Chapter 68: How the Two Princes Treat and Handle the Hero

The time had come.

While Gara was preoccupied with his own family affairs, the knights sent from the Libra Royal Capital to dispose of the traitors made a rather spectacular entrance, riding white horses that soared through the sky.

“All troops, halt! From this moment, you will follow the orders of your squad leaders to suppress the traitors! Reconfirm your communication magic tools and weapons. We will be joining the Hero to proceed, so conduct yourselves with the utmost respect!”

『Yes, Prince Rius!』

“─Hmph!”

The man who nodded proudly was clad head-to-toe in white armor. He commanded his troops with an air of confidence, his eagle-themed armor gleaming. As they stood in formation before the Tripol family estate, awaiting the Hero who would aid in this subjugation, it wasn’t long before a beautiful blonde girl and a stunning redhead appeared together.

“It’s the Hero.”

“And the Red Dragon, Lady Reina, too…”

“Didn’t they say the party disbanded?”

“They were companions. It’s not strange for them to travel together.”

“But… why are both of their bellies…”

Reina, dressed in the bunny girl leotard her boss had gifted her, had a pregnant belly that bulged out♡. In contrast, the Hero wore proper armor over her chest and skirt, but just like Reina, her pregnant belly also bulged out♡. They had appeared before the all-male order of knights in an excessively embarrassing state.

“A piercing…”

“…Hiek.”

As if to boast that this was no ordinary pregnancy, both had blatantly pierced their protruding navels. Their sexual allure had increased to an almost excessive degree, creating a risqué atmosphere. Those who had known the Hero before found it difficult to control their expressions. Immediately after her journey had ended, she still possessed the fresh-faced innocence of a country girl, but now she wore the expression of a woman who knew men, exuding a sensuality that rivaled Reina’s right beside her.

“She got pregnant in such a short time…”

Rius, too, couldn’t hide his bewilderment, but his opponents were the Hero and her companion. He decided against chiding them and had his knights kneel. The Hero and Reina waved their hands at the knights, acting friendly. The Hero, in particular, greeted Rius with the same familiar smile as always.

“Prince Rius!”

“It has been a long time, Hero! And you as well, Lady Reina!”

“Whoa~! Hey, Rius, you little squirt! You’ve grown so much since I last saw you! The last time we met was before I left on my journey, right? To think that tiny little boy would grow up so big! Ahaha~! Time sure flies!”

“That was only a few years ago. I met with the Hero often, but I suppose this is almost our first time meeting, Lady Reina. …Ahem! In that case, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Rius, directly commanded by King Libra to subjugate the traitors. I am, for the time being, the Second Prince.”

“I’m the dragon, Reina~! Man, I hated the atmosphere of the royal castle, so I left without even saying goodbye. To think I’d see you in a place like this!”

“I never imagined you would come in person, Prince Rius.”

“The same goes for me. I never imagined you two would be pregnant…”

“There were… circumstances. Sexual circumstances. A little pew pew~♡”

“Reina~?!”

“Don’t get mad~! Haha~! It’s a joke, a joke~!”

It hardly qualified as a joke after she’d already said it, but Prince Rius, seemingly good-natured, simply crossed his arms in response.

“I knew about you, Hero, but everyone was secretly hoping it would fall through. There were even rumors you were already living with your in-laws, yet the nobles were still scrambling, insisting their sons were better and wondering how they could marry you. But seeing your belly, I suppose those rumors will die down now. My older brother might cry when he sees this.”

“You mean the First Prince? Did he have feelings for the Hero?”

“Well… half as a political tool, half as a woman, something like that… I saw him often and have some affection for him, but anything more than friendship seemed difficult… Ahaha…”

“To turn down a prince, you must have quite the status.”

Poke~!

“Oof~?!”

Poke, poke~!

“Hey, you~?!”

As Reina giggled and poked the Hero’s pregnant belly, the Hero poked Reina’s swollen belly right back. It was a dangerous game for two pregnant women to play, but for that very reason, Rius’s mind was put at ease.

“It’s a woman’s instinct to adorn herself, I suppose, but… for the heroes of a nation to have piercings on their pregnant navels is a bit…”

“It’s partly for decoration, but it also has an effect that protects the baby, so please don’t misunderstand!”

“Is that so? I had no idea such an item existed…”

“O-Of course! We wanted to have the babies quickly, so we used growth-promotion magic on them. This is just insurance, in case something happens…! You all get it, right?!”

It was a flimsy excuse, but it wasn’t a complete lie. The knights seemed to accept it one way or another, and Rius, still with his arms crossed, merely nodded. He had never known the Hero to lie and didn’t want to doubt her. His gaze then shifted to the lewd dragon beside her.

“In that case, you too, Lady Reina?”

“It’s a hobby for me, though. A piercing on a pregnant navel? Isn’t it obviously lewd and great?”

“………………”

“Reina…”

“What? Why? The Hero is wearing it to protect her baby, but I’m just wearing it for decoration~! We’re the Hero’s party, you think we’d lie about something like this?”

“It would have been better if you’d just lied!!”

“…Huh?”

Despite the Hero’s excuse, Reina had shot it down, and with that, everyone fell silent. The knights listening quietly from behind were convinced that the Hero, at least, had a reason, so it wasn’t a bad outcome. Aside from a few men who had been practicing abstinence twitching at the overflowing sensuality, the atmosphere was generally positive.

“Ahem… In any case, I will report that my brother’s love has failed. Let’s end this topic here. We didn’t come all this way just to chat, after all.”

“Right~! Subjugating traitors!!”

“Is the Tripol family suppressed?”

At that, the Hero shook her head.

“We were planning to coordinate with all of you. Suppressing the Tripols would be simple for the two of us, but we figured things like paperwork and investigations are best left to the experts. We didn’t want to get in the way.”

“An excellent judgment. I have brought specialists to uncover their crimes, so from now on, Hero and Lady Reina, please follow my command and suppress the lands of each traitor. To match your speed, we’ve brought Pegasi, and the knights are all veterans. I’m certain they will be of help.”

“That’s very reassuring~! So, where should we start destroying?”

“The plan has been relayed to each squad leader. Lady Reina, you will follow the man over there and light the first beacon. Hero, you will follow me to suppress the Tripols.”

“…Me?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, I mean, Tanjelo and I were the ones who reported it, but still, isn’t that a bit unfair?”

“Once the current head steps down, this will effectively become your land, so it’s natural for you to be concerned, is it not? My father also told me to be as considerate as possible, so I intend to concede as much as I can.”

“Special treatment for being the nation’s hero, I guess…”

“If we can’t even do this much, the name of the Libra Kingdom will be dragged through the mud.”

“I wasn’t planning on being coddled… I appreciate the consideration, but as per our original plan, as long as you spare my husband, the maids, and my mother-in-law, I’ll leave the rest to you, Your Highness.”

“You’re referring to the victims mentioned in the letter. Understood. In that case, Hero, please follow the man over there and…”

He declared they would proceed as planned and skillfully took command.

So far, so good.

The Hero, Reina, and the knights were all brimming with motivation, excited at the thought of crushing the traitors.

However, Rius alone was not.

‘What a relief. She’s still the same Hero as before.’

He dared to give them orders, but inside his armor, cold sweat was pouring down his back. After all, the Hero’s party was like a nuclear weapon in this world. They were certainly not a weapon to be used in a remote land like this. The knights he’d brought along were only here out of necessity for the investigation and would likely only get in the way, yet the heroes showed no signs of displeasure.

‘The Hero’s party is practically the most powerful entity in this country… I was warned to be careful in case they harbored other intentions, but that doesn’t seem to be the case… The Hero properly understands her own position, so my brother’s worries were unfounded…’

Watching the heroes soar into the sky with his knights, he too entered the Tripol estate. As planned, the entrance had been opened with the help of Noah and the maids, making the task a simple matter of suppressing the mansion’s interior. Perhaps that was why, even in the middle of an operation, he found himself lost in thought.

‘Still… my brother is too obsessed with the Hero… I’m grateful he warned me to be careful, just in case, but telling me to sabotage the marriage by faking an accident is just too much. And telling me to kill the noble named Tanjelo, promising he’d cover for me… I don’t know what he’s thinking, risking the Hero’s wrath like that. The thought that if my brother had come to lead this subjugation instead of me, he would have 100% caused an incident makes my head spin.’

If the First Prince had participated in this rebel subjugation, he would have undoubtedly used it as a cover to kill Tanjelo.

‘…If that had happened.’

Considering the speed of her pregnancy and the fact that she, who never asked for favors, had begged for her husband’s life, it was clear to anyone that they were a happy couple. If someone were to forcibly tear them apart, the next Demon King would be none other than the Hero herself. He couldn’t let his guard down.

“I repeat! All soldiers, relay this message verbally! Do not touch the buildings on the outskirts! The only people there are the victims the Hero has already rescued! You are only to kill the traitors within this mansion! In particular, do not let the head of the Tripol family, Ozel Tripol, escape! He is the traitor!”

“””Yes!”””

As they responded in unison, the sounds of clashing steel echoed from all around. Old butlers could be seen grabbing blades and charging the knights. Assuming they were Ozel’s cronies, Prince Rius also drew his sword and began to systematically clear the mansion’s interior. But, as expected, troublesome news arrived.

“Prince Rius! A report!”

“Speak!”

“Squad 8, the ones who were newly assigned today, have left the mansion with drawn blades and are heading for the outer buildings!”

“Newly assigned… the external team.”

“Yes. As you suspected, Your Highness, we believe they may be pawns of the First Prince… We’ve succeeded in stopping them for now, but what are your orders? They claim they didn’t hear the command and were pursuing traitors they saw fleeing outside.”

“Before that, were there any traitors who fled, as they claim?”

“No. The mansion is surrounded, so it’s impossible. It’s also strange that they claim not to have heard the order when they have communication magic tools.”

“They must have been trying to get to the Hero’s husband… Tsk… My brother and his foolish schemes…”

“What should we do?”

“…No need to keep them alive! Cut off their heads! And don’t forget to burn the bodies so no information is left behind! We’ll report later that they were killed by the traitors!”

“Yes! Understood!”

As the soldier who received the order ran off, a new one rushed up and bowed his head.

“Prince Rius! A report! The traitor Ozel Tripol has been captured!”

“Then any more fighting is pointless! Inform the traitors that Ozel has been captured, and tell them to surrender if they truly believe they are innocent! Normally, we would have to wipe out their entire line to prevent future trouble, but today, out of consideration for the Hero, we will be as lenient as possible!”

“Understood! Relay the message! Relay the message! Tell the traitors! Ozel Tripol has been captured! Surrender if you are innocent! Under the name of Prince Rius, those who are truly guiltless will receive lenient treatment after an investigation!”

‘How anticlimactic. The Demon King’s army is effectively annihilated. Is this what the remnants are like… ─Hmm?’

He sheathed his sword and crossed his arms again. The pose, arms crossed behind his eagle mask, seemed to be his trademark, and he never forgot to strike it. Just then, through the corridor window, he saw a massive explosion erupt high in the sky. A massive cloud of smoke, as if a nuke had been dropped, was fully visible despite being far away, and the sound of its destruction reached all the way to them.

“…That was.”

“We believe it was the work of the Hero and Lady Reina…”

“Seriously?”

The soldiers who had finished their tasks and returned began to whisper among themselves. Rius responded with a sigh.

“They really are monsters. What was my brother thinking, poking the bear like that?”

“Knowing him, it was surely something simple.”

“Simple?”

Whisper, whisper.

“Perhaps his intention was to kill the husband and then ‘comfort’ her into his arms… He knows the Hero’s power and influence better than anyone, so he’d want to solidify his support base for when he becomes king… Plus, she’s an attractive woman, so he’s also likely intending to use his male supremacist ideology to sexually dominate her…”

“…That sounds exactly like my brother.”

“I meant it as a joke, but was it perhaps disrespectful?”

“I’m the only one who heard it, so I’ll forgive you.”

“Thank you.”

After pardoning his aide, who wore the same armor as him, Rius began to gather the captured traitors and headed for the outer buildings. He intended to meet with Tanjelo, who was hiding outside, to wrap things up.

‘I have to warn him, too… I must make him understand just how valuable his life is…’

If Tanjelo were to die, the one who would lose her mind would be none other than the Hero.

He inwardly hurried to do what needed to be done, anxious to prevent that monster—one who had killed the Demon King and was even more terrifying—from turning her blade against the kingdom.