On the fourth day since I was unexpectedly summoned and confined to the Imperial Palace, the work I had done was much the sa as when I first t Vivian.
Cleaning her ssy room, preparing als in place of the imperial chef at al tis, and brewing coffee when needed…
There were many servants in the palace to do such tasks, but ironically, Vivian refused all their services after I joined.
I soon realized after arriving at the palace that she had been suffering from loss of appetite and depression even before my arrival.
“Thanks to you becoming the witch’s personal attendant, it’s been a relief for us as well.”
“Was it that serious before I arrived?”
“She hardly ate the als we prepared. Honestly, we were worried she might get angry if the food didn’t suit her taste.”
The chef, who ca to the kitchen for cooking, explained the situation to .
He was in charge of cooking for the royalty, but it seed he couldn’t quite make dishes to Vivian’s liking.
It was perhaps inevitable. Vivian hadn’t been rejecting the food because it tasted bad, but more likely due to psychological reasons.
“Did Vivian ever get angry if she didn’t like the food?”
“There was never such an incident. She would just leave the food untouched, and when servants ca to tidy up, she would rely order them to clean.”
Fortunately, Vivian had never physically hard the servants, but when I cleaned her room, I occasionally found bloodstains that wouldn’t wash away.
Clearly, soone had been killed in that room.
Just like what I had seen in the banquet hall, as if it were nothing.
“I haven’t been hard directly, but… naturally, I hesitated to visit her. There have been instances where nobles or warriors who offended her ended up facing retribution.”
“Ah, I see.”
So it was that sort of people who had died.
After all, before the incident at the banquet hall, it seed like no one really knew who she was or what her standing was in the empire.
…It was ironic that such an absurd being was now obsessed with .
“Changing the subject, what’s that dish you’re making? It slls spicy from here.”
“It’s nothing special. It’s just a common dish I used to make back where I lived…”
“Haha, common, you say? It might be common knowledge by your standards, but even I, who have studied all kinds of delicacies in this world, am not familiar with it. I’d like to take this opportunity to learn a thing or two from you…”
“That wouldn’t be bad. I’ve been curious about what kinds of dishes are made in the Imperial Palace myself.”
Staying in the palace had indeed been a peculiar experience. I made connections with the palace servants and sotis exchanged chats or skills when the opportunity arose.
There was no difference in recognition or class; after all, these people were workers just like anyone else under soone’s rule.
“…Hero Woo Hyo-sung.”
Indeed, the problem lay not with the servants but with those in power.
After serving Vivian her al and following the soldiers who ca after, I soon saw the person who had summoned waiting in front of the audience chamber.
A magnificent golden throne worthy of the na ‘Imperial Throne’, and on it sat Orion Seis, looking down at modestly.
Excluding the surrounding guards and attendants, it was practically a private eting, yet his first words felt more like curiosity than pressure.
“Hero? What do you an by that?”
“Did you not know?”
Crown Prince Seis imdiately reacted to my unintentional exclamation.
Afterward, he gestured to an attendant, who silently brought a golden box to the front of the Prince.
“Given the circumstances at the ti, it was difficult to discuss, but considering the rits you’ve achieved, detailed verification or review would be pointless. Indeed, all the soldiers who fought in the war with you attribute their success to you without exception…”
-Click.
With a click, delicate fingers opened the case, revealing a dal and a docunt.
It was an official decree, stamped with the imperial seal, possessing absolute authority within the empire.
“Although we failed to fully recover the bones of the dragon, you have contributed significantly to dealing with a calamity threatening humanity, haven’t you?”
“…This achievent is not mine alone.”
“Without you, however, the war would have been unwinnable. It was a battle that couldn’t have been won without everyone present, including you.”
The Crown Prince acknowledged my and the others’ sacrifices, albeit in a dry voice.
Although hardly emotional, at least there was no overt disdain like that from the nobles.
It might have been superficial, but at least to him, there seed to be a willingness to recognize .
“Originally, the appointnt of a hero is conducted by His Majesty, but coincidentally, due to His Majesty’s ill health, it’s difficult for him to make public appearances, so I, as his proxy, will personally bestow upon you the title of hero.”
An attendant approached in response to the Crown Prince Seis gesture.
He opened the box and quietly pinned the dal on my chest and placed the accompanying appointnt letter in my hand.
“Foreigner Woo Hyo-sung.”
The Crown Prince Seis, who was watching, declared,
“From this mont, I appoint you as a hero for humanity. As long as you prove your abilities, our empire will not hesitate to support you. I promise you this.”
The mont when the Crown Prince himself t with in private and declared a hero.
It was a sign that I had finally reached what I had been pursuing all along.
Starting as a foreigner, gaining strength, and finally becoming a hero I could proudly talk about to everyone.
“Do you have any objections to this decision?”
But why?
Why don’t I feel the pride I expected to feel now?
“…No, none.”
“You don’t seem very happy for soone without objections.”
Indeed, there was no way I could be happy.
Through my experiences at the Imperial Palace, I realized how small what I had been pursuing really was.
“I am happy, but I hope you’ll forgive for not being able to express that feeling here and now.”
I thought becoming a hero would be the end, but I’ve co to realize it’s just a new beginning.
Indeed, once a frog leaps out of a well, it faces a much larger world.
To survive from here on, I’d need to shoulder more and exert more effort than ever before.
“I vaguely feel that you, the Crown Prince, who has bestowed this upon , bear even greater responsibilities than I do.”
And it was Crown Prince Orion Seis before who had made realize this fact.
For soone in his position, the existence of a hero might not seem all that special.
Even though heroes in this world were used for noble propaganda, it was easy to guess that soone who had risen higher than him might view heroes with contempt, regardless of how grand the appointnt ceremony was.
“Are you hiding your joy out of consideration for , who has conferred this title upon you?”
Amid such plausible flattery, I heard Crown Prince Seis, looking down at from his throne, muttering.
“That might not be all there is to it, but it’s quite an unusual response. People I have seen up to now tend to be intoxicated by their own achievents in such situations…”
Just after trailing off for a mont, though it was brief, he spoke in a voice that seed oddly buoyant.
“Indeed, just as I thought.”
“…What?”
“Is Vivian doing well?”
Crown Prince Seis quickly changed the subject, catching off guard with his question.
Though it felt a bit evasive, I didn’t mind and intended to answer his question.
After all, being made a hero by him, I couldn’t rashly ask questions just to satisfy personal curiosity.
“Yes, she is doing well.”
“Good, it seems her condition has improved significantly thanks to you.”
There was a tone of relief in his voice.
Indeed, she was considered so vital to humanity that even he, a mber of the imperial family, would humble himself before her.
Her research allows us to summon foreign beings even at this mont, and her current research aims to enhance the stability of such summonings to call forth beings with even greater power.
“Please, take good care of her.”
The Crown Prince, emphasizing her importance, said this while gazing at through the eyes behind his mask.
“You, who bring stability to her mind, may well be called the hope for the ‘new era’ that is to co.”
Maintaining a very cool deanor, to the extent that it made think my previous sense of his excitent was a mistake.
After barely leaving the audience chamber, as always, I headed to where Vivian was, reflecting on my encounter with the Crown Prince.
Orion Seis…
He seed authoritative and cold-blooded, as one might expect from royalty, ready to order the purging of those who displease him. Yet, unlike the nobles I t at the banquet, he acknowledged my deeds and personally granted a title.
It might have been just a facade, but in a world where heroes could be mass-produced, it’s impossible for alone to be treated as sothing special.
Yet, the fact that he arranged a private eting might indicate that he values principles over moral distinctions or possesses a utilitarian way of thinking.
Seeking to understand what the group needs, setting aside personal feelings…
It made think that he might indeed possess the qualities befitting a leader.
“Indeed, just as I thought.”
Such an impassive person revealed a hint of emotion in his words…
I wondered if I was mistaken, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it might not be.
After all, he had invited to the banquet, indicating he had been watching for so ti.
Whether his interest was due to my achievents in defeating the Red Knight, or perhaps even before that… for example, when I was known as a Hero Killer or hunter, I can’t be sure.
“Have we t before, at so point?”
It didn’t seem like a completely unfounded speculation.
No matter his royal status, my inherent abilities made it impossible for those who t to forget .
Even if I wasn’t aware of it, if there had been even a trivial eting, he would surely rember …
“Ah, Mr. Housekeeper is here.”
While I was lost in thought, I had arrived at the library.
Vivian, who had arrived before as usual, turned around and expressed her joy at seeing .
Using the title she had used for when we first t, not my na.
“Yes, Vivian. I’m back… Gasp!”
But before I could even feel disappointed, a harsh gasp escaped .
Then, frozen in place, I could only stare intently at her.
“Eh, hehe… D-do I look okay now?”
Her body was so attractive that it made one forget she was a subject of fear.
The contrast between that and her innocent face created a sense of impropriety.
-Thump, thump.
Yes, wasn’t it enough to make one’s heart swell?
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