--Your real name is Mitsurugi Sora. And there's no doubt about it, right?


　When the Pope asked me about it, I couldn't help but widen my eyes. I didn't expect the name of the sword to come up right now.

　I didn't know what their true intentions were, but the fact that they went to the trouble of paying someone else to ask me this question means that they must be very confident in my identity. So there is no point in trying to deny or cheat.

　There is a possibility that I am being manipulated, but in that case, it is necessary to clarify their aims. To put it another way, I need to find out what the Pope will do when he finds out that I am Mikenkuku.

　I decided that and opened my mouth.　


''Yes, His Holiness. It is true that I am Gokensora. As I have been disowned, I cannot publicly announce my family name, but...


　Hearing this, the Pope raised a small but distinctly raised eyebrow. 'Tightly.


''The person I know as Gokensora could not be a legitimate son of Gokensora due to lack of strength and was banished from the family. That person was the same person as the hero of his day who accomplished the feat of the dragon slayer. I can't help but worry about that.

".........uh, what does that mean?


　I didn't know what it meant and asked back.

　Some questioned how the Pope knew about my situation in the first place, but I didn't ask about this. The Pope's birthplace, the Carnelius family, is closely related to Emma-sama's Paradis family and Ayaka's Azurite family. Besides, there is a temple of the Dharma Goddess in Onigashima as well. I guessed that he had heard of one of those lines.


'The Gokens have a unique position and exceptional military strength within the Ad Astera Empire. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is a country within a country. If the swordsman's family has its own movement outside of the island, even outside of the empire, neither the Holy Kingdom nor the Hokage can sit back and watch.

Even though it's an original move, I only drifted to Ishka after being disowned by the Gokke family...

'I am saying that it is false and that you and your swordsmen may be in cahoots.

Collusion, you say?


　I didn't know it, and there was anger in my voice. I don't want you to joke about me and the Gokensha conspiring with each other.

　The Pope must have definitely noticed my anger. But there was no sign of agitation in his green eyes, and the next words he spun were calm.


'The simple fact is that the blood that flows through you, the sword you wield, belongs to the Gokke family. I saw a part of that in the battle I just witnessed.

"M


　I buried a skeleton with my mind outfit and power technique the other day.

　It is true that the mind-dressing is the secret to the Illusionary Itto-Ryu style. Besides, even though I changed the name of my Keigi, it's true that the main thing is the technique of the Gokens family.

　And it was also a fact that I was the son of Miken Shikibu and Miken Shizuya. No matter how much I claim to have been disowned, from the outside, I am unmistakably a member of the Miken family - that is what the Pope is trying to say, right?

　The Pope saw the conviction in my expression and continued to speak.


You have established yourself outside the Empire. I have heard that you have gained fame all over Canary and that there are many admirers around you. Among them are the knights and nobles of this country. You are now the Dragonslayer, and your influence is equal to that of kings and nobles.


　When he said that, the Pope let out a small breath.

　Then he repeated the same words as before.


''You, who draws the blood of the Goshen family and uses the techniques of the Goshen family, have gained such a position in the Canary Kingdom. I cannot help but fear for that fact.

Your family is using me to expand their influence abroad. So that's what you're saying.

''Yes. The fact that you should have been banished because you were weak and became a dragonslayer in just five years is the basis for this.


　The Pope's suspicions could be summed up as, "The Mikenku had sufficient power to begin with, and left the island in order to expand the power of the Miken family outside of the empire, disobeying his disowned instructions.

　Needless to say, this suspicion has no basis in fact.

　However, I can't blame people for being suspicious. If I may be so bold as to say so, the fact that a man who could not fight a dragon tusk soldier with his own hands has grown to be able to slay a dragon in just five years is just like the tale of a hero. The conspiracy theory is still more plausible than that.

　Hmm, he crossed his arms and pondered.

　The premise that I was in cahoots with the swordsman was so improbable that I hadn't even thought of it myself, but - I see, I'm impressed that there's this way of thinking. To be honest, it was an eye-opener. The Gokendai family deals with the martial arts that are not available to the public, and especially in conflicts between nations, the Gokendai family has a policy of "keep them inviolate and keep them out of harm's way". If the swordsman family wanted to expand their influence, they would have no other option.

　Of course, from my point of view, it's like a bad habit or an accusation. But it's difficult to get others to believe it. In that sense, too, the Pope's suspicions were troubling.

　When I was thinking like that, I had a reluctant look on my face when the girl in front of me suddenly loosened her expression.


''I think it's an out-of-mind suspicion for you. It's only been a short time since I met you, but I still know some things. I am sure you are someone who can jump into the fire for those you care about. Seeing you take on the Immortal King to protect your friends, I am sure of it. I'm sure you have no ambition to fatten your swordsman family.


　But there is an element of doubt about it. The Pope continued.

　If I'm just the Dragonslayer, there's no problem. If I'm just Gokensora, no problem. But when the two are combined, my presence can be the spark that shakes the country and the nation,'' he said.


''For example, it is conceivable that someone in this country who sees your presence as dangerous will try to remove you because you are a member of the Gosetsu family. The presence or absence of a conspiracy is of no importance to him. As long as they have a name for you, that's all that matters.


　Whether or not there is a connection between me and the swordsmen, the Pope suggests that there are those who use it as an excuse.

　There are many who are unaware of my existence. The most recent example is Crown Prince Azar, who is convinced that I took Claudia from him. Some of the nobles might be wary of associating me, the Dragonslayer, with the Dukes of Dragunot.

　Those people would claim that that person is an Imperial Sword Family or an Imperial Interpolator (spy) and cannot be left in this country. That was quite possible.

　Now that I think of it, the swordsman could use this to his advantage. He could deliberately divulge my identity to the Canary Kingdom and take away my place of return. If I moved to a country other than Canary, he would do the same thing there. And by repeating the process, he'll remind me. There is no other place for the users of the Illusionary Itto-ryu to live in peace other than Onigashima.

　I don't believe that the recent homecoming has settled everything. Sooner or later, the swordsman will make some kind of move against me, the one who slayed the demon god. I should have taken into account that it would take the form of a conspiracy.

　If you think of it this way, the Pope was right, the person called me would become a spark of conflict. And if the Canary Kingdom and the Ad Astera Empire are disturbed because of me, the Holy Kingdom, which is adjacent to both countries, will have to be affected. There will also be a large number of legalistic believers who will suffer because of the upheaval.

　It was natural that the Pope, the leader of the Holy Kingdom and the Dharma God Sect, couldn't help but be concerned about Gokensora.

　I'm not sure if the Pope's words up to this point are a warning or advice, but I'll be honestly grateful to him for giving me a perspective I hadn't noticed. With that in mind, I thanked the Pope.



◆◆◆



　Even after Miken Sora left the room, Noah didn't sit up for a while. His gaze was directed at the chair that Sora had been sitting in earlier.

　In the earlier conversation, Noah did not reveal all of his inner thoughts. Rather, what he had put into words was only a small part of it in terms of the whole.

　In the empty room, Noah repeated the passage of the words he had just said to the sky. Including the true feelings he had been hiding.


'You are surely someone who can jump into the fire for the sake of those you care about. And someone who can turn the world against you for the sake of your loved ones. Seeing you being adored by a demon girl, I'm sure of it.


　When Sora and the others returned from the Titis Forest, one of the two girls who greeted them was a demoness. It was obvious from the side that the demoness girl adored Sora, and the impact that this fact had on Noah was huge.

　A person from the Goken family is adored by a demon man. Noah knows how improbable that is.

　As for Noah personally, he likes the way the sky is. But as a politician, Noah feels the sky is a terrible place to be.

　When you are the head of an organization, you sometimes have to leave the small behind in order to keep the big one alive. In the future, when the legalistic religion or the Holy Kingdom made its decision, if Sora or someone important to Sora joined the side of the small, Sora would boldly stand up and bare his fangs to the big.

　And Noah can't stop it.

　Because Sora is a dragon killer. How can he stop a man whom even the dragon cannot stop?

　In order to avoid such a situation, Sora and the people around him must not be included on the side of the small (cut off). But right now, Noah doesn't know what Sora cares about or who he cares about.

　So we have to find out. What kind of person is Miken Sora?



　Somewhat later, after gathering his thoughts, Noah slowly stands up.

　In his right eye, there was a dazzling green light twinkling in his thoughtfulness.