25 – The Usurper and the Queen

The nation island of Q'ten Lo, hidden upon the seas.

There, sitting inside a pagoda where a cherry blossom tree bloomed, a beautiful demi-human with long crimson hair paused upon reading the latest reports from her spies in Melromarc.

"...The former prince's daughter lived? And the Shield Hero went rogue? No, the Legendary Shield itself was expunged?"

Her crimson eyes flitted across the scroll, reading it once more.

And when she did, the woman felt a surge of panic.

No, not just 'the woman.'

Makina, the chief adviser to the royal family of Q'ten Lo. The one who arranged the death of the rightful heir, Raphtalia's father. The one who arranged for Raphtalia herself to be sold as a slave and discarded as a toy for those demi-human hating nobles in Melromarc.

All so that Makina herself could cling to the power she had as adviser to the Heavenly Emperor and the Imperial family.

...A fact that was now a blade to her neck.

Because the Heavenly Emperor was the Pacifier of the world. The one who punishes any hero or weapon spirit that strayed from the Heroes' path. The one with the duty to stand up and wield that heavenly authority to stop the heroes who could not be stopped otherwise... as well as to locate and remove any monster that sought to corrupt the world.

And, if the report was true...

They had both right now.

A summoned hero who had destroyed the Legendary Shield. And a monster of a human who possessed magic that did not abide by any of the world's rule while bearing an ominous presence that her Shadows, hiding ten kilometers away, still felt.

This, on top of the waves... and the fact that because of her own damned greed the one who should be the Heavenly Emperor was a naive young boy only eight years of age who would be killed in an instant when facing someone like that...

"...I will pretend I never saw it."

Makina made a firm decision.

So what if the Heavenly Emperor was meant to be the Pacifier? So what if an entity that could threaten the world had been born due to the distortion and subsequent expungement of a Legendary Weapon?

None of it was her concern. And none of it was Q'ten Lo's concern either.

No, it was Melromarc's. That country, as well as the others near it.

Until that former hero decided to make his way over, and while the world still turned, Makina decided it wouldn't matter.

...There was only one problem.

"...He bought that child."

That.

That was the problem.

The rightful heir to Q'ten Lo. Raphtalia.

Makina bit her fingernails and murmured, "...Do I try to eliminate her?"

She wanted to.

Her instincts were warning her that failing to do anything about it now would mean her end later.

But at the same time, if she acted now...

"...If I act now, I'll alert that monster."

A human from another world who was sly enough to arrange things to shatter the covenant binding him as a hero as well as result in the expungement of the Legendary Shield...

Someone like that was an enemy she didn't even want to attract to her location.

Her centuries of experience working in the shadows was warning her that someone like that was not a man who intrigue would work against. No, it was more like a natural disaster. Like the waves of calamity themselves.

"...No. I'll leave it."

It was a gamble. A risk.

But it was the safest option.

From what Makina heard, that prince never told the child of her heritage. And from what her Shadows reported, the child was grown now, but also completely ignorant. Simply a slave who had been trained in the way of the blade to fight at the former hero's side.

Although...

Makina glanced at the report one more time, reading about the other demi-human her Shadows saw by that former hero.

"...A white fox?"

Something about that bothered Makina.

A fact she couldn't remember. Something related to Q'ten Lo's history...

"...Wasn't there a monster of that sort in the myths?"

A nine-tailed monster many years ago who charmed the races of Siltvelt and tried to take control of the nation. One who originated from Q'ten Lo but vanished after being defeated by a Heavenly Emperor from centuries past...

"...It must be a coincidence."

Makina dismissed it.

Because what were the odds?

An offspring of a monster that a past Heavenly Emperor sealed away.

The heir to the Heavenly Emperor's bloodline as well...

The fact that both of those, as well as the Legendary Shield...

Practically a trinity of mythological confluences regarding Q'ten Lo showing up in one place at THIS time in particular...

Makina dismissed it.

...Even though her experience was warning her that it wasn't a coincidence, she still dismissed it.

She had to.

Because if she was correct...

Then the moment that man was made aware of Q'ten Lo, they would make way towards them. And Makina's neck would be on the chopping block.

So for now...

'Ignore it.'

...She had to ignore it.

===

Mirellia Q Melromarc couldn't ignore it.

Because of her fool husband and that idiotic Church of the Three Heroes, the carefully negotiated lifeline that Melromarc had amidst the powerhouses that surrounded the country had not only been severed, but burned to ash.

There was no fixing it. There was no repairing it.

Even the bargaining chip of selling her daughter Malty to Four Bray's degenerate pig of a king had fallen through.

If Mirellia wanted Four Bray's protection, then that scum of the earth had demanded she send not just Malty, but her young daughter Melty as well as a toy.

Mirellia could tolerate sending Malty. Her eldest daughter was good for nothing but her beauty, and her personality was among the worst. So since she was a liability... though it pained Mirellia's heart, it was the best for the nation. After all, at least in her death, Melromarc could obtain a proper ally.

But now it was impossible.

Now, the price had to include Melty.

Mirellia's naive ten year old daughter who still acted as a child should and even complained about being away from her father after Mirellia took Melty with her to the international negotiations.

That disgusting, degenerate, lewd, scum of the earth, utter SWINE of a king dared to ask for her ten year old daughter as a toy.

That same king who was known for delimbing, assaulting, and using every orifice of the women he was sent to slake his lust before discarding them in a heap like trash.

Mirellia had been keeping herself cool with a fan. One that had been given to her as a gift in the past by Siltvelt's emissaries as a peacemaking tribute. But when that thought crossed her mind, the thought of her sweet and innocent young daughter being turned to nothing more than meat for that utter wretch to slake his lust...

*CRACK*

The fan snapped in half, broken by Mirellia's clenched fist.

'...Ah. This will not do.'

She was mad. Furious. Not just furious. Mirellia wanted to scream to the heavens, wield her magic to turn the entire surroundings into a winter tundra, just end everything until her wrath was sated.

But she could not.

Because she was on her way back home to Melromarc in a discreet wagon, praying that she made it in time before the Shield Hero- No, the former shield hero decided that her country wasn't worth keeping around.

Before the Church of the Three Heroes decided that it would be a smart idea to try and eliminate the former shield hero for good while he was 'weak.'

Before the former shield hero decided to show his true power and discard the entire country, setting off for lands unknown while leaving a wasteland and a populace in full revolt in his wake.

...Yes, all Mirellia could do right now was pray.

Pray that Sir Naofumi's patience lasted long enough for her to arrive.

Pray that her idiotic husband did not do something that made Sir Naofumi decide to swing his blade upon the knights who would be forced to stand in his way and fail.

Pray that her idiotic eldest daughter did not sway the other Legendary Heroes to rally against Sir Naofumi.

Because Mirellia could sense it.

While she did not have any evidence or data to back it up. While she did not know for sure...

Mirellia DID have reports from her Shadows who had been observing Sir Naofumi since his summoning.

...Or rather, who had ATTEMPTED to observe Sir Naofumi since his summoning. Attempts that continually failed as he easily evaded them except for the few times he deliberately revealed himself.

And from those failed attempts, three main facts were proven.

One: Sir Naofumi was not strengthened by the Legendary Shield, but instead weakened by it.

Two: Sir Naofumi was not some childish teenager or young adult like the other heroes, but a man who knew how to operate in hostile territory and make countermeasures accordingly.

Three: Sir Naofumi possessed a form of power innate to himself that superceded the Legendary Shield, and one that had now been thoroughly unleashed.

Mirellia did not want Sir Naofumi as an enemy. No. That would be worse than suicide. That man had been moving quietly so far... but it was clear that his appearance at the wave had been a test.

And one that they had all thoroughly failed.

Mirellia let out a sigh and closed her eyes, recalling the floating windows that had appeared at the time when Melromarc's own knights had gone against Sir Naofumi.

===

[The Covenant was shattered.]

[The Hero was betrayed.]

[The World has been judged.]

[From this point forward, the Legendary Shield will no longer exist in this world.]

===

It was the worst case scenario.

If those words were true.

If EVERYONE had seen those messages...

If that floating window had not been an illusion... and Mirellia highly doubted it was.

Setting aside the untold potential for civil unrest for the moment... because that was a problem in and of itself.

But if so, then they had not just lost a hero in terms of allegiance. They had lost a legendary weapon entirely.

And as a consequence, the waves would become that much stronger.

The records had said as much: with each weapon missing, the waves of calamity would grow stronger.

And not only had they lost the strongest legendary weapon... Not only had they lost the Legendary Shield that could have protected all of them while the other heroes fought the wave bosses...

They had erased it. Entirely. To the extent that future hero summonings would only bring the Sword, Spear, and Bow hero.

Just like the Church of the Three Heroes wanted.

And all because of that FOOLISH husband- No. Because of that UTTER TRASH, casualties would be inevitable going forward.

"Mother?"

A polite and sweet voice echoed from across Mirellia.

Melty.

The young girl with blue twin-tails tilted her head and said, "...You seem troubled." Her blue eyes shifted to the shattered fan in Mirellia's hand and said, "...And angry. Is it because of Father?"

Mirellia let out a strained smile and gently set aside the broken pieces of the fan. "...Yes, Melty." She let out a deep sigh. "...Your father has crossed the line. And not just cross it, but burn our country behind him as he did."

"F-Father did what?"

Mirellia was quiet, tapping her finger on the windowsill of the carriage to think.

'The accusation by Malty was terrible enough. That defamation must be remedied... but it was not that which angered Sir Naofumi so.'

Malty's accusal of Sir Naofumi violating her was damaging to Sir Naofumi's reputation.

But from his words in response to that trash's sentence, Sir Naofumi understood that it didn't matter.

Despite everything, he had understood that Mirellia was the true sovereign. And he had deliberately set aside any injustices, even going so far as to stay out of public view to reduce any conflicts that could arise from the general populace.

In short, he was waiting for her.

'But it changed today.'

The forced summoning to fight the wave of calamity.

Watching as the other heroes ignored the villagers and treated this world as a game.

Moving to defend the villagers on his own, along with his demihuman companions, only for Mirellia's own knights... Well, technically those of that UTTER TRASH-

Ahem.

But for the knights of Melromarc to not only turn on him, but no doubt plot to kill him along with the villagers that he worked to save...

'A decisive moment.'

Mirellia's personal Shadow had said as much.

Although her Shadow did not intend to reveal herself or the other Shadows observing, they had deemed it prudent.

Because...

*Your Grace, I dare say. The look in Sir Naofumi's eyes was that of a man who had resolved himself to wage war and claim the country for himself, I dare say. It was the look of a revolutionary who decided that the rulers were no longer worth existing, I dare say. And Sir Naofumi's sword... it was not a legendary weapon or a Seven Star Weapon, and yet it carried an ominous weight with it that seemed equal if not greater, I dare say.*

...It was the last chance.

A moment just before the edge.

One that a less patient and sensible man would have crossed long ago.

Yet, Mirellia was fortunate. For whatever reason, Sir Naofumi was patient. Tolerant.

Was it because he hailed from a different land than the other three heroes? This 'America' that Melromarc's ancient records said was the home of the brave and the free?

Either way, Mirellia thanked her lucky stars that Sir Naofumi was showing restraint.

For now.

'...But how do I resolve this situation?'

Sir Naofumi clearly was not a man of vices.

He was resourceful, yes. And he had clearly visited the slavemarket. He had also purchased those two demihuman companions of his.

But not for pleasure.

Despite how beautiful both were... beautiful enough that some nobles may go out of their way to try and claim them-

"Fuck."

"M-Mother?!"

Mirellia let out a long suffering sigh and massaged her temple. "Melty. Tell me. If you knew that there were a great deal of nobles who were about to make an enemy out of an individual who could ransack the entire country, what would you do? Just hypothetically. Humor your mother."

"...Should we not just brand them as traitors and have them executed, Mother? Th-That is what you taught me, yes? That even if blood is shed, so long as the bones of the country remain, Melromarc will recover?"

Mirellia paused. Then she let out a bright smile. "...I knew there was a reason why I chose you to inherit the throne over your sister."

It was a simple solution.

One that Mirellia had forgotten due to frantically putting out fires that had emerged ever since her eldest daughter had started acting up and her once wise husband had seemed to go senile.

Even if it meant painting the streets red with blood, so long as Melromarc's core existed, then it would recover.

And that core, the essence of Melromarc itself... it consisted of two things: the royal bloodline, meaning herself and Melty, and its people.

The nobles were just chaff.

So...

Mirellia pulled out a communication artifact. "Shadow."

*Your Grace, I dare say?*

Mirellia looked out the window at the fading sunlight and said, "Kill them all. The entire anti-demihuman faction among the nobility. Offer their heads to Siltvelt to appease them."

Melty's eyes widened on hearing her mother's words.

But Mirellia continued. "As for my fool husband, strip him naked and lock him in the dungeon. Use ice spells to cover his body in ice and keep him barely alive with potions. That utter trash needs to recall his place in MY country."

"M-M-Mother?!"

Mirellia understood her sweet daughter's shock. Because Mirellia loved her husband- No.

She loved Lüge Lansarz Faubrey, the wise man she married who won her heart by saving Melromarc in its time of need. The Staff Hero who won a duel to the death to gain that weapon and become Melromarc's hero.

Mirellia loved that man.

But that man had clearly died.

Because that man would NEVER have done this. NEVER become the UTTER TRASH who had just cut the legs out from under Melromarc and pin a blade to its neck while Mirellia had trusted him to keep an eye over the country.

Mirellia let out a long sigh, deliberately calming her raging heart and roiling magic.

'Melty is here. Let us not get too riled up.'

There would be time for anger, wrath, and penance later.

For now though...

*Understood, I dare say. And Sir Naofumi, I dare say? As well as Princess Malty, I dare say?*

Mirellia rubbed her face in her hands and said, "Contact Beloukas, the slave trader. Have Malty branded as a slave and offered to Sir Naofumi. He can do what he wishes with her."

Melty gasped.

Over the communication device, the Shadow's voice echoed.

*Yes, I dare say. ...But what of Four Bray, I dare say?*

Mirellia let out a helpless laugh. "What about them? They may wage war against us for reneging the contract of giving Malty to that disgusting king, but the former shield hero will paint our country red by morning tomorrow if he is not properly appeased. Moreover..." She clicked her tongue and said, "Four Bray is not an ally, just a contracted party. But Sir Naofumi has the potential to still remain an ally."

That was the decisive factor.

Four Bray was watching Melromarc squirm and laughing about it. Although nominally on their side, that was just in name. Everyone knew they didn't give a damn about what happened to Melromarc.

And knowing that swine of a king, Four Bray was probably hoping that Melromarc DID fall so that Mirellia herself could be sent as that king's toy.

But Sir Naofumi...

He had been neglected.

He had been defamed.

He had been actively targeted.

He had even been the subject of a blatant assassination attempt.

And yet he did not draw his blade. He did not vent his wrath. When asked by Mirellia's Shadow to stay his hand, he did. All while simply reminding Mirellia that a line had been crossed and could not be uncrossed.

Mirellia knew men who had burned countries to the ground for less.

Hell, her own husband had been one such man.

There was a reason why Siltvelt feared Melromarc. And that fear had persisted only until recently when that Utter Trash had become senile.

In short...

'A man like Sir Naofumi can be reasoned with.'

And that was it.

Compared to the lustful and unreasonable swine king of Four Bray.

Compared to the countries of Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden that still despised Melromarc for the recent Demihuman wars.

And compared to the mercenary kingdom of Zeltoble that only cared about money, and who traded lives as currency...

Sir Naofumi was practically a saint.

'The spirits know that even I would not have endured as long...'

If Mirellia was being honest, in Sir Naofumi's shoes, the moment that Utter Trash had neglected her despite being summoned as a hero, Mirellia would have been actively gathering forces beneath his notice to overthrow the kingdom since he had proven inadequate.

But all that Sir Naofumi had done was gather trustworthy companions who would never betray him, leave, and focus on securing his own life and safety.

Not once did he reveal killing intent or malice. Only today, when Melromarc's knights had actively tried to kill him.

...And in doing so, they completely removed the few chains preventing the Shield Hero from becoming a threat-

No. They had MADE him a threat. Removed an ally, turned him into a neutral party who had NO fear of consequences and was CLEARLY willing to go out while taking as many lives as he could if pushed against the wall.

And one who was only refraining from doing that because of his personal restraint. Because, for whatever reason, he had a clear delineation of fault and blame and was at least waiting to hear Mirellia out before deciding anything.

Small wonders...

Except that there was still the issue of the OTHER Heroes as well.

Mirellia sighed.

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