A large stage had been erected in the central plaza with its fountain at the heart. Around it, the people of the town had gathered in astonishing numbers, all looking up toward Origol.
A low murmur rose from countless small voices. Yet when so many people come together, even quiet chatter becomes a lively roar.
But the moment Origol raised her hand smoothly, the crowd hushed one another. Within seconds, perfect silence fell.
『Everyone! Thank you for gathering here today! To all who have joined me in fulfilling our long-cherished dream, Einzheil’s independence, I offer my deepest gratitude first of all! Everyone, truly, thank you!』
『『『『『Uooooooohhh!!!』』』』』
Cheers erupted from every direction, front, back, left, right, even above, shaking the very ground with their force.
Right now, every single person in this town must have their eyes fixed on Origol.
And every single face wore a bright, shining expression.
A long-cherished dream… Einzheil’s independence, huh…
Not everyone here necessarily supports independence itself. Many are simply fond of this town and its lord, Origol, and that’s why they chose to stay.
Just like me…
「Still… it’s incredible. I never realized Einzheil had so many people.」
「Indeed. Fuu… I’m starting to feel a little dizzy from the sheer number of them.」
「Yeah… Getting into the middle of that crowd would be rough…」
Even during festivals the streets were packed, but today everyone is concentrated in one place, making it feel even more overwhelming.
I’m standing a little apart in an open spot, but more and more people keep arriving to hear Origol’s voice, so this area will probably fill up soon too.
By the way, the microphone Origol is using is one I handmade. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece, even higher performance than the previous one I made.
「Uuu, uuuu… Hikari-chan… Why… Whyyyy…」
「You’re still going on about that…?」
「Because aniki! My barely-started harem just got crushed before it even began!」
「Did it really even start, though?」
「Yeah, pretty much.」
「Noooo!」
Something that never began can’t really end, can it?
Well, that girl isn’t the type to sit quietly in a cage.
Even if she tried to keep things hidden from Makoto while still being considerate toward Misa-chan and the others, living like that would probably be exhausting.
「Oh my, Young Master.」
「Hmm? Oh, Dama.」
「Yes. Your very own Dama.」
When exactly did you become “mine”, I wonder.
And how did that even happen?
Just like Wendy said she wouldn’t let go, Dama wraps his arms around me tightly.
「Aniki… even guys now?」
「Makoto. I won’t forgive that even as a joke.」
「Hiii!」
「Oh my. What an adorable child.」
「Hiii!」
It seems Dama has taken a liking to Makoto as well.
Dama, ever the handsome one, cast a sultry glance toward Makoto, who shrank back upon receiving it. Welcome to the club.
「So, Young Master. What do you think of that stage? Doesn’t it do quite a fine job of showcasing the lord’s dignity?」
「Yeah, it does. You can see it clearly even from far away… Wait, was that your doing, Dama?」
「Indeed. Our family is among those who have longed for this day as well.」
「Our family… You mean Darwin too?」
「Of course. Father deliberately built up his infamy for precisely this purpose.」
「Cut it out, Dama. That ain’t it.」
「Oh, Father.」
At the very low, deep voice coming from behind, Dama and I turned to find Darwin standing there with his usual sour expression.
「Then why did Father prepare compensation for those leaving the town and arrange acceptance in other cities?」
「Shut it. I just couldn’t think of any other punishment for customers who couldn’t repay the loans I lent them.」
「Punishment…? Wouldn’t the usual treatment have sufficed?」
「I’m only gonna say this once, Dama. Shut. It.」
「Yes, yes. Understood.」
As expected of Dama, he knows exactly when to back off.
Pushing right up to the absolute limit against Darwin… That’s probably something only this guy can pull off.
「So you decided to stay, huh. I figured you’d hate the hassle and leave.」
「Hmm? Nah, I’m not going anywhere. I like this town.」
「……That so. Guess that means we’ve gotta give up on getting that house back. Dama. We’re going to pay our respects to the big shots.」
Wait, he was still holding out hope?
Still, even though he said he was giving up, his mood seemed to have improved.
「Ehh… It’s a special day, isn’t it? Just this once wouldn’t it be fine? We can watch the lord’s grand moment together with the Young Master right here…」
「Out of the question.」
「Then may I take this child who seems poised to become my new favorite along?」
「Huh? Another guy…? Do whatever.」
「Eh? Wait!? Hold on!!? Ahh!!?」
……Farewell, Makoto.
The only words I can offer you are these:
『Do your best.』
「Um, Master? Are you sure we shouldn’t help him?」
「……It’s not like he’s going to die or anything.」
If I carelessly intervene there, I’ll probably get dragged into it too.
Sorry, Makoto. I’ll make it up to you later.
「We were supposed to serve as your guards, at the very least…」
Aa. So I guess he was protecting me, from Dama.
And if it’s about guards, since we can see them coming back, it should be fine.
「My lord! I’m back with the food!」
「Welcome back, Sorte.」
「It’s seriously insane out there. The whole town is in festival mode. The food stalls were packed, so it took forever.」
Sorte seems to have caught the excitement too, her energy is running a little high.
I took the food she was carrying in both arms, sat her down, and right after, an even more hyped-up kid came back.
「Whoaa! I lined up forever! Here you go, master! I’ll put the drinks over heressu! Aina’s still getting hers, and Shiro’s probably gonna take even longerssu!」
「Got it, got it. Sorry about that, thanks, both of you.」
「No probssu!」
「It’s fine. We’re eating too. …Huh? Wait, where’s Makoto? Did he ditch guard duty to join up with Misa and the others?」
「Ah… He got dragged off by Dama and Darwin.」
「……Makoto, what did you do this time?」
「Who knows what he did…」
He just happened to catch Dama’s fancy, that’s all…
But if Dama, who has a thing for capable men, took an interest, maybe Makoto really does have the makings of a hero someday.
I’ll tell him about it later. It should help heal that wounded heart of his a little.
「My liege. Sorry to keep you waiting. How is it? Quite the impressive Shine Fine Chicken, wouldn’t you say?」
「You bought a whole one…?」
That thing is seriously huge.
It’s about the size of a piglet… no, more like a medium-sized dog.
Wait, there’s more than one?
「Three, actually. Shiro’s here too, and Hayato and the others are coming, right? If there’s any left over, I figured we could just store it in my lord’s magic space.」
「True enough. With Makoto and the rest coming back, we’ll have a big group anyway. Better to have too much than too little.」
「Yeah. Oh, right, Shiro’s side is running into some trouble, so it’ll take a while longer.」
「At the cow-skewer place? Trouble?」
「Yeah. Apparently one of the magic tools broke down.」
「Ah… If it’s broken, should I go help with the repairs?」
「No need. They’ve already started fixing it, and people from the company were there too, so it should be fine. But it’s still going to take time, and I don’t want the food to get cold. Could you hold onto it for now, my liege?」
「Sure thing. We’ll line everything up once everyone’s here.」
Now then… Hayato and the others should be arriving any moment…
Mmm… Origol’s independence declaration is probably reaching its climax right about now.
Well, even if they miss it, the whole town’s going to be in festival mode all day anyway.
『From this moment forward, our city, the commercial hub of Einzheil, shall change its name! To 【The Eternal Neutral Nation of Einzheil】! Our nation shall maintain no standing army and uphold absolute non-aggression! We shall enter into conflict with no country, nor take part in any war!』
Oh, right. It’s becoming a country now.
And eternal neutrality…
The words sound grand, but the road ahead is full of hardships, Origol.
In my old world, Switzerland was something like that, wasn’t it?
Well, it seems to be a different form here.
Through contracts with numerous nations, Roukaku, the Empire, the Republic, and more, this country is to be protected.
A contract that turns every allied nation into an enemy of anyone who attacks Einzheil… That’s outrageous, Origol.
Of course, right now there are no wars between nations. Everyone’s attention is focused on the Demon King and monsters. That probably makes such a bold agreement possible.
In exchange, the allied nations apparently receive a massive reduction in taxes on trade conducted in Einzheil.
Thanks to that, commerce from other countries will flourish even more, bringing further prosperity to those nations.
With Einzheil at the center, trade will thrive, the population here will grow, and the money that would have gone toward military expenses can instead be used to offset the tax reductions…
Well, the finer details are beyond a commoner like me.
But since Darwin and, even if only somewhat, competent Origol both judged it safe, I’ll trust them and keep living here.
「Oops… Looks like I missed the declaration…」
It seems Hayato has finally arrived.
Being late isn’t very like the handsome guy.
He’s hiding his face with a hood, probably because he’s so popular?
Huh? But only Emily is with him?
Did the others go off shopping or something?
Well, I can just ask.
「Oiii! Over he…!」
The instant I tried to call out to Hayato, a chill far worse than when we faced the Reagaia ran through me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
My whole body shrank in an instant. A unique, merciless coldness, pure killing intent.
「「「!!」」」
Aina and the others felt it too. In a flash they drew their weapons and assumed defensive stances.
An enemy somewhere? Could it be the duke’s house――
Gushu――
「…Ah?」
「Orrrrraaaaahhh!!」
Before I knew it, someone had closed in and stabbed something into my stomach. At the same moment, Renge’s fist sent the man flying.
Clang. A blood-smeared knife fell to the ground with a metallic ring.
The blood… was flowing from my own stomach.
「My liege!? You bastard!!」
I… got stabbed…? Guh… This is bad. The moment I realized it, the pain….
Fortunately, it was just a stab, not a slashing wound, and it doesn’t seem too deep. But a searing heat raced through my abdomen. Even pressing my hand against it, the blood wouldn’t stop.
「My lord!」
「…Ah…」
When I touched my throbbing abdomen, a thick, sticky sensation immediately coated my hand.
Upon checking, it was bright red blood.
It dripped to the ground fast enough to form a puddle.
My vision spun violently at once. I dropped to my knees, barely propping myself up with my arms to keep from collapsing, but I could not stand back up.
「Po… Potion…!」
I somehow managed to pull a potion from my magic space, but a pebble someone threw knocked the bottle away and shattered it.
Who on earth… Judging from the direction… No way…
「Kyaaaaah!」
「…Wendy…!」
I forced my head toward the source of Wendy’s scream. There, for some reason, Emily was holding Wendy captive and trying to drag her away.
The scene was so abrupt that my mind still could not catch up.
「What the hell are you doinggg!!」
「……」
「Get out of the wayyy!!」
「……」
「Raaaaah! Guh…! Gah, ha…」
The moment Renge leaped at Emily to rescue Wendy from being taken, Hayato appeared to shield Emily, blocked the strike, and drove his fist into Renge’s stomach to push her back.
So the killing intent earlier really was…
「Lord!」
「Guh… Shiro…」
「……Shiro-san」
「I sensed killing intent and came running… Hayato. What is the meaning of this?」
Shiro’s voice carried clear anger.
But my consciousness… was growing hazy… my vision losing focus…
「……Emily, proceed as planned.」
「Yes…」
「Let me go! Emily-san, please let me go!」
「……I am truly sorry.」
「Emily! Emily Forside Logwell! That is an order! Release her at once!」
「I cannot! …Excuse me! Wind Air!」
「Let… ah… Master! Masterrrrrrr!!」
「Wendy! Guh… Shiro… please…!」
「Hmm!」
「I will not allow it…!」
Why… Why would Hayato do this to Wendy…
Why do Shiro and Hayato have to fight…
No good… The blood… Such a small wound, yet why is so much blood pouring out…
※
Hero Hayato.
Strong.
This man is truly strong.
「Renge!」
「Kah… Haa, haa… I’m finessu… More importantly, Wendy!」
「I know!」
「You shall not pass.」
「Guh! Facing Shiro at the same time…!」
「Shiro, leave this to me! I’ll go to Wendy… Kyaa!」
「You will not go either.」
「I’ll force my way through!」
「No one will pass!」
The pressure rises.
Hayato has no intention of letting anyone through. But that does not matter.
Shiro must reach Wendy’s side!
That is what lord wants!!
「Gaaah!!」
「Haaah!」
Yet after only a few exchanges, it becomes clear.
Hayato is overwhelmingly stronger than Shiro.
This is the power of a drifter hero.
The power of a man who has slain countless demons and demon kings.
Still, that is no reason to back down.
Wendy was calling for help.
Shiro was entrusted by lord.
There is no room to hold back strength.
Therefore, eliminate the greatest threat first.
The rest… leave to the comrades.
『Cloak of Black Shadow, Third Cloak: White Lion』
「Get out… of the way.」
With maximum speed and maximum firepower, eliminate lord’s enemy.
「I won’t!」
「…!」
Fast! Even the White Lion’s speed is not enough.
Both speed and power are several levels above.
It is barely enough. Barely defending, and soon to be overwhelmed.
Kuh… Shiro cannot… win…
「……-san to… -to-san’s place. If not…」
「!」
「……」
In the midst of the ringing clash of sword and dagger from the White Lion’s speed and power, a small murmured voice made Shiro freeze involuntarily.
But Hayato did not attack Shiro. Instead, he turned on his heel and fled.
Words from the enemy. Yet words impossible to ignore.
「Shiro!」
「…」
Hayato is gone. The White Lion form is released… No way… to catch up now.
But Wendy…!
「What are you doing, Shiro! Master said he’ll handle himself, so chase after themsu! We have healing potio――」
「…No!」
「Wha…」
Even though he is the enemy, Shiro believed Hayato’s words were true.
No proof. But certainty.
What is most important to Shiro?
What is the single most important thing…?
「Carry lord to the Alchemy Guild! Aina and one other, move him as gently as possible! Hurry! Once there, leave everything to Riito! Do nothing else!」
「Eh!? Ah, got itssu!!」
「Shiro will chase Wendy!」
「Shiro! Get on!」
Before anyone noticed, Sorte had transformed into her wolf form.
No need to ask if it is okay.
Sorte understands what must be done right now.
「You rest your body even a little. We bought plenty of food, so eat….You’re the only one who can handle him.」
「Hmm」
There is no time to eat.
But without eating, there is no victory.
Even if eating… still, right now it is the only option.
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