DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN NOW READ THREE TO SIX CHAPTERS AHEAD. CHECK MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
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The Hero Seed.
It was the exact opposite of the Demon Lord Seed. The peak of humanity's evolution, a phenomenon so rare that it had only appeared a handful of times throughout recorded history.
In all of recorded history, there had been fewer than five Heroes in total.
In recent history, Hinata Sakaguchi was believed to be the next.
The leader of the Ten Great Saints and the strongest Holy Knight made her way through the halls of the Holy Sanctuary, eventually arriving at her lady's inner chambers.
She stopped before the large doors and knocked. "May I come in?" she asked.
"Of course, Hinata." An elegant, sultry voice replied from within the chamber.
Hinata opened the doors and stepped inside.
The room was grand, with a massive bed occupying the centre, covered by almost a dozen layers of delicate silk drapes that obscured the figure lying within.
For a moment, the room remained silent. Then the figure behind the curtains slowly rose and stepped out.
Luminous Valentine was an ethereal figure with mesmerising silver hair that cascaded down her back. Her dress was pure black, with delicate silk frills lining its edges, creating a striking contrast against her pale skin.
"Hinata, dear." She smiled warmly as she approached. "How did it go?"
Hinata lowered her gaze toward the floor as Lady Luminous slowly walked toward her, her bare feet almost gliding across the polished floor until she was close enough for Hinata to feel the warmth radiating from her body.
"My apologies." Hinata clenched her fist slightly. "They got away after all. I underestimated them."
"Is that so?" Luminous walked past her without another word, making her way toward the white couch positioned against the wall before gracefully sitting down.
Hinata released a quiet breath.
She moved toward the other side of the room and picked up a bottle of red wine along with a glass before returning to her Lady's side.
Luminous held the glass out without saying anything.
Hinata carefully poured the red wine into it, filling the glass before setting the bottle aside.
"This is the second time that the Sanctuary has been infiltrated."
Luminous slowly swirled the wine in her glass, watching the dark red liquid move beneath the light. "You disappoint me, Hinata."
Hinata's gaze remained fixed on the floor. "Forgive me, my Lady. They avoided me at every turn. Otherwise, they would all have been captured."
She clenched her fist again. "If only I could find out what it is they were after."
Luminous raised the glass to her lips and took a slow sip. "How about the perpetrators?" she asked casually. "You know who they are, don't you?"
Her lips curved into a faint smile. "You've never been a good liar."
Hinata sighed. "I've never once lied to you, my Lady."
At that, Luminous gave Hinata a knowing smirk. "My point exactly."
Hinata exhaled slowly, accepting that there was little point in trying to hide anything from her. "Yes, you're right."
She raised her head slightly. "Lord Rimuru told me he had an idea of who it was."
"And you felt the need to keep that from me?" Luminous asked, taking another sip of her wine.
"Of course not, my Lady." Hinata quickly explained. "I was investigating his lead. I wanted to be certain of it before I drew my conclusions."
"A personal acquaintance, then?" Luminous rested her cheek against one hand, her eyes remaining fixed on Hinata. "Who is it?"
"Yuuki Kagurazaka." Hinata nodded.
Luminous's expression remained calm, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the name. "The head of the adventurer's guild? How did he?..."
She didn't elaborate, but Hinata was able to realize something from the way she spoke. "You know what he's looking for?"
Luminous rested her gaze on Hinata, staring at her silently for several seconds. "I do."
That was all she said.
She took another slow sip from her glass before continuing. "What are you going to do about your 'friend' Kagurazaka?"
Hinata's expression hardened slightly, and her fist tightened once again. "If it is your will, I will enact judgment upon him." She lowered her gaze. "He betrayed me, in the end."
Luminous sighed softly. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy here." She placed one leg over the other, looking almost amused by the entire situation.
"Nonetheless, I would be a terrible ruler if I allowed my adorable subordinates to be filled with such sadness." A faint smile appeared on her lips. "It seems it's time I became active again."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly. "My Lady."
"You've had nothing but good things to say about Rimuru Tempest." Luminous grinned, her eyes taking on a faint glimmer of interest. "Perhaps it's time I visit the slime and see for myself."
She placed the glass of wine down on the small table beside her. "Of course, there's Kaede as well." Her expression became slightly more thoughtful.
"We can't have this cold war between our nations continuing forever, after all."
Hinata looked down again, her expression becoming complicated. "There is no need to feel guilty about this."
Luminous stood from the couch and walked toward her, the faint sound of her bare feet against the floor following her as she approached.
She reached out and gently cupped Hinata's cheek. "You couldn't have expected it."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly as her face immediately flushed red.
"Even so..." Hinata began, resisting the urge to lean into the warmth of her Lady's touch.
Luminous smiled softly at her. "Do not fret, Hinata." She finally released her cheek and walked toward the large veranda overlooking Lubelius.
The curtains swayed gently as she stepped outside, revealing the vast city below. "I'll handle it."
Luminous rested her hands against the railing, looking out over the city. "In the meantime, we'll give our infiltrators another chance to try and steal from me again."
Hinata's eyes hardened as she watched the grin slowly form across Luminous's face.
There was something almost playful about it. And that somehow made it even more frightening.
The Twilight Demon Lord was finally making her move.
[xxx]
"I'm so sorry, Kaede." Kirara rubbed the bridge of her nose, her expression filled with frustration. "I saw the signs, but I never thought Eugene would go that far."
The silver-haired Spirit Rider sat in the conference room with the cabinet of Maple Tree, the atmosphere noticeably heavier than usual.
Kaede sat at the head of the long table, her expression calm, though the faint irritation in her eyes made it clear that she wasn't particularly pleased with what had happened.
Beside Kirara sat Hachi, the Antari responsible for Maple Tree's agriculture and food production. She had several documents spread out in front of her, though she hadn't looked at them once since the meeting began.
Next to Hachi sat Edward Vale, the human commander of the Roots, Maple Tree's elite guard.
Edward's arms were folded across his chest as he listened silently, his expression serious.
Beside him sat Delta, the leader of the Faunus.
The powerful beastwoman had a reputation for being particularly good at dealing with the more troublesome monsters within Maple Tree's territory. Her responsibilities involved taming and keeping the beast monsters under control, ensuring that even the more dangerous species didn't become a threat to the population.
Next to Delta sat Eryn.
The former elf had long since become a Dark Elf, and unlike many of the others present, his responsibilities weren't military in nature. He was heavily involved in Maple Tree's economic affairs and public welfare, overseeing everything from trade development to ensuring that the nation's citizens had access to the resources they needed.
Beside him sat Cam, the representative of the Haulia and Maple Tree's Minister of Domestic Affairs.
The Hobgoblin, Darius, sat directly beside him, the two having effectively become partners in handling Maple Tree's internal administration.
Darius leaned back in his chair, his large blue frame making the chair look somewhat small beneath him.
Across from them sat Acer.
The Dryad had taken responsibility for all of the Dryads throughout Maple Tree, overseeing the forests and vegetation within the nation's territory. Her influence extended beyond simply maintaining the existing forests, however. Under her direction, Maple Tree had begun restoring barren lands, planting new forests, revitalizing damaged ecosystems, and improving the fertility of the surrounding lands. Some of them were El Dorado and Dhistav.
Beside Acer sat Ari.
As Prime Minister, she was responsible for coordinating the various departments and ensuring that the affairs of the nation continued to function smoothly.
Next to Ari sat Momiji, the Tengu leader.
She would normally have been accompanied by her mother, Kaori, who served as Maple Tree's head of Foreign Affairs and Kaede's primary diplomatic advisor. However, Kaori was currently occupied with another matter, leaving Momiji to represent their department.
Momiji quietly listened to the conversation, occasionally glancing toward Ari. The two exchanged a brief look.
Ari gave her wife a small smile before turning her attention back toward Kirara.
Further down the table sat Aurina.
The Chief General of Maple Tree sat with her arms crossed, her expression as stern as ever. As the highest-ranking conventional military commander beneath Kaede, she was responsible for coordinating the nation's generals and overseeing its overall military strategy.
Crimara sat beside her, one of Maple Tree's generals.
She looked considerably more relaxed than Aurina, although the way her fingers tapped against the table suggested that she was just as interested in hearing what Kirara had to say.
The remaining seats were occupied by two particularly troublesome figures.
Wisteria, the Primordial Violet, sat with one leg crossed over the other, looking completely unconcerned despite the serious nature of the meeting.
Beside her sat Audriel, the Primordial Yellow.
The two Primordials had been glaring at one another for nearly ten minutes.
At the opposite end of the table sat Kanade.
The Archmage of Maple Tree and head of Innovation was quietly reading through a report, seemingly far more interested in its contents than the argument taking place beside him.
He eventually lowered the document. "Could you two keep the glaring down to a minimum?"
Wisteria and Audriel both looked at him.
"No."
"Not happening."
Kanade sighed and returned to his report.
Kaede shook her head. At least the others in the room was taking the meeting seriously.
"Anyway..." Kirara continued, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "I want to apologize again, Kaede."
She lowered her gaze. "I've heard about his ego. He thinks he's meant to be the hero. That meant he had some... unpleasant opinions about Demon Lords. We just laughed it off, thinking it was just that, opinions."
Kirara clenched her fist. "But I never thought he'd betray Maple Tree."
Kaede rested her chin against her hand. "Neither did I."
The room became quiet.
"Eugene was given freedom here." Kaede continued. "He was treated like one of our own. He was allowed to travel throughout Maple Tree, speak with our people."
Her eyes narrowed. "And he repaid that trust by joining forces with Yuuki."
Kirara nodded solemnly. "Yes."
Aurina's expression hardened. "Then we should consider him an enemy."
"Obviously." Crimara replied. "The question is what we do about it."
"We find him." Delta growled.
Cam nodded. "And we should probably investigate how much information he managed to gather while he was here."
Darius leaned forward. "If he's been moving around freely, there's no telling what he might have learned."
Eryn nodded. "Which means this isn't simply a matter of punishing a traitor. We need to determine whether any of Maple Tree's infrastructure or economic systems have been compromised."
Hachi looked up from the documents in front of her. "And whether he knows anything about our food production."
Acer's expression became slightly more serious. "Or our forests."
Momiji quietly added, "And our diplomatic arrangements."
Kaede looked around the table. "Exactly." She slowly leaned back in her chair. Jer fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
"Rimuru already confirmed that Yuuki was involved. He's leader of the Harlequin Alliance, and now we know they're willing to infiltrate other nations to achieve their goals."
Kanade finally closed his report. "Then we should assume they will attempt it again."
"Probably." Kaede nodded. "In that case, increasing security around our more sensitive facilities is top priority."
Edward immediately nodded. "I'll handle that."
Aurina looked toward him. "I'll have the military coordinate with the Roots."
Edward nodded. "Good."
Kaede looked around the table once more. She glanced toward Kirara. "I want every Spirit Rider accounted for."
Kirara nodded. "I've already begun sending messages."
Kaede's gaze shifted toward Cam and Darius. "Next, I want a review of our internal security."
Cam nodded. "We'll begin immediately."
Darius cracked his knuckles. "I'll personally make sure nobody suspicious is wandering around our cities."
Kaede smiled. "I know you will."
Her eyes moved toward Acer. "And I want the Dryads to monitor the forests."
Acer nodded. "They already are."
"Even more than before." Kaede added, to which Acer nodded.
Kaede then looked toward Momiji. "Have the foreign affairs office review our recent diplomatic communications. If Yuuki has been gathering information, I want to know what he could have accessed."
Momiji bowed her head. "Understood, Lady Empress."
Finally, Kaede looked toward Kanade. "And I want you to see if you can determine how Yuuki bypassed our magical defenses. And how he met Eugene in the first place."
Kanade's eyes sharpened with interest. "That part should be interesting."
Wisteria snorted. "Of course you would find something like that interesting."
Kanade glanced toward her. "Unlike you, I actually enjoy solving problems."
Audriel immediately laughed. "Oh, that's rich."
Wisteria turned toward her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kaede looked at the two Primordials. "Now, if everyone is finished..."
Wisteria and Audriel immediately straightened. "Yes, Lady Kaede."
"Good." Kaede folded her hands together on the table. "Then we'll deal with Eugene first."
Her expression became cold. "He can't be allowed to keep going around scot free. Unfortunately, Kirara, the spirit riders are under scrutiny for the meantime, which means that other than you and a maximum of three others you consider worthy, the spirit riders are benched."
"Allow me, my Lady." Shifu finally spoke. He wasn't seated like the others, standing behind Kaede alongside Sera. "To hunt down the traitor."