A large wolf demi-human dressed in a suit stared at the forest through the massive window of the command center.
The main door opened, and a young white rabbit demi-human entered the room.
"Master, I bring news..." the rabbit said as he knelt down and placed his bow on the floor.
"Billi, drop the formalities and tell me what this is about," the wolf replied. "What did the sentinels find out?"
The rabbit quickly stood back up.
"Yes, master! It seems Faraluz has a new king..."
The wolf looked surprised by the news.
"Faraluz? A king? Didn't that dump go bankrupt?"
"That's right, master. Faraluz no longer officially exists, and its lands were declared 'independent cities,'" the rabbit explained.
"But it seems Greenhill has rejoined the kingdom... and Snowytown is heading the same way."
"They also say the new king of Faraluz is a summoned hero."
The wolf stepped toward his sentinel and smiled in an unhinged way.
"Now this is interesting... so they summoned another hero again."
"Billi, prepare my carriage..."
"Yes, sir."
"I want to meet that king..."
And meanwhile, in Snowytown...
Our group of brave and fearless heroes...
No, sorry, wrong story.
Ahem... now then.
Our group of misfits was on their way to the city's unemployed guild.
"Did you hear what the narrator said?" Minu asked indignantly.
"Just ignore him. He's jealous because he's old and bald..." Akira replied without losing his composure.
At that moment, Akira tripped and fell into manure.
"Narrative Barrier!"
Akira activated his skill, and nothing the narrator had said actually happened.
Momo, Cecilia, and Minu applauded in disbelief.
SPN: Achievement Unlocked! – Narrative Block
SPN: Reward: 10,000 Flux
"You still have a lot to learn, you dirty old man," Akira said with an air of superiority.
Maybe Akira could avoid the narrative with that skill he "conveniently" had for this moment... but he still couldn't deny the plot.
Right in front of him, a muscular redheaded dwarf followed by a guard of dwarf warrior women blocked their path.
"Stop right there, outsiders..." she said. "Identify yourselves."
Akira stepped forward, but Aoi immediately spoke first.
"I am Aoi Blaze, regent of Snowytown and current queen of Faraluz."
The dwarf looked Aoi up and down.
"I didn't know the new king of Faraluz was a tomboy..." she said thoughtfully.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TOMBOY, YOU ****** DWARF!?"
Akira watched Cecilia drag away a furious flame-covered Aoi.
"My name is—"
This time, Minu interrupted him.
"His name is Akira Usagi, the pathetic king of Faraluz, and I am his wonderful and charismatic guide, Minu," the little fairy declared with dramatic elegance.
"Pfff..." Akira couldn't hold back his laughter.
The redheaded dwarf no longer knew what to think.
"And I am..." Momo said timidly, but the redhead interrupted her.
"I already know who you are. Momo Titania, worker block B7. Great blacksmith, terrible with wood... and you like knitting in the afternoons," the redhead said.
Momo hid behind Akira.
"So Momo knows how to knit... I mean... how do you know that?"
The dwarf took on a more challenging stance.
"Because I'm the regent of Snowytown. My name is Emilia Stonebreaker!"
"What a ridiculous last name..." Akira muttered.
The dwarf picked up a rock from the ground and crushed it into dust with one hand.
"You saying something?"
"That you have a wonderful city, ma'am..."
"Miss," she corrected him.
"M-Miss Stonebreaker..." Akira said while sweating despite the snowfall.
"Let's skip the formalities... someone said you came looking for me at my office."
"Yes, miss. We're trying to rebuild Faraluz and..."
The dwarf spat on the ground after hearing his words.
"Hah? Faraluz doesn't exist... not since that mediocre idiot Fitzroy stole the money from the public treasury..."
"We rebuilt this city with our own hard work."
Aoi, now calmer, stepped closer to the dwarf.
"We also rebuilt Greenhill from nothing... thanks to the hard work of the farmers."
"But..." Aoi paused for a long moment. "If we don't work together to rebuild Faraluz, our lands will be taken by the other kingdoms..."
The dwarf looked directly at Akira.
"Is that true? If the tomboy is right, then we'll fight."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TOMBOY, YOU UNFEMININE WOMAN!?" Aoi shouted once again in anger.
"The more muscles a dwarf woman has, the more attractive she is," the redhead said while flexing her muscles like she was in a competition.
Everyone turned to look at Momo, who didn't seem that muscular because of her loose clothes.
"Don't look at me... I'm embarrassed to walk around half naked like her..." she said shyly.
The redhead struck another pose, this time flexing every muscle in her back.
"I feel proud of this body carved by the gods of blacksmithing themselves."
"But I won't overwhelm you with my beauty..."
"I understand what you want."
"In Snowytown, we have a rule for settling conflicts..."
Akira looked at her indignantly.
"Don't tell me... a muscle contest?"
"Me, me, me! A debate competition about muscles!" Minu said like she was in class.
The dwarf stepped forward and tightened her powerful bicep.
"An arm wrestling match..." Momo said.
"AN ARM WRESTLING MATCH!?" everyone shouted at the same time.
"I see you at least know the traditions, Titania..." Emilia said with a smile.
"If you defeat me in an arm wrestling match, I promise Snowytown will gladly join Faraluz."
"But if you lose..."
Akira swallowed nervously. Nothing good could come after that.
"You will have to abandon Faraluz and give up on rebuilding it."
Realizing it would be impossible to beat her in arm wrestling, Akira turned toward Aoi.
"Do we really need the dwarves and their workforce? I mean... we could hire other extras..."
Just as Aoi was about to answer him, the SPN opened in front of him.
SPN: New Mission.
SPN: Defeat Emilia Stonebreaker in an official "Muscle Arm Wrestling" match.
SPN: Reward: 10 million Flux, 3 parody points, surprise prize.
"Huh?"
"10 million Flux is a lot of money..." Aoi said.
"ARE YOU CRAZY!? She'll break my hand the second we start!"
"Oh, come on. Don't be a coward."
"Emilia is undefeated in muscle arm wrestling..." Momo added. "Not even I can beat her."
Akira froze in place.
He touched the SPN panel.
"And what happens if I refuse? What's the penalty... as long as it's not death?"
SPN: Warning!
SPN: Exile to the BL Kingdom.
Akira looked confused.
"BL Kingdom?"
"BoysLoevia..." Aoi said. "They say its queen is a sadistic woman who whips her subjects with a lash..."
Akira fell into thought.
"Doesn't sound that bad..."
At that moment, Minu walked up and whispered something into his ear.
Little by little, Akira's face turned pale...
"Now the name makes sense..." he said in terror.
Then he walked toward Emilia.
"I accept the duel."
Nobody could believe what he had just done, but the deal was sealed.
"See you in three hours at the coliseum..." the dwarf said.
"Don't be late."
Emilia and her escorts left the area.
Nobody knew what Minu had told him, but for the first time since they met him...
Akira actually looked determined.