Chapter 248: Bar (3)

When Master Swordsman Doberg said he wanted to change Talent, the Spirit God Rosen told him to wait a bit.

In the midst of all thay, the door to the bar opened with a bang.

“So which one of them is this Allen?”

“It’s him.”

(Hmm? Isn’t he the wolf beastman we saved before?)

I recognized the wolf beastman behind the lion beastman who suddenly walked into the bar.

He was the wolf beastman named Ur who was in the party that was attacked by Beebe on the 2nd floor.

Asked by the lion beastman, Ur pointed straight at me.

“Hmm?”

After looking at me and letting out a sound, the lion beastman came straight at me, shaking his muscular shoulders.

(Oh? You’re not going to do it? Get out of the front.)

I motioned to the lion beastman.

“This is Prince Zew, of the Albahar Beast Kingdom. It has been a long time.”

Helmios seemed to know the lion beastman.

Helmios greeted him while seated.

“Mm? Hero of the Central Continent? I heard you were sent to war, is the war over?”

(Prince, he said. They called him Master Zeu or something. Is this beastman a Prince of the Beast Kingdom?)

“We won the war. Is His Majesty the Beast King alive and well?”

Helmios responded to the irreverent Prince Zeus Beast with a smile.

“Hmmm, he is alive and well just as he was when brought you down to the ground in front of the Emperor of the Giamut Empire.”

(Hmm? Brought him down to the ground?)

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that.”

It was something of a disturbing conversation, but the Beast Prince. Zew looked towards me.

“I see that you are with the Hero of the Central Continent. So, was it you who saved my people?”

“If it happened about 20 days ago, then yes it was me.”

I answered him.

“I heard you were attacked instead. Did you manage to escape Beebe?”

“Well, yes, I did. What about it?”

I didn’t say whether it was easy or difficult for us to escape from Beebe.

“You saved the beastmen. I have come to thank you on behalf of my brethren. I was told that you were going to demand a reward of some kind. What do you want?”

(Oh? The Royal Family has come to thank me just because we helped some adventurer?)

Unlike their irreverent and violent appearance, the Royalty of the Beast Kingdom was more righteous than I thought.

“Hmm~”

I started thinking seriously.

“Tell me.”

Since Prince Zew received no immediate response, he prompted me to answer.

“I can’t think of anything right off the top of my head. Do you mind if I ask for the reward some time In the future?”

“Hah! What do you mean!?”

Behind him, the beastman named Ur began to tremble at my words.

I couldn’t think of a reward right then and there, so I asked him if I could ask for the reward when I had something in mind later.

“Well, let’s hear why, shall we?”

“I must say that I did not expect Royalty of the Beast Kingdom to reward me. But since I am getting a reward, I would like to ask for your help when I am in more trouble. We are in the middle of trying to conquer the dungeon after all.”

“Conquer? Has the Giamut Empire finally gotten serious about conquering the dungeon?”

At the mention of conquering the dungeon, the Beast Prince Zew looked at Helmios with a stronger gaze than before.

“No, we’re not.”

Helmios denied him.

“Is that so? Well, good. Then come to me when you are in trouble. You can ask any beastman around here where I am. And Helmios, too.”

“Yes. If there is anything you need, Prince Zeus, please contact us. We are together with him.”

“Humph.”

(What do you mean “together”?)

Having said that, Beast Prince Zew left the bar with beastmen in tow.

The beastmen who were inside the bar went out of the bar to see him off.

“I don’t know how Allen can talk to the Royalty of any country.”

Cecile put down the word “Holy Knight” and gave me a jittery look.

“Well, he was Royalty from another country. There was no reason to be loyal to him.”

“No, you didn’t look like you were loyal to your own King either.”

Kiel recalled my actions in the audience chamber that I had taken to return him to Nobility.

With such conversation, Kurena and Dogora resumed eating, since Beast Prince Zew was gone.

Helmios’ companions looked at me in amazement, saying that it was just as they had heard.

“So, what did he mean by ‘brought you to the ground’? It sounded to me like you were defeated by a beastman, Senior.”

“I think it was the year before I fought against you at the Academy. I was supposed to have a match with the current Beast King in a meeting of the Five Continents Alliance.”

“What? You fought against the Beast King?”

I asked a question that bothered me about the conversation between Beast Prince Zew and Helmios.

“Yes. And I was beaten up without any help. I was so embarrassed at that time.”

Helmios told me the story of his own defeat with a helter-skelter smile.

At a meeting of all things, the Emperor of the Giamut Empire made the statement that Helmios, who was always victorious in his battles against the Demon King’s army, was the World’s Hero.

Honoring one’s own Hero was a show of one’s own national strength.

The Baukis Empire and the Albahar Beast Kingdom refuted the claim saying that he was only the ‘Hero of the Central Continent’ and not of the World.

The Baukis Empire had Admiral Galara.

Then, the current Beast King said that there were many that could beat Helmios.

The Emperor of the Giamut Empire said that if they doubted Helmios’ strength, they could just have a friendly spar, so Helmios and the Beast King fought while the Emperors and other Heads of States in the Five-Continent Alliance watched.

“After that, the Emperor scolded me because I had lost. It was terrible of him, wasn’t it?”

“It’s terrible to be scolded after a painful, almost one-sided defeat,” said Helmios with a laugh.

(That’s strange. Why did the Hero lose when Royalty could only have 1-star Talent? Hmm? Could it be that the rule I had read only applied for humans?)

I chimed in with “I see.” and pondered why Helmios lost.

Something made me wonder if I was getting closer to the truth of the world after hearing Helmios’ story, or even further away from it.

“The Beast King probably specialized in 1v1 fights.”

“That’s right. But, that’s not an excuse, I just lost. I had no way of winning.”

(I see, the Beast King specialized in [Agility]. But still, he was faster than a Hero?)

“Hey, Allen. What do you mean?”

“I think that the Beast King’s status is more specialized in fighting against individuals and his [Agility] is higher than his other statuses. In comparison, Mr. Helmios has an average status in all fields. If you don’t hit him, you won’t win.”

(It’s common knowledge that Heroes are balanced types and poor in dexterity. But still, that means the Baukis Empire has someone strong enough to defeat him too.)

“It’s probably something like that. Allen, you seem to have appraisal skills.”

I predicted that Admiral Galara of the Baukis Empire was as powerful as Helmios.

That would be including the strength of the Golem, but he was probably not the strongest in the Baukis Empire.

As I, who was not present at the time of the match, analyzed Helmios’ fight, everyone’s eyes were focused on me.

At least unlike the Baukis Empire and the Beast Kingdom, everyone here knew what I had done in the war in Rosenheim a few months ago.

Some of Helmios’ companions looked at me with threatening eyes, even though they looked a year younger than Helmios.

“I’m also curious about your last words. It sounded something like, ‘We will help you with the Beast Prince Zew.’

“Oh, hmm.”

The Hero seemed to hesitate if he should speak.

“What? Well, if it’s something you don’t want to say, I won’t force you to.”

(Or is it the political intricacies of the Giamut Empire?)

“No, I don’t. I’m indebted to you, Allen. And you are from the Latash Kingdom, so I guess I should tell you. I’m not very good at drawing the line between what’s right and wrong.”

Helmios said as he looked at Master Swordsman Sylvia, who nodded lightly.

“You should talk to Mr. Allen. Maybe he can help.”

(I’m not saying I will help, but how can you be so sure.)

Sylvia urged Helmios to say it.

“It is said that if the Beast King of the Albahar Beast Kingdom should fall, the Beast Kingdom will invade the Central Continent.”

“What? What are you saying, Mr. Helmios? What about the Five Continents Alliance?”

I raised my voice to say what he meant.

“Of course. I am sure that the Crown Prince Bek, who is supposed to be the next Beast King, will invade. He will take advantage of the Demon King’s army and invade.”

“Why though?”

Cecile choked up and looked at Helmios’ companions, also from the Giamut Empire, to see if Helmios’ story was true, but no one refuted him.

It seemed to be an open and shut fact.

“I’ve never heard of anything like that at the Academy, but have they ever invaded in the past?”

“I don’t think they have after the Demon King’s army invaded. But it has been 1,000 years since the Beast Kingdom became independent. I’m told that the Beast Kingdom has invaded the Central Continent many times during that time.”

The beastmen were severely discriminated against and treated by the Giamut Empire.

They had been persecuted, and the accumulated bitterness of that time was still alive even after 1000 years.

Apparently the Beast King of the time then issued an order to gather a large army and invade the Central Continent to take retribution.

“That’s what you meant when you said you were from the Latash Kingdom.”

“Huh?”

Cecile did not understand.

“That’s what I mean. If they attack us, I think the lower third of the Central Continent will be taken. We will then have to fight a two-pronged battle with the Demon King’s army.

(Oh, I get it. That’s how it is. That’s why such a weak state has continued to exist next to the Empire.)

I had one long-held question answered.

“What? Allen, what did you find out?”

“Maybe the Latash Kingdom has existed for the last thousand years as a defensive wall to protect the Imperial citizens when they are attacked by the Beast Kingdom.”

The Latash Kingdom was one of the southern countries on the Central Continent.

About two-thirds of the northern part of the Central Continent belonged to the Giamut Empire.

The Giamut Empire had the small Latash Kingdom as a defensive wall to protect itself.

When the Beast Kingdom attacked, they could use the time while Latash Kingdom would be under attack to mobilize their own forces.

“Well, then, Mr. Helmios. If the Beast Prince Zew becomes the next Beast King, will it be averted?”

“That’s right. If Beast Prince Zew becomes the next Beast King, it will be good for the Giamut Empire. Some people are also suggesting the Warrior Princess, but I’m just hoping that the current Crown Prince Bek doesn’t become the Beast King.”

(He even came to thank me when I saved just 1 or 2 beastmen.)

The Giamut Empire seemed to be pushing for the Beast Prince Zew to be the Beast King and considered the Crown Prince Bek to be dangerous.

“Warrior Princess?”

“I’m told that there is a Beast Princess who is the youngest child of the current Beast King, but has a great personality and fighting skills. I have never met her. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard much about her lately.”

It seemed that even with his position as the Hero, he was not allowed to enter the beast kingdom.

And it was unknown if the Beast Princess, known as the Warrior Princess, was even alive.

(This world is not made up of only peaceful, friendly nations. Like it is the case with the Elves and Dark Elves.)

It reminded me about the Demon General Razel, who was a Dark Elf.

Allen learned that this world with the Demon King was quite chaotic.