"Tell us," she whispered, her voice losing its royal edge and becoming sharp with self-centered anxiety…
"Since you were sent by the Divine, you must know the way…
Julian is approaching…
His army is only days away from our final walls…
What is the most efficient way to Retreat???
Is there a hidden portal???
A spatial sanctuary the Goddesses have prepared for the Royal Bloodline???
How do we leave this place before the mud reaches the palace???"
The room went still again…
The Ministers leaned in, their eyes wide with the same selfish hope…
They weren't asking how to fight…
They weren't asking how to win…
They were asking for a back door…
I stayed silent…
I shifted my weight, my hands clenched into fists in my pockets pockets…
I looked at the Queen, then at the arrogant Princess, and finally at the stoic Voltrex…
And I thought…
'What the Fuck???'
I couldn't understand what was happening for a moment…
'What the hell is this bitch saying???
Escape???
Does she have no knowledge at all???
She still wants the Goddesses to open the path to Divine Realm or specially create a Refuge for this idiot???
And Refuge???
How???
This whole Planet has mostly been covered by the Evil of the World…
There is no refuge…
What's this woman Thinking???
No others were allowed similar things so why does she think she will???
Does she think she is a chosen one???
Crazy!!!'
I felt the disgust of the Goddesses vibrating in the back of my mind, but I didn't let it show…
'What the heck did you do Goddess???'
I asked in High speed consciousness mode…
'Are they so stupid???
Granted, you cleansed the Clergy but then what about the Nobility…
You can't say that you forgot???'
I asked in a puzzled manner…
This was simply too irresponsible…
'It wasn't supposed to happen this way…'
Replied Alethia with a tired tone as I frowned for 0.3703 seconds but quickly corrected my expression…
'We thought that after cleansing the Clergy most people would become Good and Follow properly in the face of Calamity…'
Replied Astrea this time as I immediately harrumphed…
'Humans never stop infighting even if the sword of Damocles rests right above their heads…
The only thing that changes is the degree of how high the Infighting is!!!
Don't you have the Modern World History???
As the country with the 2nd most Expertise on the field of Infighting, I can Guarantee this…'
Though it wasn't difficult for me to find out the real reason…
I sighed as the Mortal constraints were really annoying…
'It's as you thought…
Due to Mortal world rules we could only completely cleanse the clergy and that was precisely because Julian slowed down and gave us some time otherwise this world would have Perished in 1 year tops even if the legions moved at normal speed…'
Said Astrea in a Helpless tone as Heaven had already analyzed the true terror of the [Black Calamity]…
I didn't continue commenting and just kept that Casual expression, letting the silence stretch until it became uncomfortable as the others thought I was scared…
"Retreat...???"
The voice was small, but it cut through the room like a cold blade…
I looked there as I sighed at the small figure…
'Tch…
Why do you even try to Reason with Donkeys???'
'Maybe because of viewpoint…
After all Zero is just a passerby in this world and your strength is also much higher so your view will be much different…
While for her, this is her entire Life and World…'
Continued Terra with her motherly voice as I nodded and that was indeed true…
For me Julian was indeed an opponent but only for my first stage…
My Second Stage [Divine Mode] will One Shot Julian to pieces…
I thought so as Clara Despond stepped forward, her small hands shaking as she moved past Mu Zhong to face the Queen…
"Your Majesty...
What are you saying???"
Clara's voice grew louder, fueled by a grief that had been suppressed for far too long…
"The people...
The soldiers on the walls...
The families in the lower districts who gave their last crust of bread to Stop the invasion...
What about them???"
"Silence, child," Mixie snapped, waving a dismissive hand…
She wasn't executed because she still had use…
"This is a matter of State…
If the Crown falls, the Kingdom is truly gone…
Our survival is the only thing that matters…"
'And here I thought that it was the People who make the Nation and not the Crown…'
I looked at the proceedings as my mood became frighteningly indifferent…
Hopeless…
"But you're the Queen!!!"
Clara continued as she cried out, her almond eyes filling with tears that refused to fall…
"The priests told me that a Ruler is the shield of the people!!!
How can you just run away???
How can you give up on everyone who is still fighting???
If we flee, if we abandon Valroy, then Evil has already won!!!
There will be no one left!!!
No one!!!"
'Hehehe, the number of people who could have done that were few and far between…
Usually the first person to run before a calamity is the royal family and the Nobles…'
The Old Priest tried to pull Clara back, his face a mask of terror…
"Saintess, please, be silent!!!
Her Majesty is considering the long-term—"
"No!!!" Clara shook him off, her gaze fixed on the Queen…
"Big Brother Hero said he could save the world!!!
He said he came here to beat the Demon King!!!
Why are you talking about running when the Hero is standing right here???!!!"
Queen Minerva's face hardened as she thought with gritted teeth…
'I didn't bother with you before because you are the Saintess but do you truly think you are that high that I won't execute you for your audacity…'
The mask of "graciousness" slipped, revealing the terrified, selfish woman beneath…
She didn't look at Clara with pity; she looked at her with the annoyance of a person whose escape plan was being questioned by a peasant…
I watched the scene play out, my eyes finally only growing colder…
I looked at Clara's trembling back, then at the Queen's shimmering crown…
So that's how it is, I thought…
'In the end, The "Hero" is just a bus driver to them…
They don't want a savior; they want a getaway car…
It was true for me and it was also true for Julian…
Poor tools…'
I thought and then pulled one hand out of my pocket and placed it on Clara's shoulder, my touch grounding her until she looked at me with puzzled expression as she felt a strong sensation from my touch…
The room fell silent as they waited for the "Weak-looking and panic-stricken" Hero to finally speak…
The silence in the throne room was no longer just a lack of sound; it had become a pressurized vacuum, a stagnant pond of unsaid insults and mounting ego…
I stood there, my hand still resting on Clara's trembling shoulder, feeling the way her breath hitched with every second that passed…
The nobility of Valroy watched me with eyes full of a strange, desperate superiority—the kind of look a man on a sinking ship gives a piece of driftwood…