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The whole palace was alive with chaos as wild animals roamed freely, but the church nearby remained eerily quiet.
Underneath the moonlight, the Pope examined the golden ring in his hand, an unsettling smile contorting his features in the dead of night.
"Shield Hero, this time you will accept justice without resistance!"
This devious plot had been woven by the Pope himself. He orchestrated the theft of the king's golden ring, intending to frame Jason for it. In his twisted mind, it was all part of a noble trial.
In his eyes, no matter how vile his actions were, he represented justice itself. For him, the ends always justified the means, as he considered himself a messenger of God.
What the messengers of God did could never be deemed dirty; it was simply a form of dedication.
For the sake of a brighter future, he believed it was a noble sacrifice to let oneself become stained by darkness.
"Shield Hero, if anyone is to blame, it's you for posing a dire threat to my plans. You, who stand against my great cause, can only be eliminated!"
The Pope tightened his grip on the ring as his smile morphed into a menacing grimace.
Over the past month, Jason's rapid and terrifying growth had made the Pope feel massively threatened. Thus, he devised this conspiracy to ensnare Jason in a web of injustice.
As for the other brave heroes—Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki—the Pope dismissed them entirely. He felt no threat from them and believed they would ultimately serve as pawns to further his ambitions.
"My Lord Pope!"
At that moment, a robed man approached from behind and knelt before the Pope.
"Deliver this golden ring to the baron!"
The Pope turned, his seemingly benign expression reappearing.
"Yes, Your Excellency," the man in the robe affirmed, taking the gold ring before swiftly vanishing into the night.
Shortly thereafter, the baron was roused from his sleep by a rustling sound and discovered the golden ring beside his bed.
Realization washed over him—this was the promise ring exchanged between the kingdom and the queen, and the Pope had indeed sent it.
As joy flooded his heart, the baron hurriedly and carefully tucked the ring away.
Time: More than two hours ago, shortly after the disaster wave receded.
"Listen closely... When the Shield Hero arrives, you will deliberately throw this golden ring in front of him. Do you understand?"
In a shadowy alley not far from the city gate, the baron spoke in hushed tones to a man.
"Yes, I promise to complete the task."
The man glanced at the ring in his hand and nodded in agreement.
"Remember, do not raise Shield Hero's suspicions."
"Don't worry, my lord baron. You've emphasized that point 800 times. It's practically ingrained in my brain."
"Am I not justified in my worry? If Shield Hero discovers my involvement, it'll be my end."
"It's just a gold ring. Do you really need to be this anxious?"
"You don't grasp the significance of this matter, nor do you need to. Just fulfill your role, and we'll be fine. They're approaching; get ready."
The baron, concealed at the alley's entrance, watched as Jason led Raphtalia toward the city gate.
"Got it, I'll take care of it," the man affirmed.
He pulled a black hood over his head and stepped out of the alley with a lowered gaze.
As he brushed past Jason and Raphtalia, the man deliberately bumped into Raphtalia, letting the gold ring slip from his fingers and clatter to the ground. He made a swift exit, leaving the scene behind.
As Raphtalia was struck, she halted immediately, her gaze drawn to the shimmering gold ring that had fallen to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Jason turned his head to look at her.
"Someone bumped into me just now and dropped this thing. Huh... Where did that person go? Why did they vanish so suddenly?" Raphtalia looked around, perplexity etched on her face as she searched for the man, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Show me the ring."
Jason took the gold ring from her. His instinct kicked in, and he immediately sensed something amiss—an aura of conspiracy hung around the ring. He tucked it away for safekeeping and resumed walking toward the weapon shop.
Time: More than an hour ago.
Location: In the palace hall.
The king was receiving a report from the deputy head of the Knights of the Kingdom.
"Hey~~~ Where's your team leader?" The king eyed the knights in front of him with suspicion.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the captain was unfortunately killed during the disaster wave," the deputy head knelt on one knee, omitting any mention of Jason's involvement.
He understood that if the king knew Jason had killed the captain—regardless of the circumstances—the king would surely issue an order for Jason's execution. After all, Jason had been the one to save Lute Village, and the deputy head didn't want the hero to fall victim to political machinations, so he chose to conceal the truth. Perhaps this was what it meant to help out of utilitarian motives.
"Really? Let's prepare a proper burial for him, and you will act as the temporary head of the Knights," the king waved a hand dismissively, his expression remaining largely unchanged in the face of the loss.
"understood!" The deputy head nodded, standing up and making his exit from the hall.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the Baron hastily entering. Curious, he stopped.
"What's the matter?" The king frowned, irritated by the baron's impatience, which seemed uncharacteristic for a noble.
Realizing he was being somewhat rude, the baron straightened his appearance, knelt, and forced a smile. "Your Majesty, I have found the person who stole the ring."
"What? Who is it?" The king's interest piqued, and he rose from his chair.
"That person is the Shield Hero: Jason!"
Upon hearing these words, the deputy head quietly began to absorb the shocking revelation as he slipped out of the hall, understanding the inevitable political fallout that might ensue.
Time: presently.
Jason and Raphtalia had just finished showering on the second floor of the weapon shop.
In a hurry, Lex burst through the door, took a moment to catch his breath, and asked directly, "Boss, may I ask... is Lord Shield Hero here?"
He was the one tasked by Jason with keeping an eye on the happenings within the palace.
"Looking for the Shield Hero, are you? This guy really thinks he's at home," the boss sighed, but then added, "Brother Shield Hero is indeed here. You should wait a moment; he'll be down from the second floor shortly."
Not long after, Jason emerged with Raphtalia, the two of them radiating a pleasant fragrance from their recent wash, with Raphtalia appearing satisfied and refreshed.
"Lex? Is there something urgent?" Jason immediately noticed Lex sitting in the chair next to him.
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