The morning sun has risen once again, and today, the Aldridge mansion has become more hectic than usual. Breakfast had been prepared earlier, dresses and gifts lined up in the halls, and the servants were bustling around with rush.
The reason was simple, it was because today is a special day. Today, Yuna and Grey will be fulfilling the reason why they came to the capital in the first place. It was time to attend the awarding ceremony!
Although neither Grey nor Yuna really wanted to attend such a tiring ceremony, they had no other choice. Things will just become more troublesome for them if they try to decline the King's invitation.
Yesterday, after completing their jobs as temporary instructors, Yuna and Grey headed back to the Aldridge mansion to celebrate a little. They thought they could rest peacefully, but after remembering the next event, they became so nervous that they couldn't fall asleep.
"Oh, Grey, are you ready for the ceremony?" ［Cedric］
As soon as Grey opened the room in the parlor, Cedric asked such a question calmly whilst sipping his cup of Alferia tea. He was already used to these types of events and so he was not nervous in the slightest. The complete opposite of Grey.
For clothing, both Cedric and Grey wore coats, trousers, and intricate inner garments. Cedric wore the usual outfit of nobles, wearing a bit of blue and white. Grey, on the other hand, wore all black with silver laces adorned all over the outfit.
As for Yuna, well... there was no Yuna to be seen. She was with Veronica once again so that they could prepare her. Now, Veronica has the help of the maids to dress up and doll up Yuna to be the most beautiful lady there is.
"Haah... Not really, I'm still thinking if I should really attend it or not..." ［Grey］
"Well, I get what you're saying. After all, you'll be presented in front of thousands, if not tens of thousands of people. It's only natural to be nervous." ［Cedric］
Grey was once again reminded about his situation. If he felt a little sick before, now, he felt as if the insides of his stomach was churning and he wanted to throw up from the nervousness he felt.
Although Grey had presented many presentations as a salaryman in his previous life, the scale of being presented to the public is on totally another level. Not to mention there would be a party afterwards. He just wanted to escape reality.
Unfortunately for him and Yuna, everything has already been decided. There was no more turning back. The only thing they hoped was that people wouldn't crowd around them after the event.
"Here, have some tea to calm down." ［Cedric］
"Ah, thank you..." ［Grey］
An aromatic and relaxing scent gently wafting through Grey's nose as he poured himself a cup of tea. Just like Cedric said, it greatly calmed him down even after taking only a single sip.
"Woah～! Big Bro Grey looks so handsome! Father, too!" ［Galvin］
Whilst Cedric and Grey were talking about the award ceremony, the door of the parlor suddenly opened and two boys barged in without warning. They were the brothers Galvin and Elnart.
After spending a lot of time with them, Grey had been treating Galvin and Elnart as normal children. It was only after seeing them in formal clothing that he was reminded they were actually nobles. Not that it changes his perception of them.
"Thank you, Galvin. You two look great yourselves." ［Grey］
"Looks like my sons are all grown up now." ［Cedric］
"Hehe!" ［Galvin］
"Thank you, Older Brother Grey." ［Elnart］
Galvin giggled bashfully whilst scratching his left cheek with a single finger, while Elnart thanked Grey with a simple yet courteous nod. They then seated themselves with Grey and Cedric and enjoyed their company.
"By the way, Galvin, Elnart, have you seen Yuna?" ［Grey］
"Big Sis Yuna...? Ah! Mother was brushing her face!" ［Galvin］
Although Grey became a little confused at first, it didn't take him long to understand what Galvin was trying to say. What Galvin referred to as "brushing" was most likely Veronica applying makeup to Yuna.
It wasn't the first time it had happened, and remembering the time Veronica helped Yuna apply makeup, Grey's heart started to race wildly, remembering how beautiful Yuna was at that moment.
"Speak of the devil, they're here." ［Cedric］
As soon as Cedric said those words, two stunningly beautiful ladies entered the room gracefully. One was Cedric's wife and the mother of Galvin and Elnart, and the other one the silver-haired elf named Yuna.
Yuna wore one of the dresses she and Grey purchased the other day. It was a dress which started deep blue from the bottom, fading to silver on the top. There was a thin silk garment wrapped around her shoulder and chest area and no sleeves to be seen. Lastly, there were small pear accessories adorned all over her dress and hair.
Veronica, like Yuna, also wore a dress. She picked a Red dress with long sleeves, filled with frills on the ends. It was a dress with black embroidery, creating fierce floral patterns, mainly roses.
Even though they were still children, Elnart and Galvin were also stunned by the two's beauty. Galvin's eyes in particular were dazzling like the stars in the night sky as he passionately admired the two.
"Waah～! Mother and Big Sis Yuna are so pretty!" ［Galvin］
"Fufufu, thank you, Vin. I'm really happy to hear that." ［Veronica］
"Um!" ［Galvin］
After Galvin gave his mother a tight hug, Elnart followed soon after and complimented her mother as well. As for Cedric and Grey, they were still stunned in place, not able to snap back to reality.
Cedric had seen his wife dress up countless of times and every time she always managed to capture his heart. For the years they have been married to one another, Cedric was still head over heels for her.
"Mmm... Cedric, don't you have anything to say?" ［Veronica］
"A-Ah, sorry..." ［Cedric］
It was only when his wife called out to him that he snapped back to reality. He then fixed himself a little bit and cleared his throat with a fake cough before giving Veronica a compliment.
"You're as gorgeous as ever, my love." ［Cedric］
"Fufu, thank you, dear!" ［Veronica］
Veronica smiled sweetly towards her husband's compliment. Although it was a simple one, she was able to feel the sincerity in his voice, making her really happy. After all, she wanted to catch up to all the months they missed one another.
If it were just the two of them, Veronica and Cedric might have done something more intimate given how sweet the current atmosphere was. Thankfully, they know how to restrain themselves, especially since their kids are in front of them.
"Grey, don't you have something to say as well? Yuna did her best, you know" ［Veronica］
Veronica walked towards Grey and whispered those words softly to the latter's ears. Those were the words that brought him back to reality, only to realize how red Yuna's face already was.
Yuna was fidgeting with her fingers as if waiting for someone to say something to her, bashfully and timidly glancing at Grey from time to time. Of course, she also wanted to receive a compliment from him.
Of course, as there were other people around, Grey didn't outright compliment her. Like what Veronica did to him, he slowly approached Yuna and whispered to her ears his words full of sincerity.
"You look fantastic. I think I'm falling for you all over again." ［Grey］
"Un..." ［Yuna］
Yuna could only muster one word to reply to Grey, but her expressions already said it all. Her face was even redder than that of crimson flames as her heart trembled in extreme happiness.
While Grey said it so calmly to Yuna, his true emotions couldn't be farther from it. He was so smitten by Yuna that he could barely hold himself back. In fact, the words he "whispered" to Yuna were actually loud enough for the others to hear.
It felt as if the two of them were on their own worlds where they only saw each other. As if no other mattered. The nervousness they felt towards the awarding ceremony before was now exchanged with a feeling of warmth and joy.
"Seeing them act like that... It reminds me of our teenage years..." ［Cedric］
"Fufu, I also miss those moments when it was just the two of us." ［Veronica］
"Well, I just hope that everything goes well for those two." ［Cedric］
"I'm sure it will, they're Grey and Yuna, after all." ［Veronica］
While Yuna and Grey were still in their own tiny world, such a conversation occurred with the married couple. They were recollecting the nostalgic memories of the past whilst watching the two youths in front of them.
After Grey and Yuna's public display of affection with one another, everyone then headed to the central plaza where the awarding ceremony would be taking place, taking a carriage for faster travel.
Unsurprisingly, while they were heading there, they noticed crowds upon crowds of people heading towards the same direction. All of them were surely heading there for the King's public announcement.
While the people didn't know what the announcement would be all about, they still headed there nonetheless. After all, they were also curious about what the King wanted to say.
"There sure are a lot of people..." ［Yuna］
"And you two will be facing all of them afterwards. Good luck with that." ［Cedric］
Grey and Yuna were once again reminded of the scale of their contribution. Just by a rough head count alone, they have already passed several thousand people along the way.
Looking at the scenery unfold, the carriage continued traveling towards the central plaza, and the moment they arrived there, intricate decorations that weren't there before were suddenly all over the place.
"Waah～! The castle looks so beautiful!" ［Yuna］
"So pretty!" ［Galvin］
Vibrant colors painted the place as the carriage headed deeper into the central plaza. Stalls that weren't there yesterday started to pop up one after another. The royal capital had become even more lively.
"Are these for the founding festival?" ［Grey］
"Fufufu, that's right. The royal capital always becomes this lively and vibrant during this time of the year." ［Veronica］
"Don't be too surprised, There will be even more decorations tomorrow once the founding festival officially starts." ［Cedric］
As the carriage headed deeper into the streets, the amount of banners and people present also increased. But even though there were thousands of people present, it wasn't very crowded with how spacious the central plaza was.
The carriage only stopped when it arrived at a massive building in front of the central plaza. The first thing which would catch anyone's attention was the large balcony front and center of the building. It is where Grey and Yuna will be presented later.
As everyone went down the carriage, a knight welcomed them. As guests of honors and heroes of the kingdom, Grey and Yuna were escorted to the central chamber where the royal family was located.
As for the Aldridge family, they were escorted towards the adjacent buildings where the other nobles would also be viewing the announcement. They were also large buildings complete with viewing decks.
"Your Majesty, their Highnesses, Lord Grey and Lady Yuna have arrived!"
A knight announced with a booming voice throughout the central chamber as the others opened the gigantic doors. There, the royal family was present along with the other participants of the raid and other important figures.
"Oh, you've finally arrived." ［Ernes］
Sitting along the King was the Queen, Talia, the Crown Prince, Galleus, the Second Prince, Julius, and a girl who was the same age as Eliza. The girl was none other than the kingdom's Princess Royal
"Ah, right, you haven't met her yet. This is Iris, our youngest child." ［Ernes］
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Archduke Grey, Archduchess Yuna. Let me express my gratitude for your efforts in saving the kingdom." ［Iris］
"There's no need for that, Princess Iris. Your words are more than enough." ［Grey］
The princess was about to bow her head to Grey and Yuna, but before she could, Grey managed to stop her in the nick of time. He and Yuna still felt uncomfortable being treated so respectfully, especially when the other party was royalty.
Other than that fact, Grey and Yuna were amazed by how properly the Princess Royal carried herself. Just like what the Queen and Prime Minister had previously said, she was indeed prim and proper.
"Hey, Grey, you damn bastard! Why didn't you tell us that you and Yuna were actually S-rankers?!" ［Julius］
But the same couldn't be said for his older brother. Julius immediately protested as soon as the introductions were over. It didn't even matter to him that Grey was ranked higher than him, he still yelled at him boisterously.
"Huh? You didn't even ask in the first place. How is that my fault?" ［Grey］
"I know, but still! You could have still told us!" ［Julius］
"Even if I did, would you have believed me?" ［Grey］
"Well, that's... that's a little..." ［Julius］
Julius continued his protest for a few seconds, but was instantly defeated with Grey's indomitable logic. As for Yuna, she was just chatting peacefully with the Queen and the Princess.
The nervousness Grey previously felt was none gone thanks to Julius and his antics. He was really thankful to have a friend like him, even though he was more annoying than helpful.
"So, what now? Should I start addressing you formally now?" ［Julius］
"Don't you even think about it. Me and Yuna already have our hands full dealing with formalities. Don't you dare add to our problems." ［Grey］
"Fine, fine, I'll just address you as usual. That fine with you, Grey?" ［Julius］
"Yeah, that's much better." ［Grey］
Grey and Julius only knew one another for three weeks, but their relationship had already progressed to that of close friends. Close enough to tease and annoy one another, that is.
After his talk with Julius, Grey then greeted the others along with Yuna. Vanessa, Kurt, Kris, and Aria were already there, relaxing themselves and chatting with one another as they waited for the awarding ceremony.
Vanessa was especially comfortable in the room. It was as if the idea of nervousness had never crossed her mind. Her liveliness and cheerfulness allowed Grey and Yuna to calm down even more.
"Your Majesty, it's about time." ［Anderson］
"Oh, is it? Alright, everyone, just go outside the balcony when Anderson gives you the signal. I'll be giving my speech for a moment." ［Ernes］
Different from his usual personality, the moment the King excited the room and stepped foot into the balcony, a serious and dignified aura surrounded him. It was a moment where Ernes looked like a true king.
"My dear subjects, only a few of you may have been knowledgeable of this fact, but more than a decade ago..." ［Ernes］
Word after word, the King delivered his message to his subjects with great clarity. His loud voice, with the help of a magic tool, boomed throughout the central plaza and reached the ears of his people.
The King was indifferent and honest to his people, yet he was able to keep everyone calm in spite of the topic they were talking about. There was no sort of panic to be seen, only little traces of shock and disbelief.
It wasn't only the common people, even the gentry and the nobility were surprised by what the King had spoken about. They were all oblivious to the fact that the kingdom has been in danger for so long.
"Amazing... His Majesty seems like a different person..." ［Yuna］
"Well, even though we're relaxed around everyone here, we need to act dignified in front of the people." ［Galleus］
"We need the people to believe that they have strong and reliable leaders. Even a small shortcoming can cause great panic to our subjects. It is our duty as royalty to make sure that that does not happen." ［Iris］
Galleus and Iris' comments reflected just how different the King was. The boisterous and lax person was no more. All that was left was a reliable leader with great charisma and authority.
"Ahh... Sounds like a tough job..." ［Kris］
"Well, you get used to it one way or another. It's just how it is." ［Julius］
While the King continued his address to the populace, everyone who was left in the room chatted friendly and merrily with one another. The atmosphere inside was completely different from outside.
...
Far from the crowd listening to the King's words and far from the central chamber where the Royal family and the heroes were, the nobles were also in shock from what they had heard from the King.
"I didn't know that the kingdom was in danger a few months ago..."
"Me neither. Luckily, the kingdom managed to stop them."
"And to think all it took was 6 people! They must be, without a doubt, truly powerful!"
With the King's sudden announcement, gossips and rumors quickly spread throughout the populace like wildfire. Not even nobles are safe from such talks as the topic at hand was truly on a very large scale.
According to what they heard, for the past 12 years, a criminal organization had been doing wild experiments using strong beasts, causing a number of villages to get destroyed by them and lives to be lost.
The kingdom had kept it a secret to the public in order to prevent panic, and since then, they had been investigating it in secret. In spite of all their efforts, they still haven't found a lead until two months ago.
Originally, the kingdom was to organize a whole order of knights and soldiers once the hideout is found out and raid them, but in a strange turn of events, 2 high-ranking officials of Alfrione's army and 4 other adventurers took the responsibility upon themselves and decided to end it.
While it sounded absurd to them at first that only six people raided such a dangerous hideout. The moment they heard all participants were high-rankers, all doubt faded away. After all, they were people who could wipe out whole towns if they wanted to.
Of course, amongst those nobles were familiar figures. There were many cadets of the Royal Academy who were gathered at the viewing deck, also listening to the King's address.
"... and so, let me introduce you to our heroes!" ［Ernes］
"Hey, Elise, they're coming out!" ［Elaine］
"I know, I know, don't rush me!" ［Elise］
Following the King's announcement, everyone's attention quickly shifted towards the central balcony, anticipating to see the heroes of the kingdom the King had been talking about.
The moment the faces of the heroes were shown, loud cheers echoed everywhere as the crowd celebrated their success, but amidst all the cheerfulness, a group of people couldn't help but have their mouths hanging open in agape.
For that group of people, what their eyes saw was just absurd and unbelievable. That group was the students of Royal Academy, students of year 2 and 3's alpha class to be precise.
The reason why they were very shocked was very simple. It was because amongst the heroes presented to them, two of them had been instructors.
""""Ehh?!!""""
...
"... and so, let me introduce you to our heroes!" ［Ernes］
It wasn't long before the King finished his speech. When he said those words, the Prime Minister quickly gave the signal and without wasting any time, six people walked outside to greet the people.
The moment light shone upon their faces, a pandemonium of cheers, claps, whistles echoed throughout the skies. The knights also didn't fall behind and gave their own salutations.
"Though all of them are young, these people laid down their lives in order to protect our kingdom from great peril, and it is only right that we give them our warmest and sincerest gratitude!" ［Ernes］
The central plaza became even livelier as the King's words prompted the crowd to cheer and applaud even louder. It didn't matter what age, sex, or stature the people had, all of them cheered all the same.
Countless eyes gawked upon Grey and company as the King awarded each of them with a platinum medallion. It was a medallion with the kingdom's symbol engraved on it, symbolizing gallantry and justice above others.
"Once again, let us give our warmest applause to these six people who deserve to be called the heroes of Alfrione!" ［Ernes］
With the King in the lead, an encore of claps and cheers echoed throughout the whole city once again. It was a day that will forever be engraved in the history of Alfrione. A day which will be celebrated as the Platinum Festival in the future, but then again, that's a story for another day.
After Grey and company were presented in the public, all of them returned back to the room and released themselves from the pressure of nervousness and sat back comfortably.
Although none of them did anything physically tiring, waving and smiling for a couple minutes straight wore them out mentally. Well, all of them except Vanessa. She was still as energetic as ever.
"Well, well, if you're all set, then let's head to the next event!" ［Ernes］
The King smiled as he looked at the people before him. Now that the awarding ceremony was over, it was time to face the event Grey and Yuna wanted to avoid the most...
... The after party!
CHAPTER 99 END