96. A New Beginning
“Austen, the scout of the warrior party, come forward.”
I felt like I was out of breath. I couldn’t swallow my saliva because of the tension.
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. f*ck. I have to answer…. I have to move forward… !
“Austin… ! What are you doing… !”
“Austin… ! Get out quickly… ! His Majesty the King is waiting for you… !”
Isabel and Gracie’s faces didn’t look very tense. All tall people are like that.
I am a commoner.
As I’ve felt before, this majestic audience room has such an unknown power that it overwhelms people. It wasn’t to the extent that I couldn’t do anything and parent like the hero, but I also didn’t get used to this place at all.
I opened my mouth once and moved my feet cautiously.
Dubuck. Tboob. Tboob.
From noble mtl dot com
Never raise your head. Never, raise your head, no….
‘Whew….’
Okay. How did you get to the throne safely? Following the royal etiquette he had learned from Gracie, he bent his left leg and knelt on his knees. Now, you just have to speak according to the etiquette Gracie taught you….
‘Kingdom of… of the kingdom… f*ck, what was it?’
The Kingdom of…. Ah. Remembered
“Austin, the scout of the warrior party. Meet the first line of the kingdom.”
Is this right?
I can’t even raise my head, so I’m not even sure if what I just said is right.
After a short time that seemed like an eternity, a solemn voice resounded in the audience room.
“Raise your head, Austin, the scout of the warrior party.”
I was fooled by this, and when I raised my head right away, it was just the same. I answered as I had learned from Gracie.
“With my lowly status, I cannot dare to see His Majesty’s face.”
“I highly praise the achievements you have made so far, and I will not be concerned about your status. Raise your head.”
“… I will.”
To see the king’s face requires such cumbersome etiquette every time. I was about to stick out my tongue.
Anyway, the aristocrats are scumbags.
I raised my head and saw the face of a man sitting on a large throne in front of me.
A clean beard that shows that it has been carefully maintained, and neatly trimmed hair as well. Pure white eyes, said to be a symbol of royalty.
The center of the human race, the heart of Maetel Kingdom. The first lineage of the kingdom. Myers III.
I felt an indescribable, majestic spirit that overwhelms people from the king, Myers III. Certainly, I thought that the king did not do just anyone.
As I carefully raised my head, Myers III opened his mouth with a grin.
“Yes…. I remember. A party of warriors who went on a great journey to defend this country and the continent… A talented young scout. Are you a Ranger?”
“Yes. That’s right. He served as a ranger in the proud Maetel kingdom for four years, and devoted himself to protecting the kingdom’s forests and hills.”
Is there anything strange about the answer I just gave you? I rolled my eyes and glanced at Gracie, who raised his thumb slightly.
‘Whew….’
Looking back at the throne, Myers III was looking down at us with a look of great satisfaction.
“I have heard of your performance. Ah…. These are truly great achievements. Great tasks that will go down in the history of the kingdom, you have accomplished with ease.”
“That’s too much praise.”
“Heh heh…. It’s good to be humble, but sometimes you have to know how to accept it. However….”
Myers III’s expression hardened in an instant.
“Yes. By the way, are you going to disobey my order?”
f*ck… ! f*ck… ! f*ck… !!!
f*cked…. I’m not sure if this is the mood….
“Your Majesty. That’s not it….”
“So. My name. Are you going to disobey?”
I’m a real b*tch.
“… It means I found a better workaround than that. Your majesty.”
If I continued to talk like this, I felt like I would fall into the same repertoire. In the end, I just closed my eyes and let it go.
“… !!!”
Gracie was screaming silently, but he tried to look away.
“… Ho? Is it the next best thing?”
“Yes.”
“That means… I came up with a better method than the one I gave myself…. Is this what you mean?”
“… That’s right.”
“… Explain. If you can’t convince me, then…. You will have to carry out the orders given to you without words.”
Okay. The opportunity has come.
You can. I can do it. After….
Do I need a long explanation? No, no specific explanation needed. Short and concise. The things I want to say, enough to know in one sentence.
After taking a deep, silent breath, I looked up at Myers III, who was smiling subtly as he stroked his chin.
“The creation of a new party to assist the hero party in their journey… Please, please forgive me.”
* * *
Turn back time a bit, the day before.
Like Adrienne, after accepting Gracie, Maya, and the hero who apologized to me, I called everyone together to solve the fundamental problem.
“So, Austin. Any way to get out of this situation…. What is the method?”
“In the first place, there is no way to solve this matter without following His Majesty’s orders… Do you have any?”
“How much power does the king of humans have?”
“No matter how much power you have, disobeying the king’s orders is not easy. Luna.”
Is it because there are so many people? Whenever something is said, it quickly becomes a buzz. I raised my palms and silenced the slightly noisy crowd.
“Let’s go to sleep. Quiet all. First of all, the fact that the hero came out following His Majesty’s orders this time…. I’m a little sorry.”
When I silently glared at the hero, the hero secretly averted my gaze.
After all, if the bravest among them had the greatest say and listened, there might have been a better way.
“Haa…. Anyway, as I explained earlier…. Currently, Ash and Urgan, commanders of the demon king’s army, appear to have set foot in the kingdom. Everyone understands this far, right?”
After confirming that everyone nodded, he continued.
“It is precisely for that matter that His Majesty the King ordered me to return to the party. I’m trying to track down people who don’t even know where they are, but it’s difficult without a scout in the party. We have to deal with it quickly and stop Monta from coming out on the front line.”
“It makes sense. Both tracking them down, and having to go help the front…. Anyway, the more people, the better.”
“Yes. That’s it. Lady Gong.”
Princess Alexis got her point right. Thanks, this should make my next explanation a bit easier to understand.
“And, for that very reason…. We can no longer be one.”
The expression of the hero and the hero party all at once changed into an expression of incomprehensibility. I stretched out my hand to the women whose mouth was twitching and calmed them down.
“Let’s go to sleep. Listen to me to the end The reason I have to go back to the party right now is because each and every one of the members is a waste, isn’t it?”
“… Yes?”
“It’s not that I don’t understand His Majesty’s order, but…. There is only one thing that Your Majesty has not overlooked.”
Of course, the warriors’ party is great, but…. Currently, the Austin party I go to is also a group of people with no less great qualities.
“So, yo…. We’re going to create a new party that will support the party of heroes and fill in the lack of members.”
Hey, the hero’s auxiliary party… Sounds a bit different. I’d rather just have an Austin party.
“… Austin. It’s definitely a groundbreaking method, but…. We must convince His Majesty the King. Are you okay?”
“I mean…. Warrior. How can you not?”
The warrior made a tearful face at once. Hey.
“… Tsk.”
Anyway, I can’t leave my party now. Similarly, one cannot openly disobey the King’s orders.
If I had a choice, I would choose this one.
“Gracie. Could you pay attention so that I can have an audience with you?”
“… It won’t be difficult, but will it really be okay?”
“What, is there a way?”
To Gracie, who was looking at me with a worried expression, I gave her a shrug.
“I have to deal with it.”
As usual.
* * *
And then again now.
“The creation of a new party to assist the hero party in their journey… Please, please forgive me.”
Frightened of his words, he immediately lowered his head. If a person looks humble, it’s a law to eat half of the conversation.
… It’s also because of royal etiquette, but what?
“It’s a new party….”
The response was not as bad as I expected. Good. If you push on like this….
“Are the resources to be in charge of the party already prepared?”
“Yes, it is. It is them.”
As I cautiously pointed at my party members, Myers III stared at me for a moment, stroking his beard.
“… The scout of the warrior party, Austin.”
“… Yes.”
“What do I believe in you…. Should I create a new party, even while reducing the strength of the hero’s party?”
“Uh…. Uh, that’s….”
f*ck. It made sense. Now, in Myers III’s eyes, he’d be seen as being cunning just because he didn’t want to go back to the party.
“Answer me. Is the feud you had at the party more important than the future of our kingdom?”
“… No.”
“Then. Why don’t you come back to the party?”
How do I get rid of the party members I used to bring with me?
… I can’t say that even if I die. I’ve already messed around enough. I had to refrain from remarks that would irritate my nerves any more than this.
So, what should I say?
‘f*ck…. Think about it, Austin…. Think… !’
At the moment I hesitated, someone approached me.
“Hero, Lee Yu-jeong. Excuse me, but I dare to tell you something.”
“Yo, hero… !”
Oh my. Oh my god.
Of all the heroes I’ve seen so far, today was the most heroic.
The hero who came to save me in trouble looked straight at Myers III with a stern expression.
“The person who sits on the throne and only holds weights, does he carelessly say what he knows?”
… Correction. Apparently, she’s not a hero, but a crazy b*tch who just wants to help cut my throat.
Even though everyone except Myers III looked at the hero with a look of astonishment, the hero held on to his dignified attitude.
… No, it wasn’t.
“Huh?!”
I held the warrior’s hand, which was trembling like an aspen tree, and the warrior looked at me with surprised eyes.
If you’re going to fight, do it straight. You stupid.
The hero who looked at me with surprised eyes for a moment looked up at Myers III with a wide smile.
“hehehe…. That, so…. No, what was he trying to say….”
I hit my forehead. I held him so he wouldn’t tremble, but he became more of an idiot.
Myers III, who had been silently watching us like that, suddenly started laughing heartily.
“Puh…. Ha ha ha ha!!! Ugh, hahahaha!!!”
“Your Majesty… ?”
Look at me. The vassals standing beside them all looked at Myers III with bewildered expressions.
… Okay show. There was also Duke Alexis.
Duke Alexis, who met my eyes for a moment, glared at me as if he was going to kill me.
Let’s talk separately later. Stupid daughter.
“Uh ha ha… ! Ugh… ! Heh heh….”
Myers III laughed for a long while, wiping the tears that leaked out, and strode down in front of me.
What, what… ?
Myers III, who finally stood in front of me, placed his hand on my head with a look of great satisfaction.
“Ha ha ha! It’s like looking at my younger days. Yeah! Then, is there anyone who opposes the creation of a new party to support the hero party?”
The vassals only noticed each other, but there was no objection.
Even though Duke Alexis glared at me over and over again.
“Then, I understand that no one is against it.”
“That, that word….”
“I don’t think I have the right to ask what happened to you, sitting on the throne and weighing! Ha ha ha!”
“That, that…. That is….”
“The creation of a new party to assist the hero party…. Certainly, it’s a trick that can’t come out just by talking on the desk.”
When the hero looked at Myers III with a bewildered expression, Myers III responded with a satisfied smile.
“As long as you are faithful to your duty of subduing the demon lord, nothing is impossible. I will forgive you!”
“… !”
At the same time as Myers III’s cry, a bright light fell on our faces.
Finally, the time has come for a new leap forward.