“Don’t worry. It’s just a cliché.”

“A-Ah, I see,” Cheryl replied, clearly not understanding.

Soon they arrived in front of the doors to the dining room, and Cheryl opened the door for him. Inside, his friends were already sitting with the Queen at the head of the table. They brightened up once they saw Issac come in.

“Oi, Issac, come quick!” Janet hurried him, “We’re hungry.”

“Do you guys not eat outside?” Issac asked.

“Nope,” June and Ethan shook their heads while Ray and Janet nodded.

“So, why are you guys hungry?” he looked at the latter two.

“We were running around a whole lot, that’s why!”

“Fine,” Issac walked over and took his seat next to June. Seeing that everyone had sat down, the Queen clapped her hands, and an array of servants with different dishes in their hands came into the room. They set the dishes on the table gracefully and left the room. There were still two servants inside the room in charge of filling people’s glasses with water or wine.

The Queen took a sip of her wine and asked, “So, how do you like my capital? Have you seen what it has to offer?”

“It’s very novel and unique,” Ray complimented. “It felt full of life.”

“I’m glad you think that way. Sometimes, I also don a disguise to see how my subjects go about their lives. Their lives seem fulfilling and carefree. Something I’ve yearned for since my days as a princess.” The Queen looked oddly melancholic as she said that.

Ray, sitting next to her, held her hand and looked at her, “It is because of you that the commoners can live such carefree lives. There is no reason for you to feel so down. So, don’t worry, ‘your highness.’”

Disgust flashed on the Queen’s face for a tenth of a second before it returned to normal. She simply thanked Ray for his kind words.

“Just what is this dumbass planning?” Issac couldn’t make heads or tails of Ray’s thoughts. His gaze met June’s, who seemed more confused as to why Ray was acting this way and why the Queen hadn’t beheaded him already for doing so.

Issac just used his eyes to tell her that he didn’t know anything. June turned around and became lost in thought. Issac knew exactly what was going on in June’s head. She was very curious.

“Thank you, Ray!” the Queen said warmly, “That comforts me very much. So,” she looked at everyone, “do you need more money? You need only ask.”

“N-No,” June was the first to refuse, “we have more than enough money. Thank you for the offer.”

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“Oh?” The Queen raised her eyebrow in amusement, “I’ve heard you were feeding the slum dwellers. That should cost a lot of money.”

“No, it’s just a loaf of bread and some milk. I’m still grateful that they’re cheap.”

“Well, on behalf of my poor subjects, I thank you.”

June panicked at the sudden gesture and hurriedly wove her hands, “No, no, you don’t have to thank me. It’s just something I like to do.”

The Queen giggled, “That’s good.” Her eyes darted towards Ethan, who seemed to be thinking hard about something, “And Ethan, what about you?”

“Hmm? What?” Ethan’s body jolted, and he looked at the Queen.

“Would you like some more funds?”

“Nope! I haven’t spent much anyway. I just spend my time cooped up in the library. I only spend money when I give it to Vista to buy us some food, so I can eat while I read.”

“My, how diligent!” she praised.

“It’s nothing,” he shook his head and began to eat.

Seeing that she couldn’t hold a conversation with Ethan, she looked at Janet. “Janet, would you like-”

“No,” Janet didn’t say anything else and continued eating. Issac wanted to laugh; he could almost see the Queen’s frustration. As he was composing himself, the Queen’s eyes locked on him. Her eyes seemed to be warning him not to let the conversation die early.

“And Issac, how have you been doing?”

Issac chuckled nervously, “I’ve j-just been roaming around the city, eating street food and window shopping.”

“Ah, do you like what you see so far?”

“I do. However, I would like to ask you something else,” Issac asked solemnly.

“Oh?” the Queen was taken aback for a moment but managed to compose herself, “Go ahead.”

“It’s been five days; when will our mana veins form completely?” Issac’s question made everyone stop eating and look at the Queen

“As far as the records say, it takes 4-7 days for 『Heroes』 to completely form their mana veins. Though there are some exceptions, the 『Hero of Magic』 formed his in two and a half days and became an Archmage that went down in history. Most of the magic you see people use nowadays was made by him. So, do not worry. Yours should be formed by the end of the week.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But your statuses should be up as your mana veins form.” Her words sent ripples throughout the others.

“Ah?” Issac was the first to react, “So, you also have a status?”

“Yes, of course. And so does every inhabitant of this world. Only creatures above a certain intelligence level can access it, however.”

“O-Oh, that’s interesting, to say the least.”

“Yes, and like I was saying, your statuses should be up at the same time as your mana veins end forming. So, look forward to that.”

Issac and the rest nodded and finished up their meals. After they were done eating, they all went back to their respective rooms and took a rest. Issac shed his clothes and went into the bathroom before drawing up a bath.

Stepping into the bathtub, he sat down and decided to soak his worries away. The hot water made it feel like he was melting. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and decided to focus on the comfortable feeling.

After ten minutes, he heard a series of knocks on his door. He opened his eyes and sat upright. “Who is it!?” he yelled from the bathroom.

“Issac, it’s me. June.” June’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“June? Come in then.”

“Thanks!” Issac heard the door open and closed with a click. “Where are you?” June’s voice could be heard inside the room now.

“In the bathroom.”

“And you kept the goddamn door open?”

“Don’t sweat it,” Issac laughed, “No one was going to come in anyway, and even if someone other than you did, I wouldn’t have told them to come in.”

“Issac, it’s been five years. Can you be a little less trusting? I might just ship come in, take a pic and post it on Facebook if this was back on Earth.”

“You’ve already seen all I have to offer, so don’t get too worked up. So, why did you come here?”

It was barely audible, but he heard her sigh in the other room, “Finish your bath quickly and get dressed. All of us are meeting up in Ray’s room.”

“Huh?” Issac stood up in the bathtub, “Why?”

“It’s our status screens. They’re finally online.”