Armory of the Forgotten Hero

by Masked Spider

The legend goes that there are four cardinal heroes. But fact and fable are often twisted in the land of Melromarc, while others are left out completely. One such fact is that there is actually another hero, the Armory hero, who doesn't wield a primary weapon. But the world will soon remember as Darius Saxon is called to remind the people that there aren't four heroes, but five.

23. The True Ruler of the Nation

The True Ruler of the Nation

Hello and welcome to the exciting conclusion to the battle with the Pope and his followers! It seems we have no guest review questions to answer this week, so let's dive right in.

The Time of the Previous Armory Hero

"Focus, just a little more energy is all we need," said the Armory Hero as he felt his mana draining rapidly through his outstretched hand. Four other figures mimicked his action as their mana flowed into a glowing yellow light that was slowly taking shape. Just as a warning sounded on his HUD about his depleting mana, the light intensified before quickly dying down, leaving a golden replica of the legendary sword.

"Did we do it?" Asked the former Spear Hero as the Armory Hero picked up the weapon and examined it.

"Well expectedly the Stats are much lower than all of your weapons," he said, "but the big question is." He concentrated for a moment and the weapon responded to his thoughts, reshaping into a gold replica of the legendary bow. "It works, it actually changed shape!"

"Your crazy idea turned out alright after all," commented the previous Bow Hero, "though it looks like it stretched the limits of both our crafting and your replica ability. Do you think it'll last?"

"Well the theory was to combine both the replica and crafting abilities to create a permanent replica," said the previous Shield Hero as he examined the weapon, "It's got pretty much legendary durability and according to the abilities list it's got even some of our most advanced skills, with the usual downgrade in power. To top it all off, since it counts as its own weapon now you can still use your portals without having to worry about the usual limitations of wielding a legendary replica."

"I do notice one slight problem," said the previous Sword Hero, "the mana cost for using this thing at full power is incredible. Anyone one person who wanted to do more than change forms with this thing would have to have a ridiculous amount of mana. Either that, or have a group of mages accompanying them at all times."

"I don't think that's as big of a drawback as you're making it out to be," said the Armory Hero, "think about it. This weapon requires people working together to wield it, meaning a united village or city or a kingdom would all have to agree on someone trustworthy to use it while also having more or less the same goal in mind. In a way, it's a uniting force for people to rally behind."

"This is all optimistically assuming the people we give it too don't decide to use it for personal gain," commented the previous Spear Hero.

"Well the other rule of my replicas seem to still apply," said the Armory Hero, "So I doubt they'd turn it on us, at least as long as I'm still around and even if they did it's not strong enough to take you guys on as you are now."

"Whatever the case," said the Shield Hero, "we need to see if it'll actually prove effective in a fight against the waves of catastrophe, and I think I know a good candidate for that." The scene shifted then as the Armory and Shield Hero advanced down the hallway of a castle Darius didn't recognize until reaching the throne room where a ceremony was being held. The previous Armory Hero kneeled in the typical knight's fashion and presented the weapon to the King and Queen who humbly accepted it and gave their word to use it only for the protection of the people. Time sped up then as battle after battle played out in Darius's mind until one particular battle surfaced where the weapon was lost against an especially powerful monster.

His memories shifted to that of the weapon then as numerous years passed before a peddler discovered it and sold it to a nobleman who figured out how to wield its power with the help of a number of hired mages. His reign of terror lasted for some time until he inadvertently overextended himself and brought down a hillside which buried him and the replica, ending his life. Even more time would pass then until a collection of followers from the newly formed religion known as the Three Heroes Church managed to locate the weapon before hiding its existence and altering the known history, saying it was the noble who attempted to create a replica of the legendary weapons for personal gain. Time would speed up again as the current Pope, Biscas T. Balmus, and a number of church mages stood in front of a summoning circle of sorts using the weapon in place of the real cardinal shield.

The ritual seemed to work at first as a powerful white glow came from the circle before twisting and contorting into a ball of light which fired off into the air and raced away into the distance. "What happened?!" Demanded the all too familiar voice of King Aultcray as he stepped out of the shadows.

"It seems we were wrong in our assessment," said the Pope as he too noted that no one had seemingly been summoned. "The ritual will not work with only three cardinal weapons, nor will it work with this replica holy weapon."

"So you're telling me that we'll have to go through with the ritual and summon the cursed shield with the other three heroes?!" Seethed Aultcray.

"I'm afraid so your highness," said the Pope, "perhaps it is a test from God. It may be fate that you are to summon all four of the heroes so that the world can see the shield for the devil he truly is."

"I still don't like it," said Aultcray, "but if we have no other choice then I shall have my own mages see to the summoning this time. That cursed shield will not tear my family away from me a second time." The image faded then as Darius felt himself returning to the here and now.

Border of Siltvelt: The Present

'So it is true,' Darius thought as he got back to his feet, 'that weapon was created by my predecessor for the people. But now its purpose has been tossed aside.' This thought greatly angered the Armory Hero as he conjured the replica legendary bow and unleashed an even stronger than usual barrage of thunder arrows, cutting down a fair number of the remaining soldiers.

"Darius, are you still with me here?" Asked Rifana as she batted away a couple of soldiers who'd somehow managed to get close.

"Yeah, just got a quick history lesson burned into my brain," replied Darius as he fired another volley of arrows, this time at the mages. Once again a powerful protective seal appeared to block the shots, but the resulting impacts managed to break some of the seals and cause a small number of the magic casters to collapse from mana overuse. "But I know a way we can win now. We just need to break through to the doors of that cathedral."

"Sounds good to me," said Rifana as she held her mace in front of her and chanted a spell. Her weapon began to glow yellow before she slammed it on the ground, causing a number of cracks to race toward the crowd of mages before reducing some sections of the soil to quicksand. Numerous cries of anguish could be heard as a handful of mages were sucked into the earth.

"Offensive mages, get rid of the right hand and his pets!" declared the mustached bishop as he charged up a fire ball and shot it in their direction. Several more followed as Darius halted and summoned a replica legendary shield and cast two airstrike shields. The barrage rained down on the glowing emerald wall but only succeeded in cracking the first one.

"I could get used to all this extra power," said Darius as he dissolved the shield and opened up a total of twenty portals while chanting an incantation to cover them all in lighting. "Try this! Lightning javelin barrage!" The weapons fired off far faster than normal, actually causing Darius to stumble a bit as the resulting impacts created a surprisingly large explosion, destroying even more layers of the shield and draining another couple handfuls of mages. "Of course a little practice wouldn't hurt."

"Retaliate with all we can spare!" Ordered the Bishop as he clambered to his feet, barely avoiding the last attack. A whole line of followers stepped forward and began forming a combined spell that generated a large swirling orb of wind. Johann attempted to stop their charge up by firing a blast of his own lightning, which succeeded in destroying more of the barrier but not in stopping the attack. "This will be your end demon!"

"As source of thy power the Queen orders thee," said a female voice carrying a fair bit of authority, "decipher the laws of creation and trap my targets in cages of ice! All Dritte Fall: Icicle Prison!" An incredible chill swept across the area as ice quickly formed on the ground before trapping most of the casters of the wind spell and the Bishop in jagged ice formations, causing the attack to disperse. Darius looked back to see a woman in battle armor with purple hair wearing a crown atop an armored horse.

"Your way is clear Sir Armory Hero," said the woman as she and a number of Melromarc soldiers stood atop the ruined wall, "If your intention is the cathedral then make haste!"

"Thanks," Darius called back before turning to Rifana, "Can I leave this to you and Johann?"

"We can handle it," said Rifana with a smirk, "I'll just have to make sure Johann doesn't burn the reinforcements on accident." The Armory Hero nodded and turned to leave but was stopped as his companion grabbed his arm. "Just one more thing before you head off." She planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Go kick that guy's ass for all of us."

Darius nodded as he ran towards the cathedral doors. Any other mages who tried to stop him were either diverted or killed by an onslaught of rock, fire, lightning or ice as the cardinal hero arrived at the apparent entrance to the magically generated structure. 'Alright,' he thought, 'if the rules for this weapon really are almost the same as all the other replicas then we've got a chance, so here goes!' The Armory Hero put his hands against the door and pushed with all his might. His efforts were quickly rewarded as the doors seemed to almost fly open, allowing him to step in with a feeling of surprising confidence.

"What, but how?" Questioned the voice of the Pope from seemingly everywhere as Darius took stock of the situation. Naofumi, Raphtalia and the rest of his party looked worse for wear with the girls even having burns on them while the Shield Hero was wearing an even more menacing version of his curse series armor. Motoyasu's party was clearly panicking while the Spear Hero himself, as well as Ren and Itsuki were all looking around in confusion. The Armory Hero quickly figured out why as he glanced up and saw that all of the walls were producing some kind of kaleidoscope image of the pope using the replica weapon in its bow form.

"Illusory Arrow, now that explains someth-," the Armory Hero was interrupted as he instinctively raised his arm to block an oncoming glowing arrow, only to feel no pain whatsoever as it embedded itself in his band before disappearing. A few more arrows impacted against him, something he looked at quite curiously before the Pope's voice rang out again.

"Very well, I'll dispose of you first right hand of the devil!" He declared as arrow after arrow shot out of the wall from seemingly every direction.

"Darius!" Yelled Melty and Raphtalia as the shower of arrows impacted at the area he was at, kicking up a mass of dust with each hit until the barrage ceased after a few moments.

"You see, he wisely accepted his fate and-what," the Pope's gloating stopped midsentence as the dust cleared to reveal that not only was the Armory Hero still alive, but was practically uninjured as he nonchalantly brushed some dirt off of his shoulder.

"Well this is gonna make talking a bit of a pain, so let's cancel skill for now," said Darius as he snapped his fingers. Immediately the rotating images of the pope disappeared as the inside of the cathedral changed back to its original dull green.

"I-impossible," said the real Pope as he reappeared not far from Darius, "How can you deactivate one of this weapon's skills and how were you able to breach the cathedral?!"

"Seems you know as much about that weapon as you do about God," remarked The Armory Hero as he pointed at the replica, "The same mana that is running through it right now is also running through me, which is likely why I was able to enter. Now how could I be getting the mana from that weapon in the first place you ask, well that's actually the simple part. You see what you're using right now in your attempt to end the cardinal heroes was made by my predecessor about two hundred years prior. In other words, if all your religious talk is true then you're wielding a weapon created by the one you so casually refer to as the right hand of the devil."

"You know nothing!" exclaimed the Pope as he reformed the replica into its sword form and conjured a massive flame which took on the shape of a bird. "This is the weapon that shall purify the shield and all of his evil, Phoenix Blade!" As the powerful attack shot forward, Darius stood unafraid as the flames washed over him before lifting up his arms and absorbing the attack into the jewels on his bands. As before, he stood without a single burn or injury to his person despite taking a direct hit.

"I know one thing," he said as he began to slowly walk forward, "just as the other cardinal heroes cannot wield a weapon outside of their class, it's an ironclad rule that no matter how powerful it is the Armory Hero cannot be harmed by one of his own replicas. My predecessor knew that when he first created it with the help of the cardinal heroes of his time which is why he didn't fear giving away something so powerful."

"Stay away from me demon!" yelled the Pope, who'd been losing his composure more and more the closer Darius approached until finally he switched the weapon to spear form and charged at him with its version of meteor spear. But the Armory Hero didn't even flinch this time as he grabbed the glowing gold spear right behind its head, dispersing the attack as his enemy looked on in shock.

"But now you've gone and corrupted the purpose of a weapon meant to help the people fight the waves," said the Armory Hero with narrowed eyes as his voice took on an edge, "you even perverted the once noble history behind it to serve your own ends. You're no better than the king or the countless other self-serving shitheads we've come across since arriving in this world! Which is why I'm taking this back: State of Emptiness!" The weapon glowed brighter as the Pope lost his grip on it and was sent flying back several feet.

"How, how is this possible," said the false holy man as he staggered back to his feet, "I am an apostle of God, one of the select few with the right to wield such a divine weapon. What sort of demon trickery is this?" Darius simply sighed.

"You think you understand God's will but why don't I let you in on a little secret," said the cardinal hero as he held up the replica weapon, "when you used this weapon for your little attempt at only summoning three of the heroes, it didn't fail. No you actually succeeded in summoning me to the temple of the original Armory Hero, which means all this supposed B.S. happening to you right now, it's your own fault. You tried to manipulate things to your liking while claiming it to be a divine plan of sorts and instead succeeded in sealing your own fate." Darius changed the weapon to sword form and fired upwards then, using the same judgement attack that had been previously directed at him, Ren and Itsuki to blast a hole in the ceiling of the cathedral. "And as much as I'd like to be the one to end your cult leading ass I believe there's someone else here whose been far more screwed over by you than I have."

The Armory Hero turned to his friend, who was currently wielding an even larger version of the rage shield that he noted on his HUD was referred to as the Wrath Shield. "He's all yours Naofumi." The Shield Hero didn't need to be told twice as he raised his cardinal weapon in the air.

"Shield Prison!" exclaimed Naofumi as chains and glowing green shields trapped the Pope before switching his shield to skewer the man with multiple large needles. The cult leader's screams were ear piercing as the sky above the cathedral darkened with a familiar set of red clouds. "Feel the weight of your sins as you're stabbed and skewered within this virgin of cold ore, IRON MAIDEN!" The large torture device descended at his word while the shield prison rose up and entered its open doors.

With a final strangled cry, the Pope shouted out one last plea to his supposed God before being stabbed and crushed to death within the iron maiden's grasp. All that was left as the skill disappeared was a puddle of blood and the Pope's ruined hat. His death also caused the rest of the cathedral to begin dispersing into golden particles that floated away on the wind as his followers looked on in shock and horror before falling to their knees in defeat. The knights brought by the queen began rounding them up immediately as Johann and Rifana quickly made their way over to check on Darius who was himself moving towards the center of the crater.

"Everyone alright," questioned the Armory Hero as Rifana went to hug Raphtalia while Johann converted back to his human form to check on Melty with Filo.

"We survived somehow," said Naofumi with a bit of labored breathing as his armor and shield changed back to normal. "How did you do all of that anyway?"

"I'd like to know that too," said Motoyasu, "we were fighting for our lives against that weapon and then you just come in and brush its attacks aside like they were nothing! Have you been holding out on us this whole time?!"

"It was all a lot of dumb luck to be honest," said Darius as he held up the replica weapon, "you've all seen my replica ability right? Well this thing was a more permanent replica, meaning that little show y'all just witnessed was more or less a one time deal."

"So then that account of it being used by someone for personal gain was-," Melty started to say.

"False, or at least it omitted a few facts thanks to the church," said Darius as he looked at the weapon, "it's a shame too. All my predecessor wanted to do was help the people help themselves, but after seeing this mess." Darius increased his grip on the weapon, causing it to disperse into a number of particles that were absorbed by the jewels on his bands, flooding his mind with more memories and information from the past. "It's probably better that it's never used or made again, at least not so long as there are still people in power like the Pope in this land."

"I think he'd understand," said Raphtalia with a small smile on her face, "if he was anything like you or Master Naofumi, he'd want the people to be happy as well as safe."

"That's great and all," said Itsuki, ruining the moment a bit, "but can you summon that weapon on your own now?"

"Don't worry discount Legolas," said Darius, "I absorbed some of the replicated skills but the weapon itself can't be made again unless you guys are all willing to use your crafting abilities to help it maintain its durability. Which is something we all need to talk about later."

"Indeed there is much to discuss," said the armored woman from earlier as she approached the group with an escort of guards. Naofumi was quick to recognize the similarities between her, Melty and Malty.

"Mother, you're here," said a surprised, but also very relieved Second Princess.

"Yes and I'm terribly sorry I could not be here sooner," said Melty's mother as she stopped in front of Darius and Naofumi. "As you've no doubt guessed I am the sovereign ruler of Melromarc, Queen Mirelia Q. Melromarc. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance heroes."

"Yeah nice to meet you too-guh," the Shield Hero groaned as he nearly collapsed to one knee, only managing not to thanks to Raphtalia and Filo.

"Master Naofumi, are you alright?" Questioned a worried Raphtalia.

"Just overused the curse series a bit I think," Replied Naofumi, "and took a beating during that fight."

"We all did," said Melty as she turned to her mother, not having to voice the question on her mind.

"Indeed you've all been through a great deal thanks to Pope Biscas T. Balmus," agreed the Queen, "but fear not, we shall see to all your wounds and other needs immediately. As well as address some serious issues."

Unknown Ruins: Time unknown

'This place seems vaguely familiar,' thought the Armory Hero as he walked among the rubble of a city that had clearly been destroyed centuries ago. It was only thanks to the great mass of rubble that he even recognized that it was once a city at all with the overgrown vegetation and trees covering much of the area. But for whatever reason, he knew without a doubt that this place used to be a city just as he knew which direction he was supposed to be headed in. So he walked along, glancing to his left and right occasionally whenever the wind blew the grass or an animal darted across his path. But all life, plant and animal, seemed to stop as he reached his destination: a stairwell in the ground leading down to a pair of massive doors.

An ominous presence seemed to hang over the doors as he glanced back towards his companions. Rifana and Johann were both there as well as Figneria and, surprisingly, Fitoria as well. Each of them gave a nod and a reassuring smile, not even having to voice their support for his decision. With a nod of his own the Armory Hero stepped forward down the stairway and approached the doors.

The Clinic of the Royal Family: Private Quarters

Darius's eyes opened slowly as he rose slightly from his position on the bed. Expectedly it was comfortable compared to what he'd been sleeping on recently and the sheets were of an incredibly fine make. But what made it most comfortable of all was the presence of his lovely companion snuggled up against him under the covers. Both of their parties had been brought here by the Queen who'd made sure the best healing magic was applied to all of them, but most especially Naofumi as some of his wounds were the result of awakening the curse series Wrath Shield abilities. Funnily enough, this led to a little argument between Filo and Johann about who got to spend time helping Melty with the Shield Hero's recovery.

Rifana, deciding to be clever and just a bit mischievous, suggested they both help Melty and spend the night in the room with her and Raphtalia to keep Naofumi safe. This of course wasn't necessary given that some of the Queen's personal guard and her shadows were watching the clinic to insure no one made a move against the heroes, but it did free up some alone time for the both of them. Time they used to relieve a little bit of the stress from the last several days of being on the run and nearly dying a few times. "Is it time to get up already," mewled Rifana as her eyes slowly opened and she peered up at Darius.

"Well just because we're awake doesn't mean we have to go anywhere just yet," he replied, "I doubt Naofumi's getting lonely with two girls plus Johann and Filo's antics."

"Oh that makes me want to get out of bed even less," said Rifana with a yawn, "I'll just wait 'til breakfast is ready I think." The Armory Hero was about to reply to that when another voice sounded at the door.

"Sir Hero," said one of two nurses who'd seemingly appeared at the door.

"Yes! What can I do for the both of you," said Darius as he hastily hid Rifana under the covers while adjusting himself to seem as if he was the only one in the room.

"Her highness the Queen wishes to have a meeting with you in the Shield Hero's quarters," replied the nurse, "It would be best if you headed that way as soon as possible I daresay."

"Yeah I'll be right there," said Darius, "I'll just need a second to make myself look decent."

"Of course Sir Hero," said the other nurse as they both bowed and left the room.

"I daresay," whispered Rifana as she poked her head back out from under the covers.

"Yeah that was no nurse," replied Darius, "One of the Queen's shadows has a habit of using the phrase 'I daresay' a lot. I guess I shouldn't be surprised we're still under surveillance."

"You don't think they surveyed too closely do you?" Questioned a now somewhat embarrassed Rifana.

"Let's not think about that right now," said the Armory Hero as he summoned most of his outfit, minus the gauntlets, scarf cape and belt, "It sounds like we've got some more important issues to deal with at the moment." Rifana agreed with a nod as she gathered her own clothes. The two left the room as soon as they were dressed and headed over to where Naofumi and the others had been since yesterday, finding them all out on the balcony of the clinic's second floor.

"Ah, thank you for joining us Sir Armory Hero and you as well Lady Rifana," said the Queen, who was currently wearing a somewhat casual red dress with long sleeves and a pointed collar on the back which denoted her royal status along with the crown on her head.

"Took you both long enough," commented Naofumi who was currently leaning against the stone railing with only a black long-sleeved shirt, green pants and boots on. His shield was ever present as always.

"Says the guy who didn't even have to walk to the meeting place," replied Darius, "How you holding up by the way?"

"My wounds are all gone thanks to the magic healers here and I'm more than back on my feet," said Naofumi as he examined some of the bandages on his arms and torso, "but I still got a bit of internal damage from the curse series that's reduced my Stats temporarily. I gotta wait about a week or so for it to heal up."

"I guess that's one of the drawbacks of the curse series Fitoria mentioned," said Darius, "It's probably thanks to her that the damage wasn't worse."

"No kidding," said Naofumi as he got a bit more serious and turned back to the Queen, "Anyway, we're all here now and you promised me some answers."

"Yes indeed," said the Queen with a sigh as she looked out over the kingdom, "You see I was absent from the kingdom all this time because I was attending an international forum. Our goal was to devise a strategy for how best to defend against the waves. In the end it was decided that each major nation would summon a single hero, allowing all four of us to fight united against the waves. But the situation took a drastic turn, because by the time that decision had been reached the king had already summoned the four cardinal heroes after his failed attempt to have the church summon them brought forth the Armory Hero instead."

"Given what the letter Melty gave to me said, the king had hoped to have some deniability by letting the church summon them," said Darius.

"Yes, but it would still not have stopped the other countries from becoming enraged," said the Queen, "His reckless action forced me to travel around much of the world, putting out many fires along the way."

"So King Trash and Princess Bitch summoned us without any approval from you," said Naofumi.

"They shouldn't have had the power to even make such a decision in the first place," explained the Queen, "I left the honorable lord of the Seaetto region in charge for the express purpose of preventing such a possibility. But he was tragically killed during the first wave and in my absence the king assumed command."

"Well that certainly explains a good bit," said Naofumi.

"Yeah but it still doesn't explain why he was an asshole to the Shield Hero and only the Shield Hero in the first place," commented Rifana.

"Rifana," scolded Melty, "that is no way to talk in front of Moth-I mean the Queen."

"It's quite alright Melty," said the Royal woman with a smile, "and I'm also happy to see you've taken to being yourself a little more, no doubt thanks to your time with the Shield and Armory Heroes."

"M-Mother!" exclaimed an embarrassed Melty as her face turned a bit red.

"That is something we've all been wondering though," said Darius, "My party and I were only guilty by association, and because we helped wreck some of the trash king's plans against Naofumi. But why exactly does he have a beef with a cardinal hero in the first place?"

"It is not so much you as the previous Shield Hero that Aultcray hates," explained the Queen, "The Three Heroes Church used that hatred to manipulate him."

"So he's getting back at the previous Shield Hero by punishing me," Naofumi more stated than asked.

"Malty's own attempts to ensnare you made things all the worse," added the Queen.

"So if everything had gone to plan, I probably wouldn't even be here and Naofumi would've been summoned to a country that didn't hate his guts," summarized Darius.

"Quite right," affirmed the Queen, "If you had been summoned to Siltvelt, a demi-human country for example, you would've been revered and practically worshipped by them."

"When you put it like that I got little reason not to head that way," said Naofumi as he directed his next comment to Darius, "Maybe they've actually heard of the Armory Hero over there too."

"Not that I was planning on being worshipped any time soon," said Darius, "but it would be cool to find out."

"Should the two of you decide to leave, Melromarc has no right to stop either of you," said the Queen, "but before you leave I would like to ask that you stay long enough for me to clear your names and end the torment you've been suffering. You've been a pariah here for too long Sir Shield Hero and it will end. We shall also reward the both of you for fighting the waves and eliminating the treasonous Three Heroes Church with the greatest honor our kingdom has to offer along with five hundred gold pieces as a bonus."

"Isn't that wonderful Master Naofumi," said Raphtalia as their party's faces lit up in glee at the news.

"Can we buy a lot of food with five hundred gold pieces," questioned Filo.

"We could feed a full-sized dragon with that much gold!" Said Johann as he and Filo both cheered.

"There is also one other matter I'd like to discuss with the two of you in private," said the Queen. The two cardinal heroes didn't miss the slightly ominous vibe behind her words but decided to go along with her request.

"Rifana, Johann," said Darius, "why don't the two of you go get something to eat. We'll be in shortly."

"Filo and Raphtalia should come along as well," said Melty, picking up on the hint, "I know where the kitchen hides the best meats." Filo and Johann cheered again before racing inside, followed by the other three girls. When the Queen was certain they were alone, she spoke up again.

"Is all that I've offered enough for the two of you, or do you perhaps wish for more," she questioned.

"It's way too generous actually," said Naofumi, "which is why I'm certain there's some kind of a catch with all of it." The Queen gave a knowing smile.

"Without the two of you Melromarc has little hope of surviving the uncertainties that lie in the future," said the Queen.

"You might be able to convince Darius to stay but not me," said Naofumi, "from this point on I'm going where the waves are to fight them off." 'And maybe I'll finally get myself out of this world.'

"I understand," said the Queen, "then would the both of you consider a visit to the castle tomorrow before leaving?"

"What's the occasion?" Asked Darius, admittedly curious.

"You'll have a chance to clear your names," said the Queen, "It shall be broadcast before the entire kingdom."

"And what about Trash and Bitch?" Questioned Naofumi with a bit of interest.

"They shall be dealt with, harshly," she said as the Armory Hero noticed her hand trembling on the stone railing. She looked like she was thinking how best to say her next words, but was interrupted as a thought came to the cardinal hero.

"If that's the case, maybe we should go today and tomorrow," said Darius as he rubbed his chin with a slight grin coming to his face, "Where are the King and Malty right now?"

"At this moment they would still be in the middle of breakfast," said the Queen, "I've been keeping Malty under house arrest. She is unable to leave the castle or interact with any of the heroes currently. Why do you ask?"

"I just got an idea that might be fun for the both of us if her highness will allow it of course," said Darius, "Naofumi, are you up for a trip to the throne room?"

Said Throne Room of the Castle of Melromarc: A Short Time Later

King Aultcray Melromarc was not in the greatest of moods. It wasn't that he was angry, rather he was just unsure at the moment as he and Malty continued to walk down the main hallway of the royal castle towards the throne room. "Father," said his eldest daughter Malty, breaking him out of his thoughts, "have you been able to speak with Mother yet? Those blasted guards still won't let me leave the castle or even this floor."

"I've been trying dear Malty but she's not accepting any of my requests," replied Aultcray, "I've barely even had the chance to lay my own eyes on her since she returned. Worse, I haven't the slightest clue as to what she's thinking right now."

"She can't just ignore us like this," said Malty as the guards opened the two large doors to the throne room for them, "I'm her daughter after all so why is she being so-what in the world is that noise?" As if in answer, said noise rose greatly in volume once they were halfway to the other side of the room.

"I'M A BITCH I'M A BITCH YEAH THE BITCH IS BACK!" The two royals grabbed their ears in confusion as they looked towards the source of the noise, the two thrones, where a pair of familiar figures was currently seated.

"What up dickheads," said Darius as he switched off the noise from his replica Gengar shield and sent it away, "nothing like a little Elton John to help one wake up in the morning, don'tcha think?"

"You two!" exclaimed the King angrily at the nonchalant way the two of them were sitting on the royal thrones. Both had their full hero outfits on and were making a show of looking extra comfortable.

"It's nice to see you got a replacement for the one Darius blew a chunk out of Trash," said Naofumi, "though after switching between the two a couple times I think the Queen's throne is a bit more comfortable, less hot air."

"You dare to lay your filthy hands on the thrones of Melromarc!" Screeched Malty.

"And our feet too," said Darius as he propped his boots on the armrests of the king's throne.

"Gotta say though, really not a lot of room to stretch out on these things," Said Naofumi with an actual smirk on his face as he watched the king and his whore of a daughter's face twist into sneers. "But I guess that's why the royals always lean forward."

"Enough!" Said Aultcray as he pointed at the two cardinal heroes while addressing the guards in the room, "Why are you all just standing there?! Seize these miserable vermin and remove them from my throne at once!"

"You heard 'em boys, seize the vermin," said Darius as the guards advanced forward with their spears leveled at the throne, before grabbing a hold of the king and first princess.

"W-what are you fools doing?! Arrest them!" exclaimed Malty as she and Aultcray were forced to their knees with shackles clamped on their wrists.

"It's not your throne anymore," said Naofumi, "Or I guess to be more accurate, it was never your throne in the first place."

"You will both answer for this affront!" declared the King.

"We aren't the ones with a lot to answer for," said Darius as he glanced behind the two royals, "wouldn't you agree your majesty?"

"Wholeheartedly," said Mirelia Q. Melromarc as the color drained from Aultcray and Malty's faces. The two looked back in fear as the Queen made her next declaration. "Take them away to the dungeons! For tomorrow, the trial of the Foolish King Consort and the First Princess shall begin!"

Boba Fett once said justice is a patient hunter, and it has found its prey at last in the form of Pope Biscas and the two royals responsible for all the suffering! Beware for the Queen has returned and she is not happy! But putting all that aside for a moment, I'd like to say hello again everyone and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. As per the usual, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as Malty and Aultcray's crimes are laid bare before the nation along with some surprising witnesses to their deeds. 'Til then.