Turbulence at the Banquet

The two of us calmly returned to our room, ignoring the hero's infuriated expression. The banquet would be held in a few hours, and we needed to prepare. The Royal Family had arranged a rather spacious room for us, making our stay very comfortable.

"Hey Sechi, why didn't you beat that guy to death just now?" Yui asked, her anger still unappeased.

"That guy still has utility value, so we need to keep him around," I replied, a villainous smile playing on my lips.

In truth, he had to go defeat the Demon King and his army. If he died, who would replace him? It wasn't certain we could find anyone stronger. In other words, he was currently the hope of all humanity. Keeping him alive served a purpose, but vengeance must still be exacted. I would make him pay back his debt in full, and those two-faced people as well—they would all pay the price.

We both returned to our room to change into formal wear and then continued strolling around the palace. I still wore my black outfit, the Shadow Set, while Yui temporarily changed into a splendid gown. I wanted to admire her in noble attire. Yui tried on each dress for me to see. I was utterly spellbound by her beauty. Any outfit she wore became magnificent, leaving me conflicted on which to choose.

Ultimately, I chose a crimson dress that matched her eyes perfectly. It accentuated her fair, rosy skin and her shimmering platinum hair.

"So you chose this one!" Yui looked at me shyly, spinning around a few times to check the dress.

"Yeah, because I think you look great in it." I was completely captivated by her beauty. She was already exceptionally beautiful normally, but the Yui before me now transcended all concepts of beauty.

"So you're going to wear that to the banquet too?" Yui asked bashfully.

"Mhm, I feel quite comfortable wearing this. Other clothes are too restrictive."

"I think you already look handsome enough; there's no need to wear anything else," Yui said as she stepped closer, gently placing a kiss on my lips.

"You will always be the one I love most, no matter what," she smiled gently, her cheeks blushing.

I immediately pulled her into my arms, returning her kiss passionately.

"Me too."

Yui blushed and stammered, "You cheated, I kissed you first!" She lightly tapped my chest, her face flushed red and her eyes closed, looking incredibly adorable.

The time for the banquet to start arrived. Guests had arrived in carriages before the palace gates. Yui and I also walked hand-in-hand out of our room, heading toward the banquet hall. Along the way, Yui drew everyone's gaze. Whispers echoed as she passed: "So beautiful...", "She's like an angel...", "Who is she to be so gorgeous?", "Who is that guy walking with her?"

Countless remarks, mostly endless praise, filled the air. We entered the main hall through the passage reserved for the Royal Family and special guests.

The banquet had begun, gathering the most prestigious nobles of the country. They raised their glasses in toast or simply conversed, every gesture exuding elegance and nobility. The heroes and the King of Hrutiga were also present. The heroes wore splendid attire to assert their status.

When Yui entered, countless eyes turned toward her, including the hero's. Everyone was stunned by her beauty. Everyone gasped in admiration, but she paid no heed to the praises of the nobles.

Aruto and his companions approached Yui, intending to offer compliments and make small talk to show off their high status. But Yui paid them no attention, turning back to me. Aruto looked infuriated, anger clear on his face, but he still tried to restrain himself. He walked over to me, drawing the attention of the other heroes.

"What is a commoner like you doing here? What's with that drab outfit? Why don't you go back to your lowly job instead of coming here?" he said loudly for everyone to hear.

Seeing that he had successfully drawn attention, he continued to mock, "Why is someone like you accompanying such a beautiful girl?" he said, glancing toward Yui.

Everyone in the hall looked toward us. Whispers began to rise: "A commoner?", "Hey commoner, what are you doing here?", "No wonder I smelled something foul," "Get lost, lowly peasant, this place isn't for you."

Aruto smirked triumphantly, intentionally adding more insults. I said nothing, only looking at him calmly.

At this moment, King Agust entered. Everyone bowed, except for the heroes.

"Do you have an issue with my guest?" he said, glancing at Aruto and Emi's group, making them feel a bit intimidated. They had probably researched the king's power. Indeed, both kings were extremely powerful despite their advanced age.

Silence enveloped the room immediately after the king spoke. The nobles were surprised by his words, but since it was the king's decree, no one dared to object. King Agust immediately adjusted the atmosphere.

"This banquet is to welcome the heroes from another world. They have come here to discuss with me how to defeat the Demon King."

What a capable king; he completely controlled the banquet's atmosphere. The lively rhythm gradually returned.

Afterward, a new presence made the atmosphere even more vibrant. The princess of this kingdom entered in a large white gown, looking incredibly beautiful. As soon as Aina appeared, the entire hall turned its gaze toward her. She took gentle steps, a stark contrast to her cold demeanor on the battlefield. At least here, she only maintained a cold expression.

Aruto's group also stepped up to converse, but they were ignored by the princess. She walked straight toward Yui and me.

"Hello, Sechi."

"Hello, Princess," I replied.

Afterward, we chatted with each other like other nobles, leaving Aruto's group standing there in fury. They were enraged that they weren't even given as much attention as a 'commoner'.

Suddenly, Aruto thought of something. He smiled and approached King Apex, whispering something. The king nodded in agreement. After a while, both kings reached an agreement and signaled for everyone to quiet down to make an announcement.

"With the agreement of myself and King Apex, we will host a large-scale tournament so our two nations can better understand each other," the king announced, words that left me utterly surprised. A mock battle to assess each other's strength? This guy Aruto clearly wanted to show off his power. Or did he simply want revenge?

The king continued, "The rules are as follows: Both nations will field teams of three to five people, fighting with all their might but without killing. Any two teams will battle until the final round, and the winning team will receive a grand prize set by both nations. All the strongest warriors of both kingdoms must participate to assess their strength. The venue is the largest arena—Bavelot, and the tournament will be held in a few days, co-hosted by both nations."

A tournament held to probe the military strength of both nations, from which reasonable strategies could be formulated. Or were there other motives? Aruto certainly only cared about defeating his opponents, so he had no schemes. The real conspiracy lay with the two kings, but it was hard to tell what they were plotting.

The banquet concluded, and everyone returned, carrying shocking news: an unprecedented large-scale tournament would begin in a few days.

On the way back to their rooms, Emi, Seki, Isuka, and Aruto were discussing.

"Did everyone find the gaze of that commoner protected by the king familiar?" Seki spoke up.

"Now that you mention it, I feel like I've met him somewhere before," Isuka said.

"He looks quite like..." Emi hesitated.

"Kariguta Sechi?" Aruto gasped in horror.

All four of them startled as they recalled.

"That's impossible, right?" Isuka said, sweat breaking out on his forehead at the mention of that name.

"That filthy Sechi died in the dungeon, absolutely!" Emi asserted.

"Even so, that gaze felt very familiar," Seki said.

"Regardless, he is just a weak commoner, you guys don't need to care. I used Appraisal <Legendary> Level 2 to check him; no one can deceive me," Aruto declared confidently.

The four members dismissed the 'commoner' and moved on to other matters.

"We must show them, show all of humanity, the power of the Hero by winning that tournament," Aruto said solemnly.

The other three agreed in unison, filled with confidence and looking down on all opponents in the upcoming tournament.

Deep within the world's largest desert, a colossal creature slept upon a volcano. It possessed pure white fur that shimmered under the sun, along with a pair of vast, pristine white wings. It suddenly opened its eyes, spreading its wings as if to cover the entire sky.

"Location of 'him' identified."

It suddenly took flight, the terrifying wind pressure blowing away everything around it, flattening mountains and creating horrific sandstorms. A massive crater appeared where the volcano once stood. The ground trembled and cracked. Light enveloped its body, absorbing all surrounding light energy. The glowing field expanded, causing countless explosions. Suddenly, the light erupted into an earth-shattering explosion, blowing away a vast area and creating a rumble that shook the ground.

From within the explosion and sandstorm, the figure of a monster soared into the sky at extreme speed, heading toward the human continent, half a world away.