A/N - Hey guys still alive and kicking after a good break, one that was unfortunately not of my own choice. Had to basically take a break to handle some stuff, mostly because of the C-Virus going around, making rounds around the globe. It was specially stressful(and it still is mind you), because while young, I do suffer from asthma, and work in direct contact with hundreds of costumers, adding to the fact that I have another three risk factors home, and I'm sure a lot of you could relate to my struggle.
Thankfully I've calmed down from the whole thing a bit, since I was in no state to write anything, and was also able to change my working schedule to a night one, while not perfect, it means I don't have to deal with tons of people anymore and made the entire thing more bearable.
Hope that your all doing well during this tiring times, its a struggle that all of us got to endure, but I suppose it is what it is...
On another note I read the new LN, and loved it too bits, only thing I didn't liked was how quickly Tact got trashed, (It was more than deserved mind you, and I loved seeing how Naofumi went avenger on his ***), but he made his appearance, started a world war, and got wrecked in one single book, so yeah kind of think it went way too fast there.
That being said, as far as the update schedule goes, I'll try my best to keep at it, but everything being as uncertain as it is we will see... Do look forward to an updated Bow List soonish, not sure if it will come next chapter, but more then likely yes.
That said let's get down to it!
Where Ryou goes in search of more firepower for his team, gains a few more bows, and the party finally leave the Northern Territories.
Chapter 31. Braving into a New World: Last-Minute Expedition
A stray arrow flew through the dark, and stuffy atmosphere around him. Yet a moment later Ryou was forced to crouch as a rocky appendage passed over his head. The momentum of the attack forced Ryou's new nemesis slightly off-balance, giving the Bow Hero a chance to release three new arrows in quick succession, each puncturing holes into the four-legged monster. From the holes, cracks extend all over its body and a second later the creature shattered.
A reasoning thud echoed in the tunnel, as another monster's faceless head met the stone ground, bursting into pieces it's body following suit a moment later.
Cleaning his hands of dust, a towering figure frowned as he took in the tunnel, not that he could see much of anything. "This place is a goddamn death trap…"
"Ohh believe me, you have no idea…" Ryou muttered drily.
Another crashing sound followed as yet another monstrosity met a wall, sending part of the ceiling crumbling on top of it.
"Quartz be careful or you'll bring the entire place crashing down on us," Ryou warned.
The small girl looked back towards him, her face blank as she blinked, before leaning to the side effortlessly, as a fist passed near her head. Small hands lashed out grabbing the appendage, and with a heave, the monster much bigger and heavier than the girl was lifted off the ground before smashing in front of her, sending rocks, and Mithril flying everywhere.
Turning to look towards the tunnel, Quartz's eyes that almost shined with a soft golden glow, narrowed slightly.
"Onii-shama… There's more coming."
Ryou for his part couldn't see anything beyond the veil of darkness, passive skills or not, but there was no mistaking the heavy thumbs that came from it.
"Everyone clear the way!" He shouted. a moment later is Great Wolf Bow was gone, giving way to a curved yellow bow, with feathers adorning its limbs.
[Gryphon's Feathered Bow + 6 - Rare - Awakened - Equipment Bonus - + 5 Attack, + 5 Agility, Air Strike Arrow Skill, Air Skills Damage Bonus(Small) - Special Effect - Air Strike Arrow Piercing Bonus(Medium), Air Strike Attack Speed Bonus(Medium), Air Strike Arrow Projectile Speed Bonus(Medium), Air Strike Arrow Barrage]
Leveling his bow with the center of the tunnel, Ryou pulled on a white arrow. An unnatural wind picked up around the hero, that had no place more than a hundred meters below the surface, as the projectile coated itself in a miniature whirlwind.
Red magical particles like droplets gathered around his arrow, giving it an eerie red glow.
"Faust Power!"
Ryou didn't even spare a side glance to his partner at the surprising but not ill-intended support, before releasing the arrow that shot forward in a blur, illuminating the darkness.
His eyes saw the arrow reach the first Mithril Monstrosity, and it might as well have been made of glass for all the resistance that it put. Shattering completly, a second, third and fourth monster quickly following suit, even those not directly in the arrow's path shattered just by the force behind it. Finally, the projectile disappeared from view, continuing its trek down the tunnel, leaving behind only pieces of the opposition.
"Fuee… I think that's the last one for now…" Rishia commented from further behind after a moment.
At the sound of her voice, Ryou looked at his partner with a small exasperated grin.
I appreciate the effort, but that was so overkill it's almost funny… Support Magic, Ryou had discovered, also worked as a multiplier, on top of every other bonus and number he already had going for him. His normal Air Strike Arrow would had been more than enough to deal with the creatures, so for Rishia to add a thirty-three percent increase(or one third from what he had been able to calculate from his numbers) on top of that, could only be described as silly.
Well, then again I guess she was only playing it safe...
His eyes then fell on their newest party member as her two smaller arms hugged the green-haired mid-section tightly. The owner looking at the entire thing with a mix of apprehension, and awe.
"You doing alright there Rifana?"
The girl nodded, in such a way that seemed like her head would fall off, "Y-Yes… But these monsters are much more terrifying than the ones outside…"
"And Quartz can't eat these…" The small girl interjected coming up from behind, before kicking a rock with a small frown, "Onii-shama… These monsters suck…"
"You got that right…" Ryou muttered.
A dismissing sound, came from the other male, "I bet my good arm that everything here is twisted beyond any measure of normalcy…" The man commented as he took a few sniffs of the air, his ears reminiscent of a retriever's rising slightly. "Even I can sense the power of the Dragon Vein here… A Cave overflowing with natural magic… That's never a good mix…"
"But these monsters... I wonder why we didn't encounter them the first time…" Rishia questioned out loud.
Crouching, Ryou picked up a piece of stone, his eyes observing the vestiges of the mythical ore encroached in it. A very soft yellow glow shined from his wrist announcing that his Legendary Weapon was reacting to it.
[Mithril Elemental Bow - Equipment Bonus - +3 Attack, +3 Magic, Bonus to Elemental Attacks(Small)]
"Mithril Elementals huh…" Ryou murmured, before rising to his feet, "...I think I know why they are showing up now. If that big ass worm ate ore, then mithril might have been on the menu, it also explains why it made its nest near the biggest vein."
"Makes sense..." The man allowed, inclining his head, eyes peering further into the tunnel, "... the reason why you didn't encounter them was more than likely because they were hiding from the Alpha Predator in these caves, but now that you killed it, these guys are coming out of the woods."
The Bow Hero opened his inventory and as expected Mithril Ore was once again accumulating there, as a result of having received the drops from the new monsters.
I had to go through hell to get some Mithril, and now it falls from the sky like candy… He huffed in annoyance.
"So kid how much further is it?" The male demi-human asked with a hint of impatience.
"Another ten or so minutes..."
"Good. The sooner we get this done the better, this place is giving me the creeps." The man murmured as he began walking.
Shaking his head, Ryou raised himself, and in a moment he fell in step with the man, the rest of his party following behind with Rifana trying her best to magically merge with Rishia, her eyes going from one side of the rocky tunnel to the other anxiously.
For a minute a blanket of silence fell on the party, and the Hero found his eyes moving towards the new temporary addition to his party as he recalled what let to this last-minute expedition.
Flashback…
"Haa! Yuusha-sama you have returned, you did mention you had further business with me, but I was hoping you would reconsider my Monster Lottery, yes?" The Slave Trader questioned, rubbing his hands, his unnerving standard grin present on his face.
Ten out of ten chances this monster lottery is filled with Filorials, and or with Dragon eggs… Ryou concluded releasing a breath at the man's antics.
"No I haven't, there's another thing that I'm interested in… Actually there's a couple…" Ryou stated.
Beloukas inclined his head in almost disappointment, but motioned them to follow inside the Storehouse nonetheless, "I see… Then please come in, we will talk inside."
Inside the storehouse, the same nauseating smell hit them both. Since it was the second time Ryou had been ready for it, his partner, however, slapped her hand against her mouth and nose.
"R-Ryou… This place…. So there really is a slave business here.." She confined, head going from side to side eying the cages and their prisoners with apprehension.
"Yeah…" He confirmed simply, making his way to the center of the structure, where the Slave Trader was currently waiting for them.
"So tell me Yuusha-sama, how can I offer my services to you today?" Beloukas asked in curiosity.
"Well first I want you to tell me about the Slave Seal, and how do I go about learning to apply it." He asked.
"Fuee! R-Ryou why do you want to learn that?" Rishia questioned nervously.
The Bow Hero sent his partner a side glance, "Well I want to learn how to brand monsters with it, that's all…" He finished moving his attention back to the Slave Trader never noticing the breath of relief that his partner released.
The man inclined his head placing both his hands behind his back, "Yes I figured that was the case from our last conversation, but allow me to correct you on something Yuusha-sama, what you want to learn is the Monster Training Seal, not the Slave Seal."
"So they are different then. I thought it was all the same thing to be honest."
"A common misconception, those not educated in the art of curses also tend to think the same," Beloukas commented as he moved for a wooden shelf near his desk.
Ryou watched as the Slave trader searched the shelf for a few moments, before turning, and depositing an old tome on top of his desk.
His curiosity peaked, Ryou approached the desk as the man skimmed through a few pages, before stopping on one in particular with a now-familiar seal on it.
"This…" He pointed a pudgy finger to the symbol on the page, "...is a basic Monster Trainer Seal..." Beloukas explained, before flipping some more pages marking the previous one with his finger, before stopping on another with a similar seal on it, "...and this is a Slave Seal. Do you notice the difference Yuusha-sama?"
Ryou focused his attention on the seals. At first glance, he could see they were very similar, with three interlaced circles, surrounded by an almost complete circle with small coma-like protrusions around it. It took him a few seconds to spot the difference.
"It's the engravings along the circle, they are different on both seals, and the Slave Seal as more of them, right?" Ryou remarked with curiosity.
"Fuee… Monsters and humans are different and have different levels of intelligence, so for human slaves, a more complex seal is needed… Probably..." Rishia commented from his side.
Beloukas nodded in agreement, "It is as the young lady says, for something like Balloons, or Usapils a basic seal is all that's required, but higher intelligence beings might be able to work around the restrictions, so it's necessary to apply a more complex version, the same applies if the monster in question is strong to begin with." Beloukas explained, closing the book.
"So the reason Quartz's seal disappeared, was because it was of low quality huh?" Ryou concluded out loud.
"Pardon me?"
He turned his attention back to the man, "My dragon, her seal disappeared a little after she hatched."
The man's expression when from happy to serious in record time at the information, "That's not completely due to her intelligence, but mostly because she is a Dragon. Even the weakest of dragons could easily break through anything lower than a High-Level Monster Training Seal with sheer brute magical power, though I would advise you to place a seal on her soon…"
"I'm not going to brand Quartz with a seal. She is very well behaved, and if she steps out of line I guarantee you I don't need a brand that tortures people to reel her in…"
Belokas eyed Ryou in silence for a moment, before releasing a sigh, "I won't pry anymore into it, but for your sake, as well as those around you lets hope she remains that way…"
"As I said I don't need a brand to make sure she behaves and if something does arise from it I'll deal with it myself, my way…" Ryou announced with a tone of finality.
"Very well Yuusha-sama." Beloukas,added in a strangely serious tone, before continuing, " But we ventured off-topic. Tell me for what reason do you wish to learn about curse seals?"
"Well…" Ryou shook his head lightly, "...I want to add more fire-power to my party, the problem is that I'm not too keen on using slaves like Naofumi, and finding party members you can trust is not as easy as it seems, henceforth the best option currently is obviously monsters that I can train and use in battle."
Beloukas nodded in understanding, scratching his chin, "I see, you did show interest in Dunes, but like I said they are hardly battle worthy…"
Pretty sure with the Grow Correction and a few levels I could turn them into something battle-worthy, but that's beside the point… "Right… The problem with using monsters is how much you need to sustain them. Sure I would love to have two or three more dragons in my party, but already I'm receiving complaints from the hunters in Northern Village about the lack of game, and if what I know from Naofumi's Filorial Queens is true, then probably every omnivorous monster will end up eating enough that just a few of them can destroy an entire ecosystem."
The Slave Trader snapped his fingers, "And so came your interest in Dunes, they sustain themselves mostly on minerals, and that would solve your problem, I see, I see..."
"It's not really the Dunes that I'm interested in…" Ryou began throwing another look at his partner, before scratching his neck. He just knew Rishia was going to have objections.
"No?" Beloukas questioned.
Ryou shook his head, "Rifana mentioned that Dunes were like earthworms, and well… During our expedition in the Northern Cavern we fought a worm-like monster, one that was incredibly strong compared to everything else I have faced until now."
"A worm-like monster in the Northern Caverns you say?" The man's grin returned in full force, "I have no knowledge of such a beast. For sure a new specimen!"
"Fueee! Y-You want to turn one of those worms into a pet?!" Rishia shrieked.
"No…" Ryou hesitated for a moment at the outburst, "...well kinda. You have to admit that thing was pretty strong."
"No!" Rishia exclaimed shaking her head vigorously, her braids swinging from side-to-side, "Take the Dunes! They are cute! That monster is too terrifying!"
"Good!" Ryou scoffed at her words, crossing his arms," We need to add some terrifying to this party. Between you, Quartz and now Rifana we have enough cuteness has it is!"
"Fueee…" Rishia face flushed, but there was no hiding her apprehension.
"So you want to brand one of those worms with a seal is that right?" Beloukas asked.
"Yeah, that's the plan…"
"I wouldn't advise it. There is a reason why we sell most of our monsters as eggs, and that's because there is a bonding process between monster and trainer, and it starts as an egg. If you brand an adult monster it will try to rebel against you, and it would take months for it to obey any orders, if it even survived…" Beloukas explained.
The Bow Hero's shoulders dropped at the explanation. His idea had been to try and knock-out a worm, or weaken it enough to brand it, but it seemed like the plan had been doomed to failure.
"Guess that puts an end to my monster army ambitions for now…" Ryou mumbled dejectedly.
"Perhaps not so…" Beloukas commented, as he walked towards the end of the tent, and made a waving gesture into the darkness. A moment later, a tall figure appeared.
Ryou took in the new arrival. The first thing that stood to sight, were the flat dog-like ears, on either side of the man's head, similar to those of a dog. The next was the man's height that surpassed even Erhard's.
"The young lady mentioned it was ferocious, did she not?"
At the Slave Traders' question, Ryou nodded changing his attention back to the smaller man.
The man in question released a nonsensical noise, scratching his chin once more. "Would you say, that it was unnaturally aggressive? Perhaps it even seemed like it held a grudge?"
Ryou and Rishia looked at each other, before nodding.
"Y-Yes, it kept attacking us even when severely wounded…"
"Yup, at one point it even picked a fight with other monsters and after it came back to attack us…" Ryou answered remembering the underground lake full of Mutated-Kraken like monsters with a shudder.
The demi-human man inclined his head in acknowledgment, "It's more than likely that you accidentally stumbled upon its nest by mistake Yuusha."
Ryou did not miss the lack of honorific, nor the small trace of something on the man's voice as he addressed him, but dismissed it.
"Is that so? It didn't seem like a nest at all…" Ryou countered.
The man crossed his arms over his large chest, one that lacked a slave seal, "You said they were worms. Most likely the eggs are hidden in some tunnel, away from sight."
There were a lot of tunnels made by the worm we didn't explore…
"This is Jed." Beloukas finally presented the man, motioning with a hand, "He's one of my best bodyguards, but he is also the one who checks the quality of the merchandise I buy. His nose his second to none, he can even differentiate monster breeds while they are still eggs, just by smelling them!"
Ryou eyed the man for a moment, "So that's the plan huh? We take you with us and you'll find us some eggs?"
"If there's a nest, I'll find it no problem." The man declared seriously.
"If it's indeed a new species, I also want to acquire some for myself. I'll make an amazing amount of profit!" Beloukas announced rubbing his hands in glee.
"I know a few Nobles in Zetouble that would love to get there hands on a monster so ferocious that even a Yuusha is wary of them… They would make a killing in the underground coliseums... No pun intended." The man added finishing with a small grin.
"That's nice and all but those things are no joke. If we come across another one I'm not going to be held responsible for anything that happens."
The man's grin quickly changed into a frowned, "Doubtful… If they work like Dunes then they will try to make their nest as far away from each other as possible to ensure their species survival. Minerals like other resources are limited after all."
Guess if they all made their nest near each other, the small ones would eventually starve to death huh? An interesting piece of trivia there… "Let's hope that's the case, but to be safe I'm getting a few reinforcements."
"Scared Yuusha?" Jed questioned with a hint of condescension.
With half-lidded eyes, Ryou's answer came with a bland tone, "Yeah… Of the fortune your boss will ask of me for compensation if you die…"
The man only scoffed looking to the side.
"I tip my hat to you Yuusha-sama! Thinking on how to avoid paying more than necessary at every opportunity, yes!" Beloukas exclaimed.
Ryou pressed one finger to his ear, and closed his eyes, trying to mute the annoying man. "Quartz, are you there?"
There were a few moments of silence, and then…
"Yes, Onii-shama, Quartz is here."
"Where are you now?" Ryou asked mentally.
"Near the mountain, there are more slow monsters here." The dragon voice echoed in his mind.
"What is he doing now?" Jed asked with a trace of annoyance.
"Ryou is talking with Quartz-chan," Rishia answered.
"With who now?" The demi-human questioned, tilting his head to the side.
"Miss, you mean the dragon in your party? How is that possible?" Beloukas asked walking closer to Rishia while rubbing his hands.
The girl in question took a few steps back nervously as she answered, "Fuee... Quartz-chan can use telepathy to communicate."
"Marvelous! I never heard of a dragon with such an ability! You must tell me more!"
"Would all of you pipe down, I can't hear her!" Ryou shout echoed in the warehouse, bringing silence into the building.
"That's good, go to the entrance of the Northern Cave and wait there for us…"
"Okay…. Quartz understands…"
One of these days I have to test the limits of her telepathy, if it even as one... With the link broken, he opened his eyes taking in the group looking at him with wide-eyed.
"What?"
It was the Slave Trader who broke the silence, "Yuusha-sama, you must tell me more about your dragon!" He pleaded, quickly making his way towards the hero, only to be stopped by a palm that appeared inches from his face.
"Yeah maybe later, do you want me to get those eggs or not?" Ryou asked with a trace of annoyance. In his opinion the Slave Trader was like his fellow Heroes, only bearable in small doses and already he was reaching the limit of his patience.
With a motion of his hand, the demi-human waved towards the door of the warehouse, "Lead the way Yuusha."
The mountain range that made up the natural boundary between the Northern Territories and Faubley never ceased to amaze the Bow Hero with its natural beauty. Greystone towered into the heavens, culminating in white peaks that stood above the clouds. Below at their base, there was nothing but green forests, contrasted only by the blue rivers that descend from the mountains.
Finally coming up the base of the mountain directly behind the Northern Village, the great opening of the Northern Cavern came in view, along with a white blob that slowly became more defined.
"I found Onee-shama and Onii-shama," Quartz announced in a soft voice.
"So you did…" Ryou commented with a small smile, petting the dragon on her head. Moving his attention he saw Rifana sprawled on the dragons back, eyes focused on the sky above.
"You okay there Rifana?" Ryou asked slightly worried.
"No… I feel sick..." She moaned.
If I remember correctly Raphtalia had the same problem when riding a carriage, and Quartz does tend to go overboard when hunting…
"You can take a break for a bit, we are walking for the next part."
With a groan the girl rolled off Quartz landing on her back with a dull thud without moving an inch, content on just laying there.
"You okay Rifana-chan?" Rishia asked, coming up to the small demi-human as she sheathed her new-pale blue rapier.
Rishia's new weapon, endearingly named Dawn Bringer was a product of Ryou's blacksmith endeavors, and while the enhancements had to be applied by his temporary mentor, the weapon at is base had much better stats than her previous one. The rapier shined with a small blue glow, and on the handle laid a hexagonal Mascgite crystal - The very same crystal he had collected from the cave, one that not only increased the potency of the girl's spells but also reduced the cost.
That wasn't the only difference on the green-haired girl since she was now doting a new armor made of the same material, also made by Ryou's hand. Unfortunately, the enhancements were also introduced by the blacksmith.
It was something that still irked him. His inability to truly manipulate his own magic. In blacksmithing, as well as other professions, adding magic into ones creations was essential and something that came naturally to most. Ryou, however, was not most people or even born in his current world so the process on how to do it continued to evade him.
His temporary mentor called him a one of a kind prodigy since he had been able to grasp the intricacies of his art in days. Ryou, though, had another name for his so-called prodigious ability.
Cheating… It all came down to his Legendary Weapon, and its ability to turn something that would take years to master, into a mostly mundane chore. After absorbing some old tools from the shop, and mastering the bows that came from it, Ryou's ability in the art of blacksmith had surged, and he knew by instinct how to hammer something, or the process involved, even if he still kept some notes on what worked and what didn't.
Perhaps the reason he felt irritated with his lack of ability as far as manipulating magic went, could be attributed to how easily everything else became, and he tried immediately to reign in those thoughts because such line of thinking could be a very treacherous one.
"No… I think I might be dying…" The weasel demi-human moaned to Rishia, who begun to fan her face with her hand.
Turning away from the drama occurring, Ryou's eyes went for the male demi-human accompanying his party.
Noticing the gaze on his person, the dog demi-human turned to look at the Bow Hero with narrowed eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing, just wondering why you don't seem to like me…" Ryou shrugged, his eyes going to the entrance of the cave.
"Don't like you?" The man questioned confused before his eyes widened a little and he let out a small chuckle, "Sorry. It's not a question of like or dislike, rather its instinct."
"Hmm? Instinct?" Ryou sent him a side glance.
"Yeah…" The man grabbed a small stone, and after a moment launched it into the opening of the cavern, "...it's the fact that you're a Hero, yet you're not holding a shield kind of thing."
Ohhh… "Is that normal? I know that demi-humans love the Shield Hero, but you're the first that I met that seemed to dislike the others."
The demi-human grinned slightly at the Bow Hero's words, "They didn't come from Siltvelt, I bet." The man asserted, "Trust me when you spend your entire childhood praying I don't know how many times per day to the Shield Hero, and spending the rest of it hearing everyone cursing the other three, you develop a little bit of passive-aggressiveness towards them."
"Is that the norm in Siltvelt?" Ryou asked with a tilt of his head. From what he had been able to gather both from the Shadow Maid, and his own studies, Siltvelt didn't hold much love for any other Legendary Hero besides the Shield Hero, however, every demi-human he had met seemed at best indifferent to his status.
Then again, both Rifana and Raphtalia are from Seatto, and Rasha also seemed to be from Melromarc, so it's not like I have lots of experience dealing with Siltvelt Inhabitants…
"With the shit going around concerning the Tate-no Yuusha, you would be lucky if you reached the Capital alive. The more fanatical members there wouldn't hesitate in taking out their frustrations on you."
So basically I would get an even worse welcome then Naofumi did here…
"There was a person that advised me to stay clear from there…" Ryou admitted looking towards his party, where Quartz had joined Rishia in fanning Rifana's face with her hand, her head tilted to the side in confusion.
"That's some solid advice Yuusha and you should definitely heed it."
Ryou nodded, before making himself heard, "Alright everyone let's go!"
Flashback End...
"So this is the place huh?" Jed asked looking around, as he sniffed the air.
Ryou shook himself out of his reverie noticing they had finally arrived
Eying the gallery he saw the vestiges of the battle that had ground was littered with crystals, that still emanated with a pale blue light. Part of the far wall was mostly destroyed and blackened from their combination skill, and there was no missing the hole that the worm had melted with its beam attack, along with the one he had crawled from. There were hardly any remains from the worm, as he had expected, the monsters had probably feasted on its carcass, not even leaving it's bones behind.
"Yeah, so what do you think?" Ryou asked.
The demi-human gave a few more sniffs, before nodding, "You have really bad luck or good depending on how you look at it because this is certainly a nest."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, yeah, my nose has never failed me before, just give me a few moments and I'll point you in the right direction." The man announced as he walked away, towards one of the holes.
"Fuee… Your really determined to do this…" Rishia said from his side in a resigned manner.
"Of course I am, we came this far didn't we? Besides even you have to acknowledge those things were pretty strong." Ryou answered.
"That's not what I'm worried about…" Rishia muttered, prompting Ryou to finally look at his partner. Rishia looked at him with a worried glance, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Rish, what's this truly about?" Ryou asked. She never seemed to have a problem with Quartz, so he couldn't understand what was eating at his party member.
"Adding more monsters to our party… Quartz is one thing, she's a dragon… But if people of Melromarc see you, one of the three legendary heroes they worship here deploying them in battle, then…" Rishia explained.
Rifana continued from his side, "The legends always spoke that, the Ken-no Yuusha-sama, Yari-no Yuusha-sama, and Yumi-no Yuusha-sama always had parties of humans. The only hero who made a party composed of Demi-humans and Monsters was the Tate-no Yuusha…"
Ryou's eyes widen a fraction at the information.
In my hype of having an army of monsters, I never consider the implications that it could have…
"You told me that you rejected our Majesty chosen adventurers… If you now appear fighting the wave with a Demi-human, a Dragon, and an army of monsters, what will he think..?" His partner asked lowering her head.
"He probably won't be very happy…" Ryou muttered as he closed his eyes in thought. If he were to appear in the wave with a plethora of monsters rather than humans it would be like a slap in the Old man's face.
...and it isn't just my reputation at stake is it..? For now, the powers that be only seemed to think he sympathized with the Shield Hero, but if he continued with actions that were seemed as heretical by the church, they could turn those actions around to serve their purpose and things could get very complicated for Naofumi very fast.
I can already see it, the church and Malty screaming how the Demon Shield brainwashed me or was manipulated me into siding with him, and do things his way… The thought couldn't even be considered ludicrous, because it had happened when people started seeing the Shield Hero as something other than the demon he had been portrayed as, and already Ryou had laid the foundations for such a thing to happen by publicly defending Naofumi.
"You said the Church was keeping an eye on you, as was the Pope, and he is dangerous… If you keep pushing them then…" Rishia trailed off, her green eyes shining with worry.
"It's true, I never stopped to think what kind of message I would be sending by doing this, but that doesn't mean I should just lower my head, and stop pursuing advantages just because it rubs people the wrong way…" Ryou pointed-out, shifting in place, as a frown took over, "... I have no intention of keeping pussy-footing around just to appease that fanatical cult. Besides Rish do you remember what I told you back then after the duel?"
"...We are both still too weak to pick doing what is right, over what is smart. For now, the only thing we can do is keep our heads low, and get stronger until we have the strength to be able to choose." The words echoed in Rishia's head as the memory reached her, and she nodded hesitantly
"Slowly but surely we are getting strong… Soon enough we will be able to cast off the shackles that the church of the three heroes likes to impose. The time where we will be able to choose what we can do will come sooner rather than later. But, if it makes you feel any better, I'll try to keep them out of sight, and only use them if the situation calls for it, okay?" He tried to reassure her.
I also don't want to give the church more ammunition to fire at Naofumi, at least not before he is ready...
"Fuee… I still don't think this is a good idea, but I guess that's just the kind of person you are..." Rishia mumbled as she sent him a shaky smile.
"Found them, Kid!" A voice echoed from the other side of the chamber, and Ryou saw Jed pointing into a tunnel a few meters above the ground.
Sending one last look to his partner who just waved him off, Ryou hesitated for a moment before making his way to the demi-human.
"In there huh..."
The demi-human nodded, also looking upwards, "Yup that's what my nose is telling me."
In a moment his bow materialized, and Ryou took aim at the entrance of the tunnel, "Chain Arrow!"
The arrow embedded itself in the opening, as a metallic chain dangled from it. Giving it a few pulls to make sure it was secure, Ryou nodded to himself and started climbing.
"Nifty ability…" Jed commented from below.
"Sure is, saved my life a couple of times, and it makes things like this a lot easier…" Ryou commented. In a moment he heaved himself into the entrance of the tunnel before looking down at his party, "Rish, Quartz you stay there with Rifana, while Jed and I go look for those eggs."
Rishia nodded, as her hand fell on the small demi-human girl's shoulder that was looking at him worriedly.
Ryou just sent her a smile, and thumbs up, before turning to the dark tunnel that was soon illuminated by his Bio-Luminescent Bow.
"Kid that thing almost seems like a purse from some woman in Nobility, they have everything in there…" Jed commented with amusement shaking his head.
Haa yes, a woman's purse.. The single most complete pack of daily utensils since the dawn of humanity. You need something, they have it in there, good luck on finding it though… Ryou quipped in his head.
They continued their trek through the tunnel for a couple of moments before another obstacle presented itself.
Kicking a rock Ryou watched it tumbled into the vertical hole, a few seconds passed before a a sound of it hitting the ground was heard.
"Well that's one hell of a drop," Jed commented peering into the hole.
"That? Pfff that's nothing, you should have seen the hole I fell into a while ago…"
"Are all the Yuushas as crazy as you?"
"No…" Ryou responded as he released another chain into the ceiling. Turning around he sent the demi-human a smirk, "...they are worse."
"So our chosen saviors are all touched in the head is that it? Even the Tate-no Yuusha?" The demi-human asked.
Ryou chuckled as he climbed down the chain, "You think that you can summon people to fight demons that spawn from cracks in the sky, along with every other piece of insanity that comes our way and have us be a normal, reasonable bunch?"
"When you put it like that…" Jed allowed as he too grabbed the chain and begun climbing down.
"... And as far as the Shield Hero is concerned…" Ryou grinned, "He's the craziest bastard of us all…"
"Lovely…" The demi-human said dryly.
It took nearly two minutes for Ryou to reach the end of the hole, and as he turned around, the light of his bow reflected off translucent orbs against a wall, stuck together by some kind of black membrane, a scene that the Bow Hero could only compare to a horror movie, but even then he found himself grinning slightly, as he saw a thin, snake-like creature slithering inside a pale transparent egg, one of the hundreds.
"Jackpot…"
Once more darkness was his companion, illuminated by the soft moonlight that pierced through the window, and green curtains. The same light also illuminated the egg. allowing Ryou to watch the creature slowly slithering within - One of the seven, place in an incubator now in his possession. On the outside of the egg, a purple engraving was observable.
It had taken him almost an hour of arguing with Beloukas to be able to get the High-level Monster Training Seals on his monsters for free. The normal price for the service was far from cheap but Ryou had also provided the Slave Trader with eggs that were worth far more, yet the man still wanted to try and have Ryou pay for it.
A capitalist through and through that one…
Rising to his feet, Ryou made his way to his bed and took a seat as he watched the slow rise and fall of the covers, above it only the top half of a head could be seen along with glossy white hair.
With his hand, he gently pushed the hair to the side revealing Quartz's childlike features, her face peaceful. The girl decided that today she would sleep on his bed and when he had asked her about it the girl had only answered she wanted to be close to him. Her words had been spoken blandly as usual from Quartz, but there was no denying the feeling behind it, and Ryou found himself unable to deny her request.
Taking a seat at the bed he sent a side glance to his Status Window, and a moment later his Bow Tree appeared, and with a little searching, two new brackets came into view.
The Slave Bow Series, and the Monster Trainer Bow Series, had been unlocked, from one to three. The bows had been unlocked when he had absorbed the ink to paint the seal.
[Monster Trainer Bow III - Rarity - Common - Awakened - Equipment Bonus - Monster Grow Correction(High), Monster Grow Adjustment (Medium)]
The Grow Corrections were truly an almost game-breaking mechanic, especially when combined with his own skill tree. The investment in points he had been making towards his party members would make it so that very soon they would easily surpass most normal people in the world.
But that had also been what Ryou betted on. That both mechanics would empower, not only his current party but the new additions to it too.
It will take a while before this investment pays off, I'm going to have to carry them around everywhere, and keep them mostly out of sight, but when they're ready with these many Grow Corrections stacking on top of them, they will become much stronger than the original one, and I will have one heck of an artillery line to deploy...
Shaking his head to banish the thoughts of giant worms raining death beams on his enemies, Ryou finished undressing his armor before moving under the covers.
It took only a few seconds for him to released a sight as his eyes went to the newest occupant, who was sleeping unaware of the almost oppressive body heat she emanated.
She really is way to warm...
Two days later…
Ryou couldn't help but whistle in appreciation. As he had expected, the small girl jumped from level one to level twelve on the first day, so he had them repeat the process on the second day too.
Since the monsters on the mine were much higher level then the ones on the outside it was no surprise when Rifana level skyrocket yet again coming to a stop at twenty-one much to his amazement. The small demi-human however probably didn't felt the same if the subtle nasty looks she keep sending him were of any indication, the process had come with severe growing pains, something that made the entire thing a not very pleasant endeavor for Rifana.
Training could come later when she had a solid base, for the moment the Mithril Short Sword he had crafted for her would do the job until they reached Zetoble where they could look for more specialized gear. Until then, he would refrain from having the little girl on the front lines, though at the rate she was growing she wouldn't remain a little girl for much longer. She had gained seven centimeters in three days, and definitely had some more muscle on her arms and legs.
Finally satisfied with their current progress Ryou raised from his position on the couch to begin preparations to leave the village that had grown to be like a second home to him.
The party stood at the gates of Northern Village, and the Bow Hero couldn't help but compare the differences. Unlike last time they now had quite the crowd seeing them off, from the guards to most of the villagers, there were even a few people from Gentlewood Village waving them goodbye.
His attention went to Rishia, who embraced her father, though thankfully there were no tears this time, before picking her backpack and coming to a stop next to him and Quartz who was holding a huge sack on her shoulders, were the eggs currently rested inside their incubators.
"Ryou-sama, once again the best of luck out there, and please keep watching over them…" Almond asked extending his hand to which Ryou clapped his own over, nodding seriously.
"That goes without saying." Ryou declared seriously. That was the one thing he took seriously above all else, the safety of his party.
With one last wave, Ryou extended his hand to the sky before ordering.
"Teleport: Castle Town!" The blue pillar of light came down on them, disappearing a few seconds later leaving no trace of the party.
Next Chapter: Back to the beginning...
