I grumble to myself as I ride Buttercup back down into the third ring.
In my hand is a nearly perfectly transparent crystal orb that functions as a communication device.
I hate it, but in the end I could not deny any of the emperor’s words.
…
“Tell me, you want to make a difference but in the end what exactly do you plan to do?”
Urk. I cringed because at the moment I really didn’t have much in the way of a plan.
In my defense, I have not exactly had the time to give it much thought.
Being treated as a science experiment by everyone and everything, even the universe itself, I have not had the down time to think things over.
“See, that is what I thought. I have lived for ages and have thought of many ways to get what I want, so… How about we make a deal?”
…
It was a pain, but he really did have some good ideas that perfectly aligned with how I saw things.
The last hero did prove to be a perfect example of all the wrong ways to go about it.
Even the Guildmaster chimed in with examples of how the partnership would work.
Thankfully I was mostly given free reign to do whatever I wanted without being ordered around.
I guess I had earned some trust in my own decisions during the negotiations.
I laugh mockingly to myself as I look down at the object in my other hand.
My father’s Mana Core.
The perfect violet crystal glimmering in the darkness of the third ring.
I was on the verge of crying my eyes out again, but I forced it back.
I can’t go around being a wimpy Demon Lord or Hero by letting my emotions get to me so easily.
I need to be strong.
I let the core slip through my fingers and fall into my shadow.
“Sigh. We are going to need a lot of cores and a lot of demons for this to all even begin to work.”
“Not looking forward to naming them?”
I chuckle wryly at Alice’s joke, I can tell she is trying to cheer me up.
It’s nice.
“Sure, that too. But I am just exhausted from today and want to curl up in a proper bed without having to worry about monsters waking me up.”
“You were about to start on the ‘Great Demon Castle’ as you put it before everything went down. Just a little more and you can rest easy.”
I knock my head against her shoulder and let myself relax as I draw up the plans for the castle in the air.
Dots of light string together to build a 3D mesh of the structure as I talk the design over with Alice while Prim chimes in from the back.
Prim was actually the one who provided the most useful knowledge on the structure, as the memories of that guild employee she consumed included many ways to break into secure buildings.
There were apparently a lot of holes in my initial design.
Speaking of that guild employee, the Guildmaster never mentioned him. I hope he didn’t know the guy or that may make things difficult.
…
Finally we reach the bottom of the cliff and I can’t even be bothered to be surprised at the mountain of monster corpses that has accumulated in the meantime.
“Ah, welcome back my lord, dearest mother. We have encountered quite a few beasts and thought to collect them for you.”
Sec sleeks back his hair and rests his hand on the handle to his katana as he speaks.
Honestly, these kids are all super weird, but extremely capable.
Snappy comes charging in asking for head pats and I feel myself finally, truly, relax.
Ironic, considering I'm in the third ring, a place considered a nightmare even for experienced adventurers.
“Alright, one last push and then I am passing the fuck out.”
I grin a little as I think of the monstrosity I am about to create.
Standing up off my soft wooden chair, I get to work on my castle.
----------------------------------------
“Damn it!”
A silver haired woman slams her fist down on the grey wood table.
“Please calm down, your aura will damage the carpet.”
Sitting at his desk, the King of Alcott winces at The Oracle’s behavior.
“That scaly bastard! He is trying to steal the Hero from us!”
Sighing, King Agustus Alcott tries to calm his mentor down.
“It can’t be helped. The girl was murdered by her own parents, nobles of our nation. I can understand why she would rather serve under the emperor.”
His statement elicits a glare from the sharp faced woman.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“A-At least we managed to get one the emperor to promise to let one of your own people onto the Hero’s team.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Fool. He promised no such thing. He said that he would allow a member of our nation to interview, but the decision would be left up to the girl alone. We have no guarantee that she will accept our candidate… Bastard!”
Slam!
The spirit wood table in the King’s office starts to creak as the owner of said table mutters about looking into getting a punching bag for the angry oracle.
“What information have you managed to scrounge up on the girl?”
“Well, we have the mages going through her mother’s memories, but you know that such things can be inaccurate.”
Finally having gotten her anger out, The Oracle leans back into the sofa and starts to wipe down the spilled tea scattered across the table.
“Just tell me what you have.”
The king just sighs in resignation, knowing his information will likely only worsen her mood.
“She is a rebellious girl who always pushed back against her lessons as a child. asking questions her mother could not answer, this would embarrass her mother, and anger her due to the mother’s dependence on her religion.
As you know her mother is part of the Duskallen like her father was. However the girl seemed to refuse to subscribe to the same beliefs.”
“How apt for a Hero.”
The Duskallen are a religious group that seems to side with the Demon Lord, it is only natural that the girl would be against such faith.
“Anyway, the girl seems to dislike authority and is highly trained.”
Not wanting to drag things out much longer, and because the information on the Hero is rather limited, the King sums up all the information as succinctly as possible.
“Yes.. Her father was one of our best fighters. I am amazed she managed to beat him. Drask said she was only Class 3 right?”
“Yes, the power of a Hero must be a real boost.”
Hmm. I just don’t understand why my future sight never warned me of any of these events…
The Oracle usually would know of at least most important events beforehand with her Oracle Magic.
Especially information regarding the kingdom she watches over.
The fact that she knew nothing of the Hero’s circumstances or the Duskallen’s means that someone or something out there is interfering with her ability.
She is plenty used to that though.
“That irritating man passes out charms to block my divination like candy. I swear he enjoys tormenting me.”
The King struggles to find any words to respond with, but ultimately fails before The Oracle gets back on track.
“Nevermind that, who should we send to be our candidate? I would go myself but-”
“You know the other nations would never allow that.”
The man was getting sharper as he settled into his new role.
No longer was he flailing around like a chick tossed from its nest.
“Hmph, acting more like the king you are finally.”
The Oracle can’t help but praise him for his improvements.
“No thanks to you.”
And she immediately regrets it.
“Brat.”
Halting the banter, the King gets back to relaying the information that the countries spies and information brokers have acquired.
“Anyway, I believe we should send someone around her age. Someone who she can connect with. I hear there was a group of adventurers that were overly pushy with her and paid for it. They also attacked her girlfriend because she looks a bit like an elf.”
The Oracle was aghast when she first heard of the same thing from Drask, The Dragon Emperor.
The tales he told of the adventurer’s actions were rather disgusting.
Paying no heed to the personal space or opinions of the girl as though she were just some random toddler they had picked off the street.
Then attacking her lover unprovoked, even if she looked like an elf, attacking without reason was incredibly stupid.
Slumping her shoulders at the difficulty of the task ahead, The Oracle sinks deeper into a hunch over the coffee table.
“That is a lot of restrictions on who we can choose… Won’t someone like that be too weak to be of any benefit anyway?”
Anyone around the girl’s age would be Class 1 at best, Class 2 if they were a supreme prodigy and battle junky.
“It is better to have someone by her side than no one at all.”
“Ugh.”
The Oracle flops back into the sofa, her silver hair falling across her sharp features and her arms splayed out at her sides.
“Your stony facade is cracking.”
“Quiet you.”
This brat just keeps getting more and more impertinent.
While the Oracle fixes her appearance, the King mulls things over.
He knows the nobility in the kingdom far better than his mentor does after all the endless work he has been doing since the whole Demon Lord incident began.
“Hmm, I do have one person I know of that may be a good fit.”
Those words are like music to the ears of The Oracle as she sits up straight and presses the young king for details.
“Oh really? Do tell.”
----------------------------------------
Sera Varas excitedly looked up at the gate to the imperial palace in the capital of the Dragon Empire.
Hono city. A sea of buildings several times the size of her own country's capital.
The mountain air is crisp this early in the morning and she can taste it even through the carriage windows.
It is refreshing.
Especially compared to the stuffy atmosphere back home.
She can hear the ambassador discussing things with the palace guards, but she does not pay attention to their conversations at all.
She is here for one reason, and one reason alone. To join the Hero’s party.
It had been about three months since the Hero was found, and the Dragon Empire was finally allowing people to meet with her.
Sera was shocked to learn that the Hero was originally a noble from her own nation.
She was even more shocked to learn that the girl had essentially defected, or declared herself independent of any nation.
The young noble could understand not wanting to be associated with the Alcott Kingdom after what happened to her, but not being part of any nation… She couldn’t imagine living in such an unsecure way.
As Sera mulled things over, the chatter outside finally stopped.
The carriage was finished being checked and they were allowed to pass through the barrier.
Outside she could see thick pitch black rods of stone jutting out of the ground, as well as towers of basalt and silver gleaming in under the morning light.
This whole city was centered around a vast mountain range between the great divide and the sea of trees.
And the castle is located on its peak.
The mountains are not nearly as tall as the ones in the great divide, but they still evoke a sense of wonder as you look down from the cloudy ramparts.
A sprawling prosperous city fills the land below.
“We're here, please be on your best behavior. And make sure to get in the Hero’s good graces.”
Sera internally rolled her eyes at the slightly too gaudily dressed ambassador’s words.
She had been told to get along with the Hero at any cost so many times that she wondered if they thought she had the memory of a Bulktrat.
Even those flying brainless fish would not need to be told something this many times.
She disembarked the carriage and followed the guards into the palace before being seated in a waiting room.
She was nervous, the person she was meeting was the Hero. Someone who was chosen by the world to lead humanity, and someone who had defeated her own father, a peak Class 4, all while only being Class 3.
They may have both been nobles of the same kingdom, but they had never met.
Sera was the daughter of a Duke while Lua was the daughter of a newly minted Baron. That, plus Lua’s spartan upbringing, meant she was never seen at any formal balls or political gatherings.
Sera wondered just what kind of person this Hero was.
The door silently opened and a guard entered rather stiffly.
“The Hero will see you now.”