"I'm pleased everyone was able to make it during these troubling times." Scanning the ballroom, the King observed everyone, his gaze settling on me for a fraction longer than the others', which somehow no one missed, as I promptly felt numerous gazes directed at me.
'Can't you guys relax?' Wryly smiling, I continued to look at the King as he slowly began speaking about what happened at Cassandra, informing everyone in this room of every vital piece of information that woman managed to extract from my mind —a memory that both scares and angers me.
'Huh, it seems I had been overestimating my worth a little.' I'd assumed I'd be hounded by people seeking information about what occurred at Cassandra; after all, a monster horde hadn't ever happened before in history, and it changed everyone's outlook on dungeons and monsters.
If monsters could now band together, creating their own horde, and attack nearby settlements, then places like Hyphen and the Abandoned Forest, which have been overrun with monsters, have become exceptionally dangerous; it wasn't like such places were extremely rare either. Maybe in Kingdoms it'll be hard to find a piece of land overrun with monsters, but outside Kingdom, in neutral zones, they were more common.
As the King continued speaking, his voice slowly trailed off as he recounted the events in Cassandra; yet I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he didn't mention anything about Katrina. 'Why wouldn't he mention Katrina?' Confused as to why he'd keep such information a secret, I suddenly widened my eyes, realizing perhaps it wasn't him who had been keeping it a secret, but the Adventurer Guild itself.
'Wait, would they do that? But why, though? If her existence became public, we'd practically have the whole world searching for her.' It logically made no sense; she was extremely dangerous, far more than anyone. 'Did Vecna keep her a secret? No, that's doubtful; she called Katrina dangerous… Well, she called me dangerous and let me live. Urgh, so confusing. I must be missing pieces of information.'
Although such stressful thoughts were flashing back and forth through my mind, my expression remained impassive as I continued looking at the King, who finally began to wrap things up.
"...What happened to Cassandra was unfortunate, and it could've been a tragedy, yet, during that day, amongst Cassandra's people, there was a hero. I'm sure you all have heard of him and seen him. He led the thousands of monsters away that were moments from trampling Cassandra, saving the city. That hero, Cassandra's Savior, is Alexander Vestalis." With a firm voice, the King shifted his gaze to me and gestured to me, causing murmurs to spread as everyone looked at me.
"Alex, stand up." Hearing Jasmine whisper into my ear, I quickly stood up while fixing my appearance, earning a nod from the King. "Come, Alexander." "Make sure to kneel." Listening to the King, I approached him while taking Jasmine's advice to heart; once I arrived just a few feet before the king, I followed my wife's words and dropped to one knee.
"Alexander, you performed the duty of Royalty, and as such, you must be rewarded in kind." Lifting his sceptor, he stepped forward and tapped both shoulders. "On this, Alexander Vestalis has been granted the nobility of Count and 100 platinum coins. May you continue to protect the Kingdom as you've done so before." "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Stand Count Alexander." Standing up, the King gestured to a servant, prompting it to approach while holding a platter with two glasses of wine. Grabbing both of them, the King handed one to me, lightly outstretched his hand, prompting me to clink our glasses together before we both downed the drink.
"May this banquet officially begin! Feast everyone!" When the King finished speaking, servants began to rush into the ballroom in droves, pushing carts, carrying large trays and platters, and holding bottles of alcohol as they separated to every table, tending to everyone.
Slightly bowing to the king, I returned to my table, sitting between Jasmine and Michelle while two servants put food on the table. "Good job, Dear." Flashing a smile, Jasmine gave me an innocent kiss on the cheek before grabbing her utensils. "Couldn't have done it without you. Well, not without looking like a fool." Faintly smirking, I thanked the servants and began to eat alongside my wives. 'Hmm, not bad, this is pretty good.'
Taking another bite, I glanced at Michelle, who was chewing with a less-than-enthusiastic expression, causing me to furrow my brows. "Is something wrong, Michelle? Do you not like it?" "N-No, that's not it." As Michelle nervously shook her head while practically shoving another bite into her mouth, I slowly nodded and glanced at Jasmine, whose expression mirrored Michelle's.
"You don't like it either, Jasmine?" "Huh, no, the food, it's not bad. It's just —how should I put it? Incredibly mediocre compared to your dishes." Forcing a smile, Jasmine took another bite, chewing more so like she was forced to rather than if she enjoyed it, causing me to wryly chuckle. "Haa, I've got such spoiled wives. C'mon, the food tastes good." "Whatever the husband says." "Husband is always right." Hearing their two responses, I helplessly shook my head.
Thankfully, even though they didn't like the dish, they still ate it; if I'd brought Lazuli, she would've just stared at the dish with a look of disgust, so I was lucky in that department.
"How about the drinks? Surely the drinks taste good." Eyeing Jasmine, she placed the glass back down while smacking her lips. "Yes, they're good, but they can't compare to your drink." Seeing Jasmine wink at me, I rolled my eyes, saddened that I couldn't make out with her right here. "I concur, Alex tastes much better." Unlike Jasmine, Michelle wasn't nearly as subtle as she stared at my crotch.
"I-I was referring to his 'potions', Michelle." Jasmine, quickly clearing up the misunderstanding by secretly referring to my ichor, a faint blush adorned Michelle's cheeks as she averted her gaze. "O-Oh." "W-Well, you're not wrong either, Alex's other drink is quite addictive."
Before those two fell into a deeper rabbit hole, I quickly stopped them, my body unable to keep the growing lust in check. "Change of conversation, you two… How have Mother-law and Father-law been, Jasmine?" Clearing my throat, I flicked both Michelle and Jasmine, causing them to pout as we entered a moment of silence before I directed my gaze at the latter. However, the response I got wasn't ideal.
"I-I'd rather not talk about it." Nearly all the energy had been sucked out of Jasmine as she lowered her head, causing me to deeply frown; I wanted to probe deeper into her worries, but I stopped myself, as right now wasn't the time or place. "No worries, I apologize for bringing it up." Gently rubbing Jasmine's shoulder, I stopped us from entering a bout of silence as I looked at Michelle.
"Has Chloe talked to you about a job she's interested in?" Although Michelle also cast worried glances at Jasmine, she read the room and responded. "No. She seems to have no interest in landing a job; she looks to just be a stay-at-home Mom." "Hmm, well, nothing wrong with that, I'll make her a Mom for a long time, but until then, getting a job isn't a bad thing, it's a part of character growth." "Fufu, you're a bad boy, Alex. Speaking of impregnating my own daughter with such a straight face." "Don't worry, I'll get you all pregnant soon, I can promise that."
Flashing Michelle a confident smirk, the two of us conversed about possible opportunities for Chloe once she finishes school; Jasmine was quiet the entire time, looking somewhat depressed. However, as we talked, some people began walking around, visiting other tables, continuing conversations from before the king arrived, and a trio even approached us.
"Excuse us, Count Alexander." Breaking my conversation with Michelle, I looked at the three young men and stood up. "Yes?" "We're the Sons of Marquess Benedict. I'm Lason, he's Mason, and he's Nason." The one standing at the front introduced the three of them, prompting me to shake hands with each one. "Heh, if I didn't know better, I'd assume you guys are triplets." "Oh, no, we are Count Alexander." As Nason responded, I slightly widened my eyes before nodding.
"Makes sense. Anyway, what can I help you three with?" "Um, if you can, could you tell us about your fights with the monster horde?" "Y-Yeah, we want to hear what it was like to face so many monsters." "How many did you kill?" As the three shot questions one after the other, each one more eager than the last, I softly smiled while nodding.
"Yes, sure, of course, I don't mind; though I do warn you, words won't be enough to fully comprehend what happened, so it might sound boring." "That's fine." "Yeah, we don't care!" "Well, then, come join us. These are my Wives, Michelle and Jasmine." Gesturing to our table, I introduced Jasmine and Michelle to them, prompting them to slightly bow before sitting opposite us, while I began explaining how the flying monsters had started dive-bombing the market.