The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 221: Meeting with the King

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

After that, the journey continued without any particular issues...

As planned, they arrived at the royal capital five days later.

The royal capital was several times larger than Horizon, with high stone walls surrounding the entire city.

Entrances were placed at various points, and knights meticulously checked them to prevent suspicious individuals from entering the city.

They entered the royal capital through an entrance designated for the royal family.

Thanks to Princess Sarya's influence, they were able to enter the royal capital without undergoing significant inspection, which was quite convenient.

They proceeded to the royal palace with Princess Sarya.

The royal palace was positioned at the heart of the royal capital, protected by even higher walls and gates compared to the city's outer walls.

There was a single entrance, always guarded by a considerable number of knights.

The defense was solid.

Again, with the help of Princess Sarya, they easily gained entry to the palace.

As they looked at Kanade and Tania, the knights appeared puzzled by something...

Nonetheless, they were able to enter the palace with only a brief inspection.

Once again, they realized that Princess Sarya was a princess of the realm.

Even as the third princess, her authority was substantial.

First, they were guided to a guest room where they parted ways with Princess Sarya.

They were informed that they should wait here until they were called to meet with the king.

"Wow, this room is amazing."

"Is this room even bigger than our place?"

Indeed, it was quite remarkable.

Kanade and Tania fearlessly explored the guest room.

They marveled at the intricate craftsmanship of the furniture and decorations, expressing their awe with strange murmurs.

In contrast, Rain didn't have the same level of freedom...

"Oh? Rain, what's wrong? You seem to have a strange expression."

"Could it be that you're nervous?"

Sora and Luna noticed Rain's demeanor and asked.

"I've never seen a nervous Rain before."

"You know... Even I get nervous sometimes."

Rain had accompanied them to the palace to express gratitude for their help, but meeting the king was unexpected.

He had thought that receiving thanks from Princess Sarya would be the end of it.

However, he was met with opposition, being told, "As a member of the royal family, you can't be so casual." This led to the king personally addressing him.

His stomach churned.

Rain hadn't intended for things to escalate this far...

"Well, it can't be helped. If you've saved a princess, as a king responsible for ruling the country, I suppose you can't just ignore it."

"I'd say it's more of a natural result Rain, I thought you might have done something like that, thinking it all through."

He had planned to help without much consideration.

"I... I think Rain did a good thing..."

"Yeah. While not thinking ahead might be a bit of a flaw, being able to help without hesitation is one of Rain's good qualities as a Master."

Nina and Tina offered their support.

"Excuse me."

The door was knocked, and a knight appeared.

"Preparations have been made. Please proceed to the audience chamber."

The time had finally come.

With nervousness, Rain left the guest room.

――――――――――

"Raise your faces."

We who had been bowing our heads gently lifted our faces at the king's words.

Before us stood the ruler of this continent, Argus Van Rollreeze.

Though he was said to be over sixty years old, the vigor he radiated was anything but that of an elderly man.

He was the embodiment of a seasoned warrior; just facing him was enough to feel the pressure he exuded.

The king was seated on his throne... And beside him was Princess Sarya.

Unlike when they had been traveling, she was now adorned in a dress and jewelry.

Her beauty was captivating enough to make one unintentionally mesmerized.

"I've heard the story from Sarya. You not only saved her from monsters, but also lent your strength to apprehend traitors, correct? I shall express my gratitude."

"It's far too kind of you to say so."

We bowed our heads in response to the king's words.

Following suit, everyone else also bowed their heads.

I worried that Kanade or Tania might say, "I don't know human etiquette," but that didn't happen; they were properly observing proper manners.

"Thanks to you, we were able to expose the traitors more quickly than anticipated. Our goal has been achieved. Let me reward you. What would you like?"

The king's words stuck with me.

Expose? Goal?

As I pondered the meaning of those words...

Before long, I arrived at a certain assumption.

It might just be my imagination...

However, I don't feel like I'm mistaken.

It felt like this was the right answer.

If that's the case, then I...

"...May I ask a question instead of receiving a reward?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Could it be that you, King, were aware that there were those who aimed to harm Princess Sarya?"

"Oh?"

The king's face took on an intrigued expression.

I couldn't see everyone's faces since they were behind me, but an atmosphere of surprise seemed to be transmitted.

Princess Sarya... without changing her complexion, held a serene smile.

"Are you suggesting that I intentionally assigned individuals to guard my daughter, those who might target her?"

"Yes."

"I see. Shall I assert that for you? Why do you think that way?"

"Well..."

Princess Sarya occasionally carried out confidential duties, leaving the castle with only a small group of guards.

Among those guards, assassins targeting her were chosen.

And not just one assassin... all of them.

Could such a coincidence truly exist?

The country couldn't uncover the assassins' identities, and it was as if they themselves were saying, "Please assassinate the princess," making them utterly incompetent.

However, the king wasn't incompetent.

As I faced him here, I could see he was intelligent and strong.

Such a person wouldn't select assassins to be his daughter's guards.

But... what if he deliberately chose assassins?

What if he gave a golden opportunity to elusive assassins who are hard to catch, allowing them to deliberately escape?

When I thought along those lines, everything made sense.

In essence, this king...

Using his own daughter as bait, was trying to expose the immoral individuals lurking within the country.

Likely, even if I hadn't intervened, at some point, they would have rescued Princess Sarya and implemented a strategy to catch all of them.

"I see, I understand."

When I conveyed my thoughts, the king chuckled lightly.

Despite the situation, he looked amused.

"You dare to say such things to me... How amusing. It's been a while since I've felt this invigorated."

"Your Majesty...?"

"Sarya, this adventurer you brought along is quite interesting. To think someone like this exists... Hahaha, perhaps it's fitting to say the world is vast."

I don't quite understand...

I had spoken up expecting to be executed, but it seemed I was surprisingly well-received.

The king laughed heartily for a moment...

Then, he rose from his throne and bowed his head towards Princess Sarya.

"I apologize, Sarya."

"Y-Your Majesty...!? You don't have to... I'm already satisfied with the explanation. If my life can be of use to the nation, I'm more than willing to cooperate."

"A fine princess you've become. But you're too good; you end up relying on others too much. What I did, what that adventurer says, it's true. It wasn't right, even if it was for the sake of the country, to exploit my child. I thought of a way to quickly expose the immoral individuals to protect the others, and executed this plan... but perhaps there might have been a better way. I'm reflecting."

"Your Majesty..."

It seems Princess Sarya had her own thoughts about this matter after all.

Upon hearing the king's apology, she seemed pleased.

"Now then..."

The king retook his seat on the throne and looked in our direction.

"Is this acceptable? Adventurers."

"Yes, thank you very much."

"Very well. I appreciate you creating such an opportunity. I am grateful. Therefore, there shall be no punishment for you. Is that understood?"

The king seemed to be telling his attendants as much as us.

He spoke like that.

"You should stay in the castle tonight. I'd like to express my gratitude once again for rescuing Sarya."

"Yes. Thank you for your kind words."

"By the way... I forgot to ask your name."

"I apologize for not mentioning it. I am Rain Shroud."

The moment I spoke my name, the king's complexion changed.

TL Note- King got spooked. 

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