There was so much I still needed to do, especially considering the convoluted mess I'd left behind after being abducted by these assholes. Deals and preparations had been made by me, Honey, and Dungeon Master 07—with kings, cultists, and even the Seraphim themselves. These were things I should have acted on immediately after defeating Cleon. The deals were made under the premise that I had defeated him. And while I technically didn't kill him, he's gone, and I'm the one left standing.

But since I'd been abducted and left in the void for three months, two weeks, and several days, I never got the chance to do what should've been done the moment I emerged victorious. So, after leaving Quel'thalas—the elven continent—and visiting the Voidborne Catacomb to give Dungeon Master 00 an update, I immediately returned to my pending business in the land of men. This involved dealing with one of the people I'd struck a deal with—namely, the kings. The three remaining kings from Cleon's order.

I'd entrusted the mission to Honey and Dungeon Master 07 to arrange most of the groundwork leading to our invasion, which would ultimately culminate in me challenging Cleon under the watchful gaze of the Seraphim—who would take no part in the conflict. While I focused on readying myself, they managed to sway three of the seven kings to betray their tyrant emperor. Well, I say "betray," but in truth, the offer we made was one that would only require actual betrayal when it was safe to do so—no big risk. So, it wasn't unreasonable to expect that these monarchs, handed such good terms, would keep their end of the bargain.

But it seems that wasn't the case for the mongrel writhing under my foot, my boot pressing into his throat.

"Please," he begged. "I did what you expected of me..."

The man at my feet, begging, was none other than Floren, the sixth king and ruler of Eldoria. It was unsightly. I'd killed kings before—four, to be exact—and none of them, not even Alexander, had been as pathetic as this one.

I guess that was to be expected from the man who, despite giving us his word, wound up betraying us by ratting us out to Cleon. Some might argue that him ratting on his two fellow monarchs' deals with me and the Seraphim was loyalty—that Cleon was the one he owed his allegiance to. And to those people, I'd say that makes his case worse in my eyes. I did not expect loyalty from them—after all, by making them our offer, we literally demanded they piss on their loyalty. However, what I did expect was logic and perhaps a hint of ambition. The offer we brought them was generous—a chance Cleon would never give. For any of them to spit in my hand—me, who had bled to bring it to them—I couldn't forgive that.

In the distance, a giant castle—his castle—collapsed as a gigantic golden tree, Goblin's Solith Tree, manifested, illuminating the land with its radiance but also amplifying the chaos already screaming through the streets of the Eldorian capital.

"Tsk, Goblin," I sighed at the sight, but quickly moved on.

Glancing at the two kings I'd invited to witness the lesson I intended to make of their fellow monarch, my gaze lingered on Dorian—unarguably the youngest of the seven kings. He had ascended to ruler of Waldow Kingdom after its king, Alexander, mysteriously disappeared over eleven years ago. After a moment, my gaze shifted to the man standing to his left—King Lance, ruler of the Evermere Kingdom and one of the well-known first kings, along with King Dominic and King Tristan.

Just like with Dorian, I sized him up and down, looking for… what? Symptoms that might hint they were suffering from the same illness as the king at my feet. And I believed I noticed something like that in one of them when my focus was drawn to the brightening sky.

Looking up, I saw the moons taking a path they shouldn't be taking—not at this time of year, and certainly not along this trajectory and speed. This was not natural. Naturally. After all, these moons were sigils—omens of their arrival. The Seraphim's arrival.

And there they were, descending from their moons.

"Well, well, well… if this isn't the greatest honor ever. Three Seraphim walking down to earth for me," I said with a chuckle. "You're here for me, right? To tell me 'welcome back,' hopefully."

"You've only just returned, and already you've plunged this peaceful land into chaos," one of the holier-than-holy angels hovering in the sky said.

"Hm," I pretended to muse, unintentionally glancing at the collapsed castle in the distance. That wasn't me, though. Not personally, at least. But, well… I guess that's on me.

"Chaos was not my intent, dear Seraphim of Peace," I declared firmly. "My goal is only to do something I should have done months ago. And I'm sure you witnessed it—I was abducted, then sealed."

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The silence they gave seemed to imply understanding, but their next words shattered that impression.

"We demand that you cease at once."

"Cease," I echoed, hearing a feeble "help" from the bastard beneath me. "At once," I declared with a curtsy. Then, without unlocking my gaze from the Seraphim, I reached down, grabbed Floren's face, muffling his words and screams. Slowly but firmly, I pulled until his neck parted thoroughly from his body.

The three Seraphim grimaced at the sight. "You..."

"Oh," I said, feigning surprise. "Isn't this what you meant by me ceasing this at once? I mean, he broke the contract we were bound by—not just him and me, but his fellow kings as well—putting their lives in guaranteed danger. I can't reasonably imagine you expecting me to spare someone like that. You, more than anyone, value the importance of vows and oaths."

The silence they maintained sounded promising, so I confidently continued.

"I have kept my oath, haven't I? I gave you what you wanted from me. I believe I am only in the right to expect the same from you or anyone else."

In exchange for their cooperation—namely, their non-involvement in my following invasion—I gave them what they had always wanted: a way to "kill" a dungeon. Knowledge I had never revealed to them, leaving me as the only person in Fiendfell they could rely on to dismantle problematic dungeons. For most of the time I had been around, first as an adventurer and then as a Queen, I had been under their protection.

"You gave us your word that you would bring an era of peace, not one of chaos."

Did you actually believe me, or were you only thinking about what there was to gain from striking that deal? I thought but kept these words to myself. Whether I win or not against Cleon, you're guaranteed to get what you wanted from me. That's just how it was presented to you.

"I intend to create such an era, but peace is not something you can maintain by simply resting on one's laurels. To maintain peace, one must ensure the extermination of all troublemakers and potential troublemakers. And I am by no means exaggerating when I say there are many troublemakers crawling around like cockroaches. I've had my fair share of encounters with particularly large ones, which explains my untimely disappearance. Dear Seraphim, I believe it is my sacred duty as one of the rulers of this yet-to-be peaceful land to see their extermination. So yes, there will be chaos," I declared as a flying Goblin approached to land nearby.

"Maybe not to this extent. I doubt all of them have castles and cities they rule over, but should the need arise, this will repeat until an era of peace is guaranteed."

From the expressions on the three Seraphim, I saw the look of someone unaccustomed to being told no. I'd seen this expression before, plenty of times, in Cleon when I, as a King, refused to behave like one of his little dogs. Yet there was nothing he could do to make me submit. Quite a pleasant sight, I must say. But while I can be insolent, I know when to stop pushing my luck.

"If it might be of some relief to you, dear Seraphim, I give you my word that I will do my best to make my cockroach extermination as swift as possible."

At these words, the Seraphim looked at each other. Then, in that moment, the Seraphim of Love spoke, "You gave us your word, Arianna Talulah. We expect you to act upon it."

With those words, the Seraphim departed, vanishing into their respective moons, leaving the four of us in silence, which was soon broken by Goblin who reported, "I found a few members of the royal family in the castle, but they were mostly aunts and cousins—indirect members. All the most important members of his family were sent away. One admitted they had been sent into hiding, though he didn't know where. Apparently, those hiding in the castle were just irrelevant members of the court."

"That's why you destroyed the castle?"

"Erm, I shouldn’t have?"

"Well, I suppose that’s alright. We can rebuild. In fact, we can and should rebuild this castle to be the new royal palace, where the new rulers of this continent will reside."

In that moment, I looked at the two kings before me, my gaze lingering, perhaps unintentionally, on one of them before continuing, "But as I said to the Seraphim, I must see through the extermination of all vermin, starting with the royal family members who have gone into hiding."

"You want to hunt them down?!" asked King Lance.

I looked at him in confusion and asked, "Do you expect me to leave them be?"

He pursed his lips, sealing away any further words. I looked down at the head in my arms.

"Far from me the intent is to desire to become another Cleon or an even worse version of him, but I abide by a certain set of principles that might make me look worse than him. I do not forgive, and I do not forget. So, for my peace of mind—the wife, the parents, the children... this entire bloodline will pay the price for this single man sin of treason."

At my words, the king I addressed shuddered, understanding that I thoroughly meant what I said. It was then that the other king, King Dorian, spoke, bowing low with impeccable zeal.

"Then it would be my honor to help. I have under my authority the personnel to hunt down all the cockroaches you order exterminated. I may even recruit more should you desire an extended list. Simply tell me."

The sight of me smiling and nodding at the suggestion made the other king relent. "I'll help as well."

Hurling the lower half of the body at one of the goblin’s creatures, which had been summoned to dispose of the corpse—since we had learned our lesson about not leaving corpses behind—I threw the head for Goblin to catch. Then, reaching onto both kings' shoulders, I spoke.

"Umu, isn't it better this way? Us remaining kings working hand in hand? Cleon is gone. There is no 'One and Only' anymore. There is just us. Let’s make this new era of humanity one of prosperity—for us kings. Let us make it an era of kings."