Chapter 41:
Former Isekai Hero was Corrupted by His Over-Poweredness, and Now the People Need Me, a Prince of this World, to Defeat Him and Save Our Land
“No kidding,” said Dietrich, stroking his chin, “The prince and princess of Alten. I never would have guessed.”
He and I sat in one of the bedrooms of an inn called Breath and Thunder. After changing my bandages again, Lina requested a private room, which I was more than happy to fulfill as it gave me time to explain my conversation with the siblings without her present. I wished Ulrich were here too, but he had also requested a separate room. That was understandable, given his bulk, though I couldn’t say I was not curious about how he planned to sleep.
However, I was too focused on my discussion with Dietrich to give the notion more than a passing thought. “You must have seen them before. Did you not haunt all the royalty when you were the Demon King.”
“Yeah,” he answered, “But I didn’t focus on anyone other than the kings and queens of each land. You never saw me in your dreams, right?”
I shook my head. “So, you never haunted my brothers?”
He shook his head. “I barely haunted your dad. The guy kinda freaked me out. Never was scared of me. I got the feeling that it was less because of bravery and more because of… apathy.”
“Well, that’s my father for you. He cares little for the world outside of his court. And Cross is far enough from the world that the Demon King might as well be a figment of his imagination.” I fell silent, then shook myself. “In any case, this is not about my family. What have you heard about Moog and Nova—or rather, Taurus and Alaya?”
“Not much,” he said with a shrug, “Sometimes they showed up in their dad’s dreams, but they didn’t look anything like the people we met today.”
Relief arose in my breast at his words. “So, it wasn’t just me.” In my memory, I saw two eloquent figures. The brother was dressed in fine silks, skin pristine, and hair neatly tied. He carried himself with a quiet dignity, much unlike Moog. And the sister was the height of eloquence, with long, flowing hair and a soft, polite demeanor—the complete opposite of the crass, rude gabber of a child.
I’d never spoken to them myself, only watched them introduce themselves to the Crossian court. But I knew that they were the height of royalty by their demeanor alone. It made their current appearance all the more confusing.
However strange their appearance was, it was far less problematic than their intel. “Listen, they know far too much; everything we’re doing, down to our intention to confront the False Hero.”
“Seriously? How’s that possible?”
“They claim to have a source. Unless it’s the Hero or one of his underlings, I can’t imagine how anyone else would know our true goal.”
At that, Dietrich stiffened. He was looking past me. I turned, fearing that someone had snuck through the door without my notice, but I found it closed. Dietrich was paler than usual and as shifty as a boy who’d snuck an overly large taste of his mother’s pie before dinner. My eyes narrowed.
“You wouldn’t happen to know of someone else who knows. Would you, Dietrich?”
The other man wouldn’t look me in the eye. “Uhh… that depends. How much faith do you place in dreams?”
My eyes were so narrowed that I was almost squinting. “Explain.”
With some hesitation, Dietrich began to spin a tale of a chance meeting with the Hero in the world of dreams—and the appearance of another invader. One I could never have imagined. By the time he finished, my blood had drained into my feet, and I found I could not sit still. I rose to my pulsing feet and began to pace.
“H-High Prince Bastian, you say? Here in the Alten Kingdom? And he knows everything?”
“Pretty much,” said Dietrich with a nod.
I tried to swallow but found that my throat was too dry. Bastian Falkner—called the Falcon with Silver Wings—was said to be the closest in strength to the Sainted Seven, stronger than any other prince or princess alive.
More pieces of the puzzle that was Lina were beginning to fall into place. The Daughters of Iliana not only served Her church but also attended to the upper echelons of the clergy, meaning the Falkner family. If Lina were indeed a Daughter of Iliana, that would explain the enormity of her bounty. No one left the order.
So, Lina must be from Ald Alira. The habit she wore was substantial evidence, but the High Prince’s vested interest in her all but confirmed it. I’d had a feeling that was the case ever since our imprisonment in Justice.
Her behavior at the news that arrested citizens were being sent to High King Benedict was far too suspicious. Almost as if she was familiar with him on a personal level. Of course, none of this explained her incredible power. The Daughters possessed excellent spiritual acuity. But it was nothing on Lina’s level. Perhaps that was why High Prince Bastian was hunting her? What if he knows of— I stopped myself with thoughts of my promise. Speculation was compelling, but I could not further betray Lina’s trust.
I cast my mind for another, more distracting, topic. “Why did you not mention these excursions before?” My tone was not accusatory, but Dietrich still looked guilty. He rubbed at his nose with a finger and followed my pace with his gaze.
“Well, gee, Boss. I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. Couldn’t find the right time to tell you.”
I shook my head, “I understand. Even now, I hardly believe it. But you were the Demon King, after all.” I fell silent and pondered Dietrich’s story.
A part of me wished Dietrich had continued to keep this information a secret. The idea that High Prince Bastian had gone out of his way to personally search for Lina had me in a state of inexplicable miffedness. I felt a similar irritation whenever Lina called the False Hero darling.
It made far more sense that he was hunting her for her powers. I had little doubt that he was unaware of her abilities as a high-ranking leader in Iliana’s church; I still could not shake the feeling that their relationship ran deeper.
“Remind me,” I said, “What was it that the High Prince told the False Hero? About bringing Lina to him. What were his exact words again?”
Dietrich looked up at the ceiling and tightened his lips. “If I remember right, he said something like ‘Give us back our Lina.’”
I stopped, suppressing a shudder. “Our Lina, you say? He said, ‘Our Lina?’”
Dietrich nodded, “He definitely said that.”
My irritation grew. Perhaps I was upset that yet another person was trying to claim Lina as their own. Was it a good idea to deliver Lina to the High Prince, then? That was what Moog and Nova wished.
But what they said before about them not being on Lina’s side but wishing for her safety made me all the more hesitant to trust them. It seemed that they wanted to pass her from one possessor to another, someone who did not have Lina’s best interest at heart. Then again, our highest priority was to keep her out of the Hero’s greedy hands. And who better to protect her than the strongest man in Rhine?
“Whatcha thinking, Boss?” Dietrich was watching me intently.
I attempted a smile, which was more of a smirk. “Do you think we can trust them? The prince and princess, I mean. I doubt they’ll let us run off with Lina.”
We were at a crossroads, with potential enemies on all sides. Our only option was to choose the lesser of two dangers.
“I think they’re good people doing their duty,” said Dietrich after a while. “Sounds like someone I know.” He grinned at me. At my aghast expression, he added, “I mean, if the High Prince himself asked you to carry out a mission, wouldn’t you?”
I thought about it. “You make a good point. Perhaps I would do the same. If I didn’t know Lina, that is.” I fell into further silence, contemplating.
Then Dietrich said, “Well, what if they got to know her? Maybe they’d think the same as you.”
I gave him a curious tilt of my head. “Are you just saying that because you want to go on their silly treasure hunt?”
“No!” said Dietrich defensively.
I stared at him.
“Maybe.”
I stared at him more.
His shoulders sagged, “Okay, you got me. But that’s only part of it. You can’t say that you’re not at least a little curious about the Starcastle.”
I gave him a disappointed shake of my head. I wish Ulrich were here. At least he was practical.
“But,” he continued, “It’s also a good idea because they’ve got connections we don’t. Where else are you gonna get a chance to talk to the High Prince?”
“That is if our presumptions are right and the High Prince is their secret source.” It was a solid enough theory, but I was not about to go back on my word after rejecting their offer to tell me. I didn’t think I could face Nova’s sly smile or baseless accusations again. “And besides, what would you propose I talk to him about, hm?”
He shrugged, “I dunno. You’re the smart one. You can figure it out. That is, if those two don’t change their mind about delivering her to the High Prince in the first place.”
Dietrich was right. I was smart. Smart enough to know that he was playing to my ego. But his logic was solid. It was better to utilize our resources than squander the opportunity.
I did not want to admit it to Dietrich, but I was curious about this great treasure that was supposedly worth our while. We were not in a rush to reach the False Hero anymore—if we did reach him as we were, we would die very quickly—anything to raise our advantage would benefit us in the end.
With a sigh, I nodded. “I haven’t decided to travel with them yet. But at the very least, I’m willing to speak with them one last time.”
“Yes!” said Dietrich, pumping his fist in the air.
“I said I haven’t decided.”
“Sure, Boss,” he said with a smirk before lying back on his bed.
I sat back down on mine, suddenly exhausted.
At least one of us was excited. I doubted the other two would be happy about this, least of all Lina. But I was sure the prospect of a mysterious treasure would lift her spirits rather quickly.
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