「I brought Antgar-dono and his escort!」
The General bowed as he entered stepped into the room and declared loudly.
「Umu, enter.」
The King sitting on the throne on the back answered the General. The General looked back at Souta and the others and nodded once, then he moved forward. They followed after the General as they were told and when the General stopped, he and Antgar knelt down with their head lowered.
「Raise your head. You don’t need to kneel down in the first place, take it easy.」
The king had a gentle expression, even though he was a bearded dwarf, his face exuded good character.
「General, you can go now.」
「Ha-! Excuse me!」
Ordered by the King, the General bowed once and returned to the line next to the red carpet.
「Antgar… That’s a good expression. Compared to when we met before, you look so refreshed.」
「Thank you. Thanks to this person, I was able to get over my worry.」
Antgar, who stood up when the General moved, tapped Souta’s shoulder and thanked the King.
「Hmm, so you’re Antgar’s benefactor. What is your name?」
「I’m Souta. I’m a traveling adventurer.」
The King nodded with the same smile on his face despite Souta’s irreverent attitude.
「I see, I see, I give you my thanks. Thank you for saving one of our country’s most promising blacksmiths.」
While remaining seated, the King bowed his head deeply to Souta. Souta and Dina were surprised at the situation. It was not a good attitude for a king to have, and yet the King bowed lightly to a single adventurer whose identity had not yet been revealed. In some countries, that act would be condemned by the authorities, but here, the dignitaries and the soldiers in line were only smiling at the scene.
「Raise your head, it would be awkward for me if a king of a country bows his head to me. I just did what I thought I needed.」
Souta was a little bewildered by the King’s attitude.
「Hohohoho, there is no need to be modest. The lady over there, you’re the one that defeated our General, correct?」
「Yes, my name is Dinarius. Thank you for the opportunity to have this audience with Your Majesty today. However, I would like to make a correction. It seems there is a misunderstanding about how I defeated the General, I was only able to do that because the General was caught off guard while observing me.」
After giving a bow, Dina corrected the king’s words with a gentle smile.
「Either one of you is being so modest…… What do you think, General?」
「Sir! I believe Dinarius-dono’s ability is real. She said I was caught off guard, but I think the gap in ability is big enough that off guard is not enough to explain it. As I said, I was helpless.」
The General reported to the king, but at the end, he looked at Dina and grinned.
「Hohoho, if the loser says it, it might be worth believing. Rest assured, I’m not so petty to hold you accountable for it.」
The King smiled gently at Dina, who frowned a little from the General’s report.
「So, what’s the real reason we were called here? Did you just call us because you wanted to talk to us?」
Not liking how they turned their focus to Dina, Souta tried to get to the heart of the matter.
「Oh, that’s right. I’m expecting you to get a lot of ore from this mining, what do you say?」
Antgar and Dina didn’t intend to answer the question and looked at Souta.
「I can’t say how much, but I’m sure we were able to secure a certain amount.」
He didn’t intend to declare the actual amount, as it was not the amount someone can normally carry even if they had a magic bag.
「Hmm, if it’s okay, can you share some of them? Of course, I’ll pay the appropriate remuneration.」
「…What if I refuse?」
Souta narrowed his eyes and dared to test the king.
「If you refuse then I have no choice but to give up. In the first place, you’re not the subject of this country. I can’t force you. Just in case, I will ask Antgar, but it wouldn’t be compulsory either.」
Souta confirmed not the King’s reaction, but the reaction of the surrounding, but he couldn’t see anyone, in particular, changing their expression.
「I’m sorry for trying to test you, it’s not possible to give everything, but I can share some parts of it. So, where should I put it out?」
He didn’t intend on sharing it depending on their reaction, but he thought it was alright to share them if this was the reaction of everyone around him.
「Oh! So you’re willing to share it!! Then, please do so at the warehouse. General, show them the way.」
「Yes Sir!」
Upon hearing Souta’s answer, the King smiled broadly and hurriedly ordered the General to guide them to the warehouse before Souta changed his mind. Normally, the task of guiding them should be left to the lower-ranked soldier or the person in charge of ore inventory, but it was entrusted to the General instead because he had already communicated with Souta and the others multiple times.
「Just checking before we go. Am I correct in assuming your business is over with us after we handed over the ore?」
「Umu, I would like to give you my thank for this, but you’re free to go after that.」
The King answered Souta’s question without hesitation. There seemed to be no hidden meaning behind that.
「My apology to everyone here for showing all of you an unpleasant attitude. I’m of another race, I was worried about how I would be treated so I came on strong. Well then, please excuse us. Dina, Antgar, let’s go.」
Souta changed his attitude and addressed the King and everyone in the room in a grand manner. Without waiting for their reaction, he turned on his heel and left the room followed by Dina, Antgar, and the General.
Those who remained were surprised by the sudden change of manner and, for a while, they were looking at the door that Souta and the others used to leave.
「You’re a bad person, too, Souta-dono. To pull everyone’s leg like that……」
The General knew that what Souta said before they left was not sincere even though they only had known each other just a short time.
「Well, that’s not my intention. I just thought saying that would get rid of the impression of me as an irreverent person. The King seems to be a good person too, so I thought it would be better to part with a better impression.」
「Huh? So you were thinking about that in that one moment?」
Antgar looked astonished and exasperated at the same time.
「Rather than that, let’s go to the warehouse. I want to get this over quickly.」
「I brought Antgar-dono and his escort!」
The General bowed as he entered stepped into the room and declared loudly.
「Umu, enter.」
The King sitting on the throne on the back answered the General. The General looked back at Souta and the others and nodded once, then he moved forward. They followed after the General as they were told and when the General stopped, he and Antgar knelt down with their head lowered.
「Raise your head. You don’t need to kneel down in the first place, take it easy.」
The king had a gentle expression, even though he was a bearded dwarf, his face exuded good character.
「General, you can go now.」
「Ha-! Excuse me!」
Ordered by the King, the General bowed once and returned to the line next to the red carpet.
「Antgar… That’s a good expression. Compared to when we met before, you look so refreshed.」
「Thank you. Thanks to this person, I was able to get over my worry.」
Antgar, who stood up when the General moved, tapped Souta’s shoulder and thanked the King.
「Hmm, so you’re Antgar’s benefactor. What is your name?」
「I’m Souta. I’m a traveling adventurer.」
The King nodded with the same smile on his face despite Souta’s irreverent attitude.
「I see, I see, I give you my thanks. Thank you for saving one of our country’s most promising blacksmiths.」
While remaining seated, the King bowed his head deeply to Souta. Souta and Dina were surprised at the situation. It was not a good attitude for a king to have, and yet the King bowed lightly to a single adventurer whose identity had not yet been revealed. In some countries, that act would be condemned by the authorities, but here, the dignitaries and the soldiers in line were only smiling at the scene.
「Raise your head, it would be awkward for me if a king of a country bows his head to me. I just did what I thought I needed.」
Souta was a little bewildered by the King’s attitude.
「Hohohoho, there is no need to be modest. The lady over there, you’re the one that defeated our General, correct?」
「Yes, my name is Dinarius. Thank you for the opportunity to have this audience with Your Majesty today. However, I would like to make a correction. It seems there is a misunderstanding about how I defeated the General, I was only able to do that because the General was caught off guard while observing me.」
After giving a bow, Dina corrected the king’s words with a gentle smile.
「Either one of you is being so modest…… What do you think, General?」
「Sir! I believe Dinarius-dono’s ability is real. She said I was caught off guard, but I think the gap in ability is big enough that off guard is not enough to explain it. As I said, I was helpless.」
The General reported to the king, but at the end, he looked at Dina and grinned.
「Hohoho, if the loser says it, it might be worth believing. Rest assured, I’m not so petty to hold you accountable for it.」
The King smiled gently at Dina, who frowned a little from the General’s report.
「So, what’s the real reason we were called here? Did you just call us because you wanted to talk to us?」
Not liking how they turned their focus to Dina, Souta tried to get to the heart of the matter.
「Oh, that’s right. I’m expecting you to get a lot of ore from this mining, what do you say?」
Antgar and Dina didn’t intend to answer the question and looked at Souta.
「I can’t say how much, but I’m sure we were able to secure a certain amount.」
He didn’t intend to declare the actual amount, as it was not the amount someone can normally carry even if they had a magic bag.
「Hmm, if it’s okay, can you share some of them? Of course, I’ll pay the appropriate remuneration.」
「…What if I refuse?」
Souta narrowed his eyes and dared to test the king.
「If you refuse then I have no choice but to give up. In the first place, you’re not the subject of this country. I can’t force you. Just in case, I will ask Antgar, but it wouldn’t be compulsory either.」
Souta confirmed not the King’s reaction, but the reaction of the surrounding, but he couldn’t see anyone, in particular, changing their expression.
「I’m sorry for trying to test you, it’s not possible to give everything, but I can share some parts of it. So, where should I put it out?」
He didn’t intend on sharing it depending on their reaction, but he thought it was alright to share them if this was the reaction of everyone around him.
「Oh! So you’re willing to share it!! Then, please do so at the warehouse. General, show them the way.」
「Yes Sir!」
Upon hearing Souta’s answer, the King smiled broadly and hurriedly ordered the General to guide them to the warehouse before Souta changed his mind. Normally, the task of guiding them should be left to the lower-ranked soldier or the person in charge of ore inventory, but it was entrusted to the General instead because he had already communicated with Souta and the others multiple times.
「Just checking before we go. Am I correct in assuming your business is over with us after we handed over the ore?」
「Umu, I would like to give you my thank for this, but you’re free to go after that.」
The King answered Souta’s question without hesitation. There seemed to be no hidden meaning behind that.
「My apology to everyone here for showing all of you an unpleasant attitude. I’m of another race, I was worried about how I would be treated so I came on strong. Well then, please excuse us. Dina, Antgar, let’s go.」
Souta changed his attitude and addressed the King and everyone in the room in a grand manner. Without waiting for their reaction, he turned on his heel and left the room followed by Dina, Antgar, and the General.
Those who remained were surprised by the sudden change of manner and, for a while, they were looking at the door that Souta and the others used to leave.
「You’re a bad person, too, Souta-dono. To pull everyone’s leg like that……」
The General knew that what Souta said before they left was not sincere even though they only had known each other just a short time.
「Well, that’s not my intention. I just thought saying that would get rid of the impression of me as an irreverent person. The King seems to be a good person too, so I thought it would be better to part with a better impression.」
「Huh? So you were thinking about that in that one moment?」
Antgar looked astonished and exasperated at the same time.
「Rather than that, let’s go to the warehouse. I want to get this over quickly.」
