(A/N)
Okay, I guess… this is when the Jaune starts to change a bit. Now, I know that looks a bit… OOC already because of his actions that he's been doing in Melromarc. I… forgot to mention this in the beginning, but the Jaune that everyone's reading in this story is the one after Cardin tells him that he knows of his transcripts and before he went on the trip to collect the sap. I made this Jaune into a more insecure person in the beginning because for all of his life, he kept thinking he wasn't good enough to become a hero, no matter how hard he tried. He wanted to do things on his own, without the help of his friends. I used that as material as to show how different Jaune could be without relying on his teammates. Turns out, without the proper help, he can only fall into more despair. And even when he was summoned to the new world, he was fed with lies that he wasn't needed to help out the other Heroes. That had only made his mentality worsen. Without Raphtalia, someone who actually believes that he's a hero for what he's done to help her, he wouldn't be the same Jaune as we all know. His mentality was already like pieces of a broken mirror. Raphtalia just had to pick them up for him so he could see what was already in front of him… someone who has the potential of becoming a hero. Sorry, sorry, and I'm truly sorry. I know some people might not like that way of thinking for Jaune, but I think it's a bit realistic for him. Sorry, but this is just my way of think of him.
Now, for the Wrath and Envy Shield Series. I kind of think that these shield series are necessary because of the emotions that he was feeling. Wrath because of the mistreatment of him and Raphtalia and envy for the other Heroes. Not only them, but Jaune did envy other hunters in training because of his lack of fighting capabilities. They had the training and skills while he didn't. He never had the chance to train like his sisters or any other hunters in training.
Now, will we be seeing these shields often? As of what I'm thinking, not right now. If he would use one of them, it would be envy since he can easily overcome envy. To me, if anything, since Jaune is not exactly built from anger and wrath. He wouldn't be using his anger as a weapon unless he his comrades are in danger. He's going to have be brought into situations to become bold. But when pushed too far, he will express what he's feeling without hesitating, like the anger he had when he was blamed for another lie. However, it's going to be hard to control it since there's 'something' getting in his way. Jaune is smart, I can agree with that. Even I'm sure he can use the other shields in a way where he could actually fight without using those two shields for now.
Now… what happened to Jaune? Well, you're going to have to read to find out…
(Warning: He will be a bit OOC, but not too much. From time to time...)
My left eye… it burns. I don't know why, but it burns. Opening my eyes, I could see that I was laying on a soft bed. My surroundings slightly resembled a cabin of some sort, but at least I'm in some sort of shelter. I… felt strange. Was it weird for my body to feel this light? As I got off the bed, I looked outside the window to see that I'm currently in the presence of villagers. Wait, this place looks familiar… this is Lute Village! They're already begun their reconstruction?
"Did you hear that they brought the Shield Hero here? I heard that they call him the Shield Devil, now. I'm a little worried." My eye started to begin burning again when the random person said that he was worried. What? What was I hearing right now?
"The king said he started to attack anyone he had in his sight, including the Spear Hero! Can you believe that?!" As I took a peek outside again, I could see a man and woman talking to one another while the man was lifting a barrel. How am I hearing them when they're outside? The windows closed, so I shouldn't be able to hear anything. All of a sudden, I felt a wave of emotions pile within me…
Sadness and loneliness…
I don't know why I felt those emotions within me, but I can tell that they weren't mine. Ranging from children to adults, I could feel those emotions because of their loved ones. Walking away from the window, I've noticed that my body was starting to glow white. This was my aura. With each thought and emotion I felt from the villagers, my aura glows brighter. Why was my aura starting to act like this? All of a sudden, thoughts of yesterday started to burn my left eye started to burn again and my aura dropped.
...What?
Boarbatusk Shield:
Processing Information: 90%
Effect: Draw in the feelings of negative and positive emotions from within the user and those around you causing increase of stats. All defense capabilities increased. All negative emotions that affects the user are greatly lowered.
Physical Defense Up
Magic Resistance Up
Hate Reaction 1
Ability Efficiency 1
Team Agility 1
Wrath Resistance 1
Envy Resistance 1
Alert 1
Special Ability: Boarbatusk Roll
Side Effect: Loss of Emotion? Corrupted... Information to be revealed...
Loss… of emotion? What does that mean? And what did Wrath and Envy Resistance mean? "Mr. Jaune, I'm back!" As I heard the voice of Raphtalia, for some reason, my body felt… weird. I can't describe the feeling, but it just felt weird. My heart… keeps on beating for some reason, it won't stop. Whatever this feeling was, it was making my heart continue to beat faster and louder by the second. This feeling… it's like I've never felt it before…
"Mr. Jaune?" Upon opening the door slightly, Raphtalia peeked inside. From wonder to happiness, she fully opened the door, revealing that she was holding a bowl of food.
"Mr. Jaune, you're up!" As she started walking to me, for some reason, the feeling was starting to get stronger and stronger…
"W-wait, d-don't get too close!" Jumping onto the bed, I was… starting to feel afraid. Why was I afraid? Why was I starting to become afraid of Raphtalia? I was… drawing in 'something' from me her, but I can't understand what that 'something' is. Out of everyone's emotions that I was feeling, hers was the strongest.
"Mr. Jaune? Are you all right? Your… shield turned into that weird-looking one from 6 days ago." Looking to my right, I could see that the shield had already changed into the Boarbatusk Shield. When did that happen? And plus… did she say 6 days ago?
"I-I don't know. I just… feel weird that's all. A-anyway, d-did you say 6 days ago or something like that?" Why was I stuttering? Was I that afraid of Raphtalia? No, it can't be. It must be this stupid shield that's making me feel this way!
"Well… for first, no wonder you're feeling strange. You have some ears on your head…" She tried her best to not look at them with a reddened face, but she continued to look at them. Why was she looking at me like that?! It's making me feel even more weird! Stop looking at me, Raphtalia!
...Ears?
E-ears on my head?! Touching my head, I could feel two fluffy-feeling ears on the top of my head. It was… like I became a Demi-Human! Why do I have two pairs of fluffy ears on my head?!
"Why do I have ears on my head, Raphtalia?! Get them off!" As I began to pull on them, I was starting to feel pain. There WAS ears on my head! "H-hold on, Mr. Jaune! Don't hurt yourself!" Setting the food down, she started to approach me. As she began to come closer to me, the feeling began to get even stronger! When did Raphtalia start to look… so… no, nevermind! "W-wait, n-nevermind, R-Raphtalia! I'm turning off this stupid shield!"
The moment I reverted the shield back to its original form, the feeling instantly disappeared. No more random emotions, and no more weird… feelings. Not only that, but the ears that were on my head at disappeared, too. So all of that stuff that just happened was just because of the Boarbatusk Shield?!
"Mr. Jaune? Are… you okay?" Raphtalia said with a concerned voice.
"Yeah… it was all because of the Boarbatusk Shield. Sorry that I-"
"I was so worried!" Before I could finish my sentence, Raphtalia hugged me down into the bed. With how fast she was, I almost had the wind knocked out of me. Did she get stronger or something? Right now, she currently laying over me.
"R-Raphtalia!" I wanted to speak more than that, but when I heard a sniff from her, I stopped talking.
"Do… you know how worried I was?! When I first saw you… change, I was scared that you might not come back to your senses! Don't scare me like that again!" I rubbed the back of her head as she continued to cry.
"I know… and I'm sorry. I… had to use it so I could save you. I'm sorry."
"I know… you always do these things for me. So… I decided that I wanted to do something for you." "Do something for me"? What exactly did she mean by that?
"Did you do something, Raphtalia?" After asking that, Raphtalia started to toy with her hair with her reddened cheeks before getting off the bed to walk towards a nearby dresser. Digging into it, she pulled out a bag that looks to have coins in there.
"500 silver coins, Mr. Jaune." 500 silver coins? Where did she even get that money from?
"Raphtalia, where did you get that money from?" Sitting back down on the bed, she handed me the bag and took a deep breath. Don't tell me she did something illegal!
"I… went back to the castle, Mr. Jaune." Upon saying that, I grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look into my eyes.
"Raphtalia, why?! I thought we were going to leave this place after I saved you!"
"I… went back to get the reward that was supposed to be given to us, Mr. Jaune. But I… didn't go alone. I met the Bow and Sword Hero while I was walking there and they were kind enough to walk me to the castle. I… wanted to go because of your absence, Mr. Jaune." Itsuki and Ren walked her there? I guess I should be grateful for escorting her there safely. I'll thank them when I meet up with them another day.
"So… what happened? You didn't have any problems with the king, right?" I already knew that the king had a problem with us, but hopefully, he didn't do anything that made her uncomfortable. When she nodded her head, my expression saddened, causing my left eye to start to burn again. No, Raphtalia was here, and that's all that matters. She doesn't have a scratch on her, so I shouldn't feel sad.
"He was going on and on about how much of a monster you turned into. He also said that he shouldn't support the 'Shield Devil' anymore and he shouldn't even think about giving the reward to his 'pesky Demi-Human', so I… got a little upset. I yelled at him saying that if it wasn't for kidnapping me, then the fight wouldn't have escalated like that. I also told him that the princess had cheated by using wind magic on you when you were trying to back away from the Spear Hero. He refused to believe it, but the Bow and Sword Hero said that they saw as well. Eventually, after a long argument… I got the silver coins."
That… was a lot to take in. First, he's starting to call me the 'Shield Devil', and soon, that's going to hurt my reputation. No matter, let them call me whatever they want. I'm not going to fall into despair and anger again. Second, Raphtalia screamed at the king. I am seriously proud of her, right now. And third, we got the reward that was promised to us. It looks like it turned out to be a swell day, hasn't it?
"Well, I guess that was an eventful day for you, right, Raphtalia? I mean like, when did this happen?"
"Well, before that, you should know that after you… changed, I had to take you to a place that was safe. And that very place, was Lute Village. It was dark out, so I expected monsters to appear, but the Bow Hero was kind enough to escort me to the village. He said he was doing it because he was grateful that I managed to stop you from rampaging any longer. The people of Lute Village were kind enough to let you stay, too. After giving us a house to stay in for a bit, the next day, I headed out for the castle. So… it was about 5 days ago." So, I was asleep for 6 days? And… I was rampaging against the other Heroes? How could I? I… have to apologize to them, even Motoyasu. I thought I could control the Boarbatusk Shield, only for me to go into a rampage. If Raphtalia didn't stop me, I don't even know if he was going to be killed… or I was going to be killed.
I acted like a Grimm...
"Did… anything else happened after that?" After asking that, Raphtalia's ears perked up. Still adorable, no matter what age she looks…
"Oh yeah! I remember some people asking for you because they wanted to express their gratitude! We should head over there immediately!" She looked excited, I wonder why…
"Why the sudden excitement? It's… weird hearing that the people from the town being grateful for what I did…" Scratching the back of my neck, it was kind of to believe if that was true or not. I'm not dreaming, right? They're people that want to meet me?
"I'm happy because I'm happy for YOU! Because you saved Lute Village, you're starting to get recognized for what you've done, Mr. Jaune! Aren't you happy?!" Hugging me again, I felt her hands wrap around my stomach as she rested her head on my shoulder. So… there are people waiting to meet me? That's…
"Great! We should probably start heading out now, then!" Getting up from off the bed, I was ecstatic to go meet those people! As long as they didn't care if I was a 'criminal', then I guess that's fine, then!
"Gwah!"
…
…
...
"I'm sorry, did you say something, Raphtalia?" Turning to Raphtalia, her face reddens in embarrassment while she points to the window. So… it wasn't her? If not, then what can make that cute and adorable sound? Turning back to the window, I was greeted with-
"Holy cow!" From the window, there was a creature with a long neck peeking its head inside the house we were currently in. The creature was white, and it had blue eyes. Okay, what's going on here?!
"That's not a cow, Mr. Jaune, this creature is a Filolial. I got her from… a weird-looking guy 5 days ago. After leaving the castle, I went to town to be confronted by this short creepy-looking man that said that you were able to save some of his merchandise that was residing in Lute Village. He told me he was a merchant and he recognized me by saying that an associate of his had told him that I was your partner and he wanted to give us something as a reward for saving his merchandise. His reward was a Filolial egg for free because of how grateful he was."
Merchant, huh? I… don't remember seeing goods at Lute Village since nearly everything was on fire, but oh well, he was grateful enough to give us this… Filolial for free, so I guess it's fine.
"Wait, but he gave you an egg, right? So… how did it grow this much?" As I was near the window, the Filolial licked my face. I… guess she likes me, doesn't she?
"Well… it's a bit hard to tell. After that day, I decided on gaining some levels, but before I left, she was born. Not wanting her to be alone with you with no food, I decided on taking her with me. I didn't know this before, but I didn't know Filolial can join our party upon being born. After feeding her, I took her to the fields and started to kill monsters to get stronger. After an entire day of gaining levels… she was growing at a weird rate. Yesterday, she suddenly grew up into a full-grown Filolial."
"So… she grew up in 4 days? That has to be crazy. I don't know if it's because the Filolial was in my party, but she… shouldn't be able to grow that fast, right?" Raphtalia shook her head to answer my question. Looking at the party menu, I could see that we were… wait, did that say that she's 25 while I'm 23?! Filo was sixteen, so I guess that's to be expected. When we fight monsters in the Wave, we still progress in levels. We stopped at… 21 and 23 at the end of the Wave. Oh, I forgot that when a party member kills a monster, the entire party earns the EXP. Thanks to Raphtalia, we were able to get stronger because of her hard work.
"So… what should we name her?" Raphtalia asked. It took me a couple of seconds to think of something, but I guess I'll start with something small.
"Filo." Raphtalia gave me a weird look after saying the name.
"...You're not good with names, are you, Mr. Jaune?"
"I don't see you coming up with one... " Noticing a egg that was cracked open on the counter, that probably is the egg that Filo was born in. Maybe... I should put those components into the Legendary Shield?
"...Filo it is, then."
"You have rare affinity for healing and support, Sir Shield Hero. Your friend here has affinities of light and dark magic. Since you're half-raccoon, make sure you learn some illusion magic, okay, Dear?" The lady we decided to visit first was the first on Raphtalia's list. She looked like a magician, too. Well, I kind of knew that my kit was based on support, so I guess it isn't that much of a surprise. Well, I guess I should try and focus on creating some better potions for healing and support. SP increase, HP increase, my mind will not stop thinking of ideas of how I could support Raphtalia in the battlefield.
"Thank you, we're very much grateful for telling us this." Our affinity is basically our magic. Because I'm the Shield Hero, I classify in healing and support, and because Raphtalia's half-raccoon, she had light and dark. I wonder if her magic will change her personality?
"Now, here you go, Sir Shield Hero!" As she set a book onto the table, Raphtalia raised her hands up.
"Oh, we don't really have enough money to purchase a magic grimoire." So she was about to give us a magic grimoire? Isn't that those books that teach someone who to use magic or something like that?
"Oh, don't you worry, Dear. Since you both saved my grandchild, I'll give you both something this important! I would've preferred to give you both a crystal ball instead of this!"
"What's that?" I asked out of curiosity. Back in Remnant, those crystal balls were meant for some… future-telling stuff like that. I didn't believe it, but since we're in a different world, it's a serious object to know about.
"Oh, you didn't know? Each and every crystal ball contains magic sealed within it. When you use it, you call the magic from within it! I hear that all of the Heroes were supposed to be given it from the Royal Court. Anyway, magic from a magic grimoire is very difficult! If you try and try, I'm sure both of you will be able to use them wisely! They're many spells in this book, be sure to try your best, you two!" She seems happy for us to try and learn from it, so I guess we'll give a shot.
"...But there's a problem…" Upon saying that, they looked at me with confused expressions.
"Oh? And what will that be, Sir Shield Hero?" Nervously laughing a bit, I scratched the back of my head.
"I can't read the language from this world…" They stared at me for a bit, before laughing. What, was it something I said that was funny?
"Mr. Jaune, don't worry about that. I'm sure that if we took our time trying to learn the language, I'm sure we'll be able to read it and use its magic!" Learn the language, huh? Well, I was hoping for a method or skill that allows me to read the book without that much effort, but if Raphtalia wants to learn it, then I guess we'll learn it together, then.
"Hey, Old Hag, are you finished speaking to the Shield Hero? I've gotta give him something!" Opening the front door, came an old man that had a book to give us.
"Oh, how rude of you! I was just about done speaking to him, can't you wait for a couple of minutes?!" It seems… the two of them know each other well.
"Sorry, but I gotta hurry. Here, Shield Hero, I got ya something." Walking up to me, he handed me a book. It didn't look like a magic grimoire, but it had to be of some meaning to him if he's giving this to me.
"What's this?" Upon opening it, I couldn't read the language, but I could see images of potions. This was a potion book?! If I could understand the language, then I'll be able to learn different kinds of potions!
"I have some old relatives of mine that lives in Lute Village. They were the ones who told me that the Shield Hero had saved the village with his partner. It might not mean that much to you, but this book can teach very fine medicines to create for battle. Learn it, read it, use it." With that, he started to walk back to the door.
"Um, thank you very much!" Hearing me, he turned to me.
"Oh, and one other thing: you're not as I expected you to be. If you were truly a criminal, then you wouldn't have decided on saving Lute Village. Thanks, Kid." With that, he walked out of the shop.
"My, what a rude fellow, is he not?!" The lady was visibly upset at the man, but for what reason? I wouldn't know.
"I heard that! Oh, and one other thing, Shield Hero," Opening the door back open, the old man walked back into the shop. The lady let out a 'Hmph!' before glaring at him. They really know each other, don't they? "Earlier, I watched some of the knights from the kingdom along with the Spear Hero, heading towards Lute Village. I wouldn't think too much of it if it wasn't for the fact that I have some relatives there, so could you please check it out? Something within me is telling me that it means trouble. With that princess with them, it can only mean trouble. I never liked her anyway." Motoyasu and the princess were heading to Lute Village? What for?
"All right, we'll go check it out. Thank you for telling us." The old man smirked at me before walking back to the door again.
"Oh, and make sure you give em' hell, all right? Show them what it means to be a TRUE Hero, okay?" He left the shop again. This time, I think it was for good.
"'A true Hero, huh? All right, I guess we should start heading out, right, Raphtalia?" Smiling at her, she smiled back. We started to head towards the door for our next destination.
"Have safe travels, Sir Shield Hero. Be sure to come back if you need anything, okay?" Smiling at her, I waved as a goodbye. This… is what it's like to be recognized as a Hero, huh? I could get used to this!
Hopping onto Filo, who was waiting outside for us, we were ready to head towards Lute Village! As Raphtalia wrapped her hands around my stomach, we were prepared for something scary now...
"Okay, now, Filo, be sure to go there a bit more carefull-yyy!"Without any warning, Filo started to head towards the village in a full-sprint.
"FILOOOOOO!" All that we could do is yell out Filo's name as she happily "Gwah!" her way there…
"In light of his exploits in the night of the last Wave, the Spear Hero, Sir Motoyasu has been appointed ruling lord of this region. As Filo finally stopped running, we were in the back of a crowd who was wondering why the princess and Motoyasu was there. Turns out, they're giving the land to… Motoyasu?! What did he do here?!
As the wind blew his hair, he smiled at the crowd, expecting to hear some cheers. Okay, I'm debating if I should apologize for what I did to him on the day I attacked him. "To help the rebuilding efforts, we will levy a toll. This toll will be 50 silver coins to enter the village, and 52 silver coins to leave the village." Okay, now that's just cruel!
"Are you crazy?! We won't have any left to buy any food!" A man exclaimed.
"How will be able to live without any silvers left?!" Another man exclaimed.
"Why should the Spear Hero be in charge?! It was the Shield Hero who saved our village!"
"Yeah, the other Heroes didn't even come to help us besides the Shield Hero!" As I heard the crowd began to start yelling at the two, I can't help but smile. These people were actually on my side. Instead of the Spear Hero, Motoyasu, they wanted me, the Shield Hero to rule the region instead of him. I can't say that I know how to rule a region, but I'm happy they would recommend me over them.
"You dare defy your lords orders?! If it were not for the other Heroes, the Wave wouldn't have ended! How dare you favor the Shield Devil over-"
"Excuse me, but I'm right here, you know." Announcing myself, everyone turned to look at me. The villagers were happy with my appearance, but the soldiers including the princess weren't so happy as they glared at me. With those glares, I felt my left eye begin to burn again. Why… was it starting to hurt again? Is it because of their negative emotions? It was hatred…
"-instant you miserable criminal?!" As I snapped out of my thoughts, I could hear the princess finishing whatever she had to say to me. Whatever it was, it was probably insults. The hatred was still there, but I chose to ignore it. I can't let myself go into a rampage because of negative emotions again. That'll only prove that I'm like the Grimm.
"...Motoyasu, I will like to begin with that I'm sorry for losing my composure back at that duel. I had no control over myself as I was filled with negative emotions. However, whatever you're doing here is wrong! Do you know how much it will cost for someone to spend a night at the inn, here?" Motoyasu was quiet, but with his wavering eyes, I can tell that he didn't know.
"It costs-how much does it cost?" I whispered to the closest villager next to me. "1 silver coin with food included." "It costs 1 silver a night with food included! You do the math, you're basically charging the villagers a total of 100 nights just enter and exit the village! You don't want that, right?" I didn't know the price, I was asleep for 6 days!
"Well…" Just like I thought, he might be a Hero, but he's being manipulated by the king and the princess. He will only listen to what they say, no matter if he wants it or not. He's failing at be a Hero and failing as a person.
"Silence, Shield Devil! As if he would listen to the man who tried to kill him! Enough of this!" Raising her hand, the soldiers surrounding them had raised their weapons at the villagers. Seriously, how much longer do I have to deal with these disrespectful idiots?
"Threatening your own people? Are you insane?!" As much as I wanted to continue, a group of people covered in cloaks landed right in front of the princess. Who are they?
"Princess Malty, I believe you know who we are?" Malty's her name, huh? Well, I guess that doesn't matter.
"Yes, but WHY are you here?" With seething anger, it looks like she didn't like those people. Her anger… crap, I'm starting to feel it again…
"...For you." Handing her a scroll of some sort, the princess opened it to read it.
"Mr. Jaune, do you know who they are? Their movements… they're silent." So… Raphtalia didn't even sense them? These cloaked people might be considered as ninjas, then…
"...Don't know, but it looks like the princess doesn't like what she's reading. Hah..." Her anger was starting to grow stronger and stronger as she continued to read the message. As my breathing was starting to get uncontrollable, my left eye continue to burn. This… is the side effect of using the Boarbatusk Shield, right? It… turned me into something that's close to being a Grimm…
Wait, Boarbatusk Shield…
"Mr. Jaune? Are you all right? You're breathing rather weirdly…" Raphtalia noticed my breathing pattern was off, so she put her hand on my shoulder to see if I'm okay.
"Yeah… just a bit under the weather, right now…" I'm… going to have to change into the Boarbatusk Shield. I remember reading something about Rage Resistance in the Boarbatusk's ability tree. It was strange, this shield hasn't unlocked any other series related to it, either. This shield was an anomaly…
"Are you sure?" Okay… I'm going to have to ignore the anger for as long as I can. I'll change into the Boarbatusk Shield later on…
"How can this be?! Shield Hero! You are to challenge the Spear Hero, Lord Motoyasu in a race for this village!"
Ah, isn't that just great... ?
"The race will be two laps around the outskirts of the village! Whoever reaches this gate first will be declared the winner! Fair enough rules, I just hope that they don't cheat.
"Be safe, Mr. Jaune! And don't push yourself, all right?" Looking back at Raphtalia, I smiled to reassure her that I was going to be alright. Well, to be honest, I actually wasn't. The negative emotions from the soldiers and the princess was taking a toll on me. I could barely focus without thinking too much on how annoying they were with their rage. Their rage was starting to make me upset…
"Motoyasu, good luck!" Okay, it might be my rage, I'm starting to find her voice very annoying, right now. I didn't have that much dealing with her rudeness without the rage…
"On your marks! Get set…" Riding on Filo wasn't going to be that much of a problem. Just hold onto her neck, and I'll be alright. She has some uncontrollable speed, so I don't think Motoyasu will be a problem with his dragon.
"Go!" On that mark, Filo started running. We were already ahead of Motoyasu, so I think I was right! We can beat them without any problems!
"Let's hurry up and end this, Filo!" I was cocky, but I think that since I have Filo, we'll be able to outrun Motoyasu's dragon. As I turned around to see where he was at, he wasn't that far behind. He was eating dust, but he was still not that far behind.
Turning back in front of me, I could see that we were already almost at the gate for the first lap. However, as I noticed that we were almost at the front gate, there was… a hole in front of us?!
"Filo, hold on!" Tugging too hard on the reins, I accidentally managed to force Filo to stop by falling onto the ground. Because of that accident, Motoyasu managed to pass us without any problems. So he didn't have problems with a hole? Something about this screams 'cheating'. Damnit, sorry, Filo…
"We can come back from this, Filo! Let's go!"
"Grrr!" As Filo got back up, she was instantly ready to catch back up to Motoyasu. As we passed the gate for the first lap, I heard the soldiers and the princess cheering for him, but I've noticed Raphtalia's saddened expression. Not only her, but the villagers as well. Their emotions was starting to get to me now...
"...Tch, faster, Filo, faster!" Without hesitating, Filo was already for it when she was ready to show her speed off. In a second, we had already passed Motoyasu.
"Don't look down on us, yet, Motoyasu!" After passing him, Filo had looked back at the dragon with a smirk. Um, I think Filo might have some kind of grudge against this dragon…
Suddenly, Filo was starting to get slower as we were about to make our first turn around the outskirts. Wait, why was Filo starting to get slower? She had much more speed than this when we went passed Motoyasu, so why is she slowing down? Is she starting to become tired? No, that couldn't be…
Unless…
As Motoyasu with his dragon passed us, Filo was smacked in the face with the dragon's tail…
"Hah! "'Don't look down on us, yet, Jaune!'" After she was knocked back a bit from the dragon's tail, I noticed that a nearby bush had moved slightly. Oh, so now I get it. Okay, Motoyasu, you can mock me all you want, but the moment you attack Filo over this stupid race…
You signed your own losing permit…
"Boarbatusk Shield!" If they wanted to cheat and lie their way into winning, then I have no other choice but to accept the challenge…
Feeling the emotions of all of the people from the village, that included the princess, the soldiers, Motoyasu, and the villagers, I felt my aura begin to spike. Not only that, but I felt ears begin to form on my head. Sadness and anger, they were the emotions that I was feeling from them altogether. They… made me feel stronger! No longer did I feel their negative emotions restricting me! These emotions are now my strength!
Let's see what this Team Agility 1 can do…
Raphtalia
I could see the Spear Hero on his dragon in the distance, I could only be concerned. Where's… Mr. Jaune and Filo? How come I don't see them anymore? They were neck and neck earlier, but how come Mr. Jaune and Filo disappeared?
Are they… cheating?
Did… they do something Mr. Jaune and Filo…?
Looking at the princess, I can see her grinning at the closest soldier next to her. They looked TOO cocky enough that they were already smiling upon seeing Motoyasu. It was almost as if they KNEW that they were going to win from the start. I see…
...So, they planned something ahead of the race's preparations…
"...Princess Malty, correct?" I walked across the road to where the princess was to see if my suspicion was correct.
"...Tch, what do you want, Demi-Human?" Her voice spat out venom. However, her venomous voice doesn't affect me.
"I will like to know why during the first lap, that Mr. Jaune and Filo fell down to the ground. Do you know anything of it?" If anything, since she's the daughter of the ruler of Melromarc, she would probably lie about it, to protect her pride. However, what she didn't know…
Is that the people who were wearing those cloaks from before had already disappeared...
"You dare accuse me of cheating, filthy Demi-Human?!" Right on her cue, a soldier decided to stand in my way. With his cocky grin, he most likely thinks he can stop me if he wanted to…
I watched my comrades get harmed into the midst of this race… there should be no reason as to why I shouldn't confront her to know if she's cheating…
"Well, well, aren't you a bit hot-headed, Demi-Human? Now, what's this about cheating? The outskirts has some… challenging parts on the road especially that specific part of the outskirts. The Shield Devil and his Filolial probably fell down because of that." Challenging parts… is that so?
"...Is that so? If that is true, then why was it the Spear Hero had no trouble with those "challenging parts"? Wouldn't he at least have some trouble as well? It seems too suspicious that-"
"Heh, the Shield Devil's pathetic Filolial probably wasn't smart enough to ignore stepping stones. A dragon has WAY more intelligence than a brain-dead Filolial. Now then, run along, Demi-Human. Run away with your two between your legs as you watch the TRUE Hero, Lord Motoyasu win this race." With a cocky smirk, he tries to taunt me…
"...You can insult me however you like because I'm a Demi-Human, but I will not stand idly when my comrades are being insulted by anyone." He laughed almost as if he was accepting a challenge. Reaching to his hilt of his sword, he was prepared to fight.
"Oh, really? And what are YOU going to do about it?"As I started to walk back a bit, he continued to step towards me. Stepping a bit closer to me, he was a bit in the road where the race was supposed to finish at. I almost reached for the hilt of my sword, but it wouldn't be wise to just randomly start a fight in the middle of a race.
"...I hope you get what's coming to you in the future." I then walked back to the villagers side of the road.
"Like I said, run away with your tail between you-urk!" Seeing nothing but smoke where he once stood, I looked to the direction where he went. What was that? It was too fast that I couldn't see it!
"The… rope has been cut!" The announcer of the race had turned to see that the rope had been cut. But… from what? Had Motoyasu's dragon increase so greatly that I couldn't even see it?
"What?! Impossible!" As Motoyasu and his dragon finally passed the gate, he looked astonished.
"So… fast!" As I heard him say that, I looked to where the smoke had stopped, only to reveal that Mr. Jaune was on the floor while Filo was poking at him to see if he was all right. Wait, that was Filo?! How did she get so fast?!
"Mr. Jaune!" Running towards him, I could see that he was on the ground, but had no injuries. But what I did notice... was the giant shield that Mr. Jaune had on his right arm. Was he… the cause of Filo's sudden speed? Not to far away from him, was the knight who insulted Mr. Jaune and Filo. He wasn't dead, but he looked to be passed out. Hmph, serves him right.
"Ow. I guess Filo went too fast that I couldn't control her…" Kneeling next to him, I noticed the blonde animal-like ears that was on his head. With his eyes closed, he started to laugh.
"Mr. Jaune? Are you all right?" As he opened his eyes, his face immediately reddened. His face reddened again! Just like this morning!
"R-Raphtalia?! I-I'm fine, thanks for asking! L-look, could you… back away from just a bit?" Sitting up a bit, his ears started to twitch wildly as his face continued to redden. He's even beginning to stutter like crazy… what's wrong with him? Unless I ask him directly, then I won't know.
"I will not." Refusing his request had made his face reddened even more. Was he coming down with some fever?
"Wha-? W-why not?!" Even when he sounds like that, why does he look happy?
"Mr. Jaune, are you having some sort of fever?" Putting my hand on his head, I felt that he was freezing! What is going on with Mr. Jaune?! Flinching a bit from my touch, his ears continued to twitch. It looked… cute. Mr. Jaune looks cute when he acts like this…
Wait, what am I saying?!
"S-sorry, Mr. Jaune…" Taking my hand away, his expression saddens as he diverts his attention elsewhere. After the announcer announced that Mr. Jaune was the winner, the villagers were happy enough to start hugging each other.
"...Touch me again…" His unusual request made my face feel hot. Did he… ask me to touch him again?
"Huh?"
"Touch me again…" Looking back at me, I could see his azure eye and crimson eye glisten as he asked me to touch him again. Why does he look so shy? This w-wasn't anything like the normal Mr. Jaune! Is it because of the shield he equipped?
"O-okay…" The look he was giving me was sort of irresistible. Patted between his two animal-like ears, he started to look satisfied. This is… unlikely of Mr. Jaune to act like this.
"Are you… okay, Mr. Jaune?" I continued to pat his head which made his expression to greatly brighten. He… almost acts like a kid! All of a sudden, a green light develops from Filo. Shielding my eyes with my free hand, all that was left of Filo was…
A… giant Filo?!
"I'm… satisfied!" Seconds after saying that, his expression instantly straightens as he looked to his left, which stood the princess of Melromarc with her army of knights behind her.
"You… cheated, Shield Devil! Whatever you did, you got an unfair advantage by increasing your Filolial's speed! I can for a-"
"Shut up." Mr. Jaune said with a blunt voice. Due to how sudden he said it, I looked at him with shocked eyes. The princess's face only reddened in anger…
"How dare you! I've had enough of you! Knights! Restrain the-"
"You say that I cheated, but what about the holes that miraculously appeared in the first lap? What about the sudden reason why Filo started to slow down? If anything, you CHEATED, but if I wanted to win this race, I had to fight cheat with cheat. You use magic, I use magic." Jaune admitted that he cheated, but he explained that she had cheated first. So… who wins the race?
"Indeed, it has been both sides who had cheated…" Out of nowhere, the group suddenly appeared again. The woman must be the leader…
"What?! I don't know what he's talking about?! He admitted that he cheated, so we should be the ones-" What looked to be the leader of the group, the woman raised her head to look at the princess in the eye.
"However, the rules of the race were to not use magic to have advantage of the other contestant. We've detected signs of magic from both sides; however, the first trace of magic were not connected to the magic affinities that the Shield Hero and his raccoon friend. The Shield Hero has support and healing, while his raccoon friend has light and dark. Now, since the Spear Hero's party cheated first, we will be declaring that the Spear Hero to have lost the race." They… know of our magic affinities? But… the only person who knew of them was the lady that we met in the magic shop! How could they know so much about us?!
"What?! How can we lose the race even though they had-"
"'Some rules are meant to be broken'. Those were the words you told me a long time ago, correct? The moment you used magic, you broke the rules, Princess Malty. The Spear Hero's party loss had already been decided the moment we detected magic in your party."
"Tch… we're leaving!" Calling her knights and the Spear Hero, they left without looking back. Turning back to the group that were wearing cloaks, they disappeared as well. What a mysterious bunch they are…
"Mr. Jaune, do I have to continue… 'touching you'?" This was… starting to get a bit embarrassing now. I don't know how many stares I can take anymore!
"You can stop, Raphtalia, I've already put away the Boarbatusk Shield. I… you weren't weirded out by me, right?" Upon hearing that, I turned my entire body towards him.
"O-of course not! I think you looked cute when you were acting like that! With your animal-like ears and glistened eyes, there was no way I could-" I couldn't speak any longer as Mr. Jaune put his hand over my mouth.
"Okay… you can… stop now, I get it…" With a reddened face, he directed his attention elsewhere again.
"I… I'm sorry, Mr. Jaune! I don't know what came over me!"
"It's… fine. You don't have to worry about it. Your hand was… soft." With that, he started to walk towards a group of villagers who was ready to give him an award.
To be honest with myself…
I kind of want the cute Mr. Jaune to come back...
(A/N)
Well... that was the OOC Jaune. Don't worry, he only acts like that when he's using the Boarbatusk Shield. It's... cringy, right? Well, the reason I made him like that, is because the Boarbatusk Shield had a side effect of turning Jaune into a half-like Grimm. As to the missing emotion... that's another side effect upon using it. I think you all already know what it might be by the way he's acting. Sorry that this chapter was... a bit weird, but hey, can you blame me for trying to be a bit creative?
