“One more time, Ryner! I won’t lose again!” [Leila]

The second princess exclaimed loudly while clenching her fists.

“No. It’s tiring, I don’t want to, I’m hungry, I’m a pacifist, I’m pregnant.” [Ryner]

The sleepy man sitting beside her tiredly said while waving his hand.

“You’re not even a woman!” [Leila]

Leila said as she started to get angry at this man’s shamelessness.

“How rude, just because I have a flat chest doesn’t mean that you should call me a man. Now that I take a good look, you’ve got a nice pair there, don’t you. Hand them over!” [Ryner]

Ryner said as he raised his two hands while closing and opening them. The glaring princess quickly bent to the side to put some distance while covering her chest with her arms, her cheeks were furiously blushing.

“Y-you impudent man! Who do you think you’re talking to! I-I’ll have you arrested for sexually harassing a princess!” [Leila]

“Fufufu, now, now Leila, we can’t have him arrested. That’s his reward after all.” [Tiffany]

Tiffany happily said while sitting on Ryner’s other side, covering her mouth. Right now, Ryner was in a private room of the castle, sitting on a sofa with the two princesses at his sides, a table with tea and cake was before him. On the other side was another sofa with the king, Adrian, as well as another woman wearing a luxurious dress and a mantle. She looked similar to Tiffany and although the wrinkles on her face showed her age, she still had charms and carried herself with grace and elegance. It was Queen Clara, the rightful ruler of the kingdom. A week had passed since Ryner defeated the giant tree. After returning to the city, he helped cleared the castle of traitors. Once things settled down, they put the queen in her bedroom where Ryner treated her. But, it wasn’t much of a treatment since he simply poured a green liquid from a small bottle onto her chest. The king and princesses who were present stared with bated breath. Then, the liquid looked as if it got sucked into her body through the clothes and dark smoke started rising out of her chest. Although she still looked weak, her complexion got a lot better and she started to quickly recover. The next day, when she woke up and was sitting on her bed, the husband and daughters started crying while hugging her, much to her confusion. Her family then bowed to a man she had never seen before and repeatedly thanked him, so her head was full of questions.

“My, my, a lot has happened while I was resting.” [Clara]

The queen said while putting a hand to her cheek. She never thought that her son-in-law would start a coup d’état and summon a giant monster to attack the city, but then again she never really liked him. Her woman’s intuition was warning her and she should had listen.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Clara? You should rest a bit more, just to be safe.” [Adrian]

King Adrian said worriedly to his wife. Although she now looks completely healthy, it was only seven days ago that she seemed to be on death’s door.

“Really now, Adrian… You’ve always been a worrywart. I remember when Leila fell sick and you were nervously pacing around in front of her room, fufu.” [Clara]

The queen said as she put a hand to her mouth, remembering the look of her worried husband from back then.

“Whoa seriously? THE Leila fell sick?” [Ryner]

Ryner slightly opened his sleepy eyes as he exclaimed with surprise, prompting the second princess to respond to him with a puzzled look.

“That was when I was just a kid. What are you so surprised about?” [Leila]

“I thought idiots couldn’t get sick-ouch! Don’t hit your savior!” [Ryner]

His little joke got him a punch to the shoulder from a furious Leila. The reward Ryner asked was to not be punished for being disrespectful to royalties and to keep his involvement in this whole affair a secret. He didn’t need money since he got plenty already and he didn’t want fame because he simply didn’t like the attention, a preference he got from being an assassin. Although the king thought it wasn’t enough for protecting his city and saving his wife, so he tried to offer him a nobility title as well, but it was rejected. However, some people found the reward more troublesome than making him a noble.

“Father! He is being much too disrespectful! Please rescind the reward and let me put him in jail!” [Leila]

Leila started complaining to Adrian while pointing at Ryner.

“It can’t be helped, this is what he asked for. Besides, it’s bad to put the hero who saved us in jail, don’t you think?” [Adrian]

“But-but he keeps being mean to me! Please tell him to stop! Mother! Sister too!” [Leila]

“Fufufu, Leila is acting just like when we were little. I remember when you used to follow me around everywhere.” [Tiffany]

“That’s true. She became all serious when she turned twelve. It’s great to see my daughter grow up, but it felt quite lonely.” [Clara]

“You’re right, it was quite a shock when she stopped calling me daddy all of a sudden.” [Adrian]

While the three were feeling nostalgic, Leila was starting to get teary eyed since no one from her family took her side. Seeing this, Ryner ruffled her hair and offered her cake.

“There, there kid. Don’t cry. Here, have some cake. It’ll make you feel better.” [Ryner]

“I keep telling you to stop that! I’m not crying and I don’t want any-mugu!” [Leila]

Before she could finish talking, Ryner shoved the fork with the slice of cake into her mouth. He then turned towards the king and queen and asked them about the state of the city.

“By the way, how’s the cleanup coming along?” [Ryner]

“It’s going smoothly. Klauss should be almost done hunting down the last of the Green Crowns.” [Adrian]

After defeating the giant tree and taking back the castle, the king proceeded to check all of the nobles, looking for which of them were traitors. Then, he sent his army to search through the city, arresting anyone part of Green Crowns.

“Then, what about that dumb prince? Si… Sirtus? Simus? Samus…!? No, that can’t be right.” [Ryner]

“It’s Sirius and he is locked away in his room with magic restraining shackles. We’ll be sending him back to the Stornith empire soon enough.” [Clara]

The queen answered while Ryner was pondering with a hand to his chin.

“Good riddance. And luckily for us, since one of their princes tried to take over an allied kingdom, they can’t do anything to us, even if we get a bit rough with him.” [Leila]

Leila continued after her mother while raising her fist, a sinister smile on her face.

“Well, it’s nice that you’ve found yourself a new toy Ponytail, but don’t break it too badly. You’re just borrowing it.” [Ryner]

“I know that! And would you stop calling me Ponytail, you vulgar man!?” [Leila]

At her shout, Ryner turned towards her, sported a serious expression, bowed to her and talked with a serious tone of voice.

“I’m sorry, although I’d really like to, but I can’t.” [Ryner]

“Ohhhh… And why is that?” [Leila]

She said while glaring at him, cautious of his sudden change in attitude.

“Because it’s just too damn fun to mess with you-ouch! Stop hitting your savior!” [Ryner]

“Shut up! You have no manners! Impudent man! Sleepy eyes! Idiot!” [Leila]

While they were bickering, everyone was looking at them warmly, especially Tiffany who was laughing lightly. Ryner had been coming over to the castle every day for the past week. He would spar with Leila on her request, easily defeat her and argue with her as the family sat down together for tea.

“Geez, you’re so different from my acquaintances. Ignoring Trish, Red isn’t violent like you.” [Ryner]

“I don’t want to be compared to a prostitute, you pervert!” [Leila]

Ryner told them about the people that he met. When it came to Red, or rather Lily, the royal family didn’t approve of his trips to the red light district, but they didn’t push the matter either. Tiffany really wanted him to stop going, but she stayed silent instead.

“This is a good lesson for you. Men are all perverts.” [Ryner]

“Looking at you, I can believe that.” [Leila]

“Yeah, well this pervert will soon be out of your hair.” [Ryner]

At Ryner’s words, Tiffany started feeling uneasy. The queen, sensing her daughter’s worries, quickly asked him what he meant.” [Clara]

“By that, do you mean that you will be leaving?” [Clara]

“Yeah, I’m leaving tomorrow morning.” [Ryner]

“Where will you be going?” [Clara]

“I’m not too sure yet. For now, I’ll just travel around the world.” [Ryner]

“Is that so…” [Clara]

Everyone was a bit taken aback that he would suddenly be leaving tomorrow. The first princess was sadly looking down at the teacup in her hands. Although she got to have tea with him every day, she still wanted to talk to him more. Having her entire family together for tea and seeing Ryner bickering with her little sister always made her happy. She didn’t want those times to stop.

“What are you looking so sad for? It’s not like I’m going to die or anything. I’ll come visit some time, alright kid?” [Ryner]

Seeing her dejected, Ryner told her he’ll come back while patting her head. Tiffany looked up at him. His hand was warm and gentle, making her feel safe and relaxed. But, as she kept staring at his smiling, sleepy face, her face started to go red and she stuttered her next words while looking down again.

“Y-yes! Of course! Then… Please make sure to visit us.” [Tiffany]

“Ohhhh, what’s this? Kid, your face is red. Are you embarrassed being patted on the head?” [Ryner]

Ryner started teasing her, seeing her face red like a tomato.

“N-no reason! Please do not worry!” [Tiffany]

She said while trying to calmly drink from her teacup, but her hands were shaking. Everyone was looking at her while grinning, except for Leila who had a frown on her face. Later on, the king and queen left to take care of some important matters since they’re still in the middle of cleaning up after Sirius’ coup d’état. Ryner also decided to leave and tour the city one more time. The princesses accompanied him to the gate leading to the commoner district.

“By the way kid, or rather, Tiffany, your marriage with Sirius is cancelled right?” [Ryner]

“Yes, that was the obvious outcome after what happened.” [Tiffany]

She answered Ryner’s question, wondering why he suddenly brought it up.

“Since you’re a princess, are you going to get married soon to someone else?” [Ryner]

“Mother said that I won’t be getting any marriage candidates, so I’ll be a divorced woman for a while.” [Tiffany]

“Is that so? Well, we know each other more or less now, so when you do get married, if your next husband makes you cry, feel free to tell me when I come to visit the city. I’ll send him flying.” [Ryner]

Hearing his words, she was surprised at first before putting a hand to her mouth and nodding while happily laughing. Her cheeks were red and a wonderful smile was on her face. Seeing her older sister like that, Leila made her decision.

“Ryner.” [Leila]

Once they reached the gate, Leila spoke up while looking at Ryner with a serious expression.

“The next time we meet, I’ll be strong enough to beat you.” [Leila]

Hearing her declaration, Ryner just smirked while Tiffany smiled warmly at her sister. It was nice to see her chase after the back of the kingdom’s hero.

“And when I do, I’ll have you become our servant! And if you win, I’ll let you call me Ponytail without getting mad!” [Leila]

She said loudly, pointing at Ryner who opened his eyes slightly more than usual while her sister was taken aback.

“Well… it’s nice to have dreams.” [Ryner]

But the sleepy idiot before her just scratched his head and ignored her challenge.

“I mean it! I’ll definitely beat you the next time! So quickly agreed to serve us when you lose!” [Leila]

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Well you two, see you next time.” [Ryner]

“Ah! Take care on your trip, Ryner!” [Tiffany]

“Prepare to be defeated next time, Ryner!” [Leila]

Ryner casually left while waving his hand. Tiffany promptly waved back before staring at her sister which made her stare back a bit surprise.

“W-what?” [Leila]

“… Say Leila, did you do that for me?” [Tiffany]

If Ryner became their servant, then he would be attending to their needs all day long. In other words, Tiffany could have Ryner stay by her side instead of leaving for some faraway place.

“Well… You know… You never smiled like that when you married Sirius, so I thought… Maybe if it’s Ryner, then… he can take care of you…” [Leila]

The little sister started mumbling while looking away. Understanding that Leila was thinking about her, Tiffany smiled and hugged her from behind.

“Leila, do you like him?” [Tiffany]

She gently asked her cute little sister which startled her and made her freeze for a second. She was tongue-tied for a while before she replied to her older sister’s question.

“W-wha! I, huh, er… I-I don’t… hate him.” [Leila]

Hearing Leila’s answer that became a whisper at the end and seeing her blush in her arms while looking down, Tiffany smiled brightly and hugged her tighter, rubbing her cheek against hers.

“Fufufu, ever since he showed up, you’ve become more and more cute.” [Tiffany]

“W-what are you saying all of a sudden, Tiffany?” [Leila]

Leila said while looking away, her face still red.

“Leila, you know, I like talking with him and being able to drink tea with him.” [Tiffany]

“Y-yes, I know.” [Leila]

The second princess nodded, a bit confused by the sudden change in topic.

“But you know…” [Tiffany]

The first princess continued, not minding her confusion.

“I love seeing the two of you bickering more.” [Tiffany]

The older sister declared while her little sister gave her a puzzled look.

“That’s why…” [Tiffany]

She continued talking with a beaming smile on her face.

“Let’s have him take care of the two of us together!” [Tiffany]

“… So I think I’ll go to the Sea of Monsters first.” [Ryner]

When night came, Ryner went to the red light district to say goodbye to Lily. The two of them were sitting side by side on the bed, drinking wine that Ryner brought. Lily, unlike usual, was wearing a red negligee.

“Why would you even want to go there? Besides, what are we doing just drinking?” [Lily]

“Hey, I brought some red wine as a gift, so just go along with it, alright?” [Ryner]

“Really now… Just what do you take this place for?” [Lily]

Lily sighed before taking a sip.

“Well, if that’s what you’re into, then I’m guessing you’ll be exploring the ruins too, right? Which one exactly?” [Lily]

“Ruins? What ruins?” [Ryner]

Hearing this new word, Ryner asked while tilting his head.

“You don’t know? I’m talking about the ones that contain Artifacts. You know, the ancient magical items that no one can recreate, are very rare and powerful? Have you been living under a rock?” [Lily]

She asked a bit taken aback. Just how can someone not know about ruins and Artifacts?

“My rock doesn’t matter. When you say magical items, you mean objects like the holy sword the royal family has?” [Ryner]

“That’s right. I heard that thing can actually cut apart steel armor, even in the hands of an amateur. Also, with its holy attribute, it is effective against mana beasts that use darkness attribute magic.” [Lily]

“Ohhhh, is that so?” [Ryner]

Hearing that these magic swords were found, not made, Ryner decided to go visit one of these so-called ruins instead of the Sea of Monsters. Also, he planned on complaining to Trish for not telling him this piece of information.

“Guess I’ll go see some ruins then. Do you have any recommendation?” [Ryner]

Lily pondered for a bit while swirling the wine in her glass.

“Well, you could go to the Elea kingdom and see their ruins. It’s where they found their holy sword and it is even more powerful than the one the second princess possesses. They haven’t finished exploring the whole thing so there might be another Artifact just as powerful, if not more. Oh and they have a group of heroes summoned from another world. You might be interested in seeing them.” [Lily]

“I heard about the heroes already, but the ruins is new. Guess I’ll go there then, thanks for the info.” [Ryner]

Ryner said while raising his glass to her. From what he just heard, some of this world’s magical objects were not made by the current civilization. There are items that used magic stones like lamp posts, but those are all for daily life. Artifacts seemed to mainly be ancient weapons, tools for combat, and if an exceedingly powerful one is slumbering somewhere, then people will want to get their hands on it.

“If you want to thank me, then buy an extension.” [Lily]

Lily quickly drank down her wine and threw him the rope they always used.

“We’ve been doing it for the past week though, but alright.” [Ryner]

Catching it, Ryner decided to agree with her request.

“Glad to hear it. Also, buy me out for the whole night. I talked with Madame and she said it’s alright so long as you can pay for it.” [Lily]

“The whole night? I can pay, but…” [Ryner]

“Good, then get over here and tie me up, scaredy-cat. I want to go through all of them.” [Lily]

Lily said as she took off her negligee and took out a bunch of condoms from her drawer. If this guy was going to leave, then she planned on having her fill tonight.

Elsewhere, in a huge dark room, a man stood there alone under a light.

“I’ve heard that prince Sirius will be returning to the Stornith Empire after attempting to take the throne. You’ve failed us, Orga.” [???]

A man’s voice sounded out from the darkness to which the cloaked man, Orga, respectfully answered.

“I apologize, we used the backup plan and I was forced to release the parasite to take control of Sakael, but it was destroyed.” [Orga]

“That thing, destroyed?” [???]

Another voice said with surprise. At the same time, chatter was heard all around Orga. There were other people besides him, hidden in the darkness.

“Yes, moreover its body was torn to shreds, giving it no time to regenerate. The land around the city is untouched.” [Orga]

“That’s impossible. Even with half a body it will still heal as if nothing happened. To kill it, you need to sacrifice an entire region.” [???]

Once more, another voice resounded with doubt. They all knew how powerful that creature they found in the ruins was. It was a strange giant tree that could be released from a fist sized, squared black stone and controlled with it. If it died and the plants in the area didn’t wither, then something managed to completely obliterate its fifty meter tall body.

“How did it get destroyed? Was there a powerful monster there? Did it get attracted to the parasite?” [???]

“No, the city should be in a low danger zone. There aren’t any monsters that could kill it, let alone annihilate it entirely.” [???]

“What about the Knight Commander Klauss? According to the adventurer’s ranking system, he would be an S rank.” [???]

“There is no way a single S rank could win and prevent our parasite from sucking the life out of the entire land.” [???]

“Orga, do you have a recording of what happened?” [???]

Since they couldn’t come to a conclusion, they asked the one who saw the situation in person.

“Yes, although the images are a bit blurry because I was watching from afar.” [Orga]

He took out a round crystal ball a bit bigger than his fist. It emitted light before projecting above it the fight between Ryner and the tree monster. The recording was from far away, so they could only see a black figure fighting it which means that they couldn’t see his face. Everyone gasped when they saw the last scene as their parasite was cut to small pieces after innumerable brilliant blue waves of light went through it. When the projection disappeared, the room was completely silent for a short while.

“Orga, do you know who that was?” [???]

A voice asked the cloaked man with a grave tone.

“Unfortunately no, I do not know who he is and only saw what you all saw just now.” [Orga]

For a man to possess such power and roam around freely without them knowing, this was a huge blunder on their part.

“He is too dangerous to leave alone. Find him quickly!” [???]

Such a force could not be left unchecked. They had to monitor his movements.

“Understood. Also, what about the Garroth kingdom? We failed to make prince Sirius our puppet king.” [Orga]

“For now, leave the kingdom alone. We’ve lost much resources and manpower on it. Focus solely on finding the identity of who killed our parasite.” [???]

Money, men and weapons were put into this plan and it only ended in failure. Also, they now lost their fearsome beast that was obtained at the expense of many lives. If only it had succeeded, they could have controlled Garroth kingdom from the shadows.

“Yes sir and if I may, could you grant me permission to kidnap Princess Tiffany? I would like to have one good thing come out of this little expedition.” [Orga]

“Do not compromise us because of your fondness for women. It will be your undoing.” [???]

“… Very well, sir.” [Orga]

Orga didn’t know who interfered with the kidnapping, but he hadn’t given up yet. With or without Sirius’ help, he wanted to get his hands on such a fine woman. However, a booming voice denied him his wish, so he reluctantly backed down. Going against this order was the last thing he wanted to do.

“The matter is closed for now. On to the next topic, as everyone knows, we’ve been observing them for quite some time but, what shall we do with the heroes of Elea kingdom?” [???]