The Hero's Bold Promise at the Grand Banquet
Estelle’s voice rang out with a sweet, teasing lilt right after my victory, a heart emoji perfectly capturing the playful mischief that always followed her words.
“You really are a brave hero, you know~♥”
Chapter 97
The banquet hosted by the Apollo royal family this time was nothing like the one in Habsburg or the regular reporting sessions I remembered.
Back then, Elfride had always been the star of the show, the one who led the monster extermination. Her achievements had been unmatched, after all, which made it only natural that she received the spotlight.
But this time was different. The one who had slain the monsters, the one standing before us, was me. And among the heroes who had gathered, there was only me.
“The hero Abel and Saint Estelle, along with Saint Celine, will now enter the hall!”
That was probably why, the moment I stepped through the doors, every eye in the hall snapped toward me like a spotlight.
“Oh my… that man…”
“That’s the hero Abel who saved our kingdom. He’s even more dashing than the stories say.”
“Indeed. What a magnificent gentleman.”
Compliments in the style of sugarcoated flattery drifted from every corner of the nobles. While they didn’t sting, they felt a little too much, leaving me strangely embarrassed.
“Abel, why are you looking so ashamed~? This isn’t your first banquet, is it? Still struggling to adapt, huh? You loser~♡”
“...Estelle isn’t embarrassed at all?”
Among the praise, I also caught snatches of talk about the two women who had followed me—Elfride and Celine. Mostly it was compliments on their beauty.
Especially since Apollo had made the Solaria Church its state religion, praises for the Church’s Saint Estelle were particularly common.
Yet Estelle answered with perfect composure.
“It’s all true, so why should I feel embarrassed?♡”
“...Hahaha.”
When she was like this, confidence radiated from her.
I stepped forward and knelt before King Hesper II of Apollo. After that, I offered a proper greeting by lowering my head.
Though I had met him once before, the king responded as if seeing me for the first time, exaggerating his greeting.
“Oh! Welcome, Hero Abel. We are honored you could join us.”
“Thank you for your invitation, Your Majesty.”
“Holding a banquet to celebrate the hero who saved our kingdom is only right.”
King Hesper II waved a hand toward the servants waiting nearby.
“To express that gratitude, we’ve prepared something modest but meaningful as a reward.”
“...A reward?”
A reward... it was tempting, but I knew Apollo’s finances weren’t exactly lavish.
“Thanks to you reclaiming the Glacier Mountains, gold from the mines there will flow once more. For that reason, as a token...”
The servants placed a heavy platform at my feet. There were quite a few of them, and I wondered why.
What on earth had they prepared this many of?
“...What is all this?”
“The first pile is worth thirty million gold. Because of the mines you recovered for us, gold will be plentiful now, so I hope you’ll accept it. The rest wasn’t prepared by the royal family—it came from the Solaria Church.”
From the Church?
“Please, take a look.”
“Yes, then...”
I set aside the first stack and lifted the cloth covering the platform. The moment I saw it, my eyes widened in surprise.
Under the banquet lights, the fabric shimmered with a subtle crimson glow, revealing a set of armor. I peeled away another cloth and found a matching set: trousers, boots, and a cloak.
The pure white armor gleaming with that gentle crimson light was unmistakably something special.
“This is...”
“Holy Armor. It was kept in the Solaria Church archives. The Pope sent it as a gift to honor your feats this time. He also added that he hopes you will wear it and continue protecting many more people.”
“...From the Pope?”
I stared at the Holy Armor in silence. Compared to the armor I had worn before, it was so grand that kneeling felt almost disrespectful, even though I wasn’t an expert.
“...I gratefully accept it.”
“Hmm?”
“However, I must decline these gold coins. Please use the money elsewhere.”
“...What are you talking about? This is all for the one who defeated the monsters. There is no burden. Given the value of the mines you reclaimed, this amount is...”
“That is not what I mean.”
I met the king’s eyes directly. I knew it was improper to stare straight at a monarch’s face, and Estelle had warned me about it many times before.
But in that moment, it was the only way.
“Please use it to help the people who died in that battle.”
#
Abel’s calm yet shocking declaration left King Hesper II and most of the nobles at the banquet stunned. They stared at me in disbelief.
“Thirty million gold. I’ll take that. In return, please use every coin for the soldiers, knights, and civilians who fell. For their surviving families.”
“......”
“Of course I know thirty million gold is far from enough to address such a tragedy. That’s why there’s one more request.”
Abel continued to hold the king’s gaze. Those sincere red eyes carried an invisible pull that made Hesper II forget how to respond and simply listen.
“Their deaths bought us time. Thanks to the time they bought us, I survived and ultimately defeated the disaster that threatened this kingdom. Those who died left behind wives, children, and families. Their faithful husbands sacrificed themselves to protect the kingdom as its people. No matter how much we prayed to the Solaria for their return, they never came back. So how are their loved ones supposed to survive now?”
Hesper II’s face was filled with shock as he listened to Abel’s words.
“If Your Majesty is truly the lord and father of the people, please grant the fallen the proper respect they deserve. Please help their surviving families.”
Abel finished and lowered his head once more.
“I apologize for staring directly at Your Majesty’s face without permission.”
“...No, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”
King Hesper II still wore an expression of shock. Whether it was genuine surprise or fresh astonishment was unclear, but one thing was certain.
Abel’s words had moved the king’s heart.
“...I shall honor your request in the name of the crown. I will open the royal treasury, collect donations from the nobles, and fund a charity specifically for the families of the fallen.”
The banquet erupted. While the king agreeing to Abel’s request was surprising, the real shock came from the fact that he intended to take donations from the nobles themselves.
“Your Majesty! What are you saying?!”
“You don’t think Abel’s words are wrong, but you plan to take donations from us?”
“This is discrimination!”
Yet not every noble reacted this way. A few, who had quietly sympathized with Abel’s words, remained silent or offered quiet agreement.
“The hero’s words are correct. It may be impossible to ask all citizens to donate, but the survivors should show proper respect to those who sacrificed themselves in the fight against the monsters.”
“I suppose we may have taken their sacrifice too lightly.”
Even as the banquet buzzed with two opposing opinions, King Hesper II paid no mind and addressed Abel.
“Do not worry. When any issue arises, opposing views always emerge. I will take full responsibility and see this through.”
“...I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”
“Grateful? Compared to saving our kingdom, it’s nothing.”
King Hesper II then raised his voice.
“From this moment, I declare the banquet to honor Hero Abel’s achievements open! The matter we discussed will be brought before the next royal council for debate. For now, enjoy the banquet.”
In effect, he was telling everyone to stop meddling in the royal charity project. The nobles immediately fell silent.
After greeting the king and stepping down from the platform, I turned toward Estelle.
“Sorry, Your Majesty. I was a bit rude...”
“...You did very well.”
Estelle gave me a small smile.
“...Huh? You didn’t scold me?”
“Scold me?”
“You stared straight at the king’s face like that.”
“It’s fine. I did it because I wanted to express my true feelings.”
“...Yes, that’s right.”
“Then it’s settled. You’ve had such an amazing thought, and you really are a brave hero♥”
Celine chimed in as well.
“Our hero is the kindest one. He’s nothing like those other heroes.”
“Exactly... wait, why ‘our’? He’s my Abel.”
“...Our. I’m his partner too, you know?”
“First one is me! So Abel is mine!”
“What? Ah, now that I think about it...”
Celine turned to me.
“I never got your answer last time.”
“Huh?”
“Who felt better on the bed, Hero?”
After Celine’s bombshell, I choked on air and coughed awkwardly while Estelle’s face turned bright red.
“Y-You shameless woman...!”
“Saint, you agreed and took the bet, didn’t you? We have to see the result. Besides, now is the perfect time to decide whose Abel he truly is based on this.”
“...Y-Yes!”
I stared at the two of them in confusion, but neither seemed willing to back down.
Watching the two women wait for my answer, I let out a small sigh.
“Both of you... felt good...”
“There is no ‘both’ option.”
“......”
At that moment, I was trapped. Caught between a rock and a hard place with no escape. After long hesitation, I finally gave an answer.
“...Top rank goes to Estelle, and second place to Celine...”
“Pervert.”
“Perverted bastard.”
“......”
I felt utterly wronged.