The Queen's current situation was, quite obviously, far from ideal. I got a brief rundown from Remus, and spent the rest of the time — while preparing for the journey — going over the situation in my head.
Melromarc is a strong country. It holds a vast territory and equally vast resources — resources I might gain access to if I manage to prove myself in the Queen's eyes. But how much strength will it still have left after all this?
Melromarc had already survived a war. And, if the records don't lie, it was only thanks to the wisdom of the king — later known as the Sage King — that it did. But even that king is long gone, and the country no longer holds that trump card either.
On the plus side — there's an alliance with the demi-human countries, assuming the Queen manages to win the Shield Hero over to her side. That would make two Heroes: one acting as a bridge to an alliance with those not-so-weak nations, and the other — yours truly — the strongest among the current Heroes (yes, self-confidence is everything).
Also, judging by some indirect hints, Melromarc seems to have decent ties with Zeltoble, which might come into play when the time is right. Actually, they might already be helping out, if my assumptions are correct. After all, I was promised direct and unrestricted access to the Queen's location — which, by the way, involves crossing an official national border, one that should be under tight protection. Meaning, Zeltoble has given its silent approval to aiding Mirellia.
On the other side — we've got Faubrey. Objectively the strongest country, boasting the most advanced technology, and historically always the one to produce the most powerful Hero of the Four. They were supposed to conduct the first Summoning too, by the way. And that's the very country Old Cray dragged through the mud, blatantly spitting on every agreement in place. Not even a simpleton, but a full-blown psychopath would have to lose his mind to pull something like that — personally signing his own country's death sentence.
The fact that Mirellia had managed to keep up negotiations all the way up to this point — that alone was one hell of an achievement.
So, when you look at the positives, we've got: a milf-queen-mastermind, a potential alliance with two or three more countries, the good old canon rails, a chance to slap some sense into one senile old man, support from a major nation, and… that's it?
On the downside: the strongest country is now an enemy, there's a looming threat of war brewing in the middle of incoming Waves, along with everything that comes with them, and… that's it?
So far, it looks like even just the first advantage alone would be enough for me to get involved. War isn't that big a deal for a Hero, and with Sadeena's help — if we just lay low for a while — I'll soon break through every possible level cap, which would make killing me a nightmare.
"Well… that's how we ended up here, birdie," I said, patting Night's side as I finished my little monologue.
"Mmm… Master, what's a 'milf'?"
"Oh. Uh… how do I put this…"
And of all the things I'd been thinking about — that, of course, was the one that caught her attention…
By now, we were already closing in on the border outpost, which I'd been observing for some time. Deciding not to tempt fate or test how many spies Zeltoble might have in its own kitchen, I activated Camouflage while we were still approaching. Might as well see if I can slip through a place like this unnoticed. Who knows what kind of artifacts they've got lying around? Better to figure that out now, than have this skill turn out useless when it actually matters.
But… we were in the clear. No one so much as twitched when Night and I raced through the main gate without even slowing down. Had to jump a little, sure — no one was going to hold those things open for us — but honestly, that just helped test the skill in a broader context.
So it turns out that, even at level 7, Camouflage makes me completely undetectable to ordinary people. As for magical artifacts and whatever else — no idea. I haven't seen any of those in action yet. But even so — the potential here is seriously promising.
Keeping Camouflage active while moving this fast won't work for long, and frankly, I didn't want to waste more energy than necessary. The situation was delicate, and having extra reserves never hurt. But no sooner had I deactivated the skill than — ten minutes later — I ran into my first surprise.
"Hero-sama," came a sudden voice — so sudden, I nearly decapitated her on reflex — as a girl in a ninja outfit stepped into our path. "I am the Queen's Shadow. I was given orders to escort the Hero to Her Majesty, should he agree to help."
"..."
I just stared at her in silence, eyes empty.
"Have I misunderstood the Hero's intentions?" she asked, a little nervously.
Ohhh dear god… It's her. The infamous 'I am', the one who once made my brain itch from the inside out. I mean seriously — how?! How do you end up working in the kingdom's covert ops when you talk… like this?!
"No… I agreed to help your Queen."
"I am glad you did not turn away from us in such a critical hour. Now, if you do not mind…" She turned, as if waiting for my signal to proceed.
"Yeah. Lead the way."
…
We spent the next few hours following the Shadow. Or… well, "following" is one way to put it.
Turned out she simply couldn't keep up with Night, and since wasting time wasn't an option — she ended up riding the bird too. But the real delay came elsewhere.
"Um…"
"Something wrong?" I asked, with the purest innocence in my voice.
"I am not against this position, but…" The girl lowered her head, eyeing my hands that were firmly wrapped around her waist. Well, how else was I supposed to stay on? "I am not possessing horseback riding skills."
As you might've guessed — I'd seated her in the front. And no, it wasn't because I didn't want to pass up the opportunity — she was the one who knew the way! It was just more convenient for everyone this way!
But…
"I am able to guide you from the back as well. We are not navigating a maze, after all."
"Eh…"
The Shadow gave me a strange look, but I took her advice and switched places with her.
And the moment Night picked up speed, I felt two rather generous curves press into my back… Not to mention, the sensation of being held by a girl wasn't all that different from holding her yourself. By the way, wasn't this Shadow a body double of the Queen? That would mean their proportions were pretty much identical…
"Actually, you know… I think this is better."
Maybe I imagined it, but I could've sworn someone behind me let out a dramatic sigh.
But let's set the slice-of-life comedy aside for now. We ran into our first real obstacle. And it wasn't serious because of how hard it would be to deal with — but because of how we should deal with it.
"Tell me… Shadow," I turned my head slightly to glance at the girl behind me. "What do you think I should do?"
"I am not fully understanding what you mean."
We had arrived at the border of another country — one we needed to cross in order to reach the Queen's current location. And it was guarded by troops from both Faubrey and the nation that actually owned this land. But the real issue lay elsewhere.
"Should I attack?" My gaze returned to the fortifications.
"Are there… other options?" the Shadow asked after a short pause, her tone growing more thoughtful. "By the way, I was supposed to meet you at the Zeltoble checkpoint, but you never showed up. Only later did I receive word that you were spotted further ahead…"
"Yeah. I've got a way to get us through completely unnoticed." I decided to set aside the question of how they'd managed to spot me so quickly. "So, there are two options: first — we break through by force. Second — we just stroll right through and no one notices a thing."
"If passing unnoticed is an option, then why fight at all?" The Shadow tilted her head in confusion.
"Aren't you one of Mirellia's agents? And you still don't get it?" Her eyes widened slightly when I called the Queen by name. "The first option lets you show off your power. That can lead to a bunch of benefits — but just as many drawbacks. Even I get that much, but a proper politician could list way more."
"I see…"
She fell silent, lost in thought. And she stayed that way for quite a while, considering the urgency of our situation.
"No. Even if you, esteemed Hero, possess enough strength, an attack would not be the best course. In our current circumstances, it's better to avoid giving anyone yet another reason to escalate. There are more than enough of those already…" the Shadow sighed sadly.
"That's why I asked. I'd rather not get tangled up in high politics."
Reactivating Camouflage, we passed through that border just as smoothly as the last one — without raising so much as a whisper. Having skills like this really is convenient…
The road ahead was uneventful. A few times we came across temporary camps or patrols from various armies, but no one was expecting me to have concealment abilities, so no one had prepared any proper countermeasures — if such even existed. Still, it was better to assume they did.
At the moment, the Queen was under the protection of one of her subjects — someone who, according to the Shadow, wasn't officially tied to her. Honestly, it made sense that a ruler would have allies she didn't advertise — for situations just like this.
The Shadow asked me to enter the house through the back door — and under invisibility, no less. Felt a bit excessive, given how deep in the middle of nowhere we were, but it wasn't a big deal for me. Still, the question of how I'd been spotted so quickly after crossing the Zeltoble border… remained unanswered.
Just before reaching the door, I deactivated Camouflage. The Shadow tapped out a specific "password" on the door, and after a moment it slowly creaked open, revealing the head of an elderly man dressed like a textbook butler.
"Oh. We weren't expecting you so soon…"
"Heroes' abilities tend to surprise," the Shadow nodded.
"So this is what you're like, Hero-sama…" The old man looked me over with an impressed expression — kind of like how someone might look at a god that just appeared in the flesh out of nowhere. "But where are my manners… Please, come in."
There weren't many people inside the house. Aside from the butler himself, I could sense around twelve more. And judging by the mana signature, one of them was a rather capable mage. I had a pretty good idea who that mage might be.
"Her Majesty is upstairs. Please," the old man said, gesturing toward the staircase.
The Shadow nodded and started up first. The estate was, truth be told, fairly modest. It still looked like a noble's residence, but without any flashy displays of wealth. Especially modest for someone of royal status. But it was obvious that Mirellia wasn't exactly in a position to be picky right now.
"Your Majesty, I have returned. The Scythe Hero-sama is with me. May I…"
She knocked on the door, and mid-sentence we heard a loud thud, followed by frantic footsteps. Bare footsteps, to be precise. Worth noting — it was still morning, practically dawn even, since Remus had barged in so early it barely qualified as today. And there were two people in that room.
A shame I can't see through walls…
"Ahem," the Shadow coughed awkwardly into her fist. "I am thinking Her Majesty may need a little more time."
I didn't say anything — just smiled in response. The girl immediately turned away, a little too quickly.
Then came the sound of a bolt being drawn back. The door opened, this time with complete composure — one might even call it regal. Waiting on the other side was another Shadow, also dressed head to toe in black. Though in her case, the distinctly feminine silhouette was impossible to hide. Or maybe she wasn't even trying — not with the kind of "assets" our Shadow had.
With a slight bow, the Shadow stepped aside to let us through. And there, inside the room, sitting behind a desk buried in paperwork, was her…
"It is an honor to welcome you, esteemed Scythe Hero, Nott-sama."
"Well, hello there, Mirellia Q Melromarc," I smiled at the Queen of Melromarc, who had risen from her seat and bowed her head in greeting.