alisa had convinced Abel to wait by making it seem like I was planning to join the party.
Still, this guy is actually calling himself the hero, too?
“I understand, my hero. However, you seem to be mistaken. I’m not here to join.”
“What?” He looked blatantly annoyed. There was a stir among the guards as they stared at me in judgment, like they couldn’t believe what I was saying.
“I don’t like jokes, Arius. The demons are humanity’s greatest enemy, and the demon king will destroy the world. What possible reason could you have to not join me, the hero, in defeating the demon king and saving the world? And yet, you’re refusing?”
“If you’ll beg my pardon, my hero, the demon king has done nothing since they were revived four months ago. Could you please provide what proof you have that they are going to destroy the world?”
Abel grinned. “I see. That’s how it is. You’re an adventurer. You don’t want fame. You want money. Your plan is to refuse initially, then up the stakes. Fine. Tell me, how much do you want?”
What the heck was he talking about? He wasn’t even listening to what I was saying.
“I don’t want money. I’m saying—”
“You can drop the pretenses. No one really believes we’re going to save the world by defeating the demon king. The reason the alliance wants to fight them is so they can get their hands on the valuable resources lying unused in demon territory. So, what is it you want?”
So, he just went right out and admitted the truth. There were only his subordinates here anyway, and maybe he figured it would be easy to keep them quiet. Maybe I should dig further then.
“What is your real goal in defeating the demon king?” I questioned.
“I’m not like the lowly scum that just want money. By defeating the demon king, I will demonstrate the power of the hero and gain control of the world. It should be easy to dominate the world with the hero’s power. Arius, if you join me, I will give you whatever your heart desires.”
World domination? That’s what Abel was after? No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem very realistic. This guy was seriously full of himself.
“If that’s the case, I have even less reason to join the hero’s party,” I refused. “I think we’re done here. If you’ll excuse me, my hero.” I bowed and turned away from him.
“Wait. I can’t let you leave.”
At Abel’s words, all the soldiers drew their swords, and the hero’s party went into fighting stances. I’d tried to finish this peacefully, but I guess that wasn’t an option.
“Arius. Either you join me, or you die. You choose which,” Abel challenged, full of confidence. He really seemed to believe he could do whatever he wanted.
“My choice is obvious. Seeing as I don’t show my enemies any mercy,” I maintained, then I cast Impenetrable Defense around me and the hero’s party. At the same time, I cast smaller Impenetrable Defenses around each of the hero’s party, leaving Abel open. This way, Alisa and the others would have an excuse for why they didn’t do anything.
“Protect Prince Abel!” shouted a soldier. They attacked the Impenetrable Defense, but there was no way people like them would be able to break down my barrier.
“Damn you, Arius. Do you really think you can win against me, the hero, even if it’s only one against one? Don’t be so full of yourself!”
Abel stood from the throne and drew his sword. The fact that it was glowing with a blinding light probably meant it was a holy sword. He activated Heart of the Hero, and his stats jumped up. The mass of mana pouring from his body was visible to the naked eye, like flames bursting from him.
Alisa’s information was correct: Abel didn’t go berserk when he activated Heart of the Hero.
“Abel, you can try saying that again once I’ve beaten you,” I said, drawing my two swords from my Inventory while also casting Instant Wardrobe Change for armor. I had one blue sword and one black, and my armor looked like a mash-up of random pieces stuck on over my clothing, but they were all drop items from the last boss of the fifth extreme-difficulty dungeon, which I’d completed with Grey and Selena. There was no cohesion, but this was me in serious mode.
“Don’t be absurd. I’ll show you what the hero’s power looks like!”
Abel rushed me and struck first, his weapon coated in visible mana. I dodged, and his holy sword left a crater-sized hole in the floor. Being the hero, he was leagues above Chris, a regular member of the hero’s party.
Abel continued his attacks. I kept dodging, and we left a trail of destruction throughout the throne room. It was already destroyed beyond recognition. Like I cared.
“Arius, it seems you’re at least good at dodging, but how about this?!”
He raised his sword and collected a massive amount of mana into an orb. There wasn’t enough space within the Impenetrable Barrier to dodge that.
“Die, Arius!”
He launched the orb of mana at me, and I cut it with a mana-infused blade. The two halves split off around me and struck the inner side of the Impenetrable Defense, engulfing the area in explosions.