Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 772: You Deserve To Die

Moments before Raven had woken up, Melenai was the first to visit Frazer’s party. And while most of them had remained quiet, Muena and she had talked about the poison that she used against the army. After her extensive talk with the dryad, she returned to her duties of tending to the giants. But before meeting them at the hall, she had to have a glass of wine.

Migraines and frustration had sunken her once bouncy cheeks, and the dark circles under her skin only further illustrated just how frustrating it was for her to deal with the giants and their conniving schemes. Even now, before meeting with them, she ordered a servant to take some wine to them as well. Perhaps after they’ve loosened up a bit, their heads will be clear and they will stop with all the scheming.

At least that’s what she’d hoped would happen, but even as she now stood before their colossal frames, the only thing in their minds was...

"We need Frazer to be seen as the hero of this ordeal, or else our influence will slip right from underneath our feet!" Lumenes–the king spoke his mind with his head turned to the queen.

"That’s what I’m thinking about too," Jehara–the queen responded, thinking just as selfishly as the king.

Being ignored as she stood in the middle of their seats, Melenai turned to their wine glasses. Each half empty, and yet their thoughts hadn’t loosened from their greed. Beyond tired of their bickering, the horned woman loosened her shoulders and just stared at them bickering.

"They’re weak at the moment; we should strike now!"

"But with whom? We have no army, and the hero in the dungeon can barely talk, and his companions aren’t much different!"

’What have I been doing with my life?’ At the sight of her masters plotting something so hopeless, Melenai began to question her servitude. ’Did my ancestors deal with the same type of shit? No wonder they’re all dead if they had to listen to these idiots all day.’

Delving deeper and deeper into her thoughts, she could no longer hear the giants, and instead of their voice echoing in her head, it was her own regret occupying her mind.

’The whole city was poisoned, and what they care about is their seat. Makes me wonder if they’re glued to that thing. They must be; why else would someone act so irrationally? Just give the credit to the people who deserve it instead of hogging it like a dragon does gold. What use do they have of this so-called influence, when all they do is sit on their rears and do absolutely nothing to change anything.’

Her eyes scanned through their flapping lips, yet not a word from them made sense to her. Do this or do that, how to do this or how to do that–nothing they said was of any real value anyways. And so, with her mind slowly easing up, the bard decided to sit down on the floor and just reflect on her past.

The giants, in their self-absorbed nature, didn’t realize what was happening, of course. They kept coming up with ideas on how to control the minds of the public and keep their spot as the rulers intact.

’A blind man or a woman could lead better than you.’ Those were Melenai’s thoughts, and following their trajectory, she came to find out even more of the truth that she’d known for a long time but refrained from facing just yet. ’The kingdom would be better served with you dead. At least then we can try to figure out who and what rules over us next. Perhaps, I would no longer be alive if such is the nature of my ancestor’s bond, but if not, then...’

"I want to see you die." Lifting her head, she looked straight at the giants. And with her words finally registering in their heads, they stared down at her seated figure, baffled and with a pure look of disdain.

"What did you say?" Asked the king, his voice sharp as a warning.

"How dare you!" Screamed the queen.

Visibly unbothered by their retort, however, Melenai rose to her feet. Keeping her head down, she looked at her right hand and began counting with her fingers. A metallic taste was spreading through her mouth, and while the giants kept on complaining, she felt the gushing of blood from her gums.

"Now..." Lifting her head, she flashed a bloodied smile to the giants. "I’m gonna watch you die, you filthy bureaucrats."

"WHA–AGHH!" Before the queen could even finish a word, she felt the urge to vomit and was forced to cover her mouth. Squinting in confusion at the sight, the king quickly turned his head to Melenai, but before he could say anything, a sharp pain ran through his chest.

While one held back bloody vomit and the other tried to fight a heart attack, their eyes lifted a little. Staring at the little horned girl in front of them, they wanted to ask.

"What did you do?" But couldn’t.

"It’s the same poison that was released in our water supplies, just stronger." Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Melenai took a step forward. "Doesn’t feel good when it’s you who has to taste test it, but seeing you morons get a taste of your own medicine. Well, that is absolutely worth it..."

"Y-you s–scum!" Screeched the king, but those words turned into his last.

Feeling a sharp pain in his chest as he screamed, his mind went blank and his body went limp. Falling face-first out of his chair, he thrashed inches away from Melenai’s body. Slowly turning her head at him, the bard let out a raspy chuckle through her bloodied lips.

"You’re next," she added while looking at the queen, emotionlessly.

Gripped with fear from the sight of her husband lying dead, Jehara could no longer hold either. Thus, with a sizzling burn through her veins, her body began to fume from the sickness brought about by the poison. Falling out of her chair as well, she landed on the bard’s body. And although she had time to move away, Melenai didn’t, expecting herself to be executed once the news of her betrayal spread throughout the city.

But as fate would have it, today wasn’t the day she would die. For the crashing bodies of the giants brought about help. However, with the giants dead and Melenai’s body crushed by the queen, her injuries would be explained, but not what she had done. Instead of the murderer, she too became a victim–a victim on whose shoulder the responsibility of the kingdom would soon fall.

For now, however, it was time for her to rest and for Raven and the others to find out how one of the problems that they were facing had resolved itself.