Four Days Before Laos' Apology
Kingdom of Yarum – The Holy Capital of Ethelas – King Yarum Adalos IV's Palace
The air buzzed with jubilant cheers and songs. Everywhere, at least twenty people could be seen clapping and whistling with joy. Poets carried their musical instruments, playing harmonious melodies that brought an infectious cheer to the scene. Away from the crowds, at the entrance of a grand palace, stood a man with a long black beard and a stern expression. A silver crown adorned with diamonds rested atop his black-haired head, and a long sword sheathed in a gleaming blue scabbard hung by his side. This was King Adalos IV, known as The Majestic King.
Adalos stood upright, his broad shoulders draped in a coal-black cloak lined with bear fur. His imposing figure exuded authority. Beside him stood two individuals. The first was a short man, sporting a white hat embroidered with gold, wrinkles lining his face, and a small monocle perched over his right eye. He wore a white robe adorned with blue gemstones and held a golden scepter topped with a pure green emerald. His posture and facial features revealed his advanced age, likely in his seventies.
The third figure was a younger woman, noticeably younger than both the king and the elderly man. She was of medium height, shorter than Adalos but taller than the elder. She clapped with a gentle smile on her face, her long blonde hair cascading over her fair skin. Her petite blue eyes complemented her curvaceous figure—ample bosom and thick thighs—which suggested she was slightly plump. She wore a yellow dress embroidered with flowers and jewels, a small golden crown resting atop her head.
"Today, amidst the cheers of my people, I announce the arrival of the heroes to the sacred Kingdom of Yarum!" Adalos bellowed in his majestic voice, raising his sword to the sky.
The crowd's cheers intensified as a group of teenagers walked slowly along a crimson carpet leading to the palace entrance where Adalos stood. These were Laos' classmates from school. As they walked, the people showered them with flowers of various kinds, chanting loudly, "Welcome, heroes!"
"This feels like a dream!" Sebastian exclaimed, marveling at his surroundings.
"This is unbelievable! We're so lucky!" Tom said, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
They continued their slow march, stunned by the grandeur around them, their eyes darting to every corner. Suddenly, Malin pointed skyward and shouted, "Are those dragons?!"
Above them, knights soared through the air on the backs of small dragons, raising their spears skyward and flying in orderly formations over the crowd, adding an enchanting, otherworldly atmosphere to the scene. The eight teenagers were left speechless, their jaws dropping at the spectacle.
"This is unsettling," Susan muttered, her eyes fixed on the dragons above.
"Come on, don't be ridiculous. There's nothing unsettling here! Everything is amazing. I feel like a god with this kind of welcome!" Kevin replied, gazing up at the sky.
"Don't overdo it," John retorted.
"We've arrived at the king. Be respectful," Linda warned.
After some time walking, the heroes finally reached Adalos. Slowly, they ascended the steps leading to the palace entrance, where Adalos stood. Upon their arrival, Adalos and the blonde woman beside him stopped clapping.
"It is the year 954, and I, King Adalos IV, alongside my wife, Queen Vinea, and the blessed Bishop August, have placed the Kingdom of Yarum at the pinnacle of the world. A mighty kingdom that has successfully summoned heroes from another world. I thank you. I thank every person in this kingdom who has placed their trust in King Adalos. I thank you all, my dear people. Today is a day that will never be forgotten! A day that will be immortalized in the history of the great Kingdom of Yarum. Yes, today we shall no longer fear the vile demons lurking about. No, we shall not. For today, the protection of the Moon Goddess, Lunariss, has arrived," declared Adalos in his commanding speech, his stern face and deep voice resonating with authority.
"And now, let the feast of celebration begin!" he added.
After this, the people let out a unified cheer in praise of their king. Adalos then retreated from the public eye, entering the palace with the heroes. He advanced slowly and sat upon his massive golden throne. His wife and the bishop stood on either side of him.
Suddenly, the teenagers bowed, feeling the king's overwhelming presence before them. However, Kevin remained standing, unmoved.
"Bow down, you fool! Do you want to get us killed?!" Susan whispered sharply.
"There's no need to bow. Your status grants you superiority over even the highest nobles of the kingdom. You are sacred heroes who have spoken directly to the great Moon Goddess herself. So please, don't embarrass me by bowing—stand tall," Adalos said, gazing at the teens before him.
"Could you introduce yourselves, heroes?" asked August as he sat down on a chair, visibly tired from standing. It was clear his back was troubling him due to his old age.
"It would be our honor. I am Susan, a lancer," Susan replied with a serious expression, exuding confidence and dignity.
"I am Sebastian, a mage."
"John, a warrior."
"Malin, an archer."
"Kevin, an assassin."
"Tom, a knight."
"Stephanie, a priestess."
"Linda, a hero."
After everyone introduced themselves, a joyful expression spread across King Adalos' face.
"My goddess!, you all possess incredible classes. The kingdom is truly fortunate to have you!" Adalos exclaimed with a smile.
"Now, if you please, the celebration in your honor will commence in the palace. Bring the maidens and maids!" Adalos declared as he rose from his throne.
Following this order, a group of girls and boys with different animal ears and scandalous and sexy clothes appeared and lined up in front of the heroes.
"Perhaps you might be weary from your journey, so allow me to offer you a group of individuals who will serve you sexually until you rest," the king announced.
At that, Sebastian and Tom quickly stepped forward and chose two girls for themselves, but none of the others opted for the sex.
"Come on, are you scared?" Sebastian exclaimed as he hugged his maid, who had big hips and orange fox ears.
"You're sixteen, keeping your virginity would be childish," Tom added, hugging his maid as well too.
But, no one else accepted, so they separated from the others and went to fuck in one of the palace's rooms.
"You don't seem to prefer sex as a form of celebration, can I compensate you with something else?" Adalos asked.
"We just want food!" Kevin replied.
"Oh sure, I was going to offer you meals after you finish having sex, but should I serve you food now, or should we wait for your friends to finish?" the king asked as he returned to his throne.
"Sex is enough for them, please bring us food, Your Majesty," Kevin answered.
"Alright, bring in the food, and let the poets begin their songs!" Adalos shouted.
The remaining six made their way to a long dining table laden with all kinds of food. Just looking at it was enough to make anyone feel full. They all took their seats, joined by Adalos, Vinea, and August. As they began eating, they were overwhelmed by the sheer variety of dishes in front of them. The atmosphere was enchanting, with poets reciting epic verses accompanied by melodious, flowing tunes.
"My God, Laos is so unlucky!" John exclaimed, stabbing his fork into a piece of seasoned meat covered in red sauce.
"Laos?" Adalos asked curiously.
"He's one of us, but he ended up with an NPC class, so he was sent to work as a servant in the princess's palace," John explained, preparing a bite of the meat.
"Ah, yes, I heard one of the summoned heroes was sent to my daughter's palace because he didn't possess a combat class," Vinea remarked.
"I've never heard of this 'NPC' class before. What is it?" Adalos asked, puzzled.
"It's something common in video games," Kevin replied.
"Video games?" the king asked again.
"Uh... forget it," Kevin added dismissively.
"What do you mean 'forget it'? Explain to me what an NPC is," Adalos demanded, his piercing gaze fixed on Kevin.
"According to Laos, an NPC is someone who's useless in society or just a dumb robot," Malin chimed in, slicing through a golden fish.
"Robot? What in the name of the goddess are you talking about?" Adalos asked yet again, baffled by their strange terminology.
"It's stuff from our world, and you wouldn't understand it, Your Majesty," Susan explained.
"Fine, you've beaten me," Adalos conceded, leaning back in his chair.
After that conversation, a long silence spread, and everyone ate quietly, leaving room for the poets who continued to sing in a harmonious and cheerful manner. Suddenly and after a while, Sebastian and Tom returned, then joined the others at the table to eat, repeating several phrases like: "Man, sex is great," "We should repeat this experience as soon as possible,"...
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for this wonderful celebration," Sebastian said as he chose what to eat.
"No problem. Now that you're all here, let me get to the point," said Adalos after placing his knife and fork down, his face now stern and filled with seriousness.
"A long time ago, a massive wave of demons from the island of Diablos attacked the kingdom. We repelled them on the western coasts, but the fight didn't last long, so their forces colonized some regions in the far west of the kingdom. This is where you come in," the king said, stroking his black beard.
"Today, all you need to do is rest in your rooms. Tomorrow, I'll explain everything about the upcoming battles," added Adalos.
And at this moment, a group of servants appeared and asked the teens or heroes to follow them to their rooms. They rose and followed the servants. Suddenly, Sebastian and Tom stopped and said:
"Can we take the maids with us to our rooms?"
"Of course, Hero," one of the servants replied.
Then, Sebastian's former maid, with fox ears, and Tom's maid, with rabbit ears, stepped forward and followed them to their rooms. After nightfall, everyone was in their respective rooms, eagerly awaiting the next day, feeling a mixture of emotions.
◆ ◆ ◆
In a luxurious room illuminated by moonlight, a girl stood by the giant window, gazing at the view outside. She was short, with short green hair and a round face, dressed in the same school uniform as the rest of her friends. Her eyes were filled with sadness as she stared at the moonlight.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, and a voice called:
"Stephanie, are you still awake?" the voice asked.
Hearing this, Stephanie walked over to open her door. Linda and Susan entered, then began staring at her face.
"You don't look well since we arrived in this world," Susan said.
"How do you expect me to be okay in this place? I want to go home," Stephanie replied, tears flowing involuntarily.
"We all want to go home, but try to be a bit more positive. We're getting a kind of attention here that we never could have gotten in our old world," Susan said, hugging her friend, who was starting to cry.
"We'll return!" Linda suddenly said with a serious expression.
"What?" Stephanie asked, wiping away her tears.
"Tomorrow, we'll ask the king to send us back to our world. I can't stand being anywhere but Earth," Linda replied.
"But think carefully. This world needs us. We're here to help them. Think about these poor people, they need us!" Susan said, staring at Linda while continuing to hug Stephanie.
"And I need my world!" Linda replied.
At this moment, Susan stopped speaking, realizing that Linda was serious and wouldn't be swayed. The only thing left for her to do was leave the room and rest to prepare for the next day. Trying to convince Linda would only lead to a headache. Once Susan left the room, Linda walked over to Stephanie, took her hands, and said with a smile and a tender voice:
"We'll return, I promise."
"Thank you," Stephanie answered, as her tears started flowing again, then she ran to hug her friend tightly.