Rise of the Sword and the Shield chapter 04: the Ugly Side of Melromarc
Lyall the Werewolf: This is where things will diverge. You'll see by the end.
(I don't own Senran Kagura or Shield Hero)
Bitter, alone, and numb from the adrenaline rush dying down, with his money, respect, and trust gone, Naofumi made his way through the streets of Castle-Town, and as expected, he was met with scornful looks from the townspeople. There were looks of fear and hate plastered on their faces. He tried to ignore them, but it just irritated him more.
At least one of them had the stones to confront him about what happened.
"Hey, Shield Bro!" called out the baritone voice of the blacksmith and shopkeeper Erhard. The Shield Hero turned to the old guy and realized he was on the street where this old guy's weapons shop was located. The old guy grabbed Naofumi by the collar and dragged him between his shop and another building for a private interrogation.
"I heard what about you did to that poor girl and what was about to go down with the Sword Lass! I oughta punch you in the face!" Erhard growled while rearing his balled-up fist aimed at Naofumi.
"You're against me too?" Naofumi asked, to the old guy's surprise.
The older man got a good look at the Shield Hero, specifically his near lifeless eyes, which told him that this young man was a victim, not a criminal. Erhard released Naofumi, having calmed down thanks to this realization.
"Weren't you gonna punch me?" asked Naofumi.
"I changed my mind," Erhard answered.
"Good call. You were about to lose your life." Naofumi grumbled, readjusting his shirt, and was about to saunter off alone.
"Wait a sec!" Erhard called. He had Naofumi wait in the alley, so he could go into his shop and retrieve a bag full of clothes for the Shield Hero to wear. "You're not gonna get very far dressed like that. Consider it a parting gift." the old guy said as he handed them to the underdressed Shield Hero.
"How much?" asked the suspicious Naofumi.
"Doesn't matter since you're broke. But, let's call it a clearance sale and say, five copper." Erhard answered. With that, Naofumi took the mantle.
"Thanks. I'll pay you back for it one day…" said Naofumi, honestly grateful for something good happening today. Naofumi quickly changed into a light brown vest, black tunic, green pants, brown boots, and a green cape.
After he had a chance to change, Naofumi was about to leave, but Erhard wasn't done just yet.
"By the way, did you thank that Sword Lass for sticking up for ya?" asked Erhard.
Naofumi paused. Something stung in his heart, but he didn't let it show on his face.
"Why do you care?"
"A girl with a heart of gold like that is hard to come by. Especially one that obviously cares a lot about her friends,"
Naofumi didn't respond to that statement. Instead, he walked away in silence and shame. If only he had listened. If only he hadn't acted so happy-go-lucky and dismissed Asuka's concerns about Myne as childish jealousy. He wouldn't be feeling like crap otherwise, and he wouldn't be finding it difficult to trust anyone, let alone a woman at this point. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but for now, Naofumi needed to focus on getting stronger so he could go home and forget this shitty nightmare ever happened.
Erhard watched as Naofumi trotted off.
"Don't die out there, Kid…"
[-Meanwhile: Back at the Castle-]
"Okay, slow down! Aren't we getting ahead of yourselves here?!" Motoyasu cried in a panic after the duel idea was proposed.
"I agree. This is just making mountains out of anthills." said Itsuki, "Didn't you say we can't be distracted by pointless conflicts a moment ago, Asuka-san?"
"It's not so pointless now." said Asuka, "Naofumi-kun was unfairly charged, and I was unjustifiably treated like a victim just for that unfair charge to stick. We've been dishonored considerably, and I intend to rectify that by winning this duel!"
"You can't be serious." Itsuki groaned. Just how ungrateful was she to act like this?
"I know what I'm saying sounds childish, but I can't just let this insult this slide. I will win the duel, not just for Naofumi-kun, but for myself as well!"
"Assuming you can." Malty taunted. Asuka turned to her with a hostile glare. "If I recall, you're only at level 5."
"Is that an issue?" asked Asuka.
"Hmph, Motoyasu-sama is currently at Level 8, which means he's stronger than you. He told me so himself. Given time, he'll be the strongest of the Heroes. I'll make sure of that,"
"How nice, but that's beside the point," said Asuka. It didn't matter what level Motoyasu was at. He obviously had no real combat experience to speak of. He only had his gaming experience to fall back on, which means he wasn't a real fighter. No matter what he did to level up and get stronger, Asuka had every confidence that she would beat him and come out victorious. She turned to Motoyasu, "What I want to know is if Motoyasu-kun accepts this challenge,"
"O-Of course I don't! You're my friend, and I can't just fight my friend over something so trivial!"
"Trivial? So the way you treated someone who was supposed to be your friend is trivial to you?"
"Why do you keep on defending him? Don't you understand that Naofumi just wants you for your body?!"
"Again I ask, what makes you any different? And I don't recall being friends with you!" Asuka refuted, "You're even worse than Katsu-nee..."
"Who?"
"Never mind..." Asuka said as she shook her head, realizing that for all her goofiness and perversion, Katsuragi wasn't nearly as vapid as Motoyasu, and such a comparison was too big a leap. "Are you gonna fight me or not?"
"She's so stubborn..." muttered Motoyasu.
"Motoyasu-sama, I believe I know why she's acting this way." said Malty, leaning against the Spear Hero seductively, "The Shield Hero found a drug that makes someone subconsciously loyal to them. He must've slipped it into her food last night. That's why she's fighting so hard to convince everyone he's innocent,"
Asuka scowled at Malty, "That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard." she turned to Motoyasu, "Motoyasu-kun, you're not going to fall for-"
"So that's why! Damn you Naofumi! Taking advantage of Asuka-chan like this! No doubt, he was using that drug to make her fall in love with him! I won't forgive that cowardly bastard!" Motoyasu yelled with hatred in his voice. Asuka, Itsuki, and pretty much everyone in the room stared at him in disbelief, and he didn't even seem to notice. He actually bought that bull crap?
"Myne-san, if this drug really exists, then how does one go about curing its effects?" asked a skeptical Itsuki to Myne.
"Simple. All you need to do is beat the effects out of her. She'll return to normal with her sanity restored," explained Malty, without skipping a beat.
"I see. Then, I have no choice." Motoyasu turned to Asuka, with confidence in his voice and expression, "In order to save Asuka-chan, I'll fight her and win the duel!" he declared while striking a heroic pose with his spear.
"My, how wonderful, Motoyasu-sama!" Malty swooned.
"That's what he said. And you're okay with this?" Itsuki asked Asuka.
"If it gets him to fight me, I don't care." Asuka sighed in exasperation. She was pretty naïve herself, but boy did Motoyasu put a new spin on it. He readily believed everything Malty told him, no matter how flimsy it was.
"Well, Papa. They're both up to it now. They ought to settle this with a duel, don't you agree?" asked Malty to her father, who was busy pinching the bridge of his nose after watching that childish display.
"Very well. If the Sword and Spear Heroes are willing to participate, then I'll approve the duel." said Aultcray, "However, I can't allow you to fight at this time. First, you must clear the Second Wave. Everything you do from here on out must be focused on that objective for the time being. Once you're sufficiently leveled and equipped, that is when the sacred duel will take place. Is that agreeable?"
"Yeah." Motoyasu nodded.
"Perfectly." Asuka nodded.
Aultcray turned to Asuka with a sedated look on his face, "Asuka-dono, because you are an honored Cardinal Hero and are needed for your fight against the Waves, I will overlook your treasonous actions today. But, next time, I will not be so merciful. Is that clear?"
Asuka only gave a silent nod in response.
"Good. With that matter settled, everyone is excused, save for my daughter. I must have a word with her,"
"Oh dear, Papa, have I done something wrong?" Malty asked, acting like an innocent child. It made Asuka want to vomit.
"N-No, Malty! I am not angry with you. I just have concerns regarding this duel you propose. I simply want to discuss it with you privately." said Aultcray, shockingly in doting parent mode as he spoke to Malty.
"Okay, if that's what you want." Malty smiled at her father. Before making her way over to him, Malty trotted over Asuka and whispered, "Enjoy your new life here while it lasts, little Sword Bimbo..."
Asuka's face twisted with anger at the taunt the evil redhead just gave.
Before the Sword Hero could respond, Malty skipped over to her father while everyone present in the room left. The last to remain was Asuka, who was baffled by Malty's spoiled personality.
How did Aultcray spoil her to the point where she would even enjoy casual acts of cruelty toward another human being? There was no way her parents, let alone her grandfather, would allow this kind of behavior from Asuka herself. Now that she thought about it, King Aultcray could very well be the antithesis to her grandfather, Hanzo.
Hanzo was a doting grandparent and knew how to have fun with his granddaughter, but he could be strict when needed. He was the one who instilled the philosophy of "The Sword and the Shield" to Asuka in her troubled youth. He personally trained her until she was ready to enter Hanzo National Academy. To truly begin formal training as a Good Shinobi, so she could protect those unable to defend themselves. He would sometimes pull mischievous pranks, even if they were sometimes a little perverted, but rarely out of malice. He was still a wise man whom Asuka loved and respected. Aultcray, on the other hand, didn't employ any sort of discipline with his daughter. It was clear he spoiled her rotten and continued to do so, even believing his daughter's accusation or possibly helping to set up Naofumi, the current Shield Hero, to take the fall for crimes he never committed, all out of pure spite. He even seemed oblivious to how much of a monster Malty was.
Could Asuka have turned out like this if her parents and grandparents raised her with such leniency? That was something she didn't want to think about. She felt dirty just processing that she could have been as bad as this vile Princess without proper guidance. Why did she even initially choose to be in the Sword Hero's party if she was going out of her way to becoming her enemy? Having had enough of this place, Asuka decided it was time to leave the throne room.
However, she spotted something at the corner of her eye. It was a hooded figure up above in the balcony, hiding in the shadows. The figure appeared to have a feminine physique, dressed head to toe in black, and wore a silver mask over her eyes. Upon being noticed, the woman in black vanished from sight. She most likely was some kind of covert ops, similar to ninjas back in Asuka's world. Her senses must have dulled after being summoned to this world. Otherwise, she would have been aware of that spy's presence long before now. Or maybe it was her overall lack of training, considering she never knew Homura was an Evil Shinobi until she confronted her personally on Hanzo Academy grounds. Either way, whoever that spy was, and why she was spying on the proceeding of the trial, the Sword Hero could ponder later. It was well past time to leave this place.
Meanwhile, Malty watched as the Sword Hero left the throne. She discreetly smirked with glee at her victory over the little bimbo Sword Hero in this trial.
Princess Malty prided herself on her beauty and robust figure, and then that little bimbo came along. The only reason spoiled Princess joined the Sword Bimbo's party for that brief time was to scope out the competition. Needless to say, Malty immediately hated her. That childlike face and honest personality already remained her of a certain little brat of a sister. And to add insult to injury, the Sword Bimbo had bigger breasts than her. As if she would allow any woman to outrank her in charm and beauty, no matter who they were. That little brat won't get far in this world. Had she not disbanded the party, she would found ways to break the Sword Bimbo's spirit much quicker, but it didn't matter one way or the other. She was thankful for the disbandment because, for one, she wouldn't have been able to frame the Shield Hero as well as she did, and two, she would not have been able to stand being near her for so long.
Now, this way, Malty planned to slowly crush that Sword Bimbo, no matter what it took. The vile Princess would personally see to that.
Now that father and daughter were finally alone, they could get to discussing the matters at hand.
"Malty, this duel suggested… are you certain this is the wisest course of action?" asked Aultcray to his daughter.
"Come now, Papa. It was the only way I could think of to keep her from leaving and causing more damage. After all, it would be terrible if not all of the Heroes were here, right?"
"Yes, you have a point, but have you ever thought of what could happen if the Sword Hero wins against Motoyasu-dono? You saw how fast she moved a moment ago. And she's clearly strong enough to leave cracks on the ground, maybe stronger. She might become a threat to our family if she's allowed to roam free,"
"Don't worry. Just leave it all to me, Papa." Malty smiled as she approached her father, "In fact, I already have several plans in store that will ensure that Sword Bimbo doesn't win,"
"You do?" Aultcray asked.
"Yes, all you need to do is look the other way, as usual." Malty whispered into her father's ear.
"So, these tactics are underhanded?"
"As I said, it'll be okay as long as you leave everything to me. Not only will we keep her under our control, but we'll also ensure the Shield Hero won't rise to power and threaten our family or our authority. Isn't that what you want, Papa?" Malty asked with a caring smile on her face, one that Aultcray could not ignore.
He paused for a moment. Above all else, the safety of his family was his primary concern. That was why he tried the Shield Hero before he could rise to power and allow the demi-humans to gain influence. And now, the Sword Hero was supporting the Shield Hero and had even threatened Aultcray's life. She would no doubt do the same to his wife and his two daughters. Frankly, he could not see any other option but to trust his eldest daughter.
Thus, he silently conceded, much to Malty's demented delight.
The Shadow wasn't surprised to see the King and Princess Malty acting in this manner. The King let his foolish grudge dictate his actions. While the Princess was scheming to stir up more conflict. What did surprise her was the Sword Hero catching wind of her as she was making her exit. Her skill in closing the distance between herself and the King as she moved to threaten him was also a welcome surprise. In addition, her righteous mindset was exactly what they were looking for in a Cardinal Hero. Her employer would definitely want to hear of this development posthaste. But first, she and her fellow Shadows need to observe a little longer before their periodic report could start. And perhaps get to know the Sword Hero a little more before then.
[-Later: Forest at Nightfall-]
From the dark clouds, rain poured down heavily in the surrounding area. It wrought a poignant, somber atmosphere.
Hiding in the branches of a tall tree was the Sword Hero Asuka, who was not in the mood to level up for the big day. She sat listlessly for hours, staring into nothing, as the memories of today plagued her. Now that she had a chance to calm down, she realized how much of a mess she had made things, what with her attacking the King, and by extension, revealing her a portion of her true fighting capabilities, and of course, lambasting everyone in the throne. Not that she regretted giving the others a piece of her mind since she still had justifiably harsh feelings toward them. But, now that Asuka was in this messy situation, she would be the one to clear it up by winning that duel with Motoyasu.
Still, she couldn't help wondering how things had gone so horribly wrong in just a single day.
She wondered why it happened. Why couldn't she do anything to stop it? How could something so horrible happen so soon after she had just started her adventures in this new world?
It should have been so simple. All she and the other Cardinal Heroes needed to do was go on quests, get stronger and learn to work as a team to fight the Waves of Catastrophe, save the world, and go home. And yet, the dynamic of the Four Cardinal Heroes had been thoroughly broken. Or maybe it just didn't exist, to begin with, and that was why it all fell apart so quickly. Either way, the outcome of that damn trial was wrong in so many ways. Their treatment of Naofumi was inhuman.
She thought back to everything that happened early this morning. Every dreadful detail sank into her already growing unstable mind. Myne, or rather Princess Malty spewing her lies, the King's shameless abuse of his power, Motoyasu and Itsuki acting as if they knew better when they didn't, and worse still, they treated her like she was a helpless damsel in distress. She wasn't one to let her temper flare up like that. Well, at least not like she was as a child, where she picked random fights with the other kids until her grandfather talked sense into her.
In the present, she was a cheerful and kind person, always willing to befriend anyone if she could help it. Now, after having experienced death and being revived by way of being miraculously summoned to a new world, she was likely experiencing severe mood swings. She wasn't well versed in psychology, but maybe it was a symptom of PTSD if her memories of Orochi killing her and her friends resurfacing every so often were of any indication. Being in this world didn't help matters either.
Either way, she made her bed and must lay in it.
For now, all she had to do was clear the Second Wave, and win the duel and restore Naofumi's reputation, and redeem her own honor.
Mentally exhausted from today's events, Asuka decided to return to town and rest up for tomorrow, for that was when she would begin her preparations. She jumped down from the tree she was hiding and ran off toward Castle-Town to find the inn she was staying at.
Making her way through the streets of Castle-Town, the Sword Hero quickly noticed that the atmosphere changed. Instead of greeting her enthusiastically or singing her undue praise, the people of Castle-Town seem wary of her. Some had pitying looks, likely because of what the Princess said about Naofumi plotting to rape her. Some seemed disappointed or scornful that she would stand up for the Shield Hero, attack the King and accept a challenge from Malty for Shield Hero's sake.
It was unpleasant, to say the least.
Well, at least some good came from. As uncomfortable as it was getting such looks from the people, they kept their distance from her, which was a welcome relief since she won't have to deal with that constantly. However, it didn't matter what these people thought. It was her choice to fight for herself and for someone she believed in.
She found the inn she was staying at before in no time, but she wasn't met with a warm reception, like last time. It was to be expected at this point.
Asuka didn't make a big deal of it, so she paid for the room and went up to it.
After stripping her clothes, she laid down on the bed and tried something to sleep. Unfortunately, she was treated to a few flashes of her final fight with Orochi, and they kept her up for most of the night.
[-The Next Day: Erhard's Shop-]
Later in the afternoon, Erhard was busy tending to his shop when a familiar face stopped by.
"Hi, Boss!" said Asuka, looking somewhat depressed and very tired from lack of sleep.
"Well, look you it is! The Sword Lass who picked a fight with the King and the Spear Bro!" Erhard grinned.
"Word really does travel fast around here," said Asuka, approaching and at the counter between herself and the old shopkeeper.
"Guess what I heard was true then." Erhard dropped his playful grin and frowned, "You tried your best to defend the kid, but the drama afterward just landed you in a big mess,"
"Please don't remind me. It was sheer luck that I didn't get punished afterward." Asuka sighed in apprehension, "When that trial was over, I got so mad, I attacked the King without thinking, and then Myne- that Princess suggested I fight a duel with Motoyasu-kun to clear Naofumi-kun's name." she found it difficult to refer to Malty by name, alias or otherwise.
"I thought she looked familiar. That explains everything." Erhard sighed. He heard the rumors about the Shield Hero, and almost believed them himself. After meeting him yesterday, he realized they didn't make much sense, especially when it was just the word of the spoiled troublemaker that was Princess Malty and nothing else. Not to mention the Sword Lass, being the only vehemently believing that the kid was innocent. If two opinions conflicted, that naturally creates confusion, but the lass was the honest type, so who wouldn't believe her when she says that the Shield Hero was innocent?
"So, you don't believe the rumors about Naofumi-kun then?"
"Nope. That reminds me, I saw him yesterday after the trial,"
"Really? Was he okay?" Asuka asked in concern for her friend.
"Obviously, he wasn't." Erhard answered, "I caught him wandering about. I nearly decked him, but when I looked into his eyes, which had gone from cheerful to lifeless, I realized he was a victim, not a criminal. I gave him some clothes with decent states boosts, so he wouldn't have to out adventuring underdressed,"
"Thank goodness." Asuka sighed in relief. Erhard wasn't like the others who held Naofumi in disdain over something that wasn't his fault.
"You sure care about the kid, huh? I have gotta say I envy him. Girls like you don't come around every day!" Erhard chuckled.
"It's not like that." Asuka said with a faint blush, "I'm just glad Naofumi-kun has a friend in you,"
"Not sure if we're friends, but if he's got nowhere to go or needs somebody to turn to, I'll help him out if he needs it," said Erhard.
Asuka's face hardened, "Seriously, this is so unfair! Why would people do this? How could they be so cruel to a single person? They summoned him here to be a Hero, and this is how they treat him?" Asuka muttered in frustration and anger.
Erhard rubbed the back of his bald head. The kid wasn't the only one who got to see the ugly side of Melromarc. At least a portion of it, anyway. He knew the Sword Hero wasn't going to like this, but he figured he let her know a bit more of what Melromarc was really like. The rest, she could learn on her own.
"I'd say it's because he's specifically the Shield Hero," Erhard said.
"What do you mean?"
"You know about the Three Heroes Church?" Erhard asked, "They're a religious cult that worships the Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes as gods."
"Three Heroes Church? Wait, aren't those the guys who summoned us here?" asked Asuka.
"Yeah, that's them," Erhard answered.
"What does this Church have to do with any of this? And why is it just the Three Heroes? If they worship the Cardinal Heroes, shouldn't it be the Four Heroes Church?"
"They would be if Melromarc wasn't a strict follower of this religion, which was strongly rooted in the country's foundation. In fact, I imagine that trial had a lot to do with the Church's beliefs. While they worship the aforementioned Three Heroes, they teach people not to preach to the Shield Hero, and even actively demonize him." Erhard explained to the horrified Asuka.
"What?! That's ridiculous! Why demonize one Hero and only worship the remaining Three?"
"That's how it is, I'm afraid. Personally, I don't care much for it myself,"
"There has to be more to it than just religious beliefs." Asuka scowled, "The King and his daughter were just so eager to pin these horrible crimes on Naofumi-kun. I'm sure the King was motivated by a personal vendetta against the Shield Hero. It was pretty obvious from the start that he didn't like or care about Naofumi-kun. He ignored him from day one, then the party situation the day after, and yesterday's trial. I'm thoroughly convinced he went along with accusations because of that petty vendetta."
Erhard remained silent as Asuka began to seethe.
"And that Princess just got off on making him suffer. How can someone like that even be allowed to exist and breathe the same air as regular human beings? And why did they have to believe her word over my mine? Either because she was royalty, so everyone else follows along with her accusations before confirming anything, or because they follow this stupid religion? Either way, it makes me sick, and I won't forgive either of them." Asuka growled with deep hatred, particularly for that vile Princess. Never before had she felt such contempt for another person. All it took was one solitary moment to provoke such emotion.
"The kid's not the only victim of accusations like that. He's at least lucky he's got Hero immunity cuz from what I hear, innocent men in the past have been unfairly executed for similar crimes. And that's after she stole all their money and belongings, all just for herself and her frivolous shopping habits." Erhard shared.
SMASH!
In the span of a second, from her bangs to her ponytail, every hair on Asuka's head wildly stood on end. Infuriated, she slammed her fist into the counter. For anyone not a seasoned adventurer like Erhard, this would be a frightening sight from an onlooker's point of view that saw the innocent and cheerful Sword Hero make such a murderous face. The idea of the King and Princess killing innocent people because the latter was greedy and found getting them executed amusing no doubt lit up another fire of hatred in the Sword Hero.
Asuka remembered what those nobles mentioned during the trial. That woman had done these kinds of things before, but they failed to mention how the victims were executed for false charges.
A moment later, she calmly readjusted her hair. "I'm sorry. After hearing that, I momentarily lost my composure. Only for a moment, mind you. I'm fine now, I promise."
"Sure thing, Lass, just don't take it out on the shop." said a calm Erhard, eying a hole in the counter where Asuka slammed her fist in a fit of rage. It was clear she still had a temperament problem right now.
"I'll pay for that…" said Asuka.
"Please do." said Erhard, "Anyway, let's get down to business. If what I heard is true, you've got three weeks to yourself ready for the big day, right?"
Asuka nodded, "Yeah, and so I was thinking I should buy a new sword before I do anything else."
"Hmm…" Erhard wore a cautious look on his face.
"Is something wrong?" asked Asuka.
"When the kid first came here, he tried picking up one of the swords I laid out, and he got a nasty shock from it."
"A shock?"
"Heroes are only allowed to pick up and use one specific weapon. If you try to touch another weapon not assigned to you, you get shocked due to a rule violation. The kid can only use a Shield, so selling him the swords was a dud idea." Erhard explained, "I was half expecting a sword to shock you too. Maybe I'm just being paranoid,"
"Seriously? The more I hear about these weapons, the more I start to think of doubled-edged these things are," said Asuka. Wielding one weapon was fine, but being unable to switch ruined any versatility the Heroes could potentially have. Then again, shinobi tended to focus on using one type of weapon or fighting style of their choosing, so it wasn't a terrible handicap, save for someone wielding only capable of wielding a shield.
"Well, let's just how they fit ya." Erhard laid out one Iron Sword, which was a common sword-type weapon, for Asuka to try. It was a well-crafted sword that was very pleasing to the eye. Asuka couldn't help marveling at it.
The Sword Hero moved her hand toward the hilt before pausing.
"So, you're positive this won't shock me if I try to pick it up, right?" asked Asuka.
"Assuming it's the same type of weapon as your sword, you should be fine," said Erhard.
With that reassurance, Asuka slowly picked up the Iron Sword. To her surprise, however, she did not receive a violation shock. Instead, it was a new prompt from the HUD.
|Weapon Copy System: Copy Complete!|
|Common Iron Sword Available|
"What the…?"
"Something wrong?"
"It just said 'copy complete'..." Asuka answered. It was right then that Asuka realized the Legendary Sword changed shape on its own into an Iron Sword. The only difference from the real McCoy was the blue jewel in its guard. "Holy crap! Just by picking up the same type of weapon, I can copy its appearance!"
In addition, the sword gain state boosts as well. And she just unlocked some Skills.
|Weapon Stats Increase|
|ATK: 7+|
|DEF: 4+|
|Durability: 7+|
|New Skill Unlocked: Slant Slash|
"What the hell?! How does that even work?! You're gonna put me out of business if you do that!"
"S-Sorry! This prompt in my Status Magic thing just told me I could copy the same type of weapon and get state boosts and skills for my sword!" Asuka said in a panic, "I'll pay for the sword, so don't be too mad, okay?"
"Fine. Just warn me next time before you do that," grumbled Erhard.
Asuka breathed a sigh of relief. She began to think of how dumb these prompts were. Instead of using prompts, this Status Magic, or the weapons themselves, should give more detailed instruction on how they work right from the start.
Even so, now she had two methods of strengthening her Legendary Sword. Feeding parts of monsters to the Sword Skill Tree and the Weapon Copy System. How to use both effectively presented a new challenge. Maybe asking advice from one of the other Heroes could work, if not for what happened at the trial. Naofumi probably didn't want to see anyone by this point, Itsuki would probably be condescending about it, and Motoyasu… she really didn't want to talk to him about anything.
"So, will that be all?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Boss." Asuka paid for the copied sword and the damage done to the counter.
"Pleasure doing business with you!" smiled Erhard, "Good luck with that duel. Something tells me you're going to need it,"
"I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've been in a one-on-one fight."
"Really now? I thought you were a novice." Erhard joked.
"W-Well, at least I am here!" Asuka exclaimed, "Anyway, thanks again. I'll see you soon!"
"Careful out here, lass!" said Erhard as Asuka made her exist from his shop. "Be extra careful… especially around the First Princess,"
Erhard probably should have mentioned the second Princess, who was much more popular with the people, almost as much as the Queen. But, once again, the Sword Lass would have to find out what they were like on her own and make her own judgments on them.
Now sauntering along the streets, Asuka was about to head over to the guildhall to start questing, but something caught her attention.
A man yelling at and hitting two children dressed in tattered dresses next to a large horse cart. Or giant bird cart, on account of being a big bird-like creature, was presumably the one pulling the cart fall of goods.
Next to the kids was a wooden crate that seemed to have fallen over, as some fruit had spilled out.
Either way, feeling an urge to protect them, Asuka rushed over to stop him.
"Excuse me! What are you doing to those children?!" Asuka asked the man, who appeared to be a nobleman of some kind, given how extravagantly dressed he was.
"Huh? Aren't you the Sword Hero?" the nobleman asked, "What does it look like? I'm disciplining my slaves!"
"Slaves…?" Asuka asked with a glare. People own slaves around here, even children?
"I swear these demi-human brats are worthless as slaves." the nobleman complained, "Look at the fruit they dropped! These were high quality!"
Asuka was confused by the statement about the children. She looked at the two kids and immediately noticed their nonhuman features, like animal ears and tails. One had dog ears and a dog tail, while the other had a cat's ears and tail. She almost thought they were cosplaying, but this was a fantasy world, so that wasn't the case.
"Why are you calling them slaves?"
"You don't know? Demi-humans have no rights in this country. They're no different than monsters, so who cares if we treat them as slaves?"
"I do! I can't just stand idly by while you mistreat these kids for some mistake!" Asuka stated. The children looked up at the Sword Hero in awe. They heard tales of how one of the Cardinal Heroes was always kind to the demi-humans. Imagine their surprise to see someone bearing the Legendary Sword coming to their defense.
"Listen here, Sword Hero, it is perfectly legal to purchase demi-humans as slaves in Melromarc! I own these two, so if you're telling me to stop punishing them, then you're meddling!"
Asuka flinched for a moment. As much as she hated to admit it, Melromarc was a different country, with its own rules. This slave business still wasn't right in her eyes, however.
"I know what I'm doing is meddling, but… can't you least treat them better than this? They're still kids!"
"Oh, so it appears the rumors about you are true?" the nobleman smirked.
"What?"
"You truly are a Fake Hero if you're even going so far as stand up for wretched Demi-humans, on top of supporting the criminal Shield Hero."
Being called a 'Fake Hero' was one thing, but hearing this man disparage Naofumi made her blood boil. Asuka gazed hostilely at the nobleman.
"What does Naofumi-kun have to do with me being a fake? In fact, where do you get off calling me a 'Fake Hero'?"
"Think about it! What Sword Hero decides to defend the Shield Hero during a trial, whines like an ungrateful brat, and attacks the King? And promising to fight a sacred duel with the Spear Hero on top of that? I guess it's no surprise you're sticking your neck out of for demi-humans. I can only surmise that's what a fake would do! Or maybe it's because of some drug that made you "fall in love with the Shield Hero", right?"
This drew annoyance from Asuka, "Does everyone in this country have such a warped impression of the Cardinal Heroes? You're the ones who summoned me here without any prior warning and no knowledge of what I'd be like! How did you think I'd react to that damned charade of trial or how you're treating your slaves, who are children?!"
"At any rate, I suggest you mind your own business!" the nobleman yelled before turning to his demi-human slaves, "Let's go, you little brats! Start loading that crate! Whatever's left inside could still be of value!"
Hearing their master's order, the children tried to lift the crate they dropped. Unfortunately, lifting the crate proved to be a difficult task for them. The poor children looked tired. Perhaps they have been working all day and haven't had time to rest. Seeing this, Asuka decided to take the crate of fruit herself, lifting it with ease.
"What the…?"
"You won't mind if I just lighten their load this one time, will you?" Asuka asked.
"Stupid Fake! Do what you want. That's the last crate we need, anyway." the nobleman scoffed.
At hearing this, Asuka carried the crate to the cart, where she set it down.
Soon after, the nobleman and his reluctant slaves boarded the cart, leaving a frustrated Asuka standing alone. The slaves look back at the Sword Hero, who could only hang her head apologetically, ashamed that she couldn't do anything to sway his treatment of them.
So, not only does the King rig trials for people he and his spoiled daughter don't like, or simply to amuse herself in her case, he allowed slavery of another race. Given how stubbornly he insisted that Naofumi was an attempted rapist, it wouldn't surprise Asuka that complaining about this would do no good. If it was legal, then her hands were tied. She could have freed those slaves herself, but she didn't want to make things worse than they already were. She was lucky that Aultcray had decided not to punish her for her daring threat toward him, so it was probably best that she didn't cause more trouble. Just helping those poor kids for a bit should be enough for now.
Right now, it was imperative to concentrate on leveling for the Second Wave and her duel against Motoyasu afterward. That included learning how to use the new Sword Skills she acquired. Going on a quest should be her first priority.
[-Adventurer's Guild Hall-]
"So, have you worked out a plan to deal with Asuka-san and this duel?" asked Itsuki to Motoyasu. The two Heroes met earlier today and decided to discuss the events of yesterday, and it eventually led to the promised sacred duel. Their respective parties were waiting on their leaders nearby.
"To be honest, no, I haven't. Myne said she'd help me level up and get new skills faster than Asuka-chan, and she's worked out a plan to beat her. So, I'm in good hands with her." Motoyasu grinned with confidence.
Itsuki didn't seem convinced. "You really shouldn't let Myne-san do all the thinking for you, Motoyasu-san. Even if she can help you, in the end, how you win the duel depends solely on you. You saw how fast Asuka-san moved did when she assaulted the King,"
"Yeah. and there's that slap she gave me…" Motoyasu still remembered how she almost took him down and how much it hurt. "She must've held back a lot, but that really hurt! How is she that strong?"
"It has to be some type of cheat we don't know about. No normal person could move that fast, or be that strong, especially when they're just starting in the game. And when you take into account that you're a spear user, while she has a sword, in which case, she can just close the distance and use decisive blows to end the fight quickly, you've got a clear disadvantage with her cheating ability,"
"No way! The sword advantage is one thing, but Asuka-chan wouldn't do anything like cheating!" Motoyasu yelled, slamming his fist on the table. He thought about her cheating before, but he mentally waved such a possibility out.
"Are you sure about that?" Itsuki asked calmly.
"Yeah, she doesn't seem like that kind of girl!" Motoyasu answered, absolutely confident in his judge of character.
"You don't know her that well." Itsuki countered, "And, I'm surprised you're standing up for her despite how she roasted you yesterday." Itsuki could feel his eyebrow twitch at the memory of Asuka telling him he wasn't a true Hero. It still made him mad that she felt entitled to talk down to him like that.
"Guh… that's… w-well, that's because she was drugged by Naofumi! I'm sure once I beat the effects out of her, she'll be back to normal!" Motoyasu said, nodding assuredly, "She'll see Naofumi for what he is, and she'll realize just how much I care for her!"
"And then you'll sweet-talk her into bed?" Itsuki asked with a raised eyebrow. It was painfully clear that the Spear Hero didn't seem to realize that Asuka's hatred for his lechery was genuine and not the result of some make-believe drug that should be impossible to find on such short notice.
"Ah… I'll admit I may have come on too strongly for her..." Motoyasu muttered, "I mean, how could anyone not appreciate how cute and sexy she is? Especially where her breasts are concerned!" the Spear Hero sported a goofy grin as he remembered the feeling of Asuka's soft breasts pressing against his midsection.
"Motoyasu-san, have you ever considered that your appreciation for the female form might be your biggest weakness?" Itsuki criticized.
"Huh?! Are you saying you haven't checked her out?! Or are you just pretending you don't secretly gawk at her?!" Motoyasu yelled at the Bow Hero.
"W-What?! Now you're just being ridiculous!" Itsuki retorted. He never said he didn't find Asuka attractive, but for Motoyasu to insinuate he was just as perverted as the latter was a step too far into insulting. Besides, he preferred more subdued and reserved girls.
It didn't take long for two Heroes to begin bickering, loud out for other adventurers and the guild staff to notice. Little did they know that this was the first of many petty arguments down the line.
Watching from a distance was one of the desk receptionists at the guild. She was a beautiful and slender young adult woman with long auburn hair tied in an elegant side tail. This woman's name was Evelyn, and she was a bit put off to see two of the treasured Three Heroes arguing with each other.
She was among those who had heard the news of the Shield Hero's crimes and the Sword Hero's attempts to prove his innocence, which resulted in the Sacred Duel being proposed by Princess Malty.
In her opinion, the trial yesterday and the Sacred Duel after the Second Wave were unnecessary for Melromarc's survival. What good would it serve to expose the Shield Hero for crimes he supposedly committed, and why use a Sacred Duel to settle the matter? Weren't these events just going to sow in chaos among the Cardinal Heroes and the country? Granted, threatening King Aultcray wasn't the smartest of ideas, but was more slightly more concerning was the divide between the Four Heroes now. And the root cause for said divide was Princess Malty, who no one should have taken seriously. This wasn't the first time she accused someone of a crime against her, but because it was the Shield Hero this time, it was inevitable that the people of Melroamrc would turn against him. At least the Sword Hero didn't believe, but now there were two Cardinal Heroes with shambled reputations.
A little while after the two Heroes calmed down…
"At any rate… whether or not Asuka-chan is cheating, or if she has the sword advantage, I still have a leg up on her." smirked Motoyasu, "Remember how we established that Asuka-chan was new to games like this? Well, I got more experience in these games, so I can just use my ingrained skills and Myne's plans to win. I trust Myne completely on that,"
"I suppose you're right to an extent. That doesn't mean you can be complacent. Asuka-san could still bring something new to the table because she played a game involving ninjas." said Itsuki.
"Relax, I'll be fine. I'll win, and I'll save Asuka-chan for sure!" Motoyasu proclaimed.
"And of course, you'll keep her from leaving Melromarc." said Itsuki, "I don't know if making her swear loyalty to the royal family is necessary, but she certainly can't cause a ruckus over her pride. Losing this duel will teach her humility and make her see the error of her ways,"
"And most importantly, she'll see reason in regards to Naofumi!" Motoyasu added, "She said she wanted all of us to work together, but I can't see it happening with Naofumi around. All he's got is that worthless shield, and he's a rapist. Honestly, we don't even need him!"
"Exactly, Motoyasu-sama! You're more than enough to defend Melromarc from the Waves of Catastrophe!" Malty, or rather, Myne said as she walked into the scene.
"Myne!" the Spear Hero chirped at his newest party member.
"Hello, Myne-san, where have you been this past while?"
"I was personally scouting for a dungeon for Motoyasu-sama to explore." Myne smiled, "He'll need as much experience as he can get to fight the Second Wave and win the duel against that Sword Bimbo."
"I take this to mean that you won't be joining up with Asuka-san even after the duel?" Itsuki asked Myne. He was a little surprised by her calling Asuka such an offensive title.
"I thought that would have been obvious, Itsuki-sama," Myne answered.
"Myne, I can see you and Asuka-chan don't get along, but you don't need to call her something like that." Motoyasu lectured, "I'm sure if you just talk with her, you can come to an understanding-"
"Motoyasu-sama, we should get going!" Myne exclaimed with a forced smile.
"O-Okay then, guess that means it's time to go to work." Motoyasu said nervously, "See ya, Itsuki."
"You too, Motoyasu-san," said Itsuki as the Spear Hero and his party were about to leave the guildhall.
However, a familiar face would walk in just as the Spear Hero's reached the door.
"Oh, hey! It's Asuka-chan!" Motoyasu smiled.
Asuka had finally reached the Adventurer's Guild, but she didn't expect to immediately run into Motoyasu as he and his companions were leaving. In response to his excitement, Asuka gave him a hostile stare. She was in no mood to talk to the Spear Hero after yesterday, and it showed. She glanced to Myne, who was smirking audaciously. She was no doubt bragging silently about her victory of the trial yesterday.
Motoyasu quickly noticed the sparks flying between the two women and stepped between them.
"Y-Yesterday sure was hectic, huh? But, now that you've some time to yourself, I'm sure you've calm a little and…" Motoyasu paused when he realized that Asuka ignored him and walked straight past him. "Eh… Asuka-chan…?"
Motoyasu would have pursued her had Myne not stopped him.
"You should leave her alone for now. You need to concentrate on preparing for the Next Wave." Myne said. In truth, Myne wanted to wait for the right opportunity to make that Sword Bimbo's life miserable, but first, she wanted the little brat to suffer being alone for a while.
"R-Right…" Motoyasu said reluctantly. The Spear Hero's party left soon after.
Meanwhile, Itsuki gave her an indifferent look as she walked past him without so much as a glance. It became clear to the Bow Hero that tensions between the Three Heroes wouldn't be solved right away.
"Excuse me… I was told that I could take quests here," said Asuka as she approached the receptionist Evelyn, who was very surprised to meet the Sword Hero in person.
"O-Oh, are you by chance the Sword Hero?" Evelyn asked, a little startled, "I noticed that you're carrying the Legendary Sword from the old legends, and you seem to know the other two Heroes. I also heard rumors about your… appearance." Evelyn subtly peered down to Asuka's chest for a brief moment.
Even though the Sword Hero's upper body was covered by a cloak, her chest still stood out.
"Yes. My name is Asuka." the Sword Hero introduced herself politely and sternly while ignoring the brief stare toward her assets, "If I'm not mistaken, I was pre-registered as an adventurer in this guild, correct?"
"T-That's right. I'm assuming you have experience taking care of monsters like the balloons outside the walls?"
"Yes, and I gain enough experience to level up pretty fast, but I need to start completing actual quests if I want to get stronger. The balloons won't cut it anymore." Asuka answered honestly, "So, how do you accept quests here?"
"I thought you were already familiar with this sort of thing?"
"To be honest, I'm not entirely familiar with questing. I know about quests, and they can help me level up, but I've never actually done this for real before." Asuka answered. Back in her world, she and her classmates did accept requests from the mayor of Asakusa to deal with thugs and enemy shinobi making disturbances on the streets. They were sort of like quests in a way. Now in this world, she needed to familiarize herself with how quests work here. They seemed to be like those quests from fantasy RPGs Hibari played.
"That's interesting. I assumed you'd know how to pick quests for yourself because of the game you played before this," said Itsuki as he approached Asuka from the side.
"I was given missions to complete, rather than picking out a quest for myself," Asuka replied to the Bow Hero. Being civil with Itsuki was decidedly more manageable than doing so with Motoyasu. It was still better to keep answers short and not let anything else slip.
"Missions? That must be your game's equivalent to the standard RPG quest." Itsuki assumed.
"You could say that," Asuka said.
Evelyn was confused by what the two Heroes were talking about. But she withheld her tongue and focused on explaining the ways of questing.
"Hmm, well…" Evelyn motioned for Asuka to look to her left, "Do you see that board on the wall?"
Asuka turned to the wall on her left and found the standard quest board, with several job requests placed on it with varying difficulties and reward prices.
"That's the quest board. If you are familiar with this, you'll know all that you can select and take on a job request that was recently posted. Lower ranked adventurers take on these quests to gain EXP, but if the more well-known adventurers, like say a Hero such as yourself, some customers will personally request you for a job." Evelyn explained.
"I see. I'm a beginner, so should I start with the quests befitting for my current level then?" Asuka asked.
"That's how it works. Go ahead and pick out which you think is safe. Once that's done, show it to me for approval."
"I can't read this world's language," Asuka stated.
"The same applies to me, Motoyasu-san, and Naofumi-san," Itsuki added.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't aware. If I remember correctly, the Cardinal Heroes came from another world, don't you? In that case, just choose which one strikes your fancy and show it to me,"
Asuka did as instructed while the receptionist waited patiently. There were quite a few beginner-level quests. She found one in particular that had a picture of a canine-like creature on it. Seeing its teeth reminded her of Orochi somewhat. Anger and sadness swelled within her. Perhaps that was why she wound up picking it.
"How's this?" Asuka presented a job request flier to Evelyn.
The receptionist quickly scanned the paper, "Exterminate Dire-Wolf pack near a village in the north. Reward: 75 Copper,"
"This is okay, right?"
"Yes, but are you sure you want to take on a low-paying job like that? And, Dire-wolves aren't exactly easy to handle alone,"
"I can manage on my own. Yes, money is a concern, but the people from this village asked for help through this flier. That's why I decided to take it. Is that a problem?" Asuka asked with a scowl.
"N-No, not at all!" Evelyn put on an uneasy smile, "Anyway, the quest flier has a map leading to this village's location. It looks like it's near the northern mountains. You'll want to speak with the village chief. Travel will take about two days on foot,"
"I see. Thanks for the info." Asuka turned around and briskly walked away with the quest flier in her hand.
"W-Well, that is part of my job. Good luck on your first quest, Sword Hero-sama!" Evelyn called out to the Sword Hero but was ignored.
Without a word, Asuka simply trotted toward the Adventurer's Guildhall exit, all the while, several adventurers gave her some mean looks.
"There she is… the Sword Hero."
"Is she even allowed to take job requests after defending the Shield Hero and threatening the King's life?"
"You know, I heard she helped some demi-humans just a while ago. It looks like she's against demi-human slavery. I don't care much for 'em, but she should just mind her own business,"
"Why did someone like her get chosen to be the Sword Hero?"
"Leave her be. I hear Dire-Wolves are pretty vicious. She probably won't last long without a party,"
Asuka stopped and glanced at the adventurers gossiping about her. They stopped what they were doing and looked away in awkward silence.
"Hey! Look, it's the Shield Loving Fake Sword Hero!" called out a boorish male voice. Asuka turned around and saw three thuggish-looking men approaching her. All three were wearing arrogant smirks.
"She really thinks she can take on a bunch of Dire-Wolves all by herself?! Hah! What a laugh!" another thug laughed.
"Don't worry, honey! You don't have to go on quests alone!" said the third thug.
"Yeah, a fragile little thing like you can't possibly make it out there without big strong men like us." said the first thug, "Have us come with ya, and we can show you lots of neat adventuring tricks and shit!"
"Good idea, right?! Of course, we need some compensation." said the second thug with a lecherous smirk, "If money's an issue you for ya, we'll spot you. Just give us a little treat in exchange, okay?" he and his friend chuckle. It was explicitly clear what they were demanding, and needless to say, this drew the ire of Asuka in no time.
Evelyn and Itsuki watched the disgusting scene from afar.
"Those three again…" Evelyn muttered.
"You know them?" asked Itsuki.
"They're an infamous trio who like to make crass passes female adventurers like that," Evelyn answered.
"Aren't you going to stop them?"
"It's guild policy to let adventurers sort out their problems on their own. The staff can't intervene unless absolutely necessary." Evelyn said regretfully.
"And it's not just quests either! We can handle the Waves of Catastrophe too!" stated the second thug, "Not a bad deal, right? And if you need money, we can give you as much as you want, as well as something special!"
Evelyn glared at these lecherous idiots with pure venom. Clearly, they have no intention of fighting the Waves of Catastrophe. All they wanted was to jump the bones of any woman they could. Even more appalling was that they target a teenager like the Sword Hero.
Itsuki shook his head in disapproval at the antics of these men. He would have stepped in, but he decided to wait and see how Asuka would handle this situation.
Meanwhile, the Sword Hero was silent through this exchange. Instead of responding to the lecherous trio's comments, Asuka walked past all three of them without looking them in the eye.
The thugs were not amused.
"H-Hey! We ain't finished!" the first thug called out, trying to grab her shoulder, only for his hand to get crushed by the vice-like grip of the Sword Hero. "Aghh! L-Let go! Let go!"
Asuka turned her head toward the thugs, meeting them with a calm but enraged gaze, "Get out of my face…"
A moment later, she let go of the pervert, who scurried behind his friends. The three thugs backed down immediately, clearly terrified of the Sword Hero and her aura of fury. No one said a word as Asuka trotted away. She wore a scowl as she was making her exit. She had already grown sick of this and simply wanted to get out of Castle-Town as quickly as possible.
"This wouldn't be happening to you if you hadn't let your temper get the best of you." Itsuki thought. Once again indifferent, Itsuki shook his head in disappointment at Asuka's self-inflicted situation. She would have been able to salvage her reputation if she hadn't tried to defend Naofumi or attack the King. Because of her stubbornness, she was all alone, with no party, fans, or supporters.
"I suppose I should get going on a quest as well." Itsuki turned to one of his party members, "Mald-san…"
"Yes, Itsuki-sama. Allow me," said Mald, a large-bodied man covered head to toe in armor. He'd be doing this for the Sword Hero had she not decided to disband the party before he could demonstrate his usefulness. But, he decided to settle for the next best thing by making the Bow Hero rise to power and show that little girl what she missed after rejecting his assistance.
While storming across the streets of Castle-Town, Asuka's scowl didn't let up. She was hyper-focused on leaving this twisted place as quickly as possible, if only for just a couple of day's worth of travel.
She blocked out all of the stares and not-so-subtle whispers of those around her. She even missed someone watching her from a dark alley.
It was the now-disgraced Shield Hero, Naofumi. To avoid the public eye, he hid in the shadows of the alleys. It was pure happenstance that he saw her make a mad-dash through the streets.
He wore a scowl as well. He heard about this duel between Asuka and Motoyasu that was to take place after the Second Wave. He couldn't believe she was fighting against Motoyasu just to clear his name. She must be pitying him just to make herself look good. Getting as much hate from these twits and then gaining popularity after restoring his reputation was surely her end goal. He was just a mere stepping stone for her to achieve success in this shithole of a world.
As much as Naofumi wanted to believe that she was using him, another part of him was nagging at the Shield Hero. He wanted to believe she truly cared about him. He pushed that feeling down and walked away. If there was any way for him to restore his reputation, he would do so himself. If there was a way to get home, he would find it. He wouldn't rely on a traitor like her.
Lyall the Werewolf: So, now we're diving into Asuka's first quest, which will happen in the next chapter. Really, it should have been chapter 05. I don't know why I decided to introduce it at the time I did in the original. I think it would have made more sense to do this right away.
The duel is still happening, but this time, I intend to stick with canon by having it set after the Second Wave.
That's all for now, though. I hope you guys have been enjoying this so far. I know the first three chapters were basically the same but cleaned up, but I'm sure the new content will be worth it.