183 Misunderstanding?

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Whenever there are heroes, they bring with them glory, disaster, joy and sorrow. A hero's life is rarely dull but the people who approved of the hero summoning never expected that it would be their kingdom who would be taking unexpected losses from the very start.

The historical records used to reference the heroes of the past have turned out to be false in this instance because of the strange but clever young man who was summoned. The king himself thought that this specific hero was summoned because of their hidden agenda in calling forth a hero.

This is only the third day but not only have the king's faction have to tread very carefully around a single individual that has no ties to a country, they also have their princess injured and her personal guard possibly now under Kazuya's beck and call.

The finance minister couldn't help but feel troubled while he observed the exchange between the hero Kazuya and Julia Tisdale. Her loyalty to the princess aside, her strength was something that no one had ever gauged accurately before since many veterans have mentioned that she only showed her true skills whenever the princess was involved.

With her loyalty, it was not too hard to think that if she really exceeded Alicia's talents, it was so that she wouldn't overshadow her liege. If this were really true, the princess was about to lose one of her most excellent cards. Still, the finance minister weighed out the options and judged that getting the princess back in top shape is better for the kingdom rather than her personal knight.

Alicia was well known around the kingdom and had a stellar reputation amongst the citizens. This was due to the fact that she had went around the kingdom while the king needed to remain in the capital. Her beauty and charisma were able to naturally attract people and thus became one of the most influential figures in the king's faction.

"Let me explain the way currency works in our kingdom." Ivan led them to a private room and handed Kazuya a magic pouch where the currency was stored.

Kazuya felt a little nostalgic after hearing the finance minister teaching him about Edea's economy. It was pretty simple, the common denominations were bronze, silver, gold coins. A hundred coins of each denomination would be worth 1 of the higher ones. A single gold coin would be equivalent to 10,000 yen on earth. This was the standard in human kingdoms.

The more uncommon currencies were platinum and mithril plates. In Kazuya's previous journey around Edea, he was able to discover that although races like elves, dwarves and some beast races accept human currency, they valued the uncommon currencies like platinum and mithril slightly higher than the human kingdoms do.

Of course, there were also some tribes and races that preferred bartering more than trading currencies. Some of them even only traded in this fashion.

"(A hundred bronze, silver and gold coins huh…)" Kazuya's face twitched after confirming the contents of the magical pouch.

He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed because in his previous time as a hero, he was given 50 gold to spend at his own leisure and had the kingdom send him 10 gold each month through the church of light. Kazuya couldn't help but sigh inwardly after being reminded by his own gullible and naïve self in the past.

"The king also mentioned that the kingdom will give you monetary support of 20 gold per month if you accept the task of helping us with our problems with the demons." Ivan looked as if it were an act of their generosity.

"I will take that under consideration as I learn more about this world. I have no way of returning to my world even if I wanted to right now after all." Kazuya had no plans of letting them get what they wanted just yet.

Since they were treating him carefully, Kazuya knew that he would get more favorable conditions compared to the concessions he was given when he agreed to help without question the last time. He wanted to get as many advantages as he could to prepare for the future. As sensitive as the situation was with him and the kingdom, he had still just arrived and both sides were still testing the waters.

"I do apologize if your relationship with the nobles have gotten off to a bad start. I'm sure everyone is just worried about the looming threat. This kingdom was built on the hero's legend so everyone is tense because stories of the heroes was always accompanied by a power that would have destroyed the human race." Ivan didn't forget to show an apologetic expression that tried to show sincerity.

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"I understand your plight. Please do not misunderstand my actions against your people so far. As important as you make this role of being the hero of your people make it sound, I have my own responsibilities to my people to consider." Kazuya explained seriously.

He didn't pay attention to the quiet entrance of the princess who was seated in a comfortable looking wheelchair that used to belong to the king's mother. Kazuya pretended not to notice the arrival of the girl who tried to hold back her killing intent and continued with what he was explaining to Ivan.

"I may have seemed harsh, cold and cruel to you people when I arrived but, I don't think you people realized just who it is that you called upon forcefully. This kingdom would have immediately been declared war to if we were in the same world." Kazuya's explanation shocked even the hostile princess who couldn't help but take another look at him.

Kazuya resisted the urge to smirk as he noticed that Alicia had finally seen him as a person. The hero who was no longer another one of those people who were almost faceless to her. Though she still had her doubts the fact that he did those things immediately without knowing anything about them had convinced her. She was confident in both her beauty and talent to manipulate people that it forced her to have little mind to doubt his explanation.

"My life is no longer my own which is why I intend to take my time in learning whatever I can about this world to see whether I could risk myself in helping or not. As a man who handles money, do you not need time to consider the risks before deciding whether to invest or not?" Kazuya smiled after noticing Ivan's expression change.

"(Comparing it to our kingdom, his position should at least be a war minister or someone who has his own in our kingdom…)" Ivan gave the maids behind the hero a glance. He thought that it was no wonder that Elrich and him got along quickly. The two of them were like two peas in a pod.

Of course, Acht and Neun was already aware of this because of their presence when Kazuya had told Elrich the same story. Their calmness revealed that Kazuya had informed them of this which convinced Ivan about the King's earlier hesitations. The king couldn't confirm the information Elrich reported after learning more about the hero.

"I understand. I am thankful that we have finally reached the point where our sides can learn more about each other amicably." Ivan didn't dare doubt the fact that duke Eberbach and the hero could not have collaborated with each other after just a day and a half.

The two were both clever individuals. Clever individuals also share the trait that makes them aware that they needed to be vigilant. Though it is not all of them, the fact that the hero decided to take an extreme route after arrival shows that he is not one to give his trust that easily.

"It seems that I have entered at an inappropriately opportune moment." Alicia had taken the initiative to announce her presence. She gave an amicable yet weak smile that would have made people feel pity.

"I am not a stranger to hierarchy. Even if I didn't want others to know, it would have eventually reached your ears." Kazuya shrugged and looked at the princess wearing a neutral expression.

It was there that she understood. This person, this hero dared to see her as she saw other people. He did not treat her much less see her as a person who was equal.

"(He dares… HE DARES NOT PUT ME IN HIS EYES!?)" Alicia tried her best to remain calm as her breathing accelerates .

"That being said, I need to let you know that though I know how to treat you doesn't mean that I have the necessary equipment to make it as uncomfortable for you as possible. The duke's people have asked herbalists around and none of them have anything that would make this procedure painless." Kazuya pretended not to notice the changes with the princess.

He was slightly disappointed that even the old him would have already asked what was going on with her. Kazuya was currently unaware what was on Alicia's mind. He doubted her too much after what he had experienced and failed to remember the fact that this princess was always unstable whenever her temper was ignited.

"Do you think I'm just a dainty rose that is a stranger to hardships?" Alicia finally showed some hostility.

"I am a proud princess of this kingdom. I have experienced defending my country and am no stranger to the battlefield. I am not afraid of pain." She looked at him in annoyance.

"Pardon me if I have caused you to feel insulted. That is not my intention. Though I do not know how my sensitivity has become much sharper. I can sense that the mana you hold is superior compared to the ones I've encountered so far." He tried to pacify the princess.

"It's just that my world's method may seem barbaric and needless in the eyes of people who mostly rely on magic to even recover lost limbs."

Kazuya was no longer wearing the large bag that filled his back when they last met. The hero put his hand inside the magic bag that Elrich had granted him and pulled out a box that had a mark that Alicia was not familiar with. After which, he took out some tool looking objects that included a transparent bag that Alicia had never seen before.

The item mystified her, but she couldn't help but notice the small thing has metallic contents in one of them. They appeared to be small needles that were shaped like hooks. Alicia wondered if the hero had a hobby of sewing as the other transparent bag had different threads.

"Let me explain the process." Kazuya stopped himself from laughing out loud after seeing her curious expression. Alicia was unaware of how these objects were later going to let her have a new experience.

"Since my world does not have much mana, we don't have the means to have nor rely on healing magic. This was why we have researched on methods in survival via procedures that would help one's own body's recovery." To make them understand more about the weight on Kazuya's shoulders, he explained one big difference he found between Earth and Edea.

It was how they valued life. Due to the mere existence of healing magic, the way the worlds treated the dangers to one's life. On earth, a terminal illness almost always spelled death. In Edea however, even a critical wound could end up being healed with no repercussions if the person was taken to a healer on time.

"Since there is no exit wound when I shot you. The bullets have to be taken out by hand. I would then have to put stitches on you until your wounds end up healing naturally." He explained while examining the wound on her arm. "It will hurt a lot. Despite how primitive and barbaric it's seen in the eyes of those who have healing magic at their disposal, that is how medicine in my world works. To us a mere stab wound is something that would require time to heal."

Ivan nodded grimly while Alicia was lost in thought. She had never really tried thinking about the world where these heroes came from. This was the very first time that she considered such things. What she learned about the place that was so-called earth was that heroes talked about machinery that would make them look at them primitively.

Though as a child, she imagined such a dream-like world. The current her thought that Edea did have some things that are like fantasy from the perspective of a person from where heroes came from. The thought that the world where people that became legends, could look upon their world and see it in the same way that the Edeans see Earth, made her feel a little proud.

"I will take it upon myself and experience this." Alicia steeled her resolve.

"I admire your courage. I hope you will not blame or hate me later on because I did warn you." The hero had showed a gentle smile for the first time in Alicia's presence.

"(Why do I get the feeling that that smile is one of amusement?)" Alicia stared at Kazuya as he instructed the servants to place some linens on a long table and help the princess lay down there.

"Please pardon me. I would need to touch you to treat you." Kazuya excused himself and removed the bandages that were tightly wrapped around the princess' wounds.

Edea might not have advanced much in medical science but they understood that wounds could become infected. The wound he inflicted had already started to heal. Alicia's vitality had prevented her from bleeding out. Though the wound cannot be healed via healing magic, Edeans living in a world full of mana made their bodies heal faster than an average earthling.

Though, her wound already closing meant that it would hurt a lot more. Kazuya needed to take the bullets that were lodged onto Alicia's strong bones. Without any drugs to numb her pain, Kazuya had prepared the excuse that she needed to be awake to confirm regaining her the feeling on her limbs to prevent them from suggesting magically induced sleep on her.

"Acht, Nuen, Julia, please hold down the princess. If she moves too much because of the pain, it might cause even more damage." Kazuya's gaze stayed on Julia making her understand that he was not joking.

A person as devoted to the princess as her understood just how important for this task to be completed. Though it pained her to be able to see Alicia in pain, the hero had made it painfully clear that this procedure was the princess' best shot.

"Bite onto this" two thin wooden sticks were placed on Alicia's free hand. "This will prevent you from biting off your tongue."

"…" Alicia nervously followed his instructions as he watched the hero nonchalantly brazenly raise her long dress' skirt as if he were simply opening a curtain. She would have kicked his face out of reflex if only she could lift her leg.

"Now then…" Kazuya glanced at the three girls holding the princess down and gave them a nod to show that he was going to start. "Please try not to faint." He inserted the metallic tool in his hand directly onto the wound to search for the bullet.

"MMMPHH!!!"

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