I push the great door and enter the room, Lilia following behind.

The room is just as it was when I first arrived here. There's the throne right across the room, with pillars surrounding the red carpet creating the road to it from the entrance where I am standing on right now.

And the king is right there, rising from his seat and running towards me.

"Hero-sama, you're back!"

The king leaps to the air, his arms opened in a pose clearly meant to hug me.

Sorry old man, but the male gender isn't my thing, especially a short and fat one.

I sidestep smoothly, causing the king to crash to the castle floor face first.

"F-father!"

Lilia hurriedly comes to his aid, giving her hand to help him rise from the ground.

"Ooh, my cute daughter Lilia! You're safe!"

This time, his quest to receive a hug is successful. However, his short stature, only half as tall as the princess, makes his act look like a perverted scene since his face lands right on her crotch while his hands land on her butt.

And from what happens next, it seems I was right.

"Oooh, I miss this lovely scent so much! *sniff* *sniff* Hmm, what's this? I smell a faint trace of my daughter's maidenly fluid down here. Ooooooh, did Hero-sama take your virginity there?"

"N-no, F-father! O-of course not!" she protests, with a cute blush on her face, if I might add. "And stop sniffing my panties!"

"Aaaaah, of course, of course." The king retreats a few steps back. "Ooh, my daughter is even cuter when she's embarrassed!"

"Mooou, Otou-sama!"

***

After their little comedy routine, I report everything that has happened.

"So... so, my dear Lilac... my dear Lilac's still alive?"

This time, I don't bother to dodge.

"Oooooooh, thank you! Thank you so much, Hero-sama! M-my dear Lilac! She's still alive!"

He cries tears of joy while clinging onto the upper part of my body. I want to ask him to release me, since he's wetting my shoulders with his tears, buuuut I think it'll be to cruel to interrupt a moment like this.

So, her name is Lilac, huh? Princess Lilia and Princess Lilac. Not a very creative name but it shows how the two are a pair that should never be separated.

Which is all the more reason why I should find her and bring her back.

"My Lord!"

My thought is interrupted by a figure approaching from the end of the room. It's a man wearing a full set of iron armor, from iron leggings, iron chestplate, and iron helmet. He also carries a spear with an iron tip on his right hand. I cannot see his face since it's covered by the visor of his helmet, but I can already tell he's a guard of this castle. His attire is a common garment of the guard NPCs here.

"My Lord! Lady Eleanore has returned from battle and she wishes to be granted an audience with you right away. She said she bear grave news from the frontline."

"O-oh, no. Could it mean-- s-send her in at once!" the king says, jumping down from my shoulders at last.

The soldier exits the room with the clanging of his uniform. And then, after a few moments, another figure enters the throne room.

The first thing I notice is her boobs jutting out from her breastplate (blame my hormones for this), which is only possible if the steel was shaped exactly to fit them, a fact that quite stimulates me, if I might add. Then my dirty eyes move to her lower region. there, she wears an absurdly tight leather pants that show off her cameltoe clear as day. Man, isn't she embarrassed wearing that? Then, I reluctantly take my eyes off the beautiful sight to see that she has a striking long red hair with some sort of headband that looks suspiciously like the one maids wear. Huh.

She halts her steps in the middle of the room before kneeling towards the king who's back in his throne.

I notice her nervous expression, something that doesn't really fit with her knightly appearance.

"My Lord." She gulps. "I, Lady Eleanore of the Royal Knights, have failed in my duty of defending the town of Cledia. I am willing to accept any punishment you deem fit."

"L-lost? But-but how? Didn't I already send the reinforcements, just like you asked?"

"They... they weren't enough. The demons were too many and too strong."

"N-no... then... i-it's all over for us..."

The king falls to a slump, with his palms covering his face.

"Our forces weren't strong enough to defend it from the relentless assault from the Demon King's army, and that is before the fact that an especially strong demon participated in the battle, most likely to be one of the Demon King's four children, a princess to be exact. I engaged in battle against her but alas, even my power wasn't enough to beat her. I could only be here because she exercised mercy against me."

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The king doesn't respond. I glance at Lilia to see that she's looking at the king with eyes full of worry and sadness.

"F-father... f-father... don't lose hope, Father. Remember, Hero-sama is with us."

She puts her hands on his shoulders. And yet, he still refuses to budge.

"Hero? The hero is here?"

I return my sight to the female knight who just blurted out that question.

"Indeed! This gentlemen right here is the hero you've been all waiting for!" I answer while patting my chest proudly.

She stands up and slowly walks towards me, her eyes eyeing me from top to bottom. It seems she's judging whether I'm really telling the truth by analyzing whether or not I really look like one.

"Hmm, not bad. I expected a bigger, beefier guy but you would do. I am Eleanore, and I'm--"

Her speech is cut short by her feet tripping on the little stairs going up the throne.

I try to catch her before she falls to the ground but...

*boing*

Both of her boobs fall straight into my hands.

Somehow, I can feel their softness even when they're covered by her breastplate. And they're really soft indeed, softer than the princess's even, which is an anathema since you'd think a warrior knight like her would have tougher boobs than a demure princess.

The world of femininity is very mysterious indeed.

"Kyaaa! Ecchi!"

*slap*

Aah, the price you have to pay for paradise...

***

It's already two hours and one lunch, and we're still in a standstill.

We're now back to our own rooms. The king, still in shock from the bad news, is still unavailable. Lilia is still trying to console him to the best of her ability. Eleanore, most unfortunately, still refuses to talk with me after that little incident. And that wasn't even my fault. She just tripped by herself. It's really a shame. I really want to know about her (for more than just her part in the fight, of course)

I now am lying on my bed, staring at the luxurious chandelier above. I begin to think what move should we do next.

First of all, there's the elephant in the room, of course. The oncoming invasion of the Demon Lord. I had thought I could get more than just one legendary equipment before we tackle this problem. Alas, it seems their army is now right in front of this kingdom's footsteps. So, it's either we rush to get the next legendary item, or we fight them right away as strong as we are now.

Oh, that reminds me. The shield. I still have the shield with me.

Eleanore.

***

*knock* *knock* *knock*

...

*knock* *knock* *knock*

The door opens, before closing on my face right away.

"Oh, come on, Lea-chan. Won't you ever forgive this poor, perverted man?"

"STOP CALLING ME LEA-CHAN!"

*sigh* This is going to be difficult. Guess it's time to use my "negotiation" skill.

"Lea-chan, I'm here as ordered by the king. He told me to give this to you."

As if I just speak the password, the door opens.

"The king? Is he back to his senses again?"

"Yep. But he told me he won't hold the war meeting until a few hours more. Still got some things he need to consider first, he said. So he just told me to give this to you."

I hand over the Sapphire Shield I've been hiding behind me.

"W-what is..."

Her focus turns to the shield fully, as her eyes look upon its nooks and corners and her hands feel its perfect craftsmanship.

"This is... beautiful..."

"Is it not? It's a legendary shield that the royal family has been handing over generations. It's the Sapphire Shield. It is said to be crafted by the Phantasma people themselves."

I smile as I see her amazed face. My plan is working. Of course a knight like her would know her shields.

"T-thank you," she says as she turns her sight to me again. "Now leave me. I wish to study this thing alone."

"As you wish, Lea-chan."

i give a deep bow before leaving her aghast expression behind.

It's an absolute success.

***

"The king is calling for your presence. Please proceed to the throne room immediately."

Finally, the old coot gets his shit together.

I leave my room, with hope that this meeting shall shed light on the path we should take next.