Chapter 7: Raphtalia
Naofumi dragged his feet on the street of Castle Town.
People on the street threw him dirty glares when he passed by them. Some whispered nasty things to each other. One or two drunk men even threw rocks at him.
But he didn't care at all. His mind was too occupied with something else to even bother. Namely, the mysterious person called Emiya Shirou.
"Oy, Shield Bro."
He had never met anyone like him before. But the red-dressed Hero seemed to be so different from the other two. He didn't look much older than any one of them, but for some reason, he seemed to be much, much more experienced in life. And for some reason, he was the only one who stood up to him when he was on trial, even though that support was just half-hearted.
And that shield he gave him? The Shield of the Round Table. Of course Naofumi knew who the Knights of the Round Table are; even in his world, the legend of King Arthur and the Court of Camelot is incredibly famous. However, they are just characters in storybooks; there's no proof that they actually existed in history. The idea that someone would be able to possess and use something named Shield of the Round Table is just… impossible for Naofumi's brain to process.
"Hey, I'm talking to you; are you listening, Shield Boy?"
And the strangest thing about him was he seemed to pull that shield out of thin air. Come to think of it, sure, this world is a world where magic and similar things exist, but the way Shirou-san did it was just like he did the same thing countless times in the past.
Could it be… he is actually a Knight of the Round Table himself? From another universe where they are actually real?
"IWATANI NAOFUMI!"
Naofumi nearly jumped in surprise. He looked up, and see the blacksmith Erhard standing in front of him with an annoyed face. The Shield Hero immediately went into defensive mode; he glared at the older man.
"What do you want?"
Poor boy, the blacksmith looked at him in pity. What the hell did they do to you that reduced you to this?
He pushed open the door to his shop. "Get inside."
Naofumi still glared at him warily. But he still followed the blacksmith into the small building.
The blacksmith pointed at a table nearby. "Sit." Then he went to the room at the back, leaving Naofumi alone in the room.
The Shield Hero's inner organs started dancing in his body. What the hell is that man planning to do to him?
But before he could even try to run away, the older man had returned to the room. On his hands were a pot and two wooden cups. He placed those things on the table in front of Naofumi, and started pouring the content of the pot into the two cups.
"Here, have a drink. You must be very thirsty."
He pushed one of the cups in front of Naofumi. It smelled good, but the Shield Hero didn't dare take a sip. He glared at the blacksmith. Seeing the young man looking at him with that distrusting look, the blacksmith lifted his own cup to his mouth and took a sip of his own.
"I didn't put poison in it, you know."
Seeing that, Naofumi's distrust seemed to lessen a little bit. He hesitantly lifted his own cup. The drink tasted like chocolate, but wasn't as sweet and wasn't bitter, and somehow dampened his throat instead of making it raspy like hot chocolate. If anything, it was more like a kind of tea. It warmed his body up and for some reason, he felt more relaxed.
Even so, he still couldn't shrug off the feeling that the man in front of him was planning something with him. "All right then, what do you want? I'm sure you didn't invite me into your house just to give me something to drink," he barked rudely.
The blacksmith just stared at him with a serious face. Then, after a few seconds, he said.
"Did you do it?"
Naofumi immediately felt rage boiling up inside his head. He knew this kind of question. Asking someone "did you do it?" means "I know you did it". That blacksmith had no intention of listening to him in the first place.
His hands curled into fists. He threw the cup he was holding to the ground. The liquid inside splashed all over the floor.
"Even you, huh?" he snarled at the older man with a nasty grin on his face. "Well, you knew the answer! Just go and ask His Trashy Majesty and your precious Bitch Princess, they'll gladly tell you everything! About what a professional rapist I really am!"
Erhard finally lost his patience. He slammed his cup down and leaned over the table, gripping Naofumi's shoulders tightly.
"Look, kid, will you stop it with that attitude? You probably have no reason to trust me. But I'm trying to help you here. I've heard enough from other sources, and now I want to hear the whole story from your own mouth so I can make a fair judgment of this. Can you please help this old man out? Or would you rather I believed blindly in the words of the King and his daughter and treated you as the rapist they said you were?"
The blacksmith might not know it, but he had just said the right thing to Naofumi. If there were something the talk with EMIYA had given him, it would be how to keep his head somewhat calm and agree to listen to logic.
And finally, the Shield Hero broke. Everything happening to him the last week poured out of his mouth like a torrent; the anger and bitterness from the bitch's betrayal painted the story with tears and anguish.
The blacksmith didn't say anything for exactly thirty seconds after hearing the story. Then at the thirty-first one, he stood up and walked behind the store counter. He pulled something out of a box at the far corner and threw it to Naofumi.
It was a set of clothes. They were not new, but still good enough to wear.
"Go to the back and have a bath first. You haven't had one for a few days already, have you?"
Naofumi suddenly realized how dirty his body was now. A week had passed, and too busy with releasing his anger on the monsters, he had completely forgotten that he was clad in only his dirty underwear and a cloak he got from a trash bin. He glumly grabbed the clothes Erhard had just given him and retreated to the back of the store.
"Now you look more like a human being," Erhard grunted after Naofumi returned to the storefront thirty minutes later.
Naofumi didn't say anything. The clothes were a little loose, but pretty easy to move in. Still better than running around naked.
"Sword Bro wasn't wrong when he said there's something wrong with how people were treating you after all," the blacksmith suddenly said. "I'm afraid you wouldn't survive for long without a companion."
"Hmph," Naofumi snorted bitterly. "Who would want to partner with a rapist? Unless you want to join me?"
"Dear Lord, no," the blacksmith shook his head. "I've given up on the life of an adventurer for a long time. Besides, I have my business here; without me there wouldn't be any supply for weapons and tools to people of this town."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" the Shield Hero snarled. "Why should I even put my trust in anyone in this country after what they did to me? How can I be sure that they will not betray me like that bitch did?"
Erhard's face looked grim. Then finally, after a few seconds of deep thought, he said.
"I hate to say this, but there actually is a way for you to have a companion who will never betray you. But if I tell you this, I need you to make a promise to me. Promise me that you will treat them well, not like how the First Princess treated you."
"I wouldn't…"
"Promise me, or I am not going to tell you."
The blacksmith's face was full of seriousness. Naofumi gulped. This is not simply a normal conversation; this is more like a father giving his son a warning. He felt that if he accepted this, there would be no turning back for him.
But he needed this; no matter what chance this might be, he had to take it.
"I promise," Finally, the Shield Hero nodded.
"Good," Erhard closed his eyes. "Then, how do you feel about owning a slave?"
Naofumi crossed the streets of Castle Town in silence.
He had expected that the way the blacksmith would be something very bad and immoral. He had known that he would have to throw away his morality to accept it, to survive.
He just hadn't expected it to involve slavery.
And the disturbing thing is, what he's going to do right now is, supposedly, completely legal.
Just how vile was this world he's supposed to protect?
Even Erhard himself looked disgusted when he told him about this. But if what he said was true, then a slave would be his best choice if he wanted to have a companion who would not turn on him.
He looked at the piece of paper in his hand. Erhard had given him the address, no, more like read the address up out loud for him to write down, as he didn't even know a single letter of this world's language. He cursed the Shield; why didn't it have a translating function in addition to interpreting?
Go find a man named Beloukas, the blacksmith had said so. And the place he told him to go to was supposed to be down this alley.
He turned at the corner, and met… an empty alleyway.
Did that old man trick me? He thought. There's no one here…
"You finally came, good sir. I have started to wonder when you would come."
Naofumi's head snapped back so quickly he could have sworn it was so lucky for him it hadn't been separated from his spine. He narrowed his eyes at the person who was the owner of the voice, standing in front of him.
The first opinion Naofumi could have about the man was that he was creepy as hell. What he was wearing could be described as nothing but a circus ringmaster's clothes: a tux with the main tones of black and gray, with a white undershirt and a purple feathery vest stuck out from underneath the suit around his neck, just like a crown. His eyes were hidden under a pair of glasses with silver chains, and his hands were covered in white alchemist gloves. And the whole picture was completed with a silk top hat on top of his head. An omnipresent creepy grin decorated his face, and was somehow amplified by the handlebar mustache he sported.
"What are you talking about?" Naofumi glared at the man. He didn't even back down, though; instead, the creepy grin on his face became even wider.
"No matter how good you are in fighting, you can't always win a fight with just a shield in your hand. That's why you're looking for someone who can do the fighting for you… isn't it, Sir Shield Hero?"
Naofumi tensed up. "You know me?"
The grin on the short man's face couldn't get any wider. "But of course. Your reputation precedes you, Sir Hero. What's with you being a-"
He couldn't finish that sentence. Before he could even breathe out that last word, Naofumi had grabbed the collar of his tux and slammed his back on the wall of the alley.
"I. DIDN'T. DO. IT," the Shield Hero snarled at the strange man. He tossed the bastard to the ground mercilessly and turned around, starting to walk away, but…
"Ah, but that's the reason why you come to me today, isn't it, Sir Hero? That rumor is the very same thing that keeps you from having a companion… and you're in need of my… service."
Naofumi gritted his teeth. His hands curled up into fists. Even though he hated it with all of his heart, the slimy bastard's words had hit the bullseye. He slowly turned back; the scathing glare on his face was so terrifying it was surprising that the other man could still keep his grin even after seeing it.
"You'd better make it good, or else…"
The bastard's eyes twinkled under his chained glasses. "But of course, Sir Hero. Now, if you just follow me…"
Beloukas led Naofumi through alleys after alleys. The Shield Hero's bewilderment deepened with each step he took. Is he a fool for trusting this obviously suspicious bastard?
But right when he decided to throw everything to the wind and get out of there, the footsteps of Beloukas stopped in front of a building Naofumi had never expected to exist in such a place like this town. Actually, calling it a "building" is a very big stretch. If anything, the place looked more like a circus tent.
The creepy man pulled back the flap. Then, he gestured at Naofumi.
"Right this way, sir."
Naofumi tensed his muscles. "If you're tricking me…"
"You don't have to worry, good sir," the slave trader just answered him with another creepy smile. "In fact, there were those that wanted Heroes like yourself as a slave. Personally, I have to say that I have also thought of that possibility. But since then, I've had a change of heart."
Naofumi had to restrain himself to the limit to refrain from throttling the slimy bastard. "Then why…"
Beloukas just gave him a mysterious answer. "It's just not good for business."
The first things Naofumi saw when he entered the tent were countless cages covering every possible bit of space he could see. There was only a small leeway in the middle of the tent for people to move around. The smell of rotten meat and animals hung faintly in the air. The candles flickering on the walls made of cloth of the tent made everything even creepier.
"Now then," the slave trader started. "What kind of slave are you looking for, sir? We have slaves for all purposes here, from normal domestic slaves for housework to ones for more… exotic purposes," his eyes twinkled at Naofumi. Anger boiled in the Shield Hero's stomach.
"I don't need that kind of slave," he snarled. "What I need is one which can fight for me, and will not betray me no matter what. That's all."
"I see," Beloukas nodded. "Then I think you would like this one."
He uncovered a cage next to him. Naofumi moved closer and took a glance inside. It was a very dangerous-looking black-furred creature that reminded Naofumi about the werewolves he saw in movies about magical worlds. It had sharp fangs and claws, and was howling and snarling like a rabid dog.
"This is a beastman, of the wolfman race," said the slave trader. "A colosseum fighter, and a natural combatant. Level 75, highly capable in battle."
Level 75… so about 20 times his current level was. This kind of slave would help him catch up in no time…
"How much?"
"How about 15 gold pieces, sir?"
Oh, so that's it. He knew Naofumi would never be able to afford that kind of goods, so he started with the most expensive one. Even though Naofumi was disgusted with the whole slave-trading business, he couldn't help but feel impressed at how well the trader knew his own stuff.
He had no way to know if the price was justified, though. If the wolfman was really that good, then 15 gold pieces were too low of a price to own him. He didn't even look very healthy anyway. If he had actually been in his best condition, the trader would have been using him for guarding purposes.
Seeing Naofumi's expression, Beloukas chuckled. "You have good eyes, Sir Hero. That wolfman used to be a colosseum fighter, indeed, but it was injured during a battle. They were going to dispose of it, so I stepped in and bought it."
The way the slave trader used the pronoun "it" disgusted Naofumi to the core. He shook his head.
"No, I don't need this kind of slave. Just a cheap one that isn't broken is fine."
Beloukas looked deep in thought. "Do you have a preferred gender, sir?"
"I don't care about that."
The slave trader scratched his cheek. "Then I think there are some, but their levels aren't very high. And they definitely aren't good for your… personal pleasures."
"If you say those words again, I will not hesitate to stuff this shield into your mouth, down your throat and out of your ass," Naofumi snarled. "Level isn't important; we are going to level up together anyway."
The bastard giggled creepily. "Well then, please follow me."
He led Naofumi deeper into the tent, to a quieter area of the shop.
…or so he thought. Immediately after they entered, the room was filled with something that twisted Naofumi's supposedly cold heart.
The sound of crying children.
Cages filled with children and older humans with animal features covered all corners of this area. They were different from the wolfman Naofumi had seen; instead of looking like animals with some human-like behaviors, they were human beings with animal ears, tails and other bits of animals on their bodies. Some of the kids in those cages looked like they were only about six or seven.
The feeling of seeing children being enslaved alone made Naofumi want to puke. He might have lost all the hope he had in this world, but to imagine children being put under these conditions…
"Something wrong, sir?"
He shook his head. "No, nothing… so where are the ones you wanted to show me?"
Beloukas uncovered three cages in the right corner. Having a look at their contents, Naofumi could see why they were the cheapest.
The first one held a man with rabbit ears, whose right arm was twisted in a strange direction a normal human arm couldn't even bend to. He looked about twenty years old or so, and was definitely the one people would think of when talking about a slave.
The second cage had a lizard man who seemed to have some kind of problem in his head; his snake-like eyes constantly darted around crazily, as if looking for something to swallow alive. He looked like a man, but his action showed that his head was more of a snake than a human.
And the last cage held a girl about ten years old, with dog-like ears that were tied up around her head and a large round tail. She looked so skinny to the point Naofumi thought she might fall over and die anytime now from malnutrition. Her body was full of bruises and lash marks. And she was coughing like crazy. It seemed she was suffering from some kind of illness.
"The first one has a genetic disorder, the second one is a mixed breed with some problem in his head, and the last one… well, she's a raccoon-type," Beloukas said. "Humans don't like raccoon-types; if she were a fox-type, I might be able to get a good price. Not to mention she suffers from panic attacks. The only way I could keep her quiet is to punish her when she makes noises. Her previous owner really loved torturing, mind you."
Considering what he needed, he would choose one of the two former slaves. They seemed to be in much better conditions for battling, and their levels seemed to be higher. But when he saw the last one…
The animal part of his brain immediately jumped to comparing this girl to the Bitch Princess. For a moment, he was visited by a brutal desire of buying her just to pretend that he had turned the Bitch into a slave, and to give her the retribution he wanted to give the one who betrayed him, who put him in this situation…
But then…
Not everyone around you is evil bastards who treat people like rapists. Unlike me, you still have your chance to prove that you are not the person people claimed you to be.
The Sword Hero's face popped up in his head. And everything in his mind seemed to clear up at that moment.
He suddenly felt ashamed and sickened with himself. He realized what a jerk he was being. No matter what he imagined, the girl in front of him was not Malty S. Melromarc. She was just a sick and miserable little girl who's on the verge of dying, someone he didn't even know before. She might not even know who he was. And here he was, planning to make her suffer from something she didn't even know…
If he did that, he would truly deserve to be called the Shield Devil. Just like what that Bitch Princess and the Trash King wanted him to be.
"This one. How much will you take for her?"
Beloukas looked surprised. "Are you sure, sir? There won't be a lot of cheap options for the next few days, but I'm pretty sure there might be something else that isn't a half-dead-"
"Just tell me the price."
Seeing the face of the Shield Hero, Beloukas knew he shouldn't press further. "It would be 30 pieces of silver, sir."
Naofumi tossed a pouch on the table. "Make it quick. I'll take her."
The slave trader smiled in satisfaction. He produced a key and opened the cage. Naofumi grabbed the girl by the wrist and pulled her out. She struggled and tried to scream, but her voice came out of her mouth as a hoarse, unintelligible noise. Her other hand weakly hit the arm which was holding her other wrist, to no avail.
"I'm going to need a bit of your blood, Sir Hero," Beloukas said, holding out a dish with some kind of black ink in it. Naofumi nodded, and let him prickle his finger with a small knife. It was surprising that the tiny knife could do that much damage to him even with his absurd defensive capability. The blood dropped into the ink dish, and the pitch-black substance seemed to lighten up.
The slave trader brought the dish to the trembling raccoon girl who was curling into a ball on the ground. It seemed she knew what was going to happen to her, because her eyes widened and she tried to cover herself up the best she could, but the creepy man only needed to push her hand away lightly to uncover the rune on her chest. He dipped a brush into the ink dish and drew a circle on the rune.
The effect was immediate. The rune started glowing brightly, and at the same time, the raccoon girl's body jolted up as if thousands of volts of electricity were running through it. She opened her mouth to scream, but escaping it was just a raspy painful groan.
"Will she be all right?" asked Naofumi, trying his best to sound impassive.
"Don't worry, sir," Beloukas reassured him. "The pain will go away soon enough… if she stops resisting and submits to her fate of being your slave. Or else…"
He said the last part without even trying to hide his glee.
Finally, the pain seemed to subside. The little girl collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily in pain and exhaustion.
An alert flashed into existence in Naofumi's field of vision.
Slave acquired. Conditions of use as follows:
A window filled with different conditions popped open. There were a lot of choices for punishment listed in there, including but not limited to attacking the owner in his sleep, trying to do things against the owner's will, or murdering the owner. Also, a symbol of the slave appeared under his name at the left side of his vision, including her HP, MP bars as well as other stats. Her name was listed as "Slave A".
Ah, right, I haven't even known her name yet…
"There's one extra silver here, sir," Beloukas said behind him after counting the money in the pouch. He answered without turning his head.
"Consider it the commission. You're planning to wring more money out from me anyway, aren't you?"
The slave trader grinned nastily. "Well, you got me, sir. You helped me get rid of my bad stock anyway, so…"
Naofumi looked at the slave girl with an impassive look. She turned away, not meeting his eyes. Even though she was still small, months of being tortured under her old owner had hardened her soul. She's not going to let this new owner break her that easily…
The man reached out his hand. She snapped her eyes shut and covered her head, expecting a painful strike, like the previous owner liked to do…
But instead of piercing agony, she felt a hand rubbing her head. The hand was gentler than she had expected; it reminded her of a feeling she had thought she would never be able to experience again. It was just like… the hand of…
"Let's go," she heard the man saying. "We have a lot of work to do."
And she felt that big, gentle hand took her own small hand into it. She opened her eyes, and saw herself walking next to her new master, hand in hand. Her heart suddenly felt calm, and for some reason, the feeling of fear and pain was starting to disappear from her mind.
The voice of Beloukas still echoed in the air even after they left the tent. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Sir Hero! I look forward to your future visits!"
"I really don't know if it were actually the country which was in the wrong, or if you've really just gone rotten yourself."
Erhard facepalmed when he saw the slave Naofumi had bought. The Shield Hero gave him a stink eye.
"Hey, she's one of the cheapest options I found there that weren't completely broken."
The blacksmith shook his head. "And you didn't even realize how weak she is?"
"Well, of course she's weak," Naofumi retorted. "She's level 1, but we're going to level up together anyway…"
"I'm not talking about that," the blacksmith shook his head. "Don't you see that she's suffering from some kind of illness? From what I see, it's not that serious now, but if she's not treated soon, it's gonna be a big problem. And considering how underweight she seems to be… are you sure you have it in you to take care of her?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Naofumi groaned. "I'll find a way to work around it… somehow."
Erhard sighed. "Whatever. Take her to the back and give her a bath first. At least it will help her look less terrible. Oh, and you two should stay here for the night. It's too late already; I doubt the inn would accept any new guests at this time. I already prepared a bed for you upstairs. I'll go prepare something for you two to eat; you must be starving already."
He gave Naofumi another set of clothes for the girl. Naofumi led his slave to the bathroom, but before leaving the storefront, he turned back and looked at the blacksmith.
"Why are you so nice to me, old man? I'm just someone hated by this whole country. Why go so far to help me?"
The older man sighed with a smile. "Why, you ask? Well, maybe because I believe in you, kid. I believe deep inside, you still have a good heart. Maybe what I'm looking for is to see you prove that you are not an evil villain like they said you were."
Neither did Naofumi have a daughter or a little sister. Therefore, he hadn't had any experience giving a little girl a bath. But seeing the state of the slave girl, he wouldn't trust her to take a bath by herself. She might drop dead in the bathtub anytime for all he knew.
Stripping the girl out of the rag she was wearing, Naofumi was horrified. The girl stank of blood and sweat. All over her body lay scars of all sizes, as well as red marks which he's sure were from nothing but leather whips. Her fair skin was riddled with blood clots and scratches. And he could see so clearly her ribcage under her skin.
Naofumi had to force all of his willpower to keep his impassive expression. What kind of monster was her previous owner?
Grabbing a towel nearby, he soaked it with warm water and started cleaning the blood on her body. He could feel the girl wince and shiver with each of his touches. But in the end, after a lot of effort, he managed to get rid of the dirt and dried blood on the slave's body.
"W-why are you… so nice to me, Master?"
The girl suddenly asked a strange question. Naofumi's face hardened; even though he had never owned a slave before, he knew that it would be dangerous if one thought that the owner was nice to them. They would definitely use that for their own benefit.
"What gives you the impression that I was nice to you?" he said coldly. "I'm doing this to you because first, you stink, and second, I don't want people to look at me and say that I mistreated you. My reputation in this world is already low enough."
The girl's ears drooped. She didn't say anything else, and just quietly let Naofumi wash her hair.
"By the way, I still haven't known what to call you. What is your name?"
"R-Ra… Raphtalia…" she answered weakly, and burst into a coughing fit.
The title "Slave A" on Naofumi's HUD disappeared, and was replaced by the name "Raphtalia". The Shield Hero tested the name on his tongue a few times; it was a strange name even for a Westerner in his world.
"Very well, Raphtalia," finally, he said. "From now on, you are going to fight for me. I am Iwatani Naofumi, the Shield Hero. I don't have any way to attack monsters, so you are going to be my sword, and kill things in place of me. I will be the one who protects you from attacks. Are we clear?"
What he didn't expect was that Raphtalia's eyes widened, and she looked at him in surprise and shock.
"Hero… you mean… the Shield… of the Four Holies?"
Naofumi nodded. "Yes. What of it?"
But Raphtalia didn't answer. Instead, she lowered her head. But now, instead of the despondent look, a slight smile of relief and hope could be seen on her face.
The meal passed as quickly as it came. They ate in silence; the food didn't taste like anything to Naofumi, partly because Erhard was not that good of a cook anyway, but partly because he was too angry with the world to care about the taste of anything. In contrast, Raphtalia literally stuffed herself with the food. It was a wonder when the last time she ate was.
After finishing their meals, they went to bed. Raphtalia fell asleep right after settling herself down on the bed, but Naofumi couldn't. Whenever he tried closing his eyes, many things he didn't even want to think about rushed into his head almost instantly. He tossed and turned on the bed, trying to give his head some rest, to no avail.
"Mmph… No…"
Naofumi blinked awake. The sound came from Raphtalia's mouth. Her face was scrunching up with a fearful expression, and tears were running down her cheeks. Her body was trembling like crazy. She was having a nightmare.
"No… no… Help…! Noooo! Mommy! Daddy!"
Her voice rang in his ears, full of terror and despair. Never before had Naofumi heard anything so heart-wrenching.
A single drop of tear rolled out of his own eye. He had thought that he couldn't feel sadness or sympathy for anything anymore, so why was he feeling so devastated right now, looking at a person he had only known for a few hours?
Gently, he ran his hand over her head. Raphtalia stopped trembling, and her screams died down to light sobbing noises. And unconsciously, Naofumi opened his mouth and started singing. His voice was hoarse from a day of screaming and yelling, but somehow, the song he heard a few times in a movie he watched in the past came out of his mouth so naturally and easily. He didn't even know he could sing that well.
Come, stop your crying, it will be all right
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you from all around you
I will be here, don't you cry…
That night, unknown to ignorant people, an unbreakable bond was formed between two individuals cast out by this wretched world.
