"OOOOOOOH!"

There was a parade in Styn Kingdom. It was only a couple of days after Karen woke up. It had been around five days since the golem's defeat and the nobles of the kingdom had formally invited the two heroes and the crowned prince of the ruined Auparith Kingdom to a banquet. Once they arrived, they were rewarded for what they'd done privately.

There was also a small parade held for them by the king where they would be conferred a medal. The golem had killed his and a few other nobles' sons a few years back but because they didn't know of the golem's whereabouts, they weren't able to send anyone to subjugate it.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing..."

"Yeah..."

Sophia and Karen were both awestruck at the sight of thousands of people cheering for them. They were on a float with Raul and a few soldiers who were there to guard them. Not that they needed it, of course.

They had only found out when they entered the castle but, Karen had apparently reached A-class. They said that heroes become more powerful after a tough battle, and they were right. They had thought that it'd take a while to reach A-class but she reached it in just three weeks. Sophia wasn't that far-off either.

It was a pace that matched the best heroes.

Though the people thought that the heroes were unnecessary because there weren't any threats looming over the continent, Karen's achievement began to sway them. Even the other heroes who had an ill reputation also began getting treated better when the news spread.

"You know, on Earth, I wouldn't even think about attending a parade because of my condition. Who would've thought that I'd be on one of the floats?"

Karen giggled.

"I never really attended any either. I've seen them from up close but I didn't stay long enough to say I actually did attend one."

Sophia was also all smiles. They couldn't help it, they were already infected by the atmosphere. Although they still felt the pressure, just the smiles and cheers of the people made them want to wave.

The more they waved and looked at the people, the more they cheered. After a while, they started to get overwhelmed and under the guards' instructions, they managed to pacify the crowd's excitement somewhat.

"You know... this is getting embarrassing."

"I know, right?"

The two of them weren't wearing the gear they usually wore for adventuring and fighting. They were given dresses to wear for the parade, and because they usually didn't wear anything like it, they felt pretty embarrassed.

Especially for Karen, who had been confined for most of her life.

After the heroes paraded around the city, they were then led to the front of the castle where the last phase of the parade would be held. It was the conferment ceremony.

The king had already told them beforehand that it was just a formality, but they still couldn't help but be nervous.

On top of a platform, Karen, Sophia, and Raul stood in a line. The king was there and behind him were a few other nobles. On the castle's balcony were the princesses that Karen had seen at the throne room earlier.

Raul had told him during the parade about the king's family. His firstborn was a son and then followed by three daughters. He cherished all of them greatly but doted on his son the most because he was the only one.

It was a dark time for the entire kingdom when the prince unexpectedly died during a hunt that wasn't supposed to even have a hint of danger. The king had fallen sick for an entire month.

His wife, the queen had to manage the kingdom while grieving for the loss of her only son. The princesses all did their best to help and once the king healed up, everything became alright.

Unfortunately, however, the royal family was never the same again.

It had been a long time that a parade for anything other than traditional days was held. The citizens also rejoiced that the beloved prince was avenged.

The nobles who had lost their sons during the hunt as well were grateful and looked at the three of them with big smiles.

"I, Emmanuel Styn, hereby bestow these medals upon these three. First, the water hero, Sophia Adlet."

Sophia moved out of the line and walked in front of the king. She curtseyed to greet the king just as she was instructed. Then, the king pinned the medal on her clothes.

"I humbly accept this honor, Your Majesty."

The king nodded and after showing her respects once more, Sophia moved to the side.

"Auparith kingdom's Crown Prince, Raul Gylbard."

Like Sophia before him, Raul showed his respect by bowing to the king. Then, the king pinned the medal to his suit and moved to the side.

"And finally, the light hero, Karen Akagi."

Karen mimicked Sophia's actions. She was nervous that she might've seemed like a country bumpkin because this was her first time doing a curtsey but the king didn't seem to mind at all. The three of them stood in front of the king.

After a short pause, the king took a deep breath.

"And, not as the ruler of the Styn Kingdom, but as a father... I thank you."

Everyone gasped.

The king bowed his head to the three of them. Even though Sophia and Karen weren't too aware of the rules about nobility, they knew that under no circumstances should a monarch bow to anyone.

The other nobles behind the king also moved a step behind him and bowed their heads as well. As nobles, they had their own pride and they would refuse to bow anyone except the king, but as the parents of their lost children, they didn't mind.

It was a surreal scene, the country's monarchy were all bowing to three people who had only shown their face in the capital today.

It was a scene that would forever be engraved into the minds of the spectators.

"Your Majesty..."

Raul took the initiative and greeted the king for Sophia and Karen.

"There's no need to be so formal. I called the three of you here for only one reason."

The king was sitting on his throne, but he didn't look as if he was looking down on the three of them. There weren't any other people in the room either, so they felt like they could relax somewhat.

"Would the three of you be interested in working for the kingdom?"

"...!"

The three of them widened their eyes.

"Your Majesty, what do you...?"

Raul asked.

"Prince Raul Gylbard, I'll tell this to you straight: the Auparith Kingdom is no more."

"..."

Raul closed his eyes and nodded.

"Your title has no more value than a fallen noble's. With that in mind, I'm inviting not just the heroes, but you as well, to work for the kingdom. Though, while I say "work", you're not going to be bound by too many rules."

It was an offer similar to what the other countries were giving and Raul was hesitant. Sophia and Karen didn't exactly mind working for a kingdom, but they had already promised Raul that their goal was to help him.

"You will move under the kingdom's banner, but you will not have any obligation to do anything. And in exchange, I will provide you with anything you need under the kingdom's name. Weapons, armor, magic, teammates."

It was a deal with only benefits.

Forget Raul, even Karen and Sophia were becoming suspicious of the king.

"...Is that really all you wish for, Your Majesty?"

The king nodded, "Well, I wouldn't mind if you were all to stick around the kingdom and clean up various threats here too. But, I won't stop you from going anywhere."

Raul was trying to think of why the king was going this far. Was he that grateful for avenging his son?

"I'm sure you understand. The heroes can get stronger, but not having resources would just impede their growth. Speaking frankly, I have no faith in the other heroes."

He really was speaking frankly. The three of them didn't know what to say.

"..."

The king took a deep breath.

"You want to know why I'm going so far, don't you?"

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

The king turned his gaze away from the three of them for a bit, as if he was looking at something from very far away.

"I believe that the world is going to be thrust into chaos soon. I've had this foreboding feeling for years and I had hoped it would go away, I'd have wanted to write it off as me being senile. However, forget fading away, it became even stronger. Now, I feel like war is going to break out at any moment."

There was no tension among the kingdoms. Auparith was destroyed, but the monster stampede was just a natural occurrence. Many times had kingdoms fallen in the past due to disasters that nobody could predict and control.

"I can't deny that I'm afraid of death, but the reason I want to support the heroes isn't because of that. I believe that without the heroes, humanity won't be able to survive."

The king looked back at them.

"I heard that one kingdom in particular has been preparing for war for the past few years."

Raul contemplated for a bit.

"Your Majesty, do you mean the Alteria Kingdom?"

The king nodded.

"They've even gotten the youngest S-class in history, at just the age of sixteen. Prior to that, the youngest S-class was nearly forty."

Karen was amazed.

"Wow, so he's even younger than me?"

"Hm? Wait, how old are you?"

"Huh? I'm eighteen, no wait, maybe I'm nineteen now? Actually, I'm not too sure but I was eighteen when I died."

"We're the same age? You really don't look like it..."

Sophia was amazed.

Unlike the others, Karen was actually taken from where she was after her death. She didn't know if she was taken immediately before she died either.

She could've used the wounds she suffered during her hospitalization as a reference but the moment she got to this world and inspected her body in the bath, she couldn't find a single blemish on her body. Though, she still had the birthmark she was ashamed of having—one on her bottom.

Sophia also had some scars she gained during her childhood and they stayed so it was weird for Karen's skin to suddenly heal. Not only that, the number of scars on her body were accumulated during her time hospitalized for years. If she had been taken from before then, why did she look the same as she had when she was at the end of her life?

Then again, her cheeks that had sunken in had also become plumper and full of life. It was as if someone had healed her completely before sending her here.

"Haha... My little brother used to say that a lot about me too."

"There you go again."

Over the past few months, Sophia had learned more things about Karen's brother than the monsters in this world. Whenever she had spare time, Karen would talk about him over and over, though, to Sophia, he just sounded like an unreliable sibling.

it was then that the two of them realized that they were still in the presence of the king so they quickly stopped. The king looked over at them warmly—not wanting to put them in danger yet knowing that they have to be put in harm's way anyway.

"You can all take your time deciding. This offer won't suddenly be retracted, though I'd appreciate it if you were to inform me sooner, rather than later."

Raul looked at Karen and Sophia for their opinion. They didn't really mind working for the kingdom, but the fact that they were heroes was sinking in. The king's trust in them was apparent, but they couldn't believe that they could actually do anything to change the world.

After all, just a few months ago, they were ordinary people who knew of magic as fiction.

"Well, you decide, Raul."

Karen met Sophia's gaze and answered. They didn't know what to do, so they just decided to put their trust in the one who has been helping them thus far.

"Are you sure? This could endanger your lives."

Raul knew that the heroes wouldn't have as much freedom as they do now. He at least wanted to allow them the choice to choose their fate.

"Nn."

Karen and Sophia already understood. After all, there were no shortages of hero stories on Earth, they knew the responsibilities they had. Just running around without an aim in sight wasn't something that they could do without saving the world.

Raul took a deep breath, he was moved that the two of them trusted him so much.

"...Your Majesty, we would like to accept the offer."

"Mhm."

The king nodded, satisfied.

"Then, shall we meet your new teammates?"