Good morning, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between! Max here, coming back less than a day after the first chapter was uploaded, excited and ready to upload more! Given the fact that this shot up in popularity as fast as it did, it was a serious boost to my confidence as a writer to see people coming to this story. As of the time that I'm typing this intro (directly after writing the chapter) We're at 173 views and 149 visitors on the story! That's friggin' insane, guys! I'm glad to have each and every one of you, and I hope you're looking forward to this story as much as I am!
Review spotlight goes to Vasukiev, who asked the following:
Vasukiev: I'm guessing the current veil is an Ogre, will he unlock the other types like Ivy and Hounds, or is he stuck with Ogre? Anyways, interesting premise, but be careful when writing the trial scene, the way you write it can quickly drop your story if done improperly and illogically.
Thanks for your input, Vasukiev! First, I have to say that I progressed the first chapter that quickly on purpose. It's a quirk of mine, the fact that I tend to set things up quickly in the first chapter and make them longer as I progress the story. I put a lot of thought into the trial, and although I have very little actual knowledge in Law, the internet hasn't steered me wrong yet. Also, he will unlock the other Veils as he levels up, and it'll have a very similar mechanic to the Shield in the sense that it can unlock new Veils by feeding it monster material. It mostly changes the texture and increases various skills, but that's all I'm gonna say on the matter for now! That being said, be sure to leave a review and share this with your friends! The one to guess all the references in this chapter will have any character of their choosing (preferably OCs) included in one of the following chapters as well as a shoutout to a social media of their choice!
Chapter Two- Adventurer by Day, Copyright Infringement by Night
Max silently followed along as the Shield Hero and the guards made their way to the throne room, his sense of dread increasing as he moved along. One voice inside his head said, What the hell is happening? This isn't making any sense. He disregarded it, looking into the throne room as guards surrounded Naofumi while Motoyasu brandished his spear. Yelling could be heard, but honestly he couldn't understand a word of it. At the forefront of the room, standing beside the heroes and in front of the king, was the red haired adventurer known as Myne. Deciding to bite the bullet, he stepped into the hall and asked, "What's going on? I was in my room and heard a lot of noise." The explanation he received chilled him.
"Naofumi raped the princess!" Motoyasu shouted.
"I told you, I'm innocent, damn it! I never even touched her! Not only that, my gear and money were all stolen as well!" Naofumi countered, incredibly defensive.
"So you finally reveal your true colors, Accursed Shield! Not only do you dare lay a hand on my daughter, but you have the audacity to lie about it!" King Aultcray roared, slamming his fist down on the arm of his throne. Max was lost in all the shouting, but there was the sound of someone clearing their throat to silence the room, which just so happened to be the Bow Hero. After this, Itsuki was all too eager to provide an explanation, noticing that Max's fingers appeared to be tapping on his leg in a very strange manner while he talked.
"According to 1st Princess Malty, Naofumi barged in her room while drunk out of his mind and raped her, or at least tried to." As Itsuki spoke, Max's silver eyes traced the room and took note of everything. Facial expressions, body language, breathing and speaking patterns, and other things that aren't worth mentioning. "She managed to escape and run to Motoyasu's room, and told him what happened. She came in here and told the king, clinging to him for protection."
Something clicked in Max's head, and as soon as he did, he gave a shout that silenced the entire room and caused even Motoyasu to step back a little out of surprise.
"OBJECTION!"
With the majority of the eyes in the room on his person, he made a gamble as he spoke his next words. "So, you're basing this entire claim off of something that the Princess said, correct? You have no other witnesses that can confirm it?" He began to switch into the mentality of the lawyer that he had planned to become. Myne's eye visibly twitched (a detail that he picked up on immediately), but she quickly switched to the victim act.
"Oh, no… Don't tell me that the Veil Hero has also been in the clutches of the Shield Demon!" She took an exaggerated, almost dramatic pose as she said this, putting on a fake voice to make herself seem more believable to her father and the other heroes. "Not even one of the heroes can withstand the Shield Demon's brainwashing ma-"
"HOLD IT!" Another jarring shout was expelled from his lungs as he pointed his index finger at the Princess, who stepped back in surprise from the authority packed into two simple words. "I'm defending him because of a few things. One is that I don't like you, princess, and the second is that I couldn't really call myself a lawyer if I didn't defend those that needed my services in a court of law. For starters, any claim that is made involving the act of accusing a person of a crime as serious as sexual assault needs several things." He held up a single finger. "One is either an affidavit from a witness or physical evidence to prove this claim, i.e. with a rape kit or visible injuries. You can't back up a claim by just saying that he did it, no matter if you're a commoner or royalty. You'll have to have a doctor from outside perform an examination to back this claim up." Another finger was added to the total.
"Two. All physical evidence must be counted as valid by a judge before the court session begins." A third and final finger rose to stand tall alongside the other two. "Third, all admitted evidence must be strong enough to meet the legal burden of proof for the given situation, ranging from reasonable suspicion to preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing evidence, or beyond a reasonable doubt. Testimonies, exhibits, documentary material, or demonstrative evidence, which are admissible in as judicial or administrative proceeding, are the types of evidence that are allowed to be submitted for use in trial proceedings." He brushed some of his hair over his shoulder with a bit of a flourish, saying, "Everything there is taught at a basic level in law school. Any student worth their salt knows that."
Silence.
He realized that with all this law talk, he might as well be speaking a different language, considering none of them seemed to understand it. "I get the distinct impression that none of you are understanding me. Well, at least I have your attention, if nothing else. My point is that you're doing this all wrong. The plaintiff isn't supposed to be the one delivering the verdict on what to do with the defendant. The lawyers are supposed to find out what happened, and the judge makes the final verdict. Otherwise, it's not a fair trial. Since I'm the only one with any actual court based experience, I guess I'll be the Defense Attorney responsible for clearing your name. Eh, Naofumi?" The Shield Hero flinched as his name was mentioned. Max tapped the gem in his hand for a moment, digging through the things he'd found thus far on his journey and pulling out a few berries. "Want one?"
"...sure." Naofumi gingerly took one of the berries in hand, popping it into his mouth. The look on his face seemed to reflect that he liked the taste, so he took another one and repeated the process. Over the course of his questioning, Naofumi would consume about seven of them.
"So, Naofumi. Tell us a little about yourself. What were you like before you came here?" Max asked, popping one of the berries into his own mouth. He slipped something white into his mouth as well, but didn't allow Naofumi to see it. His hand began tapping his leg again. The question he asked caused surprise to cross the faces of the heroes.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?! He's on trial for rape, for crying out loud!" Itsuki snapped, but Max ignored him.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I really wasn't anyone special. Average guy with an average family. They did pretty well for themselves. Aside from the allowance I got from them, I didn't interact with them much." He leaned back a little, his hand going to rest in his pocket. "Just your average otaku, I guess."
"Any girlfriends? Interesting characters in your life?"
"Not really. I mostly just kept to myself."
"Alright, just one more question. When you first came to this world, did you consider Myne to be attractive in any way?" Max tried his hand at a more interesting question, which in turn produced some interesting results.
"Wha-? No, of course not." That time, he got some significant details. Specifically, motions that Naofumi made. In particular, his shoulders tensed up and his larynx dropped. It was something that Max had trained himself to catch onto for his time in the world of law. A way to tell when a person was lying. A tell. A small grin on his face, Max turned to the heroes and the royal family members behind him.
"He's innocent." Naturally, this triggered some rather adverse reactions from everyone in the room, including rage from the King, annoyance from the Princess, confusion from the guards, surprise from the heroes, and shock from Naofumi. "Before you all decide to try to rip my tongue out by seeing how far up my ass you can stick a spear before you find what you're looking for, listen to what I have to say." Once more, he raised a single finger. "First off, the general consensus is that the entire thing happened because he was flat out drunk, right? He barged into the Princess' room and attempted to sexually assault her?"
"Of course! Didn't you hear what Myne said?" Motoyasu came to her defense before she could say anything, and Max could see the smug look in her eyes as he did this. He enjoyed seeing it vanish and be replaced by shock when he said his next line.
"Motoyasu, either she has you wrapped so tightly around her finger that it's turning friggin' purple, or you're a special kind of stupid. The statement that he was drunk is a blatant lie." Once more, a sea of murmurs spread throughout the throne room. "Allow me to explain. These berries clued me into that fact." He held up one of the berries he had given Naofumi, and tossed it to one of the guards. "Try that on for size." When the guard popped it into his mouth, he immediately turned blue and crumpled to the floor, an unknown substance foaming around his mouth.
"What the hell have you done, Veil?! Are you poisoning my men?!" The king bellowed, and Max waved it off as he moved over to the guard.
"Keep your royal panties on, and loosen the knot in them while you're at it. It's not poison. Both Naofumi and I ate them, yet we're still alive. Regarding the berries themselves, I had them appraised while I was in town. I figured giving people in town a hand could help my reputation a little." As he spoke, he stuck two fingers in the guard's mouth, reaching down to his throat and triggering his gag reflex. The guard quickly threw up the substance that he had consumed, hacking and coughing as he did so. "They're Rucolu fruits. From what I learned from a merchant while doing a few odd jobs today, they're used to make wine. Evidently, you have to dilute just one in a cask of water for several days to get anything drinkable. The only way I was able to resist the effects of the one I ate is because of a medicine I got in return for helping an old lady carry groceries. Even then, I'm still on the verge of feeling a bit tipsy, because these things are powerful. Naofumi ate seven, yet he's steadier than most of you. Furthermore…" He readjusted his Veil, which had fallen into an uncomfortable position. "...when I came here, I had been reading a book about the Cardinal Heroes and Vassal Heroes like myself. I found that the Shield Hero was completely immune to the effects of alcohol and and motion sickness."
"Completely immune? If that's the case…" Ren finally spoke, turning to look up at the Princess with a skeptical look. "...you've been lying to us." Immediately, Myne grew defensive and glared at Max with the intent to kill, shooting a very similar look towards Naofumi. But before she could say anything, the one her gaze was aimed at spoke up.
"Obviously. Come on, did you actually believe her? Her immediate appearance threw up flags that were a brighter red than her hair. She's a pathological liar. Not to mention, in these cases, the victim very rarely clings so tightly to another man that soon after being assaulted, as they can't form any meaningful relationships for quite some time. Yet you said that she was basically attached at the hip to Motoyasu when she came in here. That's what clued me into any of this in the first place." She looked like she was about to blow a gasket. "You know, I only noticed it once when you first started on with your barrel of horseshit, since that's the only lie I managed to catch. But you have a very noticeable tell that you can't quite hide due to that vibrant hair color." He pointed at his eye with a finger. "It's your eye. It twitches when someone stops you in the middle of a lie. Another one is that if you manage to tell one without anybody catching it, you have a really bad habit of smirking." Immediately, she covered her mouth.
"Fine, then! If you're so good at telling when people are lying, why don't you tell us this? How do you know that the Shield isn't lying to you?" She smirked once more behind her hand, but Max immediately wiped it right off.
"Because that last question I asked him was meant to make him lie. That's the only time his tell was triggered." He pointed at his shoulders, then at his own throat. "First off, his shoulders tense in response. It's a defensive reaction. Second, his larynx drops in his throat, a reactionary measure to allow him to project his voice to prove his case." As soon as he said this, Naofumi's hands went to his shoulders and his throat, unaware that he'd done that in the first place. "It's a common trope in sexual assault cases. When the defendant is asked about the victim's attractiveness, they often lie to save their asses. After all, if you don't find the person attractive, you can't really put it in them very easily. Hell, if it weren't for the fact that my immediate thought upon seeing you was 'Backstabbing Bitch,' I probably would've felt the same." Motoyasu's face twisted in anger upon hearing this.
"Okay, now you're just going too far! There's proving innocence, and there's just being cruel!" He brandished his spear at Max, who pushed it aside.
"Unknot your boxers, overcompensating Spear Hero. I'm proving a point. If this is how you react to something like this, turning on each other the moment someone throws around accusations, you don't deserve to be heroes." He glared at Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki. "None of you. You're meant to fight the Waves, but you've got your heads so far up your own asses because you get to be heroes, you can't see when someone is trying to frame one of your own. This isn't some kind of game, you idiots. Actions have consequences. If you can't see that…" He shook his head. "...well, I guess I can't fight alongside you." Outraged by the things he had been saying, Aultcray slammed his fist down on his throne again.
"You're turning traitor to the crown?! Accursed Veil!" The guards around him brandished their weapons again, but this time at Max. "I've heard from the Shadows that you have yet to properly use the Veil you have been given." The hell is a Shadow? "Either you are overly confident in your skills, or you have no idea how to use it. Guards, seize him! Remove this traitor from my sight immediately!"
Silence befell the room moments later as the sound of shifting fabric and unsheathing metal could be heard. Each guard surrounding him had a look of shock on his face, which was replaced with abject horror.
Metallic ribbons revealed themselves from the shoulder cloth that he had yet to use, wrapping themselves around his arm. They also traveled up his face, covering the lower half and becoming a sort of mask. When the mask took shape, so did his arm, which formed into a vicious black and red claw that pulsed with his heartbeat.
"Fine, then. If you think your guards can take me, let them try. I dare you." His gaze sharpened, those silver eyes turning from vibrant and full of life to downright venomous, tinted with crimson due to the effect of the weapon. It sent a chill down the spine of everyone. "If you want to brand me a traitor, I'll make the Waves look like a fucking joke. After all… the Veil is the only weapon in history that's meant to feed off of the enemies it slaughters, right? I'll use it to take every single one of you apart."
Silence.
The guards around him withdrew their weapons, and Max soon did the same with his Veil. "Smart choice. It's good to know that at least someone in the castle has a hint of a brain in their head." His gaze turned to Naofumi, reverting to its original state. "How about it? Now that your name has been cleared and Myne has been called out on her bullshit, feel like working with the heroes again?" He'd been expecting the Shield Hero to at least forgive the heroes at a very minimum, but the answer he received wasn't one he was expecting.
"Screw that."
"Sorry?" Max tilted his head, as if he hadn't quite understood what was being said.
"I said, 'Screw that.' How the hell am I supposed to help these people if they blindly follow what that Bitch tries to tell them? If not for you backing me up, I'd be screwed right now!" Naofumi raised his voice, once again surprising Max. He'd been telling the truth thus far, so these were his genuine feelings. "I can't even begin to trust them! If I can't trust the heroes I was sent here with, how am I supposed to trust anyone in this world?" Max blinked a few times, then sighed.
"I guess I can't really blame you, Naofumi. What are you gonna do?" He rested his hand on his own hip, leaning to the side a little.
"I'll go my own way. Right now, I can't really trust anyone." Naofumi turned on his heel, moving towards the door without listening to anything that the heroes might say to convince him otherwise. Before he left completely, he turned his head slightly towards the heroes. "Thank you, though. If you hadn't said anything, I might not have made it out of that as well as I did. Although I don't fully trust you just yet, I feel like I can trust you a little more than I can these other people." With a small smile on his face, Max gave a two fingered salute.
"Yeah. I look forward to working with you, Shield."
"Right back at you, Veil.
As the Shield Hero turned his back on the other three, the doors to the throne room slammed shut and left the room in complete silence. Max looked back at the other heroes, who were looking between each other without saying a word. The King looked like he'd been slapped, and Myne honestly looked like she would explode at the slightest provocation. Motoyasu was dumbfounded, Ren was passive as always, and Itsuki looked uncomfortable.
"Well, now that all of that is finished, I'm gonna get some rest. I'm going hunting tomorrow." Max crossed his arms behind his head, stretching a little as he followed Naofumi's lead. Nobody seemed to want to stop him, so he didn't wait for anyone to say anything before he left. "Oh, but one more thing." His gaze turned ever so slightly to allow one silver eye to be seen. It had once again gone from vibrant to hostile, sending chills down the spine of both the Princess and the King. "Don't try that again. You brought us here to save your dumb asses from something you couldn't stop by yourselves. Unless you want to turn every hero in the kingdom against you, you won't do that again."
The door slammed shut as his foot passed the threshold of the room once more, and the Veil Hero ended his first day within this strange world where not even those that are of the highest authority could be trusted. He slept with one eye open that night, not sure who to trust right now.
And that's the end of the chapter, Dear Readers! Once more, anyone who can name all the references in this chapter will have an OC featured in a coming chapter, and will receive a shoutout!
Also gonna shamelessly plug two other stories from different authors here on , including Naofumi Quits Being a Hero and Hope of the Shield Hero. Check them out when you have the chance! Until next time, readers!