Chapter 37
Now, when Xiarette spoke, she finally sounded like an intelligent Hero.
"Your Majesty, my opinion is very simple. Since imprisoning the Demon Clan Princess requires stability, it is naturally more appropriate to choose the side with overall greater strength between the two nations."
"Ah...?!"
"Well said!!"
The one who cheered was none other than Prime Minister Firex.
He truly hadn’t expected this—how unexpected that the Hero could be this foolish!
After all, when it came to strength, the Kingdom had no hope.
He had originally thought that the Hero would try to dodge the issue and argue that the Kingdom's geographical proximity to the Demon Domain would make keeping the Demon Clan Princess here more advantageous for pressuring the Demon Clan, or offer some other such reasoning.
There were plenty of better arguments she could have used.
But never did he imagine that the Hero would choose to argue from the very angle most disadvantageous to her!
Firex was inwardly delighted and had already begun making plans to return to his residence early, open a bottle of red wine, and celebrate this great success\~
Upon hearing this, the King grew even more anxious, feeling suffocated.
"Hero...? Are you certain that this is your view?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The side with greater strength should handle the most critical matters. That is only natural."
"......"
King Celt Aurus looked at the Hero, whose expression remained calm and indifferent. For a moment, he truly did not know what to say next.
It wasn’t until Livra Aurus, her expression resolute and her hands tightly clutching her skirt, leaned down and softly whispered in his ear.
"Father, please trust Lady Xiarette... The fact that she came today with Miss Shaya shows that she is certainly prepared. Even without saying this, Lady Xiarette just saved our nation in the war... so shouldn’t we choose to trust her completely?"
"... You child, sometimes clever, sometimes absent-minded—you give me such worries..."
That was what you were worried about?!
Whether it was or wasn’t truly didn’t matter.
Even this foolish daughter could see it clearly—how could he, as her father, continue to waver?
The King smiled gently, made up his mind, and resolved to see this discussion through to the end.
According to the established procedure, after the Hero’s speech, it was the Prime Minister’s turn.
"Lord Firex, do you still hold the same view as before?"
"Your Majesty, I very, very much agree with the Hero’s speech. She is absolutely correct!"
The Prime Minister finally revealed his irritating smile as he spoke grandly, though his eyes were already filled with visions of the mountains of gold and silver the Pope had promised.
"Strength determines everything; in the face of strength, all else is empty talk. Your Majesty, although our Kingdom has both the esteemed Hero and the Head of the Wright Family as Tenth-Tier protectors, the three Tenth-Tier experts of the Holy Theocracy are not to be underestimated either! Those three Tenth-Tier masters are all steady elders over sixty years of age, while the Hero, though also Tenth-Tier, is still but a child. Your Majesty must consider the greater good."
After saying this, Firex still worried that it might not be persuasive enough, so he quickly laid out all the conditions he had prepared.
"If there is any mishap in guarding the Demon Clan Princess, the Demon Clan's retaliation will descend immediately, and the consequences would be catastrophic for both our nations! Oh, and by the way...! The Pope has given assurances! If Your Majesty agrees to hand the Demon Clan Princess over to the Holy Theocracy, they are willing to provide military protection for the Kingdom! And grain, wealth, resources, water—whatever the Kingdom needs, it can be requested directly from the Holy Theocracy. As long as it is within their power, they will fully support us!"
Oh my?!
Sheffy Harl hadn’t expected that she was worth so much!
At this point, it wasn’t Miss Shaya’s place to speak, but out of curiosity, she still wanted to ask!
"Uncle, uncle! If the Kingdom hands over the Demon Clan Princess, how much money will your Holy Theocracy give?"
"You little brat, don’t speak out of turn! What... what do you mean by ‘your Holy Theocracy’...! Ahaha... Your Majesty, the Pope has already confided in me. As for the money... one hundred thousand white gold coins would be no problem. I believe this amount should be enough to help our Kingdom revive its economy?"
Good heavens!
Sheffy felt like she was worth a fortune!
One hundred thousand white gold coins—what did that even mean?
One white gold coin was worth one hundred gold coins!
Last time she had gotten a windfall from that noblewoman, it had only been a hundred gold coins!
One hundred thousand white gold coins... she could absolutely buy every strawberry donut in the world... no, she could buy all the delicious food in the world!
Yet, just as Sheffy was happily floating through a galaxy of culinary delights...
She was abruptly snapped out of it by Xiarette, who suddenly stepped back beside her and gave her a sharp smack on the back of the head from an angle no one else noticed.
"Eh?!"
"Stupid Sheffy... don’t ask how much money you’re worth... to me, not even an entire nation could trade for you!"
Oh my...?
Xiarette was flustered!
But Sheffy chose not to continue fooling around.
Because Xiarette’s sudden urgency... made Sheffy feel unexpectedly warm inside.
How to describe it...?
——It was probably like having already tasted all the delicacies in the world.
Sheffy hid that faint smile—one that could astonish the world—very well. When she looked up again, she was still her usual cheeky self!
"Hehe... don’t worry, Xia\~ no need to get anxious. I just wanted to see where my wealth limit lies. Now that I know, after all, I’m someone who is priceless. Do I really need you to remind me of that?"
"Phew\..." Hearing this, Xiarette finally exhaled in relief. "It’s only because you’re such a little money-grubber... as long as you understand."
"Of course!"
While the two of them were whispering to each other, the Prime Minister continued to list the Holy Theocracy’s offered terms to the King.
The conditions were so generous that any nation would have to at least consider accepting them.
But the King was not so old as to be muddle-headed.
Whether these promises would actually be fulfilled was one thing.
Even if they were, exposing the Kingdom once again to the threat of the Demon Clan just for money was certainly not a decision a wise ruler would make.
The Holy Theocracy claimed they could protect the Kingdom?
What a joke. The people of the Kingdom had defended their land themselves for a thousand years—when had they ever left their backs to others?
To trust the Holy Theocracy would be to invite certain ruin.
The King did not give much response to Firex’s endless chatter. Instead, he once again turned to the Hero.
However...
He found that the Hero and little Miss Shaya were currently chatting away happily!
The atmosphere in the grand hall was oppressive—yet around the two of them, the air was light and cheerful!
Have some sense of propriety, you two!!
The King had no choice but to interrupt their conversation for now. He tapped the armrest of his throne and asked one final question.
"Hero, according to what you said earlier... if strength is paramount, then do you also agree that we should hand the Demon Clan Princess over to the Holy Theocracy?"
"Eh?"
Xiarette held down the still-bouncing Miss Shaya, turned her head, and replied.
"Your Majesty, I merely said that decisions should be based on strength. I never said that the Demon Clan Princess should be handed over to the Holy Theocracy."
"But in terms of top-tier strength... we are indeed inferior to the Holy Theocracy."
"That is not necessarily the case. Moreover, I believe that discussing top-tier strength is meaningless when deciding who should imprison the Demon Clan Princess."
The more Firex listened, the more anxious he became.
He felt that the Hero was now just being unreasonable, arguing for argument’s sake, grasping at straws.
Thus, the Prime Minister immediately chose to rebut.
"Surely the Hero does not think she can defeat the three Tenth-Tier experts of the Holy Theocracy? I do not mean to underestimate your strength, Hero, but I must say—there is always someone stronger."
When Xiarette heard Firex’s reasoning, she couldn’t help but chuckle twice with a look of clear disdain.
"Ha... thank you, Prime Minister, for the reminder. Of course I know there’s always someone stronger. I never claimed I could definitely defeat the Tenth-Tier experts of the Holy Theocracy. But... if those esteemed elders of the Holy Theocracy are truly so powerful, then why were they nowhere to be seen when the Demon Clan Princess was rampaging across the battlefield?"
"That... that was due to strategic considerations! Yes... matters between nations. Think about it—if you, Hero, were able to subdue a Six-Winged Demon by yourself, and yet you admit you lack the confidence to defeat the Holy Theocracy’s Tenth-Tiers, doesn’t that just prove that the three of them combined could easily suppress a Six-Winged Demon? It’s beyond question!"
"Pfft..."
"What’s so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing... I was just thinking, Prime Minister, since you’ve never been on a battlefield, your way of reasoning is rather amusing."
A cold glint flickered in Xiarette’s eyes.
Every movement she made, beyond her elegance and beauty, carried with it the endless snowstorms and sands of the battlefield.
"You say Tenth-Tier can easily defeat Six-Winged Demons—that’s the fearlessness of the ignorant. The only reason I was able to capture the Demon Clan Princess back then was because she was in very poor condition that day. She must have just come out of several battles. Her magic power was already depleted, and I only managed to subdue her by exploiting that weakness and using every royal artifact in the Kingdom’s treasury to enhance myself. Even now, when I think back on it, I consider it pure luck."
Having said this, Xiarette turned toward the throne, spread her hands helplessly, and gave her conclusion.
"If the Demon Clan Princess had been in her prime, I believe even if all five Tenth-Tier humans acted together... they still might not be her match."
"That’s utterly absurd!"
Firex found it more and more outrageous the longer he listened!
"Hero! Even if you’re trying to amplify your own accomplishments, this isn’t the way to do it! By your logic, wouldn’t that mean our Human race is completely helpless against the Six-Winged? Yet the reality is, right here and now! The Demon Clan Princess is still imprisoned by you, unable to break free. If she were as powerful as you say, are you telling me you alone have managed to keep her suppressed all this time?!"
"Ha...? Did I ever say that suppressing the Demon Clan Princess was solely my own doing? Prime Minister, why do you keep projecting your assumptions onto others today?"
"But aside from you...! Uh... could it be the Head of the Wright Family? No, according to what you just said, even two Tenth-Tiers wouldn’t be enough."
Actually, it wasn’t just Firex.
The King was equally confused.
He knew how terrifying a Six-Winged Demon was, but this was the first time he had heard that a Six-Winged could be so overwhelmingly powerful...
Even the Hero herself admitted such caution and called her victory over the Demon Clan Princess mere luck.
But if that was the case, then how had she managed to imprison the Demon Clan Princess? Even with the enhancement of the Kingdom’s treasures, it shouldn’t have been possible, right?
The answer wasn’t long in coming.
Xiarette casually brushed her golden hair back from her face.
Then, with a confident turn, she stepped behind Miss Shaya, placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders, and pushed the adorably dazed Miss Shaya forward.
"A Tenth-Tier couldn’t do it, but Miss Shaya can, you know?"
38. Proof
Miss Shaya blinked her large, pitch-black eyes, formed from ethereal violet magic. Tilting her head, she stood there like a big kitten—radiating pure harmlessness and innate cuteness.
Did this little creature have any combat power?
Well, yes—rumor had it she was Sixth-Tier, a young genius strong enough to rival Four-Winged Demons.
But did that mean she was capable of standing against a Six-Winged?
Sorry...
The King would sooner believe a blazing red ant, sprinting at full speed in a state of uncontrollable rage, might accidentally crash into and kill a flying dragon—that might still be more plausible.
Firex was already struggling to hold back his laughter.
He truly couldn’t imagine what sort of mental state the Hero must’ve been in to say that the tool used to seal the Demon Princess was this little brat!
Was the Hero whom the Kingdom prided itself on actually a blockhead? Hahaha! What a joke.
"Hero... I might not have understood correctly." The King rubbed his brow and shook his head repeatedly. "What I don’t quite grasp is... are you saying that little Miss Shaya here has the power to restrain the Demon Clan Princess?"
It was shortly after the King voiced this question...
That Xiarette’s utterly composed reply shattered the calm of the entire grand hall.
"Yes, Your Majesty. While Shaya may not yet be strong in raw power, she possesses a special ability that restrains high-tier Demons. According to Shaya herself... this ability came to her in a dream, granted by a so-called deity as a form of divine blessing."