“Can I finally untie you now?”
“······.”
Institution, Papal Office.
As the cardinal quietly murmured, Alexander slightly lowered his head in respect and slowly moved his feet.
Where he was headed, the hero, Leopard, was extending his shackled hands.
“My apologies, Hero.”
Alexander quietly whispered in Leopard’s ear and untied him.
Soon, with his hands free, Leopard entered the courtroom without any constraints.
Alexander, who was watching his back with a frown, also followed behind.
“I confess that the commotion that occurred today in the heart of the institution was all caused by me, Hero Leopard Prauda.”
“······.”
Soon, the trial began.
Of course, it was just a process of reconfirming the contents of the interrogation that had been going on for quite some time, so there was nothing new.
However, the shocking contents remained shocking no matter how many times they were heard.
“I signed a contract with an evil deity after being unable to resist the temptation of the evil spirit, and the hero Leopard, who turned dark and caused havoc, was subdued by Marquis Schwarz Dragania. Is the aforementioned content consistent with the facts?”
“It is consistent.”
The hero turned dark.
When I first heard those words, it felt like all my doubts were clearly resolved.
Although Alexander was born with the ability to see the essence of evil, it was not to the extent of the hero or the holy maiden.
For Alexander to witness a darkness that exceeded the size of buildings meant an unprecedented level throughout history.
Not even corrupt grand sorcerers or inquisitions could compare.
The only entities worth suspecting were the holy maiden or the hero, and just in time, the hero turned himself in.
That he had turned dark.
That he was rampaging after falling.
“Is the contract with the evil deity currently severed?”
“Yes. That’s correct. If you wish, you may check personally. The marquis forcibly opened my chest and removed the evil spirit that had settled near my heart, so there is no longer any concern that I will rampage.”
“I have completed all possible fact verification for now. This concludes the first trial. In the next trial, we must hear the testimony of Marquis Schwarz Dragania directly.”
Everything matched perfectly.
Without a single flaw.
The quantity of evil energy that could not be explained without the hero, and the black dragon that rampaged in the center of the city to subdue him.
It was unsettling that it fit so well.
There was something being overlooked.
Though there was no evidence, that thought gradually grew stronger within Alexander.
“I truly regret that such an unfortunate event has occurred. Although the trial is not yet over, I cannot overlook the dangers ahead and must impose an appropriate penalty. Hero, regrettably, I must reclaim your title as a hero from Leopard Prauda. I also command the forced return of Leopard Prauda.”
“Seizing the hero’s position and a return order. Understood. I will accept everything.”
“Taking into account your past dedication, your voluntary surrender, and the fact that no casualties occurred, I will not impose any restraints. Furthermore, I will grant you a grace period of one year for your forced return. You may return at any time within that period, but you must return after one year. Please note that all these measures may change according to future trial results. Well then, thank you for your effort. You may go home now, Mr. Leopard.”
“······.”
What bothered me the most was that the hero readily complied with the penalties without any resistance.
Was Hero Leopard originally this kind of person?
Although I had only worked together briefly, he seemed like a completely different person from the hero I knew.
What kind of change of heart had he gone through to become so powerless?
Unless······
‘Is he pretending to be powerless?’
If all of this was an act.
Suddenly, that thought crossed Alexander’s mind.
In reality, it was someone else who had rampaged in the heart of the city, spreading that massive dark energy, and perhaps Leopard was covering for them.
Perhaps he was quietly accepting all penalties to ensure that no one would suspect anything.
That kind of conspiracy or delusion gradually grew.
‘That can’t be······.’
Alexander clicked his tongue and frowned.
It was just paranoia.
He dismissed it as such.
Isn’t it a good thing that the perpetrator of such chaos voluntarily walked into his own trap?
If everything were to resolve peacefully, it was my bad habit to start doubting things.
As he repeated that to himself in his mind, he tried to erase that ‘delusion.’
However, no matter how hard he tried not to be conscious of it, his intuition always pointed in the same direction.
“Hero, are you going home now?”
“Looks like it. And don’t call me that anymore since I am no longer a hero.”
“Thank you for your hard work. You can now throw off the heavy burden and live as an ordinary civilian.”
“Are you mocking me for having an undignified resignation?”
“Oh, that was not my intention······.”
“It’s okay. I know you can’t speak in a way that avoids or mocks. You did well too, Alexander. I’m free from the nagging superior who always complained about neglect of duty. Keep striving in the future.”
“Yes······.”
Giving Alexander’s shoulder a light pat, Leopard trudged out of the Papal Office.
With the title of hero shed, his shoulders appearing especially light today.
Watching his back, Alexander was convinced.
‘There is definitely a separate culprit.’
Hero Leopard would never fall.
He would never succumb to the temptations of evil spirits, and even if it were true that he had a contract with an evil deity, he would clearly manage that power without going on a rampage.
It seemed that everyone had forgotten this fact after witnessing the hero drinking for fifty years and causing ruckus in taverns; he was a being of a different caliber among superhumans.
That was what a hero was.
Determined, Alexander clenched his fist.
He would uncover why the hero of humanity gave up the title of hero.
*
“It’s been a while.”
“······.”
The reception room seemed wider than usual today.
Or perhaps it was that Leopard seemed smaller today.
He sat quietly on the sofa, curled up, and said nothing.
It looked just like a soaked dog brought in from the rain.
Ah, I guess it’s not entirely wrong to say that.
I had picked up Leopard, who was wandering around getting soaked by the rain near my house.
His clothes were all wet, so I gave him one of my indoor outfits.
It was a bit loose, but it suited him quite well.
It seemed that after dressing properly once, he had reduced his resistance to women’s clothing.
“Are you feeling any better?”
“······.”
Leopard silently looked up at me.
It felt like the roles had reversed.
Today, I had lost my body and experienced all sorts of chaos, yet I was the one asking Leopard if he was okay.
“What about the marquis?”
“He’s gone. He said he was visiting the Papal Office.”
“I see.”
Leopard then lowered his head again.
Without any response, he just stayed still.
It was starting to get frustrating, but I decided not to scold him or pressure him.
I could somewhat understand why Leopard was acting like a forsaken stray dog on a rainy day.
“Make yourself comfortable. Oh, is he going to leave when the marquis returns? Lately, it seemed like you and the marquis were a bit uncomfortable with each other.”
“Hey······.”
It seemed I had unknowingly pressed the trigger.
Leopard lifted his head, stood up, and crossed the table to approach me with his long legs.
His eyes finally regained some life.
“I asked if you felt better earlier, right? My condition is at its best. I’m so full of energy that I don’t know how to contain it. Are you prepared to pay the price for bringing me into the marquis’s empty villa?”
“Ah······.”
Leopard grabbed my wrist and pushed me onto the sofa.
Then, he leaned over me, bringing his face close as if to steal a kiss.
His hair, just finished with a shower, brushed against my face, filling the air with a pleasant scent.
In the past, I might have been scared at this moment.
Thinking that he would pounce on me again.
But why was I not scared at all now?
Was it because Leopard was wearing women’s clothes?
Or was it because I knew that he was someone who often unintentionally made others dislike him due to his clumsiness in relationships?
“You. You’re going home.”
“What? How do you know that?”
“It’s obvious. Did you think I would hate you like this? Did you think I would be glad that the damn bastard disappeared when you suddenly vanished?”
“······?!”
He abruptly lifted his head and raised his body.
If he had stayed still, our lips would have touched.
However, Leopard immediately blushed and stepped back, avoiding me.
As expected.
“Who would do such childish things!”
“You know it’s childish. How immature.”
“You, damn······!”
“And you. You were present at the scene when I was subdued earlier, right?”
Leopard’s face turned a shade of embarrassment in an instant.
It was a look that seemed to ask how I found out.
Faint remnants of memories lingered, including the moment Leopard stood nervously facing me.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to predict the flow that would follow.
If I was rampaging under Aerial’s memory, Leopard would not have simply stood by.
If he was the Leopard I knew, he wouldn’t have let the marquis face me alone.
“How did you······? Wasn’t the memory erased?”
“I know everything. Because you are that kind of person.”
“What do you know about what kind of person I am?”
“I at least know that you would go to any lengths for what you think is justice. You would sacrifice anything for your goals. You wouldn’t hesitate to seal Aerial yourself.”
“······.”
Leopard’s face softened.
Seeing his expression, which looked like he might burst into tears at any moment, it seemed my words were indeed correct.
The sorrow of having to kill his past love was written plainly on his face.
I decided to drive the final nail in.
“It must have been hard, right?”
At those words, Leopard’s expression began to contort.
His eyes trembled slightly as he tried to maintain an angry face.
As he flinched, on the verge of tears, I gently touched his cheeks.
“You did well. And thank you so much, Leo.”
“Julia······!”
Leopard burst into tears and hugged me tightly.
Neither the marquis nor Leopard had revealed that Leopard was present at the scene.
Had I not figured it out, they probably planned to hide it until the end.
But if that were the case, Leopard would have to bury this sadness deep within him forever.
He would have to endure the pain of having to kill the loved one who had returned alive all alone.
What Leopard needed was not something different.
“Waah······!”
“That’s right.”
A simple word of comfort, and my gratitude.
That would have been enough.
Leopard buried his face in my chest and poured out his sorrow.
I gently patted his head and stroked him slowly.
Soon, his sobbing began to subside and was replaced by warm breaths tickling my chest.
It seemed he had finally calmed down.
“Have you cried enough? Then let go. It’s gross.”
“Sob. Ha. Sniff······.”
“Hey, hey! What are you doing right now?!”
Only then did I realize.
This guy had been naturally burying his nose in my chest and smelling me.
Panicking, I struggled to pull Leopard’s face away, but of course, I couldn’t overpower the hero’s strength.
This pervert·····!
