The Imperial Banquet Hall.
The hall, showcasing the immense power of the Alpharion Empire, was filled with vibrant magical lights illuminating the entire space, while the court musicians played their instruments. Nobles from central families, along with young ladies and gentlemen from aristocratic houses, were gradually entering the banquet hall.
The Emperor of the Empire, *Friedrich von Alpharion*.
He stood on the upper balcony of the hall, looking down at the scene below, accompanied by his advisors.
The nobles attending the banquet were already holding wine glasses, engaging in conversation with one another.
But today, they were not the main characters.
"They're starting to gather."
"Your Majesty, when do you plan to descend?"
At the advisor’s inquiry, the Emperor shook his head.
"The main guests haven't arrived yet. Ah, here they come."
Ooooh—!
The hall buzzed with excitement.
For once, in this gathering of familiar nobles, new faces had appeared.
The 'Adventurers from the Stars' who had defeated the northern threat were now entering the Imperial Banquet Hall.
The male adventurers were the first to enter the hall, one by one. They were all dressed in the formal attire of the Alpharion Empire.
The Emperor smiled contentedly as he watched them.
"Good. Is this your handiwork?"
"As your loyal servant, it is only natural that I attend to such matters."
The elderly advisor with a face covered in white beard bowed deeply, unable to hide his delight at the Emperor’s compliment.
Next, it was the women adventurers’ turn.
The beauty of the women entering the hall, clad in stunning dresses, was remarkable. Some were so stunning they could keep the young noblemen of the aristocracy awake at night.
"Indeed, dressed like this, they all look like fine men and women. So these are the beings from another world, the 'Adventurers from the Stars.'"
Beings that couldn't be judged by appearances alone.
The Emperor gazed at them calmly.
Since their appearance on the continent, the Emperor had done various investigations into them.
He learned that their true existence resided in another world, and they possessed separate bodies in this one. They could disappear at will, but they were generally benevolent toward the humans of this world.
And then—
"To think that she was one of them."
*Click, click.*
As the last two women entered the hall, the murmuring ceased.
The only sound that filled the air was the gentle music from the focused musicians, and among the two women, the smaller one drew all attention.
A goddess' descent.
Truly a beauty that could bring nations to ruin.
There were few words that could adequately praise her appearance.
The current Emperor couldn’t help but complain a little to the first Emperor. The portrait hung in the corridor reserved for the royal family failed to capture even a fraction of the beauty of the great matriarch.
Her youthful appearance and small stature.
Yet, such a youthful figure did not diminish her beauty.
Her white hair reflected the lights of the hall, shining silver. Her bangs, covering one side of her face, revealed sharp, obsidian-black eyes gleaming from beneath.
The girl had shed her adventurer’s cloak, and the pure white dress she wore accentuated her appearance even more.
The Emperor purely marveled at the pinnacle of her beauty.
"Ahhh."
"Indeed, she is beautiful, but to think that such a small girl is one of the forgotten ancient heroes."
The Emperor clicked his tongue at the advisor who tilted his head.
"Tsk, are you judging her by her appearance alone?"
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. It is difficult to understand with my limited insight."
"As you are aware, the adventurers from the stars cannot be judged by their appearance. The flow of time they live in may be different from ours."
The Emperor took his gaze away from the bowing advisor and surveyed the now silent hall.
And then, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
The young noblemen’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Even the young ladies had dreamy expressions on their faces.
However, that girl was beyond their reach. They were only allowed to feel reverence.
And beside the girl stood a beautiful woman with red hair, glaring sharply in all directions. That alone ensured that no one would dare approach.
The Emperor gazed at them, deep in thought.
The hero who defeated the Demon King. And her companions.
At the very end, did the Demon King curse them to erase their names from this world?
Their names had been forgotten.
The name of a being holds their essence. The fact that their names had been forgotten meant that their very existence had faded.
Even the current Emperor Friedrich would not have known of her presence if he hadn’t read the memoirs of the first Emperor. He would have dismissed her as someone who simply resembled the portrait.
Only the first Emperor, who was close to the ancient hero, had left behind records, never forgetting the great matriarch.
"First Emperor."
The current Emperor sighed.
Ironically, much of the first Emperor’s memoirs were filled with complaints about the unbreakable protection around the matriarch provided by her female companions.
The fact that the first Emperor had wanted to take the small girl-like matriarch as his empress was a secret the current Emperor would take to his grave.
At least until his descendants gained access to the hidden chambers of the royal palace.
"Shall we go down now?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Emperor and his advisor descended from the balcony.
Though he couldn’t publicly acknowledge her as the matriarch due to her request for anonymity, there was one thing he was certain of.
On this continent—
The names of the forgotten hero and her companions—
Would once again be praised and remembered.
---
"Hey, I thought this game didn’t have an OST, but the music’s really good!"
"It feels classical, though a bit more lively."
The guild members admired the music played by the imperial musicians.
I peeked out from behind Chris, who was holding the hem of her dress, and looked around the hall.
Unfamiliar people.
But familiar music.
The tune reminded me of the simple instruments that played in the battlefield tents.
I felt a lump form in my throat.
"It’s nice..."
"Hm? What is?"
"Ah, nothing."
I shook my head in response to Chris’s question.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
The center of the hall was still empty. But I knew there would be dancing later.
The luxurious food on the tables along the edges of the hall and the high-quality wines looked enticing.
Come to think of it, I’ve never had alcohol in this body.
Can you even get drunk in virtual reality?
"Look at that. The quiet cat’s the first to climb the stove. Well, I guess he is handsome."
Chris snickered, pointing toward the window.
"Ha."
Over there, *Deathmaster* was dramatically holding a wine glass, gazing out the window.
"Are you an adventurer? Please tell us about your adventures!"
"Move, I was here first!"
A group of young noblewomen had already gathered around Deathmaster.
My jaw dropped.
Seriously, that works in the Alpharion Empire?
The female players also had young noblemen gathering around them, introducing themselves.
"Oh, hahaha, I see."
*Beimerung* was accepting a young lord’s introduction, sending me a helpless look. I giggled behind Chris.
No one approached Chris and me. Chris was huffing and guarding the area around us.
"Growl!"
"Sis... could you stop growling?"
As I was taking in the surroundings from behind Chris, the music changed.
*Bam-ba-bam, bam-ba-bam.* It was a bit loud. *Ba-ba-ba-bam.* A lot noisier. What was this? Some kind of entrance song?
"Feels like a commanding officer’s entrance!"
"Heh. What, have you been watching old military dramas? Conscription is a thing of the past now, you know."
Following *Seopseop* and *Go Seung-woo*’s gazes, I saw two people descending the stairs from the upper floor.
It was the Emperor and his advisor.
*Swoosh.*
The surrounding nobles immediately lowered their postures. The young ladies lifted their dresses, and the young lords knelt on one knee.
Chris poked me.
"Should we?"
I shook my head.
"No need."
Chris relayed the message to the guild members.
The Emperor stood at the center of the hall, speaking to the now quiet audience.
"I would like to express my gratitude to everyone here today."
Then, turning to us, he smiled.
"As you know, the guests of honor for tonight’s banquet are the adventurers present over there. They are the heroes who defeated the demonic threat in the north. While they may be unfamiliar with our empire’s etiquette, they are my honored guests, so I ask for your understanding."
"Understood."
"As you are all well aware, our empire is not in an easy situation. A potential threat is brewing in the eastern gorge, which we have yet to fully subjugate. The monsters have become more ferocious, and their attacks grow stronger with each passing day."
The Emperor looked directly at us.
"It may come as a surprise, but I hope you understand. Heroes, may I ask you to defend the eastern region of the Alpharion Empire?"
*Ding.*
- *World Quest Activated* -
[Let us stop the demonic threat approaching the eastern region of the Alpharion Empire.]
[The condition for unlocking the expansion pack ‘Endless Gorge’ has been met.]
[29 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes until the opening of Alpharion Empire's eastern 'Erin's Gorge'.]
"Did you get the notification too?"
"Yeah. Looks like this went out to all players. The messenger is
blowing up right now."
"So the next expansion pack is the eastern region of the Alpharion Empire."
With the activation of the world quest, the players gathered at the banquet started talking among themselves.
After finishing his speech, the Emperor moved to his seat. Surprisingly, it was in a relatively secluded corner, likely as a gesture to let us enjoy the banquet without any pressure.
But I couldn’t help but chuckle.
"The Emperor's clever."
The current Emperor had a keen understanding of the psychology and behavioral tendencies of players and knew how to use it to his advantage.
The sudden request from the Emperor inflated the players’ excitement.
Sure, some players might enjoy a peaceful RPG experience, but not the ones gathered here in the vanguard. They all wanted to stay ahead of others, seeking more dangerous and thrilling adventures.
I gave a slight smile to the Emperor, who had exchanged a glance with me.