Brainwashed Then Woke Up To Find My Childhood Friend a Hero

17. Interlude: Meanwhile, in the Magic Empire

In the round table chamber of the Magic Fortress of the Magic Empire,

Several figures are present, and before them, Guildia, bandaged and battered, kneels on one knee.

“What a blunder!! Guildia!”

A portly man raises his voice.

“I sincerely apologize.”

Guildia expresses his regret. Seeing this, the man raises his voice even more.

“Is an apology enough? With the prison breached, it will become difficult to supply magical power to our magical tools, leading to a decline in national strength! Moreover, it seems we have lost our magical beings! This will make reconstruction impossible!!”

The portly man scolds, growing angrier at Guildia’s apologies. At that moment, a neighboring woman with intelligent glasses tries to calm him.

“Chancellor, please calm down. This is not the time to show anger, but rather to discuss our future prospects.”

The man referred to as the Chancellor still seems unable to contain his anger and turns his ire toward another man.

“Great Sage! It was you who assigned Guildia to the prison! This is also your responsibility!!”

The man called the Great Sage, also known as the Grand Sorcerer Kelt of the “Oath of Adventure,” opens his mouth.

“First of all, Guildia, you did well.”

—

Even Gildia, who had been kneeling, widened his eyes at those words, and the Chancellor raised his voice in doubt and anger.

“What do you mean by that?! Are you saying this was all part of your scheme?!”

The man known as the Great Sage chuckled softly, yet he spoke calmly.

“No, I had no involvement in this matter; I merely commended Gildia for their desperate efforts this time.”

At those words, the Chancellor grew furious.

“What are you saying?! This blunder is Gildia’s responsibility!!”

While agreeing with that statement, the Great Sage replied,

“Yes, that is true; it is Gildia’s fault. However, it does not end there.”

As he said this, Gildia looked at the Chancellor.

Suddenly confronted, the Chancellor braced himself slightly.

“And the origin of this incident lies with you, doesn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, the Chancellor was taken aback, his anger boiling over.

“Chancellor, you created a trend of discrimination against the magic-less in order to develop the nation’s power through the advancement of magical tools, and you lent part of the funds to the Resistance.”

The Chancellor’s face, which had been red, turned pale in an instant.

Watching this, a bespectacled woman giggled softly while observing.

“General! You!”

The woman referred to as the General replied with a fixed, gentle smile.

“Oh? I merely did what was right, you know?”

As the situation shifted, the visibly flustered Chancellor glanced sideways at the Great Sage, who used flight magic to summon soldiers into the room.

“What?!”

The Chancellor’s bewildered voice echoed.

The soldiers, with practiced ease, restrained the Chancellor and began to escort him out of the room.

“What are you doing?! I am the Chancellor of the Magical Empire! This is outrageous?!”

Silenced by the Great Sage’s magic, the Chancellor was taken away. Gildia, unable to comprehend the situation, raised his face and compared the Great Sage and the General.

“Great Sage, now the noisy one is gone, isn’t he?”

With a gentle smile, the General looked at the Great Sage.

The Great Sage nodded in response.

“Yes, with this, the position of Chancellor has opened up. I plan to have Guildia take it, you know?”

Guildia, surprised by the words of the Grand Sage, instinctively protests.

“Excuse me, but I am a defeated man. I am not fit to be Chancellor.”

The Grand Sage shakes his head in denial as he speaks.

“You led the charge in the last great war and are one of the most renowned heroes of the Magic Empire. Many of your subordinates look up to you.”

The General affirms this as well.

“Indeed, thanks to you, we managed to contain everything except the Resistance, and this matter is known only to us and the people in the prison—especially regarding the demon race.”

The General speaks with a hint of implication.

After a brief glance, the Grand Sage turns to Guildia.

“More importantly, could you tell me about the Dark Knight who pushed you to such extremes?”

“Yes, that man had the appearance and overwhelming magical power of a Dark Knight, but his skill names were oddly reminiscent of a Holy Knight. His name was… if I recall correctly…”

The Grand Sage seems to remember and murmurs.

“Elg…”

Hearing this, Guildia responds with surprise.

“!…You knew him?”

Clang!

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At this, the Grand Sage abruptly stands up.

“Oh dear? Grand Sage, where are you going?”

The General tries to stop him, but the Grand Sage simply says one thing.

“I have matters to attend to.”

With that, he departs, soaring away with flight magic.

“Sigh, he really is an elusive person.”

The General exhales, exchanging glances with Guildia now that they are alone.

“Well, it can’t be helped. For now, you are to become Chancellor, so hurry and heal your wounds.”

Guildia, though perplexed, nods at this and exits the room.

“Sigh, he truly is a free spirit.”

The General’s voice echoes softly.

◇◇◇

The Grand Sage was searching for something in his private chamber.

—

And casting the spell of searching, I seek out the safe within the room, deftly unlocking it and retrieving the photograph inside.

It is an old photo of the “Oath of Adventure,” with everyone gathered.

“Ah, Elg, Elg, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Kelt kneels in a room, murmuring his regrets.

His face is twisted in deep sorrow and a mix of love and hatred.

“Ah, Elg, I will protect you, I promise… Elg…”

His eyes, as dark as pitch, gaze upon the ancient photograph of the young holy knight.

Supplementary Explanation

This refers to the current strength levels.

First, Melgia is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but her direct combat ability is not particularly high (though not weak). She is a Four Heavenly King because of her achievements in enhancing combat power through brainwashing, lowering the enemy’s morale, and conducting infiltration operations. She is what you would call a commander type. The same goes for Gildia; she has high combat capabilities, but her true value is realized in war. Just by her commanding, a slight buff is applied to the entire group. This can raise the overall ability by more than 20%. Even among heroes, there are those with high direct combat power, those excelling in command and strategy, and those who possess both qualities.