Volume 19 - CH 12

It's late in the morning for the King of Vernia.

It's a routine for him to finally get up from his bed in the afternoon.

「Master, please have some hot water.」

Meena filled a silver glass with white water and handed it to me.

She is a dog-eared girl who has been devoted to me since I became the king.

「Yeah, thank you」

Hydration is important. Especially after a late night of strenuous exercise with a woman.

After moving my neck and shoulders, which were buzzing uselessly, I drank a glass of white water that was just the right temperature.

「Would you like an apple?」

「I'll have one.」

Meena cut up an apple for me and she put a pinch of it in my mouth.

There was a crisp sound peculiar to fresh apples, and the sweetness of fresh and cold nature passed through my throat.It's a beautiful morning.

「Yes, it's good.」

「I'm glad. These are from Soltaire. I'll buy some more.」

「Oh. By the way, did you have any plans for today?」

「No, not really.」

「I see. But being the king, I'm sure I'll get a lot of work done. ......」

I cocked my head.

After completing the coronation as King Alec and issuing the miniscule ordinance, I haven't done anything special.

「Saki-san and Serina-san are able to take care of the miscellaneous affairs.」

「I see. Well, if that's what Serina want to do, let her do what she wants.」

「Yes, sir.」

I'm sure she won't do anything crazy since I gave her a lot of anguish yesterday.

It's a wonderful harem.

「Now, let's go to breakfast.」

「I'll accompany you.」

Meena and I headed to the castle dining hall.

Then I ran into Saki in the hallway.

「Oh, darling, good morning.」

「Yeah, good morning」

「Breakfast now?」

「Yes.」

「If that's the case, I wonder if you'd like to have a dinner date with me alone today?」

She tilted her head and put her hands in a praying pose, looking up and asking for help.

She's pretty cute. Today she is dressed as a mini-skirt kunoichi ninja.

A date, huh

「Well, okay.」

「Yes! Then, I'm sorry, Meena.」

「No, if that's what you mean, you two can go ahead.」

Meena sends us off with a smile, and Saki and I head out.

The maids at the castle quickly prepared my clothes and helped me change as we walked.

「Every time I think about it, these guys are amazing.」

I didn't even stop to take a single step, but they finished changing my clothes.

「Fufu, it's the maid squad that we've been working so hard to train. Of course.」

「That's all well and good, but don't spend too much of your budget on strange things.」

「Ah, I know that. This maid squad is also a bodyguard, so loyalty is important. Of course, sex is always okay.」

「Hou. But there's a someone in the mix who's not a virgin.」

I tried to [appraise] the maids that seemed to have good faces, but the results were disappointing.

「I'm sorry, but I put the priority on skill, so bear with me there.」

「Well, that's fine for an bodyguard.」

「Yup!.」

「「「 Have a good day, master 」」」

After the maids bowed and sent us off, Saki and I walked down the main street of the castle town.

「Th-The king! The king is coming!」

「Hurry up and hide!」

I could hear such voices coming from everywhere, and I could see people hurriedly chasing the little girl into the stores, but I wondered.

「Saki, no matter how much I want to, I'm not going to attack ordinary citizens on the street. Please send out a notice about that.」

「Oh, yeah, but it seems to be a custom since the previous generation, so don't worry about it.」

「What? That king must have been a real scumbag.」

「You're right」

「So which store are you planning to go to?」

「Actually, I heard that Nottoli, a cake shop with its main store in Grandsword, is opening in Vernia today. I got a reservation ticket, so I thought I'd take a taste.」

「Wow, opening a store outside of the country, that's quite an accomplished store.」

「Yeah. I don't know the details, but it seems to have a good reputation.」

Well, the Kingdom of Grandsword is ruled by King Caius, so I'm sure there's no such thing as a crazy restaurant that puts poison or food poisoning in their food.

It's a good country with a stable government, although I don't like to meet him because he forced me into so much trouble in the Labyrinth of No Return.

I immediately went to the restaurant, but it was so crowded that there was a line.

「The last place is here. If you don't have a reservation ticket, please pick up a numbered ticket! We will be sold out soon, very soon. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we will be waiting for you again.」

「What, I waited for two hours, but I can't eat?」

「What a joke. Let's go to another restaurant.」

The customers who failed to receive their numbered tickets scattered, disappointed.

「It's a pity, but the early bird gets the worm. It's not so easy for a newly opened popular restaurant, is it?」

「Well, I guess so.」

Saki took out the reservation ticket and entered the restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant was fancy enough to be reserved for the aristocracy, but since there were VIP and general seating, I guess they were targeting the commoners as well.

Of course, Saki and I were seated in the VIP section.

「May I take your order?」

I was taken aback by the appearance of a maid wearing a mask, but I guess that's the concept of this restaurant. It was a bit like an erotic restaurant, and I was thrilled.

However, I can't see her face very well in this way, so it takes courage to take her home.

She doesn't seem to know that I'm the king, so it's a good situation.

「Two cakes for the Hero King. This is the main product here.」

「I see.」

The cakes were brought out quickly, and they seemed to have been made in advance.

The problem was the taste.

「Hmm, cheesecake, huh」

The cake seemed to be soaked in liquor and had a moist and smooth taste.

「Well, it's good, isn't it?」

Saki said so, but it was not as good as I expected because it was a popular restaurant with a long line.

But it's not inedible, and it's not bad.

「I guess it's good business for them to call this the Hero King.」

I said.

「I guess so.」

「And now, all of you who are eating! The very famous bard, Thebes, who happened to be in our restaurant, will be performing a song for us! Please welcome him with a round of applause!」

A man who seemed to be the manager of the store made such a boisterous announcement, but what a coincidence. He said he was very famous, but I'd never heard of him.

The flamboyantly dressed bard appeared amidst the applause, waving his hand smilingly, and began to play his flute on the stage at the end of the store that had been set up from the beginning.

「I don't like it.」

「Uwahh ......,I'm sorry, darling, but I didn't know there was such a thing as a prearranged happening.」

Saki clasped her hands together and apologized.

「No, it's not Saki's fault.」

The food tasted okay, and it was a fun place to talk about.

It's just that it wasn't my cup of tea.

Saki said she would make it up to me next time, but I told her not to worry about it and went back to the castle.

「Oh, welcome back, master. Where is Saki-san?」

Meena seemed to wonder why we're not returned together.

「She said she's looking for a new store. She's gone off somewhere.」

「I see. Hmmm ......」

「Well, don't worry about it.」

「Okay. And just now, a merchant came from Grandsword, bringing a letter of intent from the king to master.」

「Hmm? A letter from Caius. ...... Are they trying to force trouble on us?」

「Well, I don't know. ......」

「I'll have to read it. Is the merchant still here?」

「Yes, he's waiting in the antechamber.」

「All right, let's go see him.」

I headed for the antechamber near the throne room, knowing that I would definitely refuse any offer to dive into the Labyrinth of No Return.

「Your Majesty, the merchant is waiting for you here.」

「Umu.」

The guards bowed reverently and let me pass.

Their training is done by Lancelot, the strong swordsman and captain. So they seem to be well disciplined.

「Oooh, this is His Majesty the King!?」

He didn't expect me to come directly to this room, and the merchant was surprised.

「Ah, I heard you came with a letter of intent from the King of Grandsword.」

「Yes. Oh, please forgive my rudeness. I am truly honored to meet you. I am overjoyed.」

「Don't worry, no need for pleasantries. The king there is no stranger to rudeness, is he?」

「Oh, yes.」

The merchant, who smiled wryly, seemed to be an acquaintance of Caius.

I accepted the scroll that the merchant offered.

Waxed, and it's been sealed with magic, but ...... is this very important?

I unfolded the scroll and read it in a defensive manner, and immediately had to snort at the ridiculousness of it.

『Yoo, Alec. I owe a debt to the merchant who holds this letter. He wants to open a new store there, so please take care of him. That's all I have to say. What do you think, it wasn't a big deal, was it?』

That bastard seems to have anticipated my trepidation and purposely sent it in the form of a letter of intent.

「This letter can be said by just your mouth.」

「Oh, no. I'm so sorry.」

「No, I wasn't talking to you. What's your name?」

The letter doesn't even have his name on it, so I'm worried that he might have stolen it.

「I'm sorry for the delay, my name is Anton, Your Majesty.」

I did some [appraisal], but it was his real name. Well, there's no way someone who knows Caius would use an alias.

「Hmm, so, Anton, what kind of merchant are you?」

「Right, I'm a confectionery merchant. I have a wide range of business in many countries.」

「Confectionery?」

「Right. I'm sorry to be so selfish, but I've just had the help of the head chef here to prepare the highlight of our store. It's this cheesecake.」

Anton reverently presented the plate to me, but what was on it was another cheesecake.

「Cheesecake, huh ......」