Naofumi Iwatani, Megumin, Satou Kazuma. Fanfiction 3. Chapter 14: The tune changes

The pope lays dying on top of the crater, as he is incapable of doing anything else but stares into it. His enemies carrying the other unconscious heretics out of it. The heat from the smoldering ashes of his followers is the only heat he can feel until he eventually feels nothing. Then he suddenly stared at his own corpse.

"No, no, NO! IMPOSSIBLE!" He screamed at his corpse, not able to accept what he saw before a white light appeared before him.

"I can't be dead, this isn't real, they are trying to trick me, I WON'T BE FOOLED!" He yelled in anger as he flew away from the light, and into the nearby forest.

"How do I break this illusion, there must be a way, because there is no way I am dead, God wouldn't let that happen, I am the closest anyone can come to God himself, therefore I am immortal," He reasoned as he tried to calm himself down.

"If this goes on much longer you will turn into an undead, but I won't let that happen," A woman's voice suddenly said, and Biscas T. Balmus turned around to look at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her face was simply perfect, with two navy blue eyes that reminded him of the sea. Her blue hair reached all the way down to her waist, which was covered by a blue skirt with see-through frills. A blue top covered her breast and stomach, while her legs were covered in dark-blue knee-high socks. The proportions of her body were just right, not too big and not too little.

"THIS IS A TRICK, YOU ARE PROBABLY JUST AN OLD HAG THAT-" His shouting was interrupted as her fist slammed into his head forcing him into the ground. That punch hurt more than anything he could ever remember, it was much deeper than physical pain as it felt like his face burned, but he wasn't able to say anything. He had been completely silenced.

"That is for trying to hurt my friends!" She said as her fists started to glow a bright blue getting ready to throw another punch, her previous calm face now twisted into a frightening expression of unbridled anger.

"This is for hurting my godson!" She yelled as one of her glowing fists hit him in his chest, causing his soul to burn. Death would probably have been preferred as opposed to having to face all your sins at once. Then her fist was removed from his chest giving him a moment of relief before he looked back at her right hand starting to glow an intense form of blue.

"AND THIS IS FOR THE SIN OF SAYING THE GREAT GODDESS AQUA IS A HAG, {TURN UNDEAD!}" Aqua chanted as she drove her fist into the soul of Biscas T. Balmus, forcing him to face judgment in heaven, he was then promptly sent to hell for the following sins.

Conspiracy to commit murder

Multiple attempted murders

Multiple committed murders

Sexual assault against multiple young girls and boys

Slander of the Gods

The main cause behind all his followers dying

Torture

Vandalism of nature

Violence against a demon king slayer's family

The army of Queen Mirellia arrives with her army

"It would seem, that our help is not needed here," Mirellia noted with a tiny smirk, as she spectated the fields covered in ashes behind the clearly dead pope. Then her gaze drifted across the battlefield, her gaze stopped at a tiny blue-haired girl standing next to a pile of unconscious bodies, where one of them stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Seize princess Malty on accounts of treason, offer an escort for the Shield Hero and his allies, give the other heroes medical treatment, and lastly dispose of that traitor's body," She commanded, but the army was too shocked by the spectacle of death and destruction on the left side of the crater, contrasted by the casual celebration party on the opposite side.

"Did you HEAR ME!?" She inquired her tone harsher this time, and her face very serious.

"Y-yes your highness, it shall be done at once my Queen," A commanding officer stuttered out as he started relaying her orders to the others.

2 hours later in a private room

Mirellia sat at the top of the table, with Kazuma picking the other end of it. Melty sat on her mother's right side, with two vacant seats on Mirellia's left. Kazuma had Megumin on his right side and Iris on his left, with Darkness next to Iris. However, Naofumi, Filo, and Raphtalia had yet to take a seat.

"Who are we waiting for?" A masked Kazuma questioned after an awfully long silence.

"We are waiting for someone that has proven themselves completely loyal to me, and they brought with them a person that they deem to have a lot of potential for growth, but in the meantime, please sit and dine with me Shield Hero," Mirellia gestured to the still empty chairs.

"I do not trust you,

"Why would that still be the case, I recognize that you have been keeping my daughter safe?" She questioned, her face stoic.

"How do I know that you haven't just been using your daughter as a chess piece to gain my trust, then when I least expect it you will backstab me," Naofumi answered as he glowered at the Queen.

Mirellia closed her eyes as she took a deep breath before she rose from her chair. She then walked over to Naofumi, now standing face to face. "I admit you have been wronged by the nobles and royal family of this country, however, this was not how I had deemed it to happen,"

"How so?"

"I put Lord Seaetto in charge of the country while I was away on a diplomatic meeting with the other countries on how to prepare for the waves, but in my absence, the first wave struck before what we had anticipated and Lord Seaetto lost his life, leading to the king taking charge, and under his incompetent rule he summoned all four of the legendary heroes,"

"This forced me to be away for much longer than I had anticipated, since I had to avoid the other countries declaring war on us, after this blatant show of disrespect of the deal I had just agreed with them on," Mirellia explained, with clear spite in her tone.

"Hmm, and my unjust treatment, wasn't a part of the plan either?" Naofumi guessed.

"Indeed, Malty and the three heroes church conspired, and my daughter Melty, told me that the king was clouded by resentment towards the shield and therefore easily manipulated, I will hold a trial later today to reveal all of this to the people, and you Shield Hero, will be the judge," Mirellia declared as Naofumi stared back at her with wide-eyes.

"I get to judge them?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, however, I will relay all their crimes, and recommend a suitable judgment, but you will decide their final judgment," Mirellia confirmed as a wicked smile emerged on Naofumi's face.

"Master Naofumi, that smile is scary," Raphtalia shot in, bringing Naofumi out of his thoughts.

"Eh, oh," Naofumi responded as he covered the smile with his hand.

"Until then, please sit down and dine with me and my newly arrived guests," She said gesturing to three empty chairs. However, her words made everyone look to the now opened door, as a timid green-haired girl walked in. Her walking was a little stiff, probably from the nerves caused by being invited to dine with the queen herself.

"H-hey, i-it i-is an honor, y-your majesty," She nervously managed to utter as she shakily bowed down.

"No need for such formalities here," Mirellia, Iris, and Darkness, said in unison. Darkness and Iris, immediately understood what they had just done, and shot in, "Don't mind us," much to the confusion of Rishia and Melty.

"Hmm, interesting," Mirellia muttered to herself as she looked over at the two blondes.

Suddenly Kazuma threw his glass of water behind him, making the water spill all over the floor. "I saw you, Van, no need to keep hiding," The masked man said, as Van Reichnott stepped out of the shadows.

"You saw me, but you didn't keep track of me, or else you would have splashed me with that water," He countered as he gave his cape to a nearby maid, giving her a thankful smile for her service.

"Could be, or I just didn't want to spill cold water on a decent man," Kazuma argued as he refilled his cup of water.

"Hmm, in that case, I am grateful you didn't aim for me," He said before he went down in a bow, before he walked over to the left seat of Mirellia's own, and sat down.

"How did you even notice him?" Raphtalia queried, as she shifted her gaze between Kazuma and Reichnott.

"Small details, like the girl, seemingly being urged inside by something/someone, and that the Queen had clearly prepared two seats, and then he walked behind me, so I threw the water," Kazuma answered her, as Raphtalia took the seat next to Megumin.

"W-why did y-you w-want me to c-come here?" Rishia stuttered out as she took the seat next to Van Reichnott's left.

"I will explain it to you after we have eaten," The Lord retorted.

"Master," Filo said as she tugged at Naofumi's green cape, catching his attention, "Can I go sit next to Melty?" she said as her eyes practically begged for permission to do so.

"Sure," Naofumi retorted as he lovingly ruffled her blonde hair, after the affectionate moment, Filo quickly filled the empty seat next to princess Melty.

"What about that one, we waiting for another one?" Naofumi asked as he gestured to the empty seat opposite of him, while he sat down in-between Raphtalia and Rishia.

"Since you ask Shield Hero, I will answer, that seat is meant for Éclair Seaetto, daughter of the deceased Lord Seaetto, unfortunately, she has yet to come out of hiding, but we are doing our best to reconnect with her, something I hope today's event will do," Mirellia explained.

"If it hadn't been for your help in covertly, defeating and transporting those soldiers lead by Idol, I would also have been forced into hiding, but thanks to your help I managed to keep my people safe, and to that, I am beyond grateful," Reichnott said as he directed his praise towards the people on his left.

"I will discuss the fee of me bringing those soldiers back," Kazuma retorted.

"Yes, it is an important topic, but let us not do so on an empty stomach," Mirellia said as she clapped her hands together, making 11 maids enter the room, each one having an identical dish in their right hand.

They placed it in front of each guest in perfect synchronization, revealing a perfectly cooked piece of steak, with a dash of rock salt on top, sitting on top of a bed of grilled vegetables, encircled by an enticing thick red-wine sauce.

"Please enjoy," the head maid said, as they all quickly vacated the room, closing the doors behind themselves.

"Now, would you please remove your mask while we eat?" Mirellia requested.

"What are you going to do if I refuse?" Kazuma prodded.

"Nothing in particular, I just think it is common courtesy to see the face of the person one dines with," Mirellia answered, her tone not threatening in the slightest.

"Have you told her who I am Van?" Kazuma inquired from the Lord.

"My loyalties are to the Queen, but I deemed it your secret to reveal, so I haven't informed the Queen of who you really are. However, I assure you that my Queen can and will most definitely keep your identity a secret," He retorted, with his usual gentle smile.

"Well, since you trust her, I don't see much point in hiding it from her," Kazuma said as he removed his mask, getting eye to eye with Mirellia.

One long minute of silence went by, as Mirellia studied Kazuma's face the best she could before she took a quick glance over at Naofumi.

"Hah, a legendary hero, and his parents in-tow, that has never happened before in any of the stories I read, your father and mother, seem to contrast each other in how they care for you, one from the shadows, and one out there with you, I was quite impressed when I heard that one of my shadows had been caught off guard, but the talk of the "Devil of Obliteration," being able to bring down the sun itself, was also quite amusing," Mirellia chuckled.

"Mother, he is also the Master of Fitoria, the Queen of all the filolials," Melty shot in, unable to throw that juicy piece of information onto the table, but that was seemingly a bit much for even Mirellia to take in, causing her to shift her gaze between Kazuma and Melty in disbelief.

"Is that true, or has Princess Melty also learned a sense of humor while traveling with you Shield Hero?" Reichnott said with a smirk, not totally disregarding the possibility.

"Fitoria does in fact consider my father, her Master," Naofumi confirmed Melty's statement, with Kazuma nodding in agreement.

"I do want to dig further into that, later, but it has to wait, the important thing I want to know is, how did you defeat a battalion of Mages, no that doesn't quite fully describe it, you quite literally turned them to dust, would you care to explain that?" Mirellia said as she did a great job hiding her excitement.

"By using their own weapon against them," Kazuma casually informed, as he fished out a golden shield and placed it on the table.

"Where did you even store that?" Megumin and Iris mumbled out in unison.

"On my back, under the mantle, how did you two not notice something as obvious as that?" Kazuma shot back, astounded by how oblivious they both had been.

"Hmm, so this is the Weapon Replica as told from the legends, no wonder the battlefield was so torn apart, what do you plan to do with it now?" Mirellia said as she started to finally cut her steak.

"Because you guys don't really seem to be able to take proper care of it, I'll keep it," Kazuma answered as he picked it up again.

"As you wish, but you do realize it takes an extreme amount of mana to make it function, let alone use it reliably," She pointed out before she took her first bite.

(No worries for me, I got enough manatite available to power it) Kazuma thought as he picked up the golden shield, and re-fastened it to his back.

"I would like to discuss a lighter, but still very important subject with the Shield Hero and his parents,"

"What would that be?" Megumin and Naofumi asked simultaneously.

"I propose a wedding between my daughter Melty and Naofumi," Her proposal stunned the entire room, except for Reichnott.

"MOTHER, that is not, it's not, Ehm," Melty hid her now tomato-red flushed face behind Filo, as she couldn't manage a proper retort.

Mirella smiled warmly at her daughter's flustered antics, "I can see that you have feelings for him, hiding it won't help you, so what do you say Naofumi, does it sound desirable to wed my daughter?" The Queen inquired.

Naofumi, met the gaze of the Queen before he looked over at his father. Kazuma just looked back at it with the same stunned expression.

"That is your decision, I won't judge," Kazuma said as he put his hands in the air.

"There is a 10-year difference, I don't need people calling me a lolicon or pedophile, so that is a no," Naofumi quickly concluded.

"Ouch, my wings are sensitive, let go!" Filo suddenly yelled as Melty clamped onto her wings.

"The marriage doesn't need to be right now, you could be engaged for the time being, with only the people in this room having knowledge of it," Mirellia argued.

"Master Naofumi already declined!" Raphtalia shot in, some vague tones of anger present in her voice.

"Yes, Raphtalia is right, I already declined, so drop it," Naofumi re-iterated.

"Very well," Mirellia relented. "Onto other matters, you have taken some of my soldiers as prisoners, to be exact, 171 soldiers and the former Lord Rabier, what would it cost to get them into our custody,"

"Let me see, that is going to cost me like 35 stones of manatite, and considering it took 35 to capture them, 1610 gold coins for that alone,"

"Then there is the cost for having housed and taken care of the soldiers, but if they have finished building the school by now, it should be only be-"

"I will pay 2000 gold coins for your troubles, and I hope that my country could become an ally of yours, you clearly hold superior firepower, both magically and technologically, you have probably already experienced the destructive waves of catastrophe that plague this world," Mirellia interrupted Darkness.

"Yeah, about that, this is going to sound a little insane, but the waves that you experience here is a result of-"

SKIPPING TO END OF EXPLANATION

"Wow ok, so you all understand the threat my country and this world is faced with, you seem even more familiar with it than any of my records state," Mirellia said, a little befuddled by all these new revelations, as she processed all the new information.

"That's right," Kazuma confirmed.

"Still, since you have no concrete plan on what to do if you were to face this Medea-"

"No, I have a concrete plan, run away and regroup, she has defeated other gods before, right now with my weakened party we can't take her on, and to be honest with you, I am not willing to risk my family for this world, if I had the choice I would already have abandoned it," Kazuma said truthfully, something that made Melty flinch.

"You would just abandon us, after all, we have been through!?" The little princess erupted, clearly offended by Kazuma's statement.

"I would have still helped keep you safe Melty, as you are considered a friend, but if I could take my son and leave right now, I would do it in a heartbeat, I have no obligation to save this world, but I am obliged to keep my family safe," He said sternly.

"That's why you want to obliterate this Medea while you still can, saving this world and the neighboring one would mean she doesn't grow stronger, so let's work together as equals to try and stop her here and now, we have a common goal after all," Mirellia said calmly, as she hid her smile behind her fan.

(She saw through my façade, I hoped to get a complete submission from her, but it would seem I have to deal with politics) Kazuma grumbled to himself as he thought.

"At the current time, it would be most beneficial to work as equals, us taking forceful control here would just waste resources that can be used to defeat the common enemy," Darkness spoke.

"That pleases me to hear, now I would like to retire, the trial will be in three hours, I expect the judge to be there, please continue to eat to your heart's content dear guests," Mirellia said as she rose from her chair.

"I wouldn't want to miss it," Naofumi confidently chuckled to himself.

Kazuma quickly reattached his mask, as the doors were opened by Mirellia herself, to show that no one had been eavesdropping on them. Van Reichnott had followed after the queen, but both Rishia and Melty stayed behind.

"Now, Rishia," Iris said to catch her attention.

"Eh, YES!" She answered nervously.

"You look much healthier now, it's good to see," Iris said, completely stunning Rishia.

After that, they continued to eat. Before they were lead to their own respective rooms.

"Sir Shield Hero, this is your assigned room, with a bed for each of your slaves," The head maid said.

"Thank you, come on girls," Naofumi ordered as he went into the room, with Filo and Raphtalia following behind him.

"Yes, Master!" Both said in unison.

The head maid then leads Kazuma and the rest to another door not far from Naofumi's room.

"This is the room, we provide to you and your three wives, honored guest," The head maid said as she opened the door to reveal a king-sized bed.

"There is a mistake, Lalatina here, is not his wife, I am his only wife as of now, with Iris only being engaged to him," Megumin quickly explained, as she dragged Kazuma in after herself, only Iris following with.

"Please treat her like a queen nonetheless, we wouldn't want to offend her now," Megumin lastly said, before she closed the door behind them.

"My utmost apologies my lady, I am fearful that I have offended you by assuming your relationship with the gentleman, you just gave him a look I usually recognize as deep affection," She said while prostrating herself.

"Please rise," Darkness said, as she put her hand on the maid's shoulder, which she quickly complied with. "I looked at him like that, because I love him deeply, but right now I am not allowed to be by his side like those two," Darkness confessed, as the maid quickly wiped away the tears running down her cheeks.

"Please do not cry my lady, please follow me," The head maid said, as she led Darkness away from the door.

The trial

Inside the giant courtroom, there could be seen a specialized front row. This row was neatly placed next to a podium, that was raised a little bit above it. This gave off the effect that whoever sat on either the front row or podium looked down on the black table, meant for the defendant to stand trial.

The room had giant windows that let in light, making everything quite visible. Though the entire room felt cold as you entered it, the only place of any warmth was the front row, the podium, or one of the other benches meant for nobles to sit as they watched the court proceedings.

Mirellia was standing at the podium, with Kazuma sitting on the leftmost side of the front row, closest to the queen, meaning he was considered the one with the most power after the Queen.

Megumin sat to his right, followed by Iris, then Darkness, then Melty, then Filo, then Raphtalia, then Naofumi, and lastly Rishia. There was idle chatter amongst the nobles, which quickly came to a halt as Mirellia smacked the podium with a hammer.

"Bring them in!" Mirellia commanded, as the doors to the courtroom opened, as soldiers dragged in king Aultcray and princess Malty. In the scuffle Malty lost her red wig, leaving her completely bald again.

"What's the meaning of this, I am the king, UNHAND US!" He tried to order the soldiers, but in response one of them just gagged his mouth, clearly, Malty had gotten gagged earlier on.

The guards continued to drag them over to the black table, here their shackles were fastened to the black table. Then Malty's gag was removed, as the guards stepped back. Malty locked eyes with her mother.

"MO-"

"Silence! I did not give you permission to speak!" Mirellia cut her daughter off, and she actually got her to remain silent.

"Guards, put a slave seal upon the defendant," A shadow said as she appeared seemingly from thin air. The guards did as the shadow had commanded. One guard brought a bowl with a black liquid over to the queen. Here she pricked her finger with a knife, as she let a drop of blood fall into it.

"Preparations are complete my Queen,"

"Not yet, bring the three heroes that are still not present," Mirellia demanded making some guards leave, as the shadow started to apply the slave crest.

"AYAH!" Malty screamed as the slave crest started to glow purple, almost like it burned itself into her chest.

"Malty, as my slave, I order you to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth,"

"Why are you doing this to me, I am a good girl AH!" Malty shrieked in pain as the seal started to glow again.

(Oh, maybe being Kazuma's slave could be an option) Darkness thought as she looked at the pained bald woman, with renewed interest.

Then the sword, spear, and bow hero started to limp into the courtroom. They were holding onto their still sore necks, rubbing them in an attempt to relieve the pain.

"Sir Motoyasu, please help me!" Malty yelled out in a panic, her expression made the idiot forget all about his pain, as he tried to rush over to her, only to be blocked by the guards.

"What's the meaning of this, why is Myne in chains!?" He asked, both confused and angry

"This is a trial to punish those responsible for shaking up the country and rather than acting in the best of the country, they acted on their own selfish reasons,"

"The pope was the one responsible, why isn't he up here to stand trial?" Motoyasu demanded to know.

"Because I and my allies killed him, together with all of his followers, while you were laying knocked out on the ground," Kazuma spoke, his voice slightly distorted by his mask.

"She was the one that knocked us out!" Ren exclaimed, very offended, as he pointed to Iris.

"Yeah, and I ordered her to because you were getting in the way of my plan, which I might add worked beyond my expectations," Kazuma answered quickly.

"How can you ally yourself without someone you haven't even seen the face of mother!?" Malty exclaimed with vivid frustration.

"She raises a good question, he has clearly shown incredible strength, but how do we know he won't turn on us?" Itsuki questioned.

"Trust me when I say this, the masked man before you has the common goal of defeating the threat this world currently faces, and I have seen his face, I will therefore not demand of him to remove it in public," Mirellia informed with such a strong and reassuring voice, that even the skeptical nobles were satisfied by her answer.

"You still didn't answer my question, why are Myne and the king standing trial, they did nothing wrong, they tried to help in defeating the pope!" Motoyasu argued.

"Well, now with all the four cardinal heroes in attendance, I declare that the trial, where king Aultcray and princess Malty stands accused of treason against the kingdom," Mirellia relayed.

"Remove the gag on Aultcray, and apply a slave crest to him as well," The Queen ordered, and in a matter of seconds, Aultcray had a slave crest drawn on his chest. In stark contrast to his daughter though, Aultcray barely grunted as the slave crest started to shine.

"Why would you do this to your own family!?" Motoyasu demanded as he knitted his fists tightly.

"Sir spear hero, I do this to ensure that they won't lie under the court proceedings, the slave crests will only activate if they try to lie, something I expect from a pathological liar like Malty," She explained.

"How am I supposed to believe that, it could be that it just hurts them if they don't say what you want to hear?"

(Oh god, this idiot just won't let up) Naofumi thought to himself as he facepalmed.

"Ok, then why don't you form a slave pact with Malty, I'm sure the functions of it will be explained to you by your weapon," She suggested, something Motoyasu quickly agreed to.

"AH!" She screamed again, as the new slave seal was placed on her.

"Sorry, so Malty you can't lie, I will just start with the recent events, you didn't know the pope was trying to overthrow the monarchy, right?"

"I would never involve myself in a plot that involved killing the other three heroes, as well as the entire royal family," Malty answered, with some regained confidence, and surprisingly the slave seal didn't burn this time.

"S-see, Myne is innocent," Motoyasu uttered out, with a sense of relief.

"Ask her about the assassination attempt on princess Melty, was she involved in it?" Mirellia ordered.

"Well, were you involved in the assassination attempt on your little sister?"

"Of course not, I would never do anything to hUAAAH!" Malty started to scream, as the slave crest flared up again.

"Malty, you didn't!?" Aultcray said with disbelief, not able to accept what he was hearing.

"You conspired with the three heroes church and attempted to kill Melty so you could become heir to the throne yourself. To that end you framed the shield hero for abducting her, and tried to set fire to the forest Melty fled into, don't even try to deny it, my shadows found remnants of extinguished fire arrows belonging to our soldiers," Mirellia was still as cool and collected as ever, but her voice was still extremely serious.

"I never tried to do any of thAAAH!" Malty screamed in pure agony as the lie was exposed beyond any doubt, now the king just stood there completely dumbfounded. His eyes were wide as saucers.

"What about when Naofumi forced himself on you, and you came to me to be saved, that was true, right?" Motoyasu asked out of desperation, as the perfect picture of his favorite girl started to crumble.

"YeAAH… the devil of the shield, h-he w-was druAAH! T-then he forced himself oOOAAAH!" Her shrieks of pain were the last thing that made Motoyasu fall to his knees in dark realization.

"Everything, everything she said was a lie," Motoyasu muttered to himself, only Kazuma being able to know what he said by using {Lip reading}.

"Now then, Aultcray, you have purposefully gone in to mistreat the shield hero, and aided Malty in villainizing the shield hero, you have failed in your duty as a ruler, instead of keeping peace you have caused discord in the country, why did you order the summoning of all the four legendary heroes?" The last words Mirellia spoke carried more than just anger, it had a hint of disappointment.

"All I have ever done is out of love for my family, I have done everything to keep my family safe, I swore to myself that neither the devil of the shield or his followers will ever again rip my family away, I-"

SMACK!

Aultcray was shut up by an intense smack to his left cheek, the throbbing pain was nothing compared to the death stare he received from Kazuma's green eyes. He was gritting his teeth, but the rest of his angered expression was covered by the mask.

"How dare you say that you tried to protect your family, how can you be so blind that you can't see your eldest daughter trying to kill her own sister!" His words seemed to burn Aultcray, as he clutched onto his slave mark.

"You speak of love you have for your family, but you can't even reprimand your own daughter when she is proven to have done wrong by someone, that's just a blatant failure in your role as a parent. Let me guess you would probably let her win in all the games you ever played together because that sure would explain her extremely narcissistic behavior and enormously inflated ego!" Kazuma gripped Aultcray's shoulders, pressuring him to give a response with both his stare and intense grip. However, the guess had left the king completely mute.

"So my guess was right, you truly are a failure as a father," Kazuma's words stung, no they burned Aultcray because it wasn't just an angry man reprimanding and yelling at him, it was now very obvious to him, that this was a pissed off father doing all of that to him.

Kazuma tossed him onto the floor when he saw the defeated expression Aultcray wore.

"Just lay there and rot away like the trash you are," Kazuma said before he went back to his seat, Aultcray just stayed on the ground like he was dead, but his rising chest gave that illusion away.

(Did he manage to talk some sense back into you?) Mirellia thought as she looked down on the sorry figure that was her husband.

"I declare that both Aultcray and Malty are found guilty for high treason against the country of Melromarc, now I would like the Shield Hero to step forward to give them a fair punishment, as he is the one that has been wronged the most by them,"

Naofumi took a few moments before he stood in front of a heavy breathing Malty, and a sorry excuse for a man that was Aultcray.

"What is a punishment usually received for high treason?" Naofumi asked, already knowing the answer.

"The usual one, would be death, but don't you think that would be too quick, you could expose them to cruel torture that could last for days, weeks, months, or maybe even years, there are endless possibilities," Mirellia suggested, bringing Naofumi somewhat out of his bloodlust.

Kazuma knitted his fist and started to shake violently, not just at the suggestion itself, but in the calm way she said it. Megumin noticed his shaking and held onto his hand, doing her best to calm him down. Naofumi also noticed, and he remembered how scarred his father had gotten from performing torture in the past, and that was on someone he hated intensely.

(If I am anything like my father, I will probably also end up feeling regret about what I am doing, and I never want to feel sorry for these two) Naofumi thought as he returned his gaze to Malty.

"Come on Noifumi, revenge only causes more revenge, so please be lenient and forgive me," Malty said while doing her best puppy eyes.

"If you're going to beg for mercy, at least get my name right!" Naofumi now enraged hit Malty square on the nose, causing her to fall on the ground, but unfortunately, her nose wasn't broken, since Naofumi's attack stat wasn't strong enough.

"What would your father say about you hitting a woman!?" Malty screamed at him, only for him to kick her in the face.

"In your case, probably, hit harder," Naofumi responded as Malty just laid on the ground in shock.

"My guess would be, let me get a hit in," Kazuma said playfully, as he now stood next to his son.

"That's a pretty good guess," Naofumi complimented before Kazuma literally drop-kicked Malty.

"Gentlemen, would you please refrain from doing that until a judgment has been laid down," Mirellia interrupted the father-son bonding.

"Yes, sorry, we seemed to have gotten ahead of ourselves, we will-" Kazuma was interrupted as Malty ripped off his mask. He tried to hide his face, but Malty's lips were already on his own. Kazuma tossed her off himself, as he stared at the bald woman in shock.

"Hee-hee, I found you, love," Malty said with a serene expression on her face, while tears flowed down her cheeks.

"GET BA-"

CRACK

Kazuma was interrupted as a bolt of red lightning struck down where Malty sat. Everyone in the room froze, as a woman with long red hair reaching down to the floor stepped out of the smoke created from Malty's burnt body. She looked very similar to Malty, just that her skin gave off a faint glow, and her green eyes shined brighter.

She wasn't wearing any clothes, so any normal person would blush furiously if they saw her, but no one moved. It seemed like people were frozen in time, the only way to see that time was still moving was to look at the smoke still rising from Malty's corpse.

"Ah, it seems my {Muscle freeze} spell worked perfectly," The woman happily said to herself as she walked over to Kazuma.

"Oh, my love, how I have missed you, for me, it has been centuries of work, but it seems you have lived in a world where time has been kinder and calmer, just seeing you now before me, brings me to tears, I will admit that I feared the worst after just a century of being a goddess, but my love held fast and I defeated so many other lazy gods and goddesses," Medea said as she kissed Kazuma deeply.

"I'll make sure you can be with me for eternity, {Cain's burden}," Medea chanted, as she lifted up Kazuma's shirt, and put her right hand onto Kazuma's lower back. The smell of burnt flesh came from where Medea's hand had just been.

When she removed her hand, it revealed a branding mark that depicted a man tethered to the earth, as he is denied access to both heaven and hell.

"I'm sorry, but please bear with it, the pain will subside soon and we can be together for all of eternity, we will bring forth a new age with just the two of us," Medea said as she embraced Kazuma, catching his lips and grinding her naked body on to him.

Then she spotted something on his neck, a bit of lipstick. She scanned the room to see who it belonged to, and her eyes landed on Iris. It might have been centuries, but Medea remembered that face anywhere.

"Oh, if it isn't little miss Belzberg herself, how old are you now I wonder, seemingly old enough to go around kissing men that belong to other women, look at you in that slutty body, you've probably taken a hundred, no a thousand men to bed by now," She insulted the still Iris, as she looked at the girl that beat her in battle.

"This reminds me of the time you said you were going to send me to hell, well guess who is going to hell now, it's you {Banishment: Hell}," Medea chanted as she created a portal beside her, and then tossed Iris into it.

"Hope you suffer!" She cheerfully yelled after her, as she closed the portal behind her.

"{Create water}" was the last thing Medea heard, before a giant pulse of water blasted her into the nearby wall, before she was able to gather her thoughts, she got smacked continuously by some balls before a holy dagger was put to her throat.

"What!?" Eris said dumbfounded when her knife would penetrate her opponent's skin.

"Oh, it's you, this is easy enough, {Eros Control}," Medea chanted, and Eris froze completely.

"Now my dear, would you please go and kill Aqua for me?" She asked in a friendlier tone than one would expect.

"H-he, w-wouldn't e-ever a-ask m-me s-something l-like t-that," Eris said in a shaky voice as her entire body started to shake.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Aqua roared as she charged up a {God blow}.

"Oh please, this is too easy, {Eros Control}" Medea chanted again, but Aqua still came towards her, and before Medea could think of anything else Aqua's fist crashed into Medea's pretty face, causing it to get drilled into the wall.

"A-Aqua h-help m-me," Eris begged as she let go of her dagger.

"{Sacred-}" Aqua was cut short as Medea's hand sent her flying through the window, opposite of them.

"Oh, it seems you actually got a good hit in, now where was I, Eris-" Medea was interrupted by one of the balls hanging onto Eris' long hair smacking into her jaw.

(Kazuma would want the kids safe) She thought as she scanned the room for Naofumi, he was laying on top of Rishia and Raphtalia. "{Tele-}" Eris' chant was cut short, by Medea's hand on her throat.

"Oh, you little bitch, was that an attempt to take my love away from me, well, luckily you missed him completely with that spell," Medea said with confidence and relief present in her voice.

"{Holy bind}" Eris chanted, causing her silver hair to lock around Medea, she then used her dagger to cut off her own hair, as she rolled away.

"OH, you think this can hold me!?" Medea cackled as he started to slowly rip free from the hair.

"Put up a barrier, this bitch is going to burn," Megumin said as she stepped forward, with Chomusuke on top of her head.

"Ok," Eris responded as she ran around Medea, as she drew a magic circle with the use of her dagger. Medea tried to frantically rip herself loose from the hair, but at this rate, she wouldn't get loose before the barrier was done.

"It's active,"

"Oh no," Medea uttered with the realization that this might very well harm her.

"EXPLO-"

"NO!" Kazuma yelled, as he cupped Megumin's mouth with his hand and got on top of her.

(He saved me) She thought, and then she decided to return the favor.

"{Cancel Teleportation}!" Medea chanted as she ripped her hand free from the hair, right before Kazuma managed to cast his own teleport spell.

"{Claim the marked}!" Kazuma started to scream as the mark on his lower back started to burn, the burning intensified as he seemingly started to burn away. He regained some resolve when he looked over at his son, he shot forward and held onto Chomusuke. {Full release, be free}. He then turned to dust on top of Megumin.

"It worked!" Medea happily declared while Megumin stared at her ring that started to go dim until all that was left was a black gem empty of all light.

"DIE!" Megumin roared as the world around them seemed to distort, Megumin didn't care what happened, she could die for all she cared, but this monster in front of her was coming with her, even if it means the entire universe was enveloped in her explosion.

"{Black hand}" A new female voice erupted from the place Kazuma had dropped Chomusuke, as giant black fingers erupted from the ground, one of them touching Darkness before they crashed onto Megumin and the voluptuous woman with red hair and yellow cat-like eyes.

"This is all I can do Kazuma," Wolbach muttered to herself in a sad tone, before the hand covered her as well, and the next second Darkness, Megumin, and Wolbach were gone.

"M-mother…" Medea uttered out in shock as she stopped fighting her restraints for a second.

"{Portal}" Eris chanted, causing a silver distortion of space to open up behind Naofumi, Raphtalia and Rishia.

"{Create water}" Aqua chanted, and she aimed the water stream towards them, which pushed Rishia and Raphtalia into it instantly, but Naofumi's shield refused to go into the portal until Aqua increased the power of her water jet. It was almost about to tear his arm off when the shield finally yielded to Aqua's power.

"Oh, impressive, but I don't need to hold back now that my love is no longer here, {Reality slash}" Medea chanted as the entire space Aqua was standing in suddenly split in half at her stomach. Everyone behind Aqua died in that instant, but Aqua's body reattached itself, as she started to cough up water.

"{Sacrificial banishment}" Aqua chanted, and the next second both her and Medea disappeared from the room, leaving the only conscious being left there in disbelief.

"{Sacred dispel}{Portal}" Eris chanted before she walked over to the pile of dust, and picked up a ring blinking red. Then she stepped through the portal, doing her best to not look back, she closed the portal behind her.

Not to worry dear readers, my dear love is not dead. I merely destroyed this filthy body, his consciousness is linked to the mark, and I can create a new body with the DNA I got from him just now, but this one will be much cleaner, in both mind and body. So there is a happy ending for me and my love after all.

The End?

GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! Ok, sorry about that. It seems something rather unexpected happened. I can keep control of it for now, but this is not the end. I will venture forth and gather the other lost chapters, but I fear I don't know how long that will take. However, I will not give in until I have managed to find the true ending.