Disclaimer:
The Rising of the Shield Hero was created by Aneko Yusagi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. Magic Knight Rayearth was created by CLAMP. Sword Art Online was created by Reki Kawahara. DanMachi was created by Fujino Omori. Digimon is owned by Bandai and Toei. Kono Suba was created by Akatsuki Natsume. Gate was created by Takumi Yanai. This story uses reference material from them.
Heroes of Another World
By: RB3
Birth of the WDF 2: Sword and Bow in Accord
Some time after the battle in Vepar's Domain, Team Bow found themselves in the adventurer guild in Melromarc City. Itsuki browsed the board for a job, one where he could act as a champion to the people. "Bow Hero!" called the clerk at the front desk.
"What is it?" asked Itsuki.
"We have a special request from a group of lords. The Shield Hero has been robbing stores and extorting mine workers around Mirso Village. Please go there and stop him," said the clerk. "They're willing to pay one gold for the job."
"That Naofumi! Sure, I'll take the job," said Itsuki.
He met with his companions in Team Bow and told them of the lucrative job he had been given by the clerk. "That's a mighty lucrative one. I could live off that for a whole year and never have to work," remarked Mald.
"Yeah, let's go teach him a lesson!" said Abazure.
"Porter!" cried Mald. "Get our possessions! We're hitting the road!"
"Right away!" replied Rishia, who ran back to the inn they stayed at. She returned with a backpack on her back and carrying several other bags.
Team Bow travelled all the way to the northeastern part of Melromarc, where the Dragon Mountains lay. It was the largest mountain range in Melromarc, full of minerals like iron and silver. The mountains were once home to a dragon until Ren killed it. Now that it was gone, the miners and smiths of Mirso could resume their work after their forced extended absence. Smiths hammered away at forges to smelt metals gathered from the mines in the mountains. Chimneys piped their smoke into the sky daily.
Itsuki met with the mayor of Mirso Village in his office at the town hall. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Bow Hero! We really need your help," said the mayor. "The Shield Hero has been robbing our merchants and extorting our miners for money."
"I know. I heard it from the guild. Where has he gone into hiding?" asked Itsuki.
"He fled into the mountains, no doubt to count his ill-gotten booty. He must have a hideout there where he can rest between raids. He's probably squatting in an abandoned mine," replied the mayor.
"Okay, I'll flush him out and get him to stop his raids. Understand that as a hero, I must avoid killing him," said Itsuki.
"Understood. Just get him to stop the attacks," said the mayor. "Here's where all our mines can be found."
He presented Itsuki with a map which marked the locations of known mines in the mountains. It also showed the location of mines which had been abandoned. Itsuki saw one abandoned mine which was relatively close to town in the northeast, enough that the Shield Hero could return home in time for a meal. Team Bow travelled out of town into the rocky, rough terrain outside. After several minutes of travel, they found the mine Itsuki had picked out at the side of a mountain. Nobody was standing guard outside, so the group decided to investigate the interior.
Abazure entered the cave, keeping her footfalls as silent as she could. She found a circular area with sleeping bags and an extinguished fire. The fire had been put out recently, as embers still glowed red from the event. There was also a table with partially chewed chicken and potato scraps on a trio of plates. Judging from these clues, Abazure concluded that Naofumi and company had recently left, possibly to go on another raid. She left the cave and returned to the hiding spot of Team Bow.
"I found a camp inside, but no one's there," reported Abazure.
"Okay, let's do a stakeout. I'm sure they'll be back," said Itsuki.
As the group was about to leave, Abazure heard a pebble tumble off of a cliff. She traced it back to its source and saw a man in black robes chanting a spell. "RUN!" she cried.
The mage released a spell which struck in the midst of the group, triggering a massive, fiery explosion! As the group recovered from scattering, several men in black cloaks rushed them with knives. Abazure parried the initial attack. The man tried to flank and stab her again, but she raised the spear in time to parry. He made a third attempt to stab her, but she dodged the attack, then impaled the assassin through the stomach. With a quick flick, she tossed the man off, then swung down to the right, sweeping the legs from under a second, incoming assassin.
The "Shield Hero" rushed at Itsuki, bringing an axe down on his head. Itsuki moved right and avoided it. "Naofumi? Wait, how are you able to use an axe?" asked Itsuki. The fake Shield Hero swung at Itsuki again, but he backpedalled to evade. This time, Itsuki got a good look at his foe's face, that of a Caucasian man. "You aren't Naofumi! Who are you?"
"Go to hell!" cried the fake Naofumi.
"Okay then," replied Itsuki, leaping away, then shooting a volley of arrows. The fake Shield Hero attempted to block them with his shield, but one slipped past his defences. It opened a cut down the side of his cheek as it sailed by. The pain caused him to drop his guard momentarily, allowing another arrow to impale him in the chest. He collapsed on the ground, bleeding to death.
Welst lobbed a fireball back at the mage on the cliff, taking out his footing and sending him plummeting to the ground. An assassin approached from Welst's blind left, but Mald stepped in and deflected the knife. Mald charged and slashed through the assassin as he raced past. Blood spurted out from the gash and the assassin collapsed. Lojir chopped another one in the chest, then kicked him to the ground. The members of Team Bow gathered and it was apparent that all of them had been accounted for except Rishia.
"Rishia? Where are you?" asked Itsuki, calling out to her.
Rishia got up from under the bags of Team Bow. "Here! I'm okay!" replied Rishia.
"Who were those guys?" asked Welst as he looked over the bodies, including that of the fake Naofumi.
Itsuki joined Welst in searching through the possessions of the fake Naofumi. He found a necklace on the imposter, one made of silver. It depicted the Sword pointed downward with its handle being the tip of the Spear. The Sword's curved guard was the Bow, which completed the necklace by forming a cross. At the centre was a sphere which resembled the cores of the Cardinal Weapons. This cross was the symbol of the Church of Three Heroes. It was prominently displayed on anything and anywhere associated with them, like above its main altar.
"This is the emblem of the Church!" said Welst. "Why would they want to kill us?"
"Why indeed?" asked Itsuki rhetorically.
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A week later, Ren the Sword Hero travelled into a forest somewhere in Melromarc with his companions. The trees were packed so tightly together that they covered the path ahead with a sea of green and brown. It was impossible to see far ahead and travel was slow and difficult. His team eventually reached a clearing where the midday sun shined brightly onto the ground below. He heard rustling from some nearby bushes and readied his weapon, as did his companions.
Itsuki and the rest of Team Bow emerged from the foliage with arms raised. "Relax. It's me," said Itsuki.
"You had me going there," said Ren. "What's going on? The Church has been hunting you and calling you a fake hero."
"Ever since I uncovered that fake Shield Hero, they've been after me," replied Itsuki.
"A fake Shield Hero?" asked Ren.
"Yeah, but as it turns out, he was just bait to lure me into an ambush. The Church had assassins attack me outside his hideout. Afterwards, I began looking into the Church and found this," said Itsuki, handing a book over to Ren.
Ren flipped through it, but was unable to read the language. Though from the diagrams, it seemed to speak about the Cardinal Weapons. He handed it to Bakter, a grey-haired man and the mage of his team. As he skimmed through the contents of the book, his eyes widened in shock. "According to this book, there's a replica of the Cardinal Weapons in the Church's possession!" said Bakter.
"There is?" asked Ren, surprised to hear that.
"Yeah!" replied Bakter. "A long time ago, such a weapon had been created so our people could handle crises without relying on the Cardinal Weapons. It was thought lost, but it seems the Church has recovered it. Maybe it was never lost to begin with. Maybe the Church had it the whole time, but didn't say anything."
"That sounds fishy to me," remarked Terishia, a green-haired girl in a red cheongsam, the martial artist of Team Sword.
Bakter opened a slip of paper and showed it to everyone. "Look, a map!" announced Bakter.
"So, this is where it's kept," said Ren, looking over the map.
"Yeah," replied Itsuki. "The Church isn't as honest as it claims to be. I want to get to the bottom of this, but I need your help, Ren."
"Alright. I've been having my suspicions too," admitted Ren.
The combined Sword and Bow teams travelled through thick forest and vast plains following the map to the location of the replica. Eventually, they found a rock formation at the centre of a sea of trees. There was a cave at its base where they saw a three-tiered stone dais. It had a flight of stairs running up to a stone sarcophagus. Ren opened it and found nothing inside except dust. "Hey! What's going on? It's empty!" he announced to the others.
Itsuki noticed a spark of light coming from the opening in the cave above. At first, he did not know what it meant, then it dawned on him. "RUN!" he cried. A beam of light descended into the opening and triggered a massive explosion. The rock formation had been obliterated and a massive dust cloud arose in its wake, visible for miles around.
Suddenly, several puffs of smoke filled the area a distance away. The parties of the heroes found themselves outside, far from the rock formation. They were surrounded by several individuals who looked like ninja. One of the women bowed to Ren and Itsuki. "Greetings! We are shadows, agents of Queen Mirellia of Melromarc. She sent us to watch over you," announced the woman. "The Church of the Three Heroes had lured you into a trap. Luckily, we were on hand to rescue you."
"Thank you," said Itsuki.
"What should we do now? We're being targeted," said Ren.
"The queen needs you to find her daughter, Princess Melty, and spirit her away from this country," said the shadow.
"Why?" asked Itsuki.
"Like you, she's in danger. Her sister, Princess Malty, is out for her life and is using the Church's agents to do the dirty deed," replied the shadow. "Once you find her, meet us at this rendezvous. We have a plan to sneak you across the border into Fourbrey."
The shadow handed Itsuki maps. One had a line which indicated the path Princess Melty's convoy was taking to Melromarc Castle. The other map had a circle at a location south of the border between Melromarc and Fourbrey. The heroes were to bring Melty here once they found her. "Very well. We'll find Melty and get her to safety," said Itsuki.
The Sword and Bow travelled the Melromarcan countryside in secret. They eventually found smoke in the distance on the road the convoy intended to travel. They went to investigate and saw several Melromarcan soldiers in battle with each other. Due to both sides being dressed in Melromarcan uniforms, it was difficult to ascertain who was on which side. In a carriage was a ten-year-old girl with lavender hair in pigtails and a matching frilly dress. She was Princess Melty and looked upon this chaotic melee with apprehension.
"That's them!" cried Ren.
"Let's go!" Itsuki told their comrades.
"It's the heroes!" cried Melty when she saw their parties joining the fray.
Her bodyguards also noticed their arrival. "Join the heroes!" cried the bodyguard leader.
"Stop the heroes!" cried another soldier, part of the assassins.
Rather than fight the soldiers without knowing who was an ally or not, they went to Melty's carriage and escorted her out of the middle of the melee. One of the soldiers decided to slash Ren, showing the Sword Hero his true colours. Ren parried the blow, then knocked the weapon out of the man's hand with one strong push. Ren then impaled the man through the stomach. "Form a line! Don't let them reach the princess or the heroes!" cried the bodyguard leader.
The princess' bodyguards began to retreat in a way which formed a line between the heroes and the assassins. The battle lines had been redrawn and it was now clear who was friend and foe. Instead of attacking and accidentally hitting an ally, the mages of the team cast healing spells on the bodyguard line. Their spells replenished their vitality so they could continue the battle in a fresh state. With the rest of Team Sword and Bow assisting, attrition wore down the assassins until none were left.
"Thank you heroes. It's because of you that the princess is safe," said the bodyguard leader.
"You're welcome, but we have to hurry. Princess Malty's assassins will find you if you stay here. Luckily, the queen's agents have an exit prepared for us. We'll take you to the rendezvous so you can escape with us," said Itsuki.
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The heroes took Melty and her retinue over to the area just before the border. The shadows appeared, surrounding the group. "You've found the princess. That's good," said the shadow. "We'll disguise you as farmers with magic. Then, you can just walk across the border without incident."
The shadows jointly cast a spell upon the group, making them and their carriages appear as a group of farmers with wagons of produce. After the head bodyguard received papers, the group departed for the border. As they approached, they noticed Motoyasu and his party among the guards stationed there. "Motoyasu's there! This is bad!" whispered Itsuki.
"Play it cool," replied Ren.
"Halt! Who are you and where are you going?" asked a soldier who stopped the convoy.
"We're just farmers taking produce to market in Fourbrey. We need to pass," said the bodyguard leader, who presented papers to the soldier.
The soldier examined the papers. "This checks out. You may pass," said the soldier.
Unnoticed by everyone, a soldier on the wall cast a spell on the convoy. The illusion vanished, revealing its true form. "It's Ren and Itsuki!" cried Motoyasu. "Don't let them escape!"
Motoyasu charged at Ren, who parried the attack with the Sword. The bodyguards exited the carriages and began exchanging blows with their counterparts manning the border wall. Myne hurled a Zweite Hellfire at Melty, who responded by casting Zweite Anti-Hellfire to snuff her spell with water. "What are you doing?" asked Ren upon seeing that.
"Sister, is it really true? Do you really want me dead?" asked Melty.
"You're under the brainwashing of the heroes. There's no way to break it unless you die!" cried Myne.
Suddenly, blue light flickered into existence and Abel appeared near Ren and Itsuki! He promptly splashed Myne with water and froze it into ice around her. He repeated the spell on Motoyasu, trapping him like his companion. The Vassal Heroes and Team Shield also appeared and began battling the soldiers at the border. "Abel? What are you doing here?" asked Itsuki.
"I've come to rescue you," replied Abel.
"Like hell!" said Motoyasu. "Do you know what they've done? They've kidnapped Princess Melty!"
"Are you out of your mind? They did no such thing! They're trying to save her from her dastardly sister and the Church goons," replied Abel.
"Don't listen to him, Motoyasu! He's in on the kidnapping!" cried Myne.
"Do you honestly believe they have a brainwashing power? They would have used it to get to Fourbrey without a fight," said Abel.
The remaining members of Team Spear charged at Abel, but he froze them solid like Motoyasu and Myne. Naofumi closed ranks with Itsuki, directing Medusa's Gaze at approaching guards. The Aegis had encased them in stone, halting their motion completely. "What kind of Shield is that?" asked Itsuki upon seeing the Aegis work.
"Itsuki, let's go!" said Naofumi.
"You too, Ren!" said Hikaru.
Ren and the rest of the Cardinal Heroes gathered around their Freedenese allies. "Abel, Princess Melty is with us," said Ren.
Abel could see the girl behind him, being guarded by some of the survivors of her entourage. "We'll take them with us," replied Abel. "Hmm?" he asked upon sensing a great amount of power above.
A point of light hovered high above everyone on the battlefield. The rest of the soldiers had fled, leaving the area eerily silent. "Enemy spell!" cried Atsuro. He extended his hand to the sky and drained electricity from the point of light, which was actually ball lightning. Atsuro's act saved the group, for he had neutralized a powerful lightning spell intended as an attack. Had it gone off, it would have left a massive crater in the area, and much of the group wounded.
"What's going on?" asked Naofumi upon seeing the spell dissipate.
"Your judgement is nigh, sinner!" declared an unknown elderly man who was dressed in the mitre and robes of a highly-ranked priest.
He emerged from a horde of priests. "The Pope?" asked Itsuki.
"Bisca T. Balmus! I should've known," said Ren.
"All of the sinners and false heroes have gathered together. It's time for God to deliver judgement upon them!" said Balmus, who produced a strange sword.
"Wait, what's that?" asked Hikaru.
"That's the replica of the Cardinal Weapons," replied Abel.
"Indeed. This weapon will be the instrument of divine judgement. Repent!" said Balmus.
"Pope Balmus, withdraw your forces immediately or we will destroy them!" demanded Abel.
"This is a battle between God and the worst sinners of the world. Those gathered here are prepared to give their lives to vanquish evil," replied Balmus.
"Final warning! Withdraw immediately or face the consequences!" warned Abel.
"Never!" cried Balmus.
He formed the replica weapon into a sword and fired a beam at Abel. The King of Bel simply absorbed the beam, sparing the others from harm to the shock of Balmus and the priests. In retaliation, Abel fired a beam of almighty energy from his fingertip. Balmus raised a barrier of magic to block it. The violet beam punctured the barrier and continued through the head of Balmus, disintegrating it in a burst of golden light. The headless pope collapsed to the shock of his followers.
The Spade Mercs released their demons and rushed the priests. Hector hurled dozens of punches into their ranks, splattering them left and right. Yuzu hurled a tornado into another set, which sucked in and battered them. The terrified survivors turned and fled, but Scarlet appeared in their path and scorched them to death with flame. Yog rained orbs at another area, flattening priests by the dozen. In just over a minute, the slaughter was over. The broken bodies of the priests were strewn everywhere.
"Whoa! Remind me not to get you mad!" remarked Itsuki as he took in the carnage.
"Eeep!" said Motoyasu, now frozen in terror and not just ice. Myne was too terrified to even say anything.
At that moment, a large force of Melromarcan soldiers had arrived in the area. The Spade Mercs and heroes prepared for battle, unsure if this new group was friend or foe. The leader of the army approached on horseback. She was a middle-aged woman with violet hair and a golden crown on her head. She wore plated armour as protection. "Mother!" cried Melty upon seeing her.
"Melty! I'm so glad you're safe!" said the woman as she dismounted to hug her.
"Princess Melty, is this your mother?" asked Ren.
"Yes! This is my mother, Queen Mirellia of Melromarc," replied Melty.
"So, these are the Legendary Heroes, all gathered before me," remarked Mirellia.
"It's an honour to meet you, your Majesty," said Itsuki, who bowed.
"Ah, the Bow Hero! Thank you and the Sword Hero for protecting my daughter," said Mirellia. "Let's return to the capital and speak there."
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After a quick trip, the ensemble had gathered in the throne room of Melromarc Castle. Mirellia now wore a set of violet robes more befitting of a monarch. "Allow me to begin by formally introducing myself. I am Mirellia Q. Melromarc, sovereign of the nation of Melromarc. I wish to apologize for my absence during the heroes' arrival in my lands," announced Mirellia. "Heroes, please introduce yourselves to me."
The heroes proceeded to do so starting with Ren and ending with Megumin. "Where's Myne?" asked Motoyasu. "She was supposed to be here."
"She is to stand trial with my husband for their role in recent incidents," said Mirellia. "Bring them in!" she commanded the guards.
The guards led Aultclay and Myne into the throne room in chains. "Myne!" cried Motoyasu.
"Sir Motoyasu!" said Myne.
The guards set up a stand where each of the accused could stand and face trial by the queen. Court mages broadcast the proceedings to the public at large so they could witness them. "Let's begin. Aultclay Melromarc XXXII and Malty Melromarc, you stand charged of false claims, defamation, conspiracy, sedition, assault, and attempted murder. How do you plead?" asked Mirellia.
"Innocent," replied Aultclay.
"Innocent!" replied Myne.
"Very well. Place the crest on Malty," said Mirellia.
A court mage presented the queen with a set of ink, brushes, and a clean knife. Mirellia drew blood from her finger with the knife, then let it drip into the ink and mix. The court mage stirred the ink with a brush, then painted a slave crest onto Myne's chest. When the magic took hold, it shocked the princess, causing her to scream in agony. "How could you do that to your own daughter?" asked Motoyasu.
"Malty is a pathological liar. This is to ensure she can't perjure her way out of this," replied Mirellia.
The trial of Aultclay and Myne continued with the bailiff showing the assembly the replica of the Cardinal Weapons as evidence. The bailiff also showed a recording of the battle between Motoyasu and the rest of the heroes, then the Spade Mercs and the rest of the heroes intervening. The recording also showed the attack of Pope Balmus and the church against the heroes, first with a jointly cast Judgement spell, then with the replica of the Cardinal Weapons. The Spade Mercs thwarted both attempts and killed Balmus and his followers in retaliation.
"I swear I had no idea this would happen! I only wanted to stop the Bow and Sword from kidnapping Melty!" said Aultclay.
"Malty?" asked Mirellia.
"Yeah! I had no idea the Church would revolt against the kingdom!" said Myne. The slave crest remained dormant.
"Very well. Please bring in the next recording," said Mirellia. The guards brought in a crystal ball showing earlier events from that same battle. The crowd gasped when they saw Myne deliberately target her sister with a lethal spell. Fortunately, Melty had countered it and avoided harm. "Malty! Tell me you didn't!" said Aultclay.
"Malty, you told us you wanted to stop the heroes from kidnapping Melty, yet you attacked the Crown Princess with a Hellfire spell. Why did you do that?" asked Mirellia.
"She was under the effects of a brainwashing ability from the weapons. There was no way to undo it except by killing her," replied Myne. The slave crest triggered, sending a powerful shock surging through her body. "AAAAARGH!"
The assembly and the viewing audience outside the castle gasped in shock. Aultclay's shock was even greater to discover that his elder daughter would do something so reckless. The next piece of evidence brought to trial were written letters between Aultclay, Malty, and the Church. They recommended the summoning of the heroes contrary to an international treaty binding Melromarc. "I only summoned the heroes because we needed them! The Waves massacred our people and our soldiers! I had no choice!" cried Aultclay.
"Very well. Let's move onto the rape accusation against the Shield Hero," said Mirellia.
"He violated my daughter and caused her such distress!" replied Aultclay.
"It's true! I had to comfort Myne because of him!" cried Motoyasu.
"Malty, did the Shield Hero truly assault you?" asked Mirellia.
"Yes!" replied Myne. The slave crest activated, sending an agonizing jolt of electricity through her body. "AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
The crowd gasped. "So it was all a lie?" asked Aultclay.
"This can't be!" said Motoyasu.
"Why not form a slave pact with her and ask her yourself?" asked Mirellia in return. Motoyasu did so, but only the got the same result, Myne lying and triggering the slave crest. The shock left her writhing on the ground in agony.
As the trial continued, Naofumi relished the thought of his name being cleared by the trial of Malty and the king. At the same time, he knew that an execution would be their likely punishment. Their crimes were heinous and severe enough to warrant it. Naofumi could not help but feel conflicted by this. Part of him wanted to see those two suffer for what they did to him. Another realized that the trial would force the queen to carry out an execution on her own family. Despite her understandable reluctance, she had a duty to punish them as the sovereign.
"I am ready to give my verdict. On the charges of false claims, defamation, and conspiracy, I find you guilty. On the charges of sedition, assault, and attempted murder, I also find you guilty," announced Mirellia. "Due to the severity of these crimes, I hereby strip you of all royal privileges and titles and sentence you to execution by guillotine."
"You can't do this!" said Aultclay.
"Mother! Please have mercy!" said Myne.
"However… I will offer leniency if at least two heroes request it. Do any of the heroes want leniency for the accused?" asked Mirellia.
"Of course! I want leniency!" said Motoyasu.
"Will another hero request leniency as well?" asked Mirellia.
Naofumi wrestled with whether to comply or simply let the two face the guillotine. "Naofumi! Please, I beg you, help me! Help!" begged Myne, over and over again, becoming more desperate and hysterical as continued to plead for her life.
"It seems not," said Mirellia. "Then these two…"
"Wait! I will request leniency as well," said Naofumi.
Mirellia seemed relieved that Naofumi spoke up. "Very well. How do you wish to punish the accused in lieu of execution?" asked Mirellia.
"Why don't we change their names? From now on, we'll call her 'Bitch' and him 'Trash,'" replied Naofumi.
A chorus of chuckles emanated from the audience and even Mirellia herself could not suppress a few of her own. "No way!" said Motoyasu.
"If the Spear Hero would like to offer an alternative, please do so," said Mirellia.
Motoyasu was stumped. "I don't have anything," said Motoyasu.
Another round of chuckles came from the audience. "Very well, the names of the accused will be changed immediately. Also, I hereby abolish and ban the Church of the Three Heroes and reinstate the Church of the Four Cardinal Heroes in its place. Thank you for attending. Court is dismissed."
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Some time later, Mayor Hiru had a message sent to the Spade Mercs and the heroes of Shieldfreeden, asking everyone to meet him in the city hall of Shieldheim. They sat around a table in a conference room in the city hall, waiting for Hiru to speak. "Let me begin by asking Naofumi, do you remember those bandits who were attacking places along the Shieldruken Way?" asked Hiru.
"Sure, I captured them for the adventurer guild," replied Naofumi.
"When we questioned them, they told us they were employed by Siltvelt," replied Hiru.
Naofumi became wide-eyed in shock. "Siltvelt? How?" he asked.
"We thought it strange too, but we suspect it's the work of the Aotatsu," replied Hiru.
"The Aotatsu? Who are they?" asked Naofumi.
"They're a demihuman race, the blue dragonewts," replied Hiru. "They're a proud and powerful race, one of the strongest among demihumans. They're mostly based in Siltvelt, where they share power with three other dominant races. Some also live in Shieldfreeden, mostly in our Blue Dragon Region. They've built a significant power base here."
"What would the Aotatsu have against Shieldfreeden?" asked Naofumi.
"The Aotatsu don't believe in the Cardinal Weapons like most of our people. Instead, they worship dragons. By being part-dragon demihumans, they see themselves as blessed and in a class above others," replied Hiru. "They've done things to undermine and marginalize worshippers of the Cardinal Weapons before. We suspect the bandits to be assets in one of these schemes."
"So a religious feud," said Naofumi dismissively.
"Yeah. Due to these differences, there has always been tension between the Aotatsu and other races, whether human or demihuman," said Hiru.
"What makes you think the Aotatsu were responsible for sending those bandits?" asked Sinon.
"We uncovered a money laundering operation linking these bandits to the Blue Scale Bank, which is primarily owned by the Aotatsu, and based in the Blue Dragon region," replied Hiru.
"That sounds serious," remarked Abel.
"Oh yes! As the investigation continues, the Aotatsu are bound to get desperate and start lashing out. You may be targeted, Shield Hero," said Hiru.
"So I'm not safe here either," said Naofumi.
"King Aultclay and the Church of the Three Heroes aren't the only ones who have it in for you, Shield Hero," said Hiru. "I'm sorry to put you through this, especially after you left Melromarc to get away from things like this."
"I'm sorry too. I thought you could avoid those shenanigans here, but I guess not," said Abel.
"Don't worry. I'll probably be targeted no matter where I go," admitted Naofumi.
"Still, thanks for the warning, Hiru," said Abel.
"At least here, people who welcome the Shield are in charge. That's more than we can say about Melromarc," said Hikaru.
END OF CHAPTER