After receiving the materials and money from Sanya-san, I returned to the guildmaster's room where Fina and the others were.
When we entered the room, Fina and Shuri were happily eating the sweets Sanya-san had prepared for them, and Tirumina-san was drinking tea.
"Thank you for waiting." (Yuna)
"Are you done?" ()
"Yeah" (Yuna)
When I said I was going to go home, Shuri looked at the leftover sweets as if she didn't want to leave anything behind. Seeing Shuri like this, Sanya-san wrapped the leftover sweets in paper and gave it to Shuri.
And Sanya-san saw me off outside the guild.
"Thank you, Yuna-chan." (Sanya)
Sanya said thank you.
This time, my bear box had become cleaner, and I had more money.
"I’m the one thanking you." (Yuna)
Just because I had more money didn't mean I would do something. When you need money, you would be in trouble if you didn't have it. It was better to have money than no money.
"What are you going to do until evening?" (Yuna)
After leaving the adventurer's guild, I asked Tirumina and the others.
"That's right. We were talking about buying some souvenirs for Gentz and the children at the orphanage." (Tirumina)
"Hmm, then I'm going to the castle." (Yuna)
After thinking about it for a while, I answered.
"Castle?" ()
"The king has summoned me." (Yuna)
I wouldn't be bothered if you put it off until later and got called again, and I would feel better if I took care of the trouble first.
"Yuna-chan, what did you do?" (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san asked with a pale face.
"No, I haven't done anything bad. It seems like I was called out about the monster I provided at this event." (Yuna)
"I guess so." (Tirumina)
Tirumina-san's expression changed to a relieved one.
"Since it was about Yuna-chan, I thought she had done something to the king." (Tirumina)
What do you think about people?
However, if it had been an outrageous king, there was a good chance they would have turned against him and done something. From what I knew (manga, novels, anime), maybe the king of this country was a good king. He didn't have an arrogant attitude and didn't get angry even if I talked to him normally.
However, I didn't think it would be appropriate for a king to skip work and come eat food.
I heard that if someone above you skipped work, the work of someone below you would be delayed. Let's hope that the people around him were assisting him in this area.
I parted ways with Tirumina-san and the others and came to the castle alone.
A soldier standing in front of the castle gate looked at me.
Come to think of it, was it possible to suddenly come and meet the king?
In comics and novels, it was not a character that ordinary people could easily meet.
Moreover, there was no letter of introduction or letter. I just heard from Sanya-san.
If I asked Ellelaura-san, she would likely lend me a hand, and I could also tell the gatekeeper that I had come to see the king.
I thought of something.
If I went to Flora-sama, the king would probably come. If he didn't come, I would think about it then.
Having made that decision, I told the soldier that I had come to see Flora-sama.
Then, as usual, when I passed through the gate using the face pass, or even the bear pass, one of the soldiers ran. This should let the king knew that I had come to the castle.
I walked down the hallway that I had passed many times and arrive at Flora-sama's room.
When I knocked on the door of Flora-sama's room, Ange-san, who was taking care of Lady Flora, came out of the room.
"Yuna-san?" (Ange)
"Um, it's been a few days?" (Yuna)
When I came to the royal capital, I was abducted by Ellelaura-san, and I met Tirumina-san and others when I toured the castle.
"What's wrong today? Did you come to see Flora-sama?" (Ange)
"I was called by the king, and I was wondering if I could come here." (Yuna)
When I told her my true feelings, Ange-san looked surprised.
"I was surprised you called by His Majesty the King, but I was also surprised you come to Flora-sama to meet His Majesty the King." (Ange)
"I was going to ask at the gatekeeper, but it seems like the King has been contacted, so I thought it would be okay." (Yuna)
"Yuna-san..." (Ange)
Ange-san, who heard my story, looked troubled this time.
"I can’t go and tell His Majesty the King that Yuna-san has come." (Ange)
"I think it's okay if I wait here and they'll come." (Yuna)
"Yuna-san is the only one who treats His Majesty the King like that. No, Ellelaura-sama is also the same." (Ange)
"What, am I treated the same as Ellelaura-san?" (Yuna)
"For now, please come in." (Ange)
Ange-san accepted my question with a smile and let me into the room.
"Bear?" (Flora)
When I entered the room, Flora-sama noticed me and came running towards me.
"You come?" (Flora)
"I came to see your dad, and I thought we should meet here." (Yuna)
"Father?" (Flora)
"Yeah, so maybe just a little bit is fine?" (Yuna)
"Yeah!" (Flora)
Flora-sama smiled from ear to ear.
Then, I asked Kumayuru and Kumakyu to be Flora-sama's playmates, and I waited for the king while drinking the tea that Ange-san had made for me.
"Yuna-san, what will you do if His Majesty the King doesn’t come?" (Ange)
"I'll go home then." (Yuna)
What should we take for granted?
There was no doubt that the soldier guarding the gate went to the king. I had been informed that I had come.
Even if the king himself didn't come here, there should be at least a summon.
Ange-san looked troubled by my answer, but then the king came to Flora-sama's room.
"Why are you in Flora's room?" (King)
That was what I heard as soon as he entered the room.
"I thought I'd see you if I came here." (Yuna)
"What do you think the king is?" (King)
"Because I didn't know how to meet the king." (Yuna)
"I think it would be a good idea to talk to Ellelaura." (King)
I thought about that too.
"I was asked Sanya-san from the Adventurer's Guild. So, what's the reason for calling me?" (Yuna)
"I heard you gave that big Scorpion to the Adventurer's Guild." (King)
"I was told they needed it for an event, and I kept having it because it was a nuisance." (Yuna)
"I told you that if you were to sell it, I would take it." (King)
I felt like that was what he was saying.
"But you knew me well since long." (Yuna)
"Because I received a report from Ellelaura. You were watching it with Ellelaura, right?" (King)
Come to think of it, Ellelaura-san said something about inspection. I just thought that she was just saying this as an excuse to slack off.
She was doing her job properly.
"Also, I heard about cockatrice." (King)
"That was Sanya-san. It was the monster I encountered and defeated when I went the elf village with guildmaster." (Yuna)
I made no promise to the king.
"Looks like you had Wyvern too." (King)
"It's the wyvern I defeated together when you defeated 10,000 monsters. Did you want that too?" (Yuna)
"I'm not blaming you. It's the monster you defeated. You're free to do whatever you want." (King)
I couldn't get the point.
"Then what's the reason for the call?" (Yuna)
"I have to confirm with you. I heard that you won't give away the magic stone, but are you planning to sell it to someone?" (King)
"Huh? I have no intention of selling it to anyone." (Yuna)
I was just a collector.
As a gamer, it was natural to secure rare items.
The same went for Scorpion's shell, but materials could only be used as armor. As for the armor, I had the bear equipment that I received from God, so unless there was better armor than this, I didn't need the materials for the armor. Besides, I didn't sell everything, but kept some of it in case I needed it.
However, it was not possible to sell just a portion of the magic stones. Basically, there was only one magic stone among monsters. Unlike other materials, it was precious.
Besides, magic stones could be used in various ways.
Furthermore, I knew that large magic stones were more valuable.
Even if I suddenly need a big magic stone, it was not easy to find a huge monster, and it was difficult to defeat it. It was not something that money could easily buy.
"I see, you won’t sell it to anyone." (King)
"I don't have any plans for that." (Yuna)
"Then let me say it again. If you are in trouble for money and have to sell it, sell the magic stone to me. Don't sell it to anyone else." (King)
"Why?" (Yuna)
"Large magic stones are precious. Sometimes they are used for good, and sometimes they are used for bad purposes. You have seen them, too. In the city of Dezelt, it was used to bestow the blessings of water, and in the city of Eupharia, it was used to attract monsters. It's not something that everyone can do, but there are people in this world who use it for unbelievable things. If the magic stone is small, it's small in scale, but if it's large, it's big in scale." (King)
It was impossible to supply water to the city of Dezelt with small magic stones. It was possible because of Kraken's large water magic stone. In order to attract monsters even in the city of Eupharia, it would not have been possible to do so with a small magic stone.
"As a country and a king, I wanted to ask you what you would do with the magic stones you have." (King)
Is that why I was called?
"For the time being, I have no plans to sell it to anyone, nor do I intend to give it to someone who will use it for bad things." (Yuna)
"But sometimes you don't realize that. Even if you appear to be a good person in this world, you may be a bad person behind the scenes." (King)
There was no denying that.
A person's true nature was not something that could be easily known.
Unless you could read minds, you wouldn't be able to tell right from wrong when you first meet someone.
"If I give it to the wrong person, I will take responsibility for dealing with it." (Yuna)
Let me tell you, it was not a flag.
In the first place, I had no plans to give it to them.
"A person with strong power. A person with strong tools. A person with strong power. If used incorrectly, it will only make those around you unhappy." (King)
The king said as if he was talking to himself.
If someone with malicious intent used bear equipment, they could easily kill people, destroy cities, and even if they did bad things, they could easily escape by using the bear transfer gate.
On the contrary, they also had the power to become a hero who save people's lives.
Power could be good or bad depending on the person using it.
Well, I was the kind of person who thought it was okay as long as I and the people around me were happy. I didn't have the qualities of a demon lord or a hero.
However, if there was a threat looming around me, I would do my best to protect myself using bear equipment.
"That's all for now. So, don't you have any delicious food today?" (King)
He was speaking in a cool manner, befitting a king, but his last words ruined it.
It was almost noon, so I brought out the eel bowl I bought at Land of Wa, and the three of us, including Flora-sama, ate it.
I apologized to the head chef, Zelef-san, and gave him the eel bowl, and he was pleased.
Come to think of it, Ellelaura-san and the queen didn't come.
Author's Note
The king's call was about magic stones, as they can be used for good or bad things.
But in the end it was the food.