The events at the Royal Academy... the tragedy that unfolded during the Magic Hunt Festival had left the academy temporarily shuttered.
An unprecedented number of students had lost their lives, and teachers as well as student council members who had attempted to rescue them also suffered casualties.
First-year students had largely not participated, but some among them had still lost relatives or upperclassmen with whom they had close ties.
Classes at the academy would not resume for at least a month, and the final exams that had been scheduled to follow were canceled as well.
"This is just terrible... I never imagined it would turn out this badly."
"Truly... I'm so glad Lord Rest wasn't hurt."
In the townhouse of House Rosemary in the royal capital.
Viola and Primula sat on the sofa in the drawing room, their nearly identical faces drawn with worry.
"Yeah... I'm glad you two were safe as well."
Rest, seated on the same sofa between the two sisters, nodded in agreement.
During the Magic Hunt Festival, Rest had been on the front lines as part of the rescue team, while the Rosemary sisters had been in a tent at the rear handling miscellaneous operational duties.
He only learned this afterward, but when the monster stampede caused by Sabnock had erupted, the two had tried to charge out onto the plains to search for Rest when he failed to return.
If Celestine, the young lady of House Crocus, and their father Albert of House Rosemary hadn't stopped them, they surely would have put themselves in serious danger.
"Please, I'm begging you—stop doing reckless things like that!"
"You really must! You're House Rosemary's son-in-law, after all!"
"Alright... I'll be more careful."
Having been scolded afresh, Rest slumped in dejection.
After reporting that he had fought and defeated Sabnock, the ruler of the demon realm, he was met with shock and a thorough lecture.
Charging alone against a magic beast powerful enough to annihilate an entire army was nothing short of suicide.
Why on earth would he do something so foolish? He was yelled at, berated, struck, and even cried at.
There was nothing Rest could do but reflect on his actions. He could only submit to the sisters' scolding and apologize profusely.
"Uuugh... if something that exciting happened, I should have joined too!"
The fourth person in the drawing room spoke up.
The one who blurted out those frustrated words was Yuri Cattleya, a classmate and friend from the same class.
"Hey... don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't saying people dying was 'exciting' or anything like that. I simply meant there might have been something I could have helped with too!"
"I know that... but if you'd actually been there, the knight commander might have gone berserk."
Yuri was the daughter of Iljas Cattleya, the knight commander.
Being the only daughter among many brothers, she had heard that she was doted on to an extreme degree.
To escape her father's obsessive, blind adoration, Yuri had run away from home and been attending the academy.
Incidentally, during the academy's closure, Yuri had been staying at the townhouse of House Rosemary.
The student dormitory where she had been living had been temporarily shut down in the wake of the incident.
"I'd heard my father was coming as a guest, which was why I didn't participate... but I never expected such a commotion. Rest, you fought the ruler of the demon realm, right? Was it as powerful as they say?"
"More than you can imagine... honestly, I think it was a miracle I managed to win."
As expected of the ruler of the demon realm.
The Corrosion Beasts that served as its underlings were formidable enough on their own, and without Lubeth's rescue, things could have gone very badly.
The relief of having survived outweighed the joy of achieving the subjugation of the demon realm's ruler—something no one had accomplished since the kingdom's founding.
"If word spreads that Rest defeated the ruler of the demon realm, you'll become an instant hero. Your fiancée has every right to hold her head high."
"I should say 'as expected of Lord Rest,' but really, please stop doing things like this!"
"I know, I know... I'm sorry."
"I see, I see... By the way, I wonder if there's any reward from the royal family for defeating Sabnock?"
As Rest hung his head once more, Yuri brought a finger to her lips with a curious expression.
"You achieved a feat no one else could. Surely medals and a reward money wouldn't be enough—has the royal family said nothing at all?"
"Well, about that..."
Just as Rest was about to answer Yuri's question, there was a knock at the drawing room door.
"My lady, the young lady of House Crocus has arrived."
"Please show her in."
"Certainly."
The maid excused herself, then returned leading a new visitor into the drawing room.
"Good day, everyone. It seems everyone is gathered here."
Entering the drawing room was Celestine, the young lady of House Crocus—the prime minister's daughter.
Grasping the hem of her skirt, Celestine curtsied gracefully and smiled gently at them.
"As I mentioned in advance... I have come today with matters to discuss with Lord Rest. It concerns the reward for the subjugation of Sabnock."