For a few seconds, the entire hall fell into absolute silence.
I was still holding my goblet when I clearly heard it nearly slipping from my hand.
Blinking slowly, I looked at the king, unsure if I had heard him correctly.
"…Excuse me?"
King Gromkar broke into a huge smile.
"My daughter's hand."
The hall erupted into celebration immediately afterward.
The giants began pounding their hands against the massive tables while several soldiers raised their mugs in approval.
Durgan laughed so loudly that it sounded like thunder echoing throughout the castle.
As for me...
I could only stand there, trying to process what had just happened.
Scarlet was the first to speak.
"No."
Elara immediately crossed her arms.
"Not again."
Rai'kanna slowly closed her eyes like someone who had expected exactly this.
"I knew it…"
Liriel placed a hand on her forehead.
"Takumi really attracts this kind of situation."
Lyannis merely sighed quietly while Vespera calmly observed everything.
I glanced at them before looking back at the king.
"Your Majesty... I think this is moving a little too fast."
"Too fast?"
The king looked confused.
"You saved my kingdom."
"Yes, but…"
I discreetly pointed toward Freyja.
"…she's a giant."
Freyja blinked a few times while the giants around us didn't seem to understand my concern.
I took a deep breath before continuing.
"I mean... there's a slight difference in size between us."
Scarlet immediately smacked my shoulder.
"You idiot."
"But I'm serious."
Elara tried to hold back her laughter.
Rai'kanna looked away, clearly trying not to laugh as well.
The king suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"So that's what you're worried about?"
I crossed my arms.
"Doesn't that sound like a perfectly reasonable concern?"
"Of course not!"
The king wiped away a tear from laughing so hard.
"You humans really overthink everything."
Scarlet muttered quietly,
"Unfortunately, he doesn't think enough sometimes."
I completely ignored that comment.
The king then raised one of his enormous hands.
"Tholgrim."
The master blacksmith immediately approached carrying a small ornate metal box.
This time, my curiosity genuinely increased.
Tholgrim slowly opened the box.
Inside was a silver necklace with a small blue gemstone shining at its center.
The king pointed toward the item.
"The Royal Artifact of the Giants."
Lyannis immediately showed interest.
"A magical artifact?"
Tholgrim proudly nodded.
"Created many centuries ago."
The king continued,
"This artifact allows a giant to temporarily assume a human-sized form."
My eyes widened.
"…What?"
Freyja now seemed a little embarrassed.
Scarlet also looked surprised.
"So you really do use magic."
"A little."
Tholgrim replied.
"But we do."
I looked at the necklace again.
So my first impressions when we arrived in this kingdom hadn't been entirely correct.
They really did possess magical artifacts.
Perhaps they simply didn't rely on them as much as other nations did.
The king smiled once more.
"We mainly use this artifact whenever we need to visit other kingdoms."
Lyannis carefully observed the necklace.
"The magical energy is remarkably stable."
"Because it was crafted by the ancient giant artisans."
Tholgrim replied proudly.
The king then looked at Freyja.
"My daughter."
She nodded gently.
Tholgrim carefully handed the necklace to her.
The moment Freyja put on the artifact, a soft blue light enveloped her body.
Mana slowly spread throughout the hall.
And then...
She began to shrink.
The surrounding giants didn't seem surprised at all.
Clearly, this was normal for them.
But for us...
It was strange watching a giant gradually assume a human-sized form.
A few seconds later, Freyja stood before us, nearly the same height as Scarlet.
The enchanted dress had automatically adjusted as well.
Lyannis looked even more impressed.
"An adaptive artifact..."
Freyja looked at her own hands for a moment before slowly walking toward our table.
Now I could see her properly without constantly looking upward.
Her brown hair flowed gently down to her waist.
Her blue eyes conveyed calmness.
Even in her smaller form, her natural physical strength was still apparent.
She stopped in front of me.
And extended her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Takumi."
I looked at it for a few seconds before shaking her hand.
"…Likewise."
Scarlet immediately crossed her arms beside me.
"He's still trying to understand what's happening."
"Because all of this happened way too fast."
I replied.
Freyja smiled softly.
"I believe my father exaggerated a little."
"A little?"
Elara murmured.
The king continued laughing happily from his throne.
Clearly delighted with the entire situation.
Durgan approached carrying an enormous metal barrel.
"THE HERO HAS ACCEPTED!"
"I haven't accepted anything yet!"
I immediately replied.
The entire hall fell silent once again.
All the girls looked directly at me.
Freyja did too.
I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.
"I mean... I just..."
Scarlet narrowed her eyes.
"Just?"
I slowly took a deep breath.
"I'm just trying to understand this situation."
The king rested his massive arms on his throne.
"So you intend to reject my daughter?"
Freyja slightly lowered her gaze.
And that immediately made me feel guilty.
Damn.
I hated situations like this.
Especially because she clearly didn't seem like a bad person.
Quite the opposite.
She seemed kind.
Polite.
And honestly...
Beautiful.
Scarlet immediately noticed my expression.
"Don't start."
"I didn't say anything."
"But you thought it."
I ignored her again.
The king then spoke in a calmer tone.
"Takumi."
I looked at him.
"You saved my people."
His expression turned serious for the first time that night.
"You accomplished what no giant warrior could."
The entire hall remained silent.
"Offering my daughter's hand is not merely gratitude."
The king looked at Freyja.
"It is recognition."
That changed the way I viewed the situation.
To them...
This truly carried deep meaning.
It wasn't simply an impulsive decision.
Freyja finally spoke.
"If you're uncomfortable... you don't have to answer now."
I looked at her.
The sincerity in her voice was unmistakable.
She genuinely wasn't trying to pressure me.
Rai'kanna watched everything in silence.
She probably understood the situation better, being a princess herself.
Elara then quietly commented,
"You really do attract princesses."
"I don't do it on purpose."
"Oddly enough, I believe you."
Liriel murmured.
The king smiled again.
"Well!"
He raised his enormous goblet once more.
"You don't have to decide everything today."
The giants immediately resumed celebrating.
The heavy atmosphere gradually faded.
Freyja remained near our table while the giant servants continued bringing food.
At one point, she sat beside me.
It still felt strange seeing her at this size after first meeting her as a giant.
"Sorry about the surprise."
She said calmly.
"Your father really seems to enjoy making sudden decisions."
She let out a soft laugh.
"He has always been like that."
I looked around the hall.
"So is this normal among giants?"
"Not exactly."
She replied.
"Marriages between important families are usually decided by the king."
"I see..."
She remained silent for a few seconds before continuing.
"But this time was different."
I looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
Freyja discreetly looked away.
"…I asked my father to consider it."
Blinking slowly, I remained speechless for a few seconds.
"You asked?"
She nodded gently.
"After I heard about you."
Scarlet immediately turned toward us.
"Interesting."
Freyja seemed a little embarrassed now.
"I heard about the battles... about how you protect people..."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"…and then I saw you face that corruption without hesitation."
I wasn't exactly sure how to respond.
I had never been good at receiving compliments like that.
Especially sincere ones.
In the end, I simply looked away for a few seconds.
Scarlet let out a small sigh.
"He really doesn't know how to deal with this."
"Because all of you make everything awkward."
"All of us?"
Elara immediately asked.
"You're literally surrounded by women."
"And none of that was my fault."
Everyone looked at me at the same time.
Even Vespera slightly raised an eyebrow.
"…Okay, maybe some of it."
The entire table burst into laughter.
Even Freyja.
The atmosphere finally became genuinely lighthearted.
The hours passed quickly after that.
We talked about the kingdom.
About traveling.
About the other nations.
Freyja showed genuine curiosity about the world beyond the giant mountains.
When the night had grown quite late, the king finally spoke to me again.
"Takumi."
I looked toward the throne once more.
The king smiled contentedly.
"So?"
I slowly took a deep breath.
I looked at Freyja.
Then at the rest of the group.
Scarlet already looked prepared to complain again.
But honestly...
After everything that kingdom had gone through...
And after how sincere Freyja had been...
I truly couldn't simply reject her coldly.
I ran a hand through my hair before answering,
"…I don't think I have much of a choice now, do I?"
The king immediately burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The giants celebrated once more.
Scarlet slowly closed her eyes.
"One more..."
Elara started laughing.
Rai'kanna simply shook her head silently.
As for Freyja...
She smiled gently as she looked at me.
And at that moment, I had the feeling that our journey through the Kingdom of the Giants was still far from over.