"Gone. The silver coins, the chainmail, all gone." After searching and finding the room completely empty, he started to panic.
"The casual clothes I kept just in case are gone too. Were they stolen while I was asleep?" Thinking this, he became flustered. But his first thought was still to discuss it with Myne.
Thinking this, he rushed out of the room, went to Myne's door, and began knocking hard.
"Myne, this is bad! Our money and equipment are gone! Are you still sleeping? Wake up, Myne! This is really bad!"
Before Naofumi could finish speaking, he noticed many soldiers approaching him.
"You're the city's knights, right? Perfect, listen to me..." Seeing Myne not responding, but the knights right there, Naofumi was about to ask them for help.
"You are the Shield Hero, right?" Before Naofumi could finish, several more knights appeared behind him, interrupting him.
"Yes." Hearing the knight's tone, Naofumi felt something was wrong.
"The king has ordered your presence. Come with us." After hearing Naofumi's answer, the knight spoke directly.
"Huh?" Hearing the knight's words, Naofumi became even more confused.
Afterwards, Naofumi was directly arrested by the knights and escorted all the way to the palace.
...
Bang bang!
Meanwhile, at Takeru's place, a knight knocked on Takeru's door.
"What is it?" Takeru walked out and looked at the knight coldly.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but Sword Hero, the king requests your presence. The other Heroes have also been notified." Feeling Takeru's cold gaze, the knight inexplicably felt a chill and spoke respectfully to Takeru.
"I see." Hearing his words, Takeru nodded indifferently.
"The carriage is ready. I'll wait for you outside." Hearing Takeru's words, the knight spoke again, nervously.
"Okay. Give me a few minutes." Hearing his words, Takeru said casually.
"Yes. I'll wait for you outside." Hearing Takeru's words, the knight dared not show the slightest disrespect. As he spoke, he quickly left the spot.
"Takeru-sama!" At this moment, Via came out of the adjacent room. She had heard the knight knocking and quickly came out.
"Wait for me here today. If you're bored, you can practice your magic. Your casting speed and power are too weak." Looking at Via, Takeru spoke directly.
"Uh, yes, I will work hard, Takeru-sama!" Hearing Takeru say this, Via dared not argue in the slightest.
After speaking with her, Takeru entered his room, summoned clean water to quickly freshen up, changed his clothes, and then left the inn. Once outside, the knight looked extremely respectful toward Takeru.
Takeru ignored this man who was respectful on the surface but resentful inside. As long as there were no signs of him taking action, Takeru couldn't be bothered with him.
Getting into the carriage, the knight quickly drove the horses toward the palace.
When Takeru arrived, he found the king and his ministers already waiting. Besides them, Itsuki had also arrived.
"Good morning, Takeru." Seeing Takeru arrive, Itsuki smiled and greeted him.
"Good morning." Seeing his smile, Takeru slightly curved his mouth in response.
Not long after, Motoyasu walked in with Myne. His face was filled with anger. Moreover, the armor he was wearing was exactly the armor Naofumi had worn yesterday.
After nodding to him in greeting, Takeru didn't say much.
"King, why have you summoned us today?" Itsuki asked curiously.
"It is a heartbreaking matter, concerning the Shield Hero. Alas, let Myne explain everything." Hearing Itsuki's words, the King spoke with a pained expression.
"Itsuki-sama, Takeru-sama, please seek justice for me! Last night, I was resting in my room when the drunken Hero broke in in the middle of the night and tried to assault me. If I hadn't managed to escape while he wasn't paying attention and found Motoyasu-sama next door to ask for help, then I would have..."
Hearing the king tell her to speak, Myne embellished the story.
"That bastard doesn't deserve to be called a Hero alongside us!" Seeing Myne's pitiful, delicate appearance, Motoyasu said angrily. Itsuki also looked indignant. Only Takeru remained expressionless, unreadable.
Within three minutes, Naofumi was escorted into the palace by soldiers and was roughly pushed to his knees on the palace floor.
"What's going on?" Treated like this, the confused Naofumi quickly noticed Myne beside Motoyasu.
"Myne, are you alright?" Seeing Myne, Naofumi's first words were to ask about her safety.
Hearing Naofumi's words, Myne looked terrified and hid behind Motoyasu, pretending to be extremely scared.
Seeing Myne's actions, Naofumi was stunned. Noticing the angry or indifferent expressions of the people around him, he was completely in the dark.
"King, all my possessions and non-shield equipment were stolen while I was sleeping. Please catch the thief!" Although he sensed the strange atmosphere, thinking of his own situation, Naofumi prepared to report first.
"Silence, you vile person!" Hearing Naofumi speak, the king shouted angrily.
"What do you mean?" Sensing the king's extreme anger, Naofumi was stunned. Takeru could also sense the king's genuine anger and disgust. Of course, this wasn't because he was angry about what Naofumi supposedly did to Myne. In fact, this was a play staged by the two of them.
"What do you mean?" Sensing the king's anger, Naofumi was stunned.
"Poor adventurer, Myne. I'm so sorry, but could you please bear witness again?" Hearing Naofumi's words, the king continued.
"The Shield Hero, drunk, suddenly barged into my room and pushed me down. He said, 'It's not dawn yet', and forcibly tore open my clothes. I barely escaped and begged for help from Motoyasu-sama, who was staying in the same inn..." Describing the events again, this time Myne had tears welling up in her eyes.
Hearing Myne's description, Naofumi was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place. "What is this?"
"If Myne hadn't said it was better to wait until morning to call the knights, I would have killed you on the spot." Sensing Myne's fear and pain, Motoyasu was furious.
"What are you talking about? I finished my meal yesterday and went straight to my room. That's right, that chainmail... was it you who stole it last night?" Hearing Motoyasu's words, Naofumi became extremely angry himself. Then he noticed the equipment he had bought yesterday on Motoyasu.
"Who stole anything last night? This was a gift from Myne when I met her at the tavern yesterday!" Hearing Naofumi's words, Motoyasu hugged Myne with one arm and spoke mockingly.
"The Shield Hero has committed the most unforgivable taboo in our kingdom." At this moment, the king stood up and announced.
"Taboo?"
"In Melromarc, attempted rape is punishable by death. If it weren't for your status as a Hero, you would be executed immediately!" Hearing Naofumi's confusion, the king shouted loudly.
"Death sentence? I told you, this is a misunderstanding! I didn't do it! If you're so sure, show me the evidence! Evidence!" After a moment of shock, Naofumi tried to defend himself further.
"After searching the Shield Hero's room... we found this on the bed." Hearing Naofumi demand evidence, a knight spoke hesitantly, taking out a purple piece of underwear.
"Don't!" Seeing the purple underwear, Myne looked as if she had seen something unbearable, her face showing endless humiliation.
"Beast!" Hearing Myne's scream, Motoyasu shouted angrily again. The other ministers and maids also looked shocked.
"This is undeniable evidence!" The king declared directly.
"Why... I didn't have that when I woke up." Seeing this, Naofumi spoke through gritted teeth. After discovering the chainmail missing, he had thoroughly searched every drawer and cabinet in the room. There was absolutely nothing on the bed either.
"What a shame. I initially thought something was strange about this situation, but now... You don't think just because you're a Hero you can do whatever you want, do you?" At this moment, Itsuki also looked deeply pained, feeling disdain for Naofumi deep down.
As for Takeru, he sighed lightly and directly closed his eyes, looking like he couldn't bear to watch.