Chapter 51.2: Interlude Arry

"I never knew life could be so fulfilling"

Arry thought to herself as she rested on the chair in her personal office. Her desk was filled to the brim with numerous documents, and her schedule was jam-packed with countless important meetings, but despite it all, she was at the peak of her happiness.

Her nation was finally reestablished as a sovereign power of the deserts of Kaios, and not only that, it was developing to become a major power in the whole continent of Gekai.

Her people were slowly but surely recovering from the tragedies of war. Not a day went by when she couldn't see a smile on the face of her citizens.

The familias that pledged allegiance to her nation were both loyal and slowly developing their forces at a consistent rate.

They received allies in the powerful Freya familia and the conniving Hermes familia who both were heavily invested in the nation's success.

And if not most important of all, she could finally fulfill the promise to become the great ruler her mother and father always wanted her to be.

"Well, I turned out to be a queen rather than a king in the end though… hehe"

Spinning around her chair in glee, Arry was as happy as can be. The faint light of the setting sun pierced through the drapes of her office.

Peering through the window, the sight of her new nation's capital never ceased to amaze her.

The busy streets were filled with working people. The flickering lights of homes and buildings. The passing ships by the port. The mass of garbled noise that brought a sense of life to it all… and even the great black sword that stood proudly at the center of the capital's lake.

"... haa"

Gazing upon the black sword, Arry felt the burdens of her body begin to ease up just by looking at it. It was a reminder of the hero who saved the nation of Shalzard from certain peril… the hero who had saved her from the brink of despair and doubt.

"Bell…"

The queen uttered the name of the hero she held so dear to her heart. Her savior. Her guide. Her confidant. Her teacher. Her support. Her strength. He was a person that went above and beyond to fulfill anything she asked for.

Though the people proclaim that Bell was their hero, in her heart, Arry knew she was the only one who could say such a statement with the utmost understanding of its meaning.

"..."

Contemplating on the feelings that have plagued her heart constantly, the queen recalled the most recent memory that threw her for a loop. Her coronation as the first queen of Shalzard.

It was a momentous affair that the whole nation celebrated. She had asked for it to be modest, but after receiving unanimous resistance from her citizens and advisors, along with some monetary pressure from Freya, Arry had relented.

The streets of New Sorshana were decorated with Asai flowers, a flower of the Kaios desert that became the symbol of the royal during her youth.

The castle was bathed in magnificent decorations, and the queen herself was adorned with magnificent robes and gifted with a resplendent crown and stave.

Numerous dignitaries from countless nations came to give their congratulations along with talks for proposals that would benefit Shalzard, but to Arry, such things weren't the highlight of the event, nor was it the decorations or her achievement and glory… it was the smiles of the people she dedicated her life towards.

The soldiers of the alliance who returned to their common peaceful lives.

The soldiers who wished to continue serving their nation as its defense.

The adventurers who fought alongside them in a land far from home.

The gods who risked eternal banishment from the lower world and above all, Bell, who believed in her dream when she was at her lowest.

"That smile… his smile… his infectious smile…"

Arry had a goofy expression on her face as she recalled how proud Bell looked as he watched her coronation. Giggling to herself by her lonesome, the current sight of the proud Queen of Shalzard would leave many foreign dignitaries aghast due to the sheer difference between the imposing monarch they met and the girl in love.

But just as she was about to lose herself once more in her delusions, a faint glow was exuded from her desk, a glow originating from her sword.

"Haa… Arry has finally lost it…"

Eos sighed to herself in disappointment as she watched her contractor lose herself to her emotions.

The spirit was naturally happy that she was now wearing a smile constantly, but after peace came back to Shalzard she knew that Arry was growing complacent.

"She has a meeting in two hours with her advisors regarding the trade in Port Bell, another set of mandate documents awaiting approval by tomorrow, and a meeting with four royal families asking for another engagement in a few days…"

Flipping through some papers that were scattered on her desk, Eos began to organize the Queen's schedule herself.

Much to her surprise, the spirit who knew nothing of the world prior had become a hardened personal secretary for the monarch.

With the assistance of Asfi who had left the nation recently to return to Orario, and Bell who was Arry's secretary prior to her, the spirit was able to get a hold of the ropes and keep the monarch from sinking in a pile of unfinished work.

"Hehehe~ Bell~"

Sorting the papers, Eos began to hear Arry cutely call out Bell's name. Seeing that she was left to handle her mess once again because of her fantasies, the spirit finally had enough.

𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥… 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥… 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥...

Walking with brisk steps to the delusional monarch, Eos quietly went to Arry's ear before whispering something that would surely break her out of her delusions and leave her in shambles.

"Remember, my contractor. You rejected Bell, cruelly asked him to stay by your side, and you have the audacity to imagine a life together with him?"

"URGH-"

Arry had suffered immense emotional and mental damage.

"E-Eos… w-why?"

The Queen looked at her spirit as if it were the greatest betrayal she had ever experienced, but Eos simply looked back at her with an unamused face.

"Because it's the truth, Arry. Now stop with your puppy love and get back to work. I don't want your advisors praising me again like I'm some god for being able to get you to focus"

The spirit who had the appearance of a young girl was now scolding the battle-hardened Queen whose current strength was equal to that of an early level four adventurer.

They both worked with one another to go through the remaining documents, but soon their progress was stopped after coming across a certain issue that needed permission beyond her own.

"Arry, this document… we'll need to run this through Freya. This is concerning the establishment of a branch of her famila in the city…"

"Hm? Oh, that. I remembered Freya was celebrating it greatly for some reason…"

The goddess had personally requested Arry for permission to establish a base for her familia in the desert city.

Due to Melen having been taken under the influence of Loki and her familia, Freya desperately wished to have a prominent city where she and her children could travel to relax, and New Sorshana became the perfect location for her.

"Hmm. I'll call some maidservants to call for Freya. If I remember correctly, I heard the servants saying she's somewhere in the castle garden right now with Bell"

"With Bell?... Alright, Eos! Let's head to the castle gardens ourselves! It's only right that we do this ourselves"

"Hah?! I know you're just doing this to meet Mister Bell! We have more work to do, Arry! We can't… and she's gone… 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝"

Tidying herself before securely locking the office and greeting the guards at the entrance, Eos began to hurriedly catch up with the enthusiastic Arry.

…

..

.

"I am in love with you and only you, Bell Cranel"

"..."

Hiding behind a tree, Arry and Eos watched with widened eyes as the scene unfolded before them. A heated confession from the goddess of beauty to the hero of Orario, Altena, and Shalzard.

It was no doubt a scene that many expected to occur between the two. Bell and Freya's intimacy was well-known in the alliance. Many assumed that they were already a couple. So this sight wouldn't come as a shock at all to anyone… save for Arry.

"..."

The Queen was silent as she watched it all happen. The confession. The exchange of feelings. The closing of their bodies. The interlocking of their lips. She watched it all happen without looking away… and… it pained her to see it.

'Why… Why does it hurt?'

She questioned herself. What she was feeling was illogical. She said it herself, she and Bell could never truly intersect in each other's lives in a lasting or healthy way.

They were star-crossed, never fated to intertwine. He wished to become a hero for the world, she wished to become the greatest king for her nation.

They could never give up on their aspirations, and their aspirations were journeys that would take years to accomplish, maybe even their entire life will be consumed in pursuit of its fruition.

In such an environment, how could any meaningful love bloom? Separated by distance. Separated by borders. Separated by time. Could their feelings and emotions hold true under the weight of it all?

So this was for the best. She should find happiness in his joy, just as he did for her for the many months that they had been together. It was the best, most sound-minded reaction to such a joyous occasion.

Her most beloved person being paired with her most precious friend, it should be a time of celebration for the two's newfound happiness… and yet… There were tears falling down Arry's face. Droplets born not out of happiness, but of hurt.

"𝙝𝙞𝙘… 𝙝𝙞𝙘…"

"Arry…"

Eos could only softly call out to Arry as she watched her tears fall into the ground. Though she was now well-versed in governing a city of mortals, she was still quite inexperienced with human emotions.

She had shed tears of pain when she lost her sister, and tears of joy when she could feel her soul preserved within Ig-Alima, knowing they would one day be able to reunite… but she knew that such simple emotions did not apply to Arry at that moment.

"I'm horrible, aren't I, Eos? I talked all that bravado about rejecting Bell, and yet, it's me who gets hurt when he moves on…"

Arry wiped her face countless times before she was eventually able to dry and halt her flowing tears. Facing Bell and Freya once more, seeing them both lose their sense of time in their kiss, Arry couldn't help but grin and laugh.

"Hehe… those two, they're too focused on their kiss to notice us…"

The spirit couldn't say anything in response to her contractor's words. She couldn't even begin to imagine what words would be capable of comforting her, she didn't even know if it could be done at all.

"... I sincerely hope the two of you will be happy… I've been watching you guys flirt ever since we beat those desert raiders… and if you ever make Freya cry, I will beat you up, Bell hehe…"

And just like that, as quietly as she observed the heated confession, she just as quietly left the scene alongside Eos.

The pair's walk back to the royal office was a quiet one, but as they traversed a long and lonely hallway with the newly manifested starlight shining down upon them, Arry called out to Eos.

"Eos… you mentioned another batch of engagement proposals came in, right?"

"Arry… are you sure?"

"I will only be a burden to Bell, Freya, and my people if I continue to cling to my love… so maybe it would be best to move on as well"

Arry had been blinded in one eye, so only the other could possibly reflect the brilliance of the start, and yet, no such resplendent reflection could be found on either one.

…

..

.

"So this is how the soul interacts with these elements… How interesting…"

Jotting down notes on a journal that was already filled to the brim with countless writings, Bell was taking note of all his observations on the passing souls of the castle servants with his silver left eye.

The divine construct given to him by Freya a few days prior 『Sessrumnir』. Utilizing its ability to perceive the souls of all creatures, he had made significant progress in the development of his original enchantment.

"At this pace, the complete development of 『Soul Plunder』can be done in a few months, and the recovery of Hesperides not long after…"

Bell's mind was on fire. He didn't have to reinforce his mental capabilities to achieve a pace of academic pursuit that would leave a majority of scholars in shock. After being taught personally and working alongside the goddess of wisdom, there were few mortals that could ever be his peer in the world of knowledge.

But just as he was about to lose himself in his research, his left eye began to pick up a certain odd color within one of the numerous rooms of the castle. A mixture of pink and red originating from two people… at the same time… in the same room… and the color only grew stronger and stronger before subsiding.

"..."

After gaining possession of 『Sessrumnir』Freya had taught him the basics of what each color of the soul meant, what each fluctuation translated to, so at that moment, Bell instantly realized what those two souls' color and fluctuations meant… the bedside tango

"... I'll inform some of Arry's advisors to start raising surveillance on that area… that should be a food storage room for the castle if I remember correctly…"

Bell wasn't one to judge what people did in private, but there were some lines he couldn't accept. He could not simply live with a sound mind if some poor soul had some unsavory condiments in his food if he looked the other way.

"𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝… let's continue the research for another day. The idea of some love juice in my meal has disrupted my flow…"

Packing his journal into his back, Bell jumped off of the discrete ledge he was using to observe souls. He couldn't exactly journal in public with his hood on without alerting the guards, or do so in eyesight and have all the people turn their souls into a shade of orange-red in expressing their admiration of him, so such a method was the only way for him to effectively study.

"It's about lunchtime right now… maybe I should go look for Freya to eat together… hehe"

After landing deftly on the ground, Bell began to grin from eye to eye. Following the goddess' confession in the flower garden, he was struck with the high of being in a new relationship.

The divine beauty fawned over him incessantly and spared no effort in expressing it to him. Though Bell had already secured the hearts of two goddesses, he was still quite susceptible to expressions of love.

"Freya said she would cook some food for me for our next meal… I think I remember a side story about her meals being quite poisonous, so I'll have to try and dissuade her if she does make one for me…"

Thinking happily about his future with the goddess of beauty, walking down a hallway, Bell encountered some members of the Freya familia who were patrolling the castle.

Most of the familia had left Shalzard to return to Orario and resume their training with an immediate dive into the dungeon. Bell was quite happy to see that he was able to reinvigorate the sleeping giant of Orario to strive to become stronger as well.

The stronger Orario became, the easier it would be for his plans to succeed in the near future, in addition to an increase in assurance for the future that he had no knowledge about.

As such, only a small contingent of elite guards were left behind to guard Freya as she continued to stay in Shalzard. A group of ten level five adventurers, headed by Allen Fromel, who was busy making up for his lack of dungeon diving by going on a one-man eradication spree of the surface monsters in the desert.

"..."

The guards were quiet as they began to close in on Bell. Their expressions of enmity were quite apparent to him. It didn't require his left eye to know that a massive amount of jealousy and killing intent was headed his way.

There were two ways he could go about this. He could go the Chinese MC route, where he would beat them black and blue for their audacity. Or he could go the peaceful MC route, and choose to simply ignore such blatant disrespect against him.

… Bell would choose neither of these options.

'I can't beat them up. I plan to utilize the Freya familia as one of the main forces for my plans, so I can't sour our relationship too far… but ignoring such behavior will only embolden continued disrespect… in such a case, there is only one thing I can do…'

…

..

.

"Heh"

Bell gave the guards a smug look. One that reigned over them for being the sole owner of their beloved goddess' love.

"!!!"

The guards' killing intent spiked massively. Unable to vent their frustrations because Bell was stronger than them, and hurting Bell would incur their goddess' wrath. As such, they could only let their hate brew and use it as motivation for the future.

"Just wait. Once I get back into the dungeon, I'll level up crazy and beat your ass"

"Onore Gray ghost… Onore Bell Cranel…"

Hearing the whispers of the guards, Bell could only smile as he cheered them on in his heart… because it would be a futile endeavor. Faced with such pitiable displays of pointless anger, Bell could only wish for them for the best in the generosity of his heroic heart.

'Do train a lot. I won't ever lose Freya, but it would be quite beneficial to me to have stronger subordinates in the future~'

Humming to himself at his successful motivation, Bell made his way to the central hall of the castle where both he and Freya planned to meet.

'I wonder what parts of my research I should discuss with Freya… maybe I should also get some input from Arry due to her own special eye, but she's been avoiding me recently for some reason…'

But just as he was about to ponder on the peculiarities he noticed in the past few days he saw that a crowd had begun to gather at his destination.

"Hm?"

Activating his left eye, Bell began to observe the colors of the souls in the crowd. To say the least, what he saw wasn't the most comforting of observations.

"Black… red… crimson… most of the crowd is filled with hate or animosity… what is happening?"

Reinforcing his vision whilst drawing closer, Bell slowly but surely began to get a clearer picture of why exactly a crowd full of hate was gathering in such numbers.

"Oho? So this is the famed Eos Castle. This would do quite splendidly for my new home"

"Y-Your majesty, please observe decorum when we're-"

"Silence! This engagement is all but assured!"

A loud man declared as he wore an obnoxious outfit of gold whilst being attended by numerous servants whose faces grew more and more disturbed as the crowd around them only grew angrier and angrier.

"Queen Arry has rejected numerous suitors time and time again…but only I, Phhyfghkk the twenty-eighth! Son of Pffkrrurr! Prince of HggurVurr! am the first to be accepted to propose for her hand!"

"... hah?"

Bell audibly voiced out his disbelief at what he had just witnessed. Not only was there an unbelievable bastard walking into the castle of the desert's most powerful nation like it was his, but he was even declaring himself to be the husband of Arry.

"Arry? With that piece of work?"

He still couldn't believe it. Rather than believe that he had misheard something, Bell rather believed that something had gone wrong with his hearing entirely to even think such a thing could be uttered by any sane human,

"I should probably look into this. There's no way that such a ridiculous name could exist… right?"

As Bell was questioning the sanity of some cultures in the continent of Gekai, in one of the many entrances to the central hall of the castle, a new face entered the tense vicinity.

"♩♪~♩♪~♩♪~"

Humming a tune with a smile on her face, Freya entered the central hall with excitement. She was going to wait there in order to have lunch alongside Bell for the day.

"I cooked up lunch for us both. I'm sure he'll like it a lot! The girls in the hostess always gave me good reviews when I cooked! Though they always seem to switch plates for my food… and the garbage would smell particularly awful on those days…'

Pondering on those thoughts, Freya hadn't noticed the pair of eyes that had landed upon her. The eyes of Phhyfghkk the twenty-eighth, son of Pffkrrurr, and prince of HggurVurr, to be exact.

(E/D: *Dies*)

"..."

The crowd immediately noticed the gaze the prince was giving the goddess and heroine of their nation, Freya… and in an instant, their anger had morphed into immense killing intent.

"?!!!-"

The guards and servants of the prince were immediately alarmed as they all instinctually felt that their lives were in perilous danger… but to the disgust of the observing crowd, and the shame of the servants, the prince remained oblivious to it all, only focusing on the hips of Freya as she walked around searching for Bell.

"That woman… I want her! Servant! Grant this maiden the honor of being my concubine! The concubine of this Phhyfghkk the twenty-eighth! Son of Pffkrrurr! Prince of HggurVurr!"

(E/D: *Resurrects and dies again*)

"..."

A silence then descended upon the central hall, a deathly silence.

The servants of the castle who were observing the prince and his entourage were twitching their hands erratically.

Save for a select few, all the staff were soldiers who had participated in the battle against the Behemoths. So surrounding the unfortunate souls from abroad was a crowd of level two's and three's who were slowly losing grip on their hesitation.

"Your majesty! Please reconsider! You can't just simply do such a thing! You're here for engagement talks! That's not proper-"

"Proper Schmopper! If I Phhyfghkk the twenty-eighth! Son of Pffkrrurr! Prince of HggurVurr! Say it to be done! Then it is done!"

(E/D: *One thousand years of deaths later*)

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The ground began to shake as another source of killing intent began to manifest. One that overwhelmed even the combined killing intent of the observing crowd.

The air was tense, and it became harder and harder for the prince's servants to breathe normally. Even the prince himself was close to collapse, unable to resist even the smallest bit of pressure.

"Aa!… aa!… aa!-"

But just as he was about to lose consciousness, the killing intent was withdrawn after Freya recognized its source. Her smile grew wide in an instant as she rushed through the crowd.

"Bell! So this is where you've been!"

Immediately latching onto him with a gentle hug, the goddess left a quick kiss on his cheek as she immediately began to question him about his day.

"So how was your day? Made any progress with your research?"

Seeing the goddess' smile of joy at seeing him, Bell's killing intent was slowly being withdrawn as he began to focus on Freya alone.

"Yes. I've made some progress"

"..."

Seeing the sight unfold before him, the prince grew livid at the sight of Bell and Freya. Not only had the woman ignored his magnificent self. That boy had the gall to direct such intent towards him and his noble heritage.

'HMPH. So what if he's muscular, has exotic hair, a well-defined face, exotic hair, and unique eyes? A peasant cannot beat the blue blood running in my veins!'

But though his anger had reached an all-time high, his distorted expression was only met with a smug one from the crowd who were proud to see their nation's two heroes flirt with one another.

"Heh"

"!!!-"

The prince was about to lambast Bell, Freya, and the crowd for all the disrespect shown towards him as a dignified guest, but before he could, a clear voice had rung through the main hall and captured the attention of all the people in attendance.

"Guards. Servants. Please assist Prince… our guest into the reception hall. We have business to discuss in private"

Arry appeared from the main entrance into the castle from the main hall. Accompanied by her personal guards, and her spirit Eos.

Arry appeared quite tired and annoyed at the farce unfolding before her, but her demeanor changed in an instant after seeing Bell who was hugging Freya intimately.

"Arry?"

Similarly, seeing Arry, Bell's demeanor changed instantly. He refused to believe that she would even entertain talks of marriage with such a bumbling fool, and yet here she was confirming his statements to be true.

'I get that you said you needed a marriage that would be beneficial for the throne… but surely not him…'

Bell's left eye began to stir with an aura of silver. Peering into the soul of the prince, his face contorted in disgust at how revile it was. There was no ounce of good or moral character within his very being.

But he didn't need to peer into his soul to be able to deduce such an obvious fact, which confused him even more as to why Arry would even consider him for further talks for marriage.

Imagining the Queen he had assisted in raising, the friend he had helped succeed, his former master and confidant… possibly end up with such a poor excuse for a royal made Bell's blood boil.

"Arry! What are you… do… ing…"

But just as he had turned his sights to Arry, he had grown silent as his silver eye peered into her soul.

Exchanging glances for a brief moment, the queen simply gave the goddess and vigilante a short greeting before proceeding with her business.

"... heh"

Walking behind the Queen and her guards, the prince attempted to act smugly back at Bell, but his attempt was only met with another dose of his immense killing intent.

He wasn't completely sure, but he felt as if Bell's aura had been able to convey letters into his mind completely. Specifically, a certain phrase had been understood.

𝙁𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩

"HII!!!-"

The prince had run further into the range of the queen before ordering his servants to close the door behind them. With a loud thud, the group of royals were gone from the gaze of the observing crowd and Bell, but instead of anger being expressed by most of the people, they could only give their condolences…

… condolences to the prince who wished to sully the Queen that Bell had gone through hell and back for. Holding an immense amount of loyalty and dedication that drove him to literally break mountains, split rivers, and tear the sky.

"Say, Freya… we are both in agreement that that prince has to go, right?"

Bell spoke solemnly to the goddess who continued to embrace him. Raising her head from his chest, Freya met Bell's sadistic gaze with one of her own.

"Of course, Odr. I might not be able to see souls anymore, but I don't need it to tell that some human trash is trying to taint our beloved Arry"

The two began to walk away from the main hall, discussing in depth how to most effectively punish the walking trash bag who dared to hold vile intentions for the Queen of Shalzard.

…

..

.

Once the pair were a distance away from the crowd at the main hall, Freya went to Bell's ear to whisper something she wanted to make sure of.

"Bell, I hope you aren't this dense, but you do know why Arry is acting like that, right?"

"Of course. I doubt I could ever be so dense with this eye you know? Or do you not trust me that much?"

"Honestly, I feel like such things are possible if it's you"

"... fair enough"

…

..

.

"Haaaaaa…"

Walking down the halls of the castle towards the royal office, Arry sighed immensely as her face was distorted in great discomfort.

"Marry him because he's him? I would become his consort? and I could be relegated as a concubine whenever he wanted? Are they fucking with me, Eos?"

Arry spoke in disbelief to her spirit who was similar in mental state to the queen. Never before had she seen a person fully encapsulate the concept of blind arrogance.

"Perhaps this nation has yet to fully accept the changing landscape, Arry. The nation of… HggurVurr… used to be quite the powerhouse until a few decades ago. Perhaps they have been blinded by their past history"

"How cruel time can be… but then again, if their royalty can be so easily driven blind by past glory, perhaps it was an inevitable fate for their nation"

The two continued to discuss potential marriage candidates, but as the discussion continued, Eos began to feel Arry's reluctance growing more and more with each proposal letter.

The flowery words and poetry written down by the royalty versed in the fine arts of literature would be met with a…

"Bell spoke more eloquently…"

The attempts at playful humor formulated by nobles who were commonplace in nightlife and grandiose parties would be responded with a…

"Bell has funnier jokes…"

The countless attempts to try and woo the Queen by describing the acts of masculinity and intelligence of the noble-blooded were met with a cold…

"Can they even compare with Bell?"

Each and every single facet of each letter given to Arry was met with a quiet remark by the Queen about Bell's superiority in the area.

At some point, Eos grew tired of this pointless charade by her contractor and confronted her directly.

"For the love of Helios! Just admit you like Mister Bell, Arry! Bell is better than this! Bell is better than that! If you like him so much, just marry him already!"

"GH-"

Faced with the blunt remarks of her spirit that didn't hesitate to not pull her punches, Arry could only awkwardly respond in short grunts to her accusation.

But pressing on the opening that Eos made, stepping out of the darkness of the hallways, Bell spoke out to question Arry.

"Yeah? Why don't you just marry me, Arry?"

"B-Bell?!-"

Seeing Bell appear so suddenly, relying on her instinct, Arry immediately tried to escape. But her attempts were only met with a series of successful counters by Bell who blocked any possible route out.

"Just talk to me, Arry. I'm sure-"

"No! Just go be happy, Bell!"

Bell and Arry immediately entered into a fierce exchange of feinting maneuvers and body blocking. Their shoes squeaked across the floor as their bodies turned into a blur. It was as if they had both entered a sports anime.

"Stop being stubborn and just admit the truth, Arry! I already know!"

"You can't handle the truth!"

"No! I think I can!"

Their exchange continued to progress, but slowly but surely, Arry was slowly losing the advantage.

"?!-"

Before long she had been driven to a wall. With two loud thuds on her left and right, the Queen eventually realized what she was now entrapped in. The famous Kabedon was propagated in literature by gods and goddesses of love.

"!!!-"

Seeing Bell's body tower over her. The heaving of his chest. The dripping of his sweat. The swelling of his muscles as he blocked all escape. The piercing gaze he gave her. It was too much stimulation for the poor Queen's confused heart.

"B-Bell-"

"Haa… haa… haa… I knew you were stubborn… haa… but I have you now…"

Bell flashed a cocky smile as he announced his victory over Arry. Seeing his smug face had caused feelings to flutter within Arry's heart, feelings she desperately attempted to push away.

"B-Bell… cease this at once. You're interfering with royal duties. If you don't move then-"

"I don't care. I'm not moving until I get my answers, Arry"

"!!!-"

Bending down further to reach Arry, Bell continued to press the advantage he had as much as he could. He wanted to make it clear that the only way out for her was through him.

"Really? A marriage proposal? After all the advantages the both of us cultivated for this nation? Even Altena wouldn't be so arrogant as that prince from earlier. We both know there is absolutely no benefit from a political marriage at this stage"

"..."

"You have the backing of the world's strongest familia, the most adept familia in underworld affairs, one of the fastest growing fighting forces in the continent, and me. Whatever it is you need, I could get you it in a matter of moments… so what kind of benefit are you looking to gain from marriage, Arry?"

"..."

"Money? I have money in spades just waiting for me at the guild in Orario. Territory? Name me a place and I'll serve it to you on a silver platter. Connections? Legitimacy? The only necessity to remain as a ruler is strength, and I doubt my own personally taught student is lacking any of it"

"Mmm…"

"Tell me, Arry. If you hate me, just say it. If you love me, just say it. Stop hiding and just show it! You're a Queen, aren't you? You have the skills to back it up, so act like royalty and say what you want with arrogance!"

"!!!... n-no…"

"..."

As Arry muttered her refusal, Bell slowly retracted his hands from blocking Arry's escape.

"...?"

Raising her head, Arry's eyes grew wide as she observed Bell's expression. Her body grew weak as her heart felt tight… Bell was looking at Arry with an expression of disappointment.

'No… Bell… I-'

The Queen attempted to reach her hand out towards him, but that endeavor was cut short before it could even begin.

𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀

"HUH?!-"

Shifting her sight to her right, Arry could clearly see a chained blade had manifested out of nowhere and pierced deeply into the castle wall behind her.

An aura of malicious intent began to permeate the air and alarm her senses. She knew at that moment that Bell was fully intending to harm her.

"I thought you might've been different from Arthur… that my teachings would allow you to be honest with yourself rather than choosing the pointless path of self-sacrifice for no good reason… it would seem I was lenient in teaching you, Arry"

『Reinforce』

𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃

Bell reinforced his body then promptly began to drag his embedded chained sword horizontally, causing a deep mark to be left in the castle's structure.

"W-What are you doing, Bell?! Are you insane?"

"I am completely sane, Arry! I am just peachy!"

𝙎 𝙈 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃

Projecting another chained sword into his other hand, Bell smashed it into the ground, intending to crush the dazed Queen.

But her instinct had taken over her body as she deftly dodged the strike, rolling her body into the floor towards her spirit Eos. Drawing the sword on her waist and calling her name.

『Eos! Enchant!』

In an instant, an ethereal golden glow began to wrap around Arry's sword. Caliburn had manifested. Taking on a stance to be able to respond to Bell's next attack, the Queen continued to question his intentions.

"Stop this, Bell! Servants could get hurt from the damage you cause!"

"The servants? The people who are all level two at minimum, and whom I personally managed their training? You're underestimating them, Arry. Just like how you're underestimating me!"

𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃… 𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃… 𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃…

"You think you can just fool me into believing you want this? A political marriage? For the benefit of the country? Stop taking me for a fool, Arry!"

𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀… 𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀… 𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀…

"Nobody among your people is asking for this! Your advisors are worried! Your servants are worried! The citizens! Freya! Me!"

"... you… WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!"

𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃

"What makes you think that I'm forcing myself, Bell? Who are you to assume that-"

𝙏 𝙎 𝙎 𝙃 𝙃

"IT BECAUSE I AM WHO I AM THAT I KNOW YOU'RE LYING THROUGH YOUR TEETH! STUBBORN PRINCE!"

"?!-"

Their blades interlocked as they were brought to a stalemate. Drawing his face closer, Bell confronted Arry with all he had.

"I was the one who taught you swordsmanship, Arry! The first thing I taught you was to treat the sword as an extension of yourself! An extension of your will!"

"If you refuse to talk to me with your mouth! Then I'll do it with your sword! And from what I can see… you're shit at lying to me, stubborn prince!"

Hearing Bell's confrontational words, Arry's anger only grew more and more. She was doing all of this for his sake. So why was he so angry? Why was he being so smug?

"ARRGHHH! JUST SHUT UP, KNOW IT ALL!-"

𝘾 𝙍 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃

Directing her sword horizontally towards Bell and dragging him along the path of her sword, Arry crashed Bell into the wall before destroying the structure completely, dragging the fight beyond the hallways of the castle.

"YEAH, I DIDN'T WANT TO MARRY THAT INSUFFERABLE BASTARD! BUT I HAD TO!"

𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃… 𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃… 𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃…

"I HAD TO… I HAD TO… BECAUSE I'M HOPELESSLY IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

They fell down to the ground whilst constantly exchanging blows with their blades. The air shook with ferocity as the force of their attacks grew more and more terrifying.

"I SAW IT! I SAW YOU CONFESS TO FREYA! THE WAY SHE SHINED! THE WAY YOU WERE LEFT SPEECHLESS! I JUST KNEW THERE WAS NO CHANCE FOR ME!"

Arry shouted as the golden glow of her sword began to grow more resplendent. Her body swelled with more power, as her eye began to glow with a violet aura.

"I LOVE THE BOTH OF YOU SO MUCH! YOU HAVE TAKEN MY HEART ENTIRELY! FREYA IS A FRIEND I COULD NEVER TRADE FOR ANYONE ELSE!"

"I was supposed to be happy that two precious people in my life could be happy together… BUT ALL I FELT WAS JEALOUSY AND ENVY!"

𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀… 𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀… 𝙋 𝙄 𝙀 𝙍 𝘾 𝙀…

"I WAS DISGUSTED FOR FEELING LIKE THAT… SO I CHOSE TO MOVE ON. FIND SOMEONE ELSE! BUT EVERY TIME… EVERY TIME I MET SOME PRINCE OR NOBLE!… ALL I COULD SEE WAS YOU!"

𝙎 𝙈 𝘼 𝙎 𝙃

"All I could feel from my touch was the warmth of your hand that reached out to me in the slums of Isurufan! The hand that gave me hope when I had none!"

"All I could hear was your voice that comforted me as we traveled to the border of Shalzard! The voice that told me that my dream was beautiful!"

"All I could taste was the savory tea you would brew for me as we both worked late into the night as we raised the resistance!"

"All I could smell was the aroma of steel and fire as you worked tirelessly in the forge as we rallied the alliance!"

"All I could see!… All I could see… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… all I could ever see… was you!"

𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜… 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜… 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜...

"The way you smile. The broadness of your back. The scars you carried. The body that sacrificed so much. The calluses in your hands. The definition of every trained muscle. All of it! It was the only thing I could see!"

"It gave me hope that I could do the same! It gave me the motivation to work hard! To let you know that you didn't waste your time saving some bum of a prince from a dinky slave market!"

"A stubborn prince… who took everything you gave me for granted… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… who played with your feeling… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… and had the audacity to still want you afterward…"

𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜… 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜… 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜...

𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜… 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜…

𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜…

As Arry's voice grew softer, the fierceness in her attack began to waver. As she let her heart out, the Queen felt the heat of her tears begin to wash her face.

"So please, Bell… just let me forget you… you deserve someone like, Freya, who stayed by your side all the time…"

"..."

Seeing Arry be reduced to nothing, Bell's eyes grew soft as he prepared his talk-no-jutsu that would surely bring the stubborn royal back to her usual self.

"Arry… why the hell did you think Freya was a good person?"

"... eh?"

"Let me tell you, in any other circumstance, Freya would be an absolute red-flag that should be avoided at all costs!"

Hearing Bell's words, Arry's mind short-circuited. Freya? Not a good person? The same woman who traversed a desert or monsters and criminal raiders to be by his said?

"The first time we met, Freya sexually harassed me, you know? I could just feel the way she was undressing me with her eyes. It was uncomfortable! I felt violated! She had even done it in public no less!"

"Following that, she sent her children to start stalking me wherever I went? Do you know how it feels to have ten people surround your house as you're taking a shit? It's nerve wreaking!"

"Not only that, but she even began to try to deceive me by faking her identity to grow closer! She even started hounding my ass across the entire continent with her merry band of men and women, all because she has separation anxiety!"

"Traversed through the desert of monsters and criminals to meet me? I say nay! All she did was pointlessly endanger herself! What was she thinking? That it would be cool to have a fateful encounter? Did she not consider just waiting for me at a cafe in Isurufan? Bumping into me on the road?"

"There were so many things that could've gone wrong! What if I decided to simply tear each ship to shreds with my magic? What then? I end up with blood on my hands because I didn't have the genius foresight to predict my stalker would be in the LITERAL SHIP OF CRIMINALS THAT TRIED TO KILL ME!"

Arry could only be quiet as Bell began to air out all his grievances about the goddess. Leaving no stone left unturned, he began to put Freya on blast for every single mistake she had made over the course of their time together.

"..."

Watching all of this unfold alongside the servants of the castle on the sidelines, Freya's face grew immensely red in embarrassment as Bell scrutinized every minute flaw in the goddess' plan.

"This… I can't even argue against… Lady Freya truly did cause a headache for us"

Even the guards from the Freya familia couldn't help but agree with Bell in their heart of hearts. There was truly no one on the poor goddess' side.

"SO! IN SUMMARY! NO NEED TO FEEL GUILTY FOR FREYA'S SAKE! BECAUSE IF SHE IS A SAINT, THEN YOU'RE A BEING BEREFT OF SIN!"

Silence followed Bell's absolute roasting of Freya… but he was not done just yet.

"IN ADDITION TO THAT! I AM A PIECE OF SHIT THAT DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE FELT GUILTY OVER!"

"H U H ? !"

Arry's face distorted into a combination of two emotions. Shock at what Bell had declared… and fear as to what he would say to back up that statement… a fear that she would be well justified for having.

"THE REASON? It's simple… I'M A PERVERTED BASTARD THAT WANTS A HAREM!"

"Not only have I felt my ego boosted with the number of women who fawn over me, but I am also a heartless bastard who has taken the hearts of multiple women who have reluctantly accepted to share me with other women… in short, a pervert"

Arry could begin to feel her mind begin to go numb with the sheer absurdity of each statement Bell was making and declaring for the entire castle to hear.

He continued on and on about every single perverted desire he had felt for women… and even for Arry… especially Arry… in great detail… scrutinized to the point that it honestly became impressive before becoming creepy again.

"SO! IN SHORT! I THINK YOU'RE AN EXTREMELY CUTE AND SEXY TAN TOMBOY! AND I WANT YOU TO LOVE ME AS WELL!"

"... I need a moment to process all of this-"

"Hm? What is there to think about? You love me, I love you, Freya is willing to share, so… let's do it"

Bell said as he gave the tired Queen a casual thumbs up, something that provoked a fiery response from the recipient of his gesture.

"Don't just ask me to be part of your harem so casually! Do you have no shame? Do you want the world to know your fetishes? Do you get off on that?"

"I can and I will. No. Yes. No. Any more questions?"

"... I-"

But before Arry could go on another fiery tirade, Bell grabbed Arry by the waist before blocking her from the observing crowd with his back.

Her chest pressed upon his torso, and her arms rested on his chest. Their heartbeats began to resound with one another. Before long, blood began rushing to Arry's head as her heart began to pound deeply.

"B-Bell?!!!"

"Who cares what other people think, Arry?"

"... huh?"

"Who cares what other people say about us? We forged the path we walk on ourselves. We aren't hurting anyone by doing this, nor are we being a detriment to others by doing this… so what's the problem?"

"Problem? You want to be a hero right? Surely, you can't be one if you're so perverted… your enemies could use this as a way to defame and slander-"

"Huh? Multiple heroes in our history were perverts"

"... eh?"

Bell smiled gently at Arry as he began to nail the last few bolts into her coffin… before long… she would be his.

"Argonaut, the first hero, the hero of the dawn… was infamous for his obsession over his wife. In some versions of the text passed down by the three great poets, there were entire sections dedicated to the beauty and golden ratio body of his wife, the Queen of Lakrios… if that isn't perverted, I don't know what is"

"The sword champion, Albert. Though he has quite a clean track record as far as heroes are concerned… none can deny… that he was the largest pervert of them all. He took it upon himself to somehow copulate with a great spirit enough times that he was able to break the law of nature, impregnate her, and create a child between divine and mortal"

"Then we have the modern heroes of our age… the Zeus and Hera familias… one was lead by a perverted geezer of a god, and the other was led by a goddess with a kink for torture and possession. They say children resemble their parents, so the adventurers of those familias must surely be perverts, if not, then perverts by association!"

"Greatness and perversion walk hand in hand, my dear Arry… ergo… WHAT SHAME MUST WE FEEL FOR CARRYING ON THIS NOBLE TRADITION?!"

…

..

.

"Pfft- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Unable to contain her laughter at the absurd leap in logic by Bell, Arry laughed loudly as she finally conceded defeat to her stubborn opponent.

"I don't think even that bastard prince could declare such perversion unashamedly like you did, Bell. In that aspect, you might be even worse than him"

"That might be true… but you would choose me over him at the end of the day, right?"

"... I guess so… does that make me a pervert by association then?"

Arry said as her eyes began to lower. Pushing herself against Bell through her own will, it was obvious what she was now asking for.

"Then we'll be a happy group of perverts. And if anyone protests about it… I will simply grow stronger and stronger…"

𝙏 𝙐 𝙂

"Until nobody can question me about taking a queen and goddess for myself"

Bell let Arry rest her weight on his hand as he drew her head closer to his. Feeling the heat of his breath tantalizingly travel across her skin, the Queen accepted her fate… she had fallen hopelessly in love with an irredeemable pervert… and she loved every second of it.

"I look forward to it then, my king"

"The pleasure is all mine"

Then and there, all Arry could feel through her senses was Bell and Bell alone.

…

..

.

"Alright, move it along people. This is private business between my fellow wife and husband! Get to packing!"

Noticing that it would take a while for Bell and Arry to have their moment end, Freya began to direct the observing castle servants and royal advisors away from the scene, but though they all complied, they were beyond ecstatic at what little they were able to see.

"With this, the prosperity of Shalzard is ensured! No royal bastard could compare to Lord Bell!"

"Lord Bell is my idol now. A man among men, unafraid to declare his kinks without an ounce of shame!"

"I wonder what kind of child will be produced from the three? The child of a hero and a hero-Queen? Raised by a goddess of beauty? Heir to the strongest familia in the world? It's like we're living in a novel-"

"You can rest easy now!… 𝙝𝙞𝙘… former king and queen!... 𝙝𝙞𝙘… the young lady has found a good husband and sister!"

The crowds began to feel their hearts soar as they imagined what lay in store for the three heroes of their nation… but their elation was ruined by the appearance of an intruding insect…

"HEY! HOW COME NO ONE CAME TO PROTECT ME? I AM Phhyfghkk-"

… who was promptly dealt with by Freya.

『Run back home to your nation butt-naked alongside your fellow servants, whelp』

Under the influence of the goddess' divine authority in her voice, the forgettable villains were sent away, never to be mentioned again.

"𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝… I'll have Allen and my other children deal with their bothersome nation later… but for now, I have more interesting matters to attend to…"

Freya smiled as she began to dust away an operation she had conjured in her mind long ago. One that involved herself, Arry, and Bell… having quite an enjoyable time.

Licking her lips in anticipation at the event that was months in the making for the three of them, the goddess of love… and fertility… would make sure it would be an absolutely perfect night… and if it went her way… multiple nights.

"Operation three-man tango has commenced~"

…

..

.

Side-Story: (Is it canon? It's up to you)

In the kingdom of HggurVurr, in the middle of the night, the entire nation would suddenly fall into peril.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DON'T YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE?!"

"Hm? I know who you are… our enemies…"

A group of black knights, led by a black catman spearman raided the royal castle and slaughtered all that stood in their way.

The royal family of the nation of HggurVurr was in crisis after their eldest son and heir came back butt-naked, but they were soon faced by a much more terrible crisis.

They came in like a shadow. Devoured all like a sweeping darkness. And left behind a trail of carnage obscured by a veil of black.

"Who… who are you…"

The king of HggurVurr asked in desperation. He knew he could no longer live after offending such a terrifying power, but at least he wanted to know who he died at the hands of.

"... I would normally use our regular covert OPS code name… but that white-haired bastard ordered us to use another name this time…"

With great difficulty, the black spearman began to utter the name given to him by a person he couldn't refuse. A name that was immensely shameful to even identify with.

"You…you can call us…"

…

..

.

"The judgment knights of thunder"

𝙅𝙐𝘿𝙂𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝙆𝙉𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍𝙍𝙍

…

..

.

𝘽 𝙊 𝙊 𝙈

…

..

.

From then on, in the lands of HggurVurr, the symbol of black cats and thunder became an omen of despair.

The fear was engraved upon their bloodline, never to be forgotten by their lineage. Thousands of years would pass, and the people descended from those slaughtered that fateful night would still tremble at the mention of its name… a feline judiciary knight of the storm…

The thunder cat.

…

..

.

Editor:

The Darkest Knight#4796

AN:

Hey guys, got through most of my hell week. Only have my exams left, and I have some time to write for a bit.

Seggs tomorrow. Look forward to it!