'Rain the shroud?　Shroud, did you say?
Yes, yes, but...?

　The king seemed surprised, and the emotion of upset was on his face.
　Why did he look like that?

Father?
Um ... well ... it's nothing.

　Under Sarya-sama's curious gaze, the king regained his quiet expression.

'Then I shall have the cooks do their best for my daughter's benefactor this evening. Sarya. Send the shrouds to the drawing room. You, too, have a lot to talk about, don't you?
Yes. Thank you, Father. Now, Mr. Lane, come here.
'Oh, yeah...'

　Although I noticed the king staring at me...
　This time, he didn't seem to be able to answer any questions I asked him.
　Thinking that there was no point in talking to him now, he bowed and left the audience room.



----------



　Night.

　A banquet was held for us.
　The king said it was a small one, but....
　The table was filled with the most gorgeous food I've ever seen.
　There were also mellow wines and seasonal fruits.
　There were also desserts such as cakes and baked goods, and it was quite perfect.
　Since this is a modest sum, I wonder what kind of a serious banquet it must be?

'Huggy huggy!　Ammo!　
　Snap!

　Kanade and Luna were eating their food with great vigor.
　They were eating as fast as they could, even with this.
　It seems that they were completely enthralled by the food of the royal family, and even a heart mark appeared in their eyes.

Nyaa~ Every single one of them is delicious and I'm so happy.
'I must have a lot of food!　Also, I'll have to ask if I can take it home!
Luna, you're so despicable.

　Sora chastises her, but Luna's hands do not stop.
　In fact, they are accelerating.

"We may never have another opportunity to eat this kind of food. Then we have to eat as much as we can while we can.
Oh dear...

　Even though she looked dumbfounded, Sora was also serving up a plate full of food.
　The pace of their eating is slow, but their appetite is endless.

　Seeing these gourmands, Tania ate the meat with a dumbfounded look on her face.

''You should have eaten a little more calmly........mugging. Oh, Nina. It's got sauce on it.''
Huh?　Hmmm........did you get it?
Not yet. Stay put. I'll take it from here.

　Tina's small body floats softly and wipes the sauce from Nina's mouth.

　It's nighttime now, and since it's indoors here, Tina can act as a spirit body...
　The picture of a ghost wandering around the royal castle is not a good one, so I decided to use a doll's body.

"Hoi, I got it!
Thanks.
'Nina's cute, so don't try to put sauce on her or imitate her like Canade.
I don't think I'm going to be a pretty girl...
She's already refraining from being weird.
Nina's so cute. She's so cute, you can't help but stroke her.
Awwww.

　Nina, who wasn't used to being praised, blushed and was embarrassed.
　Such a gesture was cute too, so she was praised even more....
　An unfamiliar cycle was complete.

''.........''

　I was slowly eating my food as I watched everyone else.

　By chance, I became acquainted with the princess and met the king.
　You never know what's going to happen in life," he said.

"Miss Lane.

　When she called out to me, I turned around and saw Sarya-sama.
　She looked as if she was glittering in a gorgeous dress.
　I didn't know that just one piece of clothing could make such an impression.

Are you enjoying it?
'Yes, it's more than enough. Everyone seems to be getting a good break from it too... thank you.
'No. I'm glad I could repay you in some small way.

　Sarya-sama says with her hand on her chest as she recalls the events during the journey.

'Thanks to Mr. Lane, we were able to successfully accomplish our objective. Once again, I want to thank you for your help.
The goal is to catch those knights, right?
Yes, I know.
....
How can I help you?
''No it's hard to be royalty that you have to go through all that,''
''Hmph, I don't always do that though. However, there was a possibility that it could become a serious problem if I left it like that, so I decided to pick out the danger beforehand. I'm low on inheritance rights, so it's the least I can do.
So you have a plan?
''Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't. I wish that I could be of use to my country, but I'm not a saint, so I have my own thoughts. So I was glad to hear Rain-san say that when he met the king face to face. Half the time, I was cringing.
''Uh ... sorry. I'm rather an emotionally driven type, so I just can't help it.
Hmm, you're a funny guy, Miss Lane.

　Sarya-sama chuckles.
　I could see the familiarity of her face towards me.

　Apparently, she liked me.
　Maybe she's the type that isn't around, so she's a rarity.

'Hmm. You seem to get along well with my daughter.

　This time the king appeared.
　I was about to bow my head in a hurry, but he stopped me with his hand.

Good," he said, "this evening's banquet is for you. "Good," he said, "I have thrown this evening's banquet for you. What good is it to you if I let you worry about it?
'This is what my father has said, and I hope you don't mind, Rain. For now, I thought I could forget that my father is a king.
That's not easy to say, but I understand.

　If that's what they want, they won't be any more cocky than they need to be.
　...It's okay, right?

Did Sarya like the shroud?
'Yes. I'd like you to be my friend.
Oh, no, I'm afraid...
Hmm. You mean Sarya isn't enough?
'What?　I didn't mean to...
Ha ha ha, just kidding. Don't pale in the face.

　Does this man know his place...?
　I can't take it as a joke, though.
　It's heartbreaking anyway.

　If I could, I'd get out of here, but
　The king just keeps staring at me.
　He wanted to talk to me.

"Sarya," he said. I'd appreciate it if you could give me a moment alone with the Shroud.
Are you going to keep Miss Lane all to yourself?
I told you I'm sorry. I'll pay you back. Then you can talk to me all you want.
If that's the case.

　The conversation is going on on its own without me.
　Well, I'm enjoying talking to Sarya-sama, so I'm not going to object to it.

Well would you like to get some air from the night breeze?

　The king invited me out to the terrace.
　A pleasant night breeze blew and stroked my hair.

'Now the others won't have to listen to me.
Is this confidential?
Yes.

　What in the world will we talk about?
　Since the other party is a king, I can't help but feel defensive.

''Well I would like to ask you a few questions first. Shroud. Are you from the southern continent?
'What?　Yes, sir, I do.
Are you from the Beast Tamer Village, as they call it?
How did you know about...?

　Surprised, the king gave him a look of approval.

'After all, huh ... that name is not false?
What do you mean?
In conclusion, you have the blood of a god flowing through you. That means you have the right to call yourself a hero.