Chapter 108: Hero (7)

The commotion spread like wildfire.

Both the people of the Frenche Kingdom and those who had accompanied them on the airship were now staring intently at Page. Pablo’s jaw dropped so wide he couldn’t even blink.

Louis, observing this scene, was equally astonished:

“Fin…”

“Yes?”

“You know, ‘Aba Mama’—isn’t that what a princess calls her father?”

“I-I suppose so…”

“But why is Page calling the king ‘Aba Mama’?”

“Well… because she’s a princess?”

“Who? That little thief?”

“Oh, probably not?” Louis blinked repeatedly, clearly struggling to comprehend the situation.

From what he’d gathered, Page had spent twenty years pickpocketing across the Fall Continent—and quite successfully, it seemed.

Who could have imagined that she was not only a princess but also from one of the kingdoms on the Summer Continent?

No… Is this even possible?

Of all people! The thief who had fallen from the ceiling of his own lodgings—turns out to be the crown princess of a kingdom nearly pulled off a hijacking terror attack?

This has to be fate itself…

Even Louis found himself marveling at such an incredible turn of events.

With all eyes in the room fixed upon them, Page and the king gazed at each other for a moment before the latter finally broke the silence.

“It’s been quite some time,” he said rather dryly as if greeting someone they hadn’t seen in twenty years.

Page accepted this cool reception without batting an eyelid. “Indeed it has, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“I suppose I should explain everything first…” Just as Page opened her mouth—

Clunk-clunk-clunk.

The sound of heavy armor could be heard from somewhere nearby with each step.

Soon, a group burst into the garden.

At the front of this group of over twenty people stood a man in his mid-forties.

“Your Highness!”

The golden-haired man rushed towards the king with an expression full of worry.

Page’s face hardened at the sight of him.

The king opened his mouth as he looked at the golden-haired man.

“Levans.”

“What kind of sudden disaster is this?!”

“It’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing serious?! Such a thing has happened right in the heart of our country!”

“It already did happen. More importantly, how did you know about it?”

“I was passing by nearby when I heard the news. I came because I was worried about Your Highness.”

“I see.”

“It truly is a relief. That Your Highness is safe… Heaven must have helped us.”

Anyone who saw Levans would recognize him as a loyal subject deeply concerned for the king.

Yet with each passing moment, Page’s face grew increasingly somber.

After gazing at the king for quite some time, Levans finally turned his attention to her.

“This woman is…” Levans’ eyes flickered as he hesitated, then asked incredulously, ”…Could it be… Princess Page?”

”…It has been a long time, Prime Minister.”

“Huh…” Levans couldn’t mask his astonishment. “Twenty years… It’s been twenty years.” A complex array of emotions crossed his face; he had never anticipated the sudden reappearance of the crown princess who had vanished from the palace two decades ago. However, his surprise soon faded away.

But that wasn’t important right now.

The king looked at Page and asked, “What happened here?”

Page suppressed her emotions as much as possible while answering, “There was an attack.”

“An attack?”

“A disrespectful group seized control of the airship and tried to drop it on Bernium Palace.”

“What?!” The king, Levans, and everyone else present were astonished by Page’s words.

Whispers spread throughout the room.

“But fortunately, with the help of someone…” Page’s gaze briefly turned towards Louis. A memory flashed through her mind—Louis performing a tremendous miracle moments ago to save them all. She then continued speaking after turning back around.

“I was able to prevent any major disasters. I’ve subdued all the intruders and gathered them in one place.”

The king nodded at Page’s account.

“You must have gone through much hardship.”

“No, not really. What I did… wasn’t anything special. It’s all thanks to someone else.”

At this, the king turned his gaze and asked:

“Who is it? The hero who saved so many lives?” His voice echoed throughout the garden.

Page hastily responded: “Ah, that person is…”

She seemed slightly flustered, unsure how to handle this situation.

Will he believe me?

To reveal that such incredible power resided within a body that appeared so young and frail on the outside.

She doubted her father would believe this unbelievable truth unless he saw and experienced it for himself.

As she pondered, a loud voice erupted from among the survivors:

“Pablo!”

The voice belonged to the elderly woman who had been rescued last. She gazed at Pablo with immense gratitude on her face. Following her lead, her husband also bowed his head towards him.

“How can we ever repay such kindness…?”

“Truly… truly thank you.”

Once they singled out Pablo, more voices emerged from different corners.

“That’s right! It was that person! He saved us!”

“Oh, so his name was Pablo.”

“Pablo, you saved us!”

The passengers who had been rescued by Louis’s group. All they had seen was a flash of lightning created by the twins, followed by Pablo dragging away unconscious intruders and disappearing. To them, it seemed obvious that Pablo had saved them.

“We will never forget this kindness!”

“Thank you!”

As gratitude erupted from all sides, Pablo, feeling like he’d been caught off guard, looked around anxiously.

“W-wait… That’s not what happened…” He glanced at Louis for guidance.

Of course, he had indeed moved quickly to save these people. But if one thought about it, hadn’t Louis and the twins done most of the work?

Is—is this really okay?

While there was someone else who deserved praise, Pablo felt more threatened than happy with all the compliments coming his way.

If I give them any reason to nitpick…

He’d probably be tormented for ages.

Just then, the King of Frenche spoke up, addressing Pablo directly.

“You’re Pablo, correct?”

Pablo tensed at this unexpected question from royalty. Never before had he been called by name in such a setting—by a king no less!

As Pablo fidgeted nervously, Louis chimed in telepathically:

His voice carried a hint of amusement as Louis discreetly stepped back with the twins trailing behind him.

Realizing his faux pas, Pablo hastily bowed his head.

“Yes, that is correct. I… Your Highness…”

“I am grateful. Thank you for striving to protect so many lives. And…” The King of Frenche turned his gaze towards Page. “Thank you for saving my one and only daughter.”

“It was nothing. I just… did what needed to be done,” Pablo replied smoothly, as if he had always been adept at taking credit for others’ work.

Louis secretly smiled at this display.

Oh? Not bad at all.

Of course, Pablo’s growth into such a skilled actor was largely due to their influence.

“Nevertheless, your achievements cannot be denied. Without you, I too would have lost my life.”

”…”

“For now, rest comfortably today. I will ponder how best to reward your valor.”

“T-thank you, Your Majesty.” Pablo hastily bowed his head.

The king then addressed the other survivors. “You too have endured much hardship amidst these tumultuous events. Spend this day at ease within the palace grounds before departing.”

His consideration brought relief to their faces.

“Baron,” the king called out. The elderly guard who had accompanied him lowered his head in acknowledgment.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Deal with those who attacked from the airship. Also, contact Lord Samuel’s territory and inquire about the circumstances surrounding this incident. Report back to me once you’ve gathered information.”

“As commanded, sire.”

“The crown princess…” The king turned his gaze towards Page.

The king hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Cooperate with Baron as much as possible and report every detail of this matter.”

”…Yes, understood.” Page bowed her head, her expression hardened.

With those words, the king turned away. Though it had been twenty years since he’d last seen his daughter, he showed not even a hint of hesitation in leaving her so soon after their reunion.

Louis observed this scene closely.

Their relationship doesn’t seem like that of ordinary father and daughter…

Indeed, if they were close, Page wouldn’t have abandoned such a luxurious home to live as a thief far from here. He recalled how she left at a young age due to her involvement with the Leon Revolutionary Army—a history filled with intrigue.

His curiosity began to spark once again, but quickly fizzled out:

Well, whatever the case may be, it’s not something I need to concern myself with.

In any case, Louis had perfectly achieved his goals of entering the Summer Continent and stealing the treasure. No, he’d accomplished over 120% of what he set out to do.

Now it was time to leave without looking back.

The longer your tail, the more likely you’ll get bitten—time to make a quick getaway.

He couldn’t predict how Lord Samuel would react when he realized the loot was gone. The best move now was to bolt swiftly.

While Louis planned their next steps, the kingdom’s guards entered the airship on secret business and hauled away the unconscious intruders. With everything he wanted already in hand, Louis didn’t care whether they took the captives or not.

Afterward, palace staff escorted the survivors from the airship, treating Louis and his twin brother as special guests due to their heroic deeds with Pablo.

Nice, nice!

It was the first day Louis set foot on the Summer Continent. He considered their start very smooth…

…until that moment, at least.

Louis sprawled on his luxurious bed, grinning from ear to ear as he gazed up at the ornate ceiling above him.

“Well…money well spent,” he mused aloud.

Although they were only planning to stay for one night, even a single evening in such an upscale establishment was no small expense. After all, Louis had been worn out by their long journey and unexpected complications that required rapid movement across various locations.

The combination of this high-quality mattress with its plush bedding felt like heaven itself to Louis after everything he’d endured thus far.

After rolling around for quite some time, Louis finally propped himself up slightly. He muttered while staring towards the door:

“I wonder why those idiots aren’t back yet?”

As hunger pangs struck, Louis had dispatched Pablo earlier with instructions to earn his hero status by fetching them some late-night snacks.

Though considered heroes by others, to Louis they were merely errand runners. Pablo had been sent on an errand some time ago but hadn’t returned yet. Then he’d dispatched Fin to find Pablo, only for her to also go silent.

The twins must have grown weary of waiting for their late-night snack and fallen asleep—the very same twins who usually couldn’t wait to devour Kaka.

As he anxiously awaited Pablo and Fin’s return, Louis muttered uneasily:

Surely these two aren’t… enjoying a feast together without me?

Just as he vowed not to let them get away with such a thing—

“L-L-Louis-nim!”

The door creaked open with a loud bang as Fin burst through it.

Louis raised an eyebrow at her solo appearance. “Why are you here alone? Where’s Pablo? No late-night snack?”

“B-bad news!”

“Bad news?” Fin rushed over to Louis, her face pale.

What could possibly frighten Fin this much?

Louis’s expression turned grave as he listened to what she had to say next.

“P-Pablo!”

“Pablo? What about him?”

“He ran off with Page!”

”…?!” Louis’s jaw dropped at this shocking revelation.