Chapter Seventeen: Throne Room, Zerad Manipulating, Feeling Small

Fumiko and Meld entered the throne room as a guard opened the door. Meld was still holding Fumiko up despite her not wanting that.

The throne room was extravagant, with pillars holding up the roof, a red carpet rolled down from the throne to the door, while guards in shining golden armour were spaced out evenly at the red carpet.

While the throne itself was the most impressive thing in the room. Stairs leading up to the throne itself, giving the impression that whoever sat atop it was above everyone else.the throne was a grey in colour, and the back of the throne went up further then any person could be in height.and along the throne were wings made of metal, the ones on the left being white while on the right they were black.

Once Meld and Fumiko were in front of Zerad at a respectable distance, the process of everything could begin.

"Kneel!" Meld shouted out.

It was customary for the highest ranking person to give the orders to the others in the room of what to do if Lord Zerad was in the room. Zerad should never have to give out the orders himself.

The knights moved in sync as they all bowed together. One hand on their heart and another by the leg that was flat on the ground.

Fumiko did so as well, although slower than the others because of her injuries.

After that, and Meld was sure everyone was kneeling properly, Meld followed and kneeled as well.

"Myself and Fumiko have appeared at your behest, Lord Zerad." Meld said to him as he looked up at Zerad, while the rest looked at the ground. No one else, unless specifically told so, could look up at Zerad when in a meeting like this unless speaking to him.

Zerad looked down at them, his head resting on his palm as he leaned to the side, the most comfortable position on the throne. He nodded, before speaking again. "All the guards leave, only Meld and Fumiko shall stay."

The demon Knights didn't hesitate to leave at the order, no one wanting to test Zerads patience or tolerance for not listening to him.

When they were gone, and the doors were closed, Zerad spoke again. "Look up at me, both of you." He ordered.

Fumiko looked up in reluctance, while Meld hadn't looked away.

Zerad got up from his throne and with one step was right beside Fumiko. Fumiko didn't see him move, and since he was the Demon Lord of Magic, Fumiko guessed that he teleported.

"Stand up, Fumiko. You too Meld."

Fumiko stood up, and with a little help from Meld, managed to not fall over trying to stand up.

Zerad walked around her as he scrutinised her. His eyes narrowed as he did so. He poked and pushed her in places, and although Fumiko felt uncomfortable and pained from it, she knew that Zerad wasn't doing it out of malicious intent.

Then he finally came to stop in front of her. "What happened to you? You look terrible." Zerad asked worriedly.

Fumiko didn't meet his eyes at that question, but answered. "I lost in a fight… and I think the mission was a failure, I was teleported away at the end, so I don't know what happened to whatever was being evacuated." Fumiko said honestly to Zerad, knowing that lying to him wouldn't be any good.

"Who did you fight? Who beat you?" Zerad asked, his questions reminded Fumiko of Meld's questioning.

Fumiko's face creased in anger as she remembered. "The Hero they replaced me with was there." Zerad looked a little shocked at that, putting a hand over his mouth. "But I was stronger than her, she was- IS, nothing compared to me." Fumiko said in affirmation to Zerad.

Zerad nodded, before turning around, not letting Fumiko see his face. While Fumiko began to fret that he was disappointed in her.

Zerad, meanwhile, had to turn around because he didn't think he would be able to hide his smile anymore. He couldn't believe she still believed that bullshit of her being the human Hero, but then being replaced with another because she was weak. Where was the proof?! She just believed him unconditionally, but he didn't mind, it allowed him to further his plans without any complications because of that trust.

Still not looking at her, Zerad spoke again. "But then who did beat you?" Before Fumiko could answer, Zerad continued. "You telling me you lost to an ordinary knight? And to think you thought yourself to be one of the strong. While in reality you're still just a weak girl pretending to be something you are not." Zerad berated her, while placing doubts in her mind.

Fumiko's body shook in anger before she answered. "I'm not weak! I'm strong! I could beat over half of the pathetic demons in this castle!"

Zerad then turned around and backhanded her, making her fall to the floor with a thud. "Don't you talk back to me!" Zerad shouted outraged. "Besides, you say you're strong but you couldn't beat every demon here? And 'pathetic demons in the castle', are you saying I surround myself with weaklings?! And look at the state of you! You're no different than when you first got here!" Zerad shouted out, bullying her.

Meld just watched on the sidelines. He didn't like it, he didn't approve of it, and if he could he would stop it. But he had no choice just to stay on the sidelines and watch as this happened.

Fumiko stayed on the ground as she listened to the things Zerad was saying about her. Doubts began to cloud her mind as that happened. Was what he was true? Has she not changed? Was she still just that weak, ugly, little girl?

Fumiko's eyes began to dull. Maybe it was true. Zerad hadn't lied to her before. Maybe she was just pretending to be something she wasn't.

Zerad had stopped a while ago, but Fumiko was still laying on the floor. He knew everything was beginning to get to her, and that was exactly what he wanted.

Zerad then put on a face of regret and guilt as he kneeled down beside Fumiko, pulling her into his arms, as she came back into reality and focused on his heartbeat.

"I'm sorry." Zerad whispered to her. "I lost control. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say them things, they just came out in the moment." He paused for a moment as he said the last thing. "You know those things I said are not true, right? They just… slipped out." He said apolitically, but the hesitation in his voice and the way he said it like he didn't believe it was enough for Fumiko.

Fumiko just nodded her head. "Yeah… I know." She replied. But by her tone Zerad could tell that the seeds of doubt he had just placed were taking nicely into her. Fumiko herself didn't believe herself. She felt that everything Zerad had just said was true.

Zerad just nodded sadly, before helping to pull Fumiko up.

He then put a hand over the place where he had hit her, which was starting to bruise up already. Fumiko hissed in pain at that, but allowed him to heal it despite the pain.

"Sorry." Zerad said in a whisper. Then when it was done he stepped back before speaking again. "You know, this reminds me of the first time we met. You wouldn't remember but, you were beat up badly. You look so pathetic and weak, like you couldn't do anything without someone's help." He said offhandedly.

Fumiko looked up at him, with hurt in her eyes that were usually hateful and I was affected by the world. "'Look'?" She questioned.

Zerad jumped a little before continuing. "Did I say that? Sorry, I meant 'looked'. It's you right now…" he moved his arms about in a way that signalled that he was struggling for words.

Fumiko just nodded her head dejectedly in understanding.

Zerad didn't say anything else on the topic, knowing that pushing her any more would be dangerous.

Seeing that it wasn't going anywhere else, Fumiko tried to move the topic along, but still stuck with it because of her dejected state. "Is there anything I can do? To make up for my failure?" She asked, looking down nervously, too scared to meet his eyes.

Zerad looked like he was thinking about it before he shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think there is."

Fumiko looked up at Zerad desperately. "Please! There has to be something. Something I can do to make it up to you. Something! Anything!" She begged him.

Zerad looked at Fumiko, a gleam in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. "Anything?" He questioned.

Fumiko nodded her head, gulping. Zerad stepped towards her slowly. "You sure?" He questioned, whispering it into her ear.

Fumiko just nodded nervously, despite her body wanting to get away as soon as possible.

Before Zerad could continue, Meld decided that enough was enough and stepped forward. "I have an idea."

Zerad looked at Meld with an annoyed look in his eyes, slightly angered that Meld would stop him from having his fun. But still went along with it, remembering his original plan which had almost been forgotten in the heat of the moment. "Which is?"

Meld nodded before speaking, noticing that Fumiko was looking at him as well, no longer looking at the floor like when Zerad had gotten close to her. "Send Fumiko to infiltrate a human organisation, and have her report back any information of importance that she finds."

Zerad nodded gratefully towards Meld. Zerad didn't even have to change Meld's plan, he was planning something like that as well. "What organisation though?"

"The adventurers guild." Meld declared. "It's a treasure trove of information if you can get to a high enough rank, which Fumiko should age no problems with considering how STRONG she is." Meld said, putting an emphasis on 'strong' to try and raise her spirits. But Zerads influence was much stronger than his own and she only nodded in his direction, but her eyes still held the same deprecation for herself as before.

Zerad only looked smugly in Meld's direction at that pathetic attempt to lift her spirits. Before he started to walk back up the stairs before sitting back in his throne. "Then it's decided. As a punishment for your inexcusable failure, you will be sent to the human kingdom to become an adventurer and report any information of significance you get to either me or Meld personally,"

Fumiko nodded her head, accepting the punishment.

"Now, you two may leave."

Fumiko was once again being stubborn and not letting Meld help her walk, although she really didn't need it at this point.

As they neared her room, Meld started up a quick conversation to break the silence. "You do know what he said wasn't true."

Fumiko shook her head in denial. "No… he was right, I am weak. I haven't changed at all, I'm still that weak girl…"

Then they were outside her door, and Fumiko started to walk inside.

"Hey." Meld said, stopping her with a hand on her shoulder. "You might not believe it, but I know what's true. And I know you are stronger, stronger than most could hope to be." Meld said honestly to Fumiko.

But it didn't do anything to Fumiko who just nodded her head before closing the door. Meld didn't bother to try and enter her room and convince her, he knew that it would be no use. It was saddening to Meld, to see her so affected by just a few words.

Fumiko had her back against the door as she leaned on it. "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…" She repeated to herself like a mantra. Before her eyes suddenly started tearing up, Fumiko brought her hands up to cover her face and stop the tears, but it was no use.

She slid down the door as she brought her knees up to her chest as she made herself as small as possible. The tears didn't stop no matter how much she tried to make them.