"The hero Zect and the others are stuck in the town!? Did something go wrong!?"
It's still early in the journey to defeat the Demon King... and the hero party is stuck in such a place...? It would be natural if there was a natural disaster that destroyed a bridge or something like that, but no such report has been received for a while now.
"That's the thing..."
"What's the problem? Tell me what's going on! You're in charge of reporting, so I won't get mad at you..."
"Yes! The church and the guild report that a party member has been expelled, but there seems to be... a problem."
Expelled? That party consisted of four members (a hero, a saint, a sage (wise man), and a sword saint), plus one member.
Three positions can't be expelled, so it must be the last one.
"You don't need to tell me, but the one who was expelled was Ceres, the magic swordsman, wasn't it?" The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l-B(j)n.
"Yes, that's right!"
"So, Ceres-dono... has he been officially expelled according to the church or the guild?"
"According to the story, the situation is so outrageous that Pope Romaris and the Adventurers' Guild are discussing it and have decided to treat him as a separate party for incomplete records."
"What a shame... they should have just 'expelled' him..."
"My King... it's too much for Ceres-dono to bear... he's done so much for us... so much..."
"'So much dedication from such talent,' is that what you're trying to say? I'm saying the same thing. I'm trying to say that if he's expelled, my kingdom will welcome him... Do you think I won't recognize your words, you who have never in your life stood up to me... who you would defend him with the words 'it's too much for Ceres-dono to bear'?"
This man, Otta, will never stand up to me... so much so that he is known in the court as 'the eternal yes-man'... and yet he is the one who advises me... However, he is not so incompetent that he does not see the value in himself... Even prime minister Dober says, 'No other man is so gifted like him'... and his value to me is immeasurable.
"T-Then..."
"If he were expelled, we could work to win him back... meaning, if my visit would move him, I'd be happy to go."
"I'm sorry I spoke out of turn... when the king was so thoughtful."
"I forgive you... everyone knows how important he is! A 'Dragon Slayer,' a title said to be a lifetime honor once received, was given by the King or the Pope himself. He is a great man who has qualified to receive the title several times... and I gave him that right without a face-to-face meeting because I couldn't give it to him due to the hero party. He is a special person for me too, and I understand your feeling of admiration too."
Not only is he strong, but his writing, which was probably written by Ceres on the hero's behalf, is refined. His plans are also so good that Prime Minister Dober could have put his stamp on them without even looking at them. You see, this Prime Minister Dobell is the one who criticizes even the documents made by ministers and civil servants, but he admits Ceres excellence... and I have seen the papers several times. They are as good as those of a skilled civil servant... Recently, I heard that the handwriting has worsened because Ceres was expelled from the government.
"Huff~ Will you do something about it?"
"I think it would be best to separate him from the hero for the time being."
"And what about Ceres-dono?"
"According to our information, he has returned to his hometown."
"Then, simply send a message to our hero, Zect, that he must keep moving forward."
"I understood..."
By the way... the hero doesn't bring any benefit to the Dhamar Kingdom.
They say "Demon King," but for the Demon Kingdom to invade this kingdom, they'd have to go over Galban Empire and the Holy Kingdom Gandhar.
Without destroying those two countries, we'll be safe for a few hundred years.
Besides, the hero will go on a journey to defeat the Demon King. There will be no benefit to this kingdom when they leave this kingdom, because they are only fighting against demons and demons.
Even if the capital is in danger, it is basically impossible to call them back. Even if they are called back, if they are far away, the capital will be 'finished' by the time they reach there.
The fact that we continue to pay money to such a meaningless existence for the sake of a mere decorative honor of the "land of the heroes"...it's really ridiculous.
It's not only about money... if the Demon King is defeated, I must also arrange the engagement between my daughter, the second princess, Marin, and the hero...
"For now, there is not much we can do, but since Ceres-dono is leaving. We should do what we can to help... Otta, you will be in charge and take action."
"Yes, I will act immediately, my King."
The kingdom doesn't need the hero... but we need Ceres to act when the time comes... to fight off even the dragon species...