Chapter 57

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Raidor and Seiria, who had slain the monster that had been lurking in the lake and sucking up water, reported their success to the nearby village.

At first, the villagers had looked at the adventurers with suspicious eyes, as it had taken three months for them to finally appear after the request was made. However, upon seeing the restored water in Lake Aral, they even shed tears and bowed deeply.

The adults of the village smiled as they filled jars with water, and the children, shedding their clothes, jumped into the lake, splashing water at each other.

"Thank you so much! Now the fields and wells will return to normal! We won't have to spend hours fetching water from distant rivers anymore!"

"No, it's fine. I didn't do much, after all."

"Yeah, you didn't do anything, did you?"

"Seiria, be quiet."

Raidor poked the princess standing next to him and placed his hand on the shoulder of the village chief, who was bowing repeatedly.

"More importantly, I apologize for the delay in completing the request. This is a disgrace to the guild. As an adventurer, I sincerely apologize."

"N-no, no! We are also at fault for not being able to provide a satisfactory reward to the adventurers! Please don't worry about it!"

"Is that so? If that's the case, then it's fine..."

Raidor's gaze swept from the village chief's face to his feet.

The emaciated, bony bodies were not just the chief's; the other villagers and the children playing in the water were the same.

(They must have lived in dire poverty. It's not just the frontier cities that face harsh conditions.)

"Hey, Chief. About the reward..."

"Ah, yes. Of course, we will provide the reward entrusted to the guild. I would like to offer more as a token of gratitude, but we have little to spare..."

"That's fine. Instead, I have a request. Would you consider it?"

"Of course, if there's anything we can do..."

The village chief tilted his head in a puzzled manner, and Raidor raised his index finger.

"I want you to spread the word to the neighboring villages. Tell them that Prince Raidor Zain has slain the powerful monster that had dried up the lake."

"Huh? Prince...?"

The village chief stared intently at Raidor's face... and then suddenly prostrated himself.

"I-I'm so sorry! What a terrible lack of respect...!"

"No, no, it's fine. More importantly, can you do it?"

"Of course! Absolutely!"

"Good, then I'll leave it to you. Oh, and one more thing."

Raidor chuckled at the village chief, who was now completely flustered upon realizing he was a royal, and pointed at the object floating on the lake.

"Take care of that. You can do whatever you want with it."

Floating on the lake was the giant water lily, now shriveled and small after releasing all its stored water.

The village chief nodded vigorously at the plant monster's carcass, which was bobbing like a floating island on the water.

"Of course! We will retrieve and incinerate the remains of the monster that was our village's nemesis!"

"No, no, that would be a waste. It's a disaster-level monster. If you take it to someone with the right knowledge, they should buy it for a good price. It's top-quality material for magic potions, and the Alchemist Guild would likely offer a substantial sum for it."

"Eh...?"

The village chief's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked up at Raidor with a questioning gaze.

"D-do you mean... you're giving it to us?"

"Yes, the village has suffered a great deal. Use the proceeds for reconstruction. It should cover several years' worth of savings."

"Ah...!"

The village chief knelt on the ground and clasped his hands in prayer, tears streaming down his face.

"You are a true hero, just as the rumors say! A saint! Truly, a hero chosen by the holy sword! All of us villagers will never forget this kindness!"

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're happy. Oh, and remember, the damage wasn't limited to this village. Share the proceeds with the neighboring villages as well?"

"Of course!"

Raidor nodded in satisfaction at the village chief, who was bowing his forehead to the ground, and prepared to leave the scene, having completed his task.

Seiria poked Raidor's side with her finger.

"You're quite kind, aren't you, brother? Is this part of your character?"

"I'm not doing this out of charity."

Raidor snorted at Seiria's expression, which seemed to be one of reassessment.

"This is just a publicity stunt. I'm spreading my name to make it easier for people to accept the eventual change in government. It's just a strategy."

"Hmm."

Seiria nodded, her expression ambiguous, as if she wasn't sure whether she understood or not.

"But... helping people in need doesn't feel bad, does it? I was a little happy to see everyone so pleased."

"Hmph, I won't deny that."

As they walked together, Raidor took out the stack of request forms he had received from the Adventurer's Guild.

First, he had established a heroic deed.

If he repeated this, the fame of Raidor Zain, the hero chosen by the holy sword, would grow, surpassing even that of his brother, King Granado.

(Just cutting off his head would be too easy. I could do it today if I wanted to. But I won't kill him so easily.)

Once, Raidor had lost all his allies and been exiled from his place.

If that's the case, it would be unfair not to make his brother, King Granado, suffer the same fate.

"I'll teach you the loneliness and despair of losing your place. I'll strip away all your allies and kick you off the throne, brother."

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