Capítulo 21: Prologue — The gathering storm
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Volume 2 cover, SFW)
Keyaruga woke up on the brown furs in his extravagant marquee. His back was once again sticky from the cold sweat. No matter how much the lad tried to drown them in pleasure, the nightmares just wouldn't let go. However, Flare wouldn't be present in them for much longer. Speaking of devil…
The first person the red-haired man saw was Freia herself, an altered, better incarnation of Princess Flare. Strangely enough, the man started to somewhat love her. Even though it'd been only a week since Keyaru tortured, raped, and erased the sorceress' memories. Now, though, she was his loyal attendant. A powerful one at that, yet a little clumsy.
And there was the second. Setsuna, the second girl whom the Hero of Healing had bought at the slave market. A young warrior with bestial legs, a wolfish tail, and fluffy wolf ears. Keyaruga offered her a future, a goal, and a place beside him in his bloody and vengeful conquest. She wasn't asleep; instead, right now she was making up her hair with small ropes with crystals attached that the girl had ever since she got thrown the dungeon.
"Hey, good morning. How do you feel, Setsuna?" — The healer asked, gazing at her with his jade eye. Somehow, now she has reached the eighteenth level. "I see you've been busy. With the sleeping me, I mean."
"Setsuna do all for be strong. And master happy." — The she-wolf replied, revealing her smiling face. "When Setsuna do future, master no tremble."
"That's my girl. Now come here. Let me cherish you more." — Keyaruga said, bracing for impact. Which proved useful when the energetic girl jumped right on his neck. However, when they fell, ready to prolong what happened at night, the duo got stopped halfway through by a growl.
"N-n-nm… Setty? Lord Keyaruga?" — Freia woke up, but her voice was everything but cheerful. "I'm so sorry… My head hurts so much. I want… to drink." — The ex-princess was pale, somewhat bluish even.
"Maybe drinking so much was a bad idea, after all?" — The man suggested as he walked towards his bed.
"But Setty drank too, and she's still a child…"
"Setsuna — warrior! Not child!" — The hunter shouted loudly, jumping to stand upright. This one had fully recovered from slavery. Just to willingly give her freedom to another man, who, at least, saved her tribe.
"This is what she said to me yesterday. Here, have a sip." In the end, Keyaruga offered his attendant a green healing potion. He could've mended her hangover with the healing magic, but the hero was too afraid to ruin her amnesia at this point.
"Gulp, gulp… Haaa! So much better! Thank you, my lord!" And what would she do after recovery? Of course, Freia would hug her man so hard it started to hurt a little. And so did Setsuna.
"Girls, that's enough. We're leaving. After all, Ranalitta still stands, and we have potions to sell."
Upsetting them was not the most fun thing to do, but the Hero of Healing's thoughts were addressed elsewhere. The demon queen, that kind soul he wanted to reunite with, to help her protect something she valued so much. He wanted to speak with Reeharoze as well, if she was still able to, that is. And Takemikazuchi, whom the red-haired lad wished to use for protection of the ice wolves' tribe. But first, they would have to reach and mount the raptor.
…
"Hmm…"
Meanwhile, in the royal palace of Capital, Margurth Rikil Jioral sat on his throne. For the last five days, he had been really off. Ever since a mighty yet so familiar entity had thrown him out of Keyaru's mind, he had been barely even invested in his own politics. Even his everlasting hunt for the Tenth hero had to be put on hold. Having the gods lose a temple or two in the meantime seemed like a reasonable deal. So close to his ultimate goal, the monarch was pushed four years backwards. And now it's catching up with him in the form of gruesome and exhausting boredom. He meditated on Keyaru's words about emotions and hypocrisy. And that made him question his own means to an end. Not the final goal, though. And finally, the massive door was open, and Margurth was no longer alone.
"Your Majesty! Your majesty… This… This is not Keyaru!" The voice belonged to Torlun, his loyal court magician and the key figure in the ultimate spell. The old man was accompanied by four knights. Someone else was also walking beside them. He was almost an exact copy of the Hero of Healing. Solely by his appearance, it was easy to guess that he had been beaten, tortured, raped, and drugged. "My Liege, this is not Keyaru, this is Leonard!"
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! I've got to find him! Gotta kill that shit!" This was truly the captain of the guards, whispering curses. This should have been a terrifying revelation, but Margurth had been aware of the true nature of the inmate ever since his return from Lorenzo's outpost.
"Kneel, Leonard." The monarch ordered his daughter's trusted captain. "All your family members have already been beheaded. Your achievements will be wiped out from history. Now, you are nothing. As you had been before." That man was never a member of the nobility, just a rootless soldier who rose through to his position by cunning, cruelty, and being noticed by Princess Flare.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, my Liege. Just… Give me another chance!" The one molded after Keyaru raised his head, showing his red eyes filled with wicked passion. "It wasn't me! I didn't kill Her Highness! But I'll find the bastard that did this!"
"We know the murder of my dear daughter was not done by your hand. And yet, it was you who let the Hero of Healing reach her. In other circumstances, you would have been hanged immediately, and your head would have been eaten by ravens for your incompetence." As the tyrant spoke, Leonard's face turned wrinkled with rage and hate. Emotions that were directed not toward the monarch and his unfair laws, but toward the boy, who took everything from him. And the king saw it all. He couldn't deal with the rebel himself without revealing his true nature, but sending a hound, motivated by emotions instead of one of the two remaining Champions, seemed reasonable to him. "However, my Flare trusted you, after all. We grant you one more chance, Leonard, the captain of the royal guard! Bring us the Hero of Healing, and your place shall be secured once more."
"Yes! Yes, Your Majesty! I promise, I'll live up to your faith!"
Margurth Rikil Jioral was unconcerned about Leonard's unholy desire for Flare, or even his desire for vengeance — the only things keeping him from going insane completely. He'd heard about the rumors that the princess' head could have been someone else's, since the remaining body was yet to be discovered. The fallen knight was driven by passion, bright enough to even be noticed by another member of the royalty, standing on the other side of the doors to the throne room — Princess Norn Clatalissa Jioral.
"Good work in bringing her back, Reeharoze. Now, head to Giraldia. I want Enritta to be in chaos this time."
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