Final Royal Banquet

The King dismissed the people of the room, all except for me. One by one, they all made their way to the exit, although many of them didn't want to. The best way to describe it... hesitancy.

Mareii was the last to leave. Her eyes gave me a heartwarming look like a mother does to her son, wishing nothing but the best for her son. It sent shivers down my spine.

I preferred if Mareii could've stayed. She's the only person I trust, because everyone else has been out for my neck!

The doors closed behind us. The King sat earnestly on his throne. Awkward tension filled the enclosed room. After all, this guy wanted me dead until today!

"Ahem," the King began, clearing his throat, "To start, I owe you great thanks, Captain Vanguard."

Gah. I wasn't used to being called by my name in a while, nevertheless Captain Vanguard.

"You, sir, have saved us from facing the Demon King on our own," the King continued, stroking his gray little beard, "And I doubt our own forces could've stopped him. Hence, you have received the title, Captain. For fulfilling the prophecy, you are second in command after me."

He really... was making me out to be as some fairy-tale like hero. Is this how it was going to be like? Well, it's better than being sentenced to death, I guess.

"Unfortunately, being Captain comes with many responsibilities, and because of this short notice, I have not given you a proper induction ceremony," the King spoke, a regretful tone to his voice. He really meant his words.

I wanted to say something back while remaining respectful. Everyone seemed to address him with, 'Your Majesty," or, "Your Highest King," so I decided to start out with that.

"Your Majesty," I knelt down and bowed my head.

"Please, there is no need to refer to me as such," the King replied, leaving me in silent awe in not wanting to show my surprise to him. For a King, he was awfully humble. To say such a thing... this King had given me all this authority, and now this?

"Please, Your Majesty, you deserve such a title," I tried to reason with the King. Something about this guy scared me.

"It's fine, really. However, I have two requests to ask of you, and I am terribly sorry for that," he pressed down his fingers on his forehead and shook his head.

"Your Majesty, what shall it be?" I tried to sound polite and formal. At least I still had my basic etiquette.

"Firstly, I have to ask of you to deliver these letters out to all of the members of the Legendary Vrusta Council, as well as to tell them to arrive at the Royal Banquet I will prepare for you, in celebration of a new leader," he pointed to a couple of letters scrambled around the table in front of him.

A Royal Banquet... as much as I didn't think I deserved one, I wouldn't mind a whole lotta food to get my energy back up!

"And, I assume Mareii has caught you up in all that has happened?"

I nodded.

"Good. Then, tomorrow you shall depart with some of the Council's members and lead the Vrusta army into a nearby Kingdom to investigate."

"Eh?" A slight gasp escaped me.

SHIT. That caught me off guard. After all, this guy wanted me, a farmer with no military experience, to lead an entire army to another castle, expecting to battle with supernatural monsters?

"Is something the matter, Captain Vanguard?"

"N-no, your Majesty. All is fine,"

"I understand that it is on very short notice. But I promise it will be worth it. I will have many rewards once you arrive back here. Besides, you do not wish for people to be massacred, no?"

I shook my head.

"Hahaha! That's the spirit, boy! Cmon now, it won't be too long till your feast!"

Right... I went up ahead and swiped the letters off the table, and instantly headed for the exit, wishing the King farewell.

As soon as the door behind me closed, I collapsed on the floor, a sweat droplet trickling down my forehead. The hell? Man, I can't catch a break! Wouldn't it be much nicer if I could spend a couple months living in royalty, getting close to a bunch of noblemen daughters and mingling with the royal family?

"Heyo," Mareii stood to my left.

"AH! MAREII!" I was caught by surprise yet again. I got off from the floor and nervously scratched the back of my hair.

"Mister... I mean Captain- are you alright?"

I grabbed Mareii's shoulders and shook her aggressively. Her small body swayed back and forth.

"Does it look like I'm alright? DOES IT?! Only a day has passed and so much has happened!"

"C-Cap-Capta-in Van-Vangu-ard! P-put m-e do-down!"

"Well," a voice said from the other side of the hallway, "You two look like a fun bunch."

The voice approached. It belonged to a leafy green haired man, his hair tied up in a ponytail, with a few strands of his bright hair falling down to his forehead. He wore a white collared Vrusta archer uniform with brown pants and brown boots, on his back rested a longbow and his quiver attached to his hip. A modest smile to his lips, my eyes met his emerald-like eyes.

He stuck out his hand to me for a handshake. "I am Moon, Commander of Vrusta's archers. I have heard much about you in such a short time, Captain Vanguard."

Ah, there's no turning back now. I am Captain Vanguard to these people, and there's nothing I can do about it. I shook his hand and greeted him. "Nice to meet you, Sir Moon."

"Righto. And you too, Mareii," he greeted Mareii by giving her a little wave, "Anyways, what is that on your right hand, Captain?"

He pointed a finger to the letters I was holding. "Oh, these are letters I was ordered to give out to the Council," I responded, waving the letters to him.

"Any chance my name is on it?"

My eyes glance past the letters, shuffling them to see if his name was on any of them. Surely enough, there it was. And so was Mareii's name on one of them. I handed them both their respective letters, taking a look at the other names I had to deliver the letters to.

"Haha, thanks Captain! I'll read it when I get back to my room," Moon declared.

"Yeah, no problem, Moon,"

"Anyways, would you like a hand?" He politely asked, sticking his hand out.

"Huh?"

"A hand in delivering the letters,"

"I mean, you sure? That would be quite helpful,"

"Yeah! It's not like I have anything better to do..."

"Well, alright then..."

I handed him half of the letters.

"Awesome! I'll go deliver them right now!" Moon said as he eagerly took off as swift as an arrow, in search of the other members. Such determination...

"What's all that about?" I turned to face Mareii, who had mostly stayed silent.

"Oh, him? He's just like that. Always been willing to help around, always a type of positive guy, y'know? Likes to get things done fast, I guess."

"Hm. Interesting. Well, I guess we shouldn't waste anymore time."

"Yup, Captain Vanguard! So, who's first on the list?"

"Let's see."

First up was... Adrith.

"Adrith," I told Mareii.

"Oh, Adrith! I know his room, so I'll lead the way for ya, Captain!"

Mareii walked and I followed. We climbed downstairs, onto another hallway. Man, I realized that I relied on Mareii an awful lot.

The silence was painstakingly boring on the walk. Thus, I broke it.

"So, what's he like?"

"Hm? Adrith?"

"Mhm,"

"Eh, well, he's a strong-minded stubborn type of person. Persistent and doesn't let anyone break his guard,"

"Sounds reliable,"

"Yeah. He can be a bit sketchy, though. Speaking of him... we're here."

Ah. I knocked on the door and waited with Mareii. We waited patiently, after a couple of minutes, and the door didn't budge. We slid the letter under the door, and just as we were about to leave, the door opened.

Out came a taller, tan skinned man with brown hair and inky black eyes. He wore a Vrusta button down soldier uniform, with the regular black pants and black boots. By now, it was clear that most would be wearing such attire. He had spiky, messy hair and a stern, big body. Well, bigger than most soldiers, at least.

"Oh, hello there, Mareii... and C-Captain?!" He blurted out loud, looking confused.

"Hiya!" Mareii greeted him.

"Uh, yep, hello," I also greeted him.

"Wh-what brings you two here?"

"We have a letter for you," I responded. He looked awfully nervous about something. Surely, he wasn't doing anything wrong, right?

"Yeah! We thought you weren't here, though, so we just slid it under the door," Mareii explained.

"Mmm... I see. Oh, where are my manners, I have yet to introduce myself to Captain. You see, I am Adrith, Commander of Vrusta's Rear Guard."

"Rear Guard?"

"Yes Sir, as in defensive forces. You know, while the Army's out fighting tough battles, we hold down the fort and make sure our strongholds aren't overtaken by enemy forces."

"I see. Well, that's all, happy to meet you."

"Yes, Sir! Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'll be in my room if you need anything."

Just like that, he slithered back into his room and his uplifting energy left the atmosphere.

Onto the next one!

I took another look at the letters. Up next was... Liang and Yun. How come both their names were on the same letter?

"Hey Mareii," I asked as we were walking out of Adrith's hallway.

"Yes, Captain?"

"About Liang and Yun... their names are on the same letter. Could it be that they're the twins?"

"Oh, yip yup! Liang and Yun are the mage twins. Here, their room isn't too far away from here."

Mareii, once again, led the way and I followed. I didn't ask about the twins personality, mainly because... I feel like I had already experience some of it myself. Heh.

That reminded me. I haven't seen Iomene in a hot minute... which was good! I could care less about her. But wasn't she... the Captain? I'm the one who took over her role, and even though I'm not believed to be the Demon King anymore, wouldn't she still hate me?

"We're here!" Mareii tapped on the door, disrupting me from my thoughts.

Almost instantly, the door swung open. If I hadn't moved out of the way, the door most certainly would've smacked my nose. Out came two people, one male and one female, both with light-toned blonde hair and viridescent eyes. Yup, I've seen the two before.

Once both met eyes with me, their expressions immediately became sour, and they threw themselves onto the ground.

"W-we're sorry Captain!" The two yelled out in despair, "We were only following orders from Iomene!"

"Ehehe... I-It's alright. I don't blame you two," I replied as I instantly knew what they were talking about. Mareii had a look of confusion on her face but stayed silent to see how the conversation would play out.

"WE'RE SOR- wait really?"

"Y-yeah," my tone became nervous, and I scratched my head out of embarrassment, "Stand up, you two," seeing their pettiness got the best out of me. Besides, I didn't hold any grudge towards them... despite their failed attempt to kill me.

It was Iomene who I held a grudge against.

The pair quickly got up, a big grin on both of their faces. "Th-thank you, Captain!"

"Jeez... alright alright, here," I handed them the letter.

"What's this?" The male twin stared at the letter, puzzled.

"A letter from the King!" Mareii responded.

"Huh? What for?" The female twin also looked confused. Man, everyone had a look of confusion on their face!

"Dunno, you'll just have to read it," I responded.

"Yeah. Oh, in case you didn't know, I'm Liang," the male twin confidently boasted.

"And I'm Yun! We're both in charge of Vrusta's Mage battallion." The female twin also confidently spoke, proud of their role in Vrusta's military.

"Yeah, nice to meet you guys... again."

"O-once again... we're really sorry for that!"

"It's fine! Seriously! Look, if you're so sorry, then come to the Banquet later, at the dining hall. At 7."

"Alright then... by the looks of it, it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice in the first place," Liang chuckled.

"A Banquet? That sounds... fun," a voice from besides me spoke. A new person!

Vibrant Orange hair with deep cherry-like vermillion eyes, a woman stood behind me in white Vrusta soldier uniform, a spear set on her back in case of an emergency. Her hair was cut fairly short as it only reached to her shoulders.

"Erika!" Mareii yelled out.

"Mareii!" The woman replied and pulled in Mareii for a hug. After, she turned to face me.

"So, you're the Vanguard that I've heard so much about, huh?" Her eyes squinted as she analyzed me from head to toe.

"Uhuh... Yeah, I think so," her expression made me nervous, as did her tone.

"...You think? Ahaha, cmon now, no need to be so modest,"

I looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm Erika! Commander of Vrusta's speedy calvary! Pleased to meet ya!" She gave me a thumbs up, a big grin on her face.

I looked back and slightly smiled, giving her a thumbs up as well. "I'm Vanguard, as you already know."

"Captain, give Erika the letter," Mareii chimed in. Her and Erika looked like close friends.

I handed Erika the letter. "So, I'm sure you already know the plan later?" I asked and she nodded.

"Haha, of course! Anyways, I've got some stuff to take care of, so I'll be heading back now," she headed back down the hallway, disappearing after leaving us her words.

"Yeah, we'll be going now too," Liang and Yun turned back into their room, shutting the door behind them.

"So, Mareii... what now?"

"Hm hm hm... I still have to read my letter, don't I?" She showed me her unopened letter.

"I guess so,"

"Mhm! Let's head back to my room, then,"

"Woah! Uh, what now?"

"My room... I mean, where else are you supposed to go? I'm still your assistant, so you have no other choice but to follow me~"

Damn... she was right. Unfortunately. I had yet to follow her... once again. Fortunately, her room wasn't as far as I expected. But when we entered, I realized...

I've been in this room before! This bed... after I passed out in the library.

"Mareii,"

"Yes?"

"Did you let me sleep on your bed?"

"Mmm, yup. What about it?"

"...Y-you're alright with that?"

"Pretty much!"

"I mean, it's your personal space, so..."

"Oh relax, Captain. I trust you enough, and it's the least I can do after you've saved me."

Jeez, so blunt. But... what she said. She trusts me?

I don't know. It's hard to piece all this together. But at least I know I can rely on her.

"Anyways, let me take a look at this," Mareii opened the letter, sat on the bed and began reading.

I let her be for a few minutes, admiring the trinkets in her room. Finally, she finished.

"Captain, I'm done reading," she announced, hopping off her bed.

"Mmm, what was it about?"

"I can't tell you."

"Huh? Why not?"

"It said so in the letter."

"...Unfair."

"Sorry, Captain, y'know the King's word comes first."

She was right. After all, I didn't have much jurisdiction in the first place. At least not compared to the King.

"But," she trailed off, "There is one thing you can do before we head for your banquet."

"Which is?"

Mareii scurried into her closet and pulled out a white collared Vrusta Soldier Uniform.

"Wear this. You can keep the pants and boots," she handed me the uniform.

"Fine, alright," I took the uniform.

"I'll wait outside again... but hurry up this time! Y'know, it'd look pretty bad if we made the King wait," Mareii headed outside.

I slipped on the Vrusta Uniform, my shirt now serving as an undershirt. Surprisingly, it wasn't as uncomfortable as I had expected it to be. In fact, it was pretty flexible and useful. There were many pockets for storing items and tools, even hidden pockets.

Anyways, I headed outside, Mareii was, obviously, waiting for me.

"Hey, you were faster than I thought," Mareii teased with a grin on her face.

"Oh shut it," I felt embarrassed.

"Aw cmon, you should feel proud! We're going to celebrate your rank! Y'know, not a lot of people liked Iomene because of her strictness and coldness, not that she was bad, but everyone's in high hopes now! A new leader is something we could always use."

"Mmm, yeah, well, I guess you're right..."

"Exactly! Now let's not keep them waiting any longer," Mareii walked and led the way to the dining hall for the Royal Banquet. Honestly, I was starting to get used to the bizarre situation. I mean, after meeting some more members of Council... it didn't seem so bad.

I guess I liked some of them. They were a cheerful bunch. At least the ones I met.

After a long walk, we had arrived at the Dining Hall. Inside, almost the entire council was waiting. Looks like we had kept the King waiting.

On the dining table, a bunch of dishes freshly cooked sat in large portions. The odor was heavenly. The food, the sweets, the drinks, and all this for me...

Erika shyly waved at us as Liang and Yun bickered over something. Tanae sat coldly while Adrith and Moon were discussing something about the food. However, 3 mysterious people sat together, talking to each other. I hadn't the chance to meet them, but hopefully I would after we had our meal.

Mareii and I took a seat in front of the King. Finally, the King talked, bringing the attention to us. "Welcome, you two!"

"Greetings, your Majesty," I was starting to get used to talking formally.

"Now, before we feast, I want to take a moment to revise all that this man has done for us in just a short time," the King began, "Not only did he stop the Demon King from being summoned in our Kingdom, but he also protected the lives of everybody in this room."

The entire council was listening patiently.

"And although he has only been with us for a short while, these heroic deeds have earned him the title of Captain. Thus, I present to him this badge of authority," the King placed a sparkling looking badge on the table and commanded one of his maidservants to give it to me. The maidservant approached me, and I accepted the gift.

"Now... We may feast in Vanguard's name!"

The council cheered and began eating the finely cooked delicacies. But before I could even fit in a piece of food into my mouth, the lights were suddenly cut off.

SLASHHH! The sound of dull metal slicing open something filled the room.

That familiar pungent sour odor filled my nose. In a quick stroke, the lights were reignited, this time in a shade of dark red.

The King, who the people so greatly loved for his confident and positive atmosphere.

Was assassinated in an instant. His head cut off from his body in one quick stroke, placed on the table. Blood filled the air as flesh dangled off his soulless head, blood pouring out from his eyes and mouth as his meaty flesh was carved into his head, his brain splattering all over the table.

Screaming ensued. The ground trembled like an Earthquake.

One by one, the council began to faint. Not from the sight, but from something else...

A spell!?!?

A voice was heard throughout the entire World.

"The Demon King is Reborn! This World's end will be abrupt!"

Everyone else had fainted.

I did too.

The King...