Rest Stop

Editor(s): Speedphoenix, Joker

Glorified stone busts and expensive paintings lined the wall of the noble's manor. Everything from the floor to the furniture to the chandelier-laden ceiling served as a blatant demonstration of the owner's excessive wealth. The mansion wasn't the only thing dressed to the nines. Both its owner and his guests had also equipped themselves with their finest attire—as was the norm when one was attending an event hosted only for members of high society.

The party's many invitees drank fine wine, conversed, and probed one another with insincere smiles plastered all over their faces. The impressive, silken gowns had done nothing to correct their devious natures. One especially sinister group was comprised of three men. They spoke in hushed voices and stood close to ensure that their conversation would not be overheard. They even maintained casual expressions such that their conversation could be passed off as mere small talk by any potential observers.

"Are you sure?" A man with a thick beard lowered his wine glass as he looked towards one of his co-conspirators.

"I am." The reply was spoken by a gentlemanly aristocrat with a smile as sly as a fox's. "One of my subordinates has just sent word and informed me that he spotted her in Alfyro. She's boarded a carriage bound for the capital, and is likely to arrive shortly."

"Alfyro? Hah! How fitting." The group's third member, a man significantly wider than the other two, humphed in disapproval. "The lowly upstart that rules that miserable one-horse town is the king's newest lapdog. Both he and that godforsaken church feel the need to support the old fool's reign. We should have known. The incompetent governor and the useless 'hero' certainly do make for quite the unsightly pair." His lips twisted as he made a suggestive smile. "Sometimes I wish we'd be fortunate enough for the two to simply disappear."

"Well, my dear friend," the fox-like man returned the smile with one of his own, "I suppose you'd be rather pleased to learn that I've already taken… precautions to ensure that we will soon find ourselves missing an eyesore."

"Why, that sounds wonderful," chuckled the fat man. "I suppose this has something to do with the accomplice you acquired the other day?"

"Accomplice is a strong word. We'd much rather be called kindred spirits. You see, we both happen to be true patriots dissatisfied with the current state of the nation."

"Any patriot chauvinistic enough to answer capitalism's call to action is a true reliable patriot indeed." The bearded man chuckled. "But are you sure that the information he's feeding you is of value? Most of the clergymen who support us are, unfortunately, not exactly the most knowledgeable or influential."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. When I stated that he was a kindred spirit, I meant it. Like me, he works under an individual with widespread influence."

"I am glad to hear that," said the bearded man. "And I apologize if my doubt came off as rude."

"No, no, not at all. You were right to consider the unfortunate possibility. Not all of our allies have been fortunate enough to be in positions of power."

The bearded and fox-like men shared a hearty laugh, while the fatter man took a sip of his wine.

"I am glad to see you so proactive, but I must remind you to stay on your toes. The hero still has many allies, and they are sure to flock to her the moment she returns."

"Not to worry," said the fox with an understanding nod. "I've already put one of my plans into action. Returning to the capital will do little more than tighten the noose we've trussed around her neck. She will be undone."

***

"Damn, this place is fancy." I wolf whistled the moment I stepped into the inn."Still a whole order of magnitude worse than the castle, but it's more than good enough for me to see why the old governor mentioned that it's basically the noble go-to."

It really was fancy with a capital F. Every part of the setup screamed that it was meant for none other than the rich and famous. The halls were gaudy and made especially thick to feature an extra helping of security on top of the layer that its guards already offered. Even the drop-off zone screamed safety first. It featured four walls, a large set of double-doors, and a handsome roof. It even connected directly to the inn's interior in order to ensure its guests would be able to remain anonymous and keep themselves from the public eye if need be.

"Yuki, I know that your castle is really well decorated, but was it really necessary for you to bring it up just to brag?" asked Nell with a sigh.

"Oh, hey, almost wasn't expecting you to comment," I said. "You finally feeling better?"

"M-Mhmm…" She nodded shyly as she kept her eyes pointed towards the ground. "I think I'm okay now. Really embarrassed, but definitely okay."

Her cheeks were tinged a light shade of pink, and not because they'd been stained with tears. Rather, their newfound shade was the result of being made aware of the fact that she had spent most of the trip asleep in my arms after crying herself to the brink of exhaustion. Throwing a fit and venting her emotions had been good for her. It had allowed her to sort out her thoughts and regain her cool.

Likewise, I also found myself much less concerned; I was happy to see that her smile had returned.

Our little carriage ride had spanned the whole day. The sun had already set, and the moon had already taken its place. We would have long reached the capital had we ridden Rir, but such a feat was far too tall an order for our horses. Not even top of the line race horses could keep up with him, let alone the poor draft horses we had strapped our carriages to. As such, we had settled for spending the night in a city that was about halfway between our point of departure and our destination.

The inn we were checking ourselves into was one that the old governor frequented. Errr, I guess it's more like his men are checking us in and we're just standing around until they're done all the paperwork, but whatever. Point is, we're waiting around for our keys.

Travelling back and forth between his domain and the capital was an act that the balding man was often forced to engage in. And today's trip was no exception. He had only accompanied us because he had no choice but to resolve himself to do everything within his power to mitigate the chaos that was sure to accompany the hero's return. His regular trips were a result of his own growing importance. He was rapidly becoming known for his ability to keep many a situation from spiraling out of control. Hey man, that promotion? Good for you, bro, you deserve it. But just saying, you miiiiiight want to take a step back and take it easy for a bit. Ever heard of work-life balance? 'Cause the way I see it, you're overworked as fuck.

"De—" The governor faked a cough to stop himself from revealing my identity. "Sir Yuki, a moment of your time, please?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"I understand that the two of you are planning to wed. Will you be sharing a room?"

"Sure, why n—" I raised a finger, cut myself off, and turned towards the hero the moment I realized that it was best for me to consult her before I agreed to anything. "Any objections, Nell?"

Her face flushed a deep shade of scarlet as she kept her eyes glued to the floor. Slowly, slowly but surely, she nodded. The action led me to cross my arms and laugh, heartily.

"I-I know I shouldn't be this embarrassed. You, Lefi, and I sleep together all the time. But my heart's pounding. Because this is the first time it's just us."

"Sorry, what? I wasn't really paying attention."

My cackle had led me to miss whatever she had mumbled under her breath.

"N-nothing!" she said in a conspicuously loud voice.

The odd reaction and the big smile that accompanied it led me to raise an eyebrow in suspicion, but decided not to pursue the topic and instead asked the question I'd thought up whilst totally paying attention to everything she was saying.

"So you know how you work for the church?"

"Mhm?"

"Yeah, so I was thinking about that. Does that mean you're basically a part of the clergy?"

"Yeah?"

"So uhhh… is this okay? Does it violate any of your commandments? 'Cause last I heard, clergy life sucks, and is just about as strict as strict gets," I said. "And then there's the whole thing with me being married already. Iunno what you guys think of polygamy, but I'm not expecting it not to be frowned upon."

Most of my religious knowledge stemmed from what I'd known when I lived on Earth. The fact that this world very much resembled the way my old one had looked in the middle ages, a part of me had suspected that devoting one's chastity to the lord would not have been too strange a practice. Not that I'm actually about to let some stupid god keep me from Nell's chastity. That shit's mine. I'm just asking so I can figure out what's normal and make sure we keep up appearances.

Nell's first reaction was to open her eyes wide. The concerned tone I'd spoken in caught her off guard. But soon, she switched gears and began giggling for reasons outside my comprehension.

"W-what?" I asked, self-consciously.

"Just that it seems a bit late to be asking me something like that." Again, she giggled. "Because that sounds like the type of thing most people would have considered much, much earlier in the relationship."

"Well I'm sorry I'm not like most other people then." I rolled my eyes indignantly. "I never really thought about it, so I only just realized that you might actually be some kinda nun."

"I don't think you'd mind even if I was," she said with a teasing smile. "No sensible demon lord would ever end up marrying a hero, after all."

"Oh, shut up. You're the one who came onto me," I grumbled.

"I know." She stuck out her tongue. "To answer your question, it's okay. Some other religions impose all sorts of restrictions on polygamy and marriage, but my God is just as uncaring as you are. As far as God is concerned, love is all that really matters."

"Alright, in that case, it sounds like we're all green," I said.

"Mhm."

Nell and I began to gaze at each other. She returned my smile with one of her own. Man, she's cute. Talk about a jackpot.

I slowly raised my hand, and slowly moved it towards her cheek, but was stopped by a cough right before I was about to hoist up the anchor and send us sailing off to flirt-land.

Nell and I both turned in the direction of the sound, only to realize that the old governor was, in fact, still present, alive, and kicking. The look on his face was one sat about halfway between stunned and unamused. I couldn't tell exactly which it leaned closer to, but whatever the case, he was very clearly telling us to get a room. Literally. One of the soldiers standing beside the balding old man was dangling a pair of keys in our direction.

"…I'm glad to see that your relationship is still healthy." He chose his words carefully and did his best to remain as dignified and unaffected by the display as possible. "My subordinates have brought you the keys to your room."

"Errr… my bad."

"W-we're sorry, Governor," mumbled a flustered Nell.

"I almost cannot believe that you two are on such good terms." His voice was a bit quieter than usual, softened by what could only be described as shock. He laughed, dryly, then continued, "Never in my wildest dreams have I ever expected to find myself so entertained and satisfied by the sight of a hero and demon lord in love…"

"Thank you for taking care of all the paperwork, Governor." Nell shuffled her feet awkwardly as she retrieved our keys from the old man's subordinate. "P-please excuse us."

"Err… yeah, what she said. See ya later dude. And take it easy." Like the hero, I turned my eyes away from the man I was speaking to out of a sense of shame.

"…Rest well. We will be departing first thing in the morning."

After saying our goodbyes, we turned in the direction of our room and headed out for the night. Or at least that was what we had intended. I made it no further than halfway down the hall before freezing in place. A strange, tingling sensation had run up my spine. Danger was coming.

"Yuki? What's wrong?" Nell turned to face me right as the expression on my face switched from one of alertness to one of annoyance.

"Oh, for fuck's sake… I just wanted to kick back, take it easy, and relax. I guess that's not happening anymore." I sighed. "Get your sword ready. You're probably going to need it."

Her hands shot to her blade. One held up her sheath, and the other sat on the weapon's hilt as she began scanning her surroundings. Though she wasn't able to detect the threat I had hinted at, there was no doubt or questioning in her response, only trust.

"Is something the matter?" The manner in which we had both suddenly shifted gears caused the old governor to take notice.

"There's a big-ass group of monsters inbound. They're headed straight for the city."

"What!?"

"How long will it take them to reach the city?" asked Nell.

"Not long. They'll probably reach the walls in the next 30 minutes."

I quickly looked over my map after answering her and made note of an oddity. The monster army shared our trajectory; they approached the city from the same direction we had. Is it just me, or does this seem like a setup?

The horde's makeup was composed of orcs, ogres, goblins, and various other human-like monsters not considered a part of the intelligent races. There were a few other beast-like monsters as well, mainly boars and wolves. These creatures served as mounts and carried members of the more humanoid species on their backs.

My proclamation was met with something along the lines of a public announcement. The clamouring of what was probably a giant metal bell began ringing throughout the city, resounding off its outer walls and spreading through each and every one of its alleys. The other guests began to stir as they realized that there was an emergency. Local authorities shouted loudly in order to calm the people down and steer them to safety. Their voices were so loud I could clearly hear them even through the inn's thick walls.

"I almost find it difficult to believe that you were able to detect them more quickly than the watchmen even without the use of your eyes," said the governor, "but I suppose I should have expected nothing less from a demon lord."

"Yeah, well, where I live, you've gotta be at least this good at sniffing out potential threats if you don't want to die," I said. "Anyway, you're supposed to be some kinda big shot politician nowadays, right? Shouldn't you be getting the hell outta here and holing yourself up somewhere safe?"

"Of course not. As a member of the nobility, it is my duty to step forward precisely at times like these and fight for the people. Sir Gamdia!"

"At your service, my liege!"

The other person I recognized, the old commander, straightened his back, stepped forward from his position at the governor's side, and even saluted for added effect the moment his name was called.

"Rally every last man. This is no time to rest," said Raylow, without a moment's hesitation. "Inform them that we will be marching to Governor Nigel's manor immediately, and that we will be offering him our aid."

"By your command, sir. I'll have them ready to depart immediately."

The knight left with all the vigour and energy typically exhibited by members of the military and began acting on his orders without a moment's delay.

"Yuki, could you please… help me help them?" asked Nell.

"Sure. I don't mind. Hell, you didn't even need to say please." I shrugged as I flashed my teeth. Evidently, the combination of the statement and my nonchalant reaction had eased Nell's worries, as the somber expression on her face was soon replaced with a smile.

"Are the two of you planning to take action?" asked the governor as he approached.

"Well, I won't do nothing. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep too well with bells going off and idiots pounding at the gates all night," I grumbled. "Besides, little miss hero over here decided to ask me to help, so now I'm more or less obligated to pitch in, one way or another. I'm probably going to fly around for a bit, put a plan together, and act on it once I figure out exactly what's going on."

"Which direction are they coming from?" asked Nell.

"Same direction we came from, which is pretty weird because literally none of the monsters there were even the slightest bit hostile while we were passing through, but whatever."

"Okay. If that's the case, then I'll head straight for the gate. Can you keep me updated if you learn anything important?"

"Sure. I'll make sure I stop by the gate once I finish scouting things out." I turned to face the governor. "So yeah, we're basically gonna play it by ear."

"If that's the case, we'll be operating under the assumption that you'll be working alongside us," he said. "Normally, this would be the type of situation in which I would have to prepare myself for death, but with the two of you here, I feel much more at ease."

"I got this. Everything'll be fine. Hell, you could probably just kick back and chill, right Nell?"

"Maybe. It depends on whether or not you mess up and start screaming profanities at the top of your lungs," she said. "Because you let your guard down, trip over your own feet, and end up doing exactly that all the time."

"Oh, shush," I averted my gaze. "But you're right. I'll make sure I keep my eyes peeled."

"I doubt I'll have anything to worry about if the two of you are that relaxed," laughed the governor. "But whatever the case, I wish you the best of luck."

***

"Sir Nigel!"

Alfyro's governor, Raylow Lurubia, burst into his colleague's manor with such fervour that the other lord had almost mistaken him for an attacker.

"Sir Raylow!? Why are you here?" Sengillia's governor turned away from the guard he was speaking to and faced the entrance to his mansion.

"I was on my way to the capital and chose to spend the night at a local inn. I rushed over the moment I realized that the city was in danger. Please let me know if there is anything my troops and I can do to help."

"That seems rather unfortunate on your part, but I'm grateful you're here. Fighting alongside the man once known as the god of war is very reassuring indeed."

"That was a long, long time ago, Sir Nigel," laughed Raylow, dryly. "Would you happen to have any detailed information of the situation at hand. I've learned nothing beyond the fact that we are being attacked by a horde of monsters."

"I see your ears are as sharp as always, Sir Raylow. Nothing truly escapes you, does it?" Nigel sighed. "It is exactly as you say. One of the men standing watch spotted a legion of monsters marching towards the town. There are hundreds of them approaching, and not nearly as many of us."

"Hundreds? That certainly is quite the number…"

"To be exact, their ranks are made of orcs, ogres, goblins, and various riders. Many of the species spotted are of the menace class in terms of their threat level." Sengillia's lord pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I must be, it is effectively a stampede, and one that occurred without any warning."

Nigel's expression was grim. There was a chance he would soon lose everything, that his men, his people, and even his life would soon be forfeit. For a moment, Raylow shared in his gloom, but unlike the other man's, Raylow's frown was stained with hope.

"There is a stroke of luck in all this," he muttered.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Or perhaps not. It depends on the viewpoint." Raylow sighed. "It frustrates me to rely almost entirely on their efforts. Hiding behind a greater power in the face of violence is cowardly. But I can confidently say that, with the two of them present, the cleanup is sure to be a much greater worry than the invasion itself."

Nigel wasn't quite able to keep up with Raylow's rant, so he ended up raising a brow as he listened to the man speak of a solution that only those already in the know would understand.