Audience: [Insert picture of skeleton] *still waiting*
RFC: *Looks at Talon nervously* Aight, so you're all gonna have to forgive me for the late chappy, I kept telling Talon I was busy and just procrastinating on it... What can I say? French bureaucracy is a fucking nightmare.
Talon: *Nods* Hearing that, I can't blame you. That does indeed sound like a bitch and a half to handle. Besides, it's not like I'm any better. I spent the majority of my time playing video games while trying to figure out what the fuck I'm gonna do with my life.
RFC: On the bright side, I tried Cards Against Humanity for the first and last time… yeah no, I had to wash my soul after that…
Talon: Ah yes, good times. But other than that, the fourth chapter is finally out. Please, enjoy.
Three weeks after the trial, Castle Town...
All things considered, Naofumi counted himself fortunate to have at least one ally he could fully trust (or at least trust more than everyone else). Erhart seemed to be an honest man that truly wished to help him and didn't fully believe in the lies the Church had spread. Pity the same could not be said for mostly everyone else.
You'd think people would move on with their lives after a while but nooooo…
Oh well, he didn't have much time to dwell on those, his priorities for the last few weeks had been essentially the same as on the second night.
Information, information and more information...
Learning the written language was a must, even if the Shield automatically translated the spoken dialect into Japanese. It was with no small amount of embarrassment that Naofumi resorted to procuring some children's picture books to start off from the very basics, as well as attempting to immerse himself as much as he could in the "Melromarcian" culture (he remembered reading that such a practice made learning foreign languages easier). Unfortunately, the latter had also led to him being present in public much more, something he was starting to loathe.
The Doctor did make a lot of progress, from memorizing the alphabet to learning more commonly used words, mostly on shop and street signs.
Naofumi's second problem lied with his rather small offensive repertoire. While Overhaul was a blessing to him, it now relied on skill points to use, something that made it so he had to be economical about his use of it. It made it so that finding alternatives was a necessity…
Weapons, no matter which form they took, were out of the question for obvious reasons.
Magic, while fascinating at first glance in that it existed under different Natures or "Affinities" to either Elements (Like Earth and Fire) or Actions (Like Support), it was also, much to his chagrin, restrained to the Natures a person was tuned to. As such, due to his Natures turning out to be Healing and Support (as rare as that is), it also blocked off another alternative to attacking.
Potion use was next, it was a viable way of combat as he had found out from visiting several inns where adventurers dined and showed off their arsenals out in the open. Foolish, Naofumi thought. They lived in a world where anything could be out to kill them and they so recklessly show their cards to the general public.
A visit to the local Apothecary turned out to be more fruitful than Naofumi thought. While yes, most of the flora in this world was different from his, meaning that most of the compounds he knew would be impossible to recreate, it also opened up endless possibilities to learn and experiment, especially with Overhaul in hand. Something that he began to do earnestly so as to build up a collection of recipes.
Naofumi even attempted to brew a few heavily potent painkillers that would, theoretically, cause a lethal overdose to any adult male. As many pharmacists and scientists would attest to, the famous saying "the dose makes the poison" showed that all chemicals, including water and air, had the potential to be poisonous when crossing a certain threshold.
Keeping that principle to heart, he took his newly crafted potions in hand and administered them to several types of animals he found in the surroundings of the town. It ended with all of his test subjects surviving, proving that either the physiology was too different, the monsters here were all too resistant to the substances he gave, or as he came to find out, that the Shield was making the poison ineffective.
So that left Naofumi with his last option. Having someone fight for him.
It made sense because of his own inability to attack and the party system, which meant that whoever he added to his party would benefit both himself and the potential party member through shared experience points.
It constituted a dilemma for Naofumi when it came to opening himself up to others. On one hand, he was pretty sure most people he encountered would act on the rumors being spread amongst the public, and thus either ignore him or act hostile towards him. On the other hand however, there would be no progress without taking risks, similarly to every single endeavor taken up by mankind.
The main problem here lied in whether that particular risk, the danger of letting his progress stagnate, was worth spending so much time looking for a party member willing to work with him, let alone one that could effectively coordinate with him and have a high enough attack stat to balance well with his already absurd defense. Not to mention the simple fact that he'd be asking someone to farm experience for two people at the same time.
So throw in Naofumi's already disastrous reputation, his (reasonably) high standards for a person who was both effective and cooperative, and his status on the battlefield as a support-oriented fighter, and he was left with a huge difficulty in recruiting a companion.
All of that and he hadn't even gotten to the issue regarding maintaining their loyalty, or at the very least, ensuring a second "Malty" incident didn't happen.
In the end, the Shield Hero was left with a feeling similar to being stuck between a rock and a hard place. While he had managed semi-convincingly to make his case in front of the Royal court, keep his resources, and plant the seeds of doubt in the other Heroes' hearts, Malty's plan was still a partial success. She had managed to cripple his future performance by turning most of the country against him and thus, most attempts at gathering a good party into a difficult, if not impossible hurdle.
Naofumi mentally ran over his available options. He had tried going to the adventurers' guild earlier this week, and while he had been allowed to register himself there (since there was no law preventing him from doing so), he came to learn that the opinion of most of the country shared by most adventurers, and thus, made most attempts at conversation, let alone recruitment, useless.
He had similarly tried any taverns he came across, asked the people he was on relatively good terms with (Erhart, the Apothecary, and the Magic Shop owner) and even went back to seek Madame Cresswell's help.
The results... haven't been satisfactory. Far less so at the brothel where he spent most of the time dodging flirting attempts from the girls and the Madame herself.
The latter had suggested a solution he knew was controversial at best, one that had been at the back of his mind for the last week but one that he also felt apprehensive about.
"A slave?" Naofumi asked, a visible eyebrow raised in surprise. "I'm already on thin ice as it is with the King and the other Heroes and you're asking me to pretty much throw away any credibility I might have gained into oblivion?"
"Hmm..." Madame Cresswell tapped the side of her cheek in thought, making sure to add a cute pout to complete the "moe" persona she was going for tonight.
Dressed in a frilly conservative white dress, it seemed the Madame changed her wardrobe and her demeanor every time Naofumi visited. The Doctor didn't know how to react to this, it felt like either a sign of eccentricity on her part or the woman was just into some sort of strange mind games he was unaware of. It didn't help that he could practically hear the giggling coming from outside her office whenever welcomed him.
"You make a great point Naofumi-su," Cresswell admitted, her voice seemingly a higher pitch than normal, almost sounding like it belonged to a schoolgirl. "But unfortunately, despite your efforts, I'm afraid to say that recruiting any adventurer right now is not a realistic option, the Church has done a great job spreading those rumors, even with my own efforts to counter them... su," she added at end while pouting further and even playing with a stray lock of her hair.
Naofumi narrowed his eyes before clenching his fists at his situation.
"Owning a slave... heh, am I seriously considering that?" the Doctor chuckled bitterly. Slavery was beyond illegal back in his home world and even though he had seen it re-emerge in some parts of the world after the war, it always left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
The very idea of owning another human being, degrading them into little more than an object with no freedom or will of their own disgusted him.
"I mean... if it does truly make you so uncomfortable, you can look at it as freeing a slave," Cresswell suggested.
"Then what would the point be in buying them? The slave option was supposed to help me find someone whose loyalty I can ensure," Naofumi reminded. "But can I live with myself knowing that I'd essentially be using someone else like a tool?"
"Why do you think so? Just because they're your slave does not obligate you to act cruel towards them," the Madame mentioned. "The slave mark can be customized to fit the master's wishes so it's not like you'll be stripping them of their individuality"
"I..."
"Look, if you want to feel better about this, then simply become the best Master you can be for your slave," Cresswell offered. "Save them, clothe them, feed them and treat them like you would any other person."
These thoughts had been plaguing Naofumi's mind for the entire week and he kept mentally weighing the pros and cons and repeating the process to make sure he wasn't leaving anything out.
As the Doctor walked into some of the shadier parts of town, he entered one of the smaller taverns built into the buildings and took a seat at the counter bar, losing himself again in his thoughts while he waited for one of the staff to come take his order.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, there were far more advantages to owning a slave in his situation than to not have one.
On the one hand, I get myself a companion whose loyalty, even if reluctant, is guaranteed.
Stuck in his thoughts, Naofumi didn't hear the footsteps honing in on him.
On the other hand, it could also potentially hamper the performance of the party as a whole... I just can't picture a slave being as motivated to help me on the field as a free person would be...
His thoughts drifted back to the Madame's words, still unaware that the footsteps were drawing nearer.
Becoming the best master I can be, huh? Would it really be helping the slave if I'm still forcing them on a more dangerous path?
The footsteps drew even closer to Naofumi before stopping.
It certainly isn't going to help my image if the word got out, but then again-
"Hey there! Shield Herooo!"
Naofumi's thought process was cut off by a slurred voice calling out to him.
A hand almost touched his shoulder before he abruptly turned around and gave the speaker a small glare, though they couldn't really see it given his mask.
Naofumi looked at the three men before him, the speaker's slightly reddened cheeks told him the man was inebriated and was likely going to be a bother. He mentally scolded himself for being so detached from his surroundings before he composed himself and looked at the men questionably.
"Yes? Can I help you gentlemen?" Naofumi asked as calmly as he could at the moment.
The drunken man in the middle seemed to look at him strangely for a second before he coughed into his hand to hide the growing grin on his red face.
"Sooo Shield Hero right? Ya look pretty dark n' mena... menacin' sittin' in that coat-"
"Get to the point already," Naofumi said flatly. "What do you want?"
The other men at the side narrowed their eyes at his rude answer and reached for their weapons before they caught themselves and settled to glaring at the Doctor.
The drunken oaf didn't seem to notice the tense atmosphere and continued talking.
"Yea so... I heard you was lookin' fer some companions for your umm heroic journey or whatever, and me and the boys here wanted to offer our umm... services! Yeah, services."
"So you're looking to party up with me?"
"Yeah yeah, that!" bumbled the drunken man. "We figured we'd do our err patriotic dooty and offer you some help! O' course we gon' be partners so we gon' shere the loot ye?"
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere was tense for a moment as the three men felt the sound around them dim, their focus being put entirely on the red-lensed glare the Doctor was giving them.
"I... appreciate the offer," Naofumi said curtly. "But I'll have to refuse."
One of the men seemed to have had enough of Naofumi's attitude and came up to his face to glare at him, taking a small knife from his belt and holding it up threateningly to the Shield Hero.
Unfortunately for them, Naofumi was not fazed in the slightest.
"Now listen here punk, you got a lotta attitude for a worthless-"
Yank!
"Augh!" the thug screamed as Naofumi grabbed the offending arm and twisted it, putting one of his aggressors in a very uncomfortable and painful position. Naofumi twisted the arm even further, causing the bastard to grunt in more discomfort before finally throwing him onto the floor with a resounding thump.
"I said no. Now piss off and take your little motley crew with you," Naofumi ordered with such finality it made the others flinch.
"WHY YOU!" the second man took out a small sword and lunged towards the Shield Hero.
Naofumi wasn't idle as he simply stepped away from the first assailant before dodging the lunge and hitting his attacker's throat with the edge of his Shield. It didn't hurt as much as it took the enemy by surprise, causing him to lose his balance and lose the grip on the sword.
The weapon sailed in the air before landing pommel first into Naofumi's hand.
For a moment, the drunken man who had stayed behind looked scared that the Shield Hero would attack him, only for him to stare in confusion as Naofumi didn't do anything.
Afterward, Naofumi seemed to ponder on what to do with the weapon in his hand. He idly passed the knife onto his other hand, this one bare from the glove that he had removed earlier, before activating Overhaul.
Much to the drunkard's growing shock, the blade began rapidly developing a series of fissures along its length. Distinctly hearing the metal cracking and creaking, the blade ultimately shattered violently, the metal shards falling onto the wooden floor.
Naofumi opened his hand, examining the silvery metal dust that littered his palm. Casually, he patted said hand against his coat, letting the metal dust sprinkle onto the floor alongside the larger shards.
The three men who had tried (and failed) to con the Shield Hero, alongside every other patron in the small tavern, stared in surprise and fear at Naofumi's actions.
The Doctor didn't turn to acknowledge them. Instead, his eyes swept over the floor and the counter, looking for any indents or damages he might have caused. He wasn't about to cause problems for people willing to serve him.
Seeing nothing damaged, he turned back and ushered one of the waitresses to him.
The woman seemed pretty hesitant to approach the scary Shield Hero, even going so far as to hold her tray as a makeshift shield in her hands. Even still, she gathered her courage and came closer to Naofumi who patiently waited for her.
"Please put my food in a small box, I will be dining elsewhere so as to not cause any more problems," the Doctor said before reaching into his coat pocket.
The action made the woman and the patrons closest to the scene tense up, though Naofumi ignored it.
That tension turned to confusion when the intimidating man held up what looked like a small black coin purse that clinked audibly.
The waitress seemed to deadpan at the image of such an imposing individual carrying an item that would have looked less out of place on an elderly woman. The patrons visibly sighed in relief at the anticlimactic sight.
Naofumi did not give them any heed as he simply took out two silver coins, well above the required sum, and put them on the counter.
At this point, most of the apprehension the waitress felt was replaced with genuine surprise. It was not uncommon for clients to tip the staff after all, but for a meal that barely cost a little over twenty copper coins, that man was clearly giving away much more than what was necessary.
But... why? the young woman thought as she took the coins from the Doctor's larger hand.
Naofumi seemed to know what she was thinking and answered simply, "Your business should not have to suffer from my problems, thank you for your service."
The waitress was understandably gobsmacked before she took a deep bow, "Sir Shield Hero! Thank you for your patronage!" she said before turning around and doing as Naofumi had asked of her before.
After a while and his food had been made, Naofumi took his food and made for the exit, briefly stopping to look at his aggressors who had yet to get up from the floor.
The drunks shivered as the red lenses of the Doctor's odd mask seemed to almost shine under his hat.
"Gentlemen... please, find something more productive to do than conning other people," Naofumi chastised. "You might not get off unharmed next time."
With his piece said, the Shield Hero vanished into the night, his dark coat billowing behind.
Naofumi hummed softly to himself as he passed through the dark alleys of the town with echoing footsteps, his dinner already finished. He took this opportunity to continue his internal debate on the slave matter since he was interrupted before.
It didn't take long for him to come back to a frustrating result.
Goddammit, anyway I look at it, it always comes back to the same conclusion, he thought in resignation. I have to roll with the situation... I can only pray for forgiveness after this, and do what Cresswell said.
Naofumi was pulled out of his inner musings upon hearing a nearby squawking sound. Looking at the side, he spotted a small crow sitting on a nearby windowsill. Naofumi noticed that the crow's red eyes were zeroed in on him.
It ruffled its feathers and cawed at him with a tilt of its head.
Raising an eyebrow at the behavior, Naofumi hesitantly raised his free hand and jokingly waved it in the crow's direction. He had no idea why he was even waving at the avian in the first place, but he shrugged it off and just took the small moment of peace as a blessing.
He was slightly surprised when the feathered creature flew towards the bench and landed a couple of feet from him. It waddled over to him, looked him in the eye...
Before hurriedly taking the wooden box and somehow lifting it with it into the sky. Naofumi watched incredulously as the bird disappeared over the roof of a nearby house with a final echoing caw.
Naofumi blinked once, then twice, his mouth slightly agape at the bizarre sight.
What the fuck?
After a while, the Doctor shook off the brief distraction, before he reminded himself of his objective.
With his conscious now clear, Naofumi decided to find and purchase a slave. Although, this, once again, presented another issue...
"Where do I even buy slaves in this godforsaken town?" Naofumi asked himself. "It's not like a slave-dealer is just sitting around the corner."
"Ahem... Hello, my good sir," a voice said, causing Naofumi to turn his head in its direction. "Am I correct in assuming you are looking to purchase a slave or two? Because if so, then I am just the one you're looking for!"
Naofumi stared into the spectacled eyes of a short man in what looked like a ringleader's attire, before he looked towards the sky for a second.
It's not like a giant pile of money is just sitting around the corner, he thought half-jokingly and looked around the corner.
Unfortunately, there was no such treasure waiting for him.
"Sir Shield Hero?" the portly man questioned said Hero's strange behavior.
"Sorry, I was... distracted for a moment," Naofumi responded. "So, I take it you're a slave trader?"
The slave trader grinned wickedly as he pinched one end of his mustache, "Indeed, I am, sir!" he confirmed. "Now then, would you like to take a gander at my wares?"
Naofumi paused for a moment before he sighed, resigning himself to what he was about to do, "Lead the way then."
"Splendid!" the slave trader said in ill-hidden excitement. "Come then! Let me show you what I have to offer! I promise you won't be disappointed. And, by the way, my name is Beloukas, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The short man led his newest client through a maze of buildings, turning corner after corner before coming into a sizable courtyard.
What surprised Naofumi was the sheer size of the generic-looking circus tent that was situated right smack in the middle. It wasn't camouflaged, or hidden in any way, it would be almost laughable if it didn't reveal just how sick the country was at its core.
It was one thing to legalize slavery, but it was another to almost glorify it and feel pride in it like the short trader obviously did.
Once again, Naofumi sent a small prayer of forgiveness, because he was sure that stepping into this tent would damn his soul. And he wasn't even the religious type.
Steeling his resolve, Naofumi carried onward and stepped into the tent after Beloukas.
Upon entering, Naofumi was slightly taken aback by the sheer amount of barred, metal cages that filled far more than half of the tent's space. Cages were stacked on top of each other, some were larger than others, and Naofumi could easily hear the sounds of groaning, moaning, growling, and snarling that filled the air as the Doctor and the trader moved between the rows of cages that surrounded them.
Naofumi, whether out of curiosity or whatnot, removed a glove and placed his bare palm on his mask. Activating Overhaul, he briefly disassembled the filter within his mask and took a slight whiff of the air around him.
Naofumi's level of regret at that moment was indescribable.
The Shield Hero nearly wretched as a horrid stench filled his nostrils. Naofumi couldn't even begin to guess what exactly the smell was, but either way, he hurriedly reformed the filter on his mask and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
To be perfectly honest, the entire place looked and smelled like a menagerie and not a well-kept one.
"Now, since you were looking to make a purchase, I assume you want to know how it is we keep our slaves in line?" the trader asked.
Naofumi nodded, "An associate mentioned a customizable slave mark, but she didn't give me the full details," he said. "Tell me more about this mark."
"Well, the first thing you should know is that the mark in question is a strong seal-based curse and that, with it, anyone under its effects can neither lie nor betray their master," Beloukas said. "If the master so wishes, if a slave misbehaves, then it can even take their very lives."
"I... see," Naofumi remarked as he looked among the many cages. "I take it most of the slaves here are demi-humans?"
"Correct!" the trader answered. "As you probably know, demi-humans are those who look mostly human but have a few extra features to them. They are mostly used as servants or for manual labor."
"Are there different types of demi-humans?"
"Yes. There are Beastmen, which are demi-humans whose features lean more towards the animal side," Beloukas explained. "They are often used as bodyguards or gambled on as participants in deathmatches."
"Alright," Naofumi said. "But they both fall under the same category?"
"Indeed, and since this country practices human supremacy, and demi-humans are thought to be closer to monsters, life can be quite hard for them here," Beloukas said without a shred of remorse or pity. "As such, they are treated as slaves."
Naofumi scowled underneath his mask as he processed just how horribly demi-humans had it in a country as terrible and barbaric as Melromarc. From the way he saw it, the demi-humans under Cresswell's employ were most likely better off than the ones he saw in their cages. They looked more lively and content with what they had while the ones before him looked pretty much half dead.
"Now if you'll look over here, I recommend this one for someone of... high standing such as yourself," the portly merchant said as he aimed his cane at a cage next to him.
Venturing over to the cage, Naofumi took one look as what appeared to be a bipedal wolf beast gripped the bars and snarled at the Doctor, though he was hardly fazed. However, he noticed that the beast's level was not properly indicated and that it only showed two question marks.
"For your information, this one is at level seventy-five," Beloukas boasted.
Naofumi blinked in surprise. That was almost twenty times his own level. Interesting, but it couldn't be that easy. Right?
"How much is such a beast worth?" Naofumi asked, but he was sure the price was going to be high.
"Well, it is highly capable in battle and fairly rare," the trader mused. "How does fifteen gold pieces sound?"
"Showing me your most expensive product knowing full well I can't afford it?" Naofumi scoffed.
Beloukas chuckled lightly, "Indeed. You're gonna become one of my best customers, I got a nose for these things," the trader responded. "So I gotta make sure you develop a keen eye, if you catch my drift, good sir."
Naofumi said nothing as he stared back at the wolfman, while the latter growled, reared back on its legs, and hunched over in an attempt to intimidate the Shield Hero. However, Naofumi noticed a barely hidden wince at the sudden movement. The beastman's weight was unevenly distributed and the slave seemed to favor it's right leg.
The Doctor's eyes zeroed in on the other leg, noticing it trembled slightly. The fur on the calf seemed to be humid and the calf itself looked smaller than it's right counterpart.
Seeing the injury the Doctor instinctively reached for his bag before stopping himself, as an idea began to form.
As cruel as it was, this could be an opportunity.
"Well now, since you've seen my best, let me ask you a question," Beloukas said. "Exactly what kind of slave are you in the market for?"
"Before we discuss that any further," Naofumi said, getting the trader's attention. "The beast's leg is in bad shape. I'd imagine it was from a previous battle?"
Beloukas raised a brow, "Indeed. It was one of the more brutal fighters that clamped on its leg before the beast bit out its adversary's throat," the trader replied. "As such, its price has been unfortunately lowered by a significant amount, and healers these days are scarce to come by, especially since the majority of them are religious, and since this is Melromarc..."
"I see..." Naofumi hummed, internally frowning in distaste at the healers' callous disregard for ethics in favor of their own biases.
A doctor had an oath to respect after all. Racial, religious or political issues should be left at the door of the clinic once a patient is wheeled in.
"... and you didn't buy a potion to heal him... why?" Naofumi asked with a small bit of venom.
Beloukas grinned knowingly, "What purpose would anyone in Melromarc have for a battle-ready beastman? Most of the nobles here aren't interested in gladiators, they only require demis and beasts for heavy manual labor. Something that I can assure you the chap could do quite well-"
"No. No, he couldn't," Naofumi interrupted the portly man's explanation before elaborating. "An injury like that might not seem too hindering right now, but unless it's carefully treated, it'll simply worsen over time, and if gangrene or whatever this world's equivalent sets in, then you'll have to amputate the leg," he explained, matter-of-factly.
"And I can assure you, that'd make you lose a lot of money," the Doctor finished rather menacingly before looking at the slave trader, only to see the short man with a joyful blush on his cheeks.
Both Naofumi and the wolfman stepped back, rightly unnerved at the sight.
Giggling started to erupt from the short man's mouth. The surrounding light being reflected from his glasses and the gigantic grin he sported all gave him a rather sinister look.
In Naofumi's opinion, all Beloukas needed was a longer mustache to twirl on his finger and he'd have the "classic cartoonish villain" look down.
"Sir Shield Hero! You simply keep surpassing my expectations!" Beloukas shouted joyously. "I'm sure of it now! You are a man I will want as a permanent patron!"
Naofumi nervously grinned underneath his mask, "A-Alright, so what do you say we make a deal?"
The slave trader's grin stretched to Grinch-like proportions.
"Oh? And what would you propose, good sir?"
Naofumi pointed at the wolfman's leg, "Before I was summoned, I was and still am an accomplished doctor with years of experience," Naofumi informed. "I can heal the beastman's leg and bring that price back up for you, ensuring you a better deal than you would ever have gotten."
"I see, and what is it that you want in exchange?" the trader questioned. "A discount? Or perhaps a few favors?"
"Some favors will do," Naofumi said before thinking to himself, pondering the potential strategy he should employ here.
I don't have a potion, and I don't know any healing spells. So that leaves Overhaul. The main problem is the lack of available flesh since a portion of the calf is missing… hmm, what if...
Naofumi turned to Beloukas and asked him to do something that surprised the portly trader. The latter raised an eyebrow in curiosity before calling over one of his workers to fulfill the Doctor's request.
Fifteen minutes later, a freshly killed pig monster was wheeled in.
Pigs back in my world had great compatibility with humans for organ transplant. While this world doesn't seem to have the same species of pig and I'm working on an abnormal patient, I guess it's worth a try. If it doesn't work out I can always just use the patient's own cells to repair the damage. It might be riskier though, seeing as he's obviously not fed well enough.
Giving Beloukas the signal to bring the patient in, the man snapped his fingers as bolts of violet electricity erupted from the wolfman's crest, hurting him greatly before the slave collapsed, unconscious from the pain.
Naofumi almost throttled him then and there. Thankfully, he had enough restraint to not go through with that.
Focus, damn it! He'll get his due later...
The Shield Hero turned his gaze towards the patient as the latter was deposited onto a wide, wooden table in front of him, next to the smaller table with the dead pig.
Removing both his gloves, Doctor Naofumi Iwatani began the operation.
Beloukas gazed in slight astonishment, as the pig exploded in a swirl of blood and ground viscera while the wolfman's injured calf met a similar fate.
The biomass continued to swirl, as if directed by Naofumi, changing colours and shapes as the Doctor broke down the flesh to its primary components, and then reassembled it into a collection of various tissues and cells.
It took Naofumi about thirty seconds of continuous usage, but he was able to reconstruct the injured calf.
Seeing as he had a few seconds of usage left, he used those to direct the rest of the unused biomass into different parts of the slave's body, thickening his muscles and even adding to his stem cell count.
All in all, the end result was nothing short of spectacular and the implications of this development almost made Beloukas drool at the metaphorical jackpot in front of him.
Although the wolfman had quite a few missing patches of fur from the operation, the sleeping slave looked like a healthy and powerful warrior.
"Amazing! Nay, simply exhilarating, Sir Shield Hero!" the portly man exclaimed in sheer glee at the sight of his now even more precious merchandise.
Naofumi poked and prodded the slave, looking for any issue in the patient's anatomy before scanning the exposed skin. He noted the very slight discoloration from the foreign cells meshing with the wolfman's own, although there didn't seem to be an inflammatory reaction so he could only assume he did a good job.
As he turned to Beloukas to start discussing the favors he was owed, a distant noise made him snap his head in the direction of a row of cages.
"Cough! Cough!"
Naofumi's sharp instincts kicked in as he moved almost automatically towards a cage in the back, with only a dirty tarp covering it.
He gripped at the stained fabric, almost dreading what he would find beyond it. With a pull, the tarp was removed, revealing the source of the noise.
The sight before him caused his body to slightly tremble in sheer rage.
A young and frail girl with chestnut-colored hair and extra appendages reminiscent of a raccoon was hunched over in a coughing fit. She was very thin, as evidenced by the rags she used for clothes barely hanging off her frame.
As the Shield Hero processed the sight, anger almost overtaking him, he noticed a splash of blonde in the corner of his vision.
Looking to his left, in a nearby cage was a scantily dressed woman lying on the dirty ground in a fetal position.
What shook Naofumi to his core were the two slaves' eyes.
They might as well have been dead to the world, there was no emotion to be detected in them other than despair and hopelessness.
Naofumi began breathing heavily, arms trembling as memories of similar sights from his old world resurfaced. From scenes of devastation, famine, pestilence.
And, of course, death.
The Shield Hero's trembling eventually stopped before a determined expression settled on his face, hidden beneath his ivory mask.
"I'll take these two."
"Hmm? Those disease-ridden pests? I'll have to disagree. You have done me a magnificent favor and I cannot, in good conscience-"
Beloukas stopped talking as he felt a tidal wave of immense pressure wash over him and, from what he heard from the cages around him, the other slaves felt it too.
The slave trader watched as his valued customer slowly turned his head to look at him in a most unnerving fashion. An almost tangible and menacing aura of death seemed to pour out of the shadow of a man in a way that promised imminent suffering.
Beloukas noticed how the small raccoon girl and the blonde woman immediately straightened and frantically cowered further back into their cages, dead eyes now wide in pure terror as their breathing quickened.
"I'll. Take. These. Two."
The words were spoken slowly, soft as a psalm, yet were heard very clearly by the slave trader, who started feeling nervous at the sheer weight each word delivered.
"I-" the short man gulped before regaining his composure. "I simply want to make sure my new favorite customer is satisfied with his purchase. The first one is a young tanuki demi-human, she's riddled in disease and is a few spokes short of a cartwheel. Her previous master liked his torture you see?" the man chuckled sinisterly before gesturing to the other one with his cane.
"And that one? While not in such a bad condition as the first, she's rather unique, you see? Not only is she a human, but she was an adventurer before getting de-leveled. You'd actually be surprised at whom she last worked for-."
"Beloukas... just... get them out of their cages," Naofumi said, sounding more done than usual.
"Hmm... well then, normally their prices would both be within the range of 40 silvers, but since you've done such a delightful job back there, why don't I offer them to you? In exchange for two of the four favors, I'll owe you of course?"
"That's fine," Naofumi responded without hesitation.
He kneeled in front of both girls before asking for their names. Upon their hesitation, he repeated his request, albeit softer this time.
"R-Raphtalia," the demi human girl's voice was almost a whisper, but the Doctor heard it clearly.
"... Rino..." the human girl mumbled her name, still staring at the ground emotionlessly.
"I see..." Naofumi hummed before standing up.
Beloukas' workers came from the side and opened the cages, pulling both girls out. Their treatment would've been harsher with how difficult both slaves were being, but a single look from Naofumi deterred them.
"AAHHH!" Raphtalia screamed in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as a burning pain nearly overtook her.
Rino had a more subdued reaction to the branding, but it was obvious the slave marks' ceremony took its toll on her from how hard she was biting her lower lip.
Naofumi stood to the side silently and clenched his fist, his leather gloves creaking under the pressure. He kept repeating to himself his reasoning for even going with Cresswell's suggestion and the logical excuse behind Beloukas' insistence on the cursed mark.
He wanted to look after both girls and as harsh as it seemed, he needed them to be as strong as possible to take them with him.
Naofumi could always have left them with Cresswell, but he didn't have much to choose from for now. And as good as Cresswell's girls seemed to be doing, he couldn't possibly imagine a young girl like Raphtalia growing up in that environment. That and, as much as Naofumi was willing to believe that Cresswell would take good care of her, he also imagined Cresswell would agree that she couldn't grow up in a brothel.
Rino's case was delicate. From what Beloukas told him, she was betrayed by the redheaded harlot as well and apparently abandoned by the Spear Hero.
Although, if he knew the blonde man-child well enough, it's likely that he simply had no idea what really happened to his ex-party member, or that he'd believed whatever drivel that "royal" bitch told him about her.
A part of Naofumi supposed that he was saving the both of them from a fate potentially worse than death, though he wasn't too sure.
As the ceremony ended, Naofumi wordlessly grabbed both girls by their hands and guided them out, pointedly ignoring whatever it was the slave trader had said as he left. The trio walked through the dark streets, sticking to alleys in an attempt to avoid attracting attention.
In half an hour, the three found themselves staring at Madame Cresswell's brothel.
Rino's lips parted in abject horror, her whole body shaking at the thought of what would happen to her. She knew her new Master was the Shield Hero. She heard enough about him from Motoyasu and Myne's constant complaining.
But she didn't imagine him to be as much of a depraved monster as this. Especially given that he brought a child along with them.
Raphtalia stared at the odd place in fear and confusion, not at all knowing exactly what this place was and what it was for.
Naofumi said nothing as he pushed the door open with his leg since his hands were occupied at the moment. Entering the establishment, he ignored the look of confusion and surprise on the receptionist's face as he hurried on over to the Madame's office.
Through various hallways, they ventured and Naofumi was very grateful that the place was silent so at least Raphtalia didn't have to hear the… risque noises that were often there.
He arrived in front of the office and knocked on the door twice.
"Enter," Cresswell said from the other side.
The Doctor entered the office space and almost immediately deadpanned at the sight of the grown woman, dressed in the closest thing to a schoolgirl's outfit that this world had.
Rino and Raphtalia were equally confused, albeit for different reasons.
"... Really?" the Doctor huffed in exasperation.
"Ara ara Naofumi-sempai," the woman almost purred at the Hero, before her eyes found those of the two slaves at Naofumi's sides.
"Oh, I didn't know you were-"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" the man shouted at her, finally losing his patience as he shook with anger.
He didn't need this bullshit after the night he had.
Cresswell flinched violently at the normally calm man's sudden bout of rage and shivered in apprehension at the deadly aura that suddenly flooded the room.
Rino and Raphtalia didn't fare any better. Rino also flinched and Raphtalia had tears welling in her eyes while both shook like a screen door in a hurricane.
Several minutes passed before the Doctor exhaled and calmed himself down.
"Just... sorry, Cresswell," Naofumi apologized. "I just needed a private place to talk to these two."
The woman slowly nodded, albeit surprised at the one-eighty shift in the man's personality. Cresswell decided to grant him this simple request, believing it would be in her best interest to not agitate Naofumi at this time. As such, she completely abandoned her schoolgirl act and sat back down at her desk.
Moments later, the receptionist came in carrying a tray of tea for the guests, albeit she looked quite pale since she had heard Naofumi's shout from the entrance and was, understandably, quite unsettled.
If one were to crane their neck out, they would see many of the other girls in the building outside the door with their ears trained on the wall to their Madame's office. They had also heard the Shield Hero's sudden yell and wanted to make sure things were alright.
Naofumi sat down in a chair in front of the Madame, with both slaves on either side of him. Cresswell looked at him for a moment, before inspecting the girls at his side.
"So you took my advice after all?"
"Does it look like I had a choice?"
"No, you did not... but I'm glad to see you chose well," Cresswell said approvingly, whilst throwing a pitying look at the two slaves.
She made a note to get the two some better clothes, at least to keep them decent.
"What makes you say that?" Naofumi questioned.
"You could've chosen any of the more able-bodied slaves... don't look at me like that, I know Beloukas has some strong ones in his selection," Cresswell said as she felt an air of indignation around the Shield Hero.
"And yet, you chose a sick little girl and a woman who looks like she could keel over at any moment. That's not a rational choice... it's a heroic one." she finished.
Naofumi's expression was unreadable from behind the mask, though if Cresswell were to hazard a guess, he was probably registering what she said to him.
With a tired sigh, Naofumi slowly reached for his mask and removed it from his face, attracting the two slaves' attention, both of whom were surprised at his unexpectedly normal features.
As well as the look of slight remorse he had.
The oldest lady in the room absentmindedly licked her lips at the hero's very attractive visage before she refocused.
"I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I didn't at least try to help them," Naofumi muttered solemnly.
Both Rino and Raphtalia were visibly surprised at his words.
It was true. Naofumi knew for a fact he would not be able to live himself if he simply left the two poor girls to rot in a cage or until they got sold off to some depraved noble to be used as mere objects. The mere thought of it made Naofumi sick to his stomach.
The Shield Hero was also very much incensed at the redheaded waste of human life that was, obviously, Malty. He could overlook the accusations made against him, he could overlook the staining of his reputation, but selling another human being as a slave? In a country that enforces the supremacy of humans?! And for what?! Out of spite? For her own sick pleasure? He didn't know and he didn't care.
The cynical part of Naofumi knew it would've been in Malty's better interest to use Rino as a pawn in whatever disgusting game she thought she was playing.
So not only was she devoid of any sense of morals, but she was also wasteful of potential resources. And was just an utter moron in general.
Either way, he was actually kind of glad that he was able to get Rino out of the situation the bitch put her in before things could get worse for her.
Speaking of which...
"Rino, Raphtalia..." the Doctor carefully addressed each of them as they both looked at him. "I swear, if nothing else, whatever happened to you in the past will never happen again."
The slaves were silent as they processed what Naofumi was saying. Cresswell looked on at Naofumi with approval.
"You will be under my care from now on," Naofumi continued. "And I promise to protect the both of you to the best of my ability."
The Shield Hero looked at the two of them with a fiery and unshakeable determination in his eyes as he said his next words with finality.
"Count on it."
RFC: So err… that's it for now…
Not much action in this chapter but hey! At least there's some funnies here and there am I right?
Talon: Indeed, and we have a very special omake for you guys to enjoy.
...
OMAKE (Collaboration between RedFistCannon and Pretty Lazy)
"Murder in Melromarc"
#46 was perched atop of the weird-looking building in the center of the big village, the building was very strange with all the unnecessary shapes that it mostly consisted of. Silly humans, everyone knows triangles have no use except as eyesores, he'd much rather the building having more comfy perches for him to rest his talons on.
But enough distractions, #46 had a job to do.
Big Weird was recently sighted by #67 as having entered the big village.
While outside of it, Big Weird would be watched by their Forest Branch, the City Branch would take over once Big Weird went through the large gates.
#46 was very excited. Big Weird was a kind benefactor who always gave him breadcrumbs whenever he was in town.
Why just last night, he gallantly offered him an entire box full of them! Truly, the most generous of all!
He was also something of a legend among The Murder, who knew one of their brethren could grow so large and take on the shape of these humans? Does that mean that #46 could also one day become like Big Weird?
Focus! thought #46
Big Weird needed to be followed, it was something The Murder unanimously agreed, both to repay Big Weird's kindness, and to learn his secrets.
As Big Weird approached the building #46 chose as his perch, #46 ruffled his feathers in excitement.
Did Big Weird notice him? Was he bringing him more breadcrumbs?
#46 almost flew towards Big Weird but held himself back. He knew that he had to keep watch for time being.
Patience was not something innate, but in order to sate his curiosity, #46 disregarded his struggle of stillness without a problem.
Big Weird must be looked over for Big Weird looked over them.
"Caw caw", a voice cried, coming in beside him.
"Can you please squawk normally, #420," #46 replied to the odd noise.
"Caw caw!" #420's response was less than desired, as it drew the attention of Big Weird over to them.
"I can't believe you ate some of those mushrooms again, #420," he sighed, seeing that Big Weird had been shuffling away from them. "Now look what you've done."
"CAW CAW MOTHERFUCKER!"
#46 sighed, "Just stay here."
#46 flapped his wings and left #420 behind.
Damn, #420 was a weird one, even more so than Big Weird. But at least Big Weird was interesting.