CH. 16 - The Hero and the Hero's faithful Knights....

PART #1

There was a knock on the door when silence continued in the east tower. Kuro just left earlier and have yet to return.

However, upon hearing the mysterious knocks, everyone just thought it was Kuro returning from his task. However, taking the amount of time needed to climb the tower after going to the throne room was that short. Approximately, there should be at least a quarter of an hour to a full hour before Kuro comes back. 

It only has been 30 minutes since Kuro left.

Niya, Rea and Lea quickly prepared themselves in case the person was an intruder or just some undead monster accidentally knocking on the door as it wanders aimlessly.

Leticia picked up her sword. The soldiers themselves were alerted, seemingly tense by the endless rounds of fighting.

Queen Isabelle tightly held the hand of her husband while King Verdik stared straight at the door, not missing planning on missing a single movement from it.

Lucinda worriedly stood behind Niya along with Aria, who was still sitting in the corner.

"Niya-sama....."

Lucinda calls out to Niya, worried about the person behind the door.

Niya then replies with a conflicted look on her face as her nose wasn't picking up any scent.

"I don't know your highness..... I can't seem to smell anything behind the door"

It was weird considering for a beastman, their noses works better than a human's. Worried, Niya glanced at the two fox children who already held their poison coated knives in their hands.

At any rate, there's no knowing who's behind it unless we open the door— Niya swallows her nervousness and tells Lucinda not to worry and stand back.

Leticia noticed that Niya was walking close to the door and decided to accompany her as well.

Then as the two reached the door.....

"H-Hello? Is there anybody in here? There seems to be some monsters downstairs and I...."

A voice of a shaken up man came from the other side. The two girls sighed in relief, thinking that the man may have been just another staff of the castle that got lost during the attack.

Then, as the two glances at each other then to the people behind them, they decided to open the door.

"Ah!, Thank you! I'm saved!!"

There, walking inside with a happy smile on his face was a noble. An old looking man in his fifties. His blonde hair that white strands on the side while his facial hair were shaved off, revealing the wrinkled face from working too much.

But no one recognized him until Queen Isabelle herself mumbles....

"Elder.... brother?"

"Isabelle!! I'm so happy that you're alive!!!"

Velasquez Aldus Ernst, the eldest brother of Queen Isabelle, rushed towards her sister with tears of joy flowing from her eyes..... Was what supposed to happen but King Verdik stood right before Velasquez, stopping him from his tracks.

King Verdik glares down on Velasquez, as if not planning to letting the brother-in-law even get near her wife.

"Who are you?"

King Verdik asked tauntingly.

"There's no way Velasquez would even be happy seeing her sister's face"

The calm silence suddenly disappeared. As if everything was just a lie a moment ago, everyone else felt a tense air coming out from King Verdik. Lucinda, Aria and even Queen Isabelle couldn't understand what was happening and merely watches from the side.

A wry smile emerges from Velasquez's face.

"What..... come on now, there's no way I'd hate my only sister, Verdik"

However the glint in Velasquez's eyes seemingly shining dangerously as he spoke....

"You're but my sister's husband. You have no right to stand between me and my sister"

It was there that King Verdik realizes that the person in front of him was an imposter. After all, he know all full well who Queen Isabelle's brother really was....

The old king stands firmly, his words sounded sharp and dangerous, and his hand held a sword he picked up just a moment ago.

"Who are you?"

And so.....

"Velasquez hates her sister's guts more than anything in the world"

The silly smile on the old noble's face suddenly disappeared.

—

This happened right after Princess Isabelle married the former captain of the Royal Knights and King Verdik was crowned.

"Damn it..... Even though I've told mother about this....!! I...."

Velasquez hits his fists on the bricked wall of the empty corridor.

"I told mother that I should inherit the crown.... like our true lineage was supposed to he and....!!"

*Blag* Prince Velasquez hits the wall once more. His knuckles bled as the skin of his fist was torn. However the pain did nothing to the frustration of the only prince of the kingdom. Instead, the anger that was clouding his mind right now was spreading even more.....

"Your Majesty....."

It was there that the young Former captain, Verdik, had appeared.

"You...!!"

Velasquez growls at the newly appointed king.

"You did this.... Even though I was the one that helped you to become the Captain of the Royal Knights!!"

"Your majesty....I.."

"Shut your trap!!"

King Verdik tried to say something however, Prince Velasquez was too frustrated to hear anything right now.

The young prince walks towards King Verdik, then helds the new king by the collar of his clothes and raised him up.

"Damn you.... you and my sister...that annoying little runt that always gets in my way...."

With bloodshot eyes, Velasquez continues on with anger flowing out of his mouth. The anger that was caused by years of envy and betrayal, the unfulfilled dream of setting their lineage right and the his hope of being the new king of a new era.

"Was it good that you only need to Isabelle to take the throne?! You sorry excuse for a Knight, it should be me that's been crowned as king!!"

Travestin became a monarchy in just two generations where their great-grandfather gave his crown foolishly to his daughter. It was thanks to that action that the nobles were in a complete split of opinions. One were those who wished to restore the proper bloodline of the royal family, where only makes become kings and the other side that wishes that the old tradition should be changed.

This caused a series of fights even among the Court of nobles, which were supposed to be proper governors of their lands and allies to make the kingdom better.

"If only..... If only mother would listen!!"

Prince Velasquez, slowly lowers his arm and eased up his hands.....

".........."

King Verdik, who was loyal to Prince Velasquez more than anyone else, felt sad at the sight of the princess losing his mind because of his jealousy.

It was Prince Velasquez that took pity of King Verdik in the past that made him a Knight and it was also Prince Velasquez that help King Verdik gain various achievements until he gained the title as the strongest Knight in the world.

However, the once proud prince, the one who always held his head high no matter the circumstances, was wallowing in a sense of defeat as he couldn't achieve his dreams.

"Your Majesty, you know very well I had no eye on the throne"

"........"

"This arrangement was only done because your father ordered me to....."

The current king was also displeased that his daughter would become the ruler. However, he knew better that giving a proper support for her intelligent daughter would be more beneficial to the kingdom than to him or the nobles.

If anything else, if King Verdik wished to, he would not accept the crown as king.

"My loyalty still lies with you your Majesty. You are the person who granted me the chance to become someone better after all"

Born from a low ranking Noble family, Verdik wasn't supposed to inherit anything than his last name. Because he was the 6th son of his family, he had no way of inheriting the right to become the head of his house.

However Prince Velasquez helped Verdik when the young noble was aimlessly searching for his own goal.

"I, of all people, should know how you devoted yourself to this kingdom and that you should have the right to become king"

But....

"That's why father thought that instead of his son.... he'll make you king instead?"

Prince Velasquez slowly raised his head....

"Is that why...."

Blood dripped from the tightly clenched fist of the prince of Travestin....

"My damn sister..... will become the ruler of this kingdom?!!"

Widened eyes, King Verdik steps back. Prince Velasquez right now, looked like he no longer will listen to anyone.

"To hell with with Kingdom then!"

Prince Velasquez bellowed, his face red in anger, eyes bloodshot and red. He had finally reached the limit of his patience....

"To everyone that helped my sister become the ruler..... To you and to everyone that dared to betray me, mark my words... I will...."

And as King Verdik watched as his savior lose his sense of reason, abandoning his own creed of protecting the kingdom and it's people, he said....

"I will destroy everything.... Then take back what was rightfully mine!!!"

Then just like that, King Verdik lost his connection to the only friend and possibly even a brother, that helped him since they were kids.....

PART #2

"Sire, this is what I found out about the person you asked me to look into"

"Thanks, you may leave"

The strange person hidden in a cloak hastily leaves the room as soon as he finished his objective. In King Verdik's hand were papers that held all the information that his hired broker had acquired.

Prince Velasquez, now Velasquez Aldus Ernst, settled in Mist Lake town with the family of earls. After Queen Isabelle woke up from her long sleep, King Verdik had two people investigated. Because strangely, Queen Isabelle does not remember anything in the past six months that King Verdik had talked to her about.

Actually, Queen Isabelle collapsed because fo stress and overwork. She still had enough energy to speak even while bedridden. The specialist even said that it was merely fatigue that caused the Queen to collapse.

However, days passed and her condition worsened. Queen Isabelle slept more than she stayed awake. After the heroes were summoned, she fully succumbed to a comma which caused her to sleep in longer days and wakes up weeks later.

However, she still couldn't recover. At this time, King Verdik asked the heroes if they had a skill that could help but sadly, there was no one that had a power skill that could cure his wife yet.

And so, after the events of Kyoushiro's trial, the heroes leaving to other countries, and Taiga doing whatever he wanted in the kingdom, Queen Isabelle's time of waking up decreased and every time she wakes up, she was always in a dazed. Like she was possessed or something.

However, even then she was coherent.

But after yesterday, the Queen finally wakes up. This time, she was fully cured. The only problem that worries King Verdik was that she doesn't recall the times she woke up and spoke with King Verdik.

"As I thought, Welmner did something"

The papers that King Verdik all pointed to the Royal Adviser, who visited Queen Isabelle just before she got sick. But there was still something missing.

There was something else that was moving in the shadows that King Verdik just can't pinpoint to.

"Velasquez....."

The person who swore to destroy the kingdom and take back was his. The only prince twenty years ago, before becoming head of a Earl household.

Now, that prince was living quietly in Mist Lake town.

"It says here that he's been doing something secretly lately.... So he even supplied the hero with weapons for the March to the 1st Demon Lord's domain back the..... Wait... what is this....?"

There was a line in the paper saying "—Numbers of people missing in Mist Lake town increased in just a few weeks. Monster extermination quest doubles" It wasn't that odd since the number of monsters did double the moment the first Demon Lord was defeated. However, that didn't explain the high rise of missing individuals in a single town.

"Just... what is happening to the kingdom.... I should get this looked into"

And after he made such decision, Queen Isabelle placed Welmner and his greedy associates to the dungeon then not long after, a nation wide monster extermination mission was held and King Verdik was unable to do what he wanted to do as he was already limited in hands.

—

"You can fool anyone but you can't fool me. Prince Velasquez was someone more capable than walking inside this  room and pretending to like his sister"

King Verdik points his sword at Velasquez, unamused at the sword right up his nose.

"And I'm not stupid enough not to noticed that you just came here without so much as a scratch. There wasn't even any news of you coming here"

Right, if someone like the relative of the Queen came, there'd be news spreading inside the castle. After all, the one that just arrived was none other than the former prince Velasquez.

"Unless you have some excuse to assume the face of my late master, I'd say you should do much better in looking into what kind of person he has become after losing the right to the throne"

With those words, everyone was speechless. Everyone knew who King Verdik was in the past. They also knew his past achievements alongside the person who became his Lord. 

The room, wrapped around in silence, was suddenly disturbed by an explosion nearby.

*Boom!!*

"!?"

The tower rocked from the shockwave, causing the girls to scream in terror. King Verdik however, didn't let his eyes turn away from the imposter in front of him.

"How amusing"

The imposter muttered with a smile.

"To think a sorry, pitiful Knight like you would even there point his sword at me... Has the crown rusted your brain as well?"

*Klink* King Verdik tightened his grip on the sword, his face showing more anger than before.

"Spare me from your nonsense! Tell me who you are!!"

"My, My.... what a predicament this is"

Velasquez clicked his tongue, yet his smile didn't disappear. Everyone else was feeling nervous of the situation. An explosion just erupted outside the tower and yet King Verdik was pointing a sword at the former prince's face.

The soldiers were confused on what to do. Rea and Lea were, unlike earlier, on their feet. Their furry tails were standing on end and their eyes glinting with hostility.

"That's enough!"

Just then, Queen Isabelle stepped up. She caught the hand of her husband holding a sword.

"Please Verdik, it's my brother I'm sure that he has his reasons as to why he is here"

"......"

King Verdik merely glanced at his wife but never did he dared to put down the sword. Because of this, even Princess Aria and Lucinda became worried.

"Oji-sama....."

Lucinda's voice whispers. She moved from where she stood but mysteriously, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach... No, in her womb.

"Ugh!?"

"Lucinda-sama!!"

Niya rushed to Lucinda's side, worried what was happening to Lucinda. 

Why.... It's just like earlier....— Lucinda held her stomach in pain, thinking as she recalled the stinging pain before everyone else came to the tower.

Kyoushiro-sama.... what's happening to you....— Probably having a bad feeling about the husband who just left to take care of some business, Lucinda worriedly wished that nothing bad happens to him.

On the side, Niya was making a worried face. Rea and Lea ran close to Lucinda, prioritizing her safety more than anyone else.

"Lucinda-sama!! Please answer!"

Finally Lucinda heard Niya's voice as the pain subsided.....

"I'm fine.... thank you"

"Lucinda-sama...."

Niya helps Lucinda sit back on her wheelchair and took her to the side. Aria glances worriedly at her sister's condition but she quickly looks away as soon as she noticed that she was already fine.

"Nn?"

Leticia, on the side then noticed something. A small tremor coming from below. Recalling that Kuro left to set up the barrier, Leticia realizes that most of the guards have left the castle to help outside. No one was guarding the inside the castle except those who stayed with the royal family.

Wait.... Don't tell me.....— Leticia quickly realizes, the hero and his party were still in the castle. It didn't really sinked in to her as the adrenaline rush clouded her mind during the escape but now that she was calm, Leticia remembered that every one of Taiga's party were imprisoned along with the hero himself.

If so then.... who let them out?

When such question popped into her head, without any hesitation, Leticia draws her sword and points it at Velasquez.

"Rembrandt-dono?!"

"Hoh?"

"I'm sorry your Highness, but right now, this man is very suspicious"

A droplet of sweat slid down on Leticia's chin as she faced the former prince. No, someone that was posing as him.

"Have you gone mad?! That's my brother! Cease this at onc—"

"Kukuku....."

Queen Isabelle was cut off by Velasquez's chuckles....

"Kukuku.....Huhuhuhu....Hahahahahaha!!!"

Then his chuckles became a deranged laughter. Everyone froze on where they stood. It wasn't because of the creepy laughter nor the two people who were pointing swords at one of the relative of the Queen, but the rather, to the cold chill that was emanating from Velasquez himself.

"Enemy~!!"

Rea's voice rang out, snapping everyone back to reality.

"Kukuku..... well now, I didn't think this person was very untrusted by everyone"

Like a scene from a play, the villain reveals himself. Standing before everyone, the face of the man who was known as Prince Velasquez, started to melt.

"I was going to make this person's wish come true but..... Hehehehe... You all just couldn't trust him"

From a voice of a normal man, to a deep, gurgling voice of a demon, the person behind the mask appeared. The smell of putrid rotting stench of decay permeated into the room.

Everyone held their breathes as the horrible smell gagged them up due to it's horrendous stench. Quickly, Niya clears the air using wind magic and cleared the room of the smell. Sadly, the smell was sticking on the place where a puddle of melted skin and flesh remained.

"Urp!?"

One of the soldiers couldn't help himself and vomit.

The being who came out of that empty husk was neither a person not a living being. It was a undulating shadow and a skull hovering inside was shining blue flame from it's sockets.

There, coldness drops severely and everyone else realized who they were facing....

"I am.... The 13th Demon Lord....Vraheim"

It was something that no one even expected to come.

—

Inside the throne room, a battle was happening.....

"Raaah!!!"

Kuro unleashes hundreds of heavy punch towards Taiga. Using the Martial skill «Rampaging Fist — Rapid fire» Kuro delivers countless blows at once at the ever confident Taiga.

"Hmph"

Taiga, however, snorted. Effortlessly displaying a smooth flow of movements. He dodges the fists that was flying like bullets towards his face like he was made of mist. The untouchable movement continues on until Taiga sees and opening and swings his large sword at Kuro.

"Krr!!?"

Stopping his attack immediately, Kuro jumps away from the sword's reach.

*Kchink!*

Another scratch appeared on Kuro's armor. Kuro then landed on his feet, gaining a few distance away from Taiga.

Damn it..... He wasn't this strong when we fought!!— Kuro grumbled.

When they first faced each other, Taiga seemed like a lunatic. He was insane in trying to steal an armed ship that has many self-defense turrets on it's hull. He charged ahead, without even knowing who his opponent was and how strong he was. But now, it was like Taiga gained  a few tens of levels....

"What are you thinking about so hard!!"

*Klang!!!*

*Boom!!*

Taiga suddenly appeared right before Kuro as he was contemplating. The large menacing sword swings down on Kuro but the commander of the Black army quickly leaps away to safety. The ground where he left however, exploded to bits.

Strength.... speed and even his magic power..... Just what happened to this lunatic?— Kuro begun to get worried since he was gone for a while now. There was an explosion just after his fight started. Kuro was worried about the other's safety.

Anyways, Kuro was facing a powered up Hero. Unlike Kyoushiro, who fights with tactics behind his back, Taiga was different. He was just gloating his own power and making use of his skills. No technique, no plan.

Yet, Kuro was being pushed back despite having the upper hand in both equipment and technique.

"Grrrr....."

Kuro shields himself as he received another attack from Taiga. The large sword sweeps Kuro from under his nose, breaking off the defense stances he had.

"Hey what's wrong?"

Taiga smirks at Kuro, looking down on the fact that Kuro wasn't retaliating anymore.

"I thought you're the commander of the Black Army?"

Taiga further taunts Kuro, walking towards the warrior who was distancing himself from Taiga. Kuro clicked his tongue. Right now, there was no getting out of this situation. Furthermore, he was getting more worried upstairs. He doesn't know what's currently happening to the others.

He needs to buy some time or he needs to run away right now.

Lucinda's safety was more important than entertaining a creep that made a deal with the devil.

"Hey"

"?"

Kuro calls out to Taiga. The red haired her stops his feet and tilts his head. Taiga didn't understood why Kuro was calling him.

"I've been really curious. My king only told me what happened between you two in this world but I have no idea what's going on between you two in your world. You seem to hatest my king not since you came to this world but long before you heroes were summoned"

"........"

"See... out of everyone else among the heroes, I always wondered why it was only you that my King was wary about. It wasn't that you're fearsome, to me, you're more or less on the same category as a kid throwing a tantrum"

Kuro have heard from Kyoushiro what happened to him after he saved the others from the dungeon. However he didn't tell anything beyond the part of his worries about Taiga. Kyoushiro prepared many things just to make sure that he could take down the greedy hero that turned him into a criminal but he never did say what happened between him and Taiga in the past.

But unlike what Kuro thinks, Kyoushiro doesn't think of Taiga anything less than an enemy he needs to kill. Because of what happened to him, Kyoushiro just doesn't want to forgive Taiga for framing him with a baseless lie.

As for Taiga however, it was different.

*Tok* 

"!?"

Taiga appears suddenly in front of Kuro and grabbed his face. Then with a cold gaze in his eyes, Taiga looks straight at Kuro as he slowly clenches his hand.

"Krrrgh!?"

"Don't stall for time"

Taiga mutters coldly.

"That bastard doesn't even a hold a candle to what I am right now. King? You have to kidding me"

"!?"

Taiga throws the large beastman with ease, sending him towards the thrones and crushing it.

*Doooonnn*

"Ugh.... Damn it....!?"

Kuro groans as he laid back on the rubble that were once a mighty throne.

Taiga's words then reached Kuro's ears. His steps loudly stepping on the debris filled floor and his gait straight and unfaltering like a king walking back to his throne.

That's right, there was no king other than him. He was chosen as the hero and he was born to be king. 

This was his destiny. But to some twists and turns somebody else has taken his throne...

"Kagami has no right in this world of Kings. That bastard is just bottom feeder that eats of the left over guys like me throw away"

Then Taiga stops in front of Kuro, looking down on the exhausted beastman that pushing himself up with will power alone.

However Taiga doesn't care about that. He points his large sword towards Kuro's neck as he looked down. upon him.

"If you really want to know why I don't like him..... then go wait for an answer in the after life"

Taiga raises his sword up. This time, Kuro won't survive. Taiga intends to punish the insolent fool who dared to call someone else other him king.

".......Kh.."

Kuro groaned in pain. It wasn't that he was hurt much, it was because his strength was being taken out from him by the sword Taiga was holding. Kuro didn't noticed at the beginning of the fight because he wasn't hit around by the sword much. However, the problem appeared as the fight went long.

Every time Kuro either deflects or comes in contact with the sword, he felt like his body was weakening. At first, Kuro thought it was nothing and merely a skill that Taiga used but after a while, even Taiga was showing signs of getting stronger.

It was as if the sword Taiga was holding was absorbing the strength of it's opponents into the holder's strength.

What a bothersome sword— Kuro thought so as he braced himself for receiving the attack.

"DIE!!!" 

Taiga screams as he brought down the mighty sword at Kuro's body. However, just before the edge even came closer to Kuro.....

*Klang!*

"What?!"

A shaft of a spear had stopped the sword from going down...

"You look horrible there commander, need any help?"

Holding the end of the spear was a grinning beastman in his demi-human form. Taiga quickly jumps away from the new enemy that just entered the fight.

Kuro smirked and forced himself to stand up. Nero passed on a potion to Kuro from his own storage ring and stood beside Kuro.

"Looks like you got out of that special cell of yours, I didn't think I've seen you wearing other than those rags before? What's up with those things?"

Nero points at the menacing set of armor and weapon Taiga was using while shouldering his spear.

"Another one of Kagami's roaches? You guys just keep on coming don't you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but we're busy at the moment. I don't know how or who let you out but you're going back into that cage of yours"

*Zwaa!* Nero swung his spear powerfully, cutting through the air with it's tip. As he did so, Nero roused up his magic power. It was a technique he had learned from training with Kyoushiro.

"Don't you think animals should be the one using those cages? I guess your owner wasn't fond of collars to keep his pets in check. Well, I'll make sure to teach you some tricks"

Taiga took stance, smiling as if victory was assured even if numbers weren't on his side. Kuro finished recovering from earlier's damage was now ready to fight once more.

"Hmph, out of all the heroes, you're the most annoying one. You got me earlier with that sword of yours but this time, I'll snap that in two"

"Commander.... I didn't think you'd be one to taunt someone like that"

"Shut up. You're late. What's going on outside?"

"Is that really important right now?"

As the two exchange words, the enemy was about to get serious in this fight. With a powerful gust of magic power bursting out of Taiga, the throne room shook once more at another bout with Kyoushiro's soldiers....

"I'll take your heads off and show them to Kagami once I get to rule this place!!"

Taiga declares so as he dashed forward with a bright mad smile on his face.....