Bab 44: Epilogue — Uncrowned queens
It was as if that sunny morning couldn't get any better. A bit of quality time with his girls, a delicious breakfast to fuel the upcoming day, and even a ciphered message sent to Kureha's domain — everything was perfect. And now Keyaruga sat in the dining hall, listening to the local rumors.
Of course, Freia and Setsuna were nowhere to be seen. The two beauties packed their things and prepared themselves for another long raptor back ride. The Hero of Healing actually found their absence to be preferable for his situation. At least that gave him space to reflect upon last night.
So, am I her master? Or a spouse? Maybe she just misused a new word? Either way, now I'm sure Setsuna likes to `belong`. And I like to possess. Not to the point of enslaving her, but that's actually nice. I do want to keep her at my side. But… Do I love her? Damn, this's so confusing.
Still, the moans and screams the wolf girl made attracted attention towards his humble persona. Some guests glanced at him with respect, some with undisguised jealousy. Still, the man's troubles turned out productive, because a few other people spoke about Norn's punitive expedition. Which, at that point, couldn't prove any more useful, though. But another conversation reached the lad's ears.
"You know, a friend of a friend said he'd seen that demon king?"
"Nah, bullshit."
"No, I tell you, it's a big muscled gunk with a lion's maw. Oh, and a snake for a tail. Seriously, how can this thing exist?"
"It can't, and you're just a lying ass…"
Hmm, not a winged horny girl. Now, let's see. As far as I can recall, before the redo, my prisoners had barely seen that dark angel, but they knew she had recently usurped the throne. I see, ma-zok have no dynasties. Their `crown` is given to the strongest one of them, so that cutie is yet to ascend to the throne now. Good, I need to find her and take that girl under my wing. I wonder how it happens though?
"…if their heart turns into a massive jewel, does that mean there're multiple such individuals? Or…"
"It's unusual to see you thinking aloud." Freia interrupted the hero's thoughts by trying to sneak up on him. Which wasn't as successful, since the healer stopped her in a meter and a half with his extended arm.
"If you're trying to be stealthy, heels aren't your best choice." Keyaruga mused, turning toward the sorceress. The pink-haired girl stood with a saddlebag on her shoulder.
"Stop being so spiky and let me cherish you a bit." The magician sulked, making her way toward the hero's back. There, the princess started massaging his stiff shoulders. "Now, what've you been thinking about? Something interesting?"
"Yeah, specifically how to save the world." The red-eyed lad replied dismissively, slightly surprised by Freia's clinginess.
"The world is important, but can you save yourself first?" Freia pondered, carefully rubbing the man's muscled back. At that point, it wasn't even surprising to anyone there.
"I can. But first, I need to make this world a peaceful place. No matter how much spilled blood it takes. " After all, I still have two heroes to exact my vengeance upon.
"Then you're lucky. We'll help you with killing and maiming as much as you need." The girl spoke with a broad smile on her face. Then, her blue eyes met another of their group — the ice warrior descended the stairs carrying yet another saddlebag. "For now, though, let's enjoy the weather."
"No. Setsuna smells rain. Tonight. We'll have to find a cover." The gray-haired huntress pointed out, slowly marching toward her companions.
"But how? There's not a single cloud in the sky!" Freia exclaimed, although with no apparent distraction from caressing the reflective healer's shoulders.
"Setsuna believes nose more than what Freia sees." The huntress frowned, looking through the window. Indeed, nothing could hint at approaching clouds, but she was sure.
"Well then, let's hurry. If we're lucky, we'll outrun this rain. If not, we'll have to find a cover. Or set up a tent before we get wet." Keyaruga responded with a smile...
"Thanks, master. For believing." Setsuna spoke with gratitude before slightly wincing at the rouge overtaking her pale cheeks. The man trusted the ice warrior, and the latter never disappointed him. Especially when it came to nature, in which the she-wolf spent most of her life.
"You have my thanks, Freia. I feel better already." The hero said, flexing his muscles. The very same ones he strained after a whole night with Setsuna (or Nayuta). He loved having sex on his own terms, and with weak Keyaru out of the way, Keyaruga's libido rose tenfold.
"Let's make our way, then." The lad said, taking both heavy bags from his lovely companions.
"Yes, let's go." Freia replied with a slightly restrained smile.
"Uh-huh." Setsuna, in turn, made a step forward and opened an inn's door before the man. With cheerful voices behind his back and only one task remaining, specifically to give up a couple of keys, the trio left the building.
With the raptor fully fed, groomed, and equipped, the trio took their places in the saddle and moved toward the gates. Now, there were only two major sequences of how the talk would go. Either the password from Bullet's head would work and everyone would save their lives and efforts, or it wouldn't. In that case, things would surely lead to bloody mayhem, and dozens of guards would die from the saber, claws, or spells.
"Hey, your papers!" A bald, narrow-lobed soldier demanded the man.
"Nightingale rose above the void." Keyaruga replied dismissively.
"What the fu-?.. Wait, are you one of those kid spies?" The guardsmen rudely accessed the healer from all sides. The latter, in turn, painted a cross with his left hand with a slight difference in holding the fingers. "Yeah, you goddamn are. Poor kid…" He shook his head. In the end, while most remained unaware of Bullet's depravity, it couldn't be everyone.
"Let us pass. We're accountable for the preliminary reconnaissance for Her Highness Norn's expedition." The red-haired lad stated this without even breaking a sweat. Even Freia, at that point, stopped being alarmed upon hearing her sister's name.
"Yup, fine." The gatekeeper carelessly waved backward and stepped out of the raptor's way. But his next words… "…and don't come back." …was heard only by Setsuna. Was it contempt or a genuine concern? It mattered quite little. After all, with the border passed, a new journey was upon the trio..
…
For some, that bright morning started with the wind of freedom and change, blessing their way. For others, fire and blood clashed in their new-formed uprising. The village of Ula, just a few kilometers northeast of Ranalitta, burned in a blazing purgatory. Upon the trampled crops marched a raiding party, composed of demons, riding their monstrous steeds. Massive mounted wolves, gruesome orcs on giant vargs, ogres riding imposing one-horned shadowbeasts, and more were coming. Men, women, children, the elderly, cattle, pets — hardly anyone survived the slaughter. The demons looked humanoid, painfully so, both in appearance and in cruelty. Three hundred men, around forty women — all looked like power to be reckoned with.
Still, all this destructive force bowed to a feeble-looking rat-man. He didn't have a steed, nor was he surrounded by guards. Mun wore a simple jacket and a pair of trousers, with no boots to cover his furry clawed paws. Eighteen smaller rodents followed his steps as he walked by the burning huts. Around the corner, he saw a man holding his gutted wife in his arms. His eyes, full of grief and anger, met the lonesome demon. Then, the desperate human grabbed his pitchfork, rose…
"A-A-A-A-A-A!!!" …and rushed forward with a violent scream. A yell that vanished in but a second when the rat-man ducked under the spikes and punched his clawed finders through the villager's chest and heart. Then, smaller rats jumped in to eat the warm body.
This was Norn's punitive fist, the best of her assets. They were not the only demonic squad made to serve Jioral, but these were war prisoners, vagrants, kidnapped or captured. Those who bowed to Margurth were made to do so by their own king and his word of power, but this raiding group listened to the second princess' orders out of their own volition and gratitude for their spared lives. They cared little for all the devastating deaths and destruction they caused. After all, they knew better than to ask their roles in the warlady's extensive game.
…
The Royal Palace of Jioral was noisy once again. Demonic invasions, claiming the rebellious villages, turned out to be quite a shock for many, both in court and outside its glorious borders. Only a few knew the entire truth, and even then they were not entirely pleased. Particularly…
"Fuck, first they refuse us, then this bloody shit steps up and gets killed! Ugh, Taretoya was a sacrificial pawn from the start, but this one? Shit, the last thing I need is a broken empire with Champions dying like flies." Norn swore, reading through the reports about the clash in the Colosseum. Again and again, throughout the week, the pile of papers grew up to a whole meter tall. She did so while standing on John's stomach. "Although, I do appreciate Faran's church's positions deteriorating, that puts us in a lot of risk."
"Forgive my words, but this will never change until the Hero of Healing is dealt with or effectively eliminated." The black man pointed out, receiving a kick to the chin. His relationships with the princess were… weird, to say the least. She barely respected him as a human being, but the warlady always listened to his advice. At least until certain limits were reached.
"Pff, and with my sister on his leash, the task seems as difficult as it could ever be. Traitorous cocksucking bitch! He must've brainwashed her somehow. Heh, none could be the wiser, but damn, does that leave a stain on the royal family's name." With that said, the girl kicked her retainer in the crotch.
"Ugh…" His groans of pain were not fulfilling or arousing even a little bit, but she still found them amusing. All it took was for her to imagine her own father screaming under her heel. Norn's reach was vast, but not even nearly enough to rival her crowned progenitor. Neither did the warlady love her sister. That arrogant, self-centered witch, basking in the blinding rays of her divinity, was a total opposite to the weak, but shrewd genius. Still, since she was alive and well, the sorceress could be imprisoned and tortured. Of course, as long as Keyaru was willing to allow it, which with a eighty-one point two percentage he would, basing the conclusion on what the princess knew at that point.
"Now, with Mun's squad deployed for four days, soon our riots will fade to nothing. At least something goes according to plan."
"I beg your pardon, my lady, but why aren't you teaming with the rebels? Isn't it in your best interest to see Jioral reformed?" John wondered under the warlady's boots.
"Oh no, revolutions are the fruit of a dissatisfied upper class. Or god-touched heroes with their near-infinite power. However, village gunk has no chance.Trust me, a few burning examples will dissuade thousands from throwing their lives away for nothing. And I can not let my rivals get the better of me because of some pretentious kindness." The girl concluded, coming off her bodyguard. To sacrifice hundreds so that thousands could live on. Somehow, John could only envy the resilience that little girl demonstrated. That, and not getting offended by his beatings. Which… "Come on, rise on your feet. I have to go now."
"Wait! Your Highness, allow me to express my warnings. I'm afraid, you should not blindly head to Buranikka for a moment." John spoke, smoothing his rumpled attire. "As much as you wish to encounter Keyaru, I do not think of it as a valid course of action."
"Now listen here…" Norn's face gruesomely warped in a grimace of confusion. And determination, as a fact. "As long as he's free to trample around the world with all his might, my position will continue to be shaken. And as long as I don't have all the answers, my efficiency will never be adequate. This expedition has been in preparation for months, so I have an acceptable power supply at my disposal."
"I beg you, this city is not worth the risk. If you're so eager to meet him, why won't my agents invite him for a chat?" The retainer prayed, afraid of what the princess would drag herself into. Even now, her heel drummed against the floor, and her hand twirled her hair.
"No, John! This is more than a simple game! I need a swift and decisive victory to sustain my position on the court! And that exceptional city had always been an eyesore for our nobles and the trump card for all the equalizers. `Oh, look at Buranikka. Why won't we do the same?`, or: `We must seal a truce with demons, like Adrian Mirt did`. Perhaps they got lucky, perhaps demons truly hold humans hostage there, or perhaps this is the favorable future for us all. In the end, only a cruel decisive battle will judge us. I might die there, or worse, but in that case, this would be my own failure." Norn deadpanned, never even sparing a glance toward her attendant. She barely was a double-thinking fool, but blindly following some abstract ideals was below her. She would reform Jioral, but only with the full extent of military and political power at her hands. No matter how much spilled blood it takes.
"What would you have of me then? Shall I accompany you?" John inquired, bravely awaiting further orders.
"Heh, no. You're tough, but damn, kicking you is so much more boring lately. I'll have to find a new toy. Keyaru, maybe? Or taking my own sister as a pet? I also read of him having an ice-wolf slave. Wouldn't that be fun?" The warlady turned around, and when she did, her lips carried a happy merriment. It was so bright that her smile caused nothing but a strained shock in the black man's heart. "But seriously, I need you here. Keep an eye for Keziaz's movements, keep Kureha Cryleth away from me, and most importantly — I need you to spy on the king." The princess went on with her lips remaining how they were. Her retainer loudly gulped, but then he proudly raised his head.
"I will do what I must." He said it with honor. After all, the task was dangerous, but the second princess never gave impossible missions to those who couldn't accomplish them. Unless she wanted them to fail…
"If the task proves unfulfillable, though, run. Hide in Cryleths' domain and tell them everything you know. And don't look at me like that. I know about what you do with that boy Arian." The girl carnivorously sneered, as her bodyguard shuddered for a second. This… was the reason why Norn never engaged in relationships with her retainer in the first world. "I'm not a hypocritical priest who fucks boys in asses just to preach men the imaginative degrading effects of pre-marital sex, even with a woman. I won't judge you. I just want you to remember that they're all murderers, and no matter how elegant they do it, they still kill people with pleasure." The pink-haired girl pointed out. She herself was of little difference, but when she ordered to have others murdered, the warlady backed up her decisions with logic and pragmatism. Cryleths, for the most part, just wanted more power, both physical and political.
"I… shall keep that in mind." John muttered, quickly glancing at the table. There was a paper, a report of Blade reaching Capital. "I know you have recruited Organ Trist for your expedition, but this woman? She might be a hero, but a deranged and uncontrollable one at that."
"Ha-ha-ha-ha." Norn chuckled restrainedly. "I know. There's no way she'll be a match for Keyaru. Still, if my hypothesis is correct, there is no better lure for our murderous healer than her. I'm off to a hunt, John. Wish me luck!"
(https://preview.redd.it/pj8cjk6e12w91.png?width=704&format=png&auto=webp&s=628c8bbf578d7d462bd68ac03eace3fc1f979e9d
NSFW image of Setsuna)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone