I haven't done this in a little bit, but I'll respond to a Guest reviewer here. No, I didn't say near the beginning of the last chapter that they were near Dragon Village. It's going to take Naofumi's party a long while to get there, and that's if they decide to go there. Naofumi and his party were pretty far Northwest of the Capital at the time they were ambushed by Church Shadows. He was traveling east through the mountains so he could go north and then either west or east once he reached the border. But because of events, he's traveling Southeast. And Dragon Village is in the Southeastern part of Melromarc past the Capital according to Naofumi's map. It isn't right by the border, but it's one of the largest villages on that side of Melromarc. So I'm using it as a point of reference.
Alright, with that out of the way, onto the chapter!
Since Last Time: 21 more Favorites, 32 more Followers (Total: 759 Favorites, 892 Followers)
Updated: January 6th, 2019
Chapter Twenty-Four: Hot Spring Fiasco
(29 Days before the Wave of Catastrophe)
The last few days passed by quickly for Naofumi. He and his party had been gradually traveling across the Melromarc Plains. In the towns they stopped in for business, Naofumi heard no news about him being discovered. If anything, he heard that security was being tightened along Melromarc's northern border. That had brought a smile to his face. 'They're going to waste a lot of resources trying to find me up there.' The only issue he had was that he still hadn't heard any news about the other three heroes and their activities.
And either because they were traveling towards the interior of Melromarc, or because of their high levels, the monsters that had been harassing his wagon before were avoiding it. And the few that did try to attack it were so weak that they were barely worth the effort for Raphtalia and Filo to fight. Because of that distraction being taken care of, Naofumi had thrown himself into the other various tasks he had to tackle, like learning Melromarc's written language. Translating his medical grimoire. Gathering herbs and compounding more medicines for his Night Merchant Business. Unlocking abilities from previous shields he'd acquired but hadn't taken the time to unlock. Crafting new accessories. Reading the magic grimoire. Etc.
Naofumi had always considered himself a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy before coming to this world. Whenever he'd played any online games he almost always ended up being sidetracked by wanting to maximize his crafting skills and various other abilities instead of leveling up. But even he was starting to find his schedule ridiculous. If he wasn't working on one thing, he was doing two other things at the same time. It sometimes felt like he was juggling all the tasks he had to do and was barely succeeding at doing them all.
After all his work and hard effort, he still found himself stumbling his way through the written Melromarcian alphabet. He'd only managed to translate two more recipes from his grimoire that he didn't think would be useful (weed killer and gunpowder, why the hell were these two recipes in a medical grimoire!? Though Naofumi was getting ideas of using the gunpowder to form a makeshift bomb he could throw at enemies). He hadn't gotten a new spell reading the magic grimoire, which he still had over half of it left to look through page by page. He was fortunate he only had to equip a shield for a period of time to unlock its abilities and status upgrades, but it took several hours to do it for one shield.
And hell, if it hadn't been for him managing to teach Raphtalia and Filo how to imbue gemstones with mana, he would have tossed the idea of crafting accessories out the window altogether. With their help, he'd managed to finish imbuing the amethyst along with two garnets; all of which were on the same scale enchanting wise as emeralds. Because he'd managed to imbue the three gemstones, he'd finally been able to successfully enchant two Good quality Silver Necklaces he'd crafted. The amethyst silver necklace dropped from good quality to normal quality when it was enchanted, but it acquired Defense Up (Low). It had sold in the last town they visited for 80 Silver. The garnet silver necklace had stayed at good quality, but the enchantment it had gotten was HP Up (Slight). It had sold for 50 Silver. The enchantments were random, but he'd gotten way more for the two than he thought he would. There had technically been a third accessory, a bracelet, that he'd crafted for the last imbued Garnet, but because the enchantment failed on a 98% success chance and destroyed both the accessory and the gemstone, Naofumi would rather forget about having ever made it. The worthless thing failing on a 98% Success rate. What a waste of money.
'I'll need to get my hands on more gemstones and ores. If I can sell cheap accessories for that amount, then I could make a killing because of the Waves of Catastrophe!' He thought gleefully. He could easily charge double, triple, maybe even quadruple the normal price and still have happy customers since demand vastly exceeded the supply! He'd be rich in no time!
"Are you thinking something greedy over there Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked from the wagon behind him. The wagon covering had been replaced with a new light grey cloth, and she stopped what she was doing to lightly glare at him.
"... No." Naofumi lied.
"Are you lying to me Naofumi?" Raphtalia said, her voice sounding displeased.
'Damn it! How can she always tell!?' Raphtalia looked to be waiting for an answer.
Where lying didn't work, it was time to change the subject. That move didn't always work out, but he had as of yet to find other means of avoiding Raphtalia's 'mind' magic or whatever she used to read what was on his mind. "So are you looking forward to the next town, Raphtalia?" Naofumi curiously asked.
Raphtalia's serious look turned into a frown. Of course, Naofumi would avoid the subject. "I don't know… Are you sure we should do this?" Raphtalia asked.
Naofumi and his party were currently traveling through some low rocky hills, approaching another town. However, their main purpose wasn't to sell merchandise, though he would visit any sick people if called upon. He had a different purpose in mind.
"We've been going at it hard the last few days," Naofumi replied. "One of the people I healed in the last town was talking about visiting the hot springs here to help him recover. I thought we could use the chance to recover ourselves." Naofumi said.
'I never knew this world had hot spring towns too.' Naofumi actually felt pretty happy about having learned about it. There'd been a pretty popular hot spring near where he went to college in his world. He hadn't always had the money or the chance to visit, but he had always looked forward to it when he had money and time that wasn't spent on his otaku schedule.
"But, but you also said we'd be staying the night," Raphtalia said worriedly.
"We spent the night in an inn two towns ago. What's the difference?" Naofumi replied.
He wasn't making plans on staying the night in every town he visited. But now that he had the Mask Shield and a good reputation as the Nocturnal Doctor going, he felt the risk of sleeping in a comfy bed at night was far lower than it had been a couple of weeks ago. Especially with all his enemies searching for him in the wrong part of Melromarc.
He wanted to take the chance to destress for a change. Where he wouldn't have to let any thoughts or worries trouble him. And a hot spring felt like the perfect way to do it.
"I… I just… I mean..." Raphtalia struggled with trying to find something to say. Naofumi looked back, and even though she was trying to protest, he could see her wagging tail behind her was giving away how much she was looking forward to the Hot Spring. He guessed she really did want to relax but she also didn't want to stop working on improving herself. He hadn't been the only one working himself hard trying to accomplish everything. Raphtalia had hit level 40, but she wasn't stopping either.
Since Filo could also use spells, the two of them went over magic together while Raphtalia was on the driver's bench. They were working on hastening their incantations for shorter spell cast times and implementing magic into their techniques. They were also learning how to conserve their mana by trying to cut off excess mana while maintaining their spells. They had a lot of work to do, but they were making surprising progress.
When Naofumi was on the driver's bench, Raphtalia would work on her motion sickness issues while organizing his supplies in the back of the wagon, which she had been doing before talking to Naofumi. When they'd stop to camp, Raphtalia would gather firewood and then go through some of the basic sword forms Erhard had shown her the last time they were at the Capital before she had dinner. She'd then sit with Naofumi afterward to help him with translating or studying depending on which grimoire he was working with before taking some time to play with Filo and put her to sleep.
She knew how important it was for them to get money and update their equipment. She'd sometimes hunt while gathering firewood to help lower their food budget for Filo. She was pushing herself trying to do all she could to help make it easier for Naofumi to accomplish his goals without many distractions... He saw this as a chance to let her know how much he appreciated it.
"Think of this as a gift from me to reward you and Filo for all of your hard work," Naofumi said lightly. "Trust me. You've earned it."
Raphtalia perked up at his words. "Well, if you really want to go." She said more happily as she started to smile.
"Besides, if you're really worried about us being recognized, I can always order us a private hot spring so no one will walk in and bother us," Naofumi then added nonchalantly as he faced forward again.
"... ... Uh… Uh…" Raphtalia was suddenly blushing a fierce red. Her tail also began wagging fiercely behind her, like she was about to take off. 'Oh no! If me and Master Naofumi are alone together in the Hot Springs! Then! THEN!-' There could be a really high chance of them kissing and her really getting pregnant. 'AHHHHHHH!'
She can pretend to be disinterested all she wants. I know she wants to relax too.' Naofumi thought densely to himself. The wagging tail always gave away when she was excited about what was coming up.
"Hey daddy, can I join you and mommy in the Hot Springs?!" Filo asked excitedly.
"Of course Filo. As long as you remain in your child form when we get into town." Naofumi said. 'The last thing I want is a big fat bird taking up all the space.'
"Yaaaay!" Filo replied happily. "I can't wait to feel the warm water on my feet!"
"I'm sure you can't. You okay with that Raphtalia?"
Raphtalia calmed herself down. 'Thank the Gods, we won't be in there alone with each other.' She thought in relief. "Yes!" She answered.
"Alright, one private hot spring for the three of us, coming up!"
If he hadn't invited Filo to join them, then she probably would have passed out from shock. But with Filo there, there was probably no chance of anything serious going down!... right?
An hour later
"Ahhhh…" Naofumi sighed in relief. 'Best, idea, ever.'
He leaned back against the edge of the Hot Spring. The Hot Spring was in a private room the color of sandstone. The room had three walls with an open ceiling and an open balcony giving a view of the mountains bathed in the evening light. Naofumi had a towel wrapped around his waist and his Shield was in Mask Form above his hair, kind of like a pair of goggles. It had cost 4 Silvers to reserve this hot spring and a room for the night, but he was already thinking it was more than worth it. Plus, it turned out the people in this town were in good health, so it didn't look like he'd be called upon tonight for any sort of business.
It was finally time to sit back and unwind...
"Yippeeeeee! This is so much funnnnnn!" Filo said happily as she swam by. She had a towel wrapped tightly around her body.
"Filo, this is supposed to be a place to relax, not to play around," Naofumi said blandly. 'Seriously, doesn't this bird know how to sit still and relax?!'
"But daddy, this is Filo relaxing!" Filo replied happily as she continued swimming.
'Ugh…' Naofumi's head sunk lower into the water. He would have been annoyed, but this felt even better than the hot bath he'd taken at Erhard's place before the Wave of Catastrophe. He could let Filo's behavior slide… for now. He just wished she'd swim farther away where she wouldn't disturb him with her loud swimming.
"Filo, if you're going to swim, can you please do it on the other side away from me and Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked nicely. She was happily sitting a few feet away from Naofumi and also had a towel wrapped around herself.
"Awwww, why mommy?" Filo asked curiously. She stopped swimming to stand up and face her.
"We're here to relax, and it's hard for us to relax when you're being splashing so loud near us sweetie," Raphtalia said.
"... Ohhhhhh." Filo suddenly understood. "Okay, Filo will swim on the other side then." She turned away from Raphtalia and Naofumi and obediently swam away. Luckily, the hot spring was several dozen feet long. Filo had plenty of room to swim away from them.
"Thanks, Raphtalia," Naofumi said gratefully.
"No problem." Raphtalia looked at him and smiled happily. Then her face suddenly turned red, and she looked away from him again. He figured it was likely because of how hot the room was. His face was pretty red too, so he let it slide and closed his eyes.
'It's been so long since I saw what Naofumi looked like under all that armor!' Raphtalia thought embarrassedly to herself. The last time had probably been when she'd been measuring him for Jerry back in Dragon Village. She took another glance at Naofumi, and then quickly looked away again. It was like a part of her wanted to jump Naofumi and feel his developing muscles all over again.
'No! I have to restrain myself! I can't get pregnant with the Waves of Catastrophe going on! I refuse to kiss Naofumi!' She thought determinedly… she then turned to look at Naofumi again and started to shake. 'But Naofumi's body looks so good when it's on displayyyyyy!' She couldn't make up her mind!
Naofumi sighed in relaxation again. Even when they were relaxing, Raphtalia somehow managed to do something to make his life easier.
Heh, he still had no idea what would happen after the waves ended. He still pictured himself going back to his world after the waves were done, but the idea of Raphtalia coming back with him seemed to solidify more and more in his mind with each passing day. He trusted her more than anyone else and she trusted him. He just wasn't sure if Raphtalia would want to leave this world behind to be with him or not… not to mention, there was still the matter of Bitch to deal with. Whatever happened, she had to pay for everything she had done or planned on doing to him.
Oh crap, and… there went his chance at relaxing. 'That damn bitch…' He tensed up angrily. Of course, when he was finally relaxed, his mind just had to wander over to that red-haired demon. You know, he figured his life would be far more relaxing if she'd never been born. Hell, he probably would have settled on his feelings for Raphtalia by now if she hadn't made such a dark pit of anger deep in his soul.
Nothing could make him go from relaxed and calm to unstable and angry like that Bitch. 'If I ever get the chance, I'm going to-'
"Naofumi, you said we were here to relax."
Naofumi was brought back to reality. Raphtalia hadn't moved any closer to him. She was keeping her distance in the hot spring. But she was gazing at him in concern now. Naofumi sighed and rested his head back against the edge of the Hot Spring again. "Sorry. Bitch was coming to mind again." He said dryly, yet apologetically. It was times like this where he was glad that Raphtalia could read what was on his mind.
"Alright." Raphtalia understood. She didn't like the Bitchy Princess either after what she'd pulled at the Sacred Duel. "Let's not have that pig ruin our chance to relax," Raphtalia suggested.
…
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Naofumi said. Smiling a little at the fact that Raphtalia had called Bitch a pig again.
"Maybe I'm right?"
"Fine, you're right, Bitch is definitely a pig," Naofumi said with a roll of his eyes. "But don't forget I'm the one who suggested relaxing here in the first place." He added.
Raphtalia smiled. "Of course. Thanks again Naofumi." She said happily.
'Ugh…' He could hold a grudge against Bitch like nobody's business. But he couldn't stay mad at Raphtalia. Not when she had her own special way of calming him down and reining him in should he ever lose control. Hell, he started to imagine her calling Myne a pig and the King an ass, and he was already starting to sink into the water again, finding relaxation and happiness at the thought of their reactions.
'I really do need to figure out my feelings for Raphtalia soon… I'd probably be a lot happier when that happens.'
…
"Hmmm… The origins and benefits of this Hot Spring." Raphtalia read to herself. While he'd been relaxing, she'd caught sight of some placard placed in the middle of the Hot Spring. She held her towel to keep it from falling as she read it. Her instinct to jump Naofumi was getting stronger for some reason (maybe because Naofumi was thinking happy thoughts about her), so she wanted to distract herself with something. "In ancient times, a Silver Razorback-"
"A Silver Razorback?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"It looks like a boar type monster. Nothing too big according to this." Raphtalia answered. It showed a muscular man holding what looked like a dead boar in one hand while his other arm was wrapped lovingly around the waist of a beautiful lady. The boar in the picture didn't look all that large.
"Hmmm…" Naofumi went back to relaxing in the Hot Spring. Whatever the legend was about, it had nothing in comparison to the relaxation he was feeling again. He doubted even the damn brat would be able to ruin his state of relaxation.
"Daddy, are you thinking something meannnnn?!" Filo whined as she swam by Raphtalia.
On second thought, if Filo was learning to read his mind too… "Don't swim so close Filo. It's annoying." Naofumi repeated dryly to her.
"But I'm not swimming close!" Filo childishly complained. She was halfway across the Hot Spring from him for crying out loud!
"Too bad, I still think you're too close to me," Naofumi replied without any care in his voice.
"Boo!" Filo turned and swam back to the outside edge.
Who knew such childish displeasure could be carried in one word? Naofumi sunk deeper into the water, refusing to let it bother him.
'Sigh… Master Naofumi…' Raphtalia resumed reading. "In ancient times, a silver razorback was sacrificed so its blood would intermingle with the water of the Hot Springs, purifying it..." Raphtalia looked down at the water they were all relaxing in. 'Ewwwwww… we're bathing in some monster's blood here?'
But... it was a legend, and the water didn't look tainted by blood, so… she swallowed her discomfort at the sentence and continued on. "The razorback was sacrificed by a couple who deeply loved each other, and because of them, their love mixed with the water like the blood of the razorback. Purifying it." She smiled at that. 'Awwww, that's actually kind of sweet.'
Raphtalia looked back at Naofumi, but he was floating on his back now. He looked at peace. 'I wish Naofumi loved me too...' Raphtalia went to reading the last paragraph. It had a heading over it saying: For Couples "In relaxing in this hot spring, it's effects are…" Her eyes comically widened. "SUCCESS IN LOVE!?"
Floating on his back, Naofumi's ears had been below water. At hearing Raphtalia shout in surprise though, he quickly jerked and stood up. "What is it? What's going on?" He quickly asked. Were they being ambushed or something already?! Filo stopped swimming to curiously look at Mommy.
Raphtalia didn't answer. She was reading the rest of the text quietly to herself. "The couple that enters this hot spring together, will be united eternally... But, but that means that… that..." Raphtalia looked back at Naofumi. The confused Naofumi who was now standing, with his body besides the towel wrapped around his waist fully on display. His body looked so much better above water than below water. Could it be, was this fate?... Her face was turning red, and it wasn't because of the steam of the Hot Spring.
"Raphtalia, what's going on-" Naofumi tried to ask.
"Ahhhhhh! Please stay away! I don't want to be a real motherrrrr!" Raphtalia quickly backed away from the pedestal and Naofumi. Holding tightly to her towel as she tried to back away to the edge where she could climb out and run away. Her instincts were yelling at her to throw away the towel and jump Naofumi right then and there. But she didn't understand why she had to throw away the towel! Oh Gods, she wasn't ready for Naofumi to love her now! She was so embarrassed!
"Wait, Raphtalia-" What was going on with her now?!
Raphtalia tried to step out of the hot spring in protest of her screaming instincts but slipped as she did so. "Wahhhhh-" SPLASH!
Raphtalia fell back into the hot spring.
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi started to move towards her to help but then saw something floating in the water where she'd fallen. 'Wait, is that…'
Raphtalia resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and spitting out hot water. "Ugh…" 'Oh Gods, I just made such a fool of myself…' Raphtalia thought embarrassedly to herself. 'What am I doing, it's just a silly old legend, it wouldn't make Master Naofumi fall for me that easily…' She thought depressedly. He was either too traumatized by Bitch, or too dense in the head to fall for her womanly charms that easily...
Naofumi realized what the floating object was. "Uh… Raphtalia…"
Raphtalia turned to Naofumi to apologize. Only, he quickly looked away when she turned. There was a blush appearing on his cheeks. But why-
She quickly looked down at herself. She hadn't realized it, but her slip up had caused her towel to come flying off. The towel Naofumi had seen floating nearby. And that meant her body…
"AHHHHH!" Raphtalia yelled embarrassedly as she covered herself with both hands and sunk to her neck in the water. "Please don't look Naofumi!"
"I, I didn't mean too!" Naofumi yelled back embarrassedly as he turned away. It honestly hadn't been the first time he'd seen her naked. Having to bathe out in rivers or streams while they were on the run before the first wave, it had happened a few times where he'd had to help wash out her hair. But back then he'd only looked at her as a child, as his own daughter. This time, she was an adult, and she looked very much like an adult who didn't view him as her Father, and whatever his thoughts were on the matter, he hadn't been looking at her like she was his daughter.
'Damn it! It's just like the scene in that one anime!' He thought embarrassed. Naofumi slapped a hand over his eyes. For good measure, since Filo had swam up next to Naofumi when Mom fell in the water, he also slapped a hand over Filo's innocent eyes. She was confused by all the action.
"Daddy?" Filo said confusedly.
"I'm sorry! I swear I didn't mean to stare!" Naofumi quickly said apologetically to Raphtalia.
"Ahh! AHHHHHHH!" Raphtalia was beet red and was panicking as she struggled to grab her towel out of the water and wrap it around herself again. Her instincts were yelling 'MATE' in her mind like her life depended on it. But because of her embarrassment, she wasn't able to focus on her instincts. 'Master Naofumi was staring at me naked! MASTER NAOFUMI WAS STARING AT ME NAKED!'
She was really internally panicking. Partly because of how embarrassed she was, and partly because she didn't know if Naofumi approved of how her body looked or not. Was it stout enough, or was she too fat? Was it good for her to see her naked, or would it lead him to kiss her and, and… "AHHHHHH!"
"Daddy, why are you covering my eyes-" Filo tried to ask.
"Because mommy's indecent right now and we can't look." Naofumi tried to say in a calm tone. Internally, he was panicking just as much as Raphtalia was. 'Holy hell, why did I think it'd be a good idea to get only one private bath for all of us!' Naofumi thought hysterically. This was like the worst-case scenario he could have ever thought of happening in a hot spring. He'd had towels ordered for them specifically to avoid this! And why the hell was this reminding him of a scene he'd read out of a manga?!
Naofumi still heard water splashing, but Raphtalia had stopped screaming. He didn't dare to uncover his eyes to see if she'd gotten the towel back on yet…
He honestly shouldn't have been thinking about something like this given the situation… However… 'You know, seeing them for myself, I seriously wonder how those breasts of hers never get in the way of her fighting. I mean, they're so big and full-' Naofumi was thinking to himself. Seriously, how could he not think about that?!
He should have uncovered his eyes before forming that thought. Because Raphtalia had finally managed to put her towel back around her body again. She sighed, and then looked back at him. She was immediately able to tell that he was likely thinking something indecent and rude about the situation... it not only made her embarrassed that he was thinking that way, but she was also mad.
"NAOFUMI!"
"What-" Naofumi tried to say.
Wham!
Before he could defend himself, Raphtalia, in her embarrassed anger, delivered a massive kick to Naofumi's family jewels through his towel. Whatever he had been about to say died on his lips.
The Mask Shield he currently had equipped didn't have the best defensive rating since it was more meant for stealth. Even if he'd had his best shield equipped, Raphtalia's attack would have still beaten his defense by a long shot. "Owie…" He squeaked out.
He fell over sideways into the water of the Hot Spring.
Raphtalia quickly realized what she had just done and gasped in surprise. "Master Naofumi!" She cried in worry as she moved to help him up.
"Daddy!" Filo cried in worry. The two of them working together lifted Naofumi out of the water. Raphtalia moved him onto the stone outside of the hot spring. His towel stayed in place.
"Ughhhhh…"
"Naofumi, please, speak to me! Say something!" Raphtalia yelled in worry as she shook him.
"Whyyyyyyyyyyy…" A nearly silent plea came from his lips. His mind was thinking the exact same thing. It felt so much worse than the time Raphtalia had punished him for using Filo to threaten some bandits.
Again, he felt like this whole scene had been taken out of some anime or manga he'd watched or read back home. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was.
"Oh no, this is bad," Raphtalia said. "This is really, really bad."
"Were you punishing Daddy for being a bad guy?"
…
Raphtalia looked confusedly at Filo. "Why would you ask something like that Filo?!"
"Filo thought Daddy taught us to only perform that kick when people were being bad?" Filo innocently replied.
… Raphtalia facepalmed. 'I'm setting a bad example for my daughter just like Naofumi…'
The two of them rushed to get him to their room.
Naofumi never thought in a million years that he'd be doing this. But here he was, lying on his bed in the inn room, nursing his sore balls with a bag full of ice. Even after applying healing ointment and a couple of Fast Heal's to the area, it still felt sore.
'That was one hell of a kick.'
He couldn't speak coherently for twenty minutes after having received that kick. During that time, Raphtalia had carried him back to his room, apologizing profusely the whole way. She'd sent Filo to get Naofumi a bag of ice from the innkeeper after setting him on the bed, and then Raphtalia had disappeared shortly afterward. To where he didn't know. Filo returned with the bag of ice, and then went off to swim in the Hot Spring again. Naofumi had spent the last several hours since then icing his poor groin on and off while lying in his bed.
'So much for relaxation.' He thought sarcastically. 'Damn it! I was such an idiot back there! What kind of guy am I to stare at Raphtalia like a peeping tom!?' He berated himself.
If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that was something Motoyasu would have done.
'Ugh, and for Raphtalia to catch what I was thinking then of all times…' He really hoped this wouldn't drive a wedge between the two of them. Especially after they'd been getting along so well…
...
…
Naofumi must have nodded off, because the next thing he knew he heard the sound of the door opening again, and his balls were freezing! He jerked up and threw the bag of partly melted ice away from his body. 'I already received a hard kick there! I'd rather not take the chance of freezing my balls off and losing the chance to have kids forever!' He thought in frustration.
"Um… Master Naofumi?"
Naofumi looked up. The bag of ice had almost inadvertently hit Raphtalia in his attempt to dispose of it. Raphtalia had walked out of the small hallway leading from the door into the room. The bag of ice had hit the wall in front of her. She was looking at him, unsure if she was welcome or not. She looked to be holding something in her hands.
Naofumi sighed defeatedly. The poor girl looked about ready to break down again. She must have felt really bad about what had happened earlier. Him inadvertently throwing the bag of ice in her direction likely complicated matters. "Come in."
Raphtalia stood still for a moment, and then she numbly moved to sit on the bed opposite Naofumi. She stayed staring straight ahead, not wanting to look at him. Naofumi sighed again and moved to sit next to her. One of his hands moved to rub her head. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I fell asleep and that bag of ice almost froze my legs." He said comfortingly. "I wasn't mad at you."
"I… I…" Raphtalia bowed her head, lowering it away from Naofumi's comforting hand. "I'm sorry Master Naofumi!" She buried her face in her hands. "I swear I didn't mean to attack you in the Hot Spring! I swear I didn't!" Naofumi looked stunned. She must have been more shaken up by what had happened then he'd thought.
"Hey, I can admit I deserved it-" He tried to say.
"Please, please don't leave me here… don't leave me behind for being a failure..." She then quietly begged. Like she hadn't listened to what he'd just said.
'Wait, failure… What?!' He thought incredulously. He was starting to wonder if there was more going on that he didn't know of. "What are you talking about?"
She didn't answer and kept crying. Naofumi lowered an arm over her shoulders, hugging the crying girl into his side. "It's alright. You're not a failure. No one's being abandoned here." He said comfortingly. Raphtalia always tried to act so strong at times. It was easy to forget that she'd only finished growing to adulthood more than two weeks ago.
The two of them remained quiet after that for a moment. Naofumi didn't think much to himself during that time. He was mainly worried about why Raphtalia would have thought that he'd ever abandon her or think she was a failure… 'Has she been straining herself so much the last few days because she worries she won't be strong enough to protect me and Filo?' He thought. It sounded like a good guess, so he decided to ask.
"Raphtalia, be honest with me, have you been pushing yourself so hard lately because you're afraid I'll abandon you for not being able to level up?" Naofumi worriedly asked.
"N-No…" She mumbled. She whispered something under her breath after that, but he didn't catch it.
"What was that?" Naofumi asked.
Raphtalia scooted away, clasping her hands in front of her. Naofumi's arm fell down onto the bed again. 'Raphtalia?...'
"Is it because those Church Shadows from before managed to knock you out?" He asked. He'd remembered that had been around the time he started to see Raphtalia pushing herself harder.
...
"... Naofumi… be honest. What do you think of me?" She quietly asked.
Naofumi had a feeling she was using the same tactic he'd used earlier. "What do I think of you?" He asked confusedly.
Raphtalia shyly stared down at her body. It wasn't her main concern, but it was part of her concern. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if it was her body that kept Naofumi from wanting to form a deeper relationship with her. Yes, she was also embarrassed at how she'd lashed out while being embarrassed, but that wasn't the main issue either. The issue did center around that topic though. What was keeping Naofumi from wanting to be in a relationship with her? Was it because she wasn't strong enough? Was it because she'd failed to protect him and Filo from those who wanted to hurt them? Was it because… she was a demi-human? He'd reassured her before that wasn't the case, but was it possible that it was?
Naofumi followed her eyes and was finally able to somewhat understand her question.
'Maybe there was more than one reason why she was embarrassed earlier…' He could not forget that this girl loved him, and his opinion of her would vastly outweigh anyone else's. Still, he found himself at a loss for words thinking about how to respond.
...
Raphtalia took his silence the wrong way. 'I guess I don't have the kind of body Master Naofumi prefers after all…' Maybe that really was the problem. She was just too fat in all the wrong places. Her tail sagged sadly on the bed behind her at the thought.
"... … Raphtalia. You know I'm not good with this kind of stuff…" Raphtalia continued looking down at the floor. "... But, but that doesn't mean that I don't think you're beautiful."
He found his mind flashing back to the time at Erhard's shop when Raphtalia had asked him if she looked fat or not in her armor. He was positive she had been joking around with him back then. And he'd been honest in saying she looked amazing. She looked even more amazing now than back then! And he'd be damned if all this reminded him of the after scene of that novel/manga/anime/whatever he'd seen before!
Raphtalia finally looked up at him. She looked incredulous at his response. "Look, I don't know if this is all because of some self-esteem issue or whatever," Naofumi said seriously. "I don't know if you're pushing yourself so hard lately because of body image or whatever. But I think you look beautiful, and I'd be damned to abandon a wonderful girl like you no matter how hard you kicked me. I already said I deserved it, so don't worry about it, you got me?" He said seriously.
Raphtalia sniffed again, but her tail was starting to wag fiercely behind her again. "I…" She surprised Naofumi by tackling him onto the bed with a tight embrace. "Got it!" She said happily.
'Good.' Naofumi relaxed and hugged her back. 'I'm glad to have that taken care of.' At least he hoped he'd managed to take care of it.
After a moment, Raphtalia sat back up, looking a lot happier than she had before. Naofumi also sat up. He was about to say something, but then he saw something on the sheets next to Raphtalia. "What is that?" He asked.
"Huh?" Raphtalia looked down at where Naofumi was looking and started to blush again. "Oh, I almost forgot." She grabbed the object and showed it to Naofumi. It looked like a large purple crystal. Naofumi almost thought it was a large uncut amethyst, but it didn't look like a gemstone to him. Then the item description came up, showing it was a gemstone. "It's called Latium," Raphtalia said sheepishly. "I got it from a Gagoko nest just outside the town." Her tail drooped behind her again. "I overheard these two girls saying that it was rare to find around here… and I thought that getting you a gift would help to apologize for kicking you earlier…"
Naofumi took the Latium from Raphtalia and examined it. With the right tools, he figured he could get a few gemstones from this one crystal. And he wasn't sure if his appraisal of the crystal was correct or not, but he was guessing Latium was on the same scale as a Ruby enchantment wise… it was something he'd have to figure out.
He started to smile again. "I'll make good use of it." He patted her on the head. "Thank you, Raphtalia."
Raphtalia's tail was swishing happily behind her again! Naofumi had to hold back a chuckle. For a second, seeing Raphtalia look so happy, he felt something bubbling up inside his heart. It felt weird, yet warm at the same time. He felt the urge to lean closer, and she did too. They felt the urge to stare into the depths of each other's eyes, and-
"Awwwww, no fair!" The two snapped out of their moment and looked at the hallway. Filo was standing there, pointing angrily at the two. "Filo wants some love and attention too, Daddy!"
'That damn loli girl!' Naofumi thought irritably. That warm feeling was now long gone. Here he had been thinking he was on the verge of some great discovery with Raphtalia, and this KFC farm came out of nowhere and ruined it!
"Filo!" Raphtalia complained. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. What had been going on. It was like she couldn't remember the last few seconds. Had she really been about to do it? Had she been on the verge of kissing Naofumi and getting pregnant!?... she didn't know whether to feel happy or angry about Filo interrupting their moment now.
"You're always giving me love and attention Mommy! Filo wants love and attention from Daddy for a change!" Filo complained childishly.
"I'm not your Dad! Now go to bed this instant young lady!" Naofumi yelled at her angrily.
"But you're sitting on my bed!" Filo complained. Technically she was right since Naofumi had switched beds to comfort Raphtalia.
Naofumi, maybe out of spite, laid down on what was formerly Filo's bed. "Too bad! The other bed has a wet spot from the ice bag, you're sleeping on it now!"
Wahhhhh! You big meanie!" Filo cried as she ran over to Naofumi's former bed.
Raphtalia sighed. Here she was hoping she'd get to sleep peacefully by Naofumi's side. But Filo was going to be angry if she didn't receive any attention from her Dad. So it looked like she'd have to take his place again. "Here, how about you let Mommy brush your hair sweetie." Raphtalia offered Filo as she sat behind her on the bed.
"But I want Daddy to brush my hair!" Filo complained.
"I'm going back to bed," Naofumi said as he turned away from the two to sleep.
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia begged.
"Huahhhh!" Naofumi pretended to be snoring away in his sleep.
"Boo!"
Raphtalia sighed again. She really didn't know who was more childish. Filo, or Naofumi... Regardless, she started to gently brush Filo's blonde hair.
Four days ago (37 Days before the Wave of Catastrophe)
Itsuki Kawasumi stood behind Van Reichnott's manor. His hood was up, but it didn't hide his gaunt face. The dawn of the coming sunrise lit up the sky in front of him. Signifying a new day for the people of this world.
'... Why…'
He had been thinking that like repeat ever since the little girl had died so needlessly the night before. Ever since he'd used a skill, Transport Bow, to teleport his party and the slaves all back to Van's estate. Ever since he'd helped the little girl's mom and her friends bury the girl at the base of a hill near Van's estate. Ever since he'd watched the mom and the other demi-humans break down at the grave and cry. He'd never seen such a heartbreaking scene for a game before in his entire life… he'd never known such a thing existed in Dimension Wave...
Why did that noble have to kill Lily? Why did she have to die?… What had she done to deserve it?… Her blood was still on his clothes. A reminder of how he'd hesitated in saving the little NPC girl's life… a reminder of the catalyst that had brought up memories he'd suppressed, and turned this game into a nightmare.
'Why did it have to happen?' Were the game mechanics in this world really that cruel? Or was he in some dream-like state? A state that wanted to make him feel miserable… a state that made him want to hate himself for being so weak just like he had been in the real world...
...
"Are you okay, Sir Bow Hero?"
Van Reichnott appeared next to Itsuki. Staring out at the sunrise in the distance. He was normally a cheery fellow. But, like the rest of the demi-humans in his land, he mourned with the mother and friends of the girl who had been killed by her master. In accordance, he had chosen a black outfit to wear today.
…
"Why did the noble kill that little girl?" Itsuki finally asked. Maybe by asking another NPC, he could learn what had programmed the other NPC to do it. Maybe, he could get an answer that would turn this back into his favorite game...
Van glanced at him. His eyes looked sad. "I don't know." He admitted. "I cannot fathom what drives others to commit such acts of cruelty to one another."
That hadn't been the answer Itsuki wanted to hear. He was supposed to get an answer to situations like this! "He didn't have to do it," Itsuki said, crossing his arms in front of him. "He had no reason to... She was just a little kid!" Itsuki started to yell in frustration. "He said it himself that he was dying! Why! WHY DID HE FEEL LIKE HE HAD TO DO IT!? WHY DID HE HAVE TO KILL A LITTLE GIRL AFTER BULLYING HER HER WHOLE LIFE!?" Itsuki was breathing in and out heavily after yelling at Van, who looked unfazed at Itsuki's yelling. Fresh tears appeared in Itsuki's eyes, tears he didn't know he had left. He was only talking to another NPC, yet he was taking it so much more seriously…
"Why… just… why…" He said sadly. This fantasy world had already been cruel to Lily, having her programmed to be born into slavery. Just like his best friend, who had been destined to be born in the slums of poverty. Just like how it was programmed in their society that, whenever someone at the bottom was finally seeing light, others would come in to block it out. They'd force those at the bottom of the food chain back into the darkness they'd feared all their lives.
It had led his best friend to take her life. It had led this noble to kill a little girl before she was given the chance for freedom... Why did her life have to end, right as he was there to free her… why did the noble have to block the light when it was in reach… why did it have to happen?... why couldn't he just be emotionless about it... why...
…
Van sighed sadly after a moment. "I don't know, Sir Bow Hero." He said, before looking up at the light of the coming sunrise. "If I knew why people felt justified in mistreating or killing those they felt superior to, I could answer you that and much more. But sadly, I do not know the answer. And thus, I don't have an answer that will satisfy you or me."
Itsuki looked down at the ground. It was too much. Seeing that girl had reminded him too much about his former past. The life he'd tried to outgrow before coming here. The life he'd tried to outgrow… ever since the day he'd felt… it'd be better he no longer existed like his best friend…
...
Maybe he should quit… there was still that one dictator that needed overthrowing… maybe he could still do that and leave this storyline quest behind… maybe then he could leave these memories behind… but was that right?... was that the just thing to do?...
Van rested a firm hand on Itsuki's shoulder, and the teenage Bow Hero looked to him in surprise. "I can't give you an answer. But what I can tell you is that this won't be the last time this happens. There's a price to pay if Melromarc is to free its slaves. And unless you help pay that price, more demihumans like Lily will die cruelly at the hands of their masters." He said seriously. "They need your help, Sir Bow Hero. They need you to stop this from happening ever again. Are you willing to help those who are unable to help themselves?"
Itsuki said nothing for a moment. It was like one of those turning points of dialogue in a quest. Where the NPC said something profound to you to encourage you to continue...
Itsuki chose to look up at the sunrise that appeared at that moment. A beautiful gold circle that gradually started to rise out of the horizon in the distance. The light that brought fresh life and hope for the people in the world. The light that drove away the darkness of the night… it really was like a turning point… did that mean Justice was calling out to him to go through with this Quest?...
A quote from a manga he'd read back in his world came to mind.
People forced to live in darkness will never know the light. Yet the first light they'll see after the long night isn't the sun. But the light that heralds it's coming... Only you can lead this people out of the darkness. Only you can help them identify the light of the coming sun.
…
Could he do it?... Itsuki's fists clenched tightly at his sides. "I'll do it." He said. Even if he was confronted with more horrors in what was to come. "I can't stop now." Even if he did hate himself, he couldn't stop. He had to stand for justice. He had to punish those wrongdoers for every crime they'd ever committed.
He wasn't going to allow these nobles to bully their slaves ever again. There was a price for freedom. And Itsuki Kawasumi was more than willing to pay for that cost.
"Then I'd suggest we go in and get some rest," Van said, leading Itsuki by the shoulders inside. "You have a long road ahead of you, my friend."
And so he did.
Present Day: A Noble's Mansion (28 Days before the Wave of Catastrophe
The noble went toppling over the back of his desk. He had a bloody nose and a broken arm.
"Please, I swear I'm innocent!" The cowardly noble begged for his life as he tried to scoot back.
The room around him looked like a warzone. Two of his guards were lying in pools of blood on the ground. The third one had been thrown out the window behind his desk several stories to the ground below. The fourth one stood nearby, making sure his former lord couldn't escape. He agreed that the Lord was a vile man, and had refused to defend him. He'd been the one to throw the third guard out the window.
"Please Sir Bow Hero, have mercy on me!"
"My informant here told me you supplied a fifth of the knights that were stationed in the region of Seaetto," Itsuki said calmly from under his hood. "You're holding some of the demi-human kids they captured in your cellar where you torture them and abuse them." He didn't state it as an accusation but as a fact.
The noble's eyes widened. He thought the Bow Hero had come to punish him for the heavy taxes he'd placed on his citizens. He'd heard that the Bow Hero had been out and about in the world bringing corrupt nobles to justice a couple of weeks before the last wave. But now... "What is this?! The Bow Hero would never care for the lives of such creatures-" He started to yell.
"Sir Itsuki, we found the last of them." A mage wearing a pointed hat appeared in the doorway.
Itsuki turned his hooded head to look at his party member. The mage gently led two kids, a boy, and a girl, into view. The girl had dog ears on her head, the boy was a Hakuko. Both were dressed in rags and shook with fear when they saw the noble. The noble squeaked in terror at their appearance. It was true. The Bow Hero really had turned against them.
"Is that all of them?" Itsuki calmly asked. "I would have sworn I was told he owned more slaves."
"The guards executed three of them before we got there. The other four he owned were already dead." The mage said sadly. It looked like she wanted to cry from the memory of the sight she and the other party members had experienced when they took down the guards and broke into the cellar. Their knight, Aksel/Armor, was back out front, vomiting from what he had seen in the dark parts of this noble mansion. "Sir Itsuki... their bodies were naked... and chained to the walls. All four were girls, and showed signs of being raped before they died."
Itsuki's face didn't change. His eyes, however, glared with a new level of disgust for the Lord kneeling on the ground in front of him. "Are you so twisted that you'd even force himself on little girls in their dying moments?"
"Please, Sir Bow Hero, you have to understand, I was only doing what the Gods wanted me to do!" He pleaded again.
There it was again. Just like every other noble who abused their slaves. It was all for the sake of their religion, for the sake of pleasing their 'Gods' as they put it. What kind of horrible programming was this?!
"Your Gods wanted you to help exterminate a village full of people… to sell their kids into slavery..." Itsuki said slowly and calmly. "Then he asked you to take some of these kids, bully them into submission, put them through hell, and to end their lives so monstrously?!" He yelled as he looked disgusted by this Lord's logic. "Don't you even feel sorry at all for what you've done to them?!"
...
The noble growled. "I will never be sorry for dealing with those worthless abominations!" He yelled, pointing angrily at the demi-human children. Who cowered behind the mage, shaking in fear. "They are devils in the eyes of God, and every one of them deserves to suffer like one for thinking they could live in our world against the Almighty's holy will! And if you're going to fall from your position in the heavens, then I'll force you to come to terms with the will of the ALMIGHTY!" He snapped his fingers after saying those words. Activating the command on his status magic that would kill the two demi-human children that were his slaves.
...
He looked surprised and snapped his fingers again. The command to kill the last two slaves wasn't working. Then he saw through the rags of the clothing the two kids were wearing that the slave crests on their chests were gone. "But… but… how…" The noble was shocked.
Little did he realize he'd just thrown away his last chance for mercy from Itsuki. "Rachel." Itsuki addressed the mage. "Lead the children outside. I'll be out to transport them away in a moment."
"Yes, Sir Itsuki. Come along children." Rachel said, grabbing the small malnourished hands of the kids as she led them away from what was about to happen.
"You have to believe me! I only did what the Gods wanted! I swear!" The Lord pleaded again. Not liking the look that appeared in Itsuki's eyes.
Itsuki breathed in calmly. "You can claim all you want that you did what you did in the name of your Gods." His bow changed shape. Its color was now a sinister orange, and strange symbols appeared on the haft near Itsuki's hand. He pulled an arrow from a quiver on his back and loaded the bow. "But I know that the Gods would never allow anyone to bully and rape innocent children of any kind. No matter their reasons."
The Lord froze in fear. Seeming to realize only then that there was something horribly wrong with the Bow Hero. "And now, foolish sinner, I will dispense the Justice of the Gods upon you and your house for all that you've done to his creations!"
"No, no-!"
"Justice Arrow!"
Itsuki released the string. The Lord's words were cut off. His eyes stared glassily up at the ceiling above. The normal arrow, his trademark way of execution to hide his identity, had, by the power of his bow, pierced through the Lord's frontal lobe and pinned his head to the ground, killing him instantly.
It was clean. It was fast. In all honesty, it was a lot more merciful than what the man had deserved. It was far more merciful than what any of these nobles deserved...
He barely spared a glance at the Lord's corpse before turning to face the Lord's former guard. His bow was starting to return to its normal default form. "Go. Spread the word of what happened here," Itsuki ordered calmly. "And keep my identity a secret. I want to make sure all the nobles and Lords in the area get the message that a vigilante is coming for them. If they refuse to repent of their wrongdoing, they will receive Justice just as this man has."
The guard bowed to Itsuki, and then turned and ran out of the room. Itsuki watched on for a moment more, and then sighed. The strange symbols that had been on his bow finally disappeared. He looked at the dead Lord.
'Oh Gods…' He immediately faced away. A sick feeling forcing its way into his gut at the sight of what he'd done. It was only supposed to be a game, but...
Killing monsters was one thing. Killing people, looking at their dead bodies was like a reminder of his dead best friend. Ever since that first noble, it had felt like he'd tried so hard to find a way to have mercy on them. He tried to find a way to get through to them, to resolve this through diplomacy instead of through bloodshed. But each time somehow ended like this… Justice would take him over, and he'd dispense it upon the criminal as if he was judge, jury, and executioner...
...
A green-haired girl who was unsurely holding a sword appeared in the entranceway. "Sir, Sir Itsuki, is, is everything alright?" She unsurely asked.
...
Itsuki forcefully recomposed himself. "Is everyone out of the mansion Rishia?" Itsuki tried to calmly ask the green-haired girl he had saved just two days ago after killing a nobleman who had also been abusing his slaves. For some reason, she'd been among his demi-human slaves despite being a human. The noble had already been doing plenty of other shady things, bullying lower class nobles around him, taking bribes from merchants, overtaxing his citizens, but that had made Itsuki even more mad at that noble. Slavery itself was wrong. But enslaving humans illegally in Melromarc was a whole other ballpark. That noble was six feet under like the rest he'd visited.
After saving her, he had brought her back to her parents' home in the neighboring village, where he'd learned more in-depth about what had happened. And where he'd gotten more updated information about the current noble he'd just killed. For some reason, before he left, she made the decision to join his party. Though, as of right now, she didn't look to know where she fit into it. With two mages, a swordsman, a spearman, and an armored tank already in the party. Not to mention, Itsuki himself specializing in long-range attacks. He wasn't even sure why he'd accepted her into the party. She reminded him so much of his former self, her constant whimpering was like being continually slapped with memories of himself in his old world.
He hated it.
"Oh, um, yes Sir Itsuki," Rishia replied nervously. "They're all waiting out front."
"Good... Use your fire magic and burn this place down." Itsuki ordered.
"Fuehhhhh!" And there was the whimper he hated so much. Rishia's eyes widened hysterically. She could use fire magic. She didn't have an affinity, and could thus use all types of magic. But for Itsuki to ask her to burn a Lord's manor down!? "B-But-" She started to say nervously.
"I'm sick of the other nobles disregarding me Rishia," Itsuki said calmly. "I'm tired of them not listening. I'm tired of having to kill them. I don't want to have to kill them all. But I need them to get the message. I can either free the slaves using the cleansing potions Van gives me, or I can free them by killing their masters. I don't want to kill them all. Will you help me do that with burning this place down or are you going to remain useless to me?" Itsuki asked evenly.
...
"Fuehhh...Yes, right away Sir Itsuki..." Rishia turned and ran from the doorway. Preparing the spell she'd need inside her mind while hoping she wouldn't mess it up.
'This is only the sixth noble on the list that Van Reichnott gave me.' Itsuki thought to himself. There were too many other names to go after still on that list. And likely other nobles and Lords who weren't on that list who'd avoided being on Van's radar. Van hadn't known some of the things that Rishia's parents had told him about this noble. And they hadn't even known of all the evil going on in this place…
Itsuki was finding that, outwardly, most of these nobles made themselves like saints in their communities. But inwardly, they were nothing but ravening wolves. Giving pleasing words from their lips while seeking to destroy those they owned beneath them.
He couldn't believe it. But he'd seen it face to face. He'd seen nobles who, when given the chance, had activated a kill command on their slaves, rather than letting them go free. He'd failed so many times since that little girl. And he hated himself for it. They were only NPC's, but every step, every corner only seemed to hold another trauma. Another memory he'd worked so hard to suppress in his mind after coming to this world.
This storyline quest was steadily turning into a nightmare… The things he'd seen already from these nobles he'd killed…
Itsuki shuddered to himself. 'I made a promise. I swore I'd see this through.'
He'd only wanted to punish them for their crimes. But ever since he'd targeted the first noble on his list, he'd found out just how terrible some of these nobles and Lords were to their demi-human slaves, most of whom were women and children. They didn't deserve the right to live with the crimes they committed. And he had as of yet to pay a visit to the worst nobles on the list like Idol Rabier.
And the thought of how they could treat their demi-human slaves worse than what these nobles sickened him more than the dead body in front of him. Yet this was what he had to resort to. A life for a life. Fair payment for all the evil they'd done. But was that fair justice? Killing them here and now? After the way these kids had suffered under them?
He turned around, forcing the sick feeling and confusion of having killed another person away inside his mind. There were more slaves needing to be freed, and more nobles and Lords to punish. He finally had the chance to be the hero of justice that hunted evil from the shadows. He had to be that hero of justice.
As Van said, no one else in this country could pay the price but him. Naofumi was on the run. Motoyasu had disappeared to another part of the country to 'get stronger.' And Ren had been tasked by the guild to deal with Motoyasu's mess in the town of Leruno. So he had to keep on going.
He had to.
Author's Note:
I'm honestly not sure how rare or valuable Lectium is. I'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me since Google refused to answer it for me. Also, I started another semester of college today! Hopefully my updates will be posted around 3:00-5:00 MST from here on out. I have a Calculus class to do in the evening on Mondays, so we'll have to see what happens.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I look forward to your comments! And I'll be seeing you all next week!
Hero Clips!
Dud Bombs (Canon scene)
"Yes, finally, I have found a way for me to attack!" Naofumi yelled excitedly as he held up a round black ball to the early morning light. It looked like a cannonball, with a short fuse attached to it.
"*Huawwww* Master Naofumi, what are you doing now?" Raphtalia tiredly asked. Naofumi's yelling had woken her and Filo up.
"Raphtalia! I used the gunpowder recipe I learned from my grimoire to make myself bombs!" Naofumi said gleefully. "Now I'll finally be able to attack monsters without you and Filo's help!"
"Daddy, Filo's not sure that's how it works-" Filo tried to warn him.
At that moment, a small Silver Razorback, just like the one Raphtalia had seen on the placard yesterday, stumbled into the clearing. The arrow that appeared over its head indicated it was a normal level 10 monster. "You two stay back! I'm going to handle this monster all by myself!" Naofumi said gleefully as he used the campfire to light the fuse to his bomb.
"Um, if you say so." Raphtalia and Filo watched as Naofumi chucked the bomb at the boar.
"That thing has enough gunpowder in it to knock down a building! There's no way a weak level 10 monster can stand against such power! Bombs away-!"
Poof!
The bomb... exploded? A little bit of smoke came out from the bomb when it impacted the monster's skin, but otherwise, no large explosions happened. The smoking, intact bomb settled on the ground by the boar. Naofumi's right eye twitched at the lack of explosion. 'But, how!? That bomb should have blown the stupid pig sky high-'
Warning: The Cardinal Hero can't equip any weapons besides his current weapon. The notification appeared on his screen.
"Are you kidding me!?" Naofumi yelling angrily. The little monster started squealing and running away. It hadn't even noticed the bomb hitting its side. "I can't use bombs against monsters!? What kind of bull sh-"
A blast of air parted Naofumi's hair. He stopped speaking, slowly turning around to see what had caused it.
It was an actual adult Silver Razorback. Much larger than what the guy in the placard was shown to be carrying. It was easily taller than Naofumi. It was glaring down at him. The purple arrow pointing down on its head indicated it was level 48… and the little Silver Razorback from before came charging up alongside it. Cuddling and squealing with its mother and letting her know how the scary man had frightened him.
The boar looked over Naofumi at the still smoking object on the ground... yep, it figured out he'd just tried to hurt one of it's cubs.
"Ra-Raphtalia-" Naofumi tried to say.
"You said you could take care of it all by yourself Master Naofumi," Raphtalia said. She was in the middle of brushing Filo's hair.
"You said you got this Daddy, so Filo and mommy won't interfere," Filo said happily.
The mother boss Boar squealed loudly at Naofumi.
"AHHHHHHHH! HELP ME!" Naofumi yelled in fear as he ran away from the giant boar. The monster tore up the ground as it chased Naofumi into the hills.
"... When do you think we should help Daddy out?" Filo asked after a moment.
"Hmmm… after he gets his morning workout in," Raphtalia said happily as she continued to brush Filo's hair. "I noticed he was acquiring a little bit of a gut when we were in the Hot Spring. This should help him to work it off."
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Naofumi ran by. The mother boss boar still hot on his tail.
And that's the story of how Naofumi eliminated the last of his belly fat and became the hottest looking hero of them all.
Till Next Time
Allen