A/N: Welcome Back for the Final chapter of the Wave Arc! Today in the blue corner we have Naofumi, and in the red corner we have the Spear Hero! Fight!

Sometimes Raphtalia can be mature and act twice her age. Then sometimes she can act less than half her age. Currently she was going around trying every food available on the floor. I stayed by Naofumi, a new cloak hiding my face. I swirled the ice around an empty glass in my hand.

"Naofumi-sama! Come try the food!" She held a slice of cake in her hands. I swear her stomach is bottomless. Even with my growth, I eat only a little, then she's here eating a whole feast by herself. "Say ahh!" I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth obediently. The cake wasn't bad, it just wasn't my thing. "Too sweet." I told her. She made a harrumph sound and moved to Naofumi. "Try it!"

"Eat it yourself." Raphtalia pouted at Naofumi's words and walked away. I saw in the distance the Pervert Hero coming towards me and Raphtalia "Hello girls! Motoyasu-San at your service." He did a dramatic bow. "What do you want, Motoyasu-bou?" He jerked up in surprise. "Motoyasu-Bou? I thought we had a good relationship…" He reached for my hand. I pulled it away and filled it with the handle of my dagger. "Touch me, and you will be walking out of here with one less head, Pervert-San." He looked offended and stomped off. Naofumi looked at me with amusement. I smirked at him and his grin grew wider.

The party went on, the others mingling, me replacing my drink of water occasionally and everyone chatting with Raphtalia. I saw the Knight from yesterday boasting. I will have that head at some point. Motoyasu-bou came back up towards our group. "Look we-" I was cut off by him. "Naofumi, I challenge you to a duel." The other partygoers went silent, and a few gasped. "I've heard that Raphtalia-Chan and… and uh…"

"Ariete." I said. Tsk. He can't even remember my name. "Yes, Ariete-Chan and Raphtalia-Chan are your slaves." Oh boy, this isn't going to be fun. "So what? They're my slaves. It's legal here." Motoyasu-bou scowled. "It's not right to enslave others. We're heroes from another world, we can't do that."

"My opinion differs." Red-Hair walked up behind Motoyasu-bou. "Duel me. If I win, free them both."

"And what's in it for me?"

"If you win, things stay the way they are."

"I refuse."

I was about to add my two copper coins to the conversation when the king entered the conversation. "I overheard this conversation. A slave inside the hero's party? It seems you are rotten inside and out. I order you to accept his challenge." Raphtalia started to protest. "That won't be necessary! I'm with Naofumi-sama of my own-" She was silenced when a guard put a hand over her mouth. I sensed the guard behind me and ducked. I slipped forward. "Touch me and your dinner will be on the floor as well as your innards." The guard kept walking towards me, so I kicked out. Another came from behind me, and I punched. A third restrained my now bruised knuckles and the first covered my mouth. I struggled, but the knights overpowered me. I glared at the king.

"Poor things, forced to defend their Master." Raphtalia tried to say something but the gauntlet over her mouth muffled the sound. "Scumbags!" Naofumi shouted. The knights drew their swords as he stepped towards us. "If you refuse, both of them will be taken from you forcefully." Naofumi glared at Motoyasu-bou. "You better return both of them when I win!" The room erupted in laughter. I bit on the hand on my mouth. The knight yelped and instinctively pulled his hand back. "Naofumi will turn you from a pervert calling himself a hero into a pervert calling for his mother!" The knight tied a gag in my mouth while I tried to bite him again. "How dare she insult Motoyasu-sama!" Red hair screeched. I told her with my eyes exactly how little I cared about her opinion.


We were gagged and bound to chairs. It triggered… memories. Naofumi was standing inside an arena. I started to wiggle in the restraints. I was experienced in escaping ropes like these. It'd take some time, and I couldn't prevent the battle beginning.

Motoyasu-bou spun his spear around. "The duel between the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero will begin! It will end when one side is pinned or admits defeat!" The announcer boomed. Those rules would've been helpful in the past. I wormed my way out of the first loop in the rope.

Naofumi readied himself as Motoyasu-bou taunted him. "Be a man and admit defeat, Naofumi." Hah. If anything you should beg for forgiveness like a baby filolial. He leapt forward, stabbing his spear down. Naofumi deflected. Two more strikes came in the form of a side and then downward slash. Naofumi moved his shield effortlessly in time with the blows. The second loop had come loose.

They seemed to taunt each other on the battlefield. A red light shone from Motoyasu-bou's spear. "Chaos spear!" He shouted. He shot forward and sent out a flurry of blows. One hit their mark, shallowly cutting into Naofumi's shoulder. Damn it! I should be down there turning that spear into molten slag! Motoyasu charged forwards. Naofumi dodged his spear and slammed his shield into his enemy's stomach. Motoyasu stepped back to find a balloon chomping on his side. Hah. The third loop had come loose, two more to go.

The rest of the fight was less a duel and more a humiliation for Motoyasu-bou. He tried to attack Naofumi with a thrust, but his spear was met by a unique shield. The dog shield. The two heads forced Motoyasu back. He got hit in the stomach by a translucent green shield. He was then imprisoned inside a metal ball with two balloons. Yes! The crowd booed and whispered to each other. I saw Red-hair starting to walk down steps into the arena. The fourth loop loosened, and I started working at the fifth.

Naofumi walked up to the imprisoned Motoyasu-bou. "Are you ready to come out and admit defeat, Pervert-San?" I snickered. The fifth loop loosened and I slipped out of the ropes. Red-Hair was off to the side. She threw out her arm and started to chant. I threw off the last of the ropes and rose from my chair. "Ars Tsuvait Fireshield!" I cast out my hand and a shield made of flame appeared to the left of Naofumi. The wind spell from Red-Hair hit the flames and the shield broke. It did its job and what would've been a gust rivaling a tornado was reduced to a gentle breeze. The shield prison around Motoyasu-bou broke.

"YOU CHEATER!" Me and Red-hair shouted. That was her mistake, making her position known. Naofumi snapped his head around. "You!" He called out. "First you slander me and now you're sabotaging my duels?" Red-Hair glared at him. "What are you talking about? All I saw was your companion trying to aid you when this is obviously a one-on-one duel." She turned her head and a gold necklace slipped out of her shirt. It was shaped like the royal symbol.

"The duel is in Motoyasu-sama's favor." The king called. I grit my teeth. "That Red-Haired bitch interfered with the duel. I stopped it!" The entire room gasped. I knew I was speak out against the daughter of a king, one who had knights ready to kill me a few meters away. I didn't care. "How dare that filthy demi-human insult a royal princess!" I heard someone in the crowd shout. "Execute them!" I heard another voice say. "Sure, Execute me!" I shouted. "Kill me for all I care! Know that I won't be leaving here without that lying daughter of a bastard there paying for what she has done." I glared at Red-Hair. "You say that you have been raped, but is that really the truth? Making it up and then exploiting the pity of others is no better than that. You disgust me." I ended my speech by sitting myself back in my chair. Guards immediately rushed towards me. I ignored them as they pointed their blades at me.

Raphtalia screamed through her gag, tears pricking at her eyes. She stared at me. "Execute them both!" I heard the King say. One of the Knight drew their blade back. I heard Naofumi shout. The blade rushed towards my face and everyone waited to watch my head be severed. The sword came close and closer.

It was stopped by my dagger. I kicked the stunned guard onto the ground and then turned to the other one. He swung his blade at me, and I ducked. I tackled him, knocking the sword out of his hand. He squeaked when he found my blade at his throat. I stood myself and him up. The other knight stood and reached for his sword. "Touch the sword and this man dies." I threatened. The whole audience gasped. The arena was silent and the air tense. I glanced over at Naofumi. He was still on his hands and knees. He fell into the position before I blocked the knight's blade.

I circled around to Raphtalia and cut her ropes. She untied her gag and picked up one of the swords laying on the ground. I heard a pouring sound over our heads. "Raphtalia!" I shouted. I dropped the man and shoved her out of the way as a clear liquid fell from above. It landed on my crest and it started to disappear. "No. No!" I grasped at the disappearing symbol. I looked up. One of the priests held a clear bottle in his hands. He retrieved a second one. I scowled. "Tsuvait Firebolt!" I shouted. A narrow stick of flame appeared in my hand and I threw it up. It shattered the bottle of purifying liquid in his hands. "Did I ask to be free?" I yelled at him. "Did I ask you to separate me from Naofumi? No!" Red-Hair annoyingly entered the conversation. "You should be grateful you piece of filth!" I threw my dagger. It cut off a lock of her hair.

"Tell me, would your Spear Hero extend his hand to a pair of starving diseased slaves? Would he feed them and let them grow? Would he train them to be formidable warriors and help them move on from the past?" Motoyasu-bou tried to defend himself, "Of course I would!" He shouted. "Then where are your slaves? If you are so charitable then why don't you have fifty freed slaves behind you? And, If Naofumi-san is even half as evil as you say, then why aren't we starving and sitting inside a cage? Me and Raphtalia have freedom under him!" The mentioned hero snapped his head up at my use of an honorific.

Both Motoyasu-bou and Red-Hair looked taken aback by my words. I heard footsteps behind me and snapped my head around. "Die, you filth!" The knight yelled. He thrust his sword forward and I parried. The attack pushed my arm out and I was left wide open. I closed my eyes and awaited the slash that would take my head off. I looked at the back of my eyelids for a few more seconds then cracked my eyes open. The Knight was holding andle and the guard of the sword, the blade stuck to the wall by a glowing arrow. "That's enough." The bow hero said. The Sword Hero did some acrobatics and made his way onto the platform me and Raphtalia were on. "The duel goes to the Shield Hero. Myne interfered and Ariete blocked the interference. It is obvious that if the match hadn't been stopped the Shield Hero would have won." Finally, somebody making sense. I sheathed my dagger. "Ren-san, correct?" I said. He nodded. "Thanks." I made my way down to the arena where Naofumi was still kneeling. I approached him. "Are you alright?" I asked. He said yes, then stood. I saw for a fleeting second flames on his shield, but they disappeared when I focused my eyes on them. Must be seeing things.

"Let's go." We exited the arena, leaving behind a crowd of stunned people and a furious king. No doubt we were going to be fugitives soon. "I made sandwiches." Raphtalia said. I raised an eyebrow. "When did you get the ingredients and make them?" I asked. She winked at me. We made our way to the wall of the citadel. She unwrapped the sandwiches and handed each of us one. I took a bite. "Mmmmm! Sho good!" I said, food filling my mouth. Naofumi took a bite of his sandwich. His eyes started to tear up. "Oh no! Is it bad?" Raphtalia asked. He faced her with tears in his eyes.

"It's delicious."

A/N: And that ends the Wave Arc! I'll be posting the first chapter of the Filo Arc tomorrow, and after that chapters will come every other day. School's getting hectic with exams coming in a month.

Azentra: Sorry about the naming issue last chapter, pure mistake, I swear! Also sorry for misunderstanding you. The whole magic levels thing doesn't come up In the manga, so my knowledge is from mostly the Shield Bro wikia.

Check back next time for the end of "Ariete's bad hair day" and Chapter 8!

Edit: I forgot to mention this in the original end A/N. -bou is a Japanese suffix used mostly for small children. It's also used to demean and insult someone. That's all. Cheers!