An Unborn Hero

"I swear it wasn't me!" shouted Rose a little later, as the now fully clothed group made their way through the streets of Karn's Vigil.

"We found my clean vestments in your locker. Which was, might I add, locked. With the only key tied to your wrist!"

Rose stopped walking, looking Grace square in the eyes. Despite her anger, Grace flinched back.

"It was not me. Seriously. In the middle of a battle for our lives, yes, your weird noble common sense is dangerous, and I reserve the right to call you out on it. Relaxing in a bathhouse? That's not dangerous. I think you're weird for locking yourself in a broom cupboard, but I hardly have any right or reason to stop you, and I'm not the sort of person to hide your clothes for a prank."

Grace floundered for a moment before recovering enough to argue, "Then how did they end up in your locker?"

"I have no idea!"

"Might I remind you that she was with me in the bath the entire time," pointed out Kellela. "If you want more suspects, remember that someone in this town hired professional assassins against me. We have enemies here, and those locks weren't exactly top of the range."

"And why would someone who wants to kill you steal my clothes? That's hardly going to help them fulfil their goal in any way!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," disagreed Hayedalf. "Grace, I get the impression that you don't exactly want to be here, right?"

"What? I'm not going to abandon my duties!"

"But you want to. If your father offered to replace you, you'd jump at the chance?"

"Yes, definitely. Why?"

"Because if someone in this town wants Kellela dead, it's a safe assumption that they're either working with the demons or are a demon themself. I know some have the ability to disguise themselves. And after what you did to that greater demon yesterday, which of us four do you think the demons are most scared of? Without you, that demon would have killed the three of us."

"But we killed him! He can't exactly have reported back to anyone."

"And we were surrounded by monsters at the time, most of which had eyes. And who knows what else was watching from the forest."

"... Fine. So you think someone hid my clothes as a way to fracture our party and get rid of a threat without having to fight. Seems a stretch to me, but since Kellela swears Rose was with her in the bath the entire time, I'll drop it for now. Let's just get to the teleporter and get out of here."

The group resumed their walk—albeit with Grace and Rose trying very hard not to look at each other—and before long, reached the teleportation chamber. Platus and Melody were waiting outside, both running up to give their daughter a hug.

"I won't tell you to have a good time, because I suspect you'll find that impossible, but at least don't have a bad one," said Melody.

"Wow, you really know how to encourage someone," replied Rose, smiling despite herself.

"My daughter, invited to the palace. Who'd ever have thought it?" added Platus. "Stay safe, and try not to start any wars."

"Dad! You're even worse than Mum!"

Platus grinned shamelessly, ruffling Rose's hair before releasing her.

"And Mystery, if you're listening, make damn sure she stays safe," he addressed to the empty sky. "You lot, too," he added to the rest of the party.

"Was he just talking to me?" pondered Mystery, watching the group. "Or was he just yelling at the sky in general?"

She was floating in her usual position atop Kellela's head, but Platus had no way of knowing that. From her perch, she watched Rose's parents waving from behind while simultaneously peering interestedly at the magically enchanted platform the group was walking towards. She'd seen one on the way out, but her [Soul's Eye] skill had improved significantly since then. Still not enough to comprehend the slightest hint about how it worked, which needed some rather thick textbooks rather than a skill upgrade, but the swirling colours of mana were pretty.

She dipped back inside Kellela for the teleport itself, having no idea if the teleport would latch on to her floating soul nor any desire to discover the answer by personal experience, popping out a minute later to find herself back in the capital, where Hayedalf was taking a gilded envelope from someone in a suit, emitting an impolite cloud of blues and purples from his face as he did so.

"Yay, safety at last! We shouldn't have ever left. Although if we hadn't, I'd probably never have got to watch any magical girl battles, or meet Rose and Grace. Plus, I've earned a bunch of achievements and skill levels. The only pity is that we left before that elf girl came back. Where are we going now, though?"

The group were escorted into a heavily ornamented carriage, which glided smoothly down the cobbled road, pulled by a pair of majestic, black horses. The ride was nothing like the passenger cart they'd taken to Karn's Vigil, with the carriage sporting not only padded seats and travelling over smoother roads, but enjoying a full magical suspension system. Rather than returning to their old house, which, of course, had been sold, it rolled through the central district in which Kellela had recently worked.

"Relax," said Kellela to Rose, who was getting dangerously close to hyperventilating again. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well..." started Grace, holding up her fingers as if to begin counting.

She didn't get any further, embarrassed into silence by a glare from Kellela.

"I'm still worried about this group," grumbled Mystery. "There's definitely something going on with the white-haired healer, but I have no idea what it is! What sort of half-baked isekai doesn't give me language skills, for goodness' sake? And I still have no idea where we're going. We went past Mum's workplace three corners ago, so it wasn't there. Is it that huge place in front of us? It looks like a castle, and there's mana flashing all over the place."

ding
You have seen the royal palace, the administrative centre and final stronghold of Flinel. [Soul's Eye] advances to level 32.

"Oh. Palace, not a castle. Why doesn't it have a cool name like Rumah Magika though? And why did I get a skill level just for seeing it?"

The carriage trundled through the palace gates, stopping outside a pair of carved wooden doors, thrice the height of Hayedalf and wide enough for the carriage to have continued straight through. Doing so would likely have dirtied the plush purple carpet inside, though.

The doors opened wide, despite no-one visibly pushing them, and another impeccably suited individual led the party down a wide corridor and through an equally large set of doors, into a truly massive, arched room, a central isle lined with ornate marble pillars.

"Woah, this place looks like a cathedral. I guess it's the throne room? I mean, there's that crowned guy from before sitting on a raised golden chair, so it's a fairly safe guess. I can't believe he's sitting on that thing without even a cushion. No way is sitting on gold comfortable."

The group lined up in front of the throne, then Grace curtsied and the others knelt, Rose acting half a second behind Kellela and Hayedalf as she watched for what she was supposed to do. The moment all were in position, Mystery heard another ding.

ding
Achievement unlocked: [Royal Audience].

Royal Audience (Common)
Not everyone has the chance to meet their monarch in person. You're one of the lucky few. You gain 5% improved productivity while within the borders of Flinel.

"Awesome! Not only do I get a level of [Soul's Eye] for seeing the palace, but I get an achievement for seeing the king! Or is it [King] rather than king? Is [King] his occupation? And if he is a [King], maybe he has a [Comfortable Throne] skill? That would be hilarious. I need an appraisal skill to check! I do have a complaint, though: if I'm one of the 'lucky few', why is the achievement common? And what is 'productivity'?"

While Mystery was lost in thought, the [King] addressed the group.

"Welcome, brave [Hero] and her supporters," he declared, before falling into silence.

Hayedalf's eye twitched.

The [King] winced, barely perceptibly.

Kellela tilted her head a fraction to the side.

"Fine, I'll say it. I'm sorry," said the [King], giving up on the stalemate.

"See, that wasn't so hard," grinned Hayedalf, climbing back to his feet. "We assume there's some sort of vital reason for it, but we'd appreciate you sharing."

"We needed a way to introduce Mystery and Rrillandral without causing a diplomatic nightmare," sighed the [King]. "This was the best option we could come up with."

Grace beamed the wide smile of someone who'd been proven correct.

"Wow. If this is the best, I'd hate to see the worst," said Kellela as she too returned to her feet. She (correctly) suspected that the 'worst' for the [King] was not necessarily the worst for everyone else, but wasn't going to call him out on it. As easy-going as she knew him to be, there were still limits to how far one should push their monarch.

"Yes, that's enough cheek out of you. We're trying to make this as painless as possible; guest rooms are prepared. You'll find an array of suitable outfits in each one. Pick something you like and the palace staff will adjust it for you by the time you need it tomorrow afternoon. Then rest up and relax. There will be maids standing by outside your rooms when you want food. And once this farce is over and done with, we can have a more detailed discussion about your future. One that, with luck, Mystery will actually be able to join in with. I doubt any of you want to return to the border anytime soon."

"No, we certainly do not," confirmed Hayedalf.

"Then please, don't let me detain you. I can see not all of you are comfortable here."

Rose glanced up at the comment obviously directed at her, realised she was the only one still kneeling and jumped to her feet with a squeak. Then, accidentally meeting the eyes of the [King], emitted another, louder squeak.

"Can I talk to you for a moment, father?" asked Grace as Kellela put a hand on Rose and gently guided her towards the door.

He nodded his assent, then the pair waited for the others to leave the audience chamber.

"Why did you not explain to Rose the etiquette for a royal audience?" he asked before Grace had the chance to speak.

"Huh? She didn't ask. I didn't teach the others, either, nor did they try to teach Rose."

"I see. Very well. What do you want to say that you don't wish your own party members to hear?"

"I want out," she admitted.

"... You are well aware of just how many people you'll meet tomorrow who would literally kill to be in your shoes, right? So why? I assure you, after that attack this morning, you're never going to be a stationary target sitting on the border again."

"It's not that. I didn't handle the pressure of combat well and panicked a lot, but that's my failing, and it's my duty to improve. Rather, it's... well... Rose and Mystery. We simply aren't compatible."

The [King] sighed, rising from his throne and stepping down from the stage to give his daughter a hug.

"Firstly, I can assure you that even the most combat-hardened knights get nervous going into battle. I'd be greatly suspicious of anyone who didn't. Either they don't value their own lives, or else they are dangerously arrogant, and I'd consider either option to be a character flaw. You'll learn not to panic, but always remember you are human. Treat your emotions as a guide, not as an enemy you must dispose of."

"I will remember your advice. Thank you."

"And as to Rose and Mystery..."

The [King] paused, recalling the various reports he'd read over the previous few days. The most serious had arrived that very morning, detailing a very concerning achievement that had popped up on the Recorder.

"I'm sure the issue with Mystery forcing you to wear obscene clothing will turn out to be nothing other than a cultural misunderstanding, and will be resolved tomorrow. As for Rose... the two of you come from very different walks of life. I suspect most of your problems could be resolved simply by talking and making an effort to understand each other. Yes, I'm aware her actions towards you earned her the [Royal Pervert] achievement, and normally I'd have had her locked up within the hour, but the report I received from the army quite clearly stated you were having an anxiety attack with a horde of monsters bearing down on you. Perhaps she could have brought you out of it some other way, but you have to admit it worked, and the situation couldn't have resolved itself any more satisfactorily than it did."

"I lost my [Perfect Purity] achievement..."

"And you really think suitors will value [Perfect Purity] over the fact you have a direct link to the [Hero]? But if you truly believe Rose has spoilt your marriage prospects for good, I'm open to issuing a royal decree that she take responsibility."

Grace broke down into a fit of coughing and spluttering.

Spoiler

μ̵̼͉̐υ̴̡̽̿σ̷̭͓̃̀τ̸͉̤̾̆ή̶͎̱͌ρ̸̤͕̏̿ι̷̬̾͜ό̸͈ (Human)
Age: -8 months
Occupation: Hero (L)
Skills:
- Soul's Eye (U) (32/90)
>> Sense Vitality (U)
>> Sense Soul (R)
>> Sense Mana (U)
>> Sense Light (C)
>> Sense Sound (C)
>> Pierce Illusions (U)
>> Sense Miasma (R)
>> Multi-focal (R)
- Astral Projection (U) (20/60)
>> Sure Navigation (U)
>> Uncontainable (U)
>> Tether of Will (L)
- Robust (C) (18/40)
>> Hardened Soul (R)
>> Secured Mana (U)
>> Pain Tolerance (C)
- Stealth (C) (3/20)
>> Camouflage Vitality (R)
- Magical Girl Transformation (R) (18/30)
>> Age Correction (R)
>> Gender Bending (R)
- Light (C) (9/20)
>> Heterochrome (U)
- Increased Attributes (C) (7/20)
>> Mana Storage (U)
Achievements:
- Early Bloomer II (R)
- First Skill (C)
- Journeyman (U)
- Survivor of Zarklaxxos, the Arcane Infernal (R)
- I Broke The System, And All I Got Was This Lousy Achievement (E)
- Astral Explorer I (R)
- First Spell (C)
- I Broke The System Again, And Now The Administrators Hate Me (E)
- Spell Forger (R)
- Demon Slayer II (E)
- Monster Slayer V (E)
- Curiosity (U)
- War Veteran (U)
- Royal Audience (C)

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