Coran led the children to the upper level of the building, leaving Berith to her own work.

They came across a set of two rooms- one on each side of the hallway, and they entered the one on the left.

"This is my room. You all will be temporarily staying here until we've cleaned up the town and prepared it for your return.", Coran said while opening the fleshy door.

Inside was a large empty area, and in the very corner was a small hammock.

Coran put his insectoid arm to his chin in thought as he walked around.

"Mmm.... I suppose we can't have 30 people staying in here without any bedding. After all, I wouldn't want to lower myself to the level of that witch. Alright."

Coran swung over to his hammock and began expanding the area which it covered, until eventually it covered over half the room and was now hung by four corners instead of just 2 as if it were the net underneath a trapeze.

"This should be about right. I've been ordered to rest, so I am going to do exactly that until tonight. You all should rest up as well."

Alicia seemed to be freaking out over Coran's sudden invitation, but many of the younger children jumped into the large hammock, making their way to the middle where Coran was.

"Alright!"

"Let's rest!"

Soon, many of the other children followed, each taking up their own place in the massive bed.

Alicia reluctantly took her own place, making her way toward Coran, who was now closing his eyes with all six of his hands behind his head, and many young children at his sides.

She took her place near him, and Coran opened a single of his four eyes, looking over at her.

"You're supposed to be resting. Why do you look so awkward?"

"Um.... it's just.... nothing...."

Alicia made herself comfortable, and the children cuddled up to her as well.

"I would have never been able to do this if it weren't for my masters.", Coran said with all his eyes closed. "I never would have imagined that life could be easy, or that I would ever be able to rest."

Alicia smiled bitterly.

She realized just how little she truly understood Coran.

She was really nothing more than a pampered queen who had been thrusted out of her own hive, and she had been riding with the flow the entire time.

But after spending so much time with Coran, she changed her own views.

She now had these children between the two to protect, and even if they were not her own, they were individuals which she cared for as if she were their own mother- not like the children she reared herself who were nothing more than drones.

"Mhm.", she replied. "Then, let's make sure that we create a place where these children don't have to worry about whether or not they will be able to rest."

Coran chuckled, and nodded.

"Is that really what a couple of monsters like us should be doing? After all, we've killed a lot of people to get to this point. And for my masters, I would kill a million more if they gave the order."

"Even if we have to kill many more, I wouldn't mind.... as long as it's with you."

Coran opened his eyes, and smiled at Alicia.

He held out his humanoid hand, and interlocked it with her own humanoid hand, which she reluctantly grasped in return.

"Then, we'll do exactly that. We'll become monsters for the sake of my masters, and for the sake of these children."

----

Oraguth patiently awaited the return of Troy to the chambers which he had been assigned.

He gripped the pin which had been given to him by his masters, which would allow him to escape to the Dictatorship in an instant.

'I don't want all my work to go to waste.... it would be best if the hero was still indebted to us. If he's become arrogant, this could become quite the problem.'

The door to the barracks then opened, and in stormed the man himself.

The hero of the Vythguard Empire, Troy.

Oraguth had been raised to the 9th tier of strength as a result of his master's ability.

This meant that the man in front of him was likely his equal.

If they were to fight, the outcome would be undetermined.

However, Troy would likely be able to mobilize others underneath him, which would put Oraguth at a disadvantage. He would lose.

Troy didn't look angry or vengeful though.

He merely looked exhausted, yet relieved.

"Everyone. I have an announcement to make."

The men in the barracks gathered around Troy before he spoke.

"I have bad news and good news. The bad news..... is that the Emperor, Percius IV has been slain."

Troy had a pained expression as he bluntly delivered the news. The expressions of the men around him turned to shock and concern, and many gasps were heard.

"The Emperor!?"

"He's been killed!?!?!?"

"How could this be!?!?"

"And by no less than the hero of the Ruthobold Kingdom. As such, we are going to be headed off to war."

"The hero!?!"

"Why would he do such a thing!?!?!? That's.... unbelievable...."

Many men were stunned at this terrible proclamation.

Percius IV was the very beacon of light for the Empire.

Everything he did was glazed in justice and righteousness. For him to be killed was to kill off the very man who united the people of the Empire and brought it forward, beyond the social stagnancy which the Empire once had.

The assassination of the Emperor was the very slaughter of reason and cooperation itself, and a statement which could only spell the doom of humanity.

"It's very disturbing to have to report this to you all.... but with every dark cloud there is a silver lining. Percius V has now taken his position as the Emperor.... and his first order as the new Emperor was to strip Brutus of his position as a Senator! We've done it! Even though this is a time for mourning for our great leader, it is also a time of celebration, for our goal has at last been accomplished!"

"That's wonderful news."

"We've done it!"

"It's terrible that the Emperor is dead, but at least we can get our daughters back!"

"And they won't be taxing our lands so harshly anymore!"

The solemn atmosphere quickly became one of joy and celebration.

Namely at the accomplishment of a goal that was once thought to be impossible by such a small group.

"But it is not my own achievements through which this happened. Oraguth! It is because of you that we have made it to this point! We would never have come this far, were it not for the backing of you and your masters!"

"Thank you, Sir Oraguth!!"

"We've come all this way because of you!!"

Oraguth looked around at the men around him, and then to Troy, trying to read him.

'He doesn't seem to have grown arrogant, but it could be a facade to deceive me.'

"Thank you, gentlemen. But there is something else, isn't there Troy?"

Troy looked surprised as seeing that Oraguth had figured this out, but nodded.

"There is one more thing. The Indeterminant arrived in the court of the Emperor today.... and it seems that I have been selected as the hero of the Vythguard Empire."

"Ehh!?!"

"Troy!"

"Is that really true!?"

"The hero!?!"

Troy put his hand behind his back, not exactly proud of his own power.

"It's true. But I don't mean to flaunt myself. I now have a duty to perform as a hero. But I want to ask you, Sir Oraguth. You and your masters are the ones who have supported us. It is because of you all that I became a hero like this, and so I have no intention to betray that kindness."

Oraguth gave Troy a strange look.

"You understand well that we only established this faction for our own benefit, right? In order to get information for our own purposes."

"Of course, I understand that.... but I cannot deny everything that you have done for us. Therefore, as the hero of the country, I would like to work under the orders of your masters in order to pay them back. I am loyal to them before even the Emperor of this country."

Oraguth grinned at hearing this.

"Is that so? Then, as per the orders of my master, I wish for you to continue to serve underneath the Emperor, and keep me informed on the movements of those within the Empire. That should be enough for now."

'I don't know if I can trust him for certain, but it would be strange for him to backstab us if he wasn't going to do it right now. After all, I am more vulnerable now than I will be in the future. There would be no reason for him to remain loyal to us if he were going to betray us later. I guess this is his sense of justice? A stupid thing, but it seems like those people who do cling to justice will never be able to go against their nature. If they feel that they owe someone, they won't rest until they've paid them back. It's a dumb thing, but I suppose I can accept that as his reasoning.'

Troy nodded to Oraguth.

"Then, I will do exactly that, Sir Oraguth."

And so, the presence of the antiheroes within the Capital of the Empire remained, and Oraguth was able to continue keeping an eye on the actions of both the Emperor and the Indeterminant.

----

In the village of Porta, the Senator and Mrs. Fera once again were patiently awaiting the arrival of news on the monster.

"Slith did say he would return with the head of the monster in two minutes, no?", Mrs. Fera asked while folding her hands in her seat. "It's certainly been far beyond that."

The Senator of Porta nodded grimly.

"But, this is Slith. He is the strongest man in the world, rumored to have breached the 7th tier. And you gave him something, didn't you?"

Mrs. Fera nodded.

"There was a certain man in this town who was doing research on strengthening of the human body using demonic energy. While that man passed away in the recent massacre, I made sure that his research didn't go to waste by presenting the finished product to that mercenary so that he may use it as an emergency measure."

The Senator looked up with a slight bit of hope.

"Even if he has taken over 2 minutes, perhaps he is not as greedy a man as we thought. Maybe he is the type who enjoys playing with his food and taking his time, and he forgot all about the 2 minute time limit which he set? I cannot imagine him losing. And especially so if you presented him with an emergency measure."

The two nodded simultaneously, deciding that there was nothing to worry about.

"Even so.... this is a massive setback for the town of Porta. I will have to fork out his price, and most of the working men in the town have been killed...."

"It's a tragedy.... I can assure you that my orphanage and factory will do all we can to help out."

"Thank you. It would be a real help."

"I heard that one of your butlers died on the mission. Was he an important man to you?"

"Ah, yes.... he was a very skilled butler, and it will certainly be difficult to find a replacement for him. His presence in this home will be greatly missed."

"I see.... I'm sorry for your loss...."

The Senator looked at Mrs. Fera with saddened eyes.

"But it is you who have lost out more than anyone, no?"

Mrs. Fera let out a sigh.

"Indeed.... I can only hope that at least a few of the children will be saved from that thing...."

The two then looked down, sulking.

Two awkward hours passed.

"Do you think that Slith has died?", Mrs. Fera asked. "He seemed very reluctant to accept that potion.... perhaps the spider exceeded him in strength, and he was too proud to consume it?"

"No, there is no way that Slith could have been killed. Perhaps he has simply killed it and forgotten to report back to us. I'm sure he will come by at some point to collect his pay."

"I see...."

Suddenly, they heard a knocking at the door.

"Oh? It seems that Slith has returned. I'll get it.", the Senator said while getting up from his seat with great effort.

However, on opening the door, the Senator was met with an unexpected face.

"Senator Brutus? Is there a reason why you have come here yourself? Are you here to accept Slith's payment? A servant could have been sent if that were the case."

"Senator Augustus. I've come here with some grave news that effects not only myself, but everyone in this country."

Stepping out of the way, Senator Augustus of Porta welcomed Brutus into his home.

"Please, take a seat in the living room. But does this mean that you are not here because of Slith?"

"Slith? Well, I am here because I needed to get into contact with him as well. For now, let's sit and talk."

Brutus made his way over to a seat in the room with the fireplace, and folded his hands while dangling them in front of him.

"The Emperor has been killed. The young Emperor has taken over and established a tyrannical rule. He removed me from my position as Senator just this morning, and I fear he plans to do the same for all Senators who he dislikes. He has already taken control of the legions and plans to send them off to war with the Kingdom, as the hero of the Kingdom was responsible for the assassination of the Emperor, and the young Emperor has made contact with the Indeterminant as well- and the hero of the Empire has been awakened and is now under his command."

Looking up, Brutus saw that the faces of Mrs. Fera and Senator Augustus were that of horror.

"Hold up just a moment, Brutus!! This is too much all at once!!"

"Indeed. Far too much. Which is why I intend to unite all those under me so that we can cease this madness and return the Empire to its previous state. I need your support, and I also have come for Slith..... I intend on using his abilities to assassinate the young Emperor."

Augustus was filled with surprise, but soon came to his senses.

"This is..... the Empire is in a terrible state then. Are you sure you have the power to fight the young Emperor and the legions underneath him?"

Brutus looked up with a confident smile.

"I just need to reorganize those underneath me. As soon as we are united, we will have more than enough power. I have many contacts within each legion as well, so our soldiers will not lose in number even to those loyally serving the Emperor. The only problem is the hero, but if the Emperor is assassinated while he is off on campaign, there won't be an issue."

Augustus nodded, but he was trembling from the massive amount of information he had been sprung upon.

"My goodness...."

Brutus then looked over to Mrs. Fera.

"Ah! Mrs. Fera! It's been quite a while since I've seen you, hasn't it! Not since I interfered and assisted you in gaining the right to inherit the orphanage, and helped fund the factory! How is the business going?"

Mrs. Fera smiled at Brutus, but this quickly became a sour frown.

"Unfortunately, we've run into a number of issues due to this monster which has invaded. I can only hope that Slith will kill that thing as soon as possible and salvage as much as he can."

"I see.... he hasn't returned yet? When did he arrive?"

"2 hours ago was when he left to kill the monster. We thought that perhaps he decided to have someone else come by to collect his payment."

On hearing this, Brutus' eyes went wide.

"No no no.... Slith always collects his payment himself.... he would never just leave and send someone by to collect it....."

"What?!", Augustus and Mrs. Fera simultaneously shouted.

"He... he really left 2 hours ago and hasn't returned??"

"Yes...."

"I can't imagine him losing or dying but... this is certainly strange behavior for him. I will wait here with you all, if you don't mind, for his return."

"Of course, I don't mind. Please, make yourself as home.", Augustus stated. "I will bring some wine."

Getting up, the old Senator left to get some wine, but he was filled with concern.

'Just where did Slith go?'

----

Niri was never the type of person who would take any funny business.

If she felt that someone was doing something wrong or suspicious, she was always the first person to call them out and address the matter.

As a mercenary, her job was to train herself and take on requests. The stronger she became, the more requests she would be able to accept, and the higher they would pay. Of course, these requests were always legal.

She was aware that there was a 'black market' so to speak, for mercenaries where they would get paid to do illegal requests, but she tended to stay away from those types of jobs.

One time, Niri had discovered a request on a black market for mercenaries to raid the home of a magic user.

Witch hunts in this day and age were illegal, but Niri could not accept that they were still going on, so instead she decided to meet up with the person who was gathering mercenaries.

"Oh? Let me ask you something, girl. Are you in this for the pay, or do you hate magic users as well?", the slim man asked as they stood across from each other in a dark alleyway.

"I was just curious about the request. That's all."

The dead body of a young man was found in an alleyway that day, and he had not been robbed. A crossbow bolt was found in his chest, and determined to be the cause of death.

Niri was a woman who couldn't sit back and say nothing, if she felt that something was wrong.

But why then, had she been unable to move when she was faced with that wasp queen?

And why had she listened to the spider and the wasp as they explained their perspective?

It was because after listening to them, she did not have the usual feeling she had when she saw something wrong.

When those men in the hall attacked her, she felt like she needed to do something about them.

But after hearing the story told my those two monsters, she no longer felt like she needed to do anything about them.

Right now Niri felt like she needed to do something about Mrs. Fera.

But she would be patient, as the monsters said they had a plan.

And she was a part of that plan.

Right now, Niri, Kraven, and Patrick were all waiting together in the doctor's office, and Kraven paced back and forth, thinking.

"Is there anyone in the town that we should save?", Kraven asked.

The three seemed to think real hard, trying to envision each and every person within the town, before all coming to the same conclusion.

"No. There is nobody worth saving."