Inside the Audience Chamber of the Royal Palace, His Majesty the King sat upon his throne, waiting for us. On either side of him stood rows of high-ranking officials, their dignified presence filling the room.
"Your Majesty, I have returned," Highness Eligion announced as he led us forward.
"Oh, it is good to see you back safely! I am truly proud to have a son such as you."
"Your words are more than I deserve, Father." Highness Eligion bowed his head deeply.
"Now then, I was told that the one who slew the Demon King is among you."
"Yes. She is the True Hero—the one who truly defeated the Demon King."
As Highness Eligion introduced her, Ageha took a step forward and bowed.
"Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you. I am called Ageha."
"I see, so you are the Hero. I must admit, I felt a touch of disappointment when I learned my son was not the True Hero, yet it remains a matter of great rejoicing that the Demon King has been slain by your hand. You have done a great service for all mankind."
"You honor me with your praise." Ageha responded with formal grace.
"Indeed. I must grant you a reward befitting your station. Do you have a request?"
The moment the King spoke, a stir of excitement rippled through the room. The court seemed shocked by such preferential treatment.
"Gold, land... perhaps status? Or power? If it is within my authority to grant, I shall make it so."
The King was surprisingly generous. It felt like if she asked for the world, he might actually try to give it to her.
"Well..." Ageha began.
I watched her closely, wondering what on earth she would ask for.
"I don't particularly need anything. I am perfectly satisfied with the way things are now."
The room erupted into a commotion.
"How humble," I heard someone whisper. "So this is the character of one chosen by the Hero's light. We must follow her example."
"Hahaha! Truly, you are a human worthy of the title. However, it would stain my reputation as King if I provided nothing at all. I shall prepare a proper reward to be presented later."
With that, His Majesty gave a series of orders to his attendants.
The audience concluded without incident. Apparently, I was also slated to receive a reward later for my contributions.
Afterward, Ageha, Sage Nyau, and I attended a banquet held in the palace. Since it doubled as a Victory Celebration, the food was even more extravagant than usual. Furthermore, we were invited to stay in the palace for the time being, an offer we gratefully accepted.
"I'm so full..."
Ageha stretched out on the bed. Given the sheer amount of food served at dinner, I was stuffed as well.
"Hey, Ageha, what's the plan for tomorrow?"
Since I hadn't received my reward yet, I intended to stay in the Royal Capital for a bit.
"I want to go on a date," Ageha blurted out.
"A date?"
Right, I remembered her mentioning this morning that she wanted to go out and have some fun.
"Sure. Since we're here, let's look around the capital together tomorrow."
"Mm."
And so, tomorrow's schedule was set. While I still worried that a crisis might eventually destroy the world, it felt like we could afford to enjoy ourselves for a little while.
Come to think of it, why was Nyau crying in the carriage? Even during the audience, she seemed drained of all energy. I just didn't get it. Even searching through my memories of her from the previous timeline, I couldn't find a plausible reason.
It couldn't be that she likes me and was shocked to find out Ageha and I are dating... right? No, that was impossible. After all, everything that happened in the previous timeline had been reset.
I was a bit worried about her, but it didn't seem like there was anything I could do. In this timeline, we hadn't even become close yet. Offering to give her advice now would only confuse her.
"By the way, I heard earlier that there's a Grand Bath in the palace we can use freely," Ageha said.
A Grand Bath. There were Public Baths in Kataroff Village, so I knew the concept. Given this was the royal palace, the construction was probably magnificent. I was actually looking forward to seeing it.
"Should we go later?"
"Since we're here, want to go in together?"
"Don't be stupid. Men and women can't share a bath."
"It's fine as long as we don't get caught."
"This is a palace bath. Servants and all sorts of people are probably using it. There's no way we wouldn't be caught."
"Too bad... I should have asked the King to reserve it for us."
Typical Ageha. She really would have wasted a royal favor on something like that.
"By the way, why didn't you ask for anything from the King?" I asked, genuinely curious. If it were me, I'd probably be begging for gold.
"I told you. I'm satisfied with how things are."
"I guess you did say that..."
Still, I didn't think her current situation was particularly luxurious.
"Yes. As long as I have Kiska, I don't need anything else."
Ageha stared at me. Her eyes glowed with an animalistic intensity. It felt as if I would be swallowed whole if I didn't look away.
"I see," I managed to say.
I nodded, trying to maintain my composure. But under her intense, unwavering affection, my heart was racing.