In the audience chamber of the royal palace, the King sat on the throne, ready and waiting. On either side of him, numerous other dignitaries stood imposingly.
"Your Majesty, we have returned," announced Prince Eligion, leading the way.
"Ah, welcome back. I'm proud to have a son like you," the king responded.
Prince Eligion bowed his head, saying, "Your words are too kind."
"Now, I heard that among you is the one who defeated the Demon Lord," the king inquired.
"Yes, she is the true hero who defeated the Demon Lord," Prince Eligion introduced Agetha.
As Agetha stepped forward, she bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it's an honor to meet you. My name is Agetha."
"I see, so you are the hero. When I heard that my son was not the true hero, I was somewhat disappointed. However, the fact that the Demon Lord was defeated by your hands is a cause for great joy. It was a righteous deed," the king remarked.
"Your words are too kind," Agetha replied, expressing her gratitude with a bow.
"Indeed, I must reward you for your achievements. Is there anything you desire?"
The moment the king uttered those words, a murmur of surprise and delight filled the room. The lavish treatment seemed to have taken everyone aback.
"Be it gold, land, status, or power? If there's anything within my means, I shall grant it to you."
The king's generosity was quite remarkable. It felt like he would fulfill any request made.
"Well…"
Agetha began, and all eyes turned to her. I wondered what she would wish for.
"I don't particularly need anything. I am content with the current situation."
As Agetha spoke, another wave of astonishment swept through the room. Voices praising her humility and expressing admiration for the chosen hero could be heard.
"Hahaha, truly a person befitting the title of hero. However, doing nothing would tarnish the king's reputation. I'll prepare a reward for you later."
Saying so, the king issued some instructions to his subordinates. The audience with the king concluded smoothly.
Later, I learned that I, along with Agetha and Sage Nyaou, would receive rewards from the king for our contributions.
Afterwards, the three of us attended a banquet held at the royal palace, doubling as a victory celebration. The feast was more extravagant than usual. Additionally, we were graciously allowed to stay in rooms within the palace for a while.
"I'm so full!"
Agetha stretched out on the bed. Indeed, the dinner portion was quite large, leaving her satisfied.
"Hey, Agetha, what are we doing tomorrow?"
Since we hadn't received our rewards yet, we planned to stay in the royal capital for a while.
"I want to go on a date."
"A date?"
"Well then, since we're here, how about exploring the royal capital together tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
With that, our plans for tomorrow were set. Despite the looming concern that the crisis of the world's destruction might catch up with us soon, it seemed like we could enjoy our time for a while.
Speaking of which, why was Nyau crying in the carriage? She seemed a bit down during the audience with the king, too. I couldn't figure it out. Even digging into memories from the previous timeline spent with Nyau didn't lead to any apparent reason. It couldn't be that Nyau liked me, got shocked to see Agetha and I together, and ended up crying. After all, memories from the previous timeline spent with Nyau were completely reset. I was a bit concerned about Nyau, but there didn't seem to be much I could do now. In this timeline, we hadn't deepened our relationship, so suddenly offering advice might just confuse her.
"By the way, I heard earlier that there's a large bath in this royal palace, and we're free to use it," Agetha said.
"A large bath, huh?" I responded. I was familiar with public baths from Katarov Village, so I knew what to expect. Being in the royal palace, I imagined it would be an extravagant facility. I looked forward to experiencing it.
"Let's go later," Agetha suggested. "Since we're here, why not go in together?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Men and women can't use the same bath."
"It'll be fine if we don't get caught."
"It's the royal palace's bath. Various people, including servants, are likely using it. So, using it without getting caught is probably impossible."
"I see. I should have asked His Majesty to reserve it just for us," Agetha said, as if considering such a proposition.
"By the way, why didn't you ask His Majesty for a favor?" I inquired, curious. If I were in the same position, I might have ended up asking for money.
"I told him. I said I'm content with the current situation."
"Yeah, you did mention that."
"But, as long as Kiska is with me, I don't need anything else."
Saying this, Agetha gazed at me. Her eyes emitted a fierce, animalistic glow, as if staring at them for too long might engulf me.
"I see," I responded calmly, concealing the thumping of my heart stirred by Agetha's straightforward affection.