The one manipulating Amaranth, Cinelaria, and Jasmine behind the scenes, who turned Shion's body to stone-like and grotesquely used Heath's corpse.
And the wielder of the last saintly sword I hadn't seen, the Time Sword Chastifol.
The man walked from the roof down to the courtyard.
"!?"
"…!"
As I was struck with astonishment and froze, Platanus positioned himself as if to shield me.
The man walked.
He didn't just jump from the roof to the courtyard.
Literally, as if walking on an invisible floor through the air, moving as if descending invisible stairs to reach the courtyard.
"Allow me to introduce myself at this late hour. My name is Geranium. Your Majesty, no need to worry about the prince."
The jester named Geranium, drawing what seemed to be the Time Sword at his waist, pointed it at the motionless corpse of Heath.Then, Heath's fingertips twitched, and his eyes opened slightly.
That was...! It wasn't just manipulating a corpse. He resurrected him.
He reversed a human's time, bringing him back from a dead state to a living one.
"…We've been had...! We've been trapped!"
"Lord Crow?"
The limit for reversal is twenty-four hours.
A body that has been dead for more than twenty-four hours cannot be resurrected.
This means Heath was abducted somewhere after he went missing, killed within the last twenty-four hours from this moment, his corpse was manipulated by Cinelaria using the Underworld Sword, and then resurrected in front of King Darius.
"Oh... Heath..."
King Darius moved closer to Heath, who was still groggy, tears welling up in his eyes.
Moved by his son's revival, he's about to place his trust in Geranium, the man responsible for it, expressing his gratitude.
I could see through Geranium's distasteful plot.
He was gaining the king's trust while trying to discredit us, the hero's party!
"Your Majesty? I'll explain everything later, but for now, could you please move to a safe place? Take the prince with you and get away from here?"
"Uh, yes… But who exactly are you…?"
"Oh, I've heard rumors of a false hero's party wreaking havoc in the capital. I've come to bring them to justice in place of the heavens."
At Geranium's words,
"Don't joke with me!"
It wasn't me, but Platanus who screamed.
"Shion a fake! What are you talking about!"
"Is that the name of the false hero?"
"You…!"
Platanus aimed his Distance Sword at Geranium, glaring at him.
It's no use, Platanus.
Nothing we say now will have any credibility.
Because,
"I see. Then why not call this hero of yours right now?"
We currently lack the power of the hero.
"Y-you…!"
"Go ahead, call them. The savior who will protect the world. The only one who can defeat the Demon Lord in this world. If such a person exists, call them here now and let them protect you. You're their companions, after all."
Geranium's taunts seemed to make Platanus understand the opponent's true intentions.Shion is the hero, and we all support her.
We're preparing for the Demon Lord's revival, which is three years away.
However, while that information is true, there is no proof.
Since only Shion and I can see Holly, without Shion being able to demonstrate her powers and authority as a hero, our basis for being the hero's party is completely gone now.
In such a situation, if Geranium's group, wielding immense power, comparable on the surface to Shion's, including Amaranth, appears, that group will seem like the real hero's party.
This situation would be even more troublesome than just being overwhelmed by the powerful Amaranth and Cinelaria.
It would mean reverting to the state before Shion encountered the Holy Sword.
"…!"
If that happened, the inhabitants of this world would face the Demon Lord's revival without realizing that the means to defeat him had been lost.
Facing the moment of the Demon Lord's revival without any countermeasures.
"Cinelaria. Take the king and prince to a safe place. Jasmine. Heal them."
"…"
Following Geranium's instructions, Cinelaria and Jasmine silently carried away King Darius, who had collapsed, and Heath, who was still groggy, from the courtyard deeper into the castle.
"Why…!?"
"Hmm?"
I pleaded with Geranium.
"Why do you do this…? Even if we were in your way, the hero is still necessary for you, right? Without the hero, everyone will be killed by the Demon Lord. No matter how powerful the saintly sword wielders are, they can't defeat the Demon Lord without the hero!"
Geranium stared at me intensely and then,
―So what?―
Mouthed those words without making a sound.
"…!?"
At that moment, I truly shuddered.
He wasn't acting out of ignorance.
He knew that without Shion, the Demon Lord couldn't be defeated, yet he proceeded with his actions.
Moreover, the plan discussed by Amaranth and the others… to defeat both the hero and the Demon Lord simultaneously to bring eternal peace to the world, was a lie.
I'm not saying such a plan is unbelievable.
Even if it were true, there's no way to verify it.
After all, every Demon Lord in history has always been defeated by a hero.It's impossible to know beforehand what would happen after simultaneously destroying both the hero and the Demon Lord.
Geranium is seriously obstructing the hero for reasons that are utterly incomprehensible.
He is definitely not meddling without understanding the situation or planning to resurrect and utilize the hero later.
It's not a mistake made from not knowing whether the hero is real or scheming to use the hero.
"Are you intent on destroying the world?"
"Hmm? I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. It's hard to understand what the young people of today are thinking."
"Don't mess with me! You'll die too if things stay this way!"
"Hey, you should stop measuring others by your own standards. And do you think asking questions will make someone honestly explain everything to you?"
"What... what are you...?"
"It's okay. Will you feel relieved if I say the Demon Lord can be defeated? Sorry, but we have our reasons for doing this. Will you worry if I tell you that? What's the point of asking questions when you can't even verify if the words are true or false? Instead of asking others, you should think for yourself."
"What are you... talking about...?"
"That's why I say, I just don't understand what young people nowadays are thinking."
I don't understand.
It's a first for me.
I've seen many geniuses, with Shion being one of them.
And I've seen more than enough ordinary people, with myself at the forefront.
I thought I had seen quite a variety of people with different objectives, ideologies, and talents in my eighteen years of life.
But I don't understand. I can't understand.
I couldn't grasp what Geranium, standing before me, was thinking at all.
What exactly is he thinking by obstructing the hero?
"Lord Crow!"
At that moment, when I was utterly bewildered, Platanus spoke to me.
"This is an opportunity for a turnaround. If we kill that man right here, the spell cast on Lady Shion will be lifted. Then, the situation in the battle will overwhelmingly favor us."
"Wait, Platanus! He's not that simple of an opponent!"
I stopped Platanus, who seemed about to attack Geranium at any moment.
"That guy... he's someone who defeated Shion!"
"However, he has sent his subordinates elsewhere. Now that he's alone, there's a chance to win."
"No, you're wrong! It doesn't matter whether his subordinates are here or not! He could have eliminated us at any time by himself! He didn't do it because he's toying with us! To him, enemies and allies are all just like toys!"
"…!"
"Huh..."
Platanus was shocked, and Geranium showed interest in me."You're interesting, aren't you? I've been wondering how you found the hero and why the wielders of the saintly swords gather around you, but now I understand. You have a good intuition, beyond the ordinary."
"Lord Crow, please forgive my impudence for ignoring your instructions!"
In an instant, Platanus closed the distance to Geranium with speed that almost seemed like a vanishing act, charging at him.