“N-no, lord. I was just-” Nicholas said. He remained in his kneeling position at the foot of the king’s throne. The rulers of the Kingdom of Diosevich, Nelendian Theocracy, and Haqsian Empire stared down at him. He had just lied to them about James’s origin and identity. Any ruling class came with a high level of lie detection. Nicholas may have had the skill [Master Liar], but it paled in comparison to the classes of the people before him. He tried to offer an excuse for his previous lie, but one of the monarchs cut him off.

“Lying once more?” Divine Seline said. She wasn’t interested in hearing the words of a fool. Hero or not, no one was permitted to lie to her. Such an action would have resulted in immediate execution were they in her domain. Still, it was hard to fault the man. He was an adventurer, and he clearly had no experience with royalty. Seline scoffed. She wasn’t sure what the proper action was. It was best to simply wait for this land’s lord to make a statement.

“Well, I just-” Nicholas tried to say. He was once again cut off from speaking. He expected it to be from one of the four that stood above him, but that wasn’t where the new voice came from. Someone next to him was whispering at him.

“Nic, stop talking!” Rex yelled through a whisper. He tried his best to keep his voice low. It was best for everyone to keep silent and let Xander do all the talking. That was what they agreed on before entering the throne room. Nicholas should have stayed quiet. Even if James was struggling, his team could have helped him. There was no reason to intervene, yet he did so anyway. Rex thought about how he’d need to remind everyone to keep a low profile. It was one of the most basic rules they followed early in their adventuring career, but they seemed to have forgotten that fact.

“Forgive him, your majesties. He is a pathological liar. Simply speaking to him would offend you.” Xander said. He was kneeling ahead of the rest of the team to show that he was their representative. It was up to him to save the team’s reputation. Unfortunately, his comment wasn’t taken very well by his own comrades.

“I’ll show you offensive!” Nicholas retorted through a whisper. He grumbled to himself. It was ridiculous to treat him in this way. Xander could have easily apologized and mentioned the lying bit. He didn’t need to throw in the last part about being offensive. Yes, it was important to keep a dignified appearance in front of nobles, but that shouldn’t have come at the cost of their integrity.

“Dude, do you want to get us executed?!” Robyn said. The team continued to whisper back and forth without a care in the world. Obviously, none of them wanted to be in trouble. Robyn and Rex tried to talk down their lying friend. Nicholas retorted with some sort of response that didn’t always make sense. All this left Xander sweating from the stress that built within him. He didn’t want to relay any of their messages, and his friends’ whispers became less quiet and more of a full-blown argument.

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“These are the four who defeat Envy, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath?” Emperor Crach asked. He had heard tales of a team of four heroes that defeated sin after sin. At first, he thought that group was The Heroes of The Voice. He couldn’t control his shocked expression now that he’d met the real team. Shoo, Crach’s announcer and chief warrior, also had a confused expression. They were both excellent warriors, but not even they could see how The Unnamed Team could be capable of such feats. If the two weren’t at the Autumn Festival Tournament, they would have believed the team was lying.

“According to the reports, yes. They are the sin-slayers.” Queen Gwen said. She also couldn’t believe the stories she was told. No one could. The Unnamed Team was disarmingly pedestrian. They certainly didn’t seem like world-renowned heroes. They especially didn’t seem capable of slaying sins, the world’s strongest monsters. Then again, it was never safe to assume a person’s abilities. The four could be highly trained assassins for all Gwen knew.

“Interesting. They seem to be…unorthodox. However, we accept them as impressive warriors. The Haqsian Empire has no issue with their team nor its pathological liar.” Crach said. He saw what they were capable of during the recent tournament. Dragonborns weren’t known for formulating complex plans and battle tactics. They usually won via overwhelming strength, so they were impressed to see how The Unnamed Team won each battle. The Haqsian Empire favored brave warriors and those that came back victorious. A simple lie wouldn’t sway them from rewarding such heroes, as long as it didn’t happen repeatedly.

“Neither does the Nelendian Theocracy. Although, I would appreciate it if the mortal decided to stop speaking.” Seline said. She detested being lied to. As a [Divine], she was a few steps above all races. It was the reason she was allowed to say things like “mortal” without the slightest hint of irony. Of course, her status didn’t mean that she was all-powerful. Those with the [Divine] class were still several rungs below actual gods, and their titles could be revoked at any time.

“Then, I suppose there’s no problem. Just to be on the safe side…Morgan. You will watch over this team to make sure they avoid trouble. A pathological liar could cause issues if he runs loose in Stresara. You’re a [Prince]. It should have no effect on you.” King Carlos said. He turned to one of the royal guests within the throne room. They had all gathered to see the heroes upon the king’s request but were told to remain silent. One young man flinched at the sound of his name being called. He stepped forward before taking a knee.

The man was incredibly handsome, almost criminally so. His garbs were fit for royalty. Numerous golden accents peppered his red suit, and an enchanted necklace with the king’s crest hung from his neck. Morgan looked like a much younger version of the king. The same sharp eyes watched the heroes. His same colored hair was neatly cut and swept to the side. The only difference between the king and his son was a much younger complexion and a better physique from constant training. At a single glance, one could tell he was the perfect image of a charming prince. Even Robyn could feel her heart skip a beat from looking at him.

“We object,” Xander, Rex, and Nicholas said in unison. They didn’t want to walk around town with such a remarkable man.