After that, I followed the messenger through countless twists and turns—up and down, across buildings—walking all the way from the highest floor to the lowest, then into another structure entirely. It took a full hour before we finally arrived at the place where the morning assembly was held.
The people in this palace must be incredibly healthy—walking this much every day… I seriously couldn't take it. Being outside of enclosed spaces like this felt unbearable, like wandering around a shopping mall without air conditioning. I was already starting to sweat.
"Mr. Karen, I will go in and inform His Majesty. Please wait here until you are summoned."
The messenger went inside, leaving me to stare out at the garden through the window. It was nothing special—just ordinary scenery. Honestly, watching the gardeners work hard was more interesting.
Soon, the door opened again, and I knew the messenger had come back for me.
"Mr. Karen, you may enter now."
With permission granted, I stepped into the assembly hall. A red carpet stretched across the floor. Nobles in extravagant attire stood on both sides. At the front, on an elevated platform, sat a man with yellow-hair and tanned skin.
That had to be the king.
Standing beside him was a young woman with similar features—most likely the princess who had knocked on my door last night.
I walked up to the king and faced him, watching his confident expression as I waited for him to speak.
But before he could, a noble at the side spoke first.
"Mr. Karen, though you may be a hero, you must still observe proper etiquette."
I didn't even bother looking at him. I knew exactly why he said that—because I hadn't knelt before their so-called greatest king.
"Kneel? Sorry, I only kneel to tie my shoes… or when proposing."
"How insolent! Don't think that just because you hunted down Samidoride, you can act so arrogantly!"
Arrogant?
Was I?
No. Even if I hadn't hunted down Samidoride, I'd still act the same way.
Without realizing it, I crossed my arms and kept my gaze fixed on the king, speaking in an impatient tone.
"I didn't come here to listen to nonsense. If you have something to say, say it. Don't waste my time."
"You—!"
"Hahaha…!"
The furious noble tried to continue, but the king's laughter cut him off. After laughing to his satisfaction, the king finally spoke.
"As expected of a hero—quite the personality. I am Bari Rasopo Butnashso, King of Butnashso. Karen, welcome to my kingdom."
So long-winded. Couldn't he just get to the point?
And what was with that tone, like I was planning to stay here? I hated that.
"..."
I didn't respond. I simply waited for him to continue. Instead, he turned to the princess.
"Mayadi, introduce yourself."
"Yes. Mr. Karen, I am Mayadi Butnashso, the first princess."
Just as I thought—the same princess from last night. If she was attending the morning assembly, that probably meant she was the heir.
"The princess is attending the assembly? Does that mean she's the next ruler?"
It wasn't impossible. Some nations were ruled by queens.
But the king sneered, and the nobles beside him chuckled quietly.
"You must be joking. How could a woman bear the burden of ruling a nation? A woman's role is simply to present herself well and bring honor to a man."
This king was completely outdated—a relic. Even in a world where men held dominance, this was extreme.
There was no need to ask further. I already understood.
"So why is the princess here?"
"Karen, where is the other hero? Did she not come with you?"
Instead of answering, he threw out another question—about Lina.
"She's in Aimebisalon."
"Are you married?"
Typical. People who asked that were either making small talk—or looking for a match.
And since he wasn't my friend, it had to be the latter.
I had planned to let him reveal his intentions, but since he wanted to dance around it, I'd just cut to the chase.
"Is that why you summoned me? If I say no, are you going to find me a wife?"
The king looked surprised at first, then pleased.
"As expected of a hero. That makes things easier. What do you think of Mayadi? She's a great beauty, with an elegant figure."
So he thought he could win me over like this.
Bold of him.
Thinking it in your head is one thing—but saying it out loud? That's just foolish.
And the way he "advertised" the princess—only talking about her looks. Shallow.
Usually, you'd praise personality, intelligence, achievements. But this king? He actually believed a honey trap would work on me.
Still, he was the king. I couldn't escalate things.
So I gave him some face, glanced at the princess briefly, and answered.
"I'm not interested. Do you have anything else to say?"
"Take another look. Are you really not interested?"
Even if he brought someone more beautiful, my answer wouldn't change.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
The king sighed lightly, giving up on that approach—but he still had more to say.
"Very well. About the hunt down of Samidoride—each nation is supposed to grant the slayer a wish. But for some reason, King Leon never informed me of your request."
King Leon—Leon Edward Aimebisalon—our king.
Every king inherited the name of the first Brave. Same for the other nine nations.
To keep things simple, I'd call him King Leon. And this one—King Bari.
Back to the point.
"I've never heard of that. It wasn't written on the request, and King Leon never mentioned it."
"He didn't? That's quite improper of him."
King Bari shook his head, acting like King Leon had done something wrong—like he was hiding it to keep us for himself.
That annoyed me.
King Leon wasn't some fool to be looked down on like this.
Still, whether it was true or not didn't matter. If there was a free wish, why refuse?
I didn't even have anything I desperately wanted.
Even if this was a lie, I'd lose nothing.
My two wishes were simple: a piece of land, and a railway connecting Aimebisalon and Butnashso.
"So if you're granting my wish, let's get it over with."
"Before that, you have Samidoride's magic core, don't you? Show it to me."
Finally.
If he wanted to verify my identity, he should've said so earlier.
I took out the magic core—about the size of an adult human.
The king and nobles leaned forward instantly.
"Oh? The size of an adult. Bring the year-measuring device."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
His subordinate left to fetch it.
What puzzled me was his reaction.
He wasn't surprised at all when I used storage magic.
The nobles were whispering in shock—but the king remained calm.
"Your Majesty, aren't you surprised I can store items like this?"
"That's storage magic, right? I read about it in a letter from King Leon. Very useful."
"So you already knew about it… and chose not to spread it."
"Butnashso is a nation built on transportation. If this magic spreads, it will render cargo wagons and ships obsolete."
"And that's your reason?"
"It's a serious matter. Half our population works in transport. If merchants learn this magic, they won't need laborers anymore. Unemployment would skyrocket."
At that moment, anger surged inside me.
We could've left this country much earlier. But because he suppressed storage magic, we ran into people like the fox-eyed knight—one problem after another.
Half the population carrying goods?
What a joke.
Didn't they have any other industries?
Aimebisalon had similar population numbers, yet we didn't have this issue.
My breathing grew heavier.
I wanted to speak—but I couldn't.
I had to stay calm.
"...A rational decision."
Eventually, the device was brought in. I placed the magic core on it.
The result: Year 4168.
The king looked satisfied. I quickly stored it away.
He finally dropped that foolish expression and got to the point.
"Karen, state your wish. Since the other hero isn't here, shall we postpone?"
"No need. I'll state both wishes."
"Hahaha, as expected—a man decides. Women should simply obey—"
"Stone Bullet"
Before he could finish, I cast an attack spell at full power.
The stone bullet didn't hit King Bari—it struck the wall behind him at an angle.
Boom.
Part of the wall shattered. It wasn't a high-level spell, but it was more than enough to kill someone.
"W-What—?!"
"Guards!"