The king put as much distance between me and the princess as possible, using Roan and himself as buffers.
Since it would be no use trying to converse with her, I looked elsewhere for company. Across the vast, expansive hall, there were multitudes of tables adorned with fine jewelry occupied by the finest nobles of 3 kingdoms. Somehow, this dinner was infinitely more extravagant than the one the king had thrown just last night.
Is this the life of a royal? Finally, something I could get behind.
I was starved after a hard day of training, so I began stuffing my mouth until the king's stern look broke me off the path of becoming a savage squirrel. Roan shared the king's look of disproval, but I saw the princess smile for a bit, even if she tried to hide it. Good.
Ringing across the tables was a cacophony of munching mouths, scraping utensils, indecent banter, and a myriad of other sounds concurrent with a feast of nobility.
The selections were endless. I wouldn't be surprised if they were serving humans somewhere.
Roan seemed especially fond of ham and this weird vegetable native to the science kingdom. I was told the vegetable was a fine delicacy only affordable by the wealthiest of the wealthy, but I learned that expensive does not mean good. It tastes like cardboard. A boring flavor for a boring friend, I suppose.
The princess was mainly playing with her food, but now and then, with a nudge of assistance from her father, she would eat a piece of her steak or potatoes.
She left her saia completely untouched.
I wanted to cheer her up, but I didn't know what I could do. I thought that maybe if I could get a conversation started with the king or Roan, it would lead to something pleasant and uplifting.
Figuring the king would be interested in my training, I said "Hey, you know, Roan is a fantastic teacher."
Roan and the princess suddenly got even more immersed in their food, but the king's laughter startled me. The king slapped Roan's back before exclaiming "Oh, is that right?! My old reliable!" Roan pursed his lips as he hesitantly smiled back. He tried to hide from the conversation by picking up a piece of ham.
As he chewed, the king continued, still smiling. "You know, he once led the greatest crusade this land has ever seen! His name was either feared or revered across all 4 kingdoms. There was no mission he couldn't handle. Well, except one. Isn't that right, Roan?" The king nudged Roan playfully, but his malice was silencing.
I didn't realize even the king had this contempt for him... what did he do?
After a few moments of awkward silence, the king turned his attention to me.
His smile was still there, though it was devoid of kindness.
After looking at me for a few moments, he whispered "I know my daughter trained you. I gave the order to Roan after all, and like any good dog, he listens. You would take care to learn that lesson. Just because the public sees you as their savior, doesn't make you any less of my puppet. If you think that would change in any other kingdom, then be my guest. Leave for them. But my daughter spoke the truth when she said every kingdom will be seeking an advantage. I just want you to understand."
I could feel his gaze pierce my soul. Why did I open my mouth?
"Should harm befall my daughter under your watch, I will add you to Roan's list of dead comrades. The demon lord be damned."
Because the king held his deadly focus on me, he did not see the princess roll her eyes at him. She was finally eating, even if it was to remain away from this confrontation I created. A small comfort, I suppose.
The king quickly returned to feigning a joyful look, leaving me alone in my thoughts.
After everything I've heard today from Yoku and the king... who is Roan? Why do they keep dangling his dead comrades in front of his face, as if he is at fault? Is he... going to kill me?
I looked over at Roan and couldn't believe that possibility. One of the only emotions I've seen from him is grief. I've never seen him be hostile. And besides, even if he failed to save his comrades before, I'm the savior now, right? It wouldn't be his job to keep everyone safe, it would be mine. I'm the one who is going to conquer the system after all. At some point in my pondering, I looked over at the head table, where the head of the house Alash- Rega- and his family were eating.
Yoku wasn't there.
Stupid drunk.
I laughed to myself.
...
Sometime later, Rega came over to our table, smiling at us. He wore a simple tuxedo and did not adorn himself with any jewelry. He kept himself clean-shaven but was rather bland compared to the exquisite extravagances I've grown accustomed to in this land.
Once he reached our table, Rega promptly bowed. The king seemed to expect this, but the rest of us were rather shocked.
"Hero, if you may, please accept my humblest request to have you join me for supper. I would like to raise a toast to you and offer my blessings."
I didn't mind leaving the king at this point, and besides it would probably be weird to decline. I got up and pushed my chair in- much to a servant's dismay- then followed Rega to his table. As we walked side by side, I noticed many hushed conversations. Wow, it's the hero! Can he really beat the demon lord!
My very existence demanded praise, I suppose.
As we approached the table, I noticed 2 things. 1: Yoku was still out drinking somewhere. 2: Hajime felt right at home with this family. He was laughing with who I figured was Rega's wife, stealing food from this little kid, and overall having a good time. I guess Yoku was the odd one out. I wondered whose fault it was.
Before I could even sit down, the kid, barely able to hold his excitement, exuberantly declared "Mama! It's that hero guy Daddy told us about!" His Mom put on that exaggerated smile mothers make before responding with glee "I knoww! Are you going to say hi?"
Although he was excited, he also had the shyness of youth. He was halfway between running to me and hiding. I smiled at him, waved my hand, and said "Hi! What's your name." He looked over at his mom and whispered "Mama, he wants to know my name. Am I gonna be famous!" Hajime rustled his hair, laughing, and said "You're already famous, peanut."
"I am?" As an excited realization reached his face, he exclaimed "I'm Seinko, a super duper famous man!" Some idea must have run across his mind, as he got super serious for a second before leaning in close to whisper "Hey, have you ridden a dragon yet?"
A DRAGON!
"Uh, no, I can't say that I have." I chuckled defensively.
Seinko seemed disappointed but quickly moved on to his next question.
"Did you get the demon sword?"
"No."
"Oh. Well, do you at least have a girlfriend?"
A- a what?! Well, I tried but she beat me up.
"Aren't you a bit young to ask that? But, uh, not yett..."
The rascal studied me for a bit, then reassured me, "Don't worry, you'll become cool sometime!"
Thanks.
His mom interjected into our conversation, telling Seinko to eat his green beans. Seinko fought back for a bit until she told him he'd grow as strong as me. The vegetables disappeared. As I sat down next to Hajime, he chuckled to himself, saying "Sei's a handful." I laughed and nodded, saying "he's a good kid."
Rega sat down and affirmed my statement.
"Yes, he is fantastic."
After he got himself situated, Rega asked if I needed anything. Truthfully, I felt completely pampered. It was as if the pain I'd endured the last few years of my life was finally being rewarded. I wish my Mom and Kile were here. And my Dad. I said I'm fine.
He smiled. "Good, let me know if you need anything. Fair warning, I am going to be giving a speech in a bit. Just letting you know, so you're not completely off-guard when I make you center stage."
More public speaking? Crap.
Sure enough, after a half hour or so, Rega announced to everyone that he wanted to say a few words. Seinko was grabbed up by Hajime, who exclaimed "Ssh! Daddy's talking."
The crowd was a bit slow to listen to him, but they came around. Everyone stared at us intently.
"Hello all, I hope you've been having a fantastic dinner. I'd like to start by giving thanks to my chefs, servers, butlers, and everyone else. It is a fantastic thing, to be able to celebrate. Is it not?"
The crowd began murmuring a little, while also nodding their heads in approval.
"I promise you all, hope is a powerful thing. And lately, I've been feeling nothing but hope. For our country, for our future, for my family, for each of us in this room. Everywhere I look, I see improvement. Trust me, as a businessman I know to look for this stuff."
A small chuckle from Rega and the crowd.
"Even now, my son Yoku is headfirst in his studies. It would be nice to have him here, but he is doing fantastic work. And I can say the same for many of the faces around here. I've heard all about everyone's work. Ry' Ina of the science kingdom, your work to help appease the mentally ill at their worst times is beyond remarkable. Roko of the mercantile kingdom, my friend and partner, your work to feed and house the poor is nothing short of fantastic" -a laugh came from the crowd, I'm assuming Roko- "And Kokino of the feudal kingdom, my longtime accomplice, the work you are doing to spread democracy across not only your kingdom but the Krog' Un... words cannot express the happiness your contributions make me."
The king was beaming with pride at this praise.
The crowd gave a slow clap. After a few moments, Rega continued.
"And it gets even better for us. I'm sure most of you have met him. The one who holds the system. As of now, he and his party are preparing to fight the demon king. I urge everyone here to band together and help with whatever we can. Remember that even a queen needs her ants, an emperor his army. Even more so, I urge each of us to think even further in the future, to after our hero destroys the demon lord. What's next? Do we just let him sit idly by? Well, if he wanted to he'd have earned it, after such a fantastic job. But I'll challenge him, here and now."
He turned to me.
"After you're done with the demon lord, help us. Help our children, our future. With your noble heart and extraordinary powers, I believe you are our singular, best option at peace."
I didn't know what to say. I know he had said that I would be the center of attention, but I didn't expect this. I stammered, frantically searching for something to say, "I- I-"
"Wow. My father cares about peace. How times have changed"
Existence tensed up as Yoku made his appearance. He was trudging forward, waving at people in the crowd as he entered. It was impossible for him to walk straight. He must have gotten even more drunk.
This made the clearness of his voice evermore menacing.
"Nice speech father. Really. I only have 1 complaint. You talk about the future entirely too much. Isn't it good to reflect on your past sometime?"
I could feel Rega become stiff. Somewhere to the right of me, Seinko was asking Hajime what was going on.
"Or are you too good nowadays to admit to your murder? Father? Should I still call you that, after all you've done?"
What is happening... what is Yoku talking about here?
I looked to Rega, hoping for an answer, some denial off these accusations. His face was a blank slate. His heart gave nothing away. I couldn't read him at all.
"That's my benevolent father, guys. He'll build a mountain of corpses, but he refuses to piss on them. He'd prefer to do that to his son, his legacy."
Yoku had almost finished his journey to us.
"We were the greatest house our kingdom had ever seen. Rega, with his heart of steel, capable of closing any deal. You would kill a man to sell his corpse to his family. You had no problem teaching me the ins and outs of sadism. That's how business works, after all. Now, you're so weak you hide behind parties and prophecies."
Rega glared at Yoku.
"You're behaving like a petulant child. This little monologue you're having is unbecoming of you. Go to your room."
Yoku met Rega's glare with a smile.
"Father, the old you wouldn't be sitting here, crying for attention. Crying for partners. For a savior. Their servitude would've been guaranteed. You would've killed everyone who couldn't be bought or bullied. What was your old adage, father? Cruelty is the only currency worth more than money."
Yoku slashed his father's neck open before I could even perceive what was happening.
As I got up, processing the danger, multiple people stood up from the crowd, killing people next to them. In the distance, I saw Roan summon swords out of thin air, protecting the princess and king.
Screams, blood, and chaos sprang into action as the hall filled with death.