Hope you all enjoyed the duel in the last chapter, and that the outcome was satisfactory. I really enjoyed writing it and I hope that was reflected in the story I was trying to tell.

Edward Elric (barging in): HEY! I want a word with you!

"If it isn't the Full Metal Alchemist himself! How can I help you, Mr Elric?"

Ed: You totally stole that Arm-Blade idea from me! I want compensation!

"Okay look, it was the first thing that came to mind and come on, you have to admit the way I did it was pretty ingenious. Besides, it's not like Fergus has a fully metallic arm himself so in that sense, I'm not completely copying you."

Ed: It was still my idea!

"Okay okay fine here." *I pass him a wad of cash.* "Use that to go and buy yourself some milk shorty."

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?! COME HERE! I'LL RIP OFF YOUR ARM AND STICK IT UP YOUR- *gets dragged away by a combination of Alphonse and Winry.

Well now that's been dealt with, did everyone enjoy the latest anime episode? Gotta say I am starting to like Melty a lot more than I first did, and that ending with some revelations about Raphtalia's past! Really looking forward to learning more next week.

With that said, I'm not going to lie, I wasn't as excited about writing these next few chapters as I was the ones before. I mean after all the excitement of the trial, the Wave and the duel between Fergus and Motoyasu, these next two chapters are a lot calmer, with the race and the introduction of Filo. I still did the best job I could with them, and as your reading this I will have finished chapter 9 as well. Which means the chapter after that will be the one with the rampaging plants where Fergus starts cleaning up everyone else's mess.

Once again thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed this story. Really can't believe I'm in the top 5 favourited and followed stories for Rising of the Shield Hero, and I am so glad so many of you are enjoying this. I promise I will do everything I can to keep this going as long as I am able.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. The same with Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Chapter 8 - Fowl Play

A couple of hours after the duel between myself and Motoyasu, we were all back in the throne room for the first time since we had initially set off on our journeys. I couldn't help but think about how far the four of us had come from the four strangers who had first arrived in this world. Now we really were Heroes, even if one of us was constantly being put down and messed with at any given opportunity. But I digress, that's not the point of why we were here. We had all gathered at the King's request to receive our rewards for fighting the Wave as well as our funds for the next month.

All of us facing the throne, we were lined up as follows from left to right: Motoyasu, Itsuki, Ren and myself. I imagine this was deliberate given the continued tensions between myself, Raphtalia, Motoyasu and Malty. Speaking of the two girls, Raphtalia was as usual by my side, whilst Malty was standing beside the throne, resuming her role as the princess just for this.

Whilst we waited for the King to address us, I noticed Motoyasu looked all clean and fresh. No doubt the King and Malty had made sure their chosen Hero looked all clean and presentable. In sharp contrast, I was still covered in dust and grime having not been given the opportunity to freshen up myself. Another petty slight by the King, but having never cared about the opinions of others, I paid it no mind.

The King cleared his throat and addressed the four of us. "We are gathered here to reward each of the Heroes for their courage and bravery in defeating the Wave, as well as providing them with funds for the next month. The rewards shall be as follows: Sir Motoyasu will be awarded 4000 silver pieces. Sir Ren will be awarded 3800 silver pieces. Sir Itsuki will also be awarded 3800 silver pieces. Lastly, the Shield-Hero will be awarded 500 silver pieces."

I could hear some chuckles from the king's advisers but I ignored them. Truthfully? I didn't expect any reward so I would take what I could. However, my mood wasn't improved by the King's next action. He reached out and grabbed my bag of silver, sneering down at me. "However, the mages who removed the slave-crest from the Shield-Hero's demi-human pet need to be compensated. As such, we will use the Shield-Hero's funds for that purpose."

I slapped my face with my palm, letting out a loud groan which caught everyone's attention. "Seriously, that's your next clever scheme? Trying to deny me my money? You know, for a King, you seem to have a really bad grasp on how the economy and business works."

Seeing that I had an attentive audience I continued. "Releasing Raphtalia wasn't my idea nor did I ever want it to happen. It was the condition that Motoyasu put up and the process was carried out by your mages. The only thing I did was agree to honour the result of the duel. If anything, the cost of removing the crest should be covered either by Motoyasu or out of Your Majesty's own funds. Furthermore, technically Raphtalia at the time was my property, and with your actions your forcibly caused me to lose my property, and as such I am entitled to compensation."

I heard a small giggle from beside me as Raphtalia leaned up and whispered something in my ear. I nodded, letting out a slight chuckle myself. "I initially purchased Raphtalia for 30 silver pieces when she was a small girl who was suffering from a cold and was criminally underfed. Comparing then to now she and I both agree that she is worth 30 once more, but this time in gold pieces. However, I know you won't give me that much, so I will instead accept the 500 silver as an acceptable amount for the time being."

The King lets out a snarl of anger. "My decision is final you ill-begotten criminal! You shall receive no funds whatsoever!"

"With respect, I protest this decision." I was just as surprised as everyone else to hear who had spoken up. It was Ren. "Concerning the duel that just occurred, Fergus accepted and fought the duel with honour, even letting it continue to the very end to save both his own and Motoyasu's honour when he could have very easily accepted a victory by disqualification due to the princess' interference and your willingness to ignore it entirely. At the very least, Fergus deserves compensation for fighting a duel that was so clearly rigged against him."

Malty stirs at this and looked ready to object once again, but Ren lifted a hand to stop her as he continued. "No-one here wants to hear you try and deny it any more. We all saw what happened so you have no leg to stand on." Malty glared at Ren but his eyes remained focus on the King.

I was still recovering from my surprise at Ren speaking on my behalf but wasn't given the chance to as Itsuki followed up. "Following the duel I had my own opportunity to talk to the Mayor of Lute Village and hear first-hand what Fergus did to defend the village. Instead of belittling Fergus, you should be thanking him for single-handedly keeping the casualties from the Wave in the single figures, given that some of your own knights abandoned that responsibility for their own glory. As such, I agree with Ren. Not only does Fergus deserve compensation, but he deserves far more than what you have given him."

A stunned silence followed Itsuki's words since no-one could quite believe that the reviled Shield-Hero had been defended by two of his fellow Heroes who had previously condemned him. Motoyasu, in particular, was looking their way in disbelief.

After a few seconds of silence, in which the King painfully considered these words, he eventually made his decision and threw the bag of silver my way. "In consideration of Sir Ren's and Sir Itsuki's appeal, the Shield-Hero may have his funds. Get him out of my sight, I will not suffer his filth in my throne room any longer."

Catching the bag, I gave him a sarcastic bow. "Thank you kindly for your generosity 'Your Highness'. You don't need to force us out, we'll be leaving this wretched hive of scum and villainy of our own volition." I turned to look at Raphtalia, who nodded in agreement. As we turned to leave, I addressed the other three Heroes. "I wish you three well for the month ahead, see you at the next Wave. As for everyone else here…" As Raphtalia and I started walking out, I raised my arm-blade point up and made sure it was facing back towards everyone. If they were smart enough, they would realise I was giving them the middle finger but I was beyond caring what they thought. I made doubly sure of this by raising the middle finger of that hand anyway, chuckling away to myself as we reached the throne room doors.

§

As we were leaving the palace, we saw the Mayor's party and the soldiers with them preparing to leave. Raphtalia and I shook each of their hands, thanking them profusely for everything they had done for us. They waved it off, saying it was the right thing to do, and reminded us that we would always be welcome in the village and hoped to see us there soon. I agreed, saying we would pop over for a visit after our business here in the capital.

As we parted ways, I turned back to Raphtalia to say where we were going next but upon seeing her expression I paused. She was biting her lips as though she was giving something serious thought. I asked her what was on her mind.

She turned to me, still slightly nervous but had enough courage to speak up. "Fergus, can I ask something of you?"

I smiled at her. "You can ask me for anything. Do you need something in particular?"

She looked once in every direction, making sure no-one could hear her, before turning back to me with a determined expression. "Can we go back to the man you purchased me from? I want to have my slave-crest reapplied."

"Wait, WHAT?" Of all the things I had expected her to ask from me, this wasn't one I was prepared for. "Why would you want that? Wouldn't you much prefer to be free?" I asked hesitantly.

Raphtalia shook her head. "If it helps, don't think of this as me being your slave once more, but rather me bearing the crest as a symbol of the bond of trust between us."

I strode forward and placed my hands on her shoulders, looking down at her determinedly. "You don't need to do that to prove your trust in me, I already have complete faith in you." But she looked back at me with a pleading expression. "I know that. But please, trust me when I say this is what I want."

I gave it some thought. I really didn't want to put her through that again, but she seemed to know what she was getting into. Plus, after everything she had done for me during the duel, it was only fair that I give her what she wanted as a show of gratitude. So, with a reluctant sigh, I nodded in agreement. "Okay, but know that I don't like this."

She smiled at me and clasped my hands in hers. "Thank you, Fergus. This really means a lot to me." With our next course of action decided, we headed in the direction of the slave trader's tent. Whilst on our way there, I took my pack back from Raphtalia and replaced my Arm-Blade gauntlet with my original one.

§

Thankfully I was able to remember the way to the trader's dwellings. As we brushed through the entrance-way, I called out a quick greeting, which was soon followed the sound of footsteps as the trader made his way over. His curious expression turned to one of glee as he saw who it was. "My my, it is good to see that my favourite customer is doing well. I was so happy to hear that you had survived the Wave. After all, it would have been a shame to lose such an infamous client."

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, but it does look as though you've been doing well for yourself Tubs," I replied, deliberately slighting his appearance.

He chuckled in response. "I see the Wave didn't take away that razor-sharp wit you have there. But since we know each other so well, I'd much rather you call me by my name, Beloukas."

I strode up to him and gave him my fiercest glare, to which he gulped and made to move a step back, as though fearing I would start choking him out again. But after a few seconds, my expression changed to that of a rueful grin. "It's a sad state of affairs when one of the few people I can trust is a damn slave-trader. Alright Beloukas, it's a deal."

"Excellent choice." He gushed, before turning his gaze to Raphtalia. "And this is the slave you bought from me. I must say Shield-Hero, you've done a fine job looking after her."

Raphtalia frowned at him no doubt the memories of her time in his care were still fresh. "As much as I didn't want to ask anything of you ever again, I want you to do something for us. I want you to reapply my slave crest." To his credit, Beloukas was as stunned by Raphtalia's request as I had been, and turned to me for clarification. In answer to his unspoken request, I gave him a quick run-down of the events of last night and this morning.

As I finished my story, his expression changed back into its natural state of greed. "You weren't far wrong with the price Shield-Hero. If you want, I would happily pay 30 gold to take her back off your hands."

"No deal," I responded instantly. "Raphtalia isn't my slave any more; she is now my friend and comrade, and I wouldn't give her up for any price. Just do as she asks." Grumbling to himself, Beloukas got to work. As he re-applied the crest to a willing Raphtalia, I used my Shield to absorb the remaining ink that he had prepared for the ritual. I instantly got a notification along with the confirmation that Raphtalia was bound to me once again, saying that I had unlocked the Slave Trainer Shield. This would provide Raphtalia and any other slaves a small bonus to their experience gain as well as their stats.

As Beloukas and Raphtalia finished up, I couldn't help but notice an open box with a myriad of eggs inside them. Noticing where my gaze had gone, Beloukas let out another smarmy grin. "If you're interested, this particular box is what's called a Monster Box raffle, and for only 100 silver pieces you, my valued customer, get to pick any egg you want. At the very least, the egg will hatch into a creature known as a Filolial, which will help you get around the realm a lot faster, but if you are incredibly lucky, you might pick the egg that will hatch into a Dragon, which if you raise it right will not only be a mount but a formidable ally in battle."

"So regardless of which one I choose, I will at the very least acquire a pet to add to my party which can serve as both a mount and as an ally in battle." Seeing my obvious interest, Beloukas decided to sweeten the deal with his next offer. "If you choose to enter, I will waive the entire cost of re-applying the slave crest to your friend here."

"I don't know Master Fergus. 100 silver is a lot of money, should we really be wasting it on a game of chance?" Raphtalia asked me worriedly.

"If we weren't doing so well in terms of money, I'd agree with you," I responded. "However, due to all the grinding we've been doing, as well as the reward money we just got from the King, we have more than enough funds. So 100 silver isn't a huge loss. Besides, if what he's saying is true, the creature that hatches from it could prove to be very useful to us."

Seeing the logic of my argument, Raphtalia conceded the point. With this, I turned back to Beloukas and offered him my hand. "You're a good businessman. It's a deal." After handing over the 100 silver, I picked an egg out of the box at random. With that out of the way, Raphtalia and I made our way out, but not before we had to hear Beloukas say that he was looking forward to our next visit.

§

"So where are we heading now?" Raphtalia asked me as we headed back into the main part of the city.

"I have one more stop to make, then we'll be heading to Lute Village. After the past day or two, we could do with some days of relaxation." I responded, making a beeline for the herbalist's store since I needed to restock on my herb supply.

As we entered, the herbalist and I exchange polite greetings and I requested what herbs I was after. As we were sorting out payment, the herbalist suddenly piped up. "Seeing you reminds me of something I wanted to thank you for. I have relatives over in Lute Village whose lives you saved. It's not much but I want you to have this as well, as my way of saying thanks." He then proceeded to hand over a book, which was labelled as an intermediate book on potion making. I thanked him for the gift, knowing it would come in very handy.

"I'm glad I was able to help Shield-Hero," the herbalist said, dismissing my thanks. "But before you leave the capital, you should pop in to see the owner of the Magic Shop. I believe she wants to thank you for the same reason."

Since this wasn't too far out of the way I agreed and, along with Raphtalia, we headed straight over there. As we entered the store, we were greeted by an almost overwhelming aura of mysticism and incense, the walls completely littered with spell books, tomes, caster equipment and other various knick-knacks that I knew I wouldn't ever be able to comprehend. As we were looking around, the owner of the store, a wizened old lady, came out and greeted us. "Ah, the Shield-Hero and his companion, welcome to my store."

I gave a polite bow in her location as Raphtalia curtsied. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. The herbalist told us that you wanted us to come over. How may we help?" I responded politely.

"My my so well-mannered. It really is the opposite of what everyone else wants us to believe about you." The lady said with a smile. "I wanted to thank you personally for saving my grandson's life at Lute Village. If you follow me to the back, I have a few things that may be of benefit to you both."

Exchanging a quick glance with Raphtalia, we both nodded and follow her to the back, where a crystal ball was set up on a small table surrounded by a few cushions. She gestured us to take a seat as she sat behind the crystal ball and started waving over it. After a few seconds, she looked over at us.

"This crystal ball allows one to discern what kind of magic an individual is capable of casting. In terms of yourself Shield-Hero," she said, turning her gaze to me. "You have a rare affinity for both healing and support magic. And for your companion," with this, she turned her gaze back to Raphtalia. "She has affinities for both light and dark magic, but I would recommend she learn illusion magic as well."

I am so glad the herbalist recommended we came here since this was all going to be extremely useful for us! If what this lady said was true, I could be a hybrid tank and healer at the same time, protecting my party from harm as well as keeping them healed. And in addition to her natural affinity for the sword, Raphtalia could now mix in various schools of magic to her arsenal, making her unpredictable to her opponents. I rose and gave another bow. "Ma'am, you have given us a gift we are unworthy of. There is no possible way I could ever compensate you for this."

"Think nothing of it, this is my way of saying thank you after all!" She chuckles in response as she hands me a thick book. "This is a grimoire, in it, you will find various useful spells that will benefit you both as long as you study up and memorise the incantations! I wish I could give you a crystal ball so that you could learn the spells instantly, but this is my only one and I rely on it for my livelihood."

"Of course not! We would not want you to give up your livelihood" Raphtalia exclaimed reassuringly.

The lady then addressed me once again "I am actually quite surprised you don't have a crystal ball already Shield-Hero. After all, the royal family did purchase a whole bunch of them for the Heroes' use."

"No doubt the King gave one to each of the Heroes except myself." I sighed, facepalming once more. "One more way for him to mess me around no doubt." As I was saying this, I was casually browsing through the first few pages of the grimoire. "Damnit, I can't understand any of what's written here, which is odd because I can understand the language everyone speaks here no problem thanks to my Shield's auto-translation function."

"Looks like you have work to do then Shield-Hero. Not only to learn the spells but the language they are written in as well. I'll be rooting for you!" The lady said with a grin and a thumbs up. Raphtalia then piped up. "He won't be alone, I want to learn the language and the spells as well!"

Seeing as I was surrounded by overwhelming positivity, I couldn't help but join in. "If we do it together, we'll get it cracked in no time whatsoever!" Filled with determination, Raphtalia and I bid farewell to the owner who wished us well on our travels. As we left the store and headed towards the gates, I couldn't help but be pleased with our dealings today. I had been able to restock on herbs, acquire a grimoire and gambled on an egg which would no doubt hatch soon into a powerful companion. And best of all, we had learned that Raphtalia and I were able to learn various schools of magic, which had given us a goal for the next wave: Learn all the spells possible!

Buoyed by this glut of useful information, we made our way to Lute Village, and whilst on our way there Raphtalia and I made a plan: We would spend the days doing casual grinding, and then in the evenings we would retire and study the grimoire, taking it slow so that we got everything right. Luckily we had a month so we had plenty of time to learn everything we could. As for the egg, it would hatch when it hatched and we would take it from there.

Our arrival in the village was greeted with a joyous atmosphere. Surrounded by a crowd of villagers, the Mayor welcomed myself and Raphtalia personally and showed us our lodgings for the duration of our stay. As the day was almost done, we decided to turn in early and recover from the exertions of the last day or two.

Whilst Raphtalia hopped into the bed and started reading the Grimoire, I proceeded to unpack our belongings. As I was doing so, I suddenly heard a small cracking sound and, looking up, gasped as I saw the egg I had purchased was starting to hatch. I called Raphtalia over as more cracks started to form, and before long a chunk fell off the top and out of it popped a tiny head, looking around dazedly as it got its first looks at the new world.

Raphtalia and I swiftly pried the rest of the egg open and before long we were staring at the new arrival. It resembled a chick from my reality, but was completely covered in white feathers, and proceeded to bounce around happily before landing on my head.

"Look at how cute she is! And look, she seems to think you are her mother!" Raphtalia couldn't help but gush at our ecstatic new arrival.

I couldn't help but chuckle, the chick's infantile happiness rubbing off on me too. "Well then, I guess I should start raising it right then! I'll give it some food now, and then we'll stock up tomorrow. No doubt she'll be a hungry little thing. And we'll also need to give her a name."

§

You know, I had always imagined what it would be like to be a parent, having grown up with my own of course. My father was strict but had the best intentions, whilst my mother was beyond caring and a good cook to boot. I always envisioned that I'd be a good father and raise my kid right.

I have to say, having my first real experience of being a parent be raising a Filolial chick was, of course, different than raising a human child, but it was so much fun all the same! Over the past two days, Raphtalia and I had done our usual grinding, but this time with an accompanying feathered friend, and in the evenings we could come back and divide our time between studying the grimoire and looking after the Filolial. But the biggest surprise was how much it had grown! After the first day, it had grown to the size of a peacock, but after day two she had really grown and was now the size of an ostrich! Given that she was large enough now to ride, I took her out in the evening of the second day and, with Raphtalia and some of the villagers watching curiously, gave her a test run.

Let's just say I was not ready for how fast she was! Much to Raphtalia's concern and the villagers' amusement.

"She really has grown so much hasn't she Master Fergus?" Raphtalia's words pulled me out of my thoughts as we were standing in the village stables. Given how big she was getting, the Mayor had allowed us to use one of the stalls for our companion, who was currently chomping down another bucket of food.

"She really has, and most of that is probably due to the new Shield I unlocked after she hatched," I replied, equipping the Demon Trainer Shield III. I'd first absorbed the remains of the Filolial's egg after it had hatched, giving me the original Shield, and then as I'd absorbed some of her feathers over the next two days, I had unlocked the second and third versions respectively. Smiling gently, I reached over and stroked the bird warmly, who let out a sigh of contentment at my touch. "You're a big strong girl now aren't you Filo?"

"I still can't believe that's the name you chose for her Fergus," Raphtalia said with a chuckle. "It's the most unoriginal name you could think of."

"I am the King of Unoriginal Raphtalia," I proclaimed with a dramatic bow. "And she seems to like it, so Filo it is." As we continued to chuckle away at this, we started noticing a few villagers dashing towards the town gates, whispering amongst themselves. And then I heard a loud commotion from that direction. Something was going on.

"Wonder what's happening out there?" I muttered to myself. Waving for Raphtalia and Filo to follow, we left the stables and made our way towards the entrance to the village, where a large group of the villagers had gathered and who were currently facing down the new arrivals with disapproving glares. Following their gaze, I saw who it was, and gave myself the biggest facepalm in the world. "You have to got to be kidding me!"

The soldiers guarding the village were currently facing off against a squad of knights from the capital. Standing off to one side was Motoyasu, who was grinning contentedly to himself. And just when I thought my luck couldn't get any worse, the Queen of Lies herself stood on a raised outcrop of earth and was currently brandishing a scroll.

"Due to his bravery in combating the Wave, the King has decreed that Sir Motoyasu be given lordship over this region, effective immediately!" As the villagers gasped and started muttering to themselves at this news, Malty continued. "As per his first decree, there will now be a toll of fifty silver for anyone wishing to enter and leave this village! These funds shall be used to help rebuild your village."

This set the villagers off, who raised their fists and yelled angrily at her. Sensing this was going to get out of hand, I waved for Raphtalia and Filo to come with me and started threading my way through the crowd. As I was doing so, the Mayor came to the front of the crowd and tried to calm them down before turning to Malty. "Please reconsider this Princess, and you Spear-Hero," he pleaded. "None amongst have that sort of money, you'd be asking us to starve just to enter our village!"

"Silence you pathetic fool!" Malty snapped back, glaring down at the Mayor. "You dare disobey a royal decree?"

"The only pathetic one here is you Malty." I had finally made my way to the front of the crowd, who started cheering at my arrival as I proceeded to level Malty with a hate-filled gaze. "So this is how you next planned to get back at me, by bringing misery and suffering on innocent people? You really are the scum of the earth." I then turned my gaze to Motoyasu, who seemed taken aback by my arrival. "And you're going along with this? You really are a sorry excuse for a Hero Motoyasu."

As Motoyasu looked away, not sure how to respond, Malty's rage turned fully in my direction. "You dare show your face again criminal? Why can't you just go away and save everyone from your filth! In fact, on behalf of the new lord of this village, I am commanding you to leave! NOW!"

"You do not command me Malty, nor do I or anyone here accept your decree. I happen to be very fond of the people of this town, who have taken me in and treated me better than anyone here has so far. In thanks for their kindness, I will protect them from anyone that would threaten their lives, especially from the likes of you." As Malty snarled at my defiance, I now turned to Motoyasu. "So then Motoyasu, seeing as you are apparently going to be the new lord of this village, let's see how much you know about it. Tell me, do you know how much it costs for a night's stay at the inn?"

Motoyasu stiffens at my enquiry, before shaking his head. I let out a sigh of frustration. "For your information, the price of a single night here is one silver, with meals included. And now you intend to tax these civilians a hundred times this just for entering and leaving the village. Do you know what this taxation will lead to? Poverty and starvation. And you know what poverty and starvation lead to? Revolution. Tell me Motoyasu, since you were so happy to lecture me about how a Hero should conduct himself the other day, is this really the behaviour expected of one of them?"

Motoyasu looked stunned at this revelation whilst Malty, to my immense satisfaction, looked ready to burst a blood vessel after my little speech, which had prompted cries and cheers of agreement. She suddenly raised a hand, and at this signal, the guards accompanying her readied their weapons and pointed them at the villagers.

"YOU COWARD!" I roared, raising my Shield as Raphtalia drew her sword and Filo let out a growl, pumping herself up as we spread ourselves in front of the terrified villagers. "Leave these innocent people alone!" Malty gave me a sneer and was just about to lower her hand when a sudden swell of movement stopped everyone in their tracks.

Multiple figures in dark cloaks had jumped down from what seemed to be out of nowhere and were now knelt in between our group and Malty's entourage. The leader lifted her head up. "Princess Malty," she said in a formally blunt manner. "I trust you remember who we are?"

For the first time in a long while, Malty was completely flabbergasted, which was only good news for me. These people were obviously no friends to her. She eventually managed to stammer out a reply. "What are you doing here?"

The leader said nothing for a few seconds, and then she handed her a scroll. "For you." She said simply. As Malty read the scroll, her face went from confusion to anger. As this was happening, Raphtalia whispered the following in my ear. "Do you know who these people are Fergus?"

I shook my head. "I haven't a clue, but whoever they are, they must be important to have our resident bitch here so worried." As I replied, I saw Malty start to tremble, before she raised a shaky finger and pointed it directly at me. "Shield-Hero! For the right to rule this village, you and Sir Motoyasu will face-off in a race!"

A race? Seriously? That was her next hair-brained scheme? I was about to refuse, seeing it as a pointless exercise, but upon seeing the pleading looks of the villagers, my heart softened. I levelled my gaze back towards Malty and Motoyasu. "The title doesn't interest me, but if it stops you from running roughshod over these people, then I accept!"

§

As I was getting Filo ready for the start of the race, she suddenly let out a cry of anger, her eyes lit with rage. I turned in the direction she was looking, and couldn't help but raise my eyebrows as Motoyasu led his mount over toward us. Seemed he had lucked out because he was leading over an armoured dragon, which snorted in response to Filo's anger.

"So it's true then. Dragons and Filolials really don't like each other." Raphtalia commented. "Good," I responded. "That'll just give Filo here even more determination to win now, right Filo?" Filo let another cry, this one of determination.

"Really? You plan on trying to beat my dragon with that thing?" Motoyasu asked mockingly. "There's no way you'll be able to keep up with-" THWACK! Whatever Motoyasu was going to say further was cut off viciously as Filo spun and with one swift kick to the balls sent Motoyasu flying! As he landed in a pile of hay, myself and Raphtalia couldn't help but burst into laughter. As we were doing so, I gave Filo another affectionate rub. "You know what Filo? I think we are all going to get along really well!" I told her, which she responded to with another happy noise.

After giving Motoyasu a few minutes to recover, we eventually took our places at the start-line. Raphtalia and Malty both wished their respective Heroes luck as the Mayor explained that the race would take place around the outskirts of the village and would last three laps. After checking we both understood, he raised his arm and then after a few seconds, lowered it quickly with a cry of "BEGIN!"

I told Filo to give it everything she could, and boy did she and then some as we raced out into an early lead. Make no mistake, Motoyasu's dragon was no slowpoke, but Filo was a bird on a mission as we pounded around the village on our first lap. For my part, I kept an eye on the terrain in front of us, trusting Filo to run her own race. And I'm glad I did because just as we were about to turn the corner onto the home stretch, a pit suddenly opened up in front of us!

"FILO! Slow down and avoid!" Filo instantly responded, going into a controlled skid and swerving onto a nearby outcropping of earth. Even though we had avoided the pit, it had really killed our momentum, whereas Motoyasu and his dragon had zero such issues. Just as we were getting back up to speed, they shot past us towards the start/finish line.

"Of course the damn bitch would resort to cheating, she just doesn't know when to stop!" I thought angrily to myself as I urged Filo on. Filo let out a fierce cry of determination as we passed the start/finish line a couple of seconds after Motoyasu, and before I knew it we had passed him once again.

As we got to the same point on the second lap, I kept a very careful eye on the terrain and activated my Rope Shield just in case we needed to jump over another pit. Unfortunately, I underestimated the wiliness of Malty and her cronies, as this time around I saw a sudden purple glow come over Filo. Even though she appeared to be moving at full pace, her actual speed dramatically slowed, and for a few seconds, all we could do was move at a snail's pace as Motoyasu overtook us once again.

"A speed-down curse! Sneaky fuckers changing up their tactics!" "Okay Filo these cheaters are really pissing me off! Let's make sure they don't prevail!" She didn't need any encouragement as she rapidly got back up to full tilt as we started the final lap. We stretched out our lead once again and as we came up to the final turn before the final charge, I looked out for any traps or signs of a debuff being applied, but nothing happened.

"That's odd, why haven't-" My thoughts got interrupted as I heard a frenzied pounding of feet from behind us. I looked behind us and saw with shock Motoyasu and his dragon bearing down on us with an impossible burst of speed. But as they passed us I noticed a faint golden glow surrounding them. "Their last card, a speed-up spell…they can speed up all they like but we can win this!" "FILO! Full speed ahead! YOU! CAN! WIN! THIS!" Fire seemed to spew from Filo as she found a burst of speed. As the line came closer and closer we pulled level with our opponents and we managed to pull ahead just as we crossed the line! We'd done it! We had beaten Motoyasu AND overcome Malty's cheating at the same time!

"The winner of the race is the Shield-Hero!" The mayor called out as everyone in the village cheered at the outcome.

§

After the race had finished, Filo's momentum carried us a fair way past the finish line but eventually, she was able to slow down and turn around, carrying us back to where everyone was gathered. As I hopped off Filo, I was immediately swarmed by both Raphtalia and a group of happy villagers who all tried to thank me at once.

"Please stop everyone, you're embarrassing me!" I tried to wave off but I was laughing and smiling at their joy. "If you really want to thank anyone, thank Filo, she won the race for us, isn't that right Fi-?" *POOF!* As I was reaching to stroke her, she suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke before reappearing instantly. Only now she had grown in size once more. She now looked like a large fluffy owl on legs. But as she looked down at me and let out a happy cry, I knew it was still the same old Filo. As everyone moved to give her a stroke, our moment of joy was soon interrupted. See if you can guess who it was?

"YOU CHEATER! Nobody here knew of your pet's final transformation, which you used to claim an unfair advantage!" Yup Malty just couldn't leave well enough alone.

I turned to face her with an exasperated sigh. "The race is over now so why does it matter? Besides, it's really rich for you to accuse me of cheating when you just can't seem to stop doing it."

"Hmph, I have no idea what you are talking about." Malty huffed, folding her arms. But her response was cut short by the same mysterious cloaked figures who had appeared earlier. "The Shield-Hero isn't wrong," their leader spoke up. "The course was littered with magic, magic that was cast by the magic-users in your party."

Malty tried to deflect the accusation. "Nonsense! If any magic was used, it was obviously by the Shield-Hero to give himself an advantage!" "Does she really think anyone will believe that?" I thought to myself amusedly.

"Incorrect princess." The leader said sharply. "The Shield-Hero's magic is healing and support-based, whilst the magic of his companion is light and dark-based."

"How the heck did they know that?" I thought to myself with alarm as she continued. "The magic that we detected around the course were of affinities that both the Shield-Hero and his companion are weak against. The only people who could cast such spells, as we said earlier, are yourself and the other magic-users you have brought here."

Oh how the mighty have fallen! I couldn't help but let out a joyous burst of laughter as Malty's face looked fit to burst with anger and embarrassment. I decided to twist the screw in a bit further. "The more you try and cheat, the more like a buffoon you look! You should really stop before your idiocy gets you killed." Unable to respond, Malty and her guards stomped off as she swore vengeance upon me.

"The only reason you were able to win is that I let you!" I turned my head to see Motoyasu stumbling past, shame and embarrassment plastered across his face. I then leaned in and whispered in response. "If that's the case, that makes us even now. Now run along like a good boy." Grimacing to himself, Motoyasu took his leave along with the rest of his party.

As I watched Motoyasu leave, the Mayor came up to me with a relieved expression on his face. "Once again you have come to our aid and kept us safe. If there is anything we can give you, please let us know." I waved him off, telling him that I didn't want any reward and that besides they had done more than enough for me by being at my side at the celebration the other night. The Mayor tried to insist but I stubbornly refused.

All of a sudden I felt a tapping on the top of my head. Looking up, I saw Filo was pecking my head in an attempt to get my attention. "What's up Filo?" I asked. In response, she lifted a wing and pointed it off to the side. As we followed where her wing pointed, we saw a worn-out abandoned cart parked up nearby one of the buildings.

"I think your Filolial is onto something." The Mayor stated, scratching his chin in thought. "That's it! If we fix up the cart and give you some starting supplies, you could go throughout the kingdom as a travelling trader. You could make yourself a small fortune in a matter of days!"

Well, that was something I hadn't thought of before! But as I considered it, I suddenly saw all the benefits to it. It would keep us out of reach of the Royals for now and would allow us to explore new parts of the realm and meet various people, and possibly help them out if they needed it. Between selling goods and grinding monsters, we could amass a fortune and build up a good reputation at the same time! "How does that sound to you both?" I asked, looking over at Raphtalia and Filo.

"It would be nice to help as many people as possible. And if we can mend your reputation at the same time, I think it's a great idea." Raphtalia replied, whilst Filo let out a caw of delight which I took as her agreement.

Seeing as our course was decided, the villagers set to work in repairing the cart. Seeing as it would take a few hours, the three of us decided to relax until then. Before we dispersed, the Mayor helped us out one more time by handing me a merchant's pass, which he said would exempt us from any tolls.

§

"BLEEAGGGHH! I'm sorry to ask Master Fergus, but could we please stop for a bit?"

After the villagers had fixed up the cart for us, we had gotten Filo hooked up to the front of it and, bidding farewell to everyone, set off at a good pace. Filo seemed to be absolutely loving this new experience, as all I could hear from her as we were travelling were sighs and hums of contentment. In sharp contrast, Raphtalia's face had turned slightly green as we'd started our trip, resorting to taking refuge in the cart itself. Evening was starting to fall when Raphtalia spoke up.

I turned to look at Raphtalia and was startled to see how pale and sickly she looked. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? Filo! Stop the cart! We'll camp here for the night!" Filo gave an affirmative cry and pulled over to the side of the trail, parking the cart underneath a tree. As we stopped, I immediately hopped down and made my way to the back of the cart. Looking inside, I saw Raphtalia all curled up on herself.

"Travel sickness. Poor thing." With these thoughts, I picked Raphtalia up and took her out of the cart to rest against a tree. As she started to breathe easier, I unhitched Filo from the carriage and then set out about making a fire. Once that was done, I made a space beside it and carried Raphtalia over to it, making sure she was comfortable.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden, Master Fergus." She piped up disconsolately. I shook my head in reply. "You aren't a burden Raphtalia, after all, I promised to look after you remember?" Her face immediately turned red in response and she hurriedly looked back to towards the fire. I asked if she was running a fever as well but she shook her head frantically, saying she was fine. Choosing not to press it further, I took a seat nearby and started making some supper.

"Filo looks really happy doesn't she?" Raphtalia piped up once again, I followed her gaze to our fluffy companion, who was looking between us with a look of expectancy. Now that we weren't travelling, I wasn't surprised that her main focus was now food. I chucked in response. "I'm glad both of you are happy."

With that, we lulled into silence as I prepared some dinner for us. Once we had finished, Raphtalia eventually curled up in her sleeping bag and quickly dozed off. Filo moved right next to me before doing the same herself. As for myself, I continued to tend to the fire for a while but eventually found myself unwittingly falling asleep as well.

§

"FERGUS! WAKE UP FERGUS!" Raphtalia's frantic cries roused me from my sleep. I wearily opened my eyes and stretched myself up fully before looking over to Raphtalia to ask what was wrong. Seeing her panicked expression, I looked down to where she was looking and immediately did a double-take. Where Filo had fallen asleep the night before was instead a small girl, no older than a child, with long blonde hair and with folded wings on her back.

And she was naked. Crap! I instantly averted my eyes as I backed up rapidly.

"What's going on here Fergus? Where's Filo?" Raphtalia asked me frantically.

"I have no idea! I'm as shocked as you are!" I replied back, equally confused.

"Ahhhhhh." Our argument was instantly halted as the girl woke up, having been disturbed by the sounds of our bickering. As she came to, she looked between us confusedly. As her gaze fell on me, her face broke out into an expression of childlike delight. "Good morning Master Fergus! I hope you slept well! Have you got some food? I'm really hungry!" She said with childish glee.

"Hang on a minute! Master Fergus? And she doesn't seem at all confused as to where she is…could it really be?" "FIlo? Is that you?"

And that's the end of that chapter. No major changes to speak of, the only one I can really think of is that Fergus was able to get some jabs in at the King. At this point, they know that it's pointless to stop Fergus from talking as he'll just speak out regardless. They figure it's best to just let Fergus have his say and then deal with it afterwards.

Thank you for all for reading, and I will see you all in the next chapter as our party goes on an adventure, all in order to make a dress for Filo!

Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now