Chapter 26

Let's go back a little in time.

When Aichi defeated and fell in the battle with Shidra, the party of heroes temporarily halted their dungeon exploration and returned to the Helix Kingdom. Unlike the floors they had previously known the way to, this was a complete exploration, so the progress of the dungeon became much slower. Moreover, the monsters were very strong, and they couldn't be defeated with conventional methods, causing the party members to feel extremely fatigued. They concluded that they should temporarily halt the exploration and rest properly. Normally, just resting could have been done in the town of Horuad, which had an inn. However, they returned to the palace because someone had come to greet them. The Helius Empire, which had been eager to meet the party of heroes, had sent a messenger. Why now, of all times? The summoning of the heroes had not taken much time from when they received the "divine message" from the god Eshid. Because of this, the summoning of the heroes was carried out before notifying the allied empire, and after the summoning, the heroes had not met with the empire. Even if they had notified the empire about the summoning of the heroes, the empire would not have come. The empire was a country founded by famous mercenaries three hundred years ago, a place where adventurers and mercenaries were revered, and a country of pure meritocracy. They would certainly not acknowledge a so-called hero who suddenly appeared. The empire also had the Holy Church, and its people were all believers, but their faith was not as strong as that of the kingdom. Most of the people were mercenaries or related to the mercenary industry, and they were more interested in practical benefits than in faith. However, this was only the case for the majority; the fact that there were devout believers did not change.

However, in this "Orkus Great Dungeon," Hikari and his party broke the historical record of sixty-five floors, which the empire had achieved, and the empire became interested in Hikari and his party. The empire then sent a message saying they must meet Hikari and his party. Both the kingdom and the church thought this was a good opportunity. On the way back in the carriage, this information was conveyed in detail to Hikari and his party, and they arrived at the palace. As the carriage entered the palace, everyone got out and saw a young boy running out from inside the palace. He was a beautiful youth with golden hair and blue eyes, around his teens. He had a similar aura to Hikari, but he looked like he was about to collapse (Ourjuno: Who told you to run so fast, you'll tire yourself out?).

That was Prince Randel S.B. Helix. Prince Randel, with an aura that made one imagine he had dog ears and was wagging his tail frantically (Ourjuno: Even the author calls you a dog?), ran up to the group and called out loudly.

"Kaori! You're finally back! I've been waiting for so long!"

Of course, there were other students who had returned with Kaori. It's easy to imagine how they felt seeing Prince Randel, who only had eyes for Kaori (Ourjuno: Classmates, be angry, this guy is the next Natsunagi Aichi, bully him...). In fact, Prince Randel had been constantly approaching Kaori since the day after the summoning of the heroes. Though he was only ten years old (Ourjuno: Early bloomer?). From Kaori's perspective, it was just a case of being liked by a child, and his maturity was less than dust (Ourjuno: The original text is like this, don't misunderstand). Because she was naturally caring, she only thought of him as a cute little brother.

"Prince Randel, it's been a while."

Kaori saw the illusion of his tail wagging and smiled. Prince Randel's face turned red when he saw Kaori's smile, but he still tried to put on a manly expression and approached her.

"Ah! It's really been a while. I was really scared when you said you were going to the dungeon. Are you hurt? If I were stronger, I wouldn't have let you go to such a place."

Prince Randel bit his lip in regret. For Kaori, she didn't want to be protected one-sidedly, but the boy's comforting intentions made her smile.

"Thank you for your concern. But I'm fine, really? It was my own wish."

"No, Kaori isn't suited for battle. T-That is, there are safer jobs, right?"

"Safer jobs?"

Kaori tilted her head at Prince Randel's words. His face turned even redder. Shizuku, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but smile at the boy's brave approach.

"Y-Yes. For example, how about a maid? Right now, you could become my personal maid."

"A maid? No, I'm sorry, I'm a healer..."

"In that case, how about joining the medical corps? There's no need to go to dangerous places like the dungeon or the front lines."

The medical corps were state-run hospitals, located next to the palace. In short, Prince Randel didn't want Kaori to leave. However, the oblivious Kaori didn't realize the boy's feelings.

"No, I can't treat people if I'm not on the front lines. Thank you for your concern."

"Ugh" (Ourjuno: It's not a sin for a man to cry...)

Prince Randel realized that he couldn't change Kaori's mind and let out a small groan. The well-meaning but troublesome and kind-hearted hero, Hikari, joined the conversation.

"Prince Randel, Kaori is my most important childhood friend. I'll do my best to protect her."

Hikari, trying to reassure the young boy, spoke with all his kindness, but it was an inappropriate statement in this situation. The love-struck Prince Randel interpreted it as:

"Don't lay a hand on my woman. As long as I'm here, I won't let Kaori go to anyone else! Absolutely!"

The kind hero and the healer looked like a perfect match. Prince Randel's face twisted in regret, and he stared at Hikari as if he were his mortal enemy. In Prince Randel's eyes, he probably saw them as a couple.

"Sending Kaori to such a dangerous place, you have no right to say anything! I won't lose! Kaori will definitely think I'm better!"

"That... that..."

Kaori, confused by Prince Randel's hostile words, smiled bitterly. Hikari was also at a loss. Shizuku sighed at the sight.

Seeing Prince Randel's mood worsen for no apparent reason, just as Hikari was about to say something more provocative, a cold and slightly stern voice rang out.

"Randel, that's enough. Kaori is confused, and Hikari is also in a difficult position."

"S-Sister!... B-But..."

"No buts. Everyone is tired, and you're blocking the way... Who isn't considering the other person's situation?"

"Ugh... But..."

"Randel?"

"S-Suddenly remembered something important! Excuse me!"

Prince Randel, unwilling to admit his mistake, immediately turned and ran away. Princess Lilianna watched his back and sighed.

"Kaori, Hikari, I apologize for my brother's rudeness."

Lilianna bowed her head. Her beautiful golden hair cascaded down.

"Ah, it's fine, Lili. Prince Randel was just thinking of us."

"Yes. I don't understand why he's angry... If we did anything to offend, we apologize."

Lilianna smiled bitterly at Kaori and Hikari's words. As a sister, she had already noticed her brother's affection, but Kaori, who he liked, was completely oblivious, so she felt some sympathy for Prince Randel. Especially after learning that Prince Randel had a mortal enemy, she felt even more sympathy. Incidentally, when Prince Randel met that mortal enemy, a commotion ensued... but that's another story. Princess Lilianna, a talented girl of fourteen, was a beautiful blonde with blue eyes, very popular among the people. Her personality was as gentle as her appearance, but she was not overly stiff. She could distinguish the time, place, and occasion (TPO) well and was very straightforward in her interactions with servants, making her a very good person. For the summoned Hikari and his party, she felt heartbroken both as a princess and as a person. She felt guilty for involving them in the problems of her world, which had nothing to do with them. For this reason, Lilianna, who was the first to interact with the students, quickly became close to them. She was especially close to Kaori and Shizuku, who were the same age, and now they used nicknames and spoke without formalities.

"No, Hikari. There's no need to worry about Randel. He's just a bit out of control. More importantly... welcome back, everyone. I'm genuinely glad you returned safely."

Lilianna said this with a gentle smile. The students, despite having Kaori and Shizuku, beautiful girls by their side, blushed when they saw her smile. Lilianna's beauty was different from theirs; it was a graceful and elegant beauty befitting a royal, and even though the students had some resistance to beauty, they couldn't match it. Now, the boys from the Nagaoka group and the little devils group were blushing and captivated, and even the female members' faces were tinged with red. The presence of a real princess in a different world was something that ordinary modern students couldn't handle. It was strange that Kaori and the others could interact with her like old friends.

"Thank you, Lili. Your smile has lifted our fatigue. I'm also glad to see you."

Hikari said this with a cool and elegant tone, smiling brightly. To repeat, Hikari had no ulterior motives. He was genuinely happy to see his friends again after surviving. The princess's appearance and words had no effect on him; he was that incurably oblivious.

"Ah, i-is that so? T-Then..."

As a princess, she was used to the mixed flattery and praise from nobles and imperial envoys. Therefore, through such training, she could naturally see the true intentions behind people's smiles. So, she understood that Hikari's words had no ulterior motives. This was a rare occurrence, except with family, so Lilianna's face couldn't help but turn red. She was at a loss for how to respond, and her mind was in turmoil. This contrast in Lilianna was also one of the reasons for her popularity. Hikari continued to smile, completely unaware of the impact of his words on those around him. Shizuku, watching from the side, sighed deeply. What a man to worry about. He would never admit it himself.

"Anyway, everyone, thank you for your hard work. Meals and baths are prepared, so please relax. The envoy from the empire will be staying for a few more days, so don't worry about it."

Lilianna, having sorted out her thoughts, urged Hikari and his party. While Hikari and his party were recovering from the fatigue of the dungeon, news spread that the remaining group had defeated Behemoth, and cheers erupted. Because of this, more members wanted to return to the front lines, and Teacher Aiko was called the "Goddess of Harvest," causing her to be quite busy. Hikari and his party listened to these stories while healing the fatigue from the dungeon. Kaori's heart, however, was not at ease after returning from the dungeon.