Chapter 99 – You really have become a hero♥
Chapter 97
This time, the banquet held in the royal palace of Apollo was very different from the previous banquets and regular briefing sessions held in the Habsburgs.
At that time, Elfriede was usually the protagonist of the banquet as the protagonist who subdued the monsters. It was only natural that she had the greatest achievement at the regular briefing session.
But this time it was different. I was the main character who subdued the monsters, and I was the only hero who attended the banquet.
“Hero Abel, Saint Estelle, and Saint Celine are entering!”
Maybe that’s why, as soon as I entered the banquet hall, all of the people’s attention was focused on me.
“Oh, he is…”
“This is Abel’s hero who saved our kingdom. He seems to be a much nicer man than I’ve heard.”
“That’s right. You are a very handsome man.”
The nobility’s candy-coated compliments were heard here and there. I don’t feel bad, but I feel a bit embarrassed about this because it seems to be too much.
From noble mtl dot com.
“Abel, what are you so shy about? It’s not even the first banquet. Are you still an idiot who can’t adapt~♡”
“…Is Estelle not shy?”
Among the words of praise for me, stories about Estelle and Celine, who were following me, were often mixed. In general, there were many words of praise for their beauty.
Especially because it was the Apollo kingdom with Solaria as its state religion, there were many words of praise for the church’s saint, Estelle.
However, Estelle spoke confidently.
“It’s all true, why are you shy♡”
“…Heh heh.”
I am full of confidence at times like this.
I moved and stood in front of King Hasper II of the Apollo Kingdom. And he knelt down to show respect to the king.
I’d seen him once before, but Hasper II exaggerated his reaction as if he were seeing me for the first time.
“Oh! Welcome, warrior Abel. Welcome to the banquet.”
“Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty.”
“It is a matter of course to hold a reception for the hero who saved our kingdom.”
Hasper II gestured to the attendants who were waiting nearby.
“And to express my gratitude, I have prepared a small reward of my own.”
“…A reward?”
It’s a reward… I’m looking forward to it, but I know that the country’s situation in the Apollo kingdom is not so good.
“Thanks to you reclaiming the Glacier Mountains, gold can be mined again from the gold mines in the mountains. In that sense, for you…”
The attendants put down the pedestal on which something heavy was placed in front of my feet. There were quite a few of them, so I was curious.
What did you prepare so much for?
“…What is this all about?”
“The one in front is a gold coin worth about 30 million gold. The gold mines you brought back to us will be rich in gold, so please accept them. And the rest was not prepared by our royal family, but by the Solaria Church.”
At the church?
“Take a look at the cloth.”
“Yes, then…”
I passed the gold coins and lifted the cloth from the pedestal. And when I saw it, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
It was an armored jacket that shimmered softly in scarlet light from the light of the banquet hall. After seeing that, I rolled up another cloth. Then, likewise, there was a top, a pair of bottoms, shoes, and a cape.
When I saw the white armor with a faint crimson glow, I was able to guess what it was.
“This is…”
“This is the holy sword. It was an item kept by the Church of Solaria. To honor your achievements this time, the Pope gratefully sent you. He also added that he would like to wear this and protect many people from now on.”
“…His Holiness.”
I stared at the sacred glove. Compared to the armor I was wearing, it was a level that made me think that the comparison itself was rude. Even though I’m not an expert, I felt that way.
“…I will be grateful for the Holy Gap.”
“Hmm?”
“However, I will not accept these gold coins. Please spend this money elsewhere.”
“…What does that mean? This is all for you who defeated the monsters. It’s okay if you don’t have to worry at all. Considering the value of the gold mine you brought back, this much…”
“I don’t mean that.”
I looked the king right in the eyes. I know that it is not polite to look straight into the king’s face. Because Estelle had been careful since before.
But now, as a person to person, it was a moment when I had to look into their eyes and speak.
“Please use it for the people who died in this battle.”
#
Abel’s plain but shocking declaration made Hasper II and most of the nobles in the banquet hall look at him in amazement.
“This 30 million gold. I’ll assume you already have it. Instead, please use this money for all the fallen soldiers, knights, and civilians…their remaining families.”
“…….”
“Of course, I am well aware that 30 million gold is an insufficient amount for such a task. So there is one thing I would like to ask of you.”
Abel was still looking straight at Hasper II. Red eyes filled with sincerity had the power to attract people knowingly or unknowingly. Hasper II forgot to reply and listened to him.
“Their deaths bought time. I, who saved my life with the time their deaths earned, finally defeated the disaster that befell this country. Those who died like that have their wives and children left behind, and their families. Their trusty fathers, as citizens of this country, sacrificed themselves to defend the kingdom. They beg and beg Solaria to bring them back…But they never come back. Then, how should the bereaved families live now?”
Hasper II’s face was full of surprise as he quietly listened to Abel’s story.
“If Your Majesty is indeed their ruler and the father of the people, I beg you to treat the victims with due respect. Please do your best for the remaining bereaved families.”
After that, Abel lowered his head again and said.
“I feel sorry for carelessly looking at Your Majesty’s face without Yunheo.”
“…No, no. It is nothing.”
Hasper II still had a look of amazement on his face. Whether it was a surprise or a fresh shock looked different depending on the person’s point of view. But one thing was clear.
That Abel’s remarks were enough to move his heart.
“…In Jim’s name, I will fulfill your request. I will open the royal treasury, collect donations from nobles, and run a charity project for the bereaved.”
The banquet hall was excited by King Hasper II’s declaration. The fact that he would do Abel’s request was surprising, but it was mostly because he was reluctant to say that he would collect donations from the nobles themselves.
“Your Majesty! What do you mean!?”
“I don’t think what Hero Abel said is wrong, but you want to collect donations from us?”
“This is discrimination!”
But not all nobles reacted that way. Some aristocrats who implicitly sympathized with Abel’s words did not show a clear reaction, or made remarks of sympathy.
“Your words are correct. Even if it’s impossible to do it against all the people, you have to do your best as a survivor for the victims who died fighting the monsters.”
“Maybe we were taking their sacrifices for granted.”
Even though the banquet hall, divided between two opinions, was excited, Hasper II didn’t mind and spoke to Abel.
“Never mind. Originally, when an issue comes up, there will always be opinions for and against it. I will take responsibility for this and fulfill it.”
“…Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
“It’s embarrassing. It’s nothing compared to how you saved our kingdom.”
Hasper II responded with a loud voice.
“From now on, we will begin a banquet honoring the achievements of the hero Abel! The agenda I just talked about will be raised at a government meeting later, so let’s discuss it then. Please enjoy the banquet now.”
In effect, it meant not to talk about the King’s charitable works any longer. Then the nobles became silent as one.
After bowing to Hasper II, Abel came down from the podium and looked back at Estelle.
“Sorry, I seem to have been a bit rude to Your Majesty…”
“…Well done.”
Estelle smiled softly.
“…Uh…You’re not angry?”
“Me?”
“You were carelessly looking at the dragon’s face.”
“It’s okay, Abel did it because he wanted to convey his sincerity, right?”
“…Yes, it is.”
“Okay then. You thought of all those wonderful thoughts, and you really became a hero&”
Celine also helped Estelle.
“Our warrior is the nicest. It’s not like any hero out there.”
“Sure…Wait, why us? He is my Abel.”
“…Us. I’m also the hero’s lover, right?”
“Me first? So Abel is mine!”
“What is that…Ah, come to think of it.”
Celine asked Abel.
“I didn’t get an answer last time.”
“Yes?”
“Who did you like in bed, warrior?”
At Celine’s bombshell remark, Abel coughed and coughed, and Estelle blushed.
“This, this vulgar woman…!”
“The saintess also agreed and won the match, right? You should hear the results. And at this point, it would be better to determine who the hero belongs to with this result.”
“…Joe, great!”
Abel looked at the two with eyes asking what she was talking about, but Celine and Estelle didn’t seem to want to quit.
Seeing the two women waiting for his answer, Abel let her sigh lightly.
“Both were good…”
“There is no option of both.”
“…….”
For Abel, this moment was truly a dilemma, and she was a thatched house on all sides. After struggling for a long time, Abel finally came up with an answer.
“…Estelle is at the top position, and Celine is at the junior position…”
“Pervert.”
“The devil.”
“…….”
Abel was unfair.