ALL NOVEL chapter 4
4 – Responsibility
Three years have passed since the hero left, and the continent’s crisis, which seemed unlikely to come, has returned and shakes the empire.
“Your Majesty! An answer has arrived from the Kingdom of Argen!”
“Yes!! What do you write!!”
The emperor, who had been unable to sleep day and night at the news that the envoys sent to the kingdom of Arjen were returning with answers from the warriors, was wiping out the envoys who had not yet been able to breathe.
“The hero is very busy right now and there is no time to help, so select a new hero to face the demon king…”
Writings packaged in a much more gentle way than what the actual warrior said…
This is all written by King Edwin of Argen Kingdom,
To the emperor as well as to the nobles in the meeting room, the story sounded like lightning.
Pick up a new hero to face the demon king…
Several years of receiving an oracle for a new hero…
And the newly chosen hero has been training and educating for several years…
It’s been years since I’ve gotten used to using the holy sword…
It was difficult to expect a proper fight with the demon king this time even if it was actually a new one.
By the way, who is Carlos, the retired warrior?
Because he was a man with experience who had defeated the previous demon king without the slightest injury, and a man with abilities that would be hard to see again in history, the emperor’s sigh was only getting deeper.
“Ugly bastard…”
The emperor’s resentment was directed at the crown prince sitting nearby…
The emperor’s anger grew even higher, knowing full well that if he hadn’t stolen the hero’s fiancée, something like this wouldn’t have happened.
“Your Majesty! Sending an envoy once again…”
“How dare I send an envoy to the hero again!!?”
“…..”
“Wouldn’t one guy steal the hero’s fiancée, and the other would embezzle the hero’s severance pay…”
The Emperor’s resentful gaze turned from the crown prince to his younger brother, Duke Felix, who was the Minister of Finance in charge of the country’s finances.
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty… That… Embezzlement… Not…”
“Shut up!! If it wasn’t for your little brother, you would have run away long ago!!”
“…..”
The Emperor’s Wrath, before sending an official envoy this time,
It began with an informal letter exchanged with the small but powerful kingdom of Argen in the north.
Until then, the emperor, who had not been able to understand why the warrior had suddenly left for the past three years, learned everything through King Argen,
His rage began when his son, the crown prince, and his younger brother, the treasurer, Duke Felix, confessed all the facts.
“Haa.. What about this…”
The emperor has the ability of a hero, but there are also many benefits to be gained from him…
It was because he could raise the status of the empire by becoming the head of the human alliance to deal with the demon king, and because of that, he was able to collect taxes from each kingdom under the pretext of war with the demon king army.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness, the crown prince has brought great damage to our empire with this incident. I think it’s right that you reconsider your position as crown prince!”
Aristocrats opposed to the crown prince, who had been babbling, started to speak out one by one, and neutral nobles also joined in and began to accuse the crown prince.
“That’s right. Your majesty. The actions of His Highness the Crown Prince and the damage caused by them are serious. If the hero does not help our empire, the damage will go back to the people!”
The 2nd Prince Edward, who was always looking for the crown prince’s position, also opened her mouth…
“Your Majesty, it’s a problem for me to avoid the demon king’s army, but I’m afraid that other kingdoms following our empire will find out about this.”
“Are you afraid?”
“If rumors circulate that you took away the hero’s fiancée and the hero left, how would you view our empire? That is what I am most afraid of.”
“Hey! Ugh!!”
The emperor’s anger, which was supposed to subside for a while due to the second prince, exploded again, and the atmosphere became depressing again.
In the end, the emperor made a final proposal to the crown prince.
“Listen to the prince.”
“Yes. Your majesty.”
“Are you aware of your responsibility for this incident?”
“…..Yes.”
“Then it would be easier to talk about it… Go to Argen Kingdom and somehow convince the warrior to bring you back.”
“Yes? No… How…”
“Go get down on your knees and pray!! Or return the proud saintess!! Do I even have to tell you that!!?”
“……”
The prince, who once again angered the emperor, quietly lowered his head, and the emperor, who did not even want to see him like that, spoke even more strongly.
“If you cannot bring the warrior, I will deprive you of the position of crown prince that was promised to you.”
“Yes!!?”
“Do you understand?”
“……Yes…”
Depriving the position of crown prince meant that the position of the next emperor would also be deprived, and this meant death to him.
Meanwhile, 2nd Prince Edward, who got a chance because of this, was struggling with the corners of his mouth going up even though he knew he shouldn’t be laughing.
*****
A few days after Edwin came…
Kir, who did not hear the answer he wanted from me that day, left for the central part of the continent where the demon king appeared.
Her After she left, I thought that nothing would happen to her, but I must have felt a strange feeling from her.
I finally came to my senses and left the cabin to keep my promise to Edwin.
When I arrived at the royal capital where Edwin was, an unexpected person was waiting for me at the gate.
“Hero!!!”
I was worried about the crowds in front of the castle gate leading to the royal capital…
Even though the entire Order of Knights is escorting me, as soon as she finds me, a woman rushes through it…
“Like.. Princess Clara..”
Edwin’s younger sister,
This is Clara, the princess of the kingdom of Argen..
She appeared to be waiting for someone at the castle gate, leading her ladies-in-waiting and her knights in a fluttering luxurious dress worn in a royal palace…
“Wow.. Princess.. What are you doing here…?”
“That… That’s… Yo… I’ve been waiting for the hero!”
“Yes? Me? No, you know when I’ll come…”
“…..”
Clara was pointing her hand behind her instead of answering.
After that, the merchants, whom I had thought were following me because they had similar destinations, were greeting the princess.
“Those…They are…”
“I sent someone in advance to meet the hero!”
I had met Princess Clara many times before, but somehow this time she was taller and a little more mature than before, and I couldn’t see the youthful signs I knew.
She was just a few years ago, when she came here to see Edwin, she was just cute…
I don’t see anything like that anymore.
“It’s not like this, let’s go to the palace! Warrior! My brother is waiting for you.”
“Ah… Yes…”
Clara thought that she would just walk beside her, but she dared to cross my arms and cling to me, following her steps with me.
“Princess… Those people…”
“It’s okay.”
Normally, strict identification at the castle gate is required to enter the royal capital, but since she was with the princess, it wasn’t that difficult.
As we entered the gates, there stood a wagon that Clara was riding in.
“Hero! Last time my brother said he was going to see me, so I asked him to go too? But in the world, oppa went away alone, what is it?”
“If last time…”
“About a month ago?”
A month ago, it was time to deliver a message from the empire to me…
“Isn’t my brother acting too much? I didn’t even sleep that day and waited for my brother to leave… Oh my God, he went without my knowledge…”
Perhaps Edwin did it to keep his promise to me.
Edwin may have kept that promise even from his own brother, since I nailed it to him that I was living in that cabin, a secret between him and me.
If that wasn’t the case, then he might have thought of leaving Clara after knowing that I was uncomfortable with her…
“Are you making a full comeback now? By any chance, are you going back to the Empire?”
“No. I plan to stay here in the kingdom of Argen for the time being. Princess.”
“Really!!!!? Are you really going to be in our palace?”
“Yes. I wonder if that will be the case until His Majesty’s orders come.”
I’m sure Edwin will tell me to stay at the villa…
Then there are maids and there are many comfortable things, but there was a downside to not having time for myself because I was invited to events and banquets.
“Is that so… You mean?.. I get it…”
I don’t know if I just saw it wrong, but I saw lasers coming out of Princess Clara’s eyes…
If I go to the palace as it is, I think I won’t leave Edwin alone…
The carriage slowly slowed down as if it had reached the palace before I knew it, and then stopped.
A knight escorting the carriage approached and opened the carriage door to see Edwin and nobles lined up at the entrance to the huge palace.
And as Edwin started to approach me, others were pouring in with him.
“Carlos, welcome. Was it difficult to come here?”
“No. Your majesty. Thanks to the princess who came out to meet me, I was at least comfortable.”
I wanted to spit out my words and say, ‘If you knew it would be difficult, would you send a wagon to the cabin?’
I couldn’t bear to do that because the surrounding nobles noticed.
“Your Majesty?”
When I was shaking hands with Edwin,
Afterwards, Clara got off the carriage and approached Edwin with a smile on her face, but with a face that clearly felt murderous…
“Please allow the warrior to stay at the villa.”
“Huh? Uh… Uh… That’s… Clara…”
“Your Majesty Ha? Maybe I don’t know the meaning of my words…?”
“Huh? Ah… No! Know! Don’t know! Okay! Let the hero stay at the villa!”
Edwin was at a loss in front of Clara, but eventually agreed to her words.
I just stared at Edwin, who had decided on my future without consulting me.