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According to the system, Lancelot was—like Guinevere—investigating any leads on other factions of the demonic cult. All they did was cut off a head of a Hydra, so there are bound to be more. Angelica was supporting him in this endeavor despite it changing her original plans.
Freya and Justice were apparently in the empire at the moment and will probably make an appearance later. Tyrgavion, well, he doesn't leave his nest unless it's important so he didn't come.
This means Ceru, Arnold and Sylphiala were the only ones here to receive the rewards and recognition.
"—There you are." The minute he set foot outside the carriage, he was blasted by cheers from thousands of people. Their roars were so loud, he went deaf for a moment.
The one who greeted him was, unsurprisingly, Celeste. Behind her was the entire student council, "We're your escorts, My Love."
"W-What is going on?" Elizabeth hugged his arm, overwhelmed by the people's cheers.
"Ah, hello, Sister Wife." Celeste offered a greeting, "As you can see, everyone gathered here to welcome the hero who slayed the Demon King."
"…I wasn't expecting this many people to be here…" Arnold said in a whisper.
"Hehe, you're so cute when you're shy." Celeste put her arms around his free arm, "Isn't it obvious that bravery and sacrificing oneself should be honored?"
Celeste led Arnold through the crowd of people, nobles, students and peasants alike. Everywhere he looked there was a smiling face. This reminded him of a certain scene in the game—after the demon invasion in the academy.
This was how Luke was greeted when he came to the academy. That was his debut as God's Champion. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. His popularity skyrocketed and every noble faction joined his side, offering him immense support and connections. This would usually be a good thing but Luke, being the good-natured person that he is and valuing only the personality and deeds of someone, supported the Crown Prince Julius' ascension to the throne given his good deeds.
This naturally made Luke an enemy of the opposing faction who wanted Ronia on the throne.
Though his heart was noble and pure, Luke was an easy target for her. While the player can control Luke, it's difficult to prepare to take on Ronia. The Hero's shield was Olivia back then since she is able to take on her sister in political and mental warfare at that point.
But due to Luke's outburst not too long ago, Olivia chose to distance herself slightly to not seem overly controlling of him, abandoning her own goals for the sake of their relationship dynamic.
There's no need for the little Hero to fear though, as all that troublesome attention will be directed at Arnold now…
'Ronia … She's somewhere in the academy.'
Arnold's entire body was covered with goosebumps.
He would rather fight Valtraak again than face that woman.
**
"—Thank you all for gathering here today to welcome and celebrate our heroes."
Up on the stage at the pulpit was Freya York and many of the academy's professors. She addressed the tens of thousands of people listening.
Among the crowd was Luke and Olivia sitting side by side, looking around to see if they could spot Arnold. The young Hero always knew his Big Brother was destined for greatness.
While he doesn't possess the kindness a hero must have to be a symbol, he used his strength to protect others—which is what matters to Luke the most. A kind heart is just a second quality a hero must have.
He is… an Unlikely Hero.
"As you all heard, another calamity has been felled by the fruits of teamwork and humanity's bravest. Though the foe is not dead, it remains in a prison it won't be able to escape and that its comrades won't be able to break from the outside."
That's partly true as the powerful seal Guinevere used can't be broken through conventional means. You would need to kill the caster, which not many beings in the nine realms would be capable of.
This is the height of responsibility she has chosen to take.
"First, let me address the uncertainties all of you may have. Yes, a demonic cultist group is responsible. We had believed that as long as the World Tree stands, there is no place in the world where rifts to the other side may be able to form. However, through two days of investigation, we concluded that, through the use of demonic energy and miasma, it can create a zone that effectively blocks out all mana. For those who don't know, mana is the natural deterrent of demonic energy. It destabilizes demonic energy but, if even a small area lacks sufficient mana to break down this energy, a rift opens. Miasma can be used to deprive a region of mana through use of techniques not known to us as of right now.
I heard from the Guilds that one such rift, through small, opened in one of the empire's villages last year but an adventurer party by the name of Misteltein solved the crisis. This normally should have made the church investigate more leads but they failed to do what was required of them. Upon investigating that village, we found buried human remains who were forcefully injected with demonic energy. We aren't sure yet but we think the death essence and demonic energy are combined by demons to create miasma, which sucks out the mana in an area. Though it pains me to disrespect the dead like this, every burial site in the country will be investigated going forward to avoid this situation again.
Bishop Ludwig, of the Holy Kingdom is here to assure us that the churches and temples will help us with this as we need the millions of devotees that serve our Goddess Melis." As if on cue, a bald old man with a thick grey beard, draped in white robes, stepped forward after Freya stepped to the side.
He then began to speak, "Greetings, all. My name is Ludwig, a peasant who was blessed by Melis with opportunities to get where I am today. When I hear about all the lives that were lost in this tragedy, it fills me with guilt because the fear of me using all the Goddess' blessings haunt me whenever I close my eyes. I hope that, through our actions, Melis' children will forgive us for not doing our duty. While it may seem pathetic to point fingers, I have no choice but to do so… Pope Augustus has been blocking any intention of focusing on matters unrelated to his proposed plans and our regular church operations. What does this mean? We are allowed to carry out church functions and such but using the finances for anything other than that is considered wasteful."
"Does this mean the Pope is using the funds our tax money gives the churches, to fund his selfish war!?" someone in the crowd shouted.
"This is not an interrogation." Freya said beside him, "Leave the investigations and responsibility up to us who allowed Augustus to have this much power despite not even being a citizen of this empire."
"It's strange that both cases happened in the empire but Augustus, an outsider, chose not to investigate! Does this mean he has no loyalty to our empire!? No, to all believers of Melis!?"
"He's corrupted!"
"Curious how he's not even here today!"
The crowd's anger made Ludwig break out in a cold sweat. Soon enough, that anger will be directed at him, who is supposed to be the second most influential religious figure.
"I heard that he was trying to push for Lord Arnold's execution! The fucking bastard!"
"Snake!"
"The same person he tried to execute saved his butt!"
"Calm yourselves, please." Freya remained nonchalant on the surface but her tone sounded anything but. It seems even she was upset, "Bishop."
Ludwig nodded, "Paladins and temple priests will be dispatched to every village and other populated regions for an indefinite amount of time or until we manage to eliminate any chance of the same things happening again. We don't have a working strategy to prevent these things from happening but we can at least be one step ahead of them by using our advantage in numbers."
However, he continued.
"Should there be a successful demon summoning, we will need capable divine power users in the fight." He looked at Arnold and Sylphy, "Lady Freya says there were three individuals in your group with divine power. The red-haired woman is said to be the strongest as she was capable of summoning over a thousand angels and maintain the barrier that kept the monsters from escaping. It would be such a relief if that woman were to join our cause—"
Despite being saved by them, they're even asking for more. Arnold was about to reject their selfish pleas but Ceru spoke into his mind.
'Papa… Uhm, I know you don't like helping others without a benefit to you but it… it's my duty as an angel to help humans. Throughout my multiple reincarnations, I've had this instinct to fight for them… They are my purpose… Can I…?'
It would be cruel to turn her down. She knows what kind of person he is but hasn't said anything in protest. At first, he thought she didn't care, which is unusual for an angel, but she's not a being who sees reality in black and white. She might not be like him but she understands that, when necessary, evil is justified.
"I don't know about the others besides Sylphiala but Ceru came along with me—"
'Come out, Ceru. Show yourself to others this time.'
The cute little eyeball came out of his blazer then, with a cloud of smoke, a beautiful young maiden who looked no older than 16, appeared.
It's been a long time since they met but it's time Ceru lives a normal life instead of being tucked away in his coat forever. She needs to bond with humans, the very purpose for her existence. To angels, humans are the sheep they must lead to paradise across a field with tall grass that hides the wolves.
Thinking about it, it won't just be Elizabeth who will be with him for eternity but her as well. She has a long life ahead of her and should enjoy it while the two of them are together. Not as master and servant but as comrades.
'…And please drop the Papa…' he begged her.
'…Okay…'
"—OOOH! She's flying!"
"C-Could it be magic?"
"Do you see a magic circle anywhere? Even the Archmage has one behind her back when she's floating!"
The priests looked at Ceru with their mouths agape. The bishop fell onto his knees with his hands clasped.
"A-An Angel… An angel has descended like the Valkyries once did."
"U-Uhm…" she looked towards Arnold for help so he quickly butted in after placing a hand on her shoulder.
"To clear up any confusion, Ceru is a demigod from the Divine Realm."
He didn't know the dangers of a Pure Angel contracting with a human, so he decided to speak half-truths. The demigod part is backed up by her ability to naturally fly without wings or magic.
"H-Hmm, I presumed too early… My apologies, Madame Ceru."
"P-Please… need not to be so formal! I-I want to work with humans from today onwards so I can't have you be so stiff with me!"
"Ah, to have the blessings of the Gods and still be so humble, we are truly honored to be in your presence."
Not just the bishop but everyone, including Freya, bowed to her.
Nearly 90% of the empire's population are believers of Melis so having a demigod, a direct descendant of the Gods, walk amongst them, made them unable to think of other ways to express their joy besides bowing.
"If I may ask… The empire has been wondering for the past few days how and why you, a demigod, descended to our world."
Ceru looked at Arnold again. Since this is her first time among such a crowd, it's obvious that she's nervous so he transmitted what she should say.
"I-In the Sky God Dungeon, h-he met a powerful adversary who chased him to the ends of the world floor… until a dungeon storm swept him up and spat him into the divine realm… I-I found and took him to my mother, a Gate Guardian's, home when he was injured. She helped him escape death so h-he was in her debt. She asked if he could take me around the mortal world for a few years so that I may live among you all as a reminder of what we demigods and Gods must protect… T-That's how we know each other."
'Good girl.'
'Hehehe~' he could almost imagine a tail wagging behind her. She's acting too cute for a girl who looks as old as him.
Anyway, he made it sound like Ceru is Yorm's daughter (despite that giant being a virgin…).
"Why would a Goddess send her precious daughter to such a dangerous place alone…?"
"Maybe she trusted Arnold to protect her?"
"…Is Arnold really that strong?"
"He fought a Kaiju, so…"
"Haha, good point."
The professors bickered as the audience tried to take in what Ceru said.
"T-There is a legend that divine realm dwellers have different rates of growth compared to humans and that demigods can even become adults in mere months…" a priest whispered to his coworker.
"You think Arnold is her father? Rumors went around that he's always missing during the school week for the past few years. Do you think he could've…"
"That could be a reason for his strength gain. He must've received the help of this Goddess in the divine realm…"
'Bastards! Stop digging any further! Now I won't be able to face Yorm if she hears of this!' While that could be possible, he doesn't want a misunderstanding like that to arise.
"Ahem, Ceru is my trusted companion." He hurriedly spoke up to quell the misunderstandings, "While we should be there for each other during battle—me as her shield and she as my healer and priest—I don't want to deprive her of an ordinary life while she lives here. I hope all of you can treat her as a fellow human being as that's the one thing she wants during her stay here."
"Of course!" Ludwig laughed boisterously.
"But I fear that will take some time as we are welcoming a true-blooded divine being into our home country. Ah, I am talking too much. A royal family member has visited the academy to personally speak to our heroes and reward them for their bravery." Ludwig looked to the far end of the stage.
Arnold felt quite uneasy.
"Your Highness Princess Ronia, please come to the stage."
A young woman with long, silky-smooth hair walked onto the stage, wearing an elegant dress. Her steps were graceful, as if she learned to keep her back straight and head high since birth.
On the surface, Arnold's expression remained stoic but inside it was chaotic. That's just a normal expression to have when one of the most powerful people in the world takes interest in you. She might not be the strongest in terms of physical or magical strength but she's equally as dangerous.
With a mic already in hand, Ronia addressed the crowd in her sweet voice, "It has been long since I've appeared in public. Truthfully, it's because I am ashamed of how I used to do business and operate my faction but I've made a vow to change my way of doing things," she stared at the four of them, "But today isn't about me. I am here as the representative of the Imperial Family. We have strategized in private on how to reward the ones who saved our empire from ruin and managed to come to a final decision this morning."
"I have already spoken with Lady Freya to determine her reward so that leaves only the three heroes. Many nobles of the imperial court agreed that it's best that we recognize Sir Arnold's territory as a nation and establish a vassalage kingdom. We will also recognize the name Valtraak as his royal name," Before finishing she took a glance at Arnold, "Although, if he feels this is too restrictive and too much responsibility is placed on him along with the rewards, we shall renegotiate at a later time."
'So, this was your plan, huh Ronia? Come up with an excuse to force me to meet you privately under the guise of negotiation? A kingdom as a reward before I could establish one through my own efforts? No—this is a gilded leash.'
He refuses to be a leashed dog like her enemies that she keeps close just enough to control.
That noble union she established to "strategize better with those even outside my faction" is just her circle of obedient dogs who were once against her ruling the empire.
"For now, several war-ready airships will be gifted to the Kingdom of Whitage." An entire fleet's worth of power given away to someone who isn't even a noble of their Empire anymore. This was absurd.
Arnold could use those to let his knights scout the skies for bandit camps and criminal strongholds which will be convenient for their military operations.
He was against the idea of using Selia's flying summons to scout the skies as they would be mistaken as demons so he left the skies empty for now. And buying an airship isn't as easy as walking into a store.
But now they get several warships of all things?
He was starting to like this witch more and more. Of course, he knows it's just the carrot to tame him.
"Lady Ceru will be given the title of Archbishop with the authority and financial backing of all the Churches. This way there are no limitations to the information regarding demon cultists. She will act as the information broker to the people and may spread the word on what we find."
This might also be a leash but it allows Arnold, who's close to her, to have an information network so that they can respond to demonic cultists quicker. He could use Serz through his contact with Liumilia but there's no law in place that says he can't do both, right? Besides, there are benefits to having both.
He told Ceru in his mind to accept the reward. She didn't even hesitate to nod at him as she trusted his judgment.
Having this network will allow him to give that information to Guinevere who is aimlessly searching for answers. Just like her, he doesn't want the [Curse of Dante] to activate again as Valtraak will be able to escape.
Guinevere might be strong but she doesn't have the connections that the churches have by working in the shadows, she can eliminate them all before anything big happens again.
This leash comes with great power; more power than even the Bishop Ludwig has. Said bishop seemed calm on the surface but his Condition indicated his envy. He's probably been working for decades just to get where he is.
"Lastly… Lady Sylphiala. We are grateful for your contributions in the battle. Lady Freya said you had the most important role of all according to Sir Arnold." Ronia's smile almost reached her eyes. She's definitely thinking of pulling Sylphy over to her side.
Sylphy smiled awkwardly as Ronia shook her hands.
"For Lady Sylphiala, the Production Industry leaders, who are one of the pillars of this empire, have agreed to reward you the [Master Smith] title."
The audience applaud—that was no mere blacksmith title. With it, she has the authority of an Archduke.
"Using the seal we will provide you, you will be able to enter any territory in the empire to extract resources from the earth if it's for your work, bypassing any sales limitations. This is one of the many benefits of this title and position but I won't bore everyone with it. This seal already symbolizes your worth as a craftsman and inventor."
Sylpy's eyes widened, "Only two people hold this title in this era and I'm the third…?"
'So, it seems they want to bind all three of us to the empire.'
Still, they've been granted a lot of power just from one battle. Not even Julius has received anything that's equivalent to it.
"These are just the main rewards but there are many more that will be handed to them in private," in other words, this was just a spectacle to tell people that these three belong to the empire.
Ronia curtsied to them. A royal family member never bows unless to their king. But Heroes are the exception.
"As the princess of the Eulia Empire, I would like to represent this nation and its people by thanking all of you who fought bravely to protect us. Thanks to all of you, peace has returned to our empire. Had the barrier over that town fallen, this empire would have followed and then the rest of the continent."
Ronia is basically implying Arthur would've been unable to protect the empire. It was a low blow but not far from the truth. If even Guinevere couldn't stop Valtraak, what chance does he have?
She suddenly held Arnold's hand and, with a flush on her face, she said, "I-I hope we can continue to rely on you, Sir Arnold…"
He almost went deaf by the "Kyaaa" and "Ohhhh! She's in love!" that came from the audience. Condolences to the poor victims who sat in front of those people.
'Tch.'
His entire being was filled with disgust.
But on the surface, his face didn't change. Her soft hands let go of his and she averted her gaze—such brilliant acting, he thought.
His heart almost skipped a beat. Past him would've responded to her advances since—well, she's one of the top beauties of the empire.
After the princess left without saying anything suspicious to him, Freya took the stage.
"I know this hour is dedicated to our heroes but I would like to take this opportunity to mention that I've been working on my own project on the side, which my subordinates from the empire's magic tower have been helping with. It will greatly help in our fight against the demons which is why I find it relevant to the topic. Unfortunately, it's not complete and I am unable to use it on my own. If I had it in the fight against Valtraak, it would have helped us greatly." She looked at Ceru, "I hope Lady Ceru will be wiling to help us."
Naturally she had to accept. But if she's mentioning it now, that means she's confident it's about 90% complete.
'I'll have to keep my promise to Lauran tonight.'
"Thank you for gathering to honor our heroes. This is an informal event but I hope everyone will attend the celebration party that will take place in the future—"
Thankfully, nothing strange happened with Ronia so that was a weight off his shoulders.