Days in the Royal Capital! (2)
With my heart pounding quite a bit, I arrived at the royal castle, marveling at its grandeur and splendor as I met the king. Tense amid the rows of guards in their ornate armor lining the hall, I half-hoped the king might be some beautiful queen... but no such luck. As expected, he was just your average pot-bellied neighbor uncle. His fancy clothes couldn't hide that utterly ordinary face, and my enthusiasm deflated instantly—I even forgot that long-winded name of his, something about the 13th whatever.
Of course, being king, he had that subtle way of eyeing me up for how he could use me, but that deflating impression made me just want to wrap this up quick and get back to my bitches. He grilled me about myself for a while with questions, and things got a bit serious when Hero Eater came up... but the king, already knowing why I was adventuring, just said something like, "There've been some suspicious incidents around the capital lately, but we don't know much yet—investigation's ongoing." Total buzzkill. Nutritionally void.
All I got out of visiting the castle today was seeing the fancy palace. When he told me to swing by the Guild Management Office in the capital if I had time, I mumbled some vague "got it" and brushed off the rest of his questions. More than this nosy, neighbor-uncle king prying into my life, what really bugged me was... the knight standing behind him, glaring daggers at me.
The guy from yesterday—Marte or whatever. This one had an aura so much stronger, it made that kid seem like a total rookie. A mature-looking knight in his late 30s. Unlike most Essentia men at the Earth-average height of under 170cm, this guy towered over 180cm, with a sturdy build you could feel even under his armor. First time I'd met a man in Essentia who felt truly honed.
Probably a hero too. He stared so hard I broke a sweat hiding my shivers. Just from his vibe, I could imagine him flying around cleaving mountains and rivers... Why the hell was a guy like that serving such a bland king? More importantly, I gotta be careful not to hit on women in the capital. One slip-up with a hero's girl, and I'd be diced in seconds.
Thinking that, I bowed to the king as he said something like, "I look forward to your dedication to the Reinhardt Kingdom~" and left the throne room. On my way out of the castle, the knight who'd been behind the king suddenly appeared in front of me—who knows when he slipped out.
"......You."
"Uh, y-yes!?"
Staring at the knight with his sharp eyes fixed on me, the guy who'd been glaring tilted his head slightly and spoke quietly.
"What do you think of the people living their ordinary lives on the streets?"
"Uh... Pardon? The people on the streets...?"
What the hell? Why's this dude suddenly like this?
"Uh... well... as I walk around and see them... some look busy and tired... some seem happy... I just think they're all living their lives in their own ways~ or something like that..."
"...Ordinary."
My answer seemed to soften his expression a bit.
"Non-humans can't think like that. They see themselves as separate from those ordinary humans, unable to empathize with their everyday lives at all."
As he said that, the knight passed by my side, clapping my shoulder.
"Those kinds aren't tolerated in this Reinhardt Kingdom built by humans... but if you're different—if you'll stand as an equal with the common folk and be a citizen of Reinhardt—then no matter your appearance or aura, you're one of our kingdom's citizens. Welcome."
After that memorable meeting with the knight and king, I hitched another ride back to the church to avoid any unnecessary fuss. Over a dinner of ambiguous soup and grass-heavy veggies—church fare, I guess—I mentioned the knight I'd met, and all three chimed in like they knew him.
"Ah~. That's gotta be the Knight Commander? Something like guardian of the kingdom."
"He's the representative of the Hero Knights made up of heroes, too..."
"Sir Orlando. The kingdom's strongest, known as both hero and knight. He usually guards the border near demon territory, so he must've just been visiting."
Guess he's a big shot. If he's always on border duty... I probably won't see him again... right?
"His aura was insane. Didn't know I could sense that kinda thing. Felt like he could slice mountains just on presence alone."
"He can, I believe?"
"Huh?"
Crazy, what'd he just say? I blurted out something dumb without thinking. For real? He can actually do that?
"About five years ago, traces of his fight with the demon general—the strongest among the demons' heroes—still linger at the border. It was mountainous terrain, but their clash turned it into a barren wasteland."
"...People can fight like that? Both of them?"
Stunned, I asked Baul, who nodded proudly, beaming with pride.
"Heroes aren't born strong, but if they grow steadily, they unleash terrifying power. Of course, Sir Orlando ranks in the top three heroes across all Essentia. Priests like me or beginner Als are the exceptions."
Holy shit. No joke. Is it really okay for me to eye heroes' women?
"People vary even at the same level, but heroes get stronger than comparable adventurers as levels rise, and past 50-60—the high-end adventurer range—they transcend humanity entirely. That's when the gap becomes huge."
Damn... I'd been looking down on other humans, heroes or not, thanks to my superior stats relative to my level... but this ain't something to ignore. Wrong move, and I'd be shredded.
Speaking of Als... if other heroes are that strong, what the hell were you? Nah, I just had good timing. Thanks, Als. For staying a scrub, Lizbet's living happily as my bitch. Hope you're happy too.
Amazed by these real-deal heroes, dinner wrapped up, and as we stepped outside... Baul sidled up to Klea, suggesting a walk.
"Klea. If you're okay... wanna take a short walk?"
"...Sorry, Baul. I have... stuff to do with Lizbet at the lodging."
"Oh? What kinda stuff..."
"...Well..."
"Pfft♡ Baul, you're so clueless♡ It's a se-cret between us girls♡"
"Ah, r-really?"
"That's right. Right, Klea♡?"
"U-uh... yeah. Liz."
Lizbet giggled, pressing tight against Klea, linking arms to flaunt their closeness. Baul scratched his head, shrugged helplessly, and said his goodbyes with obvious regret.
"Then... see you tomorrow morning."
Once Baul's lonely figure vanished, Lizbet hugged Klea and sidled up to me, giggling.
"Of course, the 'stuff' is♡ spending an ecstatic night with Master's magnificent horse cock~♡"
"Puhuhu... Klea, been waiting, huh?"
"N-no, not that much..."
I stepped close, groping both their asses, whispering lewdly to Klea.
"You know Baul can't barge into the lodging, so let's stick together in our room till the saint selection ends. Sound good, Klea?"
"...Y-yes... sounds... good..."
Kuh, Baul. In a month, it'll be proposal rejections, not walk refusals—so brace yourself. Unlike Als, Baul might have hero connections... but I'll think on that later. His own combat power's a joke anyway.
"Alright... you both seem eager, so let's head back."
"Yes♡ Master♡"
"Yes... Master...♡"
I led my bitches back to the lodging and swung my horse cock without even washing up. Klea still struggled—passed out with a bloated belly after one anal round like yesterday—but she'll get used to it quick like Lizbet. My senior bitch is teaching her well.
Can't wait for the day Klea shakes her slutty hips on top of me all on her own.