Hey, you, you're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there.
"Hello" - Words
'Hello' - Thoughts
Hello - Emphasis
Hello - Abilities/Magic spells/Demonic Speech
As always, feel free to review!
Naofumi was floating, or at least he felt like it. Other than that pit in his stomach and a mild burning sensation in his chest, his senses failed him. Darkness surrounded him along with a deep humming noise.
"You're back." came a somewhat familiar voice. "And you failed where you promised you would succeed. How unfortunate."
The man recognized that voice anywhere from its deep tone and the echoes it sent through his mind. "Yeah..." was all he could say. If he could sigh within his own mind, he would have.
"Your reliance on the demi-human girl is both your strength and your greatest weakness, even more so than before. And look at what it got you."
He growled internally. "And what would you have done? Just accept that they were gone and be done with it!?"
An annoyed sigh came from within his mind. "No. Did you forget that their status shows up in your vision? If you hadn't reacted so emotionally, you would have known that they were - somehow - still alive and well the entire time."
Naofumi clenched his fists, but he had no rebuttal for his captive. "I...didn't want to believe it. I knew that I could have looked, but the thought of one of their names not being there anymore?..." he trailed off, choking on his words despite not being capable of mentally sobbing.
"...I see." A solemn response. "You could not bear to know the truth if they had indeed perished, and would rather assume the worst. Humans are such illogical creatures. However, that does not excuse what you did."
The human's will crumbled instantly. "I-I know what I did wasn't right. I-"
"You not only gave into the cursed power, but you willingly allowed it to accelerate your demonification considerably. At this point, you can barely be called a human."
"I know that!"
"Then who are you?"
Naofumi was confused. "Huh?"
"I'll ask again: who are you?"
The man was growing irritated. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm Iwatani Naofumi! I always have been, and I always will be!"
"No, you're not." Zephyrus's voice was stern, like a disappointed father speaking to his delinquent son. "You gave up being Iwatani Naofumi when you decided to accept your fate as a half-demon. Though you may have the same name as before, you are no longer the man you once were."
"I get it, okay!? What I did was fucked up and overly emotional, but I thought the only people I loved were dead! Humans are emotional! We do stupid things when we're in love! I don't know if a demon would understand but-"
"Oh I understand just fine." For the first time, the demon's voice was laced with frustration if not anger, and it made Naofumi recoil in surprise. "Do not think we are so different, you and I. Not anymore. If you assume that demons are incapable of loving one another, you are very sorely mistaken."
The hero felt a wave of sadness wash over him like a tide, dousing any lasting anger in his veins. "I-I'm sorry...I'm just trying to get used to this whole 'demon' thing for real."
Another sigh rang echoed through his mind. "Do not trouble yourself, young one. You have already seen the consequences of your actions for yourself, so reminding you again is pointless. However, you must accept that being just as much of a demon as a human is a part of who you are now."
"But what does that really mean? You were pretty vague last time we talked."
"Do you truly expect me to know everything? I may have watched a demon possess a human and even done so myself once or twice-"
"You possessed people too!? I thought that was for evil demons!"
"AS I WAS SAYING," Zephyrus loudly interrupted, ignoring his question. "You should expect aggressive urges from here on out. Hatred, loathing, rage, and murderous joy are all parts of being a demon. We may be capable of many emotions, but we are inherently evil creatures after all."
Naofumi raised an eyebrow in his mind. "Then how do you sound so calm? If I'm being honest, you give off more of a godly vibe than a demonic one."
"Ha, well thank you." The man could imagine the demon puffing his chest out with pride. "It took three hundred years of being sealed to truly control my instincts."
"Don't sound so proud of it..." Naofumi sweatdropped. "That's still a long time..."
"Regardless, be mindful of your emotions. If you get too angry, you'll draw on your own demonic energy. Now that you're a real half-demon, you actually generate your own demonic power. If you give into your rage, your demonic side will fight for control of your mind. If it takes over completely..." Zephyrus trailed off meaningfully.
"I'll probably lose it and go on a murderous rampage, right?" Naofumi asked, mentally crossing his arms.
The demonic god snorted. "So you do understand, to an extent. Put simply, if you aren't careful you will destroy everyone and everything you hold dear. If you aren't sealed into a stupid weapon like myself first, that is."
"What a comforting thought."
"Indeed. It is a boring existence compared to conquering worlds and pitting civilizations against one another." Zephyrus sighed. "Be warned, Naofumi. This plan of yours to halt the Waves is more dangerous than you could possibly understand. There are powers at work even higher than myself, so until you can defeat me you will never stand a chance."
Naofumi raised a mental eyebrow. "Stop being vague and just tell me what the hell is going on! You obviously know something."
"An explanation would take far longer than we have. Your friends have cured the majority of the damage from your curse, but the sigil of wrath is etched onto your chest. It cannot be cured by human means, nor should you seek to do so. That sigil stores your demonic energy, and removing that would kill you now that you're half-demon."
"Another scar, huh?" Naofumi sighed. "What can you tell me about the Waves and this 'higher power'?"
"Very little, since you're waking up. The Four Guardian Beasts may look like destroyers on the outside, but they act in the best interest of the world. Keep in mind that 'the world' and 'the people who live in the world' are not one and the same."
Naofumi felt his mind pulling him from the darkness, and he allowed it to take hold of him. With a groan, he slowly opened his eyes. He felt two weights, one larger than the other, pressed against him. He sighed, gently moving his arms to wrap around both of them. The two girls snuggled closer.
Raphtalia moaned slightly as her own eyes opened, small bags evident underneath them. "Mmm...Naofumi, you're awake." she said with a yawn that made her tail stiffen before relaxing once more. "How do you feel?"
He was about to say he was fine but the sigil on his chest suddenly burned hotly, and his eyes widened with a strangled gasp.
"Naofumi! Are you alright!?" The raccoon was wide awake now, danger senses on high alert.
The pain subsided, and he took a few deep breaths. His struggling woke Filo, who rolled back and forth a few times before sitting upward and rubbing her eyes.
"Yeah...I think I'm okay." Naofumi said, hand clutching at his bare chest. "Hopefully that won't happen often."
"The curse must still be affecting you, and it's all coming from this symbol." Raphtalia said. "I have no idea what it means, do you?"
The filolial girl stretched her arms above her head with a cute yawn. "Uaaa. Good morning, Sis. Good morning, Master." she mumbled, still half asleep. The hero rubbed her head gently, messing up her hair much to the girl's annoyance.
"Good morning, Filo. How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Mmmm, not bad! This bed was really warm and comfy, plus I got to sleep with you and Sis so it was even better."
He snorted with a soft smile. "Glad to hear it. I hope I wasn't out for too long."
Raphtalia slid out of bed, showing that she was only wearing her underclothes that she usually wore under her armor. "You were only asleep for the night, thankfully. We were both worried sick once we saw how extensive the curse was."
Naofumi sighed. "About that..." he trailed off, gently touching his hand against the sigil on his chest. "According to Zephyrus, I'm just as much a demon as a human now."
"What!?"
"I know, I know. This thing on my chest is apparently storing the demonic energy that I naturally produce now." It burned again, causing him to flinch. "Sss, damn that still hurts though."
Raphtalia frowned. "That explains why the holy water didn't work on it, at least. But if you're actually half-demon now..." she trailed off, and her master shook his head.
"I know, technically I failed. I promised I wouldn't use it, but when I thought the two of you had died, I snapped." He gripped the bed sheets tightly until his knuckles turned white. "Dammit, I still can't believe I did all of that."
The two girls embraced their master. "It's okay, Master. No matter what happens, we'll both be here for you!" Filo said with a beaming smile.
"She's right." Raphtalia said with a soft smile of her own. "We can't change what you've done up until now, but we can be more cautious in the future. If Filo and I have to keep your inner demon from running out of control, we'd do it in a heartbeat."
Naofumi sniffled, wiping a tear that had yet to fall. "You guys are honestly the best." he said, smiling at them both before breaking out of their arms. "Anyway, we should get up and move. I feel stiff as hell."
After getting redressed, Naofumi looked around for his armor but it was nowhere to be seen. "Hey guys, where's my armor?"
Raphtalia's tail flicked once. "Oh, we had to remove it to pour holy water on your wounds. It was so horribly scorched and cursed that the nuns said it was more worthwhile to just buy something new."
He groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me..." With a sigh, he opened the door. "Well, I guess we had Elhart making us stuff already, so a little extra couldn't hurt. We did give him a lot of materials."
Only seconds after they walked out of the room, they were stopped by a young guard. "A-ah! Lord Shield!" he exclaimed, grabbing their attention with a salute. "The queen asked me to escort you to her as soon as you were awake! Are you well?" he asked.
Naofumi shrugged. "As good as I can get, I suppose. Lead the way."
The knight moved with quick steps, obviously nervous. The corridors of the castle were no easier to navigate than the last time he was here, but eventually they entered a meeting room. With another salute, the knight took his leave.
"Ah, Lord Naofumi. How are you feeling?" Mirellia asked with a smile.
He rolled his neck and shoulders to relieve some tension. "A bit stiff, but otherwise I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" The queen asked with a concerned look. "The curse you were under was quite powerful. Our strongest holy water was unable to fully cure it."
"I know. There's a bit more to it than that." Naofumi said, gently touching the spot where his sigil lay. "I'll keep it simple though. I'm officially half demon."
"What!?" Melty exclaimed in shock, before clapping her hands over her mouth. "I-I'm so sorry! Pardon my interruption!" She bowed her head and shrank away to hide herself.
"You don't mind my daughter being here, do you?" Mirellia asked.
Before her master could even respond, Raphtalia interjected. "No not at all. What exactly did you need us for, Your Majesty?" Naofumi gave her a half-hearted glare, but said nothing.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. I know that yesterday was stressful for all of us." the woman said, motioning toward some seats. Filo ran over and sat down, and Raphtalia joined her. Naofumi remained standing. The queen cleared her throat. "As I'm sure you're all aware, Pope Biscas Balmus attempted treason yesterday and was killed."
Naofumi scoffed, crossing his arms. "Damn religious fanatics..." he grumbled.
"Indeed. Balmus was the leader of the Three Heroes Church, the organization primarily responsible for both the mistreatment of demi-humans and the Shield Hero in our country." Mirellia said, before bowing deeply. "Lord Naofumi, I must offer my sincerest apologies for not being there to assist you earlier. Also, I would like to apologize for using you to take down Balmus. I had no idea he had amassed so many followers during our absence."
He crossed his arms. "So I was right, after all. You never planned to execute the Trash King in the first place. You were waiting for that psycho to show himself." Raphtalia sent him a disapproving glare at his rudeness.
Mirellia nodded. "You are correct. As I told Raphtalia last night upon your arrival, I needed a reason to publicly accuse Balmus of treason to avoid the kingdom turning against me. I knew that Balmus was using my husband to further his own agenda, and would not allow a powerful pawn to be killed so easily."
Naofumi narrowed his eyes. "That's pretty bold to put your husband's life on the line just to keep yourself in power. What would you have done if the pope hadn't shown up?"
"Being a ruler is much more than a title and a crown, Lord Naofumi. Surely you understand that there are more important things than myself. My husband may be a fool, but he is still my husband. I walked into the execution courtyard fully prepared to offer my own life in exchange for his."
He raised an eyebrow. "You would give yourself up for him? That's ridiculous." Naofumi rolled his eyes. "Taking your life instead of his would just make everyone here hate me even more for killing their beloved queen. You knew I wouldn't accept it."
"Exactly." the queen smiled. "Although I would have regretted using you in such a way, I knew that if you accepted my proposal you were not the man I believed you to be. In any case, it no longer matters. Between Balmus's interruption and subsequent death, I can safely abolish the Three Heroes Church and establish the Church of the Four Saints: one that doesn't discriminate against demi-humans or the Shield Hero."
Naofumi sighed with a relieved smile. "Thank God for that. But what do you plan to do about your husband? He pretty much screwed me over from the start."
Mirellia sipped from a cup of tea on the table before placing it back on its saucer. Her hand was visibly shaking. "Rest assured, Lord Naofumi," her voice was laced with barely-contained anger. "that my fool of a husband will be punished for his failures. He was once a smart man, but I can see that he has become complacent with his royal status."
Raphtalia looked at her with concern. "What exactly do you plan to do to him, Your Majesty?" she asked, hands clasped together tightly in her lap.
Some of the tension left the queen's posture. "Well, I planned to leave that up to Lord Naofumi. He's the victim in this situation, so I felt that it would be appropriate for him to choose the punishment."
Naofumi sighed. "The one I really want to punish isn't alive anymore, so I don't really care too much about what happens to him. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure he suffers for it."
The queen raised an eyebrow. "What if I forced him to join your party as a slave? It would be quite a humiliating fate, to be reduced to a slave of the man you hate."
Raphtalia sent a disapproving glare at her master's excited expression. "With all due respect Naofumi," she said tersely, forgoing any honorifics, "that seems a bit too much. Don't you think?"
He met her glare with one of his own for only a moment before backing down with a roll of his eyes. "Fine, I guess I wouldn't want the Trash king around me so often anyway." The raccoon facepalmed at his attitude, while Filo giggled.
"If I may speak freely," Melty jumped into the conversation. "I would like it very much if you and my father would at least try to get along. This hatred between you cannot continue forever."
Raphtalia frowned at the bluenette. "Melty, I'm not sure if something like that is possible. Your father intended to both sell me back into slavery and have Naofumi imprisoned for the rest of his life. That isn't something that's easy to let go of."
Naofumi smirked. "She's right. I have no intention of playing nice with him. If he pushes my face in the dirt, he can't complain if I do the same to him. I think I've found exactly what I want, though. For the rest of his life, I want him to be called Trash by each and every person in the world."
Raphtalia pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "I suppose he could have asked for something far worse..." she grumbled.
"I agree. If those are your terms, then I shall accept them." Mirellia said, face hidden behind her signature fan before she snapped it shut. "From here on, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII shall officially be known as Trash. I will also abolish his royal privileges, leaving him as nothing more than a soldier of the kingdom."
The hero smirked. "Sounds good enough for me. He could use a little bit of work for once."
"Speaking of work," Mirellia set her fan down on the table with a smile, "it would appear you were right, Lord Naofumi."
Filo looked between them in confusion, only to see both Raphtalia and Melty doing the same. "Masterrrr, what were you right about?" she asked curiously.
"I agree with Filo. I'm a little lost." Raphtalia said, focusing her attention on her master.
His expression became somber. "Raphtalia. You remember when you introduced me to your parents, right?" he asked, softly. The woman mirrored his tone.
"Yes...why?"
"You said that you were bought by a guy named Idol Rabier, and he was apparently awful to you."
The girl visibly tensed at the name, clenching her fists underneath the table. "Yes...?"
Mirellia answered her. "Lord Naofumi requested that I send a party to investigate his residence. Imagine my surprise," the sarcasm dripped from her voice, "when I found a plethora of demi-human slaves in his basement, beaten within an inch of their lives."
Filo and Melty both looked toward Raphtalia, who was shaking in silent rage. Her teeth were clenched, and Naofumi put a hand gently on her shoulder.
The queen opened her hand to reveal a rosary of a sword, a spear, and a bow intertwined. "Luckily, my shadows found this among his belongings. As I'm sure you're well aware, this proves that he was a follower of the Three Heroes Church. Based on the sheer number of these, as well as the drivel he spouted when we took them away, we had plenty of reason to arrest him overnight."
"You arrested him in the middle of the night?" Naofumi asked with a raised eyebrow. "I bet he didn't like that very much."
"He didn't." Mirellia sounded smug. "But because of your efforts in helping me declare the Three Heroes Church as heresy, I had a perfect reason to detain him. And what do you think happens to his slaves if he is in prison?"
Raphtalia's ears perked up slightly along with her expression. "You don't mean..!"
The queen smiled. "That's right. They're all free."
A smile broke out on the raccoon's face. "Really!? Where are they now!? Do you know who-"
"Relax, Raphtalia. They're all recovering in another area of the castle right now." The purplette said, and the Tanuki forced herself not to run in search of them. "As I said, some of their injuries were substantial. They need all the rest they can get, along with the medical care they deserve."
Raphtalia's mood dampened. "I-I understand..." Her master rubbed circles on her back with his hand. "I know this is a stretch, but did they find...the body of a girl?"
"You may need to be more specific."
"She had pink hair, and was fairly small even for her age." The raccoon shook her head. "She died back when we were both slaves there, so I was hoping to give her a proper burial."
A shadow approached from the corner of the room, whispering something to the queen before returning to their place. Mirellia frowned. "I'm afraid we didn't find anyone matching that description. I would assume..." she trailed off, unsure of whether to continue.
"What?" Raphtalia asked with sad eyes. "Please, don't be afraid to tell me the truth. I...think I can handle it."
"Very well then. I would assume that one of the many skeletons we found in the cages belonged to your friend. We have arranged for them to be safely transported elsewhere."
Naofumi gave an approving look. "You work pretty damn fast in one night."
The queen puffed her already-large chest in pride. "I didn't become queen by sitting on my hands, Lord Naofumi." He averted his eyes as Melty's gaze dropped from her mother's face down to her bust before a jealous pout appeared on her features. "On another note, your other request will take some time."
"Another request? You sure are needy, Master."
"Be quiet, Filo." he said with a sigh. "How long will it be before everything is ready?"
Melty cleared her throat. "I personally oversaw some of the preparations this morning, and they were working remarkably quickly. However, something of this scale will take quite some time and a lot of resources. It may not be complete before the next wave."
"It may be just enough time for the refugees to recover from their wounds, in fact." Mirellia added with a smile. "The soldiers responsible for the attack on Lurolona Village have all been executed. Hopefully its residents will be happy to reclaim their home, and even happier to know that the Shield Hero is their new mayor."
"Mayor?" Raphtalia asked, looking to see the smirk on her master's face. It was infectious. "Naofumi, she doesn't mean-"
"That's right." He smiled at her. "As of today, your old village is going to be rebuilt and I'm going to make sure it stays safe forever."
Without warning, Raphtalia stood and slammed her lips against his. She knocked over her chair in her haste.
"Ewwwww! Master and Big Sis are doing gross things!" Filo whined, pretending to gag.
"S-so shameless!" Melty hid her eyes behind her hands, face burning a hot red.
As they broke apart, the queen merely used her fan to fan herself. However, if one looked closely they could see the slightest tinge of red upon her cheeks. Raphtalia couldn't help herself, hugging her Hero tightly.
"Thank you...Thank you..." She repeated it to herself more than anyone.
Naofumi smiled softly down at her. 'If she had any doubt in her mind that I wanted to leave, it's hopefully gone now.' he thought to himself. He rubbed the back of her head soothingly. "Anything else? We have some equipment to pick up and some people to visit." he asked out loud.
"Can..." the blue-haired princess started softly. "Can I come with you when you go to repair the village?" she asked hesitantly.
Even her mother was surprised. "Melty, how bold of you! To think you would be spurred into action by such an open display of affection! Perhaps I'll have grandchildren yet!"
The girl's face became a tomato. "Th-that's not it, Mother! Stop teasing me!" she complained. "I-I just feel that...going with Lord Naofumi and Miss Raphtalia would be a good experience for me. You know...to learn how to lead a town."
Filo jumped at the idea. "Plus you could stay with me, Mel-chan! We could go play all the time!" The blonde girl was ecstatic, turning to her master with an intense expression. "We're letting Mel-chan come with us!" she practically ordered.
"But-"
"No!" Filo cut Naofumi off. "Mel-chan has to act all fancy all the time and never gets to have any fun! Plus, if you and Big Sis start sleeping together then I'll get lonely!"
He sighed with a slight blush of his own. "As long as her mother is okay with it." he relented, and the filolial ran around the table to the queen.
"You'll let Mel-chan come with us, won't you!?"
Mirellia snapped her fan shut. "I suppose I can allow it, if you give me something in return." she said cryptically.
"Like what?"
"I'm quite interested in legends, if I'm being honest. When I'd heard that there was another filolial queen, I was excited beyond belief. Would you mind showing me your filolial form up close?"
"Huh? That's all? Okay!" Filo asked. A puff of smoke later, and she suddenly took up a large amount of the conference room.
"Oh my goodness..!" Mirellia said in awe. "You're even more grand than I could have imagined! The legends don't do you justice at all!"
The bird cocked her head to the side. "I'm not that big! I think." she said, putting a wing to her beak in thought. "Fitoria said she could get much bigger. LIke about the size of this castle."
"That's the name of the Legendary Filolial!" The queen's excitement radiated off of her in waves as she smiled like a little girl being told an epic tale from her grandfather. "And she's that massive!? I simply must see her for myself!"
As the queen ranted about how amazing Filo and this 'giant fluff ball' were, Naofumi and Raphtalia smiled at each other. "I still can't believe you'd go so far." the raccoon said quietly, laying her head gently on his chest.
"I'd go even further if I had to. I had no idea if anything would come of it, but I figured I'd try. Everything just happened to work out far better than I'd imagined." he replied.
"Still, it means so much to me. I'll get to raise our flag again, and hopefully some of the people I remember will still be alive." She gripped his shirt a bit tighter. "And I'll have you there the whole time. It's...like a dream come true."
He patted her on the head between her ears. "Well, we still have some time before everything is ready, so we should focus on doing what we can to get stronger. I have a feeling we'll need it."
"Huh?"
Filo transformed back into her human form. Her cowlick began glowing and twitching. "My head feels weird! Ahhhh! Master, help!"
"What the hell-"
"Oh...Okay." Filo calmed down. She nodded, then nodded again. "Hmm, okay! I'll tell him!"
"Filo, who were you talking to?" Raphtalia asked in concern.
Filo regained her cheerful smile. "Oh! Fitoria wanted me to tell you that she would handle the next wave herself! She wants us to focus on getting stronger."
Naofumi raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me we could have talked with her whenever we wanted?.." His eye twitched and he clenched his fists.
"Umm, she said yes."
He growled, visibly shaking. His eyes flickered between a shining red and their usual green, and his scar looked like lava. Unholy heat radiated from him in waves. A dark aura emanated from his body, causing Melty and the queen to shiver.
"Naofumi! Snap out of it!" Raphtalia cried, laying a hand on his shoulder but pulling back with a hiss. "Your body is heating up! You need to calm down!"
It took a few seconds for him to regain himself. He relaxed, taking deep breaths and looking at his hands as if they were foreign to him. "What the hell was that?" he asked.
Mirellia frowned. "You said you had become a half-demon, so that must be part of your power. If it weren't so dangerous, it would be fascinating. It seems to respond to your aggression, so staying calm may keep it under control."
"That was so sudden, I didn't even notice it was happening." Naofumi said, trembling with eyes wide. "I...don't know if I can hold that back forever."
"Don't worry, Master! We'll make sure you don't go all evil and stuff!" Filo said with a smile.
"She's right." Raphtalia's eyebrows were knit together in concern. "Whenever you start to lose control, we'll pull you back."
"But what if I end up hurting one of you? If I end up like I did before-"
"You won't." the raccoon interrupted. "I'll make sure we're strong enough that you never even need to worry about us. Fitoria is going to handle the wave, so we have plenty of time to train and get stronger."
Naofumi gulped. "I-I hope you're right. It's just..." he trailed off, eyes lowering in shame. "I don't even know how many people I've killed, but deep inside I still enjoyed what I did. I never want to be like that again."
"Huh?" Filo's cowlick twitched again. "Fitoria said that she could cast a spell that would do...something." The girl scratched her head. "Her explanation was confusing, but I think it helps you be less angry."
He sighed. "I guess that would help."
Mirellia cleared her throat. "To add to what Miss Raphtalia said, I suggest that all of the heroes undergo emergency training. You and Lord Ren work well together, so I don't foresee him having any issues. But the other two..." she trailed off with a groan. "I have not seen them since the battle with the pope ended."
"You mean they ran away?" Raphtalia asked, tail fluffed in frustration. "What cowards!"
She shook her head. "No, they are still within the city. However, they have ignored my summons all morning."
Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Those two idiots, I swear. Anyway, what did you have in mind for this 'emergency training'?"
The queen snapped her fan shut once again. "I have requested that one of our best knights teaches you all about proper swordplay. She has won multiple tournaments, and I'll personally vouch for her skills. In addition, I have requested the aid of a combat instructor."
"Combat instructor? That's pretty vague." the hero said, crossing his arms.
"She fell terribly ill a few months ago in a village to the east that was overrun by plants because of the Spear Hero's mistakes. Although she and her son escaped with their lives, she was horribly crippled and can no longer fight on her own."
"If she can't fight, how is she supposed to teach us anything about fighting?" Filo asked, head tilted to the side.
Mirellia smiled. "She happens to be a practitioner of an extraordinarily complicated martial art known as Hengen Muso. In fact, she's the last surviving user of the style. Had she died, the secrets would have been lost forever."
"Sounds like we got lucky that she lived." Naofumi said off-handedly. "What's so special about this Hengen-whatever anyway?"
"I think I'll let her speak for herself once she arrives. In the meantime, I suggest you all meet with our blacksmiths to get new equipment. Yours in particular was in horrible shape, Lord Naofumi."
"I'll pass." he responded. "I have a blacksmith already, and he's already making something new for us. No offense, but I trust him a lot more than your blacksmiths."
"Understandable." Mirellia brushed an errand strand of hair from her face. "I will continue to reach out to the Spear and Bow heroes. We need their cooperation in this training or it will be all for naught."
"Alright, let's go then." Naofumi said, turning to leave. Filo ended up staying behind to play with Melty, so that left Raphtalia alone with him. After they left the castle, they headed straight for Elhart's shop.
Along the way, Naofumi looked through his status menu. What he saw scared him.
Raphtalia noticed this, and held his hand. "Naofumi, what's wrong? You have a serious look on your face."
He gave her a quick smile that faded just as quickly as it came. "It's just all of this at once has me nervous. I know you and Filo can handle yourselves, but I don't want to risk losing control again." Naofumi sighed. "Plus, the extra abilities and bonuses I got from becoming a half-demon are a bit concerning."
"Bonuses?" she asked, ears perked.
"Yeah. I didn't notice them until just now, but apparently there are some pretty huge boosts"
He explained them to her.
Demi-Demon, Level 2: Passive Bonus: Threatening Presence, Blood Magic
Demi-Demon, Level 3: Passive Bonus: Wretched Strength, Demonic Resilience
Threatening Presence naturally focused nearby enemies on him, meaning that he would have to take a more defensive role in general. It acted similarly to Hate Reaction, but without being a guaranteed success.
Blood Magic forced him to use HP to cast magic rather than MP. In fact, his MP bar was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't very excited to test it out for the first time, but he also didn't want to be surprised in the middle of a fight.
Wretched Strength massively increased his Attack Power based on how many enemies he has recently killed. It could be useful in certain situations such as the waves, but other than that it didn't do him much good.
Finally, Demonic Resilience doubled his DEF stat in exchange for him not being able to be healed by anyone or anything but himself. This meant that all of the potions he had available to him were useless unless he gave them to Raphtalia or Filo.
Blood magic and Demonic Resilience would be extremely beneficial on their own, but together they severely limited his options. Together, the only way he could be healed other than letting his HP return naturally was to use a healing spell on himself. Because it now used HP instead of MP to cast, the effectiveness of the spell was significantly lowered. He could still do it, but he imagined that Blood Magic made casting spells pretty painful.
Naofumi really wasn't excited about the new development. For all the good these bonuses had, the drawbacks were just as impactful.
"So you're basically stronger, but you hurt yourself just to cast magic?" Raphtalia said, tail limp and ears flattened against her head. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Neither do I." Naofumi sighed. "We'll need to give it a few test battles to see if it affects our strategy too much. Depending on how bad Blood Magic is to use, I may have to save magic as a last resort."
"Hopefully it isn't as bad as it sounds. Just remember, Filo and I will be with you to make sure nothing goes wrong." She smiled at him. "If you keep us safe, we'll keep you safe. That's the rule."
He chuckled. "Thanks for the reminder, Raphtalia." They soon arrived at the blacksmith's shop. Pushing the door open, they saw Elhart in the middle of an argument with a customer.
"I'm telling ya, no less than 5 gold pieces! That bow is elderwood wrapped in dragon leather and padded with truesilver! It's quite literally one of a kind!"
"No way am I paying that much! I know for a fact that elderwood and truesilver have been in low demand recently! Dragon skin can't possibly be that expensive on its own! 2 gold pieces!"
"Oh, do you want to go out and find a dragon? Didn't think so. 6 gold pieces!"
"That's more than you said earlier!"
"Knock knock, old man." Naofumi interrupted. Elhart poked his head out from behind the customer, who turned toward them in surprise.
"Oh, hey! It's you guys!" The customer brushed hair out of her eyes. "Ren went off to do some grinding on his own for today, so Jugo and I are on our own. All that leveling in Cal Mira made us too strong for our old stuff." Armalis was as excitable as ever.
Raphtalia smiled at her. "Good to see you again. We were actually coming for something similar."
Elhart scoffed. "Hey kid! How about you tell this woman what I went through to get those materials?"
Naofumi replied simply. "I gave them to you to make our equipment and you could keep the rest. You didn't lift a damn finger."
Raphtalia giggled at Elhart's betrayed expression. "Aww c'mon kid! Stick up for the old man for once! And after all we've been through, too!" he whined.
Armalis turned back to the shopkeeper with a smirk. "Well then, old man. I'll meet your offer in the middle. 3 gold pieces for the bow. It's all I've got to work with."
Elhart locked eyes with the woman in silence for five full seconds before he sighed. "Fine, fine. But you'd better come back once I move, ya hear?" The woman dropped three gold pieces on the table which were quickly swept into a pouch by the blacksmith. After she took the bow and gave the string a few test pulls, she smiled in satisfaction.
"Well, I'll leave you to it! Gotta make sure Jugo doesn't get lost. He sucks with directions." she said as she left.
Raphtalia cocked her head to the side. "Mister Elhart, you're moving?" She turned to Naofumi in confusion. "Did you know about this?"
He shook his head. "No, that's the first I've ever heard of it. What gives, old man? You'd better not be pawning off half-assed work then skipping town on us." Naofumi said with a joking smirk.
"Ha! As if I could leave you two like that!" Elhart walked around the counter and gave Naofumi a half-hearted punch to the shoulder. "Where's the little missus? The blonde one with the angel wings?"
Naofumi rolled his eyes. "She's busy playing with the princess, the one that didn't try to screw my life over."
"I see. Well, I suppose I should let you know that I received word from the queen that a new village was being rebuilt in the next few weeks. They're sure to need supplies and weapons in case the local monsters get territorial, and when I heard who the mayor was gonna be," he smirked, "I felt like it was the opportunity of a lifetime!"
Naofumi's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"
"That's right!" Elhart said with a smile. "I'll be moving into your village, so you'd better help make me a fortune alright kid?"
Raphtalia's tail wagged back and forth. "That's great, Naofumi! At least we'll know we have the best around!"
"Yeah." The hero's smile was soft. "After all you've done for both of us, sticking your neck out on our behalf and not judging when shit hit the fan. I think you've earned that fortune, old man." He shook the blacksmith's hand tightly. "We'll be glad to have you, Elhart."
"Don't get too sentimental on me, boy! Just because I treat ya like family doesn't mean you don't have to pay!"
The three laughed heartily together. "So what have you got for us?" Naofumi asked before gesturing to himself. "As you can see, I really need a new set of armor."
Elhart rubbed his chin in thought. "I heard about the pope and all of that nonsense. I always knew the church was rotten, but I had no idea that it was that bad. Saw the light and flames from here and I'll tell ya, something about that didn't seem so 'holy' to me."
Naofumi and Raphtalia shared a glance. "His abilities were much stronger than we expected, as well." the raccoon said. "I guess it goes to show that 'holy' and 'good' are separate things."
"Ha! Ain't that the truth. Come on back, I'll show what I made for ya." the man said, opening the door to the forge. It was cooled for now, so he must have finished any work he had planned for the day.
Elhart grabbed a blade and held it out to Raphtalia, who took it. She inspected the blade, from its bright silver shine to the small layer of magic coating the edge. The core of the blade was a bright gold color, surrounded by intricate carvings in the silver. After giving it a few test swings, she smiled. "The weight is absolutely perfect! What did you use to make it?"
The blacksmith puffed his chest out with pride. "I wanted to try using dragon bone on it, but in its natural form it was too stiff and brittle for a blade. I ended up choosing a combo of truesilver for the majority of the blade, and I finished the edges with magic steel."
He reached behind him to pull out a mid-sized axe that made it obvious where the dragon bones went. "And this is for you, kid. I felt like you needed something with a little weight, so I used the bones on the haft to make sure it never breaks. Go on, get used to it."
Naofumi took the weapon and swung a few times. "It's a bit awkward, but that's probably just because I've never used an axe before. Other than that, the weight feels pretty good."
"That's because the dragon bones make the haft a lot heavier than it usually is. Normally you'd feel the weight at the blade end of the weapon a lot more."
"It's perfect." Naofumi said, setting the weapon down beside him. "And the armor?"
Elhart snapped his fingers. "I thought I'd do a little throwback for that one. I got the inspiration for the style from my old master, but I made a few changes to it for you." He gestured to a mannequin wearing a set of armor.
It was a silver chestplate with an angular design similar to the Small Shield he started with. A few chains connected the chestplate to a few small plates that would cover his legs, and more chains connected the chestplate to the arm guards. Every single piece of metal was lined on the inside with incredibly soft fur that made them comfortable to wear. On top of the ensemble was a grey cloak, pinned with a small brooch in the shape of a dragon's head.
"It's a little lighter than your last set, but because the materials were so much better I was able to make it a lot stronger without limiting any of your movement. Here, I'll help you put it on." Elhart said, pulling it off piece by piece and helping the man dress himself.
Within a minute, Naofumi was fully armored and looked ready for battle. Raphtalia looked at him with stars in her eyes as her tail flicked excitedly. "You look so dashing! The grey and silver really suit you!"
"You think so?" he asked, twisting to look at himself from every angle possible. "It makes me feel more like a bandit than a hero."
"Ah don't worry too much, kid! You look fine. Besides, if the missus here likes it there's no reason to complain. Ain't that right, Raphtalia?" Elhart asked with a smirk that the raccoon mirrored.
Naofumi sighed. "Well I guess it's functional, which is what matters."
"That reminds me! I made sure to coat the weapon in blood clean, so they won't rust after a long time. I pulled a few favors and got that armor enchanted with self-repairing, so even if it gets damaged it'll fix itself back up after a few minutes!"
"It can repair itself? That's extremely useful." The hero was impressed. Taking a look at the armor, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Barbarian Armor (s): Blunt/Slash/Stab resistance (small), fire resistance (medium), lightning resistance (small), magic resistance (small), MP up (small), HP up (medium), form-fitting, self-repair.
"It sure is! The lady at the magic shop was more than happy to enchant it for ya, so make sure to stop by and thank her when you get a minute."
"Huh. We'll have to do that, then." Naofumi said.
"Almost forgot these." Elhart pulled out a pair of gloves made of hard leather and cloth. "They're supposed to enhance your strength using your magic, but it's more of an experiment. I figured you'd find a use for 'em somehow."
Naofumi took them and put them on. His STR stat shot up, but his Attack Power remained the same. 'I guess it's more useful outside of combat, then. Maybe Filo could use these somehow?' he wondered, taking them off and putting them in his inventory.
"Thanks, old man. I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other now that I'm not being chased around the country." the hero said, and they shared a chuckle.
"You're right about that! Must feel nice. Look at how far you've come from being that kid that got zapped for holding a wimpy little sword."
Naofumi blushed slightly. "Don't bring that up."
"Naofumi, what do you want to do with the rest of our day?" Raphtalia asked, sheathing her new weapon. "Filo will probably stay with Melty all day, so we're on our own."
He thought for a few moments. "Hmm, well we may want to test out the new skills I just got. Plus we should pay the magic lady a visit to learn a spell or two. Then maybe we can track down Ren and do something? We've never really hung out before, so this is a good chance for us to get to know him and his party."
Raphtalia smiled at him. "That sounds good to me."
"Alright, stop your loitering! I have customers who need equipment and I can't have you two hogging all of my space!" Elhart said, but his face didn't match his tone. Naofumi and Raphtalia chuckled at him.
"We'll be back sometime before we move to the village, old man. Later." the hero said with a smile and a wave.
"Take it easy, kid. And keep him under control, alright?"
"Will do!" Raphtalia responded, much to Naofumi's dismay.
They closed the door behind them. "Where to first, Naofumi?" the raccoon asked with a smile.
"Let's check in at the magic store first, since it's just down the road."
The witch was happy to see them and even happier to hear that they had made good use of the books she gave them. Although they didn't buy anything, the woman made it clear that she'd offer her services once the village was repaired.
When he showed her the small crystal from the dragon, she was perplexed.
"Hmm. It seems like some kind of core, but I have no idea for what purpose." the witch said, holding the gem and inspecting it from all angles. "You said this was inside of a dragon?"
"That's right. It turned into a Zombie Dragon, but once that was removed it died for good." Naofumi said.
"Well whatever it is, it has some powerful magic inside of it. I can feel something dark inside of it, but it's too advanced for even me to appraise it. Sorry about that." she said, handing the shard back to him.
He pocketed it. "Don't worry too much about it. It was a shot in the dark anyway." Before they managed to walk out the door, Naofumi turned. "One last thing. Have you ever heard of Blood Magic?"
At the name, the woman blanched. "Y-you're not interested in something so dark, are you?"
He shook his head. "Not really, but I heard the term once and wondered if it was real."
The witch regained some of the color in her face as she sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I was worried that a hero as good as yourself would fall victim to such evil magic. Yes, Blood Magic exists but it always ends up being used for dark rituals and the like. Basically, you use your HP to cast your spells instead of MP."
She shivered. "I can tell you from experience that it's very easy to misuse such magic. You're not limited by MP when you're using magic in that way, so ambitious mages try to cast high level spells that they're not ready for. It goes without saying that you can kill yourself trying to cast strong spells while you're injured."
"Hmm, I'll have to keep an eye out for it then. Don't want to fall into the wrong crowd." Naofumi said, turning to leave with a lazy wave. "Thanks for your help."
"Not a problem, Shield Hero! Take care!"
As they left, they wandered through the streets. The marketplace was bustling with activity. Groups of soldiers loaded crates of supplies onto carriages, merchants shouted out their daily deals for all to hear, and overall the mood was bright.
Raphtalia tugged on her master's arm before pointing. "Naofumi, look. It's Ren."
He looked in the direction of her finger only to see the Sword Hero looking up to the sky idly. People gave him a fairly wide berth because of his large sword, so he didn't need to pay too much attention to his surroundings.
Deciding to break the ice, Naofumi walked up and patted the man on the shoulder. "Yo." he said.
"Ah!" Ren jumped slightly before turning to him in shock. "Jeez Naofumi, don't do that."
"Hello again, Ren." Raphtalia greeted him with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
The dark haired man shrugged. "I'd be a lot better if Armalis didn't rack up such a huge bill everywhere she went, but other than that it's not too bad. How about you two?"
Naofumi rolled his neck. "Aside from officially being half demon, I'm fine."
"I thought you were half demon before?"
The Shield Hero shook his head. "Nah, I was just a little bit demonic back then. Now it's half and half for sure."
"What exactly happened? I thought you said it only would get worse if you used it a lot." Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naofumi averted his gaze. "I...don't really want to talk about it." His somber mood was obvious even to Ren, and he dropped the subject entirely.
"Anyway, did you hear that we're having some kind of training camp with the queen? We're supposed to get some master swordsman and a combat instructor, apparently." the one-armed man said, walking with his hand in his pocket.
Raphtalia chimed in. "That's what we were told, too. It'll be interesting to have someone teach me how to use a sword for real. Aside from the very basics, I've been entirely self-taught. Were you like that too?"
He nodded. "Yes. I haven't had any sort of formal training, but I've been trying my best to get by without it. In the beginning, I thought that only your level mattered so I didn't think it was important. After watching the two of you fight, I can safely say I was wrong."
Naofumi cupped his hands behind his head. "In any case, I'm more interested in this martial artist lady and her Hengen-whatever style. If it's useful, it could help us big time."
"Have you heard anything from the Spear or Bow heroes?" Raphtalia asked. "The queen was looking for them, but apparently they've gone missing."
Ren shook his head. "I don't even think they stayed in the castle last night after the big fight. I feel like they're up to something since they won't even talk to me anymore."
"That's not good. We'll need them to get a lot stronger if we want a chance at beating the waves for good." Naofumi responded with a sigh. "I can't believe they're so stubborn. They're way too weak to handle themselves."
The sword hero nodded grimly. "I was in the same position not too long ago. All it took was using their power up methods along with my own and my stats went through the roof. That, along with all the training on the islands really paid off. I can only imagine how weak those two are despite their levels being higher than ours."
The group grabbed a quick lunch before heading back to the castle. The entered the main courtyard before Raphtalia's ears twitched. As soon as she looked up, she pointed and panicked.
"NAOFUMI!" she screamed as she took off running.
He only had a moment to follow her finger before he saw what looked like a person falling from the castle tower. "SHIT!" he yelled, sprinting in the same direction. The person was falling very quickly, head first toward the ground.
"Air Strike Shield!" he shouted, creating a spectral shield for the person to land on. They collided with the makeshift platform with a painful crash, but immediately after they landed they rolled off, back toward the ground.
"What the hell!? Shield Prison!" Naofumi created a cage of shields, enveloping the person before they could fall any further. After letting them sit inside for a few seconds, he was underneath it. He allowed the cage to disappear, and the girl - he could now see the gender - dropped toward him.
With remarkable strength, he caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Let me go! Let me go! Please!" the girl wriggled in his arms until she broke free of his grasp. She sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes before running off.
"Raphtalia, stop her!" Naofumi shouted.
"Right!"
With a quick burst of speed, the raccoon caught up to the fleeing girl and stopped her. "Hey, what's wrong!?"
"No! No!" The girl fought against Raphtalia's grip with all of her might, which admittedly wasn't much. She was visibly crying with tears streaming down her face. "M-Master Itsuki..!"
Raphtalia's ears perked up. "What about Itsuki? Tell me what's wrong. Hey," She turned the girl to look her in the eyes. "You can trust me. What happened?"
"What the hell were you thinking!?" Naofumi yelled at her, causing the girl to shrink in fear. Raphtalia glared at him and he sighed. "Why did you jump from the castle tower? Do you want to die?" he asked.
The girl shook her head, still trying to break free. "B-but Master I-tsuki said-he said-" Her speech was riddled with sobbing. "He said he didn't need me anymore! That I was weak and I was holding him back!"
Naofumi snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, grabbing her attention. "Hey, who gives a shit what Itsuki says? Who is he to say how much you're worth?"
"You don't understand!" the green haired girl cried. "He said I broke his favorite accessory, but I didn't! I didn't do it!"
Rage burned within Naofumi's chest, and he clenched his fists. "And that's a good reason to try to kill yourself!?"
"B-but he saved me! Master Itsuki is the whole reason I'm still alive! I owe him everything! I love him! If he thinks I'm worthless, then I may as well just die!"
Naofumi trembled with anger as cursed flames danced between his fingertips.
"Naofumi! Calm down!" Raphtalia chided, causing him to release just enough tension to keep his power at bay. He took deep breaths to calm himself.
"*sigh* Thanks, Raphtalia. Now, you said Itsuki saved you? What do you mean?" he asked, crossing his arms.
The greenette sniffled, no longer fighting against Raphtalia's grasp. "My name is Rishia Ivyred. I-I'm the daughter of a noble family, but we fell on hard times and barely got by with what we had. A bad nobleman was threatening our village, but we couldn't afford to keep it secure from bandits and robbers. Eventually, I was kidnapped in exchange for paying the bills my family had accidentally racked up. Then Master Itsuki and his party showed up, and he saved my life."
Ren walked up, placing his hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "And Itsuki asked you to be part of his party?" he asked.
The girl shook her head, pigtails swishing back and forth. "I begged him to let me come with him. After all, he saved me life! I wanted to be useful to him! I wanted to be there to protect him just like he protected me!"
Raphtalia backed up until she was beside the two men. "But he said you broke his accessory even though you know you didn't?"
Rishia nodded. "Uh-huh. I was coming back this morning with some supplies and groceries, but when I got to the room they were mad at me! They said I broke his favorite bangle and tried to hide it, but I wasn't even there! I would never do something so careless, anyway!" She looked on the verge of tears once again, and Naofumi was furious.
"And you think your life has no meaning just because that brat is an idiot!? Don't be stupid!" he shouted. Raphtalia and Ren looked to him in surprise. "Your life is worth so much more than being some kind of errand girl for him!" he said.
"B-but it isn't Master Itsuki's fault!"
Ren chimed in. "Come to think of it, that other party member of Itsuki's always has this nasty look in his eyes. The one with the fancy armor. Do you think he had something to do with it?"
"You mean Mald?" Rishia asked before shaking her head. "I-I don't think he would do something like that. He may be fiercely loyal to Master Itsuki, but he's never been mean to me before! He just made sure I knew where I stood in the hierarchy!"
"Hierarchy?" Raphtalia asked. "What do you mean?"
The greenette's eyes lowered in sadness. "I've been with Master Itsuki for the shortest amount of time, so it made sense that I would have to do the chores for everyone else. Eventually, I would end up higher in the ranks with everyone else."
"That's so fucked up, I don't even know where to begin." Naofumi grit his teeth in anger. "Is he really so blind that he'd make someone his slave when all they want to do is help?"
"Master Itsuki didn't do anything wrong! Umm! Please don't do anything bad!" Rishia tried tugging on Naofumi's arm, but he stubbornly skulked off. "Where are you going!?"
The Shield Hero no longer leaked demonic energy, but he was pissed. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to find out the truth. If he knows about all this and he still said those things, I'll strangle him myself."
"P-Please don't!" the girl whined, being dragged as Naofumi power walked away.
A shadow appeared in front of him, halting his advance. "Message from the queen for you, Lord Naofumi and Lord Ren. The Bow hero has been sighted near the southern gate at an inn room. He was seen with three people, likely his party members."
"Perfect. Tell the queen I'll be sure to keep his ass alive long enough for her to tear into him too."
"Sir." With a quick salute, the shadow melded into the background and disappeared.
As they neared the southern gate of Melromarc, a shadow not-so-secretly appeared on a nearby rooftop. He pointed at a building, signaling that was their target, then vanished before they could get another look at him.
"It's creepy how good they are at that." Raphtalia whispered to Ren, who hummed in agreement.
Naofumi took a few deep breaths before entering the inn. Raphtalia quickly halted him by grabbing his arm, and they shared a quick look.
"Don't do anything you'll regret, okay?" she said.
With a sigh, he nodded. "I promise I won't kill him." After he turned and walked a few steps he muttered under his breath. "Didn't say I wouldn't try."
"I heard that, Naofumi!" she complained. He ignored her and walked up to the front counter.
"What can I do ya for, Shield Hero?" the middle aged man said. He looked much older than he really was, though.
"I'm looking for the Bow Hero, Itsuki. Is he here? We have an important hero conversation to have."
The man regarded him as well as his group before shrugging and pointing to his left. "He's in room 7 down the hall. The big one with the red door. Can't miss it."
"Thanks for your help."
"Fueeeeeh." Rishia whined. "I don't want to do this..."
Raphtalia pat the girl on the back. "Don't worry, Rishia. If Naofumi gets out of control, I'll stop him. We're just here to tell Itsuki what happened."
"Th-that's what I'm afraid of. Fueeh."
Naofumi knocked a few times before the door opened. The man with the fancy armor - Mald - poked his head through before scowling. "Shield Hero, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I need to talk to Itsuki, is he there?"
"No."
"You'd better not be lying to me, or I'll kill you."
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia chided from behind him.
Rishia stepped forward. "Umm, Mald? I-is Master Itsuki there?" she asked, nervous.
His gaze fell to the greenette before he scoffed. "Master Itsuki has nothing to say to the likes of you. Begone!"
Naofumi slammed the door open, knocking Mald onto the ground. "Knock knock! Who's there? It better be fuckin' Itsuki!"
"Naofumi!? What the hell are you doing here!?" the Bow hero asked from the other side of the room. Apparently he had been sitting on a couch.
Ren entered the room, followed by Raphtalia and Rishia. "We're here to talk about her, Itsuki." the Sword hero said, pointing to the trembling girl. "What happened between you two?"
"She broke my favorite accessory that gave me tons of damage bonuses! I can't be in a party with someone who would sabotage me in such a way!"
Naofumi scowled. "But is that what really happened? She says she didn't do it, and if you've seen what I've seen, you'd be just as inclined to believe her."
Mald scrambled to his feet. "You would take her word over Master Itsuki's!? You're a fool!"
"Am I?" Naofumi's glare turned to the man as a small amount of demonic flame flickered in his eyes. "Rishia here tried to throw herself off the top of the castle walls. Whatever you people said to her made her want to kill herself. Is her life really so meaningless that it doesn't affect you?"
Itsuki grit his teeth and lowered his head in shame. "I-I did it to protect her..."
"What was that? You need to speak up. My face isn't in the floor."
"I said I did it for her safety!" The blond boy's face was laced with frustration of his own. "She's weak, Naofumi! Really weak! The fact that she survived the wave where you were missing is a miracle! She's already been through so much, and I wouldn't be a symbol of justice if I dragged her around with me through all kinds of dangerous things!"
"So it wasn't about the bangle at all, then?" Ren said with a glare. "Changing your story isn't making us believe you any more than before, Itsuki. Just tell us the truth."
The entire time, Raphtalia had been standing close to Rishia with concerned eyes. All of a sudden, the greenette stepped forward with her hands clasped tightly together.
"M-Master Itsuki! I-"
"I don't want to put you in danger, Rishia. Your stats are horribly low and quite frankly you're just not cut out for fighting. You freeze up whenever we're in a fight and you deserve to go back to your home and be safe."
"That's bullshit, Itsuki! You're just giving excuses!" Naofumi shouted. "If you didn't want Rishia around, just say so! Don't go through such an underhanded tactic just to get your way!"
"And who are you to judge me for being underhanded, Naofumi!? You're the one who owns slaves!" Itsuki yelled. "That's as unjust as you can get!"
"At least I'm not the one who treats my party members like slaves!"
Itsuki drew his bow, an arrow appearing on the string as he pulled it back. "Get out! All of you!"
"You're really going to sit there and think you're not the bad guy here? Give me a break!" Naofumi scoffed. "You're just as bad as that bitch of a princess, framing someone for something they didn't do!"
"I said get out!"
"You think so damn highly of yourself that you won't even stop to think you're in the wrong. If you're such a powerful symbol of justice, surely you can strike down some lowly demon with that beloved bow of yours? Go on, try me."
"Fine, you asked for it!" Itsuki released the arrow, but it struck Naofumi before clattering to the ground. It didn't do a single point of damage. "What!?"
"You're a monster!" Mald screamed, brandishing his sword.
"If you think she's weak, have you taken a look at yourself? You can't even scratch me, Itsuki. Everyone here believed the Shield Hero was nothing more than dirt, and what's lower than dirt? Worms. That's all you are, Itsuki. A worm, writhing around and trying to look important."
"Damn you! Eagle Piercing Shot!" An eagle appeared over his arrow before he let it fly, but it was easy to see it with his higher level.
"Too slow." Naofumi said, grabbing the eagle by its throat and squeezing until it vanished.
"Fine then! If you're going to run and hide behind him, then I'm afraid we can't work together as a party anymore, Rishia. Leave." Itsuki said, lowering his bow but glaring in their direction.
Neither Ren or Raphtalia were quick enough to stop the green haired girl from sprinting out of the inn, but the raccoon quickly gave chase. Ren stuck around.
"You're making a big mistake here, Itsuki." he said. "Surely you understand that someone's life isn't yours to play with and get rid of when it's not convenient for you anymore. If she's not strong, help her be strong. Don't throw her away like trash."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Ren! You're just happy that Naofumi let you meet God!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Naofumi asked with eyebrows raised. "Have you absolutely lost your mind?"
"Then how else have the two of you gotten so strong, so quickly? I've done everything right to make myself as powerful as possible, and yet the two of you are miles ahead! The only thing that can explain it is hacks!"
Ren sighed, facepalming. "Itsuki, don't be stupid. I didn't meet God. I did meet Tiamat, the dragon inside of my sword. I already told you and Motoyasu about this, but you didn't believe me."
"Of course not! How ridiculous can you get? If there was something inside of my bow, I would have known already! Dimension Wave didn't have any mechanics like that, anyway!"
"I'm done with this." Naofumi said, turning to leave. "Itsuki, I'll say it once because I think that deep down there's some part of you worth saving. Get. Your Shit. Together. You'd better show up to this training session the queen has planned for us, or so help me I'll fucking find God and have him beat the shit out of you."
With that, he walked out the door before slamming it shut behind him. After he got outside, he saw Raphtalia holding Rishia on the ground. The girl was struggling, but her STR stat was significantly lower than the raccoon's, and she couldn't move an inch.
"P-please let me go, Miss Raphtalia! Please!" Rishia cried, face wet with tears.
"Well, what are you going to do now?" Naofumi asked her. "If it isn't obvious by now, Itsuki seems bent on keeping you out of his party."
"I-I don't have a reason to live. Without Master Itsuki-"
"Itsuki is an idiot, Rishia! Get that through your head!"
"That-that's not true!"
Naofumi sighed in defeat. "If I let you run off on your own, you would go back to the castle and jump. So in a way, I just saved your life. Now what do you want to do with that life?"
"I..." she trailed off, uncertain.
"If you're not sure, then come with me, Rishia." He held out his hand as Raphtalia allowed the girl to get up.
"B-but I love Master Itsuki!"
"Then love whoever you want! I don't care!" Naofumi said, eyes burning with passion. "You have a choice, Rishia: do you want to go back up there and jump off the castle walls again and accept that you weren't good enough, or do you stand back up, get stronger than he could ever possibly imagine, and force Itsuki to acknowledge that he was wrong about you?"
She was silent, and he continued. "Don't you want him to say "I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please come back"?"
Rishia's eyes widened as more tears fell. "Do-do you really think he'll respect me one day? Can I really get stronger?"
Naofumi smiled softly. "You'll get stronger no matter what. We'll do whatever it takes."
She took his hand and accepted his party invitation. "Okay...Thank you."
Rishia Ivyred: Lv 68.
