Chapter 94: The Two Sisters’ Revenge on Their Foolish Little Brother, Tei

She had been through so much.

Torture, humiliating indecencies, and on top of that, rape. While Reina might have been one thing, the Hero’s pride and reputation had been utterly shattered, and nasty rumors had spread.

Normally, the Hero would have taken her revenge by torturing them herself, but the situation was such that she was more preoccupied with cleaning up the mess around her. Led by the First Prince’s foolish words and actions, the kingdom was crawling with traitors trying to sell the country to the Empire. There was simply no time to spare for the Hero’s personal rage.

…But that was different now that the turmoil had settled.

“Hup! Hup! Hup!”

“Gck, g-ah, ahh, g-gaah!”

Standing barefoot atop the round table, the Hero kicked out. The prince, hanging in the center of the room inside a burlap sack, swung back and forth, his broken limbs and spilled intestines on full display. Blood seeped from inside the sack covering his face, suggesting he had been tortured even before the Hero began her assault. Sure enough, when he finally went limp and died, she stopped kicking and held out her hand, which began to glow.

“Resurrection!”

“G-gah, ah, GAGAGAGAGA!! GIIHYAAAAAA!!!!”

His grotesque screams might have suggested he was in pain, but alas, he was revived.

To die and be brought back to life—gasps of admiration could be heard from the onlookers.

“Death is! Too good! For you! You son of a bitch!”

“Gck, gi, ahh, gih, ga, gak… Gak, ga, gagagak, ga…!!”

As the kicking and punching resumed, the prince’s body was pierced, twisted, and broken, contorting like a transforming robot, yet no one sitting at the round table pitied him. In fact, the blood on Reina’s hands proved that someone else had already had a go at him. The Hero, the final participant, was the most thorough of all. She killed him, revived him, killed him, revived him, and killed him again, repeating the cycle until she herself grew bored and finally paused to catch her breath.

“Feeling better now?”

“No, not at all. If I had my way, I’d slice you up bit by bit, starting with your fingertips, just like when I was on the torture rack. It’s a real shame I can’t go that far.”

“I agree. I don’t know why that damn bloodline of his is enough to protect him.”

Blood had splattered all over the Hero’s body, and maids came to wipe her clean. No one chastised her for stripping naked before the beating, as they had all anticipated she would get covered in blood. Unlike Reina, she had removed all her piercings, and her body hair had been taken care of, making her pretty again. Aside from her forcibly enlarged, suggestive breasts, there was none of the sordid atmosphere from when she had danced naked.

After being cleaned and changing into light clothes, she sat back down, finally taking in her surroundings. The First Prince knelt with a sack over his head. Around the round table sat the Hero, Reina, the Second Prince Rius, King Libra, Gara, Tanjelo, and Noah. Standing along the outer edge was the Rius Faction, who had been permitted to attend but not to speak.

“Just… kill… me…”

“Brother, your death will come later. You won’t serve as a proper example unless you live and pay for your crimes. If you don’t wish to suffer any further, I suggest you answer our questions properly.”

“Guh… ugh… ah…”

At the sound of Reina listlessly breathing out a puff of flame and the Hero tapping her finger on the table, the First Prince, still hanging in the center, quietly nodded his assent. The lynching was terrifying, but the prior torture must have been worse. As a man easily swayed by desire, his priority was to get out of this situation, and he seemed to have no intention of resisting.

“Then, Hero…”

“Please.”

“Right.”

At the request of Rius and King Libra, who were still in their eagle armor, a healing spell was cast. Unlike Tei’s healing, a square orb of light appeared and enveloped only the First Prince Beus’s face, healing that area alone. His face was still bound in the sack, so they couldn’t see inside, but it was clear this would make it easier for him to speak.

“This is the extent of our consideration. My foolish, stupid son, what in the world was your objective?”

“I… just wanted… to become… the king of the Libra Kingdom… To hide the fact that I was… inferior to my younger brother… I did something foolish… I just…”

“I have no need for such excuses. Considering what you’ve done, my heart will not be swayed now. What I, King Libra, am asking you is something more fundamental.”

The sound of grinding teeth came from within the sack, but he cut off his excuses and got straight to the point.

“The Demon King’s… revival…”

“The Demon King… We killed him in the last war, didn’t we?”

“Reina and I killed him. Literally without a trace.”

“There is a way to revive him… The last surviving Heavenly King… Sloth… told me…”

Beus’s confession sent a stir through the onlookers on the outer edge, but those at the round table remained unimpressed. They all seemed to have expected that the Demon Lord’s army making a move now would ultimately lead to something like this. No one expressed any surprise. The Hero and Reina, in particular, just scratched their foreheads and sighed about how troublesome things had become, while Tanjelo and Noah, sitting in the darkest corner, exchanged glances, silently asking each other why they were even here.

“What is this method of revival?”

“I don’t know… I was never told that much… But… I know it involves using the Hero…”

“…Me?”

“He said it was… a crucial part of the plan… to come later… He ordered me to completely break the Hero… and turn her into a doll… and lent me his torturers… He said they were the ones who had once pushed the Hero’s party to the brink of defeat… and to make good use of them… Also… the dragon over there… he said you were a spare…”

“I was part of the plan, too? What were they going to use me for?”

“I don’t know the exact method… but he said that… even if one of you failed… as long as one was broken… it would work out somehow… I really don’t know any more than that… It’s useless… to ask…”

“Well, seeing how easily you’re talking, and knowing your personality, you’re probably not hiding anything. I’ll believe you on that part… but still… Hmm~! It’s a strange thing to hear, that the Hero and I are sacrifices for the Demon King’s revival. I guess since we already killed him, they couldn’t just kill us and use us as sacrifices, huh?”

It was a reasonable question, but the prince didn’t answer. His silence indicated he truly knew nothing.

“It seems we’ll have to find that out from Sloth himself. In that case, I’ll ask you again, Brother. Did you truly have no other thought than to ascend the throne? You must have known you were becoming a pawn of the Demon Lord’s army, correct?”

“They were also… lacking…”

“Lacking what?”

“Pawns… and soldiers… They saw me as a fool… and thought they could control me by dangling bait in front of me… But I… I knew their forces were… insufficient… So I pretended to be deceived, and after seizing the throne… I planned to make the Hero mine… and use her to clean up Bere… and then build a wall… against the Empire that the Demon Lord’s army had swallowed…”

“So you weren’t acting like a complete fool, Brother… But that turn of phrase…”

“Damn it, what do you mean, ‘yours’?! The Hero is my woman! My wife! After doing such a goddamn thing to her! You, you, you—RAAAAAAGH-!!”

“Young Master!”

“…Oops.”

Noah grabbed Tanjelo, who had momentarily lost his senses, and dragged him back to his seat. She clamped a hand over his mouth to keep him from rampaging and cast a spell to calm him. Learning that the Hero had been subjected to such things without his knowledge, Tanjelo’s heart must have been boiling like lava.

“His anger is justified, but please restrain yourself for now… So, how did you know?”

“The situation in Bere… a city that serves as a bridge between the Empire and the Kingdom… Their forces had gathered there… but there were truly very few of them…”

“That’s not all, is it?”

“To make up for their lack of soldiers… they were… brainwashing… ordinary citizens and adventurers… I confirmed it… Those among the brainwashed with decent levels… were being deployed as soldiers… and incorporated into the army… After confirming that… I realized their bravado was just for show… and that they were trying to strengthen their forces through Eumgu…”

“Brainwashed soldiers…”

“You mean those perverts…”

At the thought of that perverted mob of women and their strange cries of ‘Ubyo♡ Ubyo♡ Ubohyo♡’, the two perverts sitting here blushed. They seemed to be recalling the time they were brainwashed and had trash can sex, their groins unable to settle down.

“I can attest to that. When I returned to the forest where I used to live, I confirmed that the remaining group of dark elves had all disappeared. I believe they were either all conscripted or brainwashed, as he said.”

“And you are?”

“My name is Noah. I serve Lord Tanjelo Tripol, and I once acted as a spy for the Demon Lord’s army.”

“Ah, it’s you… We didn’t get a chance to speak then.”

“Thank you so much for coming to rescue the Tripol family, Prince Rius.”

“Then tell us, from a spy’s perspective. What is their current situation?”

“I will be direct. The Demon Lord’s army are not the type to conscript so forcefully. They fill their ranks with other races to compensate for their own weaknesses, but only to the extent necessary. To conscript on a racial scale like this would not only leave them with no new races to recruit in the future, but it would also create problems with internal coordination.”

“I mean, the fact that a spy like you exists proves that point.”

“Indeed… Though I thought I had escaped, I was merely a fool being used again… I am truly ashamed to have been the cause of this incident.”

“Noah…”

As Noah bowed her head, Tanjelo comforted her, telling her it wasn’t her fault. It seemed the rift that had formed between them after the incident before they left had been mended by her devotion this time. The Hero wanted to pout, but given her own history of spreading her vagina and acting disgracefully, she found it difficult to open her mouth.

“We’ve heard much of this from the Kingdom’s Inquisitor already. However, what this dark elf maid says, as well as the information Lord Hero and Lady Reina provided about Bere, all lines up. There are no discrepancies.”

“The Demon Lord’s army is being pushed into a corner… Is that how we should see it…?”

“No, Father, it’s more than that. If we consider this an extension of the last war, then this must be the finish line.”

“A final, desperate struggle…”

Everyone nodded in agreement with the words of Prince Rius and King Libra.

“So, what is the plan? I have stepped down from my duties, so you must take the lead… You wouldn’t want the help of a decrepit old man like me, I’m sure…”

“It’s taken several days to clean up the mess my brother made. I suspect they are gathering troops in Bere in preparation for our invasion. We, too, must borrow your name, Father, and gather soldiers from across the land for our own invasion.”

“…Is that not dangerous?”

“No, Father, as you said, it is truly a desperate struggle. The Kingdom’s army has not diminished, and all of our heroes are still alive. If they don’t have a trump card, we should be able to crush Bere and push on to the Empire, pacifying this entire region. I believe that the four of you who previously expressed your intention not to participate in a war against humans will join us this time, given the just cause of fighting the Demon Lord’s army… I… think… you will…”

His voice trailed off as he looked at the three of them.

Gara, who had been silent until now; Reina, who was listlessly breathing fire from her mouth; and the Hero, who kept sending apologetic glances toward Tanjelo…

“Lord Gara, what say you?”

“…I’ll participate, reluctantly. If we don’t root them out now, my family won’t be able to live in peace. Besides, I have a feeling that if I leave these two idiots alone, they’ll get themselves brainwashed again by spreading their legs for someone.”

“I see… Then, Lady Reina?”

“I’ll join too. If Gara and the Hero are there, I figure things will work out even if I get a little taste of what’s to come… More importantly, the world needs to be at peace for me to finally reach the ruin I so desire.”

“Ruin… I don’t know what you mean by that, but finally, Lord Hero, what about you?”

“Ah… Normally, I would absolutely refuse to participate in a war against humans, but…”

“Does that mean…”

“No, this time is an exception. I’m going to join the war against the Empire, just like everyone else.”

“You will participate?”

“I’ve been through too much this time. It was the first time I was tortured for so long, and I really thought I was going to lose my mind. More importantly, if the Demon Lord’s army is still out there, my job isn’t finished. I want to wipe them out for good this time and then live a happy newlywed life. I mean, after showing such a disgraceful side of myself in front of so many people, I wouldn’t have a word to say if I got divorced… I’ve become so dirty… I don’t think I can go back to how things were…”

“─That’s not true! Absolutely not! The Hero is still pure! So please?!”

“Thank you. But I need time to sort out my feelings, too…”

“Hero…!!”

Tanjelo sobbed, crying out that he was the one who was unworthy, but the Hero avoided his gaze and looked at Rius. Now that the three of them had given their consent, it was time for the next name to be mentioned…

“So all three of you will participate… Then what about Lord Tei?”

“Tei is out.”

“That bastard can stay out of it.”

“Absolutely do not include him.”

“…Ah.”

Just as the reports had indicated. Rius gave a bitter smile from within his armor, the three wore dark expressions, and an air of confusion filled the outer circle.

“Hey, Beus. You still conscious?”

“What… is it… I’ve said… everything… Just… leave me… alone…”

“Shut up. I’ll decide that. More importantly, what were you planning to do with Tei if you seized the throne? Gara lives so far away that you could have just cut off the rumors and he would have lived out his days in the countryside, but Tei was living in the capital. You would have died at his hands if you didn’t do something. Did you even think about that?”

“That… with this…”

“Huh?”

As if in answer to Reina’s question, a single bean rolled out from the sack covering Beus’s head.

“After such a thorough search, he was still hiding something…”

“I wasn’t… hiding it… This… is one of the Eumgu that Sloth gave me… that I had stored inside my body… It’s something… to break… that boy priest… I had it… sealed… within my body…”

“What, you weren’t planning to use it?”

“Once I became king… and built a wall against the Empire… I could have persuaded the priest with words… so I had no intention of using it…”

“Ah… so that was your plan.”

“If that’s true, do you know what this bean does?”

“I do… That bean… if consumed…”

Whisper, whisper, whisper…

“────?!”

After a brief pause, a word was uttered, and it was surely no illusion that the Hero and Reina smiled like snakes.

“Hey, Prince Rius.”

“What is it?”

“How long did you say it would take to assemble the troops?”

“Let’s see… Since this will be the final battle, we’ll need to gather the local nobles as well, so I expect it will take at least two weeks… Is there a problem?”

“Then hand over that bean.”

“Reina and I will take a breather in the meantime.”

“…Excuse me?”

“………………”

In contrast to the bewildered Rius, Gara, sitting in the corner, covered his forehead with his palm and let out a sigh. The two women snatched the strange bean as if they had every right to it, and after today’s meeting was concluded, they were promised a rest until the next battle.

Still, maybe this is a relief… When I heard the report, I thought my heart would tear apart…

And yet, even after all that, there was the Hero, smiling wickedly as she planned another revenge, and Tanjelo, who saw her face and felt a sense of relief, thinking, ‘Even after all that, she’s still full of spirit.’

Just how many sane people were there in this room?

“Achoo!”

“Did you catch a cold?”

“Maybe it’s from sleeping naked lately… Hnngh…”

Oblivious to the two crazy bitches grinding their teeth as they approached, Tei was foolishly just scratching his nose.