Part 1
Malyss guided General Montero and the three young heroes through the vast corridors of the castle.
The walls sweated with moisture, the air was oppressive, and only a few torches lit the way.
Ulises couldn't take his eyes off the tall maid. If a being that seemed so powerful was just a servant… "how strong would her master be?"
"Did the Demon King really live there?"
"Impossible. Noria was very far from Valheim."
At last, they reached the end of the corridor, and Malyss pushed open, without effort, a gigantic metal door.
"What? Do they have King Kong in there?" Haruto muttered, trying to hide his nerves.
Kaede looked at him seriously. She couldn't understand how he could joke at a moment as extreme as this.
They crossed the massive metal door. The hall was enormous, covered by a long red carpet and multiple banners of the same color, as if they belonged to different clans.
The light barely filtered through the large crystal windows.
At the end of the hall stood a large stone throne.
Although no one was sitting on it.
The tall maid knelt before the throne.
"Master, your guests have arrived, safe and sound, as you ordered."
"Good work, Malyss," a voice replied from behind the throne. "You may now join the recovery and cleanup group."
"Yes, master. As you command."
Before leaving, Malyss stopped for a moment to look at them.
"As I promised, you arrived safe and sound."
"Thank you…" Ulises replied.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."
She continued walking, leaving them behind.
Before closing the door, she spoke one last time…
"Ah… and may Celestia have mercy on your souls."
The door closed.
Then his gaze settled on the three young heroes. Except for Kaede, who seemed afraid, the other two showed no signs of being intimidated.
"Why are these two so calm?"
"Is it because of the escape scrolls?"
"Or do they think all of this is a game…?"
At that moment, a tall man with blue skin calmly entered the room through a side door.
"Could that be…?"
"General Montero… Heroes of the kingdom of Valheim…"
Behind the throne, footsteps began to approach. Finally, a hooded figure emerged before them.
Seiryu immediately knelt.
The four of them turned their gaze toward Yamato.
"Welcome to Mist Valley," he said in a dry tone, almost devoid of emotion.
No one responded.
Seiryu was not willing to tolerate it.
"Kneel before my master."
The pressure fell on them without warning. Gravity suddenly increased, forcing them to bend their knees to the ground.
"Thank you, Sei."
"S-sorry, sir… we just didn't know the protocol…" Ulises apologized, lowering his head.
Yamato exchanged a brief glance with Seiryu.
The pressure vanished.
"I'll let it slide… this time."
General Montero slowly straightened up, keeping his head slightly lowered.
"Thank you very much for your invitation, sir…"
"Yamato."
"Of course… Sir Yamato. My name is Ulises Montero…"
Yamato stepped forward without paying him any attention and sat on his throne.
The group was divided between fear, hatred… and respect.
"I already know who you are…" he commented as he deployed four virtual panels.
"Ulises Montero, third son of a noble house that has always served the throne."
"They call you 'The Eagle of the South' for your feats as a mediator and fighter in expeditions…"
"All of them were a success. Except this one, of course."
Ulises froze. Not because of the words, but because of the level of information his enemy had.
"As for the other three…"
"Riku Daigo. Mediocre student. Average: 3. Berserker Hero."
"Haruto Kagawa. Member of the soccer club. Average: 4. Shield Hero."
"Kaede Minazuki. Average student. Average: 6.5. Heroine, Light Mage."
They all stood paralyzed.
How could he know something so personal?
"But you're not here for me to overwhelm you with what I know about you," he continued calmly. "I'm only interested in you, General Montero…"
"The others… are just numbers with no importance."
"Disposable material."
Riku clenched his fist, but Ulises stepped forward.
"I'm honored by your words, but… what do you need from me?"
"A man like you doesn't seem to need me. That's obvious… just by looking at your subordinates."
Still hidden under the hood, Yamato showed a faint smile.
"Now I see, your reputation isn't just data on a screen…"
He stood up from his throne and slowly walked toward them. His face became slightly more visible.
"I think you're a valuable asset… someone who shouldn't be in rotten Valheim."
At that moment, Riku spoke with clear disgust.
"Valheim is not a rotten kingdom! It's a great kingdom that protects its people from demons like you."
Ulises tried to intervene, but Yamato responded immediately.
"Daigo… always so impulsive and uninformed. You don't even know you're a disposable pawn."
The young man was about to reply, but this time Ulises stepped in first.
"What do you mean by 'disposable'? My orders are that the heroes must survive at any cost…"
Yamato searched his pockets and pulled out three metallic bracelets. He threw them toward them. They fell in front of the group.
"I already told you… heroes are disposable. That's why they were given those bracelets."
Ulises picked one up carefully, looking at it in confusion.
"Why do you have… three of these?" he asked, barely containing the tension.
"What are these bracelets?" Kaede added, visibly nervous.
"Why don't you tell them, General…?" Yamato suggested calmly.
…
"I see. Orders are orders," he continued at Ulises's silence.
"Those bracelets you wear on your wrists are nothing more than obedience shackles."
The four of them went pale when they heard those words.
"If you disobey a direct order from the king… you will be discarded like trash."
Silence consumed the hall.
"I'll say it again… I'm not interested in what's disposable."
"Tell me, Montero… would you be interested in hearing my proposal?"