“Hold on a second,” I stepped forward.

  If you’re going to steal my thunder, then I’ll steal yours!

  “You’re saying that, had it not been for Rubin’s sacrifice, you wouldn’t have succeeded in clearing the dungeon?”

  “What? No one-“

  “I mean, it was easy, like you said. Of course, it must have been because of Rubin’s help that it was so easy.” Han was grinding his teeth as I continued. “I’m assuming, however, that the final floor was harder than the rest, and Rubin, taking the initiative, put himself in harm's way to rescue one of you.” I looked at Rubellia. “Perhaps your mage.”

  If I can’t make myself the hero of this story, then it’s gonna be a dead man!

  “I…” Rubellia looked away.

  Han was lying, and Sora seemed to have no issue with it. It was Rubellia, however, who didn’t like the lies from the start.

  I assumed that was her reason for walking in with her head down. They must have fabricated a story to tell before coming here, and she felt guilty for going along with it but lacked the courage to speak the truth. And, of course, they couldn’t tell the truth about me, or rather, the man in black, because then they would have to lie on the spot about my contribution to the party and battle, and since I did everything, they’d stutter for lies. The least I could do was give Rubellia closure in the lie Han was spinning and give glory to a man they would have neglected to mention had I not known of him.

  “I would have died if not for him,” she whispered. “He saved me.”

  “Is that so…” the King went quiet.

  “He…” Rubellia hiccupped. “He died because of me.”

  That’s it…grieve.

  “I was distracted. I thought we had cleared the dungeon.”

  Cleared the floor….

  “But the monster had one last surprise attack. “

  A monster was hiding in the shadows and took them by surprise.

  “It almost killed me, but he took the blow for me.” She sobbed and buried her face in my shirt. “He died because I wasn’t paying attention. It was my fault. I got him killed!”

  Poor girl… My heart ached.

  She blamed herself for Rubin’s death, and Han and Sora would have let him be forgotten. She would have been the only one suffering from the hidden truth. She was the only one the lie affected. She needed to grieve, and she hadn’t gotten the chance to do so yet. Had I not mentioned Rubin, I wondered if she would have cried like this alone at night in her bed, blaming herself.

  I did the right thing, making Rubin the hero of the story. I’m no hero, anyway.

  I averted my gaze to see Nia and Sabrina staring at me, their eyes soft and empathetic for Rubellia. They weren’t making a fuss about how she held me. I was glad. She needed comfort, and Han nor Sora were the right ones to give it to her.

  “It’s not your fault.” I wrapped one arm around her waist and rested the other on her head.

  Sora and Han shifted uncomfortably. My skin crawled at the sight. What they were feeling was guilt, and it showed on their faces.

  Rubellia continued to cry into my chest, her tears drenching my shirt as I pet her head. A few minutes passed before she finally calmed down, but she never broke away from my chest.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” the King sympathized, his eyes filled with hurt.

  He actually feels…sympathy.

  “In honor of Rubin, I will erect a statue that honors his heroism. He was a hero who risked his life to be the first to clear the dungeon. I’ll make sure no one ever forgets that.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Sora bowed.

  “Of course.” He smiled. “Now, tell me. Do you three plan on entering the Tournament of Adventurers?”

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  “We do,” Han answered.

  “Good.” He smiled. “What about-“

  “Han! You’re here, you’re really here!” The sound of a door flinging open and footsteps running toward me caused me to alert my attention to the source. I saw a girl with long violet hair that flowed behind her as she ran toward Han.

  Her eyes. I squinted. Are those…stars?

  My curiosity must have gotten the better of me because I had unknowingly moved into the girl's path to get a better look at her eyes. She grunted as she collided with me like a car hitting a brick wall at full speed.

  “I’m sorry,” she started as she looked at me. “I didn’t meant to-“ She froze as our eyes met, and the stars within hers began to twinkle one by one.

  “Er…” I stepped back as a sense of unease washed over me. “Are you okay?”

  She blinked several times at me, frozen agape like she had seen something magical. “You aren’t from here.” She finally said.

  “Yeah, I’m from the south.” I smiled sheepishly.

  “No,” she stepped forward. “I mean you aren’t from here.” My heart raced, and a sweat bead dripped down my cheek. The girl smiled at me and closed one eye as she pressed a finger to her lips. “Shhh.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Han stepped between us.

  “Oh. Hey, Han.” Her eyes never left mine as she spoke to him, and the excitement in her voice earlier for him had vanished.

  “Do you want to hear about how we cleared the dungeon?” He asked.

  Her gaze finally left mine, and she turned to the King, ignoring Han. “Daddy, can he be my friend?” She pointed at me.

  “”Huh??”” Han and I spoke in sync.

  Daddy? She’s the Kings daughter?

  “Oh?” The King stoked his beard with a grin. “Did you see something I couldn’t?”

  What’s that supposed to mean!?

  “Not really, but he has an interesting story.” The girl giggled. “I want to ask him about it.”

  “What about me?” Han complained.

  “I have no issue with you speaking to him. Do as you wish.”

  “Yay!” She grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s go!”

  “Hold on a second, Star. Why are you ignoring me?” Han asked.

  Her name is Star? Makes sense, I guess.

  Star was pulling on me, but I didn’t budge. I had no desire to be friends with a child who looked to be around fifteen, possibly younger. Nor did I want her to pull me alone somewhere.

  “Star,” the King scolded lovingly. “You’re going to have to wait. I have some questions for Sion.”

  “You do?” I asked. What did he need from me? He had gotten all the information he wanted about the dungeon from Han and his party. If that was why Sabrina and I had been summoned, what else could he need?

  “I wanted to ask if you’d be participating in the Tournament of Adventurers.”

  “Me?” I looked at Sabrina. She shrugged. “N-No,” I smiled weakly. “I’m not.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not that strong. Plus,” I looked at Han and his party. “I wouldn’t stand a chance against the hero and his party.” The King smiled at my response, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  “I want you to.”

  “Eh?”

  “I want you to participate in the tournament.”

  “I’m good.” I waved my hand dismissively.

  “That wasn’t a request.”

  “What? You gonna force me to fight?” I snorted.

  “Sabrina,” he looked at her. “You wouldn’t want funding to the guild to be cut, would you?” Sabrina stiffened at his statement.

  “No, I wouldn’t .”

  “And you don’t want your girlfriend to be jobless, do you?”

  My eyes glowed as they narrowed. “Are you blackmailing us?” The king's smile only widened in response.