A few days had passed since the major incident at the Talent Selection Tournament shook the world.
“Haa…”
Without even the chance to cover the dark circles under my eyes, I was surrounded by paladins and brought to the Academy’s board meeting room.
‘I just want to rest at home now…’
In my heart, I wanted to return to the mansion and rest for a few months, but that was a luxury I could no longer afford.
“…The Saintess and the Pope are waiting inside.”
“Then, I hope you have a fruitful conversation.”
Because I had now officially become the world’s Hero.
‘I really wanted to avoid this kind of development…’
Even after the situation settled, I checked several times, but aside from the doppelgänger Robin, neither Cecil nor Adele turned out to be the Hero.
The Saintess had already chosen me and fallen from grace, and the Holy Nation, unaware of this, had begun the process of officially appointing me as the Hero.
In other words, I was now destined to save the world in place of the missing playable character, with no way out.
Of course, the fact that the head of the Black Mages had made me his representative hadn’t changed either.
A fake Hero and a fake leader of Black Mages—what kind of horrible hybrid is that?
‘At this rate, even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough to handle everything.’
Even the Pope, who rarely ever leaves the floating island—the Holy Nation’s base—had come to the Academy just to see me, which says it all.
And the most despairing part is that this is just the beginning.
I know very well from the original game just how much the Hero gets dragged around like a dog, so I could only sigh deeply.
—Creeeeak…
Though I wanted to run away somewhere, anywhere, that was no longer possible, so I left the paladins—unclear whether they were guards or jailers—behind and opened the door to the meeting room.
I had heard that this was where I’d give testimony about the recent incident and have my qualifications as a Hero assessed, so I needed to stay alert—
“Saintess! Please, even now, tell us the truth!”
“We guarantee your safety. So please…”
As I stepped through the open door, thinking that, I suddenly stopped in my tracks at the scene unfolding inside.
“…As I’ve said multiple times, I have not been threatened or brainwashed in any way.”
“But still… haah.”
There was Hestia, who had been taken by the Holy Nation and separated from me since that day, now surrounded by priests with serious expressions, being interrogated.
“Saintess, forgive us, but we are inquisitors trained specifically in interrogation and cross-examination…”
“Of course, it’s not that we don’t believe you, but your words do seem to carry a sense of falsehood…”
“Let’s be honest. When you were—let’s say—under protection, did anything happen to you that should not have happened?”
Well, if a missing Saintess suddenly declared her kidnapper a Hero, I would also suspect Stockholm syndrome and conduct an investigation.
But I was a kind kidnapper who only pretended to be evil for the sake of the Saintess and world peace, so it felt a bit unfair.
“I-I told you, it wasn’t anything like that.”
“Hmm… As expected…”
“What on earth happened to you…”
But Hestia’s oddly guilty-looking responses during the priests’ interrogation only seemed to deepen their misunderstanding.
If they ever found out that her reactions stemmed from the guilt of being spoiled with feasts and drunken nights every day… what kind of expression would they make?
“Ahem, ahem.”
Of course, I had no intention of revealing that just yet, so when I cleared my throat, the atmosphere in the meeting room instantly turned cold and fell silent.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Holy Nation representatives.”
“I heard the Pope himself came—where might he be?”
It was at that awkward moment, just as I glanced around and asked that question, trying to read the room—
“Excuse us.”
That the priests of the Holy Nation and Academy officials began placing two massive crystal orbs on either side of the table.
“Ah.”
As the light spilling from the crystal orb began to take the shape of a person and projected into the air, I finally understood what was going on.
‘…Come to think of it, even a Pope can’t just show up at the Academy overnight.’
Apparently, the Holy Nation chose remote communication over the risk of bringing the Pope here in person.
In other words, it was basically a Zoom meeting.
Although, just saying that doesn’t do justice—projecting a full-body image in mid-air using a crystal orb would strain even the budget of an average country.
The Holy Nation is something else.
‘But then, why is there another orb?’
The one odd thing was that not only the Holy Nation priests, but also the Academy staff had brought a crystal orb of the same size.
As far as I know, the Academy is always strapped for funds.
And come to think of it, there’s really no one the Academy needed to bring in just for this interrogation, right?
“Nice to meet you, Whitney Lingard.”
Tilting my head in confusion, I looked up at the clear voice that suddenly came from the front.
“O one chosen by the Saintess.”
“……”
“I am Paulus III, the Pope of the Holy Nation of Astra.”
A boy with white hair and white eyes, who looked young no matter how you saw him, stood projected from the crystal orb with a calm expression.
‘This is my first time seeing the Pope up close.’
Though I had seen him in the original game, seeing him in person like this felt strangely emotional.
Because despite looking younger than me…
“Don’t be fooled, Sir Whitney.”
“……!”
“Despite how he looks, that guy is several times older than I am.”
While I was silently staring at the unreadable Pope, a familiar voice suddenly spoke from beside me.
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“You missed me, didn’t you? Hehe…”
“…Well, of course.”
That’s when I realized who the Academy staff had treated like a sacred relic—the owner of the other crystal orb.
Keeping a calm face, I closed my eyes and muttered inwardly.
‘So this isn’t just for testimony and investigation after all.’
While having the Pope involved was one thing, the fact that even the Emperor showed up meant things were getting seriously complicated.
“Oh, and by the way, don’t just be fooled by his age.”
“……”
“Pay attention to the Pope’s word choice. He called you someone chosen by the Saintess, but he hasn’t acknowledged you as the Hero.”
Just listening to the Emperor speak to me in that gentle tone made it likely that was the case.
“Emperor, please refrain from using provocative language.”
“Well, I don’t prefer beating around the bush like some people.”
Even with that face and tone, there was little credibility.
“Oh dear. Are you saying you don’t trust Sir Whitney, who looks just like me?”
I knew that the relationship between the Holy Nation and the Empire was a tightrope walk, but I didn’t expect to be the spark that would ignite the fire.
Before I get flattened between these two giants, should I try to step in and stop them now?
“To be honest, yes. That’s correct.”
Caught in the intense psychological warfare between the Pope and the Emperor, I scratched my head slightly at the Pope’s remark as he turned toward me.
“Of course, it’s true that this is an unprecedented situation, but the fact that the Saintess chose Sir Whitney is undeniable.”
“Haha…”
“However, it is also true that there are quite a few matters Sir Whitney must clarify.”
Fortunately, they hadn’t realized that Hestia had fallen from grace following the corruption route of the original story.
“Therefore, I ask for your cooperation.”
Even if that weren’t the case, it seemed the Holy Nation had no intention of recognizing me as the Hero that easily.
“Well, that’s why I’m here.”
“Thank you. Then…”
Naturally, I had no right to refuse their investigation, so I simply nodded, glancing at Hestia seated beside me.
…Hmph.
It did bother me that Hestia had been pointedly avoiding my gaze with a sulky expression for a while now.
“Bring in the witnesses.”
In any case, the unofficial Hero assessment at the Academy, which had suddenly become neutral ground between the Holy Nation and the Empire, was just beginning.
***
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
In the office of the Commoner Council Chair, located just beneath the boardroom.
“Thank you for waiting.”
One of the witnesses waiting to testify about Whitney’s Hero verification quietly lifted her head at the priest who opened the door and spoke.
“Please, follow me, starting with the first witness.”
“…U-um, I have a question.”
Eventually, in a voice full of unease, she asked the priest a question.
“Will you really protect my identity?”
“……”
“I-I mean, no matter how I look at it, a veil like this doesn’t seem like it’ll keep me anonymous…”
Her identity was none other than the noble first-year student who had been Adele’s closest aide.
During the midterm exam, she had witnessed Whitney herding monsters while running from the Headless Knight.
“Don’t worry. This veil is a sacred item used for confession in the Holy Nation.”
“Ah…”
“It carries a powerful blessing that conceals your appearance, body shape, and even your voice, so please rest assured.”
“I-I see… that’s a relief…”
At the priest’s kind explanation, she exhaled a breath of relief and nodded.
“The Holy Nation will ensure your anonymity and safety. So, all of you just need to testify exactly as you did at the beginning.”
Smiling gently, the priest reassured the group of witnesses gathered behind her once more and closed the door.
“……”
And then, silence began.
‘I didn’t think there’d be this many victims…’
Amid that silence, she glanced behind her at the others, then clenched her fists with a determined look.
‘Yes, for Adele’s sake… I have to be strong!’
But just as she gathered her resolve and was about to step out the door—
—Rustle…
“Eek!?”
Something suddenly wriggled and moved inside her clothes.
“W-what…!?”
Startled stiff, she frantically began unfastening her collar.
“Ah.”
And when she saw what had been squirming, her face went pale and she let out a dying gasp.
—Kkyuruk…
It was the spider monster she could never forget from that day of the midterm exam, the one that had clung to Whitney’s leg, now quietly staring up at her.
—Tap, tap…
And the creature was now tapping her nametag on her chest with its leg.
“U-um… Priest?”
“Yes?”
“T-this thing… Could you…?”
Her clenched hands trembling, she barely managed to squeeze out a crawling voice to call the priest outside the door.
“What seems to be the matter?”
“C-Can’t you see this?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you’re referring to…?”
Strangely, the priest—who should’ve been more sensitive to such a creature than anyone—just tilted his head in confusion and stared blankly at her.
“Haha, ha. Ahaha…”
It was then that she realized a chilling truth.
Forcing a strained laugh, she began to move forward with heavy, unwilling steps.
‘…I’m sorry, Lady Adele.’
Now, the only way she could survive Whitney’s clutches—
Was to lie under oath.
Cliche Novel 