"Thank you for taking your time to have a talk with this old man. It truly warmed my heart to see your passion during the duels today, you are a youth with endless potential! Though, I don't know if it was necessary to make that young man's heart explode..."
"Excuse me, your Majesty, I didn't quite hear that last part."
"Ah, nothing. Anyway, it's great to finally meet not only the winner of the annual freshmen tournament of Ainu but also, from what I've heard, a close friend of my daughter!"
"It's an honor to meet you too."
Even though I couldn't hear what the king had said, I had a feeling it wasn't something I wanted to hear, therefore I followed his lead and ignored it. Sitting in what looked like the combination of a lounge and an office, I was currently alone with King George, facing each other while we were sitting on couches parallel to each other.
Sarah's father was quite a handsome man, his brown hair cut short to reveal a well-balanced but rugged face. Unlike what I had expected from a king in a fantasy world, he wasn't wearing anything like a royal mantle or wore pompous clothes. Instead, he was just dressed in a red and golden tunic, coupled with some black khakis.
The only trait that clearly showed that they shared the same blood was their deep blue eyes, eyes like the sky that was watching everyone from above.
"Hahaha! No need to be so stiff! I would much rather talk to you as the father of Sarah rather than the king of Mensch. It's rare for me to get the opportunity to get to take that position, so it would bring me a lot of joy if you could fulfill that small wish of mine."
And just like he was saying, this was not the man who had presented a massive political speech to his people just hours ago. This was Sarah's father, wearing a huge smile as he felt happy that his precious daughter had finally found a friend. Not a fake one like the nobles who tried to get in her pants or use her for their own benefit; Just an ordinary friend that happened to be a bit of a savage.
George took a golden token out of his pocket, the same kind that he had given James earlier. "This is a token of our country. You may use this to get one of the artifacts in the royal armory, as long as it is [C]-rank or lower. This involves weapons, armors, trinkets, and even Manuals. In the case of Manuals, you will be forbidden from withdrawing any tomes that are above 4-star."
'This is great! I think...'
I actually had no idea what could be found in the armory, it was something that I had no recollection of from the game at all. However, there was no way that the royal armory didn't have some good stuff.
"You will be sent a catalog with all the items that you will be able to request. If you find something you like, just talk to Mr. Brown as he is responsible for the A-class which you will continue to attend."
Happiness surged through me as I heard him confirm that I would get to continue being in the A-class. My spending habits had already changed immensely after seeing how much I had in my account, having spent a lot of money on ordering custom-made clothes that fit my size...
It wasn't easy to find clothes that fit me anymore at all. I had managed to find time for two trips to the city and, in the end, there was no store that had attires that both fit my length and massive curves. The only thing I had found was to buy male XXL clothes, but they looked like I was wearing a sheet, thus I had settled for buying a few shirts just to use as nightwear.
"Thank you, your... I mean, thank you, Mr. Lindt!"
Suddenly his face changed, making a transformation very much like his daughter did, his demeanor turning grim. "There is one other thing we have to talk about before we can have a casual talk. It's about your Manual. Sophie, you are in possession of the [Dragoon] Manual, right?"
The jig was already up, it was no way that my display during the tournament wouldn't have made everyone watching aware of what Skills I had. So, I didn't feel bad about confirming his words, "I do. Is that a problem?" Still keeping his serious face, he explained the situation as transparently as possible, making sure I knew what I had gotten myself into.
"Ms. Red, I am aware that you come from a commoner's background, even being an orphan without parents to guide you, but you having that Manual means that you are a very high-priority target for a lot of organizations."
It was the same thing that Mike had talked about earlier, that I would be in danger and would need someone to protect me. Noticing my questioning gaze, George continued.
"The Manual that you are in possession of has been lost through the ages. The only remnants of it in the present time had been regarded as myths and folktales, but today, you showed its legendary existence to the world."
With his eyes slanting a bit, he leaned forward, "There are a lot of ways to make someone do your biddings, Ms. Red, and no one would hesitate to use you in order to get their hands on a new copy of that Manual."
"New copy? Doesn't the tome of the Manual persist through the assimilation? And how would they be able to get a new one?"
As I was having a hard time understanding what he was talking about, having never bothered to research anything about Manuals, he leaned back again, unable to contain his laughter. "Pft! Ha! Hahaha! You truly are just like Sarah told me. Strong and proud, but uncaring towards the things that don't light your interest. Though I heard you also have a little bit of a weakside toward a certain boy..."
"George! Please continue with that whole Manual thing!"
'That damn princess!'
"Hahaha! Well, of course, let me explain. the tomes of manuals aren't all the same. Some of them can be passed on, able to get assimilated by several different people. However, some tomes disappear after the assimilation process. The only way to get a new tome after that is for someone to reach a Universal Understanding of the Manual and then create a new one."
"And I assume that the [Dragoon] manual would be of the latter kind?"
"That is so. That means that you are currently the only known key to recovering the lost Manual. Do you understand your situation now?"
"Yes, I understand. That means my only realistic choice is to join a powerful faction as soon as I graduate in order to protect myself, most likely in the form of a guild."
Sarah's father relaxed a bit after seeing that I already made the necessary conclusions that would keep me safe. "Good. I would take you under my own wings if I could, alas, as the king I must remain neutral as the factions keep on fighting for useless greed. Now let's talk about some more interesting things!"
****
[3rd person Pov]
"So, how is the demon of Ainu doing nowadays?"
"Hohoho! Please, don't waste your breath 'my liege', let's conclude our business as we always do; as efficient as possible."
The king had remained in the same office after Sophie had left, making space for the one hiding in the walls to come out.
"Of course, we will do so. Still, it does irk me a bit that my old principal hasn't changed a bit in over 30 years, still watching over every corner of your little playground at all times. Who knew that an ungraded Manual could hold such potential?"
*Slam!*
The old man didn't particularly enjoy the antics of the king, his face turning into a frown as he threw a bundle of papers down on the table between them. "Please, do quiet your voice you Highness. As you know, I have seen many rulers come and go already, we don't need another one to fall before he manages to retire."
Knowing that the old man wasn't joking, the king finally got serious as he started to look at the papers. "This is... There is no way, right?"
Shrugging, the principal just casually opened his mouth, "I don't know. But we have already seen one miracle today, is there anything telling us there can't be a disaster as well?"
Pinching his nose, George was conflicted. If the information he had gotten hold of thanks to the principal was correct, he was doomed to have to commit an atrocity, an atrocity that might come to save his beloved country.
"What should we do then?"
The principal's eyes narrowed, "What we should do? No, that's not part of our deal. You mean, what should you do? As always, I have given you the information you look for every year, in your useless endeavor trying to gain control of the hidden houses. I'm no longer part of this. You may use this room until you have sorted your thoughts. Good luck, 'your Highness'."
And just like he arrived, he disappeared through one of the walls in the office, leaving the king alone, alone to try his best and sort out what actions he could make to try and make the best of the situation.
'He is just a kid... How can we judge him for the sin of his ancestors...'
It was an impossible choice, but it was the choice that Sarah's father had to make. After all, such is the fate of kings.