Though this outfit is nearly identical to my usual outfit lately, it's still easily identifiable of being of superior material.

My dark blue tunic and black pants are of a magical cotton grown at the southern end of the valley. It's softer than any of the wool I've ever worn before, and lighter, too. It's resilient to damage, and if the light catches it right, the tunic seems to shimmer slightly.

The leather of my vest, belt, and boots are all from the hide of a black wyvern, meaning no dye was involved. Though it's resistant to damage, it's as flexible as it should be for what it was turned into, the leather smooth as can be while still yielding to bends. Not a single crease forms when it bends, either.

At the moment, I've also slipped on a pair of gloves made of the same black leather as my vest, and they're quite comfortable despite that. I'm also wearing a tie under my vest, black with my guild's crest on it. Our crest is a violet shield with a darker orb on it, the orb with a black center. I wanted to put a crown on the crest, but that's apparently only allowed for royals.

Well, royals of this kingdom. The fact that I'm a royal of another kingdom and have a Title that has 'prince' on the name doesn't matter. Since my guild is of this kingdom (and the fact that I'm the prince of another doesn't matter for anything), my crest must abide by this kingdom's rules.

I don't normally wear gloves, and ties are something I didn't even know exist but which can go with my usual outfit. Colt will probably be wearing one when I see him shortly, too.

If today weren't a special day, I wouldn't be wearing the tie with my guild's crest on it nor the gloves. Three days have passed since the battles against the goblin kingdoms, and the entire kingdom is celebrating it.

Way more than they did the last two days. Today is the official celebration for it, though it will occur on the actual anniversary of the feats in future years. Everyone who actually received a [Goblin King Slayer] Title has been invited to the castle for a massive party, too.

Naturally, that means my entire guild has been invited to enter a room full of powerful people and nobles and royals, and eat food they'd never even heard of before they shove it into their mouths. I can only hope that they remember the behavior rules I gave them all.

Though considering they all worship me as some sort of deity, they probably will.

Yeah. Seriously. Not a single one of my minions fears me. Apparently, they all view me as some sort of guardian deity who came to save their lives and elevate them to a better life. They all believed that they would survive a battle against a goblin king because of the goblins they'd faced before.

Then upon finding out – from others, not me – just how powerful a Goblin King really was, that view of me grew even stronger. They believe that serving me gave them some sort of protection by me that enabled them so survive against a superior being.

I'm not entirely sure why they went from fearing me to trusting and believing me and viewing me as a guardian deity, but they did. It's frightening, though Colt found it hilarious when I told him yesterday.

Due to the celebrations and other stuff, we haven't been able to go out and train for the last few days. Colt stopped by yesterday to say hello and make sure I was okay because he knew I was probably at the end of my patience. Other than that, he's been full of royal duties.

I'll get to see him at the party, though. That makes me happy, and I've decided to accept that feeling. Though I'm still suspicious of stuff, I've decided that Colt isn't a suspicious person. He genuinely wants to be my friend and cares about me.

That doesn't mean I fully trust him now, it just means I'm going to stop stressing that what he asks me or says to me is a trap, I'm going to stop worrying that he's planning on seeking punishment for my mistakes later.

I'm also not going to trust just anyone. Colt managed to earn my trust. So did Lady Elise, she's stopped by a few times to make sure I'm handling stuff okay. So many people have wanted to join the guild or just meet me, and it really has been stressful. I know I can't trust those who are coming just because of me and my guild killing two Goblin Kings.

The only group which killed more was the royals, numbering three. The king and queen and their forces killing one, Colt and other royal guards killing a second, and Lord Benjamin and Lady Elise and their forces killing a third.

Yet they're royals. I and my minions are slums kids. That's generated a lot of attention, and a lot of people want to connect with us for that prestige.

Thinking of the kids, I should go check on them.

I make sure my hair is good, then walk down to the first floor. All of the kids are dressed in their uniforms – also updated to quality materials – which includes our crest. For them, however, it's on a metal badge they've pinned to their clothes. The girls have them on their left breasts on their dresses, while the boys have them on their left breasts on their vests.

Unlike my crest, theirs has something special to it. I examine the one pinned to Aiden's vest.

Crest of the Violet Shield Guild This crest is the emblem of the Violet Shield Guild, and it can only be worn by a member of the guild. Should it be worn or used by someone outside of the guild, the violet shield will turn dark grey and this informational window will make a note of the false use. Wearer: Aiden

Lord Trenton suggested obtaining these to me. Apparently, the reward items from Rank-Up Trials aren't the only Rank 8 items around. Guild Masters and those they assign the ability to can buy these crests from a special System Guild Crystal. The badges are indestructible and are protected by a sacred force to prevent someone from falsely using them.

As soon as the crest is registered through the System, it's also impossible for it to be created without permission by anyone else. In other words, no one outside of my guild can recreate their own version of the crest, even if it's for a piece of clothing or a sign, without my express permission. Or Hailey's, I gave her permissions for that, too. All similar crests made in an attempt to fool people will have a statement of falsehood within its informational window.

That was useful information to know. These badges aren't anything special outside of that, except for one thing: they lack an Item Grade. Lord Trenton told me that they're the only thing he knows of which lacks one.

I asked everyone to wear them for now, to make things easier on them. I didn't expect it to result in everyone getting discounts. Word really went out about my guild killing two Goblin Kings.

Especially with the fact that one of them was killed by ten much-weaker kids. Apparently, Hailey bought up all of the venom from Ko'Nabrul and Aiden mixed it up into antidotes and poisoned smoke grenades. They used the latter to kill To'Reimalk, and the antidotes to keep themselves safe.

We kept that bit a secret, it would scare a lot of people if they knew.

His Majesty knows, though, and they were all still invited to the party. It looks like everyone is ready to go there, too. Three of the younger ones are holding hands while dancing in a ring, singing "We're going to meet the king" over and over.

"Aiden" I approach the alchemist. "Your hair isn't quite even. Mind if I fix it?"

Everyone's tried to make themselves presentable for the party, so they're all cleaned up and with freshly-cut and made hair.

"Go ahead," he tells me.

I reach up and use a bit of wind magic to snip the parts that are a little too long and fire magic to burn the clippings.

"There we go," I say after examining the new style. "Everyone! It's time to go!"

The three kids singing cheer at my words and everyone groups up with me. We leave the guild hall and start making our way down the crowded street outside. I know we could have taken carriages – the guild has more than enough money to buy a few of them and some horses – but we're walking to the castle. It's not too long of a trip and I'm using magic to protect everyone from the heat of the afternoon soon.

People are dressed up for the celebrations and today's festival, and a lot of kids are running around in their excitement. When we're spotted, everyone in our path moves out of the way, and a lot of people cheer and clap for us.

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This is why we're walking. Even if the crowd makes me nervous and anxious, and probably all of my minions, too, this still feels good. People are actually happy about me. Getting cheers for a feat I did feels great, and I know my minions are bursting with pride over it.

When we finally reach the castle, we're let in by the guards and greeted by a servant who leads us to straight to the Great Hall, which has a few hundred people inside of it and room for a few hundred more and still have 'comfortable' amounts of space for normal people. Most everyone here is either a royal, an important noble, a servant, or someone who received [Goblin King Slayer] the other day.

Tables line the side walls, food and drink covering every inch of them. A band plays up on a balcony, their music drifting down to us, subtle but not unnoticed.

"Remember," I tell my minions after we're in the room. "Stay in groups of three at a minimum, so that you can always find each other. Don't cause any problems, and try to follow the rules I set."

The kids nod, and then they all make for the tables of food. They're fine for now, but I'll check on them every now and then to make sure everything is okay. I contemplate looking at some of the dishes available, but Colt approaches me before I can begin.

"Hello, Max," he greets me.

"Hello," I greet him. "Lots of people here."

"There are," he chuckles. "This room is even more full for other events, but Father limited the scope of this one mostly so you won't be as anxious. There would be another two hundred or so, otherwise."

"Thanks," I say.

"It was Father's idea," he shrugs. "Well, I think Elise suggested it to him first."

Lady Elise has been super-kind to me. She also never asks for anything in return, and that makes me wonder if she's planning on asking me for something big in the future.

"I must thank them, then," I say.

"Want to go look at the food?" He asks. "I'm sure you'll wish to know what many of the dishes are, and I can explain them for you."

"Yes, please."

Colt takes me to one of the tables, and the three youngest kids from my guild are standing at this one, staring at everything on it with wide eyes. When Colt starts telling us what some of the snacks on it are, they listen attentively, then try one of everything. We have to learn that we're supposed to put the stuff onto these small plates one each table before eating them, first. Then we step away from the table and eat.

Maybe I should have asked Colt or Lady Elise about this sort of thing, but I didn't know there were extra rules. I should have guessed that, though. On streets, we just ate as soon as we got food or were somewhere safe. At the guild, we just eat as soon as we get the food, sometimes sitting down first.

"What's this?" I ask Colt while indicating something from another table we approach.

They're a series of glass dishes with some sort of… thing in them. It's frozen, and the dishes look like they're enchanted to keep it cold. Whatever is in them is in it in scoops, and they come in different colors. There's a yellow-white one, and a pink one, and a bluish-purple one.

"It's called ice cream," he answers. "The yellowish-white one is vanilla-flavored, the pink one is strawberry, and the bluish-purple one is blueberry. You take a dish, and then you can top it with toppings there. If you want to mix the flavors of the ice cream, you can ask a servant. Each dish gets three scoops, so you can customize it how you want up to that, but you can always come back for more. A pro-tip, though: do not eat it quickly. Your brain will hurt."

I decide to give the vanilla ice cream a try, along with some sprinkles, berries, banana slices, and something Colt calls a caramel syrup. I've had caramel candies before, and they were delicious. Colt serves himself some strawberry ice cream with a few toppings and caramel syrup, then we eat it as we walk around a little.

Thankfully, Colt is accompanying me here. He's doing it partly as… as a friend, because he knows I need help navigating this because I want to take it more seriously than my minions do. He's also not neglecting his duties as prince, introducing me to people he's supposed to mingle with.

After we finish our ice creams, we set their dishes down on a tray carried by a servant and Colt grabs a pair of glasses with a red wine in it, and we sip on them a little.

"Attention, everyone!" King Arthur's voice booms through the hall, which immediately turns silent as everyone faces the king. "Thank you all for coming here today. We are here to celebrate the ending of a threat which rose in recent times. Ordinarily, the goblins give up after we push back, but this time, they simply returned. So three days ago, we launched a joint offensive on seven of their eight kingdoms north of us. This resulted in the death of seven Goblin Kings, the first time a King Monster has been slain in more than a thousand years – and we killed seven in a day!"

Cheers break out from the crowd, and I find myself joining in on this even though I was one of the people who did it. Rather than actually cheering, though, I just clap. Some of the others are doing that instead of cheering. Colt's both clapping and cheering, and I can spot some of my minions jumping and cheering.

"Thanks to the battles," King Arthur continues, the cheers dying down as he speaks again. "Kedridal has grown even stronger, and six new people qualified for their Rank-Up Trial! Two of whom are my own children, too! My youngest son, Colton, reached Level 100 and has yet to take the Rank-Up Trial, while my eldest son, Benjamin, not only reached it, but he took his Rank-Up Trial already! He returned from it yesterday, all the better for it!"

Lady Elise mentioned to me that Lord Benjamin had gone off to take it, and Colt told me yesterday about some of the items his brother earned from completing it. One of them includes a new item that defends against void magics, which he plans on using to replace the one he had before. Apparently, even though the old item was Grade 7, it had apparently degraded in value over the centuries.

As for Lady Elise, her contributions weren't high enough to elevate her to Level 100, and though she was over Level 50, she wasn't that much over it. She's now Level 78. That's three Levels lower than Hailey reached, but Hailey had a tougher fight than Lady Elise did. Hailey and the others killed something significantly more powerful than anyone in the fighting group, something which took them significantly more effort to kill than a group of stronger people.

"This increase in power," King Arthur announces. "Has also struck fear into our enemies and ensured the security of our kingdom! The other seven realms, combined, have a total of only four Rankers and four seven-affinities, and there is no overlap between those. We now have eight Rankers and four more who can take on the trial, two of whom are seven-affinities!

"So let us celebrate!" He raises a golden goblet high. "To the safety of Kedridal!"

"To the safety of Kedridal!" Everyone calls out, those of us with glasses raising them.

The speech is over with that, and people return to mingling and talking. A few people approach me to congratulate me on the feat, and I can't help but beam at the praise. These people are praising me for something I did. It feels really good.

Colt continues to introduce me to people, and I'm pretty sure a few of these nobles were trying to talk about possibly arranging a marriage for me once I'm an adult. I'm not entirely sure, and Colt kept interrupting the nobles to change the subject or lead me to another group.

Whatever he was stopping, I'm sure it was actually a good thing he did.

We've been here about three hours when I realize that the younger kids are wanting to touch the king. Ever since we moved into the guild hall and they've been looking more efficiently for stories of wonders outside of the valley, they've also heard stories of our heroes and great warriors and mages.

Our king is one such being, so they view him as some sort of special, sacred being. Naturally, that means they want to touch him for good luck. I whisper this to Colt, and he chuckles before approaching his father. Colt whispers something to his father, who responds to it, then Colt returns to me.

"He said he wants to meet your minions."

We round up not just the kids staring at the king right now but all of my guild, then approach His Majesty.

"Hello, kids," King Arthur tells them. "Thank you for your assistance on Saturday. That was quite the impressive feat, killing a Goblin King as weak as you were. I would like to congratulate you all for it as well."

His Majesty extends a hand, and even Hailey looks awed as she shakes it. The little ones do their best not to squeal in excitement, though they fail to keep it in after leaving. King Arthur chuckles a little when they do.

"And you, Magus Zanroval," he says, and I look at him. "Thank you again. I examined the site of your battle, and I have to say, it was quite impressive. You were the only one who destroyed the entire thing."

"I apologize for that," I say. "I know the goal was only to wipe out the stronger goblins, but I was focusing on taking out Az'Raizeul first."

"It is fine," King Arthur chuckles. "The goblins will recover, in time. I was impressed by it. Do you remember what Victoria said about the two kingdoms we were not attacking? At least the two that were not planned for attacks?"

"I apologize for my guild's actions," I tell him. "I didn't expect them to-"

"Max," Colt clears his throat. "Sorry for the interruption, but he's not criticizing you. Everyone is quite impressed."

"O-oh," I say. "Sorry. Um. Yeah. Yes, I do remember what she said. She said that the other two kingdoms were worried about the wrath of the gods if they participate, that they would get smote right off the map."

"Indeed," King Arthur says. "And you smote a goblin kingdom right off the map. It seems that they were partially correct about what would happen. I look forward to hearing of your adventures and accomplishments, Magus Zanroval."

"Thank you, sir," I say.

"Now," King Arthur says. "I must mingle with some others. The king of Noveizdri arrived a little while ago, and I want to brag to him about you kids."

The king leaves, and I watch as he goes to talk with another man, then I look at Colt.

"Noveizdri is one of our two neighbors," he tells me. "I think we're going to give you some geography lessons. For now, though, let's return to enjoying the party."

"Okay," I say.

"And Max?" He says.

"Yes?"

"You're doing good at maintaining better speech," he says. "That one slip-up with my father is the only one I've heard from you all afternoon."

My face heats up a little at his praise.

"Thank you," I tell him. "I worked hard the last few days to be able to adjust my speech. Lady Elise helped me a lot as well, and so did Peter, Lord Daniel, Lord Trenton, and Father Patrick. I still have much to adjust, though, and this is still straining."

"Well," he says. "You're doing a good job. Now, do you want to try some more food before we mingle some more?"

"Yes, please."

My answer was probably a little too fast, because Colt laughs, then leads me over to a table. I'm once again awed by all the food varieties available for the celebration.

All of the praise and compliments I receive as the celebration continues causes me to wonder something else. What kind of party would be thrown if I killed a dragon?

Even better – what kind of party would be thrown if I killed a behemoth?