I was foolish.
Yes, I had been truly foolish. I was appalled by my own immaturity, allowing my heart to be swayed by such trifles.
My name is Alfred. Alfred Machio. Though I was still an immature man, I had not forgotten the ambition of staring down the heavens themselves.
...Actually, would "I have not forgotten!" sound better? I pondered that for a moment.
Regardless, I was in the Reiwight Kingdom. Until that point, I had been treated as a guest of the realm. I had accepted that treatment, but that was the mistake. One cannot learn while being treated as a guest.
What had I come to this country for? Was it to be pampered? No. It was for my own personal growth. And my father had told me—he had encouraged me—to act as myself.
Therefore, I decided to stop being a guest. From that day forward, I would act as an individual man.
When I struck a pose and declared this to Fouche-san, she responded by striking an even more impressive pose, promising to support me. I felt a deep resonance within our souls, but to be surpassed in posing... well, it was a bit frustrating. I clearly needed further training.
The first thing I did after ceasing to be a guest was address the outhouse. The outhouses here were not beautiful! I could not bear it! I hadn't given it much thought while I was a guest, but now... I realized I would have to build one myself.
I had an allowance from my father and mother, so I could secure the materials. I also needed slimes. It would be ideal if there were some nearby, but if not, I would have to bring one back the next time I returned to the village.
As I was lost in thought, I heard a voice.
"Um, where is Alfred-sama?"
It was the attendant Fouche-san had assigned to me, speaking hesitantly. What was he saying? I was right here.
"........................ Alfred-sama?" he asked, staring.
"Yes?" I replied.
"............ My apologies. While Alfred-sama was away, the three royal families have been pleading for an opportunity to offer an apology. How shall I respond?"
A response, was it? Very well.
"Right now," I said. "Bring them in."
"Understood. Then, please, come this way."
This way? Had they prepared this in advance? Or were the princes and their associates simply waiting in the next room? The setting was arranged so quickly it caught me off guard. I was surprised, but showing such an emotion would not have been beautiful. I remained calm.
Before me stood the three princes from the banquet and the Prime Ministers of their respective nations. Behind me stood Fouche-san and her son, Mikel. There was also the Chief Priest-warrior named O'Brien and his Adjutant. I had heard that O'Brien and Fouche-san had gone on a bit of a rampage together. I see. So that was how the personnel had been chosen.
I decided to get this over with quickly. But before I could speak, the princes called for a halt. To be precise, one of the Prime Ministers standing behind them stopped them and spoke.
"......Who are you?"
How rude to ask who I was. I was Alfred.
"No, your appearance is..."
How tedious. However, mishandling this would only lead to more trouble. As I wondered how to explain, Fouche-san stepped forward.
"He grew," she said flatly.
"Grew? You've got to be—"
"He grew," she repeated.
Her posing was truly magnificent. I took a mental note.
"Is this... not a matter of 'treating' this person as Alfred, but...?" the Prime Minister stammered.
"It is the boy himself," she insisted.
"O'Brien, are you of the same opinion?"
"You can tell just by looking, can't you? This is Alfred-dono," O'Brien replied.
"......I—I understand. I will do my best to swallow this, however difficult it may be. My apologies for the interruption."
"Not at all," I said, moving on to the main subject. "An apology. You wish to apologize for the actions of the princes? It is unnecessary. I will not accept an apology from your side."
I continued. "If I consider the situation carefully, there was no reason for you to agree with or praise the words of a suspicious stranger. Even if you apologize now because you failed to agree with me then, it wouldn't be from the heart. Such an apology is worthless. Furthermore, that incident was my own blunder. I should have shown my strength first and let my efforts be known before speaking. I was at fault for letting my words run ahead of my actions. I am sorry for disturbing the occasion with my unnecessary remarks. Allow me to apologize to you."
Perhaps because I had bowed, Fouche-san and O'Brien offered apologies as well.
"I was thoughtless," Fouche-san said.
"I should have charged in a bit sooner," O'Brien added.
Wait... Fouche-san? You were just standing there stiffly. And your face didn't look like you were apologizing at all. Is that how apologies worked in this country? And O'Brien, you were apologizing for something else entirely! You were supposed to apologize for disturbing the peace, weren't you? Mikel and the Adjutant were even cautioning them.
It was a fact that we had ruined the banquet they had gone to the trouble of preparing. But, well, whatever.
"This concludes the matter," I said, trying to end the conversation.
The princes, who had been silent until then, finally resisted.
"W-Wait!"
"The talk isn't over yet!"
"Listen to us—"
Good grief. The Prime Ministers standing behind them each punched their respective prince in the head to silence them. It seemed the Prime Ministers had understood the intent of my apology, so they would likely explain it to the princes later. With that, the matter was finished.
Or so I thought, but it didn't quite end there. It was a hassle, but after training with Fouche-san and O'Brien, everything worked out in the end. I wasn't entirely sure why, but since the princes were now going to help with improving the outhouses in the Reiwight Kingdom, as well as with the cooking and the fields, it would be a great help.