The audience chamber buzzed with shock at the king’s generous words.
Ah, this must be a test. The king wants to know whether I’m seeking wealth, honor, or even the prince’s hand in marriage. Unfortunately, Your Highness, I don’t want any of those things.
“I am very fortunate and grateful for this unexpected gift. As for my desires, I wish to lead a peaceful life. If there is peace in the kingdom and my surroundings, and enough food, clothing, and shelter for all, there would be nothing else I could want for.”
“I see... Then I shall vow to strive for your peace. I must say, you are quite nonacquisitive. If you ever desire anything else, let me know, and I shall arrange what I can.” The king spoke as if he was satisfied with my answer, but there was also a hint of displeasure. I figured he was bothered by the fact that he couldn’t prepare chains to shackle me to this kingdom.
You’re right to be worried. If I ever get sick of this place, I’m outta here.
Thus ended my time with His Majesty, and I exited the audience chamber.
Glad that’s over. It was quite nerve-racking.
I was glad to find that the king was someone who could be reasoned with. I had even anticipated being unfairly assigned to the military and forced to participate in war. If it had come to that, I would have done everything I could to escape.
I followed the knight who had guided me here, excited to finally return to my dorm.
Wait... This isn’t the way we came.
The knight continued to guide me farther into the depths of the palace.
“Um, we seem to be going in a different direction than the exit...”
“Yes, you have been invited to have tea with Her Majesty, Lady Yumiella.”
Darn. Looks like my time at the palace isn’t over yet.
I was brought to the royal family’s personal quarters deep in the palace, and taken into a room where the queen most likely awaited me.
The room had a relaxed feeling to its design, and inside awaited the queen and a maid, with tea already prepared.
“Thank you for coming, Lady Yumiella. I would have loved for His Majesty to join us, but he is a very busy man.”
The queen had a calm and mature-like quality to her, yet she maintained an air of youthfulness.
“My name is Yumiella Dolkness. Thank you very much for inviting me, Your Majesty.”
“This is unofficial business. There’s no need to be so polite,” the queen said with a soft smile before glancing over at the maid. The maid finished making my tea and left the room.
“I want you to know that our conversation here won’t leave this room, especially since I have some sensitive matters to discuss.”
What? This is starting to smell like trouble... I just want to go home already.
“Heh heh, there’s no need to be so guarded, sweetie. The king and I both are actually quite fond of you. Your answers during your audience were brilliant. It’s a relief to know that someone like you was the one to obtain such a strong power.”
“Th-Thank you...?” I was surprised at the unexpected glowing review.
“Lady Yumiella, you consider having power to be a hassle, don’t you? Furthermore, you seem to be sharp-witted. If you had been either an ambitious or empty-headed person... The thought gives me chills.”
“Um...why do you trust me so much?”
“Well, there are many aristocrats who pretend to be nonacquisitive to get close to the royal family. Eventually, I started to be able to tell the difference. You don’t want to get involved with the royal family, do you? Unfortunately, the only people I can trust are those who feel that way.”
There was no way I was going to admit to her face that I didn’t want to get involved with the royal family, so I stayed silent.
“Let’s move on to the main topic,” the queen continued. “Keep in mind, this is information that only the royal family and very few aristocrats are privy to. In two years, the Demon Lord will be resurrected.”
I was shocked to hear the queen state it so plainly. And although I wasn’t surprised about the Demon Lord’s resurrection, I was surprised at how they had so accurately predicted it. In the game, without any warning, the Demon Lord resurrected as soon as the main character began her third year, which would be two years from now.
The royal family must have information on the Demon Lord that wasn’t revealed in the game.
“The Demon Lord...?”
“Yes, I would like your cooperation in taking down the Demon Lord. The military will have their hands full with holding off the army of monsters, so we need a team of a select few to defeat the Demon Lord.”
“Understood. I will, of course, help the kingdom during this crisis.”
I had already been planning to take down the Demon Lord myself, if necessary, so I accepted immediately.
“Thank you, Yumiella. There’s just one thing... I feel terrible saying this when you would be risking your life, but it wouldn’t be good for the kingdom if you were to take down the Demon Lord.”
It would be inconvenient for the kingdom if I defeated the Demon Lord?
I pondered what the queen meant by her statement, and only one answer came to mind. “Is that because it would bring to question the King’s legitimacy?”
The Kingdom of Valschein was founded by the hero and saintess who sealed the Demon Lord, and the royal family were their descendants—this fact was the reason the king ruled this kingdom. If someone unrelated to the royal family were to defeat the Demon Lord, this reasoning would falter.