CHAPTER 69.5 - The Party. Part 2
The grand hall of the Royal Palace of Turger gleamed under the light of crystal lamps that cast a warm, golden glow over the guests. Soft orchestral music blended with the lively murmur of conversation and the occasional clink of glasses. Nobles from every allied kingdom, merchants who had invested in the Queen's innovations, and of course, the legendary heroines summoned from other worlds. But at the center of it all was her.
The great Queen of Turger, the human bearing the title "The Most Innovative Woman." While most rulers prefer to keep their people ignorant in order to control and manipulate them more easily, she was the first to immediately apply the modern knowledge of the summoned heroines to completely transform her country. In just one decade, Turger had leaped centuries ahead in progress. Paved streets with magical lighting, free hospitals for the poor, compulsory schools where even peasants learned to read and write.
She gave up 96% of her personal wealth to invest in her nation's future and worked every single day to secure the resources needed. Her daily routine consisted of negotiations to attract constant investment, overseeing her scientists to stay abreast of breakthroughs, analyzing fields and harvests—among dozens of other tasks spread across all seven days of the week, with no day of rest. She was not a distant queen seated on a throne; she was a leader who sweated alongside her people.
The Queen of Turger was, without a doubt, the best ruler a country could ever have, and that was why her citizens loved her so fiercely. And that love was her greatest weapon. No one could touch her without facing the wrath of an entire nation—even the world.
"Welcome, Lady Josse," said a very young servant, barely eleven years old, bowing flawlessly as he accepted Kei's invitation.
The boy wore a spotless uniform bearing the royal family's embroidered crest. His eyes still shone with the innocence that only the children of Turger retained, thanks to the Queen's child-protection policies. Kei, in his disguised form, gave a polite smile and nod before stepping into the hall.
His adult form was an absolute no, as was his hero form. Entering under the identity of an unimportant noblewoman whose appearance was utterly average (straight brown hair, brown eyes, a figure neither slender nor curvy, a completely forgettable face) was the best possible option. Kidnapping her had been the easy part; acting like her was the hard part. Hours and hours of practice in front of a mirror—mimicking her high-pitched voice, her gestures, the slight sway of her hips when she walked. All of it seemed to have been for nothing. The moment he entered the hall, his nervousness vanished like smoke.
Every eye was on them—the heroines and the Queen. Who would bother talking to an ordinary noble when they could speak directly to the heroines or the Queen herself? Luna, in a white dress that seemed to glow with its own light, like the moon itself. Gelisha, off in a corner as usual, looking bored—this wasn't her kind of party (another thing she and Kei had in common). Charlotte, cheerfully chatting with a group of inventors. The others, surrounded by admirers competing for a single word from them. And above them all, the Queen—radiant in a blood-red dress that accentuated her glorious figure, laughing with a warmth that made everyone feel special.
The noble Kei had chosen was corrupt; her death would bring him no remorse. A low-ranking noble, yet important enough to be invited to this party. Hours of rehearsal wasted, but it was always better to be prepared for any contingency.
Kei walked forward calmly, offering vague smiles to anyone who crossed his path. No one smiled back. Perfect. Going unnoticed was the goal… until Luna spotted him.
One of Luna's duties was to constantly monitor the statuses of everyone around her, searching for possible members of the false-hero generation or infiltrated demons. So she instantly recognized Kei. She was surprised for a fraction of a second but quickly hid it and continued talking to the women around her. "What's going on? Kei? Here? In disguise?" Luna wondered. She knew every action Kei took had a reason. If he was at this party, it could only mean two things: either the demons were planning something, or he was testing his infiltration methods.
And of course, the Queen was aware of Luna's ability and always kept an eye on her. She noticed the microsecond of surprise on Luna's face, the way her pupils dilated and then contracted. It couldn't be that she'd detected a demon infiltrator—the Queen had that under control. Nor could it be surprise at someone's power level; Luna was used to powerful statuses by now. Why had Luna reacted so strongly and then hidden it? This was personal.
The friendship between Crisfa and Luna was no secret, and neither was the one between Kei and Luna. Whenever Luna visited Kei's country, she always made time to see him. Hiding it was pointless; their actions were constantly watched, so they never bothered concealing their friendship. And now that the Queen had seen that reaction, her mind put everything together and reached a conclusion:
"Luna knows too," the Queen thought, a slow, dangerous smile curving her perfect lips.
An unimportant noble causing the world's most perceptive heroine to react like that. The biggest possible red flag.
Of course, Drin and Mio had already anticipated this, but they had hoped Luna could pretend better. Telling her about the plan was impossible—because Fravi could see and hear through Luna, and they didnail't want to give the Queen any more advantages. And although Fravi hated demons with every fiber of her divine being, Kei and the others feared she would make any alliance necessary to eliminate Kei, the only human with the real power to kill her.
In that precise instant, out of 687 strategies, 216 were irrevocably discarded because of Luna's reaction.
Remaining strategies: 471.
Luna made eye contact with Kei, but he ignored her and stood there, staring in awe at Gelisha in her formal gown. Gelisha—the least popular heroine. The one who always stayed apart, ignoring flatterers, silently eating in a corner with a perpetually bored expression. Her gown was black, very plain and ordinary. No cleavage, no sparkle, nothing eye-catching. It clung to her flat, curve-less body. She was the complete opposite of her companions, who looked splendid and radiant.
Gelisha—the least popular heroine, and at the same time, the heroine Kei admired most.
A waiter passed by with a silver tray. Kei took a snack and a glass of golden wine. Pretending was pointless now; even he could feel the Queen's gaze boring into the back of his neck. It was only a matter of waiting for whatever the Queen was preparing.
"Everything is so… normal," Kei thought, pretending to sip the wine.
The Queen stopped talking to the people around her and began walking toward the heroines. Her red dress billowed like a banner—a beautiful movement, and therefore suspicious. "Could it be some kind of signal?" Kei wondered.
[Anything new, darling?]
[Nothing. Outside?]
[The Dark Elves detected traces of demonic magic in the air, heading north. They're hidden for now.]
Planning to attack the heroines? No, no, and no. Kei couldn't imagine the Queen ruining her image on this day. Attacking a lone heroine would be suicide for any demon who wasn't Desmolfer. The Queen's plan wasn't against the heroines—it was against Kei. Why were the demons so interested in him? He still hadn't had a chance to ask them. Was it because of Commander Slime? The demons had been enraged by Drin's betrayal, which led Kei to kill Nero. But why hadn't they revealed Kei's identity? Why drag it out? The 50/50 rule, maybe—but why? The heroines wanted the hero Kei dead; they'd get rid of him and gain power at the same time under the 50/50 rule (which didn't apply to Kei, but they didn't know that). So why stay silent?
Kei had a theory, but it didn't fully convince him.
"That demon wants to stay far away from Luna," Kei thought, noting Gabrielku was nowhere in sight.
The Queen was definitely human. Fooling Luna was impossible; not even Desmolfer could alter his status without Luna knowing. Gabrielku was the strongest demon they could currently face, but as long as they stayed near Luna and the heroines, Gabrielku wouldn't show. Taking that into account, 204 of the remaining 471 strategies involved Kei distracting the heroines while Drin and the others fought Gabrielku. Eliminating him was the priority; the Queen was impossible for now. They would try, yes—but if Gabrielku was under her orders, it meant the Queen was hiding her true power. Challenging someone like Kei, who could defeat a demon commander, meant she knew she could beat him.
The Queen was now talking with the heroines. Kei didn't dare use magic to enhance his hearing—they might notice—but he had trained enough to read lips. It wasn't his specialty, of course. In fact, he had never trained it before. He had learned it just for this moment, to minimize suspicion. Luna and the Queen knew he was there, but Luna wouldn't say anything, and apparently neither would the Queen.
["The internet signal has started manifesting, so in about five years it'll be ready." Internet? They skipped the industrial revolution and went straight to the digital age.]
[They're just talking about inventions from your world?]
[For now, yeah, I think so. I'm guessing based on the words I can make out, but they're definitely talking about the internet and mobile communication devices. I wonder who'll make the first movie. TV and cinema came before the internet.]
Kei imagined himself directing a horror movie, becoming the pioneer of the genre. With his experience as Molfer, scaring people was easy.
The first monsters, the first symbols of terror. The next killer doll, the camp slasher, the dream eater, the chainsaw murderer. Kei let his imagination run while concentrating on the Queen's lips with his [Double Thought] skill.
But then, mid-sentence, the Queen stopped. She closed her eyes for a second, nodded slightly, and smiled with an expression that froze the blood.
Kei set his thoughts aside and readied himself. She had just received a message. Something was about to happen.
"Attention!"
A single clap was enough to silence the room. She began walking. The sound of her high heels echoed as she moved to the center. Luna, hysterical, was mentally shouting at Kei.
[What are you doing here?! Is there a demon attack you found out about?!]
Kei met Luna's eyes and silently mouthed the word: letter.
Luna remembered the letter Kei had given her—the one she was supposed to read when she thought Kei had become dangerous.
"What are you going to do?" Luna wondered.
Attack the heroines? Absolutely not—Kei couldn't kill any of them; Luna knew his power perfectly. Some noble at the party? A staff member who's a demon? Protect the Queen from an attack? She imagined everything except what was actually about to happen: Kei would attack the Queen.
Because to Luna, the Queen of Turger was one of the few truly good people in this rotten world. A ruler who sacrificed everything for her people. The last person Luna would ever distrust.
And that was exactly why Kei knew that, no matter what happened next, he would end up looking like the absolute villain. No one would believe an enemy of Fravi.
The Queen stood in the center of the room and raised her right hand.
"The main event of the night is about to begin!"
"Main event?" Kei wondered, every muscle in his body tensing, preparing for anything.
A side door opened with a dramatic creak. A squad of royal guards marched in, and between them… children.
Twelve small children, ages five to ten, dressed in filthy rags, trembling as if they were in the coldest place on earth. Their bodies showed no serious physical wounds, but their faces… their faces reflected the terror they had endured. Empty, terrified expressions. Some cried silently; others seemed catatonic.
It is said that angels take human forms because if humans saw their true forms, they would lose their minds, unable to bear it. Well, that was what Kei saw in these children. They had seen something worse than angels. They had lived hell itself and survived, but their minds were beyond repair. For them, there was no future anymore.
Rage and sorrow hit Kei like a hammer, but his mind only calculated one thing: "437." The current number of viable strategies.
The children's appearance hadn't been fully anticipated, but it didn't change much. Some plans were discarded because the heroines were emotionally affected by the sight, which would make them angrier—and therefore more dangerous.
Pale faces, clenched fists, eyes burning with fury. The heroines' emotions overflowed—except for Near, who kept eating, completely indifferent to what had happened to those children.
Frima wanted to scream, to demand answers, but for some reason she forced herself to stay silent, repeating over and over in her mind: "Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything." Tears streamed down her face as she thought only that.
"These children were rescued just hours ago by my elite guards, whom I now officially name the 'Scarlet Triad'!"
Kei glanced at the guards—more than a dozen, but none seemed particularly dangerous. "Scarlet Triad" meant three people. Coming from the Queen at a moment like this, that group had to be equal to—or even stronger than—Gabrielku. Where were they?
"The hero Kei was holding them captive and using them as food for his friends—the demons!"
"Demons?! You're saying the hero Kei is connected to demons?!" Bandia exclaimed, unable to believe it.
"These innocent children are the only survivors! Approximately 600 children were murdered by the hero Kei! And I'm telling you all this tonight because he is listening to us right now!"
Everything—absolutely everything—she said, Kei and the heroines felt was the truth. They detected no trace of a lie. For the heroines, this was final proof of why Fravi wanted the hero Kei dead. Kei had officially been declared an ally of the demons.
Luna panicked and kept trying to talk to Kei, searching for any explanation, but Kei only repeated: "Read the letter."
He didn't want to tell her about the Queen yet—to prevent her from saying anything.
If his plan failed, the Queen would survive. Kei knew her secret, and she knew his. Neither of them benefited from revealing the other's secret. At first, people might not believe Kei, but if Luna helped him, the Queen would definitely die.
Kei's best theory for why the Queen hadn't exposed his identity was that Kei would reveal she was working with demons. Besides, how did she know who he was? Exposing Kei's identity would ruin her human life. Even if Kei was seen as a demon ally, the fact that she knew his secret identity—and if Kei publicly accused her of being a demon ally—people would kill her, especially Luna.
The hall erupted into horrified murmurs. Spies spread the news, and within seconds the entire world knew what had happened.
Mei and her grandmother stopped arguing; their faces hardened as they received the information. The hero Kei—the one who shared name and appearance with Kei Molfer—had turned out to be a demon ally.
Kei Molfer's life had just gotten worse.
"The hero Kei… allied with demons," Mei murmured in disbelief.
[Kei, come home immediately.]
His grandmother contacted him. Luckily, Kei had a plan to justify his absence on this exact day.
[I can't, Grandma. I'm standing right next to the Queen of Turger at this very moment. She asked me to come in secret, and now I know why she invited only me.]
Kei blinked three times in less than a second—the prearranged signal.
The floor of the hall trembled slightly, and a second Kei Molfer rose up from the ground. The heroines almost attacked on instinct, but Luna activated her skill and in less than 0.1 seconds pulled him to safety, far from them.
"What the hell are you doing, idiot?! That's—!" Near shouted furiously.
"It's Kei Molfer, look!" Luna said, shielding him with her body.
The hall descended into chaos. Guests screaming, some fainting, thinking it was the hero Kei himself. But the Queen… the Queen simply started laughing. A beautiful, amused laugh, as if everything were part of a planned show… or, well, that was exactly what it looked like.
Kei Molfer smiled with his characteristic arrogance and began walking toward the Queen while Luna followed, ready to protect him at any moment. The crowd parted as if he were a leper.
The heroines stared at him, waiting for any suspicious move to attack, but they remembered Sei Molfer and decided to just watch for now. If they killed him by mistake, they would be next. Near was the only stubborn one, which was why Luna kept her skill active on her in case she tried anything.
"The Queen personally invited me to this party in secret. I didn't understand why only me, much less why in secret, but now it's clear. I'm here because I'm the prime suspect of being the hero Kei, right? The one who shares my name, my face, and now—according to you—monstrous crimes."
The Queen tilted her head, amused, tracing her lower lip with a jeweled finger.
"Mmm. No, not really."
The fake Kei stopped two meters away from her, arms crossed defiantly.
"Then why am I here?"
"You're here because I know, with absolute certainty, that you are not the hero Kei."
Silence fell over the hall—total silence, matched only by her certainty. All the heroines felt she was telling the truth. Was she actually helping Kei keep his secret identity?
"…Well, well," said Kei Molfer—or rather, Eris, using transformation pills.
The game had just leveled up.