Slime Reincarnation

King Warenheid gave me a crisp wink as he looked my way. Every bit the mischief loving, roguish middle aged king.

During our earlier chat about the capital, I’d trashed talked a fair number of nobles pretty mercilessly, hadn’t I? Was that going to be alright? And I’d freely aired out the cathedral’s rotten behavior, the Commercial Guild’s lax oversight, the whole business with the street children...

"Well met, ’hero who saved the kingdom,’ Sir Yabe, and your companions."

Chancellor Reberg addressed us.

"As already explained, Sir Yabe, the ’hero who saved the kingdom,’ has resolved numerous crises that could rightly be called national disasters, and it is only fitting that this kingdom repay such a great debt..."

"Impossible! Why... are... you... still... alive!?"

The Duke of Pleasure interrupted Chancellor Reberg’s explanation, shouting furiously.

"...What do you mean by that?"

King Warenheid turned a cold gaze on the Duke of Pleasure, pressing him for an explanation.

"Ah, no... it’s nothing..."

"Just now, you clearly spoke as though you found it unbelievable that ’hero who saved the kingdom’ Sir Yabe stood alive before this audience. What exactly is the meaning of that?"

King Warenheid pressed the flustered, stammering Duke of Pleasure further.

"...In truth, just before this audience, Sir Yabe was led out of his waiting room by a maid and attacked by an assassin. Fortunately, Sir Yabe himself sustained no injuries and no serious harm was done, but Gawain, head of the intelligence division, is currently interrogating the maid who lured him into the trap. We will report the full details once they come to light."

Chancellor Reberg drove the point home further with this explanation.

"Ngh..."

"No doubt whoever masterminded this assassination attempt was informed his head had been taken and the job finished, and felt at ease, entirely unaware that it had all been Sir Yabe’s own trap."

Chancellor Reberg spoke with evident satisfaction. Well, in truth, I hadn’t planned things quite that thoroughly. I’d simply figured that letting them believe the assassination had succeeded would buy some time.

"Grrrgh..."

Ignoring the Duke of Pleasure’s darkening expression, the king turned his attention to Yabe.

"Let us prepare a reward befitting a ’hero who saved the kingdom.’"

"Sir Yabe’s principal accomplishments are as follows."

Chancellor Reberg then listed them out:

Repelling the horde of monsters from the Dungeon Stampede in the town of Sorenarini

Suppressing terrorist activity in the town of Sorenarini and the fortress city Felbane

Healing over a thousand critically ill patients in the fortress city Felbane

Exterminating the Dark Pythons in Bahana Village

Wiping out the fifteen hundred strong orc army that attacked the commercial city of Barrietta

Assisting in suppressing the monster attack on the royal capital of Barlon

Assisting in repelling the attackers in the assault on Marquis Kirue

Defeating the Demon King Garuard, sealed within the Demon Tower

That’s a lot, honestly, not that I should be the one saying so. Setting aside the Dungeon Stampede in Sorenarini, it really did feel like these monster attacks had been deliberately staged, one after another, along my path toward the capital. ...If they’d all been targeting me specifically, that would explain why incidents kept lining up right as I arrived at each town or village. Whether directly, like the assassin, or indirectly, like the orc army, someone rotten had clearly been watching my movements and laying schemes the whole way here.

"A truly magnificent record of achievement. As such, I hereby grant Sir Yabe the title of baron within this Kingdom of Barbaroi."

The king declared this grandly.

"?"

Wait? Hadn’t I already declined the title when the reward was proposed in advance? I glanced anxiously toward the Coluna Frontier Count. He was shaking his head vigorously. So even he had no idea this was coming?

"As baron, we hope Sir Yabe will help shoulder the responsibility of securing this kingdom’s lasting peace for generations to come."

Chancellor Reberg voiced his expectations of me.

"B, b, baron!? Not even a one generation honorary knighthood!?" "Isn’t granting the rank of baron so suddenly a bit much!?"

Some nobles voiced their displeasure at King Warenheid and Chancellor Reberg’s announcement.

"I appreciate the kind consideration, but as I am simply a traveler wandering this world, I fear I would be unable to live up to the expectations that come with a noble title such as baron. Please allow me to respectfully decline."

If this hadn’t been properly communicated beforehand, there was nothing to do but explain it politely once more.

"No, no, we truly wish for Sir Yabe to help lay a cornerstone for this kingdom’s future, and hope you’ll accept the title of baron."

"No, no, from my own humble and unremarkable standing, I don’t believe I could properly fulfill such a significant role as a noble title..."

"No, no, Sir Yabe’s strength and magical power are more than sufficient to stand among the pillars supporting this kingdom."

"No, no..."

As the chancellor and I traded back and forth in this stalemate, a clear, composed voice suddenly rang out through the audience hall.

"In that case, might I ask that, as Lord Yabe’s reward, you grant me to him instead, Father?"

There stood Princess Cassina, having appeared through the very same entrance the king, queen, and chancellor had used to enter the hall.

"Oh, Cassina. But granting you as a reward to Sir Yabe...?"

"Yes. Lord Yabe, the ’hero who saved the kingdom,’ has accomplished truly magnificent feats, worthy of that very title. What matters is not only the results he has brought about, but the fact that he himself possesses power of that magnitude. That being so, there could be no greater joy than for him to accept a title and help shoulder the foundation of this kingdom."

"Indeed, but what does that have to do with granting you to him?"

Facing the king’s reasonable question, Princess Cassina answered with a full explanation.

"To grant him only the rank of baron seems to underestimate Lord Yabe’s true strength considerably. At minimum, a title of earl would seem appropriate. But before even that, Lord Yabe has already made clear, as a traveler himself, his intention to decline any title. This implicitly signals that he has no intention of remaining permanently within this kingdom, and may well travel to other nations should the need arise. That being the case, I believe the finest arrangement would be for me to serve as an anchor tying Lord Yabe to this kingdom, not through a granted title, but through myself as a person, forging that bond directly."

"Hmm... so since he won’t accept a title, you intend to marry Sir Yabe yourself, and build ties and cooperation between him and the kingdom through that bond... is that the idea?"

King Warenheid felt something close to genuine admiration, watching his own daughter, mask and all, step forward from the tower she’d long shut herself away in, declaring her position so clearly and confidently.

"That is precisely it, Father."

Cassina walked to stand beside the queen, addressing her father, King Warenheid, directly. Wearing the silver mask covering the left half of her face lent her an air of striking, unusual presence, yet her bearing carried an unmistakable, flawless elegance befitting a true princess.

Cassina then bowed once and descended the five steps from where the royal family and chancellor stood, down to where Yabe knelt waiting.

"I am Cassina Arel Barbaroi, ’hero who saved the kingdom,’ Lord Yabe. From this day forward, I intend to devote myself wholeheartedly and follow you with everything I have. I humbly ask for your continued favor, for many years to come."

She said this, lifting the hem of her dress with both hands, bowing with graceful elegance.

Even peeking out from behind the silver mask covering half her face, the smile Cassina wore couldn’t hide her beauty, shining as though proving, beyond any doubt, that she truly was this kingdom’s princess.