“So, what does this all have to do with you and the Queen?”
“Fufu… of course, the Queen was the hero who fought against and eventually slayed the Demon Lord. After that, she took on the name of Aberis and became the Queen of this country.”
That started to explain a lot of things about Aberis. They were a very new country which sprung out of the ashes of a hated Demon Lord’s hostile takeover. Of course, they wouldn’t get along with the Imperial Cloud Meadow, Ost Republic, or probably even Dioshin. They had stolen their land, after all. Those who had been suppressed by the demon lord had formed a bond after years of oppression where their previous countries failed to fight and win back their freedom.
When one of their own finally rose up and did the job, those of Aberis, rather than split the land up, decided to band together and form a country of their own. Other countries still looked down on them, but they stood fast under the pretense of their shared comradery.
“What about the other demons?”
“Expelled.” He shrugged. “They were purged from the land. It wasn’t our proudest moment, but if we had tried to integrate the demons into our country, the Imperial Cloud Meadow would have determined us an enemy and attacked. Furthermore, after being oppressed for so many years, there is a lot of resentment. It’s for that reason that Aberis has remained mostly human up until now.”
“So, I hope you understand now. It isn’t just that my son isn’t ready to take over the kingdom himself; it is that I was never fit to be King in the first place. I only happened to marry the hero Queen and outlive her.”
“The King is being modest.” The Queen spoke up. “He was a Hero too in his day.”
“I never did have the accomplishments you did with that woman. They’ll give any noble the hero status these days. You were a True Hero. That can only be earned.” He glanced at me. “I suppose you are a True Hero as well? My son would have been better off using your talents than sending you after some old man who gave up on life.”
“I’m still confused. The mural shows you as being the one who was assassinated.”
“High-level heroes have an ability. It’s called Final Trade. Have you seen it?” The Queen asked.
“It comes at level 50 Hero.”
“I see…” I had stopped putting much experience into Hero since True Hero unlocked, so I hadn’t seen level 50 yet.
“It’s a means of exchanging your life and soul for that of another. It naturally can only be used once. She had used a savage poison that polluted the soul and held back resurrection. Therefore, the only way I could save him was to use the Final Trade. I gave my life so that he could live. I had become a Widow… so I made the final choice to bring him back.”
The King’s expression turned even more bitter. “So, do you understand enough? The rightful Queen of the country gave her life for me. Although the country accepted me as their ruler, there are still some dissenters.”
“Mm… to name one. So, you see, it is best if I stay down here. I will keep this dungeon from growing. In exchange, I can even help our kingdom earn some Orichalcum. It is up to you and my son what to do with it from there.”