Chapter 14

Queen Mirellia folded her fan with a decisive snap.

"The Shield must not perish," she commanded, her violet eyes locking onto the kneeling Shadow. "He is vital to the survival of this world, regardless of what the Church preaches. But if we help him openly, we risk a civil war with my husband before the Waves even arrive. We must be subtle."

"Your orders, Majesty?"

"Ensure he finds his way to the blacksmith, Erhard. He is a good man who will not cheat the Shield," Mirellia instructed. "Furthermore, arrange for 'accidental' windfalls in his hunting grounds. A dead Usapil left behind by a careless adventurer, perhaps? A dropped coin purse? Give him the capital he needs to start surviving, but make him believe it is his own luck."

"It shall be done. And the Gauntlet, Your Majesty?"

Mirellia’s gaze darkened, turning toward the window. "Maya Lin is a brilliant strategist, but a sharp mind without a moral compass is just a tyrant in the making. I need to know if she fights for Melromarc, or only for herself. I need to know what she does when the mask slips."

The Queen turned back, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Arrange a test. A controlled threat within the capital walls. Separate her from Malty. Send in a squad of our elite operatives disguised as common thugs. Do not hold back, but do not kill her. Let us see how the Iron-Fisted Hero handles a real fight when she thinks no one is watching."

"By your command, my Queen." The Shadow bowed their head, melting backward into the darkness until they vanished entirely.

Meanwhile, in the slums of Melromarc…

Naofumi shivered, pulling his thin cloak tighter around his shoulders. He was sitting in an alleyway behind a cheap tavern, chewing on a piece of tough, unseasoned bread. His body ached from hours of punching balloon monsters.

[Current Level: 2]

[Funds: 790 Silver]

He had his silver, but every merchant in the main district had either refused to serve him, drastically overcharged him, or sneered at him the moment they saw the Shield. Maya’s warning had saved him from prison, but it hadn't saved him from the systemic hatred of the kingdom.

As he chewed, a flash of white caught his eye near the tavern's garbage bins.

Naofumi stood up, his hand resting on his shield. He cautiously approached. Lying in the dirt, completely untouched, was the corpse of a large, rabbit-like monster with a single, clean puncture wound through its neck.

[Monster: Horned Usapil]

[Status: Deceased. Lootable.]

Naofumi blinked. An Usapil was a Level 5 monster. The meat and pelt were highly valuable for starting adventurers. Why would someone just leave it here?

He quickly absorbed the carcass into his shield.

[Requirement Met: Usapil Shield Unlocked.]

* [Equip Bonus: Agility +2]

* [Material Acquired: High-Quality Usapil Pelt x1, Usapil Meat x3]

As the monster dissolved into pixels, a small, solid object clattered onto the cobblestones. Naofumi picked it up. It was a heavy, wooden token stamped with a picture of an anvil, and words carved into the back: Erhard's Armory – Fair Prices for All.

Naofumi stared at the token, a tiny spark of genuine hope igniting in his chest. Fair prices for all. It was a lead. It was a chance. He gripped the token tightly, his resolve hardening. He wasn't going to die in this alleyway.

The Next Afternoon, The Merchant District…

"Oh, Maya-sama, you absolutely must try this crepe!" Myne insisted, holding up a sweet, fruit-filled pastry.

Maya smiled her signature bright, naive smile, taking a delicate bite. "It's wonderful, Myne! You know all the best places."

They were walking down a slightly narrower side street, taking a shortcut back to the inn after a morning of "light shopping." Myne was completely relaxed, chattering away about court gossip, her guard entirely down.

Suddenly, a thick, gray cylinder dropped from the rooftops above, landing directly at Myne's feet.

HISS.

A cloud of dense, sweet-smelling purple smoke violently erupted from the cylinder.

"Wha—" Myne gasped, inhaling a lungful of the smoke. Her eyes immediately rolled back in her head, and she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Maya held her breath instantly, her kickboxing instincts taking over. She caught Myne before she hit the ground, dragging her out of the expanding smoke cloud and propping her against the stone wall of the alley.

Sleep magic, Maya realized, her eyes darting upward. This isn't a random mugging.

Four figures dropped gracefully from the rooftops, blocking both exits of the alleyway. They were dressed in ragged cloaks to look like street thugs, but their footwork was completely silent, and they held their short swords with the disciplined grip of trained killers.

"Leave the redhead," the lead thug growled, his voice muffled by a scarf. "Hand over your silver, little girl. And that shiny gauntlet, too."

Maya looked at the four men. She looked at the unconscious Myne.

There were no guards around. No witnesses. Just her and four armed men in a dead-end alley.

The naive, sweet smile melted off Maya’s face, replaced by an expression of absolute, terrifying predatory focus. Her dark eyes turned ice-cold.

"You want my gauntlet?" Maya asked, her voice dropping an octave, completely devoid of fear.

The sapphire on her knuckle flared with a blinding blue light.

[Equipping: Iron Gauntlet]

The sleek silver shifted, transforming instantly into the heavy, brutal, dark iron plating she had unlocked the night before. She cracked her neck, stepping away from Myne and raising her fists into a flawless, professional Muay Thai guard.

"Come and take it."

Interactive Choice: The Alleyway Ambush

Maya is facing the Queen's elite Shadows, though she believes them to be highly organized assassins or mercenaries. How does she handle the fight?