Chapter 12: The Golden Kingdom

"I invite you to my kingdom as honored guests", the princess warrior offers gracefully, her voice carrying a melodic yet commanding tone.

We happily accept her generous invitation and walk closely alongside her majestic, pure white horse. The journey out of the devastated, rocky valley is surprisingly pleasant, a stark contrast to the brutal massacre from mere moments ago. We walk at a leisurely pace and have a very happy, lighthearted chit-chat along the winding, sunlit dirt road. Slowly shaking off the adrenaline of battle, we introduce ourselves one by one to the stunning royal knight.

"My name is Claire, and I am the commander of the holy cavalry", Princess Claire introduces herself, her posture radiating noble elegance.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Ishida aggressively flexes his thoroughly average muscles and tries desperately to look extremely cool and mysterious.

"I am the Dark Vanguard, Ishida", Ishida boasts loudly, sweeping his hand backward. "And this is my loyal harem".

Right on cue, Amiya, Meiyi, and Diana nod happily behind him, completely leaning into the utterly ridiculous performance.

After a few hours of exhausting walking, the untamed wilderness finally gives way, and we reach the heavily guarded borders of the kingdom. I look up, and my jaw drops completely to the dusty dirt road. It is a very big and absolutely huge kingdom, completely surrounded by massive, impenetrable white stone walls that gleam in the daylight. Tall, majestic observation towers reach high into the fluffy clouds, and heavily armed, highly disciplined guards meticulously patrol the winding battlements.

"This kingdom is the largest and most powerful in this entire region", Princess Claire tells us proudly, gesturing toward the monumental architecture.

Everyone in our chaotic team is completely shocked by the sheer, overwhelming size and wealth of the bustling city. However, I quickly adjust my slumping posture and smirk happily to myself, a dark plan already forming in my mind. I lean dangerously close to Ishida and whisper quietly into his ear so the holy knights cannot hear.

"Let us takeover and steal whatever we can in this incredibly rich kingdom", I whisper with a deeply evil, scheming grin.

Ishida smirks back at me instantly and secretly agrees with a small, calculated nod.

The heavy, reinforced iron gates slowly groan open for Princess Claire and her returning troops. We walk right into the bustling, vibrant city streets, and the joyful peoples of the kingdom immediately greet the triumphant warriors. Cheering crowds of ecstatic citizens throw colorful, fragrant flower petals from their intricately carved wooden balconies. They are welcoming the weary travellers happily, completely and utterly ignoring our filthy, blood-stained clothes. Soaking in the unearned glory, Ishida looks incredibly proud of himself, confidently waving at the cheering crowds exactly like a true, legendary hero.

Suddenly, Ishida spots a very pretty, innocent young lady carrying a woven basket full of fresh, shiny red apples. He immediately abandons his heroic march, runs over to her, and tries desperately to flirt with her.

"Hello, beautiful maiden", Ishida smirks, leaning against a nearby wooden stall. "Do you need a strong, legendary hero to carry those heavy apples?"

I quickly dart forward, grab Ishida forcefully by the back of his collar, and ruthlessly drag him away before he causes a massive, highly embarrassing public scene.

Leaving the bustling markets behind, we walk up a grand, sweeping marble staircase and finally reach the imposing main royal castle. The massive oak castle doors slowly open, and we step into a breathtaking, incredibly massive throne room lavishly decorated with pure gold and rich red velvet drapery. We are formally meeting the powerful King of this massive, influential nation. Surprisingly, Princess Claire confidently steps forward and bows deeply to the regal man sitting upon the throne. She is actually the one and only daughter of the King!

"Father, I bring brave warriors who assisted our lands", Princess Claire introduces us to her royal father, her voice echoing through the vast chamber.

The King is an older, distinguished man wearing a thick, heavily jeweled golden crown and a very kind, deeply welcoming smile. The King is extremely happy meeting them in his grand, spectacular hall.

"Welcome, brave heroes", the King laughs loudly, his booming voice filling the room. "I heard rumors that you travellers did destroy the demon hive in the dangerous jungle!"

I step forward immediately, my heart skipping a beat, and frantically wave my hands in absolute panic.

"No, your majesty", I deny quickly, desperately trying to save our necks. "That is a huge, terrible misunderstanding. We just visit a very civilized, highly modern monster city".

I try my absolute best to clear the dangerous misunderstanding so we do not get into massive political trouble.

"Ah, you are entirely too modest", the King chuckles warmly, completely brushing off my frantic explanation. "I know you wiped out their evil, underground operations completely!"

There is more funny, deeply frustrating misunderstanding as the stubborn King flatly refuses to listen to any logical reason. He still firmly claims that we are the legendary saviors who kill lots of terrifying monsters and systematically dismantle the encroaching demon forces.

"They even defeated an entire army of giant rock golems today", Princess Claire adds proudly, completely sealing our fake reputation.

Ishida and I just sigh heavily, exchanging a defeated glance, and hopelessly accept whatever it is. There is absolutely no point arguing with these incredibly stubborn, delusional royals. The King stands up dramatically from his gleaming golden throne and proudly raises his arms toward the vaulted ceiling.

"I officially declare you the ultimate heroes of our grand kingdom", the King shouts happily to the assembled court.

The royal guards immediately blow their shiny golden trumpets in loud, joyous celebration. It is incredibly funny and deeply ironic because it is a complete, fabricated lie. The actual, undeniable fact is that we are just lost travellers and greedy, manipulative scammers actively looking for easy, unearned money. But despite our dark secrets, we just smile widely and wave politely at the clapping, clueless nobles gathered in the rich throne room.

After the incredibly long, exhausting royal meeting finally concludes, a polite servant guides us out of the grand castle. They hand us the shiny brass keys to the absolute finest, most expensive local inn located right in the wealthy city center. We go straight to the luxury inn, lazily drop our heavy, dirt-caked bags onto the polished wooden floor, and immediately collapse onto the incredibly soft, feather-stuffed beds. We finally take a well-deserved rest after barely surviving giant golems, endless monster armies, and completely stubborn kings.

I quietly stare at the beautifully carved wooden ceiling and slowly close my heavy, tired eyes. What an absolutely insane day.