The princess was nervous about what to do amidst all the racism brewing inside the manor. All the royal dark elves stared at Maximus with utter disgust and disrespect in their eyes, whispering among themselves and spitting out harsh negative comments.
'This is a supposed human being...?'
'Ugh... how in the world is he even getting along with the princess? He needs to get out of here immediately!'
'I feel like I'm going to throw up just looking at him...'
But the princess simply reached out and patted Maximus on the shoulder, reassuring him that he would be safe as long as she was near him. She also made sure to apologize on behalf of everyone for all the cruel words being thrown his way.
"I'm truly sorry... us dark elves have a long and troubled history of terrible actions towards humans – even knights and powerful mages haven't been spared from our prejudice."
'So there really is a history between our races then... battles and wars must be a big part of how things became this way. I wonder if I could study more about your people's past, and learn about the powers you all possess?'
He glanced back at the royal dark elves gathered outside the doorway as the princess led him slowly into the manor's spacious living room. There, her father lay resting on a grand couch, and a large portrait of her grandfather hung prominently on the wall.
"Don't worry about formality – you have my full permission to sit anywhere you'd like."
Maximus finally lowered his guard a little, feeling genuinely safe within the walls of that room, far from the angry murmurs coming from the hall they'd just walked through. He carefully set down the sword at his side – keeping it close by just in case something unexpected happened.
"Alright then... so this is the ruler of your dark elven tribes? This place looks more like a full kingdom than any tribe I've ever heard of."
She let out a soft chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter.
"Yeah, I guess I messed up the words there – I'm really sorry about that. But anyway, I want you to meet my father. They say he's the strongest descendant of the elder dark elves who fought in the great wars against other races long ago."
The king spoke up then, his voice cold and deep as stone – like someone who had seen countless years pass and carried all that weight with them.
"I am Geshua Hugma. They call me one of the Twelve Jaicons of the World."
Maximus furrowed his brow in confusion at those words. The twelve jaicons? He had never heard that name mentioned anywhere in the book of mana cores he had studied so carefully. So he decided to ask outright.
"What, exactly, are the twelve jaicons?"
A long moment of silence filled the room before the king suddenly burst out laughing and waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm just kidding! There's no such thing as the twelve jaicons at all – I wasn't trying to fool you too bad! But I am one of the legendary beings who still walk this world today."
Maximus let out a quiet sigh at the king's joke, though he was still eager to learn more about the powerful figures and creatures that existed across the land.
"Say, your majesty – would it be rude of me to ask if I could borrow some of your books of ancient knowledge and information?"
Once again, silence fell over the room. Then the king stood up a little and placed a hand on Maximus's shoulder – his palm easily two times larger than a normal human's hand – and spoke with a wide smirk on his face.
"Sure you can, but only if you marry my daughter first!"
Maximus's eyes widened as he looked up at the king in surprise.
"Excuse me?"
The princess immediately went bright red with embarrassment when her father said those words. She had been trying to hide the romantic feelings that had started to grow in her heart ever since the day she and Maximus first met.
"W-Wait a second... father!"
The king just laughed even louder and shook his head.
"Nah, I'm just playing around with you! But if you ever do decide you want to marry my daughter, you better come find me right away – I'll start planning the whole wedding the very next minute!"
"Father!... please stop saying things like that..."
The bond between father and daughter was warm and full of good humor, and the princess playfully smacked her father on the back several times as he kept grinning. But Maximus had never felt any kind of romantic or physical attraction towards anyone in his life. In fact, he had always been completely focused on one thing alone – surviving in this harsh world all by himself, rather than spending his time chasing after relationships or trying to build some kind of harem.
"Sorry, but I have no interest in marriage or anything like that at all. I'll be heading to your manor's library now – thank you for your permission."
He picked up his sword and started walking toward the door, knowing full well what kind of reaction he would face when he stepped back into the hallway. But before he could make it out, the princess quickly moved forward and called out to him.
"Wait!"
"...Yes?"
The princess felt a sharp pang of sadness in her chest when she heard him say he had no interest in her. She was clearly disappointed and her face fell into a gloomy look.
"Do you... do you really not like me at all?"
Maximus looked away for a moment before speaking to her in a calm but serious tone.
"I don't dislike you, and I don't hate you either. I think we can be good friends – nothing more than that. After all, we're still practically strangers to each other when you really think about it."
With those words, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving the princess standing there alone, her eyes starting to fill with tears.