Earlier, this Trash King had used his ass to "collide" with Kiriko's foot, and his face to "attack" her hand—but after Motoyasu Kitamura spoke up, he'd completely fallen silent.
Of course, he wasn't dead; Kiriko had deliberately kept him alive.
And though he appeared horribly beaten, a quick trip to the healers at the medical center, a few rounds of recovery magic, and a bit of rest later, he'd soon be happily causing trouble again.
Of course, Kiriko had also shown similar restraint with Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi. She hadn't killed any of them.
"Hey, are you still awake?"
The king was sprawled out on his throne in the standard "lazy yoga pose."
"If you keep playing dead, I'll really stomp your jewels into paste, you know."
As Kiriko spoke, she lifted her foot threateningly.
"I'm awake! Wide awake! Let's talk nicely, nicely."
"Hmph."
Kiriko reluctantly put her foot down, looking mildly annoyed at not being able to land a critical hit.
"You know, I understand you're probably feeling a bit unhappy right now. Probably feeling a bit resentful."
"No, no... absolutely not..."
The king shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum.
"If I say you are, then you are."
"Yes, yes, yes! I am, I am!"
The king nodded rapidly like a chicken pecking grain.
"You are? How far along are you?"
"Huh?"
The king was stunned into confusion.
"I'm someone who always returns kindness with kindness, and wrongs with revenge. You condemned Naofumi and me without evidence, so naturally, according to the traditional virtues of my country, it's only fair you suffer a bit."
"Not suffering, definitely not suffering..."
"Hm?"
Kiriko's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Suffering, definitely suffering..."
"What? You wronged us, and now you dare say you're suffering?"
Kiriko's expression immediately turned stern.
"I—"
The king's heart now truly felt like he'd eaten bitter medicine, but he had no choice except to swallow his broken teeth and blood.
He was beginning to seriously suspect whether there was something mentally wrong with this girl in front of him.
"Though you previously offended me, I'm generous enough to let small matters slide."
"Yes, yes, thank you very much."
"But..."
"There's more?!"
Kiriko completely ignored the king's despairing howl.
"After Naofumi and I leave this audience hall, I don't want any strange rumors spreading outside. Understand?"
This time, the king fell silent and didn't immediately respond.
"I don't want to hear a single negative rumor about me or Naofumi spreading anywhere. Got it?"
Seeing the king remain quiet, Kiriko patiently repeated herself.
"Zero Hero-sama, may I say something?"
The king cautiously spoke.
"You may, but if I were you, I'd pick my words carefully."
"It's like this, Zero Hero-sama. Perhaps you don't know, but since its founding, Melromarc has always followed the faith of the Three Hero Church."
"Three Hero Church? Isn't it supposed to be the Four Cardinal Heroes?"
Kiriko frowned slightly.
After all, counting today, she'd only been in this world for three days and didn't fully understand its customs and traditions yet.
"The Three Hero Church is a religion split off from the Four Hero Church, established by the founding king. Of... of course, I've always strongly opposed it. But unfortunately, the Three Hero Church is deeply rooted and widely believed by our people—even as king, I can't completely change their views..."
Kiriko said nothing, motioning for the king to continue.
"Of... of course, having personally seen your overwhelming power, Zero Hero-sama, I naturally wouldn't dare do anything against you. But... the Three Hero Church and its followers have always acted recklessly, beyond even my control. I beg you to understand clearly."
After finishing, the king nervously watched Kiriko, anxiously awaiting her reaction.
And indeed, what he said was true.
The Three Hero Church was Melromarc's state religion. In this human-supremacist kingdom, even those who weren't devout believers still sided with it in their hearts.
Moreover, Melromarc had always separated royal authority from religious power. No matter how great the royal family's influence, they couldn't control the Church. If those followers did something and blamed him...
Just imagining it filled him with injustice.
Kiriko didn't say anything, only stared directly into the king's eyes. For the first time, he felt his very life and death were in her hands. Under such heavy tension, he didn't even dare breathe.
Just as he felt he might suffocate, she finally spoke:
"For now, I'll trust you."
The king let out a sigh of relief.
"But—"
"?!"
"If you dare lie to me, I'll make sure the 'Rains of Castamere' echo throughout this audience hall."
Although he had no idea what "Rains of Castamere" was, only an idiot would dare ask.
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't anything good.
The king hurriedly shook his head.
"Never! Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare!"
After teaching the king a lesson, Kiriko was about to walk grandly out of the hall with Naofumi, passing through the knights and guards who were so "touched" they didn't dare move—
When suddenly Kiriko stopped, looking toward a certain corner.
"Hey, you didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you?"
Myne, who had been hiding behind a pillar, began trembling uncontrollably upon hearing Kiriko's voice.
"P-please forgive me, I wasn't intentional, I was wrong, I truly know my mistake..."
"Shh..."
Kiriko practically teleported in front of Myne, placing a finger gently against her lips.
"Listen. Feel. Think."
Myne stared wide-eyed in terror mixed with confusion.
Truthfully, this woman before her really was quite beautiful.
After all, no matter the world, looks always mattered. Beauty is justice.
Even in Fire Emblem, just a glance at a character's appearance told you whether they were worth leveling.
"I know. I actually understand everything. Myne, you did all these things as a test, didn't you?"
Hearing Kiriko's words, Myne's already large eyes widened further in astonishment and confusion.
"There's an ancient saying in my country: 'When Heaven is about to place great responsibility upon a person, it first torments their mind, exhausts their body, starves their flesh, empties them of possessions, and frustrates their efforts, so as to toughen their spirit and strengthen their abilities.'"
Kiriko didn't understand how her "Language Comprehension" skill translated ancient texts, but regardless, Myne's face clearly displayed an impressed confusion.
"You aren't actually a bad person, are you?"
Myne wondered if there was something wrong with her ears—or possibly with Kiriko's brain.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Kiriko patted her shoulder with an expression of "say nothing—I understand."
"You've really worked hard. To temper my and the Shield Hero's resolve, you orchestrated this elaborate scenario and even willingly took on the ugly role of 'Bitch'..."
Kiriko reached out and tightly grasped Myne's hand.
"Did you think I'd blame you? Did you think I'd be angry? Of course not! How could I fail to see your thoughtful intentions?"
Myne's expression went through an amusing transformation: from terror to surprise, confusion, and finally to a gentle smile.
Granted, this smile was a bit forced and obviously fake, but with a face that pretty, even a fake smile was enough to excite males who thought with their lower half.
"Th-that's right... Zero Hero-sama, you're truly incredible... you saw through everything..."
But just as Myne put in maximum effort to maintain her flattering smile, Kiriko suddenly covered her face, bursting into wild laughter.
"Pff-hahahahahahaha, you actually believed that?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"
Myne's ingratiating smile immediately froze.
"Since you enjoy twisting the truth so much, well then..."
In the next instant, a disturbing sound of something being ripped out echoed throughout the audience hall.
---
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