NOBLES

"Your Majesty, the champion of Dio'ri and his entourage, as well as the representatives of Opal, Sir and Mistress Reynolds and Adriana Listowell, have arrived and request an audience," one of the guards yelled.

Kojo looked at him.

"That's a pretty fancy way of asking to come in."

"(This isn't just a formal meeting. You could get executed if you make one wrong move. I mean, look at Rey.)"

Kojo looked at him. He was wiping sweat off his face, and even though Adriana was composed, she looked a bit uncomfortable. The same went for the others. Even Sasha instantaneously changed her attire into something a bit more... morally acceptable.

"Huh."

"(Everyone here is royalty except you. Same goes for Rey and Adriana. Sharone, Lin, Koniko, and Sasha are princesses. You're the only liability. Don't screw this up.)"

Kojo sighed.

"Let them in," King Gorges said from within the throne room. The guards opened to let the group in. The throne room was a large chamber with about three balconies. There, the nobles of the kingdom as well as representatives from other nations sat. Kojo noticed some elves and silver foxes among the representatives. He glanced at Koniko and Lin. They didn't seem to mind. Still, he could sense their discomfort. Especially Sharone; for some reason, she kept her face down. Kojo reduced his pace so he was at the same pace as her, then reached out and held her hand.

There were two thrones on which the king and queen sat. The queen was an extremely beautiful woman whose presence complemented the king's.

They stopped a few feet in front of the throne. Rey and Adriana took a step forward.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing. The others followed suit. Only Kojo remained standing. There was a slight murmur. The king raised his hand, and the place was silent.

"Reynolds, I hope you had a safe trip," King Gorges said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said.

"You have my warmest welcome." The king looked at Kojo. He looked back at him.

"Kojo, you won the tournament and have now been named champion of Dio'ri. That title does come with responsibility. Will you take responsibility?"

"I mean, I did save your asses in the forest," Kojo said.

"What disrespect," someone in the crowd said as the other nobles murmured.

"What are you doing?" Rey said, looking sideways at him.

Kojo stepped forward and released his aura. Purple flames engulfed his body, illuminating the throne room. He looked straight at the King.

"I accept the responsibility. I don't really know what it entails, but I'm gonna do what I can. That said, I'm not gonna be someone you can just order around. If I'm gonna have to help out, it's going to be on my own terms." He looked at the nobles. They shuddered.

"Very well. Just having you on our side is enough," the king said. "You and Sasha, I shall summon you after a time to discuss certain matters."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Sasha said with a bow.

The arcana surrounding his body disappeared.

"Well then, we'll be taking our leave," Kojo said, taking Sharone's hand and walking out with the others. Adriana and Rey bowed before leaving.

Kojo let out a breath. "That was shorter than I thought." He looked back and saw the others glaring at him.

"Kojo," Sharone called.

"Uh, guys, you're scaring me," he said, sweating.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Koniko yelled. "Such insolence could have gotten us all executed!"

"Well, I...uh... Sysia, help me."

"(What do you want me to do?)"

"Help me come up with something," he pleaded.

"(I don't think any excuse is gonna save you.)"

"Don't try to make any excuses. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Rey demanded.

"Well, I had my reasons," Kojo said.

"What reasons could you have?" Rey asked.

"That's enough, brother," Adriana pulled him away by the ear.

"Thanks," Kojo said.

"That still doesn't excuse what you did. The nobles won't take too kindly to what you did," she said.

"And that's exactly why I did it," Kojo said.

"(Oh?)"

"I didn't like the atmosphere when we entered the throne room. Plus, those old dudes were giving me some weird vibes, and seeing how they were playing the 'commoner' card, I figured they'd try to interfere with me later on. What I did in there was just for show," Kojo explained.

"Well, if you put it like that. But don't do anything like that again," Lin said. "The King's letting you go with the argument that you're a foreigner and don't know the customs of the land."

"Well, whatever. What's done is done," he said, putting his hands behind his head. Sasha hugged him.

"But that was quite the display. I'd expect nothing less," she said.

"Don't pamper him, Sasha," Sharone said, pulling her away.

"Excuse us," two maids said, walking up to them and bowing.

"We've been instructed by the king to lead you to your rooms," they said.

Inside his room, Kojo lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"Quite luxurious," he said, observing the designs. He rolled over on his belly.

"And I finally got a bed of my own."

"(You're just hiding the fact that you can't fondle breasts while you're here.)"

"Argh," Kojo buried his head in the pillow.

Kojo suddenly woke up. He tried to get up but found that something was on him. He looked down and saw pink panties. He freaked out and struggled to get up but was completely immobilized. Then the girls were asleep around him. Adriana and Lin were hugging his arms. His head was on Koniko's thigh while Sharone and Sasha were lying on him.

"Well, there goes my nights of peaceful sleep," he said.

"(Stop being a hypocrite. I know you're enjoying this. Pervert.)"

Adriana woke up and looked at him.

"Good morning, Kojo," she said, sitting up.

"Yeah, morning," Kojo replied. The others woke up too and sat up.

"So, why are you guys in my room? You don't want any rumors to spread, do you?" he said.

"Well, our rooms were too big for us. Besides, who are you to talk after the stunt you pulled yesterday?" Sharone said.

"Besides, you should stop acting like you're not happy that we're here with you," Lin said.

He sighed. "I'm gonna go take a bath."

"(Trying to hide your perverted thoughts again, aren't you?)"

"Shut it," Kojo said.

After breakfast, Kojo walked around the castle. He moved through the stables and heard a familiar voice.

"This horse is one we bred with care, and now it's one of the fastest in the Capitol. When you feed it, make sure to..."

Kojo looked inside and saw Billiam surrounded by his usual flock of ladies. He was telling the servants how to do their job. Kojo could tell from the looks on their faces that they weren't too pleased. Choosing not to meet with the prince, he turned to walk away.

"Well, well, isn't it the kingdom's most famous commoner?" Billiam said.

Kojo looked around, shrugged, and continued walking.

"I'm talking about you, Kojo, so don't ignore me!" Billiam yelled.

Kojo turned and saw the group walking toward him.

"What do you want?" Kojo asked.

"That's no way to talk to the prince of this kingdom," Billiam replied pridefully. Kojo just raised an eyebrow. Billiam cleared his throat.

"Well, we were just touring the palace," he said.

"Not my problem," Kojo said, waving as he walked away. Billiam ran up to him.

"What is it this time?" Kojo asked.

"Well, since you're here, why don't I enlighten that malnourished brain about this palace?" he replied. Before Kojo could say anything, he started to brag about the stables, its horses, and the minerals used in the designing of the palace.

"(Since when did he become a professor in building construction?)"

"Mhm," Kojo's gaze moved over to the ladies with the prince.

"(Gonna start fantasizing about them too?)"

"You wish." Kojo looked at one with big breasts that would rival Koniko's.

"Judging by the way they're moving with this idiot, they're the daughters of nobles and bigshots who want to influence the prince." The lady winked at him and pulled at her blouse to expose more cleavage, licking her lips.

"No thanks," Kojo looked away. "I like strong women. And the ones I have are enough for me."

"(Uuuuuuuh)"

"I didn't mean it like that," Kojo blushed.

"Yes, that's the right reaction now that you've realized the great privilege you have being here," Billiam said. Kojo's expression immediately changed.

"(How can someone be this cocky?)"

"It's not even funny anymore," Kojo replied.