Novel:
Author: Karumi Ayumu
Chapter 6: The Kingdom’s Secret
Everyone managed to somehow regain their peace of mind one way or another. The king and the hero sat in their seats, face to face.
"My apologies, Sir Hero. I behaved unsightly a while ago."
"No, I should be the one apologizing."
It was all probably because the goddess tampered with his translation skill. The hero now regretted saying too much unnecessary things to her.
"Well then, Sir Hero, about the topic I wanted to discuss earlier before it comes into the public eye…"
"Is it about why you're hiding the fact that you're a woman?"
"Yes."
The king took off her crown, changing her expression.
"My name is George Cupulm, the 37th king of the Cupulm Kingdom. But my real name is Georgia Cupulm."
"Your real name and your male name aren't that different, are they?"
"Indeed, thanks to my head maid Cynthia. So if by any chance someone that knows the secret calls me Georgia by accident, people will ignore it as a slip of the tongue."
The maid standing beside the king took a step forward, introducing herself before bowing and stepping back. "I'm the head maid that takes care of all of Miss Georgia's daily needs. Pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you too."
'Is Georgia a girl's name? I can't stop thinking of the coffee.'* The hero was thinking about such things when he realized he still hadn't named himself.
"That reminds me, I haven't given my name yet. My name is Yuuto, I don't have a surname."
"Sir Yuuto, is it? Pleased to meet you once again."
"Pleased to meet you too." Her pronunciation was a bit off, but he ignored it.
"I disguised myself as a man and became king because my father… The previous king died in a battle with the demons, and the original successor, my older brother Julius, went missing."
"Ah, I heard the kingdom was facing a crisis. You've been at your wit's end from the king dying."
"Yes. Because of that, I began ruling the country in place of my brother, and here we are now. Well then, Sir Yuuto, I would like you to absolutely never reveal that I am a woman to anyone."
"Yes."
The hero gave a short reply, so Cynthia emphasized it.
"Depending on the circumstances, we might have to cut off your head so please sincerely be careful."
Georgia reacted to Cynthia's words; it seemed Cynthia may have said too much. "Cynthia!"
"We cannot have any events that make the people panic more. Sir Hero, please, keep the secret at all costs."
"Yes." Despite their words, the hero didn't change his expression. But on the inside, he was worrying, 'Will I be stuck in a loop forever if I don't answer with no?'
"Well then, when can I leave on my adventure?"
Cynthia was surprised at the hero's words. Georgia watched over him quietly.
"You almost died yesterday and you still want to fight now?!"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. Though it did hurt to use up the medicinal plants in the first battle."
The king was certain then. It wasn't just that this hero was used to fighting, he didn't even need to use the medicinal plants in yesterday's battle with the demon. It seemed he had seriously been weakened by the greatly faulty summoning.
Although he looked slow at a glance, she couldn’t feel anything like a sense of justice or a hatred towards demons in his expression. For this man, fighting demons was so natural despite how powerless he was - that much she could feel. Just how many battlegrounds had he survived before arriving here?
Cynthia took out a toolbox from somewhere, approaching the hero.
"Here, please take as many medicinal plants and other healing items as you like.
"No, I don't like them. It feels like I'm cheating."
Regaining her kingly expression, Georgia stopped Cynthia.
"That's enough, Cynthia. Sir Hero, you should head to the north gate once you leave this castle. The forest monsters would be just right for you to warm up."
"Miss Georgia…"
The king handed something that looked like a document to the hero.
"You should take this passage permit with you. You'll need it to cross the gate, so please don't lose it. I'm counting on you, Sir Hero."
"Alright."
*CocCola’s Georgia coffee is the most popular coffee brand in Japan.
(I didn’t know that before reading this novel…)
Also, our hero’s adventure is finally starting!! Hope you guys are enjoying the novel so far, do share your thoughts in the comments if you like~