Chapter Twelve: Paying the Piper
I said it without even stopping to think. My subconscious must have hated them as much as I did—seemed natural enough.
Honestly though, there wasn’t really another option besides death. What else could finally rid me of my hate for them?
“Death, hmm? Well, considering all the trouble they’ve caused, it does seem appropriate.”
“Yeah, and they really mucked things up for Melromarc on the international scene.”
Ren and Itsuki were coldly calculating.
It was easy to be calculating about other people’s business. As long as they didn’t have to be held responsible for what they said, they could say whatever they wanted.
“But you! You…”
“You better be joking!”
The queen raised a hand, and they shut up.
“If we have them executed, will you truly be satisfied?”
I had the strange feeling that the queen’s magic was flowing towards me.
This is what people mean when they say that shivers go up and down their spine. “Ominous…” The word came to me and described the feeling perfectly.
“Of course they may be killed. However, there are other options as well. We could torture them, let them think they will be freed, and once their freedom seems secured, and a smile crosses their faces, THEN we kill them.”
“You’re… actually—go on.”
“I’m saying that simply executing them is boring. We could also give them simple jobs, and when they learn to make themselves useful, we could keep them around like pets… domesticating them to death. I’d enjoy that.”
To think that she could consider the disposal of her own family members without emotion… The queen might be the darkest person in the whole country.
“Do you think that she’s really been behind all of this? She looks capable of it.”
“You’re right. That was seriously cold.”
The stupid heroes kept changing the subject!
“Anyway, these are simply suggestions. I’ll say no more about the matter. Those were my final emotions.”
“Oh, I think I follow you.”
She was saying that I could do whatever I wanted, but that she didn’t want them killed. She’d punish them in some other way.
“After all the evil actions of the Church, it would cause quite a stir if the queen were to exercise her authority to kill off members of her own royal lineage. I believe it would have an effect on our standing in the international community.”
“On the other hand, after all the trouble these worthless cretins caused, maybe crucifying them would send a message to the community that we are serious.”
“Shield… You bastard!”
Trash was screaming, but the queen ignored him and spoke.
“Normally I would agree with you. But I don’t think that is applicable in Aultcray’s case.”
“Why not?
“This fool used to be quite impressive. In the past his deeds won acclaim all over the world. He was, and may still be, respected by others. If we were to kill him…”
I don’t know what Trash had done to distinguish himself—but whatever. I understood what she was saying.
He was too famous.
Besides, he’d been exercising royal authority this whole time. He was too well known.
Apparently he’d been a respected warrior in the past and had proved himself in many battles. The people that had worked with him and fought with him wouldn’t stay quiet if they discovered he’d been executed.
It might be interesting to see how it all developed. If Trash used to be a hero, then he dirtied his hands and still had to go on living without the respect that he used to bathe in, it might be interesting to watch it all unfold from above.
“Understood. We’ll go with your idea then.”
“Thank you.”
“—On one condition. They can live, but they have to suffer.”
“Naturally… Now then, what should their first punishment be?”
Yeah… I could do anything except kill them…
“We could start by ripping off their hands and feet…”
“Mr. Naofumi…”
Raphtalia was looking at me like she wanted to say something.
She was probably thinking that, while I had the authority to order such a thing, and while they deserved it, I should probably hold back a little.
What to do…
Besides, if I let them off the hook now, how could I be sure I’d get another chance?
“…Mr. NaoFUMI.”
Bitch wiped away her tears and pleaded with me. The way she’d pronounced my name was different than Raphtalia or Melty’s intonation. What was she trying to say?
Her eyes were filled with tears. They were sparkling. Her cheeks flushed red. It really did look like the depth of her sins was beginning to sink in.
She was a real actress when she needed to be. If I didn’t already know who she was, I’d have been fooled.
She probably used this routine on Motoyasu.
I suddenly realized that was the first time she’d ever called me by name.
“Please don’t do anything as foolish as to look for revenge. Revenge only breeds further revenge. If you, Mr. NaoFUMI, could bear to show mercy, then I’m sure the queen would be grateful…”
“Whoa…”
Ren was looking at Bitch like he couldn’t believe his ears. Itsuki was shocked too. He scratched his head in confusion. Melty held her head in her hands and stared at the floor. Raphtalia rolled her eyes in disbelief. Filo was… Filo cocked her head to the side in bewilderment.
As for myself…
…hm.
“Well…”
Later that day, soldiers mounted their horses, Filolials, and dragons. They rode whatever they had and were dispatched to all the villages and towns in the kingdom to deliver a message.
“To take responsibility for all the terrible things that have happened in Melromarc, from now until infinity, King Aultcray and Princess Malty shall be known by the names ‘Trash’ and ‘Bitch.’ Anyone who calls them by their previous names, for whatever reason, will be swiftly punished!”
They printed this on signs and fliers and bulletins and had them distributed and posted in all the cities, towns, and villages of Melromarc.
The citizens, irrespective of their place in society, all stood before the announcements and said the same thing:
“What?”
“What kind of idiot could put up with such a thing? You idiot!”
“What are you doing? You demon!”
Bitch’s face was all twisted up in rage.
From now on, when people spoke of these two they’d say things like, “So Bitch was…,” or “How about Trash…?”
It felt great. I never thought I’d get to see this.
“You earned it…”
“I think so too. It’s true that the punishment is terrible, but it also seems just.”
Ren and Itsuki couldn't keep themselves from commenting.
“You bastard!”
Trash’s red race grew even redder, and he shouted in anger.
“Ahahaha! Now THAT’s the face I wanted to see this whole time!”
Finally, the whole world would call him by my private nickname for him: Trash.
“’Revenge only breeds more revenge… bear it?’ Such beautiful worlds —I suggest you take your own advice, Princess Ma…. I mean, Bitch.”
“Shut up! I’ll never forgive you!”
She looked like she was ready to come swinging punches at me, but the queen’s guards wouldn’t let that happen.
“Don’t forget that Bitch also had a fake name for adventuring. What shall we do about that name?”
“Whore.”
“Whore…?”
Ren and Itsuki said nothing. They seemed to be a little offended. Guess I couldn’t blame them.
“Very well, I will register the new name as her adventurer’s title. She’ll no longer be able to use the name ‘Myne’ to register for quests or stay at inns.”
“I’ll kill you! If you turn your back, I’ll kill you!”
She was furious—seething. But I felt so good. Her little outburst couldn’t bother me.
“You’re welcome to try. If you attack me, you’ll be put to death.”
“Yes, she has lost all of her rights. If she acts out, the slave seal will kill her.”
I saw what she was saying. It would cause issues if the queen were to execute a member of the royal family. That is why she disowned Bitch first and changed her name. Then she would be free to kill her without worrying about the backlash. It was smart, efficient. I liked it.
Not only that, but it came with a rule that Bitch wasn’t allowed to attack me. She must have wanted Bitch to know how it felt to be me—unable to attack.
“Now, now... don’t you think you’ve taken this too far?”
Itsuki spoke up. I didn’t care.
“Nope! It feels great!”
“Now then, to fully earn Mr. Iwatani’s cooperation, we’ll have to fulfill his old request, won’t we?
“What do you mean?”
“Before all this happened you told Trash to crawl down before you on his hands and knees, did you not?”
The queen clapped her hands, and shadows and knights appeared behind Trash. They seized him by the shoulders and forced him and Bitch to their knees.
“Hey now, wait just a second! Just who do you think I am?!”
“Yes, I am the ki….”
“An adventurer and a soldier, am I right?”
The queen spoke down to them where they kneeled on the floor. She made them understand their new positions.
“Now bow to us. Of course, you too, Bitch. If you disobey, the slave seal will hurt you.”
“But… My Queen! I… No… I won’t bow! I wonnnnnnn’t!”
“You must be joking. Why would I bow to him? I….AHHHHHHH! OUCH!”
The knight grabbed the back of their heads and forced them down until their foreheads scraped the ground.
Bitch was furious. Even though the slave seal was burning into her, she still resisted.
They kneeled with their heads on the floor, surrounded by shadows, and continued to scream.
“Please…”
“AAARRRRHRHHH!”
“AAAAAHHHHH!”
Trash and Bitch were screaming to keep anyone else from talking.
“Shut up!”
The queen snapped, and Trash and Bitch were immediately gagged.
“MMMMGHHMMMM!”
“MMMMUUUUUHHHH!”
They used all their remaining strength to resist, but they weren’t able to put up much of a fight.
“‘Please! Shield Hero! Please help us!’ Just like that.”
“‘Shield Hero! Please fight for our country!’”
There were some excellent impressions of those two happening.
“How’s this?” “What do you mean you were…?” It felt so good to see the two of them forced to bow to me. It felt great, but… I mean it REALLY felt good, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. “They don’t seem repentant, do they? I guess there’s no choice…” “Are you sure this isn’t taking it too far?” Ren and Itsuki were whispering to each other. I didn’t see a reason to stop it. Everyone needed to see who the real bad guys were here. They needed to understand. Bitch and Trash were screaming and protesting so violently. It almost looked like they were going to have heart attacks and die right there. Eventually they calmed down and shut up. Their gags were removed. Bitch looked like… she looked like she’d been raped. Her eyes were just staring off absentmindedly, and thin streams of tears fell down her cheeks. Did she hate me that much? Did she hate to kneel so much? Ren walked over to Trash and waved his hand before his face. Trash didn’t react because he wasn’t able to see. Having confirmed this, Ren returned to where he had been standing. Bitch was still whining. “Perhaps this is enough torture for these two.” The queen raised a hand and shouted an order. “Remove them from the throne room!” “Yes!” The two of them were taken out of the room.
After they were gone, I turned to see Raphtalia looking at me disappointedly. Melty seemed upset too. Filo was smiling and having a good time. But it seemed like they had revised their opinions on me.
They didn’t say anything, but they looked like they thought I’d taken it all too far.
“And that will end their punishment for the time being. Mr. Amaki, Mr. Kawasumi, and their parties will find rooms prepared for them in the castle. Please rest. I still have some matters I would like to discuss with Mr. Iwatani, so I request that he remains behind.”
“Ah… ah.”
“I would rather not put my faith in people that behave that way but…”
“Wait. Compared to the state they put this country in, this punishment is too mild. It might seem like a lot, but that is only because you were standing here to witness it.”
“That might be true.”
Ren and Itsuki were discussing the day’s events as they left the room with their parties.
“Now that we have punished them in this way, I would like to ask for your cooperation, Mr. Iwatani.”
“Well…”
I couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse her.
Still, was it wise to trust someone that would treat her own family this way? They DID deserve it, though. It was all their fault. You reap what you sow.
“What shall we discuss first? I’ve got an idea. Let’s talk about the Heroes from legend, shall we?”
The queen began speaking.
“I’m actually quite fond of the legend of the four Holy Heroes. It’s a little different than my own country’s legends, though…”
“How so?”
“Mr. Iwatani, I believe you’ve discussed these things with Melty. May I assume you have a basic understanding?”
I nodded.
“Well then, as you already know, the Shield Hero does not appear in this country’s legends. He was permanently deleted from the stories, and people speak of him as though he were a demon.”
“…Uh huh.”
The book I’d been reading before I was summoned to this world, The Records of the Four Holy Weapons, had no information in it about the Shield Hero. It had been completely blank.
I’d figured that the pages were blank because I had been summoned to fill them in… but could it be that the book had simply been a recording of Melromarc’s version of the legend?
Something didn’t seem right. I didn’t think that my guess was accurate, but I guess I’d have to just go with it for the time being.
“The Shield Hero worked with both the humans and the demi-humans. Because of that, there were many times when the other Heroes considered him an enemy. In the end, however, they were able to reconcile.”
Now things were making sense. If that was part of the legend, then it would explain why demi-humans had been so willing to trust me.
“As you know, Melromarc is a human-supremacist nation. We did prepare a special district where the demi-humans could live in peace, but they had very difficult lives.”
“Uh huh…”
I’d been in this world for more than three months now. I knew that the demi-humans were basically slaves in Melromarc.
“Because of these things, our relationship with Siltvelt is very bad. Our nations have fought many wars.”
The situation was the opposite in Siltvelt, where humans were considered a slave class. Melromarc and Siltvelt were like water and oil.
It only made sense for them to be at each other’s throats.
“Now, as you may be aware, Siltvelt’s religion also branched off from the Church of the Four Heroes, but instead of worshiping three Heroes, they worship the Shield Hero exclusively.”
“I had guessed as much. Seems I was right.”
“Yes… Now as for how the Church of the Three Heroes came to be… I imagine that you’ve already figured that out, haven’t you, Mr. Iwatani?”
The original church of the four heroes had branched in two different directions in Melromarc and Siltvelt. In Melromarc it had become the Church of the Three Heroes, while in Siltvelt it became the Church of the Shield.
The queen said that the countries had been at war for a long time, which would mean that…
“I was summoned right into the center of enemy lands?”
I was the saint of their enemy. Who could be expected to treat the saint of their enemy with respect? Humans were not so pure.
The old books of the Church of the Three Heroes were, no doubt, filled with lists of the evil actions performed by the Shield Hero. Similar things happened in my own world. The god of an enemy religion came to be seen as a demon.
It all fit.
Could it be that Trash was prejudiced against me because of the wars he’d fought in Siltvelt?
“The investigations have concluded that all of this trouble was the result of actions taken by the Church, but those actions have also undone much of my hard work.”
“You have my sympathy.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes… Melty, you understand all this, don’t you?”
“Y… yes!”
“The major problem remains. When the four Heroes are summoned, there is an important ceremony that is performed that is commensurate to the gravity of the situation.”
“But all four heroes were summoned.”
“Yes… that is why this problem is so significant.”
“If it is such a big problem, why don’t the other countries attack Melromarc?”
“Because of my negotiations… though I cannot take all the credit. Much of it is because of your actions, and because of the other Heroes.”
“Mother worked so hard. She ran a fever. That’s how hard she was working!”
“Melty.”
“W… what?”
“Don’t be so stiff. Relax a little. You’re freaking me out.”
“What was that?!”
“Ah… it seems that Melty has finally begun to act appropriately for her age. As her mother, I’m very happy. I certainly won’t compare her to her sister, but Melty has cared about the public eye since she was very young. It made it difficult for her to be herself.”
“Mother, that’s not it!”
“Until you grow up and find yourself, perhaps you should stick with Mr. Iwatani.”
“Mother!”
Melty was very angry. She’d really stopped the conversation in its tracks though.
“Why didn’t the Church kill me earlier?”
“I believe they wanted the other three Heroes to do it for them.”
“So they were waiting for the other three Heroes to be strong enough?”
“I cannot think of a better way to put this, but… the other Heroes sometimes don’t seem to think of the future very much. The Church undoubtedly thought they would be easy to control.”
“Ah… yeah, I can see that.”
The whole lot of them still couldn’t get out of the gaming mindset. It was plain as day they’d been deceived, but they didn’t adjust to the situation. They never doubted what was right before their eyes.
“Of course, there was a lot for us to do as well, especially regarding you, Mr. Iwatani. Many, many people from the international community begged to meet you.”
“That’s…”
I remembered that Melty had said something like that. When I was out on my luck, naked and beaten and alone, people had approached me, and I told them to stay away. The queen realized that I knew what she meant and nodded.
“Because of which, I was able to see through quite a lot of deception.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told the council that the Heroes were busy expunging a disease from our country.”
To keep the world from war in times like these… she must have worked very hard.
Back in my own world, when I had managed a guild for an online game I played, there had been times when other guild members would throw fits.
It took all I had to put out the fires they’d started. Normally I would have just fired them, but I wasn’t able to according to the rules. The queen must have felt the same way.
“When Mr. Iwatani went around the country cleaning up the messes left by other Heroes, that was the final straw.”
The other heroes had caused problems, and I had fixed them. That caused the populace to doubt their faith in the Church.
“The other heroes didn’t know why only I was being discriminated against?”
“Kitamura was working with Bitch, and Mr. Amaki and Mr. Kawasumi received all of their information from the guild. People tend to believe in the authority of the people around them. They accept what they are told.”
So they would just believe what authority figures told them… I suppose if you didn’t have access to any other information, then that was a natural thing to do.
If they’d known that they were being lied to, they would have supported me.
They just didn’t know. That’s why they looked so thoughtless. Yeah, Ren and Itsuki seemed to have figured it out, eventually.
“When I had finally calmed everyone down and was ready to come back to Melromarc, all of this happened. I never would have imagined that the Church had a replica of the four Holy Weapons.”
How could she have known? Who would have expected the Church to have something like that?
“The high priest was a foolish man… When you attacked, he could have turned the weapon into the Shield and survived…”
“So that thing could turn into a shield too?”
“That’s correct, though you cannot expect more than one-quarter the power of the real thing.”
“So that was only a quarter of its true power?”
If we leveled up, we’d be four times as powerful as the high priest had been? That was hard to believe.
It was just a legend after all. I’m sure that with time a little embellishment had… Wait, thinking back on Fitoria’s power made it seem more likely.
Honestly—we were all probably a little too weak to begin with.
If we didn’t find some way to level up soon, we’d never survive the coming waves.
“Trash’s actions have threatened to end a long period of peace. He was a skilled man, but it seems all he knows how to do is aggravate conflict.”
He must have really wanted to keep me out of Siltvelt. That’s why he had increased the border security so much.
“Finally… Yes, I wish to do whatever I can to support you going forward. Knowing that, would you still like to go to Siltvelt, tell them the truth, and start a war?”
“Hmm…”
That meant that, if she wanted to avoid war, the queen would have to do whatever she could to protect me.
But to be honest, I really just wanted to say “goodbye” and leave. But I’d promised Fitoria…
And the Curse Series had been so powerful that I couldn’t ignore the things Fitoria had said.
“Also, whether it be Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden, shall I tell you what would happen if you were to go pay them a visit?”
“Hm?”
“First the princess and noble daughters would all demand audiences with you. The demi-human women would form a harem around you.”
“Ew!”
They’d come after me, wanting to have the Shield Hero’s child? After what Bitch had done, the thought of women repulsed me.
The last thing I needed in my life was more unsavory women.
“Certainly, they will give you whatever you wish. If you told them to attack Melromarc, they would rally behind you and march to their deaths.”
That didn’t sound so bad, but this harem business…
Could I just stick it out? But… if I wanted to survive until the end of this thing, I was going to need the cooperation of the other heroes. Should I ask them to come with me? Would they even agree to?
“All of that would, theoretically, be fine. But remember that no matter what country you go to, those in power and those who manipulate the people’s beliefs have black hearts.”
“What?”
“’Poor Mr. Iwatani, stricken suddenly by such powerful sicknesses…’”
“I see your point.”
“It happened to one of the past Shield Heroes.”
I didn’t want to know about that.
She was saying that the people might worship the Shield Hero, but those with power—those with something to lose—wouldn’t be happy if I just got whatever I wanted.
I suppose that made sense too. Who would want some random guy from another world to show up in their borders and start changing everything?
I understood where they were coming from, but I also didn’t want to die. What options did I have?
“By the way, it seems like you were approached by some adventurers with some false requests…”
“Yeah.”
It happened a couple of days after I was summoned. People said they’d join my party, but I’d have to pay them. I had let the balloons settle that matter.
“A couple days after your meeting, their corpses were found—horribly maimed.”
“What?!”
More things I’d rather not have heard…
“Furthermore, within a few days a knight’s guard was attacked by a number of people and killed. We have not found those responsible. It may be that…”
Siltvelt was an extreme country.
It sounded like both heaven and hell were waiting for me if I were to go there.
Of course, that was only if everything the queen said was true.
“Therefore, I believe that it is safer for you to stay here, as you have finally earned the trust of the people.”
“…”
I didn’t really want to cooperate.
All the pain and suffering I’d been through wasn’t going to somehow disappear just because the queen commanded it.
Even if the queen had been directly involved in Trash and Bitch’s punishment, she was only doing what was natural and expected of her as the country’s leader.
Now she’d act like she’d done me a favor and ask for my cooperation? Things were too easy for her.
Besides, I respected her abilities—but that didn’t mean that I trusted her.
It was easy to say whatever she wanted to.
The truth was that she didn’t want me to visit the other countries.
Still, if what she said was true, then I could expect a warm welcome from any foreign country, not just from Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden.
There wasn’t anything special about Melromarc.
“…”
I was thinking over all she’d said when the queen kneeled before me.
“Everything that has happened to you up until now has been my fault— my responsibility. I understand that it sounds as if I am asking too much of you.”
She lowered her head to me, deeply.
Melty was completely speechless. Raphtalia was watching with wide-eyed amazement. Even Filo seemed to understand that something important was happening.
“But please understand. I don’t… No, this country doesn’t have any other option left than to rely on you. If taking my head would soothe your anger, then take it. If changing my name would soothe your anger, then you may do so.”
“Mother…”
“So please, show forgiveness. From now on I will prevent you from being treated unfairly. I swear it on my name: Mirellia Q. Melromarc. I will sign a magical contract.”
This woman…
She’d use her authority to keep Bitch and Trash from being killed then turn around and offer her own life?
Had she offered me Bitch’s or Trash’s head, I might have thought about for a minute—but I didn’t really want to see the queen die.
Melromarc must have really been in a bad situation.
She meant to say that the future of the country depended on… me?
If I wanted to, I could rally the world against them and burn this country to the ground.
But…
“Only once.”
“What do you mean?”
“One of your shadows jumped in to save us. And because you helped us put an end to the high priest.”
“Which means…”
“I’ll trust you—but only once. However, and no matter what happens, I won’t trust you after that.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed to me once more, deeply, and expressed her gratitude.
Was I being weak?
But if I continued to doubt everything, I’d never move forward.
I remembered what Fitoria had said.
There was no time for the heroes to fight with each other. That huge Legendary Filolial would come kill us all if we kept fighting.
The heroes’ enemy wasn’t a country. It was the waves.
If countries went to war, only to be wiped out by a wave, then none of it meant anything.
And I certainly couldn’t forget that, for all intents and purposes, the heroes had lost the concluding battle during the last wave.
There was no reason to make more enemies.
I’d been surrounded by enemies this whole time, but now that was about to change.
I didn’t care about what happened to this world, but the only way I could get back to my own world was if I defeated the waves.
I had to focus on the waves… On Glass.
Just realizing that was a big step forward.
The queen rose to her feet and covered her mouth with her folding fan.
“Can you please keep our conversation a secret from the other three Heroes? A Hero, too, is someone’s child. If they hear that one of them is receiving preferential treatment…”
She was right. There were plenty of points in the conversation that I’d rather the other heroes didn’t know about.
I don’t know about Ren or Motoyasu, but it seemed like Itsuki might throw a fit.
Besides, barring any further dramatic developments, it seemed like my lot had greatly improved.
“Fine. I won’t tell…”
“Yes. Thank you. I will accept responsibility for future management of this issue.”
“Is that so? Then I can finally cross one enemy off of my list…”
“I’m so very sorry. You were summoned here despite having nothing to do with our conflicts… Then you were forced to fight. I wish I could do more for you, but my hands are tied for now. Forgive me.”
“That’s enough of that. Let’s focus on the next step. You said we needed to discuss something with the other three.”
“Yes, but I would like you to be part of the conversation. So let’s discuss it at dinner tonight.”
“Okay.”
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