Alright. Not much to say here. I got some interesting comments that made me smile over the last week. I think a good amount of questions or comments that have been asked about the King before will be answered here.

Sorry again anime-only watchers for the LN Spoilers (as we get closer to Cal Mira, expect them to pop up more often, and then just expect them after the Cal Mira arc altogether). This in no way makes up for the King's behavior. But this does serve as a means of answering why Eclair is in the dungeon and why the King (and if you look closely enough, a lot of the nobles mentioned in the past) act the way they do. Now, let's get on to today's chapter!


Since Last Time: 40 more Favorites, 37 more Followers (Total: 1010 Favorites, 1169 Followers)


Updated: February 24th, 2020


Chapter Thirty-One: Backstory of Luge Faubley


Naofumi was confused for a moment. The Knight Eclair stared at him from her bed while Naofumi's mind processed what she'd said.

'... Wait... knight… Seaetto...'

Though his head still ached, Naofumi's brain finally began to connect the dots. Remembering part of a conversation he'd overheard between Bitch and the nun long ago.

"... some knight from Seaetto... wanted to help him. The knight has already been arrested and jailed in the castle dungeons for crimes she didn't do..."

Naofumi looked at Eclair. "... You're... the knight who was falsely imprisoned by that Bitch Princess for wanting to help me," Naofumi said.

Eclair nodded. "Yes." She confirmed.

Naofumi looked stunned. "And you've been here... ever since..." It had been over two months since that day. "... Ever since the day I was summoned?"

"... Yes." Eclair said sadly after a pause. "You are the first person in months that I've seen… other than the knights tasked with bringing me my meals."

'Wow…' If he'd been forced to live alone for that long… if he hadn't had Raphtalia to help him, he had no idea where he'd be right now. Physically, or mentally. "How has no one else been able to see you? Family… friends?" Naofumi asked.

"My father was the only family I had left before the Wave killed him," Eclair said. "And since we're likely in the lower levels of the Castle Dungeons... where royal brats can keep people like me hidden away so their schemes aren't interfered with... it's likely none of my friends know that I'm here." She said bitterly.

Did the King even know one of his knights was being held down here? Or did he not care because Eclair had wanted to help Naofumi. He clenched one of his fists. 'That bastard.'

Eventually, Eclair sighed and rubbed a hand to her head. "I'm sorry, Sir Shield Hero." She apologized. "I'm not normally this bitter."

"It's Naofumi." He said. Sir Shield Hero reminded him of what Bitch had called him. "And you don't have to apologize. I'm plenty angry myself." Naofumi said dryly. He was angry with 'never my fault' Motoyasu. He was angry with the stupid Trash King. He was angry with the knights and religious fanatics of this kingdom. Oh, and he was angry with Bitch. He couldn't forget that. He was always angry because of Bitch in one way or another.

"And anger won't get us anywhere." Eclair said.

'... Ugh…' Eclair had a point. Getting angry about being able to do nothing was only making his headache worse. He almost wanted to sleep it off and see if that'd help or not.

Eclair curled her legs up and hugged them. "I never imagined this would be how I'd first meet you Sir Naofumi." She said.

He barely took notice that she wasn't dropping the Sir title. "You never thought that we'd meet as prisoners, chained up, sharing the same cell?" Naofumi asked sarcastically.

She nodded. "Yes. Growing up, I'd always wondered what it'd be like to meet the great Shield Hero. Would it be on the field of battle, or would I meet him as he went through a field hospital helping the injured? I pictured a thousand different scenarios where I'd be lucky enough to meet him… but I never could have imagined our first time meeting each other would be in some dark, lonely cell."

"You... did you say you grew up wanting the chance to meet me?" Naofumi asked in surprise.

"I did," Eclair affirmed.

'According to my knowledge, the people of Melromarc worship the Three other Heroes. Why would a knight ever want to meet me, much less, help me?' He still had a headache, but he put it to the side for the moment. It was time to get some answers. "Why?"

Eclair took on a nostalgic look. Thinking about a time from long ago. "It's because I grew up in Seaetto instead of somewhere else in the Kingdom. When I wasn't training with a sword at my Father's manor, I was in Faubley training to be a knight or visiting Rurorona Village to spar with some of the demi-humans there. In both places, they respected and worshipped all the heroes equally. But Rurorona did tend to focus their worship on the Shield Hero... Because of them both, I didn't grow up indoctrinated to think of the Shield Hero as a Devil. Instead, I was taught to look at him as a true hero. That's part of why I wanted to meet you. I wanted to see what a real hero looked like."

Naofumi had several more questions forming in his mind. Was Faubley another country or a city in Melromarc? Were there actually places in the world that worshipped all four heroes equally? Had she ended up here because she wanted to meet him? However, the last question was the main one bothering him. "Was Rurorona Village the demi-human village hit by the first wave?"

"Yes."

Naofumi gulped. "Then that means it's the village that the Knights came in and destroyed."

Eclair went wide-eyed and uncurled her legs. "How do you know about that?!" She asked seriously.

"Because…" He wasn't sure how much to share at first. Hell, he still couldn't believe the odds. His cellmate across from him was the one and only Knight who had been falsely imprisoned by Bitch because she'd signed up to help him out. And somehow, he'd ended up being placed in the same dungeon cell as her. Whether that was so it was easier to keep watch over the both of them or because of some actual divine intervention, he wasn't sure.

"One of my party members is a demi-human from that village. She never told me its name, but she told me some of what happened during the wave and after." Whatever the reason was that they had been put together, he felt he could kind of trust her for now.

Eclair's face melted with... relief? "Thank the Gods. Some of them did survive…"

"Did you think they were all dead?" He asked.

"Yes… after what I heard, I thought nobody from my region was left alive…" Eclair said sadly while looking down at the ground. "I thought all the people my Father died trying to protect from the wave had been killed. And that his sacrifice for them had been in vain… tell me, how did you end up meeting this demi-human?" She asked.

"I bought Raphtalia from a Slave Trader," Naofumi answered. "She and some of her friends weren't killed by the Knights, but were instead sold off into slavery."

Eclair's face hardened with anger. "They what?!" She looked pissed.

"Enslaved kids. Yeah." Naofumi sighed. "You can blame the Trash King for that since he hates demi-humans so much," Naofumi said blandly.

"King Aultcray is not Trash. And he would not allow such an act to happen, Sir Naofumi." Eclair said.

Naofumi glared at Eclair.

To think he'd been talking with this skank.

"He is a piece of Trash. He's tried several times in the past to have me jailed up. He doesn't care about the lives of his people. He forced me to run and hide from place to place. And now I'm stuck in here waiting for a trial that won't happen, and I'm not being allowed to fight the Waves which will, in turn, be stronger since I won't be there to fight them. How could you defend him and say HE ISN'T TRASH!?" Naofumi yelled angrily.

Eclair looked to the side. "I cannot claim to know all that you've gone through, Sir Naofumi. You are right that King Aultcray doesn't like demi-humans. He doesn't like the Shield Hero either." Eclair said quietly. She redirected her gaze firmly to his. "However, that isn't all there is to my King. He does care about the lives of his people. And I can tell you with certainty that he didn't order the attack on Rurorona Village." She corrected him. "He would never do such a thing."

"And why do you say that?" Naofumi spat.

"Because he made a promise long ago to his wife, the Queen, that if he tried to do anything bad to the demi-humans in Seaetto, he would lose his title as royalty, and be as the dust under her feet."

...

Naofumi looked baffled at what she'd just said. "But, but how could that be possible-"

"Melromarc is a matriarchy Sir Naofumi," Eclair answered. "King Aultcray may look like the ruler for the moment, but when his wife returns from her diplomatic trip, she will be the one in charge again. And if he had ordered the attack on the demi-human region, she would punish him in ways you couldn't imagine..."

Naofumi was silent for a moment. Her answer only led to more questions. Questions he didn't know if he had the brainpower to process or not. "... But, but I thought he ordered the attack on that Village." He said in surprise. At least, that had been what he'd been assuming ever since Raphtalia had told him about it the night before the wave. "It seemed like something he'd do."

Eclair leaned back against her stone wall. "And what do you know about King Aultcray Sir Naofumi? Do you think he would risk breaking a promise and lose his status as King just to kill and enslave a small group of demi-humans?"

Naofumi opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to think of something to say. Other than the fact that the King hated his guts and the guts of demi-humans, there wasn't really that much to the guy. He'd never really had a heart to heart with the guy (for good reason). And he'd never bothered to talk to anyone about the King because the piece of Trash had never seemed important before… hell, he'd probably heard it once or twice before, but he hadn't really taken note of any Queen before either...

Then again, that Bitch Princess had to have come from somewhere.

Naofumi's head started to hurt again. He was thinking too much about it. "I… I don't know…" He had so many questions rolling around in his mind, and not enough brain power to remember them all due to the pain. Who had ordered the attack on the region? Who was responsible? How did she know? Why was the Queen away? Why wasn't she here setting things right?

He eventually looked up. "Do you know why he hates me and demi-humans so much?" He decided to ask.

"Yes. But it would require me telling you a story about a part of Melromarc's history so you'd understand." Eclair said.

Naofumi sat back against his stone wall. There were still other things he wanted to ask her about. Like how she'd ended up in here. But he figured they could wait. "Might as well explain it. Since we're kind of stuck here." He said sarcastically.

Eclair smiled a little at his words. "I'll tell you what I can remember my father telling me," Eclair said, settling herself as comfortably as she could on her stone bed.


"King Aultcray first came to recognition a couple of decades ago, back when Melromarc was at war with the nation of Siltvelt."

The scene faded away, showing a land different from Melromarc. "Melromarc is a country well known for its mountains and forests. But Siltvelt is well known for its wide variety of ecosystems thanks to all the different demi-human species that live there," Eclair explained.

"Deserts where Lizardmen thrive in the extreme temperatures."

The scene showed a city in the middle of a desert. Demi-humans with lizard-like skin walked the streets. The males were dressed in only a white robe covering their lower half. And the women were dressed the same, with the addition of a leather vest covering their chest ending just above their midsections.

"Underground systems that Lumos over generations painstakingly dug out with their own hands and magic."

The next scene was that of an underground city. Low lit lanterns adorned the walls of streets. Barely lighting the short mole-like demi-humans going about their underground business. The ceiling up above was lost in darkness hundreds of feet above.

"Lakes, rivers, and the ocean where the Orca and the Genmu reign."

The next scene showed an underwater city in the ocean bordering Siltvelt. Here, demi-humans with turtle-like shells on their backs swam from one place to another. Large, armored, human-shaped killer whales patrolled the fortifications on the outskirts. Holding harpoons and other underwater weapons while they kept watch for any sign of danger against the city.

"Tall mountains that house the Aouatsu near their peaks, and the Kitsunes near their base."

The next scene showed mountains, taller than anything shown in Melromarc. Near their peaks, instead of a city, were small huts. Out of one of them walked a human, a short blue-haired woman jumped off the cliff. Partway into the freefall, the woman quickly transformed and turned into a large, roaring, Azure Dragon. She leveled out and flew over a marvelous marble city at the mountain's base.

"The most abundant type of land in Siltvelt, however, is its plains. Miles, and miles of plains. The former home for the Hakukos, the Shusakus, and the Raccoons."

The scene first showed miles upon miles of plains. Some of the plains were untamed, and some were farmland. Little kids with raccoon-like ears and tails played with tiger-like demis. Chasing after kids trying to escape into the air using their underdeveloped wings under the watchful eyes of caring parents.

In the center of it all was a marvelous city built on a hill in the center of the plains. The city looked to be surrounded by layers of terraces. Each one housing a different section of the city. The architecture of the place was amazing. Adult demi-humans of various kinds shouted out their wares to the tiger-like Hakukos, the Raccoons, the winged Shusaku, and the various other demi-human nationalities walking the streets of the Siltveltian Capital. Large, armored, demi-human therianthropes patrolled the streets for trouble.

"Okay, how does this all relate to the King?" Naofumi asked in the background. He hadn't been expecting a lecture on a nation he didn't plan on visiting.

"I'm getting there Sir Naofumi. While Siltvelt is currently governed by a council of all the various demi-humans from these various areas, the norm is for them to be led by a King. The last King was a Hakuko, the Claw Hero Tai-Lon. At first, he was fine with only ruling his country. Then, he brought death and destruction to the human countries around him."

The next scene showed the palace in Siltvelt. A large demi-human that looked more white tiger than human roaring out orders to soldiers. Lashing out with a very long set of claws attached to his hands to empathize his orders. The scene then expanded out, showing the nation of Siltvelt and its surrounding neighbors. One by one, these nations fell to the onslaught of the fearsome Siltveltian army, led by the ferocious Hakuko.

"His goal was simple. World domination. And the eradication of mankind."

The scene focused on a small village. The human army that had been protecting it was in retreat. A little girl cried on her fleeing mother's shoulders while reaching out towards her Father. Who was held dead in the grip of the Claw King. Behind who was a massive army of demi-humans roaring in victory.

"At first, Siltvelt appeared unbeatable… they were winning battle after battle, slaughtering everyone in their way…"

The scene showed a struggle in a valley. The various demi-human soldiers of Siltvelt were pushing a human army into a corner. Their victory looked assured.

"And then, when it seemed like no one could stop them, Aultcray appeared."

A lone figure appeared on the rise above. The human army looked up and started to cheer. The Siltveltians, who had been on the verge of victory, stopped to look up themselves. The young figure lowered a staff down at the opposing army.

"Drifa Chain Lightning!"

A lightning spell came out from the staff, striking through a line of demi-human soldiers. They fell like limp burned rag dolls. "Now!" At his signal, reserves appeared behind the Siltveltian army. Secret Ballista and Catapults that had been concealed around the valley appeared and opened fire on the surprised demi-humans.

The army that had been about to clinch victory was boxed in by human forces. The young Aultcray watched calmly as, mere moments later, the enemy army finally surrendered. The armies cheered, having accomplished their first victory against Siltvelt.

"Aultcray, at the time, was the head of Melromarc's military. No one was sure where he came from, or what his family background was, yet his wisdom and his intellect alone were so great that he alone managed to turn the face of the whole war around. Suddenly, a foe that had seemed unbeatable was glaring with weaknesses. Environmental issues for certain demi-humans. Unprotected supply lines. Ambush sites perfect for hit and run tactics. Aultcray found so many advantages that the enemy was almost resoundingly beaten every time. He planned everything down to the tiniest of details, ruining the plans of his enemies before they could ever think of a counter-attack that could slow his plans down. Nothing of the sort had ever been seen before. I am unsure if anything like it will ever be seen again."

The scene showed Siltvelt and the territories it had conquered marked in red. Slowly, those previously captured territories that had been marked in red turned to blue. Marking where Aultcray turned the tides of the war around. He outmaneuvered enemy armies. Struck Siltvelt in places where they least expected it. And overall, sowed panic and confusion amongst the ranks of Siltvelt's greatest warriors and leaders.

"My Father liked to tell me of those days. How Aultcray himself would fight alongside his soldiers, and how he'd fight so strongly against the demi-humans he faced… that drive drove him from battlefield to battlefield... from place to place... Till one day, five years after the war first started, he had the majority of Siltvelt's armies along with their King trapped in a valley near their border."

Aultcray stood in a general's tent. He was deliberating with his commanders over a map of the valley that led into Siltvelt. Blue flags indicated where his army was positioned along the valley, keeping the red flags representing the enemy army pinned down. Aultcray was going over the plans with his commanders, who were giving him every piece of information their scouts had acquired about the enemy forces. From their numbers to their level of morale.

"The plan was to strike a critical blow against their forces. A blow that would force the enemy King to surrender, and make the subjugation of the rest of Siltvelt easier… But then one day, when my Father, Idol Rabier, Donry Levald, Lelouch Onren, and all of Aultcray's other commanders were planning what would be the final attack… something happened that Aultcray hadn't planned for."

A soldier ran in suddenly, looking out of breath. "General!"

Aultcray stood at alert, all the knights in the room grabbed for their swords, expecting an attack. "What is it?" Aultcray asked. "It'd be suicide for them to launch a counter-attack now with the way our forces our positioned around them now."

The messenger took a moment to catch his breath. "It's… it's your sister…" He finally managed to say. "She's… she's…"

Aultcray's full attention was on the messenger. And as the messenger finished, his eyes started to widen. "No… NO!" He ran out of the command tent, pushing the startled messenger out of the way.

"Wait, General Aultcray-" Some of the commanders tried to yell for him to stop. His heart-rending scream, however, echoed off the mountains around the valley into eternity as he ran into a portal formed by his staff.

"LUCIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"


The scene returned back to the cell. Eclair looked up at Naofumi, who'd been following along, using his help guide to help know which demi-human race was which. "What happened?" Naofumi asked. 'Trash had a sister?'

Eclair looked down at the ground again. "His sister, behind his back, had been meeting with a delegation of Siltvelt demi-humans. One of them was one of Tai-Lon's younger sons. They'd claimed they wanted peace, and they'd met several times in the past with Lucia to forge a peace treaty together. She had been on her way to see him to get the details of the peace treaty finalized. And during her journey, she and her guards were ambushed. Aultcray rushed from the battlefield to the sight of the attack using the power of his staff, but he arrived... too late. The carriage transporting his sister had been torn to pieces. Blood was all over the scene. His sister Lucia… her body was never found. And no one knows what happened to her since."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Slowly, the words sank into Naofumi. "You're saying... the reason King Aultcray doesn't like me... or demi-humans..."

"Is because he believes they were the ones that killed his Sister," Eclair said calmly.

"Please, continue," Naofumi said seriously.

She took a shuddering breath. "Since Aultcray believes the demi-humans killed his sister, and since the demi-humans treat the Shield Hero as their God, in his mind, he links you to them as his enemy. An enemy that could harm his current family just like they did back then."

Naofumi sank down on his stone bed. He still didn't like the piece of trash. But… he could understand the way he felt a little better. Not that it'd make him ever have a heart to heart with that garbage. But he could understand… had anyone intentionally killed his brother back at home, he would have never forgiven them or anyone connected to them.

"While Aultcray had been searching for his sister, Tai-Lon managed to lead his army out of the trap Aultcray had set up for them in the valley. Dragging an already five year bloody war on for another two to three years." Eclair said sadly. "The toll on everyone was tremendous. After losing his blind sister, Aultcray was never the same. He pinned all his anger on the demi-humans. And that anger eventually rubbed off on some of his commanders, like Idol Rabier. He couldn't just beat the demi-humans anymore. He wanted to make them suffer. He wanted them to know the pain he was experiencing. Because of that, his plans became more rash. The armies of Siltvelt were finally able to counter him, and the war became a stalemate for a long while up until the final battle. Where Aultcray unleashed the full power of his anger and his Staff."

Naofumi found himself picturing it. A major battle. Both sides screaming and roaring for each other's blood. And one man in the midst of it all. Screaming in anger as he unleashed death on anyone in his way. The thought chilled him to the bone.

"The final battle of the war was a slaughter unlike anything else both sides had ever seen. It was a battle so fierce that my Father said the heavens themselves quaked in their boots. The Hakukos fought bravely alongside their King, as did every other demi-human race present... but in the end, after many Hakuko had been killed, Aultcray dueled and killed the Claw King Tai-Lon. Forcing the rest of his army to surrender, and bringing the war to an end."

'Well. The King's hatred for me is understandable now.' Naofumi thought. It was still kind of shallow in his opinion, but he could at least understand why now.

Eclair sighed. "After the final battle, with the Siltvelt armies defeated, Queen Mirelia stepped in to negotiate the peace treaty." He still wanted to ask about Queen Mirelia, but he sat, still remaining silent. "During the peace treaty process, the majority of the demi-human race representatives blamed the war on the Raccoons. Claiming they had been the ones to convince Tai-Lon to start the war by using Illusion magic to twist his mind. The Hakuko had been devastated by the war, but still, a few of them tried to speak out, saying that Tai-Lon hadn't been twisted into the war. But those that spoke out to defend them were exiled from Siltvelt along with all the other noble Raccoon families. The commoner Raccoons that couldn't afford to be exiled were instead enslaved by the Shusaku and Aeoutsu races and have been ever since."

That was an unexpected piece of information Naofumi hadn't expected to learn. 'So… the reason why Raphtalia is considered a traitor… is because a bunch of people in power decided to blame one race for a bloody war?!' Naofumi hated Siltvelt even more now. He could easily see it as assigning all the blame on a scapegoat. Something he was very familiar with. 'Besides that, Raphtalia looks more like a Tanuki! Sure, they look similar to Raccoons. But still! That's just, just, argh!' Naofumi wanted to pull his hair out. Just when he thought things in the world couldn't get any more stupid, he was proven wrong. A whole nation possibly hated his demi-human companion just because her features resembled a people they'd made a scapegoat out.

Despicable.

"Fortunately, as part of the peace treaty, Queen Mirellia managed to take most of these refugees along with many of the other outcast demi-humans in Melromarc to form a demi-human friendly region in my Father's domain. As long as Siltvelt would similarly form a safe region for humans inside its borders, peace would remain between the two… Aultcray, her husband who she'd married during the war, hadn't wanted to agree to it. But because he loved his wife more than ever after the loss of his sister, he agreed. And she made him promise not to try and interfere with the region, or else his life would be in her hands." Eclair breathed a sigh of relief. "That's everything I know."

...

"... Okay. I guess I understand King Aultcray a little better now." Naofumi admitted grudgingly. He would have said Trash, but he found it likely Eclair would scold him if he called him that after hearing some of the King's own tragic backstory. Plus, the other information Eclair had mentioned helped him to understand more about the world than he had before. In a way that made him hate part of it more. But it was information he hadn't known before.

"I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to anyone in a while." Eclair suddenly apologized. "You probably didn't need to hear all the history relating to the Siltvelt War. It's just been awhile since I've had the chance to talk with someone. And the guards won't talk to me or let me do any sword training, so I'm always cooped up in this cell without anything to do-" Eclair was speaking quickly.

"It's fine, Eclair." Naofumi dryly interrupted her. "I didn't need to hear all of it. But I did learn some important things."

Eclair breathed deeply to calm herself.

It was at this point Naofumi realized something. They'd been taken so far off-topic he had forgotten to ask. "Now that you've gotten that out of the way. How about you tell me how you ended up here?" Naofumi said. He still felt like he had a major headache, but talking with Eclair was turning out to be a gold mine of information. He had to force himself not to give in and sleep off the headache. He didn't care how long he'd be held in here. He wanted to learn this information now.

"Alright." Eclair thought for a moment so she could explain more simply. "Before the first wave struck, I was supposed to be part of the Queen's personal guard for the conference about the incoming Waves of Catastrophe. However, on our way there, I had a bad feeling, and I got my Queen's permission to return home. By the time I got back to the region of Seaetto, however, the wave had already hit, destroying the region. And..."

"What happened?" Naofumi asked after Eclair was silent for a while.

"The Knights guarding the roads to the region weren't allowing anybody inside. They told me everything had been destroyed, and wouldn't let me do something as simple as retrieve my Father's remains," Eclair muttered, her hands forming fists. "They said the area was unsafe for someone like me. So I tried going to a nearby town outside my Father's region to send a message through the guild. My goal was to contact the Queen and receive her permission to use her authority to be able to enter. However, I was told she was too busy dealing with the other countries who'd realized the danger of the waves and were in an uproar about it. So I tried to get in contact with her personal Shadows, but found they were busy dealing with other matters. There was nothing I could do..." Eclair admitted.

'Wait… did she say this Queen Mirelia also uses Shadows?' He got the feeling that was important. But he had no idea why...

"What happened after that?" Naofumi asked.

"I eventually returned to the Capital two weeks after the wave had hit. There, I tried to seek permission from the Knight Commander to be stationed at Seaetto. But I was told only elite knights were being allowed in the area to dispatch of the monsters. I then tried to tell him I was one of the Queen's personal elite knights, that I could handle myself, and that as the daughter of the former lord of the area, I should be allowed to be stationed there to make sure my Father was buried properly."

Her hands formed fists again. "He had the gall to laugh at me. And told me that if I didn't leave him alone, he'd have me escorted out. Whether I was the daughter of that lowly demi-human loving Lord or not."

...

It was a moment before she spoke again. "I should have realized by the way he talked about my Father that something was very wrong. I should have realized it..."

She calmed down and looked back up. "I soon found myself in the Three Heroes Church. I'd wanted to find a way of letting go of these feelings of frustration, and though I'd never thought much of the Three other Cardinal Heroes as I did the Shield Hero, I found myself sitting in one of the pews to pray for help and guidance."


Eclair sat in a soft-seated pew inside the Chapel of the Three Heroes Church. In front of her was an altar with the rosary symbol on the front. Behind the altar was a stained-glass depiction of the Sword, the Spear, and the Bow. Making a triangle around the rosary of the Three Heroes Church. The chapel itself yelled money and power.

"Oh Gods, please, soften the hearts of my commanding officer. Please, let me see if my friends are safe, and let me retrieve my Father's body so he can be at peace." Eclair's head was bowed, and her hands were clasped fervently in prayer in front of her. "I will do anything. I just ask for a miracle to happen, so I may go and-"

"Lady Altara, have the King and the Pope come to a decision?"

Eclair stopped praying and looked up curiously as one of the doors near the altar opened. A middle-aged nun came out with a young acolyte. "They have. The Pope has, at last, managed to convince King Aultcray of our dire need." Altara responded to the acolyte. "Soon, our best mages will be using the rare artifact we've kept for centuries to summon our Gods back to our world," Altara said, looking up at the stained-glass depiction of the rosary. There was a look of excitement on her face.

Eclair found herself stooping lower in her pew. Hiding from sight so she could listen in. 'The Gods… are they… talking about the Cardinal Heroes?'

"I learned that the Pope was working together with the King to summon the Cardinal Heroes of Legend without the permission of the Queen. The last wave had struck Melromarc, and the next wave was also going to strike Melromarc. They said they'd need all the help they could get if they wanted to survive the waves of Catastrophe." Eclair said in the background as the nun and acolyte talked in quiet tones to each other. Summarizing what Eclair had overheard.

"This is great news. But what'll happen if the Shield Demon gets summoned with the other Cardinal Heroes?" The acolyte asked curiously.

Eclair raised an eyebrow at that. 'The Shield Demon? I thought he was also supposed to be a hero-' She was thinking.

"Do not worry, my child," Altara said, resting a hand on the younger acolyte's shoulder. "Even if the Shield Demon is summoned, I'm sure it'll be easy to keep him from getting in the way of the Cardinal Heroes. After all, the Pope sent me along with many of our Church Knights to the region of Seaetto for that reason."

Eclair's blood ran cold. "The Pope, in his infinite wisdom, saw he would convince the King to go forward with the summoning. And thus, to weaken our enemy, he sent me to lead our Church Knights, knowing I would make sure no word of it ever got out to the King or any other country." Altara said gently as if she were talking to a child. "And I did just that. Those that survived the Wave of Catastrophe have been dealt with. And anybody who tried to enter the region was turned away. Not even the King knows of our plans child. All will be well."

Eclair waited a little while longer as Altara finally turned away from the rosary. "Come now. We still have a little more to do before the preparations for the summoning are complete." Altara said to the acolyte, walking back to the door. "If the Shield Demon is summoned, we'll have to make sure all our plans are in place. There's so much left to do... I must speak with our informant inside the castle to make sure all is ready before we go forward with our plan to destroy the Shield Demon, once, and for all."

"Yes, my lady." The acolyte followed.

Eclair was left alone in the room. Sitting quietly in the pews. Her eyes filling with tears. "No…" She finally started to cry.

Not only her Father. But all her friends, all the demi-humans she'd sparred with... they had all been killed. And by the sounds of it, it wasn't by the Wave of Catastrophe.

"I was overwhelmed with grief, unlike anything I'd ever felt before… but after overhearing what that nun said, I knew what I had to do." Eclair wiped her tears away, stood up with a serious expression on her face, and walked out of the chapel.

"Instead of going to inform my Queen, I made the choice to stay here in the Capital and see which heroes would be summoned." Eclair walked through a hallway of the Castle. "Despite my grief, I knew if the Shield Hero was to become the target of some scheme, I had to be there to assist you. I couldn't let you die. So I stayed in my quarters in the palace until the time came when you and the other Heroes were summoned."

The scene changed, showing a calm Eclair disguised in normal knight armor, standing in a shadowy corner of the palace behind a pillar. She watched as the throne room doors opened, and the Cardinal Heroes of Legend walked in. The Sword Hero, the Bow Hero, the Spear Hero… and the Shield Hero.

"Seeing that you had been summoned, I knew what I had to do next." Eclair watched from behind her helmet until the meeting was over. Then she quietly returned to her quarters. Where she undonned the bulky knight armor and put her personal armor back on.

"The call had already gone out that adventurers were needed to assist the Cardinal heroes. And so I went to the Royal Knights that had been assigned to sort through the adventurers that wanted to fight alongside the Cardinal Heroes. They wanted to give me some trouble about signing up to join the Shield Hero's party, saying I wouldn't be able to meet him for a few days, and I… persuaded them not to mess around over important matters."

Eclair calmly stood by an upturned desk. Some adventurers peeked out from the line, looking at her in surprise. She had the two still surprised Royal Knights roughly pressed against the stone wall of the castle. Convincing them that continuing to mess with her would be a very bad idea.

"When everything was done, I went back to my quarters to prepare for the next day. The day I was supposed to meet you and become a member of your party."

The scene changed again, showing a large room in the castle. Eclair was kneeling next to her bed, whispering her prayers under her breath before she'd turn in for the night. "Please, protect me from harm. Protect my friends from harm. And help me to be able to do my duty, and-" In the middle of her praying, she suddenly stopped.

"I don't know how I realized it, but something… didn't feel right that night."

She stood back up, pulling her sword from her sheath. "Who's there?!" She yelled, holding her sword threateningly in front of her, looking in the darkness around her. She had a strong feeling that she was being watched at that moment. But she couldn't tell why.

Eclair lowered her sword point slightly. Then she started to shake her head to clear it. The stress of tomorrow must have been getting to her. "I must be imagining-"

Her body reacted before her mind did. Her sword moved, deflecting a black dagger that appeared from the darkness. Before she could yell, she had to jump to the side, avoiding a second and third one that immediately followed. They dug deep into the wall behind her. "Stop!-" She tried to yell but quickly raised her sword again to block another thrown dagger.

In desperation, realizing that she didn't know how many daggers her attacker had and that the person was trying to kill her, she jumped forward, moving her sword in a wide-sweeping arc. The move worked, and she felt her sword tug through flesh. In the darkness in front of her, the would-be assassin fell backward away from her.

Eclair quickly lit a lamp, revealing a black-robed figure lying on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood. She had managed to cut a long deep gash into his chest, yet he kept his grip on the hilt of a fifth dagger. In his other hand, the assassin was gripping a rosary. "Who are you? Why did you try to kill me?" Eclair asked angrily, pointing her sword down at the assassin.

The figure coughed up blood, looking up at Eclair with hate. "All those… that support the Shield Demon... must… DIE!" The assassin somehow jumped forward off the ground. Trying to stab at Eclair with the dagger. On instinct, Eclair evaded and thrust her sword backward through the assassin's back. A dying gasp escaped the man's lips, and he slumped forward.

Eclair quickly pulled her sword out, and the assassin dropped to the floor. She was breathing heavily, filled with adrenaline from having almost died.

'Why… why was I attacked… why was he trying to kill- Oh Gods…' Eclair thought in horror as she realized what the assassin had said. 'THE OTHERS!' She quickly opened her door and ran out into the hallway. Booking it towards the rooms where the other demi-humans were being housed until the morning. She was mentally begging she wouldn't be too late.

She opened the door to the room, and her heart stopped at what she saw. 'My… Gods…'

There were signs of a struggle in the room. Claw marks on the floors and walls. Small pools of blood here and there on the ground. But no sign of the demi-humans. Wherever they'd been before, they were all gone.

'I have to warn the Shield Hero.' Eclair realized. The first part of the scheme she'd overheard was already in motion.

She quickly ran away from the area, heading in the direction of the Hero's Quarters.

Eclair turned another corner and almost ran into Princess Malty. "Princess!" Eclair said in relief. "There are assassins, in the castle," Eclair said, sounding out of breath.

"Assassins?" Malty said curiously.

"Yes! One of them is in my room. I killed him, but the rest kidnapped the demi-humans." Eclair continued to explain in between breaths. "They're targeting… the Shield Hero's party members. I, I have to warn him."

Eclair made to run past Malty, but Malty got in her way. She had a smirk on her face now. "Did you just say, you killed one of these, 'assassins' in your room?" Malty asked for clarification.

"Princess, I have no time for your games," Eclair said impatiently. "I need to warn the Shield Hero-"

"It seems you know too much about what's going on," Malty said, smiling bitchily. "Sorry, but I can't have you warning the Shield Demon about my plans." She said dismissively.

Eclair backed up. 'What the hell is going on.' She thought, wondering why the princess was acting this way.

"Arrest her!" Malty ordered.

Before Eclair could realize whom Malty was talking to, she was grabbed from behind by two knights. "Wait! What did I do?!" Eclair asked angrily.

"It's obvious you hold the same evil as the Devil of the Shield in you," Malty said haughtily. "You killed someone in cold blood. The body in your room is evidence!"

"What are you talking about!? The person in that room was trying to kill me! What I did was self-defense as a knight-" Eclair screamed angrily.

Malty sighed. "Take her to the dungeons," Malty said dismissively. As if Eclair wasn't worthy of her time.

Eclair barely noticed the rosaries around the necks of the two knights that were pulling her away. "Princess Malty!" Eclair screamed.

One of the knights knocked her out, making her world go black.


The scene moved back to Eclair and Naofumi.

He honestly didn't know what to say after hearing that.

Eclair looked down at the floor. She had realized it shortly after she woke up in this cell almost two months ago. The nun had said she had an informant inside the castle helping them. She'd realized too late though that the informant could have been a royal. A scheming, backstabbing, manipulative Bitch royal who lied and cried crocodile tears on a daily basis to disguise her true evil nature.

She had been a fool to have not thought of that before running into Princess Malty.

"I failed to protect you. I failed to protect those who wanted to support you. And worse, I was unable to inform you of the princess's scheming in time Sir Shield Hero." She finished sadly. "I'm truly sorry for all the trouble I caused to you..."

"Well, actually… I have some stuff I need to tell you now." After everything he'd heard, he knew he could trust Eclair now. They'd only met, but he found he could already trust her. So he proceeded to share with her what had happened ever since he'd been summoned to this world.

He started with how Bitch had joined his party under the guise of Myne. Then he told her how he'd learned about her scheming in time to escape. How he'd bought Raphtalia and then Filo to help him while on the run, leveling up, surviving the waves, becoming the Nocturnal Doctor, and so on from there till the moment when he was captured.

When he finished almost an hour later, Eclair looked stunned at hearing his story. "By the Gods. I'm surprised the King didn't try to have you executed outright instead of throwing you down here."

"What makes you say that?" Naofumi asked.

"Sir Naofumi. As I told you before. Melromarc is a matriarch country. Raping a woman in Melromarc alone is punishable by death. Being accused of raping a royal and running away from your crime..." She left it hanging. But a chill struck Naofumi to the bone. "Running away from a rape accusation, breaking into a Church, being blamed for the deaths of many different nobles and their guards… you should be dead ten times over." Eclair looked to be thinking it over.

"Are you saying the King actually wants to keep me alive?" He asked.

"Yes. Either he realizes that your death would anger the other nations. Or it would anger the Queen. So he is deciding to hold you here until she returns to give her verdict on the matter." She frowned. "Still, to think you had to go through all that."

Naofumi chuckled. "Yeah, it's been tough, but it hasn't been all bad." He said optimistically. He felt better now. It even felt like his headache had almost disappeared. "If it hadn't been for what had happened, I would have never met Raphtalia or Filo. I probably wouldn't have ended up getting so close to either of them... I just hope that they're okay." He said worriedly before he checked his status screen again. It showed the different gauges at the same points as before.

It didn't feel the same. He wanted to see them both… he wanted to hug them. Let them know that he was okay. That he wasn't alone in some dark cell with nothing to do... even with Eclair there, it didn't feel okay without the two of them beside him. Especially Raphtalia...

"... How much do these two mean to you?" Eclair asked quietly.

Naofumi wasn't sure or not, but it seemed like Eclair was a little shy as she spoke. "Well, I mean, Filo, for all her faults, is like a daughter to me now." He answered.

"And this girl, Raphtalia?" She pressed.

Naofumi frowned a little. "I'm still not entirely sure. But I know she loves me... and I feel something similar for her… I honestly don't know. But it feels clearer every day, so I think I'll know eventually."

Now Eclair looked... disappointed. "I've honestly never thought much about girls before because of stuff in the past. So I'm not sure what my feelings are exactly… But…" He frowned again and looked to Eclair. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um, it's nothing! Nothing really!" She suddenly seemed a lot more embarrassed than before. "I prefer sword training anyways!"

'... What the hell does she mean by that?' It was so out of left field, that Naofumi had no idea what the comment was supposed to mean. He then groaned. His headache, which had felt like it was receding, was coming back with a vengeance.

Eclair heard him groan. "Is there something wrong Sir Naofumi?"

"My… my head…"

Eclair quickly realized why. "I forgot. With your defense stat, they probably used tranquilizer on you so they could knock you out and transport you here. If your head is still hurting, the only thing that'll help is to sleep it off so the rest can work it's way out of your system."

Naofumi was still confused about some stuff. He wanted to ask more questions. Like who was Queen Mirelia? Where was Faubley located? Was it a country or a city in Melromarc? But his head was really starting to hurt like hell, and he honestly still felt tired. He was lucky the pain had receded enough so he could learn what he had.

Besides, as grim as the thought was, there was always tomorrow. So he laid back down. "Alright... and Eclair."

"Yes, Sir Naofumi," Eclair responded.

"I'm sorry it's because of me that you were put down here. You seem nice enough compared to everyone else here... I didn't want anything bad to happen to you or those demi-humans that wanted to help me…"

"It was our choice to support you Sir Naofumi." Naofumi heard as he was drifting off to sleep.

"And I will not be blamed for choosing to do what is right."

The pain faded away as Naofumi fell back into dreamland.


That Night

A small figure and a large figure peeked out from behind a tree in the darkening night.

"There it is." Ahead of them were the gates to the Capital. With the coming night, it looked like the knights were preparing to close them.

"Mommy, are you sure I can't bring my wagon along with me?"

"Yes, I'm sorry Filo. But it's too big for me to sneak in."

"Awwww…" Filo looked back at the area where she and Raphtalia had hidden the wagon. It was covered in branches and mud. 'And I spent so much time polishing it so it'd be nice and shiny…' Filo thought sadly.

A wagon was approaching the gates.

"You ready, Filo?" Raphtalia asked.

Filo looked at her wagon a moment longer, then nodded to Raphtalia. Raphtalia climbed onto her back and clutched to her neck feathers. "As source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature, and hide us from sight." Raphtalia quietly chanted. Filo bent down.

The knight on guard started to talk to the driver of the wagon.

"All Hide Mirage."

Raphtalia's magic covered herself and Filo. Immediately after the spell was in effect, Filo ran out from the cover of the trees towards the gates.

The knight was in the middle of talking with the driver of the wagon when a whoosh of air suddenly blew past him, springing him to alertness. "Who's there?!" He pointed his pike around, looking for whatever monster had caused the gust of air.

There was nothing around him.

"Is something wrong?" The wagon driver asked.

"Hey, Roark, is something going on down there?" A knight from the wall up above yelled down.

The knight looked around for a moment more. "No, I'm just getting tired." The knight said while rubbing at his eyes. "You may enter." The knight directed the wagon in. "I don't think any other travelers will be out at night. Let's close the gates now." The knight yelled up above.

"Right away."

Inside, behind a farmer's stall by the wall near the South Gate, Raphtalia reappeared from her magic spell. She had a hood over her head to hide her face. Filo also reappeared as a little girl next to her. "What now, mommy?" She asked quietly.

Raphtalia gripped one of Filo's hands gently. "We're going to find an old friend. One you haven't had the chance to meet yet Filo." She said quietly.

It had been a while since Raphtalia had last been in the Capital. Most of the streets she and Filo quietly walked were unfamiliar. Knight patrols appeared every now and then, forcing the two of them to hide and watch quietly from the Shadows hidden from the light of hanging lanterns.

Raphtalia wished that she was searching for Naofumi. But she had no idea where they were hiding him. She also couldn't sneak around in the dark forever trying to find him. She needed somewhere in the Capital where she and Filo could rest, find out where Naofumi was being held, and then formulate a plan to rescue him. And Raphtalia knew of just the place…

...

At last, they arrived in front of the door of the place she'd been looking for.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The door slowly opened. "Now who in the blazes are you to knock this late at-" Erhard stopped speaking in surprise. "Little lady, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, Erhard," Raphtalia said, smiling at the sight of the kind blacksmith.

"What are you doing back here? Why isn't Shield Bro with you?" Erhard noticed Filo. "And who's the little girl-"

"I can explain Erhard. But not out here." Raphtalia interrupted him.

"Yeah… yeah you're right." Erhard was a smart man and quick to read the situation. He opened the door the rest of the way. "Come in. I'm sure there's a lot I need catching up on."

Raphtalia and Filo entered Erhard's blacksmith shop, and he closed the door before a patrol rounded the corner on the street. They passed the blacksmith's shop, unaware that the Shield Hero's party members had just gone inside. Erhard could already tell he was going to be in for a long night.

"Now tell me, what happened, and why the hell is Shield Bro not with you?"


At the Castle

"Thank you, kind sir."

"No problem Miss. I'm always happy to help out royalty." The wagon driver who'd last been seen at the South Gate snapped his reins and left the little blue-haired girl behind. She calmly, and tiredly approached the castle doors. Before she reached them, however, they opened. King Aultcray came rushing out.

"Daughter!"

"Father!"

The two embraced happily. "My dear Melty. What brings you back from Faubley so soon?" King Aultcray asked.

"Mother told me I could return to see you, Father," Melty said happily. "Sorry, it wouldn't have taken so long. But I ran into some issues on the way here."

"You can tell me all about it later." King Aultcray said, noticing his daughter's tiredness. "I'll take you to your room. There you can rest, and we can talk more in the morning."

"Okay, Father. Before that though, I must ask about the current whereabouts of the Shield Hero." She said.

King Aultcray's smile was replaced with a grimace. "You do know where he is, do you Father?"

"Yes, my dear. But first, you should rest-" He tried to say.

"Father, I must know." Melty looked at him insistently.

...

"He's being held in the dungeons. For crimes against me and our Kingdom." Aultcray finally relented.

"... fine then." Melty said. "I shall rest then. But in the morning, I want to meet with the Shield Hero myself."

"But, my daughter-" Aultcray was about to burst in anger. But then, he could never be angry with either of his daughters. So he managed to control his tone. "Melty, I can't let you meet him. He has done terrible things-"

"Father, whether he has committed any crimes or not, we cannot afford to bicker with any of the Cardinal Heroes during the Waves of Catastrophe. Do you have any idea how mad Mother would be if she heard about this?"

"But, but-" Aultcray looked genuinely worried. He'd already lost some of his family in the past. What if... the Shield Hero tried to do something to his daughter in the dungeons?

"Father. We need the help of all the Cardinal Heroes if we want to survive the Waves of Catastrophe. You should know that better than anyone."

...

"Alright." King Aultcray relented. If it had been anyone other than his own family, he would have refused. But like Malty, he could never say no to Melty. It was probably his greatest weakness. He couldn't say no to the wishes of his daughters. "You can meet him yourself tomorrow morning. After you've rested tonight. But I plead with you to be careful."

Melty hugged her Father again. "Thanks Father." She looked up to him. "Will you escort me to my room? There is much I have to tell you about my travels before I go to sleep." Melty said with a smile as if the former subject had never been brought up.

Aultcray started to smile again. "Of course. I'm sure you've seen some interesting things since you left. And I'd love to hear about it while I tucked you in like old times."

The two walked through the castle doors. Heading down the main hallway as they talked with one another...

...

From the shadows, a certain red-haired bitch slowly crept out. "So, my sweet little sister returned to free the Shield Hero..."

She laughed bitchily into her hand. "Oh, poor naive Mel. It pains me to have to do this." She didn't look pained at all as she held a hand over her heart. "But neither of you will be surviving tomorrow."

It had already been planned that the Shield Hero would be assassinated in his cell tomorrow. But if the young heir to the throne was killed too... well, kill off two birds with one stone.

The annoying Shield Hero would, at last, be dead.

And no one would be standing in the way of Malty 'Bitch' Melromarc becoming Queen.

"Yes, I couldn't imagine anything more perfect." She said bitchily to herself. She loved it when her plans came together so beautifully.

She disappeared into the shadows of a side hallway.


Author's Notes:

Sorry for all the dialogue and everything here. Editing through this chapter was so tedious, I can't even imagine what you all will think reading this. I kind of wanted to set up some of what Siltvelt was like eventually though. And include some back story for some events. And… yeah, it all piled up without me meaning to… just know something like this would have happened at one point or another, so at least it's out of the way now.

On the bright side, Siltvelt sounds like a lot cooler place than what little is shown in the LN's. Right, right?...

*insert awkward cricket noises*

You know what. I'll just cut this awkward Author's Note short and go straight into today's omake before I embarrass myself further.


Hero Clips!


The Tragic Story of King Melromarc XXXII


"My name is Aultcray Melromarc. I am the current King of the mighty nation of Melromarc." Aultcray sat on a throne, holding his normal staff in one hand.

"Long before I became the King, I was a prince of Faubley. My real name back then was Luge Faubley. I was only thirteen years younger than the current King, and 52nd in line from the throne." Aultcray began to explain his tragic backstory. "I knew I'd never be destined to sit in the throne of Faubley, being so far down the line. So I thought my life would be that of a lowly prince, living in the shadows of all his other relatives."

"However, one day, in the middle of the night, my life changed forever when a group of Hakuko raided our manor. Killing my mom, my servants, and everyone else except me and my blind Sister, Lecia, who I managed to save from the destruction of that terrible day."

Aultcray sighed sadly. "I tried to ask my country for help, but they were more than willing to dust my family's tragic ending under the rug. It was likely those Hakuko were mercenaries hired by a prince in line behind me who wanted my family out of the way. Since I couldn't find justice in Faubley, I took my sister, the last family I had in this world, and what little money I had on my person, and left the toxic political atmosphere of Faubley behind for Melromarc. There I joined the military with the hope of one day being able to avenge my family of those damn Hakuko, and so I could get the money I needed to help take care of my poor little sister."

Aultcray stood, making a dramatic pose. "I worked hard to take care of my sister amongst all my studies and travels. I had the worst time starting out as a recruit. But I quickly made a name for myself with my genius and superb tactics. And when the day came that the Staff chose me to wield it to defend the world against the Claw King, I finally saw my chance to turn my life around and to avenge my dead family-"

"Just cut the crap already!" Naofumi yelled.

"Huh?" The King was brought out of his personal monologue by the sight of a chained up Naofumi still sitting in front of him. "What are you still doing out here?!" Aultcray angrily demanded. "I thought I said to have him thrown in the dungeons!"

"We were just about to do that when you began monologuing your Majesty." Aultcray's minister apologized.

"What?!"

"We felt it'd be rude to interrupt."

"Gosh, you're like the most generic King I've ever seen!" Naofumi complained. "You think you're all high and mighty because you get to sit on your King throne in your King robes. Wearing your king hat talking about whatever you call that-"

"Silence, you pest! I refuse to allow you to disrespect the Great King, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII in such a manner!" Aultcray's minister yelled at Naofumi.

"Are you kidding me?! There were 31 others just like him?!" Naofumi asked in disbelief. "No wonder this world is screwed!"

Aultcray and his minister were so stunned by that response it took him a moment to recompose himself.

"Throw him in the dungeons now."

"That's right. Cut off the conversation you stupid generic King! You know you can't fight against the facts!" Naofumi yelled as the guards were dragging him away.

"Will somebody please knock him out!" King Aultcray ordered.

"The issue with that sire is that none of us have a high enough attack stat to accomplish such a feat." Aultcray's minister informed him.

"Aw yeah! I get to be as loud and annoying as possible on my way out! That's what you get for separating me from my party you old ugly bastard!" Naofumi's voice was still quite audible despite having been dragged out of the throne room.

Aultcray sighed heavily. "Why did the Staff stop working for me all those years ago?"

"Because their purpose is to either save the world or assist the Holy Heroes sir."

"Ugh..." Maybe it was a good thing it'd stopped responding to him.

He would have hated to have to assist the Cursed Shield.


Till Next Time

Allen