The royal banquet hall.
In the magnificent hall that showcases the immense power of the Alparion Empire, magical lights of various colors brighten the entire space, while the sounds of court musicians fill the air. Nobles, including central aristocrats, are gradually entering the banquet hall alongside their daughters and sons.
The Emperor of the Empire, ‘Friedrich von Alparion,’ was gazing down at the banquet hall from the upper balcony with his ministers.
The nobles attending the banquet were already raising their wine glasses and chatting with one another.
But today’s protagonists were not them.
“It’s starting to fill up.”
“Your Majesty, when do you plan to come down?”
The Emperor shook his head at the minister’s words.
“The main characters haven’t arrived yet. Ah, they’re coming over there.”
Ooooh—!
The hall was abuzz.
In this gathering where the same nobility always met, new faces were appearing.
The ‘Adventurers from the Stars’ who repelled the northern threat began to enter the royal banquet hall.
The male adventurers entered one by one. They were all dressed in the Alparion Empire’s formal attire.
The Emperor looked at them with a satisfied smile.
“Good. Is that your handiwork?”
“It’s only natural for a servant to pay attention to such matters.”
The old minister, his face covered with a white beard, bowed deeply before the Emperor, unsure where to place himself.
Now it was the turn of the female adventurers.
The appearances of the female adventurers who entered in beautiful dresses were stunning as well. Some had beauty that could leave the noble daughters unable to sleep.
“Indeed, with them all dressed up, they’re quite the handsome and beautiful lot. So these are the adventurers from the stars, beings from another world.”
Beings who couldn’t simply be judged by their appearances.
The Emperor looked at them with calm eyes.
Since their emergence on this continent, the Emperor had done research on them in many ways.
He knew that they had their original forms in another world and possessed separate bodies here. They could vanish at will. Generally, they were friendly towards the humans in this world.
And.
“I never would have guessed that one of those is her.”
Clatter, clatter.
The stir in the hall halted at the sight of the last two women to arrive.
Amidst the gentle music of the musicians focused on their work, the shorter of the two women who entered the hall looked like—
A goddess descending.
Truly stunning.
There were few words to praise her beauty.
The current Emperor could only grumble a bit about the first Emperor. The portrait hanging in the corridor reserved for royals didn’t capture a fraction of the Foremother’s beauty.
An innocent appearance and petite stature.
Yet such youthful looks did not diminish her beauty.
Her silver hair shone in the banquet hall’s lights, and fierce onyx eyes glowed sharply from behind bangs that covered one eye.
The girl shed her adventurer’s cloak, revealing a pure white dress that accentuated her appearance even more.
The Emperor purely admired the pinnacle of such beauty.
“Ohhh.”
“She is indeed beautiful, but to think that such a small girl is one of the forgotten heroes.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue while looking at the bowing minister.
“Tsk, do you also judge others only by appearances?”
“My apologies. It’s hard for me to understand this, given my limited knowledge.”
“You must know too, but the adventurers from the stars are beings whose ages cannot be judged by their looks. The flow of time they live in may be different from ours.”
The Emperor turned his eyes away from the bowing minister and scanned the now quiet hall.
Then he broke into a hearty laugh.
“Hahahaha!”
The eyes of the noble sons in the hall seemed to pop out of their heads. Even the young ladies wore expressions as if they were dreaming.
But that girl was someone they could never reach. They were only allowed to harbor feelings of reverence.
And next to her stood a beautiful woman with red hair, radiating an aura of danger in all directions. Because of that, it was even more impossible to approach her.
The Emperor pondered while looking at them.
The hero who defeated the Demon Lord. And her companions.
Could it be that the Demon Lord cast a curse to erase their names from this world in his final moments?
Their names had indeed been forgotten.
The ‘name’ encompasses existence. The fact that their names were forgotten meant that their very existence would also fade.
If the current Emperor Friedrich had not read the first Emperor’s memoirs, he would never have noticed her existence returning to the continent. He would have brushed past her, considering her a different person who merely resembled the portrait.
Only those close to the old hero, the first Emperor, had remembered the Foremother and left a record of her.
“O first Emperor.”
The current Emperor sighed.
Ironically, much of the first Emperor’s memoirs were filled with complaints about the foremother’s impenetrable protection from her female companions.
The fact that the first Emperor wanted to welcome the Foremother, who appeared as a small girl, as his Empress would be a secret that the current Emperor would carry to his grave.
At least until his descendants approached the hidden chambers of the palace.
“Well then, shall we also head down?”
“I understand.”
The Emperor descended the balcony with his minister.
Due to the Foremother’s request not to be recognized, he couldn’t treat her as the Foremother, but one thing he was certain of was this.
In this continent.
The names of the forgotten hero and her companions would once again be celebrated and resound.
*
“Wow, I thought this game didn’t have an OST, but the music is pretty good?”
“It has a classic feel, but it’s a bit more lively.”
The guild members were impressed by the musicians from the palace.
I grabbed the hem of Chris’s dress and peeked out to survey the banquet hall.
Unfamiliar faces.
But familiar music.
It was a tune that echoed with a simple instrument in the barracks during battle.
I felt a sudden sting in my nose.
“It’s nice….”
“Huh? What is?”
“Oh, nothing.”
I shook my head at Chris’s question.
The central hall was still empty. But there would be time for dancing there.
The extravagant food placed on the tables around the banquet hall, and the expensive-looking wines.
Now that I think about it, I’ve never had a drink in this body.
Can I get drunk in virtual reality?
“Hey, hey, look at that. The quiet cat jumps onto the hearth first. Well, they are decent-looking.”
Chris smirked, pointing toward the window.
“Heh.”
Over there, Deathly Death was holding up a wine glass and looking out while trying to create a lively atmosphere.
“Are you an adventurer? Tell us some adventure stories!”
“Move aside, I’m first!”
Already, noble young ladies seemed to be clinging to Deathly Death.
I gaped.
Wow, does that work in the Alparion Empire?
Noble young men were also gathering around female users, one by one. They introduced themselves with outstretched hands.
“Oh, ha ha, I see.”
Bae Merong sent a somewhat troubled glance this way while receiving an introduction from a young lord who looked a bit younger. I snickered behind Chris.
No one approached me and Chris. That was because Chris was puffing air and keeping a lookout everywhere.
“Grraaaar!”
“Sis… that growling thing.”
As I looked around for a moment from behind Chris, the music changed.
Ba bam bam, ba bam bam. A little loud. Ba ba ba bam. Very noisy. What is this? Someone’s entrance song?
“The squad leader is arriving! That kind of feeling.”
Chuckling. “Come on, Republic of Korea is not conscription anymore, right? Did you watch some old army drama?”
Following Seob Seop Yi and Go Seung Woo’s gazes, I saw two people descending the upper stairs.
They were the Emperor and his minister.
Clatter clatter.
The surrounding nobles lowered their postures in unison. The ladies in dresses lifted their skirts, and the gentlemen in formal attire knelt on one knee.
Chris poked me.
“Should we too?”
I shook my head vigorously.
“They say we don’t have to.”
Chris conveyed this to the guild members.
The Emperor, standing at the center of the hall, opened his mouth to the now quiet audience.
“Today, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have attended this event.”
Then the Emperor looked over here and smiled.
“As you all know, today’s banquet protagonists are the adventurers over here. They are the heroes who have repelled the threat of demons that came from the north. Though you may not be familiar with the Empire’s customs, please overlook it as they are invited guests.”
“I understand.”
“You must also be aware, but the current Empire is not in an easy situation. The potential threat from the eastern canyon, which we have not completely conquered, has begun to stir. Monsters are becoming more ferocious, and their aggression is intensifying day by day.”
The Emperor looked directly at us.
“It might come as a surprise, but I ask for your understanding. Heroes, may I entrust the eastern part of the Alparion Empire to you?”
Ding!
-World Quest Occurred-
[Let’s stop the threat of magic that has reached the Alparion Empire’s east.]
[Expansion Pack ‘Endless Canyon’ open conditions met.]
[29 days 23 hours 59 minutes until opening of Erin’s Canyon in the east of Alparion Empire.]
“Did you get it too?”
“Yeah. It seems like this pops up for all users? Messenger is going wild right now.”
“The next expansion looks like it’s the east of Alparion Empire.”
With the occurrence of the world quest, the pioneer users gathered here began speaking one after another.
With that conversation concluded, the Emperor moved to his seat. A surprisingly secluded place; likely the Emperor’s consideration for allowing us to enjoy the banquet without burden.
But.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“The Emperor is clever.”
The current Emperor understood the psychology and behavioral principles of the users, and knew how to use them.
The sudden request from the Emperor ignited the users’ expectations.
Of course, while some people play RPG games hoping for calmness, those gathered here were not. They all wanted to get ahead of others, seeking more dangerous and exciting adventures.
I exchanged a subtle smile with the Emperor, who left a wink in my direction.
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