Arriving at the palace with considerable excitement, I marveled at its grandeur and magnificence before meeting the King.
Nervously watching the guards in their ornate armor lined up in the hall, I hoped it might be the beautiful Queen… but as expected, the King was just a middle-aged man with a beer belly.
His appearance, barely supported by his fine clothes and utterly ordinary, was instantly disheartening; I couldn't even be bothered to remember his lengthy title, "King XIII."
Although he was the King, it was common for him to subtly probe my intentions… but his depressing face made me want to finish quickly and return to my females.
He relentlessly probed my affairs with interrogative questions. Although the atmosphere became slightly serious when he mentioned the Hero Devourer… knowing my reasons for becoming an adventurer, the King used platitudes like, "Recently, suspicious events have occurred around the capital, but we are still investigating without any leads," which immediately killed any interest. Utterly pointless. The only thing I gained from visiting the palace today was probably seeing this magnificent building.
When the King said I should visit the Royal Guild Management Office when I had time, I gave a perfunctory reply, then hastily answered the other questions.
More than the King, who was like a gossipy uncle, constantly interrogating me, what bothered me more… was the knight standing behind him, staring intently at me.
The guy I met yesterday, named Malte or something like that. Completely different from that seemingly strong but actually immature young man, this knight, around thirty years old, exuded a heavy, imposing aura.
Unlike the average Esendia man, who is around 170cm tall (which is the Earth average), he appeared to be over 180cm, his muscular physique barely concealed by his armor.
This was the first time I'd encountered a man in Esendia who clearly possessed the aura of someone who had been through countless trials.
That man must be a hero too. His gaze made me tremble, and I broke out in a cold sweat to hide my nervousness.
Judging by his aura alone, he seemed capable of flying, traversing mountains, and splitting rivers… Why would such a figure serve a king who resembled a mediocre neighbor?
No, more importantly, one shouldn't lay a hand on a woman in the capital.
If you accidentally touched the woman of such a hero, you'd probably be torn to pieces instantly.
With this thought in mind, I bowed to the king, who was saying something like, 'I look forward to your future service to the Kingdom of Reinhardt~' and left the palace… On my way out of the city, a knight who had appeared behind the king at some point blocked my path.
"…You."
"Ah, yes!?"
When I looked at the knight staring at me with sharp eyes, he quietly lowered his head and said to me, "What do you think of the people living ordinary lives on the streets?"
"Uh… ah? The people on the streets…?" What's wrong with this old man all of a sudden? "Uh… well… when I'm walking, I see… some people looking very busy… some people looking very happy… everyone seems to be doing well… that's probably what I think…"
"…It's quite ordinary." For some reason, the knight's expression softened slightly at my answer.
"Other non-human races wouldn't think that way. Those guys consider themselves different from ordinary humans, completely unable to empathize with their ordinary lives."
As he said this, the knight patted my shoulder as he passed by.
"Those guys are beings that this Reinhard Kingdom, established by humans, cannot tolerate… but if they are different from those guys, willing to become citizens of Reinhard as equals with ordinary people, then regardless of their appearance or temperament, they are citizens of our kingdom. We will welcome them."
............ After meeting that impressive knight and king, to avoid unnecessary commotion, I returned to the church in the mobile carriage.
While eating the church's characteristic vague, simple meal and dinner filled with grass, I mentioned the knight I had met during the day. All three seemed to know him and began to tell me their stories. "Ah~ that must be the Knight Commander, right? I remember he's called the Guardian of the Kingdom or something."
"He's also said to be the representative of the Heroic Knights, composed of heroes..."
"You mean Lord Orlando? Known as the Kingdom's strongest hero and knight. He usually guards the borders of the Demon Realm, it seems he's only back for a short while."
Looks like a celebrity.
If he's mostly guarding the borders... I probably won't see him again... right?
"His aura is incredibly powerful. I didn't expect I could sense that. Just looking at his aura, he could probably split mountains, right?"
"That's definitely something he can do, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Am I crazy? What am I saying?
I involuntarily made a stupid sound.
No, can he really do that?
"It's said that the traces of a battle between the strongest demon general and a certain demon five years ago still linger in the border region. The area around the border was originally mountainous, but I heard the aftershocks of their battle turned it into a barren plain."
"...Can humans fight to that extent? Just two people?" I asked Paul absurdly. Paul nodded smugly, his face beaming with pride.
"Heroes aren't strong from the start, but if they grow smoothly, they can unleash terrifying power. Of course, Lord Orlando is one of the top three heroes in the entire Esendia region. Priests like me, or Mr. Ars who was once a beginner, are exceptions."
Good heavens.
This is no joke!
Is it really okay for me to have designs on the heroines? "Even at the same level, there are differences between people. But as a hero levels up, they gradually become stronger than other adventurers of the same level. When they surpass the 50-60 level threshold of high-ranking adventurers, they will display extraordinary power completely beyond human capabilities. At that point, they will be worlds apart from ordinary adventurers."
Wow… I've always looked down on other humans, whether heroes or not, because my attributes far exceed my current level… But I can't underestimate them.
If I mess with the wrong person, I might get killed instantly.
Speaking of which, Ars… other heroes are so strong, how come you… no, I should say I'm just lucky, right?
Thanks, Ars.
Thanks for living as a newbie all this time.
Thanks to you, Lisbeth can live a happy life as my female.
You should be happy too.
While admiring these true heroes, after dinner, as they went outside… Paul quietly approached Claire and suggested a walk.
"Claire. Would you like to take a walk together if it's convenient…"
"…Sorry, Paul. In the dorm… Miss Lisbeth and I have something to do."
"Huh? Oh? What is it…"
"…Um…"
"Pfft♡ Mr. Paul is so oblivious♡ It's a secret between girls♡"
"Ah, is that so?"
"That's it. Right, Claire♡"
"Yeah, yeah… Yes, Lisbeth." Lisbeth chuckled, clinging to Claire and wrapping her arm around her as if showing off their intimacy.
Seeing that, Paul scratched his head, saying helplessly, then waved goodbye to us somewhat reluctantly.
"Well… see you tomorrow morning." After Paul's lonely figure disappeared, Lisbeth, with Claire in her arms, came to my side, chuckling softly.
"Of course, what I want to do is ♡ spend a blissful night with your magnificent Cock , Master~♡"
"Pfft... Claire. You've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
"Ah, no, it hasn't come to that yet..." I approached and secretly kneaded their buttocks, whispering lewdly to Claire.
"Since we know Paul can't get into the dormitory, why don't we just live together in our room until the Saintess Selection is over? Is that alright, Claire?"
"...Okay...let's do it..." Hmph, Paul. A month from now, you won't be refusing a walk, but refusing a marriage proposal. Be prepared.
Although unlike Ars, Paul seems to have connections with other heroes...but that can be considered slowly. Anyway, his combat strength isn't that great.
"So...seeing how excited you two are, shall we begin?"
"Yes, ♡Master♡"
"Hmm...Master...♡" And so, I led my females back to the dormitory, and without even washing up, I immediately brandished my Cock .
Claire seems to still be struggling; like yesterday, she fainted from a bloated stomach after just one anal encounter… But she'll probably get used to it soon, like Lisbeth.
After all, as a senior female, Lisbeth seems to have taught her very well.
I really look forward to the day when Claire writhes on top of me, shamelessly.