Chapter 141: The one lurking behind the scenes

「Kyou. Thank you so much for everything. 」

「I thank you, too. 」

「Don’t worry about it. I was just doing what I had to do. 」

After the conflict ended, Shin and Alisha immediately thanked me.

By the King’s decree, Shin and Alisha officially became members of the royal family and lived in the royal palace without any worries.

At first, I cultivated monsters to solve the country’s food shortage, but before I knew it, I discovered Alisha’s secret. Then, after being kidnapped by a Manticore, I became deeply involved in Shin’s survival and the resulting problems at the royal palace.

But it wasn’t me who solved these problems; it was Shin and Alisha themselves.

I merely helped them; it was only thanks to my friend, Dorage-chan, that the King’s illness was cured.

「But it’s because of you that my sister and I are able to live together again. So, hmm…thank you so much, Kyou. 」

Alisha’s cheeks flushed red, and she expressed her sincere gratitude as well.

It was as if her slightly cocky demeanor from a while ago was a lie, perhaps because she was pretending to be a man. And now her occasional girlish behavior made me smile.

「By the way, what about the food problem? The ones I raised in the wasteland should have grown without any problems. 」

「Yeah, Kyou helped us out a lot with that too. Now we’re able to harvest many monsters we’ve never seen before in that area, and most of them are very popular in town. The Jack O’ Watermelon in particular is becoming a local specialty. 」

「I see, that’s good to hear. 」

Alisha’s answer made me sigh in relief.

It was great that the food problem, our original goal, seemed to be quietly being solved.

That said, I still intended to stay here for a while longer until the current monster cultivation environment was completely stabilized.

「Well, it’s about time we returned to our home country. 」

Rostam and Zahak were already preparing to depart.

「Rostam, Zahak, thank you so much for coming all the way from your Empire to help us. 」

I bowed my head and thanked them as they set off.

In some ways, these two performed even better than I did in this conflict.

Without the information they compiled and the deductions they derived from it; we wouldn’t have been able to corner Masauda.

「Don’t worry, Cultivation Hero. I told you, if you ask for our support, then we’ll come no matter where you are. 」

Then, Rostam placed his hand on my shoulder, as if to say that this wouldn’t change in the future.

Hmm. These guys looked really incredibly reliable.

As I was thinking about this, Zahak’s expression became quite troubled.

「What’s the matter, Zahak? 」

「Well, there’s something that’s been bothering me about this incident… 」

「What’s been bothering you? 」

「…The events leading up to this conflict, and more specifically, the discovery that Shin was still alive… 」

Shin was taken aback when Zahak suddenly called his name, and I shared the same thought.

What on earth did that mean?

「…Kyou. You, as a monster cultivator, came to this country, and the Manticore that was raising Shin kidnapped you. From there, you discovered Shin, and then you rescued him and participated in the Royal Battle. It felt like everything was planned out so well… 」

…Zahak certainly had a point, but wasn’t he overthinking it?

After rescuing Shin, Masauda immediately responded by declaring the Royal Battle, and the Royal Battle began after Alisha was injured. It certainly seemed like information spread quickly, but it could still be considered a coincidence.

As I was thinking about this, Zahak muttered something in an inaudible voice.

「…And also, that Manticore said he’d heard about me from “a certain person”… 」

「Huh? What, Zahak? 」

Something about Zahak’s muttering was bothering me, so I asked him again, but he just replied…

「…Nothing. Perhaps I was overthinking it after all. Either way, this matter has been settled. So, I must accept that as a good thing… 」

「You’re right. Brother has always been overly skeptical. This whole thing is the result of their own efforts. So, we should all praise them for that. 」

In response to Rostam’s words, Zahak smiled and said.

「…I agree. 」

「Well then, Cultivation Hero… Arabian siblings, may you live happily ever after. 」

Alisha and Shin both smiled and replied frankly to Rostam’s words.

「Yes! 」

After hearing their replies, Rostam and Zahak also smiled and disappeared.

—

「Damn you…! You think you can get away with locking me up in a place like this!? Hey, are you even listening to me! 」

The place was a basement in a detached building of the royal palace.

There was a room there for members of the upper class, such as royalty and nobility.

However, in this case, it only had one purpose: it worked as a prison for nobles.

A man appeared in this prison room, heavily guarded by soldiers.

It was a sorcerer, clad entirely in black robes.

「You’re the sorcerer! 」

Upon seeing the man, Masauda, ​​who had been imprisoned in the room, cried out.

At the same time, he regained his haughty attitude, as if relieved.

「It has been a long wait. Now, get me out of here. Quickly! Of course, you made arrangements for me to flee the country. Right? 」

Masauda ordered the sorcerer, who had been by his side until just yesterday, but the sorcerer’s demeanor toward him remained calm.

「Lord Masauda, ​​first of all, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to confirm the abilities of the monster cultivator who came to this country. His powers are truly genuine. His ability to cultivate monsters not only allows him to create existing monsters, but even new ones. That means that with his power, even extinct monsters can be cultivated. 」

「…? What are you talking about? 」

Masauda frowned at the words that came out of the sorcerer’s mouth.

However, the sorcerer seemed to ignore Masauda and began to speak eloquently.

「Above all, it was his ability to motivate people that fostered Prince Shin and Princess Alisha rare growth. It was precisely because of you that they worked so hard to overcome their obstacles, and as a result, their growth brought about positive changes in this country. In a sense, you played a part in stimulating the world’s evolution. Let me express my gratitude for that. But, after all, the love between siblings is a wonderful thing. Love for family is the most beautiful and radiant bond I have ever known. 」

「What are you talking about!? 」

Masauda screamed at the sorcerer before him.

But the sorcerer’s gaze upon him was cruel and cold, a look that Masauda had given to a useless pawn, just as he had done so many times before.

「Lord Masauda. I’ve come here today to declare my decision to step down from my position as your aide. Well, this seems far better than a normal prison, and I’m sure it won’t be too inconvenient for you to spend the rest of your life in this place. Except for the fact that you’ll never see the light of day again, of course. 」

Masauda’s face turned pale at the sorcerer’s words, and he leaped forward, clinging to the sorcerer’s feet.

「Wa…Wait! I’ll do anything! I’ll give you anything you want, so just get me out of here…」

「…That’s impossible. You cannot give me what I want. And most importantly, what I want…only that monster cultivator can do it. 」

And with that, the sorcerer disappeared.

All that remained afterwards was Masauda’s scream-like pleas, echoing throughout the room.

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