Chapter 11
"Uh... wait a second...?"
The King had just so decisively announced a reward in the form of land—could it be that he truly didn’t intend to give even a single coin?
Xiarette abruptly looked up and saw the King urgently signing the land grant decree, not delaying even for a second!
That confirmed it... the King was clearly going out of his way to avoid any monetary rewards!
Was their country really this broke?
Well, forget it... She could sell the land for money later and use it to buy food for Sheffy. That worked too.
After finishing her report, Xiarette returned to her seat and looked straight ahead.
Not long after, she heard a calm and steady voice beside her.
Even in such a noisy setting, the Head of the Wright Family, Eclight, could use some kind of magic to project his voice clearly.
"Xiarette, the Demon Clan Princess has indeed been properly dealt with, yes? You're certain there was no mistake in what you reported to His Majesty?"
"Yes, Father. Just as I said earlier, that is exactly how it happened."
"I see..."
Xiarette turned her head in confusion.
At first, she had been startled by Eclight’s question, wondering if something had gone wrong with the act she and Sheffy had put on.
But that wasn’t it.
Her father had furrowed his brows again and was staring toward the throne.
As if he hadn’t asked anything at all, still wearing that same stern and serious expression.
At first, Xiarette didn’t understand what he was getting at.
Until her mother leaned close to her ear and spoke with a smile, and it all suddenly made sense!
"Little Xiarette~ your father, you know, he just can’t bring himself to say it outright. He’s worried that getting involved with the Demon Clan Princess might put you in danger. After all, she’s such a powerful figure... right? A six-winged demon... Even your father wouldn’t be confident in a direct confrontation. Now that you’ve faced her and taken care of things, and the danger’s passed, of course he can finally rest easy. That’s why I say... your father’s awkward personality is just so cha—"
"Roni, spare the unnecessary talk. It serves no purpose."
"Alright, alright~ I won’t say anything more. But who was it who went to pray to the War God statue at the temple when the child went off to battle, hmm? Who was it again?"
"Tch, nonsense. As if you didn’t go yourself."
"Of course I did. How could I not? Our little Xiarette took on so much at such a young age. Ah, there’s just no helping it. A child being too outstanding... really is a troublesome blessing."
"That’s why there’s no need to go on and on... You—ah!"
Xiarette stared blankly, listening to her parents’ exchange...
She blinked slowly and only then began to process it all.
Once she understood the full context, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a soft chuckle behind her hand.
Laughing here at the foot of the royal steps was clearly inappropriate by courtly standards.
But this time, the Head of the Wright Family simply turned a blind eye—only giving a light cough as a gentle reminder.
Xiarette and her mother Roni shared a glance and smiled silently in tacit understanding.
Yes... the ways of expressing familial love truly were diverse indeed.
Blades and swords gleamed coldly, routing the enemy; a clear wind across ten thousand miles awaited the maiden’s return.
Though Xiarette had borne much—
She knew she was fortunate to have such parents and family.
After letting out a few contented chuckles—
A sorrowful expression gradually surfaced in her beautiful sapphire-blue eyes, contrary to her smile.
By comparison...
Sheffy was far too alone.
She wondered what Sheffy was doing now—sleeping? Or perhaps lying in her room, staring blankly at the ceiling...
Setting aside the war, Xiarette truly didn’t know how things had been for Sheffy in the Demon King’s Castle among the Demon Royal Family—whether she had been on good terms with her family or not.
Once they were home, she definitely wanted to have a good talk with Sheffy. Even if it didn’t help, just chatting a bit to ease her heavy heart would be something.
—But peace didn’t last for long.
At that moment—
A rather sharp voice suddenly rang out, abruptly breaking everyone’s thoughts.
Prime Minister Firex picked up an amplification crystal, raised one arm high, and projected his voice as loudly as possible across the hall.
"Everyone, please quiet down! Since His Majesty is asking for everyone's opinions, let me be the first to offer my humble view!"
Clearing his throat with a few coughs, Firex's sly-looking face revealed a certain ruthless glint. Clenching his fist, he declared loudly:
"I believe that rather than imprisonment or sealing, we should act decisively! I propose! Execute the Demon Clan Princess immediately to eliminate future threats once and for all!"
As his words fell, silence reigned.
Firex clearly hadn’t noticed...
At that moment, from the direction of the Wright Family—
A gaze was locked onto him. Like a blade wrapped in an icy blizzard, it seemed poised to shred him apart, terrifyingly sharp and menacing.
11. Found you!
Right after Prime Minister Firex spoke, he suddenly felt a murderous aura surround him, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
But when he hurriedly glanced around, he couldn’t locate the source of the unease.
Quickly regaining composure, the Prime Minister had finished stating his proposal. He dusted off his purple robes and stood tall, awaiting the nobles’ reactions.
Their response was genuine.
—The most genuine response was none at all!
Not because Firex’s proposal was dismissed outright.
But because... no one dared to comment recklessly on such a weighty matter.
The nobles weren’t fools... His Majesty might have said this was a gathering to consult the ministers, but—
In truth, everyone knew this emergency meeting was merely for the Kingdom’s top decision-makers to come to a conclusion. The rest were only here to be informed of the result.
Decision-making and being informed were two separate matters. The informed didn’t need to decide.
Even though Firex received no feedback, he seemed quite pleased with the attention his speech garnered.
He stood even straighter, wearing a proud expression, showing firm resolve and an unshakable stance!
King Celt Aurus gripped the armrests of the throne tightly, brows deeply furrowed, the displeasure on his face already becoming hard to conceal.
"Lord Firex, did you just suggest an execution?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please allow me to explain my reasoning."
As soon as Firex heard the King speak, he immediately turned to face the throne, a strange smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"This is truly an unexpected situation. Before this campaign, who could have imagined that our kingdom would capture the Demon Clan Princess alive? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—should we really leave behind such a hidden threat, risk letting her recover her strength and escape? No... just thinking of the heinous crimes this demoness has committed against our kingdom... makes my chest ache with pain! How many of our warriors and citizens died miserably beneath the wings of the Demon Clan!"
With that, Firex pressed a hand to his chest with supposedly deep emotion, his expression one of apparent sorrow.
His gilded ceremonial cloak billowed with a swoosh as he flung it back, both fists clenched as he declared with determination:
"Therefore! I see no reason why she should be allowed to live any longer. Killing her is the only way to strike fear into the Demon Territory. Killing her is the only way to ensure the eternal prosperity of our Kingdom of Aurus! An opponent we once feared above all others has now fallen into our hands. If we hesitate and flinch from executing her, then it only proves we are fools! Your Majesty, you must make a wise decision!"
"......"
His passionate speech was met only with scattered applause.
Those meager claps came solely from his own lackeys, already planted among the audience.
The majority of attendees felt no connection or alignment with Firex’s declaration—and naturally, they did not applaud.
Leaving aside the content of his speech...
Just considering the identity of the current newly appointed Prime Minister—
This man, though bearing the lofty title of Prime Minister, wasn’t even a native of the Kingdom of Aurus!
In this world, the human race wasn’t concentrated in the Kingdom of Aurus alone.
There were two such nations in total.
The other human nation bordered the Kingdom of Aurus directly and was a theocratic state whose people worshipped the gods and the Pope—the Holy Theocracy of Coreia.
Legend had it that centuries ago, these two nations were once a single unified Human Empire. However, due to differing ideologies and religious beliefs, civil wars erupted continuously, ultimately splitting them into the two separate countries they were today.
As for this newly appointed Prime Minister Firex... he had been personally nominated by the Pope of Coreia, and assigned to the kingdom under the banner of “wartime alliance and mutual cooperation.”
The moment this crossed his mind, King Celt Aurus couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration once more.
He had tried more than once to negotiate with the Theocracy to remove this forcibly assigned Prime Minister, but the Pope always rejected the request with reasons that bordered on outright threats.
Royal authority did not bow to religious authority—but ever since the war with the Demon Clan began... the kingdom’s resources had been left in shambles. To sustain the war effort, they had to rely on the Theocracy to supply magic crystals, crystal cannons, and various other essential resources.
Why not have the Theocracy fight the war themselves?
Because it was the Kingdom of Aurus that bordered the Demon Territory...
Just like the saying “the pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first,” the reverse held true—being close also meant being the first to get hit. To the Demon Clan, both countries were part of humanity, indistinguishable from each other—so of course, they struck the closest target first.
The Theocracy feared the Demon Clan as well and understood the principle that “if the lips perish, the teeth grow cold,” yet they still insisted the Kingdom send troops to the frontlines first—fighting this war for decades.
While they chanted sacred hymns in the rear, it was the Kingdom’s people who bathed in blood at the front, homes destroyed, lives lost.
Though all were of the human race... the disparity in treatment was stark and unjust.
Such was the nature of the world—fairness was never guaranteed.
And perhaps the greatest compromise of all... was accepting a foreigner as the Prime Minister of their own kingdom.
Even though Celt Aurus knew full well that the Pope was taking advantage of the crisis to impose conditions, inserting Firex—this “watchful eye”—into his court, as long as the war remained unresolved, he had no choice but to refrain from breaking ties completely with the Theocracy.
Who didn’t know that behind this Prime Minister stood the Pope’s scepter? That he was merely here to flaunt power and observe from a safe distance?
So when this noble of the Holy Theocracy of Coreia loudly proclaimed “for the Kingdom of Aurus” within the royal palace, how many people could truly feel stirred by those words?
None. No one was foolish. Everyone understood, but they also knew which words should never be spoken aloud.
After listening to Firex’s explanation, King Celt Aurus fell silent in thought for a moment, his brows tightly furrowed. Sweeping his gaze over the assembled nobles, he asked wearily:
"If any of you hold a different opinion, feel free to speak your mind."
The King’s implication was clear—he did not agree with the Prime Minister’s assessment, and even found it absurd.
Unfortunately, this assembly had never been a genuine debate from the start. No one wanted to be the one to stand out, to offend the Prime Minister and draw the ire of the Theocracy.
But whenever the Kingdom found itself in dire straits, the voice of the Sword of the Nation would always rise from the right of the throne.
"Your Majesty, I believe the Prime Minister’s words are not only inappropriate but utterly preposterous."
"Oh...? Lord Eclight, and what is your perspective?"
Hearing that dependable voice, the King’s tone softened, and his frown finally eased.
The one who stood forward, to Prime Minister Firex’s clear displeasure, was none other than the Head of the Wright Family, Eclight, positioned at the right of the throne.
Though it was he who spoke, the Hero, Xiarette, also stepped out from the formation beside him.
There was no need to elaborate on the significance of this father and daughter duo within the Kingdom.
At last, these words stirred the stagnant air within the palace, prompting some signs of expectation and murmured discussion.
Eclight ignored the Prime Minister’s warning glare—and the chatter behind him as well.
Outwardly, it appeared to be a confrontation between him and Firex across the chamber.
But in truth, Eclight hadn’t even looked him in the eye once.
"The way of execution, swift and final, is indeed the most efficient—but I must ask, Prime Minister, does such a hasty decision not risk provoking retaliation from the Demon Territory? You do realize the person you are suggesting we execute is no mere officer of the Demon King’s army, but the Demon King’s eldest daughter, Sheffy Harl."
"What is there to fear?! And you—the Wright Family, the famed Sword of the Nation—dare to speak such cowardly words about fearing the Demon Clan’s revenge?"