"Hey! Don't you know who I am?"
Some people lose control when their circumstances suddenly change, whether it's due to their innate personality or environmental influences.
That was exactly the case with Alpoi. He was harassing the castle servants.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Do it properly! Properly! Ugh, do I have to teach you every little thing? What do you even think I am?"
Alpoi relentlessly tormented the servants whenever they made mistakes—or even when they didn't—just because he didn't like something about them.
He had always been arrogant, but his personality had been somewhat restrained due to his status as a slave.
After being tossed around in Fenris and then having all restrictions lifted, his true nature resurfaced.
Yet, since so many people praised him, Alpoi had no idea there was a problem.
"Sigh... This is why ordinary humans are just..."
Clicking his tongue, Alpoi strutted around the royal castle.
The nobles and officials who saw him frowned, but since he was so popular, they couldn't do anything about it.
However, when someone continues to act so high-handedly, bad rumors inevitably spread.
"No, his personality is completely different from what I heard!"
"I've never seen someone so arrogant in my entire life."
"He acts like some high-ranking noble. And he's just a commoner."
No matter how great someone's achievements are, flaws get noticed, and people start criticizing them. Alpoi only gave them more reasons by continuing to act out.
Rumors began to spread, fueled by those eager to see him fall.
"Hey, he's not a 100-circle mage. He's only '10-circle.'"
"Really? They exaggerated it tenfold? I'm disappointed—I didn't think he was that kind of person."
"You heard about his personality, right? Apparently, he's incredibly rude. If something doesn't please him, he just flips out."
"He acts like he's the king."
"I heard he even led a rebellion before. That's how nasty his temper is."
While Alpoi had brought this upon himself, the one amplifying the rumors was Claude.
Claude focused entirely on tarnishing Alpoi's reputation, sparing no effort. With Alpoi's nasty behavior adding fuel to the fire, the rumors spread like wildfire.
People stopped praising Alpoi. Instead, they began avoiding him.
The more this happened, the angrier Alpoi became. He didn't know the exact cause, but he could sense the subtle change in the atmosphere.
"What's going on? Why is everyone being so indifferent to me lately? I saved this world!"
He never thought he had done anything wrong. He just believed no one was showing the respect a hero who saved the world deserved.
The more he lashed out, the more Claude enjoyed it. Claude secretly met with Kaor.
"I think it's about time. His reputation's completely ruined. No one will stand up for him now."
"Yeah? Finally, the moment we've been waiting for."
Kaor grinned wickedly.
He also hated how successful Alpoi had become. Lately, Alpoi had even started acting arrogantly toward him, but Kaor couldn't push back because of Alpoi's growing fame.
Thanks to Alpoi, the two rivals joined forces. Both were too petty to endure seeing Alpoi prosper.
In a large room of the royal castle, Alpoi lounged around every day. He indulged in food and drink so much that he had grown noticeably plumper in just a few days.
"Hmph, this is life."
In truth, Ghislain had told him to rest until he returned, but Alpoi naturally assumed he could keep living like this forever.
While he sat in a large chair, munching on fruit, the door suddenly burst open, and knights entered.
"What's this? Do you know where you are? How dare you barge in like this?"
Alpoi squinted at them. The knights were former members of the Mad Dog Mercenary corps under Kaor's command.
One knight at the front grinned.
"Hey... We need you to come with us for a moment."
"What? Go where?"
"The head butler wants to see you."
Alpoi scoffed. He had seen Claude's face a few times since returning and had completely ignored him.
There was no reason to talk to a mere 'slave.'
Strangely, Claude had also avoided making eye contact, which made Alpoi feel even better, thinking Claude had finally learned his place.
So, he sneered.
"How dare a slave summon the 'Man Who Defeated a Goddess' and 'Dragon Slayer' hero? If he has business, he should come to me. A slave acting so arrogant is ridiculous."
The knights shrugged.
"No choice, then. Guess we'll take you by force."
"What? How dare you... Ugh!"
The knights pounced on him, binding and gagging him.
While Alpoi struggled, a knight spoke sternly.
"Alpoi, you're being arrested for rebellion. Defend yourself at the trial. We really didn't want to do this..."
The knight smirked as he added, "But the head butler insists."
Alpoi was dragged away, accused of leading a rebellion by inciting mages.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Even as he thrashed, Alpoi's mind raced.
'What? Rebellion? I mean... I did start one, but... I thought that was brushed under the rug?'
After killing the dragon, no one had mentioned it, so he assumed he was forgiven.
Didn't the lord even free him from slavery?
All the praise he'd received until now made it impossible to think otherwise.
"Nngh! Nngh! Let go of me!"
Alpoi shouted, but the knights carried him off with glee.
Boom!
Once they reached the grand courthouse, the gag was removed.
"W-What is this madness? Do you know who I am?"
Alpoi roared and looked up. Claude was seated at the top of the hall, exuding authority.
"Claude! Do you think you'll get away with this?"
Alpoi's reputation was still sky-high. Everyone praised him.
Yet this 'slave' dared to arrest him?
"You! A slave can't do this to me! You're a slave! How dare you arrest a free man! And what gives you the right to judge me?"
Claude smirked. Clearly, Alpoi didn't understand his situation yet.
With a firm and serious tone, Claude said, "Alpoi, listen carefully. As the chief justice of this territory, it's my duty to uphold the law. I will pass judgment on your charges of rebellion."
"What, what? You?"
Alpoi froze for a moment, recalling something he had forgotten.
Claude had risen to the top of every field except military affairs. Ghislain had granted him all authority when he brought him in to handle all the workload.
Even as the territory expanded and more officials were appointed, Claude remained in control.
Alpoi suddenly felt like cold water had been poured over him.
'That bastard... He's out to get me...'
After years of working together, he knew Claude too well.
Claude was definitely seething with jealousy over Alpoi's freedom.
If the roles were reversed, Alpoi admitted he would have done the same to Claude.
'So, he's using the rebellion against me?'
Only a few people were present—Claude, a handful of officials, Kaor, and the knights.
If Vanessa were here, this wouldn't have happened. They'd clearly planned this from the start.
Alpoi's mind raced. He had let his guard down, but he wouldn't let Claude's scheme succeed.
"W-Wait! That wasn't rebellion! It was your plan! You told me to trick the mages!"
"I said to trick them, not to actually start a rebellion."
"Y-You...!"
Alpoi had truly led the mages to attack Vanessa and the knights. He had no excuse.
Though overshadowed by the dragon hunt, those who knew the truth already saw him as scum.
Alpoi shouted again.
"Th-The lord pardoned me! That's why I joined the dragon hunt and was freed from slavery!"
"What are you talking about? The lord clearly said you'd be punished later. We've already gathered testimonies from those who heard it."
Alpoi's face went blank. Wasn't it already settled?
Now that he thought about it…
— Let him go for now. We need every 5th-circle mage we can get. He's always been like that. We'll deal with his punishment after the fight with the dragon.
"Ugh!"
It was true. That issue had never been properly addressed. Everyone just assumed it was brushed aside.
The mood had been too celebratory back then for anyone to care.
But now, Claude was clinging to that statement and relentlessly pressing him.
"W-Wait! Let's wait until the lord returns! We can retry the case then!"
Claude put on a mockingly sorrowful expression.
"Sorry, bro. The kingdom's super busy with post-war cleanup right now. That's why we're holding this trial in the capital instead of our territory. So don't struggle pathetically and let's get this over with."
"G-Get what over with?!"
Claude crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as if carefully considering the appropriate punishment.
Soon, he opened them and declared with a solemn expression,
"I sentence the rebel leader Alpoi to death."
"You crazy bastard!"
"Proceed with the execution immediately."
"Hey! Do you know how popular I am right now? Do you think people will stay quiet if you kill me?"
"Don't worry about that. More people will be happy. I knew you'd eventually show your true colors."
Claude smirked. Thanks to his efforts, Alpoi's reputation had already sunk back to what it was during his days as a slave in Fenris.
Alpoi was in shock. He had sensed people acting more indifferent toward him lately, and now he knew why!
It was all that bastard's doing—jealous of his popularity!
Alpoi didn't realize that he himself was mostly to blame. Claude had merely added fuel to the fire.
Stammering, Alpoi asked, "Y-You're joking, right? We used to joke around a lot, remember?"
"Does treason look like a joke to you? Did you really think you could start a rebellion and just get away with it?"
Claude wasn't wrong. In any other territory, Alpoi would have been executed on the spot.
Even Alpoi couldn't argue against that. But still, this trial felt far from normal.
"I-Isn't this moving too fast?"
"I told you, we're busy. Now take him to the gallows!"
"Noooooo!"
Alpoi thrashed as he was dragged away. Claude sighed as he watched.
"What a shame. He was a good friend."
"....."
Wendy looked at Claude with an exasperated expression. His intentions were obvious.
But when someone wielded as much power as Claude, there wasn't much anyone could do.
They moved straight to the execution grounds. It was such a hasty process that there wasn't even a crowd present.
Standing on the scaffold with a noose around his neck, Alpoi screamed.
"You lunatic! Do you think you'll get away with this? Stop the trial until the lord returns!"
"Hmmm, I do feel bad about sending a war hero off like this."
"Then let me go!"
"But treason can't be pardoned unless the lord forgives you. I'm just enforcing the law. Of course, there is one way out…"
"W-What is it?!"
Alpoi asked desperately. Claude slowly pulled a document from his coat.
Holding it up for Alpoi to see, he said, "Sign this, and I'll reduce your sentence. After looking into the law, I found one way to avoid execution."
"What? What is it?"
"I'll commute your sentence to lifelong slavery. Considering your achievements, I think this is more than fair. I mean, it's a pardon for treason."
"Screw you, you lunatic! Stop messing around!"
Alpoi didn't believe it would actually go this far. No matter how much authority Claude had, executing him didn't make sense.
He really believed that. Even Kaor and the knights were still smiling, weren't they?
But then…
'T-This bastard's out of his mind.'
Claude's eyes looked unhinged. It was as if he was fully prepared to go through with the execution and claim it was just the law.
The lord would be furious, but he wouldn't kill Claude for it.
'And then I'd just be forgotten…?'
A chill ran down Alpoi's spine. He knew the kind of person Claude was because they were similar. Clearly, his jealousy had driven him over the edge.
If their roles were reversed, Alpoi admitted he would've done the same. He'd let his guard down and ended up in this mess.
Claude's eyes gleamed as he said, "Let's just make this easy, bro. Okay? Please."
Overwhelmed by Claude's crazed gaze, Alpoi unconsciously nodded.