Chapter 1: The Church (Ascending the Stairs)
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All eyes were filled with respect for him.
Imagine, if you will. Not only the upper-class individuals who understood the circumstances of this country, but even the ignorant common folk would light up with admiration upon seeing him.
And rightly so. In just a few short years since his summoning, he had conquered seven of the previously uncharted Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinths.
What had the fools of this world been doing for the long stretch of time before he appeared? No, it wasn’t even important what they had done. The result was that they had accomplished nothing at all. It was laughable how incompetent they were.
Moreover, despite having witnessed the exemplary feat of clearing the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth, they still had not managed to conquer even a single one of them by their own hands. This was clear evidence of how inept these monkeys truly were.
What I want to say is that his achievements were truly unparalleled, unprecedented, and utterly unique—an extraordinary feat without equal.
However, even so, merely stating this evaluation would be entirely insufficient to describe him.
He held a certain philosophy. What an exceptional man needed were wealth, status, and power—and above all, beautiful trophies to adorn them.
For instance, if he were to gather a hundred, no, a thousand women—mere trinkets—next to him, it would mean nothing at all. No matter how many glass beads one collects, they could never compare to genuine jewels.
That is why it was significant to have those girls (the Hero’s maidens) by his side.
They were trophies. Perfect and optimal trophies that maximized his self-esteem.
All the church officials bowed their heads to the Saintess. All the Mages cast envious glances at the Sage. All the Knights and Swordsmen showed reverence to the Sword Saint.
All those praises were directed at him, the one who possessed those trophies.
Just recalling it would release some kind of brain chemical, enveloping him in a strong intoxication that bound his body in pleasure.
And each time, he would reaffirm it. He, who led the three (plus one) revered by all humanity, and who had conquered the first challenging labyrinth in human history—Prince Ryuguin was the one who should be worshipped above all in this world.
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“I’m coming in,” she said.
There was no response from the room, but that was nothing unusual, so she entered without hesitation.
She didn’t think it was rude at all. She—Siesta—was a Sister in her early twenties.
Upon entering the room, she grimaced at the overwhelming stench that filled the air. This was something she could never get used to.
The golden hair peeking from under the blanket simply murmured, “…Water.”
Siesta brought water to the owner of the golden hair, then promptly opened the window and began cleaning the room with efficiency.
Originally, she was not someone of such a lowly position to do menial tasks. However, it couldn’t be helped. The preparations for him were usually handled by Mika, the Saintess, but Siesta had been sent in her stead since Mika had departed.
Siesta had a nurturing personality, and she willingly took on tasks that others disliked, so she felt no aversion to cleaning. However, she could never get used to the way he—Hero Ryuguin—gazed at her, as if he were devouring her with his eyes from the bed.
“Hero-sama, I will change the sheets now.”
Ryuguin crawled out of bed slowly. Siesta internally lamented as she wished she could pinch her nose while quickly stuffing the sheets stained with the bodily fluids of multiple people into the basket. All the while, she could feel his gaze upon her.
“Today, we have two visitors.”
Siesta informed the Hero, who had plopped down into an armchair.
“Two visitors, you say?”
He replied, clearly irritated, his mood soured by fatigue from a night of indulgence and a hangover from excessive drinking.
“Yes. The first is Lord Leopard, the leader of the A-rank Seeker party, Tycoon. It has been about a week since I arrived here, and I heard you mention that you were ‘having trouble finding suitable training partners lately,’ so he has come to serve as your training companion.”
With his eyes closed and leaning back against the chair, Ryuguin remained silent, prompting Siesta to continue.
“The second is someone you are familiar with. It is Mr. Balen, the Guild Master of the Town of Lemone.”
The armchair creaked ominously.
“Mr. Balen was here the other day—”
As Siesta continued her explanation, Ryuguin turned his gaze toward her.
“Enough. Stop talking. What makes you think you can waste my precious time like this?”
Siesta, ever diligent, began to explain, “That was because the other day—” but this only displeased Ryuguin further.
“I said ‘stop talking,’ didn’t I?”
He had indeed said that. However, it was he who had asked for clarification on “what makes you think.” It was typical of him—Hero Ryuguin—to layer contradictions upon contradictions, making it impossible to reason with him.
“Do you even understand how precious a Hero’s time is?”
He exaggeratedly crossed his legs.
“In the other world (Japan), there was a renowned individual who boasted about ‘earning a hundred million yen in an hour.’ In this world, my position is likely above his. So, do you understand now?”
Siesta understood nothing at all. She was not only skilled in healing magic but was also an intelligent woman well-versed in various fields, traveling with the Cardinal to foreign lands. Yet, even she could not grasp what he was saying—or who he was.
Which of them was truly foolish? Siesta questioned herself in her heart.
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Everyone has been eagerly awaiting Prince Ryuguin’s turn.