The Court of the Regent King Aultcray Melromarc the Thirty Second had been somewhat of a stress for the old King. His biggest pain recently has been supporting the income for the Hero's and their adventurers. They needed to become strong, but no one else was willing to help pay for them!

Oh sometimes he wished his wife, the Queen Herself, could come back to help him in these matters. However, she was gone for the near future as (thanks to their successful summoning) everyone has been claiming de jure control over the Heroes!

There was a sick sense of irony that his punishment to the Shield has been helping his Wife, as she was now at the mercy of their Kingdom. Well anything to stick it to Siltvelt and their fucking monsterous asses!

As for the funding problem, well Aultcray was becoming a bit pissed at the situation. Pope Bicas T. Balmus had followed his word in helping the King administer the realm, however the fool is not donating any of the promised funds! Add in that if the reports are true about the ruins up north, then Aultcray would be hard pressed to even be able to feed his people!

Ah, but he has already justified having to support the Heroes, especially his daughter. The King knew he's not going to fool anyone if he supported the Spear far more than the others because of Malty. Truely, he'd only need to blame his wife in taking his poor little Melty with her to fucking Faubley!

Now he was alone with a bunch of sniveling, craven idiots who couldn't stack a single coin! He was a fucking Warrior not a Mechant!

"Where the fuck is Cleaves!" He yelled while picking himself from the chair, "I haven't heard from that damn Spymaster in three days!"

"Guh! Uh, I believe he went to report directly to her Majesty!" The attendant to Aultcray's right cried out.

"That fucking Demi-Human." he grumbled to himself before falling back into his seat, "Why does she trust the bastard if he just bails the first moment he gets! I need to know something! Lawernce, see to inform the fucker that either he shows up in court or I will have him executed!"

"A-are you sure about that sir?"

"Yes, since if he's not by my side how can I be sure he's not trying to kill me." Aultcray grumbled before stretching his arms up into the air, "It's like I'm losing the Kingdom I worked so hard to protect."

The attendant said nothing, his eyes not coming anywhere near his liege. In the end, that order would stop at him since he was instructed by the Pope to not disrupt the status quo. Of course it also didn't help Lawerence didn't know where the fuck the guy was. All he knew was no one had ordered him to have the King poisoned yet.

A sound of footsteps shifted Aultcray's attention from the attendant. Instincts quickly had him straighten his form, eyes becoming more alert as he looked towards the end of the hall. Within moments four forms came into view; most of them the personal guard to the King. These men were recruited and trained by the King himself and were the few he could trust fully.

Ones built for War.

The two personnel quickly kneeled to the King, which caused the other to do the same. He could not help but raise a brow at the center figure.

"We have brought to you the Shield Hero your majesty!" Captain Alphonse claimed while his back was straight up, "She has come here with two guards from the gate who saw to escort her, along with her personal beast of burden."

"She survived?" Aultcray heard Lawrence mutter in surprise, and he would as well. Aultcray did not expect the girl to survive given what happened to him within the Swamps.

He waited a moment before making a motion with his hand, "Those of my guard, you are to assume places guarding this hall. As for you, Hero of the Shield, you may rise before me."

All did as he said, words made clear as he rhythmically tapped the chair. Such was the power of a monarch when one does exactly you desire. They could choose to not to listen and then face drastic consequences.

"I will admit, Shield Hero, now is not the best time to have come to my court. Especially if you have failed in your task." Aultcray could see the little girl shake under his eyes, but she stood with a firm spark in her eyes.

"I-I have!" She seemed to do something within the air before a sword suddenly fell into her hands. She stood perfectly straight and extended the swords hilt first towards the king.

Something moved in the King as he saw the weapon. The blade white with golden encrustment just like that of the Cardinal Sword itself. However, even the King could not believe his own eyes.

"Why are you standing like that? I cannot tell if it's the real thing with it being so far!"

"Uh, okay!"

Just as he said, the girl quickly climbed up the staircase to the throne. Aultcray could not help but notice how she seemed to be traveling much faster than before, reaching the speed he would have originally expected of a human. However, right now his mind did not want to mull on the nature of Heroes, but instead the weapon that she presented him.

Once more he scanned it, the ruby red centerpiece aligned with the series of scratches both himself and his ancestors have inflicted upon the weapon. What should have been impossible was in fact here, and as he took the weapon from her his heart felt elated.

It weighed the same as before, the balance holding up. In the little off center of the sword was a groove in the weapon where he recalled blocking one of the Hakuko's strikes against his sister. Yes, it was when he had fled Faubley and needed to cross through the Country to find asylum.

It was a mark showing how he was willing to protect his sister while the dulling of his blade was his revenge against the demi-human hordes. She was not with him now, but Aultcray feels he sees her through Melty, his second daughter. With the blade before him again, he could feel the weight of his old family's blood run through his veins.

It was back when he was young.

When he had lost all but the clothing on his back.

A rage in his heart.

A Sister who he had yet lost.

And a desire to once more make a name for himself.

Before he knew it, the King had placed his hand on the sword's grip.

"Fuck!" A thunder-like sound roared through the room followed by the clanking of metal. Aultcray could feel his hand burn from the rejecting, "That fucking Staff. If you are going to deny me my own family heirloom why not come to me!"

Nothing answered his call, the King's true weapon forever eluding him. It was just for a moment, but he really just wanted to tell the world to go fuck itself. He wanted to head out again and protect his family and country from the hordes of Demons just like he did when Siltvelt tried. Instead he was forever squabled in the politics of this damned realm.

It was then he saw the sword glint again, once again brought before him. He looked up to see a shaky smile upon Maple's face. It was an innocent one, similar to that of his daughter Melty and by a further extent Lucia, his Sister.

Why the fuck was she holding his sword up for?

"... thank you." he automatically replied while accepting the weapon back. For now it would lay in his lap until the time comes one of his descendents choose to wield it.

"Are you, uh, alright Mr. King?"

Finally back into reality he looked at the Shield, the girl squirming a bit back. It was just that she fell under his gaze for what she had done to his family.

"Maple of the Shield." He called out with steel building back inside of his heart, "While I cannot forgive you yet for what you have done, I thank you for bringing my sword back."

"Y-yup! You're welcome." She said while giving the King a bow.

"So may I ask, what of those monsters that live in the swamp? What is their state as of your return?"

"I killed the boss!" She quickly said with a smile, "Nothing else attacked me after that, so I think the area's been cleared out. Why even all the water is gone!"

"Really?" He could not help but raise a brow at this, "And you are sure that nothing had attacked you upon exit, the toxic waters that claimed entire armies have dried up?"

"Uh, yea I think." She responded while scratching the back of her head.

"So the Shield Hero has reclaimed an entire duchy of land for Melromarc..." He could not believe his own words, "You have done more than I had asked of you."

"Did I? But I couldn't get your sword without killing the boss."

"Really? You killed the being who plagued the realm for hundreds of years?"

"Yup."

Aultcray simply shook his head. The ramifications of this girl essentially getting a claim on the Duchy being shoved out of his mind. No, she had just done something unbelievable and could lead Melromarc into times of prosperity. If only it had happened before the damn Waves.

"I have a second task for you, Shield Hero." He could not help himself from smiling, "As you have done the impossible, I already know of your next task."

"W-what would that be?"

"I desire you to head to the County of Sea Rock that rests in the Duchy of Orleans up north. You see the lands once held were once plentiful of food until only a few months ago when the Waves hit. It was then devastated, the lack of crop and the people panicking has stretched my reach and the food supply thin."

"You… want me to fix it?" Maple hesitantly exclaimed with a shakily raised brow.

"I had heard that Cardinal Heroes once before completed great feats we the people of this realm could never imagine, providing miracles that show their status of godhood." He simply gave a short laugh, "That is your trial, to complete a miracle."

To both his surprise and content the little girl seemed to glow a formed a smile, "I can do it! You can count on it!"

"Then begone, I do not want to see your face until you have completed this task for me!"

"Okay! I will try my best!" She quickly left the room, a weird monster following behind her.

In the end he could only laugh, laugh at what the world had given him. He was not the best judge of character, but he could not stop feeling like that girl had been the most earnest person to have walked into his court this entire week!

Why, even for a second, he wondered if she actually did all that she was accused of.

King Aultcray the XXXI

Regent of Melromarc Kingdom

Diplomacy: 10

Martial: 33

Stewardship: 5

Intrigue: 0

Learning: 3

Traits: Brilliant Strategist, Aggressive Leader, Experimental, Game Master, Vassal Hero, Chaste, Temperate, Wroth, Pride

Editor's Corner:

Alternate Names of Chapter: Lone King Hill, King Guy, King Gate.