A devil had appeared and it had been subjugated. This event was immediately reported to the Royal Castle. Well, since Military Personnel were there, they had probably reported immediately. When I arrived home, an envoy from the Royal Castle came over.

“Welcome home s.h.i.+n-sama, Prince Augusto, Julius-sama, Thor-sama, Sicily-sama, and Maria-sama.”

“I’m home, Alex-san.”

“s.h.i.+n-sama, the envoy from the Royal Palace has arrived.”

“An envoy from the Royal Palace?”

“It would seem so. Because a second devil had suddenly appeared, that event alone has caused a commotion in the Royal Castle. And since someone has subjugated it, they cannot afford to not reward the subjugator.

“Haaa… It looks like it’s going to be a troublesome conversation…”

“What are you saying, s.h.i.+n-sama! Or rather, it’s only natural!”

“Alex-san?”

“When we heard s.h.i.+n-sama had subjugated the devil, we were very worried, but at the same time, we felt really proud! It is only natural for you to be commended!”

Another gatekeeper-san kept nodding his head eagerly in agreement.

“I-Is that so…”

Leaving the excited Alex-san behind, I entered the house. Upon entering the house, I saw the envoy from the Royal Palace, and Uncle Dis was also there.

No, what are you doing? Uncle Dis. The envoy was standing upright in attention.

“Why is Uncle Dis also here? Can’t you see that you’re petrifying the envoy?”

“Hmm, about my presence, I thought it was necessary for me to personally talk to s.h.i.+n-kun, Merlin-dono, and Melinda-s.h.i.+ face to face.”

“Why’s that?”

“Before that… hey, you, envoy.”

“Ye-yes! s.h.i.+n Walford-dono! A devil appeared, which is considered as a national crisis, and despite the danger to your own life, you nevertheless went to subjugate it! Therefore, in the name of Earls.h.i.+de Kingdom, we hereby confer to you the medal of the “First Order” to express our grat.i.tude. Hence, s.h.i.+n Walford-dono, we would like you to attend the invest.i.ture ceremony!

He said it all under one breath. The moment the medal was mentioned… grandpa and grandma’s expression, and the atmosphere around them, changed.

“Diseum… didn’t you say it before? That you weren’t going to use s.h.i.+n for political reasons. And yet, what’s with this treatment?”

“I also heard you say it… What does this mean?”

Grandpa and grandma are scary. Everyone held their breaths at the never-before-felt tense atmosphere.

“I came here today because I thought you might ask that.”

Uncle Dis began to explain the reason why he was here.

“This time, a devil had appeared after several dozens of years. In the past, when a devil had suddenly appeared, Earls.h.i.+de Kingdom was on the verge of its downfall. The threat that had accompanied it is something the people in this Kingdom will never forget. And that threat has once again appeared. This circ.u.mstance has already reached the ears of many people. And we’ve also conveyed that it was immediately subdued. In this Kingdom, the appearance and the subjugation of a devil is a situation that cannot be kept secret.”

“That is something I already knew about. What I want to know is the meaning of conferring a medal.”

“That is, Merlin-dono, Melinda-dono, when the two of you subdued the devil back then, you were awarded a medal, so we cannot afford to not give an award for the same achievement.”

“Hmm…”

“Certainly, it is as you have said…”

I see, when one looks at it, I have accomplished the same thing as grandpa and grandma. That’s why it would be strange if I wasn’t awarded the same medal as grandpa and grandma. Well, I understand that I’m being awarded a medal for the same achievement, however…

“Naturally, there will be some people who would try to use him for political reasons, but I will try to prevent it to the utmost of my abilities. If it pleases you, we could announce it during the ceremony. Therefore, would you please grant my selfish request? Not for my sake, but for the sake of the people in this Kingdom, please grant me this favor!”

After he said that, he bowed his head deeply.

“Y-your Majesty!”

“Father…”

The envoy and Gus were both surprised. I guess it was only natural. Their almighty King was bowing deeply towards an elderly man, despite the latter being a Hero. There’s no one who would not be surprised.

“Merlin-dono, Melinda-dono. I would also like to ask this of you. Please grant this request.”

“Even the Prince!”

Gus also lowered his head and bowed deeply. And when the envoy saw the scene, he also…

“P-please grant this request!”

He also bowed his head.

The King, the Prince who is soon to be the Crown Prince, and the envoy; when these three people all lowered their heads, grandpa and grandma both had complicated expressions, but eventually…

“…Haaa…. I understand. Diseum, I will believe in your words. However, the moment those words turn untrue, we will leave this Kingdom. And we will no longer have any relations. Is that fine?”

“I understand. I’m fine with those conditions.”

“Also, the King of a country cannot lower his head readily.”

“This time, I judged that it was a necessary thing for me to do.”

“Even so… good grief, from one thing to another… troubles keep happening.”

“Wai—! It’s not my fault, is it?”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s never boring with s.h.i.+n around.”

“Umm… I’m sorry… I’m the one who caused all the trouble…”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Sicily. The fault lies with this child, because trouble seems to always find its way to him.”

“It’s not my fault!”

When I yelled in response, everyone looked at me with sympathetic eyes. Wh-what’s with everyone…

“Certainly, he does seem to get involved with a lot of trouble. The event that just happened is a prime example. If possible, could you tell me the detailed information of what exactly happened?”

I immediately told them the details of the event. Although it was mostly me speaking, the others would add their input from time to time, and we finished telling the account of the event. And then…

“An artificially made devil!?”

Uncle Dis was greatly surprised. However, I felt that he wasn’t surprised because he had heard something unbelievable. Why is that?

“Are you certain of that?”

“No, it’s just a speculation as of now. I have no conclusive evidence to prove it.”

“Hmm… This is…”

Uncle Dis had an incomprehensible expression on his face. Of course, this is only natural after hearing such a thing.

“s.h.i.+n-kun, Augusto, Thor, Julius, Sicily, Maria, and everyone else. I’m ordering a gag order on this information. You must never reveal it to anyone. Do you understand?”

And so, we were forbidden to share this information.

“I understand, but I’ve already spoken of this information to my cla.s.smates in S Cla.s.s and the teacher?”

“We have to deal with this situation right away. Dispatch a messenger to each individual, and tell them not to leak the information.”

“I understand. To be honest, I really want to let everyone know, but…”

“I’m sorry, but I have to deal with this problem as quickly as possible.”

Thus, Uncle Dis immediately left. Regarding the ceremony, it looks like they will contact us on a later date.

And so, the investigation pertaining to the event has started. It looks like the House of Ritzburg will also be investigated. However, the fate of Cart’s father has yet to be decided.

When one looks at it, it was just Cart going out of control. However, because Cart was placed under house arrest, it was their responsibility to guard and supervise him, but they didn’t even noticed that he had escaped.

Nevertheless, since there was a possibility that Cart was a victim of human experimentation, some form of leniency might be given to the House of Ritzburg. It seems that everything would be taken under consideration.

However, it is certain that Cart’s father will resign from his position as the Vice Minister of the Financial Bureau. Would the family then return to their main estate? This was the question of the majority.

Every single n.o.bility in this Kingdom has their own territory. If so, why do they live in the Royal Capital, and work for the government?

The reason goes all the way back to the founding of the Kingdom. At that time, when the country was recently founded, those who provided commendable service received various territories and status of an aristocrat. Nevertheless, those families still continued to stay in the Royal Capital in case of any revolt. The actual management of their territories was left for their Stewards to handle, while the families lived and stayed in the Royal Capital for more than half a year.

This was not compulsory, but something the n.o.bles voluntarily did, or so it seemed. Although it was not a crime for aristocrats and their family members to not live in the Royal Capital, it seemed that they would receive extreme amount of criticism from other n.o.bles if they didn’t.

By the way, Sicily’s, Maria’s, Thor’s, and Julius’ Houses all have territories.

The territory of Sicily’s House is at a foot of a mountain. The place has a hot spring, and apparently other n.o.bles have villas there. It is a famous tourist destination, and although the town isn’t that big, it seems to have large tax revenue, or so it seems. Because they spent quite a large amount on road construction, more and more people come to visit the town each year.

The territory of Maria’s House is located at a seaside town, where the fis.h.i.+ng and s.h.i.+pping industries are prosperous. The place is quite popular among travelers as a gourmet and fis.h.i.+ng town with its delicious dishes, especially seafood. And because the s.h.i.+pping industry is thriving, it makes the town all the more exotic.

The territory of Thor’s House doesn’t seem to specialize in any production. With that said, they focus on training craftsmen, and the products from that town form a brand.

The territory of Julius’ House is surrounded by mountains and the sea, which seems to be a resort. During the summer, one can hike, camp, and have a barbecue, while during the winter, one can ski in the mountains. The area is outlined by a white sand beach as far as the eye can see. There are also many buildings such as the resort facilities, resort hotels, high-rise condominium, and various others. n.o.bles and other people with status seems to spend their holidays on this land.

The resort of a Samurai…

Because there are many territories between ourselves, we started talking about visiting the territories one by one during our long vacation.

I’m quite interested in the Samurai’s resort…

The next day, I wondered what to do with the escorting duty, but in the end, it proceeded as usual.

The reason is, me.

“Hey, hey! Look, look! It’s s.h.i.+n-sama!”

“So he is the new Hero-sama, huh….”

“Whoa… How cool.”

“I wonder, who are the people he’s with?”

“As expected of s.h.i.+n-sama, he has already decided who to go with.”

“How enviable…”

Right, Uncle Dis had explained it yesterday; the people of Earls.h.i.+de Kingdom already knew about the appearance of a devil and the person who subdued it. The reason why the people in this country have great respect for grandpa and grandma is because they subjugated a devil in the past, so when another one appeared and their grandson was the one who subdued it, it was easy to imagine people wanting to approach me. For that reason, we thought that if Sicily and Maria were together with me, not too many people would try and approach.

By the way, this plan was concocted by grandma. Sicily and Maria’s parents have also given their approvals.

“Sicily, Maria, I’m sorry… for getting you wrapped up in all this commotion as well…”

“It’s not a problem at all. Please don’t mind it too much.”

“That’s right. Since we’re indebted to s.h.i.+n-kun, this much is not a problem.”

“That’s right.”

“But you know…”

“That’s not all. From the very beginning, it was my intention to go together with s.h.i.+n-kun. Please don’t disregard my intent.”

Sicily returned the words I said to her when I told her I would be her escort.

“Did I say something like that?”

“Fufu, did you say it indeed?”

“Haaa… What’s with this feeling… that I’m being left out?”

“What are you talking about.”

“That’s right. We’re not leaving you out at all.”

“These guys…”

Maria pressed her head down. It’s probably impossible for Maria to be an outcast.

In the meantime, we arrived at the academy. However, I was uneasy upon arrival, because I felt various glances on me. As I thought, I’m being observed.

I can also see many people whispering to each other. However, I do not know what they are saying.

“Haa… How depressing…”

“But that can’t really be helped. I mean, it’s because a new Hero has emerged.”

“It’s possible that students from other cla.s.ses also came to see you.”

“Please stop it…”

When we arrived at the cla.s.sroom, it finally calmed down. All the people here were the ones who had listened to my explanation yesterday. And they conversed with me normally.

“Good morning s.h.i.+n.”

“Good morning, s.h.i.+n-dono.”

“s.h.i.+n-dono, good morning.”

Everyone is behaving normally, thank goodness.

“Hey… yesterday, messengers from the Royal Palace came to my house…”

“They also came to my house.”

“They came to my place as well.”

“Mine, too.”

Today, even Alice has arrived.

“While I was on my way to the academy, I was looking at the state of the city. Everyone was talking about how a new Hero was born.”

“I also noticed it, however, about our conversation yesterday…”

“Yeah. I can’t say I’m happy about it.”

“When my family found out about it, all of them asked to recount the happening excitedly… But because they were too excited, I felt kind of strange telling them.”

Everyone seems to be thinking about it in various ways. However, everyone has the same common feeling; it was camaraderie formed after seeing the same event together, which makes me glad. They don’t see me as someone special.

“Hey everyone! Get back to your own seats, cla.s.s will begin soon!”

Alfred-sensei came to cla.s.s as usual, and homeroom started. Although sensei was also here yesterday, he’s behaving as he usual.

“Because of the commotion in the academy yesterday, everyone is restless. Especially Walford, be sure to be careful, okay? As much as possible, stay with the other students and don’t wander by yourself, because you’ll get mobbed, understand?”

“s.h.i.+n. Seriously, don’t play around and act alone. A panic will really happen you were to get mobbed.”

“Eh? Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Is that so… It turns out to be far bigger than I expected… I thought it stopped at people looking from afar and whispering.

“If possible, stick together with some of the girls. Because if there are only males around, won’t you get surrounded by girls?”

“Are you serious?”

“Ah, why don’t you try getting surrounded by women, and then you’ll know how troublesome it is…”

Somehow, I finally realized something… Although Gus is like that, he’s still a Prince. So whenever he’s at a social party, he’s probably always surrounded.

“Haaa… It’s such a ha.s.sle…”

“Just give up. The uproar will become even bigger after you’ve received the bestowal.”

“Are you serious…”

This incident is getting bigger and bigger.

The Research Society Information Session that was cancelled yesterday eventually took place today, which turned out to be troublesome.

“Walford-kun! By all means, please join our ‘Offensive Magic Research Society!"”

“What are you saying! He is someone whom Melinda-sama has personally taught, you know!? Only our ‘Life Improvement Research Society’ is suitable for him to join!”

“No, no. I heard that when the devil appeared yesterday, he used a sword to defeat it. With such wonderful use of Body Strengthening Magic, Walford-kun should join our ‘Body Language Research Group."”

“Walford-kun! Since you are the Hero-sama’s grandson, there is no one more worthy than you joining our “Hero Research Group!” By all means, please join us.”

The solicitation to join research groups was unbelievable…

Since we have already created our own Research Society, we cannot enter any others. And when we told the uppercla.s.smen, they drooped their shoulders and backed down. However, this time, we were flooded by applications from other freshmen students to join our research group.

“U-um! Walford-kun, I heard you launched your own Research Society!”

“Is it possible for you to let me join!?”

“I also want to join!”

“Me as well!”

“Aaaaaaahhhh! Just wait a minute! I cannot hear you all properly when you guys talk at the same time!!”

Since it was too overwhelming for me, I entrusted the members.h.i.+p applications to Alfred-sensei.

However, it was impossible to admit everyone, and thus, in order to join, they had to meet the minimum requirement that was set.

They have to be able to use extra-dimensional storage s.p.a.ce.

That was the requirement Alfred-sensei had set.

Since everyone in S Cla.s.s is able to use it, and the difficulty to use it is moderate, it seems like a reasonable requirement.

In the end, only two people from A Cla.s.s was able to join, and there wasn’t anyone from either B Cla.s.s or C Cla.s.s.

The two are childhood friends, and their names are Mark Bean and Olivia Stone. A son of a blacksmith, and a daughter of a cafe owner.

In order to help their parents, the moment they found out that they had magic talents, the first thing they learnt after entering the Advanced Academy was extra-dimensional storage s.p.a.ce magic. It was for delivery and shopping.

Because of all of the clamor, I was exhausted by the time we returned to the cla.s.sroom.

“You see? It has become an uproar, right?”

“Ah… I have finally realized it…”

“It was quite troublesome…”

“We’re sorry… During the information session, we weren’t able to do anything…”

“No, no, being able to recruit two people is not that bad.”

“Well, with this, we were able to overcome one of the troublesome things. It’ll probably be quiet from now on until the day of the ceremony.”

Was what Gus said. Certainly, normal cla.s.ses will start after this. Since there aren’t any more event such as the information session, it’ll probably quiet down. After this, it’ll be fine as long as I’m careful. Or so I think.

Surely, there won’t be any more commotion such as this…

In a conference room inside the Royal Palace, the King, Diseum, the Chief of Military Affairs, Dominic, and the Head of the Security Office, Dennis Wheeler, have gathered.

The Military Affairs are in-charge of preventing foreign invasions and the subjugation of demons, while the Security Office are in-charge of domestic security and maintaining peace in the Kingdom. In a sense, both departments can be categorized and play the same role as law enforcements.

And so, the information given by s.h.i.+n was pa.s.sed onto Dominic and Dennis.

“What did you say! Did you say that there exists a possibility of devils being produced artificially!?”

“Yeah, this is the impression of s.h.i.+n, who personally fought against one. And after listening to the details, I think that it is not inaccurate to say that the possibility is absurd.”

“And so… there exists the possibility of an increase in artificially made devils…”

“Ah, Dominic, after hearing you make your report, my intuition tells me that this matter is related.”

“It looks like someone is orchestrating something…”

“However, I don’t know who it is, or the reason why. The current on-going investigation should be able to tell us, but…”

“This situation might very well become extremely serious.”

“We cannot let that happen! Dominic, Dennis, this time the Military Affairs and the Security Office will work together and thoroughly investigate this matter! Make sure not to miss anything!”

” “By your will!” ”

When Diseum left the conference room, Dominic and Dennis stayed behind.

“Nevertheless… When I first heard the report, I thought that there was no way this could be possible…”

“I never dreamed that it would be possible to artificially produce a devil.”

“If we thoroughly investigate the eldest son of the Ritzburg House, who turned into a devil, I’m sure a person of interest will appear, and we will uncover the evil scheme.”

“That’s right. We need to cooperate with each other.”

The remaining two people directed their intense anger to the malicious person whom they did not know.