"We'll accept the invitation," Eriri said with a nod.
Under normal circumstances, she would have refused such a dull banquet without hesitation. But since they were currently carrying out their "Hero vs. Demon King" plan, Eriri thought it would be a good idea for Megumin and the others to make a public appearance as heroes before the world.
After all, that was part of the game's experience—heroes and kingdoms were inseparable concepts.
There was also another reason: Eriri was quite interested in Belzerg Kingdom's princess and wanted to take this opportunity to meet her. Who knew—she might even end up taking the princess away.
Of course, agreeing to attend the banquet didn't mean the king had the right to make any demands of them. If he overstepped his bounds, Eriri wouldn't mind erasing both his palace and the Demon King's Castle from the map together.
After informing Eriri of the banquet's time, the blonde knight who had come to deliver the invitation bowed respectfully and departed with her fellow Royal Knights.
Once they finished lunch, Eriri and her companions spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the royal capital.
...
By around five o'clock in the evening, only twenty minutes remained before the banquet at the royal palace was scheduled to begin.
In that short time, Eriri and the others had already toured most of the capital. Compared to Axel, the royal capital was far more prosperous—like the difference between a quiet countryside and a bustling metropolis.
At the heart of the city stood the royal palace, an architectural masterpiece of overwhelming splendor.
Rather than using Spatial Transfer to teleport directly into the palace, Eriri decided to follow standard protocol and enter through the palace gates.
Waiting for them at the entrance was the same blonde knight who had invited them earlier. Prepared for their arrival, she ensured that Eriri's group of six passed through the palace gates without any trouble.
Since they were attending a royal banquet, Eriri and the others had also changed out of their adventuring gear, donning elegant dresses instead.
The moment they stepped into the grand ballroom, all eyes turned toward them.
Especially Eriri—her regal bearing alone made the nobles present feel as though a goddess had descended among them, their pride shrinking beneath her radiant presence.
"Welcome, brave adventurers who repelled the Demon King's Army," greeted a middle-aged man with golden hair, wearing a jeweled crown and splendid attire. He approached them surrounded by nobles.
Beside him stood a blond man in his twenties—clearly the crown princess—and a young girl of similar age to Lilian, dressed in a white princess gown with soft golden hair and adorable features.
The man and the older youth were the King and Prince of the Belzerg Kingdom, while the little girl was Iris Stylish-Sword Belzerg.
"No need to be so formal. Just relax," Eriri said casually, showing no trace of reverence despite standing before royalty.
Elina and Lilian also showed no signs of deference toward the king, and as for Eris—well, that went without saying.
Only Darkness, being a noblewoman of the Dustiness family, greeted the king with proper decorum.
Megumin, meanwhile, seemed nervous at first, but with her companions beside her, her anxiety quickly faded.
The king didn't mind Eriri's attitude. In fact, even he couldn't help but feel intimidated when facing her, as though her presence alone loomed over him.
Finding it difficult to converse with Eriri directly, he shifted his focus to Megumin, Elina, and Lilian instead. After all, they were the ones who had fought in the battle, and the banquet was being held in their honor.
Meanwhile, Eriri, after her brief remark, lost interest in the king altogether and turned her attention to the small princess standing beside him.
The adorable young princess was staring at Eriri with open curiosity. But when their eyes met, she instantly looked away, her cheeks turning a soft shade of red.
"This lovely little princess," Eriri said with a charming smile, "would you like to take a walk with me?"
Looking at the small, delicate girl before her, Eriri instantly recognized her strength—already at the peak of Level 2.
In this world, royal families and powerful nobles had long practiced the tradition of introducing the bloodlines of strong heroes into their lineage, aiming to strengthen the potential of their descendants.
It was likely that the king was already eyeing Elina and the others for that very reason. As for Eriri—he wouldn't even dare entertain the thought.
Princess Iris was the perfect example of a royal who had inherited a hero's bloodline. Combined with her top-tier education across all disciplines since childhood, she had grown powerful enough to slay a dragon at her young age.
Upon hearing Eriri's words, Iris looked up, her beautiful little face lighting up with excitement.
"Okay!" she said happily.
Still, aware of her father's presence, Iris hesitated for a moment and turned to him for approval.
The king, who had been preparing to speak with Megumin and the others, froze briefly at Eriri's sudden invitation. But as soon as he met his daughter's expectant gaze—and felt Eriri's intimidating presence—he nodded immediately.
"Iris, go accompany this lady for a walk," he said.
His voice carried a faint tremor of respect, and even his tone unconsciously included the honorific "lady."
"Mhm!" Iris nodded cheerfully and stepped forward until she stood before Eriri.
"Pretty sister, let's go play together!" she said sweetly.
Without another word, Eriri reached out and took Iris's small hand, then began walking off without even glancing back at the king.
It was an utterly dismissive gesture—but none of the nobles present dared voice any objection.
As Eriri and Iris left, Elina and Lilian naturally followed without hesitation.
Megumin, glancing once at the king and then at Eriri's group, silently joined them as well.
The departure of all three central figures of the banquet left the king momentarily speechless.
Thankfully, not everyone had left—Darkness and Eris still remained before him.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," Darkness said politely. "My companions are rather free-spirited. Please don't take offense."
Her demeanor was that of a model noblewoman—graceful, courteous, and without the slightest flaw.
Though Darkness had long since surpassed divine power levels after joining the group chat, she hadn't forgotten her noble upbringing. As a member of the aristocracy, she still held respect for the kingdom's royal authority.
Eris, standing beside her as a companion, remained quietly supportive and did not follow the others out.
"Haha, it's quite all right," the king said with a helpless smile and a shake of his head.
His courteous attitude came not only from the overwhelming pressure he felt from Eriri but also because Megumin and the others had displayed such extraordinary power on the battlefield.
A mage capable of firing Explosion Magic repeatedly without pause—that was something he had never even heard of before.
If his own son hadn't witnessed it firsthand, the king would have dismissed such claims as pure fantasy.
"Now that I think about it," he said after a pause, turning to Darkness, "you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Because only Megumin, Elina, and Lilian had presented their adventurer cards at the capital's guild, the king only knew their names. He had no information about Eriri, Darkness, or Eris.
Without letting the confusion linger, Darkness spoke up calmly.
"My father is Dustiness Ford Ignis."
"Ah, that explains it—you're Lord Dustiness' daughter," the king said, nodding in realization. "No wonder you looked familiar."
The Dustiness family, being one of the great noble houses of Belzerg, was naturally well-known to the king.
...
While Darkness conversed with the king, Eriri, accompanied by Iris, Elina, and Lilian, began casually exploring the grand banquet hall.
While strolling through the banquet hall, Eriri and the others also helped themselves to the various dishes from the grand buffet.
As they wandered, Eriri kept chatting with Iris, who by now knew everyone's names—Eriri's, Megumin's, Elina's, and Lilian's. Through their lighthearted talk, the little princess quickly became comfortable with them.
As the princess of the kingdom, Iris had grown up without friends her age, so meeting Lilian and Megumin was a rare joy for her. As for Eriri, she admired her deeply—so much so that she soon began calling her "Eriri-sama."
Although the banquet was a royal affair, to Eriri it was far too plain—nothing compared to the grand events she herself had once hosted. After sampling a few dishes, she quickly lost interest in the food.
So she took Iris and the others to the balcony adjoining the hall.
"Eriri-sama, what are we doing here?" Iris asked curiously, glancing at the darkening sky and then at Eriri, her delicate little face full of wonder.
"The food inside wasn't that great," Eriri replied, patting Iris's head gently. "I'll treat you to something better."
With a wave of her hand, a large round table and seven chairs materialized out of thin air on the balcony. In an instant, the table was filled with steaming-hot dishes and several small porcelain bottles of fruit juice.
Every detail was complete—plates, utensils, and cups perfectly arranged.
"It smells amazing!" Iris exclaimed, inhaling deeply. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the food.
Megumin's excitement also surged at the sight. "Yay! More of Eriri's food!"
Over the past few days, they hadn't always eaten at adventurer guilds, so Megumin had already experienced Eriri's cooking stored in her Storage System.
"All right, stop standing around. Sit down and eat," Eriri said, motioning for them to take their seats.
She and Iris sat beside each other, while the others quickly took the remaining seats. Megumin, practically drooling, wasted no time grabbing her chopsticks and diving in.
Elina and Lilian were only slightly more restrained, eating elegantly despite their enthusiasm. Compared to Megumin's unreserved appetite, their poise was almost noble.
Princess Iris, despite being equally tempted, maintained her royal etiquette. She sat properly, picked up her chopsticks, and reached for a dish with practiced grace.
But the moment she placed the tender meat in her mouth, her eyes widened in astonishment, sparkling with joy. Then she closed them, savoring the flavor with a blissful expression.
When she finally swallowed, she looked up at Eriri with glowing eyes.
"Eriri-sama, what kind of food is this? It's so delicious!"
"If you like it, eat as much as you want. I've got plenty more," Eriri said with a soft smile, gently pinching Iris's smooth cheek.
"Thank you, Eriri-sama!" Iris chirped happily before joining Megumin in her enthusiastic assault on the table's feast.
Because the balcony was separated from the banquet hall by a door, no one inside could see what was happening outside. To ensure they wouldn't be disturbed, Eriri even cast a temporary concealment barrier on the door, causing others to unconsciously overlook its existence.
The only ones still inside were Darkness and Eris, who continued speaking with the king and the nobles.
A few minutes later, just as the balcony dinner was in full swing, the door opened. Darkness and Eris stepped out, spotting the lively group gathered around the table.
Iris and Megumin were too focused on eating to notice, but Eriri looked up and smiled at them.
"Lalatina, Eris—you're just in time. Come join us for dinner."
"Gladly!" Darkness and Eris said in unison, quickly taking the two remaining seats.
Moments later, they too joined the feast, cheerfully digging in with the others.
—
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