+The Sentence+


"Why in the name of Rice did the damned king call us here this early?" Yoyo yawned as we marched through the corridors to the throne room.

"Fuck if I know." I irritably rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to do away with my lack of presentableness before we reached the throne room.

The two of us were called-quite early in the morning, might I add, to go to the throne room at once.

Well, we were just about here, now, and if he didn't give me a damn good reason for calling us here, I might just beat him to a pulp.

"You're thinking murderous thoughts again, aren't you?"

"No." my tone was perfectly even. "I assure you I am calm."

"Doesn't mean you aren't plotting bloody murder at the same time. You've always been quite the multitasker."

I snorted at that and pushed open the door.

"Greetings to you, Motoyasu, Itsuki, and-wait, miss Myne?"

Sure enough, there she'd stood in the equipment that Naofumi had bought for her yesterday.

What's going on here? Wasn't she partnered with Naofumi? Why was she standing behind Motoyasu?

"Wait, what's happening?" Yoyo voiced the thought bouncing around in my head.

"We're bringing a criminal to justice." Itsuki smiled reassuringly at my brother.

At that moment, the doors burst open again, and a number of guards dragged Naofumi in at spearpoint-

-forcing me to my knees, clapping me in irons and bringing a branding iron dow-

I shook my head to clear it. Losing myself in thought would do me no good here.

"What's going on?" Evidently he had no more idea what he'd done wrong than I did. He looked around and his eyes widened. "Myne, you're ok!"

Her expression only became twisted in fear and she hid herself behind Motoyasu, who, now that I think on it, was clad in a very familiar set of Chainmail Armour.

He seemed surprised at the look Myne gave him, then put it aside and turned to the king. "Yo, King! I had everything but my shield stolen while I was sleeping!"

I glanced suspiciously at Motoyasu and the lady beside him. There was only one person Naofumi gave his room access to. And neither me nor my brother were that person.

The set of Chainmail Armour looked more and more familiar to me.

"Please," Naofumi was still addressing the king, "find the-"

"Silence, scum!"

The man in front of me was just as shocked as I was at the king's yell. From all that I'd seen so far, Naofumi had no idea that he was guilty of anything, and yet the king behind me was convinced that he was.

I was missing something here, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Myne, you poor adventurer." The king addressed her, ignoring Naofumi completely now. "Could you please testify once more for us?"

Testify? For what?

"Th-The Shield Hero barged into my room drunk last night and pinned me down."
"""Huh?"""

Naofumi, Yoyo and I all voiced that at once, all of us looking directly at Myne.

"He'd said that "The night was still young." and tore my clothes off!"

Wait, wait, wait-what?

"I somehow escaped and ran to Sir Motoyasu, who happened to be staying at the same inn, for help!"

"Wh-What the hell?" By the look in his eyes, it was fairly obvious none of that was true.

"If she hadn't told me to wait till morning and call for the guards, I'd have cut you down myself!"

Wait, now that I think about it, I did hear a commotion going on last night…

But it was nowhere near Naofumi's room.

"What are you talking about?!" Naofumi shouted back. "I went straight to bed after dinner last night!"

His eyes suddenly narrowed. "Wait...that chainmail...So you were the robber?!"

"Who are you calling a robber?" Motoyasu sneered back. "Myne gave this to me as a present when I met her at the pub yesterday."

"So in other words, she stole it?" Yoyo whispered to me.

I nodded pensively. "Probably."

"To think the Shield Hero would commit the greatest taboo in this country. In Melromarc, attempting to sexually assault a woman is punishable by death!"

Not too surprising, considering this was a matriarchy.

Speaking of which, why was the queen not here again?

"I'm telling you, you have the wrong idea! I didn't do it! If you're so convinced I did, bring out some proof already!"

Honestly though, evidence could do quite a bit in proving a man guilty or innocent.

Why did it take this long to bring some out?

"When we searched the Shield Hero's room, we found this on his bed." A guard kneeled before the king and-

What in the name of-?

A torn piece of underwear?

Myne squeaked in humiliation at the sight of it and Motoyasu roared at Naofumi, calling him an animal.

"There you have it," declared the king, "undeniable evidence."

Sure, it supports your accusation of him, but this proves what exactly?

"How?" Naofumi was in disbelief. "It wasn't there when I woke up!"

"What a shame." Itsuki shook his head in disappointment. "I was worried something bad might happen, but this...I thought you knew better, Naofumi."

"I already said that it isn't true!"

"You aren't the be all end all in this world." Motoyasu levelled his spear at the man who was already surrounded by spears. "Know your place!"

Naofumi made to stand up.

"Sir Motoyasu, I'm scared!" Myne hid herself further behind Motoyasu's back, but then she pulled her hands slightly away from her face slightly, so that her lip was revealed.

I don't know what the custom here was, but I was fairly certain an assault victim would not be smiling.

It only reinforced my belief that this entire thing was bull.

"I see...It was all a setup, wasn't it?!" Naofumi's expression twisted in rage as he saw the satisfied smirk on Myne's face. "You only partied with me to steal my equipment and money, huh?!"

"I don't think the man deserves mercy." Itsuki glared at Naofumi. "Committing a crime and dismissing all the evidence while making nonsensical accusations of his own?"

"It really was a mistake to summon all the heroes together."

"Exactly, they never should've summoned the Shield Hero."

More and more of these whispers drifted in from the peanut gallery.

*Stomp*

"SILENCE!"

Yoyo snapped before I did, that's a first.

"I'm derailing this farce." Yoyo's own expression was furious. "I can't fathom why you're all so damn eager to convict an innocent man."

Hushed gasps echoed at my brother's declaration.

"You are all skeptical." Yoyo echoed my words from yesterday morning. "I do not blame you for it. After all, all the evidence was shown, right? Now, what if–and hear me out here–just what if the evidence was absolute horseshit?"

"A serious claim to make." The king glared at my brother. "What evidence could you possibly have to countermand the accusation?"

"I, as well as my brother, can testify as witnesses." I put my hand on his shoulder. "For you see, the two of us accompanied Naofumi for much of the day."

Sleaze Bag turned towards me, eyes narrowed. "But how? The rule of separation–"

"–is absolute bullshit." Yoyo cut him off. There was no sign of his usual joviality present. "Unfortunately, it's still a rule, so we couldn't fight together."

He smiled coldly, then. "Of course, the rule said nothing about out of combat situations."

"We were with Naofumi and Miss Myne for much of the day, as my brother said." I picked up where Yoyo stopped. "Even at the inn that apparently three of the Cardinal Heroes were at. We dined at the same table, no less, and I can confirm that Naofumi didn't so much as take a sip of any liquor."

I turned in a circle, casting my gaze upon everyone else who stood there.

"Not enough evidence? I could go on." Yoyo and I stepped around from where we were standing to face the king directly "My brother and I shared a room. Single bed. We slept in shifts to prevent someone from sneaking in and taking our silver and equipment. Neither he nor I have heard any commotion from Myne's room, but we heard a disturbance from Naofumi's, as well as what was supposedly miss Myne fleeing to Motoyasu's room."

"And how, exactly, does this prove Naofumi's innocence?" The king regarded me cooly.

My eyes narrowed. "With all due respect, Your Assness, I could ask the same of you. How exactly is a torn piece of underwear and your word irrefutable evidence of Naofumi's guilt?"

"Silence! For daring to support a man who is clearly guilty of assault and questioning the word of the rightful king, I declare the Sword Hero, Edwin Ferris, guilty by association!"

...So that's how we're playing it then?

Well, I've been guilty of worse things, so that's not really a huge thing against me.

"'Guilty by association'," I smirked emptily, "what a convenient falsehood for you lot to hide behind."

"The justice system in this place seems really fair. Totally unbiased." Yoyo sneered at everyone gathered.

And to think, not two days ago he was telling me not to antagonize the ruling party.

I suppose they antagonized us first though.

"Fine then." Naofumi was far less calm than either of us. "I care not anymore, send me back to my world and summon another Shield Hero or whatever whenever you feel like. Screw all of this, why the hell should I have to go through this in a whole different world?!"

"You…" Itsuki glared at him in disgust. "After all you've done, how could you even think of not doing your job?"

"Yeah, get lost." Motoyasu sneered. "No one wants to fight alongside a rapi–"

My brother's yoyo zipped past his ear and cratered the wall behind him.

"Finish that sentence." His glare could've frozen Magmus Ridge. "I dare you."

"Just return us to our worlds already. You clearly don't want any of us here." I wanted this farce of a trial to end before I snapped and killed the king.

Or everyone that wasn't Naofumi, me or Yoyo, really.

"As much as I'd like to do as you wish," the king sighed theatrically, "legend has it that new heroes can only be summoned once the previous ones die."

"So we can't even go home then?" Naofumi snarled.

"You certainly could. After you fight off all the Waves, of course."

So we're damned to fight for you bastards with the likes of Motoyasu?

"You're telling me we have to fight with people like them?" Motoyasu gave us a disgusted look.

"How amusing, I could say much the same." I sneered right back.

"Fuck that." Naofumi had reached his breaking point. "We'll handle the Waves our way."

He shoved the spearmen aside, who began going in to try and restrain him again.

This time, a wave of power from the shield blasted them backwards.

"So, Your Dicklessness, what shall it be?" Yoyo's fury was palpable. "Are you throwing us in the dungeons until the Waves arrive?"

"There's no point in doing so. The next Wave is almost upon us as it is. Scumbags or not, you are still the only ones who can fight off the Waves. However, knowledge of the Shield Hero's crimes have already been spread among the populace, and your support of him in spite of it will soon reach their ears as well. Do not presume that either of you will live decent lives in this country."

"I already know as much." Naofumi growled. He then turned to Motoyasu, and Myne who was still hiding behind him. "This is what you wanted right?" He pulled out a fistful of silver. "Take it then, and may you lot choke on it." He threw it to their feet.

We began to take our leave when Motoyasu rushed at us. "Now wait just a momen–"

I levelled my sword at his face without turning.

"You really shouldn't associate with us dirtbags." My tone alone could've cut him apart. "Who knows, our evil might be contagious. Go back to your harem, Spear Hero."


+Support of the Sword Hero+


It's been a day since the sentence passed. Naofumi finally hit level 2 after, apparently, fighting through all of last night.

Baldy gave him some basic equipment at five coppers so that he could at least survive the monsters, but that didn't change the fact that his attack power was practically crap.

The two of us did some fighting as well, and we'd reconvened at the gates so that we can sell some of our goods.

Mostly low-level mats, but we had no more need for those.

"How does 1 copper for a pair sound?"
"Deal."

That was the conversation going on as we marched to the stand where a man was trading in orange balloon skins himself. Completing the transaction, he paled upon seeing our faces, and scarpered.

"Welcome." The trader greeted us curtly.

Naofumi was just as curt. "Buy these." He produced a bag of orange balloon skins.

I removed the bag on my own back, filled to the brim with orange balloon skins, and set it on the stand. "Mine as well."

"Orange balloon skins, huh? Hm...120 in all...how does 1 copper for the lot sound."

"Considering you were offering 1 for a pair earlier," Naofumi narrowed his eyes, "I'd say it sounds like crap."

"Was I now?" He shrugged carelessly. "You must understand that I have a business to run."

"Oh I do." Naofumi yanked him forwards by the collar, waving his cape aside with his left arm to reveal a number of orange balloons biting down on it. "Will these fetch a better price, perhaps?"

I smiled mirthlessly as Naofumi "bargained". All we really wanted at the moment was treatment equal to any ordinary citizen. It was kind of sad that we had to go to such measures to get it.

Then again, displays like the one Naofumi was showing me would never, ever get old.

"I'd bemoan about how we're acting like criminals," sighed Yoyo as the trader squirmed underneath Naofumi's cape of balloons, "but given that for all intents and purposes we are criminals, it's kind of a moot point."

Least we haven't had any bounty hunters after our heads.

Despite that thought, I couldn't help but feel as though we were being watched.


+Support of the Sword Hero+


A couple of nights after that, the three of us Reject Heroes were dining in a pub.

Naofumi had levelled up some more, and had also learned about weapon mastery from Yoyo. As well, he'd unlocked a shield that buffed mat quality, which was decent for getting things sold, I suppose.

Using the same materials he used for the shield yielded me the [Blade of Grass], which didn't deal much damage, but could stack a poisoning effect with each hit.

I assumed the poison only increased in potency as I levelled it up.

We were dining in silence when a group of people walked up.

"Oh great Shield and Sword Heroes." Jeez, his voice was greasy enough to give me diabetes. "We'll join your party."

"Yeah, yeah. Thank your lucky stars, the both of you." grinned a second one, clapping a hand on Naofumi's shoulder.

"Let us discuss the terms then." Naofumi didn't look up. "Your pay will be entirely performance-based. I trust you lot know what it means."

"Nope," boasted the first thug, "not a clue!"

They burst into raucous laughter before Naofumi interrupted. "It means that you'll be paid depending on the loot we earn. As leader, I'll take at least 40 percent, splitting the remainder at my discretion. Do nothing, and that's what you'll be paid."

"What the hell, that means you could keep it all for yourself!"

"No," I grinned, "he'll pay you fairly if you do the job.

"The key factor here, is of course, the word 'if'." Yoyo eyed the three of them, looking as though he was calculating how to take them down.

"Well, then, let's go buy us some equipment, hey?"

At this point, we were out of the pub and on the streets of the city.

"Do it yourselves. I have no reason to baby you lot." Naofumi's voice was dead even as he spoke.

"Forget it then." The thugs gave up on pretense. "Fork over your money."

A yoyo lashed out-and straight into one of the men's groin.

"If you'd just said so earlier," Yoyo's smiled coldly as the man he'd struck keeled over bonelessly, "we could've saved ourselves a lot of time."


+Support of the Sword Hero+


How did things come to this?

After we roughed up the thugs and forced them to scarper, we were approached by an even greasier man than Sleaze Bag, who'd offered the Shield Hero a solution to his party issues. Supposedly it was far more "convenient" than hired mercenaries.

I had my speculations on what that could've meant, and none of them were good.

"I don't like this, brother." Yoyo was fidgeting as we walked. "The man gives me bad vibes and so does his implications."

"I don't either," I admitted, "all we can do is remain vigilant."

We eventually arrived at a circus tent, kind of an odd sight when the surroundings were so run-down.

"Here we are." The man led us into the tent, inside of which were rows upon rows of cages.

And I could tell at a glance that what were contained were decidedly not animals.

"So," Naofumi started, "what exactly is it you're offering us?"

"Can't you tell at a glance, Sir Shield Hero? I'm offering slaves."

My blood ran cold.

"Slaves?" I repeated hollowly.

"Correct." The greasy bastard gestured widely. "I run a slave trading business."

Part of me wanted to kill him here and open up all the cages. That instinct was instantly and ruthlessly quashed.

I didn't need more shit to fuel the rumours' fire.

"What is it that makes you think that we want a slave, exactly?" Yoyo's eyebrows were raised, though he was also trying to mask his hostility.

"That would be the fact that they can neither lie nor betray their master."

...No. I've seen slavery in Cier, and I'm fairly certain that lying to one's master was possible.

Painful, certainly, if you were caught, but if one was careful enough, they wouldn't be.

"Slaves are placed under the effects of a curse. A potent, seal-based curse that can take one's very life."

Jeez, thank goodness this wasn't a thing in Cier.

"What say you, Sir Heroes?"

Naofumi didn't hesitate. "Show us your wares."

Why'd you have to lump us into this as well? Now we really are guilty by association.

"Very good, Sir Shield Hero. I can tell you have what it takes to be a wonderful patron!"

"We're really going through with this, huh?" Yoyo grimaced in distaste.

"Not as though we have a better choice." Naofumi's face was cold, but his eyes betrayed signs of his own apprehensiveness.

We marched down the rows of cages.

"I see there are non-human ones as well." Naofumi glanced at the cages as we marched.

"Oh no, they're human. Technically."

"Tell me more then." Naofumi didn't break stride. I'm not quite familiar with this world."

"Well," The slave trader hummed, "creatures that look human but aren't are called demi-humans. They're generally used for manual labour and servitude. Beastmen are demihumans who are more in tune with their bestial side, and are used as bodyguards or as participants in death matches that are gambled on."

Heh, so no matter where I went, racism was still the same, huh?

"But fundamentally, they fall under the same category?" Naofumi uttered tonelessly.

"Quite astute. And since demihumans are thought to be closer to monsters-"

"Prejudiced pieces of shit," I hissed venomously.

"-life would be hard for them in this human supremacist country." The slave trader continued as though he hadn't heard me. "As such, they're treated as slaves."

The three of us glanced around for a bit. There were rows upon rows of cages, piled one on top of the other. The animal features went as far as the eye could see: furred ears, reptilian skin, even nonhuman eyes that gazed unflinchingly back into my own every time I met them...

Seeing the lot of them here, all chained up, made me sick to my stomach. And the worst of it was, they'd likely be subjected to something worse-

-toiling endlessly beneath the earth, under an ever-watchful band of capto-

-if someone else more immoral than us "scum" to buy them, even possibly-

A quiet but persistent cough, followed by the rattling of chains, broke me out of my reverie.

Yoyo turned to me as I stared at my hands. "Brother, are you feeling ok?"

I took in a shuddering breath, repressing the damned memories that I could never seem to shake. "I'll be fine, Yoyo."

He didn't believe me, it was clear as day. But he let it go regardless.

I turned to where Naofumi had turned and strode over. "So, what was the noi-"

I froze.

The cage that Naofumi was facing held a brown haired demi-human, hair unkempt and dirty. Racoon ears stood at the top of her head, and judging by her complexion, it was clear she was sick. Most likely, she was the source of the cough.

But my attention-

-boy with blue eyes and hair was forced to the ground next to me, clapped in irons just as I was. The cruel branding iron, once more, cam-

-was focused on the cage next to hers.

"Yoyo…" I whispered.

"What is it?"

My gaze snapped back to him for a brief moment to confirm that he was there before I turned back to the cage.

Blue eyes glared tiredly back at me, framed by a mop of cyan hair, but that was where his similarities with Yoyo had ended. He had scales framing his cheeks and arms, and was clearly a different age of Yoyo, who stood beside me.

It was the age, however, that really struck me: he was roughly the same age as Yoyo when Blackwatch had invaded Aether.

"Brother…" Yoyo laid a hand on my shoulder. "Is this what you see in your nightmares?"

"No, I've seen worse." I didn't trust myself to give anything beyond a curt reply, because Yoyo had hit the nail on the head. My worst nightmares involved me failing to save Yoyo from sharing my fate, and the resulting images were something I tried my damnedest to forget.

Seeing this child before me wrapped in chains, however, brought it all back.

"Sir Heroes." The slave trader's voice brought me out of my stupor. "This is the slave I'd recommend." He pointed at a tarp-covered cage with his cane.

We marched over to the cage, where the man tore the tarp off. The wolf beastman slamming into the bars, snarling, nearly had me draw my sword on instinct.

"He's level 75, as you can see."

Nearly 8 times my and Yoyo's levels. I don't assume he was giving this to us for free.

"How much?" Naofumi came to the same conclusions as me.

"Seeing as it's highly proficient in battle, how does 15 gold for him sound?"

...We didn't even have gold.

"Showing us your most expensive slave knowing that we can't afford it, huh?" Yoyo scowled. His body language radiated his disapproval of the man.

"The heroes here are sure to become wonderful patrons of mine. I need them to develop an eye for the business as they go."

Don't be too sure of me being a patron of yours. I could just as easily slash all the locks off of the cages and burn your tent to the ground.

Of course, that would cause more issues than it would solve, but that was beside the point.

"Now then," grinned the fatass, "you've seen my best slave so tell me, what kind of slave do you want?"

"A cheap and obedient one." Naofumi responded.

"Cheap is the only criteria I really have." I followed.

"So, a demi-human then? I must warn you that they aren't suited to manual labour or combat."

"I'll train them if the need arises." Naofumi's tone was flat.

"Amusing words coming from someone who has no trust in people."

"But slaves aren't people. Training one would be no different than upgrading my shield."

Naofumi, I really hope you don't mean those words. Otherwise, I'd have to kill you on principle.

Or try, anyway, seeing as you have a bullshit defense stat.


+Support of the Sword Hero+


It was finally over.

Naofumi picked the racoon-eared girl to purchase-Raphtalia, her name was. Supposedly she had a mental illness as well as her own physical ailment. Scars left on her by her previous owner, who, and I quote the slave trader here, "loved his torture."

For his sake, he'd better be dead. Otherwise, I'll find him and bring karma's guillotine down on his head.

I elected to buy-it still felt uneasy, using that term-the reptilian boy, Deos, who was apparently a gladiator in a slave-fighting ring who'd fought with his bare hands and nothing else until he was sold off to the trader for "behavioural issues."

At least they didn't cripple him physically for it, though the scars on his body said that they punished him severely.

At any rate, we'd finished binding our respective-ugh-slaves to us, and were on our way out of the tent with Naofumi dragging Raphtalia, who seemed unwilling or unable to walk for the moment.

What a clusterfuck of a week this was, let's hope that things start looking up come morning.


A/N:

Abrupt ending, I know. It really was starting to get a bit long though.

So here's the trial scene, where words of witnesses mean nothing.

I was honestly debating how it would all go-after all, One certainly has the evidence to prove that Naofumi isn't guilty-when I realized that the king was also in on the plot.

Queen Mirelia outranked him, but she wasn't present, and thus, the highest authority of the kingdom was still technically Aultcrazy, and he was dead-set on seeing the Shield Hero convicted. A word from a "supposed witness" wasn't about to change that.

The other heroes could've thrown their support behind One once they realized he had evidence though right...?

Yeah, no. Motoyasu is one hundred percent wrapped around Myne's pinkie, and Itsuki, who was also present for Myne's initial "convincing" performance, is also disinclined to believe him.

Slave trader. Not much to say about it except that the brothers disapprove, but have no real choice-no one with a choice would want to party with them.

And I added some more factors so that One does, in fact, pick up his own slave. Because of his-ahem-personal experiences, he will rarely use the seal on Deos unless it's absolutely necessary in his opinion.

Still no action, but we'll get to it very soon.

I solemnly swear that thus far, I own nothing except Deos.

See you all around.