The Commendation Ceremony
“It seems the First Prince has caused you some trouble. My apologies,” Jercoil said.
It seemed he chose to blame his own son rather than punish Roan’s party.
Cayenne, whose face was even more swollen after receiving his "education," babbled something in protest, but Jercoil completely ignored his son’s words.
Perhaps the King himself had been secretly bothered by his son’s behavior.
Or perhaps he wanted to secure a favorable position for the proposal he was about to make.
“That aside… to emerge without a single scratch against the kingdom’s elite knights. Your skills are indeed as formidable as the rumors suggest.”
“Not really,” Jane shrugged.
It was because the knights’ skills had been far weaker than she expected.
“It’s not that. It’s just that you guys have gotten exceptionally strong,” Roan whispered.
“…Hmph.”
At Roan’s quiet reassurance, she let out a pleased snort, pretending not to care.
She, too, must have felt how much she had grown.
Belgard was also grinning from ear to ear, trying to look nonchalant.
“…I-I had no idea such a thing happened. I shouldn’t have been elsewhere… I am so incredibly sorry…”
Meanwhile, Charbun, who had returned for the commendation ceremony, looked utterly miserable.
To think they went through all that while I ran away because I felt overwhelmed… I am truly, deeply sorry…
He was the polar opposite of Zaraxia, who was standing there blankly yawning.
But regardless of Charbun’s inner turmoil, the conversation moved forward.
“Still, I am glad there was no harm done to your side. Had our honored guests been injured, the ceremony would have been postponed.”
“We wouldn’t have wanted that either. If possible, we’d like to get on with it right now.”
At Roan’s words, Jercoil slowly rose from his seat.
“It seems we are of one mind. Then let us begin immediately.”
He seemed eager to proceed quickly, likely because he had already spread the rumors.
Rumors tended to lose their power as time passed.
He must have thought now, right after spreading them, was the perfect time.
Go ahead and try, Roan thought.
Roan nodded in agreement.
With his consent, a brief period of preparation ensued.
Soon, the palace bustled with the noise of gathered onlookers.
With Roan at the center, the ceremony commenced.
—Boom! Bang!
Trumpets and fanfares heralded the festival, accompanied by the cheers and chatter of the crowd.
The deafening noise fell silent in an instant.
On the highest platform of the palace,
Jercoil made his appearance.
Behind him, the royal family and nobles stood in their designated places.
A brief murmur rippled through the crowd regarding the exceptionally swollen face of the First Prince, but the commotion quickly died down.
“Proud citizens of the kingdom, and honored guests.”
Jercoil began his address.
His magic-amplified voice echoed across the entire plaza.
As if no flowery language was needed, Jercoil calmly began to recite the achievements of Roan’s party.
Even without any embellishment or exaggeration, it was a continuous chain of monumental events.
After listing all the incidents the kingdom had been able to verify, Jercoil finally summarized their deeds.
“Therefore, We wish to bestow a title upon these adventurers before us. The heroes who averted the disasters threatening the continent. The symbols of courage who remained unbroken before any trial.”
—Waaaaaa!
The crowd gathered in the plaza erupted in wild cheers.
Hearing it directly from the King’s mouth seemed to evoke a different level of awe.
“Now,”
Jercoil silenced the clamor once more.
“We shall bestow commendations upon these great heroes in the name of the kingdom.”
“Our representative, Del Roan.”
At his name, Roan stepped forward onto the platform.
It was supposed to be a simple act of resting the royal ceremonial sword upon his shoulder.
However, Jercoil paused, holding back the sword.
“However, heroes. We find ourselves deeply concerned for your future.”
A sudden expression of concern that interrupted the smooth flow of the ceremony.
He was clearly starting to reveal his true intentions.
“Your strength is great, and your resolve is noble. However, there is no guarantee that the malice sweeping across the continent will manifest in only one place. You cannot stand against it with so few numbers forever.”
His tone sounded genuinely worried.
Yet, he couldn’t entirely conceal the ulterior motive hidden deep within.
“Therefore, We make a proposal.”
He raised his voice slightly.
“In the name of the kingdom, We shall fight alongside you. Information, supplies, and our most elite knights—We promise to support you with all of these, pledged upon the name of the King.”
—Waaaaaa!
A deafening roar of applause filled the plaza, as if it might tear the sky apart.
The full backing of the kingdom.
It was an unprecedented, incredibly generous offer, highly fitting for an adventurer party that had endured so much.
Shring.
Jercoil drew the ceremonial sword.
As if to seal the proposal by resting it on Roan’s shoulder.
“You will no longer need to worry about every little thing as you do now. You need only move upon Our command. To fight under the name of the kingdom, obeying Our orders. Do only that, and boundless wealth and honor shall fall into your hands.”
Ah.
He had said it.
Beneath the beautifully wrapped gift, the sizzling fuse of a burning bomb was clearly felt.
“Thank you for spelling it out, even though you could have hidden it.”
“There is no need for thanks. To ensure you cannot escape, We must make sure as many people hear this as possible.”
A whispered conversation, audible only to the two of them.
Just before the slowly descending blade could touch Roan’s shoulder,
—Clang!
He slapped it away with the back of his hand.
Clatter, clink.
The ceremonial sword slipped from Jercoil’s grip and rolled across the floor.
His relaxed expression hardened in an instant.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“You already know.”
Roan stood up and turned his back.
The spectators stared blankly, utterly bewildered by what had just transpired.
Scanning the crowd,
—Inhale.
“We refuse to act as the kingdom’s lackeys!”
He unleashed his booming voice without restraint.
It completely drowned out the amplification magic.
He commanded the absolute attention of everyone present.
“Honestly, I expected the King to make such an offer! Even so, we agreed to attend just to hear him out! Because there was a chance he might simply reward us normally!”
But,
“That was not the case! He intended to use us like puppets!”
That was entirely contrary to the purpose of Roan’s party.
“I do not want that! We intend to travel the continent to fulfill our own goals! We politely decline to crawl under anyone’s heel!”
Such audacity—not only rejecting the King’s proposal but throwing away wealth and glory.
Jercoil let out a long breath at this unexpected turn of events.
“…A rejection, is it? If you refuse, We can hold you accountable for yesterday’s incident. Are you prepared for that?”
“You mean teaching Cayenne a lesson?”
“So you do know. You must pay the price for daring to touch royal blood as an outsider.”
He gestured with his chin toward the back.
A far greater number of knights than yesterday were glaring at them.
…And?
Needless to say, neither Roan nor anyone else in his party felt even a shred of fear.
Instead, they were all eagerly preparing for battle.
They had captured the Emperor of the Empire and rejected the Holy Kingdom’s offer.
Making an enemy of this kingdom now meant absolutely nothing to them.
Backed by his comrades’ confidence, Roan took a step forward.
“Try it if you can.”
“…What did you say?”
“Of course, you’ll be the one regretting it later.”
“What on earth are you—”
“We,”
Roan cut off Jercoil, who looked utterly bewildered.
“We are going to establish our own community. A community of our own, entirely separate from the Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom, or the Empire.”
“…I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You don’t need to. You’ll realize it on your own when the time comes.”
“Your confidence is admirable, but We doubt you can achieve what you envision. The kingdom will block your path.”
Jercoil provoked him, declaring that he would not stand by and watch someone who rejected his offer run wild.
However, he didn’t seem to know where Roan was heading.
“Don’t worry. We’re going somewhere the kingdom won’t be able to touch.”
“No such place exists on this continent. If We personally take action, any land can be brought under Our grasp.”
“Is that so? Then go ahead and try. Because we’re going to The Battleground.”
The Battleground.
The place where the blood of all major nations mingled.
A territory built upon human corpses, where waves of conflict constantly sought to devour one another.
To head to a place an ordinary person wouldn’t even dare dream of.
It was an answer so absurd that even the usually indifferent Jercoil was left dumbfounded.
Naturally.
Even while pretending otherwise, the kingdom had its eyes on that land as well.
But what did he just say?
Going to The Battleground?
To the place where countless armies clashed with weapons and magic?
And with only five people?
“Ha! Hahaha!”
Jercoil laughed.
His magic-amplified laughter swept across the plaza.
“How utterly ridiculous! What? The Battleground? Are you choosing suicide over dying by the kingdom’s hand?”
“No. We’re going to claim The Battleground and make it our base.”
“You speak of absurdities. But… if you insist on becoming fertilizer, We have no reason to stop you. Especially since you have just rejected the kingdom’s offer.”
At his signal, the knights moved in perfect unison, parting to clear a path.
“We shall let you go. Leave before Our amusement fades. If you do not move quickly, We will hold you accountable right here.”
“Haha.”
Roan’s hand twitched slightly.
At that gesture, which looked like he was about to draw his sword, everyone braced for battle.
But Roan immediately withdrew his hand.
The reason was simple.
Once we take over The Battleground, we can completely crush his pride.
There was no need to act now.
That way, the satisfaction later would be twice as sweet.
Wanting nothing more than to see this indifferent King and his greedy son gape in shock, Roan decided to back down quietly for now.
A hero who rejected the King’s offer, and a ceremony that ended in a fizzle.
Leaving behind the noisy plaza, Jercoil quietly gave an order to the Knight Commander.
“…Deploy more troops to The Battleground. Pull back some of the kingdom’s defenses if you must, but reinforce our presence there.”
The long battle over The Battleground.
It was time to bring it to an end.