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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 223 Part 2

CHAPTER 223: THE BLOODLINE PART 2

Well, yes, I could certainly see why His Majesty would think that.

And it was precisely because of that fact that I was unable to find a single word to defend Arios, even if I tried.

「If, and that is a mere speculation on my end, something was to happen in the future…… Something that would serve to shake the situation in a drastic way…… At that time, we might need to seek out a new Hero. One that would replace Arios in his mission.」

「And I’m correct to assume that this someone would be me?」

「Yes, I would like to keep you on the list of the suitable candidates from this point onwards. So, I guess that without mincing words too much, you would serve as the Hero backup.」

「I can see that you are getting straight to the point, Your Majesty……」

「At this point in the game, I don’t think that trying to hide that fact would do me any good. Besides, I have decided that it would be better to lay that information to you straight on, instead of trying to cover it up with fancy words.」

I guess that it was only expected of the King. He seemed to be an excellent judge of character.

「With that being said, there might come a time when I will turn towards you for your help. What do you say to that, Shroud? Will you lend us your power at that time?」

「…… Well, that’s a rather selfish request, if anything.」

The other party here is the King, but even so, words like that came out of my mouth without a second thought.

At the current moment Arios is the one carrying the burden of being called the Hero……

But as soon as the situation regarding him turns south and becomes unsalvageable, the King would simply throw him away and turn towards other candidates.

I don’t really think that doing something like that is fair towards Arios. That is why I called out this request for being selfish.

「You might say that about me, but I will do whatever it takes to protect this country. That’s what being a King is all about. You would do well to remember that.」

「……………」

「Oh well, I know that this was perhaps a lot to take in at one moment, so you don’t really have to answer me right away. Think about it, take your time. For the time being, we have Arios to rely on, for whatever that is worth. We can worry about the rest when the appropriate time comes.」

So, does that mean that the King is actually thinking about those other matters, but to a lesser extent, perhaps?

「For the time being, I want you to take your time and think about it, but no need to overthink things. Digest it at your own pace. And if you can do that…… I hope that you are going to be ready to give me your answer the moment when the right time comes around.」

「…… Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty, but…… What if I fail to meet Your Majesty’s high expectations of me?」

「Oh, I do believe that you are a “good” person. So I strongly believe you would never willingly choose to abandon your own people.」

It was a really cowardly thing to say, even for a King.

***

The banquet lasted way into the night.

And then it finally ended the moment that the last guest was so heavily drunk that they were unable to stand on their own two feet any longer.

Kanade, Tanya, Sora, and Luna, who seemed to have been drinking heavily alongside eating in excess, were blushing all over, and fell asleep as soon as they got into their beds.

Nina, as she was still a child, did not drink, but she ate a whole lot and got sleepy before long, so she also went to her bed quickly.

Tina couldn’t eat any of the food, but she seemed to be drunk from the atmosphere alone and went to bed as well.

「Fuuh.」

After putting everyone else to their beds, I left the room.

As expected, the rooms for our party were separated by gender.

As for my own room, it was the one that was right next to the one that the girls were using.

「……………」

However, since I just didn’t feel like going to bed right away, I went down to the courtyard.

It was a very large and spacious courtyard.

Lots of greenery and flowers were in full bloom across all of it, and there was a small canal imitating a river that was going through it.

There were also a whole lot of insects and animal noises that could be heard all over the place, serving as a sort of background melody.

「Is something the matter, Rein-san?」

I turned around and saw Thalia-sama entering the courtyard.

She was wearing her nightgown, not the dress she wore at the time of the banquet.

Was it really okay for me to be witnessing the Princess being dressed like that?

I hesitated for a moment out there, but decided that since Thalia-sama was imposing to approach me while being dressed like that, it must have not been that much of a problem.

「I thought I might actually catch a bit of a night breeze.」

「Could it be that you have trouble falling asleep?」

「More than that, it’s just that I have a whole lot of things to think about.」

「Could it be that it is something related to the conversation you had with my Father during the banquet?」

「You are very perceptive, Your Highness. Could it be that you can actually read people’s minds?」

「Fufu, I wonder about that.」

Thalia-sama smiled mischievously as she said that.

She seemed to have a surprisingly mischievous personality.

「Could it be that my Father said something to you, Rein-san? Or did he asked something of you that could pretty much get you into trouble?」

「Well…… I guess that you could say that.」

I was told not to mention the matter of my bloodline to anyone else, so I decided to evade the subject for the time being.

「Oh my, I’m sorry to hear that. My Father can sometimes be really reckless, saying things without thinking.」

「Oh, no, not at all. Please, Thalia-sama, it’s not your fault, so you don’t have to worry about it in the slightest……」

「I beg to disagree here. After all, my Father’s problems are also my own problems. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.」

「Thalia-sama……」

「Of course, even if my father isn’t involved, if you have any problems, just let me know. I’ll help you out with them in any way I can. After all, I still haven’t paid you back for all of the kindness and help that you have done for me.」

「Thank you very much. I will be sure to tell you if there will be anything that you could help me with.」

「Yes, please be sure to do that.」

The matter of my bloodline……

As well as the promise that I have made with Thalia-sama……

A lot of things have happened since I came to this royal capital.

Maybe this was an actual turning point in my life?

What will the future bring for me?

I looked up at the night sky and thought about it, but I couldn’t possibly find the answer to that question.