Chapter Four: We all wear masks. (Part two.)
Claudia stood guard over her friend Celestine, the High elf was currently resting in her soft and plush bed, sleeping soundly as the female bishop Eleonora silently observed and dabbed the goddess forehead with a wet towel to help cool her down. Thankfully, Celestine had gotten past the worst of it, but was still greatly weakened by her ordeal.
The Invincible Valkyrie dare not leave her side lest an assassin attempt to murder her again. The question now was, how was she poisoned? The most likely explanation is that perhaps her food was tainted, so Claudia took measures to ensure that every scrap of food or drop of liquid meant for the elven goddess was to be tested for poison before it was brought before her.
If anyone dared to take another chance to end her life, they would be ready for the assassin. Standing next to the faithful bodyguard was her father-in-law who was pointing towards a map as she listened to his words.
"... therefore, I shall send a more mobile force to swiftly march to the Second Fortress and reinforce the mercs there. Around 1,000 men will be sent to garrison there and hold the stronghold until an additional force of 3,000 arrives to flank the enemy army. We will trap them between the two forces and take down their leader." Her father-in-law, Graves spoke sternly. His words making the brunette woman nod in agreement.
"Yes. That sounds like a sound strategy. Even if we don't get the leader, we may be able to halt their momentum." The guardian stated, with the aged knight smirking proudly.
"I shall see to the arrangements. You stay here and guard Celestine-sama." Graves spoke, earning a salute from his daughter-in-law. He was right, her place was next to her charge and her duty was to protect her from harm. She had no reason for concern since her father-in-law was a seasoned and experienced warrior, and his strategy was sound.
Graves quietly departed, leaving the three women alone. "Those Legion bastards… How dare they harm Celestine-sama." Claudia grumbled under her breath, still seething that someone had attempted to murder one the kindest and most pure people in all of Eos. Was there anything that damned Olga wouldn't do to achieve victory? She could almost swear that she could hear that witch cackling in sadistic pleasure.
She then rubbed her temples with a deep sigh after that disastrous last meeting. Kaguya and Maya both returned to their respective Fortresses to secure them in case the enemy somehow bypassed or conquered the Second Fortress. It was very fortunate that the Halfling's of the Fifth Fortress knew how to run things even without Ruu-Ruu's presence. Not surprising given that girl's wild and excitable nature.
Her musing was cut short as she heard a commotion down in the cathedral. She wasn't sure what, but it sounded like there was some kind of argument. Some sort of threat? Drawing her sword, Claudia rushed down the stairs and into the Cathedral and found a small group of Bishops were arguing with some commoners.
"Where is Celestine-sama?! We wish to speak with her immediately!" One of the commoners pleaded rather desperately.
"I am sorry, but we were just told that Celestine-sama is not seeing visitors right now." One of the Bishops replied helplessly, his words did not appease the petitioners at all as they began shouting in dismay, still demanding to see the goddess herself.
"Enough!" Claudia shouted, her voice booming across the Cathedral, silencing everyone inside as she made her way down the steps and approached the gathered crowd. "What is the meaning of this? Why do you need to see the goddess so badly?" She asked with a stern expression.
The commoners glanced at one another and were about to speak, but then they looked up at the top of the stairs that the Valkyrie had just descended from, she followed their gazes to the top of the steps and to her shock, saw Celestine herself, breathing heavily as she looked down at the people. Her face pale and her body seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
"Celestine-sama! Please stop! You shouldn't be out of bed! You need rest!" Eleonora pleaded from behind the High Elf, trying to get her to go back to bed and recover fully from the poison.
"No… the people… they need me… I cannot just rest… and let their sorrows go unanswered." Celestine spoke weakly, her body covered in a sheen of sweat as she limped her way down the stairs. Each step down seemed to be a tremendous effort for her, there even seemed to be a few times where she was about to trip but regained her balance.
"Celestine-sama! Go back to bed! I will handle this! Just go rest!" Claudia also pleaded, but was ignored by the goddess. The commoners and townsfolk began whispering amongst themselves, clearly worried for the High Elf's health.
'She looks sick.'
'Is she okay?'
'I didn't know Elves could get sick.'
'Look at her, she clearly needs bed rest.'
These were some of the things that could be clearly heard as the various petitioners whispered amongst each other. Finally, Celestine seemed unable to continue as she set herself down and sat on the middle step, clearly exhausted from making it this far. "Do not worry over me. I am just feeling a little under the weather. Please… tell me what ails you. How can I help? What has caused you such distress?" She asked in a kind voice.
In spite of her condition, she still cared far more than others than for herself and forced herself out of bed to help those in need. Her kindness moved the people to tears as they began crying and snotting all over the place. One villager, an older man who more-or-less held it together despite the building tears managed to speak up "Countless apologies for disturbing your rest when you are sick Celestine-sama… but… but… we need your help! Every month or so, Church soldiers come and ask people for donations to help fund the war effort. Normally, we give our coin gladly to support our troops so they may better fight the Legion.
Lately however, more and more Soldiers have been coming and demanding more coin. Earlier today many of us here refused because we needed to buy seed for harvest or food for our families… so the soldiers beat us up and took our money by force!"
At this revelation, Eleonora, Claudia, and Celestine all had shocked expressions. Soldiers of the Church robbing and assaulting people? That was truly awful and unforgivable! The female bishop adopted a thinking pose and then spoke up "Was there not an incident some time ago where some con men were posing as members of the clergy who tricked people into giving donations as well?"
These words made everyone mutter in agreement as the memory of that incident came flooding back to them. "Ah that's right! I remember that happening. The Church were extremely embarrassed about it too. Someone must be trying to start something similar again." A random villager spoke up with the others muttering in agreement since that made sense.
"So this time thieves are posing as soldiers, eh? I promise you all, this matter will be thoroughly investigated. I must ask you all to please give as many details on these imposters as possible so that we may identify them and clap them in irons." Claudia spoke in a professional tone, earning nods of agreement from the various villagers and commoners who were eager to lend their assistance and cooperation.
Celestine then added "We shall find these criminals and bring them to justice. For now though, the Church will compensate you for your lost coin. Bishop Eleonora? Please make the arrangements." Upon her order, the female bishop slowly nodded with a kind smile.
"I shall. However, first I must escort you back to bed. Immediately. You have already pushed yourself too much." She stated and then helped the goddess to her feet, assisting her back up the stairs to her private chambers.
The High Elf wanted to protest at first, but she decided that perhaps some rest would be good for now, even at this moment she feared that she could faint dead away. While her heart was willing, her body couldn't obey her wishes at this time
Now that she thought about it this may be an opportunity to meditate in the privacy of her chambers and see if she could summon a vision of Olga or her general. Any information that could help end the threat of the Legion would be of tremendous value. However, on the other hand, between the assassination attempt and these robberies… perhaps just this once, she should focus her attention closer to home?
Meanwhile. First Fortress.
"I hate this." Alicia muttered as she sipped some punch, a deep scowl on her face as the ballroom she was standing in was filled with various aristocrats and Nobles. The sounds of soft and mellow music played as the guests seemed to comfortably chat away, ignoring the presence of the demonic guards that watched everything and everyone.
Unlike the commoners or servants that seemed fearful of what may happen next, the Nobility didn't seem fearful at all. She caught faint snippets of conversations that seemed to be centered around their Queen. They all knew this party was just an excuse to gather them all in one place so that the Dark Queen may gain oaths of fealty from them… and they seemed all too eager to jump on the bandwagon out of convenience. So long as their wealth and status remained, they didn't seem to care who was in charge.
"You always did hate parties." Prim spoke with a small smile, her face obscured by her new butterfly mask. Her words made her blonde cousin scoff and adjust her wolf mask. It was true. She always hated balls and parties. It was always the same thing. While she didn't mind the food or occasional dance, she always viewed such events as pointless displays of status or wealth amongst Nobles.
She would much rather be leading armies into battle against the Legion than suffer any pompous Nobles giving false congratulations to one another. "I think I might attempt to escape and hang myself from the gallows." Alicia muttered in despair, wishing she was almost anywhere but here.
"Just endure it for a little while. I'll be right here with you." Prim spoke comfortingly, the gentle princess soothingly tracing a hand on her cousin's forearm. The blonde knight gave a stiff nod in response; for Prim's sake, she would endure virtually any torture.
"Princess Prim! It has been too long!" Spoke a voice that bordered between masculine and feminine, causing the two cousins to turn and see a young noble approach them. While his face was obscured from a mask, his voice was definitely familiar to them. Alicia remembered him as one of countless suitors that tried to gain her cousin's hand… oh, what was his name again? There are so many… Albert something? Or was it Lambert? Eh, she decided to go with 'Albert' for now.
Albert(?) Chuckled as he took the pinkette by the hand and kissed it, his fingers rubbing the back of her hand as he spoke "It is so marvelous to see you again, Princess. I would recognize your beauty anywhere, even if your face is hidden behind a mask."
The blonde knight rolled her eyes as she thought to herself 'Yeah right. All you recognized was that distinctive pink hair. Wait, is he still holding her hand?' She thought the last part upon noticing that the suitor had yet to release her cousin from his grip.
"Oh, yes… of course… kind sir. Thank you." The Pinkette replied shyly, trying to pull her hand away from the masked Noble.
Albert(?) gave a broad grin in an attempt to appear suave or charming as he spoke "You must be beside yourself right now, being a prisoner. To a ruffian with absolutely no sense of honor, no less. Kidnapping you when you came under a white flag? How despicable." His tone sounded over-the-top and it sounded as if he were saying things he believed that he wanted the pinkette to hear. The two cousins were quite familiar with this. This would always happen whenever someone wanted to court the gentle and kind princess.
"Umm… that's not exactly what happened. You see, I…" Prim tried to explain that she technically broke the truce by challenging Naruto to a duel, but she was cut off by the masked suitor.
"Have no fear, my dear Princess. If that monster dares try to claim you for his bed, I shall rush to your defense, rapier in hand!" Albert(?) promised with a laugh that was perhaps a bit too loud as some party goers began looking in their direction.
Alicia sneered since the man was clearly posturing and trying to make himself sound and look more impressive than he was in an attempt to charm Prim or other Nobles. She had finally had enough and was about to drown him in the nearest punch bowl… but someone else acted first.
A strong hand appeared on the suitors wrist and gripped it tight. The sounds of bones cracking could be heard as a figure wearing an ornate silver and black Hannya mask stared at the masked Noble. "Pardon the intrusion… but Prim-hime promised me a dance, and I intend to collect. Unless you wish to come to her defense? A rapier in hand, was it?" Naruto asked in a chilling voice, his eyes cold and detached, lacking any sort of warmth or humanity as Albert(?) let out a silent scream of terror and quickly shook his head in denial, obviously not going to back up his boasts.
The Forgemaster released him and then turned towards the pinkette with a hand extended to her "Prim-Hime? May I have this dance?" He asked her politely, his eyes now filled with kindness and care. The pink haired princess smiled sweetly and gave a curtsy, accepting his hand as he gently guided her to the dance floor, leaving behind a former suitor to nurse his wrist and Alicia to watch from the sidelines as she glared at the Hannya, almost daring him to try something with her cousin.
"You seemed like you were in need of a rescue there. Apologies for the fib." He whispered to the gentle princess, who simply shook her head with a smile.
"The intervention is appreciated. Had it continued, I think Alicia would have done much worse." She replied with a soft giggle, a waltz began playing in the background as they took their positions on the dance floor, and then began dancing their way across the ballroom. Naruto held her hand in his own and placed his other hand on the small of her back as they stepped across the dance floor.
"You know, I think this is the first time I have ever danced at a formal event." He admitted with a soft chuckle, his words confused her for a moment, until she giggled a bit upon realizing that no parties had ever been held at the Black Citadel since only monsters had lived in the Dark Queen's lands. Creatures who can only think of raping women would definitely not be pleasant party guests.
"You could have fooled me. You seem like a natural dancer." She replied sweetly, noting that they seemed to almost be gliding across the dance floor with ease, as if they had danced together hundreds of times before. It felt almost unnatural, but certainly enjoyable. Many dances she had during parties and events were often… awkward. Sometimes it involved stale conversation or bad dancing from her partner. Naruto though? She felt quite comfortable.
Even with his signature Hannya mask on, she could tell he was smiling as he replied to her "I learned to dance thanks to my mother and Chloe. Elves love to dance. To many Elves, High or Dark, dancing is a form of expression and in some cases a form of courtship. Some forms of dance, especially a few created by the Dark Elves, are extremely… intimate." He spoke at the end in a slightly husky voice, pulling the princess a little closer to his body.
He then whispered to her a description of one form of a courting dance created by the Dark Elves, causing Prim to blush deeply beneath her mask as she whispered to herself "G-goodness gracious. That seems quite… lewd." The whiskered teen snickered a bit, taking notice that Alicia was glaring at him from the sidelines. Apparently she isn't liking how he is holding her cousin so close to him.
"Naruto-san… can I ask you a question?" She asked him politely, to which he answered back "Ask me anything you like, Prim-hime."
"Why did you take the poison first? We are enemies and yet, you basically spared my life. It doesn't make much sense to me." She asked him, earning a slow 'ahhh' from the Forgemaster. He seemed to briefly consider how to answer her, but then she sensed another smile beneath his mask once he found the words he wanted to convey.
"For one thing, I had no reason or wish to see you dead. For another, I admired your courage and bravery to stand up to me and attempt to rescue your cousin. As I previously mentioned, I wanted to see how far you would take it, and you didn't disappoint. Also… I'd hate to see the life of a kind, brave and beautiful young woman like you be snuffed out." He answered her, the sincerity of his words making her eyes widened. Many times people had given her compliments or said nice things in the hopes of earning her favor, but Naruto wasn't like that. He means what he says and says what he means. There is no deception or bravado in his voice, he actually means it.
"Also, I kind of have a weakness for the ladies." The blonde teen added in a joking tone, earning a giggle and a playful slap from the princess. She wasn't sure if that was a serious statement or not, but she still found it amusing.
The song slowly came to an end, and Prim found herself glancing over the Uzumaki's shoulder, noting the presence of numerous waiting Nobles who were eyeing her hungrily. No doubt waiting for their moment to pounce on her and ask for a dance. Easily sensing the cause of her distress, the blonde spun her around so that he was now facing the nobles, noting their predatory gazes. Deciding to have a little fun and to give the princess an out he asked her in a too-loud voice "Prim-Hime, remember what you said to me after I claimed you as my prisoner?"
She tilted her head in confusion as she replied "Could you remind me, please? Also… why are you speaking so loudly?" As soon as her questions left her lips, she sensed a sudden shift in the mood within the ballroom, her dance partner spun her around once more so that she could see the Nobles that had been eyeing her… and saw that their hungry gazes were replaced by confused ones.
"Your exact words were as follows: 'You may do with me as you wish'." He spoke loudly, his words immediately making her remember. Yes, she did say those exact words after her defeat. Before she could react, the Uzumaki lifted up his mask and placed his lips against hers. She let out a confused and surprised yelp that was muffled by the blonde's mouth and stiffened up… but soon she melted into the kiss and embraced him as she returned the gesture with a soft moan.
A feeling of intoxication overcame her as she felt warmth flood her body, for a brief moment she felt strong, powerful, like she could crush mountains with her bare hands. Then, the Uzumaki broke off the kiss and pulled his mask back down, completely obscuring his face once again as he gave her a wink and gestured behind him. She glanced over his shoulder once again, and saw the Nobles who had been hungrily eyeing her now seemed to be in the throes of despair and disappointment.
In their minds, the prized princess that they had long coveted had been claimed by the Legion General as his personal trophy. "Sorry about that, but at least now they'll leave you alone." Naruto whispered to her, but she waved off his apology dismissively.
"Think nothing of it Naruto-san. I… kind of enjoyed that." She whispered back with a blush that was partially obscured by her pink butterfly mask. At least for now she could perhaps enjoy a party without being bothered by admirers or suitors… wait… was she forgetting about someone?
An angry growl came from behind the Uzumaki as a hand gripped his shoulder tightly with enough force that made him wince, even with his unusually high pain tolerance. He slowly turned towards the aggressor and found Alicia staring daggers at him, in the background the Uzumaki's demonic soldiers were about to step in, but he put a stop to them with a wave of his hand. "Princess Alicia… would you care to dance?" He asked calmly.
Alicia sneered at him, and seemed to be weighing her options on how to approach the situation. She seemed to conclude that discretion was the better part of valor in this instance despite her instincts telling her to jam her fist down the Forgemaster's throat… except he had a Demon army and a lot of potential hostages. If she messed up, there would be a bloodbath. "Fine." She replied gruffly and held out a hand for her fellow blonde to take as he placed his free hand to the small of her back.
Sensing the hostility in the air, Prim excused herself and retreated to the nearest table that was currently bearing sweets and desserts as a new song began to play, prompting both Alicia and Naruto to begin dancing across the floor, ignoring everyone around them from casual observers to fellow dancers. The female knight's attention was laser-focused on one person and one person alone… Naruto himself.
"You're not angry about that kiss, are you? If you want one, I'd be happy to oblige you. I can't turn down a request from a lovely woman, especially such a fierce looking one such as yourself." He spoke to her charmingly, though inwardly, he was sweating bullets. There were only three things that Naruto truly feared in his life, being alone again, failing his loved ones… and Divine Feminine Fury. Despite his flirting, she understandably didn't seem amused in the slightest.
"Touch my cousin again, and I swear that I'll kill you. Chivalry and honor be damned." She whispered harshly, wishing that she had a sword in her hand so that she may jam it either in his heart or his loins… maybe both just for thoroughness.
"That doesn't sound like something a knight should say. I assure you though, my intentions were noble. I said and did those things so that her suitors would leave her alone, at least for the evening. It was a kind of a spur of the moment type situation." He spoke honestly, his words seemingly placating the blonde princess, her anger slowly melting as she saw her cousin happily munching on some cake, and for once she wasn't being accosted by anyone nor needed her protection.
"Fine. I suppose I'll let it slide, just this once. Though if you ever do that again, I promise that I'll make you regret it." She spoke bitterly as she glared at her fellow blonde with a critical eye, her wolf mask making her look all the more fearsome.
"Very well then. I understand completely. Though let it be said, should the day ever come that I take advantage of a woman against her will, I pray that I am appropriately punished for it." The whiskered teen spoke, making a 'cross my heart' gesture across his chest, satisfying the Princess Knight.
"You… know… I don't usually dance at these sorts of events." Alicia spoke out of nowhere, briefly surprising herself at how casually she let that slip. She wasn't under some kind of spell was she? No, she was certain that she was not. She had undergone extensive mental training to guard herself against mental attacks and trickery employed by some mages. Yet she felt nothing influencing her mind. Now that she thought about it… her captor was a good dancer.
"No offense meant, but you don't seem like the type of person to attend balls or parties. You seem more like a woman of action. I'm guessing you only attend such events out of either obligation or to help protect your cousin." The whiskered teen spoke, earning a nod from the blonde princess. He was right of course, there was no denying it.
"It always feels like a waste of time and resources attending these types of parties. Especially when you have the Legion knocking on your doors almost every day. Correction, Had." She added the last part since the Legion had now taken her fortress, and she was now a prisoner in her own home. She would never be able to live this down.
"That reminds me… during our duel, I noticed that your fighting style strongly relies on speed. Your swordsmanship is superb and your technique was utterly flawless in my opinion… but it seems to me that your main weakness is your lack of stamina. The longer a fight drags on, the worse off you are. You must be used to defeating your opponents with ease. Makes me wonder, is it because you are so strong or your opponents are so weak? Or is it both?" He questioned gently, making the princess sigh.
"You're not wrong. I trained hard, every day, practicing and honing my skills with a blade until I was eventually nominated as the Princess Knight of the First Fortress, Celestine-sama herself congratulated my swordsmanship and bade me to use my skills to protect others. Unfortunately, whenever I sparred with my troops, I would always beat them with ease, and they would always look up at me in jealousy. Not to boast, but… I sometimes think I make them feel inadequate or envious because of my skills… Wait, why am I telling you all of this?! What manner of trickery is this?!" She demanded at the end, now realizing she had been carrying on for a while and said far more than she intended.
The Uzumaki simply shrugged his shoulders as they continued dancing without missing a beat as he replied "This isn't the first time this has happened. People tend to get really chatty around me for some reason. I honest-to-goodness don't know why. My mother thinks it is because I have some sort of aura of charisma about me that makes most people feel comfortable around me, though that is a subject of some debate."
"You don't say." Alicia deadpanned, not believing him in the slightest, though she supposed that he didn't really have a reason to lie about that. It was definitely weird though.
He chuckled in a slightly awkward manner and shifted the subject by asking "If you're ever interested… would you care to train with me?" She was surprised by his question and almost tripped over her own feet but managed to regain her balance at the last second and stared at him wide-eyed.
"You… want to.. You want me to train with you? Why?" She asked him, stammering with her words a bit as the Uzumaki nodded at her question.
"Of course. I can always use a new training partner to help practice with. You don't have to if you don't want to." He answered, emphasizing that she had a choice of whether she wanted to join him or not.
She pursed her lips, almost considering his invitation before she asked him "Naruto… what do you see me and Prim as? Are we meant to be your slaves? Trophies? Playthings? What are we to you?"
Without any hesitation the Forgemaster replied to her "I was hoping that we could be friends." At his answer, the world seemed to slow down around Alicia as she could only stare into his deep blue eyes, not a hint of deception in them. Friends?! Seriously?! That was all? No… no way… no fucking way. Not possible. Simply not possible. There was just no way. No one, no one could possibly be this selfless and pure-hearted, least of all a member of the Legion and yet… and yet… he always acted with honor and integrity.
"Offer's still open if you're interested. No pressure." He offered once again as the music came to a close. He then lifted up his mask and kissed his fellow blonde on the hand, as if to say 'thank you' for the dance. She mumbled something incoherently and then separated from him, her eyes wide as she seemed to wander off aimlessly, as if she were in a daze.
"Wow… you're really slaying them tonight, aren't you, Naruto-sama?" Spoke a familiar voice next to the Uzumaki, he chuckled a bit as he looked down at the form of his loyal retainer, Luca. The young Half-elf grinning cheekily at him while wearing a black dress, complete with a panther mask.
"You're so charming that you don't even try." She added with a giggle, earning a small shrug from her master.
"It's a gift. One I don't have full control over. You should know. Our first days together you gave increasingly graphic threats about how you would castrate me, and within the week you were ready and willing to serve me, hand and foot." He quipped, earning some melodious laughter from his retainer.
"Guilty. What can I say though? You're just… a naturally good person. Not really sure how to explain it, plus you were so kind and patient with me." She muttered nostalgically, making her master grin a bit.
"If you say so, then I won't refute it. At any rate… does my beautiful retainer wish to dance with her master?" He asked while extending his hand to her, making his servant giggle as she accepted his hand.
"For you? I'd dance the night away and then rock your world in the bedroom." She spoke with a cheeky smile, a blush appearing on her face which was hidden beneath her mask. Her master gave a soft laugh as the two assumed their positions and began to dance as the next song played.
Luca's ears perked up as she heard the other humans whispering to each other. Many were shocked to learn that another Dark Elf existed, some were whispering in envy that they didn't own her, and others were bristling with envy at the sight of the Legion General dancing not only with the fair princesses but an Elf maiden as well. Spirits, she wanted to laugh at those stupid humans. What they wanted, they couldn't have, and her master had earned everything that was his.
It wasn't just handed off to him because he was the son of some big shot noble. Her beloved master worked hard, every day, to get to his current level. There was no possible way these humans could compare. "Thinking about something? Something good?" He asked as he noticed the starry-eyed looks he was getting from his retainer.
"Just thinking about how magnificent you are." She replied honestly, which made the Uzumaki shake his head with a sly smile.
"Careful. You keep singing my praises and I'll probably get a swollen ego." He spoke in a half-joking tone, making the black haired Half-elf snicker a bit.
"I'd prefer it if something else of yours swelled up." She quipped, glancing down at his groin. She then continued "Naruto-sama… you have yet to do anything more to me than kiss or cuddle with me. Why have you not taken me as your lover?"
Ouch. Seems like someone was getting impatient. Not that he could necessarily blame her given her strong feelings and dedication to him. "Largely because I have been busy juggling around multiple duties. I promise you though, you'll get your turn. I cannot say when exactly, but you will." He responded gently, making the young Half-elf puff out her cheeks a bit.
She then gave him a saucy grin and spoke in a teasing tone "Fiiiine, I'll wait a bit longer. Though if you make me wait too long, I'll get really lonely and won't be able to concentrate on my duties. Then you'll have to punish me. Really hard." She whispered out the last part in a sultry tone. Her master simply nodded in understanding and wiggled his eyebrows, all the while making a mental note to not underestimate the thirstiness of Elf girls.
The dance suddenly came to an abrupt end as a loud trumpeting came from near the currently empty throne that was overlooking the ball-room. Luca was a bit miffed that her moment with her master had come to a halt, but grinned since she knew what was going to come next.
Standing next to the throne was Chloe, wearing ceremonial armor and wearing a mask that resembled a Hawk. "Announcing her Majesty, Queen Olga Discordia!" The blonde half-elf announced which caused a spotlight to focus on the queen herself who slowly and gracefully descended down a flight of stairs. The Queen wore a dark purple dress while wearing an owl mask, her signature scepter in hand as she approached the throne.
Chloe gently took her mistress' hand and assisted her down the final set of steps and escorted her to the throne. Once Olga was seated, she smiled and spoke "Greetings to you, one and all. Welcome to my kingdom, the Garan Kingdom and soon-to-be-empire. For those who wish to serve and be part of this new empire… come and pledge fealty to me. Refuse… and there will be certain consequences."
Chloe cleared her throat and unfurled a scroll as she called out "When your name is called, you shall approach the queen and pledge yourself to her and her empire…" she paused to clear her throat once again and called out the name of a prominent noble.
The nobleman let out a nervous squeak and quickly approached, almost throwing himself at the Dark Queen's feet as he dropped to his hands and knees, it didn't take long at all for her to extract the necessary pledge from him. Once he had uttered his oath, the Queen shooed him away with a wave of her hand.
One by one, the Nobles and aristocrats were called up. Some were more reluctant than others to swear oaths of fealty to the Dark Queen, but in the end, they obeyed since they feared her potential wrath and the waiting Demon soldiers who watched their every move.
In the background, Alicia watched this event unfold and let out a disgusted scoff upon seeing a few who willingly pledged themselves to Olga, promising her support and information and expressed their hopes that they would have prestigious positions in her burgeoning empire. Damned sellouts.
Was there no honor and loyalty among them? She was utterly disgusted at how quick some of the nobility were to jump ship, and for what? More gold? Status? Prestige? Power? No doubt if Olga was on the losing end of this war, these same nobles would immediately rejoin the Alliance. Fickle bastards. However, she and Prim couldn't help but notice that the Queen had yet to make any official promises to these very nobles.
The minutes ticked by slowly as more names were called up, there didn't seem to be any particular rhyme reason or organization to the list as Chloe kept calling out seemingly random names… and those who hadn't yet been called were starting to sweat and feel nervous, noticing the Queen's retainer seemed to be reaching the bottom of her list. At last, Chloe discarded the list of names, revealing that she had finished, leaving at least half of the present nobles unnamed and not pledged to the Queen.
For a brief moment, everyone wondered if the blonde Half-elf would retrieve a second list… but she did not make any further movements, until the Queen herself began to chuckle and waved a finger to her retainer, prompting Chloe to reach behind her Queen's throne and pull out an ornate box. The Queen laughed again, her voice silky smooth and melodious, but with it came a chill wind that sent shivers to everyone across the ball-room as she smiled wickedly.
"I am sure you are wondering why only half of the nobles present were named and invited to pledge themselves to me. The other half… have no place in my kingdom or my empire." Olga stated bluntly, and snapped her fingers, prompting Chloe to open the box and dump the contents of the floor, a cascade of keys fell from the box and began clattering down on the steps as everyone watched in confusion.
Keys of brass, keys of silver, keys of iron, keys of gold, all of different shapes and sizes fell down to the ground. Both of the Princesses looked towards the Hannya, silently asking him what the meaning of this bizarre turn of events was. As if sensing their gazes, he turned towards them ever so slightly and raised a lone finger to his mouth to make a 'shushing' gesture.
A series of shocked gasps came from the unnamed nobles, seemingly recognizing the keys. "Tha-That's my..!" A random unnamed noble sputtered, and then quickly caught himself and fell silent, as if he were afraid that he almost let something slip but it was too late.
"Recognize them? They should be more than recognizable to their owners." Olga stated and then clapped her hands twice, her son acknowledged the signal and snapped his fingers, on his command, a pair of demons opened the main entrance to the ballroom allowing a crowd of people to enter.
Both Prim and Alicia watched in shock as they saw a crowd of slaves enter the ballroom, their chains and shackles rattling with every movement, carrying shovels, pickaxes, knives and various other tools and weapons, their eyes ablaze with fury as they glared at the nobles who didn't receive the chance to swear themselves to Olga's service.
"Remember when I said that Luca was taking care of things for me?" Naruto asked, directing the question to the two princesses who slowly turned to him, their eyes almost the size of dinner plates as he continued "She wasn't just preparing my dancing clothes. I had her do some investigation into the nobles within the fortress so that we may root out any and all slave owners." He added and gestured towards the slaves themselves who were glaring at their masters with deadly and fatal intentions.
"Slavery… that's… that's illegal." Alicia muttered, a part of her wanting to deny the possibility that slavery was happening beneath her nose. How could she not have seen this? Was she truly so blind? If she had known about this then she would have cut down these scum herself. She grit her teeth, her fists clenching as she felt white-hot fury fill her. She felt anger at the nobles for taking people as slaves, and she felt anger at herself for never sensing that something was amiss within her very own Fortress. She wanted desperately to deny that this was reality, she wanted to tell herself that this was all a nightmare, a fevered dream, but the proof was here in front of her.
Slaves of varying ages, mostly girls and women, a few small boys and teenagers. A few humans, but most were non-human, all of the non-humans being Beastmen as evidenced by the features of various animals. Covered in bruises and cuts, their skin and hair dirty from lack of bathing, their bodies skinny and frail from a lack of food and care.
The Dark Queen rested her head atop a loosely closed fist and spoke up "Slavery may have been 'outlawed' by your Church, but I assure you, it is very much alive and in practice in Eos. I imagine that those of you who own… correction, previously owned slaves likely paid certain 'tithes' to the Church so that they may turn a blind eye, yes? Well, those days end now. In my kingdom, slavery is a crime punishable by death. Anyone who owns a slave will be immediately sentenced to death."
The now freed slaves turned on their masters, raising their weapons threateningly as they stalked towards the cowering nobles. "Kindly escort the dead meat outside where a mess won't be made." The Uzumaki ordered, prompting his demonic soldiers to begin forcing the soon-to-be dead nobles outside, where their former slaves may freely take their pound of flesh for all the suffering they endured.
"Leniency will be shown to the spouses and the children of these traitors of course. I am not without mercy. We are not monsters." The Dark Queen added since there was no need to spill the blood of those who were not involved with the slaves. The testimonies of the slaves themselves revealed who was innocent and guilty after all.
Once they were all gone, the doors slammed shut behind them with a resounding thud, the once comfortable atmosphere of the ballroom now filled with cold dread as everyone came to the same conclusion… Olga Discordia was not a woman to be crossed, for any reason. If that was not evident before her invasion, it certainly was now.
"No pleas for the lives of your subjects, Alicia? Prim-Hime?" Naruto asked the princesses, and in response they slowly shook their heads negatively. In spite of Alicia's code of chivalry and honor and Prim's kind and gentle nature, neither of them could or would defend slavers. Anyone who would enslave the life of another so callously was not worthy of life.
"Didn't think so." Naruto muttered, unsurprised by this, he then smirked beneath his mask and added "Just one more thing on the agenda." He then pointed up towards the ceiling, causing all eyes to look upwards and see the form of a bound and gagged Beardsley who was being hanged upside down with chains wrapped tight around his ankles, his face red from the blood rushing to his head as he wiggled and sobbed and made muffled noises that one could assume was him begging for his life.
"Alicia? As the wounded party of your former Prime Minister's betrayal, would you care to take point on this part?" The Hannya asked her in a professional tone. Needless to say, despite her initial shock from just moments ago, she did not hesitate to accept her fellow blonde's invitation as she marched forward and joined him at his side as Luca stepped out of the way for her, a broad grin on the small half-elf's face.
He extended his hands to the Princess knight and conjured a scroll and another small box, the latter she recognized as something belonging to Beardsley since it bore his insignia. She accepted the items and then unfurled the scroll first to read its contents, and found it to be a list of charges. She glanced towards the Uzumaki who simply gave her a nod, prompting her to clear her throat.
After collecting herself, the Princess knight began to speak "Former Prime Minister Beardsley is hereby charged with high treason, embezzlement, misuse of funds and goods, and attempting to take a slave. More specifically… me." She spat out the last part in disgust before continuing "Do you deny these charges?"
From above, the former minister vigorously nodded his head causing his body to swing back and forth in the air. This course of action made the blonde knight scoff, finding it ridiculous how even now he denies his traitorous actions. A worm and a coward till the end then, not that it matters. The end result would be the same.
She then opened the box and found various documents which revealed the purchases he had made with the embezzled money, a shocking amount being used to hire prostitutes. Young blonde ones. No doubt so he may play out his sick fantasies that involve her. There were some other papers inside, but all she could focus on was the one page that described the prostitutes he had hired. She felt bile rise up in her throat and her face flushed red in anger as she slammed the box shut.
"After carefully reviewing the evidence… I find you guilty of all charges Beardsley! I hereby sentence you to be boiled in oil until you are dead!" Alicia announced loudly, making the former minister give a muffled scream of terror. Being boiled alive was potentially one of the worst ways to be executed! He would much rather be hanged or beheaded than be boiled alive!
"Someone get a very big pot… we are gonna have an execution tomorrow." Naruto called out, his eyes scanning over the remaining nobles who had pledged themselves to his mother. If there was ever any thoughts in their heads of rebellion or skirting around the law, they had been instantly crushed. They realized their options were to either respect the law of their new Queen or be swept aside. There was no middle ground or leniency.
In Naruto's opinion, laws were meaningless if they couldn't or wouldn't be enforced. People often took advantage of various loopholes or escaped the consequences through legal trickery, wordplay, or even outright bribery and intimidation. A common occurrence in his homelands, oh, it happened throughout the entire world, no question, but in the Shinobi Nations? It seemed especially true.
With this act done, they had officially begun laying the foundation of their future empire.
Meanwhile. The White Citadel, Celestine's chambers.
"No… No… No… this can't be happening. Why? Why? I just don't understand." The elven goddess muttered to herself, restlessly pacing about in her chambers. After being escorted back to her room she took the opportunity to rest her body, and to her delight, she recovered rather quickly. A benefit of being a High Elf she supposed, being gifted with an excellent constitution.
However, there was another matter troubling her. She was about to send a summons for her personal guard Claudia, but this became unnecessary as the Invincible Valkyrie appeared in her chambers. The High Elf was grateful to see her guard, she now desperately needed someone to confide in. Before she could open her mouth, Claudia began to speak first as she gave her report.
"Celestine-sama. I am pleased to report that all of the robbed Civilians have been compensated and returned home. I personally interviewed them and they all said the same thing… that the 'Church Soldiers' that robbed them kept their visors down, undoubtedly to conceal their identities… except one. One farmer was lucky enough to see one of the criminals lift his visor up for a moment and saw a distinguishing crescent shaped scar near his right eye. If we can find this criminal, then he can give us information on his cohorts." The goddess' bodyguard reported, leaving the High Elf unable to get a word in edgewise until she was finished.
Now that she finally had a chance to speak, Celestine quickly spoke in an almost panicked tone "That's good to hear… but… I… I'm afraid that… that I have discovered something terrible." Sensing the fear in her charge's tone, the brown haired guardian's protective instincts quickly kicked in.
"What? What is it? Has someone threatened you? Tried to hurt you? What happened?" The Valkyrie demanded.
After a long silence, Celestine finally replied "I can no longer perceive any visions." At this news, Claudia's jaw dropped and the entire world seemed to shatter around her. The goddess, leader, and protector of the Alliance and Eos… is no longer able to receive her visions? Then… that meant… they were now blind to potential disasters, that they could no longer predict the Legion's movements or anything for that matter.
"Goddess." Was all Claudia could say as she hung her head low in despair… coming to a swift conclusion that dark days now lie ahead for Eos. Without Celestine's guiding hand and visions… what were they to do? If word got out about this, there would be a panic. The Alliance would be seen as vulnerable and weaker than ever. It was a severe blow losing two of the seven princesses to the Legion… and now this.
"Damn it… DAMN IT ALL!" Claudia screamed out in frustration. There was no way this was a coincidence. Whoever was behind the attempted assassination was undoubtedly behind this. If they could not kill the goddess, then they would blind her. And there was only one magic user who would potentially have the knowledge to perform this feat. Even if she supposedly lost her powers, she still had that damned Forgemaster to do her bidding.
"Olga Discordia… I will end you." The Valkyrie promised as she gripped her sword… no matter what, she would protect Celestine and Eos and she would see the Dark Queen pay for all her crimes. No matter the cost. Fortunately, troops were undoubtedly on their way to the Second Fortress to reinforce Leona's mercenary company. For now, all she could do was wait by her charge's side and wait for word from her father-in-law. The next stage of the war would soon begin.
End Chapter four.