The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

Kat was telling the truth… Zaos was too self-centered while he was trying to do his own things for whatever reason. While Kat didn't want to think of him as an enemy, now that he declared himself the ruler of the country, he had to act and think while considering not only his goals and the short-term results for his followers.

"You think that I should act while thinking of the best interest of the whole country and follow my own goals as well?" Zaos asked. "You also think that my secrets caused problems to me and the others?"

"I don't think that is the case, that is a fact," Kat said. "Some mercenaries died one month ago fighting for you, Aleni and Milliendra. They probably died thinking that they needed to repay the favor… but in the end, they died without knowing the real reason why some people wanted you and her dead. Do you think it is far for people to die without knowing the real reason? You want to protect the shortie, but from what? Why did you have to go as far as killing her mother?"

"That is because we don't to make Milliendra carry a burden that she doesn't have to," Aleni said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but you can't protect her forever and from everything," Kat said.

  Those were some harsh words. Zaos was brought to that world by someone to protect Milliendra, after all. He wanted to protect her from all evil until she could become strong enough to protect herself… but had his approach been the correct one until now? Lying to her, keeping her away from her home… Ameria asked Zaos to do that because she believed that he was the only one who could treat her warmly until he found a way to make the demon god lose all control over her, but Maybe Zaos and Ameria were wrong.

Aleni noticed that Zaos was hesitant. While Kat's words bear some truth, things weren't so simple… a single mistake, and Milliendra will lose all her chances of living everyday life, after all. The stakes were too high, but then she noticed it. As long as they were there for Milliendra, things could work just fine… if the world were to turn against Her, they could turn against the world and build a nation just for her. They were made of people who wouldn't hate her for her powers of what she could do.

  It seemed that Zaos had realized that as well… and with that in mind, what Kat said earlier was even more true. To build such a place for Milliendra, he could no longer keep lying to people that are close and worked to him. No lies or secrets will get in his way again.

In the end, Zaos told Kat the story that he had heard from Nyana and everything else about the demon god. The fact that he was a human who became a monster and now was planning to return to take over the world and then do something even beyond that. He also told her that Milliendra was the core piece of his plans. As one would expect, Kat was left speechless and wide open. After a while, she recovered from the shock.

"Wow… I heard stories that you defeated the whole army by yourself and the faced the three mercenaries leaders that were actually demons, but…" Kat said and then took a deep breath. "I guess those stories aren't just all crazy rumors. Is that why you killed the queen and king in the Ashiris kingdom?"

"Yes… the same demon that took over Helen, had taken over the queen," Zaos nodded.

"They can be killed, but they still can return using other people's bodies?" Kat asked. "... Why haven't you taken over your body yet?"

"I suppose some requirements are necessary for that to happen," Zaos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I thought that only those followers of the demon god could be used as vessels, but I doubt those three were."

"The demon god… what a terrible being," Kat said. "Still, I guess our ancestors are to be blamed for his actions as well."

"You believed in my words pretty fast," Zaos said.

"That is because I want to believe it, it is the only explanation as to why so many people decided to follow you after the battle," Kat said. "That is the only explanation as well as to why there is a hole on the wall behind you."

Kat was quite open-minded, a bit too much from Zaos' perspective… Still, he wanted to believe that it was because they knew each other well and were friends. If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have told him to change his actions regarding his new role in the country.

"It looks like you are confident in taking on the demon god by yourself, still, do you think we should take the chances?" Aleni asked. "Your preparations had been too timid if you ask me."

"Well, my focus was to look after Milliendra, make her have a real home… but I guess I will have to change that," Zaos said. "I will leave that to you while I look for Drannot and Milliendra."

"I am sorry, but I am not the type of leader who can look after everyone, I only do well with my friends," Kat said.

"Then delegate your work to your friends, make them oversee the work of others," Zaos said. "I will give a speech that will grant your group enough influence to handle things here. I will give you the instructions to craft some magic crossbows and you can mass produce them and give to those who are more obedient, that should keep the order of things."

  Mass-producing that kind of weapon might be a bit dangerous since some assholes might try to use them to commit crimes. Still, Zaos couldn't care about that possibility. The average mercenary isn't strong enough to face even a weak demon, so they needed more power for one day to become useful for Zaos.