A formal investiture was arranged in recognition of the Ogre subjugation.
In the aftermath of their Demon God’s death, the remaining ogres lost all will to fight. Leaderless and broken, they scattered deep into the forest, fleeing in disarray. Later, a massive extermination campaign was organized, comprising the surviving knights of Sashimimasu, a handful of elite S-rank adventurers, and an overwhelming joint force. The forest was burned to ash.
The smoke from that campaign choked the skies above the fortress city of Sashimimasu for weeks. It was said to have blanketed the city in haze thick enough to sour one’s lungs.
The scale of the mobilization was staggering, far beyond the resources of a single nation. Every neighboring country had poured in funds and sent its prized adventurers. With multiple sightings of both Ogre Kings and even an Ogre Emperor-class creature, no one considered the response excessive. Rumors spread that if the strike team failed, a full-scale, world-backed extermination force was already being assembled in secret.
But that was someone else’s problem.
Right now, we’d been summoned to the royal capital: Vermishelm.
We were currently inside a palace about twenty kilometers on foot from the Altena Magic Academy. The great hall, where the throne sat, was gleaming white marble from floor to ceiling, immaculate and overbearingly pristine.
A long, plush crimson carpet stretched the length of the chamber. Gilded chandeliers sparkled above us, their delicate frames studded with gemstones in every color imaginable. Even the furniture pressed up against the walls—the stuff no one was supposed to look at—radiated artistic value. You didn’t need to be a connoisseur to know this was the kind of wealth that came straight from the people’s taxes.
Still, I couldn’t complain too much. This hall also served as a diplomatic stage. It was used for grand ceremonies like this one, and as the symbolic heart of the nation, it couldn’t exactly be stingy.
That said, I’d have gladly skipped the whole thing. But here I was anyway, standing where I’d rather not be, playing along for the sake of ceremony.
“Hey, Ryuto,” Cordelia asked, giving me a curious look. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her voice laced with suspicion.
“What is it?” I asked, glancing at Cordelia.
She looked up at me, brows still slightly knit in confusion. “Back then, how did you even make it in time? You were defending a fortress, weren’t you? And I heard the ogres had broken through, turned the whole place into chaos, even dragging the townspeople into the fighting.”
“Yeah, they did,” I said with a nod. “That’s why I got there late. The whole area turned into a warzone, and civilians were caught right in the middle of it. I couldn’t just use aura arts or vacuum blades to clear them out. Would’ve killed everyone in range. It was a nightmare. I had to pick my way through, strike by strike. Took forever.”
“Then how did you make it so quickly after that?” she pressed. “You shouldn’t have been able to cross that much ground in such a short time.”
“There was this old guy in the knight corps,” I said, smirking faintly.
“A knight?”
“Yeah. When the Ogre Emperor showed up, most of the garrison abandoned the fortress. Total rout. And that old man? I think his pride couldn’t take it, watching a kid like me get saddled with the whole mess. So he snapped into action. Pulled together every scattered fighter left, reorganized them on the spot, and bought me the time I needed.”
Cordelia blinked. “That’s incredible command ability. I mean, not just anyone could pull that off.”
I shrugged. “Maybe he just didn’t want to lose face. Letting a kid like me handle everything solo? That couldn’t have sat well. Anyway, I handed things off to the regular army after that. The only ones left in the castle were small fry.”
“I see…” She trailed off, then suddenly dropped her gaze, lashes fluttering downward. “But is this really okay with you?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Shaking her head, Cordelia let out a bitter breath, her voice laced with frustration.
“I mean everything. You’re the one who did it all, but the big shots have made it look like I’m the hero. They’re giving me the credit for almost everything. They even claimed the Demon God was just some kind of illusion spell we’d been caught in. And you? They’re saying you just got lucky, came in at the end, and finished off the Ogre Emperor I defeated. That’s the story they’re running with.”
She hesitated, then added quietly, “You weren’t even going to be included in the commendations until I raised hell about it. That’s the only reason we’re standing here now.”
I chuckled. “Hard-headed bureaucrats always believe what they understand and deny what they don’t. That’s the same in every world.”
Then I gave her a lopsided grin.
“And hey, reporting that a ‘Hero’ saved the day sounds a lot better on paper than admitting some random Villager did it all, don’t you think?”
“But I still feel like the truth should be told…” Cordelia murmured, her voice hesitant. Then, with a burst of determination, she looked up. “Yes. That’s it. I’ll go back and talk to them again, one more time!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her biting her lip in frustration.
She’s so damn earnest…
“It’s fine,” I said, waving her off with a lazy grin. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, I supported Hero Cordelia in the ogre subjugation. That’s good enough. I wasn’t even planning to show up to this ridiculous ceremony anyway.”
“Ridiculous?” she echoed, blinking.