Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 139

The Audience Chamber, before the Emperor’s throne.

"Do we need to kneel? What’s the proper etiquette in this game’s world?"

"What are you talking about? We’re just players."

"Heh, we might end up looking like clueless mercenaries."

Step.

"Shh."

Chris, who was ahead of us, held her hand out to quiet the group.

To the left of the Emperor’s throne stood a man who seemed to be a high-ranking official.

And on the throne sat a middle-aged man.

Indeed, the ruler of a great empire that dominated half of Astria’s continent. His face exuded authority. A thick, dignified mustache adorned his upper lip, and his body seemed robust. Judging by his sharp features, he must have been incredibly handsome about twenty years ago.

"Oh."

I let out a small exclamation as I looked at his face.

He looked familiar. Definitely from the same bloodline. Even after a thousand years, the resemblance to his ancestors was still there. It seems there was no revolution or overthrow of the dynasty.

He wasn’t wearing the kind of flowing robes one might expect of an emperor, nor was he wearing a crown. Instead, he wore something resembling a military uniform.

The Emperor stood up from his seat and smiled at Chris, who was nervously swallowing. Chris quickly bowed her head and greeted him.

"Your Majesty, I hope your health is well. Uh, is that how it goes?"

A few quiet chuckles came from the players behind Chris. Chris shot a deadly glare toward them, as if ready to kill someone.

"At ease. I don’t expect you to follow the customs of this empire. You are not like the humans born and raised in this world—you are adventurers from the stars."

"Oh, haha, is that so?"

"Haha, quite the interesting individual."

Seeing Chris sheepishly scratching her head, the Emperor let out a hearty laugh.

He then looked around the room and spoke.

"As the Emperor of the Alpharion Empire, I extend my gratitude to you, the warriors from another world, for protecting us from the northern threat."

I raised my head slightly, feeling as though the Emperor’s gaze had briefly landed on me. I tilted my head in thought.

"The empire did not sit idly by when we sensed the danger. As the empire and protector of this continent, it is our founding mission to act. We had planned to send our knights to face the threat that had emerged in the north."

"Whoa!"

There were murmurs of awe among the players.

Even if the adventurers hadn’t stopped the demon army, the continent had been prepared to defend itself.

"In the evening, there will be a banquet in your honor. Noble ladies and gentlemen from the imperial families will be in attendance, and I hope you will find companions who match your hearts."

With those words, the Emperor smiled meaningfully.

"Please rest in the palace until then. This is a small token of my appreciation."

Clap.

At the sound of the Emperor’s applause, several servants entered the chamber, carrying trays with heavy pouches. Judging by the sound, it seemed to be gold.

"Haha, now this is what I’m talking about!"

"Forget rare items. With enough gold, you can buy anything!"

The faces of the raid members lit up with excitement.

Simple people, really.

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Of course, I liked gold too.

"Nice."

I accepted my share of the reward, checked the amount, and smiled.

---

In the grand waiting room of the palace, I stuck close to Chris while the other raid members gathered in small groups, chatting excitedly about the banquet and ball to come.

"So, the nobles from the Alpharion Empire’s families will be attending the banquet too, right? Finding companions who match our hearts? What do you think that means?"

"Hmm... maybe they want to match people up."

"Match people up?"

Chris’s face took on a peculiar expression.

"You know? Marrying capable people into noble families to strengthen the empire’s power."

Chris still seemed puzzled.

"Wait, but aren’t the noble families NPCs? Is it even possible for players to marry NPCs?"

"It’s a game with a high degree of freedom. Why wouldn’t it be?"

"Hmm... But what would it mean for the NPCs? We can just log off whenever we want, and the servers could shut down. What happens to the spouse left behind in this world?"

Chris clutched her head, deep in thought.

Nearby, some of the male guild members began speaking up with serious expressions.

"Wait, this is an 18+ game, right? Does that mean... those kinds of things are possible too!?"

"Dude... if that’s all you’re thinking about, go play a different game. Astria Online doesn’t have a high enough sync rate for that kind of satisfaction. There are plenty of other VR games specifically for that kind of purpose. Though... I wouldn’t mind chatting with a pretty noble lady."

"You perverts! Don’t say stuff like that in front of a child!"

Chris yelled at them, her voice sharp. I puffed up my cheeks.

I’m not a child.

Knock, knock.

"Is Lady Rain here?"

"Huh?"

I tilted my head.

It was the high official who had been standing next to the Emperor earlier. He had come to summon me.

"The Emperor has requested a private audience with you."

"What!"

Chris jumped and wrapped her arms around me tightly. Her eyes blazed with suspicion.

"After saying something about finding companions and then summoning Rain... Could it be!?"

"Unni... there’s no way."

"You never know! What if the Emperor has a thing for petite girls? You are an unbelievably cute young lady!"

My face flushed red at Chris’s teasing.

Being praised was embarrassing, but her wild imagination was even worse.

"Grr! Anyway, Rain’s not going alone! I’m coming with her!"

Chris huffed and snorted, glaring at the official.

The official looked uncomfortable but agreed to return to the Emperor and ask.

---

We were escorted to the Emperor’s private office, where we walked down a long corridor deep within the palace.

"I requested this private audience for no other reason than to ask a favor of you. Unlike the others, who faced the demon army with their guilds, I hear you infiltrated the *Abyss Tree* alone. Is that your guardian with you? Haha, you look good together."

The Emperor chuckled as he glanced at Chris, who was still clinging to me.

"......."

The Emperor’s information network was better than expected. He knew I had cleared the *Abyss Tree* alone.

Chris, meanwhile, was marveling at the opulent decor of the palace’s inner corridors, even more extravagant than what we had seen earlier.

"Do you see? These are the portraits of the emperors throughout the history of the empire."

The walls were lined with portraits that seemed to stretch on endlessly, depicting the emperors who had ruled Alpharion over the past thousand years.

"From my father, the previous Emperor, all the way back to the first Emperor. What you see before you is the history of the Alpharion Empire."

Walking beside him, I observed the portraits, tracing the empire’s history backward.

"This nation, which rose to protect humanity from the demons, has lasted for a thousand years. Over time, our original mission has faded, and we’ve even come into conflict with our sister nation, the Betarion Empire. Haha, but don’t judge us too harshly. When a nation grows this large, there are certain unavoidable entanglements."

The Emperor continued speaking as we walked.

"The two empires that divide the Astria continent—Alpharion in the east, and Betarion in the west. The reason we’ve been neglecting the northern threat is because trouble has been stirring in the east."

"Trouble in the east?"

"The *Erins Canyon*, home to countless monsters. Even with the empire’s strength, we’ve never fully conquered it. All we can do is build massive walls to keep them at bay. But lately, the situation there has been growing dire. After a thousand years, the dark hand of the demons is once again threatening the survival of humanity on this continent."

Chris leaned close and whispered to me.

"Is this a hint for the next expansion?"

"Hmm, maybe."

The northern threat, the demon army commander in the north.

Now, a new threat to the east where the Alpharion Empire lies.

Could there be an eastern demon commander?

But why show us this? If it were just a quest, we could’ve received it in the audience chamber or the office.

At the end of the corridor, the Emperor stopped.

The portrait at the end of the hallway caught my eye.

"The first Emperor."

I paused before the portrait.

I knew that face well.

He looked much older than when I had last seen him in his youth.

And next to the first Emperor’s portrait, at the end of the corridor, hung another portrait.

"Uh."

My mouth hung open in disbelief.

"What? What?"

Chris’s reaction was the same.

The figure in the painting had long, silver hair that partially covered one eye.

Sharp, obsidian eyes stared out from a youthful face.

Though it looked slightly different, there was no doubt about it.

"Ra-Rain! This... this!"

Chris frantically pointed at the portrait.

But I didn’t know what to say either.

Why... was my portrait hanging here?

In the palace of the Alpharion Empire?

"...The first Emperor was also an exceptional artist. After the empire was fully established, court painters took over, but I hear he painted his own portrait, as well as the portrait of the hero of that time."

The current Emperor gazed at the portrait of the first Emperor and then at mine.

"Warrior from another world, one who flows outside of this world’s history."

He turned to face me and asked.

"Who are you?"

The events that unfolded after I left.

The thousand years of history I didn’t know.

And the man who, back then, was barely older than me.

I chuckled softly.

"So... you really did save humanity and become their king? Bern, you sure drew yourself a grand picture."

Thud.

The Emperor fell to his knees.

Chris gasped in shock.

I wasn’t surprised.

The Emperor made no attempt to hide his emotions.

"...The hero of a thousand years ago, the mother of our empire."

And with that, he kissed the back of my hand.

Chris nearly jumped out of her skin.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

Mother?

But I’m not anyone’s mother.