I've written the chapter's title at the end to avoid spoilers for the few people who may or may not reading this without the knowledge of what is going on. I know it sounds impossible considering that the only way to read this is by personally going into the MGQ fanfiction section, but my novel, my rules.
"I'm not a child, I'm 16 years old! And also, don't think I'll give up just with that!" Luka shouted at Granberia while standing up again, offended by the fact that she was treating him like a child.
'I'll fucking kill him.' Meanwhile, Alexander declared in his head as he saw Luka not giving up. Why isn't he giving up? Why is he just standing up on his feet and not running away? Why is he still pointing his sword at Granberia? Why must he be such an annoying brat?!
A sense of oppression filled the air once again as Granberia took off her kid gloves. She wasn't looking at Luka as a child who needed guidance anymore, but as an adult who was capable of holding the responsibility their decisions will bring to them.
"In that case, I won't hold back any longer and treat you as a warrior… But can you handle the consequences?" That question carried the overwhelming presence that Granberia was emanating from her piercing, apathetic gaze. But this time, Luka didn't back off or have shown any sign of fear. He must have entered his own battle state… or he thought that he couldn't run away.
Either way, that riled up Alexander's anger even further. He felt like he was a few millimeters away from snapping, and his arms were shaking in rage. The only thing holding him back were the consequences of showing himself and scolding Luka for his stupid decisions.
"There's no way I will retreat!" Luka shouted as he dashed against Granberia. He will see this through the end, either with his victory or his death.
Of course, that doesn't mean that he will just throw away his life without doing nothing, he wants to win as much as everyone else does. 'Granberia must be underestimating me right now, so she won't see 'that' coming…'
Luka took a deep breath as he got immediately closer to her. They were a few meters away, so his sprint closed up the distances in less than a second.
Using his small stature to slip past the guard of his target, aim the edge of the sword against her neck, jump forward to put all of his force on his arms holding the sword, and then twist his waist so that the edge of his sword would slip through the target's neck like a guillotine.
This was the technique that Alice gave him to understand how far he came as a swordsman, and he will now use it against the strongest swordswoman in the world. This technique's name was…
"Demon Deca-"
Granberia slipped right past the attack without even letting the blade touch her. Surprised, Luka immediately dug his boots on the stone-paved floor to stop his charge and looked back at her in surprise and despair.
His technique was ineffective, there was nothing else he could do to win. However, surprisingly, he actually managed to do something to Granberia: Twist her apathetic expression into a frown.
"Hey."
Luka flinched as a wave of oppression that was way more frightening than before assaulted every cell of his body. This time, it wasn't like Granberia fought a random person, but someone who caught her eyes.
Depending on the point of view, that could be very bad…
"Demon Decapitation, that was the name of the technique, wasn't it?" Granberia rhetorically asked, taking both Luka and Alexander by surprise at her knowledge.
She knew the name of the technique? Was it really so famous that even a master swordsman like Granberia would know about?
"Why do you know the sword technique of a monster? Who taught it to you?" She further asked more questions, with the intention of understanding Luka's backing.
Not only did he receive a vest made of dragon scales that are exclusively made in Grand Noah, but he also knew a sword technique shared only between monsters. For a simple person who lived in Ilias Continent, there is no way he could get his hands on either of these two things without a miracle. Granberia knew that all of this sounded strange, so she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"W-What are you talking about?!" Luka was still left in a state of stupor by her nonsensical questions. What did they have to do with what was happening right now? Was Demon Decapitation really such an important technique for Granberia? Wasn't it just a basic technique used to test oneself through their training regime?
"Your swordplay is as sloppy as it can be, there is no way you could come up with such a thing for this short while. Who is your backer? Who taught you the technique?"
"Y-You… It's none of your business!" Luka shouted back at Granberia with a brave tone, and for an instant there, he felt like he was being held by the neck by the reaper.
Although… That wasn't Granberia's presence doing that, it was Alexander, who was staring at his back with open wide eyes and a bleeding nose caused by extreme levels of stress that hastened his heartbeat to levels never seen before. He was currently babbling incoherently as he saw Luka basically digging his own grave for absolutely no reason at all.
There was no way that Luka was suicidal, he didn't show any sign of depression, and even looked very cheerful at accomplishing his goals, as impossible as they seemed to be… No, it can't be that he is just that dumb! HE ISN'T THAT STUPID, IS HE?!
"I'm going to kill him, I'll kill him, I'll kill him…" Alexander muttered under his breath with a shaky breath, but without even noticing it, his grasp on the tree he was using as his hiding spot left scary finger marks into the bark.
"Hmph." Unknown of all of this ongoing in the background, Granberia quickly moved in front of Luka and grasped his head, before pushing him on the ground with a heavy throw.
"ARGH!" Luka screamed in pain before his throat got clogged up by Granberia's right hand. She glared at him and threatened him.
"You better tell me the answer if you still want to live. I don't like using my sword on the weak, but that doesn't stop me from lopping off the head of a foolish idiot!"
'Speak, speak! Just fucking tell her already!' Alexander genuinely hoped that Luka could see the error of his actions and tell her about Alice. She isn't important enough for either of them to keep her identity a secret from Granberia, so why was Luka still silent about it?!
"Ack…" Luka choked from Granberia's grasp, but he still pushed away any cowardice from his eyes as he glared back at her. "Even with that… I won't… say…!"
*Snap!* The bark of the tree where Alexander was hiding broke apart, prompting Granberia to raise her gaze up to the newcomer as he stepped into the plaza. As she slightly loosened her hold on Luka's neck, he was able to twist his head far enough to see the person approaching them, and was taken aback when he saw Alexander out of everyone butting in this battle.
"Alex…?!" With an exhausted voice, Luka called his name.
Granberia threw a small glance at Luka, taking notice of the fact that the boy knew of this new person, and casually released him as she straightened her back before setting her gaze to Alexander, who looked unperturbed by her presence.
…Or not.
She just noticed Alexander's shaking hands as he looked down on Luka with an apathetic expression of his own.
"Are you two friends?" Granberia asked Alexander, and he nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we are."
"That makes it easier. Do you know who this idiot's backer is?"
"W-Wait, Alex!" Luka knew that Alexander would not care about keeping it a secret, so he tried to stop him from speaking. However, much to everyone's shock, just as Luka ran up to Alexander, the latter's right fist flew through a very impressive arc and slammed at full force against Luka's left cheek, sending him flying a few meters away.
"FUCK YOU!" Alexander's anger powered the solidity of the fist, which felt like swinging a stone brick on Luka's face. It was very clear now that the reason why his arms were trembling wasn't because he was scared of Granberia, but because he was pissed beyond belief against the boy.
"Get the fuck up, you fucking dumbass! I'm not done with you yet!" Alexander reached for Luka and tightly grasped his purple hair, before pulling his head up. However, before he could slam him back on the ground, he took notice of the lifeless expression on Luka's face.
Apparently, that solid punch of his was enough to knock him out.
Alexander clicked his tongue as he unceremoniously dropped the boy on the ground and took deep breaths to calm down. His gaze shifted from the downed boy to the red-haired dragonkin who passively stared at him without much of a reaction.
"I…" He took another deep breath. "I wish to talk to you about this war."
Iliasburg is clearly not prepared to fight against a Heavenly Knight, as weird as it sounds. Not only do they lack someone who is actually strong enough to take on Granberia, but they also lack the experience to overwhelm her through numbers.
Heroes and adventurers also joined this war, if these unconscious people wearing leather armor around him were a hint to that. But even then, it was still not enough.
If Iliasburg couldn't do it, who was the capital city in this continent, then it was very clear that there is nobody else in this continent who can physically match her in a fight. Even the rumors about her supposed strength didn't do any justice to how strong she truly was.
But at least, nobody will blame him for using diplomacy to fend her off, even if the hopes for it to work were as abysmal as they could get…
"I have nothing to say to a follower of Ilias." Granberia, however, closed off any possible conversation before it could even begin. Still, Alexander wasn't willing to surrender that easily.
"Is it too much to ask about why you are even doing this? Is there something that this city has that you want? You've already won against the military forces of this city, there is nobody who can possibly stop you, so it shouldn't hurt you giving us a reason for this needless violence."
"Needless violence, you say?" Granberia's eyebrows twitched at those words in particular. "So this is how you see it? Needless violence? Of course I should have expected that from a follower of Ilias."
"What?" Alexander was taken aback by how she took those words. Was there something wrong with what he is seeing here? Granberia was in a territory where monsters are prohibited to stay, fighting knights and heroes who wanted to defend their land from her. She can't use the excuse of being attacked first because she should have seen that coming by stepping in here.
"So is it right for you to fight us monsters and try to kill the Monster Lord? Is it wrong for us to defend ourselves?" Granberia rhetorically asked Alexander as his eyes widened in surprise.
Is that the reason why she is doing this? To get back to humankind for sending out Heroes against her people and her lord? That would certainly explain everything, and also justify her actions. In fact, in his point of view, she did everyone a favor by not killing them.
"At least you understand." She commented, seeing the enlightened expression in Alexander's face. However, that expression lasted for a few seconds before more questions came up in his mind.
"In that case, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you strike Iliasville directly if you want to avenge your species? That's where Heroes come from, after all. It doesn't make sense attacking a city that simply helps Heroes when you have the power to cut the problem from its roots!"
It was Granberia's turn to be taken by surprise at Alexander's words. Didn't he feel any sympathy for his fellow people in the church of Ilias?
"Where do you come from?" She asked with a hint of curiosity, and Alexander replied immediately: "Grand Noah, although I've been in Iliasville for the last three years."
"I see, so you aren't a member of Ilias' religion?"
Alexander shook his head. "I follow the Goddess and her commandments, but I don't really care about this whole persecution against monsters. For me, everyone can end up wherever they want as long as they don't make it a problem for me."
"Neutral." Granberia commented, and Alexander nodded in confirmation.
Now that her doubts were cleared, she willingly returned to the previous conversation, knowing that Alexander wasn't one of those people who hated monsters in general. "You've asked why I struck Iliasburg instead of Iliasville. You said that you've lived here for three years, so you should know what is the strongest force in the Ilias Continent."
"...You don't want to cut the issue from its roots, you want to extirpate the whole thing." Alexander commented, understanding what Granberia's goal was.
By striking and defeating the greatest military force of Ilias Continent, she had done the equivalent of disarming the continent from its sword and shield, showing everyone that there is nobody who can possibly stop her in the most concrete way possible.
It also helps the fact that Iliasburg was a hub city that connected every place in the continent between each other. If she takes possession of this city, she can easily prohibit everyone from entering, which means that any traveler who wants to go from a village to another must be prepared for a much longer travel without the possibility of refill their rations, and further increase the chances of being attacked and captured by a monster in the wilderness.
There may be some question on whether it was more efficient causing such a damage in the society of humankind by attacking Iliasburg, or just attack Iliasville to stop heroes from appearing ever again, but he doubted that someone as strong as Granberia would even care about the efforts required to go with either one of those targets. He even doubted that it would be too much for her to attack both.
Granberia's gaze softened as she looked at Alexander's expression of realization. "It's truly a shame you decided to stay neutral. I'm sure that someone with a good head on their shoulders like you would be appreciated among the forces of the Monster Lord."
"But… Why now? Why did you wait until now to pull this off? You should have reached a sufficient strength to achieve these same results months, or maybe years ago. Was it the Monster Lord who ordered this action?"
"That's what I'd also like to know, was it the 'Monster Lord' who ordered you to act in this way?"
Surprising both Alexander and Granberia, a familiar voice rang into their ears as they both turned around, seeing the familiar humanoid silhouette of Alice stepping in the central plaza.
"Alice?!" Alexander exclaimed in surprise as he was left thoroughly confused. Why was Alice here? Didn't she say that she would disappear as soon as a monster shows herself up? There is a Heavenly Knight here out of all possible monsters that could have possibly invaded Iliasburg, so why did she decide to unveil herself?
"My lord!" Granberia's shocked tone echoed in Alexander's ears like a thunderstrike as he quickly spun his head in her direction and repeated the last word she uttered before kneeling down in front of Alice. "Lord?!"
As Alexander looked back at Alice, he saw her glancing at him with a solemn expression before she looked back at Granberia and started speaking with her.
"Granberia, aren't you going to answer?"
"M-My lord… You didn't order such a thing. It was all done by my decision." Granberia replied to Alice, and Alexander, who stood in silence at the side, stared at the two of them as his doubts were cleared out.
Alice was Granberia's superior.
The only person the Heavenly Knights have to answer to is the Monster Lord herself.
Alice is the Monster Lord.
"..." Alice silently stared at Granberia's red hair as the latter's face was faced downwards in a sign of respect to their own superior. An exasperated expression appeared on Alice's face as she uttered these words: "Go away, you're dismissed."
Granberia visibly flinched at those words as she rose her head in panic. "B-But… My lord…"
"I ordered you to leave, Granberia. Why are you still here?" Alice interrupted Granberia's excuse with a solemn tone, but even then, Granberia didn't give up trying to convince Alice to return the order.
With an equally serious voice, Granberia stared at Alice right into her eyes and told her: "My lord, if I don't do this, the Heroes will take their revenge on us! Even if they are weak as they are now, we can't let a second Heinrich appear in this world! That would spell disaster to our species!"
Heinrich, that name immediately resonated in Alexander's mind like a bell.
Just as Granberia claimed, the Heroes are way too weak to defeat the Monster Lord, and half of them spent their time indulging in their privilege. However, there was one exception between all those heroes in the whole history… Heinrich Hein.
That man is the only one who had the ability to kill the Monster Lord, around 500 years ago. His legends are spread out with as much fervor as the first period after he accomplished such an herculean feat.
It was said that their battle totally annihilated the Monster Lord's castle where the fight happened, so one could only imagine the sheer power these two unleashed in their last fight. The best part of it, or worst depending on the point of view, is that he started out as a normal person.
That means that anyone has the potential to become as strong as Heinrich, even though such a person didn't appear a second time in these last 500 years. That was also the reason why Alexander thought that it was almost impossible for Luka to achieve coexistence, because such a power would definitely make that goal achievable. However, that would only be the case if he actually managed to obtain that kind of strength, which he greatly doubted he could.
That would certainly be a very good reason for the Monster Lord of the present time to act, but even after Granberia said that, Alice didn't seem moved… No, in fact, she looked more annoyed rather than anything else.
Alice's fists tightened as a suffocating aura permeated in the atmosphere. Even Alexander, who was only a spectator at this point, felt like he was about to choke under this oppressive presence. This was on a completely different level compared to the pressure that Granberia had shown before.
It was only now that he realized the gravity of the situation: The Monster Lord Alipheese was the one standing in front of him, not Alice.
Chapter 11
The Monster Lord Alipheese