Erhard lives a simple live: wake up, make weapons, breakfast, attend shop, make weapons, make idio- err clients dry off their money, make weapons, getting robbed off his money because of some clever one selling him off some rare material with some crazy peddling, make weapons, eat, make weapons, pass the afternoon cleaning merchandise, make weapons, dinner and sleep.
Holy shit, just how many weapons do people want nowadays?!
He understands. With the Waves, the whole kingdom has gone crazy trying to secure itself: commoners and merchants for self-defense; adventurers old and new for the sake of survival and coin; the army for replenishing its armories. All blacksmiths and their providers are working against the clock in order to satisfy the demand, with rumors saying even a few died of overwork.
Erhard sighed.
He retired from the career of adventurer because he wanted to fully dedicate his talent and calling as a blacksmith, not to break himself from stress!
If there's some consolation, it is that money seems to flow more in those times of crisis. Not that he would wish massive catastrophes like the Waves to happen more often but someone has to live off something, right? Heck, maybe he would return to being an adventurer, not just for money but to help. He heard the lands attacked by this first Wave were badly affected, with the adventurers and soldiers available struggling to even hold off the monsters.
There's much darker rumors that the survivors of the demi-human village there were attacked and enslaved after the Wave, something that Erhard barely tolerates. His blacksmithing teacher and fellow apprentice are also demi-humans which already alienated him from the teachings of the Church of the Three Heroes, which were not different from Siltvelt's respective anti-human policies.
Sometimes, he wonders why he didn't set up in Shieldfreeden or Zeltoble, both are more tolerant than Melromarc and Siltvelt.
Oh! A new customer is entering!
And she seems to be a beauty! With that white hair and red eyes and those exotic features and clothes! He may not be a womanizer like his master but he sure can appreciate feminine charm.
"Welcome to my shop, how can I help you!" He greeted with his best smile.
"Greetings." She slightly bowed, which seemed a little strange for Erhard but he mentally shrugged it. "I heard this is one of the best weapon shops in this city."
"Well, I'm not one to presume but I'm confident I am one of the best in the whole country!" He let out a boisterous laugh. "Though if you wouldn't mind, miss, where are you from? I've never seen such clothes before." Though stopping to think about it, there was a nagging feeling of deja vu with the clothes style and the facial complexion.
Meanwhile…
A certain incorrigible, debt-ridden, pervert blacksmith from Q'ten Lo sneezed multiple times. He thinks many beautiful women are thinking of him.
Returning to the shop
Meh, it may not be important at the moment.
The woman let out an Oh before a spear appeared in a flash on her hand. Wait, what?!
"I… am the Spear Hero." She rubbed her head in a sheepish expression. "Though my name is Tomoe, or Tomoe Gozen, if you wish."
"No way!" He hit his hands on the counter. "I can't believe a Legendary Hero would end up at my shop!" One of the world's saviors was here! In his shop!
He knew they were summoned the day before, but damn!
"I don't think it's that big of a deal." Tomoe's face reddened from embarrassment. "I'm just a soldier, that's all."
"Huh? Ehem, my apologies." Erhard backed away when he realized he was making her uncomfortable. "By curiosity, could I take a look at your Spear?"
With a nod, Tomoe offered her Weapon to which Erhard casted Appraisal on but was rejected.
"So it's like this…" Erhard mused to himself, somehow expecting something like that.
"Is there a problem?" Tomoe asked.
"Oh no." Erhard negated. "It's simply that I couldn't glance any insight with Appraisal, that's all. The only thing that was clear to me is that the jewel it has was filled with a huge amount of energy. I don't know which type but considering it's of divine make, it wouldn't be strange for mere mortals to be unable to comprehend it fully."
"But enough about that, as thanks for showing me this, I'll offer a small discount. Though I would be welcome to have a new regular around here."
Tomoe just giggled. "I'll be sure to take on that offer, Master Forger. In fact, there's something I'd like you to take a look at."
She brought from her inventory her dirtied and damaged armor to which Erhard didn't waste time to examine. "Lacquered leather with iron plates? And are those silk cords?"
"I don't know what's the standard for other worlds but for being an unenchanted piece of equipment, it's actually decent. It just needs a good clean and a new layer of lacquer. Though I can probably improve it, replacing the silk cords could prove to be costly in both time and money."
"You could use leather cords. I know we're all in a hurry and I am fond of this armor."
"Very well then." Erhard accepted. "I think I'll have it ready in two weeks, just before the next Wave."
"I am greatly grateful, Master Forger." Tomoe bowed again.
"Come on, I don't think it's so big a deal…" Erhard sweatdropped before they both laughed as they realized he said more or less the same words as Tomoe. "And call me Erhard, Miss Tomoe. Is there anything more I could help you with?"
"Yeah. What do you have in terms of polearms?"
By the disbelieved face he put on afterwards, Erhard should be damn grateful that Tomoe paid for the weapons she copied. Now he knew to be careful when other Heroes came around...
Four Heroes Saga
If there is something that many people wouldn't realize or forget about the clergy is that they were not exempt from the tortures of bureaucracy, especially for Biscas T. Balmus, who is the Pope of the Church of the Three Heroes.
Not only does he have to tend to church duties but he's also busy with the documentation and politics necessary for the maintenance of their basilica and their cathedrals but also supervise the education for future priests and priestesses as well as the delicate balance of the hierarchy.
Not to talk about his covert operations in undermining the Shield Hero, the demi-humans and Siltvelt as well as potential plans to conspire against the kingdom of Melromarc itself. That royal family was seriously testing his patience in more ways than one but if he plays his cards right, the kingdom will be in the hands of the Church.
He rubbed his neck. So much time in the office will end up killing him, but he knows that's a necessary evil. More especially when they lost track of the Demon, somehow. Their own Shadows reported that he… vanished on the open field near the capital. And that was bad, because not only an unsupervised Hero (especially the the Demon) could potentially end up doing something that would damage their and the church's image but the ones the Cardinal Weapons chose prove to be too observant for their own good if they had the foresight of scaring away any possible spy. Any five minutes or so. And they talked so low that even the surprised voice risings they occasionally made gave even less context to their conversations.
These Heroes won't be so easy to persuade. They need to at least find some way to get close to them or his life's work and that of his predecessors will be wasted away.
The door was knocked. "Your Holiness."
"What is it?" Balmus let out with irritation. "I'm busy."
"The Sword Hero wishes for a meeting with you."
The Sword Hero wanted to meet with him? What a stroke of luck! His faith has been rewarded! "Then let her come here."
Some minutes later, the Sword Hero, Noire, entered his office. She sure had an air of dignity and nobility like what they told about her. Her clothing… well. He isn't someone to judge the fashion sense of the otherworldly saints but he thinks it's somewhat… eccentric. The closest thing he can compare it to would be an impractical maid uniform, unless she's a maid or something.
It may be better not to comment on that unless he loses his favour with the Hero. And possibly his life.
"Lady Sword Hero." Balmus bowed with literal religious fervor. "It's an enormous honor to have one of God's Chosen in one of His humble houses. I would have been elated to have received you in a more… dignified environment but my workload has been immense these last days. No offense."
"None taken." Noire nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I sometimes feel the same way with paperwork. I suspect those damn papers are actually monsters waiting for us to die from overwork."
Balmus chuckled. It seemed they were kindred souls on that matter. "Maybe it's just one of the tribulations that the Lord charged us with, but enough jesting. To what I owe this visit?" While it would be obvious for the Heroes to visit the central cathedral for the Red Hourglass of the Dragon's Era and other services, he would have never expected for at least one of them to directly seek an audience with the Pope. Not that he's complaining, to the contrary. It was simply… unexpected.
"I heard this country worshipped the Heroes as some sort of deities." Noire began. "And that this is the main headquarters of the religion. I am curious as to how it is compared to back home."
Balmus suppressed a sigh. Even if the Heroes were chosen by God's Will, they still came from different worlds with their own history, culture and… religion. Even the Three Heroes Church had roots in one such religion… Christianism, was it? He knew because he had complete clearance to any archive, historical or otherwise. There were even some preserved copies of Christian holy texts, the Bible, that some of the Heroes had on them when summoned and served as foundations for their faith though changing some things for convenience, of course. Not that many people knew about it and it was better for it to remain that way. Some parts of the Bible and Christianism in general were contrary or detrimental to the interests of the Church so they omitted them or just changed them.
Also, there were so many branches of Christianism (don't know if all those exists in the same world or just parallel divergence) that, yeah, it was better to do it their way so as to not confuse anyone.
Though that didn't mean all Heroes were Christian, after all, let's be realists. The majority of them were atheists (the nerve!) or followed other faiths like Buddhism (which didn't attract the Church too much to incorporate it) or Shintoism. At least that one was interesting, considering it preaches that gods or kami are actually spirits that are present in everything.
That last one helped them give a reason to justify the divine nature of the Weapons as well as the Heroes that wielded them, which ironically also extended to other Hero based faiths in the world. Even though his personal interpretation was that of the figure of the Messiah or Savior that the Jewish had in mind.
"So you came to speak of theology?" Balmus asked, genuinely curious.
"Something like that." The Sword Hero affirmed. "As well as other things like the apparent separation of State and Religion."
Balmus blinked "Sorry, but I think I don't follow because this Church represents the official religion of the country." Some gears begin to click. "Unless… you mean the Church not having more power in political decisions?"
"Something like that." Noire shrugged. "In Gamindustry, the Church is the one in charge of the country's government. Sure, the division between clergy and the politicians is more apparent these last decades but they're still part of the same organization."
"A theocracy…" That word reminded Balmus of his ultimate goal of taking over the country and the power he would wield in the name of God to spread His message to the ignorant and launch crusades to the impure and demonic demi-humans. However, he still was in the way to accomplish that goal and having the Heroes on his side is one of the more important parts of his plan.
He coughed. "And what principles does your faith base on? Because I find it a little difficult for a religious organization to have complete control over a country for centuries, from my experience here, I mean." At least not yet.
The Sword Hero took a deep breath "I hope I am not being disrespectful to your faith to the point of sacrilege but seeing as I was chosen by a divine artifact." She summoned her Sword. The proof of being a Cardinal Hero. "And you seem to have an open mind, I'll begin from the beginning.
According to myth, in the advent of civilization, humans have been harassed by uncountable hordes of monsters that threatened their existence. Their cries and prayers for help reached the Original Goddess who observed the world from her heavenly realm of Celestia. Moved by their plight, she decided to take those prayers, condense them into a physical matter and give them the form of warrior goddesses that are not only tasked with protecting humanity but guide it. Those goddesses, or Console Patron Units as we know them, have since taken diverse roles to fulfill their duties: teachers, friends, soldiers, priestesses or even rulers. That last role became the standard as to what to expect from a proper CPU. And due to them being born and powered by faith or Shares, they run the risk of losing their divine powers if their people lose faith, and some even died, literally, because no one believed in them anymore.
In order to continue generating Shares for them to keep on, CPUs fought amongst themselves, driving their whole countries into war, which resulted in innumerable CPUs names and nations being forgotten from History.
Nowadays, there are four countries standing in Gamindustri: Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox. They used to be in conflict like many before them, a period we know as the Console Wars. Thankfully, hostility died down decades ago and with the signing of the Friendship Treaty and time, there's no longer any of the bad blood from the past. Sure, the current Goddesses still compete for Shares but in a less destructive manner not to talk more productively." Noire finished with a proud tone.
"Interesting…" Balmus mused. "I never imagined that a world different from ours would have a predicament similar to ours with the Waves and the consequent folly born from human greed. In fact, those 'CPUs' of yours have many similarities with our Heroes."
"Huh? Really?" The Hero turned to her Sword again, observing with more scrutiny.
"Yes. They may have been born mortal but each time we pray for salvation from the Waves, God Himself chooses those worthy of the Legendary Weapons as carriers of His Will, being beacons of light in our darkest moments and moral paragons that everyone should follow the example of. They even created a few countries themselves, like Faubrey."
"Wow. Maybe I should leave my job back at home and rule my own country here as God-Empress of Mankind or something. Though I bet it would be even more stressful with the greater amount of paperwork." The Sword Hero joked while looking once more towards the Pope's remaining paperwork.
Balmus chuckled though someone would tell that laugh was a little bit hollow as if dead from the inside.
"I'd love to speak more about our respective worlds and religion but my schedule wouldn't allow me." Balmus said. "If you need to ask anything more right now, the devouts here will answer you without fail. I'd highly recommend registering with the Hourglass right now, Sword Hero. Not only to allow you to transport you to the Waves themselves, the sand it contains will allow your Weapon to develop teleportation abilities which could prove useful."
"I am grateful for your help." The Sword Hero bowed. "I promise that I'll return the favor."
"You don't have to worry. Being here saving our world is enough to satisfy the Lord and I'm sure your goddesses would be proud of you."
"... Yeah." The Sword Hero averted her face and made it directly to the door.
"I'd suggest to be careful of the Shield Hero." Balmus suddenly said at the exact moment the Sword Hero was about to exit the room. "I don't say this as the Pope but as a friend. There's been a huge number of disturbing rumors about him recently so I don't know how would the people react to anyone associated with him."
"Thanks for the advice." She quietly said when finally going out.
Balmus could only sigh, thinking what to do with that information gained about the Sword Hero's world. At least he managed to plant the seeds of doubt in her about the Shield Demon. Maybe more meetings like this would be necessary to win her over to their side completely.
While Balmus schemed amongst the paperwork, he didn't notice that Noire, the current Sword Hero and Lastation's CPU, Black Heart, was sporting a look of absolute distrust but not towards Danny but the Church of the Three Heroes itself. She already did a bit of her homework before coming there and she didn't like it one bit.
She cannot believe that a portion of her Shares are now coming from a bunch of xenophobic people that seems to have an irrational hate for a guy that hasn't been even for two days there. It sickens her to the core.
It seems a God will have to personally take care of the corruption of their own faith. Eventually.
Four Heroes Saga
Elena Haven never wanted to become an adventurer. It's simply in her nature.
Why risk your own neck killing monsters and collecting herbs when you can make a quick buck buying and reselling things and save enough for a luxurious retirement?
However, her own family situation was somewhat complicated. If she didn't get to be a Hero's companion, she'd be forced to marry someone their parents would choose.
So she took up adventuring in order to shut them up and maintain her independent lazy lifestyle.
With that in mind, she went to the royal palace when the Heroes were summoned. She was about to choose the Spear Hero but she changed her mind.
Gene Starwind, the Bow Hero. While at first glance he would be confused as a flirty loudmouthed mercenary, her merchant instinct told her that he was something more. As illogical as it may sound, gut feelings were incredibly important in the ever changing and traitorous environment that was the business world.
And it's probable she hit a gold mine.
Just after the meeting, he asked for the value of the currency as well as the economical state of the country and its security as well as other apparently unimportant topics like food and religion that actually gave a lot of information about the country. And his relaxed and cocky demeanor disguised the fact that he was observing and listening everywhere. Not to tell about the rumors where he single handedly negotiated terms with the king.
That man was a sly fox with a silver tongue.
"So that's the Guild, eh?" He let out a whistle when he observed the aforementioned building. That was their number one priority destination. When asked why, he told them that without money, nothing could ever be done. That put him even more points in her book.
He also complained how easy it would be finding a decent job there compared to back home. That would explain why he seemed nearly focused in obtaining all profit possible.
"Yes, Sir Bow Hero. This is where people all around the kingdom post their problems and where adventurers reunite to solve them for money. You'll never find a more reliable way to make money." Myne Sophia latched onto Gene's arm while putting such a sweet facade that it hurts to see, whether from jealousy or cringe.
Gene didn't outwardly said or acted anything against her but Elena's training as a merchant allowed her to see the smallest signs of discomfort he let out like the twitching and the sweat drops. Guy was good at acting but not as good. But compared to the one to his side, it was infinitely better, if she correctly guessed who the female redhead was actually.
That would also mean he put on that act at the castle to protect the Shield Hero which may have probably saved the kid's life. Nothing against the Shield but with Melromarc's stance against the demi-humans and his lack of offensive stats, Fenton's probabilities of survival would have been even lower with Myne at his side.
Once having the Hero registered at the Guild, which demonstrated his inability to read the language, much to his frustration, he gave them money to spend on anything that they seemed necessary. After a little while of convincing Myne and giving her more money than he gave her initially, of course, they went their separate ways until they reunited at the inn.
Elena decided to screw that and followed Gene silently until they both entered a bar, one after the other.
"So, what comes?" He ordered some beer. "Because I doubt you followed me to ask me on a date."
"As if." Elena rolled her eyes. "I just came to talk, that's all."
"Right. A team-building exercise. Le 's go with that." He clapped his hands. "What do you wanna talk about?"
"You're not an ordinary mercenary, are you?"
"I dunno, it's not like I tried hard to conceal it." He drank from his beer. "My personal motto is freedom and living free requires a lot of money. Back home, we have an odd-jobs business to make meets end with the occasional bounty hunting and bodyguard job but some events in our lives increased our expenses..." He tsked. "... a lot. But it was worth it and I don't regret it."
"In my opinion, a lazy luxurious lifestyle is all I'd ask for." Elena said while drinking from her own drink. "Though I also recognize the paradox of having to earn it and not lose it."
"Wow. Money problems, too?"
"Nah. My mother is a merchant. Learned all from her. The problem is that my father is an old school noble that expects me to marry some other noble or whatever."
"I guess some parents are like that here, too. Speaking of unwanted marriages, I have a friend, a merchant too, that promised a woman to marry him if she wins a martial arts tournament for five consecutive years."
"And what's the problem?"
"He's gay." Elena spat her drink "He made that promise in the hopes he would get her off his back without breaking her heart due to the improbability of winning a year after another. However, he underestimated what love and craptons of exercise are able to do. Seriously, she has so many muscles that she could outmuscle a muscle man."
"I… it's difficult to imagine." She sweatdropped, trying to imagine a woman that resembled a really buff man with a crush on a homosexual man.
Gene laughed "He hired our group to infiltrate the tournament so that she wouldn't win for the fifth time." He paused. "We kinda ended up burning the stadium but that was due to an enemy of ours that was also there by coincidence. Completely unrelated. At least we got paid. And no, we didn't kill that woman. She's still after the guy." He laughed.
"I see." Now it was her turn to smirk. "Speaking of coincidences, did you know that Myne is actually one of the princesses of the country?" Gene's drink is now the one to be spit.
"What?!" He shouted "Does that mean I wooed a royal?!"
"And I think you pissed off her daddy dearest." She chuckled even more at Gene's rising despair.
"Wait a minute. If she's a princess, why would her father allow her to go on a dangerous mission? Doesn't she have royal duties?"
"Easy. She isn't the heir to the throne." Elena explained "Her father spoiled her so much that she became a conceited bitch. She was so nasty that the queen chose her younger daughter as crown princess."
"I knew something was off about her." Gene put his hand over his face. "Though I'd never have guessed with that sugar-poisoning act. And the king didn't say anything? I guess he'd have objected to the change of succession or at least overrule it." He shrugged, having no idea of the politics of royal families.
"Melromarc is a matriarchy." She revealed "While the king has some authority, the queen is the one who has the last word and the person responsible for the majority of politics here. The king consort assumes the queen's authorities whenever she isn't readily available."
"But that means... " Gene's head was forming a worrying image. "Had Aultcray permission to summon the Heroes in the first place?"
"I don't know." Elena shrugged "Last I heard of the queen was that she was at an international meeting. I ignore the details but if word comes to the other countries that all the Heroes were summoned and hoarded by a single power, tensions would rise. Heroes and their Weapons are not only one-man armies that could boost an army's proficiency enormously but are important religious figures which consequently leads up to them having political power that anyone would kill to control. If I were the queen, I'd have the nightmare of trying to reign in all that chaos and hope for war not to break out."
"So the king made a dick move when his wife wasn't around and left her with all that fallout?" Gene was now rubbing his head in exasperation. "Give me a break. Any more things I should know to watch out for?"
"Weeell." Elena played with her empty beaker. "There are rumors that Malty, Myne's real name, led multiple men she went went to bed with to their deaths by accusing them of rape."
Gene's eyes widened though they quickly narrowed "Explain."
"As you may know, Melromarc is a matriarchy, any serious crime committed towards a woman is punishable with death. Usually, there would be investigations and trials but considering that manipulating princess has her daddy wrapped around her finger…"
Gene's face paled considerably "How true is that?" He asked softly.
"Just ask around. Not many people in the capital have a flattering opinion about her."
"Then, why?" Gene asked. "Why tell me all that bullcrap? If all that is true, wouldn't that be considered treason to your country or at least make you a target for anyone with plans for the heroes?"
Elena was silent for a while "At the beginning, I was going to choose the Spear Hero, the one said to be the most powerful of the four. But in the end, I chose to trust my gut. Why?" She pointed her head "Because you have a brain. Heck, even I suspect you bothered to keep that bitch to do a favor to the Shield kid. He would've been screwed otherwise. And it seems you have a nose for business, which is all I was searching for. Satisfied?"
"...Are you proposing me a business offer?" Gene asked somewhat incredulous.
"Take it or leave. I don't wish to be around the bitch much longer just in case."
Gene couldn't resist laughing it all "If Jim were here, he either would have rejected you in the act or agreed to it with the greediest smile you could imagine."
"He sounds like someone I would go along with." Elena commented.
"Sure, as long as you can put up with the bloated ego of an eleven-year-old brat."
Next morning…
"Sir Heroooooo!" Myne knocked Gene's door "It's morning! We have to be prepared for the day!"
Seeing as she was not hearing an answer, she opened the surprisingly unlocked door.
At that inn's dorm, there was no trace of the man called Gene Starwind.
With the exception of a letter.
Let's say when Malty read it, she cursed his name with all the fury her true psychopathic self could come up with.
In a nondescript moving carriage hopefully far away from the capital…
"Was it a good idea to leave a letter like that to her?"
"Hey. It cost me a lot to come up with it. I wouldn't like all that hard work dedicated to her end up in vain."
"If by 'hard work', you meant me writing whatever insult passed through your head and mouth in a full paper sheet while drunk, with the most poetic way possible and with small letters to have more space to write, then good work. Now I can't help but cringe or blush due to words I didn't even know existed. Because holy shit, I thought sailors sweared like that."
"Well, I guess I'd be considered a 'sailor' of sorts."
"..."
"..."
"You know, what do you think about 'Starwind and Haven Enterprises' as name for our own company?"
"... Sure."
Four Heroes Saga
Rifana was scared.
Not for her life but that of her friend, Raphtalia.
Why? Because she's already dead.
Ever since they were captured and sold as slaves to Idol Rabier, the madman tortured them. Day by day. Whether by leaving them to starve to death imprisoned in his dark dungeons or forced to endure his whip, hearing him laugh with an sadistic laugh that borders on arousement.
Rifana was one of those who suffered the hardest. Not helping matters was that she fell ill. Poor Raphtalia was worried sick about her dear friend. Rifana would simply answer with a smile and assure her that everything would be alright.
Except one morning when everything went completely wrong even for their screwed up situation.
When she woke up, she was shocked to see Raphtalia check up on her own unconscious body like a mere spectator. When she examined herself, she discovered she was see-through and intangible, in comparison to the visible and solid corpse that was her own body.
And to make matters worse, the guards brought Raphtalia outside in order to be transported and sold off to another slaver.
While Rifana's newfound spirit state allowed her to ignore walls and be unnoticed by the guards while following her friend, that also meant no one was able to hear her anguished cries much less see her despairing face, much less Raphtalia, who she no longer will be able to touch anymore.
The only thing she could do was watch over her and convince herself that Raphtalia wouldn't be alone whatever happened.
But the carriage would never reach its destiny, for it was ambushed by monsters. Without any escort, the demonic wolves quickly killed the driver, though not without suffering. The attack broke the carriage, allowing Raphtalia to escape but she also found herself pursued by the wolves.
"Run, Raphtalia! Run." Rifana cried with all the strength her non-bodily voice was able to. She wasn't able to do anything else. Even if she still had a body and Raphtalia was able to perceive her, she also didn't have the strength necessary to protect her. Not now. Not before at Idol's dungeons and neither when their home was razed by the Wave and the slavers.
"Please!" She prayed. "Someone! Anyone! Save her!" Immaterial tears burst forth from her invisible eyes, for whatever deity that could save one of her remaining friends. "Shield Hero…"
One of the wolves jumped over Raphtalia, pinning her to the ground. The impact made her hit her head, losing consciousness.
And when the wolf was about to give the killing blow, when Rifana's soul was shouting Raphtalia's name, a green beam impacted the wolf, pushing it away from Raphtalia!
More beams came, killing the wolves until no monster was left alive. No longer after that, someone else came over.
"Phew!" A white haired teenager with glowing green eyes breathed out. "Man, I was lucky that my ghost sense turned on or I wouldn't notice this." He checked Raphtalia. "At least she's alive. Probably needs some medical care."
Rifana was shocked. Not only because the stranger was faintly glowing and flying like nothing or his strange black and white clothes but also because of what he had on one of the arms.
A Shield.
The Shield Hero replied to her prayers despite being dead herself.
And he was now looking at her right now.
"Um, hi?" He awkwardly waved a hand. "You wouldn't be the ghost I sensed earlier, right?"
AN: Fucking. Finally.
Again, sorry for not posting this chapter sooner but I am not a professional writer, this is a hobby and I only tend to write when the plot bunny goes out of its hole, that and I want to research as much as I can before writing a single chapter for any story, despite starting this one in the middle of summer. (Not to talk about class, games and other kinds of procrastination)
In my mind, this was some sort of experiment to see if I could handle the POVs that weren't the Heroes themselves but that interact with them as well as add more things from those other perspectives.
For Erhard, I had to check which volume contained his backstory and ended up binging the 13th one. Not only I glimpsed the character of his master but had the 'pleasure' of knowing the levels of fanaticism and politicking around the Shield Hero. If I were Naofumi, I'd just run the hell out of Siltvelt while loudly complaining about the inhabitants and why they suck for not allowing their god not even a bit of freedom. Urgent need to go to Q'ten Lo be damned, I'd just try to find a ship to stow away there. Hope Danny has better luck…
The bits about Tomoe's armor or yoroi were extracted from information I researched on the net, including the silk cords that hold it together and that could also be made from leather, the silk ones could only be afforded by the incredibly rich families like Yoshinaka's. Japanese warfare evolution is incredibly interesting, maybe because I see a lot of Shadiversity videos as well as few others that are actually about medieval Japan weaponry.
Besides, Erhard is such a jolly fellow to write!
The Balmus section, well. I'll admit I was intrigued by how a corrupt religious chessmaster would think. Not to talk about imagining what a villain in a position of power, whether obtained legally or through morally ambiguous means, stuck in the nightmare that is bureaucracy. Like Palpatine when he was Chancellor of the Republic and consequently Emperor. No matter if it brings enormous amounts of power and prestige, a position of authority requires you to deal with its equivalent quantity of paperwork!
And I also have an answer as to why a lot of isekais had pseudo-Catholic religions. In this one setting was easy: it was brought by otherworlders and changed/taken profit of by the inhabitants to match their interests. Let's be clear on something: I may not be religious but I had a Catholic education due to the school I went to from child to adult so I have a huge respect for it. However, I admit that the Catholic Church and many other branches of Christianism and other religions made a huge amount of errors during its long history and continue to do so. And while I cringe at the portrayal that Christianism gets in most Japanese media, especially in the supernatural genre, I cannot fault them. Zealots and corrupt priests are a pain in the ass and I hope the ones in charge work better in rooting out corruption the best humanly possible way they can. For any religion.
Rant aside, Noire's visit could be hilariously downplayed equivalent to the stories of a company's boss disguised as another worker more to see how it actually works though it could also be the equivalent of Jesus Christ disguising himself as just another archbishop or saint and visiting the Vatican at its most corrupt, with no one including the Pope knowing the Son of Christ talked to them and is secretly disgusted by their actions. You know of his famous angry rant at the Temple in Jerusalem.
And Noire's infodump? Well, as much of a parody the Neptunia games are, the CPUs of the past aren't a matter that are explored in greater detail save for one or two. It's hinted multiple times that Gamindustry had many CPUs before Neptune, Noire, Blanc and Vert but we only know of two of Neptune's predecessors: Uzume and Uranus, and we don't know much about their reigns much less the latter's face! And they're supposed to be one of the most important elements of the series! Though granted, if the series were to be more about politics like Fire Emblem, it wouldn't attract its intended public as much, I think, though at least we know a bit about Gamindustri politics and society, but not as much as say, The Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age. Heck, even Arknights has an incredibly immersive lore despite not knowing much yet about Terra. Come on, Compile Heart! We need a new main game with more lore, Gamindustri needs to be more fleshed out!
So I chose to write my own headcanon of what CPUs are supposed to be while mixing it with a bit of the Superdimension lore but adapted to the Hyper Dimension in a sort of mythological and religious explanation. Ironically, Legendary Heroes would be closer to Ultra Dimension CPUs due to obtaining divine powers from being chosen by artifacts/items (Legendary Weapons and CPU Memory). Let's say Noire is a Goddess from two worlds now. Not bad for a workaholic tsundere. Though she'll have to deal with the Three Heroes Faith and maybe the Church of the Shield.
About Elena Haven, she's probably one of my favourite characters, being a competent, if lazy, businesswoman that had the bad luck of following Motoyasu, forced to being an airheaded cheerleader due to Malty's presence until the fallout with the Spirit Turtle where she basically said, screw it, and got out of the Pervert Spear party to avoid being persecuted. Though I've yet to personally read the parts where she talks or acts directly as her own character, I think I have enough info from TV Tropes and the wiki to portray her, I think.
I put her with Gene to compensate for not having Jim, his hypercompetent business partner and tech specialist who he constantly bickers with. Hope I portrayed her intelligence as well as laziness well. I read that she also bickers with Naofumi in canon so at least she has a sense of sarcasm, I think.
And giving the middle finger to Bitch and abandon her like a woman scorned was one of my favourite parts. The Hawking and Haven Enterprises will be the ones to mirror Naofumi's mercantile avenues so they may probably be the first group to go to Zeltoble.
And for everyone that was waiting for it, Rifana is alive! Well… actually no, but her spirit is still there. While ROTSH ghosts and spectral-like monsters may be different from DP ghosts, they're still compatible enough to affect each other. Like, mayyyybe giving them a transfusion of ectoplasma to give them tangible bodies and a set of incredibly versatile powers that include shapeshifting. At least, Raphtalia will be incredibly glad one of her best friends is with her, actually dead state be damned. The Shield Hero that saved them is also a ghost for crying out loud! Wonder how anyone else would take it if they discovered his half-ghost nature as well as Tomoe and Noire's demonic and divine sides, especially the world's religions like the Church of the Shield and the Church of the Shield, especially after reading volume 13. Will they be considered heretical abominations or be interpreted as beings that represent or reached a higher state of existence? Or just many groups with their own beliefs and interpretations like what happens in real life.
I had to rewatch the scene of Rifana's death and Raphtalia being taken away from her friend. It filled me with sadness and anger! Don't worry, Idol will suffer for it! I swear! Crazy Diamond style!