Chapter 29 – Enlightenment
Even dead, Idol Rabier seems hell-bent on pissing me off.
Though if Dante were being honest, he knew he had no real excuse. He knew that whip was cursed. It was entirely possible it would inflict him with some sort of curse too. Reichnott's doctor checked him out and found nothing, and Dante didn't think to mention the whip to him.
He had to assure the two clergy members that he wasn't upset with them. Since he was in the presence of people with some experience with curses, though…
"This is what cursed me." Dante said as he dropped the whip from his shield on the table. "From what I understand, it's pretty potent."
Looking at it again, it was a much more dangerous weapon than he realized. He hadn't brought it out since he tested its power with Sadeena, considering how Rifana and Raphtalia reacted to it. The stats were pretty good, but the special effects were so much better. He couldn't see them all when his appraisal was lower, but now it made sense why the whip was so strong.
"My word…" The healer seemed to agree, at least about the curse. She picked up the whip to examine it more closely. "When were you cursed by this?"
"Over a month ago." Dante said.
"A month!?" The healer yelled, snapping her head towards Dante. "Lord Shield, you've had this curse for over a month!?"
"Y-Yes…" He didn't think it was that big of a deal, mostly because he felt fine. Hell, he felt better than before he lost his arm. That might have actually been a cause for concern, but he was content with his peaceful sleep.
"Lord Shield, do you know the damage a curse can cause if it's allowed to fester? Reduced healing is only the start of the problems it can cause!"
The healer launched into a whole lecture about the dangers of curses, and how they need to be treated immediately. Apparently, curses fester in about a week, some as early as a couple days. It went on for a few minutes, all while Dante, Eclair, and the priest stood by and listened. Once she was finished, she seemed to realize she was berating her country's god and started apologizing profusely. Dante refused her apology, saying that this was something he needed to know and he thanked her for her explanation. It wasn't something he was going to easily forget.
After storing the whip back in his shield, the healer wrapped Dante's shoulder in bandages soaked in holy water and cast a Drifa level holy spell over the area. She explained that the spell would remove the bulk of the curse while the bandages would basically siphon out the rest over time. In a few days, he should be curse free, in a sense, but the damage was already done. Dante thought back to Fitoria and asked if there was anything that could be done about the lingering effects.
"Unfortunately, there is no known way to reverse a festered curse like this."
Unfortunate, indeed. It was a longshot, but he hoped this healer would tell him something other than what Fitoria said. It wasn't for his benefit, Dante could still see an alchemist for his arm. He hoped that the restoration of Fitoria's sight might change her mind about wanting to die. He knew she was far older than him, but seeing someone so young looking accept death like that didn't sit right with him.
Finished with their healing, the priest helped Dante back into his armor and he and Eclair met back up with the others. The guide showed them from the church to the castle. Along the way, Dante got a better feel for Siltvelt's layout. More accurately, how areas were so different from each other. Eclair had explained how the different tribes used different architecture, but seeing it all was something else. He saw a lot more of it going to the castle than on the ride to the church.
Eventually, they arrived at said castle. It wasn't just the castle that was a bit bigger than Melromarc's, but its doors and bridges too. There were a number of other differences, but they seemed to be mostly stylistic.
They were handed off to a palace attendant then, who took them all to the throne room. There, a man with red feathered wings greeted them. The feathers extended across his arms and legs as well. His feet looked like a bird's claws, and his fingers were a bit pointed as well.
"Greetings, Lord Shield." The man said with a bow. "It is a great honor to meet you. My name is Werner, and I am the leader of the shusaku."
Huh. I'd forgotten what he looked like. Much more bird-like than I was expecting.
"I'm Dante MacRory, the Shield Hero." Dante said, before gesturing to the others. "With me are my companions. This is Sadeena, who has been with me almost from the start. With her are Keel, Raphtalia, and Rifana, all from Lurolona village. That's Eclair Seaetto of the Seaetto territory. These two are JoJo and Dio, a filolial king and queen."
Werner followed along as Dante introduced each member of his party, nodding along to them all. "I've heard reports from our emissaries. It's good to finally meet all of Lord Shield's retainers."
"Ah…about that…." That was something Dante had worried about. "Have you heard what happened to them?"
Werner grimaced and lowered his head. "A spy sent a monster messenger saying as much. We thought you would be going to Faubrey, so we sent a message to our diplomats there to greet you."
Huh. Something like carrier pigeons, I guess. Well, I suppose demi-humans trying to send a secret message to Siltvelt from a guild in Melromarc wouldn't be that easy. But, wait, if they knew that, then…
Dante realized what that statement might imply. "How did your spy know about that?" He asked.
"He didn't specify." Werner responded. "The messages can't be too long, I'm afraid. Only the most relevant details are shared."
"I see." Dante tried something else. "Did it mention my talk with Princess Melty?"
Werner's eyes widened ever so slightly at that. "Yes, Lord Shield."
Dante hoped the spy learned about his plans through someone at the castle, but if he heard it from that conversation…
"Did he mention my…comment about Siltvelt?" Dante probed. The slightly sullen look from Werner confirmed his thoughts. "My apologies. I didn't mean to offend the people of this country."
"Not at all, Lord Shield!" Werner said quickly. "Tahrin explained your concerns in his messages to us, as well as your reason for staying as long as you did. Indeed, there are those who take extreme actions due to their faith, but the people of Siltvelt wish only to serve you."
"Ah, well, that's good then." It wasn't exactly. If Dante recalled, Sadeena was the one to first mention Siltvelt's zealotry. He hadn't really thought about what the emissaries said in their reports. Something to watch out for. "Well then, what happens now?"
"If it pleases you, Lord Shield, I invite you to relax for the remainder of the day. We will prepare a feast in your honor for tomorrow. We will also gather as many tribe heads to meet with you as quickly as possible."
Well, they had arrived rather abruptly. Dante didn't want to stop in any villages on the way. The two biggest concerns were Melromarc—or, rather, the Three Heroes Church—sending people after them, and Siltvelt officials not wanting some outworlder coming along and rearranging things out of their favor. Really, making a big fuss out of things would be an issue, but hiding out wouldn't solve anything.
From talking with his party, the others wanted to relax as well. The constant rattling of the carriages, practicing magic or combat while they stopped, and only occasionally bathing in the river were starting to take a toll on everyone. It would be nice to have a properly cooked meal and a nice, hot bath.
"That sounds good." Dante said, already spotting a few approaching maids. "Also, I'll need to speak with an alchemist."
"We have already sent for several." Werner said. "We were unsure of the extent of your injury, so we thought it best to explore as many options as possible."
"Perfect." Dante nodded. "Also, we'll need some magic thread spun for Raphtalia here. Here clothes are…not as functional as intended."
"As you wish, Lord Shield."
The maids greeted them with a bow and Werner led them all through the castle. All throughout, Dante could see differences in the art and decorations, both between here and Melromarc, and just from the different races of demi-humans. He couldn't tell which was from which race, but some did have some more apparent differences that even he could pick out.
They reached a room with quite ornate doors. It wasn't exactly gaudy, not like is armor at least, but it was fairly fancy. The doors were lined with gold, or at least gold plating, and the wood was a deep red. The room itself was what Dante could only describe as, well, a bedroom. Literally, the only piece of furniture was a large bed. That, and the wall decorations. On the opposite end was a terrace that overlooked the city. That area did have a chair and small table near the center.
"Please make yourself comfortable, Lord Shield." Werner said. "I will show your companions to their rooms."
"About that." Dante beckoned over Dio and JoJo, who were already in their child forms. "These two will stay with me."
"I'm afraid having others share your room can't be allowed." Werner said, bowing.
Dante figured he might say something like that. "Then I suppose I'll be staying with my companions for a bit longer."
"That, too, would cause issues." Werner said.
And around we go.
"It'll be one or the other." Dante said, hand on his hip. "Personally, I think having two filolials stay in the Shield Hero's room would be better than having the Shield Hero stay in guest rooms."
Werner looked like he wanted to say something to that, but held it back. "I believe having these two stay with you would be preferable."
"Good." Dante said with a smile. He wasn't really concerned with anyone's safety, at least for right now. He just didn't want to sit alone for however long he was going to be there.
The three of them entered the room while Werner took the others to their rooms. Dante specified to keep them close by, and on the same floor. They were on the top floor of the palace, after all. Over on the terrace, Dante could see almost the whole city below them. It was really something else to get a view of all the different designs from a distance.
Next, Dante looked at the assortment of decorations that lined the walls. Most of it looked to be similar to what they saw in the halls, but better quality. A few of the outliers were pretty impressive, like the skull of what Dante assumed was a large dragon that was mounted to the wall. There was also one practical thing on the wall.
Dante pulled the large shield from above the room's fireplace. It looked rather worn down, but still in useable condition. The front of it was covered in thick hides of various monsters. Dante copied the shield and looked it over, power up potential included.
Shield of the Beast King (LV locked) 0/80 C
(abilities locked) equip bonus: therianthrope abilities up (large), demi-human abilities up (large), skill "Beast Transformation Assist" "Territorial Reform"
equip effect: power of devotion
Wow. I'm not high enough level for it. Well, it is a pretty amazing shield.
Ignoring the boosted shields, this one had the highest stats. Its defense rating wasn't as high as the Stout Shield before being powered up, but it was in the ballpark. Dante would need to see what the shield could do once he was high enough level to use it.
"Hm?" JoJo turned his head to the side. Dio followed suit right after. Both stood next to Dante.
Dante looked in the same direction as his kids. "You would do well to show yourself." Dante spoke to the corner of the room. There was no sign of anything there. After a few moments, Dante began to approach, Dio and JoJo in tow. "Last warning. This is an order. Otherwise, I'll have to waste a spell on you."
A second later, a dark grey rat therianthrope revealed itself, standing about two feet tall and wearing similar colored clothing. Cloth covered its head, showing only its eyes. It looked like a black veil had been peeled away from the corner when the rat appeared. It prostrated itself before it spoke up. "My deepest apologies, Lord Shield."
Well, it's either loyal to the Shield Hero, or it knew I wasn't bluffing.
"Care to explain yourself?" Dante walked back to the bed and sat on the edge, a filolial child on either side of him. The rat therianthrope raised its head and Dante waved it closer. It came about a dozen feet away from the bed before it took a knee.
"I was tasked with observing Lord Shield and ensuring no harm came to you." The therianthrope stated.
"Observing me for who?" Dante asked.
The rat seemed to think for a moment before speaking again. "There was no single individual I report to."
"So the leaders of Siltvelt, then." Dante nodded. "That's fair, I suppose." He did spend over a month in Melromarc. Maybe they wanted to see what he was about.
"If Lord Shield pleases," the therianthrope continued, "how did your filolials notice my presence?"
"They have good instincts." Dante answered. It wasn't as if he didn't notice as well. His Alert Shield picked up the therianthrope's presence immediately. Even if it didn't, and Dio and JoJo didn't, Dante picked out the small spy after about a minute. His stats and job levels helped with that greatly, but Dante wasn't about to tell a spy that.
"I see." The rat therianthrope lowered its head. "I do hope you forgive this transgression."
"I suppose I will." Dante said, but then he thought to add to it. "That is, if you answer a question for me."
"What do you wish to know, Lord Shield?" The therianthrope looked up at him.
"Are you a shadow? And what is your name?" He asked.
"You are well informed of our world." The rat said. "I am a shadow of Siltvelt, and this one has no need for a name."
Well, that's reassuring. Dante had wondered for a while if he could pick out shadows with the shield's power and his experience. Normal people were easy enough, but who could say about magic ninjas?
"And where do your loyalties lie?" Dante thought to ask.
"With Lord Shield and Siltvelt." The shadow answered without hesitation.
"I see." Dante nodded. "And, what is Siltvelt?"
"Lord Shield?" The shadow didn't seem to understand.
"You said you didn't report to any specific person in Siltvelt, leading me to believe you would inform any leaders of what you learned. But, what I want to know is, do you act in the interests of the people of Siltvelt, or its leaders?"
Dante assumed it was the leadership. He had sparse knowledge about the shadows of this world, mostly because he had yet to meet one. It was possible the man he killed on the road was a shadow, but he didn't have any way of verifying that. This was a good way to learn a little bit about them. Assuming, of course, this shadow was honest with him. Dante wasn't sure if he could determine whether or not he was being lied to at all, the same being true for Dio and JoJo. Magic ninja, after all.
"Then allow me to rephrase." The shadow said. "I serve the Shield Hero, who is Siltvelt's will."
"Hm…" It sounded like the truth, but he'd take it with a grain of salt for now.
"Shall I refrain from reporting your activities to the leaders of Siltvelt?" The shadow asked.
"…No, that's alright." Dante said after thinking it over. "But speak with me before you do. I want to know what you plan on telling them. Really, I have a lot to ask you about as well—"
A knocked sounded on the door. "Lord Shield?" A woman's voice called from the other side. "The alchemists are here to see you."
"…But I suppose that will have to wait for another time." Dante said as he stood. The alchemists had arrived faster than he thought they would. "You may continue with your observations."
The shadow bowed again and disappeared from sight.
That's quite the trick.
"Show them in." Dante called to the door. When it opened, a maid stepped in.
"Forgive me, Lord Shield, but the alchemists are waiting for you in the throne room. It wouldn't do to have them intrude upon you here." She said.
"Right, right." He'd nearly forgotten the headache this place was likely to be. "Well, lead the way then."
~The Wrong Hero~
A headache it was, indeed. When Dante and his kids arrived in the throne room, Werner introduced him to three alchemists. Among them was a male rabbit demi-human, a female owl demi-human, and a male alligator therianthrope. Dante almost did a double take at the alligator man. His scale color reminded him of the indigo gators that tried to eat him. His kids seemed to realize that too, given the looks they gave him. The owl demi-human was interesting too. Her arms and head had brown and white feathers on them, but her hands and legs were human looking. He assumed her legs were, anyway, since she had on normal looking boots.
A couple of the maids helped Dante out of his armor. When they did, they took off his shirt as well. Reiko's little cacodemon floated down with it, startling them. It had hidden itself in Dante's shirt before when the healer looked him over. Dante told them not to pay it any mind.
When the alchemists examined him, Dante had to give them the go ahead several times, each one before they touched him, until finally he just told them to stop asking and inspect him. He informed them of the curse on his body, though it was fairly evident with the wrappings. Dante had Werner and the maids leave before he showed the alchemists the whip. The shusaku might recognize who it belonged to.
After making their notes, and drawing a bit a blood, there came another bit of annoyance. They would need to grow a new arm for him and attach it to him once it was made. That itself wasn't annoying, but what they said next was.
"I can have the arm ready for you in five days." The rabbit man said.
"I'll have it made in four days." The owl woman said quickly.
"I misspoke." The rabbit man interjected. "It'll be ready in three days."
"To take so long for Lord Shield." The alligator man shook his long head. "I'll have it ready for you in two days."
"A day and a half."
"One day."
"By the morning."
"You think you can make something worthy of Lord Shield in such a short time?"
"Are you questioning my skill?!"
Am I in an auction house? Is this a bidding war?
Dante held up his hand, silencing the squabbling alchemists. "I'd rather it be done right than done fast." He told them. "If you rush this and I get an arm that doesn't work, I'll go with the one that does. I'm told my curse may make it more difficult. That said, I would appreciate having an arm ready within five days."
He wanted a little time to get used to having an arm again before the wave in Othil.
The alchemists left to work on Dante's missing limb—after bowing deeply, of course—leaving Dante to observe the throne room. It was a pretty grand hall, all things considered. It was similar to the throne room in Melromarc, except this one had balconies one could access on one side through large, glass pane doors. Some parts looked to be higher quality than in Melromarc, while other were less so. Not that it really mattered.
Several maids came back into the room to inform Dante that supper was ready. They helped him back into his shirt and armor, but they presented him with another piece of clothing as well. It looked somewhat like a cape or cloak, but it was made to cover the left side of his body. They didn't need to explain the reasoning to him. God was missing an arm, after all. It didn't feel like it would do much good, considering he was basically parading around town on a carriage with his missing limb on display, but he didn't argue about it.
Once they had him fitted, they led the way to the dining terrace. There, he saw a number of different demi-humans and therianthropes in attendance. The rest of his party was there already. A few of the attendees were talking with them, and it looked to be friendly, or at least not hostile. Well, since Dante wasn't trying to leave immediately, and Sadeena wasn't hanging off of his arm, they didn't have much reason to be upset.
One person in particular stood out to him. It was a male lion therianthrope, standing next to Werner. It was fairly likely this was Jaralis. Dante doubted he'd be able to pick him out in the streets, but here in Siltvelt's castle? There was little doubt.
"Lord Shield has arrived!" One of the maids called out.
As Dante made his way across the terrace, the people in attendance greeted him warmly.
"Welcome to Siltvelt, Lord Shield."
"You honor us with your holy presence!"
"Praise Lord Shield!"
'Warmly' may not be the right word.
After he sat down, the others did as well. He sat at the head of the table. On his left side was mostly his party, and the right was occupied by nobles from Siltvelt.
"I apologize for such a small gathering." Werner said to Dante as he stood at his seat. "For your feast, there will be more in attendance. Please accept this humble offering."
Dante waved him off. "It's nothing to worry about." This was all something he might have to get used to, at least for now. It was still pretty off-putting.
"In that case…" Werner, as well as the other Siltvelt nobles in attendance, clasped their hands together and bowed their heads.
"May the Lord Shield's will be done. We thank him for this food, that it may nourish us and strengthen us so that we may do his will. Glory to Lord Shield, the savior of the world!"
Dante looked blankly at the nobles praying to him. Well, I've gone and broken another commandment. Oh well, I was already halfway through the list anyway.
Without another word, the nobles dug into their food. Dante gave his party a nod and they did as well. He already knew none of the food was poisoned. He had a Detect Poison skill from the first day, and he already maxed out the Claw's proficiency power with it. When he did, he realized he could no longer activate the skill, but it was instead always active.
The food was a mix of things. It seemed to have a bit of a wild feel to it, given the presentation. For supper, it was a bit much, but God did just return home. The feast was likely to be much more extensive, probably more so than Melromarc's banquet after the wave.
"Hmmm." JoJo looked at the food he had been scarfing down.
"What is it?" Dante asked, taking a sip what seemed to be an orange flavored wine.
"I think you're food is better, Da—uh, Master." JoJo said.
That was another thing Dante was having them do for now. While the others were fine to call him Dante, or Sir MacRory, he didn't want his kids to refer to him as their dad. Funnily enough, neither one seemed okay with just calling him Dante. So, they opted for what they first called him.
"Lord Shield has cooked for you?" One of the nobles asked.
JoJo nodded. "Master cooks for us all the time. Well, sometimes we eat the fast plants, but Master always makes sure we have enough."
"But to have Lord Shield cook your meals, and in his condition…" Another noble shook her head.
Dante chuckled softly. "I was beginning to wonder if that condition was known." He gave the fancy cloak a quick tap. Then again, his food was already cut for him.
"But of course!" The lion therianthrope—who, in fact, introduced himself as Jaralis—shouted. "Everyone in Siltvelt knows of what the Vixen of Melromarc allowed to happen."
Dante spotted Eclair glowering at Jaralis, but Raphtalia kept her attention by feeding her another bit of the meat that was served. Eclair seemed to be diligently following the healer's instructions with regards to her hands.
"Well, in any case," Dante sidestepped that remark, "I do the cooking because my shield provides me with a number of bonuses to my cooking ability. The others prep the food for me. It's really something to hold fish over a fire and it becoming delicious just from that." He would still add some herbs to it, but it wasn't necessary.
"Truly a blessing of Lord Shield!" A noble said. Dante had to resist rolling his eyes.
"Cha-cha! Cha-cha!" The noise around his chest startled Dante. It caught the attention of the nobles and his party as well. The little red ball squeezed its way out of Dante's armor and hovered in front of Dante's face.
"Lord Shield?" Werner looked on in concern. "Is your…familiar okay?"
"Yes, it's fine." Dante said. "It's just letting me know my…associate in Melromarc has found something for me. I think." It sounded like a chirp and not a cry, but Dante wasn't sure. "That was a chirp, right?" He asked the small cacodemon.
It seemed to just hover there for a moment before lazily moving forward. It bumped into Dante's nose and floated back again.
"I'm taking that as a 'yes'." Dante said, petting the small tomato monster. It looked cute, but the chirp needed work.
"What will you do?" Werner asked.
"I'll be returning to Melromarc after supper to find out what he learned." Dante told him, taking another bite.
Several of the nobles gasped. "You would go back to that country?!"
"For a short time. I'd be back within an hour." The cooldown became slightly shorter with each use. He wondered if the skill would change at all when the proficiency maxed out, like with Detect Poison.
"Lord Shield, please reconsider." Werner pleaded with him. "You've only just arrived. If you were to leave so soon—"
"I believe you already know what I've been doing in Melromarc this past month." Dante told him. "This is in regards to that."
"And what will you be doing when you get there?" Jaralis asked.
Dante picked up his goblet and spun the wine around a bit. "I'll be collecting information from those involved in the sacking of Lurolona Village. There are no objections to that, are there?"
That one might get mixed reactions from the nobles present. Lurolona was first set up as part of a peace initiative with Siltvelt. From there, Ronota actually gathered more people, being a spot better suited for trade. Siltvelt had done a similar thing for humans in Siltvelt. This was according to Eclair, and something he sort of remembered from the books. Incidentally, he made a note to check out that human village here. Make sure no war hawk decided to do the same thing.
The nobles' reactions were indeed mixed. Jaralis, however, betrayed Dante's expectations and actually smiled. "That's a wonderful idea, Lord Shield." He folded his clawed hands together.
"Oh?" Dante was a bit surprised, but then he remembered the kind of people he was dealing with. Jaralis was likely thinking—
"This will show the Vixen of Melromarc how powerless she is to govern her own country!" He roared.
—something bat shit crazy like that.
"Jaralis." Werner warned the lion therianthrope, but Jaralis continued on.
"Think of it! Her plans for Lord Shield have already failed, and now he plans to clean up her mess. Not only that, but Lord Shield will also be ridding the world of a few more Melromarc wretches, if I take his meaning." Jaralis held his hand open toward Dante.
The man in question took a sip of his wine before setting it down again. "Well, you aren't wrong about the last part, at least."
"But the end result will be the same!" Jaralis slapped his hand on the table before turning to his fellow nobles. "We should all support Lord Shield in this endeavor!"
The other demi-humans and therianthropes started nodding their heads to his words. Their murmurs turned to sounds of approval. Jaralis looked at Dante with a proud smile on his face.
Huh. I've gained Jaralis's approval. I don't want to say I feel dirty, but…
"Just to be clear," Dante voiced before things got out of hand, "my only purpose is to find the missing villagers. I'm not taking any public actions against Melromarc."
"We can discuss our political goals at another time." Werner quickly interjected, casting a quick glance at Eclair. Party member or not, he must have known talking about such things in front of her wasn't a good idea.
Jaralis seemed to pick up on that, but thought differently. "Why wait? Surely the Seaetto heiress sees the foolishness in her queen's actions."
"These things are not my queen's doing!" Eclair shouted, standing from her seat.
"Eclair, please." Raphtalia tried to bring her back down.
"Face it, Lady Seaetto. Your queen has abandoned you." Jaralis stated as fact. "You're better off remaining Lord Shield's slave, like the others."
"Jaralis!" Werner yelled at the man.
"Your spy network has served you pretty well." Dante said, though rather calmly. Truthfully, the revelation was a bit of a relief. It wasn't as if they hid Sadeena's slave seal. It was front and center on her chest. He was planning on giving a vague explanation as to why he kept it on—since the given reason was protection in Melromarc—but now it wasn't needed. Well, there may still be some political or social concerns, but it didn't seem heretical at least.
What's more, he realized he missed something earlier. Werner wasn't surprised to see Eclair. He never told the emissaries about her. It was too great of a risk to mention in Melromarc's capital. He'd have to ask that shadow later how they learned about her. He doubted it was because Siltvelt's shadows were able to escape detection, given what happened earlier. Dante was pretty sure half his party could detect shadows now. Besides, they didn't seem to know about Reiko, so it wasn't as if they were being watch constantly. At least, not by Siltvelt.
"What do you know of my queen's desires!?" Eclair fired back at the lion therianthrope.
Jaralis smirked. "I know the queen planned for Lord Shield to be framed. Perhaps your territory's destruction was just a happy bonus."
"Ridiculous!" Eclair shouted. She looked ready to grab her sword, but Raphtalia place a hand on her arm before she even moved for it.
"I agree with Eclair." Dante shook his head. "You have to have some evidence to make a claim like that. I spoke with Princess Melty before I left. Her mother wanted me to make peace with the king."
"That is further proof!" Jaralis declared. "You are framed for a crime by her daughter, have the ruling handed down by her husband, then she sends her other daughter to keep you from retaliating."
When it was put like that, it almost made sense. If, of course, Dante was crazy.
"I don't know why the queen needs to be involved in all that when just one or two of them are enough." Dante said. "The first princess accused me, and her foolish father believed her. Why involve the queen?"
"It fits." Jaralis asserted. "It was her plan all along. Why summon one hero when you can summon all of them? Her false platitudes of fostering peace during the waves are plain to see."
"That's a bit of a stretch." Sure, if he only listened to what was said here, he might believe it. But, the queen set up laws to prevent the torture of slaves. She had Lurolona established to give demi-humans in her country a place to live peacefully. Sure, both ended up failing to one degree or another, but Dante wasn't about to call it malice when incompetence was a valid answer.
"Besides," Dante continued, "is peace during a world threatening event such a bad thing?"
Jaralis shook his head. "You mistake me, Lord Shield. The Vixen claimed she wanted to improve peace between our nations during the waves. When her country claimed the other heroes, it confirmed what I already knew to be false."
"Her husband, the king, summoned all of us." Dante pointed out. Was there really any need to include the queen in that?
"You would have been framed regardless." Jaralis said simply.
"Regardless of what?" Dante asked. He felt like he was getting the runaround.
"Lord Shied…" Jaralis almost seemed lost for words. "Do you not know?" He looked over at Werner, who shook his head.
"The emissaries must not have told him." The shusaku said.
"Told me what?" Dante asked again. It shouldn't be this difficult to get a straight answer.
Unfortunately, he got just that. Werner turned to face him, his expression uneasy.
"Lord Shield, at the conference of nations, it was agreed that you'd be summoned to Melromarc."
Author's Notes:
Well, I brought that up sooner than I thought I would. I had planned on revealing the queen desiring the Shield Hero later on, but it fit in pretty snugly here. Arguably, that's just what happens when you write 80% of a chapter in a single day. I really need to get better at that. I made notes at work throughout the week, so I wasn't really going in blind, but I just didn't know what exactly I wanted to do for this chapter.