Chapter 93

Mounting Miralca on Banning, we flew around for about an hour. Since she showed no signs of getting tired, I demonstrated all sorts of aerial maneuvers and even showed off some attack methods, earning the evaluation, "Your magic is more powerful, but this seems quite convenient."

The breath of a flash fire dragon is completely different from the straight-flying breath of a regular fire dragon. The "Flash Fire Breath" pursues all enemies that Banning can see. Not only because of the Flame Walnuts, but also because of the "Fire Rat Bacon" I fed it, the high concentration of fire spirits in its body allowed it to control the trajectory of the breath with the power of the fire spirits.

Of course, I have no intention of using such attack methods for now, but since it's called a dragon rider battle, it would be better to consider aerial combat as well, not just speed.

After finishing the demonstration, we descended to the ground. When we returned to the dragon's nest, Shura the elder and the children welcomed us with applause.

"Indeed, it's quite impressive. Banning, who was just a regular fire dragon, now possesses the power to shake an entire country. Food is the source of everything, as this old man has been taught."

"Knowing this person, I thought it would be better to make her as strong as possible. She only takes on battles she's sure to win."

After I dismounted from Banning first, I supported Miralca's feet with both hands to help her land safely. After landing, she held down her skirt and looked at me with a glare, but she seemed to be grateful, as she casually ran her fingers through her hair.

During the flight, there was a moment when she acted like a child, especially enjoying the somersaults. However, it seemed she was embarrassed to have enjoyed riding the dragon with me, insisting that she only did it out of necessity.

"Miralca, how was it? You seemed to have a lot of fun."

"Wh-Why do you think that? I don't think my voice could reach you at that altitude."

"Shura the elder uses magic to keep track of the situation even when the dragons are exercising in the sky. That's how Banning can hear what he hears."

"Y-You should have said that earlier... Keeping it to yourself is just bad taste."

Shura the elder was stroking his white beard and smiling. Roro and Sura also seemed to be enjoying themselves, but they flinched when Miralca glanced at them. It's a bit questionable for a hero who defeated the Demon King to intimidate children.

"Still, we can see it, but your ability to hide your presence is excellent. Even a dragon this large wouldn't be detected from the capital."

"I'm thinking of having a separate facility built in the capital to raise dragons. I believe a dragon knight corps is necessary to adapt to the times. Elsain isn't the only one with aerial combat capabilities."

"Dragons are also suitable for transporting residents of remote areas to doctors. They are incredibly strong creatures, but they don't necessarily stay away from people. I often marvel at Dick's foresight."

"No, at first, I just wanted a dragon for selfish reasons... But that's fine. Banning, see you next time. Someone else might ride me in the main event."

When Banning responds to me, it makes a relatively high-pitched sound. When it chirps with its mate, it sees us off until we leave the cave, standing alongside the baby dragon.

◆◇◆

Using the teleportation array, I flew to the basement of the Silver Water Bottle Inn. Today, Cordy was supposed to come for the evening session, and I was to hear from him about what he discussed with the king.

When I went upstairs to the hall, there was a woman in a coat, trying to blend in but unable to hide her grace—Manalina.

"Mr. Dick, Miralca... I'm sorry for visiting so suddenly."

"Manalina... What's wrong? You seem so flustered. Calm down and tell us what happened."

Miralca approached Manalina with concern. Though they were in a teacher-student relationship, the two, being the same age, were more like close friends.

"What's wrong? We can take our time to talk since it's before business hours."

Verlene, who was behind the counter, nodded. She must have let Manalina in and talked with her until I returned.

"Your master has been avoiding public appearances, but there are people who are concerned about that. Especially since they understand that the kingdom is protected by your master, they feel the need to show respect. The king is human, after all."

"King... What did the king say? Did he get angry about you taking on the dragon rider battle without permission...?"

Manalina shook her head. She didn't seem particularly serious, but rather hesitant, embarrassed, and somewhat bashful.

"...Father, after receiving a visit from Knight Commander Cordy, said that he wants the people to watch the dragon rider battle with Elsain. As a thank you, he wants to come to this inn tonight..."

"Is that what happened...? Dick, it seems we're in a situation you're not good at handling."

"I didn't completely expect this, but... I see... The king is coming to our inn incognito."

The king has several "shadows" to ensure he can leave the throne in secret without any issues. This is a common practice in any country. Even a busy king sometimes needs to leave the castle for private matters that can't be made public, such as a royal event coinciding with a relative's critical condition, or a secret child coming to meet him and wanting to verify the bloodline with his own eyes. These are a bit extreme examples, but they illustrate the point.

"Father also came to my magic university's entrance ceremony in secret. He's the kind of person who wants to thank you directly for your repeated contributions to saving the country... He's been bothered by this ever since he gave this guild house as a reward for defeating the Demon King. He wondered if that young boy had a greater purpose in choosing the twelfth guild..."

"Boy... Indeed, he was a boy back then, but the king only knows his appearance from that time. You've been avoiding public appearances, haven't you? This time, you were too noticeable."

"I admit that I was a bit forceful, even in an emergency. To rebuild relations with Elsain and handle things smoothly, I can't just act in the shadows."

I've been careful to keep my existence out of the king's awareness, and I've been thorough about it. However, with the continuous major events that shook the country, such as the cancellation of Manalina's engagement, the rebellion of Vinsbruck, and the defeat of the "Snake," it's impossible not to notice the person involved in resolving these issues.

The king is not the type to let someone handle things behind the scenes without acknowledging it. If the matter can be kept from the public, it makes sense to have a direct conversation at this stage.

"Understood, I'll welcome the king at this tavern. I'll have him come as a 'special guest.' Manalina, can you convey the proper etiquette to the king?"

"Y-Yes... Actually, I've already told him. Father... the king, insisted so much that I couldn't refuse... I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. I should have gone to greet him myself, instead of leaving it all to Cordy."

"If you did that, things would have been even more complicated..."

"Hmm, did you say something?"

"N-No, nothing. Miralca, I've already talked to Father, so there's no need to worry about that."

Meeting the king could lead to complications... What kind of complications, I wonder.

I haven't done anything wrong, and I don't think the king has a bad impression of me. I'll just listen to what he has to say.

◆◇◆

King Albein the 52nd, Claus Sol Albein.

A descendant of the first king, who was part of the party with my master, he has a combat rating equivalent to A-rank, but if his authority as king is converted to adventurer strength, it would exceed SS-rank.

In other words, the power balance between the guild and the kingdom has been reversed for a long time. In the past, the royal family and nobles were strong, but as they no longer needed to fight on the front lines or take on difficult quests, their combat abilities have declined over the years.

Combat rating is not everything, and to the average person, A-rank is already in the realm of superhuman. The fact that the king, who doesn't need to fight, maintains such strength is a testament to his dedication to training.

He entered the tavern five minutes after the evening session started, accompanied by Cordy and Timis. When he approached the counter, he kept his gray coat on, corresponding to the day, and spoke the password. Of course, if he showed his face, he would be recognized by the customers immediately.

I watched from a private booth with Manalina and Miralca. Manalina was as nervous as if it were her own situation, and Miralca placed her hand on Manalina's shoulder to reassure her.

"A 'Milk,' please. If you don't have it, can I have a recommended drink that can only be had here?"

"Understood. Would you like a 'house blend'?"

"Um... No, that's not it. I'd like an 'original blend just for me.'"

From his words alone, it was clear that the king was trying to follow the customs of my tavern and was trying to avoid his usual royal demeanor.

"Then, I'll show you to your seat. The person you're meeting is waiting."

"Thank you. You're wearing a maid's uniform, but is that at 'his' request?"

'He' must refer to me. He didn't call me the guild master or Dick, and he was trying to keep my identity hidden from others.

He seemed to notice that the elf was the owner, but Verlene didn't seem to realize she was the former Demon King.

"No, I prepared this uniform on my own. I've only been here for a year, but I've received great kindness from the owner."

The former Demon King and King Albein—there was a certain connection between them, but Verlene had no ill feelings toward the king, and her response was natural.

"I see, it's not his taste then. That's a relief... If he were to make his daughter wear a maid's uniform, I would have some thoughts as a father. Not that it's bad, of course."

(If he loves his daughter that much, he probably wouldn't even consider marrying her off to Vinsbruck, who had many affairs... But he couldn't ignore the duke's family, could he?)

"Then, I'll show you to your seat."

Led by Verlene, the king and his companions entered the private booth next to ours. Manalina and Miralca were not supposed to join, so I went in alone to the booth where the king was waiting.

"Oh... Dick, the Forgotten. You've grown into quite a man."

The king called me by my nickname without any ill intent. Timis, who was sitting next to the king, and Cordy, who was across from him, were smiling wryly.

"It's been a while, Your Majesty. It's good to see you in good health. I'm honored that you've come to such a place this time..."

"It's fine. I want to be a regular customer here and follow the proper customs. Don't be so formal; treat me as a middle-aged man, a father to Manalina and Timis."

"O-Oh, Father..."

"I understand... I feel a bit disrespectful, but... Claus... No, I should still call you Your Majesty, right?"

"To be called that by someone like me, who is only a figurehead king, is natural. In front of Dick, I can be treated as just Claus."

I didn't have the investigation department look into the king's opinion of me.

Why his evaluation had risen so much, he explained as he continued.

"I hadn't seen you in a while and was wondering how you were, but recently, I've only been receiving reports of your achievements. This country is still protected by the Demon King's slayers. Without you and your companions, Manalina would have been forced into an unhappy marriage, Berbekia would have attacked us, and the capital would have sunk. The Kingdom of Albein exists because of you. I wanted to convey that as soon as possible."

"People who were plotting to betray the country also acted to avoid being exposed by you. As a third party, I could gather information without arousing suspicion. Besides, I was just carrying out requests..."

"Many people have been freed from their duties and protected without realizing it, including myself... Defeating the 'Snake' is the duty of the heir to the Albein throne. But I wouldn't have been able to defeat it, let alone survive, in the middle of the dungeon. If it were a time when strong and brave people became kings, I wouldn't have had the right to sit on the throne. You and your companions could have been kings, and we could have been knights or adventurers."

Cordy must have explained my contributions to the king. It's hard to omit the crucial parts or attribute the achievements to Kusumi and Leonid. Most importantly, if she wanted to tell the king the truth, I couldn't stop her.

"...Are you considering offering the throne to Dick? What do you think about that?"

"I... It's a great honor, but I have other things I want to do besides being king. I don't mean to belittle the position of king. But as the master of this guild, I can do everything I want. I don't desire a higher position."

King Claus looked at me intently. Despite being in his middle age, he looked youthful, like Grenadin, Yuma's father, who looked in his mid-thirties.

He had his black hair, similar in color to Manalina's, tied back and a well-groomed beard. If he shaved it off, he would probably look much younger—likely, he kept it to maintain his dignity.

"...You have more important things to do than become king... Is that right? Dick, who possesses the qualities of a king more than anyone, says this without hesitation. That's the difference in character, I suppose."

"N-No... I'm an adventurer at heart. If I can test my strength, I want to. I want to take on quests that only we can accomplish. If there's an unexplored dungeon, I want to explore it. If there are excellent companions, I want to bring them into the guild. There's never enough time to do everything I want. I sometimes wish I could be in two places at once."

"Hahaha... I see. There have been kings in the past who went on adventures with excuses. Of course, it's not recorded in official records. Freedom is necessary for life, and constraints can be fatal. But that's not something a person in a privileged position like a king should say, is it?"

In the past, when the king granted me the position of guild master, he asked if that was enough for me.

That was because his idea of what he would want if he defeated the Demon King was very different from mine.

At that time, I just wanted the environment to run the guild without drawing attention. But now, I'm interested in the fact that the king's values are not just based on the view from the throne.

He's not incredibly competent, and the country's survival is a delicate balance, so I can't fully endorse everything he does.

But there are no perfect people. A king who