While my eyes remained fixed on the symbol spinning above my head, the king's voice reverberated through the room, catching my attention. His voice sounded respectful, yet still carried the authority befitting a monarch.

"Please accept my apologies for my earlier rudeness. We hadn't realized that you had been sent by the goddess of light and sun. Since you mention having something to fulfill, I suppose it's related to the gods. If you wish, feel free to stay in our castle for as long as you deem necessary. It would be an honor for us to offer aid to one who supports the gods"

As I turned my gaze to the king, I noticed he was still kneeling in respect. Clearly, the queen and Sylvia were acting in the same way. In fact, everyone present remained kneeling. At this moment, a genuine confusion took over me, not knowing exactly how I should comport myself in this situation.

I mean, should royalty really kneel like this? I get that we're talking about gods, but why on earth do these people seem so content while in this position? As these thoughts swirled in my mind, Aurora-sama's voice echoed in my thoughts.

"The answer to your question is quite simple, Makoto"

Hearing Aurora-sama's words, I raised an eyebrow with doubt and soon after questioned in my thoughts.

(What do you mean by that exactly?)

As soon as these words escaped my thoughts, Aurora-sama, with enthusiasm in her voice and small laughter, began to explain. For some reason, while she explained, I could almost visualize her chest swelling with pride.

"In short, a long time ago, the world where you currently are faced a terrible calamity. This force was so overwhelming that the races had no choice but to await their imminent destruction. However, the gods emerged and confronted this calamity in a long and arduous battle. After years of struggle, the gods finally triumphed over this threat. Since then, the races of that time have always emphasized how vital the divine intervention was, claiming that without it, the world would have been annihilated. As a result, the belief and devotion to different gods in each race were born as a form of gratitude and recognition. The end of the story"

Aurora-sama said with enthusiasm in her voice. The first impression I had was that she seemed happy imagining herself as a teacher or something of the sort. However, upon hearing her words, a doubt arose in my mind and I questioned it.

(Was Aurora-sama also present in that battle?)

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

As I formulated this question, I was greeted with a prolonged silence from Aurora-sama. Confused, I considered calling her again, but before I could do so, her voice resonated in my mind.

"Well... I suppose you could say that"

The answer I received from Aurora-sama was surprisingly ambiguous, almost as if she was hiding something. Despite my confusion, I realized I couldn't keep people kneeling for much longer. Of course, that didn't mean I had forgotten Aurora-sama's words, I just thought it would be best to reflect on it later. With that idea in mind, I turned my gaze to the king and began to speak.

"I'm grateful for the hospitality and will gladly accept. However, I ask that you rise. Although I am on a mission given by the gods, the truth is I'm not so different from all of you. Please treat me as you would anyone else, just like my companions"

With these words, one by one, they all began to stand up, returning to their initial positions. Moreover, even though they believe that we're on some sort of mission, I feel like I can't just tell them that this is closer to a game than a mission. While pondering over this, the king's voice echoed.

"If this is what you desire, we'll be glad to assist you. You can choose any place you prefer to stay for as long as you wish. Of course, you can also choose to remain at Sylvia Palace"

Uttering these words, the king turned his gaze towards Sylvia and continued.

"Now that we've settled this, we can proceed to discuss the matter of the Daemon Kingdom"

Upon hearing her father's words, Sylvia nodded her head. Then, the king shifted his gaze to the present nobles, and they all bowed their heads as a sign of respect before leaving the chamber, one by one, through the door. When I realized it, only I, the king, the queen, Sylvia, and Rena remained in the room.

I didn't fully grasp what was happening and wondered if I should leave or stay. Before I could come to a decision, Sylvia's voice, coming from beside me, caught my attention.

"It's alright if you want to stay, Makoto. I'm sure my parents won't mind either"

Hearing those words, I briefly turned to Sylvia's parents. Both of them were looking at me as if awaiting my response. But honestly, what exactly was going to happen now? From Sylvia's words, I understood that this is something normally not revealed to many people. But is it appropriate for me to witness this? Even if I insist that I'm not interested, the truth is, I'm genuinely curious. With this thought in mind, I said.

"Well, if you really don't mind"

As I uttered those words, Sylvia nodded, a smile lighting up her lips. Then, she turned to Rena, who simply nodded, as if already knowing what Sylvia was about to say.

Before long, Rena had left and returned with a small, beautifully crafted glass bottle. The bottle was nearly full, right up to the brim, with what seemed to be water. As I observed the situation in confusion, Rena brought the bottle over to the queen and placed it in front of her.

"Mother, please"

Curiously, Sylvia began addressing the queen in a more informal way. This led me to deduce that, when in the presence of other nobles, Sylvia probably should refer to her parents as "Your Majesty" or something similar. After hearing Sylvia's words, the queen nodded her head, displaying a small smile on her face. Then, she clasped her hands, closing her eyes – it seemed like something was about to commence.