Chapter 36

Midnight cloaked the capital in silence. While Princess Myne slept soundly in the luxury suite of the Dragon’s Rest, secure in the belief that her “brainwashed” Gauntlet Hero was standing guard, Maya was slipping through the alleyways.
She arrived at Erhard’s smithy. The massive blacksmith had closed shop hours ago, but a faint light flickered in the back room.
Maya pushed the heavy wooden door open.
Gathered around Erhard’s sturdy oak table were the four Cardinal Heroes. Ren leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Itsuki sat nervously on a stool. Motoyasu was tapping his foot impatiently. And Naofumi stood in the darkest corner, his green eyes sharp and guarded.
“You’re late, Gauntlet,” Naofumi grunted.
“I had to make sure my royal shadow was asleep,” Maya replied, stepping fully into the light. She dropped the naive, subservient act entirely. Her posture was perfectly straight, radiating the absolute authority she had wielded during the fight with Glass.
She walked to the head of the table and slammed a heavily annotated map of Melromarc down onto the wood.
“Glass proved one thing,” Maya stated, her voice cold and echoing in the quiet smithy. “We are fundamentally unprepared for the reality of these Waves. If we sit in this capital and let the King feed us easy quests, we will all die in the next invasion. The Church is actively manipulating the monster spawns, and the Crown is blind.”
Ren frowned, looking at the map. “So, what’s the play? We can’t just grind balloons.”
“We divide and conquer,” Maya ordered, tracing her silver-clad finger across the parchment. “I am officially taking command of our overall strategy. You will take these assignments, you will complete them, and you will stay out of the capital until you are stronger.”
Maya looked directly at Ren.
“Ren. There are reports of a Dragon attacking a mountain village to the east,” Maya said. “The King wants you to slay it for glory. I am ordering you *not* to fight it blindly.”
Ren blinked, surprised. “You want me to spare a monster?”
“I want you to use your head,” Maya corrected. “Dragons in this world possess high intelligence. If it’s attacking, there is a reason. Confirm if it can be reasoned with. Find the root cause of its rage-whether it’s stolen treasure, Church sabotage, or territorial disputes-and solve the actual problem. Treat it like a diplomatic mission, not a boss raid. Train your party on the monsters along the way.”
Ren nodded slowly, appreciating the tactical depth. “Understood. Find the cause, stop the rampage.”
Maya turned her gaze to the opposite side of the table. “Motoyasu. Naofumi.”
Naofumi immediately scowled. Motoyasu crossed his arms, looking away.
“You two are going to a famine-struck village in the southern province,” Maya commanded, ignoring their mutual disdain. “I read a local ledger. There is an ancient dungeon nearby where a legendary alchemist supposedly sealed a magical ‘Miracle Seed’ designed to solve food shortages.”
“Why do we both have to go?” Motoyasu complained. “My party can clear a dungeon easily.”
“Because you have the highest DPS, but absolutely zero foresight,” Maya snapped ruthlessly. “If you find a magical, bio-engineered seed from a forgotten age, you’ll probably plant it without reading the instructions and unleash a mutant plant-monster on the starving peasants. Naofumi goes with you to manage the defense, handle the logistics, and make sure you don’t accidentally destroy the village you’re trying to save.”
Naofumi let out a bitter laugh. “So I’m his babysitter?”
“You are his anchor,” Maya said, her eyes locking with Naofumi’s. “Work together to secure the seed. Once the food crisis is solved, I want both of you to split up, clear the surrounding high-level zones, and visit the Black Market. Buy monster eggs. Hatch them and train familiars. You need beasts that scale with your weapon stats to increase your party’s base power.”
Motoyasu grumbled but didn’t argue. Naofumi gave a single, reluctant nod. If it meant getting out of the capital and getting stronger, he would tolerate the Spear Hero for a few days.
Maya finally turned to Itsuki.
“Itsuki. You are returning to Riyute, the town where you overthrew Viscount Bernad,” Maya instructed.
Itsuki puffed out his chest. “To check on the flourishing justice I left behind?”
“To make sure your ‘justice’ didn’t create a power vacuum,” Maya corrected sharply. “Overthrowing a tyrant means nothing if the people who take his place are just as corrupt. You are going to inspect the new town leaders. If they are abusing their power…”
Maya reached into her pouch and pulled out a rolled parchment, along with a heavy, enchanted branding iron she had purchased from the Slave Merchant. She slapped them onto the table.
“…you will take them to the local slave merchant, apply this crest, and magically bind them to the rules I have written on this contract,” Maya finished, her voice entirely devoid of mercy.
Itsuki recoiled, staring at the branding iron in horror. “S-Slave crests?! But that’s barbaric! A Hero of Justice cannot-“
“A Hero of Justice enforces the law,” Maya interrupted, leaning over the table. “If they are honest, the crest won’t be necessary. If they are corrupt, you bind them to serve the town flawlessly. No more half-measures, Itsuki. Clean up your own messes. After that, hunt high-level bounties.”
Itsuki swallowed hard, looking at the strict rules written on Maya’s parchment. He slowly reached out and took the items. “I… I understand.”
“One final order for all of you,” Maya declared, stepping back so they could all see her clearly. “Every single one of you needs to visit a magic shop. Learn your elemental affinities. Stop relying entirely on your Cardinal Weapons and learn basic support spells-healing, buffs, and utility. And the moment you hit Level 40, find a Dragon Era Hourglass in a neighboring town and Class Up yourselves and your party members. Do not return to the capital until you’ve reached the next tier of power.”
“What about you?” Ren asked, rolling up his section of the map. “If we’re all deploying, what is the Gauntlet doing?”
Maya’s expression softened slightly, though her eyes remained fiercely determined.
“I am going hunting for a legend,” Maya replied. “The monsters and the Church aren’t our only problems; it’s our complete lack of information. I am going to track down the Filolial Queen, the ancient monster familiar of the previous generation’s Heroes. If anyone knows the truth behind the Waves and how to actually defeat Glass, it’s her.”
Naofumi pushed off the wall, adjusting his Wyvern-scale shield. “Sounds like you’re giving us the busy work while you chase a myth.”
“I’m giving you the time and space to survive,” Maya countered, a small, genuine smirk touching her lips. “Don’t die before the next Wave. Dismissed.”
The Heroes filed out of the smithy one by one, slipping back into the shadows of the capital to prepare for their departures at dawn.
As the door clicked shut, Erhard let out a low whistle from behind the counter.
“You’re treating the King’s chosen champions like a mercenary guild,” Erhard chuckled, shaking his head. “If the Crown or the Church finds out you’re organizing them behind their backs, they’ll have your head on a pike.”
“Let them try,” Maya said, her Gauntlet shifting into its heavy **[Meteoric-Iron]** form with a menacing *clack*. “I just need to figure out how to ditch Myne so I can actually go find this giant bird.”

**What is Maya’s strategy to ditch the Princess and begin her solo hunt?**