Change (5)
Countless nobles had lined up to visit the royal palace lately. Yet because the prince was so difficult to see, stacks of gifts had piled up like mountains in front of his palace.
Of course they weren’t pure gifts—they were bribes in disguise. Who didn’t know their true intentions?
“Your Highness, it’s been a while since we’ve met.”
“Big brother, I hope you’ve been well. Please sit.”
Deric flashed a bright smile and took his seat.
Karsten also offered a faint smile and sipped his tea.
“By the way, I’m worried. His Majesty’s health is deteriorating with each passing day…”
“Pfft.”
Karsten burst out laughing at the words. Deric’s face stiffened with an eerie chill of disgust.
“Could it be…? No, Your Highness?”
“Of course not. But big brother, the Duke finally returned, didn’t he? The palace should be a lot quieter now.”
Karsten spoke with obvious relief. Deric’s eyes clouded with unease as he regained his composure.
“You can say it. Big brother, aren’t we family?”
Even to a noble below his rank it was hard to broach.
The only person he could speak to openly was the prince himself. Deric finally spoke without reservation.
“My sister has been acting like a wild child for who knows how long. Last time she not only ruined the family but even attacked the servants. She wouldn’t listen to a single piece of advice.”
“How surprising. She still can’t stop herself?”
Deric sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. His sharply tailored attire was elegant and refined.
“Then the Ortini young lady…”
“Mother will surely stop her from entering such places now.”
His voice held absolute certainty. Yet Karsten’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“But ‘Grace’ hasn’t shut down yet.”
“Hah. It’s impossible to quit once you get hooked on a man. I’m sure she’s already found a new one somewhere.”
“Women, tsk.”
Deric’s hands clenched tight. If only Father were still alive.
“Speaking of which, have you heard about the Hero’s Party?”
“Of course.”
As the conversation flowed naturally, smiles spread across both men’s faces. It was news worthy of celebration.
“One of the Four Heavenly Kings fell.”
“Ah, what a magnificent man. I can’t wait for the Hero to return.”
“Of course Lady Elena is magnificent too.”
“Exactly. My sister is wonderful as well.”
Recently letters had arrived. The influence of Lady Elena’s correspondence was enormous—she had handled all major matters.
Physically Karsten remained in the palace, but as a mere man he only issued trivial orders. In other words, he was like a greenhouse flower. Of course he couldn’t ignore the help of his relatives.
“If they return, the next heir to the Dukedom might change.”
Karsten’s blue eyes sparkled with deep thought. Deric’s face turned sour at the words.
“Still, my sister is the legitimate daughter. Why compare her to a half-sister?”
“But she’s a member of the Hero’s Party. Who knows what great deeds she might accomplish in the future?”
Enraged, Deric began to object. Illegitimate children were a shame he desperately wanted to hide.
“She doesn’t even have a proper name yet, Your Highness. Sienna.”
“That’s beside the point. Big brother, men are outsiders after all.”
Knock knock!
The head servant entered hesitantly.
“Your Highness, the guests are waiting.”
Karsten had let them wait long enough to seize the initiative. With a cunning smile he rose.
“Big brother, let’s move.”
“Very well, Your Highness.”
Time to meet the Emperor’s faction.
Unfortunately the dessert on the table hadn’t been touched at all.
⁕⁕⁕
“Everyone, you’ve worked so hard!”
Sienna shouted cheerfully, her bandaged wound happily unwrapped.
“The miracle happened. Goddess’s Protection.”
When Lyla chanted, Elina’s scar marks vanished in an instant.
All party members had already recovered from their injuries to a certain extent.
“Thank you. The wounds were so small anyway.”
“Still, we had to. Just in case.”
Yu Inna carefully looked around. The feelings of returning colleagues overwhelmed her.
Just remembering it made her heart pound.
If not for Goddess’s Protection, she might have suffered a heart attack long ago.
“I’m really glad everyone is safe.”
It really was.
Today’s defeated monster was a named-class creature.
The first of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Death Knight.
A high-level undead-type monster with a huge greatsword and black armor.
Everyone poured their full strength into defeating the high-level monster.
She could now feel her own strength.
“Today is a party. A party!!”
Sienna shouted in excitement.
“By the way, I don’t see Eili.”
“Maybe she didn’t go to the pub.”
Lyla answered lazily to Yu Inna’s question.
“Is there even such a place in this remote village?”
“I have no idea. Ask her when we return.”
Lyla stuck out her tongue.
Soon Eili ran up, panting.
“Huff. Huff. I haven’t gone yet. Do you want me to hit you?”
“Did you not like water? Seriously. I thought you didn’t care about men.”
“Hey, you know the saint type girl climbs up on the counter faster, right?”
Eili immediately pouted and added.
“They’re all so pure. There’s a place in the capital called Grace. It’s heaven. I’ll take you there next time.”
Yu Inna had no interest in such places. She couldn’t understand why an elf would casually look for them.
She had always struggled just to survive, but she had never done anything shameful.
Yu Inna slowly looked up at the sky. She was really tired today.
Tap.
Eli suddenly approached her. Yu Inna looked at her sharply, annoyed that she was about to comment again.
“Hero, you worked hard.”
A completely different encouraging word from what she expected. For just that one sentence, her heart felt a little warm.
She had been recognized. She had a share in defeating that terrifying monster. Did ‘Oppa’ know she had become so strong?
The feeling of having taken one step toward defeating the Demon King.
“Since Eili is back too, let’s go. We’re going to drink.”
“There’s plenty of money, so sure.”
“Ah, this is a hunting quest.”
The first guild the Hero’s Party passed through led them to a restaurant. The precious reward was practically the reunion.
⁕⁕⁕
It smelled like alcohol. How much had he drunk? He glanced at the floor and saw rows of empty bottles lined up neatly.
The table was a mess.
But the next day was strangely free of hangovers. For now, he was just nauseous.
“Hoo.”
I climbed onto the sofa and pinned the lady’s body with both arms. When I gently shook my body, the woman opposite me smiled faintly.
Of course we were both fully dressed. We had already decided that too high tension would be against the rules.
When I judged the tension was enough, I slowly climbed down from the sofa and took a sip of the drink on the table.
“Oh! Our ‘Hyun’ dances amazingly well?”
The woman, drunk, said with a laughter-filled voice.
Then the woman on the opposite side also tugged.
“What? Dance for me too.”
I quickly buttoned up my shirt. If Jane saw this, it would be a real problem.
“Umm. No.”
“I’ll give you money. Take it off.”
“Our store doesn’t allow that. Instead, let’s do a love shot. One shot each should be fine.”
“We really drink fast. Maybe because I drink with my sister. Shall I order another bottle?”
“Yeah. Yeah!!”
“Waiter! Here, ice and drinks. And clean up too.”
Knock knock!
“Brother, can you come out for a moment?”
“Sister, sorry. I’ll be back in a minute.”
A new younger sibling recently had called me cautiously.
Greeting the ones grabbing me, I quickly left for the corridor.
“What happened?”
“Ah, that, well, there’s a problem.”
The man’s words trailed off slightly. From his anxious expression, I could roughly guess the situation.
“Wait a second.”
The alcohol buzz kicked in hard. This was a battle of willpower.
Naturally I looked at the water buckets around.
There was no force, but how could I not drink?
First, I had to drink a lot of water.
After gulping down a lot, my head cleared a little. I would go to the bathroom later.
Even though I had diluted the alcohol, I had drunk too much.
Following the younger sibling’s guidance, I entered the room with the problem.
Inside the room, there were four women who looked strong.
They were young, but their clothes and atmosphere were sharp. It was obvious they worked in the same industry even though they looked ordinary.
“Our princesses, I don’t think you like our girls much.”
Her expression was bad. Why was the atmosphere like this?
The previous male employees seemed to have left. Only two remained, looking uneasy.
“The kids look alike~.”
“Yeah. Don’t pick such kids.”
“I came to sell them. Do you want to seat such kids? Oppa, I’m really disappointed.”
“I came after hearing the rumor of the old Grace. It was~.”
The words were harsh. I smiled as much as I could while teasing a little.
“Aigoo~. Why the face? I’ll give you a few more bottles as service. Okay?”
A woman tilted her head. She already knew everything she would receive.
“But Oppa, do you work today?”
“Of course. I came to sit next to our princess.”
“What? You had time to fool around until just now.”
“I know. I’ll give you one drink.”
Today’s day passed like alcohol. Every day was fast. When would this end?
But time passed steadily. After all, there was that saying the clock of the Defense Ministry keeps running.
Three years had passed since the Hero’s Party left.
Meaning about two and a half years had passed from now.
Soon the news that the Demon King had been defeated reached the empire.