The heroes knelt before King Wallanther XII. The throne beside him, reserved for the queen, sat empty as usual. The late queen was not talked about much, but it was rumored that she was assassinated.

One the step below the king, Elric and Elrond Wallanther, the crown prince and second prince, made a rare appearance and sat in wait with bored expressions.

Princess Zoerina sat two steps below the King, smiling warmly at all the heroes as if they were her children.

The heroes were summoned to this world as children, but had become full adults and battle hardened warriors over the course of numerous battles.

Their shoulders were broader, backs straighter, and expressions steadfast. Their height had increased and their bodies more muscular. The soft fat that once existed on some of the former students was now no longer visible, instead replaced with hardened features and the occasional scar.

There were still tensions among the group, especially an underlying fear of Jake, who only became more and more unpredictable.

He was the most powerful of them all, his holy sword cutting the enemy down mercilessly. The citizens lauded him with all their hearts, as if he were their knight in shining armor.

"Heroes, your campaign again the cruel and vile demons was a grand success," The king praised them with a broad and friendly smile. "Whilst it hasn't been any of the crucial battlefronts, you have grown into the heroes you were destined to become. You exceeded that and even recovered a border fortress fallen to the demons many years ago."

The crown prince, Elric, looked down upon the heroes and unemotionally stated, "We will honor your comrades who fell in battle, but I am curious, what of the hero who ran away from his duty?"

"Brother!" Princess Zoerina sent the crown prince an icy glare.

Elric's position in the royal family was only below the king, so his sister's look of warning failed to intimidate him. He merely snorted in response and only gazed at her briefly.

"Dear sister, did you know that I asked for that hero's maid?"

"…"

"I was hoping to get to know what kind of person he was, and why someone we invested so many resources into felt the need to flee.""That person is not a hero."

"Enough with your obsession, Zoe."

The temperature of the room began to climb as Princess Zoerina's temper flared. The heroes all felt their chests clench and struggled for breath as her power washed over them.

The princess' eyes turned into reptilian slits and the large polished tiles on the floor began to smoke around the heroes feet, causing them to wince in pain as the temperature penetrated their boots and scorched their feet.

The crown prince sat behind the princess on a higher step, so he could look at her, but she couldn't look at him. She could turn around, but to do such would be an enormous breach on formality and land her in a lot of trouble. It could even be seen as treason in the most severe cases.

The king watched the two below him while maintaining a regal expression, but there was helplessness in his eyes. He knew his children wouldn't come to blows over this though, so he let it slide.

"Bring that person's maid," Princess Zoerina forcefully calmed her emotions and commanded the nearby guards/

Two guards immediately bowed and hurriedly left the throne room.

What followed was an awkward silence as everyone waited for the guards to return. The throne room was so quiet a pin drop could be heard.

"I'll save you the time," The crown prince stated while rolling his eyes. "Nobody knows who the maid is, nor do they even remember her name. Whoever she was, she was not employed formally by the castle."

The king's eyes widened while the princess had an ugly expression.

"What is going on?" Jake, who was standing at the forefront of the group of heroes, asked with a frown.

Princess Zoerina looked down on him with a tender expression, but the words that came out of her mouth were anything but.

"A whore of the abyss."

"…?""Where is the runaway hero?" Wallanther XII commanded in a severe tone, prompting a report on the hero to quickly arrive.

The crown prince took the report and read it aloud.

"The runaway hero is currently residing within Ingrid Rose City, an outlands dungeon city under the rule of Earl Salvador and known for their rich gemstone mines and jewellery exports."

The heroes' former teacher, Ms. Greenwood, had a nervous expression as she asked, "What are you going to do with Alex…?"

The crown prince was wholly disinterested in the runaway hero and answered noncommittedly.

"So long as he remains within the border, nothing. He will have to fight to protect that dungeon city from invaders regardless, or he could hide in some cellar, I care not. Should he try to leave the country, he will be processed accordingly. We have invested too much into you heroes to let you simply leave without giving us a return."

Ms. Greenwood was conflicted, but it didn't seem that her former student was in any immediate danger.

"The abyss has taken an interest in my heroes," Princess Zoerina spoke with a dark expression, "We need to kill this whore."

"Killing is the last resort. We will apprehend her first," The crown prince corrected his younger sister's declaration. "We can't afford to provoke and go to full war with the abyss in our current position."

Wallanther XII furrowed his brows as he commanded, "Assemble a squad of Third Step royal guards immediately. The hero needs to be retrieved as soon as possible. We will permit the usage of the royal teleportation formation."

"What should we do?"

Jake asked with complete disinterest in the wellbeing of the hero who escaped. Not only that, but he was also secretly planning on killing him to prevent his former classmate from causing any future trouble.

"You will do nothing, perhaps when you are stronger."

Princess Zoerina stood up from her seat to the surprise of the king and her elder brothers.

"Daughter, where are you going?"

"A witch has appeared in our own home and we are likely to clash. Our forces are already spread out thin with recent detatchments, I will kill this bitch myself if she dares appear."

Jake swallowed at the cold light in the eyes of Princess Zoerina. She walked over to him as he bit his lip in frustration.

"You performed excellently in this trip," She whispered into his ear in a quiet voice while pressing one finger on his chest with a pressure that felt like a mountain. "Keep up the good work and when I return, I will be sure to reward you."