Chapter 72
“Your Majesty, the Goddess’s Hero has arrived.”
Beside me, Shamshir announced my presence, and from behind the beaded curtain came a soft, young male voice.
“Let them in.”
I wasn’t mentally prepared yet, and I was already meeting the king…!
My vision spun for a moment, but I couldn’t run away.
I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped inside the curtain.
And then—
“W–Wah! Wh–what is this…?!”
A massive black bundle of fur slammed into me before I could regain my balance, knocking me flat on my back.
“Oh-ho, Nemir. No…!”
The king, trying not to laugh, attempted to stop it—but the enormous black beast, far larger than me, was busy rumbling happily and rubbing its face against mine.
It was Nemir—the black panther owned by King Anzav.
In the game, he always sat beside the king in a regal sphinx pose…!
And now he was pinning me to the ground and rubbing all over my face. I couldn’t think straight.
My entire face was already covered with black fur, but I didn’t dare push him away.
One wrong swipe from those massive paws or a bite from those enormous fangs and I’d be done for.
“Ugh—s-stop…”
It was too hot—this beast was a furnace!
This country was scorching already, and now I was trapped under a nearly two-meter-tall giant cat. I could barely breathe.
While I wrestled with Nemir for a few moments, a hand suddenly appeared in front of me.
It was clearly offering to help me up.
“Ah, thank you—”
I grabbed it without thinking and stood—
Only to realize the owner of the hand was a long-haired blonde man of stunning beauty.
King Anzav of the Aither Kingdom.
“Y–your Majesty… I—I beg your forgiveness for my rudeness…”
What on earth was this situation?
I had been worrying about how much respect was appropriate, how to show courtesy without seeming weak—and all of that was instantly ruined.
To think my first impression would be me flailing under a giant cat…
It wasn’t my fault at all, yet I still felt like crying.
“Hahaha! It’s—pfft—fine! Haha! Don’t worry at all. I enjoyed that quite a bit myself!”
Apparently, the king had sacrificed his dignity to his panther long ago; he held his stomach laughing uproariously.
He was laughing so hard I worried he might actually cry.
Calm down. Calm down. This man is a king…
Meanwhile, Nemir continued brushing against my legs affectionately. Reflexively, I reached out and stroked the back of his neck.
“Whew… haah… Anyway, this is unusual. It’s the first time Nemir has taken such a liking to anyone besides me.”
Once he finished laughing, Anzav finally spoke in a dignified tone.
I let out a tiny sigh he couldn’t hear and glanced at the enormous cat purring at my feet.
…Are you clinging to me because I’m a cat magnet in every life?
In my previous world, my nickname had been “the human catnip tree” or “the human bonito flakes.”
Street cats would flock to me, crying and rubbing against my legs, even though I didn’t feed them regularly.
I thought it was over after coming to this world—no stray cats, no weird magnet effect.
Apparently not.
“Ahem. I am late in introducing myself. I am Anzav, King of the Aither Kingdom. You must be the Hero chosen by the Goddess.”
It was far too late for dignity, but I didn’t dare say that.
I bowed politely.
“Yes, hello. My name is Elaine.”
One thought flashed through my mind:
Thank goodness I changed my name.
If I had to introduce myself to this cheerful king with, “My name is TheStrongestShooterElaine,” I would’ve died of shame on the spot.
“Hm. If I recall correctly, that wasn’t your original name. Ch—”
“I changed it.”
A mental siren blared—WEE-OO WEE-OO!—and I practically leapt to cover his mouth.
I didn’t even have the luxury to worry about interrupting a king; my heart was pounding too hard.
How does he know my old name?!
Was their intel fast or slow?
They’d investigated me even before the Silvagrove incident—that was fast.
But they didn’t know I’d changed my name—that was slow.
“Ah, I see. You changed it.”
Anzav, startled by my sudden intensity, parroted my words blankly like a dazed bird.
Then he chuckled and stroked his chin.
“The Hero of the Goddess is certainly amusing. I quite like you.”
“I’m honored.”
I had no idea what he found amusing, but I activated my ultimate Social Skill: smile-and-nod mode.
“Anyway, we appreciate you coming to resolve our kingdom’s crisis, but it seems you won’t be able to head into the desert right away.”
“Why is that?”
Even though I already knew from the game, I pretended ignorance.
“There is a massive sandstorm raging across the desert.”
“Oh? The sky here seems perfectly clear, though.”
I also knew the reason for that—but I asked anyway, giving the king a chance to boast.
“Hahaha! That is because the entire city is protected by a magical barrier.”
“Wow, amazing.”
I even clapped dramatically.
Anzav smiled proudly, very pleased.
“Yes. But until the storm settles, you must wait a few days. It usually lasts three days. Please relax in the guest palace meanwhile. We shall also prepare a grand banquet for you this evening.”
“A banquet—? You’ve already treated us far too generously…”
Feeling overwhelmed, I scratched my cheek.
But the king waved dismissively.
“Nonsense. We cannot treat honored guests from the Hagion Hero Party lightly. Our kingdom and the Hero Party share a deep history.”
His words startled me.
It was information I had never heard in the game.
The Hagion Hero Party and the Aither Kingdom have deep ties? News to me.
Seeing my confusion, the king—who clearly loved to boast—began explaining.
“Ah, you didn’t know? The founder of the Hagion Hero Party, Ramis, was originally from the Aither Kingdom. And it was here that he and his companions—such as the mage Halo—gave their lives to defeat the avatar of the demon Poneros.”
Ramis? Mage Halo?
I blinked blankly for a long moment before recalling an old journal I once found in a history exhibit.
Something about the first recorded battle fought in the Goddess’s name.
The lone surviving mage eventually died, and his friend founded the Hero Party to aid future Heroes.
I didn’t know their names.
So “Ah, you didn’t know?” wasn’t the classic isekai line I thought it was.
He stole my line!
But regardless, I was genuinely grateful for new information.
“Oh, I see. I actually don’t know much about the Hero Party’s history.”
“Tsk, tsk. That won’t do. One must know the history of the group they belong to. A tree with deep roots does not sway easily.”
Unexpectedly, Anzav had a bit of an old-man vibe, wagging his finger sternly.
“The ruins of that final, tragic battle still remain behind the temple. If you have time, you should visit.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll make sure to visit.”
A polite lie.
I had zero intention of visiting unless necessary.
Seeing tragic battle remains?
Not my idea of useful.
Thus ended my private audience with King Anzav.
Nemir, reluctant to part with me, kept rubbing his face against me, but I gently pushed the giant cat away and exited the Sun Palace.
I knew the way to the guest palace from the game, and I’d memorized it earlier, so I declined Shamshir’s escort.
As I wandered through the beautiful palace on my own, I reached the guest palace.
Just then, I spotted a pale silhouette slipping by.
Huh? That white robe… I made that.
It was unmistakable.
A pure white robe embroidered with the yellow wing symbol of the Goddess—the ones I made for my companions.
But weren’t they all still sick from teleportation?
Puzzled, I quietly followed the white figure.
