Vol. 3 CH. 11 - The pitiful girl

PART #1

"Anyone caught helping the hero Taiga Kurosawa will be punished for disobeying a royal decree"

Everyone who were present in the throne room knew of the outcome of Taiga's reckless endeavor as a hero. It wouldn't even be funny if they all admitted that they too once helped Taiga in order to make him strong.

The nobles who didn't have anything to do with Taiga from the start and those who had little connection with him couldn't hide their shock as Queen Isabelle chose to abandon the hero that was supposed to protect Travestin.

"W-Wait a minute!! You can't do that!!"

"And why not?"

Taiga, who's gone pale from such order desperately tried to grasp to the only silver of hope before him.

"I-I'm the hero of this place! Who's going to protect you all from monsters and Demon Lords?!"

"We would make do with our current allied nation Ambrosia. It seems that they have the strength to drive monsters away even with small numbers"

Queen Isabelle received reports of the Black Army's feat in battle. Of course, there were some that exaggerated the report but nevertheless, the Army lead by Kuro was enough to exterminate monster infested lands which were lost when those monsters attacked.

Furthermore, their relay of information was fast. Enough for even Queen Isabelle to be frightened at how fast they exchange infformation with one another.

It was evident that it was best to ally themselves with Ambrosia with sufficient power to protect not only themselves but other nations as well.

"That's got to be a joke! You can't do this to a hero!!"

"Yes well, in records of long history, there has never been a hero caged and shackled before. But as they say, there is always a first"

"S-Stop shitting me!!"

*Bang!!* The cage rattled as Taiga tried to pull his arm.

"I am.... a hero!! Aria-sama! Please tell them that I've been doing everything I can to protect this kingdom!! Tell them that I've been fighting with the first Demon Lord ever since I came to this world!!"

Taiga called for Princess Aria. The little girl who followed his adventure from the start to now. She had witnessed everything that Taiga and his party have done.

That was the case but....

"Unfortunately, Aria-sama didn't see much if anything you've done"

Leticia finally spoke. Inside her cage with her head down before the Queen, Leticia answered in Princess Aria's defense.

"What are you....."

"You are Leticia Rembrandt. The one who became my daughter's personal guard correct? I've heard from my husband, is that true?"

"Yes your Highness"

Both ignored the speechless Taiga, who couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Can you elaborate what you just said? What do you mean by Aria did not see much of this hero's actions?"

"Yes. The truth is....."

From the start, Leticia was already suspicious of Taiga. From the day when the youngest princess got interested of the red headed hero to the day where Leticia herself found out Taiga's true color.

Indeed Princess Aria have been following Taiga for a long time now. Since the day they left the castle to raise their levels to the day they came back from battles.

However Leticia did something that Taiga didn't know. She made sure that Princess Aria had no knowledge of the many cruel things that Taiga and his party did. She block Aria's ears and eyes to prevent her from ever seeing the darkness of the hero she adored.

In every battle, Leticia guards and protects only Princess Aria. That every monster that they faced, it was Leticia that would always go and fight them for the princess's sake.

So that she wouldn't be endangered.

So that she would never be tainted.

Leticia even let he body be toyed by Taiga and his party members....

"I've been using illusion magic on the princess to prevent her from ever knowing the true colors of Taiga Kurosawa"

"That's a lie!!"

They were mostly together. It wouldn't make sense if none of the party members even noticed her doing so.

"With a weak smile, Leticia turned her head towards Taiga....

"You broke your promise first right?"

"!?"

The promise that Taiga made with Leticia. That he won't touch Princess Aria if she were to giver herself to him. Leticia did what Taiga wanted and let herself be toyed by everyone of his male party members again and again, soiling her pride as a noble.

However Taiga didn't kept what he promised. She played with Princess Aria's body and soul.

"Leticia!!"

Princess Aria calls towards Leticia, tears streaming down her eyes.

"My feelings for Taiga-sama is true! I was the one that accepted Taiga-sama's love, that is why—"

"Aria"

Queen Isabelle interrupted Princess Aria. Her expression was like a raging dragon.

"Did you not hear what you guard have said? She let herself be eaten by a pack of wolves just to protect you yet you made it so that her sacrifice was worthless? I have enough of this ludicrous"

It was headache inducing. That even her daughter was stupid enough to open her legs to a hero that acts so arrogant all the time. Moreover, that hero was sitting on a cage right now.

It was utterly idiotic.

"Kuro-dono"

"Yes?"

This time, Queen Isabelle have made a decision. For the sake of the kingdom and her family.

"You can have the hero and whatever he has. Even his party but I request that please leave Aria and Leticia-sama to me to handle"

"Hoh? Is that a negotiation or a request?"

"If you wish for more, should I pay you for the troubles you've faced for our sakes?"

"Kukuku..... No, this is enough. I'm sure his Majesty will be happy to see that man kneeling at his feet"

A toothed grin appeared wide on Kuro's face. Though he did not plan on taking in the hero that tarnished the life of his king, this was a pleasant outcome as well.

Now Kyoushiro won't need to find Taiga and trouble himself more. 

"Wait! How could you decide it like that?! You guys were the ones that summoned me, why are you doing this to me?!!"

"As a foreign being taken from his world, Taiga's world held some truth in them. He worked to protect this world yet he was being subjected to such unfair trial. 

Then wouldn't it have been better if he wasn't summoned at all?

"How dare you......"

Lucinda words came out. Like a pot boiling up to its brim and spilling out, Lucinda's anger. After all, isn't this unfair trial the same as Kyoushiro went through?

"You are...."

"How dare you call this unfair trial when Kyoushiro-sama suffered far worse of a humiliation than you are right now?!!"

It was in this very throne room. That all of the nobles in the country were present along with all of the heroes. He was accused with some ridiculous crime he didn't even do when he was tasked to save the other heroes. He was hit with magic, battered with kicks and punches.

Lucinda couldn't forget that day. No, she can't forget about it. 

It was because, Taiga was the one that started it all.

"You accused him of attempting to kill the heroes. Then you stole everything he worked for and even tortured him so.... yet you are calling this trial unfair?!"

"Oi! I know you were that standing Queen of that time! How could you take someone side when that bastard is a criminal! I'm the hero of this kingdom, how could you take that guy's side!!?"

"Hero or not, I've already gathered evidence of your convolutions with the Royal Adviser! All for the sakee of clearing my husband's name!"

"Husband?! That weakling Kagami?! He raped you didn't he?! Don't change the facts!"

Lucinda and Taiga went back and forth with each other. Neither of them back down. With the throne room being filled with such shoutings, no one heard Inomiri-sensei coming in.

"Eh? Kurosawa-kun?!!"

There, the throne room was drenched in silence.....

———

"Hiyaa?! What are those things?!"

A shrill scream came from Inomiri-sensei as a Magic Iron Knight appeared behind her and passed over her side. Then, as soon as it reach a certain spot, it glowed for a bit before disappearing.

The sight of a large bulky golem flying around blinking everywhere wasn't good for the heart.

"It has been a while since I came here but many things have changed huh?"

Inomiri-sensei was alone right now. Prince Roderick was busy with all kinds of paper work while the mage Albert was out helping the dried up farmlands using his water magic.

After a few days of resting in the palace, helping here and there as much as she could, Inomiri-sensei decided to take a break.

Back then, she couldn't such thing since she was busy with raising her level with Albert. Prince Roderick came helping right after that. Though it would have been fine if Gaius were to have been with her as well.

"Hehe, just what am I thinking......"

Inomiri-sensei let out a small chuckle as she gaze outside the window....

"Oi! Did you hear? The hero Taiga was captured and out inside a cage!!"

"I know! Princess Aria too was with him as well right? Those damn Demon Spawns!!"

Inomiri-sensei overheard two soldiers talking as they ran passed the hall.

Kurosawa-kun?—

Inomiri-sensei didn't understood what the soldiers meant at first but she slowly realized that there was indeed an uproar inside the castle.

As such, she ran quickly. In order to save another one of her students from ever being hurt.....

PART #2

There was a time when Inomiri-sensei got mixed up with some of the school's delinquents. Naturally, as a new teacher, she still didn't know which students were actually students.

Third years at that time had been unruly and the school board have made request to their parents to dropout their sons in order to avoid further legal actions.

It was thanks to this that Inomiri-sensei was spared from ever going through something horrible.

However there was one thing she couldn't ever forget. It was the face of a certain student who smiled at her as though he enjoyed the terrified look on her face....

———

"

"Eh?!! Kurosawa-kun?!"

Inomiri-sensei was shock. She couldn't prevent her voice from raising as another one of her student was facing another absurd trial.

"Your Highness! What is the meaning of this?!"

"It is as you can see. It has just been decide that Travestin will no longer support Taiga Kurosawa"

"Mother!"

Aria cried out to her mother.

"Please rethink this decision! If Taiga-sama were to disappear, our world will—"

"Aria, there are multiple heroes that were summoned. And it was stupidly decided to separate them into different countries altogether. One hero losing a country's support wouldn't mean anything"

"Wait... what's going on here?"

"Sensei...."

"Aizawa-san....? Just what is.."

"I'll explain everything so for now please calm down"

Mikoto decided to step up and calm Inomiri-sensei down. Because she was late to know of all this and was pretty much untouched for quite sometime, she has few news about what Taiga has been up to in Travestin.

Inomiri-sensei looked worried as she glanced at Taiga but Mikoto showed a wry smile and lead her away from the cages.

"Sensei! Help me! These guys are trying to send me away!!"

Taiga begged for help as he rattled the chains inside the cage he was in.

"Kurosawa-kun...."

"Sensei! save me!!"

"That's enough!"

"Save me already you useless bitch!!"

Taiga's words rang loudly, causing the whole room to fall silent. Even Queen Isabelle, who tried to stop Taiga from talking turned quiet.

"Kurosawa-kun...? What did you just...."

Inomiri-sensei's shoulder felt chills. It was like something had triggered inside her mind. A memory buried by the chaotic days she spent in this world.

"Can't you do your job properly?! Get me out of here!!"

"Taiga-kun! That's enough! This is sense—"

"Shut it! If this was earth, I would have all of you dump into Tokyo bay!!"

Suddenly, inch by inch, Taiga's real personality was rising from his mask. Probably because of the stressed build up, the fatigue of all those days fighting in the first Demon Lord's domain and even going back, he forgot to wear the mask he always have been wearing.

The good looking young man that shined under the rain of praise and the pedestal of life, was showing an unsightly scowl with drool dripping from his lips down to his chin and the strands of his hair sticking onto his skin due to his sweat.

The chains rattled once more. The cage shakes and trembled from the bubbling power that Taiga was unleashing because of his riled up emotion....

"Sensei?"

Mikoto felt that Inomiri-sensei had been silent until now. But when she took a peek at her teacher's expression, there was a unexplainable expression of horror written on her face...

Inomiri.....sensei?"

It was there that Inomiri-sensei remembered the certain student who was smiling at her as those third years were being dragged out of the school....

"Alright, this enough"

Finally, Kuro spoke up.

"It's alright if we take this hero away right? Your Highness?"

"Provided that you agree to my terms that is"

"Hmph, whatever it is I'll do it. For the sake of my king, I'll bring this bastard back with me no matter what"

"Very well. We'll discuss the specifics on a later date. For now, take Taiga Kurosawa and his party into the dungeon. As for Rembrandt-dono and my daughter, will you allow me to have them free?"

"As you wish"

As if there was only two of then speaking, Kuro and Queen Isabelle wrapped up this trial as soon as they could. For one thing, they noticed the changed in Inomiri-sensei's behavior and the other was that Aria was calling out to Queen Isabelle to make her plea.

Then as Queen Isabelle signalled the guards to take away Aria from the premises, Kuro ordered the worker golems to set Leticia free and the others taken to the dungeon.

"Mother!! Onee-sama!!"

"Take Aria to her room. As for her knight, give her clothes and a place to rest. I'll have her report to me later once she's well rested"

Queen Isabelle ignored her pitiful daughter's cry and coldly gave orders one by one. The cages were then lift up by the worker golems and taken below the castle.

Unlike what happened to Kyoushiro, no one suffered horrifying blows that causes one to get severely injured. No one laughed. Just the wails of anger coming from Taiga's cage and the cry of the young princess that was taken to her room....

However the eyes of King Verdik were filled with regret. For it was he that let this happen this far.

A sad father quietly open his eyes at the throne room where only his wife sat next to him.

"Would letting the other hero stay the right answer back then?"

"Even if it was Verdik, the outcome will still be the same"

Sitting on a pair of thrones Queen Isabelle and King Verdik heaved a heavy sigh as the throne room returned to it's peace and quiet.

———

"Go fetch the army. You'll be doing your jobs as necromancers after that"

It was two days that Velázquez, Barth's employer ordered him and his companions. It was unknown when Velázquez had planned everything but Barth was surprised when he arrived at the place where Velázquez ordered him to go.

Inside a forest that lies close to the Mist lake, there was a cave there dug unusually. The were far apart and the ceiling was high. There were torches hung high above the walls as though it was intended for a large number of different sizes of people to come and go in this place.

Or that there were big carts hauling something from the inside that the path was made to be enlarged.

But Barth didn't think it was abnormal. Rather, he kind of knew why there was such cave next to Mist Lake.

Covered by a shawl with a cloth over his nose and mouth, Barth descended into the dark dimly lit cave.

"This is....."

Then as he reached the end of the path, a cliff stopped him from going forward. The cliff was high and the bottom of it was deep, creating a inky black hole that sucks away one's sanity.

Barth then raised his other hand which held a torch and tossed it down into the hole.

The fire continues down without a sound. Until a *Bang* echoed back.

"That's..... that guy did he..."

There were cages lined up below. Barth's eyes darted back and forth as he peered down into the darkness. The insides of the cages were filled with dried up corpses dressed up in worn out clothing.

There weren't just one or two, their numbers were that of an army itself. Bigger cages were lined up at the edges of the hole and as Barth climbed down on the path spiraling around the hole, the more cages he saw.

"So he really was insane after all"

Whether that was a compliment from the heart or Barth was just voicing out his views about the nutjob noble that hired him, the sheer number of corpses here weren't normal. Some were older than the rest with just bones piled up in a corner and others were new and fresh like the one inside a cage next to him.

It was a young girl with black hair braided from the back. Her skim was already rotting probably from how long the corpse was kept inside the cave. 

"Poor girl, probably a Demon Spawn herself... Looks like a maid too"

While staring at the corpse with pity, Barth sighs through his nose then advance through the cave in order to begin raising the dead......