Authors Note: My bad for the wait, busy times now and more coming up. Next chapter is like 60% done (this was all supposed to be one big chapter, but it was gonna be over 20 pages at that rate, so I split it and focused on editing this to keep the story going...), so hopefully I'll get it finished in the next few days!
Chapter 17
Hours had passed. It was only now, the first bunch of church disciples roused from their forced slumber. A sparse handful, at random, spaced unevenly through the field of comatose bodies. They were confused as to their whereabouts. A giant wall they've never seen before stretched up into the sky. However, an inspection around showed the same town that always surrounded their church. It was then obvious that this wall was built while they were out cold.
It took discipline to subside their astonishment, but it was the duty of those awake to formulate a plot immediately. Vengeance was a must. They lost a battle, but the war continues. Disperse, regroup and plan. They had to scout out a new location. They had to help their brethren recuperate. They had to rescue Pope Balmus. There was no way they could let this injustice be.
But they didn't have a choice in the matter.
"STAY DOWN!" Ritsuka yelled, aiming her sword at the throat of the forefront mage.
He held his hands up in defense, showing his palms to convey surrender.
"In lieu of both the King and the Queen, I, Ritsuka, Second-in-Command of the Bow Hero's party, had been elected by majority rule to oversee the capital of Melromarc until her highness has returned! You will be put under the oath of Slave Crests and be interrogated by me and my subordinates!"
"W-WAIT! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" The mage lied. "Those three heroes, they attacked us first! We were defending ourselves!"
Ritsuka grit her teeth. "We are in a time of emergency! Strict measures will be laid out and followed without exception! We have no time to take your word at face value!"
"Heyyy, Captain Ritsuka!" A young paladin, most infamously known for sending Goblin Slayer away by accident, waved his hand by the strange wall where the church once could be touched. He pulled off a sheet of paper tacked against it and ran it to her. "It's addressed to you."
Ritsuka took the parchment. Indeed, her name was written on the outer folds.
"…who could this be from? Kazuma-sama?" She unraveled it gently. She cleared her throat, preparing to read it aloud before her fellow comrades and the awakened members of the church.
"Dear Ritsuka, its Kazuma, the best hero, no-questions-asked. Just so you know, the Three Heroes Church was attempting to overthrow the kingdom and start a revolt to take over Melromarc. They should probably be tried for treason.
And yes, this is a giant wall you see surrounding the church. Hajime and Killua have decided to make it their home, and they invited me in. I hope you guys don't mind, but it's pretty safe and comfortable in here, so I've taken up their offer. Also, please don't try to do anything against them. They are STUPIDLY powerful, and will probably kill each and every one of you if you make their lives more inconvenient then it needs to be. Hajime wants me to let you know he said that personally.
But don't worry, they want to go home as quick as possible, so they plan on defeating the Waves as fast as they can. So you're good on that end! Everything else however seems like it's gonna be your guys' problem now. Sorry about that!
Sincerely, the best hero."
Ritsuka crumpled up, ripped apart and stomped on the letter. She glared at the members of the church. "Taking over Melromarc, huh?"
The anger in her eyes was mostly due to them trying to lie their way out…but a sheer, unadulterated annoyance, unrelated to them, had wedged in its own little place. The rest of Kazuma's party was present, naturally. However, the 20 of them were far from enough to surround and subdue 153 mages. A group of 28 armed villagers, led by Erhard the blacksmith, offered them assistance. This group was rounded out by a handful of 11 knights. These 59 people dispersed themselves into the crowd.
Most villagers went to binding the hands of mages still down for the count. Erhard, joined by a few villagers with combat experience, helped the knights and adventurers handle the 34 conscious mages. A few fights broke out in patches, but only between knights and mages. When it came to the adventurers, fear had persuaded them to cooperate peacefully. They were associated with one of the heroes, after all. This was an insult to the knights, but it was not as if they didn't understand.
Everyone knew their lives had forever changed. Legendary heroes leaving the corpses of their royal rulers to clean up has that effect on people. Lost without leadership, the villagers naturally looked to the knights next for what was to happen. They were the closest authority associated with the now deceased king, and the queen was still out of country. It was here that a heated argument broke out between Kazuma's party and the royal knights.
The knights argued that they still acted on behalf of the queens authority, and because of that, they should now be the interim rulers who call the shots until she returns. Though they said this, it was an open secret that the king and Malty still had people loyal to them. Trust was not easy to hand out under these circumstances.
It was Ritsuka who argued that, as Second-in-Command of Kazuma's party, she was the only one who had even a semblance of influence among the three heroes. Although she said this, she didn't actually think she could change Hajime or Killua's mind about anything, and it was obvious Kazuma wouldn't have the ability to convince them either. Fortunately, her argument was effective in persuading who the townsfolk would support. And that was what mattered most.
To maintain diplomacy, Ritsuka promised to hold council with knights she believed truly held the queen's interests at heart, without ulterior motives. This way, she proposed, she could balance the demands of the heroes and the Queen's wishes. All the while giving order to the leaderless public of Melromarc.
There were two important things Ritsuka had come to understand through the impromptu trial, and execution, of the king and the princess. First, the three heroes, particularly Hajime, are an unstoppable entity of their own and are allied to no one. Second, the rest of the world is on the verge of hating Melromarc, and their country may be on the brink of extinction at the hands of war, should they be attacked en masse. Their only bargaining chip is now the very heroes not even they could stop. In this sense, it was a stroke of luck that Hajime and Killua decided to make their home here.
A commotion began to build from the within the mages as more woke up. Without the time to cast spells, they were forced to fight back physically, hoping to buy time for more to come to consciousness and help overtake them. The knights pulled out their swords and the adventurers readied their weapons. This forced the mages into a standoff as they prepared for a desperate counter attack.
Then a hole opened in the wall. Everyone froze. Nobody knew which of the three heroes might walk out of it. It was to their absolute surprise when a nervous Beloukas timidly peaked his head out. As soon as he slipped through, the hole slammed shut. Adventurers and knights surrounded him, their weapons pointed at his throat.
"What were you doing in there?" Ritsuka demanded.
He gulped. "I…was…uh…" Beads of sweat pooled at his hairline, rolling down at random. He looked at the disciples around the place, then waved for Ritsuka to lean in. She did. Her eyes went wide when he whispered his answer into her ear.
[Inside the dome]
"Where did you get that sword?" Killua asked.
The pope grit his teeth before looking down. "It's an ancient weapon, like the one you three have." He answered truthfully, at least. One of many benefits a Slave Crest provides.
He knelt without resistance, his back to the edge of the crater gouged by his earlier attack. The three heroes he attempted to execute surrounded him in a semi-circle, blocking his path to the door. A sparse ray of sunlight faded feebly from the top of the dome's crest. It hardly reached them, but the tiny peak of light reflected on their irises. Green, Red and Blue. It was what stood out most prominently of them to the pope, the rest becoming barely visible with strained eyes.
To them, however, there wasn't a detail on him that remained unseen. They each had a skill or sharp enough sight to see in the dark. The pope tried to maintain an air of composure, keeping his face straight and undisturbed. He failed when Killua's fingers writhed, bones crackling, the faint sight of his hand transforming into veiny claws. Sapphire snake-eyes pierced the thick darkness, ominously fixated on him.
"Do you want to see what'll happen if you force me to keep asking questions?" The cold tone to his voice haunted the pope through his wretched soul.
He shook his head, rattling his glasses. "It's a replica of the Cardinal Weapons! It was forged centuries ago, as an attempt to create the ultimate weapon that can transform into each of yours!"
"Hm?" Hajime raised an eyebrow. "It can transform into each of our weapons?" He looked at the sword laying at his feet. He kicked it over to the pope. "Transform it into a bow. Don't do anything else with it."
The pope complied, both due to the Slave Crest, as well as a general fear. He lifted the golden sword and it shined like a searing bulb; quickly revealing Killua's razor-tipped fingers. He was thankful when the darkness concealed it once again. He now held a golden bow and arrow.
"Slide it over to Kazuma." Killua demanded.
Kazuma picked it up once it tapped his toes.
"There ya go!" Hajime pat his back.
"I get why you're giving it to me…but is having another one of these really gonna help?" He slung it over his shoulder, resting against his other bow. "I need both hands in order to use one in the first place…"
"Who knows?" Killua shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find something useful to make out of it. Having two holy weapons can't hurt, right?"
"I got a few ideas. We'll talk later, though." Hajime stepped closer. The pope's breathing became audibly disturbed. He tried shifting backwards, to put distance between them, but his foot slid off the edge of the stable floor and thumped his shin against the ground. He heard tiny bits of stone roll and echo farther and farther away, trickling down to the center of the crater. The sounds he would make if he fell back would be more violent, and yet it still wouldn't kill him. He was thus trapped. "Can we by-pass the restriction that forces us to only use our designated weapon?"
The thought of telling just a technical truth crossed his mind. For a fleeting moment. An ounce of spite still remained beneath his fear. Although the pope would have gladly become a martyr for his cause…Hajime and Killua made it clear they have no intentions of killing him. Hajime made it very clear he would make him suffer as much as he needed. And Pope Balmus wasn't so honorable of a man to endure torture to abide by his corrupt beliefs.
"N-n-n-n…" He stuttered frightfully before spewing a coherent sentence. "No...b-but, you aren't limited specifically to the exact weapon you summoned…did you know that?"
"No." Red eyes floated in the dark, glaring at him, remaining stern. "What does that mean?"
The pope's face regained its warmth, relieved he could appease them with information they didn't know yet. "You're weapons can take on the form and quality of any respective weapon of the same type that you touch. Like that shield of yours he used earlier!" He cocked his head toward Killua. "You don't need to hold onto it for him! H-h-he can transform his shield into a perfect copy now that he's made contact with it!"
Killua's eyebrows raised curiously. He looked at the shield fastened to his arm. 'So these weapons function primarily in response to thought signals...' He imagined the shield that Hajime let him borrow earlier. He remembered its texture as he held it, its details he observed up close, the weight against his arm… "WHOA!" It then transformed into an exact copy, bringing those memories to life.
"What!?" Kazuma pointed excitedly at it. "That's awesome!"
Hajime looked subtly amused. 'Hehh? It's similar to my Duplicate Transmutation.'
The pope continued. "A-a-and…to level up faster-"
"Ah, I don't really care about that." Hajime interrupted. "Is there anything else these weapons can do?
"Wait, wait! Hold on!" Kazuma waved his arm and flicked a spark of Tinder to get their attention. "I need to know how to level up as fast as possible! If there's anything beyond the standard method, I'm all ears!"
"Ah!" The pope turned to him. Kazuma felt wrong, having a man terrified for his life and unable to deny demands giving him his attention. His Foresight may not have had perfect night vision, but it provided enough of the sight to make him uncomfortable. "There are ways in which you can make your weapon stronger! For instance, past Bow Heroes have rumored that the rarity of a weapon will make it more powerful! This may be something to look into."
Kazuma looked at his bows. "Rare, huh?"
The pope suppressed an evil smile. 'To "help" them…I should probably mention this too.' "Actually, to answer both your questions, there are also means to…exponentially increase the power of your weapons attacks."
"Ohhh, really?" Kazuma was interested. "Sounds helpful…how so?"
The pope's solemn face perfectly masked the urge to grin with delightful deceit. "It's called the Curse Series. They are borne from intense feelings of anger and hatred, particularly to an enemy! If you find yourself ever feeling such a way…seize those feelings. They are a source of power. Those emotions are linked to your weapons. The energy that would be channeled forth from such…" The pope's eyes glazed over in awe. "Will be nothing short of absolutely amazing."
The pope recoiled. Their faces changed just enough for him to make out in the terribly dim lighting. Kazuma was disgusted. Hajime was angry. Killua…was interested.
"That sounds cool!" He said, imagining what sorts of attacks his shield might pull off.
"Oi, Killua, that's a bad idea." Kazuma said.
"Are there dangerous repercussions to using this Curse Series?" Hajime asked.
The mask and the hidden smile of the pope where both spear-headed by an honest look of regret and terror. His face paled yet again, going cold in his cheeks. He turned his head down and answered with a voice no higher than the squeak of a mouse. "Yes."
For a moment, the memory of Gon sacrificing his Nen to achieve total power flashed in his mind's eye. 'OK, nevermind…I'm not touching those.'
Hajime sighed. "See, this is why we're asking questions first from veritable sources. Imagine the trouble we could've found ourselves in by acting blindly!"
The pope began sweating. "S-s-s-soooo….are there any other questions I can answer for you? Anything I can do for you? I am the pope, so if you need me to speak on your behalf to everyone outside, I assure you, this Slave Crest won't be necessary…" He was honest; eager to please them in lieu of his attempt just now to lead them into using self-destructive powers.
"We don't need you to say anything." Hajime walked within kicking range. The pope became more aware than ever of the long fall behind him. "We made a big mess already in this nation, and the best thing we can do at the moment, is let the people figure out how corrupt you and the king were for themselves, while we keep to ourselves. Once they realize that we were right about how deceitful and greedy you all are, and that all we want to do is find a way home…they'll come around to not hating us. Now…" He knelt down, coming face to face. "I do have one last question…"
The pope could only make out Hajime's eyes. They were void of humanity, terrifying yet hypnotizing like bloody embers, brimming with the menace of a monster. He gulped, grimacing at the dryness of his mouth. His chest tightened around his pounding heart. Killua narrowed his gaze, watching intently, unconsciously bringing a hand up to his mouth.
He anxiously bit on his thumbnail, yet watched the pope bright eyed with anticipation. This question, and its ensuing answer, will determine how much trouble his sister will actually be in. 'I rented a week's worth of time at a hotel for us, and it's only been three days since I've been forced to come here…if I can be back in the next four days, at least…' His eyes shook, his heart teetering delicately, uncertainty making it feel like a weight wobbling atop a needle. 'PLEASE! THIS GUY HAS TO KNOW SOME SECRET WAY BACK!'
Hajime finally spoke. "Is there a way to return to our homes without defeating these waves?"
Pope Balmus' eyes went blank, pupils darting around aimlessly, searching the recesses of his brain for an answer. His mouth moved before his face settled on a concrete reply. "I'm sorry." His furrowed brows and strained voice gave away the rest before saying it. "I have…no idea." Slave Crest did nothing.
Killua's hand dropped, eyes going wide, losing their shine. 'No…' His heart sunk to his stomach, making him feel sick. 'Alluka!' This was his last hope. He'd been ignoring how desperately he hinged himself on this answer. He continued ignoring it. "Pope, do you know any methods to expedite how often these Waves occur?"
Kazuma's skin crawled. "Ah! Killua! I can't handle something like that-"
"How about the source of them? Is there a core we can attack to stop them all in one swoop?" Killua's voice became desperate, shaky. A dry throat and a growing pain in his chest made it worse. "Are there legends of how to supposedly remove them immediately? In fact, are there any rumors that Waves are an inside job of a cult, monster or the world's reaction against the wrongdoings of man?"
Kazuma's shoulders dropped, seeing how worried he was. "Killua…"
"I…I don't know!" The pope panicked as well, but out of fear for himself. "All I know is that you have to fight and defeat them as they come!"
Killua squeezed his fists, grit his teeth, and turned his face down until his hair covered his eyes. 'Just how long… am I…really going to be stuck in this world?' A sharp pain at the top of his head, from a metal fist clunking him, snapped him out of his despair. "OI!" He grunted in pain, looking up at Hajime, teary eyes under a throbbing bump.
"You're worried about your sister, aren't you? The one you mentioned earlier?" Hajime's face was stern yet light-hearted.
Killua nodded, massaging the bump back into his skull. 'I forgot I mentioned her out loud when I nearly killed the king…'
Hajime's expression didn't change. "Answer me honestly: Do you think she can survive for two months?"
"Huh?" He blinked.
"Listen, you can bet your ass I'm gonna try like hell to destroy these Waves the first time around…but if I've learned anything in that abyss I fell into…it's that you never get something right the first time. Hell, my weapons and techniques were refined over the course of a thousand trials, errors and failures. But if we put our heads together, then after that first Wave, we're gonna have a damned good idea what to expect from them, and a whole month to prepare the most effective way to destroy them! So keeping our hopes practical…I'd give it about 2, possibly 3 months in the best case scenario within pragmatic margins. That's my theory, at least. I'll revise it when I get some new information. So until then…you think your sister can hold out?"
Killua's face stilled with surprise. Hajime's proposition seemed too good to be true. Until he processed the nuances of what he said. Best case scenario, within pragmatic margins. This brought Killua back to his senses, leaving him to find an honest answer to the question.
'I left Alluka in a hotel room of a medium-sized city with our remaining food and money. She may be innocent, but she's not dumb. It's been three days since I came here, so as long as she hasn't panicked and went out in public where Nanika makes a request…' Killua stopped his train of thought there. He straightened his back, drew in a deep breath through his nose, and closed his eyes with an exhale.
'Don't forget. You told Nanika to never grant anyone else a wish again. She agreed to it. You don't have to worry about that.' Killua opened his eyes, but focused inwards as he collected his thoughts. 'OK. Let me list my foremost worries. 1) Alluka running out of food, money, and thus losing a place to stay. 2) Her causing a scene or mentioning her last name that would draw my family's attention. 3) An accident, resulting in injury or death.
For point one, she has enough money to afford at least four more days at the hotel. I rented out a week's worth, and since three days have passed, that gives her a total of 8 days left at most. Though, she'll need to buy food, so that already shortens the extra days she has. But a city that size should have soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Volunteers in those establishments tend to be genuinely charitable, and it'd be the most likely place that the hotel staff would recommend she go if she explains her situation. So if she finds herself at a shelter, since she's just a child, they may offer means to help her, possibly give her easy, under-the-table jobs, even if it's just to make at least little ends meet. They might even offer her a place to stay too. So the means for her to last, even if it's on scraps, are there. It'll be difficult, but not impossible.
For point two, I think I have less to worry about. With everything we went through together just to escape the mansion, she should understand the potential dangers of drawing too much attention to herself, or mentioning our family name to strangers. So then point three…' He shook his head. 'That's at the mercy of luck. I can't control that. All I can do is keep it out of my mind, and trust she'll be careful. Worrying about it won't do any good.'
He recognized every jump in logic, wishful thinking and downplayed negatives his thoughts were plagued with…but he had no choice. He could either have faith in his sister, or wallow on the edge of panic. If he was to keep a straight mind for the next two months, so he could operate as efficiently as possible against this world, then there was only one thing he could do on his end. He looked up at Hajime, feigning confidence with a strained grin. "Yeah. She's my sister, after all. She'll be OK until I get back!" The words felt hollow. He ignored it.
Hajime noticed but grinned anyway, nodding at him. He then grabbed the pope by his collar. "Alright, we're done with you for now!" He dragged him across the floor. The pope knew he was being pulled away from the crater, which made him happy. What he couldn't see, however, is he was being dragged towards a stone vault. It was transmuted to resemble a concrete-fortified broom closet. "In you go!" He tossed the pope and shut him in. The tiny bit of light the dome had was sealed away, locking the pope in total, ink-black darkness. The door wouldn't budge unless one had the Mana output to open it. Which only a monster from Tortus would have.
Kazuma squinted his eyes uneasily. His judgmental stare narrowed as Hajime returned. He never cared. This caused Kazuma to stare harder as they walked to the exit. They pushed through the doors, sunlight slamming over and around them, reminding them of its existence with a blinding flash. Slowly, the mosaic patterns embedded in the floor, the intricate masonry etched into the walls, and the high arches that dwarfed their sense of size assaulted their intake of sunlit details.
Their eyes fully adjusted by the time they made it down the hallway. A makeshift swimming pool came into view, steam rising from the herb-diluted water. It was as close to a hot spring as they could get. Kazuma and Killua were about to sprint to it when they felt Hajime's hands grab their shoulders.
"Hold it! We got something to decide on… See, we're gonna have to update everyone outside about three things: One, the pope is alive and well. Actually, scratch off well, but he's alive, so it's not like we killed another person."
"We?" Kazuma snorted.
"Two, unlike the church, we're not gonna take over their country, and unlike the king, we're not gonna lie to them about our intentions. And three, we're open to communication and trade. So who wants to let them know? Cuz I can't. I just killed their royalty. They're probably all still scared of me."
Killua crossed his arms. "Well I can't, they hate me. Shield Hero here, remember?"
Kazuma's brow twitched. "Well, I just heard TWO GOOD REASONS why it should be BOTH OF YOU doing it!" He pointed at Killua. "This is your chance to gain their trust!" He pointed at Hajime. "And your chance to show them you're not an unreasonable psychopath!" Then his expression fell. "Also, I'm not sure how seriously they take me…"
Hajime sighed. "How should we decide this?"
"Let's keep it fair." Killua made a fist and slapped it into his palm. "Let's decide through rock-paper-scissors!"
"Ohh? Sure!" Hajime agreed. "Best two outta three wins!"
As they smiled at each other, an excruciating pressure thickened the air. Killua focused his visual acuity to its utmost sharpest degree, so he could determine what his two opponents would choose and counter it in that split second. Hajime took it a step further and activated Riftwalk, heightening all his senses and slowing down his perception of time to achieve the same feat.
'Sorry Kazuma.'
'Sorry Kazuma!'
They formed an unspoken agreement. One of them will intentionally lose to the other, fooling Kazuma into thinking it was by chance, then use their superhuman senses to beat him. Wash, rinse, repeat until Kazuma has no choice but to be the awkward bearer of news.
However…
A great presence began to emanate at their side. It took them by surprise. It was foreign, new, one they had never felt before. An enormous power that threatened their status as superiors, making their concrete foundation of confidence as fragile as glass. No, even softer; like jelly. Hajime and Killua turned to the source, slow and timid like cautious animals. There stood Kazuma, fist resting in palm, and a face solid with conviction. A strange aura of unbeatable energy flowed off the edges of his body. He drew in a deep breath, relaxed in his unshaking certainty.
"I've never lost a game of rock-paper-scissors in my life." His voice rung with an unusual depth. "Bring it."
After 44 rounds, 44 of which Kazuma remained undefeated…Killua switched sides and Hajime was thus designated the news-sender.