Strawberry Devil in a Fantasy World

As usual, the inn tonight was fairly quiet, with little. The first floor which acted as a bar and reception was mostly empty as usual. Including my group of four and excluding the staff working here, there were only eight people on the first floor. As for how the establishment managed to stay in business, frankly, I wasn't interested in their underground activities.

"I'll have tonight's special as well."

I took a seat next to the unnamed scruffy hero.

He simply ignored me while sipping liquor from his cup.

What's with this atmosphere? It's like I just entered into a classic move. How cliché! But I like it! Neato. I'll start the conversation after I get my cup.

The bartender was a different person from the owner of the inn. I was familiar with the owner because of the little business deal we had. Honestly I had little expectation of this strawberry jam business budding in this remote location but an entertainment was an entertainment.

Once I received my cup of strong alcohol, I took a small sip. The mood was just right.

"Hey mister hero, care to chat?" I whispered sweetly.

His movements froze all of a sudden.

Hahah, oops? That's a good reaction, maybe I should have just called him 'mister' instead. He's supposed to be incognito.

"Relax! I'm just curious if you're here for the party."

"You..."

"Hm? Oh by the way, I'm not on either side if you know what I mean. Ehehe, now it's your turn to talk. Don't be shy." I giggled with a flirtatious wink to see if I could charm him. Being a little playful here couldn't hurt.

"Mind your own business!" He grumbled after recovering from his earlier shock. It seemed like I managed to soften the mood a bit.

"Lose lips, sink ships, I see. By the way, even if you covered yourself with a cloak and a changed outfit, that weapon is only for military personnel. Some might get the wrong idea, you know?"

So far, there were no signs that he was receiving any instructions from the kingdom, unless he had received them prior. That possibility was slim or next to none since I had no corresponding intelligence from the kingdom itself.

Contrarily to what I had expected, the man only nodded, "duty noted," before he gulped down the entire cup and heading to his reserved room. Unfortunately, I couldn't get much more information on him. He had used an alias, "Ruudra," to reserve a room for himself.

"I guess it's time for us to retire as well."

The four of us returned to our room. Because I had anticipated a surge of activities in the capital, I had the three of them stay in Ataraxia for the night. That was the safest option.

While I was waiting for the long night to pass, I snuck behind one of the agents monitoring me from a nearby building.

"Hey Mae!" I tapped her shoulder lightly.

Out of reflex, she spun around with a dagger swiping an arc inches from my neck. Thankfully, she didn't follow through the moment she noticed I was the one.

"Quick reflex!" I exclaimed. I certainly had no such reflexes.

"What business do you have with me?"

"You're one in charge of intelligence, right? You don't need to deny it. Let's get down to it then."

I passed onto her information regarding the Abyssal Gate. Since it was a secondary objective of the war against beastfolks, they would have to re-evaluate their potential losses in the war. I also advised her that their army that attacked Vera was completely wiped a while back and I had contributed to it as an act of self defense.

Naturally, they had already received intelligence regarding the loss itself but I just wanted to add some salt to the wound.

Entertainments were hard to come by these days, especially during these long nights.

When morning came, to my disappointment, neither the resistance factions nor the kingdom made any moves. They remained vigilant while monitoring each other's activities. It was quite strange that the kingdom faction had not snuffed out the resistance factions in its earlier stages. Anyway, since neither side made a move, their plans were postponed.

Well, it was only a matter of time.

My goodness, the suspense is killing me. Maybe I should just ignite the spark to speed things up...

The Selection Tournament continued on until the sixth day without disruption.

The matches between regular folks had finished on the fifth day with little to note. The winner was a swordsman who was single handily striking opponents down with quick slashes in the blink of an eye. If guns were permitted in their matches, perhaps the result might have been different.

The team fights between students was concluding today. Both individual talents and teamwork were essential in their matches.

"With teams like these, fey beast subjugation should be fairly simple, right?" I sent my inquiry directed at Kanoko.

"In the past, it was teams with talented individuals like these who went to subjugate dangerous fey beasts. Nowadays, I believe it was more for prestige."

"I guess that makes sense. Not many would send their young ones out there. The military does the subjugations... How sad! The thrills of adventuring in the vast wilderness, no more."

Military took over majority of subjugation requests or missions around the time the current Hero King came into power. Before then, specialized hunters and mercenaries would be dispatched for these high paying jobs. As towns became cities, naturally the trend continued. With the military becoming more prominent, specialized hunters and mercenaries would be forced to eventually move out of town or find other jobs. This in turn only allowed the military to further its growth in order to protect the country's citizens.

Her gaze suddenly far away, "Changing times. I remember back when I had to participate in subjugation missions. Many were challenging, certainly, but the feeling you get from defeating foes sometimes thrice my level was quite exhilarating."

"Exhilarating? Want to spar with me sometimes?" I asked with a chuckle.

That was apparently enough to pull her back to the present. She grimaced and replied, "No thanks! I'm not a punching bag for you."

"Aww... Kanoko, don't be shy. I'm a novice... And I'll be gentle with you!"

She placed a finger on her chin, "Mm... My skills have deteriorated, so no."

"Fine, fine..." I reluctantly gave up.

After the military group finished their final match, it was time for lunch. There was one thing to note with magitech prosthetics. It was that they seemed to not only increase the users' levels but also added various combat abilities to their status. Though, these abilities didn't seem strong and only a select few could be added.

Speaking of the military, the number of soldiers patrolling within the capital had increased manifolds. Confrontation was expected to occur at any moment.

Someone, the spark, any moment now... Any moment now!

Anyway, the afternoon schedule was solely for the heroes to shine on the stage below. If the resistance factions still refused to make a move and get their own heroes up there then the chance of resolving this peacefully would basically cease to exist.

For lunch, we had brought lunchboxes with us this time. In the past few days, we bought our food from nearby food vendors but Smoothie was getting bored of it. She praised my cooking skills so I ended up preparing her lunch this time, packed full of my love!

Doting on my adorable daughter!? What is this fluffy feeling...? I've been charmed...? It's my first loss. So be it!

Thinking that, I packed in a few extra desserts for her. Kanoko, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate with her lunchbox.

As we sat together enjoying our lunch, a historical event was unfolding beneath the battle arena unbeknown to the spectators above.

In short, negotiation had failed spectacularly.

Now, going back a bit...

If things had continued the way it was going, the Hero King would decree Waburne his successor. Waburne was the hero who had placed first in the Selection Tournament so far. In terms of wisdom, knowledge, and charisma, he was almost comparable to Jaco Spiriard.

Strictly speaking, I would say Jaco Spiriard was an extremely competent leader if he wasn't so underhanded and twisted. Then again, many great leaders in ancient history were considered psychopaths, at least where I was from. Someone of his caliber was difficult to find.  

Currently, still in second place was Atosh, the sole hero that represented the resistance factions. In the afternoon, because he was still in second place, he was permitted to challenge the first place one time to take his spot. However, if he did that, he wouldn't have enough strength to challenge the sitting Hero King. From his point of view, the Hero King would never yield the throne to someone from the resistance factions, meaning there would have to be a formal duel. In that sense, a challenge was pointless because he had no confidence he could win.

The heroes' rankings were decided on the end of the fifth day. At midnight, negotiations were carried out between members of the resistance factions and several heroes. Since they weren't taking any actions, I decided to listen in.

Patience was running thin for many of the backers of the two resistance factions. Monetary aid didn't gush from a fountain. Various wealthy merchants, underground organizations, and even nobilities were risking their lives for the sake of this movement. It had been decades and little progress had been made. As things continued the way they were, it was only a matter of time before they were all found out. For that reason, they believed this was the best opportunity to risk it all. It was gamble for their lives. Disguised militia groups and hired mercenaries were all on the ready within the city, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Yet, getting all the heroes from the resistance factions on board with their plan was the toughest part. The heroes who had gathered weren't completely aware of everything going on in the kingdom, nor were they united in their hearts. Some heroes were young, passionate, and naive, while others were afraid to fully commit.

In the end, this was the main reason why no actions were taken in the night.

Originally resistance faction leaders planned to storm the Hero King's palace but somehow not only were most heroes there against it but also information was leaked to the kingdom just days prior.

The leaders of those two factions were simply incompetent, at least from my perspective. While many were noble in heart, they weren't able to raise any talented individuals capable of proper management and planning. Needless to say, a few backers had definite ulterior schemes.  

The consensus was this. On the sixth day, before the match, one level beneath the area where the Selection Tournament was taking place, a negotiation took place. 

Waburne, being a stubborn man could not be swayed by blackmail and bribes after failing to be convinced otherwise, stood his ground. He was aware that he would be named the new Hero King, or at least, that was the word. The resistance factions, of course, managed to obtain this information. Though, they believed it to be disinformation intended to dissuade the resistance from taking action and cause disharmony between the two resistance factions.

One faction only supported a change of Hero King. The other faction, albeit smaller group, wished to completely eliminate the Hero King position. This meant that the resistance factions were about to split and become opposing factions.

Of course, there was also discontent within the pro Hero King faction that wished for a new Hero King. Some were afraid that the new Hero King would simply become a puppet of the current one.

There was a saying, "meet the new boss, same as the old boss." That was what the anti Hero King resistance faction was afraid of.

Moreover, as if to fan the flames of unrest, someone seemed to be purposefully spreading rumors from within that the kingdom was secretly backing the pro Hero King resistance faction. Because of that, tensions were rising, and trust between the two factions had plummeted.

As it stood, the anti Hero King resistance faction had to devise ways to take advantage of this momentum to force changes within this country. To do that, they decided to assassinate the first rank hero, Watburne, thereby forcing the kingdom to take action. They were just that desperate.

At the end, all sides would be exhausted, and the chance to eliminate the Hero King position completely through politics would become possible. Or at least, they had plans to make it happen.

Alas, as things currently stood, the assassination attempt had failed but the goal was accomplished.

This event became the spark for a major confrontation between the resistance factions and the kingdom forces.

It's too complicated. I hate politics. Simple lives are the best.