Chapter 102
Erisu, Mana and Sarai were headed to the headquarters of the Alliance where King Bide was holding a meeting. They welcomed Erisu to come in as the heroine as she walked in. The people there were from all over the different kingdoms and there were many powers around.
Erisu took a seat at the conference which took place at a large palace ballroom and there were many foods being served. There were still three months before the demon gate opened and the invasion would commence.
King Bide was in the front and Prince Hunte was acting nice towards her trying to curry her favor. He brought the three of them several gifts including perfume and jewelry.
Prince Hunte:”Complements of our kingdom and alliance, we hope you have come to help us with the coming invasion.”
Erisu took the jewelry and then observed how Prince Hunte had no shame in addressing her after torturing Roy. Erisu loved Roy but now she wasn’t sure if she could remain his fiance. There were too many issues to resolve along with the fact that the sword no longer recognized her as someone pure.
Erisu:”I thank you for your gift and hospitality.”
There was no reason to try and get on their bad side at this point when she had come to the Alliance of Kingdoms to seek help in protecting against the demon threat. The Rose Empire was where Roy would remain and she hadn’t lost hope to still be with him.
Erisu at first didn’t know why she wanted to be with Roy so much that she would give up everything. Now she realized that Roy was the only man in this world who would see her beyond what her title would be. The title heroine was one that carried weight with it every where she went and there would be an expectation of her behavior that went with it.
Roy was someone who didn’t care. Roy was also someone who didn’t care about status, nobility or anything else. There were many whom she had come across during her life as a J-pop star, and now as ‘the heroine’ and she had grown tired of such a title. She wanted someone who understood her and Roy seemed to be the only one even as she relentless teased him about doing it with his ‘mothers.’
That teasing however was something that gave her the sense of familiarity with him, his mothers who were oddly after him and her two best friends in this world who would marry him alongside her.
Prince Hunte had gone back to his seat and the defense meeting began as a large map was drawn in the room. The map contained the placement of soldiers and most of them were on the border of the Rose Empire protecting against the direction the demons were coming from.
King Bide:”I welcome all of you to the Alliance meeting where we are going to defend our continent against the invasion from the demon gate. The last Heroine failed to remain pure and thus caused a crisis to occur five hundred years ago. Today we are gathering together and we will push back against the demon forces once they reach this line.”
King Bide pointed toward the map where the Rose Empire end and the southern most kingdom in the alliance began. It was obvious there was no intention to help the Rose Empire survive. There was no love for the Empress or the Empire especially when she had forced her way in to try and save Roy.
Her two friends began to whisper to her during the meeting.
Sarai:”They really don’t care for anyone who doesn’t submit to their rule. The temple was given a warning not to aid the Empire if they wanted to be permitted to keep their places of worship within the alliance.”
Mana:”The Arcane Sanctum will have to take away their branches as well if they decide to send mages to aid the Empire. They want the Rose Empire dead before they will do anything to help against the demons.”
Erisu upon hearing them raised her hand to speak. King Bide saw her. There was an understanding that the opinion of the heroine could not be ignored when she possessed the sealing sword and would be an integral part of bringing the soldiers to battle. The presence of the sword itself when wielded by a pure maiden would weaken the strength of the demons as they tried to fight.
The many representatives there noticed that Erisu wanted to say something so King Harri who was part of the main counsel looked over and called to her.
King Harri:”Heroine, is there something you would like to say since you have joined our meeting?”
Erisu:”The line of defense should be as close to the gate as possible. As soon as we can reach the gate we would be able to seal it before anything happens.”
The counsel began to look back and forth towards each other. As they spoke Queen Pelos stood up from her seat at the front of the counsel to make her own words heard.
Queen Pelos:”That would be inappropriate. If we cannot see and scout the kind of demons that are coming out of the gate then we may send soldiers that are too weak to handle them.”
Erisu:”That can be stopped if we just send the strongest we have close to the gate and let me seal it.”
Queen Pelos:”That would be inappropriate use of resources. The Rose Empire is not part of the alliance and sending soldiers through their territory would be considered an act of war and something we will not do. We can’t attack due to the contract that was recently signed.”
King Bide:”That is correct. I am the head of the alliance and I had promised that I would not invade the empire. I am a king who keeps his promises. There aren’t any other viable paths towards the gate except through the empire itself.”
On the map there was difficult to traverse terrain on both sides of the Rose Empire. Only way to the Alliance of Kingdoms was through those lands. Erisu could only feel herself dejected at this but she understood that they wouldn’t be able to fight against the demon invasion easily without more support.
King Harri now stood up.
Erisu:”It would still be better if—“
Queen Pelos:”Heroine, your role is only to seal the demon gate when you are close enough to it. Politics and other situations are not for you to determine. We are monarchs and rulers and as such are responsible for the people in our own lands and not the lands of a place. The rest of us determine where we send our soldiers and how.”
Erisu:”Tactically-”
King Bide:”There is no need for further discussion at a meeting, we will stop here today and make the changes I have already suggested. Heroine, there are many things you don’t understand and thus I will have Prince Hunte help you understand.”
By nature Erisu was not a violent person. She wasn’t like the Empress Eliza who would draw her sword and threaten when others cut her off. As a ruler fighting for the well being of others in politics there was no way to be a nice a person when the other side would take advantage of everything you did for their own gain.
Most leaders were like that, they claim to want to help the common good when they really just want to help themselves and it was something Erisu has become more and more familiar with in her role as the heroine.
The meeting ended and Prince Hunte came over to the group.
Prince Hunte:”There could be changes to the plan but there has to be a lot of legwork to be done, won’t you come with me?”
Hesitant Erisu had to accept the offer. On her mind was Roy’s safety, as well as those she had grown to care for.
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