Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter and providing feed backs.
Special thanks to my long time reader/consultant Commissar Gaunt for leaving that review about how Firo wasn't actually guilty. Yeah. I turned it into an actual plot point in this chapter.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
The majority of the Siltvelt army, as those who aren't marked as the Shield Hero's (slaves) personal guards, was all left behind on the other side of Fort Wolf's Mouth. Obviously, the risk of them going completely rogue and starting to pillage, kill and rape their way across Melromarc dressed as 'vengeance for their god king' is too great. They grumble, but accept Prince Kael'Thas' command to camp near the border to apply pressure and ensure Melromarc would not prosecute their king.
While the Siltvelt host was getting reorganized, Commander Fredrick admitted to Iris (and Malty) privately that General Anderson left for the capital with his personal elite guards, The Jackals. Duke Luigi brought the queen's order to have the general link up with her before their combined force would attempt to retake the capital back from the rebels. The princess has to physically stop her own scoff. Of course, it's so like her mother to take this kind of opportunity to strike her enemies while they were weak, completely ignoring the bigger issue (the Shield Hero being pursued by Pope Balmus) in the process. At least it worked out for Naofumi in the end. They spent the night in Fort Wolf's Mouth to rest and recover from their fierce fight against Pope Balmus and his forces, then left early dawn the next day.
More and more local lords start to rally their men, and join their host for their return trip. Count Ascart is one among them. It must be a surreal experience for him, someone who was banished away from the capital by Mother to return in service of safe guarding her daughters. Lord Balgruuf also came out of the wood he was hiding in while their ever growing host marched south towards Melromarc Castle. Thankfully without any undead as that would have caused another crisis. They took the town of Trumpet back from the Three Heroes' Church rebels after a brief battle that could barely be called a siege. Those zealots were most definitely more loyal to Cromwell's ambition than Pope Balmus' ideals for them to try and resist. They didn't stand a chance against the combined might of Balmus' children, the heroes and their allies, the elite Siltvelt fighters under Prince Kael'Thas and Nazgrel, and the numerous fighting men under their banners. Lord Balgruuf left his steward in charge of his reclaimed city, and left with everyone south towards the capital.
Days after they begin their return march, the walls of the capital are once again in their sight. To Malty's slight surprise, it isn't in an even more sorry state than when she escaped thanks to Marquis Noches' planned jailbreak. If anything, some reconstruction efforts took place. The gate Mala broke down with her arms was definitely replaced. Same as the banners flying on the wall. Gone are the golden triangle of the Three Heroes' Church, replaced by the passionate red blazing lilies of House Melromarc, and the stylized hand holding a torch that has become Mother's personal banner since The Great War. Clearly, while the four heroes were busy pitting their lives against Pope Balmus, the queen of (not so) glorious Melromarc was busy doing things on her own. Although from the state Melromarc Castle is in, heavy fighting doesn't appear to be one of the subjects.
Chapter 129: The Game of Thrones
"Father took away Cromwell's command, left Sister Janne and Brother Raziel in control of the faith while he led us to find Master Shield Hero." Biscas Cain rode forward and stopped near Malty, helpfully explaining why the church seemed to have lost their mettle and will to fight against the queen for the control of the capital. "They would not have gone against the queen when she returned to claim her throne and her city. The city was given back to her peacefully."
The guards atop of the outer wall begin to act restless as their host appears. Ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows begin to poke their armed head out of the fortification, and shadowy figures begin running along the walls passing commands and messages. Malty looks back at the combined army behind her. The various different banners from all the noble houses likely caused more than a little anxiousness to the defenders on the wall. Without the family banner of a single great house unifying the host she is part of, whoever is in charge of Melromarc Castle's defense can't tell if they are allies here to reinforce the queen, or bottom feeding balloon monsters trying to pick at the carcass of the sacked capital. After a while, someone in full plate armor comes up to the wall and shouts down at them. "Stop in the name of Her Majesty Queen Mirellia! What is your purpose?!"
"Count Daniel Ascart of Samphor. Former aide of Her Majesty Queen Mirellia." Count Ascart lightly kicks his steed and moves ahead of everyone else. Technically it should have been Malty herself answering the question from the gate captain. But the princess had resigned to the fact that she's merely the figurehead of their ragtag army. Lord Ascart isn't the most influential one among them. Especially considering the context of how he was banished from the capital. But he had served as Mother's right hand man (as opposed to working with Malty's father) after The Great War. Putting her policies into practice, and acting as her direct advisor alongside the king. If Malty's Mother is now in charge, having Lord Ascart be their voice is likely the best option. "My fellow nobles, and our host have escorted both of Her Majesty's daughters home."
"Princess Melty is safely returned?! Please wait a moment while we inform the queen!" Malty didn't miss how even this lowly gate captain didn't mention anything about her. It speaks volume about her Mother's attitude, and intention towards her. It's an eventuality the first princess had long prepared herself for, but still a withering thought. With nothing better to do, everyone waited near the gate for a response from the garrison. Some of their infantry even dropped their guards and sat down on the ground. After a long march all the way from the border, Malty can't really fault these peasant levies for relaxing now they are in friendly territory. Although she does notice how the defenders on the wall still have their arrows and crossbows pointed towards the small group of Siltvelt raiders among them.
The princess loses count of time as she silently sits atop of the filorial that's been serving as her beast of burden for the entire trip. Even the bird seems to grow tired of waiting, as she bends her neck down and begins to peck at grass near her feet. Suddenly, the northern gate of the capital began rising with an almost snap-like sound. The princess was about to attribute it to shoddy craftsmanship when the gate was replaced when a figure darted out of the gate before it was halfway raised.
Their combined host begins to shuffle around in chaos at the sudden happening. The confusion from the sudden movement no doubt spooked the badly trained peasant levies, but the figure is also as intimidating as Balmus when he lived. He is near the pope's age, and also a man of great height and stature. His pale, ear length hair is wildly flailing atop of his head. A very large filorial carries him. Not a monarch, just a normal filorial that's about two sizes larger than usual. As the man dashes near them, he opens his arms up and howls at their group. "Iris! Barn! Give your grandpa a hug! I heard what happened outside the border! My old friend didn't beat you two up too badly, did he?"
Barn turns his head away, his body shuffles uncomfortably atop of his steed. Nobles aren't supposed to openly display such enthusiastic affection towards their family, especially in public under so many prying eyes. It's clear the son of House Amelia feels deeply embarrassed from General Anderson's behavior. Iris on the other hand seems much more used to her grandfather's antics. She rides forward like Count Ascart did earlier, and gives her grandfather a warm embrace in front of everyone. "I'm fine, Grandpa. It's nothing a tiger daughter of a general's family can't handle."
"Bah! If only that's true. Don't think I wouldn't know how your mom raised you both..." The general's disgruntled muttering grows ever faint. It seems like General Anderson doesn't exactly approve of the way his daughter raised her own children, in spite of Lady Merellis being known widely as the perfect example of a high society lady. At least he knows not to publically voice his discontent to embarrass his family further. From the strange way he and Iris talk with each other, it's clear the general's personality is on the side of eccentric. No wonder there is a rumor that he was born and raised some Siltvelt slave boy. The general let go of Iris after a brief moment, his head looking all around. For a brief moment, Malty thought he was looking for his grandson, but then he opened his mouth. "Where's Biscas? Don't tell me he's too ashamed to face his old friend after he bullied my grandchildren? Why, I ought to give him a good threshing!"
"He is here, Grandpa." Iris pulls the reign of her bird, letting her steed move sideways to allow General Anderson a better look. News and gossip travel fast, but they aren't always accurate. Or perhaps the queen told him of what she knows and the general guessed the rest. General Anderson knew that the pope of Three Heroes' Church had fought his grandchildren, but he didn't know Balmus' demise yet.
Malty hears some loud shuffle behind her, and the turning of the wheel and realizes that the army is splitting up behind her to allow a certain cart to move forward. It's a very simple cart with two wheels, being pulled by a common farm breed filorial. But on it, rests the body of Pope Biscas T Balmus, one of the most powerful men in glorious Melromarc while he lived. In spite of it being many days since the battle and no effort to preserve his body was made, there's no sign of decay visible. One could believe the former supreme leader of the Three Heroes' Church is merely resting if not for the hole in his chest.
"Oh." The joyful expression on the general grows solemn as his ride slowly trots its way over to his dead comrade in arms... and old friend apparently. "You stubborn idiot... Look at what you did. I thought I was the stupid one among us. Who is going to save my sorry behind when I do something stupid now?"
Iris didn't allow her grandfather much time to grieve despite the affection she showed him earlier. She almost immediately rides over to General Anderson's side and interrupts his mumbling. "Grandpa, we saw the banners of the queen flying on the wall from afar. Has Her Majesty returned from Cal Mira Island?"
It would have been a wasteful question. Everyone already knows the answer from the response they got from the gate captain. But its purpose was to get the grieving general's attention away from his dead friend. The general turns his attention away from his dead friend to look at his granddaughter once again. "Ah. Yes, of course the queen had returned. She asked me to lead her troops in reclaiming the capital from the supposed rebels. But Balmus instructed his children to open the door for the queen, so there had been no need for bloodshred. Come! I'll bring all of you to her."
Needless to say, not everyone of the gathered host was allowed entry into the city since there's no room to accommodate them all. The lords have to leave the majority of their rallied men outside the capital wall and make a camp, while only bringing their most elite guards to ensure their own safety. The five hundred Siltvelt procession for Naofumi was further reduced to twelve not including Prince Kael'thas and Nazgrel, and Malty finally laid her eyes on the Shield Hero as their journey south started. He looks a little dazed, eyes pointed at the direction of the wall and taller buildings of the capital without focus. The painted ceiling of the Three Heroes' Church cathedral being one of them. No doubt, he is reliving the nightmarish experience he suffered since the last time he was at this damned city.
Led by General Anderson, nobody dared to stop their small (relatively, compared to the host they were part of) group as they marched straight to the palace. Someone must have passed the news to Mother, as she came out of the castle to 'welcome' the triumphant return of her daughters and the four Cardinal Heroes. She is flanked by both Grima Consevatie, the culture minister. And Head Confessor Cromwell, and her. Both men had their head bowed low enough to only see the ground in front of their feet.
From the gossip, Malty knew that Lord Grima had been a stooge who gained all his favor from Mother by sucking up to her as a young man. And he was elevated to his position as the Lord Paramount of North East simply because the newly crowned Queen Mirellia needed one of her own loyal creatures to watch over the Crusader Block. Him once again, being given a position near her Mother wouldn't have raised any eyebrows if the princess didn't witness him near father during the start of this mess. With his failure to curtail the growing influence and power of Duke Arvis, Lord Grima had turned to ally with the Three Heroes' Church. And he most likely had a hand on Father's ill-thought out scheme to summon all four Cardinal Heroes illegally. Something Mother no doubt knows thanks to her Shadow (regardless how overworked they must have been since the mess father created). As for Cromwell... His involvement in Three Heroes' Church's attempted coup needs no further explanation. He wasn't just one of the sycophants, or accomplices. He was one of the masterminds.
From their posture, it's clear both men had chosen to grovel for Mother's forgiveness after they realized that the coup would end with a resounding failure. Although her mother willing to forgive them is much more surprising. Perhaps it speaks more of the queen's desperation to find anyone who would support her own cause aftering being away from the nation during its biggest crisis after The Great War. Behind the two stooges stand a group of hardened looking warriors. Malty doesn't recognize all of them, and she's willing to bet some were General Anderson's men. But she does notice Sir Palmer, one of Mother's most loyal attack dogs, is among them. And the female knight is glaring daggers at the heroes. Did something happen between them? Lord Consevatie and Cromwell are the ones Mother uses to get her court and the church to stay in line. These warriors are no doubt the ones Mother trusts and rely on to keep the self-serving balloons like Lord Consevatie and Confessor Cromwell in line.
"Mother, Sister and I have returned." Melty's voice reminded Malty that she should also bend her knee when facing the ruler of her nation. Family always comes second when it comes to rulership (something father never agreed with), especially when her relationship with Mother was strained at best. So the first princess quickly follows her younger, and more proper sister's example and kneels down. Waiting for my Mother's judgment.
"I have read Lady Amelia's report, my daughter. Well done. You have conducted yourself as someone befit your station during a time of extreme duress, Melty." Malty can feel Mother's piercing stare on the back of her neck even without looking up. She swallows back her scoff. Of course, Mother would only acknowledge Melty's 'achievement' while pretending she doesn't exist. But soon, she wished Mother had completely forgotten about her. "As for you, Malty. You have already come of age. You should have taken better care of your own body. Regardless of your own disfigurement, your betrothal is graceful and will still take your hand. He might even devote his vast resources to heal your scars. It's time for you to fulfill your royal obligation and marry King Egbert of Faubley, and help our nations strengthen our dynasty ties."
Malty can hear the sound of someone struggling behind her. And soon, she can hear the Shield Hero's voice as well as his physical actions. "Wait a minute here! Are you just going to ignore me?! You can't give away my companion who was with me from the start. To a known sadistic rapist no less! I won't accept it!"
"You would be right for anyone else in your procession, Lord Shield Hero. But Malty is still my daughter, and more importantly. She is a member of the Melromarc royal family." Contrasting the blistering heat of Naofumi, Mother's voice is cold like a glacier. "She had lived a pampered life since birth, thanks to her right as this nation's princess and the countless tithes from the hardworking, honest common folks. Therefore, it is her sworn duty to serve them in return. Which in this case, means becoming the bride to the king of Faubley to stop the coming war on the horizon while the Wave of Catastrophe still rages. If you lament over the loss of your connection with a noble lady, I'm sure we could find a replacement suited for you."
"You think I- FUCK YOU!" All of sudden, the sound of struggling becomes all the more noticeable with Naofumi's outburst. The weight on Malty's neck, shoulders, and back is too great for her to dare looking back. But she is willing to bet Kael'Thas is doing his best to hold Naofumi back. Despite his apparent devotion to the Shield Hero, the phoenix prince belongs to one of the more 'civilized' clans of Siltvelt. He knows the consequences of openly assaulting the ruler of one of the most powerful nations, as isolated, fractured and weakened after father's little stunt, and the Three Heroes' Church's failed coup as Melromarc is. If he had a vast army at his disposal, Prince Kael'Thas could have joined Naofumi in his impulsive, rage induced tantrum. As it is, the phoenix prince would do his best to stop Naofumi from committing a grievous mistake. "This whole mess is your own fault! Instead! How many people got killed, had their livelihood destroyed, or forced into slavery because you weren't here to stop those bad guys from doing bad things!? And now the first thing you do is force your daughter to take your fall for you?! Why don't you marry that fucking rapist king if you like him so much!"
"Don't you dare to blame this mess on my liege like you know everything! You arrogant boy! You know nothing!" Sir Palmer pushes through the rest of the warriors behind Mother. The female knight's smug tone makes her sound like she revels in the chance to act high and mighty against one of the heroes. "The first thing my queen did upon her return was putting the Three Heroes' Church in its place to stop all the chaos. You should be lashed for your transgression. Or maybe have your tongue cut out! You don't need it to fight the Wave of Catastrophe."
"Hush, Sir Palmer. I will forgive the Shield Hero's verbal transgression on account of his recent string of misfortune." Mother's words are placating, but her voice remains cold as before. Regardless if Sir Palmer's action of defending the queen's honor while antagonizing the Shield Hero is secretly commanded by Mother or not, it's clear the queen of Melromarc is using this opportunity to play her role as the just and benevolent queen to those around her. "But I will not accept blame for something I have no control over. Need I remind you, Lord Shield Hero. My presence was requested at Cal Mira Island with the other major leaders around the world. The one who summoned all of you against the regulation of the world council, and the one who continued to antagonize you beyond reason is my foolish husband. I would not have allowed him to do what he did if I had the luxury to stay behind."
Malty feels like scoffing at Mother's excuse. It makes the burden over her body feel lighter to hear Mother desperately trying to pass blame to someone else no different than any other corrupted noble. And Naofumi's words remind her of the one avenue she was left with to escape her wedlock with her uncle. It's not the ideal situation by a long shot, and it could go horribly wrong for many reasons. But with Mother clearly not going to give the Shield Hero any grace and consideration towards his own feelings on this matter... it'll be the only chance she has. She raises her head up and looks at Mother's face. The queen is currently having all her attention at the end of the group, likely on the Shield Hero. Malty opens her mouth, bringing everyone's eyes on her. "I'm afraid I'm unable to fulfill my obligation to King Egbert, your grace."
Mother's eyes instantly cast down on her, filled with righteous judgment. "You might think being a member of the Shield Hero's companion offers you full political immunity, my foolish, spoiled daughter. But I assure you. As I have already informed the Shield Hero, his protection does not stretch far enough for you to ignore your royal duties. You have enjoyed your easy, pampered life so far thanks to the sacrifice of all the common folks. Now comes the time for you to sacrifice for them in return."
"But I do not speak to you as one of the companions of the heroes. Mother." Keeping her face as impassive as possible both from the sense of shame and a perverse sense of catharsis to use the law against Mother's wishes, Malty rips open her clothes to expose her upper chest. Let everyone see the seal of a slave engraved on her skin. "I am a slave of the Shield Hero. And I have forsaken all my rights and obligation as a royalty as soon as I became his property. As all summoned Cardinal Heroes automatically hold the rank of a Duke, the law of property for nobility must be respected in this case and no one has a right to take me away from the Shield Hero. Unless he made enough of a transgression to have his noble title stripped away from him, of course. And while Master Naofumi has made his share of missteps, I don't think anyone can argue in good faith that he did something severe enough to lose his title as a duke."
The expression on Mother's face is that of someone who is forced to swallow bugs. She casts her eyes away from Malty to look back at their group. At the Shield Hero, no doubt. "Is what my daughter said true, Lord Shield Hero? I have heard news that like me, you also have a near pathological hatred towards slavery, the act of forcing a sentient mind against their own will and reducing them to a mere object to be owned by someone else. Perhaps I was wrong in assuming you would be an ally in helping me get rid of this utterly barbaric practice?"
"I'm not letting you take my first companion from me." The Shield Hero's response comes surprisingly quick, if strained. Malty dares to look back from where she knelt. The view she stole from Naofumi wasn't great, considering her head is halfway to the polished stone floor and there's a lot of people standing between her and the Shield Hero. But she does manage to catch Naofumi's expression equate to someone who is suffering from constipation. No doubt, it pains him to go against his own integrity in such a public manner. Especially with the way Mother's (very much hypocritical) words are designed to draw the most metaphorical blood. She almost expects the Spear, or the Bow Hero to object to Naofumi's indirect endorsement of slavery. But while sharing expressions similar to their fellow hero, they also remain quiet. It seems like time between now and the first Wave they fought in had taught all heroes that honor and idealism have their places, but shouldn't be used as an unbreakable oath.
The pregnant silence between the high queen of glorious Melromarc and the four Cardinal Heroes grows heavy and oppressive. Not even the quiet, buzzing whispers between the lord's entourage that slowly creeps in as time goes on is enough to break it. But then like a sudden storm, the wild wailing of crying, shouting and screaming of some young woman brings the sign of life back to the courtyard. Once again, Malty doesn't dare to stand back up on account of her Mother never acknowledging her, but she manages to catch a glimpse of wild, yet sickly looking gray hair throws itself on the cart which carried the body of Jaune. She briefly wonders when Jaune also captured the heart of a sickly looking girl (and why such a girl was allowed entrance to the palace at such a volatile time). But then, words start to come out of the young woman's mouth. Despite the voice sounds hoarse, almost animalistic rather than cultured and refined, Malty recognizes it from the time when Jaune had his courtship with her. That's Mordred? What happened to her? "Jaune, Jaune! Oh, my sweet, innocent brother. Why did you have to go?! So soon before your time!"
"Take solace, Mordred. Jaune died as a true son of our lost homeland Albion, and Defiant Bay, our second home: In his line of duty as a Knight Templar of the Three Heroes' Church." Among the bodies, Malty sees a man with blonde hair standing behind the cart carrying Jaune's body. Two more figures with the same colored hair standing beside him, one has her hair styled like a crown, the other has her hair tied loosely with a pair of head ribbons. Those must be Artoria and Lancelotte respectively. The princess can't see the face of the archduke, yet she somehow feels his piercing gaze shift, despite it not being cast upon her. "If you want to blame anyone, blame the action of a self-serving, greedy man like Cromwell in charge of the Three Heroes' Church while his eminence recovered from his injuries sustained in the Third Wave. Those are the actions that forced my son, and my old friend on a warpath against the heroes."
"Jaune didn't die in his line of duty! He died through betrayal of the Shield Demon!" The hissing snarl of a certain red headed former gladiatrix pierced the ear of Malty. She doesn't know when this... prisoner, or travel companion from the Three Heroes' Church was allowed to speak. Unlike the likes of Consevatie The Younger, or Sister Amelia, Pyrrha wasn't gagged and bonded since she wasn't showing the same hostility against all heroes and their allies. The female templar's hatred is reserved for the Shield Hero... and the gluttonous devil bird who killed Jaune. With them being protected, and also isolated by the Siltvelt group she wasn't much of a problem... and now they will pay the price for not disposing of her quietly when they had a chance. "Jaune was the commander of the vanguard, and we tried to recover the Shield Demon as his eminence commanded. We saw Consevatie, his men, and the traitor Roger of Ajax intercepting the Shield Demon. Jaune tried to stop them and during his parlay for the Shield Demon, he was murdered by one of these ungrateful bastards he was trying to save from behind!"
"WHAT!" The cry of disbelief is quickly followed by the sound of people trying to restrain a cornered animal. "You monster! DEMON! What kind of honorless, despicable gutter rat kills someone who is trying to help save your life?! Let go of me, Lotte! Let me at them!"
"Why don't you try!? You loud, ugly hag woman! Firo will kill you too!" Malty's ear bleeds, and she's pretty sure her brain is too. That devil bird pretending to be an angel to lure unsuspected victims to their doom around her. She unknowingly sealed her own condemnation... and likely demise.
"Is this what happened, Lord Shield Hero?" Mother's voice didn't betray any hint of anger, distaste... or the glee she is likely feeling for the chance to snub the Shield Hero while looking like a righteous, fair queen the dumb bird handed to her on a silver platter. But the courtyard feels much colder all of sudden.
Malty knew how Naofumi would respond to her Mother's question. The Shield Hero lacked proper understanding of Medea's culture, customs, and law to defend Firo against this severe accusation. His honesty, and sense of guilt from Jaune's death would further condemn both Firo and himself, and he doesn't realize how severe the consequence is for both himself, and the devil bird he still sees as his child. Everyone who were present at the time Firo's gruesome deed happened, who would speak for the Shield Hero are also not equipped to serve as his defense.
Everyone... except for herself. She has witnessed the whole exchange between Consevatie The Younger and Jaune, and how he was brutally run down by Firo's tantrum at the insane incarnate. She has enough education on how law works to argue in the Shield Hero's favor. The only question remaining is if she wants to draw more ire from Mother in an attempt to exonerate Naofumi and Firo or not. From a purely logical conclusion, trying to defend Firo's action has no benefit to herself. Mother's already cratering opinion towards her would be lowered even more, and she would make an enemy out of House Arc, one of the most powerful and ancient great houses of her nation. In return, she would be fighting for a spoiled little shit who she despises, who also loathes her back and not be grateful for her action. More importantly, the conclusion is likely already foreclosed with Mother's attitude so far indicating she is on the same path of snubbing the Shield Hero's influence as Father.
But Naofumi would be devastated if she did nothing. He would believe that Firo, and he himself utterly deserved the punishment on top of losing his surrogate daughter. Once again, Uncle Aldrecht's words echo in her mind: There is do or not do. There is only try, or not have tried at all. She might not be able to change anything due to how little power she has, but she can at least plant the seed of doubt in Naofumi's mind that maybe, just maybe this wasn't his (and Firo, as much as she hates the idea of further justifying the violent little shit's behavior) fault. So she quickly opens her mouth before the Shield Hero, or anyone else has a chance to get another word out. "Templar Nikos let her grief of her dead lover consume her, and she didn't tell the truth. Templar Arc did not manage to broker a parlay between the Shield Hero's party and the renegade. Firo was only trying to defend her father by going after someone who sought to do them harm. While Templar Arc's death is a very unfortunate tragedy, it is not the same crime as being struck down during a parlay."
"YOU LYING BITCH! You were even untruthful to your own companions, and now you are trying to get them free from just punishment by sling mud on Jaune's honor?! And I was a fool to have honestly thought you cared about him!" Pyrrha's words feel like arrows piercing through her. And judging from the sound of fierce struggling, the pain would be much more physical if not for whoever is straining her. It's ironic for how many lies and half truths she told in trying to avoid her fate of being married to Uncle Egbert, telling a single whole truth can hurt even more. And it's not for the setbacks she would inevitably do to her own position in The Game.
"I am not the most truthful person in this court. That I freely admit. I joined Master Shield Hero's party under false pretenses, and even a more false identity at the start. But I spoke the absolute truth, as ugly as it is. So our fair, and just queen may rule with an impartial opinion. Because accusing someone of breaking parlay with a murder is the most serious crime that would end in the death of the offender." The princess turned slave keeps her head firmly planted in the ground, not daring to look up at anyone. Naofumi, least of all. Knowing her mother's decision is already made due to political necessity, the princess turned slave tries to use politics against the queen. "If my queen rules without hearing proper explanation from both parties, it would damage your reputation, and as your daughter and vassal, I want to prevent it. If nobody believes me, let Master Shield Hero set the condition of my slave seal to make me drop dead if I lie."
"Overruled. As a slave, you have no right to testify against a free person. Someone who served the Knight Templar of Three Heroes' Church with an impeccable record least of all." Mother acted exactly as Malty predicted. She technically did follow the law to the letter, therefore can't be accused of being unjust. But her action certainly is not that of a compassionate ruler who cared for everyone's well being, and very much against her own earlier statement about the practice of slavery for their cruelty. But the red queen of (not so) glorious Melromarc isn't done yet. She does not rule by allowing everyone to disrespect her and no attempt to secretly, or openly manipulate her would be left unpunished. "If you wish to testify against Templar Nikos. Have Lord Shield Hero release you from his service. So you may regain your right as a member of the royal house. What would you choose to do, Lord Shield Hero? Will you release my daughter's bondage to you, so she may testify for your daughter?"
Of course, Mother easily managed to turn Malty's amateurish attempt of forcing her hand through the opinion of the nobility around. Now, the balloon rubber ball is kicked back into Naofumi's hands in the worst, and most personally hurtful way possible. Forcing him to choose between two of his companions. His first ever companion who saved him from being condemned by the king, but had been lying to him this entire time. Or the surrogate daughter he raised from an egg, who had brought no small amount of headache with her violent outburst. Aside from Mordred and Pyrrha's scream, the courtyard is quiet. Everyone is waiting to see how the Shield Hero chooses, who he will save.
"I understand Firo did something really terrible, and killed a person. A person who was trying to help me. But you can't treat her like a common criminal! She's been born for only a month! Find some way to punish me instead! I'm her father, I should have taught her better. Jaune's death was more of my fault than Firo's." Malty was a little surprised that Naofumi didn't release her as his slave. Not only would this give Firo a chance to be exonerated, it would also match his stance against the practice of slavery. If this is any other person, the princess turned slave would suspect he simply has no faith in their ability to defend his daughter. But since this is Naofumi... Malty is sure that he took this stance because he doesn't want to give up anyone who had ever helped him. Especially after he witnessed so much suffering, and experienced so much loss after the Third Wave. The Shield Hero is trying to sacrifice himself to save both Malty and Firo. Even if there's a good chance that he would face Firo's punishment instead. Unfortunately for the sentimental hero, he would not get what he wanted from the queen.
"Petition denied." As Malty expected, Mother ruthlessly rejected the Shield Hero's proposal. She turns her head back when she hears the sound of struggle not from Mordred, or Pyrrha's direction, but among the heroes. The many lords, and their guards escort are clumped together, holding back a struggling Motoyasu. "The act of parlay during a battle is sacred, and must be respected. Any offender who breaks it, in the worst way possible no less, must suffer the most severe punishment. Or else there will be no trust between two parties in open warfare. As you are one of the summoned heroes needed to fight against the Wave of Catastrophe, whose death would cause the Wave to become much stronger, you will not be able to suffer capital punishment for your daughter. Therefore, your daughter must be put down."
"Get off me! You can't pin all the blame on Naofumi! What about this fucker!?" Even against the restraint of a dozen armored men, the Spear Hero is wildly waving around his weapon like he wants to beat someone black and blue. In the end, the tip of his spear points at the still bonded young heir to House Consevatie. "My daughters Akitsu, and Yomi told me what happened! They were fighting in the first place because this fuckboy led a bunch of bad people and tried to kill Naofumi! He should be the one at fault here!"
"Oh. So what you are saying is you wouldn't go get some revenge if someone comes to a village you were running, smashed it all up and killed hundreds of your own men?" In spite of being a bonded prisoner, Consevatie somehow managed to be as smug as ever. "Yeah, I can see how a simpy little bitch boy like you wouldn't dare to let out a fart if your mistress doesn't let you. I always knew you were a clueless idiot who sucks up to the nearest woman with the biggest pair of tits!"
"You were the one who enslaved an entire village of people in the first place! And I heard what Malty, and Sir Oersted said about what you did to the people under your 'care'. You allowed your subordinates to beat innocent people for fun, and run them to death raising crops!" The Shield Hero throws away his previous solemn look and begins fighting against Prince Kael'Thas and his Siltvelt guards with renewed anger as he points at Consevatie The Younger. "Now you are complaining about how I killed your bands of abusive sycophants who kill their own people?!"
"I agree with both the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero, your majesty. The fact that you support the conspirators and usurpers who chased me away, tried to murder my family. Who did enslave my people and kill them for nothing more than to satisfy their own greed is very discouraging." Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, Count Balgruuf Whiterun 'The Greater' sided with the heroes and threw his metaphorical hat into the ring that challenged the queen. Officially the Midgardian descented lord's noble title is lower than any heroes, but he is also a lord with more than only an honorary title. The count has his own fief, and his people as damaged as both are after the Three Heroes' handiwork. A ruler could trample over a hero if they don't care about the backlash, but to go against a member of the nobility could turn the rest of the aristocrats against them. Count Balgruuf's support might not mean much for the heroes in terms of actual weight, but it's definitely a sign that some of the nobility is being won over by the heroes and would go against their own liege's wishes.
"Please, do not mistake me recognizing the sorry state of my nation upon my return as an endorsement for what happened, Count Balgruuf. The edict to force Melromarcian people into compliance through slave seals was passed down by those at the top of the Three Heroes' Church's command structure, by which they have collectively paid the price. I have discharged and arrested the entire board of Vicars and confiscated all of their possessions, by which there is enough to fill a second royal vault. I will ensure you get recompense for your loss." As expected, Mother can't simply dismiss Count Balgruuf's very legitimate grievances at what happened to him during the Three Heroes' Church's rebellion after the Third Wave. She shoots a glare at Lord Grima, who dips his head even lower than before. "If that's not enough to appease you, which I understand. I'm sure Lord Consevatie would personally pay reparation to you for what his son did during the church's coup. But as he is a young man very low among the ranks of Three Heroes' Church members, it's not fair to hold him accountable for policies dictated by his superiors."
"OhHaHAHAHAHA! How cathartic. How absolutely CATHARTIC! After all you stupid losers' chest beating, the shield loser is the one who is condemned and punished while I get away scot free. As it should be! And you pathetic idiots know why? It's because I am the protagonist of this story!" The insane incarnate laughs with a sound more ear grating than sharp nails scratching against glasses. He holds his head up to sneer at the indignant looking heroes. "All of you. None of you are even real! You are all characters from a novel turned manga, and then an anime called 'The Rising of the Shield Hero'. As you might have guessed, the original protagonist was indeed the shield loser. But that doesn't matter because we are clearly in a fanfiction! And you know how I know? There's so many different characters that don't belong to the original novel. I'm sure even you with your limited intelligence have noticed it by now?"
Malty isn't sure how to feel about this. Someone from worlds similar to the summoned heroes have already written prophetic stories about her life. And this idiot now truly believes everything is therefore predestined. She turns her sight to Naofumi, hoping to find some resolution with the Shield Hero. She sees him wobbling on his feet instead, and those who were restraining him from before are holding onto him to stop him from falling down. She can even hear his own self-absorbed murmur between Consevatie's mad raving. "It's like I thought... I'm not real...?"
"And who is an incarnate with modern knowledge about all of this, but doesn't come from any anime, manga, or game franchise? That's right! ME! I'm clearly the main character of this fanfiction. Maybe even the writer's own personal Self-Insert! That's why everything will eventually go in my favor! And none of you who dare to cross me will be spared! Especially when you sided with Bitch!" The delusional idiot doesn't realize he is digging his own grave as he smugly turns his head towards Malty herself. His sneer slowly turns into a perverted smirk. "Wanna know what your fate was going to be? You get turned into a slave after the failed rebellion of that stupid clown Balmus, and have your name changed to Bitch. Exactly what's happening to you right now! Because you are the designated villain of this story, and the most pathetic kind! The kind that simply acts like an arrogant, sadistic idiot who does nasty things to everyone around her to make the readers hate you. Yet, you can't do a single thing right and always get what's coming in the end! You started out with the shield loser, till you stabbed him during that false rape trial to throw yourself with the spear idiot thinking the dumb simp will win you more. Then you threw him away when you realized he is a pathetic loser just like you to get in bed with the sword fool... and later the bow clown. You even whored yourself to the whip boy, knowing that dick brained fuckboy would save you after you managed to thoroughly pissed of every other hero. But in the end, you'll be given to the Pig King of Faubley like a piece of used meat, to be tortured to death."
The princess turned slave wants to deny this mad fool's words. Much more than even the accusations her 'Mother' threw at her during the hallucination she experienced in the dungeon outside of Balafon village. Yet... she can't deny the fact that she isn't a good person, and now she has been turned into a slave, exactly like Consevatie The Younger said. Granted, the incarnate could simply be lying to her. Making up a supposed pre-determined fate that fits her current predicament. But as she looks at his arrogant face, she gets the feeling this delusional idiot is speaking the absolute truth. Not a blatant lie to deceive, or a half-truth that benefits himself to manipulate. But cold, hard, naked fact.
"SHUT UP! You... you inbred bastard! I have known Malty since childhood. She isn't the kind of person you say she is!" Malty is vaguely aware of Katarina going the same way as Motoyasu, and also had to be held back... by Keith's golem. So she doesn't end up incriminating herself by assaulting someone during the queen's court.
"Katarina is right! Who do you think you are to put down our friends who give her all to help people around her!" Like the monkey girl of House Claes, the no longer pudgy pig girl of House Noches also adds her own chastise to the smug reincarnate.
"And you know something else, Slut? If you had thrown yourself to me during our dating. I'd even accept you." Consevatie completely ignores Katarina and Bertia's scream. Either he is too self-absorbed with his gloating, or he thinks Katarina is too far beneath him with him seeing most of the people in this world as not even real. The insane reincarnate leans his head back and lets out a derisive snort. His split mouth slowly seems to grow much larger, till it encompasses Malty's entire vision. Like some kind of boogeyman she used to dream as a child. "With me being the protagonist of this fanfiction therefore I can't do anything wrong, I'd even be gracious enough to help you avoid your doom. You are a smoking piece of tits and ass after all. But now? Well, that boat had long since sailed. I don't take someone's sloppy second hand goods, especially not thoroughly damaged goods. You can wallow in your string of failure till your inevitable death, cursing nobody but yourself for daring to turn me down."
CRACK.
The sound of a loud bang managed to snap Malty's attention away from the younger Consevatie. She looks at the group she came with, and sees everyone staring at the Spear Hero with a dumbfounded expression. Motoyasu had finally broken through the hold of the gathered lords and their guards in his rage. But to Malty and everyone else's surprise, he didn't attack Consevatie. No, the one who is sprawled on the floor holding the side of his face is Naofumi.
End Note:
Did anyone think things wouldn't escalate now that 3HC is finally brought down. That the queen will put everything back in order? Well... this isn't Rising of the Shield Hero by Alenko, ladies and gents. Action have real consequences and it doesn't just stop at the villains.
Although to be fair, originally I didn't plan to have things go this way. I was more or less prepared for the queen's return being the same 'soft reset' Alenko did in canon where Malty would get her birthright back despite the queen's distaste. But then I started getting annoyed at how Alenko's plot often ran into pile ups with their own previous plot point. And considering the queen would want to snub Malty, she's not going to be too forgiving for Naofumi's actions, to put things lightly.
So yeah... as explained by the good commissar, Firo didn't technically break any law with her action. But that's not going to stop the queen from using her authority to make it look like Firo did (and Firo's temper makes it easy for her to self-incriminate). Malty being forced to accept her new role as a slave just like canon (obviously under very different context), but did try to do the right thing like Aldrecht taught her, and the queen flip it back to cause more emotional/psychological damage to the Shield Hero just feels like a too perfect combo of trauma to not go with. At least in my own head.
Anyways... not sure what the overlap of my own reader base is with the more... emotionally gratifying part of the RotSH fandom. But you guys might noticed something. While SIOC is meant to serve as an allegory of the more general SIOC of the smug variety in fanfiction, the one directly inspired me to put this character in my story is none other than Fergus Ward from The Rising of the True F̶u̶c̶k̶b̶o̶y̶ Shield Hero. Well... let's see where the arrogance of someone like Fuckboy Ward would realistically take him in the next chapter if he doesn't have plot armor, shall we?