With Garlu, the vanguard of the Demon King's Army, defeated, the remaining forces lost their commander and were completely routed under the Knights' relentless pursuit.
Sunlight finally broke through the smoke and fell across the devastated battlefield, yet its warmth sent a bone-deep chill through Kōichi Hayashi and Kazuma Satou.
"Ohhh! Goddess-sama! Please accept our gratitude!"
"Lady Dustiness, that fearless charge of yours was the very model of what a Knight should be!"
"Young lady of the Crimson Demon Clan, please tell us your name! We must erect a monument in your honor!"
Not far away, Aqua stood with her arms spread wide and her eyes closed, basking in the worship of her followers like some genuine holy maiden. Unfortunately, the smug grin stretching almost from ear to ear made the whole scene look incredibly cheap.
Darkness, meanwhile, stood among the Knights with her face bright red. Although she kept insisting, "No, this was simply my duty," her eyes wandered all over the place. She was clearly immersed in the perverse thrill of having so many people stare at her battered state.
As for Megumin, she was sprawled across the back of a burly Knight. Despite being completely drained, she still used the last of her strength to point toward the enormous crater in the distance.
"Remember... that is... the masterpiece of Megumin... the Explosion Mage..."
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Kōichi Hayashi and Kazuma Satou walked side by side toward the city. Adventurers and soldiers around them hurriedly cleared a wide path, avoiding the pair as though they carried the plague.
"Look. It's those two."
"Tsk, tsk. I'll never forget the way that black-haired guy dropped to his knees and slid across the ground. What a disgrace to adventurers everywhere."
"The guy with the staff was even worse. He actually tried to defect to the enemy by offering them a map of the national treasury. Sure, he landed the finishing blow afterward, but that traitorous look on his face was unbelievable."
Listening to the undisguised contempt all around him, Kazuma clutched the gem-encrusted scimitar tightly against his chest. His head hung so low that it looked ready to disappear into his pants, and his entire body radiated an overwhelming aura of negativity.
"Kōichi... Is this what you meant by becoming heroes? Why do I feel like we're being treated even worse than those Beastmen from earlier? Everyone's looking at us like we're some kind of non-recyclable garbage!"
Kōichi Hayashi took a deep breath and desperately tried to preserve the last shred of his dignity. His hands were trembling slightly, but his voice remained firm.
"Shut up, Kazuma. Those destined for greatness can't afford to worry about trivial details. Our reputation among the common people may have... slipped just a tiny bit, but don't forget who actually decides the quality of our meal ticket. Her Highness Iris! As long as we present this scimitar to her and explain that it was a trophy we obtained through meticulous tactical planning, who would dare question our contribution?"
The moment he finished speaking, Aqua's bright and extraordinarily irritating laughter rang out from ahead.
"Oh my! Aren't these the two brave Heroes who dropped to their knees and begged those dog-headed men for mercy? Hey, you two! Stay away from this Goddess! What if your spinelessness spreads to my followers? Hehe! Everyone, take a good look. These two are the perfect cautionary examples of our Party!"
Aqua pointed at Kōichi Hayashi and Kazuma and loudly mocked them in front of her followers, having completely forgotten who had talked her into getting back up and fighting in the first place.
Kōichi Hayashi's face instantly turned darker than the bottom of a burnt pot. He looked over at Kazuma and saw that his hand had already reached for his dagger.
"Kazuma, calm down. Once we get the bounty, we'll have plenty of chances to teach her just how cruel society can be. The important question right now is... how we're supposed to shamelessly walk into the royal palace and claim our reward while the entire city despises us."
...
The royal palace's grand banquet hall glittered with extravagant splendor. Long tables were covered with delicacies so luxurious that not even the finest taverns in Axel could hope to serve them.
The air was filled with the fragrance of expensive sparkling wine and the boisterous laughter of adventurers.
And yet, amid the lively celebration, there was one strangely empty zone.
In the most remote, dimly lit corner of the banquet hall, Kōichi Hayashi and Kazuma Satou sat across from each other at a lonely little round table.
In front of them were nothing but a few plates of cold fried chicken that looked suspiciously like complimentary leftovers, along with two cups of cheap barley tea.
"Hey, look over there. Aren't those the legendary Sliding Knees Duo?"
"Shh, keep it down. What if they suddenly come running over and start calling you 'Sir'? I couldn't take that kind of psychological attack."
"I seriously don't understand how people like that managed to get into Lady Dustiness's Party. They're dragging down the average quality of every adventurer in the Royal Capital..."
Listening to the completely unrestrained ridicule from the neighboring table, Kazuma shakily stabbed a piece of fried chicken with his fork. His eyes were as hollow as those of a lost soul that had just crawled back from the underworld.
"Kōichi... I want to go home. I want to go back to that leaky stable in Axel... At least there, I'm just an ordinary loser. I'm not the useless trash officially recognized by the entire city..."
Kōichi Hayashi remained expressionless. His heart was bleeding just as badly, but as a competent captain, he absolutely could not collapse at a time like this.
"Calm down, Kazuma. It's nothing but the jealousy of ordinary mortals. They're simply envious of our flexible knees and our exceptionally broad perspective. As long as we can present that gem-encrusted scimitar to..."
At that moment, the previously noisy banquet hall suddenly fell silent.
The heavy doors slowly opened.
Flanked by Claire and Rain, Princess Iris entered the hall in a magnificent formal gown, radiant as the first light of dawn.
Every adventurer held their breath, ready to receive praise from the jewel of the royal family.
Aqua was already holding her wineglass in what she believed to be her most elegant pose, while Darkness proudly puffed out her chest, prepared to be decorated for her accomplishments.
However, after Iris swept her clear eyes across the hall, her gaze did not linger on any of those supposed heroes.
Instead, she walked straight through the crowd toward that gloomy corner.
Under hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of astonished gazes, the noble princess pulled out a chair and sat directly in front of Kōichi Hayashi and Kazuma.
"Brother Kōichi, Brother Kazuma. Why are you sitting all the way over here? I've been looking everywhere for you."
A pure, radiant smile lit up Iris's face. Her sparkling eyes were filled with undisguised admiration and concern.
"I heard everything from Rain. During the battle, the two of you personally ventured deep behind enemy lines and used astonishing tactics and courage to lure out the leader of the Demon King's Army. Then you even slew it with your own hands. That was truly incredible!"
The entire hall fell silent.
Dead silent.
The adventurers who had been mocking the two only moments earlier stared with their jaws hanging open.
"T-Tactics?" Claire stood behind Iris with one hand pressed against her forehead, her voice trembling. "Your Highness, that was clearly..."
"It was an exceptionally clever tactic to lure the enemy, wasn't it, Claire?"
Iris turned her head toward her. Her gaze carried an authority that left no room for disagreement. Then she turned back to Kōichi Hayashi with a gentle smile.
"To protect the Royal Capital, you were even willing to sacrifice your own reputations in order to deceive the enemy... That kind of resolve truly moved me."
Kōichi Hayashi stared at the girl before him, this limitless meal ticket who seemed to view the entire world through a rose-colored filter, and the gears of pure self-interest inside his head instantly began spinning beyond their limits.
He abruptly straightened his back.
Every trace of dejection vanished from his face, replaced by the saintly radiance of a man nobly enduring humiliation for the greater good.
"Your Highness, you give us far too much credit."
Kōichi Hayashi spoke in a deep, magnetic voice as he casually placed the gem-encrusted scimitar on the table with a crisp clang.
"As long as I can protect your smile, what does something as insignificant as my reputation matter? Even if everyone in the world misunderstands us, as long as Your Highness understands the sacrifices we made... that is enough."
Kazuma froze for exactly 0.1 seconds.
Then he immediately understood and wiped away a tear that did not exist.
"Exactly, Your Highness! You have no idea how much my heart hurt the moment I dropped to my knees! But so Kōichi could successfully deliver the finishing blow, I endured it!"