Story 6: Chapter 8: Releasing the Leviathan (Patreon)

To Be A Hero

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Releasing the Leviathan

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- Sal -

I got a message from Rimuru’s side that the operation on the other side was successful and Kagali was caught.

The Elves had found Leon to take on the Harlequin Alliance to face Laplace without risking anything. I mean I knew they were close to Leon but I wasn’t expecting the guy to come himself. In hindsight, it could also be due to the fact that Kagali or Kazerim was the one he had killed or supposedly killed.

And then even Milim dropped by herself.

I guess I was still underestimating the extent of her anger at Jahil.

Then again, it was understandable.

This guy was not only responsible for killing her dragon but even releasing it again to fight against me.

Laplace was caught as well.

The operation on their side was a total success.

Now all that was left was to take care of the situation in front of us.

As I sat with the diplomats of different countries, joining me over dinner, I took a glance at Yuuki and then at Hinata. It was time to begin our plan.

On a slight signal from me, things started.

A maid serving us went outside and two minutes later, Ena came rushing in and whispered something to Hinata.

She took a look at Yuuki and then me, getting up and standing behind him, making everyone look at her strangely.

“Yes, Hinata-san? What can I do for you?”

She looked at the rest of us. “Two hours ago, the Capital of Ingrassia was attacked by the Platinum Saber, Demon Lord Leon Cromwell.” Her announcement caused a commotion in the people almost instantly.

Yuuki’s eyes widened as he got up quickly but she blocked his way.

He narrowed his eyes. “What is the meaning of this, Hinata-san?”

She continued. “The purpose of Leon Cromwell attacking was due to the information that the vice leader of the Free Guild, Kagali, was actually the former Demon Lord, Kazerim, the same Demon Lord whom Leon Cromwell had defeated to win his current position as a Demon Lord.”

“What!” Several stunned cries echoed throughout the room.

“I am sure there was some kind of misunderstanding.” Yuuki tried to say but was stopped by her next sentence.

“This was also proved as not only her but several other Majin who were the servants of the former Demon Lord Kazerim tried to help her but were captured.” By then Ena had returned with her sword.

She drew her sword and pointed it towards him. “The Free Guild has been infiltrated to the top level and we have doubts that even the Guildmaster has been replaced; otherwise there is no way Yuuki Kagurazaka could have missed such an obvious blunder. Please cooperate with us in our investigation . If you are innocent, perhaps under some kind of control or even actually unaware of the situation, you will be freed. If however, you resist, I will be forced to subdue you.”

Others quickly got up as well.

As expected, the representatives of the Council of the West countries quickly started making noise, supporting Yuuki.

It was understandable, after all, their defences lay completely with the Free Guild. Once the guild, especially the guildmaster was changed, it would greatly affect them.

At this time, Hinata directly spoke. “I represent the Holy Empire Ruberious and its decision in this matter. This matter involves Demon Lords infiltrating the human territories. If anyone interferes with the investigation, they will be considered as collaborating with the Demon Lords and will be dealt with in a similar manner.”

A laugh was heard when she said this. “Oh my. This is quite sudden, isn’t it? And I suppose, we are supposed to believe your words just because you say so? I suppose the next thing you will say is that our kingdoms are infiltrated by Daemons and our families serve the Demon Lords and thus the Holy Empire Ruberious is taking over and we should just hand over everything, right?” The speaker was the girl I had seen before.

Mariabell Rosso.

Hinata narrowed her eyes and as if that was the case cue. Every one of the Council of the West members started creating a ruckus.

The whole situation only stopped when Gazel Dwargo stood up. “I think there is reason in Miss Hinata’s words. I can understand your reluctance but if there is even a slight chance that this matter is true, the ones who will face the greatest dangers will be your countries. This is not the first time Daemons have infiltrated or tried to take over kingdoms. There have been dozens of such cases. If someone in a position similar to Yuuki Kagurazaka were to get replaced by Daemons, we will be in great danger. Thus, this method needs to be investigated thoroughly.”

This made them all stop.

Gazel Dwargo was not a name people just dismissed, especially on this side of the world. This guy has ruled his kingdom for over three centuries, before which it was ruled by his father and grandfather. He is someone who has been an Incomplete Saint for centuries. So when he personally stood up, many people faltered.

“Then what do you suggest we do? We cannot and will not leave him just for the Holy Empire Ruberious to investigate.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way. We can always keep him under custody till the whole matter is cleared.” The one who stood up this time was none other than the Homunculus of the Empress of the Sorcerer’s Dynasty Sarion. She added before anyone else could speak. “Just so that this matter remains impartial, I suggest we keep him under the custody of a neutral third party. As the accuser, the Holy Empire Ruberious can't guard him alone. The nations in the Council of the West cannot do it either, as they have the closest connection with him and might actually have his plants or associates among them. If there is even a hint of truth to the accusations, we cannot allow him to escape.”

The atmosphere became quiet.

It was a very reasonable explanation and no one could question the reasoning.

“Then who do you suggest should be the one to guard him?” Someone asked.

“Right now, the best option should be His Majesty, King Salvatore.” Erald answered. “Not only is he a fellow Student of Yuuki Kagurazaka but also a True Hero, which means he is not a majin. He has no chance of being a plant or an associate of a Demon Lord. This also means he is perfectly neutral in this situation. Not to mention, he also has the strength to prevent him from running away. I vote for King Salvatore.”

There were several murmurs but also the people who agreed with the suggestions.

“I agree. I vote for King Salvatore as well.” Gazel Dwargo said.

The Empress nodded, followed by Fuze and then some other kings who had deeper relations with the dwarves and the elves, finally putting some pressure on the Council of the West.

At this point, even they knew that they could not deny or they would be called out for colluding with the Demon Lords and taken into custody as well.

They relented.

“Very well, but does King Salvatore agree with this?”

Everyone looked at me, even Yuuki and Hinata.

I took a look at them and finally my gaze fell over Yuuki.

“Until all the investigations are done, I will make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. I am sorry for this but you will have to cooperate with us.” As I said this, I looked towards Masaomi and Shiro and both of them quickly took positions behind them, in front of the door.

Yuuki smiled normally but there was a hint of anger in his eyes but he didn’t deny and raised his hands in surrender.

His hands were cuffed by the strongest handcuffs the dwarves could make and the elves could enchant. Even I used my Ultimate Skill, Uriel, to buff the cuffs so that they could bypass his Anti-Skill. Ironically, the enchantments used by the Elves were the same ones Jahil had used when he was possessing Kagali’s father to bypass Milim’s dragon’s Anti-Skill Skill. As expected, the moment the cuffs were put on his hands, his eyes widened and he snapped his head in my direction.

I just ordered looking stoic. “Take him out.”

Masaomi and Shiro did so quickly. Especially with Hinata lurking behind him as a shadow, he didn’t dare to make any moves.

“I guess that takes care of things. I will send people to investigate the truth about Yuuki Kagurazaka and the Free Guild being involved with a Demon Lord. I suggest we all do the same.” Gazel Dwargo said.

The Empress nodded.

“In that case, I will even send some people from my side. Youm.” I called out.

“Yes, your Majesty.” He bowed.

“Please accompany them and investigate the veracity of the accusations. If Yuuki Kaguraza is indeed innocent, find out the person who spread the false rumours against him. I want the name. I will take care of everything else.”

I had to keep up the act to not alert anyone of the plans. I was, after all, a fellow student of Yuuki and someone who was quite close to him during my stay at the Free Guild Headquarters. This response should keep any suspicions at bay.

“By your order, your Majesty.” He bowed before leaving the room.

Others were also placated by this and left the room after a few more words.

“King Salvatore, may I talk with you for a minute?” The girl, Mariabell Rosso, asked me before leaving.

“Yes?”

“In private.”

I raised an eyebrow before bringing her to a different room.

“I thank you for standing up for Yuuki, your Majesty.” She curtsied. “As you know, the Council of the West has invested a lot in supporting Yuuki Kagurazaka in the creation of the Free Guild, which has in turn given a lot of support to adventurers of many countries. I think we all can agree that damaging the reputation of the Free Guild will bring more harm than good to all the surrounding countries.” She explained.

That is indeed true.

Despite all the flaws in Yuuki, the Free Guild itself was not to blame and it was even necessary for the adventurers of this world.

From the start, none of us had any intention to disband it. Change its leadership, yes.

Destroy it, absolutely not.

I nodded at her words while thinking what she was coming at.

“Today’s incident, if proved correct, would question the entire base of the Free Guild and could even lead to its disbandment.” She continued.

“I am sure the Free Guild can recover in no time.” I reassured.

“Yes, but it will cause instability and a huge loss to the ones supported by the Free Guild.”

“That would be unfortunate but if there are demon lords involved, I am afraid this much is far better than to let them take root and then command over such a giant in the Western Nations.”

“True. I cannot even imagine how terrible such a thing would be. That is why….I wish to invite you to take on the mantle as the Guild Master of the Free Guild in the worst case scenario. Your identity as a Saint and a Hero, as well as a former member of the Guild, would reassure people and keep their confidence from straying away.”

….

….

….

….

What the fuck is wrong with people of this world?

“I am sorry but I just became a king of the country. There is a lot of work for me to do here. I can’t imagine myself in a position as busy as the Guild Master of the Free Guild.”

“Oh but it will be good for your Kingdom too. The Free Guild earns a lot through the commissions from its missions. Not only that but you can also command the thousands of adventurers of the Free Guild at your will. It will be a great support to both your economy and military.”

….what is she doing?

There is no way she is offering me all this, especially considering the fact that it was the Rosso Clan which put so much effort in Yuuki Kagurazaka and his guild.

I got the answer the very next second.

‘Mental Interference of the Unique Skill: Greed was detected.’

‘That bitch. Should I just kill her?’ A voice sounded in my head as Vritra spoke into my ears.

‘Eh? What happened there?’ Rimuru’s voice sounded almost instantly.

‘Nothing. Just that bitch trying to mind control him into becoming her puppet. I was just about to kill her.’

‘Hold on. Don’t kill her.’ Rimuru said quickly.

‘What?’ Vritra questioned, surprised.

Actually, even I was surprised.

This kind of thing was something I detested the most and knowing what I did about Rimuru, she would practically skin anyone who tried such a thing on me. So both Vritra and I were surprised when she said this.

‘Don’t kill her now. It would be a massive political blunder if she dies in Sal’s Kingdom and bring him shame. Just wait till she is out of the Kingdom. I will order Diablo to kidnap her and give her a taste of her own medicine. She wants to mind control my hubby. Bitch, I will skin her alive.’

….ah. So that’s it.

‘Kihihihi why didn’t I think of that? Yes. A slow and painful death would be much better than just snapping her neck.’

‘Let’s see what she’s after first.’

‘What does this skill do?’ I asked Solomon and got a small rundown on the analysis of the skill.

So she wants to incite my greed to control me through it.

Well, since she started this then I have no problem doing what I am going to do with her next.

I was an Ultimate Skill user so this kind of thing was actually useless against me. Still I pretended to be enamoured by the topic and noticed a barely concealed smirk.

“Your words are reasonable.” I said, pretending to think. “Okay, how about this. Shall we play a small game? If you win, I will do as you say and become the Guildmaster of the Free Guild.”

“Oh! What game?” She asked, surprised at my proposal.

She was probably thinking that she had already controlled me.

“Nothing. Just a game of tic-tac-toe.” I offered, drawing a knife and making the lines on the table before putting a circle on it and placing the knife there.

She raised an eyebrow but put a cross in an empty spot.

I smiled and purposely lost the game.

As expected and ordered inside my head.

‘Release the Leviathan.’

“It seems I lost this game. Good. I accept.” I smiled.

The Ultimate Skill Leviathan was stimulated by the loss.

Leviathan was stimulated by the defeat and is trying to copy the Unique Skill: Greed.

Process Successful.

With a few more words and reassurances, I sent her away.

‘Now you two are free to do whatever you want with her.’

‘That was quite cunning of you, snagging her skill like that.’

‘It was one of the Sin Series Skill with the potential of becoming an Ultimate Skill. I would be a fool to waste it.’ I answered.

‘I didn’t realise we could do that. Greed does seem like a good skill.’ Rimuru said before coming back to the next topic. ‘What about Yuuki? What do we do about him?’

‘What? We take him out. I am not taking any risks with that kind of guy. As soon as the news becomes public that Kagali was the former Demon Lord Kazerim, Yuuki needs to go.’

I really wasn’t planning to let that guy go free.

He was too dangerous to be left alone.

In fact, if it had been all in my hands, I would have killed him the moment he was in those cuffs.

Even now, Masaomi, Shiro and Hinata were watching him continuously to prevent him from escaping and that was only in the open.

Behind the scenes, Rimuru, Veldora, Cleria and Aletia were watching him. Not to mention he was locked in the deepest floor of Ramiris’ Labyrinth, something which even I couldn’t break all at once right now. To top it off, I even had Rin occupy a fake cell in disguise 

And all this was planned personally by me. At this point, Rimuru had been doubtful if I was overdoing it. But then again, this guy was the literal final enemy in the webnovel version so I doubt it.

Although this world was a weird mix of all the source materials, I couldn’t risk taking any guesses.

- Kagali -

She stared at the group of people surrounding her.

Any hope she had to flee were wiped out the moment the Destroyer had entered the fray.

Even now she couldn’t understand how things came to this?

The presence of the people in the room were making her feel suffocated, especially Leon Cromwell, who was staring at her with that blank look on his face.

He hadn’t done or even said anything since she was captured which meant he wasn’t planning to kill her or at least kill her immediately. But what exactly were they planning?

The more she thought of it, the more tense she grew.

The room where she was kept was under so many enchantments that even Awakened Demon Lords would die if they tried to run….and that was assuming they could get out of these bindings.

Finally, after what seemed to be years, the door of the room opened and in came two figures she had never expected to come.

Elmesia El Ru Sarion, the Empress of the Sorcerer Nation of Sarion and Sylvia El Ru….the True Ancestor of the Elven Race.

“Hello Kagali.” The older of the two spoke. “You have grown since I last saw you in Klaus’ hands. I believe you were just a couple years old back then.”

Her eyes widened at those words. How did they….

“How did I know? I know you have a lot of questions for us and I am here to answer everything you want to know….but for that you will have to be patient and be willing to listen to a story.”

She just stared at the woman without any words.

“I will take it as a yes.”

What came next was not something she was expecting.

The story, the past, everything….it turned the entire world view she had on its head.

“You….are lying.” She uttered, first in shock and then her voice gained confidence….or perhaps she was just stubbornly sticking to what she thought was her reality as she repeated. “It’s not real. You are all lying! Lying!”

They just stared at her and their eyes full of pity hurt even more than any of Leon’s attacks had done before this.

She kept on shouting and denying their words but they just stood there silently before Sylvia knelt in front of her and hugged her.

She stilled.

“I know you are in pain….pain that I can’t even claim to imagine but please get a hold of yourself. You are stronger than this.”

The words broke something inside her and she broke down into tears.

All that pain, all that suffering, she thought her father had hated her. She thought she had done something wrong. Some part of her had blamed herself for the state of her people but….

It was as if all the pain she had suffered had turned into tears and were pouring out of her eyes.

The older woman kept caressing her back until she quieted down.

Finally after who knows how much time, she stopped and Sylvia pulled back.

Her helplessness, sorrow and pain slowly changed into anger and hate. “You said that….Jahil….was alive. Where is he?” She gritted through her teeth.

“Inside the body of your Deathman, Footman.” The Empress replied, making her freeze.

“That’s impossible!” She replied almost instantly.

“It’s occupying Footman’s body along with the original soul. Why do you think Milim Nava of all people would interfere in the matter? It was implanted there to spy on Clayman and you. In fact, even Clayman was actually under control of the Eastern Empire in his last days. His job was to weaken the Jura Forest and the surrounding countries to make them ripe for taking when the Eastern Empire attacked. Too bad, that fool made the exact same mistake as Jahil. He tried to control Milim Nava and then released her sealed dragon.”

She lowered her head at the information.

Elmesia continued. “If it’s any compensation to you, we can try to revive your servants and create new bodies for them after Jahil is taken care of.”

“I want to do it.” She whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I want to be the one to kill that bastard.” She gritted through her teeth.

“I am afraid too many people want to do the same, my child. I promise you that you can be there when he dies. Beyond this, I am afraid, is out of my hands already. The people that the fool has offended are beyond powerful and everyone is out for his blood.”

She nodded, her anger ebbing a little bit at the reply.

“Your former kingdom, the Puppet nation of Jistav was given to King Salvatore but he has offered to return it back to you.”

Salvatore….

She looked up at the ancestor.

“It was King Salvatore who informed us about the whole thing which led to the capture of Jahil.”

The woman probably noticed the shocked look on her face and sighed.

“Did you think that person is someone you and Yuuki Kagurazaka could control? Even I wouldn’t dare to think about it. Actually, anyone who had even an inkling of his true identity wouldn’t dare to think or ever blemish the name of that person.”

“Mother?” The Empress was also as confused as her and looked at the ancestor.

“Sigh….I said more than I should have. Let’s forget it for now. Just understand this. King Salvatore is someone who is giving you a new chance at life as well as your revenge against the one who ruined your life….him, the person whom you tried to make into a puppet, had attacked, almost cost him his and his student, Chloe O’ Bell’s life….that same person not only forgave you, but also gave you a chance to start your life again, without any regrets. You would do well to remember it.”

“What did you say?” The one who asked the question was not her….but surprisingly, Leon Cromwell of all people.

They looked at the man.

“Kagali and Yuuki Kagurazaka had sent an army and Charybdis after King Salvatore while he was taking his student to make a contract with the spirits at Lady Ramiris’ place. The girl was in a critical condition due to having been summoned at a young age and could die if not for the young King to run all the way to the Dwelling of the Spirits, fighting everyone in the way and finally helping her make a contract with a spirit and stabilising her.”

The man looked pale all of a sudden.

Was he a friend of Salvatore?

“The girl’s name….what did you say her name was?” He looked directly at her and asked.

She looked at him weirdly but answered nonetheless. “Chloe O’ Bell.”

His eyes widened. “What did she look like?” He asked quickly.

She suddenly remembered that it was Leon who had made a deal with Yuuki to help him summon the children for some reason.

Was it?

While she was thinking this, the man had stepped directly in front of her, catching a hold of her shoulders. “What did she look like?” He shouted, surprising everyone in the room.

“B-black hair. Blue eyes. She was around 10 years old when she was summoned.” She conjured an image of her, making the man freeze in his place.

He took a deep breath and got up and without any word, drew his sword, ready to strike her down.

She paled.

“Leon! What are you doing?” Elmensia stood in front of her.

“Please move aside, Your Majesty. I have no enmity with you.”

Sylvia was also taken aback by his sudden change in attitude.

“What is the matter Leon?”

“I am just doing what I should. Please step aside.”

“And may I ask why you are doing this?”

Leon glared at her over the shoulder of the Empress.

“This woman endangered the life of my sister and almost got her killed. Is this not a good enough reason?”

“Your sister?!”

“Chloe O’ Bell is my childhood friend and like a sister to me. She is the person I have been trying to summon all this time.” He replied, suddenly clearing the situation and making her realise how utterly she had messed up.

“Leon….I know you are angry but please reconsider this. Even the girl Chloe, forgave her. It was only after that that King Salvatore also let go of his grudge and even offered her Kingdom back to her. If you kill her, you will be going against her wishes.”

The man paused for a moment and Sylvia quickly added.

“At least wait till you meet her again and have a talk with her. Everyone here has been through a lot and after a long time, we all have found a point where we can go back to our happy lives. Please, don’t ruin it.” Sylvia urged.

Even Kagali quickly added. “I….didn’t hurt or even intend to hurt her. I was just planning to force Salvatore to join us and blackmail him for it. I….am….I am sorry.”

The man kept on glaring at her with intensity strong enough to set her on fire for a whole minute before taking a deep breath and sheathing his sword back and walking out of the room and only when the sound of his footsteps were gone did she breathe a sigh of relief.

It was only now that she had realised that all this time, Leon was just playing with her and wasn’t even attacking her seriously. It was only now that he was actually intending to kill her and that thought poured a cold rain on her.

She hadn’t realised just how strong these people were even after all this time. With this kind of strength, she doubted that even Yuuki would be a match for him.

- Damrada -

“Yuuki Kagurazaka was captured?” He asked, surprised at the sudden news.

“Yes sir. He was suspected to be colluding with former Demon Lord Kazalim. His assistant, the elf, was the Demon Lord who had been using that form to hide beside him. Demon Lord Leon found out about it and attacked Ingrassia due to their previous altercation and revealed everything publicly. Yuuki Kagurazaka was visiting Camelot to attend the coronation ceremony of the newly ascended king Salvatore.”

“Who captured him?”

“Hero Hinata was the one who accused him and after the interference of Gazel Dwargo and Elmensia El Ru Sarion, he was taken into custody. He is currently held by King Salvatore in Camelot till the investigations are completed.”

He narrowed his eyes.

Everything seemed reasonable but his instincts were telling him that things were not that simple.

He knew for sure that Yuuki was actually involved with Clayman and considering the relation between Kazilim and Clayman, it was not out of the possibility that Yuuki was indeed involved with them. But the question is….how did Leon Cromwell find out about it? And how did Hinata get wind of it so quickly before Yuuki? All of this was very convenient. And if that was really the case, he was afraid that Yuuki wouldn’t be alive for very long. He had invested a lot in the boy. His Anti-Skill was something which he had high hopes for, as someone who would be able to kill the Emperor in case he ever went out of control

Thinking about all these things, he quickly ordered.

“Gather a small team. Contact the Empire and ask for assistance. We will be breaking in and freeing Yuuki from the Camelot prison.”

“Should I ask Bernie and Jiwu?”

He thought for a moment and shook his head. “No. Keep them assigned to Masayuki’s protection. I will contact Granbell.” The former student of the Emperor had a lot of reach in this part of the world. Getting some reinforcement wouldn’t be hard for him.

Over the next hour, he ordered the Cerberus organisation and made plans to create distractions all over the empire to take away their attention from Yuuki’s guard.

Camelot was a new kingdom and the previous Falmuth Kingdom had lost a very big battle, leaving it lacking in military and security departments. This weakness was going to come in handy when freeing Yuuki.

The biggest obstacles were going to be Hinata and Salvatore.

He had heard that the boy had become a Hero, most likely obtaining a Hero’s Egg after gaining the Blessing of an Elemental of Light. But there were also rumours about him giving up this blessing and becoming a majin to fight off Veldora.

He had serious doubts about this news. Even the weakest of the True Dragons was not something normal Majin could fight. That said, he was a Saint….so maybe he had some sort of skill which helped him gain the upper hand or that Veldora was not at full strength or maybe due to the intervention of Rimuru Tempest?

She did seem like the sort to engage in diplomacy.

Whatever the case was, he doubted Salvatore and Hinata alone could stop such a force.

Too bad that such a move would ruin their years of work but that was already ruined when Yuuki got caught in this whole mess.

- Rimuru -

“Did you find them?” She asked Shouei.

“Yes Rimuru-sama. They are leaving the borders of Camelot and entering Ingrassia.”

“Let them enter and pass through a few towns before taking them down.”

“Yes Rimuru-sama. We were able to overhear some of their plans though.” Shouei said, attracting her attention.

“Hmm?”

“They are planning to infiltrate Camelot and free Yuuki Kagurazaka and in turn ruin the reputation of King Salvatore. They think he is a majin like Leon Cromwell who retains the power of a hero.”

“Huh?”

Majin?

Oh….were these fools mistaking his Dragonoid nature for a Majin transformation?

That’s hilarious.

During the entire meeting, they had discovered that not many people knew that Salvatore was an Awakened Hero but rather a Hero’s Egg like Hinata.

But still, infiltrating Camelot huh….

She thought of something and ordered.

“Let them go and keep a watch.. We will use their attack on Camelot to catch them red handed and expose them as cohorts of Yuuki. Even if they deny the accusations, it would be enough to torture some information out of the attackers. Just make sure you implant the bug in her before letting them go.”

She had reverse engineered the bug which Yuuki had implanted inside Salvatore and Hinata.

It had its uses after all.

And Mariabell Rosso, that reincarnated bitch was going to be the first test subject of the bugs.

“Yes Rimuru-sama.” Shouei replied and left.

With him gone, she laid back in her bed and relaxed.

Dwargo, Sarion and Ruberious had declared acceptance of the Monster Nation of Tempest as a legitimate country and wanted to start trade.

Following this, even Sal was going to sign a peace treaty between them and they can finally start cooperating together in public as well as declare a formal alliance in front of the world.

“So what is going to be our next plan?” She asked through her mental link.

“Find more people and strengthen our army. Rudra is going to attack in the near future and we need to prepare for it.” Sal replied almost immediately.

“We need funds for that. Economy needs to be able to keep up with the requirements of the army too.” She argued. “You shouldn’t have returned Jistav to Kagali.” She sighed.

“It wasn’t due to the goodness of my heart that I did so. First, the people of that place still worship the ground she walks on. Second, she would be our steadfast ally after this. Third, Jistav is the country directly bordering the Eastern Empire. We are not ready to take a direct assault from them but Kagali knows the entire ins and outs of the Kingdom and can defend better. Lastly, there is no way she is going to cooperate with the Eastern Empire, especially after knowing that they were behind the whole incident with Clayman.”

“Hmm….sounds reasonable….and she has a nice ass too.” Vritra added.

….

Well….she did….and she is an elf.

“Alright it’s decided. Sal, you will bang her into submission.”

“....what kind of hentai villain do you think I am?” He replied in a deadpan.

“You are something even greater, a harem protagonist. Most of them don’t even need to bang girls to make them submit.” She argued.

….

“See you agree.” She smiled.

“Next topic.”

“What about the part where we find more suitable people? Any progress on that?” He asked, quickly changing the subject.

Ah, so sweet. She loved it when he was being shy.

Vritra’s giggle in the background made the whole scene even better.

“I have sent people to search for potential recruits and will even go out to get some of them myself. For example the beetle and the bee you were telling me about. There was some information from Kurumi, the fox we rescued from Clayman’s control. Her tribe was killed by the Eastern Empire but she still knew some people who could join our side. What about your side?”

“I am collaborating with my fellow teachers back at the Free Guild to tell me about any otherworlders from their otherworlder support program or potential adventurers who would like to join Camelot. Apart from that Irisviel is searching for more recruits while Shiro, Masaomi and Rin train them. By the way, I got information that the girl Mai Furuki has joined the Free Guild recently. I am going to have someone pick her up.”

“Oh. The girl with the Unique Skill: Traveller. Yeah, I can see how she will be necessary. Good. By the way, I have a suggestion.”

“Hmm?”

“You should go around and copy the skills of everyone in your Kingdom, especially those like Dino and his subordinates whose loyalty we are not sure about. Maybe with more skills, we can try evolving our current skills into stronger versions.”

“....alright, I will.”

She then went on to tell them about Mariabell’s plans and her own to counter them.

The discussions lasted for the rest of the night before she cut the connection.

- Salvatore -

“Tired already?” Vritra asked as I slumped into my couch.

“Mentally, yes. Just fighting and training is far easier than all this….plotting and acting.” I sighed.

“Hmm, dragons rarely plot. I can see why going against your nature can be exhausting for you.” She manifested beside me and sat right in my lap.

The stimulation from her soft bottom, directly making me hard.

Rimuru was right.

She had an amazing ass.

“Why thank you.” She replied.

“Did I say it out loud?” I asked.

“No dear, but it wasn’t hard to feel your intention.” She replied with a giggle before moving in my lap to make herself more comfortable, which meant that my erection was snuggling right inside her crack.

I took a moment to think about my life….about how it had changed….only a moment though before my hands snaked around to grab her and hold her from behind.

Vritra’s interest was quite evident.

Even Rimuru was okay with it. Actually, she was more than okay.

Both these women wanted to make a harem for me and….I wouldn’t lie and say that I am not interested.

I mean very few would be uninterested in having beautiful girls in a relationship with them.

Still, as someone who was basically attached to me, or as she says, a part of me, I would like to know her a bit better. She already knew me as she had a free view of all my memories.

That’s why we had decided to spend some alone time like this everyday.

We talked about random topics or played games or something during this time.

________________________________x__________________________________

“That’s right. Put the weight of your whole body behind the attack.” I instructed.

Right now, my students are training in swordsmanship under me.

Chloe was the one who asked for this and I agreed. A while later, Kenya decided to join as well. He wanted to become an awesome swordmaster like Shizue-sensei.

In fact, he even got the Divine Protection of the Light Spirit and was eligible for the Hero’s Egg.

We decided to let him train for a while till he was an Enlightened before Ramiris blessed him and gave him a Hero’s Egg.

Among all my students, he was the one who was the most impulsive so it was necessary to keep him from getting a big head so early on.

The other three were not interested in swordsmanship and stayed back to watch.

“Keep your sword straight. Put more of your back into the slash. Yes. That’s it.” I instructed.

This swordsmanship style was a mix of something I learned from Shizue, developed myself and found from the memories of Veldanava.

The guy had over a trillion years of memories so I had to choose and I chose his skills first. Swordsmanship was still being created but I had some hints.

This guy was the one who taught Rudra, one of the best swordsmen in the world, someone who could keep up with Guy with his swordsmanship alone. I could always learn a lot from someone like this.

I was still trying to figure out how to increase the speed of the process.

‘You could always get things left by Veldanava which contain his energy. Or some DNA of Milim Nava to incorporate the Star King Dragon Factor into yourself. It will allow you to use all the magic Star King Dragon Veldanava could use.’

Dragon factor huh.

Still….

‘Even a strand of hair from her would work.’

I see.

I will think of something.

Thank you, Sol.

Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me and saw Dino walking there.

“Hello there. How are you liking the place?” I asked the guy with a smile.

“The place is good. Ramiris is a good boss.” He said, standing beside me.

I patted the ground beside me. “Come, have a seat.”

He looked at me for a moment and sat down.

We sat quietly watching the kids spar.

“Don’t keep your legs so close to each other.” I shouted and corrected one of Kenya's postures.

“You really enjoy this.” Dino asked, looking at me.

“Hmm. What’s not to enjoy? I am watching my students learn and grow. There are few things more fulfilling than this. I like my students and I like this place. Seeing them growing and prospering is something that makes me happy.” I smiled.

He just stared at me with a look I just couldn’t place.

“Why?”

“Hmm?”

“This kingdom….these people….I have heard that they dragged you out of your home, separated you from your family, enslaved you, deprived you of your free will….then why….why do you protect them?”

I looked at the guy and then back at the children.

“The ones who did so were only a handful of people. A large majority….didn’t even know of anything.”

“But is this a good enough reason for you to dedicate yourself to protect them? I don’t understand….”

Hmm….how to explain this.

I suddenly recalled a line from an anime and a slight smile came to my lips.

“From where I come from, the King is like a father to his people, and….” I looked at the guy, my smile widening, “What kind of father needs a reason to protect his children?”

I saw his eyes widening and mouth opening a bit as he kept staring at me for a while.

“Dino?”

“Huh?”

“You alright?”

“....yes. Yes, I am alright.” He nodded his head, looking at the kids again. “Do you need a hand in teaching the kids? I happen to know some swordsmanship myself.”

“Really? I would love that. I was kinda in a pinch on what to do about them since I was so busy with work, I couldn’t give them as much time as I was hoping. Chloe and Kenya both have a lot of potential. Both of them have what it takes to become a Hero. The other three can easily become Saints. I don’t want their potential to be wasted.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“Thanks. I knew I could rely on you.” I patted his back.

“Thank you for your praise….my King.” He replied with a smile.

The kids had completed their training so I called them all back. “Great work everyone. I have just the reward for you all. Today….we are having….Pizza!”

“Yay!” The kids jumped in joy at the words.

I looked at Dino and called him too. “Come on. You have been working just as hard as everyone. It’s my treat.”

________________________________x__________________________________

Pizza was always good.

I learned how to make this when I was in the orphanage. I worked as a waiter for a nearby Pizza place and the owner made awesome pizza. He even showed me how to do it sometimes and let me practise.

By the end of the third month, I could make pretty good ones too.

….I wanted to make some for the kids of the orphanage on the day I was summoned.

Sigh.

“Teacher?” A voice from my lap broke my thoughts.

I looked down to see Chloe sitting in my lap and saw that her plate had been emptied and served her another slice before patting her head.

She made the most progress today so she could ask me for some reward and this was the reward she wanted.

Even Dino and his subordinates seemed to like the dish.

We were currently at Ramiris’ Labrinth. There was no way the glutton fairy was going to be left out of this.

“Hey, give me the one with more cheese. Don’t hog everything for yourself ne….”

I looked at the pixie in surprise. “Just where are you keeping those? I mean you are smaller than the slice of pizza. Just how in the world are you eating everything?”

“Hmph, I am a growing girl. I need my food.” She humphed as she nibbled at the end of the pizza.”

“Growing girl? Really? Why don’t I see it? You seem just as tall as the last time I saw you.”

“Hah? I have grown two whole millimetres, ya know. Two whole millimetres.” She stood on her toes and tried to show me her supposedly increased height.

“Are you sure your hair isn’t frizzled due to the weather?”

“No no. I totally grew taller.”

“Well if you say so.”

“By the way, where is the second volume of the SpyxFamily manga? I didn’t see it with Veldora. Do you have it?”

“The second volume? I don’t think I’ve made that one yet.”

“Then make it. I wanna see if Anya can become a Spy and help Lloyd in the mission. Also they are about to get a dog. A dog, you know.” She flew around my head, briefly returning to the pizza slice to take a bite and resume her buzzing.

“I like Yor’s dress.” Alice said. “I have even made a golem like her.” She bragged proudly.

I wasn’t lying when I said all my students were extremely talented.

Alice, the princess of the group or rather as she is called, the Empress, has very great talent in Creation Magic, especially Golem Creation and manipulating them like puppets. She fights by manipulating her stuffed toys to attack others.

We decided to put more power behind this by having her make Golems based on her favourite characters from the anime and manga.

Her best team consists of the Ten Sailor Guardians who she commands at her will.

Rimuru also spoils her too much.

She had Kurobe and the Dwarves make all ten of them with Magisteel and then enchanted with various effects and Magical Cores so that they could use different attacks similar to the anime counterparts.

I estimate that if she could control all of them in tandem, she could even take down seasoned Enlightened Beings, although she needs a lot of time and practice to reach such a level.

On top of this, she has a contract with a Space Elemental Spirit which helps her keep all these golems in her in a hammerspace of sorts to summon at her wish.

What came next is her summoning her newest golem and Ramiris fangirling over the golem while both of them discussed what to do next.

At this time, Aletia stepped into the room and behind her came Luminous and Ena.

She had accompanied her during her stay here and the two seem to get along quite well.

She looked at me and then at Chloe and I suddenly felt her gaze turn cold the next time she stared at me.

“Pizza?” I offered with a smile.

“Where is he?” She asked.

I looked at the kids.

They all knew Yuuki and I didn’t want this conversation to be in front of them.

“We are having a party. Come join us. We can talk about work when the kids are fed and go to their beds.”

She seemed to realise what I was insinuating and nodded, taking a seat right opposite to me.

“Oh, it has been a while since Ena had pizza. Did you make these?” The outspoken girl sat down and took a slice. “Mmhhh. This is good.”

“I worked at a Pizza Place before I was summoned.”

“A Pizza Place? Was the place made from Pizza?” Ramiris flew up to my face and asked with sparkling eyes.

“No. How would that even work? It’s a place where Pizza is made and sold.” I replied, much to her disappointment.

Just like this, we got into a peaceful atmosphere.

There were a few ups and downs when Luminous tried to wipe the corner of Chloe’s mouth but the girl turned towards me instead, making the True Ancestor give me a death stare.

Seriously, lady. That was not my fault.

In this time I remembered Rimuru’s suggestion and decided to go for it.

“Let’s play a game.”

Material Creation was an easy skill to learn. Creating Monopoly with it was even easier.

The kids were very happy when I did so.

I explained the rules to the newest members of the group and we got down to the game.

A few calculated throws and poor investments and I was already the first one to lose.

“Hahahaha it seems I lost.”

“Sensei, you suck.” Kenya, the one who made me bankrupt, laughed and I scratched the back of my head.

I wanted to check if my skill worked on more than one person at once and….it worked.

The Ultimate Skill Leviathan was stimulated by the loss.

And just like that a flurry of notifications sounded in my ears and this time, I was just happy.

________________________________x__________________________________________________________________x__________________________________

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Author’s Note:

I am back with another chapter of ‘To be a Hero’.

Sal managed to trick and capture both his targets.

Yuuki got caught in a bad position and he would have never expected his enemies to plan to this extent.

Jahil on the other hand wouldn’t even know what happened until he is dead, especially with so many people behind him.

Kagali had her world turned upside down.

Damrada, at this point he is just using copium.

Mariabell thinks she won, not realising that she has earned the ire of a Yandere True Demon Lord and a True Dragon.

Dino….we will see in the next chapter what is going on with him.

Luminous is just being jealous but isn’t able to do anything but grit her teeth and stay.

Leon on the other hand….

Next chapter is going to be a lot of fun.

Things are picking up pace, bit by bit as the Western Nations come together.

I plan to do some side stories, maybe use the movies and even the games if possible.

The game had some pretty nifty characters which will make the story far more entertaining and challenging for Salvatore who has not played any.

I hope you’ll like it.

Enjoy the new chapter.

Good Day, Peace Out.