The old man hunched his back, bending lower and lower until very nearly falling to his knees, amidst his most ardent pleas for mercy. In spite of this, the one before him just sat quiet and disinterested upon his throne, waiting for him to cease his wailing.

And when he did, the nobleman spoke, "And? What are you still doing here?"

He stood, aghast, in that empty chamber, devoid of dressing and ornamentation; just bare stone arches and a handful of banners flying the mark of the raven. Slowly, his head curled downwards, as though an oppressive force compelled him to do so.

"Do you not think that I expect this situation remedied?"

"Y-yes, sire!" He leapt at the first chance, like a drowning rat clinging to the safety of a rocky outcrop amidst a raging river. "A-at once! ... but, umm, remedied how?"

In response, the noble's glare sharpened, like a demon's.

"I-I mean-" The man slinked away, knees trembling in fear, "-understood, sire! I, your humble servant, shall correct my foolish mistake immediately!"

And after a few moments of tense, blood-curdling silence, he took in a short breath and said, "Go."

"A-at once!" As though he were a few decades younger, the old man scrambled towards the doors and saw himself out.

And with a loud creak, followed out a slamming shutter, the frightened man disappeared from view.

The noble on the meagre throne tilted his head to the side and laid it upon his hand, "Hm... how unexpected."

A soft, sultry voice then emerged from behind him. "It seems I won our little wager."

From out of the shadows appeared an elegant woman. Her soft dress danced across her fair skin as she strutted closer, teasing him ever gently with her wily chuckle.

The man welcomed her with light applause, saying, "Bravo, my dear."

"But despite his failure, he did uncover some interesting things, did he not?"

"Mm. Monsters... doing the heroine's bidding. And not merely that, Kobolds?"

"How truly frightening," she said, almost mockingly.

The Royal Court neglected to reveal her possessing such a power. Why?

His thoughts floated back to the past congress, skimming the surface of his memories for any clues he may have missed. And then he hit a realization.

Mind control...!? I see. The room was so uneased by the implication that she might control us, that we failed to imagine such a possibility!

He clenched his fist.

Had we not made this discovery, just how long did they intend to keep this a secret? And how were they planning on using it?

Amidst a whimsical melody that she herself hummed, Charlotte swept her hands over the ridges of the throne's backrest before wringing her arms around her husband's shoulders. She then whispered, "As promised, you shall leave our dear little heroine to me, yes?"

Neutralizing a threat is always easier and more reliable than bringing it under our control, but at this point...

He then straightened his back, clasping his hands together. "Of course."

She giggled joyfully.

"Martin underestimated the heroine, and I admit - so did I. This failure will require a rearrangement of future plans..."

His wife then moaned, "Why rely on Lord Rosteforough, anyway? Had he succeeded, wouldn't Dellwick fall into his hands?" She placed her hand over her cheek. "How wasteful."

"Hmph. That man is simple. From the beginning, I knew it would be easy to have him act upon his misguided instincts."

"Oh?"

"The 4th Linden is far too large and relies on the food coming from Dellwick. That is why he went so to such length as to bring its Secretary into his pocket."

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"But he is a feeble man, at heart. When supply was severed, I knew he would put up little resistance before growing tired and purchasing the food as normal." His lips curled into a smirk. "But that wouldn't do. Which is why I had his personal aide convince him of his right to those resources. It was, after all, permitted by the King - not explicitly, of course, but it was during his passive reign that it came to pass, under the auspices of the Secretary of Dellwick."

"But the heroine rebuffed all his attempts to regain access to it."

"Indeed. It was interesting enough to see how she would respond to such a situation. From my initial impression of her, I'd thought she would eventually give in to pressure, if only after a short... tantrum, shall I say? But to think she would resist to this extent." He shook his head. "And then Martin's aide came around with his... suggestion."

Charlotte snickered. "Ah, that he could deliver not just the food, but Dellwick itself? That was quite ambitious, wasn't it?"

"I admit, I too was struck at first. All at once, there existed a possibility of securing a large farming estate, and a chance to humiliate the Royalists of their decision to grant a fief to this clueless outsider."

The woman pressed her finger into her cheek, asking, "Again, wouldn't that mean Dellwick would fall to Lord Rosteforough's control instead?"

"Of course. That's exactly the plan."

Charlotte pouted, trying to piece together what was going on in her husband's mind.

"More than a soldier, more than a Lord, even - he is a father and a husband. He simply cannot spend too much time away from Linden. What, then, if he acquires a fief half-way across the Kingdom? There is no castle for his family to stay and won't, for a very long time and a large investment of wealth. In short, Dellwick will decay under his rule." He brought his hand over his chin and gave his beard a stroke. "And who better to step up and manage it for him, than his good friend?"

Charlotte's eyes widened for a moment, before her lips then parted, forming an ecstatic grin.

"Truth be told, Morterdale is not very close to Dellwick either, but Windham-" His eyes then rolled towards his wife. "-is a mere province away."

She shrugged, before letting out a subdued chuckle. "So in the end, it would be the good friend's wife who manages the fief."

He smirked. "Perhaps."

"How devious." She then pulled away, her sandals ringing against the naked stone floor as she paced around. "But none of that came to be."

He frowned. "So it would seem."

"Eheh... so," she said, in a soft, alluring tone as she brought her face mere inches from his, "would you like to hear my plans?"

He thus placed his hand on her cheek and gave it a gentle rub, saying, "Of course, my dear." He then stood up, intertwining fingers with her. "Come. Let us talk more in our quarters."

"Alphonso-?" A teeny voice accompanied the opening of the door. And from there, a round little face peered out from the side, eyes flickering like tiny gemstones.

The little girl entered the room, dressed in thick layered clothes that bunched up as they bounced with her step. The end-of-summer rains had brought with it the touch of cold as it swept north across the Kingdom. Everyone knew, instinctively, that Autumn was at the door. And it seemed that even otherworlders were not exempt.

"Good afternoon, Miss Heroine," greeted Alphonso, still in his usual hooded cloak, which were now more fitting with the season, "Please, take a seat."

While she did so, he tidied up a bit, putting a few tomes back to the towering bookcases that lined nearly every wall of his room.

"Welcome back," he then said as he sat down opposite her, "How was Dellwick? This one took much longer than your past visits."

"Ah, haha, that's right." She rubbed the back of her neck. "A bunch of things happened at once, so I thought I'd finish them all up while I was there!"

"Is that so?" A tiny smile appeared just beneath his growing moustache. "I am glad that your new role as fief lord is allowing you to grow."

"Hm?" The unwary girl cocked her head.

"Pay it no mind. Now, the reason I called you here is so I can know how much further you have mastered your magic. Surely, being in a leadership position, you have had plenty of chances to use it, correct?"

"Eh?" Her eyes widened, as though she had realized it only now. "A-ah..."

Meanwhile, Alphonso looked as if all of his expectations were dashed in an instant.

"Well, I did get to use it a few times," she continued, eyes looking the other way, "but most of the time, I was just handling paperwork, so..."

Worried, he placed his hand over his chin and began stroking his beard, which had grown to about a thumb's length. "I see..."

"Umm..." Unable to say anything, she turned her head down, looking upward to his face.

He sighed. "It's fine, Miss Heroine." He then presented her with a warm smile whilst patting her on the head. "Please take your time. One's study is not a matter than can be hurried."

"Mm..." At that moment, a thought flashed in her head. "Oh, about that, can I ask something?"

"Of course. Whatever you wish to know."

"I was wondering - what sort of schools are there in the Kingdom? And how can you get into them?"

"Schools? Well, there are three prominent Academies in Londinium. Are you perhaps interested in enrolling in them? Though in your case, I would strongly suggest simply learning more theory from the materials I have provided, and putting them to practice-"

"No, I'm not talking about me! Er... I mean, um, I'm asking for a friend?"

"Hmm..." Taking a cue from her phrasing, he thus answered, "I am afraid an Academy will only accept the children of nobles."

Ahh... it's just as Eris said, huh?

"And in any case, they often only accept those of a... certain age? I am quite positive Miss Carlisle is far too old to attend."

"Huh, okay... Eh!? No! It's not for Rika either!" She sighed. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to ask, I guess."

"I see..."

"Hm? Wait, so I can attend, right? If I want to?"

"I... suppose so. You appear to be of the right age, and you do hold a noble title."

Something clicked in Sylphia's head. "Yeah... I do, don't I?"

"Mm... is there anything else you wished to know?"

"Ah, no that's it - thanks!" she said, leaping excitedly out of her chair, "Are we done?"

"Ah-" Alphonso held out his hand. "-before you go..."

"Hm?" She cutely tilted her entire body sideways.

"You see, I've heard... rumors, surrounding Dellwick-"

She further cocked her head.

"-and some are rather concerning. Apparently, monsters are involved, somehow."

All at once, her shoulders and expression stiffened.

And from the corner of his eye, he glanced at her, muttering, "...perhaps, Kobolds?"

A cold sweat slowly streaked from her forehead down to her cheeks.

Next, he looked straight into her trembling eyes. "Do you have something to say, Miss Heroine?"

In that instant, two paths appeared before her. To lie, perhaps with the aid of her magic, and keep the truth of the involvement of the Kobold Commandos a secret. Or to come clean and apologize for breaking her promise - immediately after she made it.

Of course, she realized the futility of using magic on someone who could see it being cast. Moreover, she feared the retribution that would come from someone as powerful as Alphonso. Yet at the same time, her pride tugged her stubbornly away from admitting fault.

She agonized over it, but in the end, she was forced to swallow her pride, admitting her use of Kobolds with the ability to turn invisible to stop a surge of bandits attacking the village.

Hearing this, Alphonso thus crossed his arms. "First of all, I am disappointed that you would go back on your word..."

Sylphia deflated, much like the child she looked, while she received her scolding.

"...But I am glad that you did so instead of seeing Dellwick ruined or placing yourself in danger." He then ran his hand over her hair and gave it a soft rub. "You made the correct decision, in my opinion."

Surprised, Sylphia lifted her face.

"The King will certainly hear about this, but I am sure he will understand. He is, after all, a wise King."

"Alphonso..." Slowly, Sylphia regained her smile.

"But prepare for a reprimand, anyway." He deftly added.

"Geh!" She winced before grumbling under her breath, "This sucks...!"

Alas, their conversation ended.

But just as she was about to leave the room, Alphonso called out to her one more time, "Ah, and Miss Heroine-"

"Hm?" She turned her head cautiously, as if guarding herself should she get in trouble yet again.

"-I look forward to hearing more about these 'invisible kobolds' another day. Just so you know, kobolds are not known to possess this ability. And if what you say is true, it must be a unique mutation found only in Dellwick's dungeon."

"Oho?" Her eyes flickered.

Alphonso thus resumed his reading, sending her off with a wave.

A carriage rode down the flattened dirt road. A handful of armed horsemen sandwiched it as it travelled, forming a short caravan. Inside the wagon were two women, one with excellent, platinum-blonde hair that sparkled when hit by sunlight, and flawless, porcelain-like skin, and the other a homely girl, with a braid hanging down her shoulder, and nearly half her face obscured by her glasses and poorly-kempt fringe.

For a while now, the blonde had been restless in her seat, peering out the window with an eager smile as the scenery slowly changed. Moreover, her excitement was made manifest by her feet, tapping away at the varnished wooden floor at an accelerating pace.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

After a few hours of observing this behavior, the girl in the glasses finally commented, "...are you really so excited to fight?"

The woman looked at her, as though her question had an obvious answer. "Why wouldn't I?" she then said, "The opponents are human, this time! Human! Not very strong, granted, but unlike beasts and monsters, they can think! And they can use weapons, maybe even magic!? And there's an army waiting for me, right!? What's not to be excited about?"

The girl fidgeted on her lap whilst her knees rubbed against one other. "Aren't... you afraid of getting hurt?"

"Hm? What's the point of asking that now?" she asked, gleaming a spunky grin, "At least it's more fun than culling wild animals here and there."

"Wild animals...? You mean like the Sickleback Gorers of Mauricia...?"

"Mm! They're basically pigs, right?"

Her face contorted in disbelief. "Pigs don't charge into a stone buildings and then eat the residents!"

"W-well how can you be so sure?" She waved her finger in the air in an attempt to seem convincing. "Maybe if pigs were about five times bigger, they would! You know? And if they had super-thick hides! And bigger tusks?"

The girl's beret fell askew as she delivered her full-body retort. "That's basically a Sickleback!"

"See?" She snapped her fingers. "They're just pigs, after all."

The woman thus nodded and settled in her seat, satisfied with her conclusion.

Meanwhile, the girl slapped her palm flat on her own face. Slowly, she then lifted her face, bringing her fingers just over her lips as she groaned, "I really don't understand your standards at all..."

"What I'm saying is, uh..." The woman crossed her arms rolled her eyes around in thought. "Ah! Like, it's nothing compared to, say, a Skinraker, get it?"

"Uwah..." The girl instinctively slinked away, clutching her arms. "that's another one I haven't heard of..."

"Hm? I've never told you that one? It's a pretty common lesser demon." She then wore a menacing grin over her face and loomed over the poor girl, saying with a deep, foreboding voice, "The Demon General, Malediktos, sends them in hordes to steal the skins of virgins so he can use them for all kinds of evil sorcery!! Bwahahahaha!"

"A-ahh..." The girl shivered. "Sure he did."

"She."

"Ueh?"

"Malediktos is a female demon. A succubus, to be precise."

The girl turned away, no longer able to process any further information coming her way. "Right..."

"Anyway, if it's just brute force, I would say that a horde of clawed, flesh-rending daemons are the bare-minimum to get me excited!"

"Uh-huh..."

Just as she said this, the woman slipped her head out of the window once more.

"Ah!" she yelled, bringing her arm out of the window and pointing to the distance, "That must be the camp!"

"Huh?" After adjusting her glasses away from the sun's glare, she too peeked her head out the window.

In the distance, wooden palisades were slowly encircling a field of tents and bonfires. Countless tiny dots, each representing a soldier of the Raffalian army, skittered hither and dither as the camp grew even now.

"...aren't there a bit too many people?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

But instead of answering the question, the woman instead returned to her seat and went silent.

"Umm... Miss Heroine?"

A sour expression now dominated her once cheerful face, and it would not change for the remainder of the trip.

A white carriage came to a halt at the center of the camp.

Immediately, soldiers and officers flocked in droves to catch a glimpse of the famed Heroine of Rafale. But as the door flew open, what came out was not the graceful, kind and spirited maiden they were expecting. While the woman who descended from the vehicle was indeed as dazzling as the rumors suggested, what graced the onlookers was not the captivating smile promised by those same rumors, but a thorny scowl.

Nevertheless, the crowd cheered in awe, chanting her praises and glorifying her name.

But the heroine paid them no heed. Instead, she marched forth, parting the crowd from her very presence, as her eyes shot from side to side, in search of someone.

Her companion soon descended from the carriage, crying, "Miss Heroine...! Please wait for me!"

Meanwhile, she had just found the person she was looking for.

A bald head approached from the back of the crowd, flanked by a tall man in a full-suit of greenish-silver armor. She trained her eyes on its faint glint all the way until the face emerged from behind the wall of onlookers.

The man gazed at her with a hint of disdain, the wrinkles on the ridge of his eyes contracting somewhat as the two made eye contact.

"Welcome to Camp Lagrande, Spear Maiden," he said, parting his hands towards both sides, "we have been expecting you."

"What is the meaning of this, Senator Renault?" she pointedly asked.

"What ever do you mean?"

"Why are all these people here? I thought I told you Senate pencil-pushers that I could handle this on my own."

"Of course, of course. We believe in your capabilities, dear Spear Maiden," he said with pointed sarcasm, "but a battlefield is not quite the same as a sunny stroll around the Milletronne Woods, in search for stray monsters. As such, when the senate drafted the resolution, we also came to agree that a... support force was necessary. To guarantee your victory, of course."

He then draped his arm over the pauldron of the man standing beside him.

"The Milice of three different cities were mobilized, bolstering the 3rd Battalion of Army - East, as you can see. And furthermore, I took it upon myself to gather my best men - the Knights of Zerillion!"

On this cue, the armored knight swung open his visor, revealing his face.

"Woah!" one of the spectating soldiers cried, "Isn't that... Saint Georges!?"

People flocked around him in a heartbeat.

"Saint Georges the Invincible!?" shrieked a female soldier, "Here!? No way! Parchment... I need a parchment for his autograph!"

The man looked at those around, his smooth smile glistening amidst a ray of sunlight beaming down on his face. And as he turned his body, the air seemed to shimmer.

"Uoooh! That must be the Ghost Mantle of Telestine!" another soldier screamed.

"They say it's impervious to damage, and at the same time invisible to the naked eye!"

"I can't believe I'm seeing it in person!"

But even while many soldiers, male and female, swooned over this apparent celebrity, the Spear Maiden, unaware of who this person was, only raised an eyebrow.

"It's Saint Georges, Miss Heroine." Her companion muttered close to her ear. "An up-and-coming knight of the Order of Zerillion. He has bested every knight in tournaments without a single scratch."

"Heeh." The Spear Maiden was unconvinced, however.

"As you can see," Senator Renault finally interjected, "we basically outnumber the Eastals two-to-one. And with the Knights of Zerillion leading our charge, this battle is already won. So you can just relax and leave everything to us. Don't worry, you will have your share of the glory afterwards, Dear Heroine."

She couldn't tell if it was what he said, or the tone with which he said it that really struck her chord. But either way, she was reaching the breaking point of her patience.

With clenched fists, she muttered, "Glory? I don't give a ratling's ass about that..."

"Hm?"

Then, all of a sudden, the Spear Maiden lunged forward and lifted the Senator by his collar. "But who the hell are you to come up here and ruin my fun, huh!?"

"F-fun...!?" The man struggled, unable to pry himself from her grip. "What foolishness is this!?"

"Go home! All of you! I can take an army or two on my own!"

"An army you say," he sneered even as his legs swung in the air, "Absurd. Even if you're the heroine- ngf!" He then grunted as she tightened her grip around him and lifted him higher.

Stunned, none of the onlookers were able to lift a single finger to save the beleaguered Senator. Not even the celebrity knight that, mere seconds earlier, everyone was swooning over.

Nobody, except one.

"Miss Heroine!" the girl ran up to her and tugged on the furious heroine's arm. "Please let him down!"

Soon, even the Spear Maiden began to feel the stares centered around her. Though, by itself, it couldn't quite quench her fury.

It wasn't until a second man emerged from the crowd and reasoned with her, that she simmered down. He was the Senator's lieutenant. Well-spoken and clearly the son of an aristocrat, he nonetheless did not exude the same pompous attitude as his kin.

"Dear Heroine," he said, "please forgive us our intrusion. It was not our intention to insult you. The Senate's mandate was only to make sure that you did not come to any harm during this campaign. As Rafale's heroine, you of course understand how important you are to the country; to the people. So please."

Somehow, this person annoyed her most of all. Especially because of how he poured cold water over her rage, and she couldn't help but to calm down.

Soon enough, she released the senator, in mid-air, allowing him to fall on his ass. Immediately, the old man staggered onto his feet, leering bitterly at her before turning away. "Kuh! ...Damn Monster," he grumbled under his breath.

Ignoring him, she, too, stormed off, sulking, "Aa-ah! That's it! I don't care anymore!"

"M-miss Heroine!?" The girl yelled out. "Where are you going!?"

"I don't want to waste my time on a boring fight! I'm going to sleep. Go ahead and win this battle. I don't care."

"Eeeeh!?" She immediately chased after her. "You can't do that Miss Heroine! We need you to fight just a little bit...!"

The girl apologized to nearly every person she came across as she weaved her way through the slowly dissipating crowd. All the while, she could hear the mutterings of the soldiers she passed.

"What a strange heroine," they would say, "what's her problem?"

"Fun? Does she have a screw loose? As if I wanted to be hauled all the way out here."

"I'd like to see my daughter rather than be out campaigning...."

"Tsk. I really can't get how these aristocrat folks think."

"A shame, she looked so pretty, too."

"Just let it go. No point in people like that. Let's grab some chow."

Their words stung, in the same way it hurt hearing slander towards her friends or family. But till the end, all she could do was mumble, under her breath, "You're wrong... you're wrong!"

But whilst she ran, she soon caught a voice behind her, yelling, "Wait, Miss!"

Though she had no reason to believe it was her that the voice was calling out to, she nonetheless planted her feet down and stopped.

And when she turned around, the lieutenant from earlier was there, approaching her, patting off something in his hand.

"Here, you dropped this," he said, as he handed him a familiar item.

"Eh?" She reached over her head, and just now realized that her beret was, indeed, gone. "T-thank you..."

"We both have it rough, huh?" he said, with a meek smile.

"Ueh? Ahh..." A hint of melancholy surfaced in her expression. "Sort of...? I guess."

He chuckled. "Well, I'll see you around, then."

"Ah-" She outstretched her hand towards him, but alas, he was already out of reach.

She then muttered under her breath, "She... isn't usually like this..."

She is a bit weird, but deep inside, she's really a nice person...

Thus, leaving these words unsaid, she slipped her beret back on and returned in pursuit of the Spear Maiden.

Moments later, the girl finally caught up with the heroine who was making a beeline for the tent assigned to them.

"Miss Heroine, wait up!"

"Hm?" By this point the woman had cooled down enough to acknowledge her presence. "Ah. Where d'you go?"

"I, um, dropped my hat."

"Pfft."

"A-anyway, you're not really going to sleep through the entire campaign, are you? What about the battle you were looking forward to?"

"What are you talking about? It's ruined! With all these guys playing bodyguard, there's no thrill! What's even the point of a battle that you know you won't lose?"

"Eeeh...? Please be reasonable, Miss Heroine... the Senate couldn't have let you go out on a suicide mission."

"Tch!"

Even as she headed for her tent, the Spear Maiden felt a sharp gaze pointed towards her. She didn't make it out until now from the sheer number of onlookers, but it was quite different to the way most of the soldiers looked at her.

Then, right at the corner of her eyes, she caught the piercing gaze of a young woman with shining green eyes, soft cheeks and short, bobbing blonde hair. It lasted for just a split-second before the latter turned away and left with the rest of the spectators.

Hmm...? That expression... doesn't suit that girl. Her face looks so kind and yet...

"Ho...?" she muttered as a vicious grin surfaced on her lips, "That's interesting."

They soon approached their tent. It was decidedly larger than most, and the inside had more than enough room for both of them and their luggage.

The two sat in their respective beds, though in the heroine's case, she was already laying on her side, whilst they chatted.

"So, what now?" the girl asked, "Do you want to go home after coming all the way out here?"

"No," she answered without delay, "Not yet."

"Ueh?" Her eyes flickered.

"I have a feeling that I might see something fun, after all..."

"...eh?"

Thus, leaving her aide with that single, foreboding line, the Heroine turned in, as promised, and slept for the rest of the day.