"A dinner party?"
One day, as I was holed up in my room as usual, Princess Anastasia approached me.
According to her, there was a dinner party at the castle tonight.
It was an official banquet gathering powerful nobles, and, of course, I, introduced as a sorcerer from a foreign land, was expected to attend.
"Yes. With the Hero's defeat of the demons, peace has returned to this country. And so, these gatherings among the nobility have been gradually increasing."
"I see… So there's something like that here too."
I knew nothing about the noble society of this country, but companies had similar things too.
A country was no different from an organization, so things like asking for a promotion or negotiating projects were probably done in a place like this.
"In your home country, Daniel, do you also have dinner parties?"
"Something similar. I wouldn't say I'm mingling with nobles, but…"
Still, it was troublesome.
My position in the palace had not yet been established.
I had been assigned the role of a "sorcerer curing the Hero" for now, but that was as suspicious as it could get.
'And, I don't know anything about noble table manners.'
I occasionally attended events of colleagues or superiors and some aspects of table manners naturally came with being a working adult, but whether they would work in this country was a big mystery.
"Princess, do I really have to attend it too?"
"Mr. Daniel, as the honored guest invited by His Majesty the King and the Hero, you must attend."
The Princess tilted her head slightly troubled, and I nodded in resignation.
"Look, I don't know about the manners of this place. I could act inappropriately here and embarrass you or the Hero."
I shared my concerns honestly because keeping quiet about them wouldn't do any good.
I just wanted her to teach me at least the minimum, like 'what not to do'.
"Manners, huh? Well, some nobles might grumble a bit but you're a 'foreigner' so they can't say anything much. The formal wear will be provided here, so you'll be fine. As long as you don't suddenly attack someone, I think you'll be fine."
Why plant a flag like that though? I wouldn't suddenly attack someone, unless...
I was also told not to bring any weapons, but I didn't need to worry about that.
"Also, there might be things that could offend your feelings, Mr. Daniel. Conservative people are everywhere."
"Oh, they can't accept that someone like me is in the palace?"
At those words, Princess Anastasia's expression clouded.
However, I had been through some rough waves in society as well.
There had been a few times when I couldn't confirm an appointment at an off-site company and was given a very unpleasant look at the reception.
"I do have some resilience, so don't worry, well I can't ignore everything though or it would lessen my prestige, and if they stop fearing me for being a unknown element things could get ugly."
"Is that so? If that's the case, then it's fine."
Although Princess Anastasia remained worried, she seemed more relieved because there didn't seem to be too much to worry about on my end.
As the dinner party was scheduled for the night, it wasn't like I could have sex with the Princess, so I lay down on the large bed.
"Hey, Princess? Did only you and the Hero travel together?"
"Huh? No... We also had the Sorcerer and childhood friend of the hero, miss Muriel and a few knights as well with us on the demon subjugation. We sometimes borrowed the power of powerful warriors, archers and mages from the region while traveling to various places."
It seemed they didn't form a party like in an RPG, but borrowed the strength of people around when needed.
I thought that as the princess of a country, she would have brought something more like an army.
"Like a small elite unit, huh."
"That's true, but the main reason was… the sword of the founding king that the Hero possesses. We couldn't take anyone without magical resistance with us, as the magic that kills would-be-robbers could have been triggered."
"Oh, that could create a lot of problems."
The events from the other day in Lapis Garden came to mind.
Come to think of it, I was in quite a bit of danger.
If an ordinary person were to approach and become rust on the sword it could complicate a lot of things. Thinking about it, it made sense for the Hero and the Saint to travel together in a small elite unit.
"I see… The fact that he was chosen by that sword means the Hero has quite a qualification, huh?"
"Yes. Even among the successive royal families, only a few have been chosen by that sword."
The expression on the princess's face as she answered was somewhat dark.
In reality, the hero had hardly shown his face in the castle recently. I couldn't go out casually either, so I had to rely on secondhand information from the princess. She mentioned that this was due to the hero having meetings with the military officials in line with his appointment as the Chief of the Armed Forces.
'Thinking about it, isn't it as if a university student was having discussions with people like ministers of a country? Ugh, I for sure wouldn't be able to endure that when I was his age.'
However, it seemed I wasn't the only one who couldn't endure it. It's often said that the nail that sticks out gets hammered, and it appears that being the hero, a conspicuous figure, comes with the fate of being thoroughly hammered.
"But, isn't it true that the majority of the people in the country are favorable to the hero?"
As I lay on the bed, I remembered the words the princess had said before.
Of course, the hero is a great hero who saved the world, a figure that will be talked about for centuries to come, and bards are already singing songs about his valor in various countries.
"Yes… But, the Hero has no experience in the military. He was born as an ordinary citizen and set out on a journey to defeat the demons after receiving a sudden revelation. On the other hand, the military of this country has sworn loyalty to the royal family for generations, and many of them have protected us for a long time. So, it's really difficult to avoid any conflicts."
"So many unnecessary complications."
Certainly, I could understand what the military personnel were saying. In these situations, it's usually not black and white, and there's a lot of ambiguity.
While they might not be able to defeat the demon race with their own strength, the pride of the military that has protected the royal family and the country for decades is something that should be respected. Therefore, it's unlikely they would easily accept a hero who suddenly appeared as the highest military authority.
"Man, it's such a hassle… It's not like in games where you save the world and it's a happy ending, is it?"
Now that I think about it, even in the stories I know, they mostly end with 'happily ever after'.
"From your perspective it must be tough. Because, being born as a royal, you must understand the military's point of view, right?"
"Huh? Th-that's… "
"I know that the hero risked his life to save the world, and I also know that the military folks did their best to protect the country. That's the most challenging position, isn't it?"
If she had remained oblivious, the princess probably would have been able to unequivocally support the hero. However, she understands both sides of the situation in her own way. So, when she talks about the hero and the military, it's only natural that she would hesitate in picking a side.
"I'm really just an outsider, so I can easily say I want the best for the hero."
"…Daniel, it's okay. In fact, it's me… I'm the one who has to support him at all costs."
Anastasia's large eyes were lowered, looking pained. However, I couldn't blame her. Both the hero and the princess understood the concept of responsibility. They were shouldering something I couldn't have possibly comprehended in my early twenties.
'For this pair, is the best option truly to live happily for this country…?'
The answer to the faint question that crossed my mind didn't come easily.