Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
When the meeting with the King was scheduled, Kousuke had decided on two things.
One was to find out from the King himself the purpose of the gift.
The other was to determine the qualities of King Ernest.
As a result, Kousuke asked Floria to give him the communication device directly in the space that he had created.
Kousuke had not told Floria anything in advance. Just before he called her to this space, he told her through telepathy to bring a communication device with her.
Although King Ernest did not know the circumstances up to that point, he was happy to have been given the communication tool.
The fact that the heads of countries could have direct conversations with each other, unimpeded by anyone else, was amazing. This would strengthen the ties between countries.
If there were any disagreements in the future, they now had such a channel to employ diplomacy. The absence of this tool would mean fiction between the two countries would be necessarily prolonged.
“Thanks for the offer, but are you sure you want me to take it?” King Ernest asked Floria.
“Well, a God himself thinks it’s fine… but, do you have a problem with it?”
Kousuke smiled inwardly at Floria’s emphasis on him being a God, but he dared not say anything else.
“Erm… No, I see.” King Ernest, who looked at Kousuke for a moment, nodded in understanding.
“Anyway, we’ll discuss the details later using it. This meeting won’t last very long, right?”
“Yeah, not for too long. Well, not that it matters right now.” Kousuke nodded and replied.
“Also, King Ernest, it will only be a few seconds after we leave this place and return to our original location. Please be aware that you may feel some discomfort.”
“I understand… But after all this time, are you sure it is acceptable for me to continue speaking like that to you?” King Ernest realized after all this time that he had not been talking to Kousuke and Floria in a more respectable way, not as one would speak to the Gods.
“Haha. Kousuke is like this. He is not the kind of person to be bothered by such things.”
“I see.”
“Besides, after we return, my position still remains as that of a C-rank adventurer. So, treat me as such.”
With those words, King Ernest what Kousuke wanted out of him.
“I see. I can only conclude I had received a divine order.” King Ernest’s joking words made Floria laugh.
“Indeed… I could also understand why Kousuke had chosen you.”
A person who did not change his attitude even when he knew that Kousuke was a God was a valuable existence in itself.
Floria sensed this from King Ernest’s words, and Kousuke nodded broadly.
At the same time, he looks disappointed.
“Ah. Unfortunately, our time is almost up.”
As soon as Kousuke said so, King Ernest’s vision returned to the original room.
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Returning from the space created by Kousuke, King Ernest blinked his eyelids once at the sudden change in vision. His mind had yet to catch up with the fact that the time that had passed was only a few seconds.
“King Ernest?”
It was only a few dozen seconds before one of his aides spoke to King Ernest, perhaps sensing his discomfort.
The King, who finally realized the situation, raised his hand in response, and then their conversation continued.
To those around him, it would have appeared that he was thinking about something.
“Alright. It seems like this item is nothing dangerous. Just to confirm, is this the end of what you want me to reward you with?”
Kousuke nodded broadly as King Ernest turned his attention to him.
“Yes. Thank you for listening to my wishes.”
“Hmm… But I don’t think it’s enough of a reward.”
King Ernest continued the conversation with a nonchalant look on his face, but in essence, he was trying to say that the transportation of the offering, plus the communication equipment with Razequa Amamiya, made him feel as if he still owed Kousuke.
Kousuke tilted his head when he was told this.
“Even if you say so… For me, those two requests are more than enough, and I can’t think of anything else.”
Hearing Kousuke’s words, King Ernest inwardly thought that was probably the case.
After all, he was dealing with a God.
No. Even if he was not a God, he was still an extraordinary individual. If rumors about him were to be believed, he had already earned more than enough wealth to no longer worry about it.
King Ernest, unable to come up with any reward that would fully satisfy him, looked up thoughtfully for a while.
But that was only for a few dozen seconds. He soon turned his gaze back to Kousuke.
“Alright, I suppose I could only offer you a King’s Medal of Honor in return.”
Hearing this, Kousuke only tilted his head, but those around him began to make a commotion.
“Your highness, are you serious?”
One of his aides asked, but King Ernest shook his head. “Yes. That would be the best reward that I could offer these people.”
“But that would be too much… ”
The aide was about to say that it was out of proportion, but the King stopped him.
“I alone, the King, have the authority to decide whom to give the King’s Medal of Honor to. I have also given it to non-aristocrats in the past.”
As King Ernest said this, the murmurs of those around him, including his aides who were about to admonish him, subsided.
“Then it is decided, right?”
At the King’s words, some frowned, but no one tried to say anything more.
After looking around and confirming this, the King turned his attention back to Kousuke.
“Kou, the adventurer, as well as Kouhi and Mitsuki, right? I will give you three the King’s Medal of Honor as a reward. With this medal, you are protected by my prestige, the King’s prestige, in this kingdom.”
Simply put, having the King’s Medal of Honor showed that they were protected by the King, and therefore they should not be touched, especially in their affairs within the kingdom. Of course, as long as they were not doing something illegal.
The King’s Medal of Honor was a symbol of a strong connection to the Kingdom of Tausen, both domestically and internationally.
However, Kousuke and his group did not need such a thing. In fact, they most likely would not bother showing it to anyone.
On the other hand, if it was used outside of Tausen Kingdom, they might end up being mistaken as people who belong to the kingdom.
“Thank you very much.” Kousuke could have refused to accept it, but he could not be bothered to. This was because he had seen through King Ernest’s intentions.
This medal was not just for Kousuke and his group.
If anything, it was for the Tausen Kingdom.
With this medal, those in the kingdom, including the nobles, would not be able to meddle with Kousuke and his group.
The purpose was to prevent the foolish from running amok by meddling with Kousuke and his group.
It was also good for Kousuke and the others, since they would no longer have to deal with the troublesome meddling of the nobles.
Showing this medal to the public had no effect, but it could be quite effective when dealing with nobles, who generally took foolish actions, and took advantage of their position.
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With Kousuke receiving the King’s Medal of Honor, this face-to-face meeting had successfully ended.
The fact that King Ernest and Queen Floria had met was not known to anyone else, but only to the next King.
King Ernest later told his Son, the next Crown Prince, about this meeting.
“I thought it was a good description of him to be called a living god.”
Kousuke was both a human and a God.
Kousuke’s presence was, for King Ernest, the very essence of a living god.