The large cavern was located deep within the territories that had been assigned to the Church. It wasn't a secret location, many knew of it, but neither was it a well-known one. For more than 50 years it had gone unused and even the best efforts of Balmus' flock hadn't been enough to restore it to its full glory.
It was good enough for this meeting and more importantly, it was far from the capital where the Princess had forged the core of her power and further from the East where she was currently hunting down his followers.
Balmus prayed to his God, their sacrifice would not be in vain, he hoped.
He sat at the head of the large rectangular table with a dozen other seats. His guards and shadows were scattered about the room. The Pope was nearly half an hour early, but as the host that was his duty. Personally, he found it a little tiring to bother with the foolish men and women who had decided to support the Queen. They were nothing more than entitled parasites who should have realized that the power of the Crown had shifted.
Malty Melromarc ruled the capital and with each passing day her reach expanded. With two Heroes under her thumb and her own personal power, she was not an enemy he could afford to have.
Unfortunately, it seemed that she was determined to be his enemy.
The destruction of many of his elite forces scattered around his country proved that. Many had been working to find and kill the Shield Hero, that she had stopped and captured or butchered them, and chosen not to raise the subject with him was eerie and highlighted a big difference between the Princess and her mother.
Mirellia Melromarc, the third of her name, would have used the captives as a bargaining chip to renegotiate an agreement. To make sure that the search for the Shield Hero happened on her terms.
Melty Melromarc, eliminated his soldiers, left no evidence of her murders and recruited nobles and adventurers to search for the Shield Hero instead.
No warning. No declaration of war.
Just brutal execution.
It was worrying. At the moment, she was being subtle, but there were signs that she'd convinced the Bow Hero to act openly against them. He had no survivors to provide absolute evidence, but the mana signatures of Heroes were relatively easy to sense and the story they told was sobering.
Most of his people had been killed by Malty personally, over the last three days. Only a rare few fell to her demi-human pets or the Bow Hero.
Pope Balmus knew that he had no choice in the matter.
Mirellia was one of his only options. Her control over the Sword Hero ensured that.
It was a pity that he was finding himself more and more certain that her failure was inevitable.
The men and women who entered the chamber, announced one by one, didn't agree with his thoughts. They were eager to serve their Queen, failing to realize that her power meant nothing.
They were guided to their respective seats and one of Mirellia's shadows, disguised as a noblewoman, placed a crystal in the centre of a table. A quick flick of his fingers had his best mages analyzing the enchanted crystal.
"Your Holiness," whispered Lady Igraine, one of his faithful with a bow as she took her seat next to him, "Are we truly…"
The young woman trailed off. Her question was obvious: Were they truly going to aid the woman who they had spent so long trying to remove?
"Yes," he said. For now.
Igraine nodded, but her expression was a worried one. Rightfully so, she knew he would never concede to operating with Mirellia unless it was critical. The summoning of the Three Heroes should have been that start of the masterstroke needed to take back control of the Kingdom. Aultcray was an eager man who followed their beliefs with incredible fidelity. Malty had been nothing more than a spoiled, easily usable fool who would have been the puppet for the next generation and Melty was nothing more than a child.
Their coup d'etat would have been silent, unacknowledged and effortless. With the Three Heroes, the world would have knelt at their feet.
The Crystal glowed twice. A dull flare at first followed by a blinding one.
Mirellia's projection appeared floating above the Crystal. She was miniaturized, but her image was clear as could be.
It was not her who concerned him. That would be the man, Prince Takt of Faubrey, who stood at her side smiling smugly.
Balmus' worry multiplied. He had expected Mirellia to have secret magics, allies and tools. It was a part of the life they lived.
Instant communication across the continent was not within his expectations, however. Neither was a clear alliance with a Star Hero who should have been angered at Melromarc as a whole. The Pope was well aware of how much weight Faubrey held on the Four Heroes.
"Pope Balmus," she said with a nod, before turning to the Lords and Ladies scattered about the room and greeting them, "Let us begin."
Balmus was reminded eerily of Malty. The same casual skill to take control of a room. It was hardly something he'd expected in the past, but now with the changes in personality, it was clear that they were truly related.
Unfortunately, for Mirellia, she held very little power unless the Sword and Whip Hero's power exceeded both the Bow and Spear and Cane's power. Or if she had a weapon equivalent to his Replica of the Legendary Weapons.
It spoke volumes of her reputation that both were practical possibilities.
"Princess Malty has become a serious problem," said Lord Azlan, "her actions are reckless, ill-thought-out and leave us vulnerable."
Balmus disagreed, he had seen the cold calculation that drove Malty firsthand but said nothing.
Others weren't as composed.
"That's true," said Lady Irisa, "She's a monster, but it's people like your sister that let her get this bad. Your Lady knelt to an usurper-"
Lord Azlan's calm faded like morning dew. "My sister did what she had to to survive," he said flatly, "Look to House Leto and Roma if you want to see the cost we'd have to pay if my sister wasn't wise enough to-"
"Lick the usurper's boots," said Lady Irisa.
The Lord looked furious, but his voice was without emotion when he spoke, "To bide our time. To wait for an opportunity. To avoid losing the lives of our children meaninglessly."
Irisa scoffed but said nothing. The woman had lost her brother, who had married into House Roma, and niece.
It was fortunate that she was from a minor House that was to the West. The Princess was heavily focused on the border that would face Siltvelt and the central territories. A wise move, given her time constraints, but also one that had allowed that region to become a hub for Mirellia's rebellion.
"Enough," said the Queen, having permitted the argument so as to be able to study the mood of the room, "We are all at risk should we permit this situation to continue. Without unity, our destruction is assured. I have already secured an alliance with Faubrey and several prominent members of Zeltoble, but that is meaningless unless we muster ourselves and use our full strength against her."
Igraine, in an act that cemented Balmus' opinion of her loyalty, spoke boldly, "Your daughter is the architect of this instability caused by your husband, Your Majesty. Yet, it is the rest of us that suffer."
"That thing is not Malty," said the Prince at her side. Balmus noted that his voice was louder than the Queen's. "She's being possessed by an alien spirit. Only I can take her down!"
Balmus was glad to see the uncertainty that spread across the room. Even the greatest supporters of the Queen looked a little surprised by what her supporter was saying. They didn't rise to her defence. They observed the small projection instead with the gaze of a blind man who had been granted sight.
"The Prince suspects that my daughter has been possessed. It would explain her extremely different behaviour," said Mirellia, briefly satisfying those who were frustrated by her and dismaying her supporters, "but that is irrelevant. What matters is that the current situation is only possible by the carelessness of many. My own mistakes were paramount, but that doesn't change our situation. Without immediate action, Malty shall ruin us all. Remember what she did to House Leto simply because they disagreed with her. Look at House Roma, who had a 300-year history of service to House Melromarc? Nothing is sacred to her."
Balmus chose to reinforce her message. He needed her plans to work. And having them think that the Queen had a mad ally was useful. "The Queen is correct," he said calmly, his supporters among the gathered aristocracy sat up straight to hear his words, "Blame is not relevant at the moment. The Princess has chosen to twist the mind of our Heroes and kill the faithful for the crime of choosing not to obey her without question. She is mad and she cannot be permitted to rule over our people."
A murmur of agreement spread throughout the room. The Prince looked a little angry at being disregarded, but a glance from Mirellia had him quiet down. The Pope frowned at the show of control. His control was slipping. The Sword Hero was bad enough.
Balmus' eyes met with Mirellia. They didn't nod, showed little in the way of true emotion and smiled.
Neither trusted the other. The Queen knew that he had summoned the Three Heroes and the demon. She suspected or knew that he planned to have her removed and he knew of her plans to disband the military arm of his Church and see that his successor was to her liking. Now she had a fair advantage over him in that she had two Heroes.
However, they had a greater enemy to fight at the moment and a war to win.
The fate of Melromarc would be decided later. He knew enough of her that she would not turn against him so soon.
"Our actions must be swift," said Mirellia after a moment, "The usurper must not be permitted to continue to ravage our great nation."
"Indeed," he said, "The Sword Hero will be essential for our success. It is a pity that he didn't deign to attend."
Mirellia smiled, a gentle smile to calm her allies, a false smile like all others. "He is a very focused young man," she said with a chuckle, "At the moment he is training. Rest assured he will be ready soon."
Balmus smiled and nodded. "I see," he said, not believing a word, "That is good news indeed, but I must insist that we not leave everything to him. It would not be just." Or practical.
"You won't need to leave anything to him," said the Prince Takt clearly annoyed at being disregarded, "I am level 200 and my friends and family are level 150! No one can hope to match us."
The words bought silence. Even Mirellia looked surprised.
None of them had expected such an absurd level. Even the Wise King of Melromarc had been level 120. Worse, however, was the claim of others surpassing level 100.
That was something only Legendary Heroes weren't meant to bestow. It was almost impossible, and in any other circumstance it would be impossible, but now...
Slowly, a picture emerged. Prince Takt was being supported by the Sword Hero who had somehow managed to learn the secrets to shattering the level barrier. Mirellia was only surprised that her advantage had been shown to everyone here. Clearly, the Prince was a fool who was dancing in the Queen's palm if she'd chosen to empower him and use him to take her nation back. Or he was her chance to control and influence Faubrey! Marry him to the first princess and use her elder and this foolish, but powerful warrior to take control of the largest nation on the planet.
It was subtle, audacious and cunning. She had even managed to use his summoning of the three heroes to bolster her power.
Balmus found that he was starting to believe that the possession wasn't a lie. The spirit that was using Malty's body as a shell had her memories and more importantly, was far too competent to be the actual first Princess. He had studied the reports on her for a decade. She had been a fool, but now with another driving her body, she would know of the plot that Mirellia was using. It would explain why she was multiplying her forces.
The discussion continued with renewed excitement. The Queen was slightly slow to react at first, but quickly the discussion began to shift to talk of a direct assault on the capital as the nobles realized that they had a real chance.
The idea was swiftly shot down by Balmus, "You have not witnessed the fortifications that she has built around the city," he said firmly, "The capital is hers and the castle, in particular, is under her complete control. I would not advise a direct assault where she is at her best."
The Queen was quick to support him, "I must agree," she said firmly, "There is a better opportunity. She is searching for the Shield Hero herself at this point. An ambush will be easy to set up and my agents are in position to guide her there."
Balmus nodded and smiled along with the others even as he felt his power slipping. The plans were finalized and he was sure to contribute and guide his followers to play the role of obedient allies.
"Are we ready?" drawled the bored Whip Hero who'd stopped paying attention.
Mirellia began to explain the plan to him while Balmus' mind began to despair as he realized the inevitable. He began to regret not bringing at least one of the Heroes into the fold. They were empowering both his enemies to absurd levels.
Malty with ruthless devastation of his flock fueled by Holy Power that was not something he could match and Mirellia with her desire to ruin him and replace him with a puppet supported by two powerful Heroes.
Neither could be permitted to win.
He had to make sure neither would.
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