Wow. I didn't know if I'd get this done since I flew out of the Bahamas today and had such terrible wifi while I was there last week. Miracles can happen! Also, we're finally back to Naofumi and his gang! I'm just glad you guys enjoyed getting the chance to see the other heroes and all that was going on with them! Now, I hope you all can enjoy today's chapter!
Thanks again to E2Moto for proofreading the last few chapters. Along with Emmy and MaLockser for proofreading this chapter alongside him. You're all awesome, and deserve a shoutout here!
Also, let's not forget, have a Merry Christmas everyone!
Since Last Time: 28 more Favorites, 34 more Followers (Total: 705 Favorites, 816 Followers)
Updated: December 23rd, 2019 9:30 P.M. (EST)
Chapter Twenty-Two: Help from the Shadows
Two Days Later (33 Days before the Next Wave)
"And protect my target. Fast Guard!"
At first, nothing happened after Naofumi had finished the chant. But then, a blue glow came out from his outstretched hand and settled over Filo. Her head perked up as she was pulling the wagon. "Wow, I suddenly feel more protected! Thanks, daddy!" Filo cried out happily.
Naofumi calmly smirked where he was sitting. For once, his hood was back, and he was happy. The spell had used some of his MP, but not an outrageous amount of what was contained in his current gauge. In his screen, he again got the confirmation that Filo's defense stat had been raised. "Good. That should help you with the monster attacks. Keep running Filo." He said calmly as he looked back down at the medical grimoire again.
"Hmm hmmm hmm hmmm." In front of him, Filo started humming to herself as she kept up a brisk pace on their path through the forested hills. They were finally almost out of the mountain range. Filo was pulling the wagon as usual. Naofumi was on the driver's bench trying to translate a recipe for a sleep resistance potion from his medical grimoire (since, apparently, sleep could be inflicted as a status effect, go figure). Raphtalia was currently resting in the back of the wagon. Having been up most of last night because of all the monsters that had constantly harassed their camp.
Even now, miles away from their last campsite, they were being harassed by monsters.
A large porcupine burst out of the forest in front of Filo. However, because of Filo's much larger mass, speed, and with Naofumi's spell boosting her defense, Filo plowed right through the porcupine. Knocking it's much smaller body away with her wing into a tree. "Hm hmmm hm hmmhm." Filo kept on humming.
Naofumi was almost tempted to hum along with Filo as the familiar experience notification appeared next to his head again.
'I still wish she wouldn't call me her Father… but I can't believe it! I'm finally able to use magic! This is so cool!' He thought excitedly in his mind. Granted, the spell would wear off after fifteen minutes, and he'd have to cast it all over again; still, he didn't mind at all. Ever since he'd learned how to channel mana from the accessory merchant he'd found himself feeling far happier and more upbeat than before. And he gladly took time to practice the two spells he knew whenever he could. Fast Guard, and Fast Heal. The spell he'd learned shortly after leaving the merchant back in Algade.
'That guy really helped me out a lot.' Naofumi thought. Even now he still found himself sometimes thinking about what he'd learned.
"Now, observe."
Naofumi watched as the accessory merchant's hand hovered over the nicely cut emerald on the table in front of him. A blue glow then came from the merchant's hand, and then suddenly the gem started to glow. "To enchant an accessory, you first need a source to power the enchantment. And while your own mana supply will be sufficient for most basic enchantments, using a rare gemstone can provide access to far better enchantments." The merchant explained.
"You mean like how you explained the rarer the ore, the easier it is to give a better enchantment?" Naofumi asked.
"Precisely." The Merchant said with a smile on his face. "Silver is almost always better to use than Copper. But gold is better than them both. And neither of the three could ever compare to a rare ore such as Adamantium. The same rules apply to gemstones. An Emerald won't get as good as enchantments near as often as a Ruby. And a Ruby won't get as good as enchantments that Diamonds achieve. And unless they're all cut gemstones, they'll be utterly useless for enchantments."
"So the reason why your Silver Ring is so rare-" Naofumi started to say.
"Is because it achieved a Gold Diamond Level Enchantment with Silver and an Emerald used for the enchantment process." The merchant finished happily. "An extremely rare possibility! One I can't hope to replicate again in my lifetime!"
Naofumi looked down at the gemstone again. What he was learning would come in handy. However… "How do you infuse mana into it?" He asked. "I mean, I'm not very good at magic." He admitted.
"Hmmm. Explain." The merchant asked curiously.
"Well, I learned a spell from a grimoire already. I have an MP gauge showing on my status magic. But whenever I try to use it, nothing works-" Naofumi was explaining.
"Hmmm, that's rather a simple issue really." The merchant said, interrupting Naofumi.
"... It is?" Naofumi asked in unbelief.
"Why yes. You obviously have the magical capability if you learned a spell from a grimoire. I've met several people in my life who knew magic but couldn't cast it. Only because they didn't know how to channel their mana." He surprised Naofumi again by grabbing his hand and moving it over the infused gemstone. "Tell me, what do you feel?"
Naofumi recovered from his surprise and focused on what he felt coming from the gemstone under his hand. "It feels… strangely warm." He said after a moment of feeling the infused gemstone.
"Focus on that warm feeling." The accessory merchant advised. "Imagine the warmness trickling in and out of your hand. Imagine it becoming a part of you."
…
…
Naofumi was beginning to think after concentrating really hard that the merchant was messing with him, but then a surprising thing happened. The gemstone beneath his hand became cold. "Yes, good! You managed to take the mana out of the gemstone!" The merchant said excitedly. Beneath Naofumi's hand, the gemstone no longer glowed.
'What…' Naofumi quickly checked his gauges. 'Holy hell!' Naofumi found his eyes widening in surprise when he saw his MP gauge. The amount of mana he'd taken in had overfilled his gauge to over double what he was supposed to have.
"Now I'd recommend putting that mana back in the gemstone. Overfilling yourself with mana can have… unexpected consequences if it's held for too long." The merchant advised.
"You couldn't have told me that beforehand?!" Naofumi asked incredulously.
"Well, that's because as long as you remember what you felt, you shouldn't have a problem channeling your mana." The merchant said happily. "Hmmm… at least, I hope not." He added as an afterthought.
Naofumi wanted to facepalm. He wanted to facepalm so badly. But instead, he put his hand over the gemstone, not wanting to find out the consequences of holding too much mana for too long. He focused on the warm feeling he'd felt before... 'This warm feeling, the one that was emanating from the stone…' His eyes widened slightly under his hood. 'There it is!'
It was like discovering another layer of himself he hadn't realized he had before. One that felt like it was just under the surface of his skin. It was weird. He didn't know whether or not it was because of the amount of mana he was holding, but that warm feeling was glowing brightly inside his being. Almost too bright. 'Is this what Raphtalia meant when she explained it as being a part of herself?' He thought.
He imagined that part of him, extending out from his hand and infusing itself into the emerald below him. And then, that warm feeling dimmed significantly, like a fire turning into the glowing embers of charcoals.
"You did it, Nocturnal Doctor!"
Naofumi looked down at the now infused gemstone below him. His MP gauge currently showed itself being half full. He'd not only gotten rid of the extra MP but some of his own. "It's fully saturated now, and ready to be used for an enchantment!" The merchant added excitedly.
'So for me to even be able to use a gemstone for an enchantment, I'd have to use my full mana gauge repeatedly. And this is just an emerald.' Naofumi thought. He couldn't imagine how much mana he'd need to put into a ruby, let alone, a diamond at his current level before it would be saturated enough for an enchantment.
After a few minutes of excitement, the merchant had a silver bracelet with a hole for the emerald in place on the table. "This is the last step, and normally the one that most people mess up. Most trinkets, armor, and weapons can be enchanted. Normally, all you'd have to do is touch the item to whatever you're enchanting to start the process." The merchant explained. "However, there is always a chance of the enchantment failing, destroying both the gemstone and the item being enchanted. One secret to decreasing the risk is to make a slot that'll fit the gemstone perfectly before enchanting. Like so." He fit the emerald into the premade slot he'd made in the side of the bracelet.
"It also adds a bit of beauty to the final product if I do say so myself." He said in admiration, awing over the bracelet before he handed it to Naofumi. "I'll allow you to do the final honors Nocturnal Doctor."
The bracelet's item description appeared on Naofumi's status magic screen. At the bottom of the description was a new option.
Enchant Great Quality Silver Bracelet? Chance of Success:90%.
'Alright, here goes.'
He selected the enchant option, and the bracelet glowed a bright green for a few seconds. His MP gauge dropped to almost empty. Then, finally, the light cleared and a new notification appeared on his screen.
Enchantment successful. New Item: Good Quality Silver Bracelet. Enchantment Applied: Slight Agility Up.
'Slight agility up?' Naofumi thought.
"Hmmm. Not as exciting as I thought it'd be." The merchant said. "What do you think Nocturnal Doctor?" The merchant asked.
"The quality went down after I enchanted it. And it used up almost the rest of my MP to enchant it… plus, the effect I got from it wasn't what I was expecting." He said dryly.
"That is one last detail I should mention." The merchant said. "The enchantment effects received at the end of the process are always random."
"Always random, huh?" Naofumi looked up at the merchant and smirked from under his hood. A new idea was forming in his head. An idea that, just maybe, might finally give him a way to increase his attack stat. 'If it's always random, then there's no way my Shield can stop me from enchanting something to raise my attack!' He thought happily. "I don't think I'd mind that at all." He said calmly.
"Indeed!" The merchant said happily. "Now I know we've been at this a few hours already, but if you want, I can show you another secret to enchanting. Something that minimizes the risk of quality dropping during the enchantment."
"The night is still young," Naofumi replied as he resettled into his chair. "Let's keep at it." He wanted to learn all he could.
Naofumi sighed happily in his seat. Not only had he learned the ins and outs of enchanting, but because he had learned how to channel his mana. He had found hope of finally having a way to increase his attack stat once more.
'Where spells, weapons, and armor won't work, maybe this will finally be the thing that helps me increase my attack stat!' He thought happily.
"What was that Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked curiously and tiredly as she took a seat by Naofumi on the bench.
Had she just read his mind again? Either way, her reappearance caught him off guard. "Nothing. Just thinking about the spell I'm using to keep Filo safe while we travel." He said calmly. "And why are you up? We just started an hour ago."
"I was getting a little queasy back there," Raphtalia admitted tiredly as she rubbed at her eyes.
"... You're still not used to riding in the back of the wagon? Are you?" Naofumi asked.
"Well, I'm not using any medicine today to see if-" Raphtalia was saying as she was checking her own status screen. "Um, are you sure you cast a spell on our daughter?" Raphtalia asked, looking at Filo's status.
"Yeah, I'm sure, and she's not my-" Naofumi's eyes widened when he looked at Filo's status himself. The spell had long since worn off. He'd been so caught up in his memories of several nights ago he'd forgotten to reapply the defense magic!
At that same moment of realization, another porcupine jumped out of the forest into the center of the road. It was easily as wide as Filo and blocked the path ahead. It had a purple arrow pointing down at its head. Naofumi's appraisal skill identified it as Filo stopped.
Quill King: Level 45
"The other porcupines were only level 30," Naofumi said in surprise. He was about to tell Filo to turn around and find another way when Filo slammed a foot down on the road.
"Yayyy! I'm finally going to have the chance to have a real fight!" Filo said excitedly. "I hope this monster puts up more of a fight than those other weak ones.
"Hngh!" The Quill King screeched as it reared up on its hind legs. It did not take kindly to having Filo call its kids weaklings. It brought both feet crashing down on the road, and then a barrage of sharp quills launched from its back at Filo.
"Filo-" Naofumi tried to warn her to move.
"It's okay Daddy. Those things won't hurt me-" Filo was bragging as she lifted her wing to defend herself. However, she'd thought that Naofumi's spell was still active. Unfortunately, even if it had, this boss wasn't like the other weaker porcupine monsters.
"Owie!" Filo cried as the quills pierced her wing. She fell back onto the ground, cradling her hurt wing to her chest.
"Filo!" Naofumi jumped off the bench and landed in front of Filo, shield raised towards the porcupine. "Royal Shield!" A gold-colored barrier of energy with a crown in the center of it appeared in front of Naofumi and Filo.
"Keep it distracted!" Raphtalia had already disappeared from where she'd been standing on the wagon by the time she yelled.
"I'll try-" Naofumi was cut off as more large Quills from the boss slammed into the skill he'd placed. While it stopped the needles from hitting him and Filo, it shattered the skill entirely.
The Quill King screeched angrily at Naofumi as it prepared to fire more quills from its back. 'I guess that skill doesn't work well on monsters with royal titles.' Naofumi thought as he pulled up a reliable shield from his arsenal.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi activated the skill, and a green shield appeared in front of Filo and himself. The Boss Monster fired another round of large quills at them, but these ones bounced harmlessly off onto the ground. The Air Strike Shield stayed in place. 'Much better.'
"Grrr…" After seeing its barrage fail, the Quill King growled angrily. Naofumi grimaced as he held a defensible stance in front of the whimpering Filo. 'As long as I stand in front of Filo, it won't get a chance to hurt her.' He thought logically. 'My defense is too high for it to do any damage to me, so as long as-'
More screeching sounds came from the sides. Naofumi quickly turned his head and saw several smaller porcupines that had appeared on either side of the wagon. The Quill King's growling now sounded pleased with its young.
'Oh hell. How long did Raphtalia need me to distract this for?' Naofumi thought. He was currently level 36, Filo was level 34, and Raphtalia was level 39. And while his high defense would protect him, Filo and Raphtalia could still be hurt by the level 33 Porcupines surrounding them.
Filo tried pulling at one of the quills in her wing with her beak but cried out in pain from the action. Her status menu currently showed that she was poisoned and paralyzed from the first barrage.
The Quill King screeched out its orders to the smaller porcupines, and the quills on their backs bristled. Naofumi, upon closer inspection, saw venom dripping off the tips. His grimace grew deeper. 'Crap. I only have Shield Prison to defend Filo. And she can't attack while she's paralyzed. This is not good. This is so not good-'
"Hah!" Slash!
The porcupine boss's eyes widened in surprise. A dying gasp escaped its lips. Then blood burst from the gash that had cleaved it in two. From the front of its head all the way back to the tip of its tail. The two pieces fell to either side. Blood quickly coating the ground. The other porcupines, who had been about to launch their barrage, looked stunned.
Naofumi looked as surprised as the Boss Monster had been. "How the hell-" He stopped speaking as Raphtalia appeared from her Hide Mirage spell in front of the carcass. She was taking deep measured breaths, but the glare on her face didn't look any less deadly as she looked up at the other porcupines. 'She snuck behind the monster, and then she sliced the whole thing in two…'
The large critters turned tail and bolted back into the forest. Not wanting to deal with Raphtalia's rage.
She slowly sheathed her blade back in its sheath. Her job was done. "No one… no one… is allowed, to harm my daughter." She said evenly.
The Air Strike Shield disappeared. 'Note to self, don't ever piss off Raphtalia.' Naofumi reminded himself. She had killed the boss so quickly, it hadn't even had time to say oops for its mistake.
"Mommy!" Filo whined behind Naofumi.
Raphtalia without a second thought ran by the monster carcass and past the still in shock Naofumi to reach Filo. "Are you okay Filo?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.
"That last monster really hurt!" Filo pouted as she looked at her wing. A fistful of porcupine quills was sticking out from her feathers all over it. Some spots were lightly dripping blood, staining her feathers red.
Naofumi sighed to himself. 'I guess that's the only downside about traveling through forests. They're the perfect place for monsters to spawn… I understand this country isn't as advanced as Japan's, but seriously. If they got rid of some of the forests, there wouldn't be as many areas for monsters to spawn. At least annoying ones like these porcupines.'
Raphtalia tried to reach for one, but Filo worriedly put her other wing over her wounded one. Not wanting the pain to somehow get worse. "It's okay. I promise it won't hurt." Raphtalia said.
"... Okay, mommy." Filo moved her wing away, and Raphtalia got to work pulling the long sharp quills from Filo's wings.
"Ow!" Filo cried out when Raphtalia pulled the biggest quill out. "It stings mommy!" She continued to cry.
"There there. It'll be okay." Raphtalia comforted Filo as she tried to work as gently as she could. "It'll be over in a moment."
…
Naofumi finally snapped out of his reverie and pulled two potions from his inventory. He kept his shield out, just in case the other porcupines came back. 'I wonder, can I…' Naofumi pulled up an alchemy menu and mixed together the paralysis cure potion and the antidote.
"Hey, it doesn't hurt as much anymore!" Filo suddenly said.
"That's great!" Raphtalia said happily.
Raphtalia finished pulling the last quill out of Filo's wing. Right as Naofumi finished the little mixed concoction he'd been working on. "Alright, my turn now," Naofumi said as he and Raphtalia switched places.
"As source of thy power, I order thee, decipher the laws of nature, and heal my target. Fast Heal!" Naofumi chanted.
Green light appeared from Naofumi's hand over Filo's wing. The small holes the quills had in her wing closed over. Within a few seconds, besides a couple of scars hidden in the feathers, Filo's wing was as good as new. "Here, drink this," Naofumi ordered as he handed Filo the potion.
"What is it for?" Filo asked curiously. "Does it taste nasty?!" She then complained.
Naofumi grimaced. "Just drink the damn thing please." He said impatiently.
Filo took the bottle from Naofumi's hand with her beak and leaned her head back to drink it. Her body glowed in response to the potion beginning to take effect.
"How do you feel Filo?" Raphtalia asked.
Filo spat the glass potion bottle away. "Wait, don't-" It crashed into the path a dozen feet away, shattering into a thousand pieces. 'I… still… needed that…' Naofumi thought.
"I feel... amazing Mommy!" Filo yelled happily after a moment.
"That's great!" Raphtalia clapped her hands together happily.
Filo jumped forward, and in a poof of feathers, she wrapped her small child arms happily around Raphtalia. "I feel really great now!" She said happily.
"Remember, what do you say to daddy for helping you out?" Raphtalia said in a mommy tone.
"Thanks, daddy!" Filo said happily to Naofumi.
"Sure, no problem," Naofumi said dryly. "Fast Guard." He dryly chanted.
The protection spell went over Filo's body again. The status of the spell taking effect appeared in Naofumi's vision again. This time, however, it said Filo's defense would be raised for the next seven minutes instead of fifteen.
That had been another interesting tidbit Naofumi had learned from the merchant, in case he ever learned any enchantment related spells. Some spells required a chant beforehand in order to cast them. Starting mages typically used chants before their Fast level spells if they wanted to cast them at full power. However, once a mage became proficient enough, they could say, as an example, Fast Guard and still achieve its full power. And, if he or she practiced and managed to progress far enough in magic, even spells in the Zweite and Dweite categories could be cast at full power without saying a chant beforehand.
"Now that you're healed up. Gather the drops from that boss and then let's get moving." Naofumi dryly ordered. He looked back at the boss's carcass. 'So we can get away from this damn forest already.'
"Yes, Daddy!" Filo said happily. She jumped out of Raphtalia's embrace and ran to the carcass of the great porcupine. Raphtalia smiled happily at Filo's childlike antics.
'I really hope we don't encounter more monsters like that today.' Naofumi thought as he grabbed the edge of the wagon. 'We've had more monsters attacking us from this forest than anywhere else so far. I barely have time to translate the medical grimoire with all these interruptions!'
He'd managed to learn two recipes from the book so far. The Nutritional Pill, which he could now make better quality batches of (a 'gamelike' bonus for discovering the recipe) and Poison Resistance Potions. He was trying to translate the third recipe in the book. Sleep Resistance Potions (since apparently, sleep could be inflicted as a status effect, go figure). He was hardly getting anywhere though because of being distracted by what he'd learned about enchanting, and because of all the monsters that were attracted to his party lately… Naofumi sighed. 'I'd just like a moment of peace today-'
His thoughts were cut off as Raphtalia embraced him from behind. "I'm so happy your hard work in magic is finally paying off!" Her tail was wagging fiercely behind her.
"... Oh, um, it's nothing really." Naofumi tried to wave it off calmly. However, the hug and praise were starting to make him blush. 'I mean, it took me forever just to learn two simple spells! And she was the one to take down the boss!' He thought in agony inside his mind. "You saw how useful I was in that fight."
Raphtalia giggled as she let him go. "Yes, but you were able to heal up Filo." She said happily.
… 'She's right.' He realized. 'My current spells can't attack anything. But they can prevent and fix minor injuries.' As he thought that, his mind remembered the time when he'd been hurt by that porcupine outside Dragon Village. Then he remembered another time when Raphtalia had received a nasty cut on her arm from a plant-based monster a week and a half after the dog monster. But now that he knew spells that could either prevent injury or apply immediate first aid…
'Not that it gives us an excuse to get reckless.' He put his hands proudly on his hips. 'But damn, I've been looking for a way to help us recover more quickly and to protect my party from danger. Who knew all I'd need is a couple of minor spells.' He thought with satisfaction. Maybe he could be of more use in a fight… or after the fight, or before. Once he was done translating the medical grimoire, he really needed to learn some more spells. He still had to find a spell that'd fulfill his dream of a blurry Raphtalia pounding Bitch and Trash into the ground at the same time.
'All the magic grimoire needs to do is give me access to an offensive spell alongside my healing and support magic, and then I'll really be useful-' Naofumi was thinking hopefully.
...
"You have a rare affinity for healing, and support magic Shield Hero." The witch said happily.
"How rare is it?" Naofumi asked skeptically. 'Seriously, healing and support!? Why not fire or ice or lightning or, or something offensive!?'
"Kid, out of the hundreds of magic users I've met in my life, I've only ever seen a dozen or so who said their affinity was in support or healing magic. You're the first one who I've heard of having an affinity for both."
"Alright. Does that mean I can only learn that kind of magic, or can I learn-" He tried to ask.
"Normally if you had one affinity, you'd be able to learn spells in all sorts of affinities with your strongest being in your practical affinity… but since you have two rare affinities, I'm afraid it'll be impossible for you to learn any type of magic outside of them."
...
Naofumi looked like the world was crushing him after remembering what the witch had told him a while back. 'Aw man…' So much for learning offensive magic.
Oh well, at least he had the chance of possibly producing an enchanted item that would raise his attack stat… hopefully…
"Filo, you done over there yet?" Naofumi asked.
"Just about Daddy!" Filo said. She was carrying several different items she'd gathered from the boss.
"Think you'd be up for driving this time?" Naofumi asked Raphtalia.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind one bit," Raphtalia said cheerfully as she climbed up into the wagon and sat in the driver's seat next to Naofumi. She was wide awake now after the last fight. By the time she was all adjusted, Filo came back in her Queen form. Holding the drops in one wing. The carcass behind her was gone.
'Did she already…' Naofumi got queasy at the thought. The porcupine had been huge... 'This bird really doesn't have a bottom to her stomach, does she?' He pulled a box out of the back of the wagon and held it in front of him. "Thanks, Filo."
"Okey Dokey!" Filo easily dropped her load into the box. "That was fun! I hope we get to fight even more monsters today!"
Naofumi sweatdropped where he sat. 'Didn't she just whine and complain after being injured at the beginning of the fight?'
Raphtalia held the reins and started to hum along with Filo as Naofumi looked down at the medical grimoire. 'Oh well. At least I won't have to stop to make her lunch. Filo is definitely one special bird.' He thought sarcastically.
"Were you thinking something rude Master Naofumi?"
'HOW THE HELL DOES SHE DO IT?!'
"Hmmm hmm hmmm hmm hm hmmm hmmm." Filo and the wagon continued on down the path down the forested hills out of the mountains.
…
"Looks like we chose to watch the right path."
"That was the Shield Demon and his party. Finally, at last, we shall capture him and make him pay for his sins..."
"Shall I send word to the other shadow groups?"
"... no, I think our group should be enough."
"Are you certain? We could at least contact Lady Altara and let her know-"
"I'd rather Lady Altara didn't take all the credit for us capturing the Shield Demon. I will be the one credited for this. Not that old nun."
"... as you wish sir. We will set up the ambush immediately."
"Good. Let us hurry."
The Church Shadows took off into the trees. The head Shadow of the group following along behind them.
Twenty Minutes Later
"Do you hear any monsters Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked. They hadn't been attacked ever since the takedown of the Quill King.
Her ears flicked as she carefully listened. "I hear a few, but it sounds like they're keeping their distance." She said after a few seconds.
"Thank goodness. I guess killing their King scared them off." Naofumi said. His shield still remained on his arm for the moment despite that comfort. As long as no one else was on the road with them, he felt it'd be safe to have it out. 'Hopefully, the King was the last interruption we have to deal with today.' He thought. 'I'm so close to finishing this translation.'
He had found out another ingredient he needed for the Sleep Resistance Potion. All he needed was to translate the last paragraph and he'd have another potion he could make.
…
"Mas, Master Naofumi." Raphtalia suddenly said shyly.
Raphtalia speaking threw him off from where he had been in the text. "Yes, Raphtalia?" He asked her.
… Raphtalia shook her head to clear it of whatever she was thinking. "Oh, it's nothing Master Naofumi." She said quietly.
"... Alright then." Naofumi started to try and find where he'd left off in the last paragraph.
"Hmm hmmm hmm hm hmm." Filo continued humming to herself in front of them.
...
"I just, um, realized I hit level 40." She admitted quietly.
…
Naofumi blinked in surprise at that, and quickly checked their stats again. Filo's MP gauge was down some from using her spell, along with Naofumi's own. A quick check of Raphtalia's stats showed that, sure enough, Raphtalia had hit level 40. Looking more closely, he saw a star had appeared next to her name.
"What does it show on your status magic Raphtalia?" He asked.
Raphtalia was quiet for a moment… "It says I can't go up any more levels… not unless I go to a Dragon Hourglass and get my class upgrade." She said quietly.
'I almost forgot. Ren said they'd need class upgrades when they hit level 40.' Naofumi thought to himself, before looking at Raphtalia. He would have thought she'd be happy that she had managed to hit such a high level so quickly, but instead, she looked sad… sitting down with her tail drooping off the driver's bench behind her. It took Naofumi a few seconds of thinking to guess why. 'There isn't a dragon hourglass we can reach right now...' Since he only knew of the one in the Three Heroes Church. There had to be more in the world, but he didn't know where they were at.
"Hey, come here."
Raphtalia didn't make a move. So he put his grimoire away and put an arm over her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm sure we'll find a way for you and Filo to get your class upgrades somehow. So don't worry about it." He said seriously to her. "Just because you won't be able to level up now, that doesn't mean you're not going to continue to find ways to get stronger."
Raphtalia stiffened… and then she relaxed into Naofumi's side. "How did you realize that's what I'm worried about?" She asked quietly.
"I don't know. I could ask you the same thing." He admitted. "You always seem to know when I'm worried about something, or when I'm feeling down… or whenever I'm thinking about something rude."
Raphtalia started to smile again. Naofumi rested his head to Raphtalia's. "I'm supposed to be the Shield Hero. Yet it always seems like you're working your hardest to get stronger so you can protect me." He admitted.
He was beginning to appreciate moments like this more and more now. He got the feeling she was too. The way her tail was wagging happily behind her and all. "I just want to be able to protect you and Filo from whatever danger we face," Raphtalia admitted quietly.
"And I have no doubt you'll do a great job of it. Class Upgrade or not." He said to her. "Though to be honest, I don't know what I'd do if you got a class upgrade."
"What do you mean?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"You're so strong, you one-shotted a level 45 boss at level 39. If your stats get any higher, then they might think about sending only you to fight the waves instead of me and the other heroes." Naofumi said sarcastically. "You'd put me out of the job."
Raphtalia lightly smiled.
...
"Awwww, where did all the monsters go?"
Naofumi and Raphtalia were dragged out of their moment. At first, they thought Filo was complaining about them being all lovey-dovey again. Then they saw Filo was looking around at the forest around them with a look of disappointment on her face.
"What are you talking about Filo?" Raphtalia asked.
"I'm not hearing any monsters around us anymore. They're all gone." Filo said with disappointment. "I was really hoping that more would come out and attack us."
"Seriously? After what happened last time with the porcupine?" Naofumi dryly asked.
"It was a big porcupine daddy! I wouldn't have gotten hurt if it was smaller!" Filo complained.
Raphtalia's ears twitched on top of her head as she moved off of Naofumi's shoulder and listened to their surroundings. 'She's right. I don't hear buzzing in the trees anymore. Or twigs snapping, or something moving through the bushes or leaves. Everything's just… quiet...' "Shhhh." She shushed Filo and Naofumi before they could have a full-blown argument. "I'm not hearing anything either." Raphtalia murmured.
Her tail that had been wagging before was starting to bristle. At the same moment, Filo slowed to a stop. Naofumi looked around now, his medical grimoire stuffed in his inventory.
"Something isn't right. The air feels… strange." Filo said ominously.
Even though he didn't have as good sight or hearing as Raphtalia and Filo, but he was able to sense that something wasn't right. It was like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
The Church Shadows looked at each other in the foliage. It was now or never.
'What's going-' He didn't hear it, but he saw it flying through the air. Right out of the brush in the tree above them. "Filo-"
The dart hit Filo in the neck. "Ahhhh!" Filo quickly pulled out the object, a steel-colored dart, and crushed it in her wing. A green liquid spilled out from the dart. "Owie-" From all around, more darts came flying out of the trees heading for the three of them.
"Shield Prison!"
A green ball of chains and plated metal wrapped around the whole wagon. Protecting Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo from the barrage outside. Naofumi knew, however, that it wouldn't last very long. 'Why are they attacking-' He suddenly felt at the lowered hood on the back of his head and looked down at the Shield still out in plain sight on his right wrist. 'DAMN IT! I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL ALONE OUT HERE!'
"Filo, are you okay?!" Raphtalia asked in worry.
"I feel fine," Filo said as she rubbed the area where the dart had hit her. "For a sec there, I felt kind of sleepy. But I'm okay now."
Naofumi grimaced. "Great, so those darts are filled with tranquilizer." He said through gritted teeth.
"What?" Raphtalia asked.
'Whoever is out there knows who we are. And they're trying to capture us...' "Prepare to run Filo!"
"Got it!" Filo responded as she got ready.
"Raphtalia, get in the back! I need you to slow them down with whatever magic tricks you have!" Naofumi ordered.
"Right!" Raphtalia quickly jumped into the back of the wagon.
"As Shield Hero I order thee, decipher the laws of nature and protect my targets! Fast Guard!" Naofumi pointed one hand in front of him at Filo and behind him at Raphtalia. The spells washed over the two, increasing their defense.
Naofumi gripped Filo's reins tightly. He switched his shield over to the Chimera Viper Shield, and waited…
The Shield Prison dropped, and almost as quickly the darts started flying through the air again. "NOW!" He ordered.
"Huahhhh!" Filo ran forward, pulling the wagon away from the spot right before the darts could hit her precious wagon and its precious occupants. Her parents. All the blow darts that had been aimed at her bounced off back onto the ground.
"Fast Light!" A ball of bright light appeared behind the wagon like a flashbang. 'There, that should blind them long enough for us to escape.' She thought.
"Way to go Filo!" Naofumi said. He hadn't had to raise his shield to block anything.
"Thanks, daddy!" Filo said happily.
"Looks like we escaped that ambush pretty easily!" Naofumi said with glee. They had avoided the trap, and now Filo was tearing down the path faster than the average Filolial. They were as good as-
"Um, master Naofumi, behind us!" Raphtalia shouted back to him.
He looked back through the open flaps of the wagon. The ball of light disappeared, and then he saw their ambushers. A group of black-garbed people moving through the trees. Jumping from branch to branch so lithely that hardly a sound came from their movements. There had to be at least a dozen of them! And not only were they keeping pace with Filo's speed, but they were gradually catching up!
'What are they… ninjas or something?' Naofumi thought to himself. Whatever they were, they were gaining, and fast. 'Just how high are their agility and skill stats?!'
"Try to slow them down!-" Naofumi tried to yell back to Raphtalia.
A dart glanced off his neck. He quickly turned just as three black-garbed figures jumped out of the trees they were passing. Two landed on either side of Naofumi while one landed onto the wagon's covering. The ninja tore a big hole in it. Revealing Raphtalia and all the supplies in the back.
"Daddy-" Filo started to yell in worry.
"Keep running!" Naofumi ordered as he blocked what looked like a dagger from the ninja in front of him. The ninja behind him made to stab one of the darts into Naofumi's back, but Naofumi quickly jumped back into the wagon. The ninja's dart stabbed into his compatriot, who immediately collapsed. The ninja's eyes widened in surprise at accidentally tranquilizing his friend.
"Hah!" The figure turned to late as Naofumi slammed his shoulder into the ninja from the side. While it did almost no damage, the ninja was sent flying off the wagon into the trunk of a tree. Naofumi then pushed the other sleeping figure off the wagon onto the side of the road. 'Got two down.' Naofumi turned around just as Raphtalia sent the last black-garbed figure flying using the flat of her sword. Half of the wagon covering was missing, exposing the whole right side to attack.
"Who are they Master Naofumi?!" Raphtalia asked.
"How the hell should I know?!" He replied. He hadn't seen any identifying markers on them yet. 'For all I know, these could be mercenaries hired by those bandits to pay me back. But I've already revealed by this point that I'm also the Shield Hero, so is it possible that these people were hired by the Capital. But why would they be hiding who they were if that was the case?'
The black-garbed ninjas that had initially ambushed them had been steadily catching back up to the wagon while Naofumi and Raphtalia had fought the other three. More were joining them from the forest all around. Then, while still jumping from tree to tree, they began blowing more steel-colored darts from blow dart guns at Filo, Raphtalia, and Naofumi. Some ninja stars were also thrown into the mix.
The rest of Naofumi's thoughts were put on hold. "Air Strike Shield!"
Naofumi formed a sideways green shield to the side of him, helping to protect the exposed right part of the wagon.
"Hah! Hah!" At the back of the wagon, Raphtalia sliced darts out of the air with her sword. As she did so she started to chant. "As source of thy power, I order thee, decipher the laws of nature, and strike at my target!" Her sword glowed with light. "Light Slash!" She made a slashing motion with her sword, then an arc of light came out from it. It traveled through the air at the trees. It shredded several more darts and a ninja star before impacting against one of the black-garbed figures. He was sent reeling down into the forest. The rest, however, continued to pursue the fleeing wagon. Not relenting with their assault.
'Are those blow tubes enchanted to refill with tranquilizer darts somehow? I don't even see them loading their weapons.' Naofumi thought.
"Royal Shield!" He tried the same skill from earlier since his Air Strike Shield was already out while facing toward Raphtalia. It appeared just in front of her at the edge of his range. However, it didn't last long under the continuous bombardment of darts and shurikens and quickly shattered just as his Air Strike Shield shattered. Raphtalia quickly went back to deflecting more darts and shurikens from herself.
"Urgh…" Naofumi growled in frustration. He didn't even know who was attacking them this time. He just felt so useless since he didn't have much in the way of ranged attacks to help protect Filo and Raphtalia. His best skills were on cooldown, so all he could use was his shield to block the darts on one side from hitting Filo. Trusting his defense and his armor to protect himself from the darts and ninja stars.
A skill's cooldown finished. "Shield Prison!"
The tree he pointed at was encased in the familiar ball of chains and plates. One black-garbed figure was trapped inside, several more slammed into it and fell to the ground. The rest, however, dodged around or over it and continued the pursuit.
Raphtalia sliced another dart out of the air. She quickly turned towards Naofumi and gasped. "Master Naofumi, behind you!" She yelled.
Naofumi turned, and his eyes widened as he saw another black-garbed figure wielding a dagger dripping with venom come jumping out of one of the trees on the other side up ahead. He raised his shield to react, but he had been paying too much attention to the opposite side behind him. His shield wasn't going to block it in time. And while he had high defense, if that nicked him, it'd mean squat if it poisoned him! That'd cost him precious time having to drink an antidote, time that could be used to attack Filo and Raphtalia!
'Too slow. I'm to slow.' He realized.
As if in slow motion, the black-garbed figure gained more detail as he got closer and closer. The figure was dressed entirely in black, only the eyes visible underneath all the clothing. In the midst of that black though, a silver chain hung around the figure's neck. And on the chain…
Was the rosary of the Three Heroes Church.
Naofumi's eyes widened.
"Fast Tornado!"
Right before the black-garbed figure was able to drive her dagger into the Shield Hero, a blast of wind in the shape of a tornado slammed the figure away into a tree. The spell itself continued into the trees, blasting away more of the black-garbed figures on that side of the path who hadn't been prepared for the spell. "No one is allowed to harm my daddy!" Filo yelled as she ran by.
Naofumi quickly turned, looking down at Filo in surprise. "Wait, you know wind magic!" He yelled in shock. He hadn't even known that Filo had a magic affinity! And she'd just cast a spell at full power without saying a chant beforehand!
"I read the one weird book with mommy," Filo said back to Naofumi. "The one that sometimes has glowing letters appear on it! That's how I learned it!"
'Wait, how the hell was she born two weeks ago and able to read and cast magic now!?' He thought. Yet, far from complaining about it, he was ecstatic! He wasn't poisoned, and this loli bird had ranged attacks that they could use!
"Was that okay for me to do Daddy?!" Filo asked in worry.
"Yes, it's more than fine! Keep running! And use more of that wind magic!" Naofumi ordered. "Air Strike Shield!" He made another shield to the side, helping to keep them safe from darts on that side for the moment. He then raised his shield, defending Filo from the other side.
"Light Slash!" Raphtalia sent another slash of light through the air into the trees using her sword.
"Fast, Tornado!" Again while running, Filo sent another blast of air at the black-garbed figures. Most of them dodged, but one unfortunate soul was slammed headfirst into a tree from the spell. The dozens of Three Hero Church Shadows who had gradually joined in as Filo fled down the winding path in the forest were slowly starting to get dwindled down.
Raphtalia breathed in and out heavily as she slashed through another wave of darts that came in retaliation. Her MP bar was almost depleted from using her recently learned spell 'Light Slash' several times in quick succession. "Master Naofumi, they aren't slowing down!" She yelled back to him. Her ranged attacks were only getting one or two at a time. It was using too much of her MP.
"Try using your invisibility spell and attack them in the trees!" Naofumi suggested.
"Got it! As source of thy power, I order thee…"
Naofumi thought to himself as he guarded Filo. 'Somehow, the Three Heroes Church knew we were coming this way. And they set up an ambush in the middle of the forest just for us. But how did they-' He was finally connecting the dots in his mind. He quickly pulled his map out and looked at the forest they were supposed to be in. 'Stupid! I chose to backtrack and go our original route away from Bellona Village! I should have taken a different route!' He thought angrily. He looked ahead on the map, trying to find a way for them to get out of this mess. Filo released another Fast Tornado on the group. They'd lost half of the pursuing Shadows so far, but they were getting tired. He had to find a way out of this, and quick-
"And hide me from my targets! Hide- Augh!"
Naofumi quickly turned around and saw Raphtalia fall back into the wagon. She had deflected a ninja star from hitting her face while chanting, but a steel-colored dart was sticking out of one of her arms. It had pierced her skin despite Naofumi's Fast Guard spell having four minutes left before it expired. "Raphtalia!" He jumped into the back of the wagon and crouched over her, holding his Chimera Viper Shield above him. More darts and stars made their way through the large hole in the white covering of the wagon above them. "Are you alright?!" He asked.
Raphtalia shakily nodded as she pulled the dart out of her arm. "Yeah. I'm alright… Master..." She weakly slumped back down onto the wood boards of the wagon. In seconds she was snoring away.
'Damn, and Filo was able to resist that!' He thought in disbelief. '... Maybe that trick with the nausea medicine won't work on her.'
"Daddy, is mommy okay back there?" Filo asked worriedly.
Naofumi blocked another dart that tore through what was left of the cloth hanging over the back entrance. Was it just him, or were there less of them coming at him than before? Maybe they were finally starting to figure out that his defense was too high for their ranged attacks to work on him? "Yeah, she's just taking a nap." He said.
"... A nap sounds nice about now Daddy," Filo said drowsily outside.
'... Oh hell! Filo!' He got back to the front and opened the wagon flap. He quickly realized why he hadn't needed to block any tranquilizer darts. There was, of course, the rest of the white cloth covering over the wagon that made it hard to get clear shots. But more than that, his Air Strike Shield had worn off, and most of the black-garbed figures had moved ahead to target Filo. She had several more darts sticking out of various parts of her body, and was visibly starting to slow down while trying to block the barrage.
"Filo!" He raised his shield, blocking another dart that came close to hitting his neck. While the majority were firing on Filo, a few aimed at Naofumi to try and keep him back. "You can't stop Filo! Keep running!"
"But, I'm tired… I only want to nap for a moment…" Her head was starting to nod off. Several more darts sank into her feathers.
'What do I do?! If she stops running we're all done for!' He couldn't fight off these shadows by himself. He couldn't damage them no matter how hard he tried. He had to think of something! 'Come on, think, think think think think-' A lightbulb went off in his mind, and he almost wanted to facepalm. He'd been acting as Filo's butler since the day she was born for crying out loud!
He wasn't her daddy. He was her damn butler! "FILO! If you stop now and fail to get us out of this mess, then I'm never going to cook for you again!" Naofumi yelled in his best threatening grouchy tone.
Just as Filo had been about to stop and fall asleep, the words she'd most dreaded to hear reached her ears. 'WHATTTTTTTTT?!' Filo instantly became alert, all thought of sleep being expunged from her mind. "But I love Daddy's cooking!" She complained.
"Too bad! Unless you run as fast as you can, then I'm never-"
"High Quick!"
"- going to- Wahhhh!" The rest of what Naofumi was going to say was cut off as Filo activated a spell he'd never before and drastically picked up speed so suddenly, he was thrown into the back of the wagon on top of Raphtalia.
"Please, just five more minutes Master Naofumi," Raphtalia mumbled tiredly underneath Naofumi.
Naofumi quickly disentangled himself from the sleeping Tanuki and looked out the back of the wagon. Filo was running so quickly that a trail of dust was being left in their wake. The black-garbed figures that had been pursuing them were also falling behind. Some of them having to stop because they were coughing from the sudden inhalation of dust, others stopped because they were surprised at the speed Filo showed after being injected with enough tranquilizer to put a dragon to sleep. Some of them recovered and tried to follow, but within a few seconds, they turned a bend and the Shadows disappeared from view.
...
After a few seconds, Naofumi finally relaxed with relief onto the seat on the side of the wagon. "Thank goodness."
"You're not going to take away dinner from Filo, are you daddy?" Filo asked. Her skill was starting to wear off, but she was still running as fast as she could.
"No, you're getting extra helpings tonight Filo. Good work." He answered.
"Yayyyyyyy!"
Naofumi closed his eyes in exhaustion. "Finally, we're safe."
"I daresay, you are far from being safe Sir Shield Hero. The Church's Shadows will eventually catch up to you yet."
Naofumi quickly became alert again at the appearance of another black-garbed figure that appeared almost as if out of the shadows of his supplies. This lady, however, wasn't completely garbed in black. Instead, she had a silver-colored mask covering her eyes and nose. She had no rosary around her neck either. "Who are you?!" Naofumi asked as he held up his shield in defense.
"I daresay I am not your enemy. If I had wanted to, I would have struck you down the moment you let your guard down, Sir Shield Hero." The Shadow said logically to him.
…
Naofumi looked conflicted with himself, but then he put his shield down to the side. He could not deny that logic. "Who are you? What do you want?" He asked more calmly.
"You have done well Sir Shield Hero. You've hidden so well from the Capital and the Three Heroes Church that they are still unaware of your newfound calling as the Nocturnal Doctor, despite discovering you out here." The shadow continued, not answering the question he asked. "Yet, I daresay it has become obvious that the Three Heroes Church has become more aware of your actual movements in this area. And leaving your hood down and your Shield out for this group of Shadows to recognize you was a very foolish choice."
'Why does she keep on saying daresay?' He thought confusedly.
"Up ahead you will soon reach a fork in the road. I daresay it would be for the best if you were to take the left fork to the north. For the right path to the south will be full of surprises for the Church's Shadows, set by me and my associates. I would hate for one of the Cardinal Heroes and his party to accidentally get caught up in them."
Naofumi growled in frustration. This lady, whoever she was, wasn't answering any of his questions. Still... "Hey Filo, when we reach a fork in the road, I need you to take a left!" He yelled to Filo
"Okay!" Filo yelled back.
Naofumi looked back at the Shadow. He didn't know how trustworthy she was, but anyone who was an enemy of the Church… how did the saying go? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Whatever the case, he was willing to take the risk of trusting her. "Can you at least tell me what you want, or who you're working for?" He asked. "Cause last I checked, almost everyone else in this world wants me dead." He added sarcastically.
"I daresay I cannot Sir Shield Hero." The Shadow answered. "For I cannot reveal my mistress's identity at this time. I can say, however, that my mistress's main purpose is to keep you and the other heroes alive." At least he got an answer that this mistress, whoever she was, wanted him alive. "Us Shadows are spread thin. More of our ranks than I care to admit have joined hands with our enemies. They grow and become more bold with every day... I fear I may not be able to help you as I have in the past,"
'Wait, has she helped me out before?' He thought incredulously. Before he could ask, she continued.
"Beware, Shield Hero. Your enemies are more numerous than you realize. Some of them will be who you'll least suspect... And soon, the time will come when you will come face to face with my mistress's daughter. I already know we will be unable to keep her safe when she arrives, for those in the country are already plotting against her. Only you will be able to protect her from what's to come in the coming months." The Shadow said seriously.
"Wait, I have to protect someone's daughter?-" Naofumi tried to ask.
"It is a lot I ask of you, Sir Shield Hero. I daresay I am unsure if you will want to protect her after what has been done to you by Melromarc. But know that when you find her, then you shall know who it is I'm working for. And that it is within our best interests to protect you and the rest of the Cardinal Heroes from the dangers of our world."
Naofumi was baffled. "What do you mean?-" He had so many different questions. Why did she have to be so vague?! What enemies were out there other than almost everyone in Melromarc!? Why did he have to protect this mystery girl? Why couldn't he be told who she was?
However, he blinked as he spoke, and the moment he blinked the shadow disappeared from view. Not even a hint was left as to how she had disappeared.
'... … The hell?' He thought. She'd just... vanished.
He looked around, but the only thing he saw that the Shadow had left behind was a mask. Similar to the one that she had been wearing. There was a note left next to it, written in Melromarc's characters.
"Absorb this mask into your shield." Naofumi read aloud. "I daresay, if our research is correct, the unlocked shield will help you out in the future."
...
"I see the fork in the road up ahead Dad!" Filo yelled excitedly.
"Alright, make sure you go left! You got me?!" Naofumi yelled back.
"Okay!" Filo cheered happily.
Naofumi sighed and looked back down at the sleeping Raphtalia. "Well, this turned out to be quite a day." He grumbled.
"Mmm…" Raphtalia rolled over in her sleep and began cuddling his legs. She smiled as if she were cuddling with her favorite teddy bear. '... Would they call them teddy bears in this world? Wait, would demi-humans use teddy bears, or would they use human bears…' He shook his head at the weird thought. 'Now that's just ridiculous.' He took the mask. 'Can I even absorb this?'
He placed it against the gemstone, and, sure enough, it absorbed the mask into his shield.
Mask Shield Unlocked
'Mask Shield?' Naofumi changed it to the new shield and was slightly surprised when the Shield was replaced with a variation of the Shadow's mask. It was a pure white like the moon, with a small green gemstone in its forehead. He put it over his face and then raised his hood over his head. Besides his lower jaw showing, it was hard to tell that this traveling night merchant was the Shield Hero. As an added benefit, he didn't have to uncomfortably hide his shield under his cloak.
'This… this could work…'
Filo continued to hum happily outside. She took the left fork as promised, and behind them, Naofumi saw something he'd never expected to see. The air shimmered over the left fork, and then trees appeared. Not just over the entrance, but at least a hundred yards up the road too. Whether the illusion was solid or not, it would definitely cover their road from view.
'… I wonder if Raphtalia's illusions will get that powerful…' He looked down at the snoozing Raphtalia who smiled widely in her sleep. "As Shield Hero, I order thee, decipher the laws of nature, and heal my target. Fast Heal." The last of the MP in his gauge was used as the spell washed over Raphtalia and Filo. While both were healed of their wounds, Raphtalia remained fast asleep. It turned out, his spell couldn't work on sedatives that induced sleep.
'Well, it's a good thing that I'm almost done translating the recipe for sleep resistance potions.'
He pulled out the medical grimoire again and began working on translating the last paragraph for the sleep resistance potion. Pushing all his other currently developing thoughts for later tonight when he could process them more easily.
'Hopefully, these potions will work on someone who was already under an inflicted sleep status effect.' Naofumi thought to himself.
He could think over the Shadow's words later that night.
Two Days Ago In the Palace (35 Days before the Wave of Catastrophe)
"First you overtaxed my citizens in Lute, then you abandoned the food cart you were tasked to protect, and now you've awakened an ancient seed that's wreaking havoc on one of my cities! Are you trying to make me look like a fool!?"
Motoyasu shuddered under the piercing gaze of King Aultcray. A rather furious King Aultcray that was standing in front of his throne, holding a staff in one hand. Myne was somewhere else at the moment. "Your Majesty, I swear, I only left that food cart so that I could resolve the famine. I wasn't trying to-" The Spear Hero was defending himself.
"Trying to what?! Turn my own people against me! Abandoning important relief supplies for bandits to plunder! Trying to make a bigger mess while we're in the middle of the Waves of Catastrophe?!" The King asked.
"... But, but your Majesty, why are you angry? I was only doing what Myne suggested would be best-" He tried to say.
"Don't try to pin your blame on my daughter!" Motoyasu went silent at the King's words. "You are just as much to blame as she is! To think you'd go off and lead her to do such incredibly foolish acts in the name of royalty!"
Motoyasu stayed silent as the King seethed for a moment more before pointing at the doors. Motoyasu looked oddly broken at that moment. "Get out of my sight. It is time I had a talk with my oldest daughter."
… Motoyasu nodded and turned around to walk out of the room. He still looked oddly broken, as if something inside him had shattered.
He was led by an attendant to a fancy room, that had a fancy dinner already set at a table. "Don't fret Cardinal Hero." The attendant said upbeatedly. "You are the King's favorite. I'm sure after he's been given time to fume, you'll be restored back to his good graces."
Motoyasu didn't respond as he sat down, and the attendant left the room. Likely to retrieve something for Motoyasu. Motoyasu stared down at his food, not moving or anything.
'Am I really not being a hero…'
…
"Thank you, Sir Hero!"
"You have saved our lives from this horrible famine!"
"We can never repay you Spear Hero!"
"We love you, Sir Hero!"
The voices of the people from the southwestern village he'd visited went through his mind. The voices of its fair maidens went through his mind. For a moment, he'd really done it. He'd done something good. He'd felt like a hero. He hadn't doubted Myne, or himself. He had made these people happy...
Together, he and Myne had gone into an ancient temple he'd remembered from his game and unsealed the seed inside. They'd given it as a gift to the region. The famine was supposed to be solved. It was supposed to be better. That's how it'd gone down in his game...
'For a moment, I actually thought I was being a hero… but I only did something else to hurt someone…'
He began to be filled with doubt. About the sincerity of his title. About the sincerity of his friendship with his party members. His friendship with Myne.
'Am I really worthy of being called a Hero… can I really do this if even the fair maidens curse my name?... but I'm supposed to trust my friends! I'm supposed to trust Myne… ... ... ... but... but all I've done is hurt others... every choice I've made with Myne has only led to hurting others... but if I can't trust her... then...'
He sat there for a moment more. His mind being torn apart by his inner conflict. The room was getting smaller and smaller around him. He put his hands over his head. 'What do I do?! What can I do?!'
…
…
"Sir Spear Hero?"
A knock sounded against the door. The attendant's voice sounded from outside again. "Sir Spear Hero, I have your dinner with me…"
…
The attendant knocked on the door again and then moved to open it. "Sir Spear-"
The room was empty. Besides an open window. The food that had been on the table was untouched.
"Sir Spear Hero!"
The attendant's cries were in vain. The Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura, had long since departed the castle. Needing time to himself to resolve his inner conflict.
Author's Notes:
Damn, this was a long chapter to work on. I actually did some major re-edits on this one so it'd flow more smoothly and all that. I won't do any revealers. I'll just leave you all to guess in the reviews the meaning behind the Shadow's words and Motoyasu's sudden departure from the castle.
I will say, I've been thinking about how that part of the magic system works for quite a while now. About why some spells have a chant beforehand, and why others do not. I don't know if this is close to what Aneko had in mind, or if this is yet another thing being added to the list of headcanons I've made in this story. Either way, that, and the information about enchanting have all been things I've been thinking about for quite a while. If it makes sense, or if you have any suggestions, please let me know!
Now, for my favorite thing I like to write in each chapter!
Hero Clips!
What Do Demi-humans Prefer?
'This is… probably… the most complex thing I've ever had to think about…'
Naofumi stood in a store, looking at the two items on display in front of him.
'Would demi-humans prefer to use a regular hairbrush, or would they prefer to use a dog brush?' On the shelf in front of him was a hairbrush on one side, and a dog brush on the other. 'I know Raphtalia loves it when I brush her hair, but I don't know which one she'd prefer.' He thought in all seriousness.
"... Um, Master Naofumi, what are you doing-" Raphtalia tried to ask.
"Just a sec. I'm thinking about something important here." Naofumi said impatiently as he looked the two items over. He had to get a nice gift for Raphtalia as a thank you for everything she'd ever done for him, but he didn't know what to get for her.
'I know Raphtalia looks like a human, but her hair is thicker than a human's. But she isn't really a dog, but I don't know if the regular hair brushes work on her hair or not.'
"Naofumi, I don't think I need a new hairbrush-" Raphtalia was saying. It didn't seem like a good thing to waste their money on.
"You're right. I need to get you something else." Naofumi said in realization as he moved on to the next shelf. A hairbrush could never express his gratitude to her. He had to go for something better!
But the items on this next shelf presented him with another predicament. 'Wait, I don't know if Raphtalia ever grew up with dolls or stuffed animals!' On one end was a barbie doll, and on the other end of the shelf was a stuffed teddy bear.
'I mean, I know girls are supposed to like Barbies! But Raphtalia isn't like other girls! But that stuffed teddy bear could look a lot like a demi-human!' Though he hadn't met any bear demi-humans yet. Or knew if they existed. But it was a possible factor! 'I don't know which one I should get for her! Would she even be into this little kid stuff anymore?!'
Raphtalia started to look at Naofumi as if he'd gone crazy. "Master Naofumi, please. I really don't need anything from here-"
"You're right!" Naofumi moved away from the cases. "I need something bigger, something better, something-" Naofumi gasped in surprise at what he saw next.
On display in a glass case was the most beautiful diamond necklace. It glittered spectacularly from the light of the room. It was extravagant… but in the other right next to it was a diamond-studded dog collar!
'I know girls are supposed to like necklaces, but Raphtalia's isn't like most girls. I don't know if demi-humans prefer necklaces or collars! And they both have diamonds! Didn't I always hear back home that diamonds are supposed to be a girl's best friend!?' Naofumi internally freaked out where he was standing.
"Master Naofumi, please, I don't want anything from here. All I want is your affect-" Raphtalia tried to say.
"I don't know which one to choose!" Naofumi yelled, having completely ignored what Raphtalia said over the mental conundrum inside his mind. 'Do demi-humans prefer human products or animal products! I just don't know the answerrrrrrrr!'
Filo appeared from behind Raphtalia, looking curiously at the mentally torn Naofumi. "Mommy, why did you fall in love with daddy?" Filo asked.
Raphtalia sighed. "I don't know sweetheart." She said almost to herself.
'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! COLLAR! OR NECKLACE! WHICH ONE DO I CHOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!?'
Till Next Time
Allen