The ceremony organized by the marquis was simple. First, leaving Ravigion's Dimension Square, where we made our return, the parade passed through the market town of Kommelby and headed to the royal capital, Karnon.
¡Ba-bam, ba-bam, dad-ba-bam!
A uniformed military band gave a lively performance.
¡Bum! ¡Bum! ¡Bum!
The carriage full of drums continued to sound loudly as it slowly moved forward.
«¡Woohoo!»
The blessings and cheers of the people and the flowers they spread filled the streets.
«A parade of heroes...!»
Dressed in ceremonial armor similar to that of veteran warriors - the kind that could never be worn in actual combat - we continued to advance.
«Woahhh!»
The people of Rafdonia looked at us with bright and curious eyes.
«I heard that they have destroyed the Eye of Heaven. What an amazing contribution».
«Thanks to them, the palace will have a great advantage in the future».
«It was our army's biggest nuisance, after all».
Some adventurers applauded as we passed. I also saw a family with a young son sitting on his father's shoulders who had simply come for the festival.
«Dad, what is the Eye of Heaven?».
«Well, I'm not sure, but... seems like a very important object».
«I want to be like those people someday!».
«Of course. You can do anything».
Some had joined the crowd only to see a famous face.
«¡Akurava! Acurava está ahi!»
«I thought he had retired. I never thought I'd hear about her like that again».
«¡Melend Kaislan!»
«Ohh! It's Spirit of Blood!»
There was even a woman who ran towards the carriage crying and took my hand. «Thanks to all of you... My son can rest in peace! Thank you... thank you...!»
Did you lose a family member to Noark? But do these people realize that the original ceremony the marquis planned was going to feature only empty coffins with our names written on them?
¡Beeeep!
I felt what could have been a panic attack as I looked at the large crowd of people. My ears were ringing and it was getting harder and harder for me to fake a smile.
Erwen, who was sitting next to me, took my hand. «Sir...»
Even Kaislan, who was in the car in front of me, turned with worry in his eyes.
Jeez, do you think I'm going to make a scene?
«¡Woohoo! Yay!»
The triumphal procession along the main street passed through Ravigion and reached Kommelby. This place was different from Ravigion. The number of adventurers had increased significantly and ordinary citizens wore much more formal attire than the average Ravigion people. However, it was nothing compared to the royal capital.
Drag drag.
The wheels of the carriage continued to roll.
«¡Sí!»
A huge crowd cheered, arms outstretched towards us. It was frustrating that I couldn't just rejoice in the sight. If there had been no deception during this expedition, if our entire squadron had been able to return home, they would have been able to see this with us. If that had happened, I would have screamed with joy too.
¡Boom!
It felt heavy.
¡Boom!
Very heavy.
Drag drag.
The carriage moved forward without stopping. Finally we left Kommelby and entered the royal capital. Then we headed down the boulevard, directly to the royal palace. The doors of the palace, which were normally solemnly closed, were wide open today.
«The heroes have arrived!»
There were knights in formation at the gates. There was also a military band atop the walls, joining in the passionate performance as it reached its climax.
«Somehow, we're done here again».
Our endless carriage ride finally ended when we stopped in front of the Palace of Glory, where I was once awarded a title.
«Greet the heroes!»
Soon, the main doors of the palace opened. We got out of the carriage and headed inside. Our formation was a little different from the parade. Before, I was in the downtown carriage, but this time I was in the front.
«¡Woohoooooo!»
The cheers that erupted when we entered the palace were a little quieter than those on the street. After all, most of those present were nobles or high officials of the guild.
«What are you doing? Enter». Kaislan nudged me on the back when I stopped at the entrance and looked around blankly.
Tsk, no me metas pinau.
Step step.
I walked the red carpet that stretched to the empty throne. As he did so, he continually scanned the room. The crowd was shouting, whistling and even pulling out binoculars to get a closer look. That's why it was easy to distinguish them from the crowd of thousands of people.
Grifo.
In this blessed place full of happy people, only they were sitting in mourning, like uninvited guests among the laughing crowd.
So, there they are.
«E-Wait... Where are you going?!» Ignoring Kaislan's protests, I changed direction and headed towards the stands. I guess he realized where he was going a moment later. «Damn, I don't even know if I should argue». Kaislan didn't try to stop me anymore.
Step step.
Our procession changed course. The military band that followed us was startled, but they also changed direction like professionals.
Touch.
Finally we stand before them. Silently wiping away tears, they looked at me with bewildered expressions on their faces. They were the grieving families of the rest of the squad, whom I asked the marquis to allow into the Palace of Glory.
¡Ba-bam, ba-bam, dad-ba-bam!
Jeez, that's so annoying. Can't you turn that off now?
I wanted to complain, but it seemed that the military band had neither the common sense nor the authority to stop. As a compromise, I took the instruments from their hands and threw them on the ground.
¡Kkkang!
The music stopped abruptly, leaving only a deafening silence. Only then did the crowd stop cheering. The sobs of the heartbroken families in front of me now sounded loud and clear.
Grifo.
I knelt before them. «I'm sorry. For not bringing your precious loved ones home».
When I lowered my head, the rest of the squad did the same. According to custom, we should have done it in front of the empty throne, but who cared? The king wasn't even going to show up.
«Thank you...» Unable to make eye contact, I kept my head down and soon felt a soft hand on the crown of it. «He... Ashed, how did he die?» So this was Ashed's wife.
«He... was like a magician from a fairy tale. He was not afraid even of death, and it was thanks to him that we were able to return alive».
Ashed's wife didn't say anything for a moment in response to my statement, which might have sounded like a superficial truism to her. He just cried silently. «Ya... I see...» Come to think of it, that guy was a liar. He said his wife was strong. «I... what... what do I do now? My poor... husband... how... Wahhh!» The woman who put her hand on my head fell to the ground, moaning in pain.
It was as if a dam had exploded. Loved ones rushed up from their seats to bombard us with questions.
«M-McKelly Rayothers. What happened to him? They didn't tell me anything. Only he's dead and I have to go to the palace...»
«Ventis Gerod! He was my father! But I didn't even know he was going on such a dangerous mission!»
«Mr. Shut up! Please tell me! Rick... why couldn't Rick be here? Why did he return alone?!»
We responded with bowed heads and made-up explanations. Meanwhile, the crowd watched the spectacle with interest.
«What the hell...? Is this part of the event?»
«Wow, the palace knows how to do everything it can».
«I have never seen such an impressive ceremony!»
«Clearly it's a mess... Well, as long as it's entertaining».
He had no way of knowing how long the mess lasted.
«...We cannot delay the procession any longer.»
The knights approached to restore order to the marquise's order and the ceremony resumed. We walked the red carpet again after our brief detour was over and headed to the empty throne. The marquis was standing in front of him.
So he finally shows himself after hiding inside that crystal ball for the last few days.
I glanced at him, knelt down, and bowed. Unlike before with families, it was not a sign of respect. I knew it wouldn't be easy for me to control my emotions while maintaining eye contact with him.
«You have come a long way, heroes!» The Marquis did not deviate from his script despite my previous unforeseen interruption.
He then summarized our search in his own words. The thirty heroes completed their noble mission and, after numerous trials and tribulations, finally returned home. His speech was unnecessarily long due to the copious amounts of praise scattered around, but that was the gist. It was a made-up story, not the truth. After some negotiations with the marquis, we agreed to allow him to leave out of his story the part where the rescue team did not come to help us.
«Not even the polar cold could cool his burning passion. Not even clandestine traitors could end their lives». As the marquis spoke of our achievements and praised us, the crowd applauded.
Once the marquis took a step back, the archbishop of the Tovera church appeared before us next. «Ahem, ahem... first, I would like to talk about the nature of sacrifice». The high-ranking priest suspected by many of having hair loss offered us words of comfort and made excessive mentions of the sacrificed priests and paladins.
Beeeeeep...
Next was the duke.
Beeeeeep...
Then the adventurers' guild. The next... and the next...
Beeeeeeep...
The people who had made plans to distribute the rewards of this expedition walked in front of the crowd one by one and reaped what we had sown.
Squeeze…
Wow, I knew it wouldn't be, but this really isn't easy.
Luckily, thanks to my unexpected detour earlier, the ceremony was shortened and my need to be patient was short-lived. Finally, the ceremony reached its climax.
«May the light of the king be with you all».
To the beat of the marchioness's announcement, the music began again. In a school ceremony, this part would have been essentially the equivalent of saluting the nation's flag.
This part lasts three minutes, I think.
I counted exactly two minutes before speaking just loud enough for the marquis, about three meters away, to hear me. «Hello, Marquis».
When I spoke to him, the marquis looked at me as if I had gone crazy. It probably wasn't a good image for the star of this event to be distracted, and also in a place where all the nobles were gathered.
«I've been thinking, how's getting my name back?».
I figured he was worried I would ruin the event if he didn't give me an answer. The marquis fixed his eyes on the empty throne and responded quickly. «As I said then, it will take two more months».
«Two months, huh?»
«That was our agreement».
«It was», I conceded with a giggle. «But... Now that I think about it, I think it's too long. I want to advance it a little».
The marquis did not answer. The performance was over and it was time to resume the event. He gave me a scolding look and launched himself again to praise the palace.
Wow, I understand you're busy, but you should have answered. This doesn't give me a choice. Barbarians don't understand you if you don't speak loud and clear.
The marquis, who was giving a long speech about how great and merciful the king was, finally shouted: «May the king's light be with you!». We had reached the last part of the ceremony, according to the briefing that the marchioness sent me. «Now, Squad Leader Riehen Schuitz, speak up!»
It was a kind of ceremonial report. The moment we gave it, our long expedition would officially come to an end.
[You have launched gigantization. Your physique increases in proportion to your strength].
That's why I used Transcendence to increase my size even more. I needed to be at least that big for people to see me, right? Thousands of eyes instantly flew towards me as my body grew.
«How dare you use your skills inside the palace?!»
«Do you know where you are?! This is an insult to the king!»
Some people were angry because I was using a skill. On the other hand, it was Bjorn Yandel's characteristic ability.
«G-Gigantization?»
«Is it a coincidence?»
«Wait, his face looks alike...»
«But that man is dead.»
«More importantly, it was an evil spirit...»
Those in the crowd who had added two and two posed questions. And the marquis? He fell on his back as soon as I turned on the gigantization.
What, you thought I was going to kill him here?
Deslick.
I turned away from the marquis and calmly looked at the empty throne. «I will tell the truth before the one true monarch».
My eyes were looking ahead, but I spoke out loud so everyone in the room could hear me. I said each person's name clearly, carrying in my heart the feelings that I could not convey to the bereaved families.
«Pyke Neldine». He had been accused of being a traitor and executed in Ice Rock. At the time I thought it was for the best, but now I regretted it. If he really wanted the expedition to fail, he could have been our ally.
«Philip Aintropi.» The navigator on Kaislan's team had lost his life in the Deadwood ambush while we waited to be rescued. His head was crushed. Although we didn't exchange many words, I later learned about him from Kaislan. He was an obedient son who never married and cared for his elderly parents.
«Might Million». He was hit by the thorn of the End of the World and died instantly while escaping Deadwood. He didn't even scream. I would probably ask myself this for the rest of my life: Was he unable to avoid that blow? Or did he let himself be hit on purpose even though he could have?
«Fiona Amos.» He had killed her with a stroke of luck while launching Mass Teleportation with the other mages. «Niaro Campbell.» It had been a priest murdered trying to help a wounded warrior on the front.
«Milburn Naria.» Our always polite Troll summoner. Although he saved everyone, he chose a lonely death to protect us one last time. I prayed that he would wake up in a house filled with the aroma of coffee.
«Matt Hybridham.» He had been a paladin in a tank position, but I made him take off all his armor. As we advanced by force, without equipment, he lost his life just before reaching the top of the Glacier Eye.
«Percival Eric Coulson.» He was an old friend of Kaislan and subordinate of the same unit. As I mourned his death, Kaislan comforted me and told me that since I was there, he didn't give up until the end. That meant his death made sense.
That is... the burden I will have to carry from now on.
I continued: «Rick Jugusta». After regrouping, he was killed during our fight against Noark. The cause of his death was the same End of the World thorn that killed Might Million. «Ventis Gerod». When the Order of the Rose attacked us from the rear, they stayed behind to give other squad members time to get to safety. He was a man who always talked about romance. Since I was a special abilities user who had done the job of a warrior, I assumed that guaranteed some luck in love.
«Roita Mamander.» Killed by the Order of the Rose while providing support from the top of a cliff. He had been a very strict priest. «McKelly Rayothers.» The wizard of Akurava's team. After being subjected to Soul Extraction, he never woke up. «Roan Veliaro». He had been a man with a sense of humor whose motto was «here to have a good time, not much time». He died in the surprise attack that the Order of the Rose carried out under the cover of darkness.
«Jun.» A noble paladin who had died standing. He was a great man until the end, to the point that even his enemies did not realize that he had died until much later.
«Tsuon Irivan.» The goalkeeper of Team Two. When the part of Sven Parav's line broke, his body was shattered by a monster summoned by Karui's priest. But despite his condition, he had asked for a priest before he died. If I remember correctly, I had asked them to sing a hymn of hope, even though he couldn't hear it due to the Soul Extraction penalty.
«Futa Rickerburn». The guy who worked as an arranger for the Duke of Kealunus. It was a multipurpose device that served as both a scout and a damage dealer at close range. His combat skills had been mediocre, but it seemed that in the end he managed to kill two Roses in a row. I couldn't believe it when I found out later. If he could have filmed a video, he would have been put at his funeral. Duke, your fixative was a big son of a bitch.
«...What strength!» Before I knew it, I was surrounded by knights who were grabbing my arms and trying to knock me down. But I figured they weren't great optics.
«Tall». The marquis called the knights.
Why do you do something useful for once?
«Periton Ariabos, Benjamin Orman.» These two defeated the evil invocation of the evil god with the best finials and self-sacrifice spells available to priests. If it weren't for them, they would all have died.
«Riard Ashed.» He had used Awakening, just like Dwalkie. Not only did he deal a critical blow to the evil god's summoning, but he had also killed three Roses. Marrone told me in tears the day before the labyrinth closed. She had planned to cast the spell herself, but Ashed had stopped her.
«Guold Aldidi.» This man risked his life to cross the front and save me so I could get back to work. He was sure that old man had wanted to live too.
Yes, many people died.
As he recited their names one by one, he could feel the weight of each one. But still, I moved on, calm and collected. After all, he was making a final report. «Twenty fatalities».
Twenty of the people who accepted this dangerous mission, twenty people with hopes and dreams, had died. They died in that cold and frozen place, miserable and alone, desperately longing for something better. Of course, not everyone was a good person. There was one who embezzled public funds from his company, and even Jun admitted that he tortured innocent people. Rickerburn probably did all kinds of dirty work during his tenure as the duke's fixer. There were definitely some who would say their deaths were appropriate. However, one thing was clear.
Nobody deserves to die like this.
We had survived thanks to them. That's why he could say it with pride, even if it was just another attempt to survive.
«Lilith Marrone, Versyl Gowland, James Calla, Melend Kaislan, Sven Parav, Ravieniastorus, Emily Raines, Titana Akurava, Erwen Fornacci di Tersia...». Before saying the last name, I looked at the marquis. He looked at me with a business smile. I seemed to have decided that there was no point in trying to stop when I had already used gigantization.
The marquis's eyes locked on me as he spoke, his voice low and soft. «Tsk, if you had waited a little longer, things would have been better for both of you».
Yes, for you, maybe. But if I don't claim my name soon, I'll be too vulnerable. Let's level the playing field a little.
«Proud baronet of the kingdom,» I shouted grandiloquently in front of thousands of nobles, «I, Bjorn, son of Yandel, have completed my mission and declare our return in the name of the expedition!»
I'm back.