—Pull yourselves together now, and don't you dare forget the gift for our Princess!!
—As you command!
Before heading to the throne room, the goods were unloaded in the palace's vast courtyard. In the very center of the courtyard sat a large ornamental fountain adorned with dolphin statues; at the center of the fountain, dull-looking dolphin figures stood back-to-back. As they passed through the arched gate of the palace, breathtaking in its marble craftsmanship, Yusha didn't expect the path leading to the main structure to look like this. The laid stone blocks seemed to have been left neglected for a long time; soil had filled the cracks between the marble blocks, and in some places, thin green weeds sprouted from between the stones. As if that weren't enough, the hundreds of varieties of flowers of different colors and heights lining both sides of the road created a natural harmony. As exciting as this strange path was, it was still not the kind one would associate with a palace. At the end of the road, the palace finally stood before them in all its weight.
They entered. As they moved through the corridors, the sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls. After a while, they stopped before the throne room. (Three soldiers waited on each side of the door; the guards in the front were more heavily armored than those behind them). The old man said something to the guards, and then the door opened. Yusha saw the Emperor sitting on his throne, his face covered by a metal mask and his hands clad in black leather gloves (The Emperor's appearance was inspired by Baldwin IV). To the Emperor's immediate right stood the Princess... with long silver hair and ice-blue eyes, her beauty was as striking as that of an elf.
(Seeing the "Hero of the Sword" before him, the Emperor focused his gaze on Yusha, sizing him up carefully).
(The old man spoke after giving the Emperor a formal salute):
—Your Majesty, I have completed the war preparations according to your command. On the road to the palace, we encountered the Hero of the Sword. He has graced us with his presence all the way to the palace.
Yusha took a step forward.
(He tried to give a salute similar to the one the old man had given).
(After saluting, he spoke with a booming voice):
—I am pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I am the Hero of the Sword, MITSUKI YUSHA.
(The Princess lunged forward in a rage).
Fire was spewing from those ice-blue eyes.
—Who do you think you are, believing you can speak to His Majesty in such a manner!!
(Her voice grew even more violent):
—You arrogant, insolent brat... Even rudeness has its limits!! Did they not teach you any manners in your village, you monkey?
—Mariana!!!
That cold, harsh voice rising from behind the metal mask was enough to silence Mariana. After a brief silence, Princess Mariana had to slink back to where she came from. Princess Mariana couldn't even bring herself to open her mouth out of fear. The Emperor's aura was so oppressive that Yusha felt his skin crawl like never before.(The Emperor slowly rose from his throne and, in a friendly manner…)
—I am truly indebted to you for coming into my presence.
—We need your help…
(Yusha interrupts the Emperor)
—What kind of help could I possibly provide to you?
Mariana must have been so infuriated by this disrespect that the sound of her clenching her fist echoed briefly against the room's walls.
(The Emperor continued to speak without losing his composure)
—You carry these six essences specially created by God. If you so choose, you can stop the ancient beasts that are currently awakening. Perhaps you can even destroy what your great-ancestors could only halt; you can protect the people of this empire.
—I see, I see... you want us to make a sacrifice—just a small sacrifice.
(Yusha knew exactly what the Emperor meant: he was saying, "SACRIFICE YOUR LIVES FOR MY SAKE.")
(Regardless of the situation, Yusha was inclined to help, but he couldn't give his life for an Emperor—a man he didn't even know.)
—Precisely. For this, I grant you a few days' grace; think it over carefully.
—Arakawa, escort the Hero of the Sword to his room.
—Afterward, return to my presence; we have something to discuss.
[The old man bowed obediently and said, "As you command, Your Majesty."]
He told Yusha to follow him, and they left the Emperor's presence. As they walked through the corridors, Yusha felt the environment gradually change. Amidst the occasional portraits, vases, wall reliefs, and high-arched ceilings, Yusha felt quite small. [Yusha's height was 178 cm]. After making a few turns, they finally reached the section where the guest rooms were located.
(Arakawa, pointing to the room right at the beginning of the corridor)
—The room at the very front is yours, he said.
(Arakawa pulled a small card from his pocket and held it out to Yusha)
—You can use this card to enter your room.
(Arakawa handed the card to Yusha)
—Here you go.
Yusha opened the door to his room. Right next to the entrance, there was a relatively small bathroom. Inside the room, there was a small kitchen area, a fireplace, a folding table, and a wide bed that stood out more than anything else in the room. He relaxed as soon as he entered his suite; finally, he was alone with his thoughts.
—I hope I never cross paths with that grumpy girl again.
When Yusha thought about it, it wasn't very likely they would meet again anyway. He would change his path the moment he saw that stupid girl. Today had exhausted him. With the fatigue of the day weighing on him, he threw himself onto the bed without a second thought. At that exact moment, a rustle and the sound of a yawn came from the bed, as if someone were already there. Yusha recoiled instantly. There really was someone in the bed. His heart raced. Who was lying in his bed? The person stirred again...
As the person in the bed—a girl—sat up, Yusha and the girl locked eyes.
—Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
—AAaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
As soon as the girl saw Yusha, she scrambled to the other end of the bed in terror. Yusha, seeing the girl in front of him, bolted toward the door.
—Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?
—I was going to ask you the same thing!
The screams in the room must have spilled out into the corridor, as several voices could be heard outside the door. Then, Princess Mariana's furious voice rang out.
—What are you waiting for? Open this door!
(The door flew open with a sudden, violent kick)
BAAAAMM!!
Upon seeing the girl huddled in fear on the bed, Princess Mariana threw a heavy punch at Yusha with a sudden movement. As soon as the blow landed, Yusha collapsed where he stood. When he lost consciousness, a strange silence filled the room. No one had expected the Princess to go that far. Ten minutes had passed since he fainted, and his consciousness was slowly returning.
—He's waking up... I think he's waking up.
(Yusha's eyes were slowly opening.)
Yusha saw two faces hovering over him. One was that damn beautiful princess with her silver hair; even just seeing her was enough to make him angry now. The other person was a girl with red hair and green eyes. Unlike the Princess, she was sweeter and more sincere; she was still casting a healing spell on him. Yusha stood up. He shrugged his shoulders as if shaking off the grogginess and then leaned forward slightly.
—I apologize.
His voice was flat. There was neither regret nor anger in his tone. It was an apology made simply because it had to be said.
(Yusha walked right past Princess Mariana. He didn't even make eye contact. He didn't listen. He simply headed toward Arakawa, who stood behind the princess.)
—Where is my room?
—Forgive me for mixing up the rooms; your room must be the one right next door. I offer my sincerest apologies, please forgive me.
(Without saying a word, Yusha opened the door to the next room) Yusha entered his room. Mariana could no longer tolerate this disrespect; she felt she had to speak with him, but she was stopped by Aide Arakawa.
-Don't go after him, my Princess. Perhaps we should leave him be for today. The events are still fresh; you should wait for things to settle down. I'm sure he will listen to you later.
Yusha finally made it to the room assigned to him. As soon as he closed the door, he threw himself onto the bed—checking first, of course, to see if anyone else was already there. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He just stared. His only thought was how things had managed to get to this point.
He couldn't wrap his head around it. Getting out of the dungeon, traveling to a different world, the way the people in the palace treated him... Everything he had experienced in a single day was strange—downright absurd, even. He wrestled with his thoughts for a while longer, his pensive eyes fixed on the ceiling. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
However, his sleep was short-lived. He woke up a while later, feeling absolutely starving. His stomach was growling. If I don't eat something soon, I'm going to die of hunger, he thought to himself. Just as he was about to get out of bed, there was a knock at the door. He had a visitor.
(Then, a gentle voice was heard)
-May I come in?
-Please, come in.