I just want to take a moment to apologise for the time it took to write this chapter. Some parts of it often felt like a slog to get through, and it was actually the last 2000 words or so that I managed to breeze through in the least amount of time. The reasons for such delays were due to extra shifts at work and having other members of my family around, and yes there were one or two video games that were being played but I'm making sure to devote equal amounts of time to both those and this story.
The last two episodes of Shield-Hero were…better…in my opinion, at least compared to the likes of 2 and 3. And we got best boy L'Arc back, always great to see him! I'm looking forward to the dynamic he, along with Therese and Glass, will have with Fergus once I get to that point in the story. And we got to meet Kyo as well, the big bad of the arc. Looking forward to getting to know him a bit more! As well as Shield-Hero, the other two anime I'm watching this season, Skeleton Knight in Another World and Spy x Family are still proving to be fun watches.
Enough waffling, let's get to why you are here: Chapter 3! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. Enjoy!
Chapter 3 - Eclair
"Hang on a minute…did the Queen just say…Seaetto?" My mind was in overdrive upon hearing this and what this might mean. But just before I was about to open my mouth to comment, the Queen raised a hand in my direction.
"I know what's on your mind Shield-Hero, and I assure you that all of your questions will be answered in due course," she said sternly as we all watched the new arrival berate the hell out of Mald for his cowardly tactics and conduct that was unbecoming of a knight. "For the moment, she is here as your combat instructor and as such I want you to treat her as nothing but. Am I understood?"
As much as I wanted to ask the myriad of questions concerning Eclair and the Seaetto region that were pouring into my head, I understood what she wanted. "Probably doesn't want to have that chat in front of the other Heroes." "Yes, your Majesty. Understood." With a formal bow, I returned to where the rest of my party was standing on the side of the arena where Raphtalia and Keel immediately came up to me.
"Fergus…did the Queen just say that she is Eclair Seaetto?" Raphtalia asked me hopefully, her red eyes shimmering.
"Indeed," I replied, pausing to let out a small chuckle as Mald limped over to where Itsuki and his party were standing, a look of pure humiliation and anger on his face after his chewing out by Eclair before returning my gaze to my demi-human friends. "I gather from your expressions that the pair of you know her?"
"We did, before the Waves hit," Keel answered excitedly. "She came by the village quite often to check on us. She was really friendly and in her spare time would show us one or two sword techniques."
"My parents and I knew her really well. Everyone in the village knew and respected her, and unlike most humans at the time she treated demi-humans just like everybody else," Raphtalia added, looking over at Eclair with fondness as she conversed quietly with the Queen.
"Sounds like someone worth knowing, but for now the Queen has ordered us to speak with her as though she were our combat instructor," I said as Eclair made her way back to the centre of the arena, her stern expression still in place. "I'm sure we'll have the chance to catch up with her later…"
"Alright you lot, listen up!" Eclair spoke up sharply, causing everyone to drop their conversations and pay attention to her. "As Her Majesty stated, my name is Eclair Seaetto, swordswoman and knight of Melromarc, and by her Majesty's request I'm here to see how you lot stack up when it comes to holding a weapon." As she spoke she started walking back and forth, eyes roving over everyone present. "I know some of you are the Four Cardinal Heroes and are considered legends by the people of this country, but when you're training with me, you are my students and I'm your instructor and you'll respect and treat me as such. Got it? Good." She then drew her sword and raised it towards us. "Now then, I want to see how some of you lot stack up in a fight. Standard duelling rules will apply. Any takers?"
For a moment nobody spoke as they all processed what we'd just heard. Itsuki's party just scoffed, looking unimpressed, whilst on the other hand, Ren and his party were studying the swordswoman with great interest. As for Motoyasu, he seemed taken aback by how stern such a pretty face could be and was no doubt trying to think of a clever set of words to woo her. "Not that he'd succeed of course…" I thought to myself with a chuckle as I looked behind me at the rest of my party for their reactions. Raphtalia and Keel were watching Eclair with rapt attention whilst Filo and Rishia were watching on with curiosity. Eventually, the blonde-haired rogue (what was his name again? Farrie?) from Ren's party stepped forward. "I'd be honoured to be able to test your skills against mine, Lady Eclair," he said politely.
"Very well," the swordswoman replied curtly. "Your name and choice of weapon, young man?"
"Farrie, my lady, and I normally fight with a pair of daggers," he answered. "I also carry on my person throwing knives, various poisons and other tools of my trade."
"Very well, stick with your daggers for now," Eclair instructed as she moved to one side of the arena whilst Farrie moved to the other. "And remember not to hold back on me Mr Farrie. I want to see your full capabilities to assess where you're at. Begin!" At Eclair's call, the two charged at each other and the duel commenced. From the first few exchanges, it was clear that Farrie was talented and agile as he used his speed to dodge and weave around the swordswoman whilst poking at her defences with his daggers, but from the outset, Eclair was clearly wise to his tactics as she effortlessly swivelled and blocked his attempts to get on her flanks. Soon enough Farrie began to flag, and that was all the opportunity Eclair needed to switch from defence to offence as she mercilessly barraged Farrie with a series of sword thrusts and slices. Farrie tried his best to block and dodge the attacks, but all the energy he was expelling to do that eventually ran out. With one last swing of her blade, Eclair swung upwards and disarmed Farrie, and with the same motion held her blade to his throat, ending the duel.
"Wow…she's really, really good…" I marvelled as all around me I heard gasps of astonishment and disbelief at what we'd just seen. As for Eclair, she simply sheathed her blade and, picking up Farrie's daggers, strode over and returned them to him.
"You had the right idea going for my blind side. It played to your strengths and kept me on my toes," she commented, a small smile now on her face. "However all that leaping and dodging around exhausted you rapidly and left you open when I switched to the attack. Focus on not only improving your stamina but conserving it as well, as you'll never know how long any battle will last."
"T-thank y-you…Lady Eclair," the young man replied, but even as exhausted as he was he still managed to bow before dragging himself back to where the rest of his party was standing, where the magic-user proceeded to quickly examine him.
"Oh, my turn! My turn!" This excited chirp came from another member of Ren's party, the girl with green hair as she bounced into the arena, a look of giddy expectation on her face which contrasted sharply with the stern and upright figure of Eclair.
"And you are…?" Eclair asked, somewhat perturbed by her attitude.
"Tersia! And I'll be using my body as my weapon!" The girl replied excitedly as she bounced on the balls of her feet, her fists up in a combat stance.
"A martial artist? Very well then." With these words, Eclair put aside her own blade and dropped into a combat stance of her own. "Let me see what you can do."
"Okay, here I come! High Kick!" With these words, Tersia launched herself at Eclair, barraging her with a series of kicks and punches, both high and low. Even though I didn't know much about martial arts, I couldn't help but be impressed by the speed and accuracy of Tersia's assault. And yet Eclair was able to keep up with Tersia quite handily, blocking, parrying and even replying with a few hard punches of her own.
"Stop calling out your attacks! It gives your enemy the advantage of knowing what to expect!" Eclair admonished her as she used both arms to block one of Tersia's running jump kicks.
"Hey come on, it's just a sparring session! We're not killing each other, are we? Flurry of Fists!" Tersia commented backhandedly as she launched a fresh round of punches at the knight.
"On the battlefield, such can be the difference between life and death!" Eclair told her sharply as she ducked and weaved through Tersia's punches until she was able to catch both of the martial artist's hands, and then in a movement so quick that I almost missed it, she brought her knee up and into Tersia's face. From where we all standing, we clearly heard and winced at the SNAP of Tersia's nose breaking.
"Owie! That-!" Eclair was on her before she could protest further as she took advantage of her opponent's injury and wrestled her down to the ground, placing her flat on her belly as she drove her knee into the martial artist's back before wrenching into an armbar submission. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Okay I'm tapping, I'm tapping!" She squeaked out frantically, slapping her palm against the arena floor.
"Your technique is brilliant, but you must learn to treat the battlefield more seriously," Eclair lectured as she brought Tersia to her feet. "The enemy won't treat you any different just because of your gender, your attitude or your preferred method of fighting, remember that."
"I will-! Owie!" Tersia's face screwed up in pain as she retreated to the side of the arena. And as she walked over I made sure to toss her a healing potion which she eagerly chugged. In the meantime, Eclair picked her sword back up and strode to the centre of the arena, and as she did so her gaze finally rested on us Four Heroes.
~AoaTSH~
"Now that I've had a good warm-up, I believe it's time I saw what some of you Heroes are capable of. Let's see…" Her eyes first roved over Itsuki. "Hm, not much I can do with the Bow-Hero, but I see arrogance and self-entitlement written all over the faces of you and your party. That could get you all killed one day…" She then looked over at me, then the rest of my party, her eyes widening a little bit as she spotted Raphtalia and Keel. "I'll deal with you later Shield-Hero," she stated firmly, regaining her composure, as her eyes then landed on Motoyasu. "You. Spear-Hero. Let's see what you can do."
"You will address Sir Motoyasu with more-" Bitch started up irately.
"If I wanted a whore's opinion I'd go to a brothel, so shut it." Eclair interrupted firmly. Bitch looked as though she wanted to retort, but under the stern glares of both the Queen and Motoyasu she backed down with a pout that reminded me of someone sucking a lemon as Motoyasu hesitantly took his place on the other side.
"Sir Motoyasu," the Queen spoke up. "The same standard rules for the duel still apply, but with one addition for the Heroes: If you use any of your weapon's skills, you will be disqualified."
"Wha-!? But that's not fair!" He protested. "How am I supposed to win the duel without them?"
"This isn't about winning or losing a duel Sir Spear-Hero," Eclair stated firmly. "This is merely to test your capabilities with your weapon and discover what needs improvement. Now then…" She drew her sword back and crouched slightly in readiness. "Show me what you can do!"
Motoyasu looked very uneasy but complied all the same, gripping his spear with both hands and aiming the point of it at Eclair. However, he made no move to attack, and for a short while they both just stood there, facing each other down without making any movement.
"Why the hesitation Spear-Hero? I told you to show me what you can do! Now come at me!" Eclair repeated with a scowl.
"I-I'm sorry…I just can't bring myself to strike such a pretty lady…" Motoyasu mumbled out loud.
"Oh god…seriously?" I couldn't help but facepalm in exasperation, and judging by the sounds of palms hitting faces, everyone else was doing the same. As for Eclair, her scowl turned into a look of absolute disgust.
"You…!" She seethed. "You think to treat me like some porcelain doll all clad in a silk dress and whose only purpose is to stand there and look pretty?! How dare you! You offend me not only as a knight but-!"
"Lady Eclair! Control yourself!" The Queen berated her sharply, causing the pink-haired knight to cease her rantings, her face flushed a little in shame as the Queen now turned her glare towards Motoyasu. "As for you Sir Motoyasu, I'm surprised you are still unwilling to fight a woman. From the reports I got from your last duel with Sir Fergus, you weren't too bothered about exchanging blows with both Raphtalia and Filo who, last time I checked, are female."
"That was different! I was trying to save them because I thought Fergus had brainwashed them!" He protested. "Well, at least he knows that isn't the case anymore."
"I fail to see any difference. On that occasion, both Raphtalia and Filo were only attacking you because you were threatening the life of their Hero, and from the sounds of it they were both more than willing to do so." Both of the named girls nodded at the Queen's words. "And now Lady Eclair is willingly inviting you to fight her, and as a knight, she is no stranger to roughing it up with men. Also, you're offending her honour as a knight by not taking her seriously which is something I refuse to allow. So I'm telling you to stop labouring under your chivalrous delusions and fight her in a duel like you would anybody else. Is that clear?"
"I-"
"Sir Spear-Hero!" Eclair barked. "What happens if one day you encounter a female adversary who is hell-bent on killing you? Are you going to simply hold back and let them kill you just because of their gender? And what if it was to the death, your life or hers? You are one of the Four Heroes, crucial to the fate of this world, and I refuse to see the world put into danger just because you won't hit a woman! Now I won't tell you again…COME. AT. ME!" Even Eclair's harsh words weren't enough to move the Spear-Hero, which was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as the knight was concerned. "Fine! If you won't fight willingly, then I will FORCE YOU TO!" She charged straight at the Spear-Hero and swung her blade at his breast, which was more than enough to provoke Motoyasu into action with a yelp as he used the shaft of his weapon to block the blow and force her back.
This did nothing to appease her in the slightest. "Are you a Hero or a coward?! Stop stalling and fight me!" She roared as she pressed the attack, raining down blows from all sides on Motoyasu. And yet still the Spear-Hero would not retaliate, choosing only to block or parry her attacks, much to the consternation of everyone who was watching. One person, in particular, was more than annoyed.
"What's wrong Spear-Guy? Too afraid to hit a lady?" Filo taunted. "You had no problem putting your disgusting hands all over me when I couldn't transform!"
"That was different Filo!" Motoyasu yelled back as he continued to block and dodge Eclair's relentless onslaught. "I just wanted to keep you safe from Fergus because I thought he was brainwashing and exploiting you!"
"AHA! I now know exactly what you're like Spear-Guy!" She crowed back triumphantly. "The only one you were ever attacking was Master, the one guy who couldn't attack back because of his Shield! You never even tried to hit us when sister Raphtalia and I fought back! I got you all figured out!" She smirked devilishly. "You don't hit anyone who'll fight back because you are WEAK and a COWARD!"
DAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNN
"Since when was Filo such a savage?!" I marvelled as everyone else looked at her in shock. "She's been hanging out with Melty way too much I swear!" And as Filo looked down at him with the smuggest grin I've ever seen on her face…that was what finally did it.
"No, I'm not weak, and I'm not a coward! Watch me, Filo, I'll prove just how strong I am!" With that passionate yell, he finally lashed out with his Spear at Eclair who'd been preparing to charge at him again. Instead, the pink-haired knight was forced to abandon her charge and parry the blow, her scowl now replaced with a smirk as the fight picked up in earnest. But even with Motoyasu now pressing the advantage, and despite the extra reach he had with his weapon, it was clear beyond any shadow of a doubt that he was vastly outmatched. And judging by the expression of desperate determination on his face, he knew it too.
And sure enough, Eclair picked her spot as soon as she had an opening. Motoyasu had desperately thrust her with all the strength he had, and in doing so overextended himself to the point where he was wide open. This was all the opportunity she needed as she deftly leapt onto his spear's haft and dashed all the way to the end of it before jumping forward once more and smashing one of her plated feet into Motoyasu's face, stunning him and causing him to not only let out a sharp yell of pain but also stumble backwards a few paces. And with a graceful flip backwards followed by a picture-perfect landing, Eclair swept her sword back and charged at him once again. This sudden move caused Motoyasu to panic and desperately thrust his spear forward.
"Piercing Shot!" He cried, causing his Spear to light up as it unleashed a burst of energy straight at Eclair, and given she was in the middle of a charge she hardly had any time to dodge it completely. All she could do was pivot herself to the side slightly, and even then it still gave her enough of a glancing blow to send her flying back before landing on the arena floor with a thud.
"That was a skill! He should be-!" But before I or any of the others could yell out such, someone else got there first
"SIR MOTOYASU!" The Queen bellowed, causing everyone to look at her as Motoyasu froze like a deer caught in the headlights, his eyes widening as he realised what he'd just done. "I thought I made it clear that you weren't to use any of your skills!"
"I'm sorry! I panicked!" He pleaded as he rushed over to where Eclair had fallen. "Sorry Lady knight, I didn't mean to strike you so hard! Are you alright?"
"*cough* *cough* Yeah I'm okay, thank you Sir," she replied as she graciously accepted his offered hand and allowed him to pull her up, an act which caused Bitch to growl in displeasure. "That was a solid hit there Sir Hero, you do have a lot of power…you just need a lot of work on your weapon's technique." She then looked over at the Queen who still wasn't happy. "Don't be too harsh on him for breaking the rules your Highness. In a situation like that where he was being pummelled with attacks on top of having sustained an injury, I probably would have done something similar to protect myself. It was good survival instincts, not an attempt to hurt me or deliberately break the rules." Motoyasu nodded desperately in agreement.
"I see." The Queen sighed before relenting. "Very well, it seems I was being a bit too harsh on you Sir Spear-Hero. However, you still broke the rules of the duel so the victory belongs to Eclair." Both combatants nodded in acceptance of her ruling as Eclair returned to her side of the arena whilst Motoyasu went back to his party. "We still have one more Hero to test if you are up to it Eclair?"
"I am." She replied firmly.
"Very well then." The Queen then picked out Ren. "Sword-Hero, if you would step up here please?" Ren didn't give any reaction apart from a short nod as he took his place in the arena opposite Eclair. "Are you both ready?" Both of them nodded. "Then begin!"
Unlike the previous duels that came before, neither combatant made a move towards the other, instead sizing each other up. Only this time, unlike Motoyasu, it didn't appear that Ren was unwilling to attack Eclair but was instead taking things cautiously, no doubt having taken the measure of Eclair's skill from the last couple of fights. And from the looks of things Eclair was giving Ren the same respect, keeping her sword raised and her eyes fixed on the Sword-Hero. For a while, neither of them moved an inch. And when Ren finally did make a move, it wasn't to charge headlong at Eclair. Instead, he cautiously moved to the side and around, never taking his eyes off the swordswoman for a second. And upon seeing this, Eclair did the exact same in the opposite direction. Such was the similarity in the pace of their steps that you could throw a straight line between them and it would be a perfect fit. Neither one of them was willing to concede any disadvantage even at this early stage. As for the rest of us, everyone was laser-focused on what was about to happen. Heck, even Itsuki was looking on with interest.
Every second that ticked by felt like a minute as the two continued to circle each other until they each ended up back on their respective sides of the arena, each of them having completed a full 360-degree arc around the arena floor, and still neither of them moved an inch. Both of their expressions were like stone, neither one of them again willing to show any nervousness or give away any hints at their next move. But it was only a matter of time surely until one of them made the first move.
And sure enough, after a few more seconds of observing one another, it was Ren who first drew his sword back and crouched, his left palm outward in front of him, a movement that was a split-second later echoed by Eclair. Again, both paused for a few seconds, and then, like a racehorse that had just been released from the starter gate, they charged at one another at what looked like, from the naked eye at least, exactly the same time. And as they closed the gap between them, they both swung their swords forward and in the resulting clash they each pressed hard against the other, trying to push them back, but neither of them gave an inch.
On seeing that this was going to get them nowhere, Eclair was the one who broke the lock and sprung back, sword raised with the tip aimed directly at Ren who in response shifted into a two-handed grip. And as he charged forward to resume the duel, she answered in kind as she raised her blade to block his incoming attack.
What followed afterwards was astounding…in fact the only adjective I could possibly use to describe it was 'epic'. Whilst Eclair was clearly the more proficient with her blade, Ren was keeping up with her, matching her strike for strike and not giving her an inch of weakness to exploit. It would appear that, unlike Motoyasu, Ren had obviously spent the past month working hard on improving his swordplay without the use of his skills and it was showing as he continued to block and parry away. He even managed to get on the offensive a few times and amazingly was able to force Eclair to dodge and weave herself at various. And judging from the fierce smile on her face, Eclair was absolutely loving every second of it.
The two of them kept going back and forth, not stopping for even a second, and soon the minutes were flying by as they just kept going. By now everyone's eyes were riveted to the action… no one was daring to look away even for a second. And Ren's party was willing him on, shouting encouragement and cheering when he got a particularly good blow in. And as well as enjoying the display being put on before me, I was even happier by the fact that Ren, even though he was one of the Legendary Heroes and could have easily kept coasting on that as the other two did, seemed to be doing everything he could to get stronger on his own merits and without solely relying on the skills of the Legendary Sword. He, at least, was taking this world somewhat seriously. Granted I knew he still sometimes thought of this world as a game, but again unlike the other two, he was realising more often than not that some of what he was encountering was real and that too would push him on to overcome anything in his way.
But as with all good things, this duel had to end eventually, and in the end, it wasn't the sword that decided the fight. Just like with Motoyasu, Eclair was eventually able to sucker Ren into a wild blow that caused the Sword-Hero to over-extend himself and leave him vulnerable as she swept to the side and launched another diagonal slash towards his head. Just like the other times, Ren was able to get his Sword around, but his block was awkward and without much power due to his disadvantageous position, and Eclair exploited this by dragging his Sword around in a circle before flinging it upward. As Ren was forced back, Eclair flung her boot forward and caught him on the chin, and in the resulting stumble she swept her other leg around and took his legs from under him, and as he fell backwards she pushed her knee into his chest to pin him down whilst using both hands to hold her sword directly at his throat for the killing blow.
Seconds passed as Eclair held her position above Ren, both of them panting heavily. Ren's expression flickered to annoyance for a split second before relaxing in a grudging appreciation as he nodded, conceding that he had been beaten. As he did so, Eclair got off him and, standing up, offered him her hand, which after a few seconds he accepted and allowed her to pull him to her feet. But as they got to their feet, they didn't let go of each other's hands as they proceeded to hold each other's gaze for a few seconds, after which they shook hands and smiled.
And as they did so, I, my party and Ren's party all got to our feet and wildly applauded both fighters for their display, for this truly had been a clash for the ages. In my view, Ren had nothing to be ashamed of, since even though he'd lost he'd given a great account of himself against a master swordswoman who had been honing her craft for years. After a few seconds, Motoyasu and his party, minus Bitch, got to their feet too and joined in the applause, as did the Queen who seemed immensely satisfied with what she'd seen. And even Itsuki and some of his party joined in with grudging applause.
"That was amazing, wasn't it Fergus?" Raphtalia said.
"It really was. They were both awesome," I replied as we continued to applaud.
"That was amazing Sword-Lady! You too Sword-Guy!" Filo cheered.
"You did great Renny!" Tersia cheered also.
"You may have lost but you gave a great account of yourself Sir Ren, well done." This was spoken by the magic caster of Ren's party.
"Your party member is correct Sir Ren," the Queen encouraged as she approached them both. "Lady Eclair has been training with a sword since she was a child, so for you to match up with her in your first duel is a great achievement, you should be proud." She then turned to look at the female knight. "I don't think I need to ask but what is your assessment of the Sword-Hero?"
"Terrific! I haven't had a good fight like that in years!" Eclair enthused as she sheathed her sword. "And that's all been self-taught? No prior instruction or training?" Ren nodded in response. "That's incredible. Give me a bit of time with you to hone some of the finer techniques and soon you'll be handing me my ass in a duel I'm sure. Well done, Sir Sword-Hero."
Ren flushed a bit in embarrassment at this high praise and, in a rare show of acknowledgement, bowed his head both in thanks and in recognition of her skill. "Thank you, Lady Eclair," he replied respectfully. "I look forward to both your training and our rematch in the future." With those words he returned to where the rest of his party was standing who proceeded to mob him as he got close, all of them giving him words of praise and encouragement as the Queen and Eclair turned back to face the rest of us.
"So then Lady Eclair, are you satisfied?" Mirellia asked the knight.
"Somewhat," Eclair replied after a moment of consideration. "The Sword-Hero, as you no doubt just saw, has great potential that with a little bit more work will make him unstoppable on the field, whilst the Spear-Hero has great power, but is lacking in terms of weapon technique and of course his hesitation to fight the opposite gender." Motoyasu gulped but said nothing. "As for the others…given some time with them, I can get them up to a decent enough skill level where they will be a great asset during the Waves."
"Very well," the Queen replied. "In that case, it is fortunate that you will be coming with us." She then addressed the rest of us. "The Spear, Sword and Bow Heroes, along with their parties, will be travelling with my army. And as fortune will have it for you lot, Lady Eclair will be serving as my second-in-command for this expedition which means she will be able to carry on your training whilst we will journey to the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom."
Reactions to this announcement varied among the other Heroes. Ren didn't show it, but from the quick glance in Eclair's direction, I could guess that he was happy that he could have more chances to spare against her. The rest of his party, except for the magic caster who merely looked indifferent to the whole thing, looked happy as well. Motoyasu and his party didn't look wholly convinced, but none of them raised any objections. And Itsuki's party, as had been the case all this time, appeared not to care one jot. Itsuki, however, was looking fit to burst in annoyance. "Why is he getting special treatment?" He spouted angrily, a finger pointed in my direction.
"Because not only does he have a village that he'll need to inform of his upcoming absence along with a couple of parties of adventurers that he has informed me are ready to help out on this expedition, but I also have a critical assignment that only he can complete, which if he does will help us out a great deal," she replied sharply. And judging by her tone she was not going to suffer any arguments to the contrary. "If that is all, the three of you and your parties are to return to the castle and will stay there until we are ready to depart. I've assigned quarters where you all will be able to relax comfortably, and there will be guards posted outside to make sure certain elements…" her gaze locked firmly on the Bow-Hero and his party as she spoke "…do not escape. Sir Fergus, if you and your party would wait here for a moment, we can talk about your assignment."
Itsuki grumbled but he and his party did as instructed, followed shortly after by Motoyasu and his party. On their way out Bitch tried desperately to plead with the Queen but was ignored, causing her to sulk as she left. And as Ren and his party followed the Spear-Hero out of the arena, all that remained was me, my party, the Queen and Eclair. Speaking of the pink-haired knight, I turned to look at Raphtalia and Keel, both of whom were struggling to contain themselves from leaping into the arena much to the amusement of Filo and Rishia.
"Okay you two, go ahead," I relented, and the two demi-humans didn't need any more urging. With matching shouts of 'LADY ECLAIR!', the pair of them sprung into the arena and flung themselves at the startled knight before proceeding to wrap her in a warm hug. Raphtalia especially seemed very emotional, crying tears of joy and she buried her head into the side of Eclair's neck. And after a second or two of hesitation, Eclair relaxed and put her arms around the pair of them, holding them to her as tears now fell from her eyes as well. I couldn't help but smile widely at this happy reunion, same with Rishia as she looked happy for her two friends, as did the Queen, and Filo was bouncing up and down with childlike happiness at the joyous scene in front of us.
~AoaTSH~
"Raphtalia…" Eclair breathed, and I heard a small squeal of delight from my girlfriend in response. "And…is that you…Keel was it?" The archer nodded her head against Eclair's other shoulder. "I'm so glad that you're both alive." She then unwrapped herself from the two demi-humans and gave them a once over. "Look at you both, you've grown up so much…" She continued, smiling proudly for a split-second before her expression saddened as she proceeded to kneel down before the pair of them, head bowed. "I'm so sorry..." she said sadly as Raphtalia and Keel were both alarmed by her action "I wasn't there to protect you as I should have been, and I accept every amount of blame for everything that's happened to you. For all the suffering you've been through, and the people and loved ones that you've lost, you have every right to hate me…"
"No! No no no no no…" Raphtalia exclaimed as she dove down to Eclair's side and rested her hands on the knight's shoulders, causing Eclair to look at her in shock. "You did so much for us over the years…we could never bring ourselves to hate you!"
"It's true…despite everything we've gone through, we wouldn't be the people we are now without those experiences," Keel added as the rest of us made our way into the arena. "We're just so happy to see you again."
"You both are so kind…and so mature these days. Travelling with the Shield-Hero seems to have benefited you both a great deal," Eclair replied with a smile as she got to her feet and looked over in our direction. "Speaking of whom, it's about time I met him." With these words, she promptly strode over and offered her hand for me to shake. "Sir Shield-Hero, allow me to introduce myself to you personally. I am Eclair Seaetto, daughter of the former Lord Seaetto and knight of Melromarc. I've heard many great things about you from her Majesty and have long wanted to meet you in person."
"Very nice to meet you, Lady Seaetto," I replied formally as I accepted her offered hand. "My name is Fergus Ward, the Shield-Hero and current lord of the village of New Rurorona, once known as the demi-human region of Seaetto." I then gestured to Filo and Rishia who walked up behind me. "And these are my other companions: Filo, a Filolial Queen…" The small blonde waved happily. "…and Rishia Ivyred, magic-caster and daughter of Lord Ivyred…" The green-haired girl bowed shyly.
"It's an honour to meet the famous Shield-Hero and his companions," Eclair replied with a formal bow to them both before returning her gaze to me. "And as the daughter of the former lord Seaetto, thank you for not only restoring the lands of my family but also allowing those who once lived there to return. And on a personal note, thank you for looking after Raphtalia and Keel all of this time…I have always thought fondly of them and enjoyed seeing them whenever I visited…"
"You don't need to thank me for that…" I assured her as my demi-human companions came back over and stood with us. "Raphtalia was there for me when no one else was and I couldn't imagine my life without her-" I was interrupted as Raphtalia pressed a chaste kiss on my cheek before snuggling into my side. "And as for Keel.." I resumed with a slight blush. "She has done so well to overcome all that she's been through and I consider her a valued member of my party." I smiled at the white-haired demi-human before returning my gaze to Eclair. "Before we get on to why her Majesty has kept me here…I think we'd all like to know where you've been until now…if you don't mind that is..?"
"Of course, I believe you all have the right to know where I've been on this," she replied with a sad smile before continuing. "As has been mentioned several times by now, my name is Eclair Seaetto, the first-born and only child of my father, Lord Roi Seaetto, governor of the Seaetto region and a good friend of Her Majesty." Mirellia nodded at this. "My father was a generous, chivalrous and kind man who always governed fairly and made sure to go out of his way to treat demi-humans as equals, a view that at the time was deemed unpopular in Melromarc."
"He was unpopular with many of the court as well as my husband for his beliefs," the Queen interrupted quickly. "But since he had my backing and had great influence amongst other lords of the realm, no one dared moved against him for fear of what they may have lost."
"Even though I was the only child of my father, and thus his heir, I…never wanted the responsibilities of a lord or governor," Eclair continued. "From a young age, I devoted myself to the sword so that one day I could become a knight of Melromarc. My father knew of this and whilst supportive, he made sure to educate me well enough so that I could take temporary charge should anything befell him, and as such I often accompanied him when he travelled throughout the region of Seaetto, where we came especially often to Rurorona Village, hence how I know Raphtalia and Keel as well as I do." She smiled at the two demi-humans before her expression saddened once more.
"At the time Eclair wanted to be a soldier, being a female knight was almost unheard of in Melromarc, and so I was slightly surprised when Lord Roi bought up that his daughter wanted to be a knight," Mirellia said. "But I made sure she got the same treatment as any other trainee, and despite all the pressure and bullying she got from her fellow trainees and her officers, Eclair proved them all wrong and quickly rose through the ranks, and in what seemed no time at all she became not only one of most skilled knights in the kingdom but also one I could rely on to secure the safety of the realm. And not long after she was appointed one of my knights, I left for the International Conference, but not before appointing Lord Roi to manage Melromarc in my absence."
"Few at court were happy about this, but whatever the Queen wants she gets," Eclair chuckled slightly before her expression soured once more. "But that's when the first Wave hit Rurorona Village. As soon as we heard, I quickly rallied a small force and with it, we were able to hold back and defeat the Wave's forces…but at great cost. My father gave his life to ensure the village's safety, but even despite that the village was razed and a lot of people died." Her expression hardened and her hands trembled as she gripped her sword. "I should have been there…I could have saved so many lives…my father, Raphtalia's parents...all those we lost…"
"No one blames you Lady Eclair," the Queen told her firmly. "You did everything you could, and your actions saved many lives."
"I could've done more though, especially in the aftermath…" Eclair continued with a slight snarl. "I went straight back to the Capital and asked the King-Consort to send aid and relief to all those who'd survived. I was met with a lot of resistance from the kingdom's advisers and councillors, who argued that the crown shouldn't be wasting manpower and resources on a bunch of demi-humans." Eclair spat on the ground and I couldn't help but clench a fist at these words. "And yet surprisingly the King-Consort granted my request, saying that as citizens of Melromarc they deserved our help as much as anyone. And like an idiot, I took him at his word…I even thanked him for his generosity!"
"But then that means…" I realised.
"Yes Shield-Hero, it is my belief as well that the King-Consort deliberately ordered the soldiers he sent to New Rurorona to raid and plunder anything that remains and to do whatever they pleased with the demi-human survivors," Eclair snarled. "As soon as I heard of what transpired, I chased after them and did everything I could to not only the citizens freed but to also bring those responsible for justice. But the instant I moved against them, I was arrested and brought before the King-Consort for trial where I told them the truth of what had happened. But not only did the councillors scold me for trying to discredit and kill my fellow soldiers, but the Church of the Three Heroes also claimed that I had been brainwashed by the Shield Devil and that was why I had turned against the kingdom and defended the demi-humans."
"Of course they did…" I muttered, remembering my encounter with Pope Balmus.
"I was found guilty and imprisoned by the King-Consort, where I remained until recently. That's why I was unable to be of help during the Waves since if I'd been free I would have gladly joined up with you Sir Fergus," she continued with a nod in my direction. "As soon as the Queen returned and discovered not only my imprisonment but also the cause of it, she immediately had me freed and exonerated of any supposed crimes I may have done and gave me my first assignment."
"Having listened to what Eclair had told me regarding the raid on Rurorona Village as well as Melty's passionate appeal to make things right for the demi-humans who had suffered due to the actions of our family, I ordered her to hunt down those responsible for what happened and bring them to justice." The Queen explained. "That is what she has been doing for the past month whilst you were getting New Rurorona up and running until I sent for her return to act as a combat instructor for the Heroes and their companions, which brings us to the events of today."
~AoaTSH~
For a short while, no one spoke as we all processed Eclair's tale. For Rishia and Filo this had all been news to them as I'd never discussed all of this with them. As for me, it had filled in the majority of the puzzle pieces that had been missing in regards to the events between the First Wave and our arrival to this world, and yet there were still several things I was still confused about…why did Trash, and by extent the majority of the councillors, harbor such a hatred for demi-humans? And why had that extended to me in particular? Mirellia had explained that Trash had his reasons but she wasn't going to disclose them out of respect for their marriage, which meant that the only way I was going to get answers to those questions was to ask Trash himself, which at the moment was never going to happen. Maybe one day though I'd get the answers I wanted from him.
As for Eclair…it was obvious from her tone and expression that she blamed herself for what'd happened to her father and the demi-humans of Rurorona Village. But I, and I imagine Raphtalia, Keel and Mirellia would feel the same, didn't share that view. To me, she had done everything she could given the circumstances and the opposition against her, and in my eyes she was a noble soul of great morals who stuck true to her and her father's ideals of helping out the demi-humans and treating them equally. Even from this brief encounter, I had a strong feeling that I could count on her as a staunch ally and a true warrior in the fight against the Waves.
"Sword-Lady." We all looked at Filo as she strode forward towards Eclair, her face set in an expression of determination as she grabbed the startled knight's hands and held them tight, gazing determinedly into her eyes as she spoke. "You are a good person, and nothing you did was your fault, so please stop blaming yourself for it…'kay?" Her face then set into its usual innocent smile which, judging by Eclair's softening expression, was working.
That settled it then. If Filo, who I trusted as an excellent judge of character, believed in her then I would as well.
"Thank you…Filo was it?" The small blonde nodded in response to Eclair's question. "I will do my best." Letting go of Filo's hands she walked over to where I was standing. "Sir Fergus…when Her Majesty brought up the suggestion of instructing the Heroes and their parties, she also let slip that you were also in need of a combat instructor in your village, and with that knowledge, I have a request." She then knelt down in a knightly kneel, drawing her sword and resting the point of it on the arena floor. "For now I will serve as her Majesty's second-in-command as well as the Heroes' combat instructor, but after this expedition is over I wish for the opportunity to repay the debt I owe Raphtalia, Keel and the other demi-humans who not only showed me such kindness, but who I also let down when I failed in my duty to protect them, and in order to do such, I offer my services as your village's combat instructor, along with my sword to protect it, should that be your desire."
Everyone was momentarily stunned by Eclair's request, but she wasn't wrong. I was still in desperate need of a combat instructor. Ake and his lot were doing the best they can, but they were only soldiers and not seasoned combat veterans like Eclair was. Not only that, but Raphtalia and Keel were giving me pleading looks, their desperation for me to accept patently obvious, and given how everything I'd done to restore New Rurorona had mostly been for them, it would be heartless of me to refuse the chance for them to reconnect with a dear friend. And finally, I could see that this was important to not only Eclair but also to her sense of duty and her honour as a knight, which would be marred for a long time if I even thought about denying her. And so, there was only one answer I could give.
"Lady Eclair," I intoned formally as I knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder whilst looking directly into her eyes. "It would be an honour, a joy and a privilege, not just for me, but also for Raphtalia, Keel and every other demi-human who knew and benefited from the kindness of you and your father, to accept your request, and I look forward, after our business in the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom is complete, to welcoming you to New Rurorona as not only a combat instructor but also an honoured friend." I then offered her my hand to shake.
"Thank you, Sir Fergus," Eclair replied with relief as the rest of my party cheered at this news. "I am already looking forward to that day." She then turned and directed her kneel at the Queen. "Your Majesty, I hope these terms are acceptable to you, and know that I will always be your loyal servant regardless of where I am and what I'm doing. And I also swear to give my all to your service on this expedition regardless of my future plans."
"More than acceptable Lady Eclair, and I am glad to hear it. May you continue to serve with such devotion and honour in the future," the Queen replied magnanimously, a satisfied smile on her face as she bid us rise. "Now before we depart, I mentioned another small task that I wanted you to do for me on your way to the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom, Sir Fergus."
"Of course your Majesty, what would you have me do?" I replied formally.
"I have it on good authority that you received a letter inviting you to visit the neighbouring country of Siltvelt," she said with a smirk. "Not gonna ask how she knew that because it's obvious….bloody Shadows…" "As it so happens, we will have to pass nearby Siltvelt on our way to the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom. This would present an opportunity for you to not only open your own relations with Siltvelt but also smooth the simmering tension between them and Melromarc. And if at all possible, and I'm not expecting you to accomplish this right away, but maybe use your status as the Shield-Hero to rally any aid from those in Siltvelt who may be willing to help…"
"That's…not a bad idea actually…" I considered. "From the tone of the letter they sent, they were really eager to open a dialogue at least. And from what Erhard and the Queen have told me, there are those among the people of Siltvelt who worship the Shield-Hero, probably a zealous sect of the Four Heroes Church so it's pretty much a guarantee I'll get a good reception there regardless. However it turns out…there's nothing to lose in giving it a go…" "Very well Your Majesty, I make no promises but I will do my utmost to do as you request," I replied with a small bow. "No matter what though, my party along with the others I'll be bringing along will meet you on the borders of the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom as soon as humanly possible."
"Thank you, Lord Fergus," the Queen replied with a small bow of her own before motioning to Eclair. "General, prepare the troops. We start marching within the next few hours."
"At once, Your Highness. Sir Fergus, I will see you and your companions on the battlefield." With a swift salute, she spun on her heel and left the arena at a brisk march.
"I must make my own preparations before we leave. Lord Fergus, I will see you and your forces at the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom. For now, you are dismissed and free to return to your own lands." We all bowed as one to the Queen as she followed Eclair out of the arena. Now that we were all alone again, I turned to face the rest of my party, all of whom were wearing expressions ranging from slight fear to quiet determination.
"Well then ladies, we have our orders. Let's head back to the village and get everything ready," I spoke, looking at each of them in turn. "Are you all with me?"
"Always, Fergus." "Aye!" "I'm ready!" "I-I'll do my best!"
I then activated my Portal Shield to take us all back to New Rurorona.
~AoaTSH~
As soon as well arrived back in New Rurorona, I quickly gathered Van, Freya, Ake and all the other trainers and proceeded to meet with them, along with Raphtalia, in the room where we often conducted our paper-work. After quickly explaining to them what the situation was, how long we might be gone for and after going over any other outstanding bits of business and paperwork, Van left to get everything arranged for running things in my absence. With that out of the way, I and the other trainers went through all of the potential adventurers and fighters we were currently training and discussed who might be suitable as well as who would make sense in terms of an ideal party composition. It took some time and some shuffling around of names, but in the end, we were left with two parties, along with my own, that we decided would be going to the Spirit-Tortoise Kingdom.
The first party of course was a no-brainer as it would be consisting of me and my companions: Myself as the Shield-Hero at level 80, playing the part of tank, healer and support/buffer. Raphtalia, who was level 81 as a melee damage-dealer and, if needed, stealth user. Filo, at level 83, could also play multiple roles as an off-tank, melee damager-dealer and spell-caster with wind magic. Then came Keel at level 75 as a ranged damage-dealer with her bow and arrows, along with illusion magic for stealth like Raphtalia possessed. And rounding out my party at level 68 was Rishia, who also came in as a ranged damage-dealer along with healing and support magic due to her once-in-an-age talent of being able to use every school of magic.
The second party were all in the range of level 55 to level 65 and consisted of the following: Osmond, a middle-aged and battle-hardened human warrior who had the rare gift of being able to use Light magic to empower his weapons and armour as well as buff his allies, so basically he was what we call a paladin. He was level 59, wore heavy armour and used a mace and shield as his weapons. He was ideal to keep in line the next two members of their party, a pair of demi-human tanuki twins called Myla and Marsa who, despite being notorious pranksters and snarks, were good at their chosen arts. Myla came in at level 62 and was a melee damage-dealer, with her weapon of choice being a spear, whilst Marsa was level 57 and specialised more in the arts of the rogue, with her weapons of choice being her illusion magic along with the usual rogue armaments including a pair of daggers, traps, throwing knives and one or two poisons.
Rounding out their party were two human magic users: Aidan, a dark-haired male in his early 20s who specialised in Fire magic and was currently level 56, and Lynn, a level 63 Water magic user who was surprisingly tall for a female in her mid-20s, standing at nearly 6 feet and whose dull silver hair was always wrapped in a ponytail. They had contrasting personalities, with Aidan being enthusiastic, eager to learn and very social whilst Lynn was more reserved and didn't speak that often. Both of them carried staffs that amplified their magic power.
The leader of that group, to no one's surprise, would be Osmond the paladin.
The third party were all in the range of level 50 to level 60, as we had all decided that level 50 was the cut-off point in order to stand a chance. Their composition included Valda, a demi-human who had raccoon-like features just like Raphtalia and the twins but who, unlike the other three, was not classed as a tanuki. She was level 58 and, as someone who had taken their training ultra-seriously, was incredibly fit and a had a very muscled figure. Like Osmond, she too wore heavy armour and used a shield, but used a standard one-handed sword as her main weapon. Another member of this party was one of the first who'd signed up after I'd first asked for volunteers over a month again, a human male with black-spiked hair named Jarek. Now Jarek…he could be quite a handful at times as he was, quite literally, my world's definition of a jock: Aggressive, slightly egotistical, someone who took pride in his appearance and brawny. For any other task, I probably wouldn't have picked him, but for where we were going I needed the best, and Jarek, for all his faults, was an incredibly skilled warrior who was currently at level 57 and used a two-handed broadsword.
Next up was another wanui demi-human by the name of Fianna, and just like Keel, she was a proper tomboy who eschewed any lady-like qualities in favour of more outdoor activities such as climbing, hunting and swimming. If it wasn't for the fact that she did come home for food, training and a place to lay her head, I would have otherwise sworn she was living in the wilds as she spent nearly all her time there. Nevertheless, she used a bow and arrow, just like Keel, and was currently level 54. Her attire was similar to Keel's but her facial features were somewhat different. Whilst Keel's hair was shorter and wirer, Fianna let her silvery hair flow freely down her back.
Rounding out this party were two more spell-casters: Doruk, another raccoon-like demi-human with short brown hair who specialised in Earth magic and was currently level 60, and whose armament of choice was a plain brown staff. The reason why I put Doruk in this party was that he was a natural peace-maker and was therefore good at keeping more troublesome people in line, which when you had people like Jarek in your group who would clash with others easily was vital. This made him a natural choice for the leader of their party. And lastly was the small blonde-haired human cleric Sirona. Sirona was a very pious girl in her early 20s and was a proud devotee of the Four Heroes Church (though thankfully she wasn't a preacher that wouldn't get on the nerves of others), and as such was very kind and helpful to those in need. She carried a priestess' staff and specialised in support and healing magic.
Naturally, we wouldn't have chosen any of them if had been unwilling to come, but fortunately for us all ten of them were ready, willing and eager to not only test their skills but also have a chance of putting their names down in legend.
And so with these groups chosen, and after I'd added their parties to my party list on my Status Menu, we spent the remainder of that day putting together all the supplies we would need and loading them onto the backs of the three carriages we would use. Filo, as she always did, would be pulling my party's carriage, whilst the other two carriages would be pulled by other filolials that were currently stationed in our village. And then after a good night's rest, and with the majority of the village's residents cheering us on, our small fleet of carriages left through the village gates and headed east.
Next stop: The Spirit-Tortoise Kingdom
And that's where we shall leave things for now, I hope you all enjoyed it! Wow, we still aren't out of episode 1 yet? Told you I'd be taking my time with advancing the story and it is showing.
Okay, three points I want to clarify and expand upon here: Eclair, Ren and his party, and the other parties from New Rurorona.
Eclair - As I'm sure many others would agree, we did not get enough of an introduction to Eclair in the anime. She just wound up initially as a random sword instructor in Naofumi's village in episode one and we only got some more info on her in the next few episodes. I really wanted to do something proper here, hence the mini training arc.
Ren - Yeah, I'm treating Ren so much better in my story. He really does want to get stronger and he's doing all he can to do it, and in this story that included working on his sword skills for the past month, hence why he put up a much better fight against Eclair than he did in the novels. He also took his defeat like a champ, and I've already planted the seeds for a good relationship in the future with Eclair. And as for the names of his party members…had to dig deep to find those but I did on a random Twitter post so that's what I am going with.
The two other parties - I was both excited and nervous about this. On the one hand, I could create my own characters, their roles and personalities and such, but at the same time, I had slight reservations because I thought it would take a lot of work to be able to do so. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as I feared, I think I've got a good grasp on how they're going to function individually as well as in a group, and I've plans for more in the future.
Also a little tease for meeting and seeking help from Siltvelt…that will come in the next chapter, where we finally get to the Spirit-Tortoise Kingdom, the introduction of Ost and the council meeting. Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one!
