To most people, a Hero was a strange sort of profession.
Someone who saved a world plunged into crisis by defeating the Demon King, the very source of evil.
That stood as humanity's one and only savior, and became an object of admiration and awe for all.
And yet, a Hero almost never appeared before the public.
How could they possibly have the time when they were busy fighting the very threats that endangered the world?
Most people knew Heroes only through stories and fairy tales.
Actually seeing one with their own eyes was exceedingly rare.
So what would happen if such a being suddenly appeared before the masses?
“Is it true that you became the Hero after being chosen by the Goddess?!”
They would rush in, desperate to dissect every last detail about the Hero.
For the sake of information, they became a swarm of piranhas smelling blood in the water.
“That’s right. I was chosen by the Goddess.”
And once he gave them that information, all he had to do was serve it up exactly the way they wanted.
Season it so that every bite only made them crave more.
“Goddess Deuslute spoke to me herself. She told me that the world had fallen into peril, that evil had descended upon us, and that the existence of a Hero had become absolutely necessary.”
“Oooooh!!”
“The Goddess herself…!”
People didn't care all that much about whether every word was actually true.
The object of their admiration only needed to remain worthy of admiration.
As long as they had a little gossip, a little excitement, something to entertain them for the moment, they were satisfied.
And right now, Ex was receiving the correction of Orator(B).
His talent for deception made people quick to believe him, while Crowd Control allowed him to steer the masses exactly where he wanted.
There was just one problem.
‘This is so damn embarrassing…! I never should've declared myself a Hero…!’
Apparently, becoming physically younger had made him mentally younger for a moment as well.
Still, living long enough to kick his blankets in shame every night was probably a lot better than dying.
「Kyaaaah~!!! Hero Ex, you're the best!!! Take me-!!!」
…Then again, perhaps there were times when an honorable death really was preferable.
“But I heard there’s already another Hero! There can’t be two Heroes! Does that mean the other Hero is a fake?!”
Of course, not every question thrown his way was going to be convenient.
At that question, the people around them nodded in agreement.
There couldn't be two Heroes.
Since ancient times, there had always been only one.
If that common understanding had suddenly been shattered, it was only natural for people to question it.
Fortunately, Ex already knew exactly how to answer.
“Did the Goddess ever say there must only be one Hero? Is there some doctrine somewhere that explicitly says so?”
With the correction from Gambler(B), he simply put on his thickest skin and brazened his way through.
If nobody could prove him wrong, then his words might as well be the truth.
“This was the Goddess's own decision. Leon, who was chosen before me, is unquestionably a Hero, and I am a Hero as well. Go forth and spread the word. In this generation, there are two Heroes!”
Saying, ‘The other Hero is a fake,’ was out of the question.
There was no reward in it, only a mountain of risk.
If those were the choices, then ‘Both of us are real’ was infinitely better.
“What about your revelation that the Imperial Princess is a demon?! Is it really true that demons are hiding inside the Empire?!”
A Hero was supposed to save the world from danger.
And this was a question about a danger people could actually feel breathing down their necks.
It was also one of the questions Ex had prepared for in advance.
“That’s right. Wicked demons are hiding within the Empire. They disguise themselves as ordinary humans and live right beside us. One of them could be your family. It could even be your friend.”
“Gasp-!”
“My God…!”
The crowd sucked in sharp breaths, visibly horrified by his answer.
There was no point denying it anyway.
A string of disappearances and repeated demon-related incidents had already driven public anxiety to an extreme. If he tried to deny that reality now, people would only begin questioning whether he deserved to call himself a Hero.
So instead, he would use that fear.
After all, easing that fear was precisely what a Hero was supposed to do.
“Do not be afraid! I exposed the demon that had hidden itself inside the Imperial Princess's body. No one can escape the Goddess's gaze, and as her Hero, I will purge this evil myself. You are not the ones who should be trembling in fear. The demons are!”
“Oooooh-!!”
“That’s our Hero!!”
Ex was the one giving the speech, yet no matter how he looked at it, the crowd's reaction still left him feeling strangely uncomfortable.
‘Why the hell are they all going ooooh over something this painfully cheesy? Does being a Hero make anything sound convincing? Or is the Orator title just completely busted?’
Either way, at this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the plan a success.
Turn the anxiety buried deep in people's hearts into hope.
Suppress the public fear the Revolutionary Front intended to exploit.
No matter what happened, make them think, ‘The Hero will take care of it.’
‘That Plausibility Penalty I got before, the one that increased instability in the Empire, should be at least somewhat under control now.’
It was nothing more than a promise with no guarantee behind it.
But sometimes, a single promise was enough to put someone's heart at ease.
That was simply how people were.
“I question whether you possess the qualifications of a Hero. I refuse to acknowledge you.”
Just then, a deliberately stern voice rang out.
The crowd immediately pulled away from the speaker, opening a space around him.
Standing there was a man who looked unmistakably noble at a glance.
He was middle-aged and dressed in a black frock coat like some aristocratic gentleman.
Judging from his sharp eyes and the dignity he carried himself with, he was probably a high-ranking noble.
“You truly expect us to believe you're a Hero? Standing inside a pillar of light created with divine power does not make you one! You covered yourself from head to toe in absurdly expensive equipment and turned the Tournament preliminaries into a mockery! What qualifications could someone like you possibly have to call himself a Hero?!”
Ex had a fairly good idea who the man was.
‘Probably the father of one of those high-ranking nobles' sons I beat during the preliminaries.’
From the man's perspective, Ex was undoubtedly an eyesore.
He intended to stir people up, deny Ex's status as a Hero, and humiliate him in public.
“You are no Hero! Do you think I cannot see through your pathetic little scheme to deceive the people for your own personal gain?! You are the true demon here, feeding upon the blood and sweat of the common folk!!”
“He’s right!!”
“Punish the Con Artist!!”
The noble had apparently planted people in the crowd, because voices of agreement rose from among them with almost suspicious smoothness.
The surrounding people began murmuring after hearing the noble's accusation.
Pointing out such an obvious truth was enough to make them question everything they had believed until now.
Apparently noticing that dangerous shift in the crowd, the noble immediately pointed a finger at Ex and proclaimed with grave authority,
“I shall expose your true nature here and now and make you pay for your crimes!”
Ex had already expected someone to pick a fight over whether he was qualified to be a Hero.
If anything, he had been worried no one would bother.
Ex quietly whispered into his ring.
“Lady Beatrice, please.”
「Leave it to me! Let's make this spectacular!」
Beatrice immediately unleashed her divine power.
Ex's divine power resonated with Beatrice's.
Fwoooooosh-!!
Brilliant golden light erupted from Ex's entire body.
The overflowing divine power took shape according to Beatrice's will.
Three enormous pairs of golden wings unfurled from Ex's back.
Feathers blazing with sacred radiance scattered across the crowd before drifting gently to the ground.
“An archangel of the Goddess…”
“Goddess Deuslute…”
It was the descent of an incomparably sacred and holy archangel.
Everyone who witnessed it was left utterly spellbound.
Beatrice's faith was so immense that she could make an ordinary person appear equal to an angel.
Appearance only, of course.
Shiiing-!!!
Ex immediately drew his sword and pointed it at the noble.
“WHO DARES JUDGE ME!!!”
FWOOOSH-!!!
Once again, the enormous wings behind him spread to their full span.
A halo so radiant it was nearly blinding shone behind Ex's back.
Then, with his eyes blazing with conviction, he declared,
“I AM THE HERO-!!!!!”
「Kyaaaaaah-!! The Hero is so coooool-!!!」
‘Lady Beatrice, please, I'm begging you. Don't make me die of embarrassment…!’
A short sentence.
Simple, obvious, and concise.
Yet when those words struck both eyes and ears alongside that impossibly holy, angelic figure, they transformed into an undeniable truth that no one could possibly reject.
To deny him now, someone would have to produce a shock every bit as overwhelming as the one Ex had just delivered.
“G-Grrgh…!”
But the noble had no time to do anything of the sort.
No matter how quickly he tried to improvise, all he had were a handful of planted agitators.
And even those agitators were now staring at Ex in a daze.
“…Long live the Hero.”
There wasn't a single person among them who had never dreamed of or admired a Hero.
And now, that admiration had suddenly become reality and appeared before their very eyes.
The emotion swelling within them erupted, hardening into belief.
“LONG LIVE HERO EX!!!”
“LONG LIVE GODDESS DEUSLUTE!!!”
At this point, whether Ex was technically a Hero or not no longer mattered.
To them, Ex was the Goddess's representative, sent here to save them.
And the moment that belief took root, Ex cast out the bait.
“You must all be wondering why I fought the way I did during the Tournament preliminaries. After all, no one else had ever fought in such an unreasonable manner.”
No matter how strong their faith was, the question still lingered somewhere deep inside their hearts.
So Ex used that lingering doubt to slowly lay the groundwork.
“If you borrow the power of your family, you can equip yourself with overwhelming gear and gain an enormous advantage before the fight even begins. I proved that myself. But tell me, everyone. Is that fair?”
The commoners among the crowd quietly shook their heads.
Of course it wasn't fair.
For a student with no family capable of supporting them, it was a battle they were practically destined to lose.
And this was where Ex's own origins became useful.
“I am nothing more than a commoner. That is precisely why I made my will clear to those who had been fighting under such unfair conditions all this time. If that was the kind of match they wanted, then I told them I'd gladly play by those rules!”
Ex jabbed a finger toward the noble who had tried to discredit him and shouted,
“Look at what happened! The moment the unfairness turned against them, they changed the rules! It is no longer unrestricted sparring. Now it is ‘Restricted Sparring’! They changed the rules so each student may equip no more than three pieces of equipment! All because they wanted to win!!”
“How shameless!!”
“And they call themselves human!!”
“Disgusting! Absolutely disgraceful!!”
Condemnation poured down upon the noble.
Of course, that particular noble wasn't personally responsible for the underlying problem.
He was simply serving as the representative of all the nobles who had benefited from unfair battles.
“But they made a mistake! If the limit is three pieces of equipment per student, even commoners can prepare that much! Now there is at least some degree of fairness between noble and commoner students!”
One word was repeated again and again.
Equality.
The people had spent their entire lives swallowing resentment over the vast class divide they could never hope to cross.
Through Ex's words, they could finally release some of that frustration.
And more importantly, the word itself carried ideological implications.
That was the key.
It made people question ideology itself.
‘But merely making them suspicious isn't enough.’
If he wanted them to bite, he needed to scatter much more tempting bait.
“Beneath the heavens of Goddess Deuslute, all people are equal! No one should ever be dismissed or looked down upon simply because of their class! Everyone, raise your heads and stand proud!”
To make sure every eye was fixed on him, Ex raised his sword high toward the sky.
Then he spoke the words that no member of the ‘Revolutionary Front’ could possibly ignore.
“STAND TALL!! WE ARE ALL EQUAL!!!”
That was the beginning.
At first, it was only the faint sound of one person drawing a sharp breath.
Then came another person's swelling indignation and cry of agreement.
The pain they had suffered.
The injustices they had witnessed.
The memories of everything they had endured until now.
All of it became bound together beneath a single word.
Equality.
And then it exploded like one enormous stockpile of gunpowder.
The deafening blast transformed into a tidal wave of cheers.
WAAAAAAAAH-!!!
“WE ARE ALL EQUAL!!!”
“THE HERO STANDS WITH US!!!”
“BENEATH THE GODDESS, WE ARE ALL EQUAL!!!”
The people erupted into a frenzy over the existence of the Hero.
They recognized the injustices they had suffered and became convinced that the Hero would stand at the front and solve every last one of them.
The Revolutionary Front could never ignore these voices.
The moment they did, they would cease to exist.
“…We're withdrawing. Report this to the Leader. Now!”
“We have to bring the Hero to our side…! He shares our cause!”
Sure enough, dozens of suspicious figures in hoods who had been approaching Ex began retreating like the receding tide.
“Hero, please, shake my hand!!”
Someone rushed forward, grabbed Ex's hand, and shook it furiously. The trembling grip practically radiated emotion and excitement.
That was enough.
Every condition had been fulfilled.
Now it was time to make his exit.
At that exact moment.
“CLEAR THE WAY!!”
Someone suddenly appeared and dumped cold water over the feverish crowd.
The people glared furiously at the intruder.
Their eyes practically screamed that they would never forgive anyone who dared ruin this moment.
But that fury vanished almost immediately.
“Th-The Sword of the Empire…!”
“Lady Milia is here…!”
She was the ultimate symbol of the Imperial Family's military might.
A 7-Star martial artist with blazing red hair streaming behind her.
Milia, the Sword of the Empire, appeared while radiating a murderous fury in every direction.
“Anyone who does not move aside immediately will be considered an accomplice to treason and summarily executed. If your life means so little to you, then remain standing in my path.”
No one dared oppose Milia.
Milia was the guardian of both the Empire and the Imperial Family.
As the commander of the Imperial Guard, she possessed the authority to summarily execute anyone who disrupted the established order.
If Milia drew her sword here and started swinging, she was fully capable of slaughtering the thousands gathered in the crowd.
Everyone knew it.
That was why not a single person dared block her path.
The crowd split apart.
Milia marched through the opening with furious strides, then roared at Ex.
“Ex…! This is how you repay the kindness shown to you by the Imperial Family and His Highness the Imperial Prince…!!! Just because you've become a Hero, did you think that gave you the right to throw the Empire into chaos?! Did you truly believe you would walk away from this unharmed?!!!”
Anyone with half a brain could tell that what Ex had just done was incitement.
Undermining the class hierarchy threatened the very foundation of the Empire.
In other words, it was practically treason.
And Milia had appeared to put an end to it.
Once she reached Ex, Milia held out a pair of shackles designed to suppress both internal energy and mana.
“I will give you one final chance. If you do not wish to be executed here and now, submit quietly and allow yourself to be restrained. You will stand before the court once more and answer for this disturbance and the crimes you have committed.”
“…Understood. In exchange for arresting me, guarantee the safety of the people.”
“That depends entirely on your behavior.”
The shackles immediately closed around his wrists.
The people who witnessed it cried out in despair.
Was the Hero who stood for the common people really going to disappear like this?
Was their dream of revolution truly going to end here?
Surrounded by people crying out for a miracle from the Goddess, Ex was arrested and dragged away.
But no miracle came.
Hero Ex would now be branded a traitor and executed.
All the people could do was shed tears for the commoner's Hero.
—
Ex and Milia remained quietly silent inside the mana carriage used to transport prisoners.
The carriage continued down the road toward the Imperial Palace.
Once they entered a deserted stretch with almost no one around, Milia finally spoke.
“…Results?”
A faint smile crept across Ex's face.
Then he opened his clenched fist.
“We hooked a big one.”
There was a slip of paper in his palm.
Milia checked what was written on it and let out a dry laugh.
“This should keep us well fed for a while.”
Smack!
Milia and Ex slapped their palms together in a triumphant high five.
「The grand nationwide con was a huge success!」
On the slip of paper was the symbol of the Revolutionary Front.
A red flag.
–TL Notes–
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