"To get straight to the point—who exactly are you?"
Hero Eligion sat across from Ageha, wasting no time as he dove straight into the heart of the matter.
We had already cleared the room to ensure we could discuss these vital details over breakfast in private. The only ones present to hear this conversation were the four of us: me, Ageha, Hero Eligion, and Sage Nyau.
"I am the Hero," Ageha replied bluntly. "The real one."
I felt a twinge of anxiety. I was on edge, worried that her insolent attitude would be seen as a sign of disrespect toward Hero Eligion.
"I was under the impression that I was the Hero," he said.
"You are a fake Hero, created by an organization called Chaosism."
Ageha then began her explanation.
She told him how she had been sealed within the Holy Sword Hagentia, and how Eligion, by possessing that sword, had essentially borrowed the qualifications of a Hero.
"Do you have any proof that you are the true Hero?"
"I defeated the Demon King. I don't think any reason beyond that is necessary."
When Ageha said this, Eligion struck a pensive pose.
After a long silence that lasted nearly a minute, he finally spoke.
"It seems you are right. I am, indeed, a fake Hero."
"You... you believe us?" I blurted out instinctively. I hadn't expected him to accept the truth quite so easily.
"Well, yes. Looking at it objectively, it does seem I am no longer a Hero."
As he spoke, Eligion called up his Status Screen.
"When I checked this morning, I found it had changed to this."
He turned the screen toward us so we could see his rank.
His rank was Platinum.
If I remembered correctly, Hero Eligion had previously held the 7th Seat of the Master-rank.
"Perhaps it is Ageha-san who has become a Master now?"
"Yes. I am currently Master-rank," she confirmed.
"The reason I was a Master was likely because I carried the sword in which Ageha-san was sealed. Now that I've lost it, I suppose I have lost my qualification as a Master as well."
I see. So his rank fluctuation confirmed everything.
"Hero Ageha, I acknowledge you as the true Hero. However, there is still one thing I cannot comprehend. Why did you kill Holy Knight Kanaria?"
Eligion’s expression turned grim as he asked the question.
I knew he would bring that up. To Eligion, Holy Knight Kanaria had been a cherished, loyal subject. The fact that she had been killed was something he surely found impossible to accept.
"She was a traitor," Ageha stated. "She was working in the shadows to resurrect the dead Demon King. I couldn't allow her to live."
"Is there any proof of her treachery?"
At Eligion’s question, Ageha looked at me and said, "Kiska."
"Show him that thing."
I knew exactly what she meant.
"This is the ring Holy Knight Kanaria possessed. It is an item used to resurrect the Demon King."
I pulled the ring in question from my pocket and set it on the table.
"It certainly looks like a specialized ring, but there is also the possibility that this is just a piece of junk you prepared yourselves."
Eligion’s skepticism was perfectly reasonable.
However, I had one more piece of information to convince him of Kanaria’s betrayal.
"Lord Hero Eligion—"
"Kiska-kun, I am no longer the Hero."
That was true.
"Highness Eligion," I corrected myself. As he was the First Prince, this was the most appropriate title. "Do you know the name Luna Village?"
The moment I spoke those words, Highness Eligion’s body gave a visible jolt.
"It appears Holy Knight Kanaria was a survivor of Luna Village. Because of that, she harbored a deep desire for revenge against your Highness."
"That's... that's impossible!"
Highness Eligion stood up so abruptly that he slammed the table.
Sage Nyau, who was sitting beside him, whispered worriedly, "Are you alright...?"
"Holy Knight Kanaria was an illegitimate child, and it seems she was entrusted to foster parents in Luna Village when she was young. If you interrogate her foster parents, I believe you will find the corroborating evidence."
"In other words... she had a motive to betray me all along..."
Highness Eligion sank back into his chair, looking utterly stunned.
"I will investigate Holy Knight Kanaria myself... Thank you for telling me all of this."
"The thanks are ours, for being willing to believe our story."
"Ah, that's right. Hero Ageha, since you defeated the Demon King, you will likely be granted a reward directly from His Majesty the King. Furthermore, I would very much like you to attend the Triumphal Ceremony to be held in the Royal Capital. After all, you are the Hero—the protagonist of the event. Won't you come to the capital with us?"
Now that he mentioned it, I recalled that the Hero's party was originally scheduled to head to the capital for a Triumphal Ceremony after the Demon King’s defeat.
It was only natural for Ageha, the one who actually dealt the finishing blow, to be the guest of honor.
"No. It's a pain," Ageha said, flatly rejecting the offer.
"I don't like standing out. I hate being called a Hero so much I'd rather not even use the title. If you want, you can just tell everyone that you were the one who defeated the Demon King."
"I truly cannot do that..." Highness Eligion said, looking troubled. "At the very least, you don't even have to participate in the ceremony itself if you don't want to, but could you please come to the Royal Capital? I want to show you proper hospitality."
"No."
Man, she really was bold to heartlessly refuse a request from the First Prince like that.
"Come on, Ageha. Just visiting the Royal Capital shouldn't be so bad, right? I'm sure there are all sorts of interesting things to see there."
She had mentioned this morning that she wanted to go out and play. If that was the case, sightseeing in the capital didn't seem like a bad place to start.
"If Kiska says so, then I'll go."
"I'm glad to hear you've changed your mind. In that case, I will arrange for a carriage once again. Let us head to the Royal Capital together."
With that, Highness Eligion prepared to leave. He had already finished his breakfast. It seemed he intended to conclude the conversation there.
"Highness Eligion, there is one more thing I should bring to your attention."
I remembered something and called out to stop him.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"The truth is, our battle is not over yet."
The world had not yet been saved from the crisis of destruction.
I couldn't tell him exactly what was going to happen, because I didn't know myself. Therefore, the only thing I could do was warn him to stay on his guard.
Highness Eligion gave a firm nod. "I shall bear that in mind."