"Are you really sure about this, Viktoriya?" Lorelei asked nervously. She was keenly aware that her upbringing had exposed her to more than the average amount of superstition and old wives' tales. After what she'd seen in Belzerg and Elroad's capitals, in Axel, and in all the other towns and cities that sat across the width and breadth of the Kingdom of Belzerg that she'd been to, she had learned some of them were untrue.
The Fairy of Winter was no old wives' tale. It had killed Kazuma only a few weeks ago, and they were going looking for it! Willingly!
"I understand your concern, but we'll be fine. I think." Viktoriya waved her hand and dismissed the fretting as they continued marching across the cold earth. There was little snow today, but that did nothing to dissuade the bite of the cold from nipping at the tips of Lorelei's ears. A deep, buried part of herself wanted nothing more than to go back home and curl up in her bed for the rest of the day.
The other part of her wanted to do the same thing because her teammates were crazy.
She decided to punctuate her thoughts verbally. "You two are crazy. Beating Vanir isn't enough for you?"
"Nope!" Viktoriya replied cheerfully, "Everyone agrees the Winter Shogun is very strong, but people also said that about Vanir and the Mobile Fortress Destroyer."Lorelei resisted the urge to groan – she said that as if they hadn't been. "If we need money in the future, hunting high-value targets like this would be a viable route to obtaining an influx of cash. Assuming we can beat it, of course."
Lorelei scoffed. "Oh, but of course. Assuming you can beat it is all too easy, right?"
"No." Viktoriya ignored Lorelei's snarkiness. "We can't assume that, which is why we're scouting things out."
Lorelei muttered under her breath, and Viktoriya looked back at her. "What? I didn't hear you."
Lorelei shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"You sure?" Viktoriya asked. Lorelei did not reply.
The question hung in the air for a minute as Lorelei considered it, the silence only broken by the crunching, monotonous gait they kept as they passed through the frozen countryside.
Viktoriya's steps were more hurried – she was set on forging their path, and with Lorelei's large stride, that meant she needed to work even harder – but it was what she and Tanya were used to.
"I suppose I'm just feeling a bit left out," Lorelei finally replied, wistful.
Viktoriya immediately spun around, surprise on her face. "Really?" she asked as she stopped so they could walk next to each other. Lorelei shrugged. "Eh, it's just what happens."
"It is, is it?" asked Viktoriya, concern and a hint of amusement in her voice.
Lorelei nodded authoritatively, allowing some amusement of her own to shine through. "But of course! Everyone knows that if a couple forms in a party, the one who gets left out becomes a third wheel. The number of plays about someone being motivated to change their lives after their teammates get together is only beaten out by the number of plays where that person is cast as a villain, attempting to break them up and return the party to how it used to be!"
"And what happens to that person?" Viktoriya asked.
"Nothing good, obviously," Lorelei replied. "But you don't have to worry at all! I'm smarter than that."
"I should hope," Viktoriya said, "because you'd probably have to worry more about the Succubi than us."
Lorelei raised an eyebrow. "Really? You two wouldn't be more upset than them?"
"Good point," she conceded. " But really. I don't want you to feel left out of things-"
"It's fine!" Lorelei said. "You two are just… y'know. Basking in the afterglow," she said. "I'm sure there's a better term for it, but the point stands. I'm happy to give you two time to, eh, explore your relationship. Things will settle eventually."
"Still," Viktoriya said as they finally arrived at the place Kazuma had gone to last time, according to the guild's records, "just because we're getting together…"
She trailed off, blushing furiously. Lorelei waited a full ten seconds, and when Viktoriya still didn't respond, she waggled her eyebrows. "Getting together? Would you like to be more specific?"
Viktoriya's blush increased. "Married! We're getting married. That's what I meant."
She shook her head before Lorelei could needle her more. "That doesn't mean we should ignore everyone else, especially you."
Lorelei almost replied immediately – she was touched, and her running nose and watery eyes were from the cold and nothing else – but Viktoriya kept talking. "I know, we should all do something together! Not work, or a 'break,'" she said, putting up air quotes and heaping venom into the singular word, "where Tanya checks up on stuff for work anyway. Just a chance to relax!" Viktoriya declared.
"Hmm," Lorelei said. "Isn't that too close to our last break?"
Viktoriya scoffed. "For Tanya, maybe. The truth is we're going to have a lot more work to do in the future if we're really going to kill the Demon King. We might as well enjoy ourselves while we still have the time."
Lorelei shook her head in wonder. They said that they were going to do that so… matter-of-factly. It seemed insane to her, that these two people who hadn't even been in Belzerg for a year were sure they would beat the Demon King.
Of course, if anyone could do it, it was definitely them.
At the very least, they were insane enough to try.
Behind them, the bushes stirred, and they both whirled around, their weapons drawn. Out of the bush…
Lorelei repeated the words her mother had muttered under her breath the first time Lorelei had seen them.
"Fuck, they're cute."
The Snow Sprites piled out of the bush, tripping over each other despite their lack of legs as they began to float around them, inquisitively bobbing through the air, wobbling back and forth as they drifted closer and farther from them.
"I suppose you're right," Lorelei said, returning to their conversation. "Shopping?"
Viktoriya scrunched up her nose. "Tanya would find a way to turn it into work, like when we bought those jackets."
"I don't suppose you'd be up for making some clothes?" she asked inquisitively.
Viktoriya shrugged noncommittally. "Would Tanya?"
"Probably not, but he's got her crafting skills… but that would turn into work too, I guess," she admitted.
"Well, what about a play, then?"
Lorelei's eyebrows and ears perked up. "Really? You two don't seem the type."
Viktoriya shrugged again. "I sure haven't seen any, but I'm willing to try it out. I think he'd at least give it a try. And there's no way he can turn it into work, right?" she said, beginning to grin.
Lorelei's mouth turned into a grin as well. "Yeah, that could work. Plus, you two won't be familiar with any of the shows here! Though, which one should we go to, then…"
She began muttering to herself rapidly, and Viktoriya didn't have the heart to tell her that a lot of stuff in Belzerg seemed to have derived some influence from the Japanese reincarnates, which had probably bled into their plays as well. "We'll make a day out of it…"
She smirked. "Since he refused to take the coupons I got from Dust to the Dragon Market, we could go there afterwards."
Lorelei nodded again, and the Snow Sprites around them began to flit through the air faster, seemingly picking up on their good mood.
"Great! Now, let's finish up and get out of this cold," Viktoriya said.
Lorelei's mood was dampened somewhat, but she acquiesced. "Fine. I hate this part, though-"
"You could always become an adventurer and learn our skills?"
Lorelei shot Viktoriya a flat look. "No thanks. I definitely don't have the Magic-Power to make what you two do feasible," she groused as she clambered onto Viktoriya's back.
The rotund bodies of the Snow Sprites became still as they watched the pair. Viktoriya rapidly fed mana into her strengthening spells as she wagged a finger up at Lorelei. "I wouldn't be so hasty. Since we can just reset our level and do the Crimson Demon Cultivation Technique, we can get a lot of skill points. One of the first things we're going to use all those points on is making our spells more efficient."
They began to float into the sky, to the shocked murmuring of the Snow Sprites. "I guess," Lorelei replied, "but… isn't it kinda like cheating-"
Viktoriya sighed as they left the awestruck Snow Sprites below them, their ball-like bodies rotating so their eyes could track them. "On the one hand, I guess I can see how you might think that. On the other hand, I'm certain that if you say that around Tanya, he'll launch into a rant about human progress and efficiency and it not being cheating when there aren't any rules."
"Oh, without a doubt."
Viktoriya took out her rifle and aimed down at the Snow Sprites, who were all still frozen in wonder. Lorelei sniffed. "They're so cute-"
KABOOM!
Cracked, frozen ground was sent flying. At least a dozen of them evaporated into nothingness in an instant, while the few not caught in the blast were flung away, their tiny, shrill cries echoing across the cold, desolate landscape. Viktoriya suddenly flew down, and Lorelei swore as she wrapped her legs around Viktoriya's neck.
She grabbed a Snow Sprite in her gloved hand and passed it up to Lorelei. "Too… tight-"
Lorelei untensed and stuffed the monster into the jar she'd brought with her. "Sorry! It's just-"
She shook herself, hopped down, and then hopped onto Viktoriya's back. "I don't care if sitting on your shoulders is possible, it feels way too similar to falling. I'm sticking to your back-"
WOOOOOOOSHHH
HISSSSSS
A gale burst into existence from above, pelting them both with snow. They both spun around towards the hissing and found themselves face to face with the manifestation of the Fairy of Winter, the Winter Shogun.
Lorelei's knees quaked.
A figure that was tall enough to tower over even her, the white, bizarre armor it wore shone in the light of the noonday sun obscured by the sudden burst of snow. A huge mane of shining white fur drifted down the figures back, making it seem even larger than it already was. Beneath the terrifying mask and glowing armor it wore, its skin was a blue so dark it seemed almost black.
Its eyes glowed an ethereal white, blinding compared to the faint shimmering of its armor. From its side, it drew a sword almost as tall as Lorelei was.
The quaking in Lorelei's knees redoubled as it leveled a wave of killing intent at them.
Viktoriya shifted below her, and-
Lorelei prayed to Eris as they shot up into the air, at least thirty feet up. Viktoriya stared down at it, it stared up at them, and Lorelei kept praying that they'd make it out of this in one piece.
It twisted its blade, the glow from its eyes narrowing.
They didn't move, didn't make the slightest concession to its power.
It jumped, swinging its sword in a wide arc upwards as it did so-
Viktoriya drifted upwards, and the blade missed entirely. The hulking figure rolled as it landed and spun back around in a single move, still glaring at them.
"I think we've got enough information – you felt that killing intent, right?"
"Not yet," Viktoriya said, "We've gotten a look at its power. I want to see if it can reach us before we call it quits. If it can't reach us, then there's no problem with-"
Lorelei swore. The light narrowed again, and it jumped, sailing higher this time. Viktoriya darted downwards, below it, and it twisted in the air, its blade reaching out towards them-
KLANG
Lorelei flinched as the blade ricocheted off of Viktoriya's shield. It flew again through the air, landing in a heap in the snow that was now building up. It quickly recovered-
"Is that mask smiling at us?" Lorelei shouted.
Viktoriya nodded sharply as it jumped at them a third time-
Viktoriya dodged, and the Winter Shogun followed.
Lorelei held on for dear life as it chased them, missing every blow as it chased flew after them. Lorelei felt them jerk through the air, the repeated KLANG KLANG KLANG of the Winter Shogun's sword beating Viktoriya's shield scrambling her senses almost as much as their helter-skelter flight.
BANG BANG BANG
The ringing in her ears redoubled as they crashed into the ground. Lorelei rolled to a stop, her head spinning-
"Let the jar go."
Lorelei did as ordered with gusto, throwing open the jar and letting out the captured Snow Sprite. She tossed aside the vessel and her weapons as she kowtowed, pressing her forehead into the ground. She prayed.
Please don't kill us. Save us, Eris.
Viktoriya was doing the same, even if Lorelei couldn't look at her. She crushed the brief curiosity to look at the Fairy of Winter.
HISSSSSSSS
CRACK!
Lorelei flinched as the monster's sword was deflected by Viktoriya's shield.
It growled threateningly.
Lorelei looked to her left. Viktoriya hastily tossed away her Type 97 and pressed her face into the dirt even more. Lorelei looked away and did the same.
It growled once more.
"TEST ME AGAIN, FOOLS THAT YE ARE, AND YE SHALL BE DESTROYED BY THE WHOLE OF THE FAIRY HOST."
Lorelei gulped.
She'd never heard of it talking.
The wind swirled around them, and she risked looking up for the briefest of moments. Before the swirling snow became too thick to see through, she caught sight of the Winter Shogun.
It had changed.
From its mask extended a nose of comical length, while gargantuan wings, as dark as its skin, had replaced its fur and extended from its back to form a protective embrace of its chest.
Then the snow swirled even faster, howling in her ears, and she barely heard Viktoriya shouting in her ear.
"GRAB YOUR STUFF. WE ARE LEAVING."
Still, even as Lorelei grabbed her weapons, she managed to get out one last quip. "I HOPE YOU KNOW I'M NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN."
Viktoriya didn't reply, and Lorelei really hoped that it was because she was taking her plea to heart and not because she was trying to figure out how exactly she would try and fight it in the future.
-OxOxO-
Shivering in the freak snowstorm, Frederick took a moment to stare at what was undoubtedly a stately building, even obscured by snow. Before he'd joined the guild, he'd dreamed of one day amassing enough wealth to own a manor as big as this. He'd dreamed of filling up such a house with his family, and being able to come home expecting the happy, joyful calls of his relatives and children and loved ones. He'd dreamed of being able to pass down his knowledge to others like himself.
He thanked the servant at the door – at least this noble playing at being a pauper hadn't skimped on the service – as he stepped through the front gate. He'd long given up on dreams such as those.
It simply wasn't possible, despite his hardest efforts.
Frederick was led into the building and through halls gilded with wealth until he reached a large meeting room.
He nodded as he was greeted by those inside. He recognized all of their faces, to a greater or lesser degree, from years of working together, and only the identity of those who were relatively new sat somewhat fuzzy in his mind. He glided into the seat where he would have sat if this was a normal meeting in their normal meeting room, as opposed to the pint-sized manor of a noble.
To his left sat Olaf Gluft, and to his right sat Britney Vander. He'd long wanted to sit at the head of the table, as Britney now did, but no one could argue that the Adventurers' Guild was the most important guild in all of Belzerg, to say nothing of Axel in particular.
He greeted them as he always did, throwing out an additional platitude or two about wanting to get this business done with.
All of them were representatives of the various guilds of Axel. The Adventurers. The Librarians. The Miners. The Builders. The Butchers. The Weavers. The Brewers. The Thieves. The Smiths. The Lumberjacks. Even the Hunters' Federation, who were entitled enough to call themselves something other than a guild even though that was all they were, had a representative.
All of them met regularly – as often as twice a month or as rarely as at the beginning of every quarter – at the Greater Guild Group of Axel's office. They were given orders from Axel itself and from the capital's main branch. They discussed the implementation of those orders and collaborated on presenting demands to the capitol branch or to the government of Axel.
Frederick never would have dreamed of doing this when he was younger.
He'd wanted to use his Luck stat to earn himself a fortune, to buy a giant house and spend his time teaching the next generation how to use their Luck to do the same.
Now, he liaised between the Greater Merchants Guild and the Greater Guild Group, his Luck always good but never great enough to rise above the rank of journeyman merchant. He earned enough money to support his wife and young children and a few scant luxuries and nothing more. There was a war on, and any thought of earning more, of upsetting the hierarchy with Luckless Merchants, would be delayed until after.
Whenever 'after' was.
He looked around the room. They were all here, at a noble's house instead of the Greater Guild Group's office, because Degurechaff wanted to talk. He almost visibly smirked, but he couldn't muster up the care.
The younger members, of his own guild and of the other guilds, from what was reported at the regular meetings, absolutely loved the woman. She was industrious, promoted good ideas, and was undeniably powerful, politically, personally, and magically.
Even the common man liked her – she'd personally killed a Goddess-damned Duke of Hell, for Eris's sake.
Frederick did not care for the woman in the slightest. She refused to help the guilds enforce their charters, allowing rouge merchants to operate without paying their dues. Her brazen expansion of Axel's role in everyday life was encroaching on the duties of the guilds and poaching valuable members.
She did not allow for even a fraction of the corruption that had flourished under Alderp.
How else was he supposed to get that house?
She had been the main subject of two meetings this year. Her existence was an obstruction to the goals of the guilds, and he was plainly tired of hearing about her, whether from starry-eyed fools who hadn't wised up, or from moaning coworkers who could complain the day away without having a single actionable idea about how to stop her.
The door opened once more, and Frederick almost rolled his eyes. It was about time she-
"Introducing Conceri Befrantz, Keeper of the Pass at Kradvyl, Lord of the Befrantz Family."
Frederick's eyebrows rose as a noble, clad in clothing even he could have afforded, walked into the room.
He was well liked among the guilds. He knew the game and played it well. He didn't step on other people's toes – everyone got along and did their business.
The other two that were ushered in – Lady Tennessee and Lord Undine – were not well liked. Arguments began almost immediately as old debts were brought to the fore, and Frederick couldn't help but glare at the two of them – they fought the guilds at every turn trying to get their illicit goods into their manors. They'd long ago burned any bridges that could have allowed them to cooperate and simply pay for such things – the pair were far too prideful.
His eyes roamed over the table. Even with the nobles, half a dozen seats still sat empty. Was she bringing in even more aristocrats?
Whatever this was, it couldn't work.
Then, without an announcement, Degurechaff let herself in and sat at the other end of the table from Britany, followed without a word by-
Frederick felt his hands clench for a moment as the corners of his eyes tightened. Walter Barnes Alexi was expected. This was his dwelling, after all, and while not fit for a noble of his status, its insufficiency for a noble of his status did not excuse him from being a good host.
It wouldn't work.
The government stooges she'd put in place, he should have expected. Of course she'd bring them in, probably to try to corner them.
But those two.
He hadn't expected to see the new heads of the Mithril Foundation so soon.
"Governess Degurechaff, I really do object to having our meeting with these… plebeians," Lord Undine complained. Frederick almost looked away from the haughty pair sitting at Degurechaff's side to roll his eyes at the noble, but he didn't bother. He was sure someone else was doing so anyway.
"Lord Undine, we are behind closed doors. I have personally ensured that no one else is listening to the conversation we are going to have, so know that what I tell you is me speaking from the heart," she said.
Her neutral expression twisted into a grin. "I don't care."
From behind her, servants emerged with glasses and bottles of wine. They went down the row, passing out each to every guest. She turned to the table as the noble with the scar sputtered. "Now. I have brought you all here to discuss what the goals of Axel… and of myself will be for the future."
She didn't give them time to mull over her words. "I am going to kill the Demon King."
That announcement, she paused after. Frederick blinked rapidly and schooled his expression – he hadn't realized he'd looked so openly incredulous. He hadn't he could look so openly incredulous.
Kill the Demon King? After thirty years of war?
He doubted it would happen. He didn't think it would ever happen.
"And not just the Demon King," she continued, "but all of it. From what I've been able to research, the death of a Demon King is often followed by a few years or decades of peace, and then a new one rises up to threaten the world once again. I am going to crush his forces so that they can't just be reconstituted in a few years."
Now Frederick allowed his skepticism to appear on his face. That was ridiculous. This meeting was a ridiculous waste of-
She kept going, uncaring of their incredulity. "Crushing his forces will require strong adventurers, powerful weapons, and beneath both, a robust economy. Corruption," she said, staring pointedly down the ends of the table holding the representatives of the guilds and the three nobles, "graft, and bribery are a drain on the productive capital of the population."
"Of course," she quickly added, "there is no evidence of such in Axel. If anyone had any, they would have turned it over to Lord Dustiness immediately. As is the law."
She shrugged. "If Alderp had any, as his criminal nature suggested, then it was likely destroyed by the Mobile Fortress Destroyer's core's explosion."
Frederick tapped a foot. What was her play?
It shouldn't work.
She smiled again, wider and uncannily this time. "So. You all have a clean slate."
Frederick blinked. This was it?
He almost allowed himself to laugh. The promise of a clean slate was all she was offering them?
"As long as you all work hard, provide service and value to Belzerg and Axel, then we can all prosper and contribute to the end of the Demon King. I am inviting," she said, pausing for a moment, "each and every one of you to partake."
She raised her glass. Her stooges – from the government and Alexi – all did the same.
"The implication that there was ever any corruption-" Undine began again, fury building in his throat.
Her gaze snapped to his. "Then the reports received by Axel's new Bureau of Labor about the treatment and taxation of the farmers working your land are wholly unsubstantiated, yes?"
Undine froze for only a moment. "Of course they are. Definitely wholly unsubstantiated."
She smiled. "Wonderful. Inspectors will have to be sent, of course, and while the waste of the money earned from the Mobile Fortress Destroyer will be a shame, no one will ever be able to claim your farmers are telling the truth. Correct?"
He blanched.
Frederick licked his lips.
No, it shouldn't work. Not even with the backing of the Dustiness family. The guilds were all flush with cash.
The pair heading the Mithril Foundation raised their glasses.
He heard, rather than saw, the next person to support her. The glass to his side rose, and he stared, uncomprehending, as Britany raised her own glass.
More began to raise their glasses. The Librarians Guild representative, a nervous, new face he barely recognized, was next. The Lumberjack's representative followed.
More. The Builders. The Brewers. The Smithing.
Then Befrantz raised his glass.
He smiled at them, as charming as always. "A toast to Axel's prosperity, and the imminent victory of Governess-"
"Governor."
The man didn't falter in the slightest. "Governor Tanya von Degurechaff over the Demon King, I say."
Then Frederick raised his glass, and more followed him.
He didn't care about them.
She was inviting them. Their guilds, sure, but them specifically. Work with her and earn a piece of the prosperity she would bring – was currently bringing.
Befrantz had blackmail on everyone – it was part of how he kept the rest of his family away from him. If he gave them up-
No, not even that. If they were investigated, and the police or guards – so far deep in her pocket that they might as well be a part of it – found anything, it would implicate everyone.
She might not have had evidence, but she knew it had to exist. She would find it.
Dustiness would fall upon all of their heads.
It's a web. A tapestry. Each thread pulls on all of the others, keeping everyone in place. Whether she had blackmail didn't matter – they all had evidence of each other's activities.
Undine switched. Then Tennessee. Three more followed.
Frederick looked around, only now noticing the unhappy looks being shot his way. The remainders weren't pushovers – the Stonemasons, the Thieves, and the Weavers especially.
Now, she looked across the table at those who still refused. "You won't join the toast?"
The representative of the Stonemasons gave her a saccharine smile. "The guilds won't be upturned so easily."
She shrugged again. "Change is required in order to beat the Demon King. You all know of the," she paused again, "biggun used to beat the Mobile Fortress Destroyer. To make more, the economy and government must expand. Those that wish to partake will find new roles in the government. Guaranteed jobs for guaranteed quality and quantity."
"All guilds, besides those conceived in the capital," she continued, "will not have their letters patent renewed when taxes are collected."
The Smithing guild's representative lowered their glass, and some revoked their assent. The head of the Thieves guild smirked. "If you won't renew our letters, we won't pay our taxes. We won't enforce the decrees that the King and you hand out."
Frederick kept his glass raised and looked back at the woman.
She shrugged. "That's the plan."
A beat of silence. "What?" asked the Thief's representative.
She continued. "I said that that was the plan. Since I'll be dissolving the guilds, none of their profits from the last year will be taxed. And, when the time comes, your guilds will face new competition from anyone that wants to try while those that partake in prosperity with me will have be contributing to the destruction of the Demon King."
Those that had switched shoved their glasses back up, and even more followed. Only eight still resisted.
The representative of the Stonemasons snarled. "You're talking about making Axel a Free City! It is illegal-"
"No."
She cut him off, her gaze steely. "Axel is not seceding. Axel is progressing."
She looked up and down the table deliberately. "The upper echelons of most guilds are geriatric and have artificially made becoming more skilled an arbitrary progress – as long as you have a Job, one is able to learn any skill they meet the requirements for. The grandmasters have monopolized skill and invaded the privacy of all its members to ensure they march to their word."
Frederick's Merchant's card weighed heavy in his pocket and mind. How many times had it been checked to make sure he wasn't learning any skills he didn't 'have the experience' for?
The Stonemason merely glared. "This will end in failure, as in the Free Cities."
Degurechaff merely shrugged again. "Like I said. Fine. Though I do wonder if everyone else in your guild will feel quite the same as you do – or, if they do, I'm sure Stonemasons from other towns among the refugees will be happy to be paid handsomely for the work the government will no longer be providing to your guild."
She smiled widely and uncannily again. "Hell, I'd even let them set up a rival guild until tax season, if they wanted."
That broke their will. They also raised their glasse-
The representative of the Weavers guild stood and stormed out without a word, followed swiftly by a few others.
Degurechaff shrugged once more. "A toast, then, among the forward looking minds of Axel."
The nervous man – more a boy, now that he was really looking at them – from the Librarians Guild raised a hand, and Degurechaff pointed at them. "You. What is it?"
Somehow, despite his appearance, his voice didn't quiver. "Er, why Governor, specifically? Is it just a facet of working with you in person as opposed to through letters or-"
She deflated slightly, and then squared her shoulders once more. "It is a somewhat personal matter. The broad overview is that I was cursed by the follower of a dark god to look like a little girl. My recent trip to the Crimson Demon Village was to get the most pressing issue fixed."
Another beat of silence.
Then another.
The silence seemed to stretch on.
Hmm. The Eris Cult wouldn't like this one bit.
Finally, the man put two and two together. "Ah! My apologies, Governor! If we had known, then we wouldn't have-"
"It's no problem-"
"How?"
She- or, he, rather, turned to Undine again, and he shook his head. "It was a magic item. The man I had make it wouldn't make it for you if you just asked… but I could recreate it given time."
He cleared his throat. "Anyway. A toast. To the death of the Demon King!"
They all cheered and began raising their glasses, but the only image in Frederick's head was of his dream home.
He would spread the word.
The guilds would consume themselves, fighting over every scrap of money and logistics while simultaneously working as clean-handedly as possible to ensure they were above any suspicion.
With the guild gone, we would get a better job – in her government or not. He wouldn't have to ask permission to learn better skills.
The old blackmail… they couldn't trust a single person to hold all of it, which meant they all got some or they all got none.
Better to burn as much as they could. A truly clean slate.
Frederick drank deeply.
-OxOxO-
They approached the city under the cover of night, half an hour before the guard was supposed to switch. The security of the town had grown leaps and bounds in the last few months, but those on the night shift were always going to be less on-guard than those during the day. There was only so much a brazier could do against the freezing cold and snow, especially after several hours.
Zachary remained as silent as the grave. The guards were not obligated to follow the orders of the Eris Church to keep him out of town, but they would certainly report back to the Church if he came back in if they followed the Eris faith.
Well, if they didn't believe in his ideas, that was. Those who were sneaking him in hadn't managed to confirm whether they could swing that.
As he remained silent, they pulled to a stop in front of the gate. "N- N- Names, papers, and purpose?" The guard's teeth were clattering.
His friend replied quickly. "Luthor, Osiaender, Spalatan, and Mechlathon returning from selling goods in Hora."
There was a pause. "Right, I remember you. So, how did you all like the trip?"
"Oh, it sure was interesting!"
"Ahem, yes. Interesting is certainly one way to put it."
"Hehe, yeah. I don't think I'll be quitting my day job, that's for sure."
The feet of the guard shifted subtly. "Ouch, th- that badly?"
"Well, not really."
Zachary suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation. If this was normal, then he was fine with it, but he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
Being strapped to the bottom of a carriage meant getting covered in muck and being helpless if someone looked underneath. They wouldn't, not this late and not to people they recognized, he'd been assured, but-
"How have repairs been going?"
"Oh, you know. Same as usual… I think? Something lit a fire under the ass of the professional builders today. Almost entertaining to watch them all run around that fast."
"Huh. Well, I know it's pretty close to your shift change. We won't keep you any longer."
The feet of the guard shifted as he began walking around the cart, inspecting every bit he could see. "Yeah, no problem. I'll make this quick."
He reached the front of the carriage. "Didn't buy anything on the way back?"
"After how little we made? I wouldn't-"
"No, sir."
Zachary heard the guard's wince as they showed him the bag of money – they hadn't even brought out that much to the village, but the guard was under the impression they'd been loaded with much more to sell.
"Man, you guys really did badly," he commented as he leaned down. Zachary held his breath.
He straightened back up without saying a word. "Alright, get going. Have a good night y'all. Don't spend it all in one place!"
They all cursed him good-naturedly as they passed, and Zachary finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was back in Axel. It had taken him longer than he would have liked, especially with Degurechaff and her comrades moving so fast, but he was here.
According to Luthor, he couldn't have come sooner, as things had been heating up in his absence, with those who liked what he wanted to do openly flouting the desires of the cult. Hopefully, his presence would…
No, he couldn't even finish the thought. His presence might calm his own fellow believers down, but if he was ever seen or his presence was revealed, that would definitely inflame the hatred of those who thought him wrong.
They moved in a whirlwind afterwards – the cart quickly arrived at a building owned by one of his fellow believers, he was hurriedly unstrapped from the bottom of the carriage, and he was sequestered away in their loft.
It was clear it had been inhabited beforehand, though Zachary didn't know by whom. He hoped they hadn't been kicked out because of him. He would ask later.
As Spalatan closed the door to Zachary's home for the foreseeable future, they began to relax slightly, passing around mugs of warm tea to fight the cold. "It's great having you back, Zach. This… Small War we're having here is getting pitched," Osiaender said. Zachary frowned.
"Yes. I… have some things I wish to tell you all."
They all perked up. They were, first and foremost, his friends, but they thought he was right about the Cult. Thus, if he was to broach the topic with anyone, it would have to be them.
"I have done a lot of thinking while I was away, and I am convinced that we are right," he began. Their smiles grew.
"The Cult needs to be run better. Our treatment of the poor is predatory and unsuited to the Cult. Just because the Axis Cult likes something does not mean that the Eris Cult should do the opposite. The Clergy needs to be expanded to include all Jobs that rely heavily on Luck."
"There is more," he said. It wasn't just the small things, anymore. The whole structure, that cast out a member for entertaining ideas that their Goddess hadn't bothered to denounce him for, was becoming rotten, to say nothing about his thoughts on the nature of Luck.
"For now, however, I want to tell you all that I will stand by my convictions, come Hell or high water," he declared.
"Eris has yet to give me guidance, but she has yet to speak out against my ideas as well. Until such a time as she chooses to reprimand me, I will continue on my path."
"And," he said, his breath hitching slightly, "should she reprimand me, I will continue on my path regardless."
The jovial, slightly ethereal atmosphere disappeared. "What?" was all Spalatan could say.
He held up his hands. "I know, it is heresy," he continued, "But if Eris tells me that it is holy for the Cult to look upon all who are Unlucky as evil, if she tells me that a single stat should describe the life of all who live, if she tells me that I am wrong for believing that the Cult can and has done evil, then we should commit heresy rather than allow our voices to be silenced."
They were silent. Zachary would not let himself be.
"If we, as individual souls, can do better, we should not allow the dogma of the Cult to stop us from doing so."
Spalatan and Luthor nodded slowly.
"If Eris will not guide us on the path to righteousness and a good life, then I will find one who will!"
"Not Aqua, right?" asked Mechlathon. Zachary grimaced.
"Ew, no. The only path Aqua will lead one down is that of a perverted con artist," he said. The others all nodded sagely.
"No, not Aqua. If Eris will not guide us, then we will find a new one. I will find one, if you-"
"Zach."
He turned away from the small window to see his friends, their faces reflecting his own resolve. "We're with you."
Zachary grinned. "Good."
-OxOxO-
Tanya smiled as he looked at the building.
It had none of the romanesque flair of the one in the capital, lacking any of the roman columns or statues of heroes and kings long past. Despite lacking these, it did attempt to at least to capture some of the spirit of the building, with alcoves and columns constructed of brick rather than marble. The architects had chosen to display the crest of the guild above each alcove.
"The hope is that some older adventurers will choose to donate their equipment to the arena to be displayed in the future as opposed to the shields," Luna relayed. She sounded dead tired, and Tanya could understand why.
Things had been busy despite the fact that it was winter. There had been a freak snowstorm yesterday – caused by a run in with the Winter Shogun that Tanya definitely hadn't agreed was a good idea or have any knowledge of – which had cut his visit to the Dragon Market short.
Still, he'd managed to get what he wanted done before heading to his meeting with the nobles and the guilds. He hadn't expected his first gift to Dust – records detailing his entire 'official' life in Belzerg – to go over entirely well since it was clearly a sore subject, with his whole plan to make it appear that Tanya could speak to Dragons.
With that in mind, he'd given him a bag of Eris as well, and he'd given the Dragon three bags of gold Eris. It was his thanks for their help in getting the item to change him back.
Dust, in turn, had advised him not to go around telling people that.
Tanya had resolved to cast Heal on Dust whenever they met up, just in case he was drunk and didn't initially look like he was.
Of course, that conversation, abbreviated by the bad weather, had helped him in coming up with his succinct answer to the question from the representative of the Librarians' Guild.
He smiled to himself as he, Luna, Viktoriya, and Lorelei continued to walk around the arena despite the light snow. What a meeting that had been! He'd assumed that at least half of the guilds wouldn't be mollified by his promise of government jobs, but for almost all of them to agree spoke of humanity's love of getting a free ride.
So much government waste didn't personally appeal to the kind of government he would vote to have in place, of course, but padding everyone's resumes and paying their salary for the year Tanya wanted to take to train a small army of soldiers on the weapons he and Viktoriya could reconstruct was good enough for him.
What would happen after Axel's money ran dry was another question entirely, and one that Tanya wouldn't have to answer. He would be on the frontlines, after all, and once the Demon King was dead, he could restructure Axel to his heart's content without facing any meaningful backlash due to the prestige.
Assuming he wanted to remain Governor, anyway. He had been spending a lot of time running Axel, and doing so for the rest of his professional career didn't appeal as much as, say, settling in with Wiz's shop and selling products from the future for the next few decades.
"Er, Tanya?"
He turned his gaze to Viktoriya. "Yes?"
"Do you think we should maybe give Luna some time off?" she asked.
Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Of course. What makes you bring it up now?" he asked. They'd already talked about that, right?
Viktoriya jerked her head towards Luna. "Well, she didn't react to anything we just said."
Tanya turned to Luna to find that she was just staring off into space, muttering facts about the newly built arena to whoever cared to listen.
Tanya frowned and made sure not to mention he had assumed Luna would be handling the promotion of the arena as well – it wasn't likely to help distract the bored adventurers if no one knew anything about it, after all – and nodded. "Well, at least you can't call me a workaholic anymore," he said. Lorelei rolled her eyes.
"Just because your work doesn't figuratively kill you doesn't absolve you," she replied. Tanya waved away her concern – he was doing perfectly fine.
"Over ten thousand bricks were used in its construction," Luna said. Lorelei patted her on the shoulder.
"That's nice dear. Why don't we go back to the guild?"
"The guild? Okay. I've got a bed I can lie in while I recite where all the secret entrances are."
They all stared at her as she walked, half-conscious, towards the guild. "Please tell me you're going to give her a raise at least," Lorelei muttered as they made their way in.
"I would love to, but all the requests have to go through the main branch in the capital," Tanya replied. Lorelei scoffed. "Then can't you give her anything unofficially?"
"I could," Tanya muttered, "if I wanted to look corrupt. Though, I suppose I can have some people hired 'provisionally' so that she can take some things easy."
After they got her to bed – she talked herself to sleep after five minutes – they spent the next hour arranging how the promotion of the arena would be handled. Axel and the other guilds would provide the Adventurers Guild with direct help in managing and promoting the arena and its debut tournaments, with varying groupings and prizes for adventurers of different levels.
Tanya and Viktoriya would be participating in the highest level tournament. According to the rules it wasn't recommended, as the highest level adventurers in Axel were in the high thirties and low forties, while Tanya and Viktoriya hadn't breached level twenty yet.
They were confident in victory, however, and had even promised an extra cash reward to whoever beat them, which had even the most recalcitrant adventurers signing up.
After the hour was done, however, they had one more meeting to get to.
-OxOxO-
"Oh hohohoho, truly, daughter, your adventures are amazing! I almost can't believe my precious Lalatina is so strong."
"Lord Dustiness, please, I beg you, don't call me Lalatina!"
Everyone else, including the butler standing in the corner, was trying not to laugh at Darkness's embarrassment.
Kazuma and Aqua were failing and were snickering, while Tanya, Viktoriya, Lorelei, Walter, and Megumin were all smiling politely.
Lord Dustiness did not seem to notice the malaise of bone-deep tiredness in Kazuma's party, even as they chuckled at Darkness's expense.
"Ah, but really, to hear how well you still are warms my heart, daughter. Though I really do think you should marry soon," he muttered the last part loudly, causing Darkness to roll her eyes.
"I mean, are you really that worried?" Tanya asked. The man nodded. "Of course. I don't know what I'd do with myself if anything happened to my precious daughter," he replied, sniffling at even the thought of it.
Tanya gestured to Aqua. "As much as it pains me to say it, Aqua is one of the best Archpriests around. She can even cast resurrection. Honestly, sir, you don't have much to worry about."
"Why does it pain you to say that, you half-pint-"
"Oh, I know," Lord Dustiness said with a sigh, "But, I just worry, sometimes, is all."
Darkness rolled her eyes. "Father. You spent decades of your life fighting against the Demon King. What does it matter then if I want to as well?" she argued.
Darkness's friends all rolled their eyes at each other – as if that was why she was really doing it.
Lord Dustiness was too preoccupied to notice. "Sweetie, I didn't know what I had until I lost your mother. Life is so much more precious than throwing oneself at enemies. If something happened to you…" he repeated.
He sniffed again and then straightened up. "Now. We had some important matters to discuss," he said as he turned to Tanya. He too straightened up. "First of all, I want to say I like what you're doing with Axel. Your treatment of Gerrard speaks well of your character."
Tanya tilted his head slightly. "You know Gerrard?"
He nodded once, smiling fondly. "Of course! That man served with me for well over two decades straight! He managed to become my squire through skill alone, and there's no man I would rather ask to protect me on the battlefield," he recounted.
He cleared his throat. "Regardless, dear," he began. Tanya kept his smile in place.
Twitch.
"I have heard word of your provocative statement at your meeting with the guilds yesterday," he said. Tanya nodded – Walter had told him before the meeting, then.
He grinned. "That the guilds would shake to pieces at your declaration of your intent to finally kill the Demon King is a shame on them. But…"
He sighed once, all traces of the jovial, affable father gone. His gaze pierced him. "Do you really think you can do it?"
Tanya nodded once. "I do, sir. Viktoriya and I have unique magic, Darkness is an amazing Crusader, Megumin has very potent magic, Lorelei is as fast and strong as they come, Kazuma can be competent when he wants to be, and Aqua has the power to dispel the barrier around the Demon King's castle before all of his Generals are killed, ensuring that any attack we pull off will have the element of surprise."
The man's laser focus disappeared, and the joviality was back. "Aha! That's part of why Wiz is still alive, then?"
Tanya blinked rapidly. Huh? "Wiz?"
The man's happy smile gained an edge. "Yes. Her story was quite the tearjerker – the reports of the Lich who arbitrated the deal between the Demon King and Belzerg were always quite vague, but to think that the Ice Witch would discard her humanity to save her friends…" he sniffed again.
"You know?" Tanya asked.
The sniffling was gone again. "Yes. I'd received word of a few rumors surrounding the enigmatic owner of a certain store, and when I heard about her proclivity for helping with the graveyard prior to your relocating of it, I tested her by giving her a mithril Eris as thanks for saving the town from the Mobile Fortress Destroyer," he said.
"I did, of course, apologize for almost making her disappear, and then we talked. She explained her presence, and while I was not happy that she had been in Axel for so long without disclosing such to me, it is all water under the bridge."
He leaned forward in his chair towards Tanya. "Now. I'd like to know why you didn't tell me when you became Governor."
Tanya winced, but Ignis continued. "Now, I don't discount your friendship with the woman, and the Lich thought she was doing more good than harm by preventing civilian deaths and staying away from the front line. I agree, of course – the Ice Witch was always known for her caring and militant nature."
Tanya didn't get to ask how in the world 'caring' and 'militant' were meant to mix in someone's personality. "But I do want to hear it from the horse's mouth, as it were."
His first excuse, that Darkness also knew, was waved away. "I've already had that talk with my daughter. No more excuses, please." Tanya looked to Darkness, who smiled sheepishly.
His next reason, to protect Wiz's privacy, was also dismissed. The woman had apparently implicitly given that up by becoming a famous adventurer.
"Well, sir, I was worried about the reaction to her-"
"You mean my reaction, correct?"
After a moment, Tanya nodded once, and the man raised an eyebrow. "Clearly, I didn't react badly," he mused. "If I had 'reacted badly,' she either would have killed me or fled the town."
Darkness muttered something too quietly to hear, and Tanya bit back his immediate response – he hadn't known he would be so understanding!
Tanya sighed. "I wanted to protect her."
He remained stone faced for only a moment more, and then he nodded. "I know the feeling well. Protecting one's friends is always a noble ideal, even if the needs of the Kingdom sometimes supersede it. After all your work, I'm sure that you would have told me if she did turn into a threat to the Kingdom."
"Of course," he replied. He wasn't about to mention how recently he'd decided to side with Belzerg.
Darkness stood up. "Father, quit interrogating my friend!" she complained.
"Alright, alright," he agreed with a smile. "Alright. With that, I don't have anything else to discuss with you."
Tanya blinked. That was it? "Nothing at all? No complaints about how Axel is being run?"
He shook his head. "No. Should I?" he asked, a smile on his face.
Tanya coughed. "No, not at all! If you wouldn't mind, however, I was wondering if we could discuss some political matters?"
He agreed readily, and Darkness, seeing how bored her party was becoming – Aqua had constructed paper triangles out of who-knew-what and was flicking them at the butler, while Kazuma's eyes were drifting towards looking down the front of Darkness's dress cyclically – took them all outside to look at and inevitably ruin the gardens in the back of the mansion.
Tanya's plan – to expand the government of Axel to keep everyone happy while he built up a force strong enough to defeat the Demon King – was given his blessing, as were his plans for the physical expansion of the town.
"Really, you're doing such a marvelous job for such a young girl! I hope the young Princess learned a thing or two from your time together," he praised. Tanya didn't openly wince, instead clearing his throat.
He was aghast after his explanation.
"My apologies! I hadn't the foggiest idea," he said. They lapsed into an awkward silence, both of them waiting for the other to say something.
He cleared his throat. "Er, so that there is no confusion, it isn't a, ah, predilection, as is often common among the aristocracy of this fine kingdom-"
Ignis got that far before Tanya interrupted him.
"No. It isn't a… predilection."
Lord Dustiness cleared his throat again. "Of course. My apologies for even assuming such a thing," he said, ignoring Tanya's protests that it was an honest mistake, "I will get a gift to-"
"Could you get us some reservations for a play?" Lorelei asked suddenly. The man blinked, and then nodded slowly. "Of course! You'll have the best seats in the house."
The talk continued apace as they spoke about the refugees, how the land devastated by the Mobile Fortress Destroyer would be fixed, and some more legal reforms Tanya had in mind.
Finally, they reached the last matter Tanya wished to speak to him about. "I was wondering if you could extend an allotment letter to allow me to experiment with a Class Pentagon substance."
That got a very high eyebrow raise from the man. "Really, Tanya. Usually, those under the Kingdom's employ are bribed to obtain such a thing, if they want to skip the ten-year waiting process. What possessed you to simply ask for one?" He sounded partially confused and partially impressed.
Tanya didn't let the man's tone color his own words. He explained his plan – the repeated usage of the level reset potion in tandem with the capture of monsters to obtain as many skill points as possible in order to get every skill they could need or want.
He was perplexed at first – "Is it really that hard to get skill points? Don't you usually get those by eating?" – but after getting over that hurdle he was more understanding.
"I will write it for you under one condition," he said. Tanya nodded in reply. He was fully prepared to-
"Give the Magical Research Institute access to one of your spells."
Tanya grimaced, and Ignis laughed in reply. "Governor Degurechaff, that is why I only said one. I'm well aware of how cagey Mages can be with their work, but it is very necessary. You don't plan on beating the Demon King without giving some of them up, correct?" he asked reasonably.
Tanya sighed. "No, I don't," he lied. His plan, after all, was to kill the Demon King personally. Giving out his spells would give the Demon King an insight into how he fought and allow him to come up with countermeasures.
"Fine," he said after a moment of thought. "I would prefer to choose which spell it is, however," he continued. Giving up a spell that had an analogue here – like his Reinforcement spells or Napalm – wouldn't be too much of a drawback.
Lord Dustiness narrowed his eyes good naturedly. "In that case, I think the Magical Research Institute will want to see the results of your testing. Would you mind letting them study alongside you?"
Tanya shook his head sharply. And have his credibility shredded if it didn't go well? "If they want to see it so badly, I have no trouble tabulating the results on my own and publishing them for everyone, including the Magical Research Institute, to see."
That ended their business, and after a few minutes more talking about the inevitable fall of the Demon King and their mutual desire for peace, they filed out into the garden.
When they came out, Megumin used the Explosion move to end her game of chess with Darkness immediately. Kazuma and Aqua looked up from where they'd been looking at something in the Dustiness's pond. "Alright, let's go! I can feel it in my bones: tonight, we will find Chomusuke!"
Her determination and upbeat tone were clearly forced, and the tired, desperate looks sent at her by the others told Tanya they were tiring. They began filing out, and after Kazuma thanked Ignis for the lovely tea and complimented his fish, he stared into Tanya's eyes.
"She's still in denial," he said plainly, frustration and a hint of anger edging into his voice. "I'll be honest, I'm tired of almost dying several times a day. Yunyun is on the ground almost as much as Megumin, and we're all fraying at the edges. I'm this close to snapping!" he shouted.
Tanya nodded with a sigh. "Alright. If you don't find anything tonight, I'll intercept you guys when you arrive at the forest tomorrow."
Kazuma looked, for a moment, like he was going to snap at him, but he just sighed. "Fine."
Then he turned and left.
-OxOxO-
The night was cold and clear. As far as the horizon stretched, it was an open, starry sky.
It was beautiful. Picturesque. He doubted there was anywhere in Japan he could have gone to see such a wonderful view.
It would all be ruined by the Demon terrorizing Axel if he didn't kill her.
He looked back at the road into Axel and continued marching forward. He was protecting a 'trade caravan.'
Soon, he passed by the guard. "Ah, Mitsurugi! Wonderful to see you again. Already cleaned things up in the south?" he asked.
Kyouya nodded once. "Partially. I think I may require some aid after all. I will appraise Lady Degurechaff of the situation and enlist her aid," he replied.
The guard was about to say something when someone else approached. "Time for the shift change!"
The other guard nodded to himself, and after everyone's cards were checked, Kyouya continued onwards. As they walked, he found himself perplexed by the attachment to the Adventurers guild.
Right, it was the arena. It had been finished, then. Judging by the people milling around it and marveling, he assumed it had been done recently, too.
He smiled to himself. Hopefully, Degurechaff would be there tomorrow. He had a 'gift' to give her, after all.
Once she was dead, he could start searching for a Mage for his party again. With all the crime in the south, it would be a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Find a partner and root out the Yatagarasu.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder, and it took all of his will not to spin and slice whoever it was.
He blinked – it was Yak.
Kyouya assumed the name was a nickname, considering how well it fit the hulking, tanned, muscled man. He was some kind of martial artist, but Kyouya didn't have the foggiest idea of what kind, only that with his morals it probably wasn't a monk. The hulking figure smiled and presented a piece of paper to Kyouya.
He blinked in surprise. What?
His smile widened marginally, becoming ever-more toothy. "Last step before we do this. A contract."
"Self-enforcing?" Kyouya asked, taking care not to let trepidation and fear creep into his voice. "I'm already under one-"
"Oh, really? Well, if there's anything in here that conflicts with the one you have, tell us, and we'll rewrite it." Despite how big he was, he wasn't an idiot. Or, if he was one, he hid it pretty well.
A self-enforcing contract was a good way to ensure he wouldn't switch sides. If he had been under one that placed his loyalty in opposition to the Yatagarasu and refused to sign this one, they would learn about it.
The alternative of signing two mutually exclusive self-enforcing contracts would kill Kyouya instantly, if he was lucky. If he wasn't, a number of grisly fates awaited him.
He scanned the paper, his eyes widening marginally.
This was bad. After tomorrow, he would have to help them personally for three months. After that, he'd have to help their 'business' for an additional year – sending them money, vouching for them, acquiring materials only those who had earned the Kingdom's trust might acquire, and more.
Most importantly, it didn't conflict with his contract with Heaven.
Don't do this.
He took a breath in. For all of his armor's strengths, his face was on display for the whole world to see. Degurechaff, wielding her rifle, could undoubtedly hit him in the face with a bullet, spelling his end.
Blow the scheme wide open.
He pushed his brand new adamantite mask – the face of some bearded seafaring hero from the south – into place. It fit perfectly, as he would expect after commissioning it himself.
Don't-
He signed the paper with a flourish, and Yak's toothy grin widened.
There was no turning back now.
-OxOxO-
A/N 1: If you'd like to donate to support me monetarily, search for Sugarcane Soldier on the website of the Patrons.
Thank you to WarmasterOku, Afforess, and UNSC_Kawakaze for supporting this story and everything else I write.