Chapter 48

Naofumi stepped out to the church that stands prominently in the castle town.

"Th-The Shield Hero!?"

I was welcomed with a very stern face.

Is this really how they treat me?

Surely, I wouldn't be refused entry to the church just because of rape allegations?

"Don't be flustered."

A calm and composed man, who seemed to be a priest, reprimanded the stern-faced nun.

...Something feels off, but whatever.

"What brings you to our church today?"

"Well, one of my companions has been cursed terribly, and I would like to request a powerful holy water to remove the curse."

I'll treat them normally since they haven't harmed me yet.

There's a price list on the wall.

"Then, the offering, please."

I recognize the prices, so I'll ask for a test.

"How much is it?"

"For holy water, the prices start from 5 silver coins, 10 silver coins, 50 silver coins, and 1 gold coin, increasing in effect."

Hmm... They don't seem to be overcharging.

I thought about punishing them if they tried to overcharge...

"In front of God, it's not right to haggle, so I'll take the powerful one for 1 gold coin."

"That's not right, Mr. Naofumi. Such a valuable item cannot be accepted."

"It's fine. I told you before, I value you. Compared to Raphatalia, 1 gold coin is cheap."

"Oh, thank you!"

I handed the gold coin to the priest, ignoring Raphatalia's gratitude.

"Understood."

The priest instructed the nun to bring a bottle of holy water.

...I used my appraisal skill to check the quality.

Low-grade Holy Water

Quality: Poor

I glared at the priest with a stern face.

The priest also looked at the holy water and changed his expression.

"Why did you bring such a poor quality item?"

"But—"

"God is merciful. If you are committing such acts to satisfy your personal sense of justice, repent immediately."

"V-Very sorry!"

"I apologize. One of our church members has been rude."

"I won't complain if you bring something that matches the price."

"I am grateful for your mercy."

The priest brought the holy water himself.

I checked the holy water again.

Curse-Removing Holy Water

Quality: High

"Well, that's about it."

I took the bottle of holy water.

"Is that water so delicious? Give some to Filo too!"

"Don't drink it. It's Raphatalia's medicine. You don't seem to have any problems, right?"

"Yeah, Filo is always energetic!"

"Then you don't need it."

"Huh?"

I ignored Filo's puzzled look and told the priest.

"Thank you. Also, tell the sister at the hourglass of the Dragon Engraving the same thing. She was smirking at me."

"Understood. That's not a proper attitude for a believer."

"...Right. See you."

I think this priest is well-mannered.

If there were more people like him, this country would be better.

With that thought, I left the church.

"Ah! There you are!"

As I left the church, for some reason, Kishu, Ren, and their followers ran towards us.

What's with these guys?

Why are they all in the castle town?

Kishu, who usually wears low-quality gear, is wearing something better today.

I looked at him with displeasure, and surprisingly, Kishu took the lead and spoke to me.

"It's you! You impersonated me and took the reward for the quest I completed!"

"What!?"

Why would I need to take Kishu's quest reward?

"I did too. You took the quest that was supposed to come to me."

Ren also accused me with a stern look.

I recognize this. It must be about the plague village.

"I did the quest for Ren, but I don't know about yours, Kishu."

"Are you trying to play dumb!?"

"I'm telling you, I don't know."

"Wait, wait, let's talk first. Shishou wouldn't confess without a reason."

"You're assuming I'm the culprit from the start."

"Shishou, did you do something?"

"I didn't! I have no idea!"

I glared at Kishu and Ren while calming Filo and Raphatalia.

"Anyway, let's hear your side of the story."

"Then I'll start."

Kishu began explaining the situation.

Kishu, who usually delegates tasks to his conspicuous armored companion, sent him to the guild to collect the reward for a quest to investigate and eliminate a problematic lord in the northern region of the castle.

However, the Bow Hero had already received the reward, and Kishu concluded that I was the one who did it.

"Hey, General... You seem to have a hobby of hiding in the shadows, defeating evil, and then revealing your true identity to surprise everyone, but if you go completely secret, the rumors of the hero solving the problems won't spread, you know?"

"Sh-Show, General!? What are you talking about!?"

"You were pretending to be an adventurer with a sword at your waist. General."

Kishu, who recognized this, shouted at me in a flustered manner. That's the problem with Kishu's approach to quests.

The Bow Hero's appearance and achievements are unknown.

As a result, the ones who are talked about positively in the country are the Sword or Spear Heroes.

Even if you do something amazing, it won't actually be recognized.

It might sound cool to secretly defeat evil like a hero, but it won't be recognized by the public.

I'm still a college student, but I understand that in the real world, you need to protect your achievements. In Kishu's case, even if he claims his achievements, people won't believe him because of his usual attitude.

Moreover, such heroes don't secretly fight evil for money or fame.

...It's a painful topic. In the sense of being a saint.

"The quests you solved, did the Bow Hero solve them? The only one I can confirm is the high-tax town. I was there at the time."

"That's because I kept it secret."

"Then, let's confirm. Were you the bow-wielding adventurer who joined the resistance in the northern country?"

"Y-Yes! I defeated the evil king with the resistance."

"...Do you know what happened to that country afterward?"

"It must have become prosperous after the evil king was defeated."

"It didn't! The people were so hungry that they were trying to smuggle in food."

"What! Why!?"

"Maybe the king was evil, but the country was already in a famine. Changing the leadership alone wouldn't solve the problem."

"That's not my concern. Don't change the subject!"

...Sigh... Irresponsible... You should care a little.

"Let's get back to the topic. Your subordinate collects the rewards, right? Can you explain your subordinate?"

"Y-Yes! I can! I can definitely explain!"

"Is there any proof at the guild that the person collecting the reward is your subordinate?"

"T-That's... the certification. I'll show the certification with the king's seal!"

Kishu said with confidence.

What are you talking about?

"It's a special certification that can't be easily forged."

"Then I can't do it either."

"!"

Kishu, who was hit by the truth, spat out a curse.

"Then, it's the weapon!"

This time, it seems like a desperate excuse... He wants to make it my fault.

"Only heroes can change the shape of their weapons. The bow changed into a shield, and I impersonated without the certification!"

"Is that so? That might exist in this world."

"Where's the proof of that?"

"Filo"

"What is it?"

"Show your true form."

"Okay."

Filo transformed into her true form.

At that moment, the dress she was wearing disappeared, and the remaining ribbon turned into a collar. I pointed to the collar.

"See!?"

"Can you understand? This is a world where such armor can be made. A tool to change the shape of a bow might exist. Also, other heroes can do it too, right?"

"B-But—"

"Kishu, give up. There's no evidence to prove Shishou is the culprit."

Ren, who wanted to make it my fault, stepped in to advise Kishu.

"Did you even hear what the person who impersonated looked like?"

"N-No... I didn't..."

If you didn't, you can't do anything. You should spread the word that you're a hero. Next is me.

"The plague in the eastern region, right?"

"You know, so it's quick. Why did you take it?"

"Because I was there. Did you know? The plague was caused by the dragon you killed."

"What!?"

Ren, who was usually cold, was speechless.

What's wrong with him? I thought he was more ruthless.

"Many people died. There was a new cemetery behind the quarantine facility. If I hadn't been there, more would have died."

"Unbelievable..."

Ren staggered towards the east.

"Wait! It's too late now. What about the waves?"

"But, it's my fault—"

"I removed the dragon's corpse. I worked with the local healers to solve the plague. It's not fair to call it a theft of a quest."

"S-So, it can't be helped..."

Ren's face was pale.

"Do you believe it!?"

Kishu, confused, asked Ren.

"There's no reason to lie. Moreover, the quest was canceled because it was solved. So, it's not wrong."

"The dragon's corpse turned into a dragon zombie, and Raphatalia was cursed during the battle."

I'm not lying. It's my fault, but I'm not lying.

"Oh, that's why you came out of the church."

Raphatalia, wrapped in bandages, caught Ren's attention.

"I hope you get better soon."

...Surprising. I thought Ren was more ruthless, but he seems weak when it comes to problems he caused.

I thought being weak was bad.

"Why did you leave the dragon's corpse?"

"That's... My companion suggested leaving it for other adventurers to use as materials, and I thought it was a good idea."

I remember the village prospered for a while.

"The villagers and adventurers said they could handle it..."

"Next time, make sure to properly dispose of the corpse. Corpses rot and can cause diseases. At the very least, dispose of the organs and meat."

"Ah..."

It's anticlimactic.

Moreover, the village didn't say anything about this.

They were hiding their fault... Well, they get what they deserve.

"I don't believe it."

Ren is more persistent than Kishu.

"I'll definitely bring evidence."

"Sure, bring it. But don't forge it. If you find the culprit, don't interrogate them about whether they were asked by the Shield Hero. I'll nod to the rumors about me."

"...What do you mean?"

"Apparently, they planned to say I attacked them after defeating the bandits."

"That's... "

"You're the same. General, try to see through lies?"

I'm being looked at with a pitying gaze, probably because of the rumors about me.

Why do I have to be looked at like this?

"Anyway, I'll put this on hold."

"Do that. I'm not the culprit."

Absolutely, I hate false accusations!

Don't think you can blame everything on me!

With an angry attitude, Kishu and the others left, and Ren also left, looking slightly uneasy.

"Let's go."

Today is a bad day. I've had a lot of trouble.

The castle town under the jurisdiction of that scumbag king is no good.

Let's go to the inn quickly.