“Listen, everyone. The weapon used by the knight who split the monster’s head and destroyed its heart was…”

“…”

“A bow.”

At the Pope’s words, the audience murmured. Calis, who had been quietly tense from behind, seemed to face his impending doom as he quietly sighed.

Amidst the growing noise of murmurs, one voice stood out unusually.

“What kind of nonsense is this, Your Holiness?”

It was Cedric’s voice.

The Pope addressed Cedric Theodore, the representative of the Sahir Empire’s army.

“If a shot to the monster’s heart is claimed to be with a bow, and assuming Duke Argen used a sword while Lady Friede used a bow, it means the hero who defeated the monster would be Lady Friede.”

With the Pope firmly nailing down the statement, Cedric remained silent. He, who had risen in excitement and stood up, soon sat back down with a disappointed expression.

The Pope turned his attention away sharply as the murmurs faded away.

Confessing falsehoods before the gods, attempting to gain their favor. The Pope’s attitude towards Calis, whom he once regarded with suspicion, had suddenly reversed. Doubt was evident in his face towards the accused.

“Duke Argen, please share your thoughts on this matter. Did you, perhaps, try to ascend to the position of an honorable knight with a false statement?”

To this, Calis, taken aback, defended himself.

“No, Your Holiness! Planning such a malicious act! I simply made a mistake. I, too, exerted effort to deal with that malicious monster. It was just a coincidence.”

He was always eloquent when it came to defending himself.

Speaking with a tense face, as he reached the end, he sighed with relief. Even from my perspective, it was a plausible defense.

“A mistake and coincidence.”

Until the Pope strangely repeated the words.

As the Pope’s eyes moved beyond Calis, the traces of Ichae, who had been standing there, disappeared without a trace. It seemed as if the remaining trust had crumbled.

“Duke, do you know about this?”

“Yes?”

“There’s no trace of a sword hitting the monster’s head.”

“…Yes?”

“It means your claim is not valid.”

The Pope gestured beyond the platform. It was a signal to lift the monster.

Soon, the Holy Knights waiting behind approached solemnly. As per the Pope’s request, they lifted the monster’s body into the shining chandelier light.

Then, the wounds of the bloodless monster were clearly revealed. As the fur was parted, small holes were pierced near the head skin around the heart.

“Look. This is a wound created by the bow. There are no other wounds around the heart. Not even near the head!”

Afterward, the Pope directed attention towards the monster’s belly.

“And this is a wound created by the sword.”

Finally, the Pope pointed at the raw flesh on the monster’s belly.

“Duke, I’ll ask again. Did you really make a mistake?”

“…Y-Yes.”
“If you claim you didn’t know even the basic fact that to annihilate a monster, you have to destroy its heart…”

“W-Well…”

“Is the Duke, who willingly participated in the hunting festival, genuinely committed to eradicating monsters?”

Under the Pope’s persistent and sharp suspicion, Calis tightly sealed his lips. Now, there were no meaningless words like ‘so’ or ‘thus’ coming out of his mouth.

Becoming an incompetent hero or turning into a villain trying to intercept glory with lies.

“I d-didn’t…”

Calis’s choice was easy.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the Pope raised his voice solemnly.

“Do not claim ignorance, Duke.”

“…”

“If the hero of the century didn’t know such a basic fact, I, as an old man who once admired you, cannot help but be disappointed.”

It was a warning.

Moreover, there was a suspicion in the Pope’s eyes that he had guessed Calis’s words were false.

Calis, who had been cornered, finally spoke up. Without saying a word, he just lowered his head.

Then, the Pope, with a mocking tone, questioned King Sieghardt.

“Can the Kingdom of Sieghardt tell us about Duke Argen’s contribution to the hunting festival?”

“Your Holiness, if it’s about his contribution…”

“Exclude this monster, and just tell us how much the Duke contributed to the hunting festival. It would be even easier to judge if you mention the grade of the monster stone.”

Eventually, a servant in charge of the overall hunting festival under King Sieghardt stepped forward. He handed the prepared documents to the king first.

King Sieghardt, scanning the documents with a serious expression, nodded after a while.

As the tense servant approached the Pope with the documents, the Pope, who had been seriously reviewing the papers, eventually lowered them. There was a sense of futility in his limp arms.

“Nine low-grade monster stones…”

Even in the softly uttered voice, the same emotions were embedded.

The hero of the century presenting a meager achievement of only nine low-grade monster stones!

The surrounding nobles seemed to share the same thoughts, as each of them whispered to themselves.