HRB 148

Eddie instinctively shoved Ketron’s body away. Ketron, who didn’t boast about his strength anywhere unless it was for Eddie, was immediately pushed back.

“Mr. Augustine.”

“Well, Mr. Paki. It’s been a while.”

I had no idea how long he had been there, but he greeted me with perfect composure. He was a quiet man for someone of his large build.

He, who had been smiling broadly, realized that Augustine was the reason he had been pushed back and looked at his displeased friend, speaking teasingly.

“No wonder, you disappeared quietly one morning and came back. I remember you saying you went for a walk.”

“…….”

“When I asked where you went, you said you went for a walk? Since when has infiltrating the Imperial Palace been a walk?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s great news that you’re healthy as a man, but…”

“Augustine.”

“I told you to just hold on a little longer until the welcoming ceremony, but you couldn’t resist ignoring me and coming all this way. Why didn’t you just go back to the Imperial Palace that day and stay there?”

The face that asked “Huh?” was clearly full of mischief, but the content was anything but. His words had teeth.

Eddie, whose vision had turned blurry upon realizing Augustine had heard the entire conversation from the beginning, looked at Ketron with an expression of utter shock at the subsequent words.

“Ket, you…?”

Ketron avoided Eddie’s eyes.

So, he couldn’t wait until the welcoming ceremony and had broken through the Imperial Palace’s strict security alone to see Eddie, and today he came all this way alone again without any welcoming ceremony?

It made sense that if the Hero had arrived, Eddie would have been notified. But in the quiet surroundings, he had come alone to see Eddie, only to cause such a major incident.

“Please don’t worry too much. I’ve spun it as the Hero’s Party yielding their protagonist roles to the soldiers for the welcoming ceremony. A welcoming ceremony for the subjugation team should be prepared by now.”

Indeed, Augustine was an expert at damage control. In the novel, he was always busy cleaning up after the accidents caused by the Holy Sword, its wielder, or Arthur. Even now, he was moving quickly to minimize the damage.

“Oh, Mr. Paki.”

Augustine, who had reassured Eddie, suddenly seemed to remember something and looked directly at Eddie.

“I heard that the disposition of those individuals has been decided. I didn’t hear any details, so could you perhaps explain briefly?”

“Those individuals.” Though it wasn’t explicitly stated, no one in that room was unaware of who he was referring to.

It was about Arthur and Boram. Their story.

On the day of the hearing, which was akin to an interrogation for Eddie, the final decision on their fate had been made, so Eddie was aware of the outcome.

And both Augustine and Ketron were people who deserved to know the details of that outcome. Eddie slowly opened his mouth.

“Arthur… for reasons unknown, his mental state has reportedly deteriorated significantly. He avoided execution, but he will be in prison for a long time. As for Boram, I heard she will be serving in the army without rank. She herself wishes for it.”

It was true that the two had committed wrongdoings, but in the end, in events related to Eddie, they had only been used by the Demon King’s schemes. Neither of them had committed direct murder.

Of course, their fraudulent scheme to deceive the entire world was a grave offense, and they were given a punishment befitting it.

Both of them were permanently stripped of their noble titles.

Regarding Arthur, no one knew what had happened to him, but rumors of his recent instability were rampant. Ultimately, a long prison sentence was expected, and Boram was ordered to serve in the army without rank to utilize her abilities.

Even if they were used, the victim was royalty. An attempt on the royal family’s life should, under any circumstances, be punishable by the most severe penalty. However, Eddie played a significant role in them receiving relatively light punishments.

It wasn’t because Eddie forgave them, but for Ketron’s sake, and for Augustine’s sake.

The judgment was that if the final outcome for a comrade who had faced death together was the ultimate penalty, then no matter what, the two of them would not be at peace.

Augustine, after pondering Eddie’s words for a long time, let out a small sigh after a while.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Ketron said nothing in particular. Throughout Eddie’s explanation, Ketron had only been checking Eddie’s condition. When Eddie mouthed “Why?”, Ketron simply shook his head as if it were nothing.

Augustine, who had been stroking his chin and lost in thought for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.

“Mr. Paki.”

“Yes.”

“Not long after I returned, His Majesty the Emperor quietly summoned me and gave me an order.”

“My brother?”

“Yes, to monitor Arthur.”

Although Augustine was from the temple, he played a role in mediating between the Emperor and the temple, who had a strained relationship.

With his unique diplomatic skills, instead of being treated as a rat clinging to the Emperor despite being from the temple, he took on the role of a guardian deity, mediating the conflict between the two factions. The order he received from the Emperor was precisely that.

To monitor Arthur.

One of the reasons he had been summoned by the Emperor several times was because of this.

After his return, Augustine, while finding Arthur unfamiliar, had made time to visit him several times purely because of that order.

Of course, even though it was surveillance, unlike the Emperor, Augustine had no suspicion that Arthur was a fake Hero. He only found his changed comrade uncomfortable and did not actively try to monitor Arthur.

This later became a source of regret for him.

“I should have taken it more seriously then.”

If he had, perhaps he could have prevented many things.

All that remained was regret. Although he too had lost his memories, if he had paid more attention to Arthur and stopped his futile dreams, Arthur might not have worsened, and Eddie might not have been so badly hurt.

Eddie, glimpsing the regret reflected in that bitter smile, shook his head resolutely.

“Augustine.”

“Yes.”

“You did nothing wrong.”

He had done his best every moment. It was simply a current that he could not stop. Everything.

Augustine merely smiled at Eddie’s words.

Augustine, a stronger person than Eddie thought, quickly regained his composure. As if he had never worn a bitter smile, he spoke cheerfully.

“In any case, while your reunion is wonderful, I need to report first. I’ll be heading down now. Others should be arriving soon, so please don’t go to your rooms and come down shortly.”

He said with his usual playful remark, waved his hand, and descended from the third floor without hesitation.

Even if Augustine managed to smooth things over to some extent, there were many things that would not be accomplished without the Hero, Ketron. Eddie urged Ketron to go down quickly.

“Eddie.”

However, as soon as Augustine’s presence disappeared, as if he had been waiting, the man called Eddie’s name and, with his large build, clung to him as if begging for affection. How could Eddie push him away?

Eddie, with a dazed look, blinked at the fact that the cat, who had been quiet without causing any trouble, had caused such a major incident, and finally hugged his broad back.

After all, Augustine would have fully expected that the two of them wouldn’t come down immediately like obedient children, so perhaps it was okay to be a little late?

Ketron’s incident, when you thought about it, stemmed from his desire to see Eddie quickly. Eddie didn’t want to repeat his scolding multiple times.

In the end, unable to resist his heart, which was endlessly weak when it came to his cat, Eddie tightly hugged Ketron’s relatively thin waist compared to his solid chest.

Leaving behind his self-judgment that it wouldn’t make much difference if the cleanup was a little delayed, given the accident that had already happened, Eddie held Ketron in his arms for a long time.

Finally, it was a reunion.

Augustine’s boast that the entire subjugation team would be the protagonists of the welcoming ceremony proved to be accurate.

The parade didn’t seem to be held as Ketron had refused it, but a grand welcoming ceremony was held to greet the hard-working subjugation team, and the Emperor generously opened the imperial coffers for them.

Even without a parade, flowers and silver coins were scattered on the streets by the Emperor’s command, just like before.

Great rewards were promised to the survivors and the fallen. On that day, it seemed like everyone in the empire was happy.

“…Brother really likes flowers and silver coins.”

Eddie, looking down at the festive streets from below the window, chuckled and drew the curtains.

Fortunately, he didn’t feel the same bitter feeling as when he first saw the parade.

Back then, he had felt complex emotions watching people be happy without realizing the forgotten true Hero was lying in front of his house. But now, he knew where the Hero was and had seen him standing on the path of glory with his own eyes.

Augustine, who had resolved the issue, and Gerold, who had diligently cleaned up after Ketron’s disappearance, looked tired. Ebon, upon meeting Ketron, immediately started growling.

However, their interactions felt closer than before the subjugation team had departed.

Eddie, feeling like the cat cohabitation had been successful, said something like “I’m glad they’re getting along,” only to see Ebon jump up in protest.

Shortly after, Sebastian, who had rushed to the inn upon hearing the news of the subjugation team’s return, hugged Gerold so tightly that Gerold, flustered, blasted Sebastian away with magic. It was a minor incident, but by that evening, everyone had naturally gathered on the first floor of the inn.

Since the inn didn’t yet have the facilities to cook anything, they asked Danny to bring food and drinks directly from the Imperial Palace, naturally turning it into their own small party.

In a way, it was their own welcoming ceremony and parade.