84. Audience
Shiro and the others walked slowly through the royal audience hall.
On the throne sat King Felix Haynesworth.
Around him stood Queen Nina, Crown Prince Robert, First Princess Charlotte, and Princess Miraedia, the Miko Princess.
Shiro advanced to the front of the throne and stopped.
Shiro and Mitoka did not kneel before the king. They were emissaries of the divine—Master. In this world, they held a position above even the king.
Sofia and the others from this country—Shestia, Aria, Albert, Sherina, and Altia—kneeled before the king.
From among the attending nobles, murmurs of disapproval rose toward Shiro and Mitoka: *You're in the king's presence, after all.*
"Silence!" the king declared. His voice was regal, firm, and carried clearly to every corner of the audience hall.
Miraedia quietly approached Shiro and brought forth a bracelet.
"This is a sacred relic passed down through the royal family—the bracelet of the goddess’s Miko. It is said to glow when it reacts with the Master’s bracelet."
Miraedia spoke in a clear, resonant voice that echoed through the entire hall.
She approached Shiro and touched the bracelet.
The Miko’s bracelet then glowed faintly red.
In response, Shiro’s bracelet began to emit a soft, white, otherworldly light that gradually filled the audience hall.
Not blinding—just a strange, radiant glow.
"Ooooh," a murmur rippled through the crowd.
The sight and the light stirred in everyone the same reverence felt toward the divine. Without thought, all bowed before Shiro.
After the light faded, King Felix spoke.
"We recognize Lord Shiro Kamikawa as the Apostle of the Goddess Firumia. This is the unanimous decision of the Royal Family, the Temple Network, the Adventurer Guild, and the Mage Guild!"
"Haha," everyone replied in unison.
Shiro remained silent throughout, doing his best to appear calm and composed, offering a steady smile as he stood firm. Mitoka beside him kept her expression perfectly neutral.
(Do we really have to go through this farce?) Shiro mentally queried Mitoka.
『Shiro, in this world, Goddess Firumia is absolute. Religiously, and in reality—gods exist here. As her Apostle, you are regarded as a figure of equal stature. So maintain your dignity. Stand tall. Letting the world know your position will aid your investigations going forward.』 Mitoka explained, her tone flat and matter-of-fact.
(…I suppose that’s true. But it still feels awkward….) Shiro thought, unsettled by the unfamiliar role.
In any case, Shiro now found himself backed by the full support of the Hainzworth Kingdom, the Temple Network, the Adventurer Guild, and the Mage Guild—the four major powers of the world—charged with investigating and addressing global matters.
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