"Bleck. Hearing those words exit your mouth makes me gag a bit."
"Haha..... yeah. It is pretty disturbing now that I hear myself. Ah....."
The angelic girl who sat alone in her throne put her hand to her forehead with a pained expression.
"After all..... everyone who appears to have good intentions is nothing more than a filthy liar. And I suppose that includes me now? Haha...."
"Well, it's not like you're pretending to be the hero yourself. It's the puppet who's doing that."
"But I'm the one pulling the strings."
Holding out her hands, the girl twitched her angelic and demonic fingers as if she was manipulating something.
"Hahaha... but even so..... I'll continue. He started this game of manipulation..... and I'll beat him at his own game."
With a demented smile, a flare of bloodlust overcame the silver eyes of the girl.
"Heh....."
----
"It's because I am the hero of the Alliance."
'The hero.....'
'Is.... could that be true?'
'Could this girl truly be the hero??'
'It would explain her actions and her power....'
'If the people on top truly were manipulating the students like that, then without a doubt....'
The people looked to the gorgeous smile which the elven girl before them bore.
There was not a trace of malice, madness, or ill will.
It was a smile of pure and utter benevolence.
It was a smile which they could not accuse of evil.
However, this smile, which appeared to be devoid of evil, was anything but.
This was the smile of the Determined, who controlled this woman right now as if she were a puppet.
Having the opposing essences of good and evil locked into her very existence, putting on a smile which emanated benevolence and eased the hearts of those around her was a simple matter.
Through her own duality, she had become truly skilled at showing either side of herself.
And so, trust in the 'hero' spread through the hearts of the people.
"Hero!!!"
"Please lead us!!!"
"Now that those evildoers are gone, lead our nation!!!"
"We will follow you!!!!"
The dwarven people of the Capital one by one begun to shout out in fervency, appealing to the girl before them.
"That's right!!!"
"Don't allow any more corrupted rulers to take power!!!"
"Please, hero!!"
The pleading begun, and the people looked to the girl with hope, light having been inspired in them.
The girl merely stood forward with a nod.
"Of course. I am the hero of this nation. It is my duty therefore..... to give myself up for the people."
[And I am the Determined. It is my duty therefore.... to destroy the very concept of heroism.]
As Hailey was controlled by the evil being known as the Determined, she could do nothing more than watch as she made a promise which she herself had no idea whether or not she could fulfill.
'Why..... why are you controlling me like this? I mean..... it's not that I wouldn't do the same.... but why have you taken control of my body and words? Why are you doing this!? What is your goal!?'
Her mind was in chaos, yet her actions appeared to be in order.
Her expression was one of reassurance and confidence, yet her thoughts were anything but.
Yet there was no response from the evil being who controlled Hailey.
Instead, Hailey's body continued to move against her will.
With a bow and a smile, the girl walked off the stage, heading towards the dwarven military headquarters of the Alliance.
This was the place which the Commanders of the 3rd and 4th Division had been stationed, acting as a home base for the dwarven forces.
Hailey walked off, heading in the direction of the base, and as soon as she was out of the sight of the crowd, she felt herself regain control over her body.
[Why am I doing this?]
The mocking voice of the woman entered the mind of Hailey as she looked at her hands, once more having regained the feeling of control over her own body.
[Heh.....hahaha... the real question is, why haven't I been doing this the entire time? Ah..... being a hero was so difficult... how much easier it is to destroy than it is to create.]
Shivering, Hailey was filled with the utmost sense of uncertainty.
She had no idea what to do.
She had no idea what she could do.
This woman could control her body.
She was not herself.
She was nothing more than a puppet.
A tool, meant to progress the agenda of this monster.
[You'd better get going, hero. After all.... you have a nation to lead now. Heh. I'll be leaving you to your own decisions for a while. Don't come crying to me when you make the wrong decision.]
With this statement, that wretched yet somewhat appealing voice tore into the mind of Hailey.
Hailey understood well her own powerlessness.
She had accepted this power, for she had no other choice but to do so.
She could do nothing to fight against this being, and any action she took would be useless.
'I..... don't understand..... why would you do all this?'
Walking forward, Hailey continued to make her way to the building.
However, there was no response.
'Hey.... are you there?'
Hastening her pace, Hailey had now reached the headquarters.
'Hey.... what do you expect me to do.... on my own?'
Walking up the massive stairs, the building towered above her.
'On.... my own?'
Hailey approached the two guards, stepping forward as they looked at her with confusion.
"Is there somethin' ya need her lass? This is the military headquarters, so if yer just sightseein' then that's fine and all, but ya better get goin before any real important bigshots show up."
"Hey. I'm being controlled by the Determined."
She said it.
'Hm? I.... I said it..... I said it..... just now..... she..... didn't stop me?'
"Hm? What are ya talkin' about, lass?"
The two men looked at Hailey with confusion, however a smile came across the face of the girl.
'She.... didn't stop me.... which means.... she couldn't?'
"Ah, forget what I said just now! More importantly, I've come here because I am the hero of the Alliance."
'Is it possible that she can only control me for so long? Is it on a cooldown? Maybe she can't even read me anymore? Maybe she can only control one person at a time?'
She could do something.
The Determined had not stopped Hailey from speaking that name, despite so many attempts to silence her before.
This clearly showed that her power over Hailey had waned, for whatever reason.
'There's no way that she would just cease to care about being exposed..... which means..... I am acting completely free of her control right now. Could it be a range thing? Either way....'
"The hero? What are ya talking about?"
"Ah, do you need proof?"
Closing her eyes, Hailey's skin begun to boil.
Flames coated her like a dress, and she held out her hand, which contained a small orb of fire.
Playing with the fire, she spelled out some words with it.
'Do you believe me now?'
The men watched in awe as the words spiraled before their faces, looking back and forth between the woman and the spell.
"That's some fancy stuff right there...."
"But even if you're the hero..... I can't just let you in-"
"Do you know what has been going on in this nation?"
The men were frozen as the girl asked this, looking back and forth to one another.
"What do you mean?", one asked.
The girl let out a sigh, walking past the two.
"It's time for a change in leadership. I'll be taking over from this point on. You are now under my command. That goes for this entire army."
The girl walked past the two men with these words.
They were words which a normal person would never in a lifetime be able to speak, yet she spoke them with such confidence that they could do nothing as she walked past the two.
'That girl.....'
'She.....'
The two found themselves stiffen up as the presence of the girl overcame them.
Her demeanor had changed, and in that moment they understood.
It was not their place to interfere.
This was something which went far beyond them.
Walking through the building, the girl caught the eyes of many soldiers who were rushing about from post to post, however as she walked through the halls the girl stopped in her tracks.
"I am your new Ultimate Commander. Have those who were directly underneath the Division Commanders report to me immediately."
The people merely watched with eyes widened, wondering how on earth the girl had entered, however based on her demeanor they too understood.
She was not someone who they held the right to go against.
As if a higherup from a different branch had entered the headquarters and claimed that they were to take over from here, they understood that they could do nothing but accept it.
This too was a part of military obedience.
Hailey walked forth, heading up a set of stairs and entering the grand office.
"This is my office, correct?"
Turning to a passing dwarf, who quickly saluted, the girl gave him a questioning look expecting a hasteful answer.
"Yes, ma'am!! That is the office of the one in charge!!"
"I see."
Entering the office, Hailey stepped in without hesitation.
'If she cannot control me, then I must act now. I have no idea what conditions she can control me under, but I absolutely must do this right now while I am free of her presence.'
Hailey stepped into the office, taking a seat.
Soon, two dwarven men appeared before her, saluting with tense expressions.
"Ma'am.... we have arrived as we were ordered."
"Send a message to the Vythguard Empire. I am the hero, and I need to meet with the Indeterminant. Tell him that I have information on the Queen of Evil, and that we need to address this issue immediately."
"Understood!!!"
The men bowed to the girl, rushing out of the building.
'Just watch, Queen of Evil. I will join forces with the one destined to defeat you.... and I will unveil your horrid schemes. You allowed me to get revenge on those who sent the students to your realm.... but it was under your orders that my comrades were slaughtered by that monster. And for that..... I will take you down.'
----
"She's getting pretty arrogant. What a pest."
"Hahaha.... yeah, she is getting a bit too cheeky. But don't worry. This is the catalyst. And tomorrow....."
Claire smiled with thinned eyes, holding out her demonic hand as she opened her palm.
"Boom."
"Heh....."
"Heh....."
"Hahaha....."
"Heh heh heh....."
At this point, Claire barely even knew which side of herself was laughing.
But she did not care.
The only thing she knew was of the suffering of everyone around her.
Suffering was all she knew, and it was all she was.
And as a result of that, she plotted.
She planned.
She schemed.
And she became a demon.
----
Sitting in a regal throne, a man with blonde hair hung his arm around the woman who sat beside him.
This man sat slouched back, a grin on his face as he looked down on those before him.
The woman in his arm was a dark skinned beauty- a woman dressed in Arabic attire.
She too looked down on those before her, though her expression was one of great suspicion.
Standing at the walls were a number of legionnaires dressed in bronze armor, and lining these walls were a number of marble statues which lined the palace.
Behind the blonde haired man was an older man who wore a regal tunic, and in front of him were a number of politicians from all over the world.
Representatives from the Sultinate, the Empire, and the Kingdom had all gathered before this man, and bowed before him and the woman he fondled.
This man was the Indeterminant, the savior of humanity.
Next to him was Risa Saheed, the hero of the Sultinate.
"So what you mean to say is that while 3000 gold coins were sent in order to fund improvements to the roadways, that only 2000 arrived safely? And that is the reason that you are going to be using shoddy materials for the construction?"
The man spoke with dominance, and the three before him shuddered at his words.
"Well.... you see..... it was bandits, my liege!! Bandits attacked the man who was transporting the funds, therefore-"
"Ah. I see. And these bandits decided to leave behind 2000 gold coins for the construction of the roadways? What good citizens they must be. Perhaps they wanted to use them for themselves?"
The eyes of the men went wide as such accusations were placed.
"Risa, do me a favor and judge these men for me."
"Of course, Indeterminant."
With a smile, the girl responded cheerfully to the man who held his arm around her, standing up from her seat as she walked over to the men.
"To lie to your Emperor.... and to the Indeterminant at that..... you men must truly be scum, no? Did you think that you could pull the wool over our eyes with something like this?"
Gulping noises could be heard from each of the man, and in the next moment piercing noises were heard.
The pouring of blood onto the floor and the falling of the bodies as they hit the ground was heard, and the girl walked back up to her seat, sitting with a smile as she coddled herself back in to the arm of the man.
Not even a second had passed, and each of the men had been pierced directly through the heart.
"Take them away.", the woman stated.
"Yes, hero!"
"Right away!!"
The soldiers quickly dragged the bodies off and cleaned the floor, and in mere moments the palace was returned to it's pristine status.
"Next."
With the roll of his eyes, the man sitting on the throne waved for the next audience, at which the soldier at the door nodded promptly.
"Of course, my liege."
A messenger was let into the room, and this man stepped forward before bowing to the two.
"My liege, I come bearing a message from the Alliance."
As soon as this man said this, the Indeterminant leaned forward with interest.
"Oh? Is that so? What message?"
"A woman claiming to be the hero of the Alliance has requested for your presence."
Standing up with a smile, the blonde hair of the Indeterminant waved as he thrusted himself off the throne, eager to set out immediately.
'A woman? I'm in.'
"This is a matter which must be investigated immediately. I'll be setting out as soon as possible."
"I'm coming with you."
The woman stood up as well, clinging to the man as he walked forth.
"Of course you are."
The woman smiled as the man stroked her hair tenderly, and the two begun to head out, leaving the messenger bowing his head.
"Indeterminant, there is more news!", the man shouted.
Turning around with a slight look of annoyance, Oscar thinned his eyes in disgust.
"Ah, is that so? What else it there?"
"The woman who has sent the message claims that she has information on the Queen of Evil."
As the messenger said this, whispers were sent throughout the men surrounding the palace, however the lips of the blonde haired man curled up ever so slightly.
"Is that so? Then this is all the more important. We prepare to head out first thing tomorrow morning. Let us go prepare, Risa. Longitudinas, you can take things from here, no? After all.... duty calls."
"Of course, my liege. I have been preparing for this moment as soon as you took over, knowing that one day you would need to leave this palace in order to fulfill your obligations as the hero."
With a wave, Oscar and Risa left the building, leaving the people in silence.
"Do you think this woman is actually a hero? How would they know they're a hero before you find them? That's very suspicious.", Risa said as the two walked along.
"It is. However, the fact that the Queen of Evil was mentioned is even more suspicious. Too suspicious to ignore."
'And more importantly..... heh..... harem plus one.'
Oscar looked at the woman who clung to him with a smirk.
'She has gotten pretty attached to me..... haha..... at this point, she won't object if I start taking more women for myself. She might get a bit jealous..... but she's now obsessed with me. Meaning when she gets jealous.... the hatred won't be directed at me anymore.'
The two walked through the courtyards of the palace, heading to their quarters to prepare themselves.
'It will be directed at herself. If she sees me with another woman, she'll think 'Ah.... I wasn't good enough for him. And at that moment.... she'll give into anything I ask of her. Heh..... she really was a pushover.'
Closing his eyes, Oscar grinned as he imagined the possibilities.
'Soon, I'll have an entire palace filled with women begging for me. And there will be nobody to stop me. Not even that Queen of Evil. After all.... I plan on making her one of them.'
----
'He's moving.'
'I know.'
'He's a pig.'
'I know.'
'He deserves to die a thousand times over.'
'I completely agree.'
The demonic and angelic girl smiled with horrid bloodlust, laughing to herself.
'Ah ah..... I can't wait to see his expression when he loses everything.'
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she found herself standing as she moved into action.
Closing her eyes, the woman then spoke out, sending a message to all the people within her nation.
[A notice to all my slaves. Tomorrow is the day of the attack. All squadrons are to attack their designated locations, and you are to make each person suffer according to the labeling which they have been given.]
The girl smiled with a mix of kindness and malevolence, violently shifting her demeanor between good and evil.
[Evelyn and Berith, I'm looking at both of you. I've labeled each person as one of three categories.]
Holding up a single finger, the girl appeared to be talking to herself, yet her message was being received by all the monsters of the world.
[Number 1. Innocent or mostly innocent. You are to kill these people..... painlessly.]
Holding up a second demonic finger, the woman continued as she stepped forward, her black dress swaying as she walked, and the bones around her neck clattering against one another.
[Number 2. Those who have caused others suffering, pursuing their own self interest. These people..... will be killed brutally.]
The woman begun to laugh, veins bursting in her now red eyes as she opened them with madness.
[Heh heh heh..... Hahaha!!! And finally..... number 3.]
Raising her final finger, the woman spoke with madness in her voice.
[The scum of the earth.... the politicians and heroes who trample on others while receiving praise for their efforts.... criminals who take advantage of people's kindness and hard work, and all those out there who have dished out suffering to all that is far greater than anything they have ever experienced. To these people..... they are to be captured alive.... and tormented for the rest of their pathetic lives.]
With a cheerful smile, the corrupted voice of the woman became angelic for just a moment.
[Please do your best, everyone! I'm counting on you all! Ah, and Berith! Make sure not to torment the innocent, ok? Make sure their deaths are as painless as possible.]
[Understood, your eminence.]
And then, the voice once more became chilling to the ear.
[Ah, and Evelyn. If I find out that you have mercy on any of the scum and allow them a peaceful death.... then I'll subject you to the same torment which they were supposed to receive.]
[I..... will do no such thing, your eminence.]
[Great! Then everyone head out and get into position. As soon as the designated time hits tomorrow morning, you're free to begin.]
The girl walked through the fleshy hallways of the demonic palace which she ruled, heading up to her bedroom for the night with a skip in her step.
This was the Determined.
The Queen of Evil, and the Origin of Suffering.
The mastermind, who would lead the world into chaos, spreading suffering throughout the world.
The time had come.
The invasion was about to begin.