Episode 17: It seems like he's working behind the scenes
Kingdom of Fafnir. At the royal castle.
In a room deep inside the castle, an old man was lying on a bed.
"Ugh... my back hurts... my body feels heavy..."
The man's name was Alhazred Fafnir.
He is the 30th king of the Kingdom of Fafnir, which celebrates its 500th anniversary this year, and he is the one who summoned the five high school students, including Uta, to this world.
The king is forty-five years old.
Although his body is gradually weakening, he is not yet old enough to be considered old.
However, the king looks much older than his years and is now barely able to stand or walk.
The reason for this was... in order to direct the hatred of the four heroes towards the demons, the king used his soldiers to kill Uta and make it look like the demons were behind it.
The plan quickly fails, as Uta, who killed the soldier, causes the king to age by more than twenty years.
The current king's physical age is in his late sixties.
If the King had been born in Japan, a country known for its longevity...or if he had come from a developed country with good welfare and medical care, he would not be at an age where he could no longer walk properly.
However, in a different world where medical technology is underdeveloped, being in your sixties is equivalent to being elderly.
The king was no longer able to get out of bed and lived his life crying out in pain and resentment.
"Damn you... brat... damn you...!"
The King's wrinkled face contorted as the pain radiated from his aged body.
I can't forgive Uta for putting me in this state.
Even though he was "unemployed," he couldn't help but hate the boy who had belittled him.
(But... revenge is not easy. That boy possesses an unknown power...!)
Uta reduced the guards to dust right in front of the king.
The soldiers who ordered the killings will likely be in the same situation.
What's more, he was able to teleport calmly to the king's quarters, which was supposed to be sealed against interference from spatial magic.
There's no way he was "unemployed." He must have been disguising his job in some way.
"Damn you... this won't end like this. This won't end..."
"Your Majesty, excuse me."
There was a knock on the door from outside.
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The familiar voice of a chamberlain came from behind the door.
"We have guests. They are from the temple."
"H...! I was just in there!"
Once permission was given to enter, a group of suspicious people wearing hooded robes stepped into the King's living room.
There were seven people, wearing deeply pulled-over hoods, of unknown age and gender.
The back of the white robe is decorated with a pattern of burning flames.
The man in the lead robe looked at the King on the bed and spoke.
"Your Majesty the King, I heard you called."
"Ohhh... I'm glad you came...!"
The King forced his aching body to raise his torso and bow his head.
The man who should be the most powerful person in the Kingdom of Fabnir was humbly treating the robed man.
This is something that would normally not be possible.
"Please excuse me for greeting you from my bed. Priests of the Fire Temple."
The robed figures were priests who worked at a place called the "Temple of Fire."
The "Temple of Fire" is a religion that enshrines "Flare the God of Fire", one of the Six Great Gods, and is widely worshipped by the human race, including the Kingdom of Fafnir.
The authority of the temple transcends the framework of a nation, and is so great that the Kingdom of Fafnir, which is merely the king of a single country, cannot compete with it.
"You say you would like to ask for our help, but what are your requirements?"
"This country just summoned a hero. Did something go wrong?"
"Your appearance... you seem older than when I last met you. Tell me in detail what happened."
The priests all asked.
The King explained the events that had occurred from the summoning of the hero up until the present day.
"So... you were aged by that foreign object called 'Hanakiru Uta'?"
After hearing the whole story, the priest let out a suspicious voice from under his hood.
"Turning a person into dust... this is possible. It's an application of the earth attribute. If it's a powerful petrification spell, such a phenomenon should be possible."
"But, teleporting beyond the barrier. Disguising your job. And... you can't use magic that ages humans."
"The magic of manipulating time is the work of the gods. It is forbidden for mere mortals to use it."
"It's heresy"
"I must kill him. I must destroy him."
"We must not tolerate anyone who would disrupt the order created by the Six Great Gods."
"......!"
The king cheered inwardly as the priests let out angry voices.
The priests before me are the strongest forces of the Fire Temple.Flare's HandFlare Force'.
He was a wizard with the power to destroy a town on his own, and was no match for the castle's soldiers.
"The battle against the Demon King. The Six Great Gods' playground... no interference allowed."
"We will eliminate this Hanakiru Uta."
"You are merely using a slightly strange power. You are no match for us, who have been granted the protection of the great god Flare."
The priest at the front, who seemed to be the leader, nodded to the priests who were burning with fighting spirit.
"That's true. However, we can't all go together. If we put all our energy into exterminating the bugs, the name of 'Flare's Hand' would be in disgrace."
The priest in charge of coordinating the group pointed at three of his subordinates.
"Number two, Red Flame. Take command of the operation."
"Yes, sir."
A large, robed figure placed his hand on his chest in acknowledgement.
From the rough voice coming from under the hood, I could tell it was a man.
The man's code name is "Red Fire." He is a power type fighter who specializes in destruction and slaughter.
"No. 4 'Green Fire'"
"yes"
The next person to be nominated was a slender figure.
The voice is androgynous, and it is impossible to tell whether the person is male or female based on their voice and physique alone.
Codenamed "Green Fire," he is a magician with a power that could be called a special attack against the teleportation ability that Uta will likely use.
"No. 7 'White Fire'"
"…………"
The last person nominated was a small person who looked like a child.
He was silent and held his hand to his chest, and it was unclear what expression was on his face beneath his dark robe.
Codenamed "White Fire," he possesses the ability to nullify magic, an extremely rare power even in this world, and should be able to erase even Uta's dust-turning power.
"Go hunt down the heretic known as Hanakiru Uta. I will not tolerate the enemies of God."
「「「…………」」」
The three of them disappeared from the room.
They must have chased after Uta who had left the castle.
"Uh... hmmm."
Looking at the priests from his bed, the King groaned.
There were three "Flare's Hands" who possessed overwhelming fighting power.
No matter how powerful the boy who had rendered the king unable to get out of bed was, he would surely be able to defeat him.
However... a sense of unease crossed the King's mind.
(Is that really true? Shouldn't all seven of us go out together...?)
The "Hand of Flare" is the greatest fighting force that the "Temple of Fire" boasts.
With three of them together, it's even possible to destroy an entire army.
It's more than enough force to kill one person. In fact, it could even be said to be excessive.
(But still... why am I feeling this uneasiness...?)
An impulse similar to restlessness clawed at the King's heart from within, but he was unable to voice it.
There was no way they could give their opinion to the priests who had power greater than that of an entire country.
Any attempt to doubt their power would be taken as an insult and they would turn their blade against the King.
"You'll be paid as usual. Of course, that's fine, right?"
"…………Of course."
Suppressing the anxiety deep in his heart, the king nodded at the words of the priest.