I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero

Biggest thanks goes to Ace-Triad for SPAG editing this chapter. Also, special thanks for Angel Wraith for reading my rough draft and provide some feedbacks.

Shout out to Commissar Gaunt, whose review on chapter 5 and our subsequent message discussion directly inspired this chapter.

More author note at the end for people who are interested to see me blabber some more.


Silk cushions filled with the softest feather decorations sit on the beautifully carved ancient holy wood furniture, making them just as comfortable to sit on. The sweet scent of dragon ebony incense and the soft glow of lumafly lamps gives the spacious room a luxurious, yet homely ambience. Nothing less should have been expected from the royal suite of the Menagerie Resort, the top accommodation of Cal Mira Island.

Yet this hospitality means nothing to Queen Mirellia.

She finally knows the full extent of the crisis happening, right in the middle of her nation. She might as well have been tossed into the darkest Faubley dungeon, with only stinkbugs for company.

Mirellia's Shadow nearly trips on her feet when she kneels and hands out the memory orb. Not from clumsiness or injuries, mind you, but simply from lack of rest coupled with fatigue. Even with the hood and mask, it's clear the shadow is fighting with all her remaining willpower to keep her eyes open.

A stark contrast to the Lone Shadow who serves as the personal bodyguard of Melromarc Queen.

The Queen does her best to keep her regal posture while listening through the dialogue between the Shield Hero, the two Siltvelt vermin, and her godforsaken daughter. She gnaws at her pursed lip the whole way through, despite her neutral face.

Her aide, Duke Luigi Claes, lets out a relieved sigh. The Shield Hero's wild theory seemingly put the duke's mind to ease. "It seems the Shield Hero is more cautious towards going to Siltvelt than remaining in Melromarc, so all is not lost yet."

Mirellia wishes she had Luigi's optimism. Sadly, she knows the truth is much more dire than what her aide thought.

Interlude 4: Grievance of the Red Queen

"How long ago was this message recorded?"

The shadow makes no movement or sound to answer her Queen's question. Not until Mirellia's bodyguard knight captain Sarah Palmer taps her foot on the carpet. "Apologies, my queen. It was two weeks ago."

Mirellia squeezes her eyes shut at the mention of this. "The situation has likely already deteriorated."

Duke Claes whips his head around to look at the queen. "Surely not, Your Grace. Even if King Aultcray has allowed his grudge to affect his judgment, I'm sure Marquis Noches would do everything in his power to avert a crisis of this proportion."

Mirellia feels like sighing at the Duke's overly optimistic estimation. Luigi Claes is charismatic thanks to his Spear Hero ancestor, and he is competent at completing the tasks assigned to him. But sadly, he also painfully lacks initiative and creativity, unlike her former aide Count Ascart. "And how much can the spymaster do, when the Pope no doubt fans the flames of hatred my husband harbors for the beastmen and the Shield Hero?"

"Ah." The Saint of the Spear's descendant looks stunned for a second as his body grows rigid. "Sad, but true."

The Queen waves her hand to her sleep deprived shadow to dismiss her. She murmurs to herself with a voice lower than a whisper. "Aultcray, you sentimental old fool..."

As a woman, Mirellia will forever be grateful towards her husband.

Noble Faubley, the kingdom of heroic bloodlines, had a much vicious and bloody tradition for their game of thrones behind polite smiles than Melromarc; where Sacred 28 - the twenty eight most ancient and noble houses that contain only the pure bloodlines descended from former heroes - and their vassals contest the power behind whoever sits on the throne.

Aultcray's earlier life growing up in Faubley court was invaluable in her earlier days ruling as the queen, when her much older and seasoned husband used every moment of those experiences to help her avoid the pitfalls of ruling her ravaged nation.

But even more than that, he helped stave off the crashing sense of guilt that threatened to push her into the pit of despair. Whenever she screams herself awake, he's there to hold her in a warm embrace, and soothes her back to sleep with his gentle words.

Perhaps if it wasn't for him, she would likely have found some ways to end it all, her promise to mother and elder sister be damned. Probably not actually ending her life, but simply not caring enough to live.

But as the Queen of glorious Melromarc, it's not hard for Mirellia Q. Melromarc to notice how the mind of her regent king slowly slips away into melancholy over what he had lost in the Great War. Ironically, due to his sentimental nature she loved so much.

After the Great War, it was imperative for the royal family to pivot more towards the Faith of Three, rather than the Faith of Four. Hatred towards the beastmen and demi-humans reached a boiling point with both the nobility, and men of humbler birth. It made the most sense to turn the Shield Hero into her political scapegoat through embracing a more dogmatic religious doctrine. Especially considering who the last Shield Hero was.

Despite her reliance on the Faith of the Three, Mirellia was under no illusion that Biscas Balmus was her friend. No, the newly crowned Pope of the Three Heroes' Church was an ally that kept her sleep with one eye open.

But not Aultcray. He honestly believed his fellow Triumvirate was still the preacher who raised orphans alongside him in the village of Alphorn. Or perhaps, Aultcray finds a kindred spirit in the Pope with their mutual hatred towards the Shield Hero.

Regardless, the result is the same. Her husband put his unwavering trust in the wrong man, even as his court started to be filled by flatterers and fools - the same rotting parasites who openly congregate in the halls of the Three Heroes' Cathedral.

Mirellia isn't sure whose idea resulted in her current predicament, but it matters little. She and her heir are now little more than hostages, kept away from her nation and home in an effort to pry the heroes away from Melromarc.

The queen can't help but bite her own nails, while she thinks back to how it happened a few days ago.


Cal Mira Island had been declared neutral ground by the heroes since time immemorial. As a result, this is also traditionally where a world conference is called whenever the Wave of Catastrophe strikes again. It would usually happen in the special conference room underneath the Menagerie Resort, known as the Four Corners Room.

Yet, the Faubley King has called Mirellia to a special meeting inside the heart of his war camp. The question remains if this will be one of the usual under the table deals before those conferences usually take place, or something more sinister.

The rim of the Faubley War Camp is composed of the musketeers that make up the bulk of their army - conscripts of humble birth who are fitted with firearms and serve as a wall to the more valuable troops.

Inside the outer rim are two of Faubley's most elite units - the Faubley manticore riders, and the dragon knights. Castle forged steel weapons reflect brilliant lights back to the queen's eyes, ferocious manticores and wyverns snarl at the unfamiliar outsiders only to be barely reigned back by their riders.

Last but certainly not the least, are the three favored bloodhounds of Faubley King standing guard right in front of his royal tent. Katy the Butcher, Aphrodite the Animal, and Tansy the Dragon.

On the left, the orange furred and red haired feline beastwoman bares her fang at Mirellia. A heavy set of black titanite completely covers Katy's body from the neck down. The giant rune blade that gives her the name 'butcher' clapped right on her back.

On the right, Aphrodite brushes a stray strand of curly royal purple hair behind her ear. Her full red lips curl into a smirk at the Melromarc queen. Her form fitting 'armor' with more cutouts than a harlot's attire makes her look more like a seductress than a knight who once wrestled down her soul bound manticore with her bare hands.

In the middle stands the captain of Faubley's dragon knights. Tansy stands still like a statue, her blue eyes giving no indication she even perceived Mirellia's approach. Only the slight tightening of her fingers around the hilt of her sword shows the acknowledgement of a possible threat.

Their reactions make Mirellia briefly wonder if she walked into a trap. She can feel the tension of her own entourage behind her. Until a short and pudgy pig in a velvet suit emerges out of the tent, with a tall goat of a man behind him.

"My dear Mirellia, you are as beautiful as the day I first lay my eyes on you." The repulsive pig picks up Mirellia's hand, and gives a wet smooth kiss on the back of her hand. The richly decorated suit dripping with gemstones does nothing to hide his vulgarity. "I look forward to meeting your daughter in the future."

"Cousin Bert." Mirellia fights the urge to wipe the back of her hand on her demon spider silk dress. Instead, she leans her head gently forward. It's not quite a bow of submission, but still deeper than a nod of acknowledgement.

Moments like this almost makes her feel sorry for her elder daughter's future fate. She quickly grabs her weakness by the metaphorical throat, and shoves it into the jar she keeps in the back of her mind.

Glorious Melromarc does not need a weak ruler who can't do what's best for the nation.

"I'm sure my daughter looks forward to the day she rules Faubley besides you." The words taste both bitter and sour in her mouth.

"Your Grace, perhaps it's to the point we escort Queen Melromarc to her seat?" King Faubley's top advisor, and the headmaster of the Hero Academy of Faubley, Albus Dumbledore, walks up to his much shorter king. It's quite the amusing sight, even if the people in question are far from amusing. "So we may begin the negotiations?"

"Ah, yes. Where are my manners? I'm sure dear cousin Milly is eager to meet all the esteemed guests." The pig slaps his own head in an over exaggerated manner. He holds his arm up to point inside the tent as Katy opens the flap. "After you, my lady."

"Thank you, Cousin Bert." Mirellia gives King Faubley another nod as she enters the tent. She immediately notes the way it's decorated inside.

The last Wave happened six decades ago during her grandmother's reign. Mirellia herself has never been to the 'Four Corners Room' located underneath the Menagerie Resort, but she has read the royal record describing it.

The most noticeable decoration of the room would be a large square shaped table in the middle, perfectly aligned to the four directions of the earth, with a small decorative altar in the middle, holding the emerald to the north, ruby to the south, sapphire to the west and topaz to the east. The symbol of both the four cardinal heroes, and the four guardian beasts.

She doesn't know how large the table in the Four Corners Room is, but she is staring into a replica right here in King Faubley's tent. And the seats around the table are hardly empty.

To the north facing Mirellia sits the manager of Menagerie Resort, Ghira Belladonna. The unofficial 'Lord' of Cal Mira Island.

On the left side of the table, is President Kennedy of Shiltfreeden, who recently gained 'independence' of her nation from Faubley. The Whip Hero sits right beside her, with his feet resting on the table and an arm behind the back of his chair.

Right side of the table is the most interesting. Sitting in the chair is an old husk of a man draped in a suit of armor made up of leather and carapace of dead monsters, with a horned helmet shaped like a crown. Lord Fool, the ruler of the Free City Zeltoble - The 'capital' of Zeltoble free city alliance.

Behind him stands a thin woman as straight as a spear, and an equally old man in grey robes. Mirellia has no doubt in their identities: Lady Jamandi Aldori, the current Sword Lord of Restov, head mistress of Aldori Dueling School. And Kel'Thuzad the Grey of the Red Wizard of Dalaran, Master of the Third Tower.

The representatives from the three most powerful free cities of the Zeltoble alliance.

The only representatives missing from this conference are the Siltvelt animals. The Faubley monarch made his intention clear from the decor, to the people he invited. This isn't a normal under the table dealing. It seems the old pig is ready to all but decide which nation will be granted the right to summon a Cardinal Hero.

"Please, sit down, my dear queen - so that we may begin the negotiations." The pig points to the single chair near the entrance to the tent. He walks around the table and plops himself down onto the chair besides Ghira.

Mirellia narrows her eyes at the arrangement, as a distant growing rumble seems to drill its way into her ears.

According to the same royal record, a world conference would have the 'Lord' of Cal Mira Island sit on the North, initiating the ceremony.

The judges from Q'ten Lo would sit in the South, making decisions on the worthiness of each nation's candidacy.

Those who bid to summon a Cardinal Hero would fill themselves on the west and east side of the Four Corners table, usually with the beastmen on one side, and humans on the opposing side.

Offering Mirellia the south side could be seen as a great honor, considering Q'ten Lo representatives have the trouble of no longer existing on this earth to attend. But with King of Faubley sitting firmly on the north side, it takes a much different meaning. It seems like the Pig King has already made deals with his lackey Kennedy, and the leaders of Zeltoble, ready to isolate Melromarc into accepting whatever decision they already made.

"If you would begin the ceremony, Lord Belladonna?" Albus Dumbledore sits down on the other side of King Faubley and looks at the supposed host of the conference.

"Ah, yes! Of course." The jovial manager of Menagerie Hotel hops up from his seat like an arrow, or more to the point... like his ass is on fire. Mirellia can practically hear the jingle his feet made taping on the floor. "We are gathered here today, to determine the candidacy of each nation in summoning our saviors..."

That's when the rumbling sound begins to grow to the point where everyone's sight moves towards the tent flap. The sound of scuffling is mixed with roars and screaming till' a guard flies backwards into the tent. He would have crush into Mirellia, if Knight Captain Tabitha didn't instantly conjure up a wall of ice between them with a wave of her staff.

In walks two figures, one tall broad-shouldered man with a majestic mane on his beastly face to boot. The other is also tall, but much more slender with her midnight long hair run down her back like a waterfall. Her disarmingly delicate human-like face hides how dangerous the girl can be.

They were the Siltvelt representatives - Jardis Priderock, Pillar of the West of the Eight National Pillars of Siltvelt. And Jinjo Lung, the Claw Hero and heiress of the Azure Dragon clan. Two of the most distinguished warhawks of these Siltvelt animals.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here? A hidden conference without Venerated Siltvelt, perhaps?" Lung walks around the wall of ice as her eyes move to the leaders sitting around the table. Her eyes fall on Mirellia first, while a predatory smirk adorns her face. "A gutless bitch in sheep's clothing, who gains her crown and throne through backstabbing."

With a tap of her finger, Lung shatters Tabitha's magical ice wall. Making the Knight Captain stumble on her feet as her magical flow is disrupted. The dragon's sight moves onto the rest of the table. "A leech who hides under the shadows of men, stealing their achievements. A foolish old bug who fancies himself a king. And a lecherous pig who idolizes Mikage the Great, but only manages to imitate his libido. The vermin in this room fit quite nicely with the occasion."

Katy the Butcher is the first to move. The Black Guard draws out her giant rune blade in a blink of an eye, and swings it down towards the much smaller woman. With a loud clunk, the sword that looks more like a door is caught between two nails of a long claw on Lung's left hand.

Aphrodite the Animal's curved saber hacks its way to the opposite side of the heiress. The commander of Faubley manticore knights obviously intends to capitalize on the stalemate between the two beastmen. With a second loud clunk, her saber is caught between two other nails.

And from Lung's left hand, the much smaller woman swung Katy around to catch Aphrodite with the same hand without barely breaking a sweat.

Tansy jumps down from a leap in an attempt to crush the head of the Azure Dragon Clan heiress. A third clank rings out in the Faubley King's tent. Her Mithril sword caught between two nails of Lung's claw, also in the left hand.

"Tansy the Dragon... That's the moniker after you brought a dragon to heel and made him your soulbound, wasn't it?" The brown eyes of Lung grow yellow, two small antlers begin sprouting out of her hair. "Insolate worm! The thing you brought to heel... was merely a LIZARD!"

With a swing of her left hand, the Azure Dragon heiress tosses back the Faubley King's three bloodhounds. They manage to land on their feet behind their king, but it's obvious who had the advantage of this encounter.

The power of a hero is obviously hard to abridge, even with some of this world's greatest generals. It seems like the only one who can give Lung a good fight in the room is the Whip Hero, but the brat does not even put down his feet. He winks at his former schoolmate and blows her a kiss. It's returned with a smirk adorned nod.

"Aren't you going to do something about this, Tact?" King Faubley stands up from his seat to glare at the nonchalant Whip Hero. "Or are you so enamored with your old flame from school, you are willing to let her slaughter your countrymen?"

The young man simply shrugs his shoulder at the pig king's scathing words. He puts his feet down and kicks the barely conscious guard, who lets out a pained groan. "What for? Jin-Jin isn't even serious. Or else there'd be a lot of dead bodies by now."

"I think we made our point, Jinjo." Jardis scratches his chin as his eyes scan through the tent. He asks in a sarcastically high pitched tone. "Have we proved our worthiness for hero summoning now?"

"Tossing your weight around is hardly a proof of anything other than your hubris. You still haven't paid your debt to Melromarc in-" Mirellia's own word is cut short when she suddenly feels herself lifted up off her seat, a hand closing around her throat like a vise-like grip. She hears distant shouting around her. From her peripheral vision, one of her bodyguards, Knight Captain Sarah Palmer, is tossed right out of the tent, ripping a hole in one of its walls.

"YOU, of all the people here, do not have the right to demand anything, Bloodstained Princess." The yellow in Lung's eyes becomes much more pronounced, to the point it looks positively glowing. She slightly throws her head back, looking down at Mirellia with her yellow eyes. Her nose, which was delicate from before, bulges up at the bridge while it grows much wider. It makes the Azure Dragon heiress look much more grotesque. "You think your pitiful patch of land has suffered? I say you haven't suffered enough! Not until you wash away the blood of all the children you and your men slaughtered without mercy in the Night of Tears with your own blood!"

"Please, put my queen down, Lady Lung." A hand gently rests on the legendary claw. The Duke of House Claes does not draw his ceremonial short spear from his back. No, Luigi's preferred weapon has always been a disarming smile and a silver tongue. "There's no need to talk about differences between nations, when we are facing a crisis of the world together. Let us all take a step back, and talk like the leaders of the world. I'm sure the messenger to you venerated Siltvelt representatives simply got lost here. Cal Mira Island is famed for its beauty, and hospitality? Isn't that right, Lord Belladonna?"

"Ah yes. We Cal Mirans aren't distinguished warriors, but we will lose to no one when it comes to treating our friends well. I'm sorry if some of us might have acted too eager, and delayed the messenger."

"Well, since you asked nicely, Duke Claes." The yellow in the heiress' eyes fade away, as do her antlers and enlarged nose. Mirellia feels herself fall down back into her seat again, gasping for air. But the smug words of the animal makes her heartbeat become rapid once more. "As for the talk with the hero summoning - well, apparently we all were out played by the red bitch. Her husband has already gone ahead and summoned all FOUR Cardinal Heroes behind everyone's back, while she acts as if nothing happened."

"WHAT!?" Pandemonium echoes in the tent afterwards.

Mirellia manages to hear Dumbledore's voice among the shouting and screaming between everyone else. "That is a serious accusation aimed at one of the representatives, Lady Lung. Do you have any proof?"

"Why not try to summon a hero yourself right here, Dumbles? You are the most powerful Archmage alive right now, aren't you?"

A lot of barking orders at servants happen as the representatives exit the tent. Mirellia can feel her heart bounce as the ingredients for the summoning ritual are being fetched, and the summoning circle is being drawn by the aides of both the headmaster and the master of the third tower.

Dumbledore looks at the other Archmage among them. "Would you like to give me a hand, Master Kel'Thuzad? While I have confidence in my abilities, perhaps it's best if we both contribute to the load so there will be no error in our casting. You are my better when it comes to grey magic."

The Grey Master from the free city Dalaran gives a nod as acknowledgment. "Not at all, Headmaster Dumbledore. If you would take the lead in channeling life energy into the summoning ritual, I shall open the portal to the negative plane and seek to match your output."

With their tasks divided, the two old wizards begin their work as they each walk to the opposite side of the circle. Two vortexes of blue begin to swirl above each one of their heads. One turns searing white as the flame of life ignites into existence, while the other slowly fades into grey as a chill deep enough to reach the bone and assault everyone. Energies from both portals begin to wave their way into the summoning circle like a pair of snakes.

With a loud boom, a cloud of smoke fills everyone's vision. But the message hovering in everyone's sight is clear.

[Legendary Hero Summoning Rule Violation: Four Legendary Heroes Already Summoned]

A second pandemonium erupts on that day.


"Our king has created quite the conundrum for us, didn't he?" Luigi shakes his head while signing, obviously reminded of the situation they went through with the other nations just like Mirellia. "At least the first princess took charge of the situation. No doubt, to her own detriment if she's forced to go deep undercover. Our life would be as good as forfeit, if our nation actually condemned one of the heroes in addition to summoning all four of them. A Slight reprieve for us."

Is it?

To call the crisis they are facing now a conundrum is like saying Houou of the Guardian Beasts is a bird, or that the Siltvelt animals are pillaging raping cunts. Not incorrect, but severely understating reality.

The situation Aultcray created is dire, but still salvageable. As long as the four Cardinal Heroes, especially the Shield Hero who is worshipped by the animals, are within Melromarc's sphere of influence, the representatives from other nations can do nothing against herself and her escort other than keep them in house arrest.

Depending on the situation, Aultcray and no doubt the Church of Three Heroes' little scheme of condemning the Shield Hero can even be a blessing in disguise for Mirellia herself. With the Shield Hero vilified by the other power players back home, it will be a prime opportunity for Mirellia to exact her influence over the maligned hero. All she has to do is make sure the hero doesn't get killed, or leaves Melromarc ground undetected by the time she can scoop him up and wrap her fingers around him. Maybe even propose a betrothal of her younger daughter to him, and fortify Melty's position as the royal heir.

That's why she instructed her underground contact, Beloukas the smuggler, to find a young slave girl of the most pathetic variety. And to find an opportunity to have the Shield Hero pick her up.

If there is still any compassion left with the traumatized hero, a sick and weak little girl should be able to draw it out. Plus, an unsophisticated slave girl would have little knowledge of the outside world. She would be able to help tie the hero right in Melromarc, if he's willing to take care of her. And of course, such a pathetic life form would be no competition to her well-educated and raised daughter when it comes to the time to ask for the Hero's hand.

But all those plans have now been burned into the ground, thanks to one little setback she overlooked. Her other ... daughter.

Mirellia has never thought her elder daughter to even be a player in this game of thrones, to be honest. While her first daughter no doubt has way too much ambition for her own competence ... or her own good, she is also exceedingly lazy. Unlike Aultcray, who is blinded by his nostalgia towards his first daughter Henrietta. Mirellia is aware how much her elder daughter wastes her time reading those trashy romance novels rather than attending to her studies.

There is no way her lazy and vain daughter would be willing to throw away a life of luxury to stick to a maligned hero, no matter how much prestige he commands at the larger world scene.

Apparently, Mirellia underestimated her daughter. That vile creature has wrapped her fingers around the Shield Hero and played him like a harp. Before she herself even has the time to set the first step of her plan into motion.

Like mother, like daughter, she supposed. And now, the situation is truly beyond repair.

"I'm afraid that I don't share your optimism, Luigi. If anything, the reason my elder daughter went undercover is because she intends to play the game only for herself." The queen turns to look at her bodyguard. "Go summon Princess Melty, Captain Palmer."

"Yes, my liege." The Knight Captain hammers her fist on her left chest, as she turns to leave the royal suite.

"Aren't you being too harsh on your daughter, Your Grace?" The duke turns his head to look at Mirellia, with doubt evidently in his eyes. "If a powerful and influential future husband is all the first princess seeks, there are better candidates with four heroes in total. I'm sure at least one of them outside the Shield Hero is a good fit. She can still enjoy her royal status as a princess by their side."

The queen feels like sighing again. Just like her husband and Marquis Noches, Duke Claes is another father whose love for his family is legendary amongst the Melromarc nobility. It's easier to puncture a hole into a granite castle wall with a tree branch, than drilling through their head that their angelic daughters are less than perfect.

"Influence." Knight Captain Tabitha Charlotte Orlean de Gallia speaks as if her every syllable drains her life force. But her intention is clear to Mirellia, who is already on the same train of thought.

"Knight Captain Tabitha is right, the Shield Hero has the strongest renouncements out of them all, thanks to his prestige with the beastmen and demi-humans. My elder daughter may find ruling the Siltvelt animals with the Shield Hero a fitting consolation prize, if she fails to sit on the throne of glorious Melromarc." The queen slaps her folding fan into her empty left hand. She murmurs under her breath. "It takes one to know one..."

The duke at least has the decency to look truly concerned as he dips his head, rubbing his clean shaved chin with his left hand. "That would be disconcerting. By Siltvelt tradition, the heir between the Shield Hero and any of his consort is supposed to go to the mother's clan. It would give Siltvelt a claim for future Melromarc throne, with an heir groomed by them."

"Yes, indeed. Glad to know you finally caught on, my aide." The queen fights through the desire to roll her eyes at Duke Claes.

"There are ways to permanently resolve the issue." A muffled voice brings both the queen and the duke's attention back to the figure standing in the corner of the room, where the shadow seems to congregate. Dressed in skin tight clothing and a mask hiding her face, this one doesn't look much more different than the Shadow Mirellia already dismissed. Although the red pauldron with a lily flower decoration signifies her position as one of the elite among them, a Lone Shadow.

Although this one isn't one of the Lone Shadows from the Great War. No, Lily the poison master is someone promoted into the elite commander after the war. She's assigned to watch over the queen, when the rest of the senior Shadows are running themselves ragged, preventing an army of foreign spies flooding into Melromarc territory.

"There are concoctions to prevent child birth. Some are more potent than others. I can have one of my shadows slip something into her drink ... and she will not have an heir with the Shield Hero, or anyone else."

The queen is tempted to give the go ahead right this moment.

"Silence, vile witch! How dare you tempt my queen into harming one of her own children!" The twin short spears on the duke's back are drawn almost in an instant. It's not easy to truly enrage the easy going descendant of the Saint of the Spear, but Mirellia's poison master obviously just did. "Begone from our sight, before I demand your tongue be cut out for your vile deed!"

"I only speak for the good of my liege." The Lone Shadow simply looks into Mirellia's eyes. "Does the queen wish me to proceed with the suggestion, or cut my tongue for speaking out of turn?"

"I will forgave you for speaking out of turn this time, Luigi."

"Please forgive me for my earlier impudence, my queen." The Duke of House Claes manages to calm himself, he returns his twin spears back to his back and falls down on his knees.

The disruption gave Mirellia a moment to think. While making her elder daughter infertile is more than tempting, that brings its own set of problems in the future. "You told me from before. There is no poison that's truly undetectable, yes?"

The queen's Lone Shadow bows down her head. "There are ways to mask the deployment of any poison, but regrettably no poison is truly undetectable. Either in the process or in the aftermath."

"Therein lies the problem - if I know my daughter, she'd truly train the Shield Hero to eat out of her hand by now. If he later finds out his wife has been poisoned and become infertile, there will likely be a reckoning. Potentially making an enemy out of the Shield Hero is... unwise." The queen can't help but grit her teeth together at the end.

Everything would have been so much easier, if her elder daughter hadn't committed the seduction of the Shield Hero. By joining Melty's hand with the hero worshipped by the beastmen and demi-humans, she gains a guaranteed shield against the filthy animals and one of the most potentially powerful and influential backers in the bid for the future Melromarc throne.

But now this prime candidate falls into the camp of her first daughter. The already delicate balancing act between her two daughters has now tipped almost irreversibly towards the elder. Almost a decade in maturity is already an unfair disadvantage Melty will have to fight tooth and claw for without the Shield Hero as an opponent.

Now, thanks to the actions of her husband and that blasted Pope of the Three Heroes' Church, Mirellia's hands are tied. She can't even try to snub any influence the Shield Hero may gain through during the Wave, unless she wants to ask for a crusade the rest of the world will declare on Melromarc.

The queen looks at the Lord of House Claes from the corner of her eyes. "Rise, Duke Claes. Your ... concern towards the well-being of my family is appreciated. But do remember next time; only I myself have any right to command my shadows."

"Yes, my queen. I am glad that you see reason in the end." The descendent of the Spear Hero stands back up and steps back.

At this moment, the door to the royal suite swings open in front of them. In walks two identical girls with long blue hair tied into twin curly ponytails wearing the identical light blue frilly dress. The knight captain follows inside right after the two of them.

Her real daughter, Princess Melty Q Melromarc and the body double, Shadow number 66.

Both girls walk in front of the queen and bow down, their delicate fingers daintily picking up the corner of their dress in an identical manner. They speak with the same voice in unison. "I bid you good afternoon, my queen. You have summoned me?"

"Yes, my daughter." The queen nods at her younger daughter, seemingly not bothered by the fact now there are two of them. "As you may already know, your father went behind everyone's back and summoned all four heroes. Possibly due to the Church's influence on him."

The princess remains still, not speaking or even raising her head. If she has any opinion about her father's actions, she certainly isn't preparing to let her mother know.

The queen simply continues her speech, obviously didn't expect her daughter to interrupt her monologue. "Your older sister is busy ... making herself dear to the Shield Hero. I'm sure all the ladies in waiting are also busy to win the hand of them. I'm going to send you back home, so you may also find a hero as your future husband."

At the mention of this, the princess on the right side suddenly bobs her head up to look at Mirellia. Her face is now split by an expectant and wide smile. "Oh, have any one of the heroes already raised a filorial? I heard the heroes from before had big chunky talking filorials!"

The doppelganger quickly nudges the excited princess with a gentle tap of her elbow. The real princess gives a quick glance to her copy before she makes a loud gasp. She quickly bows her head down once again, imitating the stance of her Shadow. "Sorry, Mom. I mean, my Queen Mother."

"It is quite alright to be excited about the prospect of marrying a hero, my daughter." Mirellia nods her head at Melty. "But you need to hold yourself to a higher standard. Remember, you are a princess of glorious Melromarc. You must constantly prove yourself better than others for the right to don the crown after me."

"The rightful heir is my elder sister, my Queen Mother. I am only the spare." Princess Melty's response is fitting for her position, even if not quite agreeable with Mirellia's disposition.

"We shall see, my daughter. The throne of glorious Melromarc belongs to the one who will bring her long lasting peace and prosperity." The queen turns herself to the side, so she's facing everyone in the room. "Are the knights from the Three Heroes' Church still demanding the return of Princess Melty?"

"Yes, my queen. Sir Alexandros of the Three Heroes' Church is still petitioning to the Faubley King for the return of Princess Melty. So far, his words fall on deaf ears." Duke Claes opens up the window to look out towards the Faubley Camp by the beach.

Right in front of the Twin Swords of House Faubley banner are the small encampment of the recently arrived Three Heroes' Church knights. The ivory banner of the holy triangle flaps in the wind in defiance of the red and blue twin swords. The chanting can be vaguely heard by the prisoners in the royal suite.

"Let them do what they want. Cousin Bert may even grant the release of my daughter, once he grows annoyed with those zealots." Mirellia gestures for the duke to shut the windows. She turns to look at her daughter and the doppelganger. "But we can't wait till' that happens. It'll be too late, even if I were naive enough to entrust my daughter's safety to the Three Heroes' Church. No, you will prepare to leave for Melromarc tonight, under the guise of the night while Shadow number 66 remains in your place."

"Me?" Captain Tabitha turns to look at the queen expectedly. The House de Gallia princess pushes her slowly sliding twin spectacles back to the bridge of her nose.

"No, I need you to stay here, in command of my wyvern knights. In case of the... worst case scenario." The queen looks at the other captain in the room. "How are your injuries, Captain Palmer?"

"All healed up, my liege. Filthy Siltvelt animals can't cause everlasting damage to Melromarc flesh." Captain Palmer slams her fist over her chest plate, with a prideful smirk on her face.

"You are tasked to protect Princess Melty, take a few of your most trusted knights and make sure she returns home safely. But do not let your guard down, even after you arrive on Melromarc soil. Protect my daughter the whole time, till my eventual return. Our enemies are both on the outside, and from within."

"Yes, my liege!" The Captain instantly falls down to one knee, bowing her head down. "I will not fail you again!"

"I know you won't, Captain Palmer, for you have not yet failed me. Elite knight or not, I do not expect you to best a Legendary Hero. But remember, prudence is more important to this mission than arrogance."

"Oh, does this mean I will join the party of a hero? Can I join one with filorials?" Princess Melty starts to tap her feet on the carpet as she hops with excitement.

"Yes, I'm sure the heroes raise filorials for their convenience of travelling. If not, you can always convince them to raise a bird for you." Mirellia's words make her daughter positively radiant with giddiness. The queen simply waves her hand to dismiss the princess, ignoring Duke Claes, who opens and closes his mouth like he's trying to say something. "Run along now, my daughter. Pack only your most necessary things. Remember, you are still meant to stay here at Cal Mira Island."

"Yes, I understand, my queen mother." The real princess bows again, before she quickly exits the room with Captain Palmer behind her.

"Is this truly the wisest decision, my queen? While I agree we should move Princess Melty back to our homeland where she can be well protected, an escort of only a squad is too meager, even if led by an elite like Captain Palmer." The duke finally speaks his mind after the departure of both the princess and her bodyguard.

"No it's not. But it's the best we can do now. The situation has deteriorated to the brink of total destruction, thanks to my husband and daughter. Now leave me be - I need to think."

The duke looks like he wants to say something again, but ultimately lets out a sigh as he turns to leave the room. Mirellia has a good guess on what her long time second wanted to tell her.

This would not have been a problem, if she simply passes the crown to her elder daughter as dedicated by tradition.

The queen understands why the descendant of the Spear Hero chooses silence. There are certain things a vassal simply doesn't say to their liege if they value their lives. No matter how close a relationship they enjoy together. Messing with royal succession is the easiest way to have their entire house uprooted in the game of thrones.

The queen sits down on the chair behind the desk of her suite. She squeezes shut her eyes and rubs the bridge of her nose with her hand. Aultcray is obviously getting too old and sentimental to continue his duty as her regent.

She was already thinking about stripping Aultcray of his regency and having him be a simple Prince Consort even before this hero summoning debacle. She wasn't blind to her husband's attempt to secure a betrothal to her elder daughter with a powerful Melromarc family, after all. No doubt, in a misguided attempt to save their elder from the life of marrying to the pig king, whose sadism is as well known as his endless libido.

Mirellia can't help but scoff at the idea of marrying her elder daughter to the son of a powerful Melromarc family. It would give that creature too much power, possibly even lead to a civil war after Melty's coronation. And wouldn't that just be the thing Aultcray hated to see, his two daughters killing each other.

Aultcray's sentiment is making him so shortsighted, he's completely blind to the danger to his precious daughters he himself is causing.

When this current crisis is over - if this crisis can be resolved - she'll need to pick a prime minister to replace Aultcray.

Three candidates came to her mind. Duke Amelia, Marquis Notches and Count Ascart.

The current finance minister Duke Louis de Amelia is obviously a bad choice. House Amelia is already too powerful with his good father General Anderson being the most influential Melromarc General, his wife Merellis considered the most fitting Melromarc Lady, and he himself the long time finance minister since after the Great War. To make him the Prime Minister might as well have Mirellia add her crown to the Lord Paramount of the Golden Coast and descendant of the Bow Hero.

Marquis Douglas Ibel Noches is the better choice. Being a Crownlander, the Marquis does not have a full province that had sworn fealty to him, and lacks the bloodline from a previous hero. So there is a smaller chance for the lord of House Noches to usurp her family. But the Marquis' daughter Bertia is also a devoted friend of Duke Amelia's daughter, to the point they might as well share the same dress. If House Amelia truly conspires to replace House Melromarc as the new monarch, it's hard to predict who House Noches will support.

Her ideal choice has always been Count Dan Ascart, her former aide before Duke Luigi Claes. She still remembers the young scion of House Ascart, who took on the duty of serving her remnant army's logistician in their retreat back to the Golden Coast in the Great War.

The logistician in an army is a role the Lords fight over when the war is a glorious conquest, for there is easy money to be made when supply can easily disappear due to 'logistical difficulties'. But in a full retreat borderline to routing? It is a potato that'll burn one's hand off, when supplies are stretched to the breaking point.

But thanks to the young scion of House Ascart, her army manages to retreat back to the Golden Coast without crumbling into dust due to supplies running out. There's no doubt in Mirellia's mind that without Dan Ascart, the history of House Melromarc will end almost twenty five years ago in the Great War.

After the war, Count Ascart continued to serve her as her aide. But the lords of higher echelon constantly attack 'the Upstart from Ivory Pass'. While not all the aides of the former Melromarc queen were eventually promoted into the role of the Prime Minister, enough of them were to the point it's seen as the training position for future Melromarc Prime Minister.

She manages to shield the count from attacks, till' the birth of his daughter Sophia. Her white hair called the faithfulness of Countess Radea Ascart into question. When Dan refused to disown Sophia upon Mirellia's suggestion, there was nothing she could do other than letting the Count go back to his quiet little country in the Ivory Pass.

"I'm surrounded by sycophants and fools, without one competent helper in my way." The Queen bites her nail again as she closes her eyes. She can only hope Melty can safely return to Melromarc, and secures herself a competent future husband.


End Note:

So, another confession time. I never liked Queen Safespace, as she was nothing more than a badly written Deus Ex Machina plot device character to give Naofumi a safe space in WN. But I didn't think too much about her till LN came out and she's given more focus by the author. And of course, my discussion with Commissar Gaunt made me think more deeply about her as a character.

After more thorough consideration I can safely say, Queen Safespace is my ABSOLUTE MOST HATED character in the entire RotSH extended canon. Yes, I hate her infinitely more than canon Bitch, or anime Idol Rabier (who was so badly written, he should not have exist in the story, period) who are both conceived to be hated by audience and nothing else.

My biggest problem with Queen Safespace is the author engaged in a prime case of 'want to have their cake and fuck it too' with this character. The author want Naofumi to get completely fucked over at the start to gain him sympathy point for later when he turns into an asshole, but they also want to make the Queen an all around great Mary Sue character (presumably to easily resolve the issue of Naofumi supposedly being hated in the nation), which is a fundamental oxymoron thing to do. While the Queen of Melromarc is probably not an absolute monarch like the Emperor of China, she's also not a constitutional monarch like the current British royal family. Which means she should automatically take most blame for ruling her nation so badly, the Pope almost had a successful coup right under her nose.

Which is why I choose to do a more de-constructive take of this badly written character for my story. Where her confidence and supposed greatness is a completely lie, and she's not any more competent than her husband. My personal grievance (hehe) against this character aside, I think take Naofumi's Deus Ex Machina plot device character is better for my story. Since I wanted to focus more on the Game of Throne like political drama than the gaming mechanic for my story. Don't give Naofumi a plot device who create safe space for him is a good way to give future story some tension.

To Guest 1:

Praise the sun. \[T]/

Jokes aside, I'm definitely not on the hype train for the queen. I'm on the bombing blimp aiming for her head.

You will get to see how they name Firo later in this story. And no, Malty was definitely not happy about Naofumi naming her 'Firo'.

To Astawrath:

Well, I'd say Naofumi's respect to royal family wasn't there to begin with. He fights mostly for the innocent common people.

Yeah, Motoyasu definitely botched his accusation when he accused Naofumi on the wrong motivation. He ended up making the opposite party feel more justified in their wrong doing. I mean, even the alternate timeline Naofumi he himself decries his Rising timeline self to be a scum for using slavery, which says something. I honestly can't tell how the author was so selectively tone deaf.

Beloukas is definitely a better person than canon. I re-imagined him as an idealized version of Rising Naofumi's capitalism personality for this story.

And yeah, Eclair gets into the story way before her canon introduction. I feel her character is pretty much wasted in canon when she's introduced so late into the story, and didn't get to do much. She even got her vassal weapon cuckholded by tanuki in LN version. Poor Eclair.

To Guest 2:

Glad to know you enjoyed the story so far! Hope you will continue to have a good time with this story!

I don't want to give away too much... but let's just say the only way for any character to exist this story for good is through death.