“Elena, I’m glad you returned safely. Lady Leighton, and the adventurers as well, thank you for your efforts. Please raise your heads.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Elena responded to the Claydale King’s calm but dignified words with a composed smile, and we were also permitted to raise our heads.
His Majesty the King was still a handsome man in his thirties, his blond hair and features closely resembling Elena’s. The fluffy, adorable woman next to him was likely the First Queen, the official Queen.
According to Elena, she was fair and kind to everyone, but that was all. Her being made Queen by His Majesty had caused various problems in both domestic and foreign affairs.
The one who had been doing the Queen’s work in place of her, who couldn’t do anything outside of official events, was Elena’s real mother, the Second Queen, but there was no sign of such a woman.
I didn’t know if she couldn’t face her own daughter, or if she was truly uninterested, but if her heart hadn’t changed, she might go berserk if she knew that Elena had begun to move towards becoming Queen.
Elena looked a little troubled by this, saying—
“At that time, I suppose I will have to take all of Mother’s power and do her work instead… What a troublesome person.”
—she muttered with a hint of regret.
It seemed that Elena still had some affection left, but I felt that she had come to terms with it nonetheless. Elena would probably handle that herself, rather than me interfering.
“—Aria Leighton.”
“Yes…”
I was suddenly called out by His Majesty. Thinking something was up, I turned my attention to him, and His Majesty looked at me, smiling not as a king, but as Elena’s father.
“I have heard from Elena of your efforts. You have done a great service this time. Normally, I would bestow a reward other than money…”
Could the other reward be ennoblement? However, the Leighton family had already been raised from Baronet to Baron because I had stopped the Knight Order’s rampage. Due to various factors… several Aristocratic Faction nobles had fallen from grace, and some families had been abolished, so lower nobles were raised to middle nobles to fill the gaps.
Normally, middle nobility wasn’t so easily attained based on my achievements alone.
That woman had thought that a barony was a title that could be obtained with a simple feat, but it was impossible to become a lord entrusted with the lives of tens of thousands of people with just a simple feat. If it were to be raised again due to my achievements, I would receive considerable jealousy from other middle noble families.
His Majesty was troubled because he understood that. As the First Queen next to him began to show interest and her eyes sparkled, Elena opened her mouth before she could say anything.
“Your Majesty, please allow me to speak.”
“What is it, Elena? Speak your mind.”
“Yes, thank you. Aria… I would very much like her to remain in a “Free Position” as my friend.”
“I see…”
Free Position. It was just a way of putting it, but Elena was letting it be known that I was a princess’s friend—under her protection—and protecting me from being taken in by the country as a military asset, or from unnecessary problems from the official Queen or other noble families.
Also, if I entered Elena’s friend circle, I could become a shield to ward off noble daughters trying to curry favor with Elena.
But more than that, Elena’s cheeks flushed slightly when she noticed my gaze, as she had asked her father for permission to make me her friend.
“…Very well. Then, Aria, please stay with Elena as her ‘friend’ even at the academy. I will tell the Chancellor about the reward later.”
“Yes… Thank you very much.”
I bowed my head and thanked His Majesty for his words. But… seeing the way his eyes narrowed as if to assess me for a moment, I felt that even though my reputation among the nobles wasn’t good, the king of a country was not to be trifled with.
It was a sudden audience, but since I had also handed over the Black Dragon’s materials, I was probably being watched.
It wasn’t like we returned to the Kingdom of Claydale and arrived at the Royal Castle on the same day. We arrived in Claydale yesterday at noon.
Elena and I returned to the Kingdom of Claydale after about four months.
I had never paid attention to it before, but I realized that the smell of the wind and the sunlight were completely different from the dry desert.
But I couldn’t just keep doing that. Our job didn’t end there, and we had to immediately deliver Elena to the Royal Castle.
“Aria, the lord of this viscount territory has come to greet us, so I will go and greet everyone. The Viscount is a Royalist Faction who manages the Royal Family’s direct territories, but be careful as to who might be mixed in.”
“Understood, Sera.”
Sera warned me, her daughter, and left the scene. It was hard to believe that the lord of the direct territory was involved with the Aristocratic Faction, but it was better not to let my guard down.
The Viscount had provided security soldiers, but His Majesty had provided the escort knights to the Royal Capital from the Knight Order. Since there were Elena’s close aides, whom I knew, and the Knight Order who had been guarding the academy, they must have been eagerly awaiting Elena’s return.
I felt sorry for the Viscount, who had eagerly sent out soldiers, but I didn’t think their legs could keep up with the speed of the military carriage sent from the castle. Still, there were jobs I wanted to ask them to do.
Delivering Elena to the Royal Castle was the top priority, but there was a limit to what could be carried in four military carriages. So we decided to prioritize loading personal luggage and gifts for His Majesty onto the carriages, and have the Viscount transport the rest of the luggage.
Among them were fabrics, liquors, and many spices that were gifts from the Calfaan Empire, so several of the Knight Order were accompanying them.
The area around the Royal Capital was surrounded by a vast forest, but soldiers patrolled it, so bandits did not appear, and only low-ranked Monsters came out.
There were only ordinary inns in the post town on the way to the Royal Capital, but in preparation for such cases, the mansion of the Baron who managed the town was of a considerable size.
The Baron didn’t expect to be putting up a princess, and he seemed pitifully nervous, but his son seemed to want to work at the castle, and he spoke to me, who was dressed as an adventurer, in a frivolous manner.
In the end, he was informed by the Baron, who had flown in with a blue face, that I was the daughter of a Baron family and a close aide to the princess, and he also turned blue and locked himself in his room, not even showing his face to see us off.
“Aria, are you not fond of men like that?”
Sera whispered to me as she watched.
“They don’t seem like a threat, so I don’t care.”
“No, that’s not what I meant… What are your preferences in men? Do you prefer younger men rather than older ones?”
“I don’t know about age, but if I’m going to be with someone, I’d prefer someone strong.”
“…I see.”
For some reason, Sera pressed her brow as if she had a headache, and muttered softly, “…Slim hope.”
We stayed overnight at the Baron’s mansion, and without any major problems, we departed the next morning and headed for the Royal Capital, finally arriving there in the afternoon.
Without any time to rest, we had an audience with His Majesty the King, and after it was safely over and we took a breather, we were told by the court lady who guided us that the adventurers “Rainbow Sword” were to wait in the reception room.
Elena had entered the princess’s palace in the Royal Palace for rest, and Sera had returned to being a maid and accompanied her. I was also an aide at the academy, but since I had also received maid training from Sera, I could accompany Elena, but first I needed to hear from the Chancellor as an adventurer.
“…Am I out of place?”
Jesha muttered anxiously in the luxurious reception room, which still had plenty of room even with six people and two caretaker maids.
We had all changed into formal wear for the audience with His Majesty. Even I was wearing the dress I received in the Empire, but there was no formal wear for a large dwarven woman in the Royal Castle, and Jesha was made to wear something similar, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being dressed up.
“Jesha, if you’ve become our comrade, don’t say such pathetic things.”
Jesha gave a strange reply when she was glared at by Dolton, who was sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed. Feld, who had shaved his stubble again, smiled wryly and called out to her, perhaps unable to bear to watch.
“We’re adventurers. As long as we have good manners, no matter what we wear, there won’t be any big problems. Look at Viro. He’s being more dignified than necessary, right?”
“Really, he looks suspicious and like a swindler.”
“Watch your mouth, chubby elf!”
“Huh!?”
For some reason, Viro and Mira started bickering as usual. It’s true that Viro, dressed in formal attire, looks even more suspicious than usual, but Mira is the only one who would say it out loud. And while Mira is considered chubby, she’s normal for a human. The other elves are just thinner.
“Everyone’s here, I see.”
As they were doing that, the door opened, and a sharp-eyed man in his late forties entered the reception room. He was the one who had been staring intently at them from beside His Majesty during the audience.
The Prime Minister, Margrave Melrose… The spirit had mentioned him, the Melrose family member who was the source of my pink hair.
That meant he was possibly related to my mother, someone I had been avoiding getting involved with all along.
“You can stay seated.”
Stopping them from standing up, the Prime Minister glanced at my face and hair, closed his eyes for a second or two, and then immediately sat down on the vacant single sofa.
“Before we get to the main topic, allow me to express my gratitude.”
“I am grateful that you accepted our urgent request. His Majesty has instructed that you be given ample rewards.”
“There’s no need for thanks. My companions were there as well, so we are grateful that you chose us.”
To the Prime Minister, Belt Fa Melrose’s words, Dolton of the Rainbow Sword bowed his head, using formal language.
There are few adventurers as trustworthy as them. Dolton and his team truly delivered on Belt’s expectations. Not just Belt’s expectations as Prime Minister, but as Belt himself, he wanted them to bring back not only the Princess but also this “girl.”
Aria Leighton, Baron’s daughter. She single-handedly protected the Princess, her reputation echoed in the underworld, and unbelievably, at such a young age, she became a Dragon Slayer, reaching Rank 5.
The pink-haired girl who had been reported before. He had heard about her appearance in the reports. He had even seen her from afar. But the first time he saw her up close was during the audience, and this was the first time he had made eye contact with her.
Belt was astonished. Her features and hair color strongly resembled his youngest daughter, who had eloped and died.
Only her eyes were different from his daughter’s. The color of her eyes was the same emerald green as Belt’s.
He couldn’t help but feel a connection of blood. So, the girl who called herself Alicia at that orphanage was not his granddaughter after all.
But he heard that girl was now on friendly terms with the Crown Prince, Prince Amor, and the Temple Head’s grandson. If he tried to eliminate her just because she was suspicious, the Crown Prince and Prince Amor would leave the Royalist Faction, and the country would be even more chaotic.
Also, based on Belt’s intuition alone, it would be difficult to dissolve the adoption with the Mercis House, a branch of the Melrose family, now. Not unless the girl named Aria in front of him was proven to be the real Alicia…
“Aria, was it? Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you, Prime Minister.”
Aria replied to Belt’s words, her voice also very similar to Belt’s daughter, stirring up emotions. How much adversity and hardship must this girl have endured to gain such power?
“…His Majesty, along with words of praise, said he would grant you a magical tool from the treasury. It’s something that obscures recognition, but it doesn’t have much power. It’s probably just enough to obscure the appraisal of fools who can’t sense strength with their own skin… Do you understand what this means?”
“Yes.”
Rank 5 or 4 individuals would be able to sense Aria’s strength without appraisal. But those who only know appraisal or use Appraisal Orbs would not be able to understand her power, and if a fool tried to target the Princess, they would target her first, as she would be in the way.
His Majesty used that to make Aria a decoy. If he were to consider the safety of the Princess, it would be better to emphasize the strength of Aria, her guard. But if the situation became dire, they might try to target the Princess with reckless means.
If they didn’t know Aria’s strength at that time, they would consider eliminating her, as she would be in the way.
His Majesty, out of love for his daughter, chose to use Aria as a decoy. Belt didn’t want to give such a thing to a girl who might be his granddaughter.
But if Aria had the same temperament as his daughter, her mother, she would try to protect the Princess even at the cost of her own life.
“Where did you acquire that power?”
“I learned from the adventurer Viro and my foster mother.”
“I heard you were an orphan, where did you learn magic?”
“Mostly self-taught. I also learned at the academy.”
“If you’re an orphan… don’t you have any ‘mementos’ from your parents?”
“…………”
At Belt’s last question, Aria’s eyes narrowed slightly. And Belt was convinced by that reaction that Aria had a ‘ring (memento)’.
If Aria acknowledged it, she could be welcomed into the Melrose family immediately. If she just called Belt ‘Grandfather’ once, Belt would move with all his might to welcome her into the family.
If they didn’t want her to leave the house, they could even have her engaged to his grandson, Mikhail. But if he forced the issue, the current Aria had the ability to break free from the power of the nobility and leave this country, even alone.
“…I am Aria, an adventurer. Prime Minister.”
“…I see.”
Hearing those words, Belt heard that Aria, like his own daughter, would follow the path she had chosen.
“——GWOOOOOOOO…”
With a heavy thud, the last ogre collapsed, and in the space filled with a brief silence, people’s voices began to flow.
“…We did it.”
“We defeated it…”
“…We won. We won!!”
Starting with that voice, cheers erupted from the surviving knights and soldiers. But those voices were not of victory, but sounded like cries of relief for having survived.
The large-scale dungeon was conquered by Crown Prince Elvan and Prince Amor.
This was made possible by Nasanitaru, the grandson of the Robe Baron who was the head of the Holy Church, obtaining full cooperation from the Holy Church.
Previously, when Elvan and Amor went to the dungeon, they conquered it with a very small number of people, borrowing the help of adventurers, so that the Aristocratic Faction would not know about it.
But this time, with the Holy Church providing the secrecy, nearly a hundred people participated, including fifty members of the Second Knight Order, thirty soldiers to assist them, and the attendants that Elvan and the others brought.
But as a result, by not using adventurers who specialized in dungeon exploration and defeating monsters, seventeen people were sacrificed from the back road, from the 70th floor to the lowest floor.
And although there was no Rank 6 guardian on the lowest floor, ten mutated ogres with a combat power exceeding 1500, seemingly Rank 5, were waiting.
Elvan and the others tried to win by devising a strategy and gradually reducing their stamina instead of a short-term battle, but after a fifty-hour-long death battle, they finally managed to snatch victory at the cost of even more sacrifices.
The Second Knight Order, having previously allowed the betrayal of the aristocratic knights who targeted the Crown Prince, had to regain the trust of the Crown Prince and Prince Amor, no matter how many sacrifices they made.
As for the Holy Church, rather than the intentions of the Temple Head and Nasanitaru, they seemed to be interested in the Divine Protection (Gift) obtained from the dungeon’s spirit.
This dungeon is one where strong Divine Protection cannot be obtained, a dungeon that members of the royal family would not enter. But instead, it was said that the spirit’s temperament was gentle, and many people could obtain Divine Protection (Gift).
And immediately after defeating the ogre, four men and women with seeking “desires” were simultaneously called by the dungeon’s spirit, and the next moment, they were returned to the same place.
Among them, the girl who had gained the “knowledge” of the otome game met the spirit in a large-scale dungeon near the royal capital, just like the heroine, and obtained a different Divine Protection (Gift) from the heroine.
“…Aha♪”
Without anyone seeing that distorted smile, the girl used an Appraisal Orb to check her abilities.
——【Divine Protection (Gift): Bewitchment】——
“…Why?”
And Elvan was also called by the dungeon’s spirit, and he couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the mocking words the spirit uttered and the Divine Protection (Gift) he had obtained.
《——According to your hearts, let us grant you the appropriate power——》
That Divine Protection (Gift) was… the same as the power of his uncle, Prince Amor’s older brother, who had died young after being the first to obtain Divine Protection.
The situation will gradually change as the Prime Minister becomes convinced that Aria is his granddaughter.
The ability that the fake heroine obtained is a classic. It’s a classic, but I want to make it a little different.
The story of the reward was too long, so I moved it all to the next time.
Next time too, thank you for Volume 1, weekend update.