Side Story: The Woes of Royalty

And here we are at the newest requested side story detailing the views of everyone's favorite milf-er-matriarch and some of the views of the other countries. Now there's no major guest review questions to answer this week, but I do encourage you all to read the AN at the last part of this chapter. Now, onto the story!

The Kingdom of Faubley: Shortly After the Summoning of the Four Heroes

Mirellia Q. Melromarc was not an easily frustrated woman, such a thing was more or less demanded by the weight of the crown. Even with the appearance of the first wave and the loss of the Lord of the Seaetto region, her trusted right hand, she still persevered and attended a world conference to discuss the matter of the waves. As expected the negotiations were tense, especially given the centuries of bad blood that existed between her country and the demi-human dominated country of Siltvelt. Even despite that, however, she and the other four leaders of the great kingdoms managed to reach a consensus on what to do about the waves: four of the nations would each summon a hero, with Melromarc being fourth in line. The country of Q'ten Lo did not rely or even really have faith in the cardinal heroes and thus declined to attend.

The situation had looked promising at the time, so why was the Queen currently sitting in a private room with her hands shaking in rage. Because of what happened the next day while they were discussing the details of the plan.

Flashback: World Conference Room the Day Before

"So in review we are all in agreement on which nations shall summon the heroes, the order they shall summon them in and which heroes shall be summoned to each nation," said the representative of Siltvelt, a turtle-like demi-human known as a Genmu.

"I suppose with Faubley being the most advanced nation we can more or less fend for ourselves if one of the nations does go rogue with their hero," said the King of Faubley in a bored tone, receiving more than a couple glares from the other gathered rulers.

"I can't say it's the most satisfactory outcome," said the ruler of Shieldfrieden, "but the Shield Hero will be among the demi-humans, so there is little cause for complaint."

"I am simply happy to hear that we're all in agreement on the matter," said Mirellia as she closed her fan out of habit, "after all, if the entire world is truly facing destruction then the only course truly open to us is-." SLAM! Everyone turned their heads to see a demi-human dog messenger running in through the doors with a frantic look on his face.

"Your Excellencies!" exclaimed the messenger as he took a few ragged breaths. "We just…received word. The four cardinal heroes have all been summoned, in Melromarc!"

"What did you say?" Said the Queen as she and the rest of the rulers and envoys stood up from their seats.

"How can that be?" asked the leader of Zeltoble with more than a hint of confusion.

"We agreed just yesterday that the four heroes would be summoned in different countries," said the King of Faubley, "what is the meaning of this?!"

"I assure all of you that I am just as surprised at this development as the rest of you," replied the Queen, doing her best to keep her composure despite her frantic thoughts. 'What did you do Aultcray? What has happened?'

"And what assurance can the Queen of Melromarc really give us," said the Genmu envoy of Siltvelt, "My people will investigate this matter ourselves! And be warned your highness, if you had anything to do with this-."

"Again I assure you what happened was not on my orders," said the Queen, "for now it seems the facts may be more than a little confused. I move to end this session for today so that we may all confirm with our own sources what has happened."

"You do that," said the King of Faubley dismissively as he turned to leave, "I'll allow one day for you to make your case then I'm returning to my kingdom. This treachery, whether it was your doing or not, still must be punished." The man then proceeded to exit the room as the Genmu moved to exit as well.

"After a decade of peace I expected better of you and your country," said the Envoy, "The Shield Hero belongs in a demi-human country. Our people demand as such."

"Then I have a proposal for all of you," said the Queen, stopping the remaining rulers from leaving.

"If it is more lies we'll have none of them," said the ruler of Zeltoble, "what could mitigate this betrayal now of all times?"

"The four heroes might have been summoned in Melromarc," said the Queen, doing her best to keep her voice even, "But we cannot keep them in the country if they wish to leave. Therefore, I propose each of you send an envoy to invite the heroes to your countries. If one or more of the heroes accepts your offer, then they shall be free to leave Melromarc and travel to your kingdom." The other rulers all contemplated this for a moment before the leader of Shieldfrieden spoke.

"What guarantee do we have that our envoys will even make it into Melromarc?" He asked.

"I shall write a letter to my husband explaining the situation, as well as have my own people do an investigation into what is happening in my absence," replied the Queen, "I'll even let your own messengers deliver the letters if it will grant you peace of mind."

"Well it will take a bit of time to put together an envoy for Melromarc," admitted the Genmu from Siltvelt, "but I warn you. Should my people hear of any mistreatment of the Shield Hero, then a continuation of war is very possible, waves or no waves."

"I shall urge as strongly as I can to my husband the importance of the Shield Hero and his treatment," replied Mirellia, "It was a long road to obtain the decade of peace our countries have enjoyed and the last thing I wish is for it to be shattered by misunderstanding."

"See that you do," said the Genmu envoy, taking a slight bow before turning and leaving the room. The other leaders followed suit while Mirellia herself made her way to the private quarters that had been provided to her in the castle of Faubley. Only once the door to her room was closed securely and she made sure no one was around did she finally let her true emotions show.

"AULTCRAY!" She exclaimed as she extinguished the lit flame in the fireplace with a wave of her fan, leaving a mass of ice in its place. "What are you thinking you old fool? In one fell swoop you may have just undone everything I've set out to achieve these past few years!" Turning around in a huff, the Queen collapsed into a chair by the window as she gripped her fan, continuing to fume in her anger.

It was a tapping on the window that broke her out of her thoughts as she looked to see her head Shadow sitting outside on the window ledge. "Would you prefer I come back at a better time your highness?" Asked the masked woman, "I daresay it has been something of a tumultuous turn of events."

"That's alright," said the Queen with a sigh, "what I want to know first and foremost is: did Aultcray summon the four heroes?"

"I'm afraid many things have transpired in your absence," said the Shadow, "this was actually the second summoning ritual the King has performed. Another one was attempted a week ago by the Church of Three Heroes, with his permission and even attendance. For whatever reason it failed and thus the King made use of the royal mages in the castle and, after much more extensive preparation, summoned the four cardinal heroes."

"So it is true then," said Mirellia with a sigh, "The only one who had that authority was Lord Seaetto. How could Aultcray even begin to believe this was a wise move? Angering all of the other nation's just to insure we had some extra protection from the waves?"

"There is, something else I daresay," said the Shadow, capturing the Queen's attention again, "Two days after the summoning of the four heroes, the nobleman Idol Rabier was killed along with more than twenty of his guards. Lord's Reichnott and Whitacre are currently working to mitigate the redistribution of lands and goods, but both of them deny that the guard Figneria had anything to do with it."

"Rabier was not the most pleasant person and likely had a number of enemies," said the Queen, "His death could merely be a coincidence."

"We're still investigating at the moment," said the Shadow, "what we do know is that Rabier was apparently keeping and torturing demi-human children in cells below his mansion and that is what provoked his killer. The children themselves are currently being tended to by Lord Reichnott."

"Then what of this vigilante killer?" Questioned the Queen.

"According to Reichnott's testimony, he was heading towards the capital I daresay," replied the Shadow.

"If possible, try and locate him," Said the Queen, "ascertain this vigilante's motivations as quickly as possible and determine whether or not he is a threat. We have enough shaking up the balance of power as it is already."

"At once my Queen," said the Shadow as she moved away from the window and seemingly disappeared. Mirellia let out another tired sigh at the news before moving over to a nearby desk and pulling out the necessary materials to begin writing her letter. 'Please dear husband, don't do anything else rash. The waves are a big enough threat without us fighting amongst ourselves.'

A Few Days Later

"This is an absolute outrage!" exclaimed the Siltvelt Genmu, "according to our reports not a single one of the heroes wished to see the envoys we sent out! And what's more the Shield Hero has been labeled a criminal by your kingdom! I thought you assured us the situation was in hand with the letters you sent to the king?"

"I can only wonder at the disappointing answers given by the heroes," replied Mirellia as they all sat in the conference room once again, "It is likely they are dealing with some recently discovered scum in Melromarc. As some of you may have heard, the nobleman Idol Rabier was slain not long ago. As for the treatment of the Shield Hero it was not my doing that led to his current status."

"And how can we even be sure of that much?" Questioned the Genmu angrily, "everything that has happened so far has been to the detriment of all our countries except yours. The next wave shall be arriving tomorrow and what are the rest of us going to do about it? If the Shield Hero dies-."

"If he is the ultimate defense that you believe him to be, then he will not fall against only the second wave of catastrophe," Countered the Queen, "And as for his treatment, I managed to make more than a few arrangements so that he will have allies for the upcoming battle."

"Allies he should've had from the start," the Genmu pointed out, "how do you know it isn't already too late?"

"I do not," said the Queen, "but if I recall, even with the help of those in Siltvelt, the previous Shield Hero still met his end there." The Genmu envoy growled at this until the leader of Zeltoble cut in.

"That is enough," he said, "what's done is done and whether or not it's true about the heroes rejecting our envoys the fact remains that we must now prepare our countries for the next wave."

"We withstood the last one easily and this one probably won't be that much of a problem either," said the King of Faubley dismissively, "what is going to be a problem is what to do after this wave?"

"What indeed," said the leader of Shieldfrieden, "my people haven't taken very well to the news of the Shield Hero rejecting our envoys either. We may not have rioting like there is in Siltvelt right now but I can't say for how much longer it will remain that way."

"Once again I can only continue to send letters to my husband and hope he sees reason in all of this," replied Mirellia, "I will even send out some of my own soldiers to insure the messages reach their destination as soon as possible. In the meantime, I will lend what aid I can with the soldiers I have here to whoever needs support during the wave."

"We've accepted enough of your help for now," said the Genmu as he got up to leave, "because the wave is so close I won't press the matter further for now. But if the treatment of the Shield Hero does not improve then I cannot promise that a detachment of our own soldiers won't find itself on your doorstep in the near future."

"I'm afraid that may go for us as well," said the leader of Shieldfrieden.

"I understand your frustration with all of this," said the Queen, "I too am frustrated at the lack of cooperation from my own husband. But it is also for that reason that I must advise against any attempted assault on my kingdom. If the four heroes truly did reject your envoys, then it is very possible you could face them in battle if you choose to war with Melromarc at this time."

"Well I guess we'll find out if they're any good very soon," said the King of Faubley as he got up to leave, "now we'd best adjourn this meeting. I don't know about everyone else but I've got a mountain of preparations that still need to be attended too." For once, the agreement was unanimous among the leaders.

Two Days Later: In the Halls of the Castle of Faubley

Mirellia let out a frustrated sigh as she handed a scroll to her top shadow. "See that this gets to my daughter and my husband as soon as possible," She said, "And continue to keep an eye on the movements of the other heroes."

"At once my lady," said the shadow with a bow before disappearing down the hallway. The Queen then proceeded to start walking in the opposite direction as her thoughts of recent events came to the surface. The wave had been successfully repelled by the four heroes, with the Shield Hero even saving a small town despite the hatred he'd endured up to that point. It was the first bit of good news she'd had in a while, but it'd been immediately overshadowed by the next report she'd received: The King had attempted to rig a duel in order to take away the slave Naofumi had recently acquired. It had not been easy to secure one in the first place and the fact that her own husband would again work to frustrate her hard work due to his petty grudges was beyond infuriating.

What had quelled her temper, though, was the rest of the happenings of the duel. The King had been stopped in his efforts by two apparently new allies of the Shield Hero: an exceptionally strong demi-human weasel girl and a human weapon conjurer who'd held him at spear point, with some kind of floating spears. Despite that, the Shield Hero ultimately accepted the duel where the weapon conjurer not only stopped Malty's interference but summoned a replica of the Bow Hero's weapon which he almost used on the King. It said a lot about her current state of mind that she was somewhat pleased to hear her husband's life had been threatened, but as it turned out, the Shield Hero's slave was happy where she was and chose to keep fighting by his side. As the saying goes, 'all's well that ends well.'

Now she only hoped that she could stop her husband and daughter's next rash action, which was apparently to name the Spear Hero the local lord of the village saved by the Shield Hero and levy heavy taxes on it. "Ah, there you are," said the Genmu envoy as he and the leader of Shieldfrieden rounded a corner, "I take it you've had no luck in improving the treatment of the Shield Hero?"

"By the sound of it, you already know the answer," replied Mirellia in as polite a tone as she could muster, "I've already sent my shadows out with a warning for the King and my daughter to back down."

"Fret not your Highness," said the Leader of Shieldfrieden, "We have come to inquire about a different matter. Apparently, someone threatened the King of Melromarc. Twice in one day."

"I see your own sources of information are quite extensive," said the Queen, "Have you come to offer your concerns about the safety of my husband?"

"Hardly," said the Genmu, "he proved himself a worthy opponent as a military tactician during our last war so he has the respect of Siltvelt for that much. No, we were curious if you knew the identity of the one who threatened him?"

"I take it you already have a few theories of your own," Mirellia pointed out as she opened her fan in front of her mouth, "we've simply been referring to him as the 'weapon conjurer' up to this point. Though one of my sources recently confirmed that he has a title which they've been looking into: The Armory Hero."

"So it is true then," said the Leader of Shieldfrieden, "the master of weapons and warfare has finally reappeared!"

"You know of the Armory Hero?" Questioned the Queen, allowing some of her interest to show. She herself had once heard the name when she was a child, but had thought it the imaginings of the other children at the time. When she poured through the records of the heroes, she found practically no mention of such a person.

"It's not such a surprise that you don't," said the Genmu Envoy, "No doubt that church of yours has hidden their existence like they have the deeds of the Shield Hero."

"Then please elaborate," replied Mirellia as she hid her mouth behind her fan again, mostly to hide the slightly annoyed look that it had taken on, "Whoever he is, this Armory Hero is in my country and has apparently proven himself capable of inflicting harm on even the King if he so wishes. Given that he's allied himself with the Shield Hero, it's very possible that a confrontation could occur."

"Well to summarize," said the Leader of Shieldfrieden, "the Armory Hero is the lesser known fifth cardinal hero. This lesser known status comes from the fact that it is usually only possible to summon forth the hero when the world is out of balance. Many debating theories have arisen as to what 'out of balance' could mean in terms of the world."

"I think all four heroes being summoned to one country might be a good indicator," offered the Genmu mockingly.

"So you say," replied Mirellia, "but my own network has managed to connect this 'Armory Hero' to the death of Idol Rabier at around the same time as the other four heroes were summoned to Melromarc. Meaning however he was summoned, it was not in Castle Town."

"That's to be expected I'm afraid," said the Shieldfrieden ruler, "no one is quite sure why, but on occasion the Armory Hero will appear in a different place than the other four cardinal heroes when the summoning ritual is used. Some theorize that his nature as a balancing force means he is summoned where he is most needed. Others believe he appears at previous sights that were used to summon the hero in the past."

"Well he is certainly fulfilling his role so far," said the Genmu, "allying with the Shield Hero in order to aid him against the unfair treatment he is suffering at the hands of the King of Melromarc. The irony is that my people will likely rejoice upon hearing that he's not only appeared but has once again sided with the Shield Hero."

"Is the Armory Hero such a popular figure in the lore of Siltvelt?" Questioned the Queen.

"It's second favorite to be precise," explained the Genmu, "Our scholars have managed to determine that most often the Armory Hero sides with one who is open-minded and inclusive when it comes to their ranks. Often this means he sides with the Shield Hero and aids him against the other countries that despise demi-humans. Had he been summoned in the past wars between our nations, it's highly likely he would've sided with one of us against Melromarc."

"So he's like a rare specimen of sorts then," noted Mirellia, "and what do you believe he will do now that he's sided with the Shield Hero?"

"I'm afraid that will depend on him," said the Leader of Shieldfrieden, "there have been one or two instances, according to our scholars anyway, were the summoned Armory Hero became an enemy of an entire country or even the world."

"Then I'd best get this information to my husband," said Mirellia, "the last thing any of us needs is a possible rogue hero."

"You should be rejoicing at the Armory Hero's appearance," said the Genmu, "whether he intended it or not, my people will be greatly relieved to hear he has sided with the Shield Hero. So much so in fact that they will likely put any plans of marching to your country on hold, knowing that our great hero is in good hands. Now then, I must be returning to my own land to continue preparations for the next wave." Both he and the Leader of Siltvelt bowed before turning and leaving.

As for Mirellia Q. Melromarc, she would wait to see whether or not now was a time to rejoice. 'I hope you're as much of a hero as they claim you to be, Armory Hero Darius Saxon,' she thought.

A Few Weeks Later: Royal Castle in Zeltoble: Private Quarters for Visiting Royals

The last few weeks had been rigorous, to say the least. Reports had been coming in one after the other about the heroes and it was nothing short of a mess. Her daughter Malty, despite receiving her decree to back down had still challenged the Shield Hero to a dragon race against the Spear Hero. Fortunately, her attempts at cheating were thwarted yet again by the Armory Hero and the Filolial mount of Naofumi, as she now knew the cardinal hero's name, proved too fast for Motoyasu, the Spear Hero's, dragon to catch.

But the good news was often followed and sometimes outweighed by bad news. Her daughter and husband had been spending the money from the royal treasury which had been intended to fight the waves on lavish living and other frivolous things. Malty had even been reported to have scared off, hurt, or even sold party members she didn't like into slavery just to be rid of them. Aultcray was little better as he had outright refused to send any answers to her pleading letters and turned away all of her messengers.

Adding on to her stress were the varying reports of the other three hero's so-called 'good deeds' resulting in the suffering of many of her people. The only thing which helped calm her worries during these times was the continued good news about the Shield and Armory Heroes. They'd apparently been traveling around under the guises of 'The Savior of the Heavenly Fowl' and 'The Merciful Dragon Knight', providing aid and supplies to several people. Even if they did charge for their services, it was obvious they were still earning the good will of the people. Something she had been having to do herself for the last several days as she traveled around from kingdom to kingdom and meeting after meeting to mitigate their leader's frustrations.

Right now was one of the first quiet moments she'd managed to find to herself this week that hadn't been traveling in a carriage or bathing. And it was marred by the fact that she finally received a letter from her husband, which merely asked if he could see Melty. "After all the letters and messengers I've sent pleading with you to be reasonable and all you have to say for yourself is whether or not I can send Melty to see you!" Spat Mirellia as she crumpled up the letter and tossed it into the fire next to a pair of paintings of her husband and eldest daughter. She'd been burning them as a form of stress relief.

"Um, Mother," said a small voice as Melty poked her head into the room, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, Melty," said the Queen as she recomposed herself, "I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

"Not really," replied the blue-haired princess as she entered the room, "It's only natural you'd be upset with everything that's happened lately."

"Everyone has been upset about the current circumstances," said Mirellia with a sigh as she put a hand to her head tiredly, "The four, no, the five heroes are all disorganized with only two actually working consistently together, and the other nations keep demanding that we send them out to them."

"Has the fifth hero, the 'Armory Hero' I believe you called him, made any trouble for Melromarc?" Questioned Melty.

"He has not so far, at least nothing major," replied the Queen, "my shadows are having a hard time tracking him right now. Ever since he acquired a flying dragon he could be any number of places within hours that would take days on foot. Our most recent report has him heading up to Koteraan where the Bow Hero was recently."

"So it's true then," said Melty, "the other three heroes have been causing problems for our people."

"The Shield and Armory Heroes have managed to mitigate the damage to a village caused by the Spear Hero," said the Queen, "and word has it the Shield Hero is headed up towards the village where the Sword Hero slayed the dragon, whose corpse is now causing an epidemic. But no matter how good of a job those two do your father will still uplift the other three no matter how poor their performance. It's all so idio-." Her sentence was cut somewhat short as she suddenly collapsed out of her chair and onto the floor.

"Mother!" exclaimed Melty as she went to her side, "are you alright?!"

"I'll be, fine, I think," said the Queen between ragged breaths, "It's possible I may have overworked myself just a bit."

"You've been going back and forth too much lately," said Melty, "You need to take some time to rest. The other nations won't start a war with us now with the next wave just over a week away."

"I suppose….I have no choice now," agreed the Queen, "summon the healers. When I'm done resting up, though, I'll be needing you to do something very important sweet Melty."

"I will Mother," said the Second Princess as she helped her to her feet, "but let's get you somewhere that you can rest first."

After the Third Wave: The Countryside of Zeltoble

There always came a point when enough was enough and judging by the most recent reports she was currently going through, those were the thoughts of the Church of Three Heroes. While she had been recovering from her illness caused by overwork, her shadows had continued to keep her informed of the situation in Melromarc, and more importantly, the movements of the Church itself. The religious cult had finally shown it's hand in Koteraan, apparently, with the release of the monstrous Leshen that had once terrorized the land. It was meant to show the world that the Armory Hero was actually a false hero, but instead cemented his status as one. Between that and his liberation of Koteraan from the revolutionaries aided by the Bow Hero, Darius Saxon had more or less made his name known to the world.

Adding on to that was the Shield Hero's successful disposal of the reanimated dragon zombie that had been causing an epidemic, winning him the approval of many of her people. Enough, in fact, that the two had been joined by a small fighting force who wished to help them quell the next wave. A battle which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt to the Queen that the other three heroes were disorganized, undisciplined and prideful. The church would not take such an outcome lying down, especially when the two they despised were showing up the ones they worshipped.

But for once, this was something Mirellia Q. Melromarc had been counting on. "Your highness," said her personal shadow as she landed on the side of the carriage and looked in the window, "the other shadows are in position and we have confirmed that your daughter is currently in pursuit of the two heroes. We believe she is attempting to get them to reconcile with the king. The church of the Three Heroes has also begun moving."

"Then it is as we suspected," replied the Queen as she slid the rest of the reports back up her sleeve, "gather the subjugation force and inform the shadows to report any major happenings as often as possible. If events unfold as I suspect they will, then the Church will at last show their true colors."

"And what of the five heroes your ladyship?" Questioned the Shadow.

"It is my hope that they will be able to cooperate during this time of crisis," replied the Queen, "but we must hurry back to Melromarc either way. I've already been gone for far too long dealing with the mess created by Aultcray and Malty and it cannot continue any longer. If Melromarc, no, the world is to survive we must reestablish order. Now go and should either the Shield or Armory Hero become a threat to my daughter arrest them immediately!"

"At once your highness," said the Shadow before disappearing down the trail from whence she came. 'I've been on the defensive ever since the heroes were summoned against my orders,' she thought bitterly, 'no longer. From this point on, I will be the one taking control.' "Driver, take me to the war camp. The time has come to don my armor once again."

After the Death of the Pope: Melromarc: Private Clinic of the Royal Family

The battle had been close, too close for the Queen's liking. Nevertheless, she and her subjugation force had managed to arrive in time to save the heroes, their parties and her daughter from Pope Biscas and the rest of the Three Heroes Church. She had also finally seen the five heroes with her own eyes and her impression of them was, mixed, to say the least. The Sword, Bow and Spear Heroes all seemed more than a little confused about the power displayed by both the Shield and Armory Heroes. She believed some of the phrases she overheard were 'cheat skill' and 'overpowered,' as if the two of them shouldn't possess the abilities they did.

She still held out hope for them, though, given that they were able to pull together and fight the cult, even if the Armory and Shield Heroes were the ones who dealt the final blows. And that was another matter which had her both intrigued and worried. The Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani if she recalled correctly, was expectedly suspicious and guarded around people he did not consider his friends or party members. Then again who wouldn't be after an entire kingdom was turned against you by those with grudges against your predecessors? Fortunately, he seemed to have a fair degree of sense, which was why he'd agreed to be treated at the royal clinic with the rest of his party.

The big mystery for her was the Armory Hero, Darius Saxon. Even despite hearing about his mannerisms in comparison to his actions she still found it hard to believe he was responsible for the deaths of countless bandits based on his personality. He was much more welcoming and trusting in comparison to the Shield Hero with a notable sense of humor. But underneath that was a calculating individual who was capable of laying waste to numerous enemies, something she almost wouldn't have believed if she hadn't witnessed his power herself. There was also a sign that his relationship with his weasel girl party member, Rifana, was more than simply platonic, if their sneaking off last night was anything to go by.

Whatever their qualities, though, the Queen was faced with a dilemma as she read the latest reports from her shadows along with messages from the other kingdoms. Despite the victory against the Three Heroes Church, the other nations had gotten wind of the framing and subsequent battles between the heroes. Some demanded she honor her original agreement and send them to their kingdom immediately while the other countries had become concerned about the competency of the current heroes. Siltvelt especially was getting up in arms once again at the continued unfair treatment and near deaths of the Shield and Armory Heroes.

It made for a precarious situation that now hinged on the choices of Naofumi and Darius. If only one of them left and headed out for another country, it was still possible for Melromarc to survive. But, should both heroes chose to depart the country with their parties and journey to the neighboring kingdoms, there existed the possibility that Melromarc would come under attack by the other nations for their supposed transgressions. And Mirellia was relatively certain that if Darius and Naofumi joined the charge then not only would the other three heroes not be enough, there would be little left of her home which had put them through so much.

Her hands tightened on her fan once again as she recalled who was to blame for all of this: her own husband and daughter, Aultcray and Malty Melromarc. "Your highness," said her shadow, who was currently dressed as one of the clinic nurses, "the Shield Hero has awoken and the Armory Hero is not too far behind I daresay."

"That's good news," said Mirellia as she stood up, "please inform them that I wish to have a word in the Shield Hero's quarters. Also, send a messenger to begin preparations for a trial. Our Kingdom has suffered at the hands of fools for far too long and now their crimes shall be punished."

"At once my lady," said the Shadow with a bow before heading out. 'Yes,' thought Mirellia, 'it is finally time to set things right.'

The Queen's Royal Chambers: After the Trial of Trash and Bitch

"I'm still so relieved," said Melty as she led her mother to sit on the large bed in her room, "even despite all they were put through, Naofumi and Darius agreed to show Father and Sister mercy."

"I imagine their reasoning was to spare the two of us possible pain," said the Queen, "but I am going to repay their kindness. Your father and sister will never again have the power or authority that led to this situation. And I still have a few punishments of my own I'd like to inflict on them."

"An example does still need to be set," agreed Melty, "but what should we do now? Naofumi and Darius have no reason to stay in Melromarc much longer unless we give them one."

"You seem quite comfortable using their actual names," remarked the Queen, causing her daughter to blush a bit.

"Well I, I just got used to doing so while traveling with them," said Melty with her arms crossed, "it was easier than saying Sir Shield Hero and Sir Armory Hero all the time."

"I'm sure," said Mirellia with a smile, "but you are right, neither of them will remain without incentive. Fortunately, I just received word about the Cal Mira Archipelago."

"You want to send them all to an island resort?" Questioned Melty, "I mean they do deserve preferential treatment from the kingdom after the wrongs they've suffered, but the heroes still must perform their duties."

"Fortunately on Cal Mira, both goals are possible," said the Queen, "the island's bonus field has activated."

"That's great!" exclaimed Melty, "that means all of the heroes can level up incredibly quickly."

"And we'll of course fund the trip for all five of them," said her Mother, "that way Sir Naofumi and Darius can receive the treatment they've been deprived of for so long and the world will get the benefit of stronger heroes."

"But, there is one problem," said Melty, "the five heroes have only truly worked together one time. And from what I've seen and heard, it's imperative that they pull together consistently and not just when the situation demands it."

"Yes, their continued animosity is a dilemma that must be solved," said the Queen with a hand to her chin, "I suppose we'll just have to throw a dinner party then."

"A dinner party?" Questioned the Second Princess with a tilt of her head.

"Why not," said Mirellia, "with all that's happened lately it would do well to liven things up. And we can invite all of the heroes there with the information about Cal Mira as bait."

"Are you suggesting we not tell each one the others are coming?" Asked Melty, already guessing the answer.

"If they won't come any other way," said the Queen, "as you said it is imperative that the cardinal heroes work as one. Now then, we'd best get started-."

"Your Highness," said one of the guards with a knock on the door, "the envoy of Koteraan has arrived."

"Ah yes, the country recently saved by the Armory Hero," said the Queen, "Melty do remind me to thank him for getting the trade between our countries restarted. And get the preparations underway for tonight's dinner party."

"Right away," said Melty with a hint of a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth.

Royal Chambers: After the Five Heroes Council

It wasn't the worst meeting the Queen had ever been too. Just in the last few months alone she'd been to far worse in Siltvelt and Faubley. But it was still quite troubling in its own way. Despite their near deaths at the hands of Pope Biscas, the three heroes somehow did not believe it was necessary to share information among each other.

Mirellia did not often misjudge the severity of a situation, but in this case she somehow managed to underestimate the sheer, should she call it stupidity of the Spear, Bow and Sword Heroes. The meeting had made it clear that both Sir Naofumi and Darius lacked a degree of knowledge about their own weapons and yet just by trying numerous approaches they'd succeeded in triumphing numerous times. In contrast, the other three were set in stone about the methods they used, refusing to believe another way was better or even the possibility that each had its own merits and drawbacks. "Their pride blinds them to their own shortcomings," she thought aloud as she gazed out the window at the starry sky.

And their parties had been little better. Hardly a couple hours into the night and a war of insults turned into a full on brawl between all five groups right in the reception area. It had made her glad she'd asked Melty to keep an eye on Bitch that night as she'd topped it all off by attempting to poison the Shield and Armory Hero's parties. "We'll simply have to see what the next wave brings," she admitted, "perhaps when it is upon us the need for cooperation will become much more evident."

Royal Castle Throne Room: After the Fourth Wave

"And once again I owe a victory to the Shield and Armory Heroes," Mirellia mused aloud as she sat on her throne, going over recent events in her mind. The next wave had come sooner than expected and at Cal Mira of all places. Thankfully her own preparations for the upcoming waves had made pulling together a small fleet of ships with the necessary sailors and soldiers in time possible. The victory over the boss monster, however, was due to the actions of some new adventurers Sir Darius and Naofumi had befriended while leveling on Cal Mira.

Unfortunately, everything turned on its head once the adventurers revealed themselves to not only be heroes from another world, but allies with Glass, the woman from the last wave. Their express goal was to kill both Naofumi and Darius to extend the life of their own world. The true unreliability of the three heroes was revealed that day as the other worldly heroes, or vassal wielders as they called themselves, made embarrassingly short work of them before tossing them all into the ocean. The enemy's strength was further proven when they forced Sir Darius and Naofumi to resort to their curse series powers to fight them off. It was thanks to quick thinking on her part and the help of the Bow Hero's now former party member, Rishia Ivyred and the Armory Hero's party member Figneria that any major damage was avoided.

Ordinarily, she would've had high hopes that the other three heroes had finally learned how large of a gap in strength they had in comparison to the Shield and Armory Heroes, but reports from her shadows seemed to indicate they were still stubbornly leaning on their old methods. It was an absurdity she would need to correct. One bit of good news that had emerged from all of this was Sir Naofumi's request to restore Rurorona village. It had been his requested reward and his plans for the village were nothing short of inspired. It would serve as not only a village and a base of operations for both the Shield and Armory Hero but also as a training ground for gathering and preparing a strong fighting force to beat back the waves.

And Darius Saxon was not without his own contributions to this effort, as he used the memories he'd taken from the replica holy weapon to locate and open the weapons vault of the lost city of the Gold Tyrant, who she now knew was a former Armory Hero. The both of them had also managed to make a number of strong and/or skilled allies during their travels who were willing to lend their aid, including the newly crowned rulers of Koteraan, the Ivyreds. 'I must continue to do my part as well,' she mused as the door to the throne room opened to admit Melty. "Mother," said the Second Princess, "I believe I've managed to get a sufficient number of names together as you requested."

"Might I see for a moment," inquired the ruler of Melromarc as her daughter handed her the slip of paper. "I see, yes she is the greatest swordswoman in all of Melromarc, and I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you'd include the Armory Hero's first teacher on this list. And I do believe I've heard of at least one of these magic users and-isn't this one already at Rurorona village?"

"The old master is, yes," replied Melty, "but she has yet to give us an answer on whether or not she shall teach the heroes the true power of her fighting style. Oh, I should also mention that Figneria is actually the Armory Hero's second teacher."

"Second?" Repeated Mirellia with a hint of surprise in her voice, "but our timeline has him running into her over a week after his arrival. Who else could've trained him before then?"

"Well it seems that the place he was summoned to was the ruins watched over by Fitoria," said Melty, "she took him under her wing, figuratively and literally in some cases."

"Darius Saxon was granted the high honor of being a student of the Filolial Queen Fitoria?!" exclaimed Mirellia as she clasped her daughter's hands in her own excitedly, "You have to tell me everything!"

"All I really know is that Darius also got to ride on her head, and that she sees much of the previous Armory Hero in him," said Melty, "I could try to tell you more but he'd probably be able to give you better details."

"So the Armory Hero has been acknowledged by the Filolial Queen!" exclaimed the Queen excitedly. "Oh if there was ever any doubt about his status before they've most certainly been dispelled. Though forgotten he may have been, the fifth cardinal hero walks among us once more!"

"And if Fitoria likes him, then our nation is in good hands with both him and the Shield Hero," added Melty.

"Ah, just the thought of the conversations I'd like to have with him right now," The Queen almost shuddered at the thought. "Dear sweet Melty, do keep an extra ear open for anything they might need for their new village, and tell them to come straight to me for the more, complex matters."

"Of course Mother," said her daughter with a bow and a smile, already knowing what she really wanted to discuss with the heroes.

Melromarc Royal Castle: A Few Days into the Reconstruction of Rurorona Village

"So we're not really lacking too much on weapons at the moment," explained Darius as he stood in front of the Queen's throne, "The Gold Tyrant's vault is proving to be pretty stocked so far. What we really need is to get an influx of supplies flowing into the village along with some more hands to help with the fishing boats."

"I've heard as much," replied Mirellia, "I'm already getting the word out that a need for able-bodied fishermen and women is down there, and I'll of course purchase some of the caught fish to help restart the industry. As for supplies, this list you gave me is more or less along the lines of what I expected, though there is a higher demand for stamina potion ingredients than I initially thought. Also, some of these other ingredients are used to make a concoction meant to induce sterility in men and women alike. Why would you need something like that?"

"Oh, uh, no big reason," said Darius with a nervous laugh, "Figneria's just been showing me poison mixing to use when a more, unconventional, approach is necessary. Turns out you can do a lot with the right ingredients."

"And what if I told you I could give you access to a much larger supply than what's available on the local market," Questioned the Queen, "us royals sometimes have to resort to our own, unconventional, approaches from time to time to solve an issue."

"I mean I would appreciate it," admitted Darius as he whispered the next part, "It would get Naofumi off my back about how much money is going into it."

"Though given that it is within our own private storage, I will have to name a condition or two for granting you access to it," said Mirellia with a slightly mischievous smile. "It's not that I don't trust you with it, but obtaining the amount we have now took a fair bit of time and effort."

"What did you have in mind?" Questioned the Armory Hero as a slight chill seemed to be crawling up his spine for some reason.

"I would like you to tell me about your time training under the Filolial Queen," Replied Mirellia with a hand on her face, "you see things have been so hectic lately with all of the punishments, the wave and getting an entire village reconstruction underway that even I've become a bit stressed. But a nice story or two about those wonderful creatures known as Filolials and their ruler, Fitoria, would more than do the trick to ease my mind of worry."

"Ah shit-er I mean you don't say," said Darius nervously while vowing to give a piece of his mind to whoever told the Queen about his training. Given her reaction when Melty told her about the Filolial Queen there was a high possibility the woman would get a bit, intrusive, with his personal space. But, he also really needed those ingredients for poison mixing if he was gonna make something capable of taking down large monsters. And keep from putting any buns in Rifana or Figneria's ovens. With a nervous sigh, he made his decision. "What exactly would you like to know?"

"Why don't we start with your first impression of her," said the Queen, "and worry not, I've freed my schedule up for the next little bit. So don't spare a single detail."

"As you say, your highness," said Darius with a bow, mostly to hide the panic on his face. 'I'm gonna be late getting back aren't I?' Unfortunately, he was right.

Sometimes it's not so good to be the King or the Queen. But either way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully it answered many of your questions about the story thus far. Now, I got a few announcements to make. At this point I've pretty much stalled the story as long as I can and even a few of you agree that it would be best to put it on hold for a bit until the next season of the anime has come out. So that is the decision I have made: this story will be taking a break for a while until we at least get some news on the status of the Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2.

So in the meantime, I've decided that now is a good moment to ask you, my fellow readers, what story you would like to see next? I've already got a few suggestions from you such as a rifle/gun-wielding character by the name of Subaru traveling with Tanjiro in a Demon Slayer fic. I've also recently received a suggestion for another Rising of the Shield Hero story involving an OC named Takeshi Iwatani, Naofumi's martial arts wielding cousin who gets sucked into the land of Melromarc along with him, gaining a strange key-like weapon to boot. Other suggestions have included a Black Clover fic, an Arifureta fic and a few others, so cast your votes now for these or any other stories you wish to see and the one with the most votes shall be the next one to be written! Just leave your votes in the comments or reviews and in a week or so we might see the start of a whole new story from yours truly. 'Til then.