The Revenge of the Victims
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Now first things first as they say, answering guest reviews: To our first guest: agreed the kingdom would've done much better with a wiser ruler. And to Sum9: I know not technically a guest review but I still felt like saying how on point your request for this chapter is gonna be. Now onto the story!
Outside The Royal Palace of Melromarc: Close to Midday
An extremely large crowd had gathered outside near the gates of the castle in the center of the city, all of whom were gossiping and wondering what the occasion was. What little was known for sure was that the Queen had returned and had a very important announcement to make. It was for this reason the event was being broadcast to the entirety of the kingdom as mages were using crystal balls to project large images of the throne room to all the gathered people. A number of citizens had already heard about the downfall and current dismantling of the Three Heroes Church as the guards were still in the process of rounding them all up. But many questions still remained about what the Queen wished to say at this time and while most were quietly gossiping or murmuring about it, some were a bit more vocal.
"Hey what gives?!" Yelled a rather unruly man in knight's armor, "Why are only the Shield and Armory Hero's parties allowed in the castle today?!"
"Sir Mald you have to calm down a bit," said Rishia as she grabbed a hold of his arm and tried to pull him back.
"Not until I get some answers!" yelled the armored man as he threw Rishia off of his arm. The girl stumbled a few feet until a helpful pair of hands managed to catch her at the last moment.
"Looks like you've got quite the unruly party member," said a feminine voice that the green-haired girl recognized.
"Hey, what are you all doing here?!" She said happily as she embraced the one who caught her.
"Let's just say our leaders called for us," replied the girl as she indicated the group behind her, "we're going to help out with what's about to happen. Come to think of it, you were there when that fire was lit in the forest weren't you?"
"I was with Darius and the Shield Hero's party at the time," replied Rishia, "It's a bit of a long story how I wound up there."
"Well maybe you can tell it inside," said her friend, "we need all the witnesses we can get at this point, so come on." She then proceeded to walk up to one of the guards and said a few words. Rishia was able to catch that they were here at the request of the Armory Hero. The guard nodded and allowed them all through, including Rishia.
"Wait a second, why are you letting them in now?!" Exclaimed Mald angrily before being warned to shut up or else by the remaining assembled guards. Meanwhile, said Armory and Shield Heroes were currently making their way up the stairs to the throne room.
"That's a rather large crowd outside," observed Raphtalia as they climbed the stairs.
"Makes me wonder how often they do these sorts of things," added Rifana.
"I just wanna know what happened to Mel," said Filo, "she went off with some knights as soon as we got here."
"She's prrobably with her mother at the moment," said Naofumi as they stopped at a split in the stairs, noticing something on the right flight. The other three cardinal heroes.
"Glad to see you're both doing well," said Itsuki with a, for once, friendly expression.
"I guess even an overpowered move like yours can take its toll," Said Ren, addressing Naofumi.
"It messed up my insides a little," replied Naofumi, "but I should be back to a hundred percent in another few days."
"By the way," said Motoyasu, "have any of you seen Myne around recently? I heard she was at the castle but I haven't been able to find her anywhere since yesterday."
"Given the attempted coup, I imagine she's been quite busy with her duties as a Princess," said Ren before either Darius or Naofumi could answer.
"Maybe she's decided to put together some kind of surprise party for all of us," said Ren somewhat excitedly, "like a thank you for us taking down the Pope!"
"Oh it's a surprise alright," said Darius, wondering if he should be smirking or not, "and there'll definitely be enough people for a party. But the occasion is, well, it'd be better if you saw for yourselves." Without another word, Darius, Naofumi and their parties proceeded into the throne room with the other three heroes behind them. Rifana, Raphtalia and the others were directed to stand to the side as the five cardinal heroes stood in front of the throne.
The Queen was present in the left throne with Melty standing on her left hand side as she gave a polite wave to Johann and Filo. "The five cardinal heroes," said the Queen, "I'd like to thank you all for coming today."
"Hey Myne's not here," whispered Motoyasu, quickly noting the first princess's absence.
"And isn't the King usually here for this sort of stuff too," added Itsuki.
"Yes you've no doubt noticed some absences in the room today," said the Queen, easily picking up on the chatter before turning to one of the guards, "bring the accused in." The guards at the back of the throne obeyed and pulled open the doors, revealing another set of guards leading both Malty and the King by their shackled wrists.
"What, Myne what happened?" Exclaimed Motoyasu, hardly believing the sight before him.
"Help me Sir Motoyasu, Please!" begged Myne, still acting as if she was an innocent victim.
"Your highness," Said Ren, "Why are the two of them in chains right now?"
"I would've hoped it was obvious," replied the Queen, "these two are here to answer for the many crimes they've committed. Starting now is the trial of the First Princess and the Foolish King Consort!" The only three people not showing some degree of surprise about all of this was Darius and Naofumi.
Working quickly, the guards set up a pair of podiums while Malty continued to whine feebly. "Why are you doing this to us Mother? What have we done to deserve this cruelty?!"
"My Queen this is madness, what reason have you to put us in chains-?" Aultcray had been leaning more and more forward until the guards in front of him crossed their spears, silencing his protests.
"With the five cardinal heroes acting as witnesses," said the Queen, ignoring her family member's protests, "this trial shall seek to punish those responsible for nearly bringing disaster to the country as well as other nefarious misdeeds. As Melromarc's Queen, I will serve as judge for this trial."
"This is an outrage!" exclaimed Aultcray, "Has the devil of the shield and his right hand actually managed to brainw-AAAAH!" The former king was silenced as the Queen lifted up her hand and almost effortlessly created a prison of ice up to his shoulders.
"The Shield Hero does not possess such a power and never has," said the Queen, clearly not in the mood for excuses, "It's unbelievable I even have to say such a thing given that you should know better than anyone." A guard came up to her side then with a tray of items that were very familiar to at least the Shield and Armory Hero's groups.
"What are you going to do with those?" Questioned Malty fearfully as she was forced to her knees.
"In order to insure the trial proceeds justly and fairly you shall be given a slave crest," explained the Queen as she slit her finger with the dagger and put a drop of her blood into the purple concoction.
"But she's your own daughter!" exclaimed Motoyasu as he reached for his spear, "You can't-huh." The Spear Hero turned his head, noticing that a small portal had opened with a clawed chain grasping his weapon.
"You'd best listen to the Queen's reasoning before doing anything hasty," urged Darius.
"It is a necessary precaution as my daughter is a pathological liar," explained the Queen as the mage applying the seal got to work.
"But Mother you know I'm a good girl and honest too," pleaded the First Princess.
"Then this shouldn't hurt a bit," Said Rifana before Myne let out a pained yell from the slave crest activating and etching itself onto her chest, "except for that part." The two criminals were then led to the podiums while Darius released Motoyasu's spear and the five cardinal heroes went to separate sides of the throne. Darius and Naofumi stood with their parties while the other three heroes stood opposite them.
"The trial can now officially begin," said the Queen, "Remember your crimes are clear for all to see. You will not worm your way out of this."
"But you can't convict either one of them without an explanation," said Motoyasu, "What so-called crimes have they committed?!"
"That's what the trial's for," said both Darius and Naofumi with a sigh before the Armory Hero got an idea. "Uh, your highness, might I ask a preliminary question to insure the crest is working as it should be?" The Queen nodded in agreement as Darius turned to the accused Princess. "Okay Malty here's the question: I heard Motoyasu cooks for you and the party, but apparently you actually think it sucks. Do you dispute this?"
"Listen here you imitator!" Said Malty, "I've never once said Sir Motoyasu's cooking is b-AAAAAAAAAH!" Predictably, the slave crest activated and shocked the First Princess with a healthy dose of purple electricity.
"Oh I'm gonna get an unhealthy level of enjoyment out of this," said Darius as the Spear Hero looked on in confusion.
"Now then," said the Queen, "Just starting with recent events where the Pope attempted to misuse a replica holy weapon to murder the cardinal heroes while framing the shield hero. But he was killed in this endeavor and now the fractured remnants of the Three Heroes Church are being rounded up this very moment."
"What in the world does that have to do with them?" Questioned Motoyasu.
"Because both the King and the Princess committed the appalling act of colluding with the Three Heroes Church. Do you dispute this charge?"
"Why in the world would I collude with the Three Heroes-AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Malty was very quickly silenced as she was again electrocuted by the crest easily detecting her lie. A number of gasps were heard from not only Motoyasu but the many gathered nobles in the balconies above.
"It is reprehensible that the first princess would try to overthrow the state like this," said the Queen.
"But they tried to kill me too!" exclaimed Malty, "I don't care that they tried to murder the Shield and Armory but they did try to murder the other three heroes! I would never involve myself in such a terrible plot as that!" Surprisingly, the crest didn't activate to this statement.
"So she really didn't do anything wrong after all," said Motoyasu with a hopeful tone.
"Don't sound too optimistic," said Darius as he held up his fingers, "that's still two lies to one truth so far."
"Indeed I seem to recall you planned to assassinate Princess Melty and frame the Shield Hero and his friends for the murder, do you deny this as well?" Said the Queen.
"I didn't raise a hand against my si-AAAAAAARGH," again the crest activated, stopping Myne midsentence from completing another lie.
"But Malty, surely you didn't," said Aultcray, just as surprised as a number of other people in the room. 'Well at least Melty was right about him not being in on the assassination attempt.' Thought Darius as the First Princess tried to deny it again and was electrocuted yet again.
"It's clear now that you conspired with the Church hoping they would kill Melty and leave you as the sole remaining heir to the throne," said the Queen, "and when your initial attempt failed you falsely accused the Shield and Armory Heroes of kidnapping her while also setting fire to the forest they'd escaped into. Will you deny this claim as well?"
"She's my own little sister," said Myne, "I would never try to-AAAAAAAAAAH!" The shocks actually seemed to be getting slightly more intense with each lie as Malty was now hanging onto the podium panting heavily. While this was happening, Rifana happened to notice a bit of nervous movement among some of the guards, specifically one certain one.
"Is something the matter captain?" Questioned the weasel girl as everyone followed her gaze. It was the same guard captain who'd nearly hit her, Naofumi and Raphtalia with a blast of flaming arrows during the second wave. The one who'd also boasted about his nonexistent exploits. "Is it possible you have a little more to add to all of this?"
"I-it wasn't me!" exclaimed the mustached guard captain as he tried to turn and run, only to be quickly seized and forced to a kneeling position by the other surrounding knights. "It was my orders from the First Princess! She's the one who wanted us to burn down the forest and she was intentionally aiming for the second princess! I was just doing what I was told!"
"Wow what a wuss," commented Johann as another set of murmurs went through the gathered nobles at this latest revelation.
"It makes a lot more sense now," said Ren, "the reason Malty followed after me and not Motoyasu when we were pursuing Naofumi was to kill her sister." Even despite the evidence and Itsuki's agreement the Spear Hero still looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"And you conspired with the church as well King Aultcray," said the Queen, gaining her husband's attention. "While I was away you initially allowed them to try their own hand at the ritual to insure you had some deniability. When the attempt failed or rather summoned the now named Armory Hero to a different location, you used the royal mages to summon them here yourself."
"I did what I had to in order to protect this kingdom from the coming waves of catastrophe!" Declared the King, "And they were hardly here a day before the Shield committed his unspeakable sin against our daughter!"
"That's right we never got any answers about that," said Motoyasu, "why did you assault Myne?!" Darius and Naofumi simply sighed at this while the rest of their party glared in the Spear Hero's direction.
"Why don't we ask Malty what happened that night," said the Queen as she turned her attention back to her daughter, "Did such an act actually occur that night?"
"Yes, the devil of the shield tried to force himself on me and-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" This particular shock was extremely potent as the lying first princess fell backwards onto the floor.
"W-what, no," said Motoyasu as even the other two heroes next to him had looks of complete shock plastered on their faces. "There has to be some mistake."
"I guess you three didn't give any further thought to what I said during our first meeting," said Darius with his arms crossed, "a quick review then: the supposed victim here didn't show the slightest bit of fear or unease at being in the same room as her supposed attacker. Then there's the fact that she met you at the bar fully clothed and with a gift to boot. But according to the so-called evidence she should've been in her nightgown, which was found torn at the scene of the crime along with her other belongings, at the time she was attacked before rushing over to you. I also happened to hear a report recently from some of the regular patrons who were there on the night of Naofumi's supposed drunken attempt on her *snort* chastity. The Shield Hero didn't have a single drop of alcohol before heading off to his room and wasn't seen again until the next day when the guards came for him."
"But if you really wish to know for sure that she's not lying, I will allow you to form a slave pact with her Spear Hero," offered the Queen.
"Fine, I'll prove her innocence," said Motoyasu after some hesitation as the men who applied the crest stepped fourth and had him add his blood to her seal. "Now tell me the truth Myne, were you assaulted by the Shield Hero the night you came to me for help?"
"Yes I was," said Myne, "I was so frightened I didn't know who else I could-AAAAAAAAAGH!" The Spear Hero recoiled as horrid realization hit him. The crest still shocked her, so she'd been lying the whole time about what happened.
"If you're finally starting to get the message Motoyasu then maybe you'd like to ask the next question as well," said Darius, "ask Malty there what she did with each new party member you recruited."
"What do you mean," asked the Spear Hero, "She said they all left because they felt they didn't fit in."
"Well is that what they said Former First Princess," Darius practically spat the princess part out.
"None of them felt like they really fit in because-AAAAAAAAAAGH!" Malty was electrocuted midsentence again in what was becoming an idiotic streak of stubbornness.
"What, but then what happened to all of them," asked Motoyasu in bewilderment.
"Why don't you ask them yourself," Said the Armory Hero as he pointed to the throne room doors, "let 'em in!" The doors were opened to reveal Rino, Rishia and the rest of the guards who'd helped them in the third wave came marching in with a few other female adventurers, leading the remaining two members of the Spear Hero's party in chains. As the majority of them stopped by the podiums and dropped the Spear Hero's party members on their knees, Rino kept walking towards Motoyasu.
"R-Rino," said a flabbergasted Motoyasu, "what are you doing h-SLAP!" The sound of her hand making contact with the Spear Hero's face rang out in the large throne room as a red print was left from the severity of the slap she'd just given him. "W-what, why did you?"
"Why," repeated Rino as she pointed an accusatory finger at the Spear Hero, "the better question is why didn't you help me?! I called out to you, begging for help and you just walked on by as if you couldn't hear me! You're supposed to be a hero and yet you left me to rot as a sex slave!"
"B-but that can't be," said Motoyasu, "Myne said you went home and-."
"Haven't you been paying attention to this entire trial?!" Rino practically yelled as she indicated the other female adventurers, "None of us went home by choice, in fact some of us never even made it that far. Each and every one of us who questioned the party dynamic was either threatened, forcefully chased away or tricked and sold into slavery by your party members!"
"That's not, tell me it's not true girls," said Motoyasu as he looked at his other two party members.
"It was all Myne's idea," said the party member with a witch's hat on her head.
"Yeah we were forced to go along with it by her," said the other party member, a girl with pink hair tied in a braid.
"Don't try to play innocent," sneered Malty from her shaky position on the floor, "the both of you were more than happy to help get rid of these annoying tramps." The fact that her crest didn't activate was all the proof anyone needed to know that both of her party members were just as guilty in this regard as her.
"But if that's true then how are you, how are any of you here right now?" Questioned Motoyasu. Rino pointed her finger at Darius and the rest of his party.
"The Armory Hero, some unknown that no one had heard of at that point, freed me," replied Rino, "he and his party came when I cried out for help and removed my slave crest. After that, they fed me, helped me get cleaned up and took me home to my family. And after we helped them in the third wave, the Armory Hero gave us all a job to do: find the rest of the party members that your oh-so-beloved princess forced out. At least three of those girls was a slave like me when we found them and freed them. And where were you when all of this was happening? Goofing off and acting a fool with your three bitches without a care in the world, some hero."
Rino turned around in a huff then and walked back to join her other teammates while Motoyasu simply stood there, stunned at the revelation with a slowly fading handprint still on his face. "Just for the record I had no idea she was gonna do that," said Darius, more for the fun of it than anything. The trial continued in this manner for a while with Malty being asked a question then getting electrocuted by her slave crest each time she told a lie. By the end of it, she was on the floor again due to all of the pain.
"I hope this all presents a very clear picture now of their wrongdoings," said the Queen as she tapped her fan on the armrest of her throne, "despite being royalty, the two of them resorted to dirty tactics in order to eliminate those opposing them while only being concerned with obtaining more power without the slightest consideration for the nation they serve." Like a broken record, Myne attempted to say she didn't do it and was electrocuted for her lie by the crest.
"I admit a number of my actions may not have been those befitting royalty," said the King.
"Did it hurt to say that out loud your highness," quipped Rifana. But Aultcray simply sneered and continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "But I swear to you it was all to protect my beloved country and family! That's why I was trying to eliminate the devil of the shield, to prevent the calamity he will surely bring upon my family once ag-!"
"Oh give it a rest already!" Darius nearly yelled, "You betrayed the trust of your own wife and created a volatile political situation for your country just because you didn't want the Shield Hero summoned. Not only that, you decided to put your trust in a religious order you apparently knew very little about for the sole reason that you both hated the same things and look what happened. Both of your daughters were nearly killed by the Three Heroes Church you were so happily cooperating with and if not for the intervention of the cardinal heroes, the Pope would be sitting on that throne right now ready to execute both you and the Queen! From where I'm standing, the greatest threat to your country and family in this room is the old fool with a crown on his head!"
The King ground his teeth at this statement but said nothing as the Queen spoke up. "The time has come for me to deliver my verdict. I find both Aultcray Melromarc the thirty second and Malty Melromarc guilty of high treason and conspiring against the kingdom. I hereby strip them of their royal status and sentence them both to death!" It took a moment for her words to sink in, but when they did, Malty began to shriek in horror as Melty begged her mother to reconsider. "Your one job was to protect the people and instead you wasted it on a struggle for power and even with the arrival of the waves you still did nothing to help your subjects. Countless people were likely hurt or even killed by your actions and as such cannot be forgiven!"
The Queen turned to Melty for a moment with her next statement. "I know it seems harsh, but surely you saw at least some of the suffering caused by these two while you were out there." Melty didn't answer, but glanced at Raphtalia and Rifana, recalling their stories of anguish before their heroes rescued them. Mirelia Q. Melromarc stood up to address the assembly with her final declaration. "The execution shall be carried out immediately! Let these sinners be put to death in front of all the people they've wronged!"
Flashback: The Day Before
"Whew, I should've requested a crystal ball recording of their reactions," Said Darius, still chuckling as he and Naofumi stood in front of the thrones with the Queen, "The looks on their faces when they walked in, priceless."
"If nothing else we'll have something to laugh about later," agreed Naofumi.
"I'm glad you both enjoyed yourselves," said the Queen, "I do hope you'll hold up your end of the bargain and come here tomorrow."
"How could we say no now that we're in such good moods," replied Darius, "at least I'm assuming Naofumi's in a good mood."
"Best mood I've been in for a while now," Said the Shield Hero, "By the way, is there something you've been meaning to tell us?"
"There is in fact," said the Queen, "You see tomorrow, I shall be ordering the execution of both the King and Malty." Naofumi's eyes actually widened at this as Darius's mood shifted to a much more serious one.
"But aren't they your husband and daughter," Questioned Naofumi.
"Yes indeed," replied Mirelia Q. Melromarc, "But they've committed high treason against the kingdom. Crimes so great that even the Queen cannot save them now. At the moment, only the three of us know about this, but it is another reward I wish to offer to the both of you to atone for the unfair treatment that you've suffered. Now there are some duties I must attend too, so I will let you both think over what's been said here." The Queen then turned and headed towards the exit, though not fast enough to hide the shaking in her hands as she exited the throne room.
Some Time Later: One of the Castle Balconies
"So are you gonna tell me what's on your mind or just stand there looking grumpy," said Darius as he stood with his arms crossed against the stone railing.
"Isn't it obvious," said Naofumi as he looked out at the illuminated city of the night, "the Queen just told us she's willing to kill members of her own family just so we'll agree to help with the waves in Melromarc."
"I think you'll recall said family members were responsible for nearly every problem you've had to put up with since coming here," Darius reminded him, "and even if they weren't, the two assholes managed to create a situation that could've ended in a complete takeover by the Three Heroes Church if not for us and the other heroes. Whichever way you slice it there were crimes committed, so an appropriate punishment needs to follow."
"I know and personally I should be overjoyed at the prospect that the two biggest pains in my life could be gone tomorrow," said Naofumi, "but instead it's nagging at me."
"Which part specifically," asked Darius, "the idea that you're gonna watch two people die tomorrow, the fact that maybe you don't hate them as much as you thought or-."
"Are you kidding?! I've wanted to rip them apart myself for ages now!" Exclaimed Naofumi as he slammed his fist on the stone railing. "But what's bothering me is that the Queen is willing to carry it out in the first place."
"It's because she's the Queen that she has to be willing to carry it out," said Darius, "As a ruler she must show that no one, regardless of their station, escapes justice even if they happen to be royalty or members of her own family." The Armory Hero paused for a moment to let out a sigh. "But I think I see what you're getting at. As a Mother there's likely nothing worse than seeing your own husband and child die, especially when you're the one giving the order."
"So what should we do about it?" Questioned Naofumi, "I got no reason to care but is it really right for us to let a Mother kill her children?"
"You already know my answer as far as this case is concerned," replied Darius, "I want them gone even if I have to do it myself. Those two showed no signs of regret or apology even when the Queen was having them arrested and unless they have a sudden change of heart tomorrow I won't utter so much as a word in support of them. That being said, you're the one the King and his daughter have been trying to screw over this whole time, so if anybody should get a final say in whether they live or die it should be you."
"Well that's helpful," said Naofumi, "the only reason I could see to spare them at this point is if the Queen has a torture set up that's even worse than death."
"This is a medieval society," said Darius, "if I remember my history correctly there are some pretty messed up tortures used during this time period. So if one method isn't good enough for you I'm sure there's two dozen other demented ways the Queen can have them killed. Just know that whatever you do decide, I'll go along with it even if I don't happen to agree with it."
"Thanks, I mean that," Said Naofumi, "Guess I'd best come up with something."
"Feel free to ask me if you need suggestions," said Darius, "Now we'd best get back before the others start to worry."
End Flashback: Execution Site
The location for the death sentence was a sort of square-shaped arena with two levels worth of seats as well as a back row for people to walk through. In the center were a pair of guillotines freshly sharpened for the occasion as their victims stood in front. The gathered crowd jeered and booed the former King and First Princess while Darius, Naofumi, the rest of their parties as well as the other three heroes stood in the very back row to watch the spectacle. "Those who turn against their own country and their people deserve death!" declared the Queen with a bit of hesitation from her own private balcony in the stadium, "this goes especially for royalty and we shall demonstrate that now with the beheading of these traitors!"
That was the signal for the guards to begin as they forced Aultcray and Malty each into the guillotines and secured their heads. "No, no please help me!" Cried the First Princess, not even managing to match her Father's angry but silent composure as she thrashed in the death dealer's hold. "Sir Motoyasu, Motoyasu!"
The Spear Hero looked regretful, but he otherwise said nothing as he turned his eyes from the sight. The former Princess looked around frantically with tears in her eyes for someone, literally anyone who might be willing to put a stop to this, and her eyes landed on the two she hated the most. "N-Naofumi, Darius! Help me please I'm begging you!" The Armory Hero was little more than disgusted with this display, flipping the bird as the guards raised their swords to cut the rope on the Queen's command.
But at the last second, the Shield Hero spoke up as he noticed a movement in the royal balcony. "Hold everything!" He said suddenly, making Darius swear. "I just had something of an epiphany, the death penalty will only bring instant release to these vermin and that's way too light a punishment." The Armory Hero gave an exasperated sigh as he followed Naofumi down into the center of the stadium, listening as he continued his speech. "I imagine you all noticed her slave crest didn't activate just now when she was begging us for help. Can you believe that, someone so thick-skinned she'd actually beg the people she tried to kill to spare her life and mean every word of it?!"
"Tell me Darius, do you think the guillotine will even be able to cut through her neck if that's the case?" Asked Naofumi loud enough for the whole stadium to hear, causing several members of the crowd to laugh.
"Well now that you mention it I'm a bit doubtful myself," said Darius, deciding to play along, "I suppose you've got something better in mind?"
"Lifetime humiliation," replied the Shield Hero as he pointed to Aultcray, "the King here can go by the name 'Trash' from now on and the First Princess gets to go the rest of her days with the name 'Bitch!'"
"But that's not my name!" exclaimed Malty with clear embarrassment.
"Well get used to it because it's your new name for life," replied Naofumi with his own mischievous grin, "Or you can die now. Darius has even offered to cut the ropes himself."
"Just say the word," added the Armory Hero as he conjured and twirled a saber in his hand.
"I feel I should mention Malty tends to use the alias Myne when adventuring," said the Queen.
"Well 'Bitch' needs an alias too, how does 'Whore' sound," said the Shield Hero with a snap of his fingers.
"So it shall be," declared the Queen, "the Shield Hero has granted the greatest of mercies to his oppressors this day! Now I must ask you as one who has also suffered due to these two, Sir Armory Hero, is this punishment enough for you as well?"
"Almost," said Darius as he held up two fingers, "I'd like to add two extra things since we've decided not to kill them today. One: Your healers will leave Bitch's face alone and the second is this: Rino, you and the girls get down here!" The female adventurers did as asked and entered the center of the stadium, waiting expectantly for what was to come. "I promised those hurt by Whore here some justice and I'm gonna make sure they get it. So today they'll get to beat her into a pulp, without killing her, while the King watches!"
"Very well," said the Queen as she signaled the guards to pull the now named Bitch out of the guillotine and threw her at the feet of Rino and the others, who wasted no time in beating the ever-living shit out of the former Royal while the crowd cheered on in glee. With her hands bound, Bitch had no way to cover her face which was quickly turned into a bloody and bruised mess along with the rest of her. By the time the group of former victims were done, a pair of guards had to haul Bitch to her feet and support her so that she wouldn't fall back down. "Was this punishment satisfactory Sir Armory Hero?"
"Just so long as you remember to keep the healers away from her face," replied Darius, "perhaps it will heal in time but let the scars which remain serve as a reminder of what happens when she mistreats the subjects of her own kingdom. And given that I can now legally yell 'yo Bitch!' in the royal assembly hall, I think I can call it good for now."
"Then the last order of business shall be taken care of now," said the Queen as she addressed the crowd, "the root cause of the threat to this country, The Three Hero's Church, shall now be abolished and a new state religion raised in its place: The Five Hero's Church!" The gathered people were quick to agree to this suggestion and showed it by tossing the Rosaries of the Three Heroes Church out into the stadium and in other cases, the trash.
"She really is a shrewd politician," noted Naofumi as the Queen turned and exited the private balcony, "inventing a religion which'll see none of the heroes as a possible enemy."
"I guess if it works," said Darius while rubbing the back of his head, "but I'm saying this upfront, a religious icon I am not."
"Yeah but we're gonna have to play along with at least some of it," said Naofumi as they headed back down the stadium hallway, "The fewer religious nut jobs the better."
"I hear that," said the Armory Hero before he and the Shield Hero were stopped by the other three heroes.
"You two heading off somewhere," Asked Ren as the Queen and Melty approached behind them.
"I mean the celebration is just getting started," added Itsuki.
"I suppose even all of this wasn't enough to convince you to stay," said the Queen, "Will you both at least stay for the ceremony to honor you for your deeds and to have the proper decorations bestowed upon you?"
"None of that crap is gonna make me happy," replied Naofumi as he turned to the Queen, "but I have decided to work with you. I'll work with Melromarc and all the other countries of the world to fight the waves. It is our job as the five cardinal heroes after all." The other three hero's eyes widened as they realized the implication of what he was saying.
"You are of course correct," said the Queen, "but I still feel it isn't right to leave things as they are. If you desire anything further simply say the word."
"Darius and I will think it over," said Naofumi with a shrug while Darius nodded politely and followed after him.
"Aw man I wanted to see some heads roll," complained Johann as the cardinal heroes rejoined their party members.
"What do you mean 'heads roll'?" Asked Filo, "I thought this was some sort of party. Everyone's celebrating right now."
"What do you think those giant blades were for," said Johann as the group kept on walking out of the stadium, "It was supposed to be a double decapitation! Their bleeding heads should've been dropped right in the baskets in front of them!"
"Oh that's so gross!" exclaimed Filo as the mental image flashed in her head, "I don't want to see headless bodies!" Most of the party simply laughed as the Queen watched them shrink into the distance, before dropping a dagger she'd been holding and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Mother, what is this," said Melty as she looked at the royal blade on the ground.
"If the Shield Hero had not stepped in when he had, I planned to offer my own life in exchange for the both of theirs. I wonder if he figured out I'd never have been able to go through with the execution?" Strangely enough, a similar question was being asked by a certain demi-human.
"So are you really okay with them not being executed Darius," questioned Rifana with her hands behind her head as they walked up a flight of stairs, "I know what Naofumi said back there but you're usually about preventing possible future problems."
"I told Naofumi I'd let him decide whether they lived or died," said Darius, "I can't speak for him but from what I could tell he didn't do it for them. He did it so that a Mother wouldn't have to suffer the pain of killing her own children."
"And of course he still has to act like a prick because he doesn't want anyone to think he's nice," sighed Rifana, "I swear it's like a freakin' defense mechanism at this point."
"To be fair the Queen is lucky I left it up to him," said the Armory Hero, "If she had done something drastic like offering her own life for her family I still would've killed Bitch, oh that is gonna be fun to say, because at the end of the day I can't see even the Queen's life as being worth enough to save both of them from punishment. Plus, Whore came up with at least half of the ideas that we had to put up with in the first place."
"I guess only time will tell if what they got will be enough," said Rifana as an interesting sight suddenly greeted the two parties. A crowd had gathered on either side of the passageway out to the streets as an honor guard stood with their swords at the ready.
"Well how about that," said Naofumi as the group walked forward with the cheering crowd on both sides and the guards holding their swords in a position of honor. It was honestly a sight that made the two heroes smile. Both of them had been met with scorn and hostility the first time they'd walked through these gates and now, here they all were being honored as the saviors of the kingdom. It was hard not to be optimistic about the future that day.
'I feel sorry for the princess.' "Who the fuck said that?! I wanna know who's the slimy little twinkle-toed shit communist cocksucker that just signed their own death warrant!" R. Lee Ermey Quote aside was this anyone else's thought when they read this line in the subbed version? And yes before you say anything I wanted to cut Bitch's tongue out too but I'm afraid we're gonna need it for some more of the story to happen, and get altered. Otherwise, I hope you all got a fair bit of enjoyment out of this latest chapter and as always 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 the five heroes sit down and try, very hard, to have a civil conversation about fighting the waves. 'Til then.