The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

After leaving the audience chamber, Shien's groups started chatting about what they're going to be doing next.

"I'm going to be leading my knights back to Lamdrion. What do you guys plan on doing?"

Balon turned around and asked everyone.

He's Lamdrion's highest authority after all. Now that the quest is complete and he has received his reward from the Kingdom, it's only natural that he should hurry and get back.

"I'm going back too!"

Leon hurriedly revealed his plans.

There's no way that he can stay any longer. He doesn't want come back here ever again.

The Capital is a place that really crushed him, so there's no way that he'd want to stay here any longer. All he wants now is to hurry up and get back to Lamdrion and continue his usual business of mooching off of women.

"I'm going to stay here."

Alrith stated instead while raising his hand.

"During this bit of time, my comrades and I have been staying at the Capital's adventurer's guild. We ended up getting to know a lot of seniors there and we saw many more challenging quests. Therefore, we had decided some time ago that we're going to base ourselves in the Capital from now on, and continue our adventuring from here."

This is the origin place of adventurers after all. After seeing so many more strong people and higher level quests, it's only natural for Alrith and his group to have been greatly drawn.

Although over here, they'd no longer be one of the top adventuring parties, given that there's lots of adventuring parties stronger than them here. However, if they continued on from here and they managed to properly establish themselves, Alrith and his group will probably get much stronger, much faster, right?

In other words, Alrith doesn't plan on going back anymore.

"Alright, I'll let guildmaster Leili know for you." Balon nodded before turning toward Vivian, "What are you guys planning to do then?"

In response, Vivian didn't immediately give an answer. Instead, she looked toward Shien who was acting like it all had nothing to do with him.

"What do you think? Shien?"

Vivian asked for Shien's opinion.

"Me, huh?" Shien raised an eyebrow but didn't particularly hesitate, "I don't really want to stay all that much. There are a lot of annoying people here. Same for troublesome stuff. If there not for other factors, I really would rather immediately return to Lamdrion."

"Unfortunately for you, there are indeed other factors, no?" Vivian smiled, "Therefore, you want to stay?"

The others reacted to Vivian's words before Shien could even respond.

"True enough. It's only natural that you'll want to stay."

Balon deeply understood. He was also quite admiring.

"… If I had met with such great fortunes, I wouldn't want to leave either."

Leon understood as well, and what followed afterwards was a flash of admiration along with envy.

"???"

Shien was just stunned there though, question marks popping out of his head.

I'm not the one with an issue here. No, it's you guys.

What are you understanding exactly? What are you admiring about too?

Vivian answered Shien's question with a smile.

"After all, her highness is here in the Capital. We can all understand why you might want to stay here."

Vivian felt quite emotional at that.

"Wait!" Shien immediately interrupted everyone's understanding and unhesitatingly corrected them, "You think I'm staying here for that guy? Don't be crazy! I'm staying for that month of access rights to the underground magic book library!"

That's how it is.

The reason that Shien wanted to stay in the Capital is only for the sake of that underground magic book library.

It contains the accumulated collection of the Kingdom for the past thousand years after all. It also has numerous other tomes collected from various places around the world. It's size is incomparable to that of the Lamdrion adventurer's guild's library, so it's practically a treasure trove for Shien.

Could he really just up and leave after all his efforts at getting this treasure that he was completely satisfied with?

No matter what, he's going to have to stay for the next month at least. He's going to be taking this opportunity to go through every magic book in there possible and learn all that he can from them.

"That's the reason why I'm staying here. It's not for that princess at all, alright?"

Shien was very insistent.

However, all that got him was everyone's disbelieving looks.

"I don't believe you." Leon was the first to give his opinion, "Given that you were able to forge such a close relationship with her highness, I don't believe that you'd be willing to simply throw that away and leave."

"I don't believe it either." Alrith was the second to speak, "That's princess Lucilosti after all, the treasure of the Kingdom. If it was me, I wouldn't be willing to leave that kind of opportunity even if my party tried to literally drag me away."

"Indeed." Balon nodded solemnly, "Countless people won't have such an opportunity no matter how much they want it. However, you just so happened to end up as the luckiest person in the world. There's no way that we'd believe that you'd want to leave."

Hearing those words, Shien really did get a sudden urge to crush those guys to death.

Don't you know that such actions are that of a loser?

No wonder that you can only admire and envy. Really, that's just what you deserve.

While Shien was thinking that, Vivian also gave her own similar views on the matter.

"I've been in the Capital for many years now, and I'm at least somewhat familiar with her highness. However, I've never seen her highness be so close to anyone before, and that includes even princess Liadella or Leili. It's only when her highness is with you that her atmosphere is obviously different, where her closeness with you is to the point where anyone could clearly notice it. That's just how much her highness trusts you from the depths of her heart, proof of how much she has opened her heart to you. You truly are fortunate, so you should properly value the fate that brought you two together."

Vivian patted Shien on the shoulder and gave him a wistful and encouraging look.

Unquestionably, right now Shien is just feeling quite beleaguered.

What do you mean by trust from the depths of her heart?

What do you mean by proof of opening her heart?

That's all only because she had exposed her true self before me. That's the only reason why she's so unguarded toward me!

"I really aren't staying because of her."

Shien could only so explain with a red face.

And obviously, no one believed him.

"Really! Please believe me!"

Shien was on the verge of collapse.

"I'd rather jump down from here into the lake and drown than to stay here for the sake of that princess!"

Shien could stop himself from swearing a serious oath.

However, when he did so, Shien only felt a chill run down his back. Vivian and the others facing him also went stiff and unmoving.

Right then…

"… So you actually dislike me that much huh?"

A chilling voice came from behind Shien.

Shien's mouth involuntarily twitched as he slowly turned his head and looked behind him.

Lucy had gotten there at some unknown point and was calmly looking at Shien. She was displaying the coolness and calmness of her princess mode to its absolute limits.

However, from Lucy's gaze, Shien could see wrath that was barely being held back from erupting.

"Y-your highness…?"

Vivian, Balon, Alrith, and Leon all started shaking.

Only then did Lucy turn toward them.

"My apologies, I have some matters to deal with, so I'm going to borrow this person for now. There's no problem with that, right?"

As she spoke, Lucy was emitting an aura that was even more terrifying than what Shien had displayed back during the audience.

"O-of course there's no problems with that!"

Vivian and the rest immediate nodded rapidly.

"Wait!" Shien hurriedly shouted, "I'm going with you guys!"

What his words got in reply was a calm voice.

"You're coming with me!"

As she said that, Lucy grabbed Shien by the back of his shirt and dragged him away, uncaring of his struggling.

Vivian and the rest could only watch as all this took place before exchanging glances.

"Vivian, do you think it's really possible for the princess?"

Balon couldn't hold himself back from asking that question.

In response, Vivian just laughed.

That's because…

"Before I wasn't sure, but now…"

Perhaps, those two really might end up together?

As she thought that, Vivian couldn't help but get a sense of anticipation.

This is the pairing of the Hero of another world and the Hero of the current age after all.

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