King Arnia sat down in the chair that Asura had been occupying, so Asura dragged out another chair and sat down across from him.
"Asura Lyona, don't you think it's a little cramped?"
"Just call me Asura. And I'm such a pretty girl that it shouldn't be uncomfortable to sit so close to me, right?"
In truth, Asura had just messed up placing the chair. But it was too much work to get up and fix it, so she decided to just roll with the punches.
"H-Hmm..."
"Oh? Your eyes are as beautiful as the sunset."
"I-I see... I never knew that..."
"So? What did you want to talk about?" Asura leaned back in the chair, her tone casual and light.
King Arnia cleared his throat and then said, "For starters, I'd like to hear the honest opinions of Moon Blossom's leader and vice captain in regards to this war."
"I think that we can still have a lot of fun. What about you, my deputy?" She tilted the chair slightly as she leaned back to look at Lumia, who was still seated on the bed.
Lumia sighed quietly. "You wish for my honest opinion, King Arnia?"
"Yes, if you please."
"Arnia has no chance of winning."
"I figured." King Arnia didn't seem disappointed or upset at Lumia's words. He simply nodded impassively. "Vice Captain, can you offer me a concise explanation of your reasoning?"
"Therbae simply has a stronger army. They have more men, and their soldiers are better trained. Not only that, but they're able to control monsters." Lumia spoke in a tone as dry and emotionless as the king's. "On top of that, they burned your tea fields, one of Arnia's key industries. Am I right in stating that the principal battlefield now is in the southeast fields?"
"Yes."
"Your lines won't last for very long. I give it around ten days or so."
"My generals said the same thing. How did you know?"
"We analyzed the difference in strength, compared the results, and then joined this conflict."
"My deputy here is drawing up a simulation of the war in her head," Asura said with a sly grin. "Tell him what'll await Arnia if we don't do anything to help."
Lumia nodded. "You'll suffer a defeat at the principal battlefield and lose a trading city. With your tea fields razed and the trading city that served as the economic heart of Arnia lost, you've essentially died financially. Even if Therbae left you alone after that, Arnia would undergo a slow destruction. Of course, I assume you would surrender before that, but I'm not sure if Therbae would accept it."
"Miss Vice Captain...do you have much experience with war?" King Arnia asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Yes. But it's all in the past."
"I see... And may I ask what'll happen if Asura and Moon Blossom lend a hand?"
"You'll be able to win in the southeast," Asura declared confidently. "However, if the war continues, then you won't win in the end. At best, you'll be able to get a tie. That's because—"
"Hero General, Matias Arlandel," Lumia cut in, her tone severe.
"Unfortunately for you, the enemy has a military hero on their side," Asura said. "Arnia, on the other hand, doesn't even have a hero candidate, let alone a hero. This is a huge handicap in multiple senses of the word. Even if they weren't military, you could conscript a domestic hero if you absolutely needed to. But you can't even do that."
"I wonder if conscription would even work," Lumia wondered out loud. "There are plenty of heroes out there who simply live in a country without having any investment in it. This is just my impression, but I feel like most heroes do whatever they want outside their duties."
"That's why I said it was unfortunate."
"You're right. I heard that Matias was a patriotic and loyal soldier even before he became a hero." Lumia turned her gaze from Asura to King Arnia. "Your Majesty, I'm sure you know that a hero possesses inhuman powers of combat, yes?"
"Yes. I hear they're capable of amazing feats such as splitting the earth with their sword, splitting boulders with their fists, and running faster than horses. They're even able to fight against supernatural disasters such as Demon Lords."
"Demon Lord?" Asura's lips quirked. "An entity that appears at given intervals to threaten the livelihoods of humanity, was it?"
Demon Lords were gods of destruction that possessed an almost infinite amount of MP. Wherever they went, they wreaked havoc as their instincts dictated. The vast majority of them were completely insane, with nothing but anger and hatred in their hearts.
"Normal people," Lumia said slowly, "would never think of challenging a Demon Lord. You only need to look at it to know that it's not something a human can handle. But heroes will fight, because that is their duty. Every time a unit is formed to subjugate a Demon Lord, only half of their numbers ever return."
"And yet Matias Arlandel survived a Demon Lord mission twice." A shudder of excitement ran through Asura's body. That very same Matias was the supreme commander of the Great Therbae Kingdom's army. "Now then, King Arnia, let's go over our victory conditions once again." Asura was completely motivated for the job. Even though they still hadn't gotten an official request, she knew that they would end the night with one. Otherwise, King Arnia wouldn't have sneaked out to meet them in the dead of night. "We'll have to either kill the supreme commander or force him to retreat. Either that, or the gong will sound on the battlefield. One of these three needs to happen."
"To be more specific, a gong sounding on the battlefield is a metaphor for the generals coming together for a conversation," Lumia explained. "It signals an armistice."
"But most of the time, those conversations are for one party to suggest a capitulation to the other, with conditions like, 'Don't execute my soldiers or generals.'"
"Hmm. But so long as Matias is around, then I doubt Therbae will sound the gong. If anything, we would be the ones to do so," King Arnia said.
"Well, let's continue. To be more specific, the three conditions I mentioned are all the first steps we would take towards victory. The final decision lies with Therbae's king. Worse comes to worst, he could replace his supreme commander and then attack Arnia again."
"No matter what, so long as the supreme commander is a hero, we can't defeat him. The only way Arnia can win is by forcing a retreat."
"Exactly. Heroes have special privileges and duties. At least that's what they say about themselves. So it could all be hogwash."
"Do you have to say it like that?" Lumia sighed, but with a smile on her face. "All heroes consent to performing their duties the moment they earn their title. As for their privileges, they have enough power and command enough respect to force people to honor them."
"And so they're troublesome to deal with," Asura said. "If I recall, there's a privilege that forbids people from killing heroes, doesn't it? Breaking that rule will cause all heroes to come for us in revenge. Even I think that would be a pain in the neck to deal with."
"Those privileges are aimed at other heroes..." Lumia corrected. "They were made to stop heroes from fighting and killing each other. No one made those rules thinking that a civilian would kill a hero, though I'm sure that they'd get punished if they did manage it."
"What about heroes killing civilians?" Asura asked.
"It's forbidden to kill someone out of a personal vendetta, as well as to kill someone for personal gain. They're called 'heroes' but they're really just battle junkies. Whether or not they're actually good of heart depends on the individual. They're all strong enough that they can break laws with impunity, so the privileges are in place to keep them in check. No one would want to support heroes if they were nothing more than a lawless group of barbarians."
"I see." Asura nodded. "The Hero General is a military man, so to him, we're enemy soldiers. In this situation, even if he went around massacring Arnian soldiers, it wouldn't count as a personal vendetta or be seen as something done for personal gain. On the other hand, if the Arnian soldiers manage to kill him, then all of the heroes become their enemies. Did I get that right?"
"There's the possibility that the entire country of Arnia would become a target," Lumia said. "In saying that though, there's never been a civilian who managed to kill a hero. I was trying to say that even defeating him is impossible."
"To begin with, most people wouldn't even start to think about attempting to kill a hero," King Arnia said. "They answered the call of the Great Hero and are fighting against peak-tier monsters and Demon Lords to protect humanity's future. We feel respect for them, not murderous intent."
The reason people listened to and obeyed the privileges that the heroes set was because they were risking their lives for the sake of the future.
"Are you going to continue that thought with a 'but' or a 'however'?" Asura joked, and King Arnia frowned.
"Does it matter which one? Asura, even with my disadvantages, I still wish to protect Arnia."
"I know. So? What do you want us to do? C'mon, just say it."
"Matias..." King Arnia swallowed. "Will you kill...the hero Matias?"
This was a once-in-a-lifetime job request. No one in this world would ever seriously consider the idea of killing a hero. It would bring down the wrath of all the other heroes. Anyone who wanted that was a heretic, and it was no exaggeration to say that there was something seriously wrong with them.
"Ha ha! Did you hear that, my deputy?!" There was pure joy on Asura's face, but Lumia's was tight.
"King Arnia, take that back. We can still pretend that you didn't say anything."
"Boy king, you don't have to take that back. Ahh, things are getting interesting."
"Hold on, Asura... I mean, Boss. Some jobs are all right to take and some aren't. This is obviously the latter. Even a million dora wouldn't be worth the risk. It's not even possible to fulfill the request! How can anyone kill a hero?!"
"Well, it's possible, isn't it?" Asura leaned back so far that her body formed an arch. From Asura's perspective, Lumia's slightly angry expression was upside down.
"How?"
"Obviously, if I stand in front of him like, 'Let's have a fair duel,' then I'll lose. But, my deputy, you're all worshipping these heroes a little too much. They're heroes in name, but in reality, they're just humans who're really good at fighting, aren't they? They'd die if you poisoned or strangled them, just like the rest of us."
"Hypothetically, let's say we manage to kill Matias," Lumia said. "What do you plan on doing after that? The other heroes will target us to avenge him, and we'll have to fend all of them off."
"Then we'll wage a war against the heroes...is what I'd like to say. But it's true that we don't have the manpower for that...yet, anyway. So we'll just have to kill him without leaving behind any evidence, then play dumb if asked about it."
"Evidence... You hardly need to worry about that! If Matias were to die right now, it'd be obvious that Arnia did it! Fingers would immediately be pointed at us since we're their hired mercenaries."
"Yeah, I bet. But no one's ever managed to kill a hero before, right? Then, they'd need evidence to prove that we were the ones who pulled off such a miracle. Heroes aren't a gang of thugs that can go around seeking revenge on nothing more than hearsay and theory."
After Asura said that, Lumia placed the palm of her right hand to her forehead and then shook her head. Ignoring her exasperation, Asura turned her attention back to King Arnia.
"Now, then, boy king, let's talk payment. According to my deputy, a hundred million dora isn't enough for us to risk it. I also don't wish to undersell my services."
"Is it...really possible for you to kill him? Kill...a hero...?" King Arnia's eyes were as wide as saucers, clearly shocked.
"Oh, come on, you were the one who wanted us to do it. It's because you thought that we'd be able to pull it off, right? Then trust that instinct of yours all the way until the end."
"R-Right... If I may be honest, I expected you to decline this job... After you refused, I was going to ask you to fight alongside my army in the southeast plains, where combat is the fiercest."
Ah, I guess that was what the boy king truly wanted to discuss when he came here, Asura mused. "All right, we'll take that job for you."
"Huh?" King Arnia said after a pause to register Asura's words.
"Phew..." Lumia sighed. "I'm glad you're not entirely insane, Boss."
"Let's see... How does twenty thousand dora per day sound to you?"
"Of course, that sounds fine, but...what about the hero?"
"Oops, I didn't explain myself properly. I meant that I would take that job for you to camouflage our true aim."
"Excuse me?" Lumia glared at her leader. There was a venomous edge to her voice. "And what do you mean by that, Boss?"
"On the surface, we'll be nothing more than a mercenary group that the king hired for a daily fee of twenty thousand dora. To onlookers, it won't look as if we've taken a job as important as assassinating Matias. Receiving too much money at once would be the same as advertising to everyone that we were the killers."
"Then how will we get our proper payment? Don't tell me that we'll be getting on the heroes' bad side as an act of charity? You'd truly be insane if that's your plan."
"Oh, come on, deputy. You don't have to sound that mad." Asura chuckled.
Lumia glared at her. "I am mad!"
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Asura sighed with exasperation. And then, without warning, she reached out to grab King Arnia's head, pulling his face towards herself.
"B-Boss, what are you doing?!"
"Shh." Asura stared straight into King Arnia's eyes, the gap between their faces practically nonexistent. The king didn't look away, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. "Can you stake your life on this, boy king?"
"If it will bring victory to Arnia, yes."
"'Kill a hero for me'... I doubt anyone has ever received a request as crazy as this before. You're mad. Is that how you became the king at your age? Remind me again, you're twenty, right? Twenty-one?"
"I'm twenty-two, Asura. And if you ask me, I believe that you're just as mad if you're willing to take on said request."
"Well, that's why I'm a mercenary."
"And that's why I'm the king."
After a few seconds of silence, Asura opened her mouth. "Boy king, your life is the payment I want for killing Matias."
"My life? Do you mean to say you want me to take you as my wife?"
"Why in the world would I be proposing to you right now? That's obviously not it. Boy king, I want you to be my pawn until the day that you die. Grant every request I make, and do everything I order. Work yourself to the bone for me and die for my sake. I want you to stake your life, in all meanings of the word. That's the weight of the job you want us to do."
King Arnia swallowed and thought on Asura's words for a short while. "Very well," he finally said.
"Just so you know, I am a very demanding person, and I kill anyone who can't cough up my payment. Keep that in mind, boy king."
***
The next morning, the members of Moon Blossom gathered in Asura's room. Of course, this included Reko and Salume.
"Sorry for calling a meeting on your day off," Asura said, a bright smile on her face.
"The population density is...insane... The only place to sit is on the ground," Iina said, her face devoid of any emotion.
"I have a new job for us. Happy news, isn't it?" Asura announced from her spot on Lumia's lap. Though Lumia was seated in a chair like a normal person, she also served as a seat for Asura.
"So we don't have today off anymore?" Marx asked from where he was leaning on the wall.
"You still do. We'll make our move tomorrow, after my arm finishes healing," Asura replied, unable to keep the wide grin off her face as she savored the warm softness of Lumia's breasts against her back.
Lumia had already cast some preliminary healing magic on Asura's arm, since she'd had leftover MP after healing Salume. It still hurt and felt strange, but at least she didn't need to have it in a sling anymore.
"'Kay, so what's this new job?" Jyrki asked from his spot in the other chair.
"Change seats with me..." With that, Iina kicked—literally kicked—Jyrki off the chair. As Jyrki tumbled off it, his arms windmilling for balance, Iina took the opportunity to slide into the seat.
"Why, you little—! I was sitting there first!" he yelled angrily, but Iina simply looked away in disinterest.
"Boss, is this job something that I can help with?" Reko asked. He and Salume both sat atop Asura's bed.
"Of course, Reko," Asura said. "We'll be splitting into two teams for this one. You and Salume will mostly be running errands for us, but you'll still be able to participate."
"We'll be splitting up into Red Team and Blue Team again?" Marx asked, calm as ever.
"No. This time, we'll be splitting into Alpha Team and Beta Team. Both Plan A and Plan B will be put into action at once."
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"Two...plans?" Iina asked, tilting her head quizzically.
"That's right. Lumia will be in charge of Alpha Team, consisting of Jyrki, Marx, and Salume. Alpha Team's job will be going to the battlefront in the southeast plains and, along with the Arnian army, defeating the Therbaen troops. Put all you got into this. Fight with the intention of forcing a retreat."
"D'you mean to fight with the intention of winning the war?" Jyrki asked.
"If you want to think of it in simpler terms, then yes. However, there's a chance that the war won't end even if Therbae pulls back its army. So long as the Hero General remains alive, they always have the option to invade again in the future."
"But there's nothing we can do about that," Marx said.
"And that's where my Beta Team will come into the picture, Marx. Beta Team will be Iina and Reko. We will come up with a plan to assassinate the hero, Matias."
"Ahh, that makes sense. If we kill the hero, then they probably won't think to invade again..." Jyrki nodded to himself. But the next second, he sat up straight and yelled, "As if that's even possible?! Boss, what in the world are you talkin' about?! Have you completely lost your marbles?! Like, I always knew you were a crazy little shitstain, but this is a li'l beyond that! Won't we get into tons of trouble for killin' a hero?!"
"Boss, I share Jyrki's concerns," Marx said. "This does not sound like the plan of a sane person. The possibility of it succeeding is too low. Killing a hero sounds implausible, and even if you succeed, will the heroes not wipe us out in retaliation?"
"Killing a hero...sounds like too much...even for us..."
"See? I told you so," Lumia sighed softly.
"U-Um...may I say something?" Salume asked apologetically as she raised her right hand.
"You have my permission. Go ahead," Asura ordered.
"Heroes are, um, people who protect the future of humanity, and defend us against strong monsters and Demon Lords. So that's why people don't normally think to kill them, right?"
Everyone blinked confusedly at Salume's words.
"So what, Salume?" Asura prompted.
"Ah, um, so I was wondering...if everyone here thinks that it's okay to kill a hero?"
"It's cool, ain't it? If it's even possible, anyway," Jyrki scoffed. "I certainly don't think so! I mean, it'd be like trying to defeat our vice cap'n. Even if we surrounded her and beat her up, we'd end up losin'."
"If it's an order, then I would have no choice but to do so," Marx said. "Obviously, I agree that killing a hero doesn't sound realistic. As far as I know, no one has ever managed to do it. 'Trying to defeat our vice captain' is a sound comparison. If we can't even defeat Lumia, then there's no hope for us to defeat a hero."
"A hero...is human. We can kill humans... But I don't think we can win either... The vice captain is my enemy... But all I can do is...put sugar into her water..."
"Lately, I've been curious as to why my water tastes so sweet, but I see... So it was your doing, Iina? How naughty of you. I'm going to have to punish you later," Lumia said with a soft smile.
Upon seeing Lumia's expression, Ina jumped to her feet and dashed towards Marx, throwing her arms around him. "It was...Marx's idea..."
"Don't involve me in this," he sighed. "Don't think I forgot the fact that you put sand in my boots. Vice Captain, I can assist in holding Iina down."
At Marx's betrayal, Iina rushed to Jyrki. "Jyr..."
"Shaddup. I haven't forgotten about how you kicked me off my chair. That's karma for ya. Hope some pain'll smarten you up."
"I see..." Salume nodded to herself. "I wondered if our leader was unique in her disposition, but I see that everyone is just as bad. I hope that I can catch up to everyone soon."
"What do you mean?" Reko asked.
"Ah, well, isn't everyone equally crazy? All they've discussed is whether or not it's possible to kill the hero, and what they would do afterward. No one, including the vice captain, cares about the morals behind murdering one."
(3.7k word count)
A/n: for every 50 power stones I'll realeas an another chapter.