Ten years had passed since I was reincarnated into this world, and the first noble I ever met turned out to be none other than the King.
In my previous life, the only nobles I knew about were the ones on TV or in books, so if I'm being honest about how I feel right now,
"This seems like such a hassle... Should I run?... I'm glad to see you're unharmed. Well then, I'll take my leave now."
And with that, I turned on my heel to leave.
"Now, now, wait just a moment."
My shoulder was grabbed from behind — by the King!
This King had a pleasant smile on his face, but the vibe he gave off was more like "You look interesting, so I'm not letting you get away."
I had a bad feeling about this, plain and simple.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but if I don't get home soon, my mother will worry."
"Nonsense, I'll just have a word with your mother myself. She wouldn't dare refuse an explanation from the King."
Scary, Your Majesty — your eyes aren't smiling anymore. Also, your tone of voice changed quite a bit.
Perhaps sensing my distress, one of the attendants standing behind us — a woman with chestnut-brown hair that reached halfway down her back — placed her hand on the shoulder the King wasn't holding and said softly,
"Please, give up. Once His Majesty gets like this, there's no stopping him."
Upon hearing this, the King replied,
"See? She gets it!"
and burst into hearty laughter. ...I felt tears welling up.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The boy is in a pickle."
"That's right, Your Majesty. He's the one who saved our lives, so it would be rude to put him in a difficult position."
First a man with rough, bandit-like features — short brown hair with a bandana tied around his head — spoke up, followed by a slender, handsome man with silky golden hair. One after the other, they chimed in with support.
"All right, all right! Oh, and come to think of it, I never told you my name. I'm Alex von Blumeil Klastin — king of this country. Call me whatever you like."
So I went ahead and—
"Then... Old Man?"
Drawn in by the King's easygoing vibe, those words slipped right out before I could stop them. Hearing what I'd said, everyone except me and one other person froze on the spot.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! What a funny kid! I like you! It's been ages since someone had the nerve to crack a joke like that at me!"
Somehow I'd won him over.
"I'm terribly sorry. I spoke out of turn, Your Majesty."
That was my immediate apology. Calling the King "Old Man" was definitely a bad idea.
"I don't mind being called Old Man, you know?"
I'm apologizing from the bottom of my heart, so please forgive me — Old Ma—Your Majesty.
"Your Majesty, that's quite enough."
A man who'd been silent until now finally spoke up.
Oh, thank goodness! "The way Your Majesty is acting right now, you look exactly like a drunk old man accosting a child! Is it any wonder the boy called you 'Old Man'? If you're going to be a king, then act like one! Show some dignity! This is absolutely disgraceful. Isn't that right, boy?!" — and he was not about to let up.
The King took a massive blow from that verbal onslaught. But it looked like he managed to hold on.
Phew — at least he held on. I didn't have to step in with my usual "Stop it already~! The King's HP is at zero~!" routine.
"Seriously! Your Majesty is always, always getting carried away — the least you could do is think about me, the one who has to clean up your mess! Are you even listening, Your Majesty?!"
What?! It's not over yet?! How long is this verbal assault going to last?!
"And another thing, Your Ma—" "Now, now, calm down, Kurif. His Majesty is already reflecting on his behavior." "...Fine. This will do for today. Consider it a short lecture — and only because Lord Edgar asked."
THAT was supposed to be short?!
"Oh — I've been so rude. I haven't introduced myself yet.
"I—
—am Kurif Sebastian Chun. I hold the position of Grand Steward to the Royal Family. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"I am Edgar van Barentein. Thank you for earlier."
Wait — the man who had just been lecturing the King was his butler? And a butler named Sebastian, of all things...
"Ah, Sebastian Chun is a name that each successive Grand Steward is permitted to take."
What — can he read my mind?!
"I cannot read minds, but it is something of a professional skill to read one's thoughts from their expressions."
Man, butlers are something else!
"I'm Jean-Jack Bauer. Thanks for saving me back there!"
What a name — sounds like the protagonist of a drama that wraps up its entire story in 24 hours. By the way, days in this world are also 24 hours long, but months have 30 days and there are 12 of them in a 360-day year.
"I'm Sigurd. Thanks for helping me out earlier. And I'm sorry about that — you saved me from danger, and I was about to point my sword at you..."
"Thank you for saving us. I'm Chris, nice to meet you. Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you maybe do something about... that?"
The woman named Chris said apologetically, pointing at the Golem.
"Ah, yes, I understand. Golems, you've worked hard — dismiss!"
The moment Tenma said that, the Golems melted into the ground and vanished, leaving behind nothing but the Magic Stones.
"Golems? To be able to wield them this skillfully is truly remarkable. Might I ask your name?"
Kurif asked, so while I was gathering the Magic Stones—
"I'm Tenma. I live in Kukuri Village, just up ahead."
"Oh, Kukuri Village — what a coincidence! We were heading there too, on business."
Just like that, the King sprang back to life and joined the conversation.
"Alright, let's head to Kukuri Village right away. Kurif! The horses and carriage are in good order, aren't they?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I've confirmed everything while you were speaking in your uncharacteristically casual tone."
"I-I see... W-Well, anyway, let's set off for Kukuri Village! Come on, everyone, hop in quickly, we're in a hurry!"
For some reason, the King is in high spirits and hurrying everyone along.
"Come on, Tenma, get in quickly too!"
"(If I ride with the King, he seems like he'd be annoying, and it'll take longer) No, I can use flight magic, so I'll fly ahead first."
Saying that, he tried to cast the spell. But in the moment he turned his back, his shoulder was grabbed again.
"Don't say such uninteresting things, Tenma. Since we're at it, let's go together. Those two horses are the cream of the royal selection, excellent in speed and strength, and with body enhancement magic applied, they're far faster than an ordinary carriage!"
He couldn't win against the King, who was giving a thumbs-up and talking to him without letting him say "Flying there would be even faster..."
The King's character has changed quite a bit.
I changed his character because it seems easier to involve him in the story later on.
Thank you, everyone.