"That's..."
"Honestly, I don’t want to think about this reclamation thing anymore. It's a hassle. I don’t understand it well. I'll make it so you can lead the project. Just do something about it."
"First, compile your opinions on the reclamation project into a report. If Shion reads it in front of the King, this whole issue will be resolved."
What a great idea, even if I do say so myself."Not drying up the lake in Iris's hometown means she won't get angry. If the food shortage shows signs of improvement, Instructor Cattleya won’t get angry either. Platanus, who has been unfairly treated, can work as he wishes. And I don't have to do anything, so it's a win-win for me. Perfect."
"Alright, I'm counting on you for the rest."
"Understood... I understand very well... about you," Platanus said, his gaze sending shivers down my spine.
Having entrusted Platanus with preparing the report on the reclamation project and convincing Shion, I gathered everyone and entered the Round Table Room in the castle. Instructor Cattleya and Iris, whose relationship had been strained, along with Saffron, and...
"Who are you?"
"It's Heath!"
Heath, who wasn't even invited and looked like a zombie with bandages all over his face, was also there.
The five of us were seated around the round table.
"What’s with those bandages?"
"I got them when fighting that armored monster. I was close to death from severe burns all over my body!"
"Ah, that's rough."
"Don't talk like it’s someone else’s problem! It was your strategy that caused it!"
Heath was probably talking about Amaranth, the armored monster. Indeed, I hadn't anticipated such a creature to be involved in the assassination attempt on the king.
Certainly, Heath’s injuries were my responsibility.
Well, I don't really care what happens to him.
I explained our future plans to the four gathered Saintly Sword wielders.
Their reactions were:
"As long as the lake in Blue Dragon isn’t touched, I don’t care."
"If the food supply increases in a few years, I have no complaints."
"I’m not really interested and don’t understand much about it."
"…You asked Platanus to do it…"
Heath’s opinion was the only one that stood out.
"What’s up, Heath? You think it’s a bad idea to ask Platanus?"
"No… that's not what I'm saying. He’s capable in both military and political matters."
Platanus was originally Heath’s tutor. It seems Heath knows Platanus better than even Instructor Cattleya."I have a certain resistance to asking Platanus for favors."
"Huh?"
"That man has a frighteningly strong ambition. He completes any given task perfectly, even if it means teaching a brat like me, who's destined to be a top leader just because I'm the king's son."
"So, he'll listen to this request too, right?"
"On the surface, yes. But deep down, he probably finds it uninteresting."
"...I doubt you, who couldn't read the room back in school, can really understand people's true feelings."
Despite my provocative words, Heath didn't get angry. Instead, he crossed his arms and seemed deep in thought.
"If you're with someone for a long time, you end up understanding them. Platanus always smiles in public, but sometimes his face becomes terrifyingly expresshionless, as if he's looking down on everyone around him."
At that moment, I clapped my hands in agreement.
"Exactly! It's scary when he suddenly goes expresshionless!"
To my surprise, Heath looked at me as if he'd seen a ghost.
"You've seen Platanus with an expresshionless face?"
"Sure, he's glared at me with no expresshion several times when we talk."
"...Platanus never shows an expresshionless face in public. I've only seen it when he's alone or when I suddenly approached him from behind. As soon as he realizes I'm watching, he smiles immediately."
"Huh?"
"So basically, you're so unpleasant to Platanus that he forgets to keep up his smile."
"What? Why? What's so unpleasant about me?"
"...At least for me, I've always found your behavior unpleasant."
"Me too. Just watching you during our student days was uncomfortable."
Even Iris, who had been silent, agreed with Heath.
Wait a minute, how disliked am I?
"So, what exactly about me is unpleasant? I haven't caused any trouble!"
"You were arrogant despite your low grades."
"You showed no guilt for skipping classes."
"You had no hesitation in making others do your tasks."
"And you were completely nonchalant about not submitting homework or assignments."
"Shut up! Don't say another word!"
As Heath and Iris took turns speaking, I covered my ears with both hands.I understood then. Both Heath and Iris were top students during their school days. To such high achievers, someone like me, who was unserious and had low grades, was simply unpleasant to be around. More so, it seems they were disgusted by my attitude of not trying to improve my low academic performance.
If Platanus shared this tendency, then to him, I must be...
"Big brother..."
Just then, Shion entered the round table room.
She came in without knocking or any forewarning, suddenly appearing.
Holly was behind her, and Shion had the Holy Sword strapped to her back.
"Big brother, there’s something I want to ask you."
"Did you talk to Platanus about the land reclamation?"
"...? Land reclamation? What’s that? I haven’t asked about that."
Then, what did Shion want to ask me?
Entering the room, Shion closed the door behind her and approached where I was sitting.
As usual, nobody else spoke while Shion was talking to me.
Everyone always watched in silence, careful not to upset the Hero, Shion, especially when she was talking to me, the one person she truly respected.
I always thought there was no need for them to be so cautious, but this was our daily routine.
"Hey, big brother."
"What is it?"
"Why did you save me?"
"Huh?"
At that moment, Shion asked something unexpected.
"Why did you rescue me when I was a slave?"
I faced what could be the biggest crisis of my life.
"Did you save me because I am the Hero? If I wasn’t the Hero, would you not have rescued me?"
I shuddered at the question, realizing its implication.
To Shion, it might have been an innocent query, but for me, it was a matter of life and death.
It was true I had saved Shion when she was a slave, pulling her out of that situation.
And it was also true that it took a lot of effort.
There’s no doubt that I saved Shion.
Undoubtedly, the improvement in Shion’s living conditions was because of me.
However, the reason I saved her was that she was the Hero.If the Hero had been someone other than Shion, I wouldn't have saved her from slavery. To put it bluntly, if Shion's abusive mother or her violent employer had been the Hero, I would have given the Holy Sword to them instead. Shion was only freed from her enslavement because she happened to be the Hero. It wasn't because I specifically wanted to save Shion as an individual.
How could I say such a thing to Shion? Should I even say it? No, the real question is, if I tell her this, will I survive?
Should I lie, then? Claim I felt sympathy for a frequently abused slave girl and wanted to save her? Or should I say something ridiculous like I fell in love at first sight, even if it means being thought of as a lolicon?
It's clearly a lie. The truth is, I randomly felt compelled to save her, and only after stealing the Holy Sword did I discover she was the Hero. I can't imagine such a story being believed. Shion is not only inherently intelligent, but she's also been rapidly advancing in her studies and wit. She can match Holly's sharp tongue, which is a testament to her growing intellect. She wouldn't be fooled by a lie from someone like me.
So, what should I do? Think. I must think. How should I answer?
I went to the town where Shion was located because Holly told me the Hero was in the East. I found the Hero there successfully. I only handed over the Holy Sword because I realized Shion was the Hero.
Panting heavily, I turned away from Shion, slumped over in my chair, racking my brain.