Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad helping me with SPAG edit. Also thanks to Angel Wraith for reading my rough draft and provide important feedbacks.
More author note at the end for people who are interested to see me blabber some more.
It's a bit of a misconception that the beastmen of Siltvelt can only work within the limited professions of the caste they are born in. While not common, beastmen who show exceptional abilities can be elevated into a different caste - Although their descendants can easily be cast back into their original, and often lower castes if they fail to show the exceptional ability of their parents.
That's nothing to say for demi-humans, mixed blooded children between a beastman and human. At best, they can look forward to a life of eternal servitude for them and their descendants for the 'purebloods of Malis'. Often, they are slaves in all but name.
Needless to say, not even all the savage beastman are happy for their society. And the greatest rebellion came in what became known as 'The Great Exodus'. A mass escape of low caste beastmen and demi-humans led by a charismatic and fearless mouse mage knight, his best friends: A diligent but short tempered duck sorcerer, and a kind but dimwitted dog knight.
Their group eventually settled in the part of the world that was called 'The Swamp of Needless'. After toiling their entire lives away, transformed the badlands into what has since been known as 'the world's basket'. The most fertile land on Medea. And the fledgling nation eventually became known as Shiltfreeden, 'shield of freedom'.
Despite having every right to crown himself king, the mouse beastman never did so. He wanted to create a different kind of nation where everyone can be free to achieve their own destiny not through birthright, but hard work.
Yet most scholars believe this is the reason that doomed Shiltfreeden as a glorified vassal state for stronger nations such as Faubley, or Siltvelt for most of its history. Unlike Faubley, Melromarc or Siltvelt, Shiltfreeden lacked natural barriers to protect itself from foreign invasions. Its lack of value was the only reason nobody had claimed the land before The Great Exodus. And after the founding of the new nation, the only bulwark it had was the strength of its leader and their ability to rally its own people against invaders, something the fledgling nation sadly often lacked.
And over the years of its beastman and human overlord occupation, a small group slowly began to emerge and rise to fame (or infamy, depending on who you ask). It started out as a small band of petty thieves who steal from the nobility, and later become an organized band of rogues who took ill-gotten riches and gave them to the poor, sometimes slitting the throat of particularly oppressive lords as well. Because they use shivs fashioned from all sorts of makeshift materials, they became known as 'The Shivs of the Shiltfreeden People'.
Chapter 51: Saving Shield Hero
Éclair takes a few quick strides forward, sheltering Raphtalia behind her as they back away from the group of big-nosed Shiltfreeden agents. The only noticeable feature anyone can make out underneath their tight, yet bulky clothing to hide their figure and face masks that completely obscure their faces. To the newcomer's credit, they don't do anything to stop the Seatto knight.
Mein's eyes fall on their forms. The makeshift dagger on their pants strap make their identities unmistakable: Outside of prisons or slums, only the Shivss of Shiltfreeden would carry such crude weaponry. A reminder of their humble and uncouth past before the current Whip Hero absorbed them as a part of his personal retinue.
Their signature makeshift weapon aside, other parts of their apparel and armament paint them as a group of well-geared professionals who serve one of the heroes.
They each wear a pair of eye guard and lens blend - Goggles, the princess vaguely remember Prince Tact wrote about it in one of his letters - the slightly shiny surface of the lens suggest magical enchantment such as night vision, or different detection spells.
As for weapons, most of them carry some kind of barrel with wooden handles on their back, and a short pistol on their thigh. One in particular has no weapon on her back, but has a boxy looking gun that's roughly twice as long as their pistol.
With her betrothal to her very distant uncle being a secret under the table deal, the first princess enjoyed the same heir education as her younger sister. While she did sleep through a lot of them and daydreamed about her romance novel in others, knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of different weapons are a course she took to heart. As the future queen (be it Melromarc, or Faubley) or a duchess, she should know what kind of personal army to best spend her coins fitting.
Even her distant uncle, as dim witted as he is rumored to be, knows the importance of controlling a strong and loyal military to protect himself either from foreign invaders, or an overachiever who plays The Game who fancy themselves on the largest chair in the nation.
Firearms are a type of weapon that's a curious mix between easy to use for even the newest levies or conscript, and an over-designed mess to make and maintain. Despite their high cost to manufacture, they are ironically more suited to quickly rallied peasants, than any guards employed by the local governor, let alone a nation's professional standing force who spend their time training with their weapons of choice.
It's true that firearms have come a long way since their first inception: a curious collector's item for the wealthy. Mostly thanks to the otherworldly knowledge shared by summoned heroes.
Spiral bore barrels made the weapon much more accurate in longer range. Better designed ammunition and their housing massively shortened the reloading time from enough to having tea to the blink of an eye. And of course, improved firing mechanics turned the weapon from a single shot thunder strike into a flurry of violent storms.
But one core flaw by design makes them, at best, a secondary weapon for professional soldiers who spend their lives honing their skills and rising their levels: Their complete lack of any stat scaling.
A musket in the hand of a level 1 peasant conscript can put a hole in another man's head, and a musket in the hand of a level 100 Sharpshooter can also put a hole in another man's head. A higher leveled soldier can simply aim them quicker, and shoot them more accurately. But they can't do anything to increase the damage output.
By contrast, a bow in the hand of a level 1 peasant is just a piece of wood with a string that fires a pointy stick, and a sword is a sharp piece of metal with a handle. But a bow in the hand of a level 100 Sharpshooter can blast a hole in all but the thickest and well enchanted castle walls, and a sword in the hand of a level 100 Sword Master can rend sky and split earth.
That's not even counting the impossibility to develop proper weapon arts for overly complex weapons like a musket, while the more traditional ones have countless weapon arts that can overcome the weakness of their natural design.
"...isn't it common courtesy to show your face to the people you are trying to help?" Éclair's demand brings Mein's attention back to the present.
"Of course. How rude of us." The leader of the Shivs gives the rest of the agents a nod. She is a girl barely older than Raphtalia judging by her voice and height. Almost like one, all six of them pull their goggles over their helmet, and pull their masks up.
The first thing Mein notices is their meaty cheeks, next comes the large and flat noses, and fan-like ears. Pig beastmen, the lesser cousin of the Boar tribe.
"Tanya Degurechaff, of the Taskless Tribe. 1st reconnaissance squad of Shiltfreeden Shive. Retainer of the Star Whip Hero." Their leader would look like an adorable doll if she was born a human or demi-human with her large blue eyes and curly blonde hair. But as a pig beastman, these features only attract attention to how disproportionally meaty her head looks compared to her body. "We are here to assist you in freeing the Shield Hero from the Siltvelt agents."
"Retainer of a vassal hero?" Éclair looks back at Mein with confusion in her eyes, obviously not as well informed as the princess herself. "The vassal heroes are supposed to assist the cardinal heroes..."
Good thing Mein herself isn't anywhere near as naive.
"Just like how the Whip Hero generously 'assisted' the Hammer Hero?" The princess narrows her eyes at the now de-masked Shivs. Tanya's eyelash twitches at Mein's mention of the Hammer Hero, not entirely successful in maintaining her neutral face. The girl was clearly not prepared to have her bluff called out by one of the Shield Hero's companions, likely believing them to be amateur adventurers who don't follow the happening all around Medea.
"What happened to the Hammer Hero was unfortunate, but it had to be done. He was losing his mind, and plotting rebellion long before my lord's 'intervention'." The blonde agent doesn't avert Mein's gaze, in fact, Tanya stares right back with steel like resolution in her eyes. "If Lord Dio, the Gauntlet Hero didn't interfere with my Lord, Shiltfreeden wouldn't have been mired in civil war as the Wave of Catastrophe hit us now."
"And what happens if Lord Whip Hero decides that the Shield Hero is also losing his mind, hmm?" Mein narrows her eyes at the henchman of the Whip Hero. Growing up in the royal court of Melromarc without being sheltered by her mother, she's not exactly the most trusting person. But she's obviously not being too paranoid, when it comes down to the lackeys of the vassal hero who tried to force a kiss on her the first time they met.
"What happened between Whip Hero and Hammer Hero, my-Mein?" The princess feels the twitchy touch of a hand on her shoulder for a moment, Éclair's voice murmurs near her ears.
"Whip Hero tried to kill the Hammer Hero a few years back, he only escaped with his life when Gauntlet Hero Dio intervened." And beaten the ever loving crap out of the arrogant younger upstart. Something Mein would have loved to see considering the annoying pest's incessant boasting in a misguided attempt to woo her. She briefly realized that's not something a peasant girl should know. "At least, that's what I read in Lord Ascart's archive."
The excuse will have to hold for now, it's not like anyone has the time or mind to go check out his archive when the Shield Hero is still in the hand of the Bitch Lord, and those blasted Siltvelt Ravens.
"It is not a decision for us to make. Only the inquisitors from one of the main churches, or a hero can decide a fellow hero has lost their mind to the wave, and needs to be contained." Tanya effortlessly dismisses Mein's accusation. For an agent who works in the shadows, she clearly has the mind for higher calling. "Until then, our mission is to treat the Shield Hero as our lord, and assist him and his party to the best of our abilities."
"And what's stopping you from deciding that the best way to 'assist the Shield Hero' is take him to Shiltfreeden, or Faubley after we rescue him?"
"In all honesty, nothing. But we are wasting time and resources arguing. By your own logic, it's pointless for you to reject our offer to help. Unless you can kill all of us without the Bitch Lord's men notice, we can always come back after your attempt to rescue the Shield Hero." As if to demonstrate her point, one of Tanya's hands reaches back to touch the handle of her musket. "Those are loud. I suggest we ask the little one what she found inside the Rabier Keep, before proceeding to planning the Shield Hero's rescue. Regardless of whether you want our help or not."
"She makes a good point, we should ask Raphtalia what she found out first." Mein looks back, and sees everyone either nodding their heads or shrugging their shoulders. Kyubey gives a gentle push to Raphtalia on her shoulder. "Go on, Raphtalia. Try to recall everything important. The location and condition of Shield Hero, the equipment and condition of the bandits, and any noticeable figures they had."
"Ri-right!" The raccoon girl stands even straighter at Kyubey's beckoning. She's clearly still not breathing properly, judging from how words seem to pop out of her mouth.
"The Shield Hero, Master Naofumi got beaten up badly... I fed him a healing potion before I got out. He's kept in the Lord's master bedroom on top of the central tower like she guessed." Mein, and probably everyone else in Naofumi's party, looks at Tanya. So, Raphtalia already met the swine inside the keep. "The bandits, most of them look sick with yellowish skins. They are sewn together with monster fur and leathers, and have iron weapons ... important ones. There was one named Mouse who seemed to be an important one. The Raven Lord called the Bitch Lord Abby... and she called him Towair."
"Say that again?!" Mein's head whips right back at the little girl. She has to gently massage her cracking neck with the stunt. "What's his name again?"
"Towa, Towair. Towair the Deceiver, I think that's what he said." Raphtalia stutters a few times, obviously startled by Mein's sudden response. "He … he found out I was under the bed and tried to crush me with a broken flail that lights up a shining orb at the chain..."
DAMNATIONS!
If the princess still had any shred of hope, the name being a mere coincidence, the artifact Raphtalia described can only be the Moontalon, the flail forged out of a fragment of the Star Hammer. Of course, it's just her luck that her Naofumi runs head first into the most hawkish of the four Raven Lords. And the bastard son of a filorial decided to seize the opportunity... by seizing the Shield Hero.
"The Raven Lord of the Moon." Tanya lets out a hiss under her breath. No doubt, she had her share of curses under her breath. "How did you survive him?"
The last question was clearly aimed at Raphtalia again.
"I, I don't know! I was in my animal form. He didn't try to crush me again when I dodged his first one." The raccoon girl jumps up on her feet again, visibly scared at Tanya's interrogation.
Mein walks back, kneels down and wraps her arms around Raphtalia, still shaking shoulders. The girl's trembling slows down within her embrace, but a twitch can still be felt once in a while. She glares at the pig headed Shiv with her full contempt. "Don't use your interrogation skill on my kid, swine! I'll burn you into roasted pork chop!"
"I meant no offense, only want to understand the situation better." The other Shivs all take a step forward. They are stopped when Tanya raises both hands in a show of non-aggression. "Regardless, it sounds like the Raven Lord of the Moon suspected some foul play. We have even less time to plan than we first thought. It seems like you'll need us to pull off this rescue. What do you say we put our effort together to rescue the Shield Hero first, and return to our squabble later?"
A pregnant silence reigns over their group and the Shivs, until Kyubey breaks it with his monotone voice. "The Shive lady speaks the truth. We don't have enough men to storm the keep with ourselves."
"Storming the keep isn't even the worst part. The Ravens have wings, there's nothing to stop them from carrying the Shield Hero and flying away while we fight through the bandits." Farkas grinds his teeth, looking his usual annoyed self. "We need fighting men specialized in infiltration, who can get the Shield Hero away, or at least secure him while most of us fight through the castle."
Raphtalia makes a miserable squeaky sound, no doubt reminded how she's not much good in a melee once again.
"My thoughts exactly." Tanya bends down and picks up a fallen branch. She starts to draw rough shapes in the dirt. She points her stick at the end opposite to the castle gate. "This here is the sewer into Rabier Keep. I'll take Henrietta, and Triela with me through the sewer while your group storms the front gate. We'll catch the bandits, and any Raven in a surprise pincer attack. While that happens, Angelica, Claes and Rico will scale the back wall of the tower, and secure the Shield Hero..."
"There's no way I'm letting you Shiltfreeden Shivs go rescue Master Naofumi along! What stops you from taking him and leg it, leaving us to die storming the keep?!" Mein immediately throws her arms up and stops Tanya's plan. "You lot can crawl the sewers by yourselves. But the frontal assault and the team to secure Shield Hero has to be a mixed party!"
The squad leader of the Shivs stays quiet for only a few seconds before nodding in concession. The princess can almost see the smile in her eyes. "You are right, three Shivs armed with firearms to guard the Shield Hero is a waste."
The princess can't help but feel she's been played by Tanya. Her suggestion was probably what the swine wanted in the first place. But the Shive rises the least suspicion without suggesting it herself.
"Now, strip."
The princess turned adventurer feels naked without the traveling cloak to hide her missing ear and scar from the rest of the world. But it's done to give them the best chance at rescuing her Naofumi.
Éclair, Raphtalia and herself follow the Shivs as they sneak around the back of the wall. Tanya holds up her left hand, while pulling her pistol out of her right with Rico. The two of them fix a longer barrel onto their weapon and take aim in the distance. With two almost back to back puffing noises, two shadow slumps over the wall before they can make any noise to raise the alarm.
They move toward the back wall again. Tanya inspected the wall for a few seconds and made some gestures again. Two of the Shivs, likely Henrietta and Triela, break from the group with her. The last one with a long barreled musket on her back leads the rest of them towards the looming tower.
Torches and braziers light up as they are about to get into position, reminding Mein of the grand 'welcome' they received after returning to Trumpet with the Sword Hero. She can hear an arrogant roar of someone on top of the wall.
"HA! You man-animals and dog servants of the Shield Hero thought we wouldn't be expecting you?! Of course you'd crawl here and try to save your precious... WHA-!"
Her boasting is interrupted by a flurry of thunder like clicking sound, and screams of pain. Many of the last voices the bandits will likely ever make.
As much as Mein hates to admit, Tanya was proven right. Towair the Deceiver likely predicted their rescue attempt and laid a trap for them at the gate. Between the outer wall and the keep itself, there's enough room to hide archers for the bandits to turn the courtyard into a kill zone against a mostly melee focused party.
But the Raven Lord of the Moon made two miscalculations.
First, he didn't expect another group of foreign agents to work together with the Shield Hero's party against him.
Even Towair the Deceiver can only plan around things he knows. He no doubt expected only the retinue of the Shield Hero, who had one archer and one crossbow man, both who are handicapped.
But underneath Mein and Éclair's travel cloak are two Siltfreeden Shivs who both have repeater muskets at their disposal. A weapon that almost feels tailor fit for the situation as they are best at mowing down large groups of low leveled, badly armored opponents. Which the bandits of Bitch Lord happen to be.
Okay... the princess has to now concede that muskets, especially the repeating kind, have their uses. Even if they are still overpriced (and designed) mess for the damage they cause.
And the second mistake: The Bitch Lord herself wasted the perfect ambush when she started gloating instead of immediately ordering her archers to turn the invading group into porcupines.
"Shoot them! Shoot them you useless- ARGH!" Rico takes out a large hand gun, and fires the grappling hook towards the tower while her nose is covered up by the utter chaos in the courtyard. The flurry of gun fires, death wail, and the Bitch Lord's frustration screeching the perfect cacophony to mask her action. With a throwing knife in her mouth, she starts to scale the wall assisted by her rope.
Mein and her companions follow afterwards. The princess does her best to ignore the sharp teeth hanging by her collar, that'll cause enough pain to have her plunge to her doom if they reach her skin.
As she climbs up, the incognito princess casts a glance at the courtyard that has since fallen into utter chaos. Two large silhouettes, one atop the gate and the other on top of the keep, barreling right into large groups of smaller shadows, knocking them flying off the wall. It seems like their filorials has taken advantage of the discord shown by the two Shivs and has since taken over the higher ground.
She lost her grip of the rope with one hand, and felt her bump making contact with a hard object below. Éclair lets out a pained muffle, at least it doesn't sound like her neck is broken. "Sorry, I lost my grip there."
"It's..." Whatever Éclair wanted to say is drowned out by a dying scream above.
Mein quickly renews her effort and climbs up the window after Rico. She found the lying body of two black feathered beastman, one with a knife in his throat, the other a hole between his eyes. "Help me cut Master Naofumi's ropes, Raphtalia. Éclair, guard the doorway."
"Right.'' Instead of lying behind ready to ambush anyone who comes through, Éclair promptly walked out of the room. Likely her knight training and guard instinct taking over instead of doing the practical thing. Mein would have called her back, or at least slapped her own face in a different time. But right now, her Naofumi's unconscious form takes most of her attention.
She quickly runs over to the Shield Hero and starts cutting through the ropes binding him on the chair, and around his arms and legs. The steel sword has trouble getting through, even with her already over level 30. The Ravens clearly fortified the rope with some kind of advanced material, likely from a high level monster.
Her Naofumi stirs as the princess and Raphtalia tries to free him. The healing potions Raphtalia fed him earlier clearly doing its work.
The two of them went through most of the bind, except the one around Naofumi's wrists and ankles when Éclair flies back into the room, with two light orbs towards them. She quickly brandishes her steel sword and bats them away. The furious visage of a raven headed birdman, and a muscular dog demi-human emerges through the door.
Rico pulls the trigger on her long musket without bringing it up to her eyes. The bullet would likely hit Towair in the chest, if he didn't instantly blink out of existence.
Moontalon's special ability: instant transmission the holder anywhere within their own line of sight. Where did the Raven Lord go?
Rico spins on her heel, swinging her long musket like a club at the Raven Lord behind her. Towair knocks it out of her hand. The Bitch Lord lets out a bark accompanied furious yell, most likely charging towards them like bovine, there's a bonedog with her too?
Rico brings her pistol up and shoots Towair in the stomach, it would no doubt hit him if not for his instant transmission again.
"NO!" Raphtalia's voice sounds deeper than usual, as the child throws herself at the bone dog and wrestles with the beast on the ground.
Mein has just enough time to bring her sword up into a guard as she gets knocked back by the Bitch Lord's charge. The mountain-like demi-human sneers at Mein and raises her mace arm... and then it turns into howling of pain as she rolls on the floor too when Naofumi's pet abominations sink their teeth into her.
It's about the time someone else more deserving experiences the first hand pain those eldritch spheres can inflict upon the world!
On the other side of the master bedroom, Towair finally stops blinking in and out of existence. It seems like Rico ran out of bullets in her hand gun. The Raven Lord's broken flair lights up, and dozens upon dozens of light orbs surround him for a beat before he casts them out. "[Moonlight Caravan]."
Mein can hear Rico dodges herself away, likely behind some furniture in the hole it'll shelter her. Éclair is still sprawled on the ground, moaning in pain. Raphtalia is also on the ground, clawing, biting and stabbing the bonedog while the beast is trying to do the same to her. Both of them, and her Naofumi would be hit by the attack if the princess follows Rico's example.
Well... now there's truly no try anymore. It's to do, or die. The princess brings her sword up and waves out a net of sword strikes with Aldorian style Form Eight: Arrow Breaker.
While the essence of the Nine Forms of Solitude is purely offensive, Form Eight comes closest to what passes for a defensive form. And it's usually improvised as one by its novice users when they fight against a superior foe they can't overwhelm. As the name suggests, it's a form against foes who use long range projectile weapons, and a master of Form Eight is supposed to be able to deflect and send any projectiles right back at its casters even if they 'fall like rain'.
The princess turned adventurer is far from a Form Eight master, she can only barely manage to knock Towair's attack every which way except towards herself, her allies... and sadly Towair himself. And just as it looks like she can weather through the hail of energy orbs, the steel sword in her hand snaps in half.
The princess grits her teeth and braces herself... It feels like three warhammers wielded by giants hitting her in the chest and stomach. Breath knocked out of her, the princess is briefly too numb to feel any pain as her body sails backwards into something. She hits the ground, seeing both stars and moons in her vision as the pain comes at her with a vengeance.
It feels like she's tearing apart at the seams at three parts in her body... how is she still even awake? Or alive?
She's not built to take a direct hit from a classed-up fighter wielding an artifact flail, let alone three!
"AAAAAHHHHH~!" Éclair charges head first, with a sound more like the shriek of an animal than a war cry of a knight. She hits Towair right in the stomach with her headbutt and knocks both of them over. The knight has thrown any finesse she displayed when fighting against Weiss Schnee, and instead simply tries her best to pin the much higher leveled opponent on the ground where he can't hit anyone with the Moontalon.
Rico also throws herself to Towair, wiping and clubbing the Raven Lord's head with her empty pistol.
Mein feels someone propping her up by the shoulders. She briefly wonders if Raphtalia managed to dispatch the bonedog and came to help her, until she sees Raphtalia still in her vision. The girl is trying to push the now dead monster off her body...
Wait, she looks much larger than before. But that's not important, who is unaccounted for in this room?
A cold and sharp object presses against her neck. Oh right, it's the Bitch Lord.
So that's how all her gambits, manipulations, and schemes to sit on the throne end up... made too many mistakes, more than the Raven Lord did. And now she's going to have her throat cut by a bandit leader with a false delusion of grandeur.
If the princess can still move her body, maybe she'd go down kicking and screaming at how unfair her life turned out. But as now, she can only listen to Raphtalia's desperate wail. "Don't hurt big sister Mein! She's like a mother to me!"
The knife by her throat stays still for a moment, Mein can both feel and hear the Bitch Lord's heavy breathing down her neck. The animal's distorted voice is full of pleasure, like she's about to climax. "...GOOD!"
Mein drops on the ground with a loud crack. She manages to let out a few labored gurgle as Raphtalia half runs, half crawling towards her. As the Raccoon... not a child anymore drags her away, she wonders how she's still staying alive when she realizes her neck isn't cut open. As her head rolls towards the Bitch Lord, she hears the thunderous boom first before she sees the armored juggernaut towering over the bandit.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY COMPANIONS?! YOU BITCH!" Naofumi roars as he slaps, strikes, and bashes the Bitch Lord with his only weapon - A shield the thickness of a millstone of multi-layered rocks.
The normally awkward Shield Hero's face is twisted into the visage of a rampaging rage demon. His eyes, normally innocent like a child and often downcast now slanted and narrow as they bore down at the Bitch Lord with absolute contempt and disgust.
It's the same face Mein saw the morning before she even laid eyes upon Raphtalia. At least now the ire is no longer aimed at her. Even if he's not doing any damage to the Bitch Lord's HP, it's clear that the Shield Hero is causing enough pain with his wrath and his shield weapon art to have the large demi-human recoil back every step of the way.
The princess can't help but let out giggles mixed with cough at the irony, at how she first brought out her Naofumi's wrath because of her... dismissive attitude towards demi-human. Yet, now the same fury is aimed at a demi-human.
"Why won't you DIE!" The Bitch Lord, pinned down under Naofumi, tries to club him on the head with her mace arm. But her desperate flail is easily deflected away by his Chromzoid helmet... and monstrous defense value.
"STRONGEST SHIELD ON EARTH, BITCH!" Naofumi catches the Bitch Lord's arm... and starts to club her on the head with her own prosthetics arm.
That's when both Éclair and Rico are thrown away from Towair's body... and at the same time that the rest of the Shivs burst through the doorway. The companions of Naofumi except the two birds follow in after them. Luckily, Tanya isn't an egotistic braggart like the Bitch Lord, and her order is short and to the point. "SHOOT HIM!"
Four repeater muskets, and one blunderbuss all open fire at Towair. The dishevelled Raven Lord only manages to blink himself away to the window, a shiv buried in his shoulder. He immediately casts himself down into the night. Not even have any time to leave any parting words.
"ARGH! Towair, you... OUCH! Thrice named house slave! OH!" The Bitch Lords lets more pained howl in between curses thrown at her only chance at salvation disappearing out of the window.
As for the Shield Hero... so great is his wrath, he doesn't seem to notice the room suddenly becoming much smaller with the amount of bodies piled up inside. He simply hammers away at the dog demi-human... with her own prosthetic mace arm. "THIS! *BANG* KEEP! *BANG* DOES! *BANG* NOT! *BANG* BELONG! *BANG* TO! *BANG* YOU! *BANG* ANY! *BANG* MORE!"
With one loud crash, the Bitch Lord goes lax underneath the enraged Shield Hero. Naofumi takes a few steps backwards, letting out heavy breaths. He turns back, jumps up with a startle when he notices all the people inside, and gives everyone an awkward smile and wave. "Oh, hey everyone... MEIN! NO!"
The Shield Hero quickly dashes over to the corner of the room where Mein is propped up against the wall, nearly tripping over himself on the debris. The Shield Hero kneels on Mein's left side, he closes his eyes and puts his hands together into a prayer gesture while Raphtalia feeds Mein a health potion. Glowing golden light emitted out of Naofumi's hand, and spread through the princess' body, numbing her pain and knitting her body back together. "Please, don't die on me, Mein. You came to save me, all of you. I'll never forgive myself if any of you died..."
"I'll live, Master Naofumi..." Mein feels enough of her strength has returned to drip her hand over Naofumi's. The effort makes her cringe with pain once again, and the pain of her body tearing itself apart only highlights the burn inside her chest where her heart is.
At least she lived through this ordeal... maybe. There's no telling what the Shivs of Shiltfreeden will do to them, now that the bandits in the ruined Rabier Keep are presumably dead, or freed.
"You ... you've grown up. Raphtalia." Naofumi's face moves towards the former demi-human child, staring at her in wonder. "Did Mein lend you some new clothes?"
Huh, now that the Princess is reminded of this little detail. No, she most definitely did NOT give Raphtalia some of her own clothes. Considering Raphtalia was still in the body of a child when they were climbing up the rope.
"Hmmm... yeah, unhuh..." Raphtalia's head instantly drops into her now better developed chest, while making some non-committal squeaky voices.
"Don't worry. You are still our child even if you finally had your growth spurt." Naofumi lovingly runs his hand through Raphtalia's hair with a sobering smile on his face. He looks around at the room again, a frown forms over his narrowing eyes as he finally notices the Shiltfreeden Shivss. "And who are you supposed to be? I don't remember a modern spec ops fire team following me around. The Call of Duty get up really doesn't go with the whole Dragon Quest aesthetics they have around here."
The Shivs all look at each other, probably as much confused as surprised by the gibberish her Naofumi can spout out from time to time. Tanya steps forward once again to announce her allegiance after pulling up her goggles and face mask. "Tanya Degurechaff, of the Taskless Tribe. 1st reconnaissance squad of Shiltfreeden Shive. Retainer of the Star Whip Hero. We are here to assist your party in rescuing you..."
The voice of Tanya slowly grows quieter. From the way Naofumi's body freezes up as soon as hearing her name, it's clear he didn't hear anything afterwards at all.
"Tanya Degurechaff... huh? My life makes so much more sense now..." Mein blinks her eyes a couple of times. She wonders what revelation a simple Faubley style name can bring out of her Naofumi as he tilts his head around to stare at the pig beastman. The princess is left in the dark as she catches Naofumi's final, almost silent whisper. "...Fuck Being X."
"They are the Shivs, from Siltfreeden. Just like the Ravens from Siltvelt." The announcement of Farkas draws Naofumi's attention back from his personal musing. The werewolf glares at the diminished figures of the pig "Tell me, faithless lost children of Malis. What do you intend to do to the Shield Hero now that you killed the poor agents of my homeland and routed the shrunken neck turtles of the bandits. Do you want to bring him to Shiltfreeden? I am bound by oath to protect the Shield Hero with my life, until my life debt to him is paid in full."
"I too, am bound by oath to protect my thane with my life." Yatsuhashi tightens the hold of his curved greatsword, making his intention clear to the Shivs in an attempt to intimidate them into line. In case they decide to perceive the companions of the Shield Heroes as weak and seize the opportunity.
"...We-" Tanya didn't get to let out whatever is on her mind. She's interrupted by the loud roar outside the window. Its sound remind Mein the kind of noise of a very sharp claw scratching through the string on a violin... only magnified a few hundred times. To the point it booms in her ears even if the voice seem to carry itself from the horizon.
Most of the people inside the room rushed themselves over to the windows to look at what creature could make such a sound. Mein manages to stand up on her feet with one hand against the wall, the other side supported by Raphtalia. The two of them also hobble over to a less crowded window.
Outside in the distance, the dark shadow of a thunder lizard as large as a hill looms over the trees. It's long neck cranks up against the moon as it roars out in defiance against the heavens.
End Note:
The highlight of this chapter: Naofumi going full Soldier 76 on Abby.
Jokes aside, I bent the rule of RotSH a bit here (not like I don't do it all the time). The reason Naofumi knocked Abby out cold is because he's beating her with her own prosthetic hand, so the damage is actually calculated by using Abby's own ATK against herself.
And I think it's fitting in my story, angry Naofumi is brought out by his companions in peril, not he himself. Similar to (Spoiler for Reprisal of the Spear Hero) how he got truly angry in Siltvelt timeline because some Siltvelt nobles tried to poison Motoyasu's birdies.
The part of firearms having 0 stats scaling in damage due to its complex mechanic is my attempt at keeping both hot and cold weapons relevant in this setting. Probably not how canon rule worked.
Making Tanya Degurechaff and the Gunslinger Girls pig beastman is also a bit of in-joke/tribute to Reprisal of the Spear Hero (which I consider to be much better written than Rising because the author isn't pampering the main character rotten... and pretty much the main reason I'm in this fandom), where Motoyasu see all Tact's harem as pig headed. I decided to throw in some of his followers who look the same as how insane Motoyasu would have seen them as.
:P
Sorry if the fight with Towair is too short. But considering he is a glass canon with an artifact weapon with high DPS output, a fight with him would inevitably be a case of melt, or be melted. And of course, he's petty enough to release Zilla after he's beaten.
Guest review time.
To Guest:
If trying to hold global peace make one a good leader, Chamberlain would have be a much better leader than Churchhill. And considering who are canonically in charge in RotSH (a racist warhawk in Siltvelt, a narcissistic hero killing incarnate in Shiltfreeden, and a murder & rape addict in Faubley), Queen Safespace put more of her effort trying to bargin international peace than handle domestic affair only paint her as an idiot who is completely clueless about everything.
You know what? I agree making the queen a complete idiot is bad writing. So let's recount the queen's sterling canonical achievement, shall we:
Didn't pay enough attention to curb 3HC's influence, to the point they launched a successful coup.
Didn't ensure there's enough checks and contingencies in place before leaving her country, allowed the aforementioned coup to take place.
Appointed an unpopular figure as the overseer in her place, painting a massive bullseye in his back and didn't arrange enough protection for him so he got assassinated.
Send her precious golden daughter home without trustworthy protection, and she would have been assassinated too if she wasn't reserved as a part of the main character's harem.
Her only difference from her husband is the hero she rode the coattail on didn't crash and burn to take her down with him. And that only happen because he is the author's imaginary dream pet husbando, so no logical negative consequences can ever happen on him.
And honestly, I think I actually made her smarter in my story. At least she actually send Melty back home with a loyal group of bodyguards. I just called her out on all her idiocy instead of sweeping them under the rug.