Chapter 140 — The Reason for Faith
The Imperial Palace, where the emperor of the Weise Empire—the ruler of the continent—resided.
Normally, it was always quiet, as though symbolizing the peace of the Empire.
But now, it was filled with noise, as if some great disturbance had broken out.
The appearance of the Fanatics.
The destruction of the Mu Kingdom.
The Great Hero of True Sight had rushed out without saying a word to deal with the situation, but in the end, he had failed to prevent the kingdom's destruction.
Worse still, the Great Hero himself had returned injured.
It was an unprecedented disaster.
"Tsk, tsk. To think the people who lead the Empire, ruler of the entire continent, would make such a fuss just because one weak little kingdom collapsed."
Duke Soundiea, who commanded the greatest faction among the Empire's nobles, had also come to the Imperial Palace.
He was here to speak with the emperor about what should be done next, what information they had on the Fanatics, the Great Hero's condition...
And, of course, what punishment should be given to the Great Hero for acting independently despite his precious position.
Even after hearing the absurd news that the Mu Kingdom had been destroyed in less than a day, the possibility of the Empire itself being in danger never crossed his mind.
He possessed absolute confidence that even if the Empire itself fell, he would survive.
That confidence was what allowed him to remain so calm.
With the Great Hero temporarily out of commission, this is also the perfect opportunity to put a stop to that damned Madness and his reckless behavior.
From the duke's perspective, Ingwang's ability to act and gather information was even more frightening than the Fanatics.
Somehow, Ingwang had discovered a way to contact the Yustria family and secretly pulled them away.
The duke couldn't even guess how he had found them.
And as if that weren't enough, Ingwang had strengthened his own influence in Hopeborn, built an enormous entertainment facility, gathered countless people around him, and turned himself into a monster capable of shaking the world.
There was no possible way Duke Soundiea could look favorably upon him.
"How this matter ends will decide the fate of many people in the Empire."
The duke's aide spoke with an unpleasant smile.
This incident had shaken not only the Empire, but the entire continent.
The duke himself didn't consider it particularly important.
But if they manipulated the situation correctly, turning it into a major political issue would be easy.
And with everyone as agitated as they were now, even the emperor might listen to arguments he would normally ignore.
"Even if it was a weak kingdom, the Mu Kingdom was called the Kingdom of Martial Artists. Historically, countless exceptional warriors were born there. For such a place to be erased by a mysterious organization called the Fanatics in less than a single day... it is difficult to believe."
"Indeed. The emperor's head must be quite troubled by now. He may even begin wondering whether the Fanatics have agents hidden inside the Empire itself."
In other words, this truly was the perfect opportunity to remove troublesome people and solidify their own positions.
Idiots who couldn't keep up with the changing times.
Useless scraps who provided him with no benefit.
Fools who blocked his path.
Vermin who constantly irritated him.
Through this incident, the duke intended to earn merit and strengthen his standing within the Empire.
That was what he believed.
And then...
"Oh my~ Who do we have here? Isn't this our dear Duke?"
"...Tsk."
The person who had recently become the greatest irritation in the duke's eyes appeared before him.
Ingwang.
A lowborn outsider with no proper background.
A reckless brat who had earned a few insignificant achievements, gained the trust of the emperor and the Great Hero, and now did whatever he pleased.
Ingwang had suddenly taken a vacation a month ago.
Aside from occasionally sending reports directly to the Great Hero, he had completely disappeared from public view.
His sudden appearance made the duke uncomfortable.
The hero who saved Karantlia.
The hero who protected everyone in the Hall from the Fanatics who appeared there.
The hero who recovered the weapon left behind by the Great Hero of Hope.
The hero who conquered the Demon Realm.
The hero who saved Hopeborn from the Fanatics.
A hero among heroes.
Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered some time ago.
But now, a single word from Ingwang carried an entirely different weight.
"It has been a while, Indomitable Hero. I see your vulgar way of speaking hasn't changed."
"And I see our oh-so-great Duke's personality hasn't changed much either. Maybe you should take etiquette lessons again. Wait, is the way you're acting considered proper Imperial etiquette? Huh? Then doesn't that make me a perfectly well-mannered little boy? Come on, praise me~"
"Am I your elder that I should praise you? If you want compliments, perhaps you should visit a kindergarten and ask there. It seems perfectly suited to your level. Or perhaps you could go whine to the Great Hero. Ah! Unfortunately, he's injured right now and won't be able to meet you. How pitiful. A dog without its master. If my hands weren't full, I might even grab your leash myself. What a shame."
Ingwang quietly turned his head away.
There was no way he could win a verbal battle against someone who had survived in politics until his hair turned completely white.
The duke snorted dismissively and looked Ingwang over from head to toe.
Standing beside Ingwang were Village Chief, one of his closest companions, Aien, who had originally been assigned to monitor him...
And Mallang, who was still inside a cocoon.
None of the others were present.
At least he isn't a complete idiot.
If Pie had come with him, the duke would have accused her of being a witch and demanded that Ingwang—and perhaps even the Great Hero—answer for it.
If Ingwang had brought Aien's parents along just to embarrass the duke by showing them off as nobles, the duke would have dragged out their past crimes as well.
Fortunately, even Ingwang had anticipated that much.
With such chaos occurring, every important figure in the Empire would surely gather here.
There was no reason to deliberately bring along something others could use against him.
Of course, from that perspective, bringing Mallang—a monster—was also a questionable decision.
But Ingwang had his own thoughts.
More accurately...
He had faith.
My precious little lucky charm. I'm counting on you, Mallang...!
Ingwang held what looked like a large egg in his arms and gently stroked the cocoon.
The duke glanced at him and threw out another irritated remark.
After exchanging insults with someone he already disliked, the words simply slipped out naturally.
"...And what is that egg supposed to be? It looks unpleasant. A gift from the Fanatics?"
"What?"
Only after saying it did the duke realize he had touched a nerve.
Ingwang might have looked approachable.
He might even have been easy to underestimate.
But a hero was still a hero.
When someone like that openly revealed hostility and glared at an ordinary person with no special strength, the pressure alone could be overwhelming.
Fortunately, the duke had prepared for situations like this and covered his body in various magical items.
Thanks to them, he endured the oppressive force pressing down on him.
And the duke himself had survived countless political and personal crises.
Something like this wasn't enough to make him shrink back.
Ingwang clicked his tongue openly when he saw how calmly the duke stared back.
Then he smiled.
"He's one of ours."
"Talk badly about one of my kids again... and you can figure out what happens next yourself, okay~?"
