We got to the entrance of the large senate building and were let right in. Khana, it seemed, was pretty well-known here. An escort wasn't needed, but they did ask that our parties wait outside. That was fine. Hailey was a filolial and Rato wasn't exactly dressed to impressed. She ditched her robes she'd been wearing, since we were far from Faubrey. Rato's old—now current—outfit wasn't exactly fit for meeting important people, looking like a gypsy scientist. But that was just my opinion.

Fashion aside, Khana led me up the building to a private meeting room. Someone had already been dispatched to let Khana's friend know we were here, so all we had to do was wait.

"Is there anything I should know about your friend?" I asked, sitting in one of the room's wooden chairs.

"Maybe~." Khana replied, chair tilted back with her boots on the table.

"Being mysterious is fun and all, but we do have something important to talk about." I reminded her.

"Oh, I know. But with her help, everything will turn out fine."

Khana already said it was a woman. That narrowed my list down from the entire population of Shieldfreeden to about half of that. It didn't really help, but there was nothing to do except twiddle my thumbs while we waited, since Khana was being strangely tight-lipped about this. I had to make some jokes, even if they were in my head.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, there was a light knock on the door. Khana scraped her seat against the floor as she stood tall with a wide smile on her face. I was a bit gentler with the furniture when I stood.

Without waiting for a response, a guard opened the door, took one look in, and stepped aside. Then, a woman came into view. She had long blue hair, golden eyes, and a few patches of blue scales on her exposed forearms and hands. I hadn't seen one yet, but by the strength of her presence, and the sort of noble air about her, I assumed this was an aotatsu, one of the four leading tribes of Siltvelt. I knew of maybe one from that tribe in the books.

With a small smile on her face, she dismissed her guards and closed the door.

"Nelshen!" Khana didn't waste a second wrapping her arms around the shorter—though about my height—woman and spinning her around in the air.

"Khana!" The aotatsu woman laughed back. "I'm glad you're back."

Yeah, that's who I thought it was when I saw her. I mean, sure, I couldn't remember the name off the top of my head, mostly because it was only said a couple times. From the books, she was a member of Takt's harem, and the leader of Shieldfreeden. Khana picked a really good ally, assuming this version of her wasn't terrible. Though, Khana seemed pretty good at finding good people. Myself being a mixed bag, of course.

Done spinning around her friend, Khana set Nelshen back on the ground. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Khana said.

"I'm sure I have some idea." Nelshen continued to smile for a moment before she cooled her features. "And you must be the Star Axe Hero."

"I am." I said, giving her a nod. "Dante MacRory."

"Nelshen, leader of the Aotatsu tribe, and Chancellor of Shieldfreeden." She gave me a nod as well. With the exception of Takt, the few details I knew about her lined up.

"Any particular reason you didn't tell me your friend was the chancellor?" I asked Khana.

"I like to be mysterious sometimes." Khana casually replied, flapping a hand in the air.

"Uh huh." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Khana is hopeless when it comes to politics." Nelshen supplied. "I have her keep a few things slightly hidden as practice, though I don't think she's grasped the real intent of it."

"Aw, so mean!" Khana pouted.

It wasn't hard to put together they were good friends. Really good friends. So good that, given a moment of near privacy, Khana wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. Nelshen was, though. Seeing where my eyes were, Nelshen gave Khana's hand—that was placed a little below Nelshen's shoulder—a few quick pats, prompting the Hammer Hero to remove her arm from around Nelshen's shoulder.

Now, I could point out the obvious to them, but I had enough political know-how to not mention my belief that the Hammer Hero was bedding the leader of a country. Seeing how Khana was a reincarnated, I couldn't help but see the irony of it all.

"So then," Nelshen glided to one of the chairs, resting a hand on the top of it, "I'm sure you didn't come here just to visit."

"Ah, yeah…" Khana scratched the back of her head. "We've got a bit of a problem."

~The Right Man~

A few things were made plain as Khana explained our situation. One was that Nelshen was another person who knew Khana was reincarnated. Another thing was she had no fond feelings for Melromarc as a whole, the blackmail of the queen making that opinion fall further. Sure, the queen was trying to improve relations with Siltvelt, one of the biggest gestures being the demi-human territories. Lurolona and Ronota—a town that was the actual seat of power for Lord Seaetto—were doing quite well…for now.

I'd thought about it before and discussed it with Khana, and she decided to leave the decision of talking about the first Wave and the summoning to me. Needless to say, Nelshen was pissed when she heard about the future, as only a long-time politician could be.

"To think the king would go against the queen's wishes in such a way." Nelshen had a much better poker face than me. Even Eddy would be impressed. There were hints of anger there, but nothing I could properly gauge her true feelings off of.

"Is his reputation different than what I assumed?" I asked her.

"If you mean his absolute hatred for all demi-humans, then no." She responded. "Doing nothing about Lurolona and Ronota being destroyed and the people killed or enslaved is one thing, but to go against the other nations by summoning the heroes? Spitting in the face of Siltvelt by summoning the Shield Hero during a time of crisis? It's…"

"Something that hasn't happened yet." I reminded her. "With how many similarities I've seen so far, and what's been confirmed about Melromarc, I don't doubt that will all happen."

Nelshen tapped her fingers against the wooden table. "And your plan is to let it?"

"Ideally, no, it wasn't." I shook my head. "If I had the time, without showing up there at level 1, I'd have gone straight to Lurolona to help. But, as I've established, my job is bigger than saving one village and town."

Since Khana trusted her so much, and Khana had done a good job earning my trust, I had already let Nelshen in on my motivation here. Neither of them had all the details, just the goal, associated tasks, and my reward.

Nelshen let her displeasure show on her face, if only slightly. "That is not the view a hero should have."

I shrugged. "I couldn't agree more. Khana's the hero here."

Khana had an easy smile on her face with her seated next to Nelshen, giving the woman a pat on her shoulder. "Eh, little man isn't so bad. He's been pretty good here, at least."

"Oh?" Nelshen glanced at Khana.

"Oh, well…" Khana then looked over at me. This was bit of information that was mine alone to share, since it was from my old world. That, or she remembered the fact that I killed about half a dozen guards, and more than that in convicts, to free one prisoner.

Incidentally, our conversation couldn't be heard outside of this room. Nelshen used this strange stone that kept in any sound in the area, ensuring privacy. Such a handy thing for backroom politics.

Nelshen turned to me as well, probing for information from my face alone. We sat in silence for a moment, before she nodded once. "I suppose that isn't important."

Khana looked like she just dodged a bullet, probably because she didn't like spilling other people's secrets.

"So, as I understand it, you plan on letting Melromarc summon the Cardinal Heroes, thereby lowering the views of other countries on them and forcing the queen into a compromising position." Nelshen summarized. "With that, she won't be able to wield her influence over you two so easily, allowing you more freedom."

"That's the short of it." I nodded. "What do you think?"

"I think this has the potential to backfire horribly on you." She stated. "The first thing she'll do is gain the favor of the Shield Hero, since his word will sway Siltvelt—and many of my own people—to action."

"Ah, well…" We hadn't gotten to that part of my 'future knowledge' yet. "The first princess will frame him for rape and steal all his possessions."

That got an eye twitch out of Nelshen. "Are you planning on starting a war?"

"I plan on befriending Naofumi, the Shield Hero, once I get there." I explained.

"Hm." She tapped her fingers on the table some more. "That would make it so the queen could threaten you even less. Assuming, of course, she believes you would do something drastic."

"I'm sure I'll do something to show I'm no one to be messed with." That wasn't so much a promise as it was a likely outcome. It depended heavily on how my interactions with the nobility, Aultcray, or anyone else important went. I mean, I killed a bunch of guards to recruit a prisoner and I really stepped in it with Mirellia. Since I had something to do before getting to Melromarc, I was sure I'd cause a stir of some magnitude.

Nelshen sat there for a while longer, continuing to tap her fingers. "I suppose I can contact my representative in Faubrey and have him prepare for the news." That would be good. "However, that still leaves the rest of the world in the position of having no Cardinal Heroes fight in their Waves."

"Once I get Naofumi, I'll make sure he goes to other countries." I told her. "Shieldfreeden's Wave is after Melromarc, right? Even if they won't let us leave, they can't stop me from teleporting us out a day before the Wave." That handy little feature of the weapons was good to have.

Nelshen nodded. "And without the Shield Hero in her country, the queen will have no choice but hope you don't use him against her." She leaned in slightly. "You didn't say if you were planning on starting a war or not."

"I'm not, no." I said, shaking my head. "I don't plan on it, but I'm not going to stick that close to what I read. Fighting in the Waves is too important to rely on knowledge that has proven to be inaccurate."

"But starting down this path is fine?" She countered.

"We're already here." I responded. "Unless you tell Faubrey to try harder at summoning the heroes, there's not a whole lot we can do about that part."

"Hm. This plan isn't perfect, but it's passable." Glowing marks if I ever heard any. "If you bring the Shield Hero here for the Waves, I'll support you how I can."

"Great!" That was what I was hoping for. Just like Eddy used to say, it paid to have friends in high places.

"I'm glad you've at least thought this through a little." Nelshen said, looking at Khana. "This one here rarely thinks about politics."

Khana laughed nervously. "Aw, but that's what I have you for."

"She's clearly very smart for that." I nodded. "I had someone like that, too."

"Your friend you wish to revive, yes." Nelshen gave me a sympathetic look.

"And my family." I smiled ever so softly. "He was so great at coming up with plans. I never had to worry about them working out or not. They always did. He knew his opponents, knew what he had to work with, kept a close eye on events and shifting influence. And there I was, taking out anyone who got in our way, making sure his plans happened just how he wanted them to."

"You really admire him, not just as a brother." Nelshen commented.

"He was a true mastermind." I couldn't help but laugh a little. "It's kind of funny, sitting in this building. It was a dream of his to one day own a senator, though I'm sure he'd end up with more than one. Unfortunately, he miscalculated and overextended too much, causing us to lose almost everything."

We lost a lot of associates, capital, and all of our influence that day. Still, we made it out with what really mattered most.

~The Right Man~

We chatted for a while longer after that. Then, with our business concluded, we said our goodbyes, and Khana and I returned to our parties outside of the senate building.

"Gweh!" Hailey was the first to greet us, bumping her head on my armored chest before craning her neck around my head.

"Aw, I wasn't gone that long." I said, scratching her neck regardless.

"You should spend more time with her." Rato told me. "Filolials have a chief in their group, and that's you. Whether it has more to do with that or that she sees you as a parent who raised her, I can't say for certain. She's clearly more intelligent than a normal filolial, so it's difficult to determine."

Hailey just accepted all the neck scratches I was giving her. Admittadly, I haven't been riding her as much lately. It was only a few days, sure, but even I could tell Hailey wanted more contact.

"That won't be a problem soon." Khana grinned. "Little man and I will head out to Zeltoble tomorrow."

That was the plan. It wasn't quite on the way, actually a bit of a divergence, but it was another Dragon Hourglass to register to. That would make three before I even made it to Melromarc. We should get to Zeltoble in time to participate in their next Wave. Their first one already happened. Actually, many countries will have their first Wave before Melromarc.

That kind of annoyed me, since that meant the other countries toughed it out and agreed to wait until the heroes were dispersed, but Melromarc decided they shouldn't have to. Something to call out the king for later.

"When will we arrive?" I asked.

"In Zeltoble? About 10 days. Probably two weeks to Melromarc after that." Khana answered.

Not as fast as I would have liked, but I couldn't be picky. I wasn't about to ask Khana to owe a favor just to get us there faster. Naofumi would just have to make do until I arrived, just like in the books. It wasn't like they'd kill him and guarantee a war, so I didn't have to worry about that. At worst, if things didn't go as planned, they'd imprison him.

Actually, that would be better. I could stage a rescue, kill a bunch of guards and knights most likely loyal to the church, and even have an excuse to break out Eclair from the dungeon. I'd have Naofumi's trust easily, plus a highly competent swordswoman, and I might even kill Aultcray.

Well, I most likely wouldn't, since I'm sure Mirellia would do something that would piss me off. That being, revealing Khana's secret. Honestly? I didn't particularly want to kill him. I understood him. I was here, after all, doing whatever I needed to bring back my family. But if he stood in my way too much…

I'd have to run that one by Nelshen. I'd probably get a simple, yet firm 'no', but it was worth checking, just in case it needed doing.

"Anyway," Khana broke me from my musings, "we should get some rest. We all have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Just don't work her too hard." I said, looking over to Rato.

"I'll hardly be overworked." Rato replied with a slight smile.

That was the other part of the plan. The stronger Rato got now, the easier of a time we'd have in gaining levels later. Her magical support and healing would make a big difference, especially if she could do it more often.

They wouldn't be able to grind as efficiently without Khana, the powerhouse that she was. The reason she'd be with me was to use her portal skill to bring us back here at night, and for a final teleport after we arrived in Zeltoble. No need to camp out when inns were available here. It would also save the effort of finding a village or town.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason.

"Aaaaahh." Mauler growled up at Khana.

"Don't you worry my sweet little bear." She said, hefting him up. He wasn't quite as small as he was before, what with his level growth. He didn't grow as fast as Hailey, still able to be cradled by Khana, but he was getting there. Then again, Khana was big herself, so that was hardly a good indicator. "I'll pay more attention to you than little man does with his filolial."

"Was that a slam?" I asked with a laugh.

"Rato's right." Khana turned her nose up in the fakest snooty way I've seen from her. "You don't spend enough time with Hailey."

"I'm wearing her as a scarf even as we speak." True enough, Hailey's neck was wrapped around mine, though not completely. She wasn't a snake or anything.

"You're just making up for lost time." Khana said as she guided her party onward.

"I could have sworn you said I wasn't so bad." We kept up, though Hailey stayed right next to me, neck no longer a scarf.

"I didn't say you were good." She replied, one finger pointed up.

"Uh huh." Banter was fun.

~The Right Man~

The inn was like any other I'd stayed at in this world, and the food was likewise good. We ate, we chatted, and then went to our rooms for the night. Khana had two for her party and I had one for mine, since it was just me and Rato. Well, just Rato. She mentioned the idea of sleeping in the stable with Hailey to make her feel better, to which Khana agreed. It was a joke, one that surprised them I was taking seriously. What can I say? They were right about me not spending as much time as I could have with Hailey, even if we'd be riding toward Zeltoble tomorrow.

Unfortunately for my favorite filolial, my time in the stables was short.

The streets of Shieldfreeden's capital weren't completely dark. Like in Faubrey, they were decently lit, though Faubrey had what almost looked like lamp posts while Shieldfreeden had braziers. All magical, I'm sure. Still, it both helped and slowed me down.

It wasn't hard to get to where I was going. Magical lights or not, I was still a damn good hired killer. I had long since mastered the art of sneaking around, usually in a smaller area, but all that meant was I had to watch out for more people in more places.

After about 20 minutes of skulking around, I arrived at my destination. The senate building had a pair of guards out front, like it had during the day. Some rooms were lit up with candlelight, even this late at night. Thanks to observations I made when I was here earlier, I figured out which room I wanted to visit, and that a light was still on inside.

It was just a matter of getting up there. A servant or delivery entrance would work fine for that. And just as I was approaching one such less-guarded area…

"Sir Axe Hero." A man dressed a bit like a secretary greeted me from the shadows. "You are expected."

I didn't let my surprise show on my face. "It seems I am."

My armor was back at the inn, waiting for me in the room Rato was using. I had nothing but dark clothing on, soft boots to cushion any noise I made as I walked. All of it was from my item drops, pieced together from a few of the guards I killed. Even my axe was in its bracelet form, ready for use if need be. Right now, it all seemed pointless.

The man led me into the building through a side door, where I noted there was no guard. A metal bar on the inside told me no one was going to be able to sneak in this way normally. I followed along on side paths, occasionally being directed into empty rooms when a guard made their rounds. Eventually, we reached the end.

The man knocked on the door twice before bowing and walking off. It was only a few seconds before it opened, revealing Nelshen just as she was a few hours earlier.

"I'm told I was expected." I said as I entered.

"You practically announced your intent before." She closed the door before responding.

"Is that what I did?" I looked back with a smirk. I did, of course. A seasoned politician would have no trouble seeing that. Unlike, for example, a warrior with no aptitude for politics. Khana was a good person, but she really wasn't cut out for politics, like, at all. It was plain to see. I wasn't that much better, but I made do.

"Honestly, I was expecting you to wait a day or two." Nelshen admitted, moving to her desk. "I thought there was a chance you would show up sooner, hence my assistant waiting for you. Was there some reason for the rush?"

"Maybe I just wanted to show how eager I am to work with you." I answered simply.

She hummed before sitting at her desk, tapping the same stone thing as before to keep the noise contained, then gesturing for me to join her. "So, what kind of services are you offering me?"

"What kind of services did you expect from a hired killer?" I asked in turn.

Nelshen raised an eyebrow. "You think I have need for a hired killer?"

"Everyone has use for a hired killer. Most just don't know it. And, as the elected leader of a country, I can promise that you do in fact have a need for one." It wasn't a boast of my political savviness or knowing something she didn't that caused me to say that. Just a simple fact. Every governmental person Eddy had a connection with had at least one person they would like to no longer be a problem. That didn't mean he only associated with government people who had such a problem; many more did. Those he connected with were just the ones who were willing to act on it.

In response to that fact, not opinion, she smiled. "Well, it just so happens I do have use for someone in your position. But, before that, I should ask if you're sure you want to offer such a thing. The leader of another country already has something on you. What makes you think I wouldn't try something similar?"

I just laughed. "Please. We've already established I'm better at politics than Khana."

"Clearly." She nodded, still smiling. True, she could hang me out to dry for anything illegal I did, but she'd be in too much of a compromised position to even try.

"I should mention, I'm a little surprised." I admitted. "I figured someone in your position would have shadows in their employ."

She nodded. "The senate does. However, they're off on assignments. There's a large meeting of very important people in Faubrey, if you recall."

I did. One tried spying on us when we were out fighting monsters, until Omir spotted them. Plus, a shadow was the reason I was here in the first place.

"So, anyway, who do you want dead?" I asked the big question.

"Before that, I should ask what you're looking to get out of this." She replied. "I'm sure having such a connection with me will work wonders for you, but I don't think this is only about that."

She was very clever, that much I had to admit. Any other time, my purpose here would be only to make a connection. Right now, that was more of a bonus to a more immediate, or soon-to-be-immediate, problem. "I need you to get me Yggdrasil Elixer."

Going to Zeltoble first wasn't just to register to another hourglass. Arguably, it was the primary reason. A close second was to recruit two, possibly three people I knew of there. The hakuko siblings, Atla and Fohl, would be in the care of Beloukas's uncle. As hakukos, they were powerful, even if Atla was currently infirm. Her brother, Fohl, was fighting in the coliseum for medicine money. If I cured his sister, that would gain his loyalty, at least in part. He was quite…protective of his sister.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't particularly fond of the idea of using children to fight for me. This was just because I knew about them, knew they were or would become strong, and had an easy-ish way to get them. And…yeah, getting them out of there would make me feel better, especially since I couldn't save Lurolona. Ideally, they wouldn't have to fight anyone and just live peaceful lives, but I knew this world enough to know that wasn't all that likely. Khana would be footing the bill for buying those two, once we got there and I told her what her owed favor to me would be. It wasn't going to be cheap, I was sure.

The third person to find would be Sadeena. She was a powerhouse that could kick all kinds of ass. I couldn't remember exactly when she went to Zeltoble in the books, just that she was still in Melromarc around the time Naofumi bought Raphtalia, exact location unknown. So, a little over three weeks after the Wave? Then again, that was the web novel, probably the least reliable source for me. If nothing else, I could get a head start on the search for the villagers and put myself on her good side when we did eventually meet.

"You want Yggdrasil Elixer?" Nelshen folded her scaly hands together on her desk. "That's quite the payment, you understand."

"I'm well aware." I didn't know the price in gold, only that it was extremely expensive and incredibly difficult to make. "I'll need it by the time we reach Zeltoble, if possible."

She hummed as she smiled. "What a coincidence. I just so happen to have a vial of Yggdrasil Elixer in my possession."

"That is a coincidence. Why do you have that?" Her smile widened at my question.

"Why do I, the chancellor of the senate, the leader of Shieldfreeden, have the most powerful potion in my possession?"

"Fair enough."

If I remembered right, that potion could cure any illness and bring someone back from the brink of death. I wouldn't be surprised if every ruler had a vial of it.

"But you must understand, something like this isn't worth a single assassination." She added.

"I assumed as much." It was a miracle drug, after all. "Do you have enough enemies?"

She laughed lightly, though I couldn't tell if it was because she did have that many enemies, or she was amused at my obvious offer.

"I have a proposal for you." She said, not answering my question. "In a week, the senate will be voting on an important issue. It is one I wish to pass, but the opposition has more members. If something were to happen to the leader of the opposition…"

"Well, that certainly wouldn't be good, now would it?" I knew where this was going.

"Now, I can't simply give you Yggdrasil Elixer for a single assassination. Instead, for taking care of my problem, I will loan you the elixir. You will return it to me in the future." She laid out the terms for me.

Well, that wouldn't be too difficult. I mean, it might be. Stealing something that important wouldn't be easy, but that assumed I had to steal it and not, say, loot it from the vault of whoever owned a vial after I killed them. Or, you know, find someone else who has it and take it from them. An open-ended return date worked well for me.

"I can agree to that."

"Good. I'll give you the information on him." She said. "First, though, you must promise to never speak of this to Khana. I'm sure you understand how she'd be against something like this."

"Of course." That went without saying. I don't know if Nelshen necessarily believed I would keep that promise, but she might have figured out that I had respect for Khana.

"With that out of the way, here's who I want you to kill." Nelshen said, giving me all the details I would need.

Eddy knew the importance of having friends in high places. He also equally stressed the importance of having friends in low places. Tonight, I'd be getting the former, while Nelshen would get the latter. Maybe in Zeltoble, I'd find the latter as well in Beloukas's uncle.

Author's Notes:

Killing things is the cornerstone of being an adventurer, especially if you're being paid to do it. Sometimes those things are people, and sometimes those people are important. It all tracks.

Dante is on his way to forming his party. Now that the manga and anime have gone over them, I don't need to worry about people not knowing about Sadeena, Atla, and Fohl, so that's nice. Though, Eclair being imprisoned wasn't mentioned in the anime for some reason, and the English light novel said she was busy hunting down the knights who attacked Lurolona, instead of her being in the dungeon. Honestly, I didn't know the light novel was wrong until I read the Reprise manga. Another poor translation, but here we are.

Not sure which story I'll post a chapter of next, but I'm leaning toward Forging Legends. You'll know in a week.

As another reminder, I crosspost on AO3, since FF still doesn't want to send out email notifications for anything. AO3 is also better for responding to comments (I know I don't do it as often as I should), in that other people can see them if they have a similar question/complaint/whatever.