CH 53

Chapter title: There is always one truth

「….Well. I’ve beaten it for now.」

Kuzmigo changed into a high demon and made a move to attack everyone.

So I cut him down so as not to cause unnecessary damage, but when I looked back at them, they all had a shocked look on their faces.

「Elt-kun. What was that move just now?」

Alice-sama spoke to me as a representative.

「I just normally ran and just slashed at it?」

If I showed even the slightest sign of an opening, I could have spread harm around me, so I slashed as hard as I could to take Kuzmigo’s life immediately.

『Hey, did you see that move?』

『Of course not. How about you, Knight Commander?』

『Even with my eyes, I couldn’t see it clearly.』

I can hear the knights around me talking about something….

「How can you move so fast? I could only see a bit of it.」

「Even…. Princess Alice the sword princess!」

The king of Erivan shouted in surprise. Apparently, Princess Alice was famous.

「And now, Alice. Are you acquainted with Elt?」

If we’re talking about the fountain the other day, we certainly know each other. But perhaps that’s not all.

I looked at Alicia, who seemed to be in a daze, as if she was still trying to grasp the situation.

It seems that Alice-sama is the princess of Irkutu, so she must have brought Alicia along with her.

「Yes, in fact, me and Alicia ccame all the way here looking for him.」

「What….? He’s a citizen of this country. He is an adventurer who will be given the title of Baron for his efforts in defeating the Arc Demon during the recent investigation in the Lost Forest.」

I was surprised by his words. I had heard in advance that he would be given a reward if the investigation proved to be true, but I hadn’t expected that to be the case.

「He’s….. a baron of this country?」

Lady Alice opened her eyes wide.

「Elt, he’s shown himself to be this good. I have no doubt about it, but let me confirm it just in case. You have defeated the Arc Demon in the Lost Forest. Is that true?」

I answered the king’s question.

「Yes, I defeated it myself.」

「…..It’s the truth.」

「That’s good! I bestow upon Elt the title of Baron!」

The king’s words caused a buzz around him. But…

「One moment please. Elt, you are a citizen of my country, right?」

「What do you mean?」

The Prime Minister fixed his glasses and confirmed Alice’s words.

「He is a citizen of our country who was involved in an incident and went missing a month ago. Alicia and I found out through fortune telling that he was here, and that is why we came to visit.」

「….That’s also true.」

「Then…. there is a problem with granting Baron title without permission, right?」

The king looked at me with a regretful expression.

「Well, I don’t want to be asked to become a noble all of a sudden either.」

Originally, I was just an ordinary person living in the city. To be suddenly put in a position of authority, I was at a loss.

「And now, Princess Alice. May I ask you about the incident he was involved in?」

Lady Alice nodded in response to the Prime Minister’s words.

「As you all know, once a year in our country, there is a ritual of sacrifice to the evil god.」

With those words, the people around me made a bitter face.

It wasn’t just the Irkutu, but the evil god was forcing people from all over the world to offer sacrifices.

Before the ritual, a transfer magic circle would appear in the castle of each country, and the sacrifice had to be sent out. So they all remembered the sacrifices they had made in the past.

「Alicia there was chosen as this year’s sacrifice.」

「I see. But Alicia is still alive. What does that mean?」

The Prime Minister’s question was answered by Alicia.

「On the day of the ceremony, I stood in front of the sacrifice altar and faced the magic circle. But then Elt jumped into the magic circle instead of me.」

The people around me all looked at me at once.

「He chose to sacrifice himself instead of his childhood friend. Our country wept for his sacrifice.」

I was embarrassed to be praised in such an exaggerated way, though that was certainly how I felt at the time.

「No….. I’m not……」

I only thought that Alicia’s life was more valuable than my own. I tried to correct her, but…….

「What a beautiful story! Sacrificing one’s self to protect the ones one cares about. What an honorable man we have here」

The king cried tears of joy, and the atmosphere around him changed as if to follow his example.

I was praised by everyone, which made me feel strangely uncomfortable.

「If that story is true, then he must have been sent to the evil god. How did you manage to escape unharmed?」

「Well, that’s what I wanted to know.」

「Elt, what happened to you after you were sent to the evil god?」

The Prime Minister, Alice-sama and Alicia asked me one after another.

I wondered what I should do, but the priest was holding his hand over the orb, so he would know if I lied.

「I didn’t run away.」

「「「「What do you mean?」」」」

The King, the Prime Minister, Alicia, and Alice-sama asked me about it…….

「I just defeated the evil god.」

「….It’s true.」

As the silence continued, only the priest’s voice flowed into the place.

TL: 11/26