"Will you become my ally, Nott-sama?"
That was exactly what I heard from the queen of Melromarc. And it's worth noting — she was offering this alliance to me as a person, not as the Scythe Hero. Well… an approximate person.
"You make some very interesting offers, Your Majesty. Shame they're not quite the ones I'd like to hear." This time, I almost didn't manage to throw her off with my usual undertones. It was clear Mirelia was being completely serious. "But alliances aren't something you just hand out for free. If I'm going to stand behind you, there has to be something in it for me, right?"
"You're right," the queen nodded. "On my side, I can promise full support — both to you as a Hero and personally. Until now, I haven't favored anyone from the Five, but at this point, I would like to place that trust in you."
"So far, I hear words — but I don't see anything real to back them up," I said with a friendly smile, meeting her gaze. "If that's the case, let's first settle the matter of your previous debt."
Naturally, I was referring to the little service I'd rendered — transporting both royal ladies to safety.
"And… what exactly do you want?"
"You know, I've been thinking lately about having a place I could call… not a home, per se, but... maybe a hideaway?" I twirled my hand in the air. "I don't need land, vassals, or anything noble like that. Just a building comfortable enough to live in. For several people," I added, deciding to clarify.
"May I ask… how many is 'several'?"
I paused, quickly doing some rough mental math and recalling something I had completely forgotten about until just now.
"I think I underestimated my needs a bit. Correction — I need a spacious enough home to comfortably house… five people?"
"That… won't be a problem." For some reason, the queen gave me a peculiar look. Did she think I meant a harem or something? "But granting you even a small holding without assigning a title won't be possible. At the very least, with a title, the process would be far smoother."
"As long as it doesn't saddle me with any additional obligations — I don't mind."
"Very well. That's not a difficult request to fulfill. I'll have the necessary arrangements made shortly."
"Perfect."
"Is there anything else you're interested in? Objectively speaking — saving the queen and princess of a country is worth far more than a modest piece of land."
"For now, that's all I care about. As for supplies and materials — you can handle that through the Hero system, right?"
"Naturally. From this day on, all Heroes, without exception, will receive support appropriate to their role."
"In that case, I have nothing more to ask. Aside from a few thoroughly indecent things, of course." I followed that up with a polite smile.
"You… oh." Mirelia let out a breath. "Can I take that as…"
"Yes." She earned my approval by catching on to the tone in my voice and the shift back to a lighter subject. "I agree to stand by your side. And let's be honest — I see no reason to turn down cooperation with the ruler of this country, especially when we've already established some kind of working relationship."
"Thank you for placing your trust in me, Nott-sama." The queen bowed her head once again.
"No need for thanks. I believe you mentioned something about needing help. Now, I assume, we can discuss that in more detail?"
"Correct. It concerns an old conflict of yours."
To be honest, I had no idea which conflict she was talking about.
"That case involving the underground organization in Larte village."
"Ooooh… So that's what it was called. And how is that connected?"
"You were able to eliminate the consequence — but not the root cause. Lukas Almel — one of the more radical nobles, and someone I've never been able to win over. According to my sources, he was the one behind that organization."
The moment she said his name, the corresponding memory came rushing back.
It was his name that Alfred gave me, wasn't it? The leader of that group tied to the Core incident… the one that got absorbed by the Scythe during our last battle. And I still haven't figured out what exactly the absorption of the Dragon Emperor's Core gave me. That needs fixing.
"Those in the know are aware of what he's doing behind the scenes, but we can't just act on it so easily."
"You know, Your Majesty…" I rested my chin on my hand and gave a genuinely amused smile. "In both my past world and this one, I've always found it funny when the people in power complain about not having — who would've guessed — enough power to deal with a problem. Isn't it hilarious?"
"I…"
"No, no — I'm not blaming you. I understand the kinds of things that might be in play here, but still… the sheer absurdity of it always makes me laugh. Anyway. Please, continue."
"Ahem. The Almel house has always opposed my rule, though they've never crossed any hard lines. Lukas Almel had ties to the Church, but even there, we couldn't find a single piece of evidence solid enough to press charges. He's extremely cautious and cunning — hasn't fallen for a single provocation or trap so far."
"All of that is very intriguing, but I still don't understand what exactly you want from me."
"…I've tried every underhanded method I could, Nott-sama." The queen closed her eyes. "I'll understand if this request makes you refuse to work with me further, but… I want Lukas Almel to disappear."
It took me a few seconds to fully register what she had just said.
"So… you're asking me to kill your political rival? Did I hear that right?"
"Yes." Mirelia nodded, and her voice sounded… drained. "I've decided to be honest with you, so there's no point hiding anything. Lukas has expertly taken advantage of every situation that led to our current state. The Fifth Hero, the Church's schemes, Malty's antics, my husband's madness… He's used everything at his disposal to maximize his gains. If all the cards fall into place, my position could become so precarious that even the matriarchy in Melromarc wouldn't be enough to protect me. If I send the Heroes off to other countries, I might be able to cool things down a bit — but the internal conflict has already taken root. It's only a matter of time before it starts to grow."
"I still don't get it. You have supporters. You have the Shadows. You even have whatever remains of your husband's former authority. I just can't wrap my head around how your position could be that unstable."
"Hah. That's politics, Nott-sama," the queen said with a wry smile — one that carried a sharp, almost bitter edge this time. "A realm where every player lives in the illusion of their own little world, clinging to a false power we call 'authority.' But after meeting you, I've come to a realization..." At that moment, the look in her eyes as she raised them to meet mine turned almost… fanatical?
"I realized that even the authority of a queen in a major nation pales in comparison to true power. The kind of power you hold, Nott-sama. When faced with that strength — I, the Almel family, any other noble — we can do nothing but accept our fate. All our so-called power would collapse like a house of cards, exposing the ugly truth beneath it: that it never held any real weight at all."
Now that was a speech… Even the flow of Qi in her body right now was erupting with emotion. Mirelia was quite literally pouring her soul out to me. I remembered from canon that she wasn't some indomitable monolith — she'd had her moments of collapse too. But could my little show really have had that much of an effect?
Wait… did I unconsciously use the same thing on Mirelia that I did on Night at the moment of her birth? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember...
"Well…" I tapped my fingers thoughtfully on the table. "I understand your position. And I can accept it. I might even agree to it. But!" I raised my voice a bit as soon as I saw Mirelia about to speak. "Don't you think the suspicion would fall directly on you? I mean, Lukas disappears right after opposing you? Sounds a bit convenient, doesn't it?"
"I wouldn't have made this request without reason. My Shadows recently discovered that Lukas is preparing to leave the city for negotiations with a potential ally. He's managed to catch the attention of someone quite influential from another country, and if they strike a deal, my situation could grow even worse. But if Lukas disappears during the trip — it'll be much easier to pass it off as an unfortunate incident."
"Hm… Well, I don't exactly mind getting my hands dirty. And honestly, I'm pretty sure my conscience will stay clean after removing trash like that. I've only got two questions left. First — when exactly is he leaving the city? Second — why not have your Shadows handle it?"
"According to the information we have, the meeting is set to take place in three days. As for your second question… the Shadows are primarily my eyes and ears. They are people whose loyalty is absolute, unwavering. Finding such individuals is not easy. All of them have undergone class advancement, yes — but their growth has been focused on stealth above all. Given their reconnaissance specialization, the number of Shadows I control simply isn't enough to take out the guard of an aristocrat that influential."
Sounded… reasonable. In this world, there were very few people who even approached the threshold of level 100, and even fewer who actually reached it. Even that old granny who created the Style of Unbeatable Adaptations — and whom I had more or less forgotten about — if memory serves, she hadn't hit that cap either. Which, considering her clearly adventure-packed past and impressive age, was saying something.
"So it's settled then. I'll take care of my own business first, then I'll deal with your problem."
And that was that. We went over a rough plan, discussed a few details like potential unforeseen circumstances, approximate timelines for granting me ownership of the house, and so on — and then finally parted ways. I did have plenty on my plate, and time was running short. Revival was only a week away, and I needed to take care of a few major tasks before it started — that was my plan for the immediate future.
The whole event had dragged on for a while, and it didn't make much sense to act on anything late in the day, so Night and I stayed in the castle until morning. And just as I'd secretly expected, the Heroes were long gone by the time we woke up. Off into the sunset. Well, screw 'em. Let's hope I get another chance to deal with them before Cal Mira's grand finale.
First thing, I warped us straight to Pelgue's estate. I still had some loose ends to tie up in Zeltoble. The first — the duplicate of the Sacred Weapon. The second…
"Nott-chan completely forgot about his big sister… Can you imagine how lonely I was? The nights have been so cold…" That sultry, teasing voice — dripping with genuine sorrow — echoed through the hall.
"Life happens, nothing I can do about it." I couldn't help the soft smile that tugged at my lips the moment I spotted the woman lounging on the sofa. "I didn't even get the chance to take you up on your generous offer. Which, by the way, is something I meant to talk to you about — but later. For now, I'd—"
"I don't want to hear it! Big sis is very… very upset."
Sadina's voice — and of course it was her — carried a mock-offended tone, but… only mostly mock. I could feel it. There was real hurt in there too. And yeah — it did look bad. After that night, we hadn't really seen each other again. From her side, it must've looked like I just used her and ghosted her. Not that I'd say there was a spark between us, exactly — our relationship had always been a strange one — but Sadina wasn't someone I could shrug off. Strong, smart, beautiful, playful, and the kind of woman who didn't put herself first — and was genuinely interested in me. Honestly, what kind of idiot would turn down something like that in their right mind?
So, with a sigh, I changed course — instead of taking the seat across from her, I headed straight for Sadina.
"Oh-oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Oho!"
The orca let out a surprised little exclamation as I effortlessly scooped her up by the legs and waist, sat down in the very chair she'd been using, and settled her onto my lap. With her being nearly the same height as me, it wasn't exactly the most convenient arrangement — but still manageable. And Sadina, always quick on the uptake, smoothly wrapped one arm around my neck, swung her legs, and shifted to the side, settling against my chest.
"I heard what happened. It's just… I couldn't stop thinking about how easily I could've lost someone I was just starting to grow attached to. So, Nott-chan, I was thinking… Can I travel with you? I won't be a burden."
"I was actually considering that myself not long ago. I just wasn't sure if you'd be willing to leave Zeltoble so easily."
"Well, technically I still have some unfinished business here… There's something I need to find out, so I'll tell you more about it later, okay?"
"Fair enough. I came back to tie up something that's been on my mind for a while now. It concerns a certain acquaintance of yours."
"Oh?"
"Ahem. My apologies for the interruption." Remus entered the hall — apparently already informed of my arrival by the servants.
"You're not interrupting. This is just…" — I glanced at the girl sitting on my lap, then around the room, taking in the surroundings and the nearby Night. "…a matter of circumstances."
"I see."
"Good timing, though. I was just about to need your connections for something."
"I owe you far more than I can ever repay, Lord Nott. I'll do whatever is in my power to assist you," the merchant replied with a respectful nod.
"I need information on a certain slave I fought during the tournament. Where he is now, who owns him, whether that owner is willing to sell — and if not, what pressure points we can use to change that."
"Oh? And which slave has caught your attention, Hero-sama?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sadina's curious gaze shift sharply. She was just now starting to piece together who I might be talking about.
"A demi-human with tiger-like features. His name is Fohl."