TWEM Vol. 8 Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – The Peace Treaty

After having lunch at the royal castle, we returned to the mansion.

That said, I didn’t really have anything I wanted to do back home.

Which meant—for the first time in a while—I could finally relax.

“Ughhh… I’m bored!”

“Isn’t there anything you want to do?”

“Well, I mean… I guess figuring out how to return home would count. But that’s more of a long-term thing.”

“Then let’s take it slow.”

I decided to check in with Ellis about the analysis of the Hero Summoning magic circle.

Back when we were summoned to this world, I’d asked Ellis to analyze the summoning array, thinking it might contain the technique for interdimensional travel.

If we could decipher it, then maybe—just maybe—we’d find a way to open a return gate to Earth.

《Current analysis progress: 90%》

Ninety percent!? That’s basically done!

《Thanks to Master’s awakening, the analysis speed has increased several fold. Estimated time until completion: eight days.》

And what about the outlook for returning to Earth?

《Unknown. However, if the Hero Summoning array can be fully deciphered, the chances of success will rise significantly. At that point, we would need to create a new return spell.》

Got it. Let me know the moment the analysis is complete.

《Understood.》

As my conversation with Ellis ended, Finne tilted her head curiously.

“Were you thinking about something?”

“Hm? Just the return method. That summoning array is about 90% decoded now. It’s almost done, but I’ll still need more time to figure out the exact method once it’s complete.”

It wasn’t Finne who reacted to that but Suzuno.

“Haruto, are you serious!? Ninety percent on the Hero Summoning array!?”

“I’m serious. I’ve left the analysis to the support persona within my skill. It should be done in eight days.”

“We can go home!”

“Calm down. Just because we decode it doesn’t mean we can go home right away.”

“Is that so?”

Ephyr asked, so I gave her the full explanation.

“Yeah. What we’ll get from this is just the technique to travel to another world. If we’re not careful, we could end up in some completely different dimension. We also don’t know how much magic it’ll require. Plus, I’ll have to create a new spell entirely, so that’s when the hard part really begins.”

“I see… Sorry for getting ahead of myself.”

Suzuno apologized, but I couldn’t blame her; I’d felt the same way.

“I was just as excited when I first heard. Don’t let it get you down. Once the analysis is done, we’ll be that much closer to going home. It’s a good thing, really.”

“Yeah! You’re right!”

As we chatted for a while longer, Finne brought something up.

“Haruto… come to think of it, didn’t Fran say something during the fight with Chronos?”

That’s right. She sure dropped a bomb on us during that battle.

Suddenly, the sparkle disappeared from Finne, Iris, Suzuno, Kuzel, Ephyr, Ilmina, and Charlotte’s eyes.

“A-Ah, that wasn’t something I was involved in! I mean, I don’t even really get it myself!”

“…Is that true?”

“It is! I don’t even know why she said that!”

I scrambled to defend myself. Damn it, Fran… was she teasing me? Or was she serious? I honestly had no clue.

They all stared at me in silence for a while, until Finne let out a sigh.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. Fran was really worried about you during that fight.”

“I should probably thank her later.”

“Yes. So for now, you’ll be sitting in seiza* for one hour to reflect.” (TLN: the formal, traditional way of sitting in Japan.)

“Got i—wait, what?”

“That’s your punishment for trying to add another fiancée!”

Finne puffed her cheeks, and the others all nodded in firm agreement.

“Haruto, you sit right there and think about what you’ve done!”

With Iris’s pointed finger sealing my fate, I sat down on the hard floor and began my seiza punishment in silence.

A week passed in the blink of an eye since I woke up.

Not because I was particularly busy, but between relaxing at the mansion, stopping by the merchant guild, and preparing for my speech at the signing ceremony… time just slipped away.

And now, the day of the treaty signing had arrived without any issues.

“Haruto-san, are you seriously going like that?”

Finne looked at my outfit and asked with a concerned tone.

“Haruto, this signing ceremony is going to go down in history. You can’t seriously be wearing your usual outfit…”

“She’s right. The whole nation will be watching. You could at least try to look the part…”

Charlotte and Ilmina chimed in as well, also staring at my outfit.

I was wearing my usual black gear.

It was just what felt right for me.

“This is fine. Dillan said I could wear what I usually do, didn’t he?”

“But even if they told you to wear formal clothes, you wouldn’t change anyway, would you?”

To Iris’s comment, I responded with a firm “Of course not.”

No matter what they said, I wasn’t going to change.

“That’s just like Haruto, honestly…”

“Indeed. Suzuno is right.”

“I suppose so…”

Suzuno, Kuzel, and Ephyr all nodded along.

If I was fine with it, then it was fine.

I wasn’t about to dress up like some pompous noble for this.

“Well, let’s head out then.”

“Yeah, we’ll be in trouble if we’re late.”

“We’re just using teleportation anyway.”

“Lately, you stepping outside the mansion causes quite a scene…”

Finne gave a wry smile.

The others looked just as tired of it.

I guess it really was exhausting to be swarmed by crowds every time we went into town.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I made sure everyone was ready and teleported us to the royal castle.

Our destination was a special room in the castle set aside just for us; to use as a teleportation arrival point whenever needed.

I knocked on the door, and a moment later, it opened to reveal Zebas: Sebas’ younger brother and the head butler of the castle.

“Welcome, everyone. I see you’ve arrived safely.”

“Is everyone already gathered?”

“Yes. His Majesty, the other kings, and even Demon King Fran have assembled in the hall. I’ll guide you.”

We followed Zebas through the corridors.

As we walked, he suddenly turned to me with a question.

“Sir Haruto, is it true you’ve taken Demon King Fran as your wife…?”

“—Pfft!?”

I nearly choked.

What the hell was that!?

Why is it suddenly a done deal that I married Fran!?

“Zebas… where did you hear that from…?”

“Why, from Lady Fran herself, of course. She declared it proudly in the main hall. Just a short while ago, in fact.”

“You’re kidding. Finne… what do I do?”

“I don’t know. This is your fault for being such a shameless flirt, Haruto-san.”

She turned away from me in a huff.

The others did the same, offering no help.

All I could do was hang my head and sigh.

“This way, please.”

Zebas knocked on the large double doors.

“Sir Haruto has arrived.”

As the doors opened, I stepped inside and was immediately met with the gazes of royalty: King Dillan of the Kingdom of Perdis, Emperor Oskar of the Galzio Empire, Pope Liebert of the Holy State of Belifaire, and representatives from the adventurer and merchant guilds.

I’d attended meetings between rulers before, but this was the first time I’d stood before them all in person like this.

The pressure was… intense.

“Hmm. Right on time,”

Oskar said, looking straight at me.

“I honestly thought you’d show up late, too busy flirting.”

“Come on, don’t mess with me. I know better than to do that—especially today.”

“Is that so? Hey, Demon King—what’s your take?”

Oskar shifted the conversation to Fran.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, dear husband?”

The room fell completely silent at Fran’s words.

I shot her a glare.

“You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Husband, how could you abandon me like this!?”

I could feel the daggers Finne and the others were shooting my way.

Please. Please. Stop bullying me…

I sent a bit of pressure toward Fran, making her flinch and break into a cold sweat.

Even so, she wouldn’t back down.

“It wasn’t a joke to begin with! Haru saved the demonfolk—and he saved me! I genuinely love him!”

Fran’s feelings honestly made me happy.

When I looked at Finne and the others, they just nodded, like they already knew.

“I see. Then stay by my side from now on, too.”

“Y-Yes! Of course!”

Fran blushed as she threw her arms around me.

Still, I really wished she’d consider the place.

Ahem—Dillan cleared his throat, and Fran’s face turned crimson in an instant.

“Haruto… just what exactly are we being made to witness here…?”

Everyone was giving me looks of disbelief.

“S-Sorry…”

“M-My apologies…”

Fran and I bowed our heads in sync.

After I took my seat, they explained the sequence of events for today’s signing ceremony and my speech afterward.

Honestly, I was only here to give a speech as one of the war’s key contributors; technically, I wasn’t even part of the treaty itself.

Wait a minute…

“…Do I even need to be here?”

Everyone turned to stare at me.

“What nonsense,” said Oskar. “This peace treaty wouldn’t exist if not for you. You earned your place here. Not to mention—you’re engaged to the Demon King and four princesses.”

“…I guess that’s true.”

“Exactly. Besides—you’re the main character here, remember?”

Main character? Is he talking about the speech?

Just as I was about to ask, Dillan whispered something to Oskar.

“Emperor of Galzio, that part is still a secret.”

“Ah—my apologies. Forget I said anything, Haruto.”

I definitely didn’t forget. I heard everything loud and clear with my enhanced hearing.

Oskar smiled in a way that made it obvious he was hiding something.

If they’re going to such lengths to keep it under wraps, it probably has nothing to do with the speech.

As I mulled it over, Dillan changed the topic to deflect suspicion.

“Well then—time is short. Let’s move on.”

He gave Zebas a signal, and Zebas bowed deeply.

“Allow me to escort everyone to the outdoor venue where the signing ceremony will take place.”

We were led to a large open-air stage and took our seats.

Finne and the others waited offstage.

Each of the rulers had a designated seat on the platform, and a massive crowd of citizens had already gathered below.

Once we were ready, Zebas began the ceremony as the master of ceremonies.

He introduced the kings, Demon King Fran, and the heads of various guilds one after another.

“And finally, as the official witness to this treaty—we welcome the hero of the war, EX-Rank Adventurer, Sir Haruto.”

So I was the witness, huh…

Well, I guess that does justify me being here.

As I rose to my feet and bowed, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.

After the cheers settled, a parchment was brought forward.

The leaders signed one by one.

Lastly, I added my signature as the official witness, marking the completion of the peace treaty.

Multiple copies would be made afterward; one for each country to safeguard.

Apparently, I was getting a copy too. Not that I needed one, really.

Once the signing was over, the crowd erupted in cheers again, and the speeches from each representative followed.

Finally…

“And now, to conclude, our official witness—Sir Haruto.”

I rose and stepped forward.

From the platform, all I could see were people.

Thousands of eyes were on me, it almost made me flinch.

But I closed my eyes once, opened them slowly, and began to speak.

“As you just heard, I’m Haruto. People call me a hero… but honestly, I’m not one. I don’t think the title suits me at all.

Even defeating the Evil God wasn’t something I could’ve done alone.

It was because everyone gave their all.

Every person who fought is a hero, a warrior in their own right.

This victory belongs to all of us.

So first, let me express my deepest respect and gratitude to those who stood and fought to save our world.”

I paused, then continued.

“Now that the leaders of every nation have gathered to sign this peace treaty, I believe the bond between humans and demons will grow even stronger.

A world without walls between races—where we support and help one another.

As a witness, and as a fellow human, I wish for nothing more than peace for this world.”

I bowed and returned to my seat.

As soon as I sat down, the venue erupted in thunderous applause.

That’s when I noticed Oskar looking at me.

“What now?”

“I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you were capable of giving a speech like that.”

“Of course I can. I want peace too, you know.”

“…You’re right. I hope peace truly comes.”

“It will. A peaceful world isn’t far off now.”