Chapter 80

"Mr. Kitamura, you must not get the name of the bitch wrong."

Genkou stood there, his mouth agape in astonishment.

Did he think everything would go as he planned?

"The girl's name is Bitch as a princess, and Abazure as an adventurer."

"Wha... You! Are you really Main's parent!"

"Yes, I am. Didn't I just call her by her old name?"

The queen gave a signal to the soldiers with her eyes.

Bitch was pulled away from Genkou.

"Hey! What are you doing! I am—"

"What is a mere adventurer saying? You have no authority here."

"What are you going to do to her!"

"Mr. Kitamura... Until you call her by the correct name, the debt this girl owes to the country will increase."

Genkou glared at the queen, his face full of disbelief.

"There are many reasons for the name change. First, the false accusation against Mr. Iwatani, discrimination, and the fact that she took advantage of the situation when her sister, Melty, was in danger. It's a rather lenient punishment, I'd say."

"What are you talking about!"

"I hope you can be grateful for the leniency Mr. Iwatani is showing you."

Genkou glared at me, perhaps because things didn't go as he planned.

"Wash your brain—"

"I don't have that power."

"Yes, I don't. Don't be deceived by the false rumors of the Three Heroes' Church. Mr. Iwatani has earned trust through his own efforts."

"Ah."

The queen seemed slightly irritated.

Her daughter's actions have gone too far.

She doesn't seem to learn.

Though I don't fully believe it, I feel sorry for the queen.

The queen raised her fan.

"I hereby declare that the accusation against Mr. Iwatani, the Shield Hero, of attempting to rape an adventurer, was a setup!"

Cheers erupted.

Genkou looked around the hall in disbelief.

"You guys are all weird! What's wrong with you!"

What? Does he still think I'm a sex offender?

Is he the kind of guy who thinks any woman will do, with a strong harem desire?

"Mr. Kitamura... Please call the girl by her correct name. If you get it wrong, her debt to the country will increase."

"Are you kidding me!"

Genkou glared at me with a furious expression.

"Mr. Iwatani is not involved. Now, call her name."

"Who the hell is going to call her that!"

"Then, this girl, Bitch, will have to part ways with you. What will you make her do to pay off her debt? What do you think, Mr. Iwatani?"

"What?"

"Make her—"

"No, such—Mr. Motasu!"

Bitch, sensing the situation worsening, pleaded with Genkou for help.

However, everyone except Genkou understood that this was just for his own sake.

He's quick on the uptake in this regard...

"Ugh..."

"Mr. Kitamura, it's best if you understand. This girl is a coward by nature, someone who enjoys belittling others from the shadows."

"She's not like that! It's this guy's fault!"

Genkou pointed at me and shouted.

He doesn't understand the difference between belief and blind faith, and that he will eventually be betrayed.

While leaving it to the queen is fine, he looks like he might resort to violence.

"Alright. If you want to fight so badly, I'll take you on."

"Mr. Iwatani... Is that okay? Proving the correctness of both sides is fine, but no killing, okay?"

"Sure, I understand. But it's one-on-one."

Their magical support is annoying.

"Of course!"

"Well, if you want to fight, I can't stop you. But think about it. Who dealt the final blow to our recent enemy?"

Genkou looked at my face as if he had just come to his senses.

"Can you really defeat me in a serious fight without your companions?"

"Ugh..."

"By the way, I can heal my own wounds... so I have a good chance of winning even in a war of attrition."

Unlike last time, I have offensive means now.

Genkou, perhaps realizing the odds were against him, lost his fighting spirit.

"Here, if you've given up, just say it."

"Damn..."

"If you don't say it, this girl will have to part ways with you."

"Mom!"

"A..."

Bitch shouted at the queen with a look of regret. Genkou, with a face full of bitter frustration, whispered softly.

"Abazure..."

"Shield! I won't forgive you!"

"Go ahead, Bitch!"

The queen, having heard this, gave an order to release Bitch.

"Please understand that you can no longer make unreasonable demands on Mr. Iwatani using your power. My policy is to treat all heroes equally."

"Where's the equality!"

"Oh? I heard that you overlooked Mr. Iwatani's mistreatment while I was away. Do you mean that equality for heroes is only about favoring yourself?"

Rento and Itsuki, sensing the tense atmosphere, approached.

"Please understand, Mr. Sword Hero and Mr. Bow Hero. My daughter, Bitch, falsely accused Mr. Iwatani. She was given the name Bitch as a punishment for her crime. I ask you to show no sympathy even if she pleads with you."

"A... Ah."

"Understood."

"Also, if you feel that Mr. Iwatani has been favored, consider it as making up for the past. The heroes have already received more favor than Mr. Iwatani."

While saying she would prioritize favoring me, the queen... Well, she has to say it this way for them to understand.

Genkou, with a displeased look, helped Bitch stand up, worried about her.

Rento and Itsuki, confirming that the commotion had been settled, looked uncertain but seemed to have no particular complaints. In fact, they even muttered, "Indeed..."

"Bitch. If you cause any more trouble for Mr. Iwatani, the punishment will be far worse than just a name change and a fine!"

"Shut up! Don't call me Bitch!"

"You show no sign of repentance... I have no choice."

The queen clapped her hands, and a familiar ink bottle was brought by a castle mage.

"What are you going to do!"

Genkou, sensing the tense atmosphere, shouted.

The castle soldiers blocked Genkou and Bitch, and the mage began the ritual on Bitch.

The queen pricked her finger with a needle, letting blood drip into the ink.

I knew what was about to happen.

"No! Let me go!"

Bitch, realizing what was about to happen, struggled desperately, but the soldiers wouldn't allow it.

Genkou, not understanding what was happening, realized it was too late and raised his spear.

"Stop it!"

Not a chance.

"Shield Prison!"

I transformed my shield into a Larse Shield, suppressing my anger, and contained Genkou.

"No! Stay back! Who do you think I am!"

"Just a mere adventurer, no, a criminal. This is the punishment for attempting to assassinate Mr. Iwatani with poison."

The queen lowered her hand and gave an order.

Ink was dropped on Bitch's chest, and a pattern was etched across her body.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

After Bitch screamed for a while, the pattern disappeared as if nothing had happened.

Unlike Raphatalia's, which looked like a tattoo, Bitch's left no trace.

"It's a high-level slave mark. It's invisible most of the time, but it will appear under certain conditions and punish the target."

It's like the monster mark for humans, like Filo's.

"The condition is any attack on Mr. Iwatani. Whether it's poison, magic, or a direct attack, it will activate. Absolutely do not lay a hand on him!"

Bitch glared at the queen with tearful eyes.

"May... Abazure, are you okay!"

Genkou, released from the prison, ran to Bitch and held her.

What a fitting judgment. After his reckless actions, Genkou and Bitch looked regretful.

"Alright, let's move on to the main topic."

"Is there something else?"

He switches gears quickly.

Is this the queen's dignity?

It's a bit of an unpleasant dignity.

Rento and Itsuki's faces are tense.

"Yes, I think it's a very good proposal for the heroes."

What is the queen planning to propose?

I listened to her with a sense of curiosity.

"Recently, it seems that the island near this country, Carmila Island, will become active. I would like to invite the heroes to participate."

...What island? What does 'active' mean?

"Whoa!?"

The other three were extremely excited.

Genkou... Has he forgotten about Bitch?

He looked so regretful just a moment ago.

"What? What's there?"

"Mr. Iwatani doesn't seem to know, so I'll explain. 'Active' means that every ten years, the experience points gained in that area increase."

To summarize the queen's explanation:

Carmila Island is famous as a resort and is also a place where various monsters densely inhabit. It's a well-known spot for adventurers who want to level up, and during the active period, which occurs every ten years, a large number of people flood in.

This is to make up for the level-up opportunities the four heroes missed due to the recent incident.

"Of course, we have already secured the use of the habitat. Please join us."

It's like an event dungeon in an online game.

The experience points are multiplied, and the enemies are manageable.

It's an event that gamers would enjoy.

Quite...

"Preparations have been underway for some time, and I would like the heroes to participate in a major event on Carmila Island."

"An event?"

"What kind of event?"

After hearing our questions, the queen answered.

"I propose that the heroes exchange information and spend half of their time on Carmila Island with different companions. Of course, this would be with the agreement of all four."

...

"Whaaat!?"

The queen brought up an outrageous proposal.

The next day.

"Whoa!"

The queen demonstrated the ice torture on the trash in front of me.

Seeing the trash's displeased face made me feel refreshed from the morning.

"Really... You only use your intelligence to interfere with Mr. Iwatani."

Hearing about the trip to Carmila Island, I nodded, thinking it would be good for leveling up.

According to the queen, Carmila Island is also a hot spring resort, making it a good place to relax. The hot springs are said to have the potential to heal curses like the one I received.

However, there was a big problem.

While it would be fine for me, Raphatalia and Filo couldn't class-up and were in a state of stagnation.

When I told the queen this, she brought the trash and heard the situation.

The trash repeated excuses and eventually confessed while being frozen.

"Well, there's no choice. Please complete the class-up of your companions with the Dragon Carving Hourglass before departure."

"Can't you come?"

"There are internal affairs. I'll send a shadow instead."

Well, that makes sense.

"By the way, about the information and personnel exchange..."

The atmosphere is quite unpleasant.

"I don't think it's a bad proposal, though?"

"I don't like them, though."

"However, through information exchange, you might learn ways to become stronger that only the other heroes know."

"True..."

It's a possibility.

To be honest, the fact that I can't beat them without using the Curse Series is a problem.

If they eventually get weapons on par with the Curse Series, I'll be far behind.

Though I'm reluctant, accepting it might be a good idea.

"Why the personnel exchange?"

"To let them learn different fighting styles and to let your companions see how each hero fights."

"That's not all, is it?"

"Yes, it's also to verify the information exchanged. You might accidentally learn ways to become stronger from your companions."

It's a well-thought-out plan. The reverse is also possible.

However, considering the waves, having just one person be strong will eventually cause problems.

Moreover, knowing the status of their companions in case I have to fight them in the future might not be a bad idea.

"Even this trash had a good idea."

"Trash proposed it!?"

"Yes, it seems he originally planned it to favor Mr. Kitamura."

I see.

He planned it to extract information from the other heroes.

What a cunning old man. This trash is.

If this situation hadn't arisen, I probably wouldn't have been able to go to Carmila Island.

"So, what do you think about going?"

"Hmm. It might not be a bad idea."

"By the way, the national treasury's calculations aren't complete yet, so I don't know how much aid I can provide to Mr. Iwatani. Look forward to it when you return."

"Will you cover the expenses?"

"Of course, we'll cover the expenses there. Let's go to the Dragon Carving Hourglass. The preparations are complete, so we'll also perform the magic contract there."

"Got it. Let's go."

"Yes."

"Sure!"

By the way, Filo slept with Melty last night.

Melty, as if it was her last pleasure, asked Filo to turn into a monster and sleep in a pile of feathers... The instructor who came to wake us up screamed when they saw it.

So, we headed to the Dragon Carving Hourglass with the queen and Melty.