Chapter 20

24 Days until the Wave

After transmuting the blueprints for the new royal fortress, Hajime requested Ritsuka and her subordinates to deliver invitations in lieu of payment. Kazuma specifically requested for the same nobles that he saved on the day of Hajime and Killua's fight; as a low-key form of a debt to repay. When assured of their safety, most of them opted to go out of curiosity. For preparation, the hot-spring tub was moved to a designated recreation room so that same space could be made for the gambling lounge. Though the nobles were told they were simply "visiting the church", in truth, it was the breaking in of the world's first casino.

Led inside by Kazuma, the first real difference nobles noted were the removal of all holy relics. Next was a carpeted area topped with rows of strange machines, each with screens showing three various symbols and shapes. They didn't quite understand what it was they were supposed to do. One lady, with a sparkling shawl around her neck, sat down at a slot machine she was led to. She was instructed to insert a small silver coin and pull the lever. Kazuma and Killua stood at each side of the machine, everyone else surrounding her inquisitively. Each slot had stopped on a different shape, a bow, a shield and a gun.

"Aw, tough luck!" Killua said. "What'dya say, Kazuma? Should we let her have another crack at it?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "Let's give someone else a try. I recently got a submission to do something about the matriarchy in this country, so I'm gonna start by enforcing some good ol' gender equality." He shooed her away like a dog. "So go!"

The noble woman puffed her cheeks and left. A man in a top hat and a monocle resumed her spot, pushed in a small silver coin and pulled the lever. The slots aligned with a spear, another spear, and a grenade.

"Shoot, that's too bad!" Kazuma patted the man's back. "You were so close!"

"Hmph!" The noble in the top hat made his disapproval clear. Though he wasn't sure what exactly he had lost, the mere fact he did was enough to displease him. He turned his nose up at the machine, leaving his seat rather forcefully. "I don't see the point in this childish game!"

"Hey now, don't say that!" Killua knocked the slot machine with the back of his fist. "Victory feels best when it's earned. How often do you win something the first time around, anyway?"

A noble wearing a brocade tunic, shining with silver embroidery, took a seat and cracked his knuckles. He slid his coin in and reached for the lever. Killua pumped an unnoticeable current of electricity into the machine, activating a secret cheat switch. The slots spun. The first one came to an abrupt stop after a few tense seconds. It was a sword. The second slot stopped. A sword yet again. Killua knew the job had been done. The third slot stopped the moment he pulled his hand off. A sword.

A built-in bell began ringing inside the machine. Sparks sprayed into the air from the top in a celebratory display. A torrent of clinging and clanging sung like music to the ears, as gold and silver coins spilled into a metal tray. It was packed to the brim when the silence returned.

The nobles all stared at the free treasure. The man in the seat was frozen and slack jawed. He turned to Kazuma and Killua. "I…I don't get it…?" His disbelieving stare was tempered with a touch of hope. "What do I do with this?"

The two of them smiled. Kazuma snapped his fingers. "Why, you keep it! It's the prize you won fair and square!"

"Fair…and…" The noble's eyes began to sparkle like the money itself. "…Square?" He then cackled like a hyena, scooping up the coins. "IF YA SAY SO!" Whenever another nobles hand entered his peripherals, he snarled his threats incoherently like a rabid animal.

"You can buy this if you can't carry it all…" Killua leaned against the slot machine nonchalantly, offering a leather pouch swinging from his fingers. "Three small silvers. It's made out of-"

The noble snatched the pouch and replaced it with its price at a speed that even Killua was impressed at. He began to frantically scoop his prize into it. The other nobles rushed to slot machines, furiously shoving coins in and yanking levers down.

"Hey, just so everyone knows…" Kazuma cupped his hands around his mouth, amplifying his voice. "The more expensive the slot machine, the bigger the prize!"

At this, the nobles then noticed that certain machines had much larger and deeper trays. Shoving matches ensued, fighting for the spot in front of one. As a test run, they were only allowed to play for five hours. Killua monitored how everyone behaved to take note of what precautions may be necessary. As he did, he was happy to see none of them growing bored. The hours passed too quickly to believe.

On this day, only two more nobles won prizes, but every little bit helped rid the melted relics and valuables of the church and castle. They ushered them out and encouraged a visit to Ritsuka. Through her, they could submit suggestions to improve the experience. Once the new gate Hajime had built finally closed, Kazuma and Killua smacked their hands together in a victorious high five.

"YEAH!"

"YEAH!"

They unloaded the new coins they earned into different bags, categorizing them based on metal and size.

"Y'know, I've been so focused on how to get this all to work..." Killua tied up his bags. "I forgot that we haven't thought of a name to call this place yet."

"You don't wanna just call it The Casino?" Kazuma heaved a bag of money over his shoulder. "It's the only one in the world, after all."

Killua threw two over each of his shoulders. "The problem with that lays right in the same reality. Nobody knows what a casino is. So we should give it a name that is synonymous with money. Like, The Gold Mine, The Money House, The Treasure Cove, etcetera."

"Hmm, gold, money or treasure…" Kazuma put a finger to his chin.

They stopped before the entrance to the dome. It had been sealed off with a vault-door that could only be opened by Hajime's input of mana…or massive currents of electricity.

"You've been practicing, right?" Killua turned only his eyes to him.

"Oh yeah, got a lot of space between you two to catch up through." Kazuma lowered the money bag and pulled the holy bow off his back. He drew the string, face solid with concentration, eyes squinting to focus. A sheen of electricity sparked at his will, coating his arrow. "Lightning Shot!" He fired it into the door. It barely stuck inside, purposefully, and funneled bolt after bolt into it. The wheel-handle twisted, registering the electric input. This way, all three of them had access to the dome.

"Look Hajime, money!" Kazuma proudly held the bag of legal tender.

"Uh huh, money. Nice." His voice echoed with a monotone apathy.

He was nowhere in sight, but his location was not a mystery. He smoothed out the massive crater and built a platform, mounted on a gyroscopic stabilizer, level to where the floor should be. He was simply somewhere underneath. The sight reminded Killua of the challenge floor in Trick Tower where he faced off against Jones the serial killer.

Killua and Kazuma poured the money into a transmuted bank safe and slid down the smoothed curve under the platform. Glowing ores reflected off the gears, pistons, rods, pipes and shafts of different shapes and sizes, all sprawled across the floor in semi-organized piles. Hajime himself was fixated on an unidentifiable hunk of machinery, mumbling inventive speculations to himself.

"You might have started off the weakest of your class…" Killua looked around, impressed. "But I think that the Synergist class fits you perfectly. You truly could revolutionize Tortus."

Hajime tightened a giant bolt with an even bigger wrench and dropped it with an ear-piercing clang. Kazuma felt himself vibrate with the concrete floor as it did. "Yeah, well, I'll think about revolutionizing Japan when I get back. Fuck Tortus." He snickered.

"Hey man, as long as you're careful with whatever you're making in here…" Kazuma tried pushing the wrench with his foot. "Then as far as I'm concerned, go nuts dude." Unmoving under all his weight, he pushed himself back instead. "I still have bad memories thanks to a stupid scientist in a certain world of dumbasses…"

Hajime lifted the wrench effortlessly and moved it away. "If you're implying I should NOT make some gigantic machine to mindlessly destroy whole countries that I have no control over…" He dabbed some sweat from his brow with a towel. "…then you have nothing to worry about!" A tiny smirk was just visible if one looked from the right angle.

"Oi…" Kazuma did. "Why do I have a feeling you're only referring to the "no control over" part?"

The question forced out the smile Hajime was restraining.

"OI!" Kazuma thrust a finger in his direction. "What the hell are you making in here!?"

"Oh, by the way…" Hajime darted next to him, creeping him out with a big cheesy grin and an arm around his shoulder. "I made some things for you and Killua!"

He reached into his Treasure Trove and pulled out an odd contraption. He placed it on the floor with oversized tongs. "Killua, come here and use the copy feature of your shield."

He observed the strange object as he walked over. It was all black, meaning it was made of the same ores that Hajime's own weapons were. It looked similar to a track runner's discus. Upon stepping closer, there were actually two of them, connected by a thin cord. Killua placed his hand on the strange object and activated the Weapon Copy system.

His shield transformed. Each discus was about as large as the shield itself, one fastened to each arm. The cord stretched from both of them, up his arms, and was clipped to his biceps by a metal brace, the rest of it running against his back. Killua staggered, confused as to what the hell he had just equipped onto himself. However, as the two discus-shaped shields weighed down his arm, a familiarity, like a long-awaited reuniting, washed over him.

"…Yo-yo's?" The happiness robbed his voice of its volume.

There was no bigger compliment to an inventor than honest awe. "New-and-improved!" Hajime grinned. "There's at least 30 feet worth of cable stored in each yo-yo, and they'll automatically retract unless you exert outward force on them. Plus, as I'm sure you can feel, they're a tad heavier than your usual ones. 150 pounds each!"

"GAAAWWWW?!" Kazuma's jaw dropped, unintentionally releasing a funny noise. "Killua! How heavy are your usual ones?"

He flashed him a catty grin. "110 pounds."

"Geez…" A bead of sweat broke at his hairline. "And you toss those around like it's nothing, huh?"

"Oh, but this is important!" Hajime brought their attention back. "These weapons are sensitive to mental signals. In my experience, it's all been about how you perceive them as you use it. Like with my vehicles…which obviously aren't spear-like."

"Ah, he's right!" Kazuma patted a fist into his palm, turning to Killua. "Basically, don't think of those massive yo-yo's as weapons…" He scratched his cheek. "Though, that might be kinda hard…"

"Hey…" Hajime shrugged. "The best defense is a great offense, is it not?"

"Actually, I already noticed these things respond to our thoughts." Killua turned his arms over, inspecting the new equipment. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm swinging my shields to defend myself from a distance."

"Ha!" Kazuma threw his head up. "There ya go, that's the spirit!"

"Swinging is fine, and you can totally just do that…" Hajime tiled his head down, chuckling to himself. "But that's not all they do! Run a bit of electricity into them…" He flashed his teeth with mischievous excitement.

Killua activated Lightning Palm. The side of the shields facing away from him then burst with a mix of thick stone spikes and hooked thorns. "AH!" Killua stared, shaking happily. "AH! HAHAHA!"

"And that's just with a little bit of electricity…" Hajime snapped his fingers. "Hang them from a few feet of cable and just wait 'til you run some of that charge from Godspeed through those… Oh, but…" He held his hand up. "…don't try it in here."

Killua looked up, heartbroken. "Why not?!"

Hajime smirked. "Cuz I guarantee you'll wanna play around with it immediately!"

Immediately, Killua activated Godspeed and disappeared from the area. As the crackling rush of his power faded out of hearing range, the last traces of his words echoed faintly from the edges of the room. "Hajime, you're awesome!"

Hajime nodded to himself at a job well done. He then looked to Kazuma, and Kazuma at him.

'Does he have some cool weapon for me too?' Hope twinkled in his eyes. 'Can I still become a badass hero in this world then?!'

"And as for you…lemme see the 4-in-1 weapon. Keep it as a bow."

"Sure!" He unslung it from his shoulders.

Hajime received it, picking up what looked like a gun without a barrel. Using the oversized tongs to avoid physical contact, he lodged the bow into the metal stock.

"Ah!" Kazuma recognized what it was. "A crossbow."

"An automatic one!" Hajime clicked a magazine cartridge into a slot on the bottom. "It can load and shoot 10 arrows in 1.5 seconds." He handed it back.

"Nice, man!" He was indeed happy to have a modernized version of his bow, so his smile was not forced by any means. 'Though…I was hoping for an upgrade that'd give me a decent boost of power or something. I mean, Killua has 120 pound spiked weights to swing around. A crossbow is just a faster way to do what my bow would already be doin-' A realization cut his thoughts short. "Hold on, why are we making a crossbow out of this arrow? If we do it with the Legendary Weapon, I can at least add it to a whole arsenal of bow-based weapons."

Hajime looked at him blankly for a second. "Well, add it anyway just in case, but I got something else for the Legendary Weapon. Come over here." A blanket covered yet another unidentifiable object. "Without peeking, I want you to stick your hand in there and copy what's inside." Hajime told him with a suggestive smile.

Kazuma raised a brow, shrugged then squatted before the covered item. He slithered his hand carefully inside until his fingers made contact with a cool piece of metal. He tried to identify it by its shape, but it resembled nothing recognizable by the way it poked against the blanket. The bow slung over his back began to shine. The light then morphed into a shape that surrounded his whole body. Two huge chunks shined at his hips while bright white lines criss-crossed around himself.

"What the?" Then the shining stopped, revealing the weapon that Hajime transmuted for him. The breath was knocked out of Kazuma. He no longer wondered why couldn't guess what it was, as it was something he'd never seen in real life before. But he had seen it before. His heart began to race, his cheeks blushed with heat and a helpless smile curved up high and deep into his face. "This is…" He rubbed his hands against it. "THIS IS…" His breath quickened.

"Yup!" Hajime nodded again, stepping in front of Kazuma to appreciate his own handiwork. "3D Maneuver Gear!"

Kazuma laughed with maniacal excitement. "Hajime, you're the FUCKING BEST!"

"Well here's the fucking best part! It's connected to another automatic crossbow! You can now literally dual-wield two Legendary Weapons while soaring through the sky!"

"Dual wield?" Kazuma shook his head, chuckling. "YOU CHUUNI FUCK, THAT'S AWESOME!" He screamed in his face.

"AGH, I KNEW AN OTAKU LIKE YOU WOULD FUCKIN' LOVE IT!" Hajime screamed back.

Then, in a moment of near-cringe self-awareness, they turned away from each other, clearing their throats.

"A-anyway…" Hajime continued. "I figured it technically functions in essence like an arrow. They're basically harpoons at your hips." 'Plus, I really, REALLY wanted to try making one at least once!' He pat Kazuma on the back. "Now go out there with your party! You gotta get in some practice with that thing, don't ya!"

"Yeah, yeah." Kazuma swept his hand through the air, having been told the same thing multiple times. "Ritsuka's been bugging me not to get lazy with you guys since you're overpowered and all." He shrugged, then pulled the auto-bows from his hip holsters. "But this is a damned good reason to take them out. I'm totally gonna master this thing!" Kazuma jogged toward the doors. "Thanks again, dude!"

Hajime smiled to himself once more. 'Finally.' He then sighed. 'Now I can put this engine together before he realizes what I'm gonna do with it and complains.'

Naturally, as Hajime forged these unorthodox cheat weapons, idea's for his own spear came to pass. They were feasible, but there was a big problem when it came to the very thought of his Legendary Weapon. It was a screaming reminder of having been summoned all over again to yet another world as a hero. The unnecessary time it added to his eventual return to Japan was something he worked to constantly ignore. Doing so, he tempered into mild irritation what occasionally flared up as an impulse to utterly annihilate.

'Thank goodness I was brought here with the likes of Killua and Kazuma. I mean that! However…' The corner of his mouth curved down. 'I know Killua's worried about his sister, and wants to leave just as fast as I do.' He sighed in defeat. 'Maybe I should just try something with that stupid thing…'

Thinking of his spear, however, riled his mild irritation back up to an intense annoyance. This wasn't the first time. He never let it past that when it did, but emotions aren't always bound successfully by will. The intense annoyance, if left unchecked, he could feel bordering against the edge of a dangerous feeling. A dark, single-minded, unbreakable rage that shoved forth with a destructive fixation. It was an anger he hadn't remembered truly feeling since his days in the Orcus Abyss…before meeting Yue.

At the thought of her, he brought his hand to his neck, caressing the last spot she gently sunk her fangs in. 'Damn, I miss her.' She was much more to him than just a lover, in spite of what he enjoyed letting Kazuma think. She had been with him the longest since his transformation. She knew him better than anyone in their group. It's because of that, he trusted her the most in return. When in doubt, it was always her opinion he would seek. Now, because of the greedy carelessness of this bitter world, she was whole universes away from him.

'Fuck your Legendary Weapons.' Disgusted with those feelings returning, and still mad at this world, he decided never to touch that spear. Merely out of spite. 'I'm gonna destroy these Waves by my own hands.'

23 Days until the Wave

"I'm worried." Her voice was composed, despite her words. "Ever since the updates on the Heroes have halted, Faubley had increased their border security. This makes it much more difficult to receive messages before they've spread through the rest of the world."

Queen Mirellia was in the midst of discussion with her Shadows.

"Leaving Faubley has become challenging too." One of them spoke. "They're even more suspicious of people coming in."

"Isn't it possible that there is simply nothing to report about the Heroes?" Another asked.

"It is nigh impossible." Mirellia said. "At least, there is no way that Aultcray wouldn't try something against the Shield Hero. It also doesn't help that he hasn't, not even once, replied to my letters."

"What about Big Sis?" Melty, standing at Mirellia's side, looked up at her. "I hear she signed up as an adventurer to join one of the Heroes."

Mirellia closed her eyes and sighed. "Her behavior is unpredictable…but I fear she may try something as well. Either way, the only thing we know so far is that the Sword Hero has left the other three, searching through caves for a particular species of monsters."

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" Melty fit her chin between her fingers. "There's plenty of different monsters in caves, and if he's killing them along the way, that means he's gaining experience, right?"

Mirellia smiled. "Yes, at least we know one of the Heroes has taken their role seriously. Unfortunately, we haven't received any further updates since. Faubley's improved security may have hindered my Shadows coming through…" She drew her brows together. "But it is the Three Heroes Church that has been coordinating with their own clandestine groups outside of Melromarc, leaking information to other countries. The fact that nothing further has been said is making me worried. I fear that something serious may have happened in our country."

Melty stood by her side, attentively listening, absorbing both the information and the techniques of her mother's problem-solving. It served as a double-edged education, forging the next ruler in line for Melromarc. At 10 years old, Melty was unimaginably ahead of her children peers, and there was no doubt she had a reserve of talent that made her a natural. Mirellia didn't show it as she spoke, but she was proud with her at her side, standing tall, receiving the knowledge and insight which took a lifetime to build. Passing it onto her daughter gave her hope for the future of her country.

'If I can keep Melromarc together, and if our world survives the Waves, then by the time I hand our country to you, my dear daughter, may your talents cultivate one of the greatest nations the next generation shall see!' Mirellia smiled and cleared her throat. "As of now, though it will certainly be stressful, our only course of action is to wait. I have to meet with the leader of Zeltobe tomorrow morning and hear out their gripes. Until we receive further information on the matter, there is not much we can-"

Three loud bangs violently rattled the door. Everyone jumped.

"Queen Mirellia!" A soldier screamed. "The King of Faubley demands your presence. NOW!"

'Oh no…' Her face paled, creased with worry. 'This can't be good.'

Remembering the deal she made with the King, she refused to bring Melty. Malty made herself expendable…Melty was a priceless asset for her countries future. She couldn't risk having her be seen by the Pig King, and thus demanded for on the spot. "Split up. Half of you will come with me, the other half will take Melty elsewhere to hide and keep her guarded."

The Shadows saluted, acknowledging their order. Melty looked offended.

"Mother!" She struck the floor with her foot. Her face was almost a mirror of her own, with its seriousness. "Let me come too! I won't learn how to handle a situation this bad if I don't watch how you deal with it. What if we never encounter a problem like this again until after you step down from the throne?"

It was a good point. For a moment, Mirellia felt it best to bring her along and expose the sacrifice she had to make. But the thought of the Pig King laying his eyes on Melty sent a shiver up her spine, and a fearful flutter in her heart.

"No." She delivered her answer without mercy. "If his treatment of the Shield Hero worsens, I'll have to send you back to your Father to admonish him. It would be safer for you, when I do, if the other leaders gathered here believe that you have been long gone." Mirellia walked to the door, gripping the handle to still her shaky arm. She turned around one last time to Melty, her eyes softening with regret. "Please understand."

Before she could give her time to answer, the Queen and half her entourage had left the room.

[Faubley Conference Room]

Each heart beat felt heavy, pulsating discomforting tingles in Mirellia's chest. Several sets of footsteps patted unsynchronized, never giving the speechless crowd a moment of silence. They stopped before metal doors guarded by soldiers. The screeching grind as it opened caused her chest to tighten for a moment, releasing immediately. The sound scraped at the Shadows ears, raising goosebumps.

The room it led inside of was a sterile, dreary gray with vibes like an old morgue. It was filled with a large square table; multiple world leaders sat at its edges. They turned to Mirellia with unfriendly stares. She stood still, hesitating to enter. A deep breath and a Shadows hand at the small of her back gave her a push of courage. She neutralized the expression on her face and walked in, thankful her dress did well to hide her wobbly knees. Her eyes flitted quickly between the leaders. Among them, there were two who stood out particularly.

They were both demi-humans. One was a man with wings rising from his shoulder blades, bending down over the chair until they stopped short of touching the floor. He was representing Siltvelt. Across the table from him was another man, except with features of a dragons rather than a birds. He was here on behalf of Shieldfreeden. Both of them watched her with especially cold glares.

At the head of the table, five councilman of the Pig King sat. Behind them, a royal palanquin rested on the floor, curtains still drawn, soldiers surrounding it. All that could be heard was heavy breathing.

'The atmosphere is as tense as when they first discovered Aultcray betrayed my orders…He must have done something again.' Mirellia stifled her frown. 'The worst possible situations I can think of is that he's either tried executing the Shield Hero, declared war on a demi-human country with the Three Hero's Church, or is now bribing the hero's he's summoned to take action against Faubley…'

The chief councilman, sat in the middle of the five, stood to bow. He was a tall man of thin stature, ashen skin and a sloped forehead that tapered to a sharp chin. His smile felt insincere, beholding the creepiness of a mask and the fake emotion carved onto it. A seat directly opposite to him, where everyone could watch and judge her, was pulled out by a Faubley servant. She politely accepted the offer, not wishing to cause further offense.

'What if they know something I don't already? Is this a trap? My only exit is blocked, and my Shadow's can't handle all these soldiers present…' The thoughts wouldn't shut up, despite her effort to force her focus outwards.

As if to confirm their unity of thought, her Shadows encircled her chair closely, but they were followed immediately by Faubley soldiers encircling them as well. Since Mirellia wasn't able to control these feelings… 'I can use the threat of the Cane Hero leading the Legendary Hero's for vengeance, if it seems anything is about to happen to me.' She concocted a trump card of threats to, at least, give pause to itchy trigger fingers. 'I need to stay calm…everything will be alright. I've got through the worst of things already.'

"Thank you all for being here on such short notice, yet again!" The chief bowed. "Let us begin. First off, Queen Mirellia…his majesty would like to make it clear that he is still grateful for the proposal you were so kind to accept."

In her peripherals, she could see the other leaders react. She only made eye contact with Siltvelt's and Shieldfreeden's. They each looked disgusted. She glared back with hard eyes. 'Fuck off, you two.' She looked back at the chief, giving a nod, and speaking with a voice slightly higher than intended. "I am thankful for his graciousness." She swallowed, to no effect, the ever-evolving apprehension crawling up her throat, stripping her fingers of any lingering warmth. 'What the hell happened?!'

"In spite of his graciousness, however…" The councilman continued, Mirellia's brows furrowing. "Your promise to the King is not an unbreakable shield that shall guard you from the consequences of your country's actions. I assume you understand this, yes?"

She nodded, silently inhaling a deep breath.

"Very well." The councilman waved his hand, a signal to soldiers standing by another set of doors. They opened them, disappeared into the room, and returned with a woman wearing a black cloak with her hood removed. Another knight held a silver masquerade mask in his hands. Mirellia's chest tightened again, but this time, it never released. Her breathing quickened and spine stiffened, eyes stuck on the captured woman.

"We apprehended a spy from Melromarc this morning. She attempted to cross our borders disguised as a Faubley noble." The tightness in her chest reached her throat, making it difficult to swallow again. "Fortunately, we have decided recently to take extra precautions when people enter our country." The chief gave a disturbing grin. "Updates on the hero's in Melromarc had suddenly halted, five days ago. Three days after they had been wrongfully summoned to a cunning, underhanded country. Suspicious, is it not?" The chief's mouth straightened. "We can only guess that Melromarc has somehow, for some reason, quarantined communications from reaching anyone outside."

Mirellia's eyes grew hard, pretending to look forward while sinking into thought. 'The Three Heroes Church... They've been trying to conquer my country from the inside out. There's no way they'd stop the information leaks on their own…' She felt each throb of her anxious heart as she made deductions. 'I don't know how Aultcray found a way to cut their communication channels …but he should know doing so would put other countries on high alert! I rely heavily on my Shadows to relay sensitive information to me! And he hasn't been answering my letters…Must he HAVE to make my life harder?!'

"It was only natural we conclude that, if Melromarc is confining their communications…" The chief looked right into Mirellia's eyes. "Then there must be something big they are hiding from the world, no? I mean, how do we know there is not a war being planned against us with the Heroes tricked into being their main force?"

Her jaw clenched, gritting her teeth. 'Aultcray…' Nostrils flared and a burst of heat flashed under her squeezing ribs. 'What the hell have you done?'

One side of the chief's mouth curled up. "Now, due to the very nature of a spy…we had no choice but to take some drastic measures. To ensure we get an honest answer, of course."

Two soldiers grabbed the collar of the spies cloak and yanked in opposite directions. It split down the middle, revealing a fresh Slave Crest above her undershirt. A cold prickling jolted up Mirellia's spine, radiating outward until her skin crawled. She heard her Shadows behind draw deep, worried breaths at the sight as well, some gasping aloud.

The chief's face slowly built to a smile. "Our soldiers could have interrogated her at their headquarters, but our great King suggested we arrange the meeting we all attending at this moment!" He sneered, hiding his sadistic pleasure behind the guise of loyal duty.

The palanquin creaked as the Pig King moved behind its curtains. "I wonder…" His voice rumbled, pushing repulsive vibrations through leaders sat closest to him, intimidating those too far to feel it. "What news could possibly be so important that a toy had to skip me and sneak over to you? After I offered you and your daughter a safe place to stay in my country?"

Mirellia's hands tensed like claws under the table. 'Don't you mention my fucking daughter. Not Melty!' Her eyes widened, showing the whites around her violet irises.

The chief smirked, turning to the spy. "Tell us, does your message have something to do with either the King of Melromarc or the First Princess Malty?" He traced a large arc with his arm, spanning it across all the leaders present.

The spy was pale, fear plaguing the health of her complexion. Dark circles accentuated her teary eyes growing desperately wide. "Yes." Her voice cracked.

"Well then…" The chief leaned back, stroking his pointed chin. "Do tell! There's no need to be shy…" His eyes squinted with a sinister grin.

The spy tore her eyes from his, falling silent, angling herself away from all the world leaders intently observing her. Shieldfreeden's dragon-man was resting his chin in interlocked fingers, staying still with concentration. Siltvelt's bird-man had a wide smile and gleaming eyes. Whatever the message was, they knew it was going to be bad. They anticipated it. The spy trembled like a helpless animal.

The veins on Mirellia's neck and face strained against skin. 'Aultcray…' Her adrenaline pooled into a reserve of strength begging to be unleashed upon him. 'What the fuck did you do?!'

At last, the spy turned to her queen. She tilted her head down while keeping eye contact, forgiveness being begged for all over her face.

Mirellia nodded lightly. 'Out with it!' The adrenaline flooded her head, bringing with it the pounding throb of her heart. 'Whatever the hell that scum I crowned king has done, I won't be able to rectify unless I know what it is!' She thought of the portraits back in her room; all the knives she'd thrown through them. 'He put us both in this situation with his careless idiocy! That bastard is willing to destroy everything I've worked for to satisfy his petty prejudices! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!' Helpless to express her violent urges, she balled her hands into fists until knuckles turned white.

The spy's shoulders hunched forward, twitching with each sob she restrained. She didn't bother hiding the tears ready to fall.

'Aultcray! I swear, if you've fucked things up beyond repair…' Unforced images of Aultcray choking and bleeding flashed through Mirellia's mind. 'I might just execute you myself when I return!'

The spy grimaced, pressing her lips white. "The King and the First Princess…" Her shaky voice broke into a whimper, before finishing in a weak whisper. "…are dead."

"Huh?" Mirellia went stiff. Her fists loosened but fingers were frozen curled. The morbid thoughts plaguing her mind moments ago vanished. 'Wait…' She blinked. '…What...' She stared at the spy. '…What did she say?' She tried taking those violent thoughts back, pretending she didn't actually mean them. 'No…I didn't hear her right…right?' A dizzy spell spun her brain around inside her unmoving head. 'This must be a dream…' "…right?" She mumbled the last word aloud to herself, standing absentmindedly.

Silvelts leader cawed with an unpitying laugh. The hands of Shieldfreeden's leader smacked the table when they dropped, staring with a frown and raised brows. The chief stared incredulously with his mouth agape, no mask over the honesty of his surprise.

Mirellia took a step back. "What did…?" She took another one. "What did you say?" Her disbelief was audible. 'There…must be…' Eyes bulged and watered, blinking as rapidly as her breaths. '…Something wrong here! I must have misheard you!' Her stomach clenched, feeling heavy enough to sink her into the ground.

"I'M SO SORRY, YOU'RE HIGHNESS!" The spy heaved out the sobs she'd been holding back. "KING AULTCRAY AND PRINCESS MALTY HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

An empty space gouged itself through Mirellia's chest. She stood speechless, tears welling, gripping the table for support with one hand while she rubbed her forehead with the other. "Wha…" No sound, only a weak breath. "Wha..wha-what…" Shaking her head with distracted eyes, her voice slowly returned. "What happened?" She found the eyes of her spy, staring directly at her. "WHYYY!?" She screamed. She was desperate for a hole in the confession. An off detail that would cast it in doubt.

No such thing existed.

"The Spear Hero deemed them to be enemies of his…" Her voice warbled with remorse. "…So he executed them." She sniffled, tears dripping off her chin. "I witnessed it with my own eyes, your Highness. I know it to be absolute, I daresay." Slave Crest did nothing.

Mirellia felt light; detached from the world, like she was floating out of her body. On the verge of fainting, she prayed she would find herself waking from a slumber she had forgotten falling into. She prayed and begged desperately that this was a bad dream, a nightmare, cursing her senses with vivid hallucinations due to stress. Pleading this was just a panicked thought thrust from her subconscious, playing out in the midst of deep sleep. 'PLEASE!' She wished in the silence of her mind, mouth too shocked to move.

"Oi, Chief Councilman…" The clarity of Shieldfreeden's leader's voice sounded alien compared to the breaking tones of Mirellia and her spy. "Ask the spy what caused the Spear Hero to deem them as enemies."

The chief nodded at him, then turned his back on everyone to face the spy directly. He then mocked her with an exaggerated pouty face. She cringed, terrified.

"Soooo?" He drew out his words. "What did… the King and the Princess…do?" He trapped a giggle in his throat. Only the spy heard it.

"King Aultcray and Princess Malty acted of their own accord! Queen Mirellia would have admonished them, if she was there!" She used the Slave Crest to her advantage, attempting to clear her queen's name with unquestionable honesty. "Princess Malty tried to frame the Shield Hero for the false crime of raping her. King Aultcray believed her unconditionally. The other heroes were not as easily convinced…" Panicked mind running on auto-pilot, she was about to recall the events in order. "This is what led… to the castle being destroyed...then-"

"HA!" Mirellia jumped when Siltvelt's leader smashed the table and laughed. "Serves them right! Divine punishment for bringing harm unto the Shield Hero!" The spy choked.

"I agree." Shieldfreeden's leader nodded. "It also pleases me to hear these heroes cooperate well with each other. At least Melromarc's filthy prejudices hasn't rubbed off on them." At this, the world leaders table erupted with laughter. Only a few remained silent. The spy couldn't continue any longer, seeing the despair on her queen's face, framed by the excited sneers of world leaders surrounding her.

The news struck a piercing pain in Mirellia's chest, pushing deeper into her as the hostility from all around smothered her like suffocation. 'The castle…has been destroyed?' Her hands fluttered against her open mouth. The image of the Spear Hero using his Legendary Weapon to unleash an attack against Malty and Aultcray, cowering helplessly, mentally played itself through in intense detail. 'No…' She imagined an attack large enough to demolish a large portion of the castle, leaving no trace of her family members behind. 'No, no, no, this can't be happening!' She breathed erratically. 'PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T REAL!'

A vile laughter bellowed from behind the sultry curtains of the royal palanquin. "So, you mean to tell me…" The Pig King's voice rumbled through chests with a ghastly resonance, like a barbaric behemoth. "Not only has my newest toy been taken from me…but Aultcray has now died before me?"

"Ah!" A sharp cry escaped Mirellia's lips. She slapped her hand over her mouth a second too late. She hyperventilated through her nose as a tear betrayed her will, streaming a single streak over her fingers. The Pig King's implications were clear. He had more reasons to care about King Aultcray's death than anyone else, including Siltvelt. Whether that care was genuine or not, she didn't know. She didn't think about it. It didn't stop the pain spreading from her chest. 'I wish I never knew this happened…'

Panic and fury swirled viciously throughout her. It made her heart pound, her head throb, her fingers harden, arms twitch, gut twist, legs give and body flash back and forth between sweat-pouring heat and incurably chills. Her mind was strewn about, broken into fragments with thoughts smashed into incoherent smithereens. Her logic had been lost, hollowed out of her by the waves of emotions slashing through her spirit like shining-hot swords through sheets of ice.

Her body ached to lash out, destroy things and scream profanities, but she held enough sense to not lose herself to savagery. Yet, unable to properly channel her anger, and with no way to direct it at the now-deceased source, she looked at the spy who brought with her this bad news. The spy looked back at her, sobbing, repeating a mumbled apology over and over. As if it was her fault. Mirellia's emotions acted on her behalf, without consent.

"HOW DARE YOU GET CAUGHT!" Instant regret. The words sprinted out her mouth. In the same second she spoke them, she realized her line of thinking was wrong. But one slip of emotional control was all it took. Mirellia didn't even realize her Shadows were pulling her back, telling her to calm down. She was stuck staring at her spy, crying harder now, apologizing profusely and cursing her own incompetency. As if Mirellia's heart could break any further.

"And thus the Queen reveals her true nature!" But her sanity could. "See her condemn her own spy, as if it wasn't her fault she hired such an incompetent hack!" The chief shook his head with a disgusted expression. The spy trembled, pausing her constant apologies as horror cut into every line on her face. "Melromarc has sinned greatly!" The chief garnered the world leader's attention, spreading his arms wide. "The filthiest of insults have been cast in all our faces repeatedly by this shameful excuse of a country!"

"NO!" Mirellia slammed the table. Faubley soldiers moved behind her. Her Shadows pressed their backs against her, surrounding her in an offensive circle. They were outnumbered, regardless, but she couldn't back down now. "LET ME SPEAK!"

The chief continued, waving her objection away. "They horde the heroes for themselves in a time of worldly need!" Shieldfreeden's leader watched sternly. "They use the possession of the heroes to threaten us from demanding our fair share of their power!" Siltvelt's leader smiled. "And what punishments have they incurred as a result of their greed?" The other Faubley councilman vindictively grinned.

"They lose their King!" Mirellia thought of Aultcray being scorched alive. "They lose their Princess!" The thought of Malty's burning corpse then cursed her mind's eye. "This is divine punishment for acting against the holiest nation of our planet!" Then, the thought of Faubley's wrath dawned on her, with images of the most advanced military marching over the desolate ruins of Melromarc. "Faubley is the mightiest country, and I know all of you here will agree, as it is rightfully so! We are the bloodline of heroes! We are the holiest nation!" The chief smashed his fist on the table, causing eyes to flinch. He scowled at Mirellia. "As a divine country, we shall express the will of God on his behalf! MELROMARC!" His scream was hoarse with righteousness, pointing a bony finger at her. "WE DECLARE WAR UPON YOU!"

Adrenaline sliced through Mirellia in a surging rush. "WAIT!" She screamed, ready to offer herself to the Pig King, if it would save her country. A last resort option, making Melty the Queen prematurely, surrounded by her personally selected council of Shadows until she can hold her own. That is how desperate she was.

"Please…" She nearly vomited at what she was about to do. "Take…me inst-"

"SILENCE!" That ghastly, behemoth voice boomed across the room. The palanquin curtains pulled open, revealing an obese monstrosity which unfurled a repulsive body odor across the table. The sight burned an image of accursed ugliness into any who were not prepared. The Pig King was a disgusting incarnate of depraved carnal perversions, sickeningly indulged for an indeterminable amount of years. He looked nothing like a human.

"I will take YOU. I will take your OTHER DAUGHTER! I will take ALL the women of your country! Thousands of toys to rip and rape and break and destroy!" The Pig King's trunk of an arm waved excitedly, sending bulbous ripples through himself as he did. "The people of Melromarc shall be punished for this blasphemy against my nation!" He turned to his chief councilman. "Kill the men! Steal their demi-human slaves! Bring their women here! We will vanquish Melromarc and claim everything it once had!"

Silvelt's birdman sneered and laughed. They relished the annihilation of their rival country so much, that even the remark about the demi-human slaves didn't faze them. Shieldfreeden's dragonman, however, wasn't as excited, but they knew better than to say something, especially after the Pig King revealed himself. The Faubley soldiers released the spy. She ran around the table and stopped just before Mirellia.

"You're Highness!" Her face, wet with tears and snot, scrunched painfully before she grabbed the bodice of Mirellia's dress and fell to her knees, weeping into her. "I take full responsibility! I apologize for my incompetency! I'M SORRY!" Her cries were hoarse.

Mirellia's muscles went limp, all at once, and she fell back into her chair. Her short, rapid breaths failed to oxygenate her, but as she felt physically squeezed by the tension, she couldn't breathe any other way. Her spy crying against her, all her Shadows shaking her shoulders, the leaders conversing happily about her ruin and countries destruction, faded into a muffled background. All she could think of now, was Aultcray. Every facet of this terrible situation stemmed directly from him. His prejudice of demi-humans, his spoiling of their daughter without punishment, his hatred for the Shield Hero, and his arrogance in disobeying her. She knew she hated him more than anything right now…but at this point, she was too emotionally exhausted to feel it. She was numb.

"You can leave now, Queen Mirellia." The chief grinned, softening his voice to a sinister edge. "We will grant you the right to die alongside your country." His grin vanished, replaced by a stern, piercing gaze. "Do not let our mercy go to waste."

Mirellia was pulled to her feet by her Shadows. Her glazed eyes stared vacantly, unresponsive to her Shadows leading her out the room. Her feet began moving instinctively to keep herself huddled in the middle of them. Her unsteady balance caused her to trip onto them occasionally, but they hurriedly helped her back up and continued forth. The entire time, though she replied to none of their questions, she wasn't silent. She muttered to herself, over and over again, just how much she hated Aultcray.

She lost awareness of her surroundings, drowned in a hopeless despair that numbed her beyond all thought and feeling. She didn't snap back to her senses until she had to unlock the door to her rented room. The Shadows quickly filed inside and gathered their necessities, not touching things they could live without. Melty and the Shadows assigned to her were still out of the room, so one excused themselves to retrieve them. Mirellia walked inside, body shaking with slow steps and cold feet. She clutched her sides, as if holding her fragile self together.

Her heart beat was now a dull thud, too weak to provide power. Her feet felt too heavy to move. She felt ashamed at herself. 'I want…to leave this world. Summon me away, will you?' She felt trapped, wanting this moment to end, yet stuck to suffer. Then she turned to the side. She went blind to everything in the room, except one thing. A blurry darkness closed on her peripherals, honing in on the portrait of King Aultcray. Slits and rips sullied the otherwise immaculate painting of him, drawn with a majesty befitting of a king.

A flash of heat seared through her cold, numb spirit. Her breathing picked up noisily and her upper arms quivered. "You fucking scumbag…" She seethed with hatred, balling her fists. The Shadows stopped, turning to her. She took a step forward. "You lowly failure…" She spat, stepping forward again. "You arrogant piece of shit, you shameful cretin, you prideful coward!" She screamed louder with each insult, stomping closer each time. "YOU!..." She reached the portrait. "YOU!..." Her fists shook, raised in the air, ready to punch a hole through his face. "YOU GODDAMNED…" Face red, eyes watered and fist cocked back, standing inches away from his portrait…

She dropped to her knees. Her chest caved in and spine curved forward, lips pressed together yet trembling. She heaved out a loud cry, cheeks drenched in the tears she'd held back until now. Her fist plopped weakly against the portrait, only bending the canvas in, gently pulling her hand down against his face. "You goddamned fool!" She whispered amidst her cry. "You disobeyed me, ruined EVERYTHING I worked for, acted selfishly…irresponsibly… and now look where it got you?!"

She turned her face up, raising herself eye level with the painting, realizing that she'll never be able to see him again. "It got you killed! Not only you…" She turned to the other portrait beside his. "But our daughter too!"

Unbecoming of her usually confident, unbreakable self…Queen Mirellia cupped her palms over her face, heaving out unhindered weeps of sheer despair and heartbreak. She wanted to slap them, yet she wanted hold them. Perhaps she would do both if this was a dream after all. Just the longing to merely touch them was painful. Embracing her family members was now impossible. She hunched forward, arms around her stomach, feeling like she'd been stabbed.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. The spy knelt at her side, eyes red and puffy too. "You're Highness…" She tilted her head down, bringing her fist to her chest. "I accept any punishment you see fit for my failure. I just…plead..." Her shoulders heaved. "…for your forgiveness. I have always believed in you, remained loyal, and I support everything you stand for!" She sniffled as a tear dripped to the floor. "I know I let you down, and I am ashamed deeply for it…BUT-"

"No!" Mirellia interrupted, clasping her quivering hands. "It is NOT your fault. I should be ashamed…no." She shook her head. "I am ashamed." The first touch of a smile graced her lips in what felt like forever. "I apologize for my actions back in the conference room. It was a disgraceful, dishonorable display of weakness. It is irredeemable. As your Queen…" She looked the spy in her eyes before lowering herself to the floor, pressing her forehead against the carpet. "I have failed you."

"Huh?!" The spy jumped to her feet and the Shadows stomped up to Mirellia, circling her. "My Queen, please! Stand up!" The spy begged. "You are stronger than this! And the pain you've endured is greater than anything I could ever suffer!"

The Shadows all agreed in a unified shout. None of them could ever know the pain of being betrayed by their own family, losing them, then watching their country die before their eyes. Mirellia lifted herself, surprise bringing a tint of color back to her face. She smiled weakly. "I feel undeserving of your loyalty."

"I don't care!" The spy placed a hand on her chest in relief, smiling big enough to make up for the both of them. "I will remain loyal to you for the rest of my life!" In spite of her Queen's outburst, the spy couldn't shake off the sense of blame. 'If only I had been more careful…' And so, she vowed to hold this guilt in the form of a debt she swore to repay.

The spy helped Mirellia stand, only to have her slump back down in a chair. The room fell silent. An imposing sense of doom hung in the air.

"So…what next?" One of the Shadows asked. She couldn't hide the nerves quaking in her voice, but she didn't need to. They all felt the same way.

'Nothing. There is no hope.' Mirellia wanted to say, but pressed her lips shut. She didn't want to leave them without an answer for too long, though. "I'm not sure yet." 'The heroes are still much too new to intimidate Faubley's army…and I fear that when their superiority is demonstrated against us…they'll see it is safer for them to abandon us and join them.' She looked up at the spy. 'But I can't think of anything else…' "Do you know if there is anything that the Heroes want? Something we can offer to convince them to help defend ourselves?"

The spy's face became uneasy. "The heroes are angry at us for summoning them against their will. Particularly the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero." She thought for a second. "But the one thing they've made clear is that they intend on going home as fast as possible."

Mirellia nodded, still too mentally numb and exhausted to feel dejected by the answer. 'I figured most people would get excited at the prospect of becoming a hero for another world, granted with extraordinary power…but I can't say their reaction is hard to believe, either.' She stared at the floor, holding back her urge to shrug. 'The best thing we can honestly do now…is to return, bid farewell to our loved ones and coordinate groups to escape from Melromarc and beg for refugee status in Zeltobe or something…' She shook her head. 'But I know they don't want to hear that.'

She raised her head, and was surprised at the bold postures and eager stances of her Shadows. As she brushed hopelessly at strings of destiny too far out of reach, none of which to grab hold of, her people watched her from behind, supporting her to the best of their abilities. She was their hope. She could either live up to it and fight until her last determined breath, or give up and cause them to fall harder. 'This is no time for feeling tired. Not a time for self-loathing. I'm done with feeling inadequate and frustrated with myself.' As hopeless as it seemed, at the least, she owed their loyalty an answer with effort.

She thus sought the absolute root of this whole situation. 'Aultcray betrayed me…and got himself killed.' It still didn't seem real to her. 'My spy tried to relay this message as covertly as possible, but was caught at Faubley's border. The reason she was caught…' Mirellia dug through the fuzziness of her recent memories. 'Was because Faubley had heightened their border security. And the reason they did so…' Then the root she sought had flung up into her memories forefront. 'The church!'

"My dear." She addressed the spy. "Do you know how Aultcray managed to stop the church from leaking further information out? That is the reason Faubley had made their border security that much stricter…" She could see the guilt flash on the spies face. "My dear…" She gently scolded. "It is not your fault. Remember?"

The spy nodded, the side of her mouth curving slightly. With the feeling of debt still fresh, she was eager to give a thorough answer. With the onset of sudden guilt waning, she realized the words Mirellia used to start her question.

"Wait…" The spy blinked, doing a double take. "My Queen, what do you know of these heroes?"

Mirellia furrowed her brows. "Little. All I know is that Aultcray disobeyed my orders, and that the Sword Hero has left to be on his own."

The spy stared blankly at her. 'No way!' She turned to the Shadows. "Do you know anything of these heroes?" They shook their heads. "Really? Not even the…" She paused in realization. 'The church was responsible for information leaks…but Hajime fired off his weapon on castle grounds…'

Mirellia tilted her head. "What is it?"

The spy recalled how she carelessly revealed the castle had been destroyed. 'Wait…' She clutched her chest in relief, extremely grateful for Siltvelt's leader interrupting to mock her. 'So no one outside of Melromarc…' She thought back to the chief councilman enjoying her humiliation. '…Knows how powerful these heroes are?' She thought of Shieldfreeden's and Silvet's leaders sneering behind him. 'They think we've summoned just normal people?' The hand over her chest clenched into a victorious fist. 'HA!' A touch of a smirk graced the corner of her lips. 'I'll let those fucking assholes figure out how much Hajime and Killua don't give a flying fuck about them!'

"You're Majesty…" The spy squared her shoulders and straightened her posture. "King Aultcray didn't halt the church's communications." She swallowed a lump, a mix of anxiety and excitement, ready to drop another bomb of unbelievable information. "It was the Spear Hero, the Shield Hero and the Bow Hero working together…though, I'd reckon that the Bow Hero hardly had to help."

A small fluttering tickled in Mirellia's belly. "The Spear Hero and the Shield Hero have teamed up to take on the Three Heroes Church?" She clapped. "This is GREAT NEWS!" Her eyes shined. "I've been working for years to dismantle their power, but if they've started the process, then with their help, we might be able to-"

"Not take on, you're Highness." The spy kept her voice steady. "The church has already been defeated."

Mirellia blinked. "…what?"

"In fact…" The spy continued. "They put a Slave Crest on the pope, forced him to admit to his crimes, and rounded up over 100 members for a coalition of knights and adventurers to interrogate. The church IS dismantled! The Three Heroes Church in Melromarc is no more, I daresay!"

"Impossible!" Mirellia's eyes stretched wide as she jumped from her seat. "But…in only a few days, they accomplished this? I don't understand why the church didn't immediately alert other countries that-"

"Not days, you're Highness…" The spy's face solidified with absolute seriousness. "Minutes."

"Bullshit!" A Shadow yelled. "You are either mistaken, or lying!"

The spy opened her torn cloak, reminding them of the Slave Crest. "Paint another one on me, and ask again. There will not be a single word of mine changed!" She turned back to Mirellia. "Your Highness, these heroes are incredibly dangerous! With the exception of the Sword Hero, each of them have brought powers from their original worlds. However, the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero are of utmost concern here."

Mirellia and the spy maintained strong eye contact with each other.

"So, the castles destruction…?" Mirellia tilted her chin down. "Was this through the Legendary Weapon… or his own power?"

The spies face tensed. "It was with his own power. Weapons he had forged in his previous world. He is not fond of the Legendary Spear, and having witnessed the power of his weapons…I question how much he really needs it."

"You mean to tell me…" Mirellia smirked. "We have such powerful individuals still in Melromarc as we speak?" She flashed her teeth. "This is very much in our favor!"

"Ah!" The spy disagreed, grimacing in panic. "No, my Queen, I don't think you understand. They've expressed nothing but disgust and animosity towards our world. Even the Bow Hero! I consider it the barest of good luck that they've agreed to stop the Waves, but they have no intention, or even a need, to listen to the demands from any country in our world." A bead of nervous sweat broke at her hairline, contrasted by a vindictive smile. "Though, that does include Faubley. They are that strong! But they also hate everyone here equally…"

"Answer me this, my dear." Mirellia crossed her arms and raised her chin. "If I can convince these Heroes to help defend our country…would we truly stand a chance against the might of Faubley's army?"

"My Queen, they will not be so easily swayed! This especially applies to the same "hero" that killed King Aultcray and Princess Malty! It would be better if we left them alone while we coordinated escape routes to save as many of our people as we can! Let Faubley incur their anger!"

"My dear…" Mirellia's stiff expression didn't change. "That's not what I asked…is it?" Her eyes hardened with conviction, but traces of her fear still lingered beneath.

The spy stared at her, face balanced between uncertainty and hope. 'Ok…' Regardless, she understood what was asked of her. 'I will choose to believe in you, Queen Mirellia.' She bared her teeth in a vengeful smile. "If you can convince the Bow Hero and his party to aid our armies, we can put up a promising fight. If you can convince the Shield Hero to aid our armies, our victory is certainly assured. If you can convince the Spear Hero…" She gulped. "Our armies would be unnecessary. He can defeat them on his own, I daresay."

Determination pounded against Mirellia's chest, breaking itself free from the suffocating pressure of unavoidable doom. She began calculating strategies in her mind, running a mile a second. She dismissed any negative thoughts that popped up, forging only mental images of the best-case scenarios. "I will confront the Spear Hero about the unauthorized execution of the King and the Princess." Despite using impersonal terms to keep her emotions distant, a painful grief still caved itself in at her chest, but not enough to deter her. "I will be cautious in my approach." She concocted tactics to manipulate him with.

"Beware, your Highness, but he is good friends with the Shield Hero, and he has demonstrated bewitching levels of intelligence." The spy warned. "He is the reason that, despite not having a Slave Crest, they could ascertain truths from the King against his will. I daresay, he outsmarted Aultcray on many levels…"

Mirellia stared at her for a few seconds, blankly. Then nodded. "Duly noted. I will have to exercise extreme forethought into this matter then." Her voice was rich with certainty; there was no stopping her. Her heart was beating faster and stronger now, resurrected from having been crushed to the verge of an emotional death. Her chest was light, feeling energized enough to leap into the air and fly.

"My Shadows!" She shouted, causing them to fall in formation. "We have pinched only a tiny thread of a thin hope, but if tugging it shall lead us successfully through slim chances, then we cannot say in our hearts that this fight is over!"

They nodded with renewed vigor. Mirellia raised her arm and swung it toward the door in a large gesture. "Then when we return to Melromarc-" She turned towards the door… and stopped dead.

"Mother?" There stood Melty. Concern was written all over her face, soaked into her voice. "Wh-why are we leaving so soon? What happened?"

'Oh no…' At the sight of her daughter, it felt like a needle had been pushed between her ribs, pressing into her heart. No change in plans, but the grief devoured her motivation, returning with a merciless vengeance. She turned to her Shadows again, but this time, her burning determination was smoldered under moist, glimmering eyes. "Please…" The sound was strangled, barely a whisper. "Take our belongings to the carriage. I wish to speak with my daughter alone."

The Shadows did as told. Melty spun her head around, confused and frightened. Each Shadow avoided eye contact with her. Mirellia knelt, leveling herself eye to eye with her daughter. "Melty…" Her voice cracked. "I have…" She gripped her shoulder, uncomfortably tight. "…Terrible news." Melty cupped her mouth, arms shaking, just as the Shadows closed the door. They moved with urgency.

"What happened?" One of Melty's Shadows tried to ask the others. "Why are we running so fast?"

"We're running because, well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to hear the reaction of the second Princess. As for what happened-"

Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough.

"No…NO! NOOOOO!" They heard the shrill screams of the 10 year old Princess, followed by howls of despair. Underneath the sounds of it, Mirellia's devastated apologies could just barely be heard.