While engaging in pointless conversations with Trina and Zartha, the carriage, having traversed through the noble district, arrived at the edge of the gateway leading into the palace. However, the Steward handled everything, and the guards let us through after a short minute. As we pushed through the royal grounds, I looked out the window, taking in what I could, but aside from soldiers and the occasional servant, the outside was relatively empty.
'Beautiful though.' Humming quietly to myself, I continued looking out until arriving just outside the palace; as the carriage was brought to a stop, the Steward promptly knocked on the door before opening it. "We've arrived, Sir Alexander." Slightly bowing, the Steward stoof off to the side, allowing me to step down from the carriage and gaze upon the palace while fixing my appearance.
'Do you think castles actually need to be this big, or is it just a show of wealth and power?' "Please, right this way, Sir Alexander." Shifting my focus to the Steward, who was gesturing to the palace entrance, I nodded and followed him while listening to Trina and Zartha. 'A bit of both, Master. A castle has many rooms which are rarely occupied, but they have their uses; also, as the rulers of the Kingdom, they must instill a sense of superiority in their people.' 'Eh, but this castle isn't even that big, Master.'
I appreciated Zartha's thoughtful answer as it made sense, though my poker face was broken from Trina's words. Sure, this palace wasn't the biggest, but it was still rather massive; even ten thousand people probably wouldn't be enough to fill its occupancy. 'What kind of castles have you seen, Trina?' 'The one our Father lived before ascending to Godhood.'
Although Trina wasn't the type to lie, I still subconsciously raised an eyebrow in suspicion; she may not lie, but her knowledge wasn't exactly trustworthy. 'Is she telling the truth, Zartha?' 'Muu, Master, I'm not lying!' Ignoring Trina's pouting, I waited for Zartha to respond. 'Yes. Father, our creator, lived in a castle that was half-palace and half-fortress.'
Nodding softly, I was about to ask them further questions about their father, as I was a bit curious about the being who could create mythical weapons, but the Steward's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Please wait here, Sir Alexander. I will go inform His Majesty of your arrival." Entering the room, the Steward held the door open for me, and I sat down on the couch while he closed the door, his footsteps growing fainter by the second.
The room was pretty basic, well, as basic as any room in a palace can get; everything was fancy, of course, but nothing really stood out to me. "Well, most people probably don't have to wait a long time anyway."
Yawning, I slicked some loose hairs back and just waited for the Steward to arrive, thinking of visiting the capital's dungeon with my ladies or how I'd spend the night with one of them; unfortunately, I had to quickly snuff the latter thoughts as my body was reacting in tandem and I couldn't meet the King like that.
Anyway, after a little less than half an hour, the door was open, and the Steward from before entered. "Sir Alexander, his Majesty is ready for you." "Alright then." Getting some quick stretches in, I left the room and followed the Steward as he led me through the palace, taking turns down several halls until we arrived at a set of double doors with soldiers standing guard on either side.
After a brief moment, the two soldiers opened the double doors, prompting the Steward to enter, though not without gesturing for me to stay in place. "Sir Alexander has arrived!" Clearing his throat, the Steward projected his voice throughout the throne room, while I, having received my signal, stepped into the throne room.
Just like the other two, it was a large, mostly long and tall room with soldiers lining the walls. Off in the distance, where I was approaching, were steps leading to a set of thrones, with the large one in the middle and the second, smaller and adjacent. However, unlike the smaller throne, the large one wasn't empty; sitting at the throne was a rather plump and old lizard man.
The King wore regal clothes in vibrant colors — blue, green, and red — and the seams were bedazzled with small jewels, including rubies and diamonds. His crown was mostly gold, with a red accent; he also wore it crooked. His sceptor was leaning against the side of the throne, currently not being used. His expression showed faint traces of intrigue as he observed me, though they didn't seem to be that intense, which, honestly, was good for me; I would be less likely to be dragged into the political side of Roswald.
While internally hoping I was too insignificant for the King to show much interest in, I dropped to one knee when I thought I'd arrived close enough, waiting for the King to initiate conversation first.
"This isn't your first time meeting royalty, is it, Alexander?" Raising my head, slightly surprised that those were the words that left his mouth, I looked at him, his eyebrow raised as he glanced at me. "No, your Majesty. I've had the luck to meet two different Monarchs before." "Hmm, thought so. Most adventurers I meet are never this respectful; they're usually a bunch of muscle-brained fools." "You've pretty much hit the nail on the head, your Majesty." "A funny one you are."
Displaying a hint of amusement, he straightened, sitting upright, his head held high as he looked down at me. "Alexander, during a never-before-seen occurrence of monsters attacking in groups, you protected this Kingdom, sacrificing your life to lead them away when they would've surely razed Cassandra to the ground. You're Cassandra's savior."
"I just did what I had to do to protect my own family." "Even so, you protected Cassandra and saved its people, enacting the duty of Royalty, and as the King, I thank you." Faintly groaning, the King stood up and grabbed his sceptor before walking down the steps, approaching me. He may have been old, but I could tell he wasn't weak, given his confident stride.
"For enacting the duty of Royalty, you shall be rewarded generously. You will be given the title of Count and 100 platinum coins." As I listened to him speak, I was somewhat surprised to be given a title of nobility, as I assumed that's usually only allowed for people tied to the Kingdom. 'He might be trying to rope me into the Roswald Kingdom. Well, I never intend to leave, so…'
However, when I heard the second part of my reward, which I wasn't even expecting in the first place, I was profoundly shocked and instantly remembered what Lily had told me nearly a decade and a half ago.
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14-year Flashback
"... Lavy is unbelievable. I love her dearly, but she was a subpar Master." Rubbing her face with a frustrated expression, Lily let out a deep sigh, while I wryly chuckled. "She's the only Master I had, so I can't comment on that." As Lily regained her composure, she held out her hand.
"Alright, listen up, Alex. The currency is arranged in the following order: Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and finally, Diamond. 100 coppers equate to one silver, 100 silver to one gold, and so on and so forth." Listening to Lily explain, I nodded while we stepped forward, keeping up in line. "Sounds simple enough." "Yes, thankfully, it is. Anyway, to give you an idea, in an average city like this, Hyphen." Pointing behind her, Lily gestured to the city that she, Marlin, Simba, and I were currently in line, waiting to enter.
"5 silver, or 500 copper, should be enough for an average family of four to comfortably sustain themselves. Of course, I mean comfortable as in buying the necessities to survive; they aren't going on vacations or to resorts." "Resorts?" "You'll probably see copper and silver frequently, high-ranked adventurers will use gold, wealthy nobles will use platinum, and Diamond, only Kings will have access to move that amount of wealth."
"Alright, thank you, Lily." "Fufu, you're welcome, as your Master Aunt, it's the least I could do." Tilting my head, confused at the term Master Aunt, Talis suddenly perched herself onto my shoulder, causing me to scratch under her beak. "Next!" At the soldier's words, I faintly smiled. "That's us… I wonder what Hyphen is like."
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'1-100 platinum. 1-1 diamond.' While trying to wrap my head around the sheer amount of wealth that overshadows everything I've earned in the last fourteen years, I thanked the King. "Thank you, Your Majesty." "Don't thank me yet, I'm merely telling you what the reward is. Tomorrow night, I will be holding a banquet for you; there, you will officially accept those rewards."
Tapping his sceptor onto the ground, the King turned around, walking back up to his throne before sitting down with a huff while he quietly cursed at the stairs. "Would you like land alongside your nobility title?" "U-Um, no, Your Majesty, that is not needed." "Hmm, Steward Kai, please see Count Alexander out; inform him of tomorrow's banquet… You're dismissed, Count Alexander."
Slowly nodding, I stood up, giving him a deep bow before turning around, walking back to the entrance, exiting the throne room, and walking alongside steward Kai, who explained to me in detail about the banquet tomorrow. However, my mind was still on the one hundred platinum coins.