n

n

nChapter 106

nAnd, the next day .

n

n「Well then, Takumi-san, shall we go?」

nIsaac-san whom I will have the audience together with is not wearing his regular knight uniform, noble-like clothes . Well, we also aren’t wearing our usual casual clothes, but considerably high-class clothes .

nI didn’t think about the clothes to wear during the audience, but Cedric-san contacted Matthias-san beforehand, so the clothes were already prepared when we arrived at the Ruven House . Our physiques have been told to a clothing store which prepared several outfits, so we hurriedly tried them on after the messenger arrived . And finally, we did last-minute adjustments to the outfits we thought were the best .

nAlthough overwhelmed, we were dressed nicely in no time .

nI’m wearing black slacks and white shirt, a dark gray long jacket on top . Allen has a frilly white shirt and a navy blue shorts with suspenders . Elena is dressed in an embroidered pink dress with frills .

nWearing outfits that were tailored to fit us perfectly, we boarded the carriage .

n「「Amazing~」」

n「Isn’t it? Looking at it from up close, it looks even more amazing~」

nWe looked out of the carriage’s window while gradually approaching the castle .

nI have seen a few Japanese castles, but it’s my first time seeing a western style castle . It had a solemn atmosphere from afar, but it’s a masterpiece when seen from up close .

nThere seem to be various procedures to enter the castle, but everything was left to Isaac-san, so we kept advancing .

n

n「This is it . As for the manners, it should be fine if you follow my movements」

n「I understand . Allen, Elena, you have to be quiet when inside, okay?」

n「「Yess~」」

nThe room we entered was a large hall made of stone with a deep crimson carpet layed out on the floor and I caught a sight of extravagant chairs in the most elevated place . One noticeably more gorgeous in the center, with slightly smaller chairs on both sides . The chair in the center is most likely the King’s, while the ones on the side are the queen’s and

/or prince’s . This certainly has the feel of an “audience hall” to it .

nThere are a few people that I think are noblemen and knight guards in the hall, but…… the eyes of those people are examining us without holding back . It’s a very unpleasant atmosphere .

nBecause of this atmosphere, Allen and Elena are thoroughly glued to me . I pat the two’s heads in comfort . I seem to be tense to some extent too, so they became my anxiety medicine as well .

n「His Majesty is arriving」

nAfter a short time, one of the knights conveyed such words, making Isaac-san and other people fall to their knees in a respectful bow . Following Isaac-san, I dropped to one knee and lowered my head . Allen and Elena imitated me and make the same posture, although a bit clumsy . Well, it doesn’t change the fact that they are glued to me .

nElena――what do girls do again in this situation? A lady’s bow…… courtesy? Or was it curtsy?

nPulling one leg back, pinching the skirt and bowing? I think that should be it, but…… oh well . They wouldn’t blame me for this, would they?

n「Good . Lift your heads and make yourself comfortable」

nI heard the footsteps of several people, and when they stopped just in front, a voice resounded around the hall .

n

n

nRoyalty = beauty seems to hold true as the man in front of me was a handsome middle-aged man . I’m sure he was popular with women in his youth .

n

n

nBoth chairs at the King’s sides were empty, but one man was standing beside the King . It was a middle-aged man with a seemingly strict atmosphere, a grizzled blonde hair swept back, dressed in all black with sharp eyes and glasses . If we go with the pattern, he would probably be a prime minister or something .

n「Hmm . So you are the adventurer who discovered the dungeon in Bailey . Excuse me for summoning you all of sudden . I’m the King of the Guardia, Tristan」

n「I’m serving as the prime minister, my name is Ford」

nThe King addressed me in a very amicable manner . He seems like a very gentle person, but as a King of a country, I’m sure he’s not simply a gentle character~

nWhen the King finished speaking, the man who stood at his side introduced himself . It seems he’s the prime minister just as I thought .

n「It’s an honor to meet you . I’m Takumi, an adventurer . These children are Allen and Elena」

n「「…… Uniyu~」」

n「Ah…… I’m sorry about this」

nWhen I introduced the children after introducing myself, Allen and Elena suddenly hid behind my back . N~ With so many gazes on them, they aren’t able to do the greetings like they did with Rebecca-san, huh~ Well, there’s nothing I can do about that .

n「Kuku . It’s fine . I won’t get upset at the young」

n

n

nThe King smiled warmly without blaming the children’s actions . When he makes such an expression, he looks even easier to talk with .

nIt really helps that he’s tolerant towards the children, but…… but you see~ it’s not like I’m able to hold a proper conversation either . Speaking with「desu」「masu」is my limit . I don’t know the proper etiquette when speaking with a King~ Well, he’s aware that I’m just an adventurer, so I would want him to forgive me to a certain degree .

n「I would like to reward you at once, but I have to speak with Risner first . Wait a moment please」

n「Yes」

nWhen I acknowledged, the King’s gaze fell upon Isaac-san who was next to me .

n「Good work . You are one of the knights if I’m not mistaken?」

n「He’s of the Royal Guards, isn’t he?」

nEh? Isaac-san was a Royal Guard? I, I didn’t know……

nSurprised by the prime minister’s words, I turned my head towards Isaac-san without thinking .

nThat reminds me, I didn’t hear the reason why Isaac-san was transferred from Shirin to the Royal Capital~ Hee~ So he became a Royal Guard . Royal Guard basically means the elite, right? That’s amazing .

nN? Wald-sama is in the hall as a guard too, but the color of the uniform he’s wearing changed from dark blue to white . Because the knights I saw on the way and the knights at the door were wearing the familiar dark blue uniforms it doesn’t seem that the knights on the castle duty wear white uniforms……

n

n

nShould we celebrate their promotion? N~ Let’s consult Matthias-san and Rebecca-san when this is over .

n「Yes . I have become one of the Royal Guards the other day, my name is Isaac Risner . Originally, my elder brother who is the Risner Feudal Lord should have come, but I came in his place . First of all, I apologize in the Feudal Lord’s stead for he couldn’t come personally」

n「It’s absolutely necessary to settle down the newly discovered dungeon in the Risner territory as soon as possible . It would be foolish for the feudal lord Count Risner to leave his territory at this important time . Don’t mind it」

nWhile I was deep in thoughts, the conversation between the King and Isaac-san advanced .

nIsaac-san has gotten permission to come in Cedric-san’s stead prior to his visit, but this exchange is apparently necessary for the other nobles to hear .

nWhen the typical greetings finished, Isaac-san reported about the Dungeon of Ripples, including the information he obtained beforehand . Well, this was also to inform the people gathered in the hall .

n

n

n「Continue working hard for the country in the future」

n「Yes, I’m willing to serve」

n「Hmm . Takumi-dono, sorry to keep you waiting . Well then, shall we talk about the rewards?」

nThe report ended with truly harmless and bland information .

nAnd then, we moved to talk about our rewards .

n

n