Who taught him to restore the country like this

Chapter 220 Keltia: Don't Learn From Him

A voice came from the crowd at the edge of the square.

Everyone turned to look.

The crowd dispersed, and four strong young men carried a sedan chair, in which sat an elderly man who looked quite old.

This is the master Horn, who is known as the "Fortress of the Mountains".

Compared to his robust physique a few days ago, he now looks like a wilted eggplant, with his muscles having shrunk considerably.

Only a skeleton remains to support the flabby skin.

"Master Horn."

When the king saw that it was Horn, his displeasure disappeared, and he took two steps forward to greet him, showing him the utmost respect.

"How did you come?"

The sedan chair stopped in front of the king, who looked at the frail Master Horn and asked with concern.

"His Majesty……"

Horn tried to get up and bow, but he collapsed back down halfway through the movement.

“Master Horn is unwell, there is no need for formalities.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Master Horn, you should go back and rest properly."

The king watched as Horn struggled to speak, fearing he might not be able to catch his breath.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am in good health."

Horn said.

No one would believe that.

"Is there something you need here?"

"The king asked."

“I heard from my disciple that the hero has defeated the evil dragon and rescued the princess, so I have come here to express my gratitude.”

Horn slowly turned his head to look at Ron beside him, the loose skin at the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as if he were smiling.

“This is all we should do. Master Horn, there’s no need for that. I will visit you later.”

Ron said respectfully.

"Haha... Hero, I'm really happy to see your performance. But I didn't come here entirely for you."

Horn expressed his approval of the new hero, then turned his gaze back to the king.

"Your Majesty, I invited this red dragon to the Titan Kingdom. I am also responsible for the mistakes it has made. Please punish it."

Horn apologized.

The King knew that the Red Dragon was invited to the Titan Kingdom by Horn.

However, Horn's original intention in inviting the red dragon was to eliminate natural disasters for the Titan Kingdom and ensure its prosperity.

For hundreds of years, they lived in peace.

Moreover, this was entirely Alicia's fault, so how could he punish Horn for something like this?

No!

Exile is still too lenient.

They must be severely punished!

"Alicia, you..."

“Your Majesty, the princess is young and lacks her own judgment. She must have been deceived by this evil dragon to do such irrational things. Please punish her leniently.”

Horn pleaded.

"This……"

The king was in a dilemma.

His original intention was not to punish Alicia too severely, after all, she was his daughter.

But Alicia's actions had such a terrible impact that she had to be severely punished.

The king did not rush to respond, but instead looked at the red dragon.

He was quite familiar with his daughter's personality.

This red dragon has been in the Titan Kingdom for so many years without incident, but then Alicia ran into trouble.

He knew the truth.

Master Horn offered a way out, but if the red dragon didn't admit that he had deceived the princess, he wouldn't be able to back down either.

Fortunately, Gratoni simply stared at Horn and did not speak up to defend himself in response to Horn's accusations.

It's the default.

"Mu Xiqing, what do you think should be done to punish Alicia?"

The king then looked at Grand Duke Musi, who was standing to the side, and asked for his opinion.

The person with the strongest opinion about Alicia's actions should be Grand Duke Musi.

Because her eldest son was engaged to Alicia.

Everyone knows that dragons are inherently lewd. Alicia spent three months alone with this evil dragon, and she probably did everything she should and shouldn't have done.

Even if it can be proven now that they didn't do that, how many people would believe it if it got out?

The outside world will only think that this is a lie fabricated to save face.

The royal family's reputation has been damaged, but the Grand Duchy of Musi's reputation has been damaged even more severely.

Grand Duke Musi wanted the king to execute Alicia directly, or to strip Alicia of her princess status and exile her to a remote and miserable frontier.

In this way, the Mu family would not have to fulfill the marriage agreement.

Given the current situation, with the highly respected Master Horn intervening on their behalf, these two outcomes are highly unlikely.

What are my opinions?
What opinion can I have?
“Your Majesty, Master Horn is absolutely right. The princess is young and inevitably deceived. Please punish her leniently.”

Grand Duke Musi complied with the king's wishes.

"However, Princess Alicia has no intention of marrying my son. I beg Your Majesty to grant me the favor and annul the engagement between my son and Princess Alicia."

He went on to say that...

He no longer cared about what to do with Princess Alicia, but he would never back down on the matter of the engagement.

Hearing Grand Duke Musi's sincere request, the king was extremely displeased.

If this marriage is dissolved, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that the princess was violated by the evil dragon?
Although this view cannot be changed, originally both families would have lost face, but by doing this, only the royal family will lose face.

As a high-ranking official, how could the king accept that he had no sense of responsibility to share the burdens of the royal family?
But the facts are already clear: the princess's stigma cannot be erased.

If the king insists on forcibly enforcing this marriage, then he is treating Grand Duke Musi as less than human.

"Does Grand Duke Muxi really intend to annul this engagement?"

Just as the king was caught in a dilemma, a voice broke the silence.

Upon hearing this, Grand Duke Muxi frowned and looked at the speaker.

It was none other than the hero Beretta.

"Hero Beretta, this is an internal matter of my Titan Kingdom. Please..."

"If that's the case, then that would be wonderful."

Ron interrupted Grand Duke Musi's warning.

Ok?
What do you mean?
Grand Duke Muxi frowned deeply. What do you mean by "too good to be true"?
"Hero, what do you mean by that?"

The king's expression also showed some displeasure.

Ron's words sounded like a mockery of them.

"Your Majesty, I can do without these rewards, but I only ask that Your Majesty grant me one request."

Ron bowed and said.

"What request?"

The king asked.

"I have long admired Princess Alicia."

Ron spoke slowly.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, he placed one hand on his chest and performed a standard knightly salute.

"I request Your Majesty to grant me Princess Alicia in marriage."

He spoke clearly and forcefully.

"..."

quiet!
Deathly silence!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden and completely unexpected marriage proposal.

Everyone thought Ron would ask for something better since he refused such a large reward, but he ended up taking what others didn't want.

This was something no one expected.

Karina covered her mouth, her eyes filled with gossipy curiosity.

Lord Beretta has long admired Princess Alicia.

when did it happen?
Lord Beretta doesn't remember the past, does he? This should be the first time he's met Princess Alicia, right?

Keltia frowned slightly, watching Ron's retreating figure, seemingly pondering his true intentions.

Even Gratoni, who was lying on the edge of the square, shrinking his size and pretending to doze off, couldn't help but lift his eyelids, a hint of surprise flashing in his red vertical pupils.

interesting.

The other person just asked to break off the engagement, and you come and propose to them right away. Aren't you just slapping them in the face?
"Hero, are you serious?"

After a long silence, the king looked at Ron with a scrutinizing gaze and confirmed.

“Your Majesty, I am serious. If possible, I would like to request that Your Majesty grant me a territory as my future residence with Princess Alicia.”

Ron's gaze was sincere and resolute.

Fearing the king wouldn't believe them, they even demanded territory.

The king showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever; on the contrary, he was quite pleased. The hero was destined to be famous throughout the world, and with the three major papal courts backing him, if he were willing to marry Alicia, all the rumors would be dispelled.

The royal family's reputation can also be preserved.

However, by doing so, the biggest victim became Grand Duke Musi.

The king glanced over and saw that Grand Duke Musi's face was ashen, and his eyes seemed to want to kill the hero Beretta.

If the hero marries Princess Alicia, and when he achieves great success in the future, when the world discusses this legendary tale, the entire Musi clan will be dragged out and whipped.

But the king couldn't care less about all that.

"Mu Xiqing, I agree to Alicia's annulment of her engagement with the Mu family."

The king issued a decree.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Even if Grand Duke Muxi had a thousand grievances in his heart, he could only bow and express his gratitude.

"Brave."

The king turned his gaze to Ron: "I grant you permission to marry Alicia."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ron bowed.

And so, witnessed by everyone, this farce ended with "the hero Beretta and Princess Alicia getting engaged."

"Tonight's banquet will serve as the engagement ceremony for my daughter and the hero."

After informing him of this, the king took Alicia, who was completely bewildered, back to the palace.

Ron and his companions also rode a flying dragon to Master Horn's residence.

During the journey, Ron noticed that Kertia, who rarely paid attention to others, was staring at his face, which made him feel a little guilty.

"Is there something on my face?"

He looked at Kertia and asked.

"Did you ask the king for a marriage decree to protect Princess Alicia?"

"Kertia asked."

"Is that so?"

Karina, who had been pondering this for a long time, joined the conversation.

"Is it that obvious?"

Ron scratched his head, feigning embarrassment.

"You've only just met Princess Alicia, so what makes you claim to have long admired her?"

"Kertia said calmly."

The hero Beretta was not a lecherous person; at least, in all the time he had spent with the two of them, he had never shown any interest in them.

"I don't think what you're doing is right."

"Kelina said."

Although Ron protected Alicia, his reputation will certainly be labeled as lustful in the short term.

"I just want to do my best to help those in need. I want to become someone like the fourth generation hero."

Ron's determined gaze revealed a certain resolve deep within his heart.

Upon hearing this, Keltia stared at Ron with a somewhat dazed expression.

So that's how it is...

No wonder she saw that person's shadow in the hero Beretta.

That willingness to sacrifice one's own interests to help others... it turns out I was learning from him.

Ha ha…

Kertia gave a self-deprecating smile.

She had just had the idea that the person in front of her was that person.

"Don't imitate him."

She spoke without thinking.

"what?"

Ron looked at Kertia with confusion.

"You should live your own life, not imitate others."

Kertia covered up her unintentional remark.

"Oh."

Ron nodded.

At the same time, I breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems they managed to get away with it.

He almost killed himself trying to get a piece of territory.

It has to be said that this little saintess's insight is getting more and more outrageous.

"Are you really going to marry Princess Alicia?"

"Kelina asked curiously."

"No, there are no feelings between us."

Ron shook his head.

"So how are you going to handle this?"

"Kelina asked."

“I will explain it to her and ask her to wait patiently for a while longer. Right now, I am not capable of helping her gain her freedom. When I defeat the Demon King and return, she will be free.”

Ron replied.

"Brave boy, have you ever thought about what will happen to her if you don't come back?"

The giant dragon beneath him also joined the conversation.

“Mr. Gratoni, please don’t say such things again.”

"Kelina said with a straight face."

Upon hearing this, Gratoni tactfully changed the subject.

When do you plan to leave the Titan Kingdom?

"Let's do it first thing tomorrow morning."

Ron replied.

"Mr. Grattoni, are you attending the banquet tonight?"

he asked next.

"I won't go and spoil the fun."

Does Grattoni have self-awareness?
Moreover, he had no interest in attending human banquets.

"You can stay at the palace tonight, and I will come to pick you up early tomorrow morning."

"sorry to bother you."

Unbeknownst to them, a sense of trust had formed between them.

……

As night falls, the Titan Palace transforms from its daytime solemnity and tension into a brightly lit and festive atmosphere.

Inside the banquet hall, toasts were exchanged and the nobles and high-ranking officials of the Titan Kingdom gathered together.

The King and Queen arrived together, seated in the main seats, with smiles on their faces.

As one of the main characters at tonight's banquet, Ron was dressed in a proper suit, appearing somewhat petite compared to the tall Titan nobles around him.

But she showed no timidity and handled the various social engagements with ease.

Halfway through the banquet, the elegantly dressed female protagonist made her entrance.

Alicia, dressed in a gorgeous evening gown, looked charming and lovely in her human form, which was maintained by the giants' secret magic.

Amidst the applause and blessings of the crowd, she, still with a hint of confusion in her eyes, was led to Ron's side.

At this moment, the king slowly stood up, and his loud voice resounded throughout the entire hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I hereby formally announce the investiture of the hero Beretta as Earl of Rockhammer, and betroth my beloved daughter, Alicia, to him. May their union bring more peace and hope to our continent."

As soon as he finished speaking, enthusiastic applause and congratulations erupted in the hall.

Regardless of their true feelings, the nobles outwardly expressed their blessings for the marriage.

The king raised his hand to suppress the applause and continued, "I have decided to grant Count Beretta the Hongyan Territory on the eastern border of the kingdom as a gift from me, his father."

Another round of applause erupted in the hall.

As the princess's husband, it was only reasonable for the king to grant the hero a territory.

Earldom, quite conventional.

"Breita, what do you think?"

The king looked at Ron and asked.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Ron bowed and thanked him.

A stable earldom offers considerable experience gains.

The Titan Kingdom has a much smaller population compared to the human kingdoms, so the reputation gains won't be as high.

But it doesn’t matter.

Experience is enough.

The important part of the engagement ceremony concluded with Ron and Alicia exchanging the engagement rings they had prepared.