It was a new day now, as the various damage that had been done to the Imperial Castle was already being rebuilt. Workers going high and low, from all races and ages and sexes, were doing their best. But as such, it was quite the noisy atmosphere, and there were still various issues to be dealt with.

"Without a doubt, this is a major issue...so many died that its horrible" the Crown Princess, Esmerelda, spoke to her father as they walked down a hall, with two royal guards with them. "And given what happened, I think these staff changes will likely be best. Some people might raise a fuss, but at least this way, we can be sure that we have a working chain of command, and will help resolve things faster".

"Indeed" King Edolus said, approving of his daughter's choices. "You truly have become an exceptional ruler, my dear sweet daughter".

"Well, I have learned, and am still learning, from the best".

"Perhaps...although, you can get quite ruthless when you get serious. But in a way, that is also necessary for a king. I cannot deny I have been like that myself at times".

Esmerelda smiled wryly a bit, knowing which act he meant.

"Well, if its that boy, he brings about a certain...aspect, that makes you wonder what he is really thinking. But, it seems he may be spoken for already...during our first meeting, although there were no signs of it...I am fairly certain that a certain girl in his party was mighty unhappy with me".

She thought back to Arila. She seemed so normal, but she got this feeling that there was something more.

"Then perhaps, last night you shouldn't have done such a thing" the king pointed out. Esmerelda just smiled though.

"After a battle, a little bit of teasing would help calm him down".

"Well he is only a child, but I doubt even he could remain calm being bathed in such a way by the princess again".

"Well, I am sure that this will help make it up to him".

As their conversation went on, they eventually led to a large, majestic looking wooden door. Despite the invasion, it looked magnificent and majestic, and had a deep and vibrant color. As the royal guard opened it for them, light poured in from the entrance, and they walked into a great and mighty terrace. It had a lovely array of trees and plants of various colors, and flowers in the grassfilled areas that filled them up completely.

And right there, in the center facing a large group of people, was a great and mighty throne. Among those who were there, a number of important nobles were present, as well as the various heroes who helped save the capital. They were all quite dressed up, and among them were those who fought in the battle yesterday. On the terrace, it looked as if no battle had even occured, although signs could be seen on the outside of the castle still, and in some areas of the city.

Among the ones near the front were the four who fought the demonized Jezre. Rikuo, Rayheart, Lutessa, and Raevin. The second prince Jaylem was also there, in a flashy royal ceremonial outfit, although he didn't look totally happy in it.

Well, my brother always did prefer clothes easier to move around in, so ceremonial stuff like that annoys him greatly.

Additionally, Haru and Dace were also there, although the former was currently unable to stand at attention. That was reasonable though, as the third princess had tackled him to the ground again and was tickling his ears and tail like crazy.

Duke Elgram was also there, as well as Margrave Cromley, Raevin's father. Several Dragon Knights and Cadets were also in attendence, such as Aer, and since Saphri was smaller then other Dragons, even she was present. The other dragons flew above the sky or rested from Dragon Perches, watching the scene with interest.

And of course, Darius Black was there too. A numble of noble women appeared to have been flirting and gossiping with him, but once the king and herself had arrived, they all stopped and took a knee, bowing.

There was also Ciel, as well as a boy about the same height as him wearing a black mask, clothes, and even a cloak.

Rikuo had realized instantly who that was though.

...is a demon lord really attending such a thing?

"Introducing, his majesty, King Edolus, and the Crown Princess Esmerelda! They will now be presenting awards and commendations, as well as recognizing achievments of those who fought bravely the other day!"

A steward announced that, as the King took the throne with the crown princess standing beside him. At this point, even the third princess stopped, so she and Haru could listen to the events.

"As you all know, a great tragedy befell us on recent days. Just yesterday, an army of Demons fell upon us, led by a Demon Lord and several people of the kingdom who he had forced to become Demons. And as such, a great many lives were lost in the battle, which was indeed a great tragedy. That said, we will not fall or become in dissaray from such actions!"

As he spoke, those around him felt their worries ease. His voice impacted and spoke to their very souls, seeming strong yet kind, inspiring and yet also reasoning. The way he adjusted the tone of his voice, and how he pronounced each word, all of it was done with great care.

"We shall stand strong, as we always have. We shall stand strong, even if those around us abandon us! We shall stay strong, even in the face of threats from the Demon Lords, or the Demon King itself! Even if we suffered, even if the Demons managed to steal one of our Divine Shard relics, even if the darkness itself seeks to engulf us, we shall never stand down, and never be defeated!"

As he said that, he looked into the sky. The warm glowing light in the sun was basking them all in a warm feeling, although Rikuo felt like he might get sick. But he held it in, while wearing a necklace of fortitude under his clothes that Esmerelda gave him last night.

"For the heavens support us, strengthen us, and give us the power to perservere and overcome! But not just the heavens! The power from our own hearts, our own strengths, should never be underestimated! All who serve, all who take action to help, however little, shall provide a priceless contribution, their loyalty means everything. And all of you, who stood before me, are those who have made major impacts. From among you, I will now recognize the impacts of those who have earned, have deserved, or have achieved such rewards".

The first thing he did, was look at the four who fought with each other against the puppet.

"Raevin Cromley, Rikuo, Lutessa, and Rayheart, please come forward".

Hearing their names called, the four of them walked forward and then took a knee again.

"Raevin Cromley, for your noble acts of being one of the first to rally with us, and to help manage and hold the defenses with the royal guard, we gift you this sword".

As that was said, a steward came over, and revealed a sword with a lovely blue shine as it was partially drawn from the sheath. It had a radiant aspect, and Raevin suspected it contained a Divine Shard.

"This sword was forged from Aoite, a rare, precious, and valuable blue metal, as well as a Divine Shard. May it provide you with safety and strength, as its magic will help serve you in your goals and duties. In addition, although your father still stands tall and is up to the task, I grant you the authority and title of Margrave yourself, and as such you have your own title and power, as well as responsibilities, and not just under the name of your father".

"I gratefully accept, and thank you for your kindness".

Raevin accepted the gift, as the steward approached Rikuo next. They opened an ornate wooden box, and revealed what appeared to be a wand. It had a black and gold coloring, but at the tip was a crystal that appeared to be blue, yellow, and grey all mixed together, without actually blending.

"This is a wand, created using the materials of S Rank monsters. It holds greater power especially with the Water, Storm, and Spacial Attributes, and can also store up mana within itself in addition to using your own. And due to its durability, it will be nearly impossible to damage, and even if it is, can repair itself. So feel free to use it as much as you can, may it serve you well".

"I gratefully accept, and thank you for your kindness".

Making sure to answer properly, Rikuo responded as such.

The steward then made their way to Lutessa next, bringing a rather large and nice ornate box. A crest with a stormcloud appeared to be on it, but it was surrounded by spirits for some reason.

"This was created by the Storm Sage himself, Sairus. A bow with the ability to retract its mass into the handle and become easy to use, created from the rare and mighty mystic elderwood tree. Its string was crafted from DIvine Silk, and it is very compatible with spirits and magic. A bow that can only be used to its fullest in the hands of a true archer like yourself. May it serve you well in your endevours and goals".

"I gratefully accept, and thank you for your kindness".

And then, the steward finally made their way to Rayheart. The box that was brought out was ornate like all the others before it, and as it was opened, there were two arm braces there.

"These braces were forged from the greatest pools of manga, made even greater by the Forgesmith Wizards. Although light, they are stronger then Duranite, and enhance the physical and healing ability of those who wear it, while also greatly raising their resistances. They also protect against curses, and those who seek to find them with malicious intent".

"Ah! Tha..."

Rayheart nearly started to speak, but then Kotori appeared at her side while making sure she bowed properly as she accepted the gift.

"She gratefully accepts, and thanks you for your kindness".

Kotori was rather embarrassed about that, but he felt it was better then letting Rayheart do what she was about to. Meanwhile, Rayheart was puzzled a bit before she realized the situation, and nodded as she accepted the gift.

Once that was done, the king also awarded them a large amount of money, before sending them back to make room for the next group.

"Cadet Aer, please come forward".

It was now Aer's turn. He and Saphri approached, and bowed their heads as Aer took a knee. At this point, Paladin Remarse came forward, drawing his sword and gently tapping it upon Aer's shoulder.

"In thanks of your service and duty, and for the actions you have taken in defense of the royal family and the Imperial Capital, you are awarded the status and title of Dragon Knight. You may now choose a surname of your choice, and shall be rewarded generously, in addition to recieving special appointment to being a vassal under the new Margrave Raevin Cromley".

"Thank you, your Majesty. I shall choose the surname, Dorayen, in honor of my late parents".

"And in addition, for your service, I promote you to the rank of Paladin. As for you Remarse, for your exceptional work and loyalty, I promote you to the rank of High Paladin".

Such a thing was said, causing a bit of stir. After all, Aer was already the youngest Dragon Knight in history possibly. But Paladin? No one had ever heard of someone so young becoming a Paladin at all.

"I will do my best to live up to such a promotion, your Majesty".

As he spoke such words, he accepted a Platinum dagger, awarded only to those who reach the rank of Paladin, as Remarse was granted a Reserite dagger, which had a red coloring and certain royal elegance to it.

With their awards done, they went back to their positions. However, it appeared the king still had more awards to give.

"Next up, Dace!"

Dace was suddenly very shocked to hear his name. After all, he had only played a supporting role this whole time. But Haru and Emilia encoured him, and he went up, taking a knee and bowing before the king.

"During the invasion, your previous boss, the leader of the servants of the castle, ended up becoming tricked by someone and Demonized".

"Yes, your knights asked me about it, and I told them all who I knew that he was close to or had dealings with".

"Yes, you proved quite knowledgable. But that investigation had revealed something else. When asked, you went into detail about the various people, such as the typical business, and how effective they could be, as the knights asked you to be specific as possible. Your friend, Haru, also did, but your detail was quite impressive. Although I heard he was hard to work under..."

The king was not aware, but a few people felt that was the understatement of the year.

"...it seems despite all that trouble, you learned quite a bit. As a result, for the first time in the history of this nation, I name you Dace, a commoner, as the head servant of the Imperial Castle and for the Royal Family".

This caused another erruption of commotion. After all, Dace was only a young, thirteen year old boy, who was a commoner. That said, the king settled everyone down again.

As for Dace...

"I humbly accept this task, your majesty".

"Excelent" the king said, as Dace went back to his place. After that was done, he spoke up again. "Haru, please come forward".

Hearing that, Haru came forward, but so did Emilia, clinging to him. Haru took a knee, but he glanced at him with a questioning face. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation.

"Haru, your abilities and preparation helped defend the royal family from great catastrophe. You showed a special kindness as well to my daughter, and were mortally wounded protecting her from harm. As such, as recommended my Third Princess Emilia, you two shall be engaged, and marry when she becomes of age!"

At that moment, several people among the crowd, and Haru himself, had their brains stop functioning for a moment there.

"Yay! Haru will be my hubby! The best hubby ever!"

"Hold on, your majesty...but to do that...when he isn't even a noble".

One noble raised an objection, and then another spoke out as well.

"Certainly, to become a high ranking noble might be tough...but he has served us well for years, he protected my daughter and everyone else from harm, risking his life and being near fatally wounded in the process. He has already done much...enough that I shall award him the title of Baron, and allow him to choose a surname, even if it ends up being temporary".

When two people married, they took the rank of the higher social status along with the name. As such, any name Haru actually chose would end up being overruled when he and Princess Emilia married, and he became one of the Duke Houses. That said, the Duke house took the middle name of the royal member of the family as its last name when formed, or when a new member of royalty marries into an already existing Duke House, then the Duke House keeps its original surname.

Either way, Haru now had to choose a surname.

"Then, I will choose Hopefelt. Haru Hopefelt".

"A name full of hope, for a ceremony of hope and joy. Well chosen".

With that decided, Haru was then awarded quite a bit of coin as well.

"As for gathering achievments...considering the various contributions and requests made, I still have yet to properly award the young Rikuo for pulling out the spear, have I? Then, I will ask you join his group, for I feel as if they will get quite the number, although I think all of you will achieve a great many things".

Understanding the meaning of those words, all Lutessa and Raevin could do is nod. Meanwhile, Rayheart nodded and smiled a bit more casually and freely then the others.

Still, the whole dace thing was surprising. However, that was when they realized it still was not over.

"And now, two of only a dozen S-Rank adventurers on the continent, who were key in helping us defeat the Demon Lords! Lightning Spear Ciel, and Great Sage and Margrave Kota Tayen, please come forward".

At this point, Ciel and the masked boy Rikuo believed was Aruu stepped forward, and kneeled.

"For Ciel, a great amount of money, as well as high quality potions and the most efficient space compression bag to date. With weight reduction added as well, this will be a great benefit to you I am sure".

Ciel bowed and accepted the gifts.

"I gratefully accept, and thank you for your kindness".

Recieving such awards, then the King turned to the one introduced as Kota. As he did, he motioned the party of the summoned heroes to come forth as well, and so they did, kneeling behind "Kota".

"For your help in repelling and driving back Demon Lord Urten, as well as for assisting in the education so far of the summoned heroes, I grant you a great reward, as well as many rare ingredients that you expressed interest in. In addition, I shall ask and continue to pay you to help educate the heroes and help the otherworlders adjust to our world, as well as training them to become strong enough to fight against the Demon Lords, and the Demon King. I also announce that while not yet a Duke, you are of higher status then the other Margraves".

As Kota spoke, many felt as if the voice was being magically disguised through the mask he wore.

"I gratefully accept, and I also shall accept the task you have given me. I promise to do my all to help them".

Some of them seemed to go a bit pale or flush when "Kota" said that. But given what the situation was, they did not oppose it.

Either way, Ciel and "Kota" accepted their rewards and then returned, standing next to Rikuo for some reason.

And then for some reason, they both put their hands on either side of his torso, and released some sort of strange magic or energy into his body.

"Hey, what was that?" Rikuo whispered.

"Just a small gift. We can only cast it once on a person though..."

"...but I think you will praise us a lot tommorrow".

Rikuo had no idea what they meant, but as the Ceremony dolled out just a few more awards before getting to a celebration, those two left him with such thoughts as the party began.