Ryu had been relaxing and enjoying the sights of the capital, since he hadn't been summoned by the king. But a few days later, in the morning, he finally received a summons and headed to the palace.

Upon arriving at the palace, Ryu was led to the throne room. The king sat on the throne, with Prince Rezild standing beside him.

Sophie and the Chancellor were standing a little further away, next to the throne.

Ryu could see Reynard in a corner of the room. Several knights stood around the room, forming a circle. Apparently, Reynard had become the captain of the royal knights, so he was probably guarding the king.

On the opposite side of Sophie and the others, stood three people Ryu didn't know. A knight stood a little behind them. From their position, their distinguished attire, and their haughty attitude, Ryu assumed they were a high-ranking noble, a member of the royal family, and their guard, which was correct. They were Duke Joldo, his sons, and their guard knight.

King Largo: "Ryujeen, good to see you."

Ryu: "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

King: "Yes, I have a few things I want to ask you."

Ryu: "?"

Prince Rezild: "We are grateful for your efforts in the matter of the Chagamga Republic. Let me express our gratitude once again."

Rezild: "But what we want to ask you about is... regarding the matter of the Red Demon Empire."

At that moment, the Duke, who had been looking unpleasant since he had disliked Ryu's impudent attitude, finally couldn't hold it in anymore and spoke up.

Duke: "Let me say it! You there, Ryujeen, was it? You are accused of treason, for collaborating with the Red Demon Empire and leading them into our country!"

Ryu: "...What? Who are you?"

Duke: "I am Duke Joldo da Garriza! What is this attitude?! This is before the royal family! How dare you be so disrespectful, you lowly commoner! Kneel!"

King: "Ah, he says he is afflicted by a curse that prevents him from using polite speech. You should forgive him."

Rodan: "I doubt such a curse even exists!"

Ryu: "And you are...?"

Rodan: "I am the Duke's heir, Rodan da Garriza, you insolent fool!"

Duke: "Words aside, you should be able to kneel. If you are not a traitor who will harm our country, that is."

Ryu was caught off guard.

He had been lying about the curse that prevented him from using polite speech. It had been a light-hearted joke, a bit of fun, but he couldn't say that now. It wasn't a good situation to have the royal family know he was lying. His disrespectful attitude was included in the curse, and it would be too obvious to claim that now. He had to obey in non-verbal ways to avoid lying.

Ryu reluctantly knelt.

Come to think of it, he had been in emergency situations all along and had never knelt before the King. Since the King wasn't the type to be very particular about manners, Ryu had remained standing all this time.

Ryu: "...Is this how it's done?"

Ryu didn't know how to kneel properly, so he simply knelt on one knee.

Duke: "Hmph, alright. Ryujeen, confess honestly. You're actually a spy for the Red Demon Empire, aren't you?"

Ryu: "That's not true..."

Duke: "Then why did the Red Demon Empire army retreat after you negotiated with them?"

Ryu: "It wasn't negotiation; it was a battle... Didn't I report it? I fought the boss of the enemy. We didn't reach a conclusion, but the enemy said they were unwilling to continue because they were taking too many casualties. That's why they left."

Duke: "So, the enemy was frightened by your strength and ran away, you mean? You want us to believe that?"

Ryu: "It's the truth, so what can I do?"

Duke: "First of all, they say that the Red Demon Empire that attacked was actually made up of Demons, specifically Vampires. But do Demons even really exist?"

Rezild: "Ryujeen, do you have any evidence? What happened to the bodies of the Vampires you say you killed? The investigation team that entered the lord's mansion later reported that they found no bodies that appeared to be Vampires."

Ryu: "I don't know. They may have collected the bodies... or maybe Vampires don't leave behind bodies when they die. The boss who escaped had a skill that allowed him to Mistfy his body."

Rodan: "Stop with the lies! You have no evidence! It's all based on your reports! You expect us to believe that?"

Ryu: "The bodies of the magical beasts I killed were there, weren't they? Those magical beasts were all species I had never seen around Mimir."

Rodan: "We have reports that those magical beasts are sometimes seen around Valeed, near the border. If you were a spy, it wouldn't be strange for you to have brought magical beasts from your country. Besides, I can't believe that you, single-handedly, defeated such a large army of high-level magical beasts."

Sophie: "Ryu's power is real. I saw it with my own eyes."

Rezild: "That's... probably true. I also saw Ryujeen's strength during the war against the Republic. It's not impossible for him to have wiped out a large number of magical beasts alone."

Rodan: "...You?! This guy?! He doesn't look strong at all!"

Rodan approached Ryu, who was still kneeling, and stared at him.

Rodan: "It's still suspicious! Just capture him and torture him. He'll confess everything! Why aren't you doing that?"

Rezild: "To arrest him based on mere suspicion, without any evidence... Besides, there's no one who can capture him."

Duke: "Is that because the royal knights are all cowards? I'm willing to lend you the Duke's knights if you want."

Rodan: "Sir Reynard! You, who was once called the Sword Saint, do you agree?"

Reynard: "Yes, I admit it. Ryu's strength surpasses that of even a Sword Saint. There is no knight who can capture him."

Rodan: "...You're lying! You're probably protecting this man. It can't be that even the Sword Saint is in cahoots with him. Wasn't it rumored that you were in the same town, Mimir, as Ryujeen before you became the captain of the knights?"

Rodan's words, insinuating that even Reynard was part of the spy ring, made Reynard angry.

Reynard: "...If you really can't believe it, why don't you try? I hear that you're quite skilled with a sword, Prince Rodan?"

Rodan: "Interesting! I'll accept your challenge!"

Taking the bait, Rodan drew his sword and pointed it at Ryu.

Ryu: "...Uh, is it okay to kill him?"

Sophie: "It'll be troublesome if you kill him, but it's fine to spar with him a little."

Sophie spoke to Rezild, but he remained silent, looking troubled.

Rodan: "Hey, someone hand him a sword."

One of the knights standing nearby handed Ryu a sword.

Rodan: "Don't worry, I won't kill him. But prepare to lose a limb or two?"

At that moment, Ryu's eyes glowed golden.

According to his appraisal, Rodan's level was...

...34.

That was a veteran level for an adventurer, but it meant nothing against Ryu. He would have to hold back significantly, or it would be overkill.

Ryu: "So, you're saying it's okay to cut off a limb or two if I don't kill you?"

Rezild: "Ah, if possible, could you please refrain from going that far? Healing potions are not cheap."

Ryu: "Don't worry about healing. I'll heal you."

Rezild: "You can use healing magic too?!"

Hearing that exchange, Rodan became angry and attacked Ryujeen.

Rodan: "Don't underestimate me!!!"

But Rodan's sword swung through empty air. He swung again and again, but he couldn't even touch Ryu.

Rodan had already begun to pant after swinging empty air over a dozen times.

Rodan: "You! Stop running away and fight me!"

He thought that if his opponent attacked, he would create an opening that he could exploit to win.

But...

To be Continued...

Next Time

The Duke's confident knight challenges Ryujeen!

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