Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

"Answer me!" She screamed at the fidgeting horde of maids standing outside the princess's room. "That bitch Avarice has already tested my patience so don't test me!"

Having been to Zeil's room, Regalia was visibly enraged about the battle model Mono locking herself with the king ever since Grace disappeared this morning. At first, she'd only been by Zeil's side to take care of him, but now after she kicked out the other maids, they rushed to the barracks to bring out the only person they thought could handle her.

However, not wanting to face her alone, Regalia was looking for Grace everywhere, and though she'd returned to the castle after her first disappearance this morning, now–she was nowhere to be found. And the other maids? They had no clue where she had gone, despite some of them claiming that she disappeared from inside her own room.

"UGHHHH! CAN NOBODY ANSWER ME!" Tired of waiting for an answer, Regalia shoved the maids aside and moved inside the princess's room. There as she got in, the first thing that caught her eye was Amelia sitting on her side beside Nessa, sobbing.

Squinting her gaze in confusion, Regalia slowly moved closer to her eyes. Turning her attention to the Arachne, she noticed a trail of violet blood dripping from her cracked lips.

"No…" She whispered, her eyes opening wide with shock.

"S-she…needs sugar every few minutes but since she was passed out…" Whimpering as she talked, Amelia kept trying to wipe her tears through constant hiccups. "N-nothing like this ever happened when she's asleep; b-but th-they! They say Grace gave us some strange medicine!"

After listening to Amelia's explanation, Regalia turned her head towards the maids once more. However, hiding behind the cracked door, they were far too afraid of Regalia to talk to her.

"Did they tell you what medicine it was?" Regalia muttered, her eyes glued to the dolls at the other end of that door.

"I don't know…" And with Amelia's dissatisfying response, it was time for Regalia to brute force her way into finding what was going on.

The dolls would not speak to her, and Grace had disappeared. Ideally, she would've gone out to get her soldiers before facing Avarice, but since she neither had the patience nor the time to get them, she instead decided on getting someone far more competent.

'Let's just hope these guys actually have a functioning brain, unlike the new leaders of our kingdom!' Rushing down the hallways, she wanted to free the prisoners who'd been trapped underground since last night, however, as she came around a corner, her stride was broken by the shock of watching them walk up the steps that led into the dungeon.

"HEY!" She yelled, her hand held in their direction in warning.

She didn't want them to escape, and from the looks of things that's exactly what they were planning since the castle guards have all but left.

'Damn it, and I thought we had the path cleared.' Not expecting anyone to be there, Raven moved in front of the party and stood between Regalia and the others. Making sure to stay on guard, he conjured a dark slime in his shadow that lay hidden in plain sight. NovelFire-unofficial-text

"You can't leave!" Said the demi-wolf as she stopped in front of the party.

Taking just a moment to catch her breath, Regalia grabbed onto Raven's shoulder and then looked straight into his eyes.

"I need your help," she pleaded, however, sliding her hand off of his shoulders, Raven had but a few words for her.

"No, whatever it is I don't want us to be involved," ideally he wanted to get some information about the monster clan alliance from someone inside the castle, but after the murder, the longer they hung about the more likely it was for things to spiral out of control.

"And don't push us to force our way out, because I promise you we can burn this place and everyone in it before you can even blink an eye."

"Well I doubt that but…" Picking herself up, Regalia scanned through everyone's faces before returning her gaze to Raven. "I hope you're right because we have a troublemaker, and if you help me get the king out of her clutches, who knows maybe he'll help you in whatever way you need as well."

'A cheap bargain.' Athenia whispered into the party's ears. She didn't quite want them to get involved, at least not for something they could easily find another way. However, making use of her foresight as a god as present in the future as the current time, something peculiar caught Athenia's attention.

"Forget it, we're leaving," Raven tried to turn his back to Regalia right after, however, making a light descent into Amedith's body, Athenia took charge of the situation for a moment.

"Why save a king that you don't wanna serve? Why not let him die and a better rule arise from his ashes?" His eyes glowing a silver glow, the ex-hero walked forward with a feminine sway to his hips. Wearing a devious smile only ever seen on the goddess of mockery before, he was made to make an offer that would either shoo Regalia off or bend the very kingdom of Elenaris to its knees.

"Despite that, if you still want our help, how about we make a deal of a lifetime?"

'What the fuck is she doing?' Thought Raven as well as the rest of the party members except Liliyana who had no idea as to what was happening.

"We'll help you save the king, but in return we want that king to turn his people into blind followers of our goddess Athenia!" Her words stung not just Regalia, but every single person in the party.

They hadn't even taken care of the monster clans and Athenia was already blowing up any chance of a negotiation with Elenaria later. At least that's what it looked like to everyone, but the goddess herself? This was merely securing a backup plan in case the goddess of Stellaris decided to backtrack on her words.

'Who the fuck are these people anyways?' Sensing great deceit, betrayal, and power just standing in front of the group, Regalia knew that these chosen few were anything but normal, especially the effeminate male with those glowing eyes.

"Help me first and I'll consider what can be done…" Left with no better option than to agree, she reluctantly responded with a vague confirmation.