Chapter 48

「Let’s cut to the chase. What you’re doing right now is nothing more than murder.」

Recently, a mass murderer named Zodiac has been indiscriminately killing criminals across the continent.

To this Zodiac, Detective Alfa—who until now had solved countless cases while concealing their face—spoke with an unbending voice through the screen.

「Just moments ago, you killed a man who was representing me on live broadcast. That man didn’t have any sins, yet you killed him. At that point, you’ve fallen into the category of just another murderer.」

「…」

「People don’t have the right to judge others. And there’s certainly no justification for killing people based on personal whims. In other words, you’re nothing but a criminal, no different from those you’ve killed so far.」

「So you’re simply evil, Zodiac.」

Alfa’s words made Louis, who had been watching the broadcast quietly, burst into laughter as if it were absurd.

In his hand, he currently held the Book of Life and Death given to him by Shinigami (the Grim Reaper).

「Me? Evil? No way, I’m justice. I’m a god-like being destined to destroy this corrupt world filled with evil and create a new one full of virtuous people.」

「You’re just a lunatic who thinks they’re a god capable of judging others.」

「And you’ll soon become another fool about to be killed by that very lunatic.」

At first glance, it seemed like they were having a conversation transcending space itself.

But in reality, they were merely spouting off what they wanted to say without actually exchanging dialogue.

As they did this, the Grim Reaper standing behind Louis smiled faintly.

「Kukuku… You two don’t even know each other’s names or identities, yet here you are trying to kill one another.」

「Truly, humans are fascinating creatures.」

“…Cut.”

I lazily gave the cue to stop recording after observing the session.

“Remarkable! Who would’ve thought animation dubbing works in such a manner?”

Next to me stood someone who had been watching the entire spectacle with awe-struck admiration.

“This feels akin to breathing life into inanimate objects. It’s truly… beautiful. Isn’t this process similar to how a deity creates their creations?”

“…”

Had it been anyone else making such cheesy remarks next to me, I’d have kicked them out immediately. Unfortunately, this wasn’t just anyone—it was Prince Kaizel von Richard, heir to the Richard Kingdom.

All because of the import issues regarding “The Book of Life and Death,” he found himself visiting today.

“I didn’t expect Your Highness to personally visit.”

“How could I send some random person when importing anime into the kingdom is such a monumental task?”

Kaizel jumped up enthusiastically at my comment.

“Our citizens eagerly await Ragnar-sama’s next work following ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ His animations are practically the only allowed ‘drug’ for our citizens!”

“…”

“And… this new project sounds incredibly intriguing. A story about someone who can kill others without lifting a finger and the detective pursuing them…”

Saying this, Kaizel clicked his tongue, seemingly disappointed.

“By the way, according to Her Majesty the Empress, Ragnar-sama’s next work was supposed to revolve around the legend of the Knight King. We were all looking forward to seeing a figure from our kingdom featured in your work, so it’s quite disappointing.”

“…”

Kaizel’s words made me turn my head toward Kayla, who looked slightly uncomfortable under my gaze and avoided eye contact.

While I was curious about how Kayla leaked information about the next project, there was something else in Kaizel’s statement that couldn’t be ignored.

“Knight King is a notable figure from your kingdom? From what I know, the Knight King is the founder of the Empire.”

That’s right. According to Kayla’s explanation, the Knight King was both the founder of the Empire and the ancestor of the Imperial Household. So why was Kaizel calling him a notable figure from his own kingdom?

Hearing my question, Kaizel tilted his head in confusion before answering.

“Huh? Didn’t you know? The title ‘Knight King’ is actually pretty common throughout history.”

“…What?”

“That’s correct, Director. The title ‘Knight King’ isn’t exclusive to the founder of the Empire,” Kayla chimed in, maintaining her usual calm tone.

“While the Empire may restrict others from using the title to preserve its founder’s legacy, other countries haven’t felt the need to do so. Historically, there have been around five individuals known as the ‘Knight King.'”

“…”

It sounded absurd at first, but upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely implausible. Even on Earth, several kings referred to themselves as ‘Knight King.’

‘Honestly, it *is* a pretty cool title.’

Much like how everyone seems to use flashy titles these days due to their appeal, it’s understandable why others might want to adopt it too. Besides, there’s no copyright on titles, and it’s not like you can stop people from naming themselves whatever they please.

“But there’s one part of Your Highness’s statement I can’t overlook. If the Knight King in Director’s animation refers to our Empire’s founder, wouldn’t it be obvious that he wouldn’t feature the Knight King of another kingdom?”

“Haha, Your Majesty. While I acknowledge the greatness of the Empire’s Knight King, our kingdom’s Knight King was no pushover either. He was so brave he earned the nickname ‘Lion King’ and was said to have single-handedly slain hundreds of enemies—”

As Kayla and Kaizel began debating which nation’s Knight King was superior, I tuned them out.

Because during their discussion, I suddenly had a brilliant idea.

“Hey, Kayla. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Our Empire’s Knight King gathered all treasures of the earth to establish the Empire and is considered semi-divine… Wait, I’m still talking to the Prince—”

Ignoring her protests, I dragged Kayla aside and spoke directly.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Doesn’t it bother you that rulers from other kingdoms use the same title as our Empire’s founder?”

“Uh… yeah, it does kind of bother me.”

Kayla muttered under her breath, clearly upset.

“The Empire’s Knight King existed over three thousand years ago and is one of the earliest figures mentioned in continental history books. And yet, random nobodies born later decided to call themselves ‘Knight King’ without a second thought!”

Apparently, she had been harboring resentment for a while, judging by her agitated tone.

“And furthermore,” I continued slyly, “if we introduce the Knight King in our next project after ‘The Book of Life and Death,’ won’t the same issue arise again?”

“Even earlier, didn’t Prince Kaizel mistakenly assume the Knight King belonged to his kingdom just hearing the title? Other nations might claim the character represents *their* historical figure.”

“That… can’t happen. Absolutely not!”

Her face paled as she imagined the scenario.

Seeing this, I decided to deliver the final blow.

“So, what if we give the Knight King a new title in our next project? How does that sound?”

“A new title?”

“Our Empire’s founder deserves much more than just ‘Knight King,’ doesn’t he? Especially since he already holds titles like First Emperor and War God.”

“True… that makes sense.”

After all, the more prestigious titles someone has, the cooler they seem.

“From what I’ve researched, the Knight King wasn’t limited to swords; he mastered every weapon imaginable, from spears to bows. He was a superhuman hero far beyond comparison with other national heroes—a king of heroes, you could say.”

With that, I snapped my fingers and proposed:

“As the originator of all heroes and the oldest superhuman in recorded history…”

“What if we call him… the Hero King instead?”