In the Imperial Palace of the Renal Empire.
A grand banquet hall capable of holding countless people.
There, a host of extraordinary figures had gathered:
Emperor Carlos de Renal.
Pope Gilberto Berlin.
The Great Sage Minerva.
The Great Prophet Circe.
Guardian Duke Zero.
And numerous other dignitaries and luminaries from various nations.
Above all, there were the Hero’s Party members and… the person who had recently become the talk of the entire empire— that very individual: Victor Evans.
The thousands of people gathered, with thousands of eyes, were fixed on Victor Evans alone.
Because today was the day to re-examine Victor Evans’s qualifications.
Because today was the day when all the truths would be laid bare.
How many times has it been now?
How many times have I been summoned here?
Yes… come to think of it, this is where it all began.
One day, out of nowhere.
Yes… it really was sudden.
I was summoned to this world.
I had been just an ordinary student—and then I became a Hero.
At first, I was bewildered, thinking, Wow, things like this really do happen.
Then came the sense of duty. I moved as though fulfilling an obligation to save the world.
But eventually, I was treated like a useless burden, and my motivation gradually eroded.
Time after time, I would return from expeditions, stand here, and present my reports to the Emperor, only to be scolded.
Why can’t you do anything?
Why are you so incompetent?
Are you really a Hero?
Each time, I had to apologize.
And then… not long ago, though I don’t remember the precise day—right, I was banished here in this very place.
“I hereby banish the incompetent Hero, Victor Evans.”
When the Emperor said that, cheers erupted all around me.
“Wooo!!”
“At last, that money-grubber is banished!!”
“Let’s throw a festival!!”
“Waaahhh!!!”
I can still vividly remember how those voices assaulted my ears.
Yes.
I’ve been summoned here again.
But this time, I won’t be tricked by anyone.
This time, I have to learn the truth. All of it.
No matter what.
—I’m not who I used to be.
Until now, I had always been cowed and intimidated.
Well, that makes sense after being harassed for a year straight and gaslit into thinking I was worthless.
But not anymore. Now, I’m confident.
There’s no need to hang my head or wallow in defeat.
I stood tall and surveyed the surroundings.
First, I looked at the face of the Emperor seated on his throne—Emperor Carlos.
Is that really how he looks? It feels like this is the first time I’ve stared directly into his face.
He’s an old, pitiful man.
And around him, I can see many other impressive figures.
Representatives from the Church, from various foreign nations, and even well-known figures—each sent here to observe this situation.
They’re all interested in learning whether the rumors circulating about me are true.
I am the protagonist of this world.
With that sense of pride, I met the Emperor’s gaze.
He, too, looked at me and spoke:
“Ahem! Thank you all for coming. Today, we have convened to re-examine the qualifications of our former Hero, Victor. Previously, we summoned the Hero and asked Guardian Duke Zero to evaluate him. The verdict at that time was—”
“—No talent whatsoever. No skills at all… that was it, wasn’t it?”
I answered for him.
The Emperor’s expression turned sour.
“…Yes, that is correct. I trusted the Guardian Duke’s judgment, for he possesses the Eye of Truth. And in actual fact, the army led by Victor has not achieved a single victory. This is an indisputable fact. However, it is also true that recently, some strange rumors—or rather, peculiar claims—have begun circulating.”
Rumors…
Or claims…
That was how the Emperor described them.
“Precisely… there’s a rumor going around that Victor might actually have been quite competent. We need to verify the truth of this rumor. Because… we no longer have any grace period left. As you know, we’ve already had to pay a hefty sum—amounting to millions of gold coins—to support two Heroes so far. I’m sure our esteemed guests from various nations are well aware of that fact. In other words, all of us are living on a tight budget. But a Hero Summoning Circle requires an enormous amount of money to cast. If we were to do it again… I would be forced to demand more tributes from every nation.”
At those words, the surrounding atmosphere grew severe.
Some of the people who seemed not to be from this country wore especially grim expressions. The Emperor continued speaking:
“Thus, we have chosen to re-evaluate the aptitude of our former Hero—just in case. I personally think it might be pointless, but I have asked the Great Sage to bring the crystal orb. Using that orb, we will once again assess the qualifications of Victor Evans. Victor Evans, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I’m not a child, of course I understand. But there’s something I don’t quite get.”
“And what is that?”
It’s something I’ve never understood.
Even though I lived so frugally, taking only a pittance in funds, why does everyone everywhere keep claiming that taxes skyrocketed to support me?
Why do I have to hear people blame me for their poverty?
No matter how I think about it, I just don’t get it.
And now, I plan to point out that very issue.
“How much tribute did you collect from the other countries, exactly?”
“…Why are you asking that?”
“This is the perfect time to make it clear!”
Not just addressing the Emperor, I raised my voice for everyone to hear:
“From the day I was first summoned to this world, I worked out a budget with Saintess Teresia. We decided we would travel on ten thousand gold. Ten thousand gold! Sure, that’s no small sum, but if the entire world pitched in, paying it in installments, it wouldn’t have been that big of a burden. Am I wrong?”
At that, murmurs began to arise from every corner.
“Ten thousand gold? What’s he talking about?”
“I’ve heard our country alone paid more than a hundred thousand gold.”
“I heard that Grimoire Kingdom paid a million gold.”
“And he’s saying the Hero only spent ten thousand gold?”
“If it was only ten thousand gold over a year, that’s really cheap.”
“If what he says is true, then the Hero is actually quite conscientious.”
“But that can’t be right, can it? Think about all the taxes that have been collected in the name of tributes.”
“Exactly. The Empire was always demanding money.”
The crowd’s eyes darted between the Emperor and me with great interest. Emperor Carlos began to sweat profusely and shouted:
“What nonsense! We’ve given you hundreds of thousands—no, millions—of gold coins already!”
“Huh? Millions of gold? I swear I’ve never seen that kind of money in my life.”
“Are you lying now?! Lying through your teeth! Then where did all that tribute go?!”
“I believe that’s something the Emperor would know best. After all, you were the one collecting tributes.”
“You dare accuse me of embezzlement?!”
“…Is there any proof you didn’t?”
“You and Teresia embezzled it! Don’t try to deny it! Now that I see it, you’re clearly a pathological liar! Enough of this! There’s no need to re-test your so-called qualifications. Guards! Throw Victor Evans in the same underground prison where Teresia is locked up! We need to redraw the Hero Summoning Circle. It’ll be tough, but if we raise the taxes again, we can manage it!”
When the Emperor mentioned raising taxes again, everyone was aghast.
But an imperial command is an imperial command.
The soldiers began to close in on me—
“Hold it!”
Someone stepped in front of the Emperor.
Who would dare do that? It was a magician who appeared to be a young girl. She spoke up:
“I am Minerva, the Great Sage. I have come here at His Majesty’s request. But now, Your Majesty, are you changing your tune on a whim for personal reasons? I came here with the crystal orb in hand—do you intend to render my journey pointless?”
“Did you not see what just happened? This fellow spews nothing but lies! We don’t even need the crystal orb to learn the truth! He’s a liar and an incompetent Hero! He’s the worst Hero in history, worse than the Second Hero ever was! I’d behead him here and now, but I’ll settle for tossing him into prison first! What’s wrong with that?”
“My crystal orb is very mysterious,” the Great Sage said calmly. “It can reveal many things. It shows who might be hiding what power… or which tongue might be spewing falsehoods.”
“W-What?!”
The Emperor’s face turned pale.
“In other words, I can find out who actually embezzled the tribute money between Your Majesty and Victor Evans.”
“T-There’s no need for that! Clearly the culprit is that worthless Hero!”
“So you think there’s no need to check?”
“B-but… how can we trust that crystal orb to be foolproof? What if it makes a mistake…?”
“Don’t worry. This orb was left behind by my ancestor, who served as the mage in the very first Hero’s party. That first Hero’s party fought alongside the Goddess herself. You wouldn’t say you don’t believe in the Goddess, would you, Your Majesty?”
“That’s…!”
No matter how powerful a ruler he is, challenging the religious institution is difficult.
The Great Sage seemed well aware of that fact and was using it to her advantage.
“Have no fear, Your Majesty. If it turns out you’re correct, then you have nothing to worry about. It will merely serve as further evidence in your favor.”
“Wait, hold on…!”
“Now then, my crystal orb…”
The Great Sage took out the crystal orb and began to chant.
“Tell us: Who is the one who embezzled the tribute? Speak the name!”
—Continued in the next chapter—