The following morning Ryou decided to question his partner about the Heavenly Beast that plagued his thoughts the previous night. As expected, it had taken most of the morning for Rishia to find the book that spoke about the Spirit Turtle in her attic. Unfortunately, the book itself offered nothing new in terms of information.
Ryou did felt a small degree of guilt, when he had been forced to deflect the questions his partner sent his way, about his interest in such a creature. While he did trust Rishia more than anyone else, he knew how honest the girl was, and he couldn't risk for her to blurt out something incriminating to her demi-human friend. Not only that but it would be cruel to burden her with the knowledge of what would be coming their way, and forbidding her from acting on it - such a thing would go against her values and would only hurt her.
No… This guilt is my burden to bear… The Bow Hero had decided because that too was his duty both as a party leader and as the Yumi-no Yuusha.
Ryou did spend most of the day with the green-haired girl, trying to find other mentions of the Heavenly Beast much to his youngest party member chagrin, that found the whole affair boring beyond belief. Although he couldn't read much, he could still understand some of the more simple and basic concepts on what most books were about, those written in Melromarc's language that was.
While Quartz did indeed found the whole thing pointless, Ryou, however, did not, but not for good reasons. As dusk fell, the Bow Hero found himself at wit's end with the information he had been able to acquire or lack off.
Fabluey had an amazing curriculum. For instance, if one wanted to know about the theory behind various fields of Alchemy, the information would be there, or if one wanted to know the inner workings of Magic, it would be easy to find. However, that was all the books had, theory on theory, with no real-life applications at all. Even history books were much the same.
He had been able to confirm that all the hype behind the Sage King of Melromarc rang true. With his amazing strategies and ploys he had been able to bring an end to Siltveld world conquest ambitions, along with the almost extinction of a type of Demi-humans called the Hakuko, but when Ryou tried to find what those strategies were, or how he had implemented them, he found nothing.
He did however found a plethora of information on the nation that hailed Naofumi as their god. Siltvelt ruling body during the war had been compromised by four noble races, and Ryou had been able to draw parallels between them, and the four heavenly beasts. On more present times, those four races had been cut in half, with the Hakuko fall from grace courtesy of Aultcray ravaging their numbers. The other noble race missing, were the Aotatsu having left Siltvelt since rather than believing in the Church of the Shield Hero, they were firm believers in their own religion.
Dragon Faith… Ryou's eyes had went to Quartz at the mention of that religion in particular, and the small girl had showed some passing interest in the Half-dragon race. According to Rishia they seemed to worship some kind of heavenly dragon - one that stood above all others.
Ryou for some reason picture an entire cult of half-dragon Demi-human's hailing his party member as their god, before chortling in amusement. Quartz could be considered a lot of things, and indeed her white coloring could point towards a more heavenly background, but he seriously doubt it.
The only thing godly about her is how much she eats… The Bow Hero had concluded in amusement.
The idea of maybe sending an hint to Naofumi so he would visit that country in order gain their support, and for the Shield Hero to have a breath of fresh air from Melromarc did passed his mind, however it had been Rishia's father that assured him, it would be a very bad idea. For one the Noble concluded it would start a war, perhaps not on Naofumi's part, but Aultcray would surely move.
If a war indeed broke out, Ryou knew by heart what side he would pick, and that would make the entire thing very awkward, not to mention difficult for him since the Northern Territories were still in fact under Melromarc's rule.
But the worst part came when Almond told Ryou of the fate that had befallen upon the last Shield Hero summoned by Siltvelt. The man had been nothing but a prisoner according to the rumors, a prisoner in a gilded cage, but a prisoner nonetheless. Used as nothing more then breeding stock before dying from a mysterious illness.
Sure for the average joe having a harem throwing themselves at them would be a dream come true but I don't think Naofumi will find the notion nearly as appealing… Also if the afterlife existed he had no doubt that the Shield Hero would find some way to come back from the dead just to haunt him as a vengeful spirit.
...and if someone can hold a grudge, Naofumi sure can… Ryou had considered with a shudder, much to Almond's secret amusement.
Faubley had also, according to Rishia deep historic ties with the Heroes, Legendary, and Vassal. The country that possessed the biggest Military power in the world, and boasted having access to the majority of the Vassal Heroes, though some of them liked to operate outside of the area, but would still come if Fabuley asked for them. But even information about those heroes appeared nonexistent. Such prominent figures should be mentioned everywhere, especially if they were their countries pride, but no. The only piece of information that Ryou had been able to acquire from the books, had been the identity of the Seven Vassal Weapons, but that had been all, no names of their wielders, not even a physical description, or image. Once more it had been his partner that came through, and gave him something more to think about…
Faubley's Whip Vassal Hero…
Rishia had only heard passing information about the man. For one he had been some kind of genius prodigy that had somehow reversed engineered information left behind by the previous Legendary Heroes. If the previous Heroes had also been summoned from worlds like his, then it explained why Faubley had access to cars and other more advanced technologies.
Besides that, the Whip Vassal Hero also appeared to have a hobby of raising monsters into powerful allies. Ryou did found some degree of amusement when Rishia had mentioned that piece of information, because the first thing that had pop in his mind, had been one of a man taming a lion on a circus with a whip.
Maybe the Whip as abilities similar to Grow Correction… The Bow Hero had considered, but it was at most speculation on his part because once more there existed no information to be found on the power behind the Vassal Weapons or the Legendary Ones for that matter.
Maybe when things calm down, I'll ask Mirellia to propose a meeting. If the guy can turn the theory behind cars into the real thing, then I would love to trade notes, and he does seem to be more proactive than another Vassal Hero that I know about…
The next day, the party had made their way to the Blacksmith in Gentlewood, and after a few negotiations, Ryou had been able to hammer out a deal. In exchange for selling the surplus of Mithril at a discount price, the man would take the Bow Hero as an honorary disciple. Regrettably, that meant that his party would have to delve once more into the depths, but after a full day of rest, and with a clearer mind, Ryou did admit he couldn't avoid such a good leveling place, and so began his lessons in the art of blacksmithing.
During the next days, the party would divide itself in the morning, with Ryou taking his lessons, Rishia dividing her time between sparing with the Guards, and working on her magic, and Quartz doing what she did best, and work towards her goal of devouring any living being in the area around Northern Village, though Ryou did make the Dragon promise she would work on her non-existent flight capabilities. In the afternoon they would come together to level up in the Northern Cavern, or if Ryou's lessons happen to last longer, the girls would go alone, though he asked they keep themselves to the upper levels, least another worm appeared.
His non-official game plan would be to stay in the Northern Territories until Rishia came close to her class-up, though with the progress they were making it would be a matter of days. After that, they would make for Zetouble. The mercenary country had a Dragon Hourglass of their own, so they could get Rishia's Class-up Ceremony there, and away from the eyes of the Church of the Three Heroes.
It was during one of those trips that Ryou decided to try his new bow and the offensive ability that came with it. The target… A Cave Stalker, the official name behind the Eldritch Pigs, a creature mostly passive unless provoked, and the perfect target.
With a flick of his wrist, his new bow came into existence. Pure black, with the grip made out of the same crystal he had absorbed.
"Charged Shot." Muttering the name of the skill, he pulled an arrow made completely of pure blue light. A moment later light blue particles escaped from his body, merging with the arrow. Ryou noted that unlike all of his skills, the Charged Shot, was indeed a charging ability, but unlike the rest of his skills that only use SP for activation, the charging process came from his MP pool. Another thing he definitely felt, was the wave of weakness that hit him, the moment his MP Pool hit zero, never having reach that low before.
With the charging process complete, Ryou muttered a silent apology to Rishia who used magic practically every day. In his shaking grip was now a blue bolt similar in size to the ones from his ballista, arcs of almost ethereal light escaping it.
At last, he released the projectile, and the bolt shot forward leaving a blinding trail, and what followed next completely bypassed his perception. One moment the Cave Stalker was digging into the ground with its tentacles, the next, gone, only part of his legs remained, smoking. The arrow continued down the tunnel for a few seconds before the cavern shock, with light bathing everything.
The moment things calmed down, his knees buckled no longer able to support him, and the only reason his face was not introduced to the floor, was thanks to the green-haired blur that caught him by the shoulder.
"Fuee, Ryou are you alright?" The girl asked, her face etched in worry, angling herself to look at his face.
Ryou sent her a tired smile, "I'm fine Rish, that just took a lot out of me."
"Are you sure?" Ryou nodded and raised a shaky hand before nudging her forehead lightly.
"Yeah, I'm sure, I don't need you to go all mother hen on me of all people." He admonished lightly.
Rishia bit her lip, her face morphing into a frown. "Fuee... Someone as too… If I don't, then who will?"
He really didn't have a response to that, he had asked for a partner, and part of that role was both worrying, and call each other out when needed, and Ryou did both of them in spades.
"Fair enough, but honestly Rish I'm fine. I just wasn't aware, that depleting your magic had such an effect." He reasoned, making the girl's eyes widen in recognition.
"Haaa! So that's why it felt so familiar, that skill was magic based!" She exclaimed, almost dropping him, which earned her a slightly annoyed look.
"Yeah well... It's like a weird hybrid skill that uses magic to power up.", he explained before popping the lid of a Dragon Bless Magic-Recovery Potion and drinking it. Immediately he felt his strength return.
"Well, time to go see what kind of destruction I have caused." Ryou quipped, throwing an amused glance at Quartz who kicked one of the tentacles.
Walking for nearly minute, Ryou reached ground-zero, and a grin spread across his face at the beautiful sight. Where the tunnel once made a nearly ninety-degree curve, there was now a new opening, large enough for Quartz in her dragon form to walk through, the rock walls melted by his new skill.
It seems I have a finisher. The main problem would be the charging time, even if his new bow boosted it, it still took a few moments to reach maximum charge. It also had a few more downsides, but overall if it connected it would cause some serious damage.
With his new offensive skill tested, the Bow Hero had then explored his monster modification skill, something that brought an interesting discovery. His modifications couldn't be applied on Quartz. He would never consider such a thing, but more importantly, had been the reason behind it. The girl's Slave Seal had disappeared, leaving her as a normal party member. While the reason behind such an event spiked Ryou's curiosity, it wasn't something that particularly bothered him, especially since for a dragon, Quartz was for the most part very well behaved.
The thought of adding more monsters to his party had been a tempting one, but his dragon by herself ate enough to feed an army, so at the current point Ryou simply did not have in any way shape or form the resources to support such an endeavor, but it would be another idea to consider down the line.
On a particular night in the comfort of the Ivyred's living room, Ryou decided that he had accumulated enough skill points from his passive tree, and it was time to spend them, finally being able to claim the first cluster truly dedicated to empowering his party members.
This was not here before… Ryou thought as he took in the new addition to his skill tree. Where once stood the four Legendary Heroes starting points, along with six other empty icons, now all of them were filled with shining images, images that Ryou recognized almost instantly.
"Rish… The Seven Vassal Weapons are based on the legend of the Seven Star Heroes, right?" Ryou asked.
The Bow Hero's voice grabbed the girl's attention who was deeply immersed in some book. Raising her head she looked towards the Bow Hero, the shift bringing an annoyed mumble from the smaller girl whose head was on Rishia's lap, content on just sleeping.
"Yes, we talk about it before, why?" She questioned confused.
Ryou clicked his tongue leaning back, "Yeah… I think that legend might be slightly wrong…"
"Wrong?" Almond asked, from his spot on his chair, "With all due respect Ryou-sama, the legend of the Seven Star Heroes is over a hundred years old, and there are accounts of all the Seven Heroes, so in which manner do you think it's wrong?"
Sending a side glance to the Noble, Ryou got up, "I think the number of heroes is what's wrong…" He explained, making his way towards the couch, and taking a seat near Rishia, "Take a look at this Rish." He finished pointing to his Skill Tree.
The girl squinted her eyes, trying to find exactly what the Bow Hero was pointing out, as they widened a moment later, "Haaa those are the vassal weapons aren't they?"
Ryou nodded, crossing his arms, "Yeah, besides the four Legendary Weapons, the seven you mentioned are here… Cane or a Staff or whatever it is from Aultcray, the Gauntlets, the Claw from the Vassal Hero of Siltvelt, along with the Hammer, the Axe, the Whip from that guy in Faubley, and this small knife is most likely the Projectile Weapon… But if we take into account this wagon thing, then it makes eight."
Rishia bit her lip lightly, "Didn't we agree that it was a carriage?"
"My daughter a carriage would make for a very strange vassal weapon. Who would even use such a thing?" Almond questioned with a trace of amusement.
"Stupid Birds…" Quartz mumbled from her place in Rishia's lap.
"A Filorial?" Rishia asked out-loud.
Almond chuckled, "A filorial wielding a Vassal Weapon, that would be a sight to see…"
Ryou's shoulders tensed, as his eyes narrowed," A sight to see indeed…"
That little..! No wonder she's so overwhelmingly strong... It made sense, as everything connected in Ryou's mind. Besides being alive for hundreds of years, she also wielded a Vassal Weapon to add to her strength.
I never thought about it before, but her Carriage could conveniently Teleport, and as far as I'm aware the only weapons capable of such an ability are the hero's ones, so it was there for me to see… But why did she not mention that fact?
"If it's like Ryou's, maybe it can change into a War Chariot..." Rishia continued, looking towards the ceiling trying to imagine it.
"Still, how would you even fight with it?" Almond asked skeptically.
"It could have spikes on the front and it could Ram monsters with it… Maybe…" The Mage of the party proposed uncertain.
Wonder if it can copy stuff like mine? Ryou considered. Faubley had cars, so tanks weren't exactly that far out.
A Small Loli girl driving a tank, wasn't there an anime that went like that? The Bow Hero closed his eyes trying to pictured Fitoria driving a Tank, releasing an ugly snort as the image appeared in his head.
"Fuee... What?"
Ryou shook his head, chuckling, "Nothing… Just Imagining a Filorial driving one of those cars in Faubley…"
...and then the Tank could morph into a Giant Robot..? The image of Fitoria driving a bipedal, nuclear-capable robot, finally broke it for Ryou, who released a short laugh full of mirth.
"Eight Vassal Heroes, instead of Seven, hmm... I think if there were eight they would have been known by now…" Almond reasoned.
"What about the Legendary Filorial Queen..? She is very rarely seen by humans, so it could be possible…" Rishia proposed.
Ryou released an inaudible sound of approval, impressed that his partner without even having access to much information, had been able to hit the bullseye.
Almond shook his head, leaning back on his chair once more, "My daughter, the Legendary Filorial Queen is a myth, nothing more…"
"But father… Wasn't Ryou also just a myth a couple of months ago?" The green-haired girl countered, making the noble choke on his drink.
"She's got you there Lord Almond…" Ryou snickered.
"Well yes… But still, I have a hard time accepting that such a famous legend was wrong…" Almond refused in a mumble.
Ryou hummed, "Perhaps not wrong, rather if this Filorial Queen was raised by a hero then she may be like Quartz, " He took a glance at the small girl, petting her head and receiving a sound of appreciation in return, " ...and she might have stayed hidden from humans since she's still a monster…"
Besides from what I remember, Fitoria doesn't seem to be particularly fond of humanity, not that I can blame her…
Pine-green filled his vision, as Rishia leaned over to get a clearer vision of his Status Window, once more receiving an annoyed moan from the girl on her lap that was completely ignored, "I wonder… Maybe this means you can help the Vassal Heroes get stronger, with those upgrade methods I mean..." She proposed.
"Maybe if I share it with them…" Ryou trailed off.
Share… Could it be..? The Bow Hero didn't have any information on the abilities of the vassal weapons, but it would be plausible that they had their own abilities and ways of powering up.
"Lord Almond, have you ever heard any rumors, on how Aultcray strengthens his Cane or of any abilities it might have?" Ryou asked eagerly and seeing the Nobles confused frown, he went into detail, "For example, my legendary Bow lets me absorb materials, to unlock new forms, or make a copy of existent Bows."
Almond scratched his chin, "No, I have never heard of such a thing, but then again he did spend most of his time during the war behind the front lines acting as General, although…" Almond explained, trailing off, as his eyes glazed slightly, "...the few mentions that I remember when he did engage in battle were that he used magic for the most part, some that were never recorded, but it was said that he could turn even the weakest of spells into a devastating weapon…"
"Staffs and canes are mostly used to focus magic, so maybe his Majesty's ability is based on that… Maybe he can even change it to a wand?"
Ryou's eyes fell on his partner's hair once more, who had apparently forgotten what personal-space meant since she was almost seated on his lap. A wand? His hand raised to scratch the pale scar in the middle of his forehead, the only visible reminder of his first encounter with a speeding car, one that had landed him on a hospital rather than in another world.
Although I'm the one with the scar, Naofumi would be the one on the receiving end for sure… Well that aside, if it exists it might be a strengthening Method that works based on empowering one's magic or something along those lines… Ryou mused, as he closed his eyes and tried to will such a system into being.
A few seconds later he opened his eyes to see no new pop-ups in his Status Window.
Releasing a sigh, he leaned back once more, "Guess it would be too much to ask if just a hunch unlocked it…"
"Perhaps you could ask his Majesty personally, he might tell you, you're one of the Heroes protecting Melromarc aren't you…" Rishia offered, but before Ryou could address the idea, Almond interrupted him with a harsh snort.
"I don't think he will… Giving me back my authority even for a good cause didn't earn you any favors from him, and if he went out of his way to give you a clear warning for defending the Tate-no Yuusha, then I don't think Aultcray will be very forthcoming with information, Legendary Hero or not…" Her father noted, his words making her shoulders drop slightly.
A hand landed on her shoulder gently, prompting her to look at the owner. "It's not a bad idea… I mean sure he and I will probably never see eye to eye, and he might not be my greatest fan, but it's not like I will lose anything by asking, and if there's even a one percent chance of him giving me that information, I say it's worth the shot…" Ryou said.
"Fuueee! R-Right!" Rishia exclaimed moving backwards, as she realized the compromising position she had been in.
That being said I should also run this by Naofumi later. Fitoria did have a soft spot for him, although I'm betting she'll say something among the lines of, 'Only when the Four of you stand together will I help you'...
"Onii-shama isn't food… snore…" Quartz grumbled in her sleep.
Three guesses on what she's dreaming about...While the sentiment behind it is nice, I really didn't need a reminder… Ryou thought dryly shaking his head, "Rish, Zetouble is also under the protection of a Vassal Hero isn't it?"
"Y-Yes it is…" She stammered, still embarrassed.
"Good, might as well try that one too since we're going there anyway…" Ryou added.
"Fuee... You're already becoming very strong... If it keeps up…" She trailed off looking down, her previous embarrassment forgotten.
"My daughter, you seemed to be belittling your own progress, and accomplishments again. " Almond chided lightly, a small frown appearing in his face, "Ryou-sama as offered nothing but glowing praise every time we speak of your progress in his party."
The Bow Hero looked to the side and scratched his neck, determined to not meet the girls eyes as she turned them towards him for a moment.
The noble cleared his throat gaining her attention once more, "Besides from what I gathered, you are close to reaching your class-up are you not? Such progress is astonishing, even if your in a Hero's party."
Is it really? Ryou wondered. He knew that just by being in a Hero's party, one would benefit from it, but from the way Almond had stated it, it sounded like something truly amazing by the world's standards.
"How long does it normally take to reach level forty?" Ryou asked in curiosity.
"It varies a little, but the average is between one and two years if you devote yourself to it…"
Ryou's eyes widen at the information, Isn't that almost threading on being broken? That meant that Rishia had done in little over one month, what took adventurers over a year to achieve.
...and we only truly dedicated ourselves to level up what? Two weeks?
Ryou's thoughts were broken by Almond who continued, as he shook his head, "That isn't all, even I can see it every time you spar with the guards… It isn't just speed or strength. In little over a week, you went from matching one of them to being easily able to spar with all four at the same time... My daughter, have you ever stop to consider how many years it took those men to reach that level of aptitude in swordsmanship?" Almond finished expectantly.
Rishia for her part lowered her head again at the praise but shock it.
Once more the noble chuckled, "I still remember reading the reports from your college when it came to physical activities… Honestly even I was slightly embarrassed at some of the things your teachers wrote…"
"Fuueeeeeee! Father!" She cried out, her head shooting up, as red took over her complexion.
"Cough… Sounds about right…" Ryou mumbled in his fist, as he remembered exactly how clumsy Rishia's first attempts at fighting Balloons were. The Bow hero did laugh when he felt a light shove on his shoulder.
"Onii-shama is being mean to Onee-shama again…" Quartz mumbled from her spot.
"Seeing you daily fills me with pride, and further proves that letting you join Ryou-sama's party was indeed the correct decision." Almond finished with a smile, one that Ryou found himself matching.
You really are blessed to have a father like Almond, Rish… Ryou acknowledged, sending his partner a side glance. The girl still looked fairly flushed, but the small smile on her face, told Ryou everything he needed to know about how she felt.
Reaching out he poked her in the shoulder getting her attention, "Besides all this talk about me becoming stronger is mostly stupid anyway. For one we are working on the assumption that the Vassal Weapons have a system that can even be shared, which might not be true, it might just be a case where we Legendary Heroes can gift them with part of our power. And you should know by now that if at any point I think you're being left behind, I'll find a way to make you stronger, so don't needlessly worry about that kind of stuff." Ryou finished.
"You already do... Everyday…" The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had spoken, but thankfully she was spared further embarrassment when it became apparent the Bow Hero hadn't heard her.
"Onee-shama is being weird."
Ryou took a side glance to the small girl, moving his eyes to Rishia in confusion as the girl waved her hands in the air before shrugging. Leaning back, the Boe Hero's expression turned slightly serious. "All jokes aside, there is one thing no one is considering…"
"What's that Ryou-sama?"
The Bow Hero released a heavy breath, "If it's possible for the Legendary, and Vassal Heroes to share powers, then… Just how nightmarish of a situation would require such a colossal amount of power to face…"
"That is a very scary scenario, one that I can't even imagine…" Almond admitted.
"Fueee... Me neither…" Rishia added, her voice low.
The Bow Hero offered only silence, for he too didn't dared to imagine such a terrifying situation.
There were a lot of things that picked the Bow Hero's curiosity in his new world, most of them revolving around all things magic. Even blacksmith needed a touch of magic, both for crafting and for enhancing the items, as such, Ryou had redoubled his efforts to learn how to correctly manipulate his own magic potential.
There were also a few things that triggered Ryou's suspicion. Something he had taken to heart from his fellow hero harsher outlook on life, had been a healthy measure of paranoia. Naofumi knew that the world, or at least Melromarc was out to get him, and one should always be looking over their shoulder.
The first time he had seen it, he had dismissed it as normal, the second time it had picked his curiosity, now seeing it again, once more after his blacksmith lessons made him slightly suspicious.
It wasn't the convoy of wagons that made its way into Gentlewood's village through the main gate that bothered him. No… Even if Gentlewood could be considered a village in the middle of nowhere, it still bordered with Faubley so such scenarios were common.
It also hadn't been the fact that the wagons were covered, concealing what was inside, that triggered something in him, after all a lot of traders liked to hide their merchandise from view, and from those that might have been entertaining the idea of liberating it.
No… What slightly aroused his suspicion was the man riding in the middle one. While he couldn't see the man's eyes, he recognized the clothes, along with the top hat, and the unnerving grin present on his face.
Just what are you doing so far away from Castle Town?
Bending at the knees, Ryou waited for the right moment before jumping. two seconds later he landed effortlessly right next to the man taking a seat.
The man in question turned to him with a lifted eyebrow, and Ryou responded with an equal one. "So what is a slave trader doing all the way out here?"
"Monster trader! I'm only an honest monster trader, who only sells monsters, yes?" The man interjected stressing the word monster.
"Sure you are…" Sarcasm could be cut with a knife, yet it seemed to please the man who's grin returned in full force.
"I heard you have acquired quite a unique specimen yes?"
At the words, Ryou's frown became even more pronounced. "How do you know about that?"
"News do travel fast, especially concerning you Heroes."
"Bullshit! It takes two weeks to get from here to Castle Town, and she hatched a week and a half ago, so try again…" Ryou demanded.
The Slave Trader shrugged, "Merchants talk... While most Crystal Balls are owned and controlled by the crown, and by the Church, there are still a few that are free for the most part."
Crystal Balls? "So what..? You guys just grab a Crystal Ball, and make a Magic-Skype video call? Is that it?"
"I don't understand what you mean Yuusha-sama." Beloukas admitted looking confused, and Ryou shook his head.
"Nothing… Just... You just answered one of the biggest questions, I've had since I stepped on this world…" Particularly how that psycho Maid got in touch with Mirellia so fast when she is literally half a continent away…
The man coughed, his grin becoming visible once again after a moment, "Yes… Like I was saying news travel fast concerning you Heroes, and I always need to be on top of them if I am to acquire, let's say the best possible merchandise."
Ryou glared at the man, immediately understanding what he was implying. "You really are a sorry excuse for a human being, and if it didn't get me in a ton of trouble, just know I would take a lot of pleasure beating the hell out of you."
However, the threat had a strange effect on the man, because instead of feeling intimidated or offended his grin widened as he clutched his chest. "Ahh! I knew you had the right kind of stuff, and it warms my heart that tales of your brutality are true!"
Ryou's mouth opened slightly at the accusation. "What?"
The merchant nodded to himself, before continuing, "Yes, yes even I have heard of how the Yumi no Yuusha-sama enforces his will on other people through violence, the true mark of a slave master, no?"
Ryou could only gawk, at the absurd thing he was hearing, his mind trying to catch up with it.
The slave trader wasn't done though, "Not only that, but you are also a man of more carnal pleasures, not only are you not afraid of showing your intimate side in public, but you also have night rendezvous in the forest with more professional expertise! Such a man who knows the value of the finer things in life, and is not afraid of getting them through any means is surely a good potential customer, no?"
With every statement, Ryou felt like he was being punched in the stomach until finally, he was almost crouching, his face hidden in his hands.
I don't know who is spreading these rumors, but I will find you, and I will murder you! The bow hero vowed.
"Just so you know I'm not really interested in any merchandise you have…" Ryou declared after a moment, face still hidden.
"But… But you have such an amazing gift! Such a thing is precisely what I would want to see in a dear customer!" It almost sounded like the man was whining.
"I threaten to beat you to within an inch of your life, and you act like a schoolgirl in love… Are you into S&M? Is that it? Is this some kind of weird foreplay I'm not getting?" Ryou had to ask, and the man thankfully looked just as confused as he was currently feeling.
"I don't understand what you are saying Yuusha-sama."
"Good because I don't either." The Bow Hero brushed off, "...but seriously, just what are you doing all the way out here ?" Ryou questioned yet again, and the man shifted a little before climbing down from the carriage, that had stopped near a structure that could only be identified as a warehouse.
"I had to get a new shipping of merchandise. The exploits of your fellow Hero and his lovely companion have made my stock pummel." The man continued walking towards the warehouse, as Ryou fell in step." I have been traveling around the land to replenish… Are you sure you're not interested?" The man stopped at the door and even wiggled his eyebrows much to Ryou's disgruntlement.
Against his better judgment, the Bow Hero did decide to take a moment to consider it. He still had quite a lot of time until the wave, so if he was to get new members, now would be the perfect time, yet...
"Are you merciful enough to extend your hand to a slave on the brink of death?"
Dammit, Raphtalia, you and your inspirational speeches… Ryou cursed without any heat.
"Against my better judgment, and at the risk of your own health I'll see what you have to sell." Ryou declared, a hand pressed against his forehead glaring at the man that if anything looked like he had just won the lottery.
"I knew you were a reasonable man Yuusha-sama." Beloukas praised motioning for him to enter.
"You are the last person I want to hear that from…"
Upon entering the warehouse, Ryou was assaulted by a smell not dissimilar from a barn, only worse. Surveying the dimly lighted area, he could see cages stacked on top of each other, with demi-humans, and other different inhabitants of all sizes, shapes, and ages.
This is so wrong…
His thoughts were interrupted at that particular moment by the slave trader in front of him. "So is there anything that you're particularly interested in?"
Ryou had to stop to actually ponder. What was he actually looking for exactly? Rishia, had the middle range covered, Quartz would eventually be able to deal with close quarters, and he could act on all positions if needed.
"I honestly don't know, so surprise me…" Ryou offered, and the man seemed to also ponder for a moment, before snapping his fingers.
"Taking into consideration everything I know about you, I know just the thing, and I just got her recently too! Yes, yes it will be perfect!"
The man walked deeper into the storehouse, a step faster than before and Ryou was left to wonder just how much info did the slave trader actually had on him.
On the back where Ryou would bet were the lowest quality slaves if it followed the same theme as in Castle Town, Beloukas stopped, raising the curtain on one of the cages, the sudden light making the small figure inside disappearing into a corner, curling in on herself.
"This one is sure to suit your tastes, one hundred percent guaranteed!" Ryou sent him a dubious look before peering into the cage. Just as he suspected from the movement it was definitely a child, a demi-human one and from what little he could see it appeared to be a girl.
Ryou straightened himself, sending a suspicious side glare to Beloukas.
"Hey... What exactly were you implying when you said she was perfect for me..?"
The Slave trader took on a confused expression tilting his head to the side, "Well, it's just that like the Tate-no Yuusha, you seem to have a preference for females on the smaller side... That's what my merchant senses told me."
Disgust filled his being, as he exploded "Your merchant senses are utter shit! I certainly don't have those kinds of preferences and neither does Naofu..."
Master, I'm ready...
Master, why did you pick Filo...
My name is Melty, not Second Princess..!
A slapping sound echoed, as his hand met his face in exasperation.
Goddammit Naofumi, I'm trying to defend your reputation here, but looking back you just have to give off the wrong impression every single time don't you..? The only official member in your party that was actually safe was Rishia and even then she still somewhat looks like a middle schooler.. Well depending on where you're looking at... Heck I can even let Raphtalia slide, even if just a few weeks ago she hardly reach my waist... But somehow I have a feeling you're not going to stop there...
'Much further down the line, Ryou would laugh at the irony that would surround not only the Shield Hero, but all four of them…'
Releasing a sigh, he rubbed his face, "Well like I was saying, Naofumi and I don't have those preferences... There is only one hero that does, and that's the spear one..."
"I see, I see..."Beloukas cackled, rubbing his hands, for what reason Ryou didn't know, nor cared to find out.
Crouching, he tried to make up the small child's features. The first thing that he noted besides her feeble appearance was a pair of ears similar to those of Raphtalia only on a lighter shade of brown instead. Her hair went down to the nape of her neck, and appeared to match the color of her ears, though between being messy, and the faint light it was difficult to tell.
Fearful soft golden eyes met his own, and she shuffled further back into the cage when his eyes narrowed unconsciously fully taking in her appearance. Something about the small Demi-human child screamed of a familiarity that he couldn't pinpoint.
Hey... Do you remember that flag?
The memory hit him like the truck that had sent him to this world, and Ryou backed away from the cage spooked, and he opened his mouth voicing his thoughts before he could truly think about it.
"This isn't possible... You're supposed to be dead!"
A/N (Cont) - Okay so to kick off I have some rather bad news to give, and I'm going to get that out of the way, I've decided to switch to a bi-weekly posting schedule for the foreseeable future. There are a multitude of reasons behind it, but the truth is that between work, real-life problems that among other stuff also involve the case were I got hit by a car, and that's apparently now moving to court since the driver in question refuses to discuss anything even when she hit me in the middle of a crosswalk, and going above the speed limit, but she thinks she did nothing wrong and doesn't have to pay either for my medical bills, nor for anything else, (This was mostly what I have been trying to solve this past week), but that's not even counting that I hardly have time to do anything or even just spend time with my family. Up until now I have been able to make it work since I have been working on the buffer of drafts for chapters that I built when I was working less than half the hours I'm working now, but the problem is that I haven't been able to make much progress beyond that, so eventually, I would have hit a wall and would have to go on a long break, so it's also to avoid such a scenario that I'm changing to a By-weekly schedule.
As it stands is simply impossible for me to put out a chapter every week, along with dealing with everything going on, working, and still find time to write future chapters, or even just take a breather, this became even more apparent to me when I realized I go on a week break every time something new comes along. I do apologize to everyone following me, and that as grown used to this schedule, but even I was under the impression that the extension on my working hours would only last until the end of the year, and unfortunately that wasn't the case.
I will say though that I will revert to posting weekly once I have regained my footing, and all of the stuff I have going on gets solved.
End of rant.
On a slightly more positive note (Subjective), the next chapter will not be featuring Ryou. While initially, I was going to show what Naofumi was up too in a little scene change, I decided to change it into a full-blown chapter, showing what all the other three heroes were doing, along with what is going on with their parties so you guys can look forward to that, though next chapter will also kick start the second part of this arc, that will take on a darker tone so fair warning given.
Also changes in focus/perspectives will became more prominent going forward as we slowly derail from the original story line, and the actions, and choices of not only Naofumi but also the other heroes and characters become more crucial to the plot.
As side note, I'm still looking for a Beta reader, so if there is anyone interested, feel free to PM me.
This isn't possible... You're supposed to be dead!"
A few days later, in Castle Town…
Chatter echoed inside the bar, as adventurers, merchants or just the average drunkard talked, yelled and chugged beverages like they were water, however one particular individual tried his very best to mute the chaos around him.
A hand reaching for the mug, the teen brought the beverage to his lips taking a small sip, grimacing almost instantly at the taste.
Everyone drinks it, and it's not like someone is going to forbid a hero from drinking… The teen thought, watching the timer from his status window trickle down, a couple of minutes to go until his newest weapon would be completed.
Taking his eyes of the status window, they went to the parchment laid on the table in front of him, most of the language lost to him, but there existed no need to understand it, the picture of a creature half-eagle, half-lion made it clear enough.
Gryphons… The Sword Hero sighed in annoyance. His newest quest required him to hunt the mythical creatures that were terrorizing a village in the southeast, at the border.
This is going to be a pain… Ren complained mentally, taking another quick sip. While he had no problem dealing with normal gryphons, he didn't know what variant these would be and based on what he remembered from Brave Star Online, there were quite a few of them. Some only used their beaks, or claws to attack as they dived. But others used their feathers as projectiles or even wind magic, refusing to come down from the skies.
He did have a few ranged skills, but most of them had an annoying cool-down something that would make the quest take longer then he would have liked, but the alternative would be to take some of his party members, and that would be a last resort, one not needed for such a simple task.
Heavy thumps echoed above the chatter, along with the squeaking of armor, that had him scowling lightly.
...Speaking of pain… Why did I accept him back into my party again? The teen questioned in his head, as the heavy footsteps came to a stop right next to him.
Taking a side glance, he took in the imposing figure of the armored knight, along with an equally imposing mustache.
"Gryphons next, is it Ren-sama?" The armored figure commented, scratching his facial hair in contemplation. Behind him two other figures came to a stop, one clocked in a dark hood, half of his face covered by his hair, the other blond, a small cocky grin in his face, as he tapped his shoulder with his spear lightly.
"Yeah...They have been causing some trouble in the south-east and the reward is pretty good…" The teen mumbled lightly, eyes going back to his status window, suddenly wishing the timer went by faster.
"As expected of the Ken-no Yuusha-sama, going out of his way to save another village from monsters!" The armored man exclaimed loudly.
The teen winced slightly at the declaration, one that had no doubt attracted the attention of everyone in the tavern.
I'm not doing this for the praise, it's mostly the reward that interests me, and Gryphon's drops aren't all that bad either… Ren admitted keeping his thoughts to himself.
With another exhale, he laid his chin in his palm. For some reason he couldn't quite grasp, not that he particularly cared, Mald, and his little group seemed to always be fixated on the idea of acting like superheroes.
If they spent less time talking about justice and whatnot, and more time leveling up then they might actually be of use…
The chair next to his screeched loudly against the stone floor and Ren found himself glaring at the timer once more, growing in intensity when the table clattered violently, as the Armored man took a seat next to him and too close for comfort.
"So our next stop is Ehrenhaft Village is it… I never mentioned it, but I'm quite familiar with the area." Mald mentioned almost casually.
...Here we go again… Ren released another sigh, as the timer finally reached zero, and without ceremony, he stood up from the table.
"My next stop is Ehrenhaft Village… Gryphons are hardly something I need help with. Actually taking more people would only give them more targets, and just make my job harder than it as to be." The sword Hero said with a tone of finality.
The man's expression contorted into something resembling a grimace, his fists clenching under the table. "Ren-sama, I assure you we wouldn't be a hindrance, my sword skills are second to…" Mald quickly closed his mouth as the sword hero shot him a condescending glare.
"They are at the very least second to one person… And I have the level, and strength to go along with those skills. It doesn't matter how nicely you can swing your sword if you can't deal any damage when it matters..." The teen asserted.
That had been another thing that annoyed him about this particular little group. The rest of his party was more than fine leveling in appropriate areas, but the group in front of him only seemed interested in following him around, an idea that he had no intentions of entertaining. While he would acknowledge he liked the positive attention that came with slaying dangerous monsters, Mald and his group seemed to love bathing in the praise, to a degree even he felt uncomfortable when watching.
"...If any of you want to be by my side on the front-lines, then raise your levels to appropriate standards first…" The teen finished, turning around and walking away.
Silence fell on the table for nearly half a minute, before the Armored knight slammed his fist on it, causing what was left of the Sword Hero's beverage to spill over. "Levels this, levels that… It's like he doesn't care about our skills at all…" Mald muttered in a tone that bordered on venomous.
Releasing a sigh the teen of the group leaned back, "He isn't wrong though, Gryphons are hardly a challenge for him. Say what you want Mald, but Ren-sama is strong. He might be the Hero that will save this world from the waves."
"I have some doubts about that…" Mald muttered, in a hushed tone crossing his arms.
"Huh?" The teen questioned confused, leaning on the table," What do you mean?"
Releasing a breath, Mald also leaned on the table, "I went to speak with the Bishop yesterday, and he told me much, but particularly that his holiness is having second thoughts about the heroes."
"Second thoughts? On what exactly?" The hood figure questioned.
"That…" The armored knight took a moment to collect his thoughts, "...that perhaps we were too hasty in considering them the heroes of legend…"
"Are you saying that his holiness the pope thinks they might be fakes?" The hooded figure asked.
A scoff came from the teen as he leaned back once more, "That's stupid, no matter how you look at it they wield the weapons of legend… There's no denying that."
"Be careful of how you speak, it's his Holiness the pope that is having these doubts!" The armored man hissed, before calming himself, "Besides his worries aren't unfounded… What exactly have these Legendary Heroes been doing?"
"Ren-sama fought and cleared the wave or don't you remember, and there's also the dragon he took out, not that you were present to see it…" The last part brought a glare to Mald's face.
"Fighting in the waves is nothing more than their duty, and the dragon's presence might have been causing trouble for the villagers, but was the safety of our people truly were his heart lay? Because from my point of view it seems he's just hunting strong monsters for sport."
"Might I remind you those monsters are what give him the materials to craft better weapons? And that those weapons give him the strength to fight in the waves?"
"He is strong enough as it is! With his strength why doesn't he act? Is a Hero not meant to be a symbol of justice? Of what's right?!" Mald demanded, slamming his fist once more on the table, gaining a few inquisitive looks.
"If that's how you think, then why didn't you stick with the Yumi-no Yuusha?" The teen scoffed, accepting a mug and downing it in one go before continuing, "Heard he brought down a corrupted Noble up in the North."
"Rumors tend to be greatly exaggerated, and I admit to having put too much stock in them at first." Mald admitted, "But now I know the truth."
"What are you on about now?" The teen asked confused.
Hand going to his face, Mald lowered his head slightly, "I too initially thought that the Yumi-no Yuusha was righteous, but our Bishop enlightened me on the truth behind what happened."
"What truth? Word as it that Lord Gentlewood was corrupt. That he was overtaxing his villagers. Are you saying that is not true?" The hooded figure asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. It was all a ploy from his rival, Almond!" He hissed, "That man as no honor! He's an incompetent fool, one that even dares to defend those filthy beasts! He might have a short memory, but the rest of us don't, I still remember how many good men died in that war, and when our Majesty rightfully took away his power, he plotted!"
The hooded man snapped his fingers, his eyes widening in realization, "He spread those rumors of Lord Gentlewood being corrupt…"
Mald nodded, "Yes, and when they spread far and wide he hired the Yumi-no Yuusha-sama to strip Lord Gentlewood of his authority. He even whored his daughter to him, no doubt as payment for his services, and in a bid to acquire himself even more power!"
"Are you sure about that? There are a lot of people saying it was almost impossible to get in Gentlewood Village…" The teen reasoned, prompting a snort out of the armored man.
"That's how far the trash went to smear Lord Gentlewood's reputation. The word from the Bishop is that Lord Gentlwood was a kindred spirit… One that might have applied slightly higher taxes than normal, but he was donating all that money to the church to help the victims of the wave." Mald finished.
The hooded man scowled leaning back, however, the teen still looked somewhat skeptical, "I haven't had much chance to interact with Ryou-sama, but he didn't seem that naive…"
For the third time, Mald's fist hit the table, "Do you know where he is now?!" The armored man demanded, and the teen shook his head, "He's holed up in the Northern Territories, no doubt reaping the benefits of his heroic deeds, and I'm sure his party member is more than happy to spread her legs and oblige. If his so righteous then, why isn't he even in the country that supports him, doing what he is supposed to be doing?! If it's truly corrupt nobles that he likes to hunt, then there is no shortage here. You have trash like Raid, and Reichnott who use semantics to keep those barbaric demi-humans from facing their righteous punishment!"
"Okay, if that's indeed the case, then I can see how his Eminence might be feeling some doubts, but there's still the Yari-no Yuusha-sama, he's still favored, right?" The teen asked accepting another mug.
"Only slightly. Last I heard he helped put an end to famine by giving some poor souls a magic seed, only for the seed to turn into a monster…"
"I heard it was the Shield who put an end to th..!" The hooded figured jumped, as a mug passed near his head, crashing against the wall behind.
"Do not mention that trash in front of me ever again!" Mald snarled with venom, "He has no right calling himself a hero! Employing both a Demi-humans and savage monsters in his party. He even goes around the countryside pillaging every poor traveler he comes across!"
The table fell into silence once more.
"...I still think Ren-sama is a hero you know…" The teen mumbled after Mald had calmed down.
Releasing another breath Mald's shoulders relaxed slightly, "Time will tell if he is one of the heroes of legend or not…"
The hooded man swallowed in dry, "...and if is Holiness fears are real… What then?"
"Then…" Mald's expression turned dark, "...it's our sworn duty to shine some truth upon the rest of the unfortunate soul's in this party… That they are being exploited by nothing but a fake…"
In another place in another time, the Sword Hero's party was full of people who believed in him, and in his strength, however, there were those that wished for their self-righteous justice, and where once a symbol of justice accepted them, in this world that symbol was different and it had rejected them...
...with nowhere to go, and nowhere to enacted their justice, their hearts darken a lot sooner… and so, the Sword Hero would soon find that the strength he took so much pride in, could be a very flimsy thing and that the distance he had with his party, would turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy…
Because unlike what Ren thought, they had not been transported to paradise… No, he would soon understand that world he now inhabited, could be a cruel one…
Sunlight bathed her, like a soothing balm. There was also a nice breeze to go along with it that made the entire thing all the better. If she had to point out a single thing that annoyed her, was the sound of teeth grinding, coming from her companion.
"Zwevit Wind Bolt!"
Opening one eye she saw the wind projectile hit a flying reptile, puncturing a hole in its chest. The creature gave one last shriek as it fell to the ground.
"Nice shot Rino-chan!" The voice came from the only man in the party, that raised his weapon in the air in enthusiasm.
He's like a grown-up child… This is a Legendary Hero… The girl snorted. The grinding sound intensified, and she found her eyes traveling to the other member of the party, as she tried to mask her amusement.
If your face gets any more flushed, we won't be able to tell where it ends, and where your hair begins princess… Elena thought in silent amusement watching as the First princess of Melromark seemed ready to burst a vessel, as she gritted her teeth, her fists clenched at the side.
Rino really gets her out of shape, doesn't she? Well not my problem, I'm fine with this, since I can just lay back and relax… The girl concluded as she stretched on the grass.
"Air Strike Spear!" The blond man declared launching his spear in the air, the green streak of light, easily downing two more Flying raptors, as they fell from the sky, to join the mountain of corpses around the field.
"Motoyasu-sama, is this going to take long, I'm bored…" The princess exclaimed almost whining, her posture going almost meek, a stark contrast to a few moments ago.
"Haa sorry about that Malty-chan, but just hold on for a while longer, Rino-chan still needs a few more levels..." Motoyasu replied looking slightly apologetic as he sent a side glance to the petite mage who had her eyes closed in focus.
Elena turned on her side to hide a traitorous grin, as Malty face turned constipated, her body shaking with rage.
"...but don't worry! After this, we will be going to Ehrenhaft village! There is a pretty good quest there that I want to complete, and I heard there are lots of different stores there, so you girls can go have a shopping trip if you want." Motoyasu explained finishing with a wink.
Does he think that everyone is a simple-minded idiot like him..? Well, as long as he's paying we might as well enjoy it… Elena considered, closing her eyes again, and relaxing.
"Ehrenhaft Village is it..?" Malty murmured, biting her lip, as realization seemed to spread across her face.
Waving her hand, she caught the Spear Hero's attention, with a wide smile, "Motoyasu-sama if that is the case then I and Elena will be returning to Castle Town to get ready for the journey, so please join us when you're done!"
"Wait, what?" Elena questioned rising to a seated position.
Malty turned to the seated girl, her smile turning into something dark, "Come along Elena." She ordered, and without waiting for a response, she went on her way humming.
Slowly Elena raised off the ground suspicion apparent on her face.
She would never admit it out loud, especially since her father was a somewhat believer in their national religion, but both the prayers and the general atmosphere of the Cathedral of the Three Heroes freaked her out. Elena also prided herself on being a good judge of character and being able to easily read a person, something she had picked up from her mother. The woman had a special touch when it came to deal with her customers, which had been part of the reason she had been able to amass a small fortune. As fate would have it Elena had inherited her gift, so she could never repress the shiver that ran down her spine, every time she locked eyes with a devout follower of the Church. There was always something in their eyes that screamed insanity.
Where the hell is Lesty?! She's the one that should be dealing with this not me…
Footsteps echoed, as the prayers stopped, and a sister came forward motioning for her, and the princess to follow her deeper into the cathedral.
Once more her eyes fell on Malty, and her mind tried to figure exactly what the first princess was plotting since she seemed to have given up on hounding the Tate-no Yuusha for the time being.
They crossed the dark marble corridors in silence, the darkness only illuminated by the torches on the wall until they came across a withered wooden door.
The sister knocked on the door, and waited for a few seconds, before a voice echoed, slightly muffled from the other side. Opening the door, the woman motioned for both girls to enter.
Her eyes went to the sister who had her head slightly bowed, before following the princess into the room. Inside was a simple office, but the various texts on the walls, along with a multitude of candles made her apprehension raise to new levels.
"Malty-sama to what do I owe the pleasure?" The only other occupant in the room questioned, tearing his eyes away from some form of a manuscript.
"I didn't come here to trade pleasantries Bishop, I only came to verify something."
Bishop..? This is the Bishop of the Church of the three heroes? No matter how the girl looked at the man, she found herself feeling almost disappointed that the person who held so much power inside their religion, second only to the pope himself, seemed to be rather plain.
"What is it that her highness wishes to verify then?" The man question clapping his hands.
"Tell me, are our fugitive knights still conducting their slave operation in Ehrenhaft Village?" Malty asked.
The man blinked twice, before nodding slowly, "Yes, of course. While their righteous endeavors in Seatto region did help our religion grow, we do need a steady amount of donations to keep our esteemed church running."
Fugitive Soldiers? Slave Operation? Seatto Region? I'm hearing some pretty heavy stuff… It took her a moment to connect the dots. She had an inkling that the official story behind what had happened in Seatto had been heavily modified, but she still felt a small amount of shock at what she was hearing.
"So that fool is doing a good job then, I thought he would have screwed up by now, and they had changed locations, but it seems I was wrong." The princess commented releasing a small snort.
The bishop however nodded enthusiastically, "Yes quite useful I might say. Thanks to him, our brave devotes have been able to avoid detection from your mother's shadows."
The princess scowled at the mention of her mother's agents before reigning it in, "Well it's always good to keep some people in close contact… You never know when they might be useful."
"Yes, your college friend is most definitely a blessing in that regard…" The Bishop agreed. "But pardon my curiosity, why the interest all of the sudden?"
The princess's lips turned upwards into an almost sadistic smile, "Ohh it's just that I have some unwanted merchandise that I need to dispose of…" She purred.
Unwanted Merchandise? Ohh lord… Elena realized with a small trace of horror.
"Princess…" The girl hesitated for a moment, "...are you planning to hand Rino over to them?"
Passing a hand over her red mane, Malty sneered, "She as been an annoyance long enough, such is the punishment of getting in the way of the next Queen."
...poor girl, that's way too extreme… " Elena swallowed, "Even so, she as been leveling with Motoyasu-sama, so she won't be easily subdued…"
Once more the first princess scowled, before raising her voice, "Who do you think your talking too? I'm not an idiot, I have that covered…"
"What exactly are we looking for?" Elena questioned, in a low tone.
"Will you stop with the questions already, I'll tell you when I find it!" Malty snarled.
For over thirty minutes both girls had been rummaging Aultcray's personal Treasury, in search of what Elena didn't know, but she knew that Malty had proclaimed it would let her deal with Rino even if she had leveled up.
During the trip, Elena couldn't stop thinking about Rino, and the heinous fate that awaited the girl. She didn't have anything against the petite mage in particular, at most she found the girl way to honest, and perhaps annoying, but as long as the Spear Hero didn't ask her to contribute in hard work she had been fine leaving that to both of them. Rino had been able to convince the blond young man into letting her join in his monster hunting endeavors, though from her point of view it only seemed like the hero was just entertaining her, with no real intention of letting her join him in a real battle.
The princess, however, saw that as a threat to her position as main support to the Spear Hero and had decided that the mage needed to be dealt with.
A crashing sound echoed, followed by some light cursing as a chest fell from the top of an old cabinet kicking up dust everywhere.
Something caught the girl's eyes, as she found an altar at a corner, also filled with dust, besides a round spot in the middle that stood out since it appeared as if something had been removed recently.
Squinting her eyes, she passed a hand over the inscription on the front of the altar, clearing it of dust.
"Qten' Lo's National Heirloom?" Elena read out-loud, tilting her head.
How the hell did the king get his hands on a National Heirloom from Qten' lo? Those people only trade with Siltvelt last I heard, and it's impossible to get there without authorization from the Heavenly Emperor… The girl considered, her eyes going back to the clean spot.
"Princess, where did your father get a National Heirloom from Q'ten' Lo, and why is it missing?" She questioned the other girl.
"How am I supposed to know?! I don't pay attention to that Old fool's drivel. He probably threw it out, but if you want to know, it was some kind of ancient egg or something… Now, how about helping me search, instead of making stupid questions?" Malty demanded, her voice coming out slightly muffled, as she searched another treasure chest.
Ancient Egg? Wonder what kind of creature would hatch from something considered a National Treasure… But more importantly, something like that would probably be worth a small fortune, and the king just threw it out? Damn Royals…
"Haaa!" The princess yelled almost victorious, "I knew there was still some around here. That Old fool is way too attached to the past."
Elena approached the princess from behind trying to see just what had she been looking for, and peering over her shoulder, she saw a small wooden chest. The inside of the chest was completely covered in red velvet no doubt to protect the item inside.
Grabbing the object, the princess brought it to eye level, a grin blooming as she observed the transparent liquid inside.
It took only a moment for Elena to understand its purpose, although she failed to understand how such a thing would be useful.
"Princess… Poison normally only works on Low-Level people so unless that can bring down a Dragon I doubt it will work on Rino." Elena commented cautiously.
Turning around, the princess's eyes never left the flask, "Normally you would be correct, but this isn't your normal poison. This one is special… Very special…"
"Special?"
The princess nodded, as she shook the flask, it's content reflecting the dim torchlight, " Yes, most poisons work against levels, that's why higher-level adventurers don't even bother with them since high-level monsters won't even feel it. This one… It's also useless in that regard. Doesn't work neither on Demi-Humans nor in Monsters…"
"So only on humans then…" Elena murmured.
"Quite right!" Malty exclaimed, "The reason why? Its because it was developed in Siltvelt in an attempt to deal with my Father, and the reason why it's special is that it works off Magic Reserves. The bigger one's Magic Reserves are, the stronger and more lasting the effects become."
"If it was developed to deal with your father, and works out of magic potential…" Elena bit her lip very slightly, "...then, won't it just kill her?"
Laughter exploded from the princess, even as her red hair swayed, "Ohh no, of course not. that idiot would be notified if Rino died, and that would raise some questions. This one is a paralyzing one, after that, we only have to take her to the right place, and the moment she gets her slave seal she'll be kicked out of our party."
Makes sense… Killing his Majesty would only bring upon the entire wrath of Melromarc down on them, while if they had successfully captured him they could have negotiated a ceasefire with far better conditions… Elena concluded.
"Besides…" Malty continued almost purring," She's still our party member, so to honor that, I'll still be doing her a favor. Their leader is an old colleague of mine and he sometimes likes to have a taste for his merchandise before selling it…" The princess rubbed the flask against her cheek almost caressing it, a happy smile morphing in her face, "I'll be helping Rino-chan graduate from a little girl into a woman, and even if she won't be able to move, or talk she will still be aware of everything and will be able to enjoy every second of it… Aren't I such a good friend?"
No… You're a sick, twisted bitch… The words remained in the back of the girl's throat, as she clenched her fists behind her back.
"This college friend of yours... Just what kind of person is he?" Elena asked apprehensively.
The princess's attention switched from the flask to Elena, and stared blankly for a moment, "You have a nice face, and body Elena, so I'll tell you... He is the kind of person you don't ever want to come across alone, he's cut from the same cloth as the pig king." Malty finished with a shudder.
Elena's face blanched, as she too had heard the vile stories about the king of Faubley.
"...He was also part of the Whip Hero's party before they went on their separate ways... So rather than his rotten personality, the truly scary thing about him..." The princess's eyes glazed slightly, her voice dropping to a mumble, "...is how strong he is..."
Her fists clenched tighter before relaxing. She felt her heart go out to Rino, she really did, but she knew better than to get in the Malty's way unless she wanted to share the petite mage's fate.
I'm not a good enough person to stick my head out for others…
...forgive me Rino...
In another place, in another time the Spear Hero's naivety, and self-delusions, had led a young girl to face a terrible fate… By a whim of fate, she had avoided that fate, only to be heading to an even worse one… And it would be a very long time before the Spear Hero realized that there was a difference between loyalty, and blind faith...
...that the friends he so chose to believe in were not his friends at all, and that his naivety would cost him the few that would have truly stood by his side…
Because unlike what Motoyasu believed, they had not been reincarnated in heaven… No, he would eventually understand just how hellish his new world could be…
The dirt roads continued, slight bumps making the owner of the Carriage current task harder as the characters that he still had trouble deciphering danced in the tome, however, his thoughts lay elsewhere.
"Damn that idiot…" The owner cursed lightly, "If your going to try and help people then at least be sure to do it in a way that doesn't cause trouble…"
The ears of the girl at the reigns twitched slightly as she released a tired breath, "He does seem to have good intentions, but the way he goes about it…"
"It's just like Ryou said, hell is filled with people with good intentions…" The owner accused, before continuing in a higher tone, " It's like common sense doesn't even register on that buffoon…"
"Yari-no Yuusha-sama does seem a little hmm…" The girl trailed off trying to figure out a way to describe the Spear Hero.
"Stupid? Naive? Dense? Idiotic beyond belief?" Naofumi ranted from the back.
Raphtalia's expression turned slightly apologetic, "I was going to say air-headed, but…"
"Tsk… I don't have time to be cleaning after his messes, and yet he's the one who racks all the rewards...He sure got it easy, doing however he pleases…" Naofumi finished, turning back to the tome in his hand.
Raphtalia just offered a small smile.
"...And Filo is going to send Spear guy flying, with a full-powered kick!"
The girl's smile turned into a grimace, as she heard the last part of the song the oversize filorial had been singing. The grimace soon turned into a frown, as she heard a mild snort from behind her.
"Does it bring you that much joy… That she kicked him in that place..?" Raphtalia questioned slightly exasperated inciting another snort from the shield hero.
"That was the highlight of my life since becoming the Shield Hero, maybe even the highlight since I was born," Naofumi smirked.
"I don't know what to say…" The girl moaned.
"Naofumi… There are some more strange people…" The other over-sized filorial announced in a cheerful tone, her voice oddly melodic. Unlike the one on the right who sported an almost white plumage, save for a few pink feathers, the one that had spoken was completely pink.
"Sakura!" Raphtalia yelled, "I already told you, you shouldn't treat Naofumi-sama so casually!" She continued, before turning to the Shield Hero in question, "Naofumi-sama, please say something."
"It doesn't really matter to me what she calls me... You're the one who decided to attach the honorific to my name, besides she's the only one who can pronounce it correctly anyway." The Shield Hero countered as he made his way to the front, near Raphtalia.
Hearing the young man's words made the Demi-human lower her ears slightly, she did have a hard time pronouncing her Master's name.
"Tsk, this again…" Naofumi complained, his lips turning down, "This is the third group today, and we still haven't hit noon yet."
"Yay, it's almost lunchtime!" The white filorial commented, with a small jump, that rocked the entire vehicle.
"Sakura is hungry…" The other one complained.
Their words brought a nasty smile to the shield hero's face, one that filled Raphtalia with a sense of trepidation.
"It would seem that lunch is about to be served then." Naofumi almost drawled.
"Naofumi-sama, please! Even if they are thieves, you shouldn't say such a thing! What if they develop a taste for human flesh?!" Raphtalia yelled once more.
The Shield Hero clicked his tongue in annoyance, "And here I was thinking we could save some money. But I guess it would be bad if they start eating people, I don't want to give people any more reasons to hate my guts."
Slowly the two Filorial Queen's came to a stop in front of the group of rough-looking men, all of them sporting some degree of amusement or condescension towards their unlucky victims.
One of the thugs came forward a couple of steps, his smirk changing into a welcoming smile, "Hello there traveler, we couldn't help but notice that's some heavy cargo you have there, so me and my mates here were thinking we could offer you some help, out of goodness of heart and all." The thug finished, resting his sword on his shoulder.
Are these guys even trying? The last two groups said the same thing word for word... Naofumi deadpanned, before releasing an annoyed sigh, " I'm not really in the mood to deal with this again…" He said mostly to himself, "We don't need help, not your brand of it, so out of goodness of heart, we're giving you the chance to walk away."
"Goodness of heart..?" Raphtalia mouthed in disbelief.
A small laugh erupted from the main thug, followed by snickers from the rest of the group, "You must be new to this so I'll give you a pass, but even a kid like you must know how this is supposed to go, right?" The main thug asked condescendingly.
"Yeah…" The Shield Hero drawled once more, continuing after jumping out of the carriage." I know exactly how this is going to go… Filo, Sakura, Raphtalia, let's go get some more merchandise to sell!"
"Okay!" Filo cheered, as she dashed forward.
"Sakura thinks these people are getting annoying anyway…" The pink feathered filorial added, following after the other in a burst of speed.
"A Legendary Hero stealing from thieves… What is the world coming too…" Raphtalia complained, already at the Shield Hero's side, her sword in hand.
"Stop complaining! Why shouldn't I take advantage of them when they are so graciously throwing themselves at us?"
Shaking her head once more, the Demi-human released an incoherent mumble, springing into action a moment later.
"Kill the birds, and that guy, but leave the girl! We are having loads of fun tonight boy… Guh!" The leader ordered before grunting as his feet slide across the ground, his arms shaking from the effort of blocking the kick from one of the Filorials.
"Gah!" The pained grunt was followed by a crashing sound, as one of the thugs blurred from view, hitting a tree and toppling it over, courtesy of a kick from the pink one.
"Yah!" The shout originating from Raphtalia, as she weaved under a slash, before delivering one of her own, cutting her opponent from hip to shoulder. Twirling around a sword missed her head, and she brought the handle of her weapon to the newest attackers temple, instantly knocking out the man.
The demi-human ears twitched lightly at the sound of rustling leaves, " Naofumi-sama behind you!" She warned.
The Shield hero turned to the side to see three more thugs coming out of the woods. One quickly came forward his sword already raised in an effort to behead the young man's head.
"Change Shield: Great Wolf Shield!" With the command, green light engulfed the small shield in his arm, turning it into a dark grey kite shield, a snarling wolf visage engrave in it.
A loud clang followed as the sword met the shield, an act that put an almost sadistic smile on the Shield Hero's face, "You people never learn… Counter Shield: Great Wolf Howl!"
A phantasm of a Wolf Head materialized out of the shield, and snarled, before releasing and howl so loud, that the three thugs fell to the ground covering their ears in pain.
"Zweit Fire Bolt!"
Turning his head to the side, Naofumi saw the fiery projectile quickly crossing the distance, and raised his hand towards it.
"Lion Emblem!" In front of the Shield Hero's hand, an ethereal orange shield formed, similar to his other defensive skill, with the striking difference of having a lion emblem in it. The magic firebolt hit the emblem a moment later exploding, yet the flames that followed were quickly absorbed into the ethereal shield.
Once more the Shield Hero grinned, as the eye of the lion emblem shined brightly, shooting a beam of light across the battlefield, finding purchase in the leg of the White Filorial Queen, enveloping the appendage in a flame-like aura.
Pulling her leg back, breaking the clash between the Thug boss, Filo quickly delivered another kick, her orange glowing claw once more meeting the sword, and shattering it before meeting the man's chest. Blood exploded from the man's mouth, as his chest caved in, and a moment later he was sailing over the trees, and out of view.
"Guh! They got the boss! Let's run for it!" One of the thugs shouted, before breaking into a dash, quickly followed by the remaining thugs.
"Ohh no you don't! Sakura stop them!" Naofumi ordered, pointing towards the retreating thugs.
"Okay…" The Pink Filorial exclaimed, crouching low, blurring out of sight a moment later. A dust cloud exploded along with bodies flying left and right. A sound of displaced air followed, as a small girl gracefully touched down beyond the thugs with one foot touching the ground. Her green dress fluttered in the wind, as she turned her head sideways, her long pink hair swaying lightly.
"High Quick Strike..!" She intoned with a small smile, her voice followed by bodies hitting the ground with a multitude of pained groans.
They eat enough to feed a small army, but there's no denying how effective they both are…"Good job Sakura."
"Hehehe Sakura has been praised!" The pink-haired girl giggled lightly.
"No fair! Master praise Filo too!" A similar-sized blond-haired girl demanded.
"Yeah… Yeah… You did well too Filo." Naofumi commented, waving his hand in the air.
"Booo! Master didn't mean it!" She fumed, crossing her arms.
"Filo stop acting so spoiled!" Raphtalia scolded.
The blond girl just humphed, closing her eyes, and looking away with a pout.
"Alright enough of that, let's round them up." The Shield Hero ordered.
Yet again, the Shield Hero found himself on the receiving end of a disapproving stare courtesy of his most valued party member, one that he had learned to strategically ignore.
Don't know what her problem is… She knows we need the money, and the best way to do it is to buy low and sell high, that's one thing I learned even before coming to this forsaken world, but if instead of buying low I can collect merchandise for free why shouldn't I? Then again… "You know… You guys suck…" He commented offhandedly, inspecting a golden bracelet. "I mean this is hardly worth your lives…"
One of the thugs opened his mouth but stopped short as a trickle of saliva dropped on his bald head. Inclining his head he found himself palling, as more saliva escaped a wide beak, just a few centimeters above his head.
"Naofumi-sama…" Raphtalia moaned once more, rubbing her forehead. "I'm sure Rishia-chan doesn't have to deal with this."
The Shield Hero scowled slightly before answering, "Of course she doesn't, because her party leader can just teleport around at a whim."
"Are you still holding a grudge over that?" She questioned, "You know that Ryou-sama mentioned Northern Village when he teleported, that's Rishia-chan home village, so you could just go there and ask him about it."
The shield hero threw the golden bracelet back into a small pile of assorted items, before answering, "Sure I could, but chances are he as probably moved on, so it would be meaningless to go there."
Naofumi had the Bow Hero in higher consideration than the other two heroes. Ryou had not only helped then on more than one occasion but had been forthcoming with information…
…but I know nip-kicking information when I see it, and he was doing it… It hadn't been that the information Ryou had given him about Melromarc's religion had been wrong, Raphtalia and the few villagers he had inquired, confirmed most of it, and maybe because he was betrayed he had grown paranoid but deep down he felt that Ryou had been hiding something more, and that wasn't everything…
He could have intervened, and he didn't… A small traitorous part of him echoed in the depth of his mind, one that the shield hero tried to squash with impunity. Logically speaking the Bow Hero's reasoning had been sound. Ryou had seen the dangers of their new world before he had and moved to stay under the radar, however, the Bow Hero failed to realize a critical flaw in his own plan. No matter how hard he tried, he would never truly be able to stay out of sight, his status as a Legendary Hero would follow him everywhere.
But even when Naofumi had rationalized all of the Bow Hero motives and actions, there was still no abating both the anger he felt and the hell he had been forced to endure, and for that, he found he could never truly lower his guard around his fellow hero.
His eyes found Raphtalia out of habit, and they soften a fraction, almost imperceptibly, as some of his anger ebbed away. She was a blessing he didn't know if he deserved… Her words back then had been worth more than gold, and his one saving grace. And for believing in him, and supporting him she would always have his eternal gratitude.
Raphtalia also did seem to have the Bow Hero in very high consideration too, but with how Motoyasu acted, Ryou might as well look like a saint in her eyes.
"Maybe not so… Even if Ryou-sama isn't there anymore, I did hear that the area was doing much better and merchants were flourishing there."
That brought the Shield Hero to a halt, as he mused over the information.
"I suppose it's worth a try then, at the very least we will be able to sell our merchandise, and taking into account how many of these guys there are, we will probably have a full inventory when we get there…" Naofumi considered out-loud.
"Haaa Yuusha-sama…" One of the thugs said, gaining the attention of the Shield Hero, "...If its money your after, then there's this rumor I've heard, that might be worth your time."
The Shield Hero narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but inclined his head lightly, "Speak."
The bonded thug shuffled a little, "Word as it that a lord of a region in the south-east is offering a hefty reward to anyone who deals with a colony of gryphons that have been terrorizing his village."
The Shield Hero scoffed at the information, "Yeah right… If its a noble then he'll just skimp out on paying anything the moment he realizes who I am, and how do I even know you're telling the truth…"
"I have the quest request in my pocket, and last I heard, the gryphons have already done a lot of victims, both among the villagers and traveling merchants. He's so desperate he's offering thirty gold coins to anyone who can solve the problem." The thug explained.
"Thi-Thirty gold Coins?!" Naofumi stammered in shock, and even Raphtalia's eyes widen at the ludicrous amount.
The thug nodded rapidly, "Yes… That's how bad the situation is!"
Quickly making his way to the thug, the shield hero shoved his hand into his pocket, bringing out a neatly folded piece of paper. Opening it, his eyes squinted, as he skimmed over the content.
It seems to be an official Quest Request… And if the Noble is that desperate, then maybe he'll jump at anyone willing to help, even if its the rotten Shield Hero, and if he doesn't I can always persuade him with Filo, she's much better at it then Balloons… Naofumi concluded, nodding to himself.
"Guess it's worth a try, thirty gold coins are nothing to scoff at…" The Shield Hero mumbled, before glaring at the assortment of thugs, "You should be thankful to this guy, he just saved your sorry behinds from becoming food."
Some thugs did look relieved, however, a few were throwing suspicious glances towards their savior.
"Raphtalia, Sakura, Filo let's load this into the carriage, it seems we have our next destination figured out…" Naofumi stated, and his party nodded, as they quickly filled the inside of the vehicle with their new loot.
A few minutes later, the Shield Hero was out of view, leaving behind a group of tied up thugs in the middle of nowhere.
One of the thugs turned his head to the side, "Mate… That was pretty quick thinking on your part, you saved us!" There was a hint of appreciation, along with relief in the man's voice.
"Saved you?" The other thug inclined his head for a moment, before rising to his feet, as the rope fell. "Who said anything about you being saved? Scum like you only deserves one fate…"
With a puff of smoke, a short sword appeared in the man's hand, and an instant later blood erupted all around, as every single thug fell to the ground headless.
Cleaning the short sword from blood with an empty swing, the young man searched his side pouch, bringing out a white mask, along with a small crystal orb.
"Thank goodness for Illusion magic…" The man mumbled, placing the mask on his face. Adjusting it, he raised the small orb to eye level, as a blue glow surrounded it.
"Captain, the mission was a success." The man announced, his posture going rigid, as an image of a woman appeared in the orb, wearing a similar mask to his.
The woman in the image nodded, "I trust there were no issues?"
The young man winced, "No, besides the fact that I was kicked by a Filorial… I'm going to be feeling it in the morning…"
A small smile broke on the women's face, "They certainly are phenomenal those Filorials that Naofumi-sama is raising, I saw one of them kick the Yari-no Yuusha-sama in the crouch, and it was quite impressive."
The man's entire body shook, as his face went as pale as his mask, "...and suddenly I'm grateful she only grazed me… But besides that, for a moment there I actually thought I was going to be dinner! Tate-no Yuusha-sama should exercise some moderation, and his party member was right, a hero stealing from thieves sends a bad message, those are other people's belongings." The man complained.
His words brought out a small laugh from the woman, " He certainly goes about it in an interesting way, but on the other hand he as been doing a fantastic job keeping the roads clean. Besides we can turn a blind eye to it, after all our esteemed king is being a little stingy as far as Naofumi-sama is concerned, so just consider this his reward."
The masked man nodded slightly, "Well, at least he is going where he should…" He trailed off, as another thought crossed his mind, " But why are we going about this in such a way? I mean it's only gryphons, so why send all three heroes there? Couldn't you have asked Ryou-sama to deal with it, he is your favorite after all."
The question removed the smile from the woman's face, as a far more serious expression took over, "I did. Her Majesty does wish for the four of them to work together."
The man frowned, "But even if her majesty, Mirellia-sama wishes for it, the relationship between them is far from good, specially as far as Tate-no Yuusha-sama is concerned…"
The woman nodded in acknowledgment, "Indeed, that's exactly why I have also asked Ryou to go there. If there is one thing I have learned about him is that while he doesn't like to pick sides, he won't stay put if something is happening right in front of him, so I hope he will meditate between them, and hopefully, relationships between the four heroes will improve. With the reports we keep getting about the church of the three heroes, its paramount that that their relationship improves."
"That religion as been a thorn in our country for a while, and with her Majesty away they seem to have gotten much bolder…" The man commented lowly.
"A thorn that will have to be removed sooner or later…" The woman stated in a darker tone, "But that aside there are also other reasons for us to be sending the four of them. There have also been sightings of a massive gryphon among the smaller ones, which might indicate that they are being led by a Gryphon King."
"A Gryphon King is a truly fearsome beast, but I still think that sending all four of our heroes is a little bit too much…"
"Perhaps, but better safe than sorry…" The woman murmured. "Nonetheless, return to Castle Town, immediately, and keep an eye on the church." With those orders, the image was cut off.
Pocketing the small orb, the man released a small sigh, as his head turned towards something in the distance.
"More work... Here I was thinking that I could finally go see the body of the dragon, Ren-sama killed... Guess I'll have to leave it for later then." The man complained out loud, eyeing a far-off mountain, where dark clouds were gathering near the summit almost ominously. With a shrug, the man went on his way following the same path as the Shield Hero...
...In the opposite direction of the mountain...