The Hero Receives a Warm Welcome
"Karen, how about I ride behind Jena today?"
"Huh? Is that okay?"
"Of course."
Before leaving Darius Duchy, Marian said this to Karen. After all, Marian and Karen were the only ones in the group who couldn't ride horses, and Marian was yielding my rear seat to her with a remarkably relaxed expression.
Karen gave her a suspicious look, but Marian just hummed a tune and approached Jena.
I'm going crazy here, for real.
As someone who knew why Marian had suddenly become so carefree, I couldn't help but feel frustrated watching her. I hadn't meant to deceive her on purpose—the situation had just twisted in a weird way. She looked happy now, but sooner or later, Marian would learn the truth. And I was truly terrified of how she'd react when that happened.
"Hero, shall we depart?"
I wasn't the only one who noticed Marian's odd behavior. The group was starting to sense it too, especially since she was far more upbeat than usual. Their questioning gazes turned toward me, filled with unspoken wonder about what had gone down between us.
Unable to give any answer, I just kicked the side of my innocent horse.
"Let's go—to the capital."
And so, my party and I left Darius Duchy and raced toward the capital.
What was absurd was how these horses we rode didn't tire at all and ran incredibly fast, like legendary steeds from myths. I glanced at Jena, but she looked just as baffled.
"Ah, I blessed them."
It was Marian herself who cleared up my confusion. She'd been grinning all day, and she answered me with a smile. Stunned by her reply, I shot back.
"The horses?"
"Yes. So we can get to the capital faster."
"Sure, but... can you even bless animals?"
I asked Marian, who was acting way outside the norm. As far as I knew, holy magic didn't include boosting animals' abilities like that.
"...It worked when I tried."
I gaped at Marian's casual response. Maybe no one had ever thought to bless animals, or perhaps she was the only one who could. Either way, her powers were going haywire. I was starting to worry more and more about the backlash when she finally realized the truth.
"The hero! It's the hero!"
The reaction from Lidea's citizens upon our arrival was completely different from what I'd expected. The last time I'd entered the capital with Marian, they'd given me indifferent looks, but now they cheered for me and my party like we were protagonists from a heroic tale.
"Look, that woman's an elf, right? She's gorgeous."
"They say after saving Butler Territory, he saved the dwarf city and the Great Forest too—maybe he recruited an elf into his party?"
I glanced at Isabela amid the chatter. She definitely stood out with her striking looks, and elves weren't something you saw every day, so it was no wonder eyes were glued to her. I worried the haughty Isabela—who looked down on humans—might find the empire's attention annoying, but instead, she lifted her chin slightly, wearing a proud, regal expression as if savoring it.
"The reaction's totally different from before."
"Yeah, no idea what's going on."
I replied to Jena, who had ridden up beside me.
It was true that the citizens' gazes were mostly on Isabela, but the others weren't ignored either. Marian was the saintess of the Gaiana Church, the empire's most powerful religious order; Jena was the prized daughter of the Darius ducal house; and Karen was the magic tower's famed genius. They were all celebrities in their own right, beautiful women who drew eyes that lingered.
As we passed through the crowd gathered to gawk, a group of soldiers appeared, blocking our path.
"What the—?"
As I questioned the soldiers, a noble stepped forward from their midst.
"Hero, we'll escort you to the imperial palace."
I couldn't tell if the emperor had influenced the citizens' changed attitude or vice versa, but since he'd requested a meeting, refusal wasn't an option. We hadn't even dismounted properly or shaken off the travel fatigue, but we followed the soldiers straight to the palace where the emperor awaited.
"The hero's party has arrived."
Upon reaching the palace, I saw a guard at the audience chamber's entrance shout inside. I'd been here a few times, so the imperial palace felt familiar, but Lucille—from another country—looked tense. Isabela was meeting the empire's emperor for the first time too, but as the elf queen, her age made her far too seasoned to be intimidated.
"Enter."
The doors opened, revealing the elderly emperor on his throne and the empire's nobles lined up beside him. The loathsome Crown Prince Aaron stood to the emperor's right, glaring at me with displeasure, while Princess Mary Reister stood to his left. Around Mary were young nobles—mostly new faces, likely a faction she'd gathered herself. It was still insignificant compared to Aaron or the other nobles, but considering how absent she'd been from the audience chamber not long ago, she'd made real progress.
Mary and I exchanged a quick nod, and I caught Aaron grinding his teeth at the sight.
"Hero, you're acquainted with our princess?"
Perhaps irked by my familiarity with Mary over him, the emperor asked with curiosity. It might have bothered him that I'd greeted the princess first, but he showed no sign of it.
"Yes. She's helped me in many ways."
I smiled and answered the emperor, watching Aaron's face twist in response. I couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but with Lidea's citizens cheering us, it made sense for the emperor to suddenly show favor. The life-extension-obsessed ruler cared about one thing above all: public opinion among the empire's people. A power-grasping emperor fretting over reputation might seem odd, but dying old men didn't obsess over many things.
"I see. Well done, Mary. You've accomplished what even I couldn't."
"Th-thank you, Father."
The emperor praised Princess Mary directly, and the effect was immediate. Most nobles' eyes shifted to her—they were all weighing the crown prince against the princess.
"That said, there are some unfamiliar faces."
Sensing the mood tilting toward Mary, Aaron spoke up, his tone laced with rebuke about bringing unverified people to meet the emperor.
Before I could respond, Isabela stepped forward.
"A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Isabela."
"...Isabela? The elf queen?"
The emperor eyed her in astonishment. Elves had visited the empire before, but their queen gracing the capital was unprecedented.
"Yes. I humbly lead my kin."
Gasps erupted from the imperial nobles at Isabela's words. Some who'd been leering lustfully at her beauty hurriedly bowed, scrambling to hide their filthy thoughts. No matter the empire's dominance on the continent, one didn't trifle with a leader of a race or kingdom.