Leaving behind the ruckus and his goblin, who was busy happily taste-testing today's breakfast, Logan decided to finally visit Scorch.
His tame would be in the shed out back, hopefully sleeping or resting. Logan recalled the damage Scorch had sustained on his left leg.
Opening the shed's door revealed his new raptor, snoring without a care in the world. In front of it stood an empty bowl. As for its leg, Logan noticed a section with no scales but with orange skin showing, indicating a healthy recovery.
Logan got close to check everything carefully. Suddenly, his pet's eyes opened, and its face lifted in delight.
[Master, visit, finally.] The raptor communicated by slapping its long tail against the small room's walls.
"Yes, sorry for being late, Scorch." Logan patted the creature's back as it stood up, placing its head on Logan's chest.
"What can I say, you are still a kid inside." Logan sighed, happy that his tame was fine.
"Logan?" he heard a voice behind him. The scent of sweet perfume and her lovely voice quickly revealed who had entered.
"Hey Rubina, as always thanks for taking care of Scorch," he said as he turned to face the girl.
Rubina wore a lovely white tunic with a red belt and ribbons, perfectly complementing her natural features. Her sweet smile made his day brighten even more for some reason.
"There was no problem. I was just surprised that he returned so different. We didn't even know it was the same creature until it nuzzled up to me as Scorch would usually do," Rubina said as she petted the raptor, who ran towards her, leaving his master behind.
"Oh? So you prefer Rubina to me?" Logan said, holding his heart.
"Why wouldn't he? This kid needs someone who will feed him every day and pet his neck, right, Scorch?" Rubina replied, while rubbing a particular area, which made the raptor almost fall flat on his face.
Both teenagers laughed hard, enjoying the moment. After a few seconds, Logan stopped, his eyes reflecting on Rubina's lovely profile.
"Say… Rubina, I am sorry you had to see me like that. You should know by now that I am no hero…" Logan began to speak, his voice tinged with a mix of regret and sincerity.
"Don't go putting yourself down, Logan. You may think you are the weakest out of the heroes, but tell me, who found the mutating crystal? Who stopped the kingdom from causing more damage to the forest and provoking the Forest Guardian to retaliate?" Rubina began rebuking Logan before he could say anything more.
"Who killed two demons who were harming our lands and helped capture another to interrogate…" she continued with anger in her voice.
"But you were there for most of that. As for the demons, it was Valeria…" he attempted to correct her.
"No, Logan, without you, none of this would have happened the same way. Who knows, maybe we would have only discovered the demons' plans after every beast in the forest was contaminated," Rubina cried out.
The girl then got close to the young man, placing a finger on his chest. "Logan, stop. Think hard. You did good things, and that is all you need to know. Accept them and thank you, Logan. You have changed people's and monsters' lives already. You chose to do this; you have helped many already."
"I know you've faced something harsh, but think about the good you have done too. Now then, let's go eat; it seems the food is ready," Rubina said, pulling Logan out by the hand.
"Alright, alright, let's go eat," Logan told her as he was being dragged away.
"Master Logan don't scare me like that, I had thought you ran away!" A voice called out as soon as they reached the mansion, Logan saw Ruri running towards him, Rubina on the other hand gripped his hand harder.
"Sorry about that, Ruri. I'm better now. Thanks for worrying…" Logan said, lightly waving as he was pulled inside.
Ruri sighed with relief and joined them as they headed inside. The mansion was filled with activity, and the delicious aroma of breakfast filled the air.
The dining table was set, and everyone gathered around, ready to enjoy the meal.
After a grand breakfast, the Earl seemed to want to have a talk with Logan. He gathered everyone in a more private room for tea, and Ruri, who was with Logan, was given the chance to stay.
"I have news from the King. It seems the demon did not speak much; it was just his mission to infect the area he was assigned to. He later committed suicide. Just like the rest of the beasts, he overloaded his core, causing an explosion that killed a few soldiers."
The Earl paused and turned towards Logan to check his reaction. The boy just sat; his breathing only increased slightly, but he did not take the news too badly.
"Now then, it is known that you had a big part in all this, Logan. The King wants to make a big deal out of this and give you an award, gold, and some land," the Earl finished, trying to probe Logan's reaction.
"You know as well as I do that I just went to the forest. Everything just happened—it's not like I went out to fight evil or something. Why do they want to make something big out of it anyway?" Logan said with exasperation, trying to control himself from standing up and start pulling his hair.
"I know, Logan. I know you don't want the attention, but please, accept and join the ceremony. Think about it—the King and the representatives kept you away from your class due to fear. They kept you weaker to control you. Didn't they also chain you with a bodyguard?" The earl said, earnestly trying to make the boy change his mind.
"After accepting this, they may reduce all that. You're the only hero so far who has made any achievement, and you can bet they want to make a huge thing out of all of this to increase morale and give prestige to you heroes," the Earl said.
"Okay...okay, so what do I have to do?" Logan said, placing a finger on his temple as if trying to contain a headache.
"You are called to go to the throne room and be given the awards in front of an audience. They will make it early, as I told them you don't like banquets. That is as much as I could do. Sorry, kid," the Earl finished, taking a long sip from his tea.
"Ugh, I hate crowded areas…" Logan sighed. The taste of his pastries was ruined; they might as well have been cardboard.
"I can imagine. Now then, I think the faster you get through this, the better. I will send out word that you will be ready tomorrow. They have already waited, so I don't want them to think you are ignoring or declining. Who knows what else they may do to annoy you," the Earl added, as everyone nodded while waiting for Logan's reply.
"There is nothing more to say then. I will go. Thanks again, Earl, for the help. Now, does that mean I have the rest of the day to myself?" Logan asked as he readied himself to leave, craving some time to think alone.
"You have a bit of time, but I was sent a letter by the church. Your friend Lisa will be coming later after training. That is all that was said; I don't know if others will join her," the Earl said, handing Logan a letter that appeared to be made from expensive paper.
"Then I shall prepare. Thank you again, everyone. I will be in my room for a while." Logan left, trying to hold back his anger.
He did not like the formalities in this world, but he knew it would be in his best interest, so in the end, he chose to go without putting much resistance.
Logan heard his tames walking behind him as he headed back to his room. He sighed, thinking about how he would need to leave them behind.
The boy didn't want to show them to the world just yet; like Valeria said, people would just look at him as if he were part of a circus.
After entering, he jumped into the bed, extending all his limbs wide. He wanted to feel a bit of freedom. His fox jumped on top of his chest, licking his cheek.
His slime extended a tendril towards the other cheek, making it feel like a tongue, which made his back shiver but caused him to laugh.
His goblin, on the other hand, tried to imitate him but accidentally backslapped his stomach, making him cough.
"It's fine, it's fine. Let's just relax for now. Who knows, this might be the last chance I get before everyone expects something out of me," Logan told her, petting her slightly bald head.