"Myne, don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you!" Motoyasu Kitamura declared righteously. The hand resting on Myne's waist wandered downward, and he gave her bottom a gentle squeeze, pretending it was accidental.
Wow, Myne has an amazing figure!
Feeling Myne's soft curves, Motoyasu Kitamura pretended to be gentle and considerate while lecherous thoughts ran through his head.
Myne fought back her contempt and revulsion, burying herself in Motoyasu Kitamura's arms and putting on a show of quiet sobbing as she let his hand roam over her body.
What should I do? I suddenly want to beat him senseless again.
Watching Motoyasu Kitamura start fawning over her, Ye Uchiha's mouth twitched. Deeply conflicted, he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his flesh. Then he sighed inwardly and once again suppressed the urge to hit him.
He had already pieced together most of what had happened. The story was riddled with suspicious details and glaring holes, yet Motoyasu Kitamura and the other two had actually believed her claims, letting a single woman play them like puppets.
First of all, the difference in their strength was far too obvious. Never mind Myne-even a random female adventurer pulled off the street might have been stronger than Naofumi Iwatani.
To put it bluntly, a scrawny shut-in like Naofumi Iwatani could have been pinned to the ground and thoroughly beaten by a woman his age who knew even a little self-defense. If someone said she had forced herself on him, Ye Uchiha would hardly have been surprised.
The female adventurer named Myne was clearly framing Naofumi Iwatani. She had planned this from the beginning; otherwise, she would not have deliberately approached him. Worse, the knights, and perhaps even the king, were probably accomplices, providing false testimony for her.
On their home turf, witnesses and physical evidence could all be fabricated at will. Even an innocent person could be smeared and slandered.
Ye Uchiha swept a meaningful gaze over the nobles present and the king.
The king in particular had treated Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero, with neglect and coldness from the very beginning, as though deliberately targeting him. No, more precisely, he was targeting Naofumi Iwatani's identity as the Shield Hero.
Though Ye Uchiha did not know their motives or goals, one thing was certain: Naofumi Iwatani would not escape this false accusation of sexual assault. No matter how compelling the evidence he produced, they would find a way to dismiss it as fabricated.
After all, everyone in the Royal Palace, perhaps including the king, might have arranged this beforehand. As the accused, Naofumi Iwatani was doomed to lose.
Naofumi, it's not that I don't want to help you. These three teammates are just so damn stupid that there's no carrying them!
Ye Uchiha silently glanced at Motoyasu Kitamura, who was still comforting Myne in his arms, then at Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi, who looked thoughtful but were actually utterly bewildered. He sighed inwardly.
None of the three had their brains switched on. Still basking in the joy and praise of being heroes, they had let it go to their heads. They did not even realize they were being used, smugly congratulating themselves on their cleverness.
It was like a PvP game where all five enemies were grouping up to push the base. Naofumi Iwatani, the mid laner, was stranded alone, trembling beneath his tower, while these three idiots happily farmed jungle camps and minions, shouting, "Bro, hang in there! Wait until I'm fed! I'll grab both dragon objectives on the way, then descend like a god and take four of them on at once!"
Then there was no "then." The tower fell, he died, and with a bang, the crystal exploded. GG, to the sound of the enemy team's laughter.
With three such incompetent teammates, even Zhuge Liang, whose intelligence bordered on the supernatural, would have been helpless.
"A hero's mission is to save the world. The world's safety is inseparable from its heroes-there can be no doubt about that. Myne upheld this noble ideal, yet she nearly fell victim to the Shield Hero's vile clutches. Now, with both witnesses and physical evidence before us..."
"I told you, I didn't do any of this!"
As the accusations and condemnations rang out around him, a powerful surge of dark, negative emotions took root in Naofumi Iwatani's heart, and he roared.
"Silence, you Shield Demon! From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were nothing but trouble. I wondered when you would finally show your true colors..."
"Someone like you has no right to be a hero!"
"..."
The king's furious curses, the disgust of his fellow Four Holy Heroes, the nobles' muttered accusations-at that moment, all the world's profound malice descended upon Naofumi Iwatani.
A demon?
I'm the Shield Demon?
Blood rushed to his brain. The voices cursing him and expressing their disgust grew louder and louder. He did not want to hear them, yet every word reached his mind with unbearable clarity.
Why the hell should I have to take this abuse from you people?!!!
This country is beyond saving! Ye Uchiha murmured inwardly, looking around at the ministers and nobles who were indignantly defending Myne and condemning the Shield Hero's "crimes."
With such an incompetent ruler in power, there was little hope of this country's officials being any better.
Princess Kaguya's expression remained cold as her gaze wandered around the hall. She clearly had no interest in what was happening.
While everyone's attention was focused on Naofumi Iwatani, he happened to catch sight of Myne standing behind Motoyasu Kitamura and the other two. She actually stuck her tongue out and made a face at him!
I was framed?!
So that's it.
"Become my companion"-that was a complete and utter lie, all so she could frame me now!
The smiles she gave me, the kindness she showed me, all of it...
She planned it all from the very beginning?!
"You lied to me, didn't you? You meant to frame me from the start!"
Naofumi Iwatani stood up and tried to rush forward to confront her-the disgusting woman who had toyed with his feelings and was now brazenly framing him.
The guards around him immediately blocked his way to keep him from doing anything dangerous.
"She's scared, Lord Motoyasu!" Myne cried as she threw herself into Motoyasu Kitamura's arms again, pretending to be terrified.
"What are you talking about, you criminal?"
Just as she had expected, Motoyasu Kitamura stepped in and stopped Naofumi Iwatani from questioning her.
Naofumi Iwatani's face twisted with fury. "Are you kidding me? Weren't you after my money and equipment all along? You two were in on this together, weren't you?"
...Come to think of it, Myne only ever called me "Lord Hero," but she calls Motoyasu by his name. If that isn't proof, what is?
"Not only does he refuse to admit it, now he's spouting nonsense."
"Yeah. I don't think he deserves any sympathy either."
As though they had finally seen Naofumi Iwatani's true colors, Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi watched him make a scene like a clown and spoke with cold expressions.
Why... won't even you believe me?
Naofumi Iwatani gave up on the three of them completely. One cared only about chasing women, while the other two merely stood on the sidelines making snide remarks without considering anything else.
In the end, you never saw me as one of you in the first place.
He recalled how their attitudes had changed after he revealed that he was the Shield Hero. Perhaps they had begun shutting him out right then.
After all... the shield was "a loser class with no high-level players"!!!
Before you continue