─ ─ Operation Brave Return ~ Anyway, think of a good excuse!
Haruki named it. That's a long time, so I'll abbreviate it as a repatriation operation, but here's an overview of it.
First, Cecil works super hard. Let them work like carriages and guide public opinion within the Empire.
Specifically, a brave man makes you pity and sympathize, and eventually directs you to a certain thought.
"If I can recall it, I should be able to return it."
The way to do it is extremely easy. First spreads the rumor that the brave men are forced to abduct them and are forced to kill each other with demons even though they are only children. And oh wondrous. At the aunts' wellside meeting, rumors instantly spread throughout the city. That is the hallmark of this world without media. I used to do bad things too, and my mother got mad at me for hearing rumors within the day. The wives of this world are very quick to hear.
Next, while Cecil is guiding the thought, we'll consolidate the scaffolding.
There are two main scaffolding to consolidate.
The first is on the imperial side. This one, you can ask the emperor. It's a simple civil engineering project where Haruki, who knows how to repatriate, just needs to declare that I'm staying.
The second is the brave ones. This one is a little more difficult. Because when it comes to Spring Tree staying, Teacher and Rutsuki always disagree. You must say that I, the teacher, will stay. Ruzuki will always show some resistance. Haruki will do his best to hold back the resistance between the two of them, but he won't dare to be hit.
So here I am at last. Using a pawn named Archet, he tells us that he is searching as hard as he can right now. However, tensions on the part of the Empire are at a peak, and it is not good if we do not return them immediately. So I left only the strongest spring tree in this, and the others told me to go home.
If you still can't, I'll take responsibility, or I'll tie you up and send you back. Worst case scenario, let's put him to sleep.
And the plan is that if all goes well, there will be a brave repatriation. There are elements that are going to break a little, but let's not do it until it's critical there. At the end of the day, it's a trick.
… is the plan in the table.
In fact...
"Lord, isn't it unusual to call"
"Coming, Cecil"
The plan in me is more complicated.
"Cecil, how's the public opinion manipulation going?
"Daimyo, I just said I'm seeing an end. It's time to throw in the last gunpowder."
Hmm, so now the public opinion is, 'A brave man is pitiful...'
"Thankyou, I'll play the reward for this one."
"Cool, let's hope. And the reason you called me in is, what? Also, can I interpret it as something I've come up with that's a good idea?
"Hey, when did I do something that wasn't good! I haven't done anything good lately, have I?
What the hell kind of bad guy am I in this guy? No, I'm not saying he's a good guy, but I don't remember doing anything that bad.
Especially since I think we've been doing good here lately. He helped liberate the slave kingdom and also helped Gotagota within the Empire. In doing so, I destroyed the city a little, but there would be room for circumstance. I'd be surprised if it didn't.
"Ha... well. Let's move on. … the content of this job is that I want you to make contact with the Emperor. Direct. And I want you to make contact with the wizard who you think will join the Brave Return. It's all confidential. And you can give my name to the Emperor, but use this money for the rest. Ultimately, I want to have a meeting with all of them at the time of their repatriation. Ask me not to divulge it to anyone and make up a good reason."
I put the details of this request together in my mouth, and I asked Cecil for the details.
"Kukku, I accepted. In confidence, right? Can I ask that criterion?
"Well... don't let anyone in the brave get away with it"
I don't mind being distracted by anything else. I've already decided to be ready.
As a friend, I said I'd send them back anyway.
─ ─ Later.
Cecil brought me in contact with the Emperor, and I came to an empty house. There were no lights on there, and the emperor was waiting in one of the dark rooms. In Cecil's story, this place seems to have been deliberately prepared by the Emperor.
"What's a secret story?
The busy emperor gets to the point quickly.
"I need to talk to you about the Brave Return. I failed to capture the killer."
"... I see. But the folks have just regained some calm, too. I don't think you need to rush it.
"No, no, how about that?
If it is true that in its present state, the country is stable, so there is nothing wrong with it. But there's a fire in the arsenal.
"... are you willing to threaten me? Is that who changed the tide against the brave?
"Oh, you're a prospect. That's right, it's all in my hands. That's why I want you to pull in on that hand too."
"I don't know. Why are you putting your shoulders in the brave? Think about it, it was odd from the beginning. What's his purpose?
Is that what I want?
"Phew."
I exhale briefly and calm my mind.
It's okay. There's nothing wrong with that.
"... I am a reborn from the same world as the brave men. And in my previous life, I went to the same school as them."
I was born in this world and revealed who I was for the first time. It's some kind of preliminary exercise. From what the emperor has known, it has nothing to do with my life.
Even though I knew that, there was still fear somewhere. That's probably because I felt like a draw that had been revealed to anyone before.
To my confession, the emperor only raised a single eyebrow, and nothing else reacted. But Cecil, who was behind him, leaks a laugh as if he couldn't enjoy it.
"Kukuku, the Lord was already funny from the moment he was born"
"... are you out of your mind to feel like you're making fun of my readiness?
When I glance at Cecil half-eyed, Cecil quickly-lowers her hat and flushes it to cover her face. But the shoulder, which could not be hidden, was shaking with a pull.
Fucking laugh...!
It's a secret that Cecil's attitude was delighted when she was so angry that she couldn't help but change her mind. Don't even bring it to the grave.
Because I was aware of that feeling, I immediately put up a sip and sighed one sigh and turned back to the Emperor.
"Now you know what I'm here for, don't you?
"... let's hear one"
The emperor, who did not break his arm and raised his face slightly, turned his strong and glowing eyes to me, even in the darkness.
"Was that why the killer was obsessed with them?
"I'm not happy. It's a favor. That man is the one who killed me over there. On the contrary... he is also the man who was killed by me. We're like enemies to each other."
I don't know what kind of vendetta you're fighting for. It's like he was alive as a result, so there's no resentment in itself.
However, I think we need to make amends for the sin of killing people in this world. If you can, I made the cause indirectly, but with my hands.
So if he leaves, the threat of a killer leaves?
…………
I just had a very valuable experience.
You're a sacrifice. This is the first time I've ever been told to face something targeted. Should I be clean at a time like this? Or should I cry?
Can someone tell me if you have any sacrifice experience?
I questioned my unique skills.
─ ─ … Cancer.
Answer me! Oh, my God, who is it?
─ ─ …………
Answer me!
... Calm down. All I'm saying is what the dead say. Never mind.
Don't be confused.
I sighed one thing and when I calmed my mind down, I decided to come back to it.
"Well, anyway, I want to send them all back without revealing who they are to the braves. But Haruki finds out who he is, and he insists he stay in this world. So we need to scratch the back of the spring tree. Please help me."
I offered my right hand softly. Once the emperor dropped his gaze on his hand, then turned to the front again.
"If we don't cooperate, what happens?
"You don't have a choice not to. You'll have to help us soon. [M] If that is the will of the people."
I don't have any other options from the beginning. I am now threatening the Emperor.
Me and the emperor's gaze intersect. It was not a glare, but both continued to stare at each other without opening their mouths for a while.
The first to lose was the Emperor. In the midst of a stare, various things passed through its eyes, and the resulting answer was:
"... then let's make terms even here. If you're going to accept that condition, I promise I won't take the earlier story out of this place."
That was the thing.
"Chip... come that way. If you don't get the terms, you're gonna leak Haruki or something else."
"In the first place, you were the one who threatened me first and made me take that foot myself."
The emperor has no choice but to shame his own shallowness for not taking enough account of me. Distracted by the fear of revealing who I am, I am foolish for not thinking about the possibility of being exploited.
"So, what are you gonna do? You're not gonna tell me you're not willing to send back the brave man, are you?
"I don't mind talking about the brave repatriation. Even summoning them in the first place was a well-known Iris ploy. If you mean to crush the anxiety element in this country, I will not disagree. Let's also cooperate. But then there will be no brave men. No more brave absences are preferable."
Is the absence of the brave not preferable? But...
"In the first place, is there some kind of brave army system? I can only cause instability in my country..."
I didn't understand why I was holding a brave man until then. I think it's over if the emperor says a word about abolishing the brave system.
"I can't do that. Because the presence of the brave will be the hope of this country and therefore of the world."
"I think it's only the other way around."
"Sure, it is now. But the presence of the brave is essential on the day of calamity to come. For generations, our emperor has been searching for that brave man. He who has the power to pay for the calamity."
Who has the power to pay for disaster?
Is that the brave man?
"Heh, that sounds like an interesting story. Is that some kind of information?
"It's the first emperor. Those are the words left by the emperor who survived the time of disaster." Sooner or later, give everything to the hero who will pay for the evil that will appear. "
Everything... what did you think left me with those words...
Even so, a hero who pays for disaster? Isn't that a word I've heard lately?
The sword that pays for darkness and the hero that pays for disaster.
If you can identify darkness with calamity, it seems like a set of calamity-paying swords and people can.
Maybe it was the hero that truly awaited that ruin.
"In other words, is the brave system the true purpose of finding and supporting the hero who pays for that disaster?
"It will. Perhaps the emperors of the past, with such intent, have created a system of bravery, I believe."
So you can't lose it? Sure, even at Setouchi, where the country will perish, I don't know if I know that disaster is coming and I don't want to abolish it...
"Still, I think it should be abolished..."
"Where it has been abolished, it is visible that accusations are gathered. But if a truly strong brave man obtains the consent of the people, the country will not be desolate."
"That means that the conditions..."
That's an unpleasant condition...
"Yes, it's better to be brave."
In the end, he strangled himself. Without drinking this condition, the return of the brave will not come true. But I'm not kidding about being tied to this country.
But if you don't take it, they'll tell you all the secrets of this plan.
The point is, tell them to throw one away.
But where I've become a brave man, can I be with someone who truly pays for disaster?
What kind of disaster is that in the first place?
If there's a big outbreak of demons, you just have to take them down, and there's got to be some fighting power you can do that to make a sacrifice. The first emperor would bother to say that?
Then there is nothing that can be done about calamity and misery. And there's a hero that everyone should know about when people cross a disaster, two.
If the first emperor says a hero will appear alongside them, then disaster is an evil god.
Assuming the Evil God is a disaster, the hero who pays for it is the one who kills the Evil God and saves the world.
... saving the world?
Is that the word? Because of you, I've heard that recently.
"My purpose is to save this world."
............... No, I don't think so. Because he...
'... no, he's dead'
So... there's such a stupid story...
'... it must have been over a long time ago, but I'm not allowed to die completely. That's why I called you. To finish it all......'
But... it all connects.
What I saw, what I heard. Everything connects.
The more I think about it, the closer I get to one answer. There are many elements that support that answer. But there are no elements to deny.
Is that you...?
"It's my job to stop the annihilation of the world"
Nord, who are you - a god-killing hero...?
My heart beats badly. My breath gets rough, as if I've been running.
What is this...? My body is so hot.
But it feels so good.
I know. This feeling.
My father took me to the lake for the first time.
When I rode on the back of Wearinese and saw the valley of dragons from the sky.
I felt the same way.
But more than that, I want to scream harder, hotter, right now. The more my body seems to screw off, the louder my heart sounds.
What can I say?
I'm not just excited. I want more. I want more. I want more. I'm screaming that it's not enough.
So this is what you're saying about traveling the world?
"What's wrong?
My heart just jumps out of my chest, and I'm intensely excited.
I must be laughing right now. I don't know what face you're laughing at, but you must have a face I've never shown anyone before.
Just a little more, I want to taste this. But I can't stay without telling someone about this excitement.
"... the true brave man... is in the capital of death."
…… What are you talking about?
The emperor looked like he didn't know why. But I wanted someone to know, and I saw Cecil's face, and I screamed.
"So there you are! Well, he was the hero who defeated the evil god!
You two just have to keep up, you don't know how I feel. But my excitement didn't chill a bit when I saw those two chilled attitudes. Instead, I asked those two to understand and raise their voices.
"Cecil! Find out how the Death Capital lives! Any little thing.... right! Fairy god might know. I'm gonna ask you something!
I couldn't stay or stand, and I tried to jump out of there. But Gah grabbed the emperor's shoulder and stopped him from moving.
"Calm down a little"
"Can this calm down? ⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉⁉\8265
I want to go to the death capital right now. Even if everything else is pompous.
Knowing or not my excitement like that, the emperor tells me quietly, holding my shoulder strong.
"But that's where no one's ever been, is it? If you don't think about it calmly, you can probably get there."
The emperor's calm demeanor looked cool to me.
Is this the adult?
And I thought. You don't lose me like I do, you don't get excited. I always think calmly about things and keep looking ahead.
Second, if you missed your gaze, Cecil had a nibble on her face, too, but she wasn't disturbed.
"... ok"
I, once I took a deep breath, squealed like that.
I'll apprentice these two, too. I agree that you can't just panic and do nothing.
"... what I noticed was that maybe one of the" God Killer Heroes "might be alive."
"Kuku, the Lord really entertains me. If that's true, it's an overly interesting development."
"Right? I don't expect the day to come to share my emotions with you, but it's the funniest and most exciting. Besides, he's in the capital of death where no one's ever been. This is for sure. And he says I have to go there to get out of there. Yay... When I arrive at the capital of death, I may die of too much excitement."
Did Cecil understand this excitement, her voice playing more than usual? I'm just glad I had company and talk about Pepper and Nord.
"Hmm, I don't know what that means. Can you tell me why?
"The rationale is a strange thing that happened to me. I've had weird dreams, reincarnated, heard phantoms, and talked to him when I hung up on him. I don't know how to be clear. But that's the basis. He makes it easy for us to do things we don't know. Don't you think that's the power of 'The Hero of God Killer'?
If I may add, that indescribable fear. Not against being robbed.
What an early man whose strength of being equals God. But if he killed God, it's no wonder or nothing.
"It's weak to say some ground... well, fine. If what they say is true, I know what the will of the First Emperor means."
"Then you don't need me to be brave."
Then that's what happened, and I quickly went to the fairy god, and when I turned my heel back, he grabbed me by the shoulder again.
"Wait. I'm not done talking to you yet. Would their purpose be my cooperation in the return of the brave? Then the conditions will remain the same."
"No, no, were you listening? When I'm a brave man, I can't find the capital of death."
I don't care if it's just a name, but I won't let you travel the world on your own.
"I know. You can do whatever you want with it. But we need a replacement until the true brave show up. Nothing necessarily requires a brave man to be there."
"Instead...?
Instead... Honestly, I don't care, do you mean to find my replacement?
You want me to write to Dick?
No, I don't want to disturb your childhood dreams. Did Sylvia and the others just... become impossible? Lucy... that's not a brave pattern.
After that... it's about Ghoul... but I don't even want him to do what he doesn't want...
"Lord, one thing, okay?
"What?"
"Why don't you open a brave selection exam?
Brave selection, exam......?
"... that's it!
That's right, if you're the strong guy who actually opened a tournament like that and won it out, then nobody's complaining. As things stand, that's what makes this country the strongest.
... No, wait?
That's... what if we do it every year?
Then the criticism ends in a year, because the strong will always be the brave, and they will take turns in a year.
Sometimes you say good things, Cecil. I thought I was just suspicious.
"It's settled. Take a brave selection exam once a year."
This was the beginning of a brave selection exam - once a year, ten years later to be called otherwise - that sparked a vortex of fanaticism beyond the martial arts.