Chapter 32 /// Hero of Weapons ///

Deep in the city, in a place classified as a noble district, stands the towering Rotra Castle. When Shion and his friends entered the castle, they naturally found the butler and maids at work.

When he saw Haku, he looked surprised, but quickly returned to his normal expression and bowed.

‘You have the mental strength that comes with a trained soldier~. If someone like me came along, they’d usually either run away or mooch off of me!’

“Haha, no one can mooch off of Haku on the first sight. I thought he was going to kill me at first, too”

‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Shion’s eyes clearly wanted to mooch off of me. Would you like to do it?’

“Nope, not now”

“Okay then, I’ll take your place”

Aria stroked the hair on Haku’s head as if she were combing it. It felt good, and Haku squinted like a dog being massaged.

Even though they’re on their way to have an audience with the King, they’re not nervous at all. The soldiers in charge of guiding them whispered to each other, They must be a big shot.

Both Shion and Aria were used to dealing with kings and dignitaries, so they were not nervous. It’s a great way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your money.

They walked up the carpeted corridors and stairs to the throne room on the second floor, where more people were gathered than Shion expected.

The King and Queen were on the highest level, but there were other people of all ages gathered there. In the center of them was a beautiful young man who stood out from the rest with his elegant appearance.

“My king, I’ve brought Lord Shion and his people”

“Good work. You may back off”

“Yes, my King”

As the soldiers move, Shion and Aria got down on one knee and bowed their heads, placing their hands on their chests.

Strictly speaking, the gestures of respect vary from country to country, but no matter where you are, if you follow these gestures, you will never be out of respect.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, your Highness. My name is Shion”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, make yourself comfortable. The one who summoned you was me after all. Thank you for coming, Lord Shion”

At this point, Shon raised his head to check on the King. He was around fifty years old, with a head of gray hair and a wrinkled face, but he had a soft expression on his face.

“I have heard of your work from my soldiers. It is a great accomplishment to accomplish what we have been unable to solve”

“I just did what I was supposed to do”

“Umu, what a wonderful personality. I heard that you used [Holy Fresh Water], but as the Dark User, you can’t make that. Can you tell me where you got it?”

“This one, Aria here made it”

“Hoo, even though you look so young”

“Even though she is young, she is a great Water Hero and one of us”

“What?!”

The King lifted his hips from his throne, causing a not-so-small ruckus from the assembled people.

None of them had expected a Water Hero to appear here after all.

And then there was the lady herself, her mouth twitching. Aria was trying hard to resist the urge to smile.

It wasn’t that the reaction of the people around me was strange. Anyway, I was happy that Shion had called me a friend.

“Why is the Water Hero in our country?”

“It seems that my companion Shion was in trouble, so I came. It is the role of a Hero to save his friends! Yes, my precious friends!”

“…Fumu, the Monster behind you also must be unusual one then. Lord Shion, who are you?”

“I’m just a traveler. Nothing more, nothing less, really”

The King looked at him as if he couldn’t believe it, but he didn’t pursue it any further. He looked at the beautiful young man at the center of the circle, and then got down to business.

“I have a favor to ask of you, Lord Sion. Tonight, I want to find out the cause of the miasma, and if it is a Demon or a Monster, I want to defeat it. I want you to participate in that mission”

“Are the forces in place?”

It’s been a long time since the incident. It would have been better to move sooner. That’s why Shion asked.

The King also took another glance at the beautiful young man before continuing.

“We had sent out troops and traced the miasma, but the number of Monsters was increasing and there was nothing we could do. But just yesterday, a Hero who had gone abroad came back. That is this Crail!”

As if introducing something he was proud of, the King pointed at the beautiful young man with a strong voice.

When he was introduced, he moved to the front of Shion as if he had been waiting for him.

Odd…, Shion noted, because everything from the cloak to the upper and lower clothing, and even the scabbard of the sword, was pure white.

His face is thin, but his eyes, nose, and mouth are well balanced. His eyes are a little narrow, giving him a rational impression. His physique is about the same as Shion’s, but he wears swords on both sides, so many people will assume he is a twin-sword user at first sight.

It could be a bluff, so Shion does not make any early judgments. It’s because there is a pattern of people pretending to be swordsmen but are good at magic.

“I’m sorry for the delay in greeting you. I am Crail Ostin, the Hero of Weapons. It’s an honor to meet you, Shion and Aria”

“No, no, it’s my pleasure”

He’s not the worldly type because of his low back[1], but the common sense type with social skills, think Shion finishing his first impression.

“And you too, Wolf Monster”

‘I’m a Fox!’

“Excuse me for not knowing. I’m told your name is Haku. I look forward to working with you”

‘Haaa…’

Haku sighs because he suspects that he made the mistake on purpose. If you’re as experienced in battle as a Hero, you’ll be able to tell the difference between a Monster Wolf and a Monster Fox.

At this point, Crail noticed that Shion’s gaze had extended to the man and woman behind him, and introduced them as well.

“They’re my party, sir”

“A party? Excuse me, sir, but aren’t there too many of you?

“Yes, there are about thirty of us now. I’m planning to have them all participate in this defeat”

As we don’t know the strength of our opponent, it’s better to have the right numbers. But to Shion, those thirty people didn’t seem like a fighting group. Of course, there are some who seem to be skilled, but there are also some bent-over old men in the mix who look to be over eighty.

“Lord Shion. I ask you to lend me your strength. Recently, a feud between Beastmen and humans has begun to form. This may be the enemy’s goal”

“Actually, we were thinking of moving tonight, too. We’d be happy to join you”

“Ooh! I’m in your debt. I’ll make sure you get your reward for a successful mission”

Shion announced his participation, and the strategy meeting began.

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[1]I don’t recognize this idiom, nor do I understand it… maybe one of you can help me?