That day, the hero party celebrated their win. They cooked their best food and drank their best drinks they brought along with them. Although it was risky to use this much food when they were still rather far away from home, they really didn't feel like restraining themselves.
That day was the end of their suffering and their long journey that took them a long time and an imaginable efforts.
They laughed, joked and had the best fun of their lives. As tired mentally and physically as they were, they were still happy to experience this epic journey together. They did indeed risk their lives countless times but during that time, they gained bonds that will never break. Bonds stronger than blood itself.
"When we reach the capital, we're gonna party even more!" Mino smiled as he exclaimed.
"Your princess is waiting for you, Mino. Don't let fun and games push her away, hahahaha!" Boriat grinned in response.
"Hey! I never said I will do that!" The hero blushed and averted his eyes.
"Mister hero is so cute, isn't he?" Kali chuckled.
"Mino is still a virgin, after all! He will probably stay a virgin his entire life if he continues to act this shy!"
"Oi, Ani! That's too vulgar!"
"Hehehehe! I don't care~"
'I'm sure she isn't aware that she insulted me too with those words.' Sighing, Arthur sipped on his drink as he watched the banter occurring with a relaxed expression. Eventually, his eyes wandered to the moon. That night was very beautiful through and through. The sky was clear and the stars were shining like cosmic chandeliers that illuminated the world around the group.
"Hm?"
As he was like that, Arthur's eyes went down when he noticed that everyone went silent. There, he found them all laying down, deep asleep.
He blinked in surprise for a second before he sighed. "At least don't fall asleep at the same time, guys." He murmured before he looked up again.
Since they were all tired, they couldn't stay awake. Arthur was able to fight back his drowsiness because of his recent power up so he decided to stay awake and guard the group from any possible attacks.
As he was like that, he noticed something moving. His eyes wandered up. One of the stars that he was seeing suddenly started moving as it cross the sky, shining a beautiful light on everything around it.
A second later, another star followed suit. In a few moments, countless stars were falling from the sky. For a second, Arthur thought he was looking at shiny pearls rather cosmic entities.
"Wow…"
The scenery was mesmerizing to no extent. This was the first time Arthur had seen what was called 'Shooting Stars' back in his world.
"Should I make a wish?" He murmured to himself before he shrugged and clasped his hands together.
"May I succeed in my future endeavors. Oh, and become the greatest Mangaka in history. Oh, and get some good friends in the real world too."
By the time he finished, the shooting meteors were gone completely and the sky returned to its calm state.
Arthur sat there, enjoying the lingering feeling before he laid down and closed his eyes. "Oh well, let's sleep."
***
The next day, the group woke up early and they finally resumed their journey. Although they were still injured, their eagerness to finally return home overpowered the pain.
The trip was easy for them, except for one problem that only Arthur noticed. Ani, she seemed to be under weather ever since they resumed the trip after the battle. The boy couldn't put his hand on what exactly what it was but he could notice that she wasn't acting as usual.
She had a dark expression on her face and her face seemed pale for some reason. He did try to alert the others but they brushed it off. Arthur didn't know what was going on so he simply stopped talking.
The journey went smoothly for the next few days and the group finally crossed the borders between the demon kingdom and the human territories. When they passed that threshold, they finally exhaled a sigh of relief. The nightmare was officially over.
What was left was to cross a small distance to reach the capital. They didn't have to stop anywhere else on the way considering how close the capital was from the borders. So, in less than two days, they were able to finally see the gigantic walls of the capital in the horizon.
"We're here!!!" Arthur exclaimed happily.
"Hahahaha! Yeah! We're here, folks!"
The whole group seemed happy, except for Ani who was still struggling for some reason. However, nobody gave it much attention as they hurried toward the gates of the capital with great eagerness.
When they approached it, they were noticed by a few guards who quickly approached them.
"The heroes!! The heroes are back!!!"
With a wide smile, they were welcomed and in a matter of minutes every single person was alerted of their arrival. They all ran outside to the streets to welcome their heroes back.
By the time they were able to walk inside the capital, a huge commotion took place. The city streets, once hushed with trepidation, now pulsed with vibrant anticipation.
"I heard the heroes came back!!"
"Me too! Did they finally do it?"
"I'm sure they did! I heard the guards yelling that the demon king was defeated!"
Such words could be heard everywhere as more and more people filled the streets, waiting for the heroes to appear. Citizens from all walks of life, poor and rich, ugly and beautiful, sad and happy, all wanted to take a look and see for themselves the magnificent warriors that brought them glory.
The moment the five heroes finally appeared, cheers erupted powerfully, shaking the whole city to its core.
Banners and ribbons fluttered in the breeze and the laughs and giggles echoed loudly. They were all unable to contain their happiness. The loud drums and melodies of the instruments filled the people with even more excitement.
Meanwhile, Arthur and the group walked through the main streets as they greeted everyone.
"Wow…" Arthur was rather overwhelmed by this sight and the attention he was getting. He was never accustomed to being looked at by so many people.
"Just smile and walk, Arthur. They're happy for us, brother." Mino noticed that and smiled before he tapped him on the shoulder..
"Ehem, yeah, I guess that's right."
'Nobody is looking at me with disdain, so why am I feeling scared?' Shaking those thoughts away, Arthur tried to smile and started waving toward the people.
"Hm?"
He then noticed that some girls amidst the people blushed when he greeted them. Their eyes didn't have simple 'respect' toward him.
"Oh boy…" Arthur quickly looked away and hurried his steps.
The march continued till they found themselves in front of the gates of a huge castle in the heart of the city. The tall walls of the structure and its altitude compared to other buildings made it very eye-catching even in a city as beautiful as the capital.
The gates opened to the heroes and they were able to walk inside, quickly welcomed by maids hand butlers who led them to the main hall of the castle.
'We're about to meet the rulers of this kingdom. It's going to be nerve wracking.' Arthur gulped.