S20 Fall

Something is wrong.

The unease has existed for some time.

But only recently did I become clearly aware of it.

Before that, I merely sensed it vaguely, unconsciously.

Something is wrong.

But I do not know what is wrong.

The unease follows me, yet its nature remains unknown.

I must uncover the source of this unease, no matter what.

Yes—this is what led to regret.

Summoned by Father, I head toward the chamber.

Father has seemed busier than usual lately.

I have been involved, so I have listened closely. Reports have circulated from the battlefield: the Hero has died. The rumor has spread through the common folk.

Hiding the fact that Julius elder brother is dead has reached its limit.

The Church of Divine Word will now officially announce the Hero’s death.

And simultaneously, the announcement of a new Hero.

That means I’ll finally have to stand before the people as the Hero.

The reason I was summoned today is likely about that.

What’s unclear is why Syris was summoned alongside me.

Syris walks beside me.

Why was Syris pulled from the academy specifically to be summoned with me?

Syris appears to know nothing about it.

As I think this, we arrive at the room.

Well, I’ll know the details once we meet.

I knock on the door.

"Shrein."

"Uh? Come in."

"Excuse me."

I open the door and enter.

Syris silently follows behind.

"What is it?"

Father is writing something on papers, looking up.

No, I’m the one who wants to know what this is about.

"No, I didn’t summon you. What do you need?"

"Uh? I didn’t summon you?"

Huh?

By the time the thought occurred, the situation had already begun to unfold.

I had certainly intended to voice my question.

Yet the sound never left my mouth.

A wind-based magic, the silencing effect, had been cast around me.

The spell was constructed and unleashed at a speed that left no room for reaction.

Only a limited number of individuals could achieve such a feat, and at this moment, only one person nearby—Syrilis—was capable.

What?

Even if I spoke, the sound would be absorbed by the surrounding air.

A key disadvantage of this magic: it did not silence my voice directly, but instead erased all sound within my immediate vicinity—rendering resistance impossible.

Once activated, my voice would not escape unless the spell’s structure was forcibly disrupted.

An event that compounded my confusion occurred.

Syrilis struck Father.

Eyes widen in shock.

What... how?

The magic used was light.

My most proficient spell.

The beam struck Father’s forehead.

"Kyaaaah! Brother! What are you doing!?"

Sophia screams simultaneously.

My mind becomes a blank void from confusion.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

The door bursts open with force. Syrilis and his Guard, armored knights, enter the room.

"Brother! You attacked Father!"

"What? Madness, Schrein!?"

No!

Not me!

Why... how!?

Shouting this does nothing—the sound is suppressed.

"Guard! Schrein attacked the King!"

Syrilis’s voice, clear and loud, echoes through the castle—opposite to mine.

"Seize Schrein!"

The armored knights move at Syrilis’s command.

Drawing their swords, they swing down.

I managed, amidst the confusion, to draw my sword in response—thanks to my usual training.

My sword was cleaved in two by the armored knight’s blade.

Impossible.

Even without any sudden enhancement or reflexive activation, my sword—borne by a hero—should not have been severed so easily, like a common blade.

Yet my sword was split in half.

My mind could not keep pace with the rapid unfolding of events.

The armored knight did not miss the opening.

The returning strike sliced through me.

I barely avoided death by stepping back half a pace.

Still, I had been struck by a diagonal slash. The injury was severe.

If the next attack lands, I will die.

"Ah. Quite the sight, hero."

The armored knight spoke with mockery.

The voice was slightly muffled by the helmet, but unmistakable nonetheless.

“Ah. You. Yugo, right?”

“Correct.”

The helmet came off.

There stood Yugo—supposed to have lost his skills, fallen from grace.

“Yugo. No need to reveal yourself so openly.”

“Why not? A keepsake from the afterlife.”

Syrilis, acting as if he already knew the knight beneath the armor.

He had known, in fact.

But why?

“Want to know? This older brother seeks the throne. I wish to avenge myself on you and On. Both of you stood in my way.”

“B-but. The next king should be Syrilis, brother.”

"Yet here's the twist. That dead king was planning to make you the next ruler. He figured, if he declared you king before announcing you as the Hero, you wouldn't be able to freely go to the battlefield as a Hero anymore!"

"How dare you! This throne of mine won't be stolen over something so trivial!"

Syrilis brother let out a bitter cry, his voice trembling with shock.

That cry, too, was silenced by newly activated sound-dampening barriers—impenetrable to anyone but us.

I look toward the caster of the sound-dampening field.

"Brother. I regret to say, you must die here."

The tone was the same as always. But the voice—entirely different.

Not the usual flat monotone, nor the usual heat. Cold. Dismissive. As if speaking to an insect.

"Julius… why?"

"Brother... I only realized the truth of genuine love. I would not hesitate to kill you for that."

Illogical.

Clearly, this version of Sū is not right.

I activate鉴定.

A status abnormality appears: 'Hypnosis', 'Brainwashing', 'Enchantment'.

"Yugo! Did you do this!?"

"Oh? Noticed it? Noticed it, huh? Yes, it was me. How does it feel, being robbed? Frustrating, isn't it? I know exactly—because I've felt it myself. Gahahaha!"

"Restore Sū immediately!"

"Restore her? You think I'll just do it because you say so? Are you stupid?"

Red fills my vision.

But my body refuses to obey my will.

"Guard soldiers are arriving soon. I suppose it's time for you to leave."

Yugo raises his sword.

"I won't allow it!"

A small elven figure cuts through the space.

Wind impact strikes Yugo’s body, hurling him back.

“Oooaaahh!!”

“Running away!”

Ignoring Yugo’s cry of anguish, the teacher dashes forward.

Someone lifts my body.

“Hailins-san.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening either. But right now, focus on surviving!”

As Hailins runs while carrying me, I cast a healing spell on my wounds.

The approaching guard soldiers are blown away by the teacher’s magic.

Soldiers are seen fighting each other across the area.

“What’s going on here?”

“Rebellion.”

“A rebellion?”

“Yes. The masterminds are Syrilis, First Prince, and Yugo-kun. But they plan to pin the blame on Shun-kun, making it seem as though they suppressed the uprising themselves.”

The teacher’s explanation drains the blood from my face.

"This is Reston-kun's unit fighting now. We'll escape while he buys us time."

We exited the castle.

After escaping the castle, we headed to a single house.

"We're meeting Reston here. After that, we leave the country."

"Wait, Teacher! Yugo—unless we deal with that guy, Sū—!"

"No."

"Teacher. If we act now, we could end this chaos. I was careless earlier, but my wounds have healed. If we return to the castle and capture him—"

"No."

"Teacher!"

"The Church has announced a new Hero. Name: Yugo Ban Lengzand."

"What?"

"This entire affair—Church is involved too."

I staggered, nearly falling.

Hylins supported me by the shoulder.

"Elf-sama, do you have any idea why even the Church would participate in such nonsense?"

"Likely, the indoctrination of Yugo-kun has permeated even within the Church's inner circles."

"Impossible. Induction effects vanish in an instant. Such a situation should not be possible."

"Yes. Normally, that would be true. But there is an exception."

"An exception?"

"The top-tier skill set, the Seven Deadly Sins series—'Lust.' The indoctrination effect of this skill surpasses all others. There is no doubt Yugo-kun possesses this skill."

The Seven Deadly Sins series?

Such a skill existed?

It was not among the skills I had verified.

Meaning, a skill so rare that even ten thousand skill points could not acquire it.

"Regardless, we cannot know how far Yugo-kun’s influence extends. You would do well to consider this nation already lost."

"Such…"

At the moment I was speechless, Reston and a familiar face entered the house together.

"Shun, are you unharmed?"

"Your Highness, it has been a long time."

"You have grown into a fine young man, Your Highness."

The two entering with Reston were Ana and Clevea, once maids who served alongside me and Sue.

Compared to Ana, whose elven blood still preserves her youthful appearance, Clevea looked noticeably aged.

Yet here she was, rushing to my aid in my moment of crisis.

I felt only despair.

"Ana… you too?"

"Huh?"

"You're also one of Yugo's pawns!"

Ana’s status, revealed through inspection, clearly listed: 'Hypnosis,' 'Brainwashing,' 'Enchantment.'

At the same instant I shouted, Ana’s eyes fixed forward.

A spell forming at high speed.

I disrupted it and struck her down with a knife-hand strike.

Attempted to dispel the status affliction using a healing spell.

Yet the text indicating the affliction status remained visible on Ana’s status display.

"Damn it! Not Ana too!"

Reston clenched his fist, frustration evident.

"Problem. We're surrounded."

Looking outside at the house, as Hyarins spoke, numerous soldiers had encircled the property.

"Break through by force."

The group nodded in agreement at the instructor's words.

"Shun, use my sword."

Reston handed over his blade.

"What is this?"

"A sacred sword passed down through the royal family. Better that you, the hero, wield it than me, who lack combat experience."

"I understand. Thank you."

Leading the charge, Hyarins drove forward into the encirclement.

Simultaneously, Reston’s concealed forces launched a surprise attack.

"Now!"

The encirclement was breached.

Yet another unit awaited beyond.

And leading them was—

“Shun. Such poor conduct in one’s final moments.”

“Katie…”

My childhood friend from a previous life stood before me.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

“Yugo. You deliberately let him escape?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb! If he lives, who knows what complications could arise!”

“Who cares?”

“You—!”

“What’s your problem?”

“What?”

“You’re just another pawn. How dare you lecture me like that?”

“What?!”

“Honestly, you’re just a piece. I could kill you anytime. Understand that.”

“Y-you—”

“Letting him live this easily? That won’t satisfy me. They’ll suffer far more than this.”