I actually had to rewrite the start of this chapter, because it turned out really poorly… I need to stop my excitement and not write when I'm clearly tired. But I've learned my lesson now! Hope you guys are prepared to finally see our favorite Raccoon girl!
Anyway… Roll chapter!
"Hehehehe! You've certainly taken a good decision, sir. But I think introductions are in order. Don't you think, shield hero?" The creepy little man suggested, twirling his mustache in a rather machiavellian way. He didn't seem really evil… But creepiness irradiated from him in a thick, dense cloud of aura.
"I think you might be right… I'm Kieran, the shield hero as you already know. It seems you've been observing me for a while…" Kieran's eyes narrowed, he probably never noticed his presence because his mind was always focused on the dark presence that always seemed to trail behind his back.
"Kekekke! Indeed good sir! I've been watching you for quite a good while, yes. Trying to pick the most correct moment to introduce myself… That being now! I'm Beloukas! I sell solutions to problems! Labor force? I've got you covered! House servants? I can provide them! Party members… That's what you came here for, right?" He explained while the two walked deeper into the circus tent. Kieran's nose was assaulted by the foul smell that came from the deeper parts of that hellhole…
Kieran did his best to control his emotions, he had to keep himself cordial… Currently, he needed all the allies he could get. But it was hard, every cell in his body screamed to him.
Murder. Murder the greedy pig. He deserves to die. Slavers are unworthy of life!
But he didn't possess either the power, nor the reason to do it… Yet at least. Maybe he could have his head in a spike in the future. But for now…
Beloukas guided him until one of the cages, a werewolf-like man stood there, growling at them. Kieran almost thought he was a monster, but looking in his eyes, Kieran saw a great deal of suffering and rage… He felt sympathy for the caged man. His fist clenched as Beloukas began to talk.
"This here is my finest merchandise! Yes sir, level 75, perfect for fighting!" The short man said proudly, gesturing to the cage. His smile never left his face.
"If you were watching me, then you know I don't have that kind of money… But I see what you're doing… I used to do this kind of thing back in my world. You show your finest, and most expensive merchandise… To make a client crave that, even if they don't have the money, they are more likely to come back to buy from you again." The situation was so ironic that he couldn't help but laugh… And he felt really bad about it. Comparing himself to that pig.
"You're very smart! Indeed, I have a few better alternatives that must suit your price range more… What are you looking for exactly?" He began walking again, guiding the shield hero deeper into the tent. The rancid smell seemed to grow stronger.
The sight he saw almost made him puke. Little children… With empty looks stood inside small cages riddled with filth. He had to place his hand against one of the closer cages to not lose his balance… The way he kept smiling like that was normal…
It made his blood boil.
"I… I'm looking for someone cheap. That I can raise into a good warrior. That won't catch too much attention maybe…" Kieran replied, trying to keep himself together, he watched the slaver pull a tarp in one of the cages… The kids there looked so miserable his heart shrinked.
They were all skin and bone. A boy had some genetic disorder on his hand… A girl was missing her eyes. Another boy didn't have both of his legs… And another boy was laying down in the cage… Without moving, flies were circling what he believed was a corpse.
He thought he saw something moving behind the blind girl's bandages.
He almost snapped.
"These are the cheapest ones I can get for you… But they're not too suited for battle I think… Unless you have some other strange abilities~" Beloukas teased, which infuriated Kieran a bit.
"Don't… Mess… With me." He warned, his hair covering his eyes. His teeth clenched so hard that Beloukas thought they would be broken if anyone else did that…
"Oh, I'm sorry sir! I misheard what you were looking for… My most sincere apologies. I'll guarantee that won't happen ever again." He said, sounding a bit sorry. His smile disappeared, while he tried to appease his newest client.
To be honest, if Kieran had access to all his resources, then he surely could help all those kids. Making prosthetics that moved like normal limbs was costly, and hard… But he was willing to give them a semblance of a normal life. It was especially hard to make ocular implants. It took a lot of expensive materials, and he had only done it a couple times…
But his pride always made him do it.
But he didn't have access to all those resources… He wasn't able to help them. As much as it saddened him. He turned his back on them. He kept muttering the same word into his head.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
But then, he heard some coughing from a cage not too far away from him. He felt… Drawn towards it. He walked a bit away from Beloukas, who called him, but to no avail.
Kieran pulled the dirty tarp he believed the cough came from. He soon found a small little girl, with what seemed to be tanuki ears on top of her head. As soon as she saw him, she recoiled back, visibly scared.
The scenery flashed a bit a few times. Alternating between the dark tent, and a dark alleyway. The little brown haired girl switching places with another girl, with vivid red hair. Tears appeared on the side of his eyes.
Kieran calmly crouched down, using his hands for balance. Beloukas had caught up to him, but didn't say anything. Not wanting to anger him enough that he would leave and never come back… He had so much potential to be a client! He needed to treat him with the utmost respect!
"It's okay… It's alright…" He said in a low, comforting voice. By going down to her level, he tried to be as non-intimidating as possible. He kept speaking in that calm soothing voice, and the little girl stopped trembling, but still looked scared. "I'm not here to hurt you… The world was mean enough to you as it is… I hope to be able to change that." He said, keeping himself still.
Raphtalia was surprised. The only person who ever spoke in such a manner was… Her dad. Ever since… The tragedy, no adult had ever sounded so kind like him. Tears were brought to her face, and she began to sob, sometimes coughing from her dry throat, and the sickness that was taking over her.
"P-papa… Papa… P-please…" Kieran almost thought that her mind was so far gone she had fallen into a delusion. The sight broke his heart. "D-don't… Don't go…"
"I wouldn't recommend this girl… You see, she's sick, and has a mental illness. Previous owners sold her back because she woke up crying in the night. Then, her last owner used to torture her every day for pleasure. I can offer you better options than her, ones that will give you a better warrior my good Sir." Beloukas was speaking more softly now, he felt like he was walking on eggshells, and he didn't want to trigger the conversation to send the hero into a frenzy…
If he managed to make this one deal, then he was sure he would get a client for life. Showing him those dejected children was a tactic to use his sympathy against him, and make him take his broken merchandise. But it backfired.
"No… I'll take her. What's her price?" Kieran said, turning back towards the slave merchant. A stern expression on his face. The tears had been wiped while Beloukas was lost in thought.
"Well… I could sell you her for 50 silver." He said his first price, his smile returning to his face.
"I can tell she's sick. There's a medicine shortage, so I'll need to spend a lot of coin to heal her. Not only that, but like you said, she wakes up at night, and those wounds are also probably infected. And to top it all off… You tried to take advantage of me by showing those kids in their deplorable states. Knowing I was going to feel bad…" He crouched down again, but his expression wasn't soothing… On the contrary. The short blacksmith looked a lot more intimidating than before. "25 silver, you either take that price, and whenever I want to acquire more people, I'll come to you. Or you can try to negotiate a higher price, and I'll buy her for that… But…"
"B-but…?" Beloukas asked a bit nervously, more at the prospect of losing a very precious client that would certainly earn him a lot of money.
"But you won't ever see me entering this tent again. When I need to buy monsters, I'll go to someone else. Just to make you lose the money. Take the deal and get a business connection, or turn it down and sever any chances of me ever buying from you again." Kieran said, his purple eyes almost seemed to shine in the darkness. Like two amethysts…
Beloukas recognized that look… It was the look of a man who understood how business worked. He gulped a bit, and considered his options… He wasn't going to lose coin if he made that business. He was comissioned by one of the queen's shadows to sell a slave to the shield hero for a fair price, so he wouldn't find out that she was helping him. But the way the shield hero was negotiating was very aggressive… But not inconsiderate. He did offer the option of buying at whatever price he wanted…
He made some estimates, long term, appeasing the shield hero would prove to be more beneficial.
Beloukas gave him his best customer service smile.
"The client is always right! Consider the deal done, if she stuck around, she probably wasn't going to survive for too long… Just remember! If she gets killed, I won't refund you the money." He warned, then opened the cage, to get a still crying Raphtalia out of the cage.
"I understand, I'll take the risk." He said in response, pulling out his silver from the shield. Picking up the amount of coin, and giving it to him while they arrived at the front of the store. He saw the man putting away the money in a coin pouch, then he began to grab a couple other things.
"Now, i'll register her as your slave… I'll need a drop of your blood, please." He asked, handing him a small knife.
He saw the man picking up some ink, and after Kieran made a small cut on his finger, he mixed the strange ink with the blood, then he applied it to the strange tattoo in the girl's chest. Making her hiss in pain. The process was a bit different from the one Kieran knew, back from his world. But he soon saw a notification pop up.
"Hmmm… I want the leftovers of that ink." He asked, walking closer.
"Oh! But kind sir, this ink is to only be used by registered slave traders! I cannot allow you to use it yourself." Beloukas said, planning to put the mixture away.
"It's not that I want to use it myself, I want to drop some in my shield. I can unlock all sorts of shields from many things… I want to see if I can unlock something from that." He said while showing his shield.
Raphtalia heard the talk, she coughed some more, then looked at the two older men talking. Did her new master just talk about his shield? No… She probably misheard it. It wasn't possible.
"Oh, if it's for something like that, then it's okay." The man dropped the rest of the ink on top of the shield, who quickly consumed the ink. Unlocking two shields, both being versions I and II of the Slave user shield. Kieran saw that they gave maturation bonuses, and a boost to stats earned…
"Just like the human shield I unlocked from Stephen…" Then, he probably could unlock more if he had something else from that. He began to ponder, he was going to investigate this further.
He saw the shivering girl, and gently picked her up. She yelped in surprise, but he calmed her down, gently rubbing her hair. She squirmed against his touch for a bit, before calming down.
"I think we are done here… I'll be sure to come back to you if I need more manpower." Kieran said to Beloukas, still rubbing the raccoon girl's head. "I hope you keep being a good professional."
"Of course sir! Here at my humble shop, I prize myself on quality and respect above all else! I'm sorry if I made you angry, but I can guarantee that won't happen again! Kekekekeke!" He twirled his mustache playfully, seeing the man turn his back from him.
"I sure hope that is the case." Kieran then began to make his way down to the alleyways, doing his best to calm down the little slave girl. It wasn't long before they disappeared.
After they made sure the shield hero was gone, a masked figure appeared from the darkness. However, it wasn't Archangel. This shadow had a more simple attire, lacking any church symbols. The woman picked up a sack of silver coins, and gave it to the slave merchant. Who smilled greedily.
"You did your part well Beloukas. But you almost ruined everything trying to take advantage of the shield hero's compassion… I daresay, that your majesty, the queen, would end up very disappointed if you chased the shield hero away thanks to your greedy actions." The queen's shadow said, arms crossed. Looking at the place the shield hero had been previously.
"I just had to try! Kekekeke. That man's heart is going to be his doom, you know? Sympathy like that is going to get him into a situation he won't escape from." Beloukas opened his safe and placed all the money inside. The interior was already filled with all kinds of different coins and golden objects. And even a couple gemstones.
"Maybe that 's the case… But he's not an idealist idiot like some of the previous shield heroes. He seems to actually be a real selfish man… Despite we having a much better slave lined up to him, he chose the sick little girl… And you know why that is?"
"I Have no idea? Maybe he wants to sleep with her?" He cackled maniacally, but when met with silence, he stopped.
"No… He's looking for psychological comfort. I daresay, he's in a much worse psychological state than he lets out… And he brought that girl so that he has a reason to keep going." She spoke, her voice tone showed a little bit of sympathy.
Beloukas shrugged. He didn't care for his reasons. He had made a lot of coin, and the negotiations were a bit fun even. His smile grew, he was going to enjoy seeing how the shield hero was going to deal with the situation he was in. He turned around to make a joke, but when he turned around, the queen's shadow was gone without a trace.
Kieran never stopped petting the little girl while they walked, he did his best to keep her warm in the cold night. His mind was racing through a thousand thoughts. First, he felt sick. If his stomach wasn't empty, he was sure he was going to throw up.
Secondly, he now had to take care of another little girl. He sighed, of course he went for the little sick child. But maybe that was for the best… Archangel had said that they didn't want anyone strong, or useful in his party… Maybe a weak, sick child was going to fly under their radar.
Thirdly… He had decided. He was going to raise her like he had done with Alicia. He was going to train her, give her the best equipment, so no one could touch her again. The prospect of having another daughter actually made him happy. He began to fantasize about all the cool options he could have for her…
Maybe she wanted to be a paladin? Ohh! Maybe a barbarian? Hmmm… She didn't look too muscular… Maybe something more akin to a Rogue or a ninja? He always wanted a ninja daughter. But he had to ask her first…
His thoughts were interrupted by her coughing again. He began to walk faster, she was visibly dehydrated, as such, he needed to give her water… Then, a bath. She was smelling a lot. And finally, a warm meal… Oh, and a comfy bed to sleep on. So many things to do…
"M-master? Where… Where are we going?" She asked weakly, fearful… But curious. That man had pet her nonstop since they had left the creepy guy's tent… It felt nice, she wanted that to last, but she knew better. None of her masters treated her with respect for too long… Especially not him.
"Were going to my friend's house okay? I live with him… He's a super nice dude. I'll get you bathed and fed. Also… Please don't call me master." Kieran replied, seeing the blacksmithing shop just down the street.
"S-sorry! Hum… W-what should i call you, then?" She asked, trembling in fear of being punished for saying the wrong thing.
"D-... You can call me by my name, it's Kieran alright?' He was about to mutter the word dad. But he stopped himself, biting his tongue. It wasn't time to go dad mode.
"M-master Kieran then?" She asked again, uncertain.
"Just… Kieran. I'm not your master… I'm your… F-friend." He bit his tongue again. Almost saying another word with F.
"S-sir Kieran… S-sorry." She recoiled, expecting to hear a scream, or to be beaten up. But instead, she got more headpats… Her tail wagged slowly. She was nervous, if he was treating her this nicely… Then maybe she would punish her extra harshly if she screwed up too badly.
As soon as Kieran entered Elhart's, he saw the older man waiting for him behind the counter. Looking worried, but before he could say anything, he noticed the shivering mass of brown that was the little girl and her rags.
"...Kid?" Was all he could mutter, his relaxed expression turning into a more tense one.
"I… I promise I'll explain everything. I'll answer any questions that you have. But… She needs water… And a bath… And clean clothes… And a meal…" Kieran began to list all the things Raphtalia needed, tears began to run down from his eyes, he looked at the man, his body shaking. "P-please… Help."
Elhart saw the same boy who asked to stay in his house all those days ago. The same boy who seemed to be so scared, with a ghost following him. But his worries weren't directed towards him, but to the little girl in his arms.
"Alright… Take her to the tub. I'll go get her some spare clothes I have here. The food is already made, so I'll take a portion for her." He began to walk around, grabbing the things that were necessary.
Raphatalia was beyond confused. Why was her master so… Strange? Why was he crying? Did she do something wrong? Was she going to be punished? The scars in her back burned stronger while she shivered in a panic. Whispering the word sorry nonstop, pretty much like Kieran had done in his mind earlier in that night.
To her surprise, she found herself sitting in a bathtub, with rising warm water… Wait. She looked down to find herself completely nude. Her hands instinctively went to cover her body, she turned to her master… But he wasn't looking at her body. He walked through the bathroom grabbing things, her rags were placed aside to be thrown away, even when his body turned towards her, his eyes were always looking somewhere else.
To the floor, to her hair, towards the bottles he carried, the edge of the bathtub… He wasn't looking at her, and that became impossible when the water was soon mixed with bubbles that covered everything. He seemed to relax a bit, helping clean her hair.
"You can wash your body yourself, right?" He asked, using shampoo on her filthy hair and washing all the grime and filth away with skilled, soft hands.
"Y-yes…" Raphtalia didn't know what to do… She decided to enjoy it while she could. If punishment happened later, then it was something to worry about when it happened.
"Alright… I'm sorry I didn't ask this sooner… But what's your name?" He asked casually, his fingers still rubbing her scalp. Making the demi-human girl close her eyes, enjoying the cleaning.
"R-raphtalia…" She said in response, letting out another cough.
"Nice to meet you Raphtalia… Sorry for all the drama. Uhh… It's hard for me to see kids like you in such a state…" After making sure all her matted hair had been rubbed properly, he got up and gave her a sponge with some soap so she could clean herself. He then began to douse the shampoo away, seeing the dirty water fill the pot he had placed behind her back. Ticks and some unholy slime filled it up.
Just like her hair had been…
"D-don't worry master… I mean! Sir Kieran! Sorry! Sorry! Please!" She recoiled at her mistake covering her head. But instead of a beating, Kieran noticed the whip scars on her back, his face recoiled at what he saw.
Whoever that bastard did this was…
They were dead.
He didn't care, he was dead. The person who did this didn't have a soul, as such, his punishment had to be delivered in the world of the living.
Mercy is a favor to be given to people.
Whoever did this wasn't a person.
He gently poured some liquid soap on her back, making her wince a bit. He gently began to rub the infected wound with his hand.
"Hold on there… I'm sorry. But these need to be cleaned. I know it hurts, but endure it for me." He said softly to her, Raphtalia held the edge of the tub and did her best to not moan too hard of pain.
"I'm going to talk with a friend to get some medicine for you… Alright?" He took his hands away, then he walked to the door. "Feel free to soak for a bit. Then when you're done, use the towel to dry yourself… Elhart left you some clean clothes for you to wear."
Raphtalia shook her head, then carefully leaned back. Enjoying the warmth of the water…
How long had it been since her last true bath? She didn't know… The days ever since… Her perception of time had been distorted while locked in that…
She tried not to get her head into those dark thoughts. Her master was being really nice to her… A lot nicer than any other had been. So, she didn't want to anger him by being a crying mess all the time. Being alone made her mind insist on revisiting those bad memories, as such, she drained the tub and dried herself. Feeling clean and refreshed.
She wore the clothes that were left for her. A simple red dress with gray undergarments. And pieces of Leather. Kieran had even taken her shackles, she felt more free without them on, but she knew better than to feel too hopeful.
Once she was out of the bathroom, she met the whitehead waiting for her, a glass of clean, cool water was presented to her, and she quickly drank it all in exasperated gulps.
"There's plenty here, drink as much as you need to quench that thirst." He didn't scold her for her eagerness, instead just refilling her glass until she had taken four. She sighed happily, her throat didn't ache as much anymore.
"T-thank you… Sir! Sir Kieran… Hum… Thanks for the water." She said respectfully, until her belly grumbled. She quickly blushed, and looked to the side, hoping he didn't hear her starving belly, begging for a meal. "I-it wasn't me, i s-swear!"
"Come here." He gently grabbed her hand, and began to take her to the dining table. Where he had placed a meal for her. Her eyes widened once she was placed in the seat, her mouth drooling, while her eyes watched all the tasty looking food eagerly. "It's your dinner, go on."
"C-can i? R-really?" She asked, looking up at him, not believing that he was giving so much high quality food for her.
"All yours. Eat as much as you need, I need to talk with my friend. If you need anything else, call me, I won't be far away." He gently patted her head. She was in need of some combing… She still had plenty of knots in there.
Raphatalia quickly dug into her meal, seeing the man far away. She knew he wasn't going to take her food, so she made sure to eat as much as she could… Who knew when her next meal was going to be?
"Alright kid… Why did you get a slave? I offered to train you in my spare time." Elhart said, crossing his arms.
"I… A slave merchant approchead me. I was very tired mentally, so before I noticed, I was deep into his tent…" He began to explain.
"Beloukas… Tsc. That motherfucking bastard…" The bald man said lowly to himself, so Raphtalia didn't hear the curse. She was currently too distracted eating her salad.
"Him… He showed me his slaves… It was so… Sad, and depressing. They're in a much worse state than I am… What I saw was so…" Kieran placed his hands on his head, his fingers curling. Relieving the horrible images he saw, his teeth clenching in frustration.
"Take it easy kid… Breathe in, and then out… I can see by the state you're in… So you brought her to take her out of that hell?" He understood where this was going… It makes a whole lot more sense that being the case.
"Alicia… When I found her. She was in a very similar state. Filthy, sick, with infected wounds… I… I couldn't turn my back Elhart… I need to get stronger. But I also need to make her stronger. I… I can raise her to be a strong woman like Alicia is. So no bastard will ever enslave her again." He explained, his eyes going back to the more fierce expression.
Elhart sighed. That was a good reason, but he couldn't shake off that something was happening, and Kieran wasn't telling him… He began to wonder what it could be, but his thoughts were interrupted.
"I'm going to get medicine for her. Once she's feeling better, I'm going to start training her… Taking her with me to grind and earn levels." He said, seeing her devour everything he had put to her.
"Well, then I'll let you know that demi-humans grow faster the more levels they get. So, the little lady will be a big lady earlier than you think." He lectured him, Kieran turned to him with a puzzled expression.
"Wait… With levels? That makes them mature faster?" He asked, surprised. In his world, some races matured faster, or slower than others. Elfs still looked like children even when they were 70 years old.
"Yes, that's an advantage that Demi-humans have over humans. That's why some people consider them more akin to monsters rather than humans." Elhart said, raising his finger. "Her clothes will fit her for long enough. But you should try to get her some equipment before the wave."
"Will do. But for now, I think things will be alright." He smiled at him, then he walked back to the dining table to see a very full Raphtalia sighing in delight. "Alright, happy and full now, right?"
"O-ohh! Y-yes… Thank you for the meal… It was… Really good." She said a bit nervously, looking away.
"Don't thank me, thank Mister Elhart for cooking it, but tomorrow I'll make breakfast, and you'll get a taste of my cooking too." He patted her head, smiling warmly at her.
"...Why?"
"Huh? Why what?" Kieran asked, confused.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She clarified, turning towards him with a confused expression… With a hint of fear.
Kieran's expression turned into a saddened one… His heart shrinks again. He got down to a knee, then grabbed her hands on his. Gently rubbing them.
"I… Was a slave when i was little. Just like you." He began to tell his life story, although, something still seemed to be missing, even if he was speaking the complete truth. Raphtalia was very surprised, he was a slave? Just like her? "Me and other… Kids like me, were used by a very mean man as scouts, spies… He took advantage of us because we were weak, and could be easily replaced."
Elhart was hearing the story too, his eyes widening at the revelation.
"On day… I was spying on a vault that contained a very powerful relic. A group of… Soldiers from another clan were trying to open the sealed vault by multiple means. Using battering rams, magic, explosives… But the vault door was sealed tight, and was very resistant… But the structure had some problems…" He continued his tale, looking through the window into the darkness. "I found an opening… So small that only someone like me could go through… I squeezed myself with some effort… And found myself inside the vault."
"D-did you… Get the relic?" She asked, completely focused on the tale.
"I sure did. It was a beautiful multi-colored crystal… In the shape of a heart. Like a normal human heart, not the drawing one." He quickly clarified. "When I tried to touch it, it transformed into energy, and my body absorbed it. And I felt a lot of energy coursing through my body…"
"Did that give you power?" Raphtalia asked, curious, her head tilting cutely to the side.
"Yes, but I only found out about that much later… I returned to my master, hoping that would earn his respect. Maybe I was going to be promoted! Become a warrior, maybe rise so much as to be their second in command!" He said with excitement, but then his face turned into a sour expression. "That didn't happen… He immediately made the guards attack me, because he wanted to claim the Heart gem for himself, and the only way to retrieve it is by killing the one who has it."
Raphtalia's expression turned one of pure shock. How could someone do such a thing? Then she remembered Idol… Those kinds of men existed out there. And were completely real.
"So, I ran… I ran and got stronger. I defeated the foes in my way until none could stand in my path, and you know what I did with all that power?" He asked the half-raccoon, who shook her head in negation. "I spent years losing myself to the world, there were days I felt so lost… That I thought about giving up. But I didn't… And eventually, I found something I really liked doing."
"What was it? Being a hero?" She asked, her tail wagging eagerly behind her.
"No, being a hero… Ironically, it isn't too fitting for me. I became a blacksmith. Just like my friend Elhart here, but I did use my powers and abilities to help the people. Sometimes people dragged me into their problems to save stuff and such, but I always came back to my life… Heroes will always step up to save the world, kind hearted people are more common than we sometimes think…" He said with a smile, looking at the bald man behind him.
"I see… I'm sorry you went through the same things I did…" She said shyly, but sympathetic. Her fear had nearly vanished after hearing his tale.
"Well, now I've been dragged into another world saving adventure…" That caught her attention again. He changed from the Slave user shield, to his normal Small shield. "I'm the shield hero, and I've been tasked with protecting the world from the waves…"
"T-the w-waves?! The S-shield hero?" Her mind quickly flashed to the stories her parents told about the shield hero… How he was the kindest to the demi-humans. And how he cared about them more than anyone else. "Y-you're really the shield hero?"
"Yes… The Shield took my offensive capabilities. I cannot attack, I need someone to help… But the Shield gives me abilities to make my allies stronger. Once, I raised a sickly girl into a fine, strong lady. And I intend on doing it again." He explained, he held her hands more firmly, looking at her, straight into the eyes. "Raphtalia… Let me help you get stronger. Let me turn you into a strong warrior that won't ever be bound in chains again. Whatever is that you desire to accomplish, I'll help you with. Do you accept it?"
"B-but… The waves are too scary! The dog monster… M-mama! Papa! He… He killed them!" She shouted, crying as the scary memories flashed in her mind.
"Raphtalia. Please… I want to make sure that doesn't happen again, don't you want to kill that dog monster?" He asked her, rubbing her hands slowly. She snapped her attention back to him. "I know I can make you strong, you just need to agree to it… I won't force you. If you don't want to fight the waves, then I'll raise you like you're my daughter, the same as I did with my Alicia. And you can do something else that you want to do."
Raphtalia was taken aback. Was he… Giving her a choice? But she was just a slave? But… She didn't get shocked when she tried to think about saying no… Did he?
Yeah. Kieran turned off all the settings, including the ones about lying and disobeying. In its place, he marked only that she couldn't steal from him. And some other minor things, and even then, the punishment was set to the lowest setting possible.
"You don't need to accept… But if you want to ge back at that murder hound and all those dumb waves. Then accept my offer, and with enough time, you'll be kicking anyone's ass." He smirked with confidence, Raphtalia felt her heart getting strangely warm. Her fists clenched.
"I… I want to be stronger! I want to rebuild my village! I promised my friends… That we would make our flag stand proudly at the center of our village!" She said, crying because of all the emotions going through her right now. She missed Rifana so much… She took her anger and tried her best to use it as resolve.
"I'll help you. I promise that I'll do everything in my power to make that dream a reality." He was happy, he made her open up. He now knew more about her, and managed to convince her to get stronger by his side.
Raphtalia was about to continue talking when she got into a coughing fit, Kieran quickly began rubbing her back, giving her more water. He gritted his teeth.
"I need to look for Motoyasu tomorrow… I got a recipe for cold medicine from one of my shields. But he's been doing it for more than a week… He also got the tools for that." Kieran thought to himself, it was getting quite late. "Let's head to bed… First thing tomorrow, we'll go get some medicine for you, alright?"
"I-it's alright… You don't need to spend it…" She tried to argue, but Kieran had none of it.
"I insist. You need to be in top shape for the training we'll perform. I'll put you to bed now…" He gently picked her up, carrying a flustered Raphtalia all the way to the bed. She hit her face on his shoulder. Smelling something a bit unique…
The scent of coal, soot and forge was strangely calming. She was so tired that she fell asleep in his arms.
Kieran calmly placed her under the covers of his bed. Patting her hair gently and walking out. He sighed. He had things to do before he went to sleep.
"Kid… I normally wouldn't approve of making children fight. But…" He made a pause, offering a smile. "I know you'll take good care of her."
"Thanks Elhart… I'm going to eat something now. I need to wake up early tomorrow. I'm going to forge her some basic equipment…" The white head said, going to the kitchen.
"I'll just give her a dagger for now. Let her get a couple levels before you make anything." He suggested, and Kieran considered…
"Alright. She needs to pick up a style that matches her after all…" He said, thinking back about Alicia.
"I never asked what kind of warrior your daughter was… Care to tell me?" He asked, scratching his beard.
"Oh, I never did mention it, right? Do you know what a Warlock is?"
Motoyasu was still sleeping on his bed, dreaming about being in a sea of naked women, all who caressed and praised him… He was in heaven, smiling dumbly and enjoying the moment… Until an earthquake shook the entire place. The girls squealed, then suddenly their demeanor changed, their bodies morphed into grotesque monsters, with pig-like faces, large blades in exchange for their arms. They winced and oinked at him, then all of them pounced on him, eviscerating his body with their bladed arms, the entire scene turning crimson as his dream, became a nightmare.
And that was when he woke up. Sweating and panting, he could hear some knocking on the door. The blonde man grunted, slowly getting up, doing some stretches.
"Coming! Just a second!" He said he had been making medicine until late again. He never expected to find enjoyment in the act, and here he was, spending hours of his time making vials of healing medicine. He sometimes even forgot the original objective.
He expected to find one of the girls from his team, and was about to do his flirty good morning greeting, when he saw a patch of white hair instead. Kieran stood there, with a nervous looking girl holding his hand.
"Uh? Kieran? What are you doing here so early in the morning?" He asked, after blinking a couple times. He was sure he didn't oversleep… And who was the little girl with him? If he didn't know him, he was totally going to believe it was something really wrong… But, more likely than not, he had adopted a new kid.
"Hey Moto. Sorry to bother you so early, but… I need some medicine. And i thought, who was the obvious choice to come to, than my great medicine maker buddy?" He replied, his free hand waving casually. "I have a couple herbs I managed to get… But don't worry, I'll be paying. But Raphtalia here really needs medicine…" He gave him a look that even Motoyasu understood.
"Alright, you can explain things to me when we get inside." He said, letting them come inside. Kieran was surprised to see the table being filled with all sorts of tools and pots containing herbs and unfinished medicine.
"You sure were working yourself to the bone." He praised, putting the Half-raccoon on the spear hero's bed. "Now, don't be too nervous, okay? Uncle Moto here is a really nice guy. And he'll give you medicine to treat your cold and your wounds."
Raphtalia shyly shook her head, Kieran gave her some headpats, then walked up to the spear hero.
"Alright, I'll be completely honest. Raphtalia is a slave that i bought from a slave trader yesterday… BUT…" He interrupted the blonde before he screamed into his face, his face kept red from anger. "I did that to save her from the situation… It was so filthy there, and she's sick. You can beat me up later if you want. Just… Please, help her." He begged, and the pleading look the shield hero gave made him calm down.
"Alright… I'll help her. But I want to talk more in depth about this, got it?" He asked completely seriously, then he adopted a more cheerful expression when talking to Raphtalia, he began to ask a couple questions to her. How she was feeling… Then she showed the scars on her back, his face contorted. He began to pull some things from his spear. Raphtalia watched in surprise… He was doing the same thing Kieran had done earlier… She watched his weapon…
"Y-you're… The Spear hero?" She asked, her voice trembling a bit.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, i am. Did your father not tell you about me?" Motoyau asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Sorry… I forgot. She's not my daughter… Yet. If the day arrives that she wants to call me father, she will decide when that day will be." He said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Don't worry, all the heroes are my friends. Motoyasu here is especially close to me, when we were first summoned to this world, he was the first to talk to me."
"Yeah, like, you were zapped by your legendary weapon for thinking about using your toolbox to attack the summoners." He remembered the memory, laughing a bit while he grinded some herbs using a pistil. His spear shone a bit as the quality and potency enhancing effects happened.
"I was in a dark place filled with strange dudes. That usually means bad business." He said in response.
Both laughed together. Remembering the scene fondly.
Raphtalia was amazed… From the stories she heard, the spear hero was always fighting against the shield hero… But here they were, acting like good friends. It brought a smile to their faces.
"Oh yes, give her some of this while I'm here… You have a shield that increases the effect of the medicine you give, right?" He asked, giving the whitehead a vial of green medicine. Kieran shook his head, and changed shields to one he had not yet mastered, and gave her the liquid for her to drink, she made a face and spitted it on him.
"Ewww… Too bitter…" She said, rubbing her tongue to take the taste from her mouth.
"I know sweetie… But you need to drink this to feel better." He didn't even mind that his clothes were stained. He used his shirt to clean her mouth, then he placed the vial close to her mouth. "Can you please be strong? I'll give you some candy later if you're a good girl and take all the medicine. How about that?"
"Candy?" She perked up at the ideal… She looked at the vial then gulped. "Okay… I'll take the medicine… Sorry for spitting it…"
"It's okay dear. I know it tastes horribly… But good medicine sometimes tastes bad. But if you take it all, then you won't be sick anymore." He explained to her, then he helped her drink the medicine. A green aura took over her body, and she felt a lot better… Her scars weren't itching anymore.
Motoyasu watched the scene carefully. He was really treating her like a child… It was a good thing. He sure hoped he wasn't one of those weird dudes that liked little girls… I mean. Back in his world he had a thing for angels. And he did consume some Loli stuff…
But he didn't feel comfortable with the thought of acting like that in this world. Even if he met a cute angel of his dreams… He felt like he was probably going to act more like how Kieran was… He wondered why, if this was also a game? A bit strange, but he shook his thoughts from his head.
After a bit, he had finished the cold medicine. And he gave it to Raphtalia, after Kieran promised that she would get one candy for every medicine she took. That was enough to make her force herself to swallow the bitter green liquid…
Neither noticed, but both legendary weapons seemed to glow together when Raphtalia took the medicine.
Raphtalia's eyes widened. Her throat felt a lot better, she rubbed the area and smiled widely.
"I feel so much better! Thank you, Sir Motoyasu!" She said, hugging him. The blonde happily hugged her back.
"It's alright, I make medicine to help all the fair maidens of the kingdom… But also cute girls like you." He said, smiling warmly. He had noticed more of her animal features. She was really cute with them, even if her hair looked a bit bad.
"Sir Motoyasu, I'm here to inform you of…" The Banshee entered the room, without even knocking or asking for permission. As per usual, but this time, Motoyasu wasn't alone. "What the fuck? What's the Shield D… Hero doing here? And is that a filthy demi?!"
Raphtalia recoiled in fear from the screaming, her ears downed and she hid behind both men's legs.
"Malty, she's just a little girl…" Motoyasu tried to correct her gently, but Malty had none of that.
"Urgh… Get out of here you dumb rat, before i make the guards put you out of your misery! Urgh, I already told papa we should just eradicate them all… My stomach turns whenever I see one of those filthy rats out of their leash…"
Feeling Raphtalia completely terrorized, and trembling. Kieran immediately went full protective papa bear mode.
"You won't speak to my daughter like that you dumb red head Banshee! How dare you! Spoiled stupid bitch face!" Kieran screamed, Hugging a now Crying Raphtalia against his chest.
"You demon! How dare you! I'll have you head for that…" She began to threaten, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"STOP IT!" Motoyasu hit the floor of the inn with his spear, his voice boomed through the room. He looked angrily at Malty. "I'm tired of your attitude, Malty. First you say dumb things back then at the inn. Then you make Stephen quit the party, and now you threaten my friend and his DAUGHTER?! That's it. I'm taking you to the castle…"
"W-wha-what? S-sir Motoyasu? W-why? Why are you defending the Shield demon?! And that Filthy demi?!" Malty was completely shocked, she totally believed she had the Spear hero wrapped around her finger. But here she was… Being dragged away by him. She was soon left in shock, her brain trying to process the information. But being unable to.
The spear hero quietly apologized, and told Kieran he would make more medicine for Raphtalia after he was done dealing with this. He grabbed the confused Redhead, pulling her away from the other two. Even Kieran was surprised, he never expected for Motoyasu to scream at the redhead. He seemed too much of a womanizer…
But it seems like he's a womanizer with a brain.
After calming Raphtalia down, Kieran took her to the market district. Where a bunch of food stalls existed, he bought her some candy, and other snacks she wanted to try out. She deserved that little bit of happiness after seeing the scary Banshee screaming at her…
The yummy food was really tasty, and having the company of the shield hero helped her forget of the scary experience with the so-called "Banshee". She was scary… She hoped that she never saw her again.
The other kids that heard the commotion, would eventually tell stories about a red haired demon, who scared children by screaming at them until they were left deaf. Malty would never know, but she was forever immortalized as a scary figure to make children behave.
Well, well. Here we come to the end of another chapter! As we can see, Malty overstepped too much. The frustration of her perfect plan being aborted really messed with her, so she can't keep her composure well at all.
And that cost her.. Now both heroes are left with only one party member.
Raphtalia is introduced, and I finally got some information about our shield hero too… But there's still plenty to discover.
Glad to see the favorite and following counts rising up every day. Warms my heart to know you want to read more. As such, i hope to see you in the next chapter!