Rise of the Sword and the Shield chapter 06: Time to Play
Lyall the Werewolf: I half expected more reviews on the last chapter. But since it was a rehash, I'm not surprised. This time will be more interesting since it's an original chapter.
I will be using the same strengthening method I used in the previous version for Asuka's sword, but I may add more to it to make it her own. It was my original for the previous version until it got away from me.
(I don't own Senran Kagura or Shield Hero)
A week had passed since the Three Heroes (or rather Three in a half Heroes) began working at the Adventurer's Guild.
Itsuki had returned to the guild after completing another quest with his party. During this busy week, he acquired new attire. It consisted of a sleeveless tunic with light clothing underneath. Additionally, he wears thin leather gloves, leather boots, and a green hood-like cape attached around his neck and right shoulder.
His successes in completing quests at the guild have earned him high praise from his party, especially his right-hand man, Mald.
"Excellent work as always, Itsuki-sama! You are truly the greatest of the Cardinal Heroes." Mald said.
"Thank you, Mald-san, but such praise is more than I deserve for doing my job," Itsuki said with a smile.
"Nonsense! Before long, everyone in this country will sing your praise! If I were you, I would bask in their admiration! Of course, such a dream is far beyond my reach. Haha!" Mald chuckled.
"I suppose so." Itsuki beamed. This was the usual routine that formed after Mald and the others joined Itsuki's party. These would have been Asuka's party members if she hadn't chosen to disband it in favor of helping Naofumi. Itsuki believed she must be regretting it now because she had no one loyal at her side.
"HAAAHH!"
"What was that?" Itsuki asked after hearing that scream.
"It sounds like it came from the training grounds. It's right outside." Mald said.
Itsuki, Mald, and the rest of his party walked outside to the training grounds of the Adventurer's Guild.
It was a wide-open area with various training dummies, arrow targets, and large boulders. There was also a stone ring for sparring. It was here where one would usual the Sword Hero training by herself.
And there she was, hacking away at a dummy all by her lonesome.
Itsuki heard that Asuka had taken on numerous quests on her own and had succeeded in completing all of them. And when she had downtime, she was training with the skills she had acquired.
This surprised Itsuki. Asuka was doing physical training in a game world like this?
"Hah!" Asuka swung her Orange Sword on a wooden dummy. She wielded her sword gracefully and without pause. Some of the adventurers in the area watched her for a while, but she paid no attention to them. Some were there thinking they could learn something from here, while others wanted to get a better look at her body as she was moving around, specifically her breasts. They swayed or bounced depending on her movements. If there was one thing most of the male adventurers could admire about her, and many of the female adventurers could envy, it was her large bust.
"Oh, I heard the Sword Hero likes to train by herself when she's not on quests. It's a boring sight, wouldn't you agree, my lord?" Mald asked Itsuki.
The Bow Hero paid no attention to Mald's question. Instead, he paid close attention to Asuka's movements. Not many know this, but he had come from a world of EPsers, people who had special psychic abilities. His psychic power was a low-class ability called Accuracy, which allowed him to use long-ranged weapons more efficiently than most. It had other uses too, like helping him keep up with Asuka's fast movements. From what he could see, the handling of her sword had a natural flow to it. It baffled him that she could move so perfectly despite being so new to the game. Was her previous game that physically inclined? He had to find out what her secret was.
After slicing away at the dummy, Asuka locked on to a new target. A boulder right behind the dummies.
She switched the Orange Sword to the Iron Sword and used its skill on the builder.
"Slant Slash!"
The boulder was sliced clean in two with one attack.
|Slant Slash Mastery – 100%|
|New Skills Unlocked! Horizontal Slash, Vertical Slash|
"Alright!" Asuka said to herself with pride. She thought she could unlock more skills after mastering one of the Equip Bonus Skills. It made her happy to know that her theory was proven correct. It took time and effort, but it was worth all the practice. This was why she began physical training. Additionally, it helped her maintain her natural physicality. She had this mindset instilled in her during her training with her grandfather, after all.
After completing her exercises, Asuka switched the Iron Sword back to the Small Sword and shrank it down to a keychain size trinket strapped to her wrist. She learned to do this with her sword a while ago, and it made carrying it easier for the Sword Hero.
She sat down on a nearby bench to wipe away her sweat with a cloth.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!
"Very impressive, Asuka-san!" Itsuki called out, clapping his hands as he and his party approached her.
"Itsuki-kun…" Asuka muttered. Come to think of it, some of her mastery points on the Slant Slash skill were a bit slow. Maybe it had something to do with Itsuki being close by.
"I'm sorry if interrupting you." the Bow Hero said.
"It's okay. I'm about to take a break, anyway." Asuka sighed. He seemed to be making an effort to be civil, so she figured she should at least try too. This was the first time she had talked to him in a while. She had seen him around a few times, but they generally avoided speaking to each other, possibly because of the animosity after the trial. By the way, Asuka went out of her way to avoid seeing Motoyasu as much as possible. Thanks to Enhanced Scent Detection, she was able to identify him and Myne by scent, so any time she smelled them coming, she'd either hide somewhere out of sight until they left or leave as quickly as possible. Luckily, Motoyasu and his party weren't here today. Apparently, he decided to take a break after completing all of his quests. Somehow, it didn't surprise Asuka that he would so carefree.
"That was wonderful sword work. Have you been doing that every day?" Itsuki asked.
"Yeah, pretty much. It's always been a part of my routine." Asuka replied.
"Fascinating. But, I don't see the point in doing so." Itsuki stated, catching Asuka off guard a little.
"Huh?"
"I'm curious, why are you here training with your weapon? I was under the impression that all we need to do was raise the levels of our weapons to improve them," said Itsuki.
"Training with our weapons and the skills you've earned has the same effect, doesn't it? That's how I did things back in my world." Asuka said.
"Oh, I forget the game you played game is different than mine." said Itsuki, "Regardless, I think you're wasting your time doing that. Just completing quests and collecting rare items alone should be sufficient to boost your levels and give you powerful skills to use. Which reminds me, what level are you at currently?"
"Level 12." Asuka plainly answered. She saw no reason not to answer Itsuki's question. Admittedly, leveling up quickly had been a bit of a challenge for the Sword Hero. It was probably because some of the jobs she chose had low pay, and most of the monsters on those jobs weren't that strong. But, she had to help the villages that needed help regardless of the low payment. Or gratitude.
"See? You're lower than I am because you're wasting your time with physical training. I'm at level 24." Itsuki said with a bragging tone.
"Really? That's good for you." Asuka replied snidely. From what she observed, Itsuki had his party members select specific quests. Some of the quests had high rewards and rare items. What he did with them was a mystery.
"If you want my advice on how to strengthen your weapon quickly, you should look for rare weapons to copy. That way, you can get the best skills out of your weapon," Itsuki suggested.
"I-Itsuki-sama, why would you tell her that?" Mald sputtered.
"It looked to me like she was going it wrong, so offering some advice wouldn't hurt. Besides, she's going to need all the help she can get since she doesn't have a party. But, don't worry, that's all I'm going to give her." Itsuki replied to Mald.
"Thanks for your generosity. I'm sure you won't regret it." Asuka quipped. It became evident to her that Itsuki hadn't considered the idea that this wasn't a game. Firsthand experience had taught her that this world was very real and very dangerous. That was the reason Asuka began physically training and mastering the skills she had already acquired. Gaming experience alone wasn't going to be enough to win the fight against the Waves of Catastrophe.
However, this information gave her pause for thought. She gathered some new skills and stat buffs over the week, having paid to copy some new weapons from Erhard's shop and farmed some new materials from what monsters she could find. It seemed Itsuki looked for rare items to incorporate into his Legendary Bow. His thinly veiled attempt at offering friendly advice aside, it might be a good idea to take up his suggestion. Although, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was testing her.
"At any rate, it looks like you attracted a crowd during your performance. I'm sure a lot of the adventurers here were impressed by it. Maybe if they're serious, they'll consider forming a party with you." Itsuki said. He looked over toward the other adventurers going about their business after Asuka was done training. Some were even chatting about her swordsmanship skills, and they seemed impressed.
"Some of them were just watching because they wanted to see something other than me practicing my sword work. I could care less." Asuka frowned in embarrassment.
She spotted some of the men ogling her while some women were fuming. The Sword Hero wasn't so sure about working with them if they could be this easily distracted by bouncing breasts. At least their hostility about the trial and sympathy toward demi-humans began to die down as they adjusted to her presence in the guild.
Sadly, not everyone learned to let go of the past.
"You ought to start caring now, Sword Hero!" Mald spoke up, "You've already embarrassed yourself by showing pity to that pathetic Shield Hero. Now we hear that you're sympathetic toward lowly demi-human slaves. It's of little wonder the people are calling you a Fake Hero!"
Asuka gave the older man a sharp glare after hearing his comment. She remembered this man from before. He was the man with the shiny armor who looked like trouble and one of her potential party members. That is before she decided to disband it. And it appeared she was right to dismiss the party because this man was more trouble than she thought.
"Mald-san, it's impolite to out of turn." Itsuki scolded, "No matter how misguided her intentions, she tried to help Naofumi-san because she's too nice for her own good."
"Hmph! And look where it got them both. The Shield Hero's a rapist, and the Sword Hero is a little girl playing Hero."
"Says the man rudely butting into a conversation…"
"I suppose you have a point. One does need to think more wisely about their future. After all, with great power comes great responsibility."
"Pfft! Haha!" Asuka couldn't help but laugh at that quote from Itsuki.
"What's so funny?" asked Itsuki. He was a bit annoyed by Asuka's laughter.
"I didn't know you read American comic books! That was straight out of Spider-Man!" Asuka blurted. She knew of a few American comic book Superheroes, but she never really got into them. Of course, she admired how many Superheroes fought for the right causes and their sense of justice and hoped to one day emulate them in her Good Shinobi career pursuit.
"Who?"
"Oh right, different worlds…" thought Asuka.
"Itsuki-sama, why must you waste time conversing with someone like her?" Mald groaned.
"I'm not wasting time. There's something that I want to know about her." Itsuki answered.
"Like what?" asked Asuka.
"Like how you can complete a quest that even a group of adventures considered dangerous and come back alive," said Itsuki. His demeanor changed from friendly to imposing, "Remember that quest about the Dire-Wolves a week ago? The one that even parties of adventurers were afraid of taking on? How did you succeed where they couldn't?"
Asuka didn't like the demanding tone the Bow Hero was using.
"Why does it matter? It's done, and I'm still taking on quests and getting stronger. The Second Wave is coming, and I have to be prepared for it. And let's not forget about my duel with Motoyasu-kun afterward." Asuka retorted.
"Answer the question, Sword Fake!" Mald demanded. He was beginning to get on Asuka's nerves very quickly.
"Here's a question for you, Itsuki-kun. Why is he still here? This conversation is between you and me." Asuka said. This drew Mald's ire.
"Mald-san has a habit of speaking his mind too often. Don't let it bother you." said Itsuki, "Now, back to my question. How did you complete that quest by yourself?"
"Well, if you must know, it was with my own skill and abilities. Nothing else beyond that." Asuka answered in annoyance.
"Are you sure you're not using your cheating ability?"
"Cheating?"
"After Naofumi-san's trial, you moved so fast we couldn't see you and threatened the King's life. Let's not forget the way you slapped Motoyasu-san across the face and practically threw him to the ground, which left cracks where he landed." Itsuki stared straight into Asuka's eyes, "Asuka-san, be straight with me. Are you cheating somehow to increase your strength and speed?"
"Uhh…" save for a raised eyebrow, Asuka couldn't formulate a response. "Cheating? He honestly thinks I'm cheating?"
From his gamer logic perspective, what Asuka was capable of could be considered cheating to some degree. After all, she was stronger and faster than the normal people both in her world and here. But, those were her natural abilities at work. She was trained in the Shinobi arts, so naturally, she had above human strength, speed, and endurance. She was not making the mechanics of some game world work to her advantage. She didn't even know the first thing about hacking. Not to mention it didn't make sense. If Asuka was going to use some cheat ability to get ahead, why would she train physically to improve her skills?
Whatever the case, she'd rather keep the truth of her identity a secret from him if she could help it. It was none of his business, anyway.
"I think you're mistaken, Itsuki-kun. What I did after the trial was completely natural." Asuka said.
"Please, don't play dumb! We both know you're capable of more than what you're letting on. And it's only possible because you're cheating." Itsuki retorted.
"Why are you insisting that I'm cheating?" Asuka asked in annoyance, "I would have thought you were a little more mature than that since you're older than me by one year."
"Are you suggesting that I'm immature despite my age?" asked Itsuki with a sharp glare.
"Do you really want me to answer that? You can deny it if you want, but I think the answer is quite obvious," said Asuka, to the irritation of Itsuki.
"Such impudence!" Mald cut in once again. He stepped between his leader and the Sword Hero. "How dare you insult the venerable Itsuki-sama! Only a Fake Hero, who supports the Shield Hero and befriends demi-humans, would do something so juvenile!"
Incensed by that statement, Asuka turned piercingly to Mald, "Why do you keep butting in? Do you have something against me?"
"Of course not! But, I must admit, it does vex me that you would pass up my aid simply to pity the Shield Hero. Your disrespectful attitude isn't helping either." Mald replied while glaring at the Sword Hero for this slight.
Knowing where this was going, Itsuki tried to defuse the situation by stepping between them, "And I'm sure she's very sorry for that. Isn't that right, Asuka-san?"
"Not in the slightest. If we were in a party together, I would have kicked him out without hesitation." Asuka retorted.
"WHAT?!" Mald yelled loud enough for everyone on the training grounds to hear.
Not intimidated by the larger man's temperament, Asuka continued, "Besides helping Naofumi-kun, why else do you think I disbanded the party? Someone with your high and mighty would have messed up the morale of the group. It only makes sense to weed out potential problems before they escalate!"
"Now you listen here, you little brat!" Mald marched over to Asuka and slammed his hand on the bench she was sitting on. "I'll have you know that Itsuki-sama is very happy to have me at his side! If you hadn't disbanded your own party, you'd have my guidance and support! But no! You have nothing because you're a Fake Hero whose pity toward the Shield Hero and lowly animals spits in the face of what the Three Heroes represent! You even go so far as to spurn our worship because you pity them! The Fake Hero title fits like a glove!"
Itsuki said nothing through this exchange. He learned of the slavery of demi-humans in this country and the religion surrounding the Three Heroes. But, as much as slavery sickened him, he knew he couldn't do much without upsetting the people. Itsuki preferred praise over scorn. But maybe he'd figure something out. And it would be much less reckless than what Asuka was doing.
"And what am I supposed to represent as a Cardinal Hero? Condoning needless cruelty to innocent people? Ignoring injustices? I'm supposed to be worshipped for that? From my point of view, that isn't heroism. That's irredeemable evil!"
"Pretty words from a pretty free-loader like you!"
"Mald-san…"
"Just how long do you plan to freeload in that guest room upstairs? If you need money, just go sell that ridiculously curvy body of yours off to some rich pervert! I'm sure any man will take you in!" Mald smirked. Even he couldn't prevent his eyes from wandering slowly up and down the Sword Hero's body.
Asuka didn't miss this, and she wasn't amused by it either.
"Mald-san, that was uncalled for!" Itsuki yelled, "Even if she's misguided, I don't think Asuka-san would do anything like that!"
"It's okay, Itsuki-kun. Let him say what he wants." Asuka calmly said, "After all, the words of a sexist blowhard mean nothing to me,"
Itsuki wasn't fooled by the Sword Hero's statement. He saw the irritated face Asuka made due to Mald's blatant sexist comments toward her. She was remarkable in keeping herself restrained.
"Grr… I think it's time someone taught you some manners, little girl!"
"Mald-san, what're you suggesting?"
"Just a sparring match to show her how inferior she is to men like me. I won't tolerate rudeness, especially not from a little girl playing Hero!" Mald answered before turning back to Asuka, "What do you say, Sword Fake? You're not afraid of being beaten in a contest of strength, are you?"
"I'm more afraid of making you look bad, so I'll have to pass. I don't accept meaningless challenges." Asuka replied.
"What about the duel you have with that buffoonish Spear Hero? Aren't you fighting him to clear the Shield Hero's name?"
"Don't you dare compare fighting for Naofumi-kun to your little sparring match!" Asuka yelled. She stood up from beat on the bench, infuriated that this tin tyrant would make such a comparison.
Mald smirked, knowing that he touched a nerve.
"Fighting for a criminal is the most trivial thing a person can think of. Face it, the King and Princess Malty have spoken! The Shield Hero's true cowardly nature was revealed to you in the trial, and you're only deluding yourself into thinking otherwise!"
"That trial was a waste of our time and served no purpose to us! All they did was falsely convict him of crimes he'd never commit!"
"As if anyone is going to believe that now!" Mald boasted, "The Shield Hero is a weakling! Whether he's a criminal or not, he'll die long before you could clear his name!"
"Ahem!" Itsuki coughed, catching Asuka and Mald's attention. "While I don't think he'd die that quickly, I would like to say that you're still wasting your time, Asuka-san. Naofumi-san was found guilty of his crimes. You need to accept that." the Bow Hero said.
"Your opinion doesn't matter!" Asuka spat at Itsuki.
"I'm only telling you this as a fellow Hero." said a patient Itsuki, "Not just that, but I've recently heard that Motoyasu-san has reached level 30, thanks to Myne-san's guidance. At the rate you're going, I don't think you have any chance of winning the duel. Just give up and forget about Naofumi,"
"I won't! It doesn't matter what level Motoyasu-kun is at! I won't lose, and I won't abandon a friend!" Asuka replied angrily. She turned back to Mald with the same amount of hostility, "And you can forget about that sparing match! I'm not going to waste my time on a weakling!"
"What was that?!"
Instead of answering the tin man, Asuka stormed away from the Bow Hero and his party.
"Thanks for the talk Itsuki-kun. We'll have to do this again some other time."
Itsuki frowned at this, clearly not amused by how Asuka casually blew him off after she mocked Mald to his face.
"Hold it, Sword Fake! We're not done here!" Mald attempted to grab Asuka. However, Sword Hero suddenly disappeared. More accurately, she jumped high into the air above the tin man. With ease, she landed on his helmet-covered head and within a few seconds, leaped off of him to the roof of the guild, causing him to fall on his rear end.
Quite a few, including Itsuki and his party, were agape to see this feat. Most have reportedly seen the Sword Hero running across the rooftops at times, but it would still surprise anyone who saw it.
Asuka vanished from sight, leaving Adventurer's Guild behind.
"Get back here, you Sword Fake!" Mald roared, only to be ignored by the Sword Hero. "That brat! She'll pay for this humiliation!"
"Let it go, Mald-san," Itsuki said to Mald. He stared silently in the direction Asuka was going. Now he knew for sure. Asuka was more than just a cheater. He was going to uncover her secrets one way or another. No one will surpass him in heroism. He believed it was karma that she fell from the grace she initially stole from him on the first day.
As the Bow Hero stood by silently, one of his party members cautiously came up to him. He had orange hair and green eyes, and he wore light armor.
"I-Itsuki-sama…" he spoke nervously.
"Yes, Welt-san?" Itsuki answered.
"Maybe you shouldn't hassle the Sword Hero like that," Welt said.
"Why would you suggest that? I thought you disliked how Asuka-san disbanded her party, too." Itsuki turned to Welt with a passive-aggressive look in his eyes.
"W-Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't hurt by it, but I think she was right to do so." Welt replied, "She said we lacked faith in the Shield Hero. That's why he was…"
"Naofumi-san did a bad thing and was punished accordingly. Asuka-san simply refuses to accept that." Itsuki said pointedly, "But, that's beside the point. Remember, Asuka-san selfishly spurned your chance to form a party with her. Whereas I amiably took you in as a member of my party? Are you saying you're ungrateful for my kindness? I would hate for you to quit, just like your friends did."
"N-No! I'm truly grateful for your allowing me to fight alongside you, Itsuki-sama!" Welt stammered. The intimidating looks Itsuki and Mald were giving him were unpleasant, to say the least.
"That's what I like to hear!" Itsuki smiled, "Now, let's take our mind off this debacle by selecting another quest!"
"Excellent idea, Itsuki-sama! I could use some stress relief after dealing with that brat." Mald chuckled.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, someone watched from behind a pillar. Her eyes were specifically targeting Asuka before she hopped to the roof.
This woman was tall, had medium-length brown hair, and wore a navy blue outfit.
She was watching Asuka the entire time she was training, as she was ordered to spy on her. Now that she obtained the information she needed, it was time to report back to Myne. She just hoped the Sword Hero hadn't noticed her. The woman in blue was also hoping it was worth having to spy on her to satisfy Myne's curiosity. If there was the slightest chance of the Sword Hero defeating Motoyasu in the duel, it would jeopardize Myne's plans later down the line. Not that the woman in blue cared so long as she could maintain her place in the party.
[-A Little Later: Main Street of Castle-Town-]
After some roof hopping away from the Adventurer's Guild, Asuka eventually stopped on a random rooftop in the middle of town.
She thought back to her argument with Itsuki and his shiny armored crony. The Sword Hero noticed the increased arrogance Itsuki displayed when he was insinuating that her training was useless and accusing her of cheating. Where did he get off calling her a cheat? And her training was a waste of time? To her, nothing was more important than training to improve herself and keep her spirits up. Asuka's training was efficient, and it would serve her well in the future, especially for the Second Wave and the duel. Nothing he says will change that.
Honestly, it wouldn't surprise her if that shiny armored bucket head was the main source of Itsuki's bad attitude. He was the most unpleasant individual whom Asuka had the displeasure of meeting yet. She'd hate to know what Motoyasu was currently like under the influence of Myne.
After her encounters with the Hebijo Shinobi and meeting Myne's ugly personality, Asuka recognized true evil when she saw it. True evil was taking advantage of innocent people and causing them to offer for their gain and pleasure.
Such evil was the kind of evil Myne and her father practiced. If King Aultcray really cared about the people of Melromarc, he shouldn't have held that false trial for Naofumi and dashed any hope of the Four Cardinal Heroes working together. Myne was the worst one between the two for obvious reasons. And since Mald saw nothing wrong with racism, disparaging Naofumi, and sexism, he was irredeemable too. There were some decent people in Melromarc. Unfortunately, too many have taken to this warped view of the Cardinal Heroes and hatred toward demi-humans. It made finding anyone trustworthy difficult.
That was the reason Asuka had gone it alone this long. The sad reality was that the only person she could count on was herself.
By contrast, Homura and her comrades in Hebijo were not evil at heart. They were good people, and they didn't deserve their cruel fate. Knowing this saddened Asuka. Had she not failed to defeat Orochi, she could have saved them, and no one would have died that day.
She still held out hope for saving Naofumi from his unfair situation. She decided to keep getting stronger for him and for those who can't defend themselves. That was her oath as the Sword and the Shield.
She also needed to be warier about her surroundings.
Asuka remembered the woman in blue who was watching her before. She was part of the crowd of spectators, but she stood out to the Sword Hero because she was a member of Motoyasu's party. Asuka didn't remember everyone else, but Motoyasu having an all-female party did stick out in her mind. She wondered if Myne or Motoyasu sent her to the guild to spy on her. Asuka intentionally avoided being seen by them, so it probably raised some questions for the two. Myne was most likely to be the one ordering her to keep tabs on the Sword Hero.
Asuka thought she should be more careful from now on. Though he believed it was cheating, Itsuki had caught onto Asuka's abilities. Revealing too much of herself to anyone, the enemy included, was a bad move in the Shinobi World. Secrecy was the most important thing above all else for a Shinobi.
Now, on to more pressing matters… like finding something to eat.
[-Meanwhile: Malty's Room-]
"So that's how strong she is?" asked Myne as she lounged on her expensive furniture. She was just informed of the training regimen the Sword Bimbo was undergoing by Elena, the spy she sent.
Joined at her side on the sofa were Lesty and one of the younger members of the party.
Lesty was a woman with long magenta hair who wore a fur coat. She had sharp features but was still beautiful.
The younger girl was a Green Mage, as evident by the green hat and dress. She carried a magic staff.
"Yes. And the Sword Hero's agility was a sight to behold as well," replied Elena. It seemed the information she provided to Myne was satisfactory. Myne didn't care for anyone smarter than her, so to avoid crossing the spoiled princess, Elena played the part of the ditzy beauty like everyone else did in the Spear Hero's party. Although, Myne did choose Elena to spy on the Sword Hero because she was possibly the only one in the party who could keep a low profile and not be noticed by the Sword Hero. That meant that Myne was willing to admit to some of her intellect and usefulness to the party when it came to gathering information. Lesty's garish fur coat would be noticed right away, and the Green Mage wasn't an expert on stealth or gathering information.
"You don't think she's stronger than Motoyasu-sama, do you?"
"O-Of course not, Myne! The Sword Bimbo stated that she was level 12, and Motoyasu-sama is far beyond that. I believe that her training regiment is useless compared to our magnificent Spear Hero's brilliance and strength!" Elena answered cheerfully. Inwardly, she thought the opposite. It was clear to her that the Sword Hero was much stronger than Motoyasu, and her training would only improve upon it. If Elena were to reveal that to Myne, there would surely be trouble.
"That's what I thought." Myne smirked, "In any case, it won't matter. I've tracked done the monster with the necessary skill to defeat the Sword Bimbo in the duel. Once Motoyasu-sama acquires it, I know for sure victory in the duel will be his!"
"That's the Myne I know and love! Always one step ahead!" Lesty cheered.
"You're incredible, Myne-san!"
"She wouldn't have found that specific monster if weren't for my connections in the merchant trade." Elena thought. Her mother was a successful merchant. A core necessity for anyone in the merchant business was the ability to assess any information for profit, whether it be about valuable goods, certain land, or even dangerous monsters that could be useful to or hamper business. No self-respecting merchant would come themselves professional if they couldn't use the information to their advantage.
In any event, Elena had gotten to know Myne during the week they spent at a party. The spoiled princess considered herself the leader of the party behind Motoyasu. If anyone disagreed, she'd either kick them out of the party or subject the offender to a worse fate if she so desired. Naturally, Motoyasu was none the wiser about Myne's cunning nature.
He seemed to prefer having fun and gathering as many female party members as he could. He even personally turned away any male looking to join his party out of a desire to have an all-female party. None of the girls complained about that. They enjoyed the luxurious life Motoyasu was able to provide with his success. One downside to this was his near-constant moaning about the Sword Hero and wishing to either go on a date with her or save her from the Shield Hero's drug. Elena didn't care much as long as he kept making money and made her life as comfortable as possible.
As for Myne and the others, Elena kept them at arm's length. While the others seemed moderately helpful to the party, Myne's cunning was something to watch out for. Her hatred for the Sword Hero was also a sore spot. The merchant woman couldn't deny the reason why. How a girl so young acquired such… assets was beyond her comprehension.
"Still, it wouldn't hurt to be careful around wretched Sword Bimbo…" Myne sneered, "I thought she'd give up after enduring the capital's neglect for this long, but she's more stubborn than I realized. She's even gained a following from the guild. I can't allow that!"
"Yeah, obviously! I'd slap her fat tits for daring to challenge you and Motoyasu-sama!" Lesty said passionately. She and Myne were school friends before joining Motoyasu's party. She shared a lot of personality traits with Myne, so they got along perfectly. Lesty was the loyal yes-lady to Myne.
The Green Mage pouted, feeling inadequate compared to the older girls and their more mature figures. This was especially the case with the Sword Hero.
Myne stood from her sofa with a devilish smirk on her face, "If we're all in agreement, and I'm certainly assuming so, I think it's time to teach the Sword Bimbo a lesson. She won't ignore us after that!"
"Um, are you sure that's wise? What if Motoyasu-sama finds out?" asked Elena.
"He won't as long as you keep quiet, Elena!" Lesty argued.
"Exactly. He's especially unaware of our plan since he's sleeping like a baby in his own private chambers." Myne stated. Due to the royal family favoring him over the other Heroes, Motoyasu was allowed to stay in the castle if he so chose.
As stated earlier, Motoyasu had decided to take time off from adventuring for a while. He figured he could use a break after all his hard work this week. The Spear Hero had leveled considerably and obtained enough wealth to keep the girls happy. As stated by Myne, the Spear Hero was currently taking a nap in his room.
"Now, let's go over how we're going to teach the Sword Bimbo a lesson in respect," Myne said as her lackeys gathered around her.
[-Meanwhile: Motoyasu's Private Room-]
After the duel was over, the crowd went wild with excitement as Motoyasu defeated Asuka, as expected. With this, the drug's effect on her should be gone.
As predicted, after she recovered, Asuka looked up to Motoyasu with tears of joy in her eyes.
"Motoyasu-kun!" Asuka cried as she ran up to and jumped into his arms. She hugged him tightly, burying her adorable face in his chest, and even pressing her breasts against him. "Thank you so much for freeing me from Naofumi-kun's drug! I'm sorry for all the mean things I said and did!"
Her sweet murmurs were music to the Spear Hero.
Naturally, he had to win the duel in order to remove the effects of the drug. He didn't want to hurt her during the fight, but it was worth the effort he put in.
"It's alright, Asuka-chan. It's all Naofumi's fault, remember?"
"You're so right! Naofumi-kun's a nasty pervert!" Asuka turned to Naofumi, who was sobbing pathetically on the ground in defeat. "You hear that?! You're a lousy pervert, and I never want to see you again!"
The cured Sword Hero stuck her tongue out at the Shield Hero while clinging to her savior's arm.
"Wait, Asuka! I'm a pathetic loser who could only dream of being like Motoyasu! That's why I drugged you! Please, don't leave me!"
"Nice try, Naofumi, but you won't be getting any sympathy from us. You're going to live in regret and be the sad, lonely loser that you are!"
"NOOOOO!" Naofumi howled in misery while Motoyasu and Asuka walked away with their arms entwined.
"Now that all that nonsense is out of the way, Asuka-chan, let's go spend some quality time celebrating today's victory. Just the two of us." Motoyasu said with a charming smile.
"I'd be more than happy to, but what about Myne-san and the others? Won't they be upset?" Asuka asked shyly.
"They won't mind at all. Today's special, after all." Motoyasu replied, "Isn't that right ladies?"
"Of course, Motoyasu-sama!" Myne cheered, "Just remember to go out with us, okay!"
"MOTOYASU-SAMA, WE LOVE YOU!" the rest of Motoyasu's party/harem declared loudly. Of course, they understood. He loved each and every one of them. Nothing would change that.
"See? Now, let's not waste any more time!" Motoyasu picked Asuka up and carried her bridal style in his arms, all the way to his room for a romantic night. Just the two of them, alone.
"This is so romantic! I'm so glad I met you, Motoyasu-kun!" Asuka beamed as she looked at her prince charming amorously, "And now my virtue is safe, I…"
Asuka stripped down to her underwear and let her hair down. She folded her arms beneath her beautiful breasts and squeezed them together while wearing an expression that was both innocent and seductive. Her body was the picture of beauty.
After seeing this, the Spear Hero could no longer hold back.
"Asuka-chan… Normally, wouldn't consider doing this with someone so young, but for you… I'll make an exception!"
"Motoyasu-kun, I love you!"
That was the scenario playing out in the Spear Hero's head as he slept in his bed. He hadn't seen Asuka in a whole week, and he couldn't stop thinking about her. Finally, she began to appear in his dreams.
Indeed, Motoyasu Kitamura had high aspirations for the future, as indicated by his moaning in his sleep while he dreams of things best left unmentioned. The rising spear beneath the covers was also a dead giveaway.
It was a bewildering sight, especially for King Aultcray, who was standing quietly at Motoyasu's bedside. Aultcray's face was unreadable, but the disgust in his eyes was very apparent.
"Oh, Asuka-chan, you're so soft… they're so warm too! Ahh!" Motoyasu moaned with drool seeping from his mouth. His body moved and contorted like he was in intercourse, making it clear how enthroned he was in his wet dream.
The King was going to wake the Spear Hero up personally because he had private matters he wanted to discuss with him, but he quickly decided it could wait and left in a hurry.
This was one of the few times Aultcray wished to be encased in a block of ice if only to cease any brain functions related to what he had just witnessed.
[-Local Restaurant-]
"Brr… Why did it get chilly all of sudden…?" Asuka shuddered. She was sitting alone at a local restaurant in Castle-Town.
It was one of the few places Asuka could go to for peace of mind. She had to learn to ignore the stares and whispers from the other customers, which didn't take much effort.
What still was a challenge was eating the cheapest meal on the menu. Sure, it was edible, and it served its purpose of filling Asuka's stomach, but halfway-cooked meat and vegetables weren't very satisfying.
"As usual… this tastes awful…" Asuka muttered as she took bites from her meal while sobbing a little. She was really wishing she had something better to eat. Her favorite Futomaki rolls were the most desired.
This wasn't the only thing that made Asuka feel miserable.
Since she started adventuring, she stayed in the guild's guest room. That was a temporary dwelling until she found a home of her own. Between quests and training, she had been searching for a real place to live. Sadly, not many houses were available in Castle-Town. Either because they were occupied or were too expensive.
She made a decent amount of cash from her quests and a few odd jobs, but not enough to buy a house.
There was no way Asuka would go to King Aultcray for help after what he did to Naofumi.
While she was lost in her misery, a waiter placed a plate of better cook food on the Sword Hero's table.
This surprised her.
"Excuse me, I didn't order this," Asuka said to the waiter.
"The gentleman over there ordered it for you, Sword Hero-sama." the waiter pointed to a well-dressed man sitting at the front of the restaurant. He had a confident smirk on his face, one Asuka recognized immediately.
"Another stuffy noble…" she muttered. This had become a trend recently. Some nobles have been trying various ways to get Asuka's attention. Some had tried to use gestures like this to get her favor. Some approached her directly, offering to support her adventures and the fight against the Waves of Catastrophe. These were obvious ploys to raise their status among their peers by taking in the Sword Hero. If she chose a noble who impressed her, they would win whatever contest they were holding.
Sadly for them, Asuka considered these offers to be a distraction, and all of the nobles making such offers were sketchy. That was why she politely turned them down.
Regardless of her disparaging title, a female Cardinal Hero was exceptionally rare. Many nobles would take any opportunity to raise their standing in society by supporting her and possibly convincing her to take up the toxic culture of Melromarc. Marriage into their families was also an option because many of these nobles had one thing in common. Like Myne predicted, most of them were men, and some proposed to her. While some were relatively young, some of them were old enough to be her grandfather.
Asuka was aware that a world like this had more loose marriage requirements, but the idea of an older man proposing to a younger woman, a teenager no less, was exceedingly creepy. For that reason, she politely turned those proposals down as well.
All and all, this was one of the cumbersome things Asuka had to deal with. Why couldn't adventurers come and ask to form a party with her?
"I'm sorry, I can't accept this," Asuka said to the waiter.
"But the gentleman insisted that we give you a more adequate dish to dine on. He paid for it too." the waiter replied.
"Oh really…" Asuka groaned. That just meant she was obligated to eat it.
Still, the dish presented to her was well made. Freshly cooked stake covered in a sauce and thinly trimmed and seasoned vegetables like carrots and broccoli.
"This looks really good though…" Asuka thought. Taking her fork and knife, the Sword Hero cut a small piece of the stake and placed it in her mouth. She slowly chewed it up and swallowed. A few seconds of silence later, the atmosphere around her changed from depressive to lively.
The stake was delicious. It had been so long since Asuka had a decent meal. The happiness and pure bliss on the Sword Hero's face was clear to see.
Unfortunately, even after she cleaned the plate, Asuka still refused to accept any aid the noble was willing to offer. After bidding farewell, she left the restaurant and was on her way back to the guild.
It was getting late, and she had to hurry back and get some shut-eye for her next quest.
[-The Next Day: Adventurer's Guild-]
Asuka scanned the quest board for any available quests. She tried, but she still couldn't decipher the text of this world. At some point, she was going to need to learn how to read and write this world's language.
She eventually settled on a flier and presented it to Evelyn.
"I'd like to take this job," Asuka said to the receptionist.
After reading its contents, Evelyn's face lit up with surprise.
"Is something wrong?" asked Asuka.
"No. I'm just surprised you chose this quest. The owner of the magic shop in Castle-Town is someone I know personally. We come from the same village." Evelyn answered, "Anyway, it seems she's looking for someone to help with a research project she's been conducting. Because of the First Wave, she hasn't been able to make any progress."
"I see. I'll see what I can do." Asuka said.
"Thank you. You have nothing to worry about from her. She's a very kind woman." Evelyn smiled.
"Oh, that's good to know," Asuka said, thinking it would be a nice change to have a client not openly dismissive. She took the flier back and prepared to leave.
"Do you know where the magic shop is?"
"I've surveyed the capital multiple times. I can find it." Asuka replied.
"I see. Oh, but one last thing. About yesterday…" Evelyn trailed off.
"You mean my argument with Itsuki-kun…?" Asuka sighed, "I'm sorry for causing a scene. Things were getting heated, and I couldn't control myself."
"It's alright." Evelyn nodded, "I have heard that the Bow Hero has become difficult as of late. He had the largest party of the Cardinal Heroes, but it seems some of them have quit because of how he and Lord Mald run things in the party."
"I see… wait, lord?"
"Yes. Lord Mald, the man in the suit of armor is of nobility." Evelyn explained.
"That explains a lot…" Asuka grumbled.
"I don't condone the awful things he said to you, but he does have a point about you taking up that guest room. You can't stay in there forever," said Evelyn.
"I know. I've been looking for a place to stay, but I've had no luck." sighed Asuka.
"Well, you have worked hard in the jobs you've completed, and you always pay for the room. We could give you one more week until you find a permanent place of residence." Evelyn assured.
"Thank you, Evelyn-san. I promise I'll work harder to find a place of my own." Asuka said.
"You remember my name?" Evelyn asked in astonishment.
"Is that a problem?" Asuka asked innocently.
"N-No! It was just so unexpected. In fact, I feel honored that you remember my name!" Evelyn bowed her to the Sword Hero, who quickly got embarrassed.
"It's not a big deal, really!" Asuka exclaimed, "A-Anyway, I'm heading out!"
"Please be safe!"
For some reason, hearing the Sword Hero say her name made Evelyn happy. It seemed to her that Asuka was growing comfortable enough to address her by name. She wondered if Asuka wouldn't mind addressing her by name as well.
Meanwhile, Asuka was a bit surprised to hear herself say Evelyn's name as well. Evelyn was a kind and helpful person, so maybe Asuka felt she could open up to the receptionist. It felt like they were friends in a way, and it made Asuka feel a sense of relief and happiness.
Moments later, once Asuka stepped out into the streets, her Enhanced Scent Detection picked up familiar scents.
It was Myne and her friends. They were hiding from sight, waiting for the Sword Hero to come out. Curiously, Motoyasu wasn't around. It didn't take a genius to realize they were up to no good if they were following her in secret, and they didn't want Motoyasu to know about it.
Knowing it would be trouble if they followed her to her client, Asuka turned and made a break for it. Noticing this, Myne's group immediately ran after her.
"Is the Sword Bimbo on to us already?!" Myne yelled.
"We have to catch her before she slips away! But, I hate running!" Lesty cried.
Asuka turned her head back to see the group pursuing her, much to her annoyance, "I can't waste time with this!"
She needed to reach her client's shop as soon as possible, but it was unlikely that Myne's group was going to give up.
Before long, Asuka noticed that they haven't caught up to her since this short chase began. They already looked tired. They must not be as physically active as the Sword Hero. Come to think of it, she did hear that Motoyasu didn't allow them to fight monsters on quests and they happily cheered for him on the side while he does the fighting. They must be lazy and out of shape if they don't fight regularly. Now that she was aware of this, a mischievous grin crossed her lips.
"Let's have a little fun." Asuka turned up the jets and sprinted down Main Street ahead of Myne's group.
"What the- did she just sprint?!" Myne growled, "You're not getting away from me, you Sword Bimbo!"
Myne sprinted after Asuka faster than she knew she could. She was determined to catch up with the Sword Bimbo, no matter what. The spoiled princess even shoved people out of her path to get to that miserable brat.
"W-Wait, Myne!" Lesty called out.
"M-My legs are sore! I can't go on!" the Green Mage wheezed before falling over.
"Ohh, this is gonna suck…" Elena groaned. It would appear that Myne forgot about her plan to sabotage the Sword Hero's quest today.
Ahead of the three lagging behind, Myne saw Asuka turn a corner to the right. If she remembered correctly, there should be a dead-end alley there, which means there was no escape for the Sword Bimbo.
Smirking devilishly at this fact, Myne corned that same corner and entered the alley, only to find that the Sword Bimbo had vanished.
"W-What the… where'd she go?" Myne looked around the dead-end alley but saw no trace of the Sword Bimbo, "How could she just disappear? This is a dead-end! And it's nearly empty! There's no place for her to hide!"
"Hi, Princess Malty!" called out the voice of Asuka, who was directly behind the spoiled princess.
"UWAA!" Myne shrieked in shock. She turned and saw Asuka simply standing there. "How did you get behind me?!"
Again, there was nowhere to hide, but the Sword Bimbo somehow got behind Myne without making a sound until she spoke. The most baffling thing of all was that the Sword Bimbo didn't look tired at all. In fact, she was smiling cheerfully, and it irritated Myne to no end.
"Or wait… you preferred Myne-san, didn't you? Anyway, it's been a while! Tell me, how have you been?" Asuka asked with a sickeningly cheerful voice.
It angered Myne, whose eye twitched as she scowled at the Sword Bimbo.
"Gee, are you okay? You look tired. You shouldn't run so much if you're not used to it." Asuka said, leaning forward and feigning concern. Doing so made her breasts bounce up and down.
Having seen this drew more of Myne's ire almost immediately.
"Shut up!" Myne lunged forward to slap Asuka in the chest. However, Asuka sidestepped to Myne's right before the latter could land a hit. This further confused and enraged the spoiled Princess.
"I'm impressed you could move so well in your armor. But I don't think it was made for such strenuous movement. You really shouldn't push it." Asuka teased.
"I said shut up!" Myne attempted to grab Asuka to prevent her from escaping. Once again, Asuka evaded by hopping over Myne's head and letting her fall to the ground. "How is she doing that?!"
"See, I told you not to push it." Asuka scolded as she effortlessly landed on the ground.
"Myne!" Lesty called out as she and the others ran into the alley.
"Took you long enough! Catch her before she gets away!" Myne barked.
"On it!" Lesty growled, rushing toward the Sword Bimbo, "You're gonna pay for making me run all this way!"
Asuka avoided the sloppy attack from Lesty by jumping out of the way. Doing so led to Lesty accidentally running into Myne as the latter was getting up off the ground and attempting to tackle the Sword Hero again. The collision made both women fall to the ground.
Elena and the Green Mage were agape to see this and Asuka jumping onto a nearby wall and running alongside it. She went past the two with each.
"This has been fun, but I have places to be! You girls should really think about exercising more!" Asuka said before hopping off the wall and back onto the streets.
"GET HER!" Myne screeched. The chase was back on soon after.
It continued on like this for nearly twenty minutes, and Myne's group was no closer to catching Asuka. At which point, the Sword Hero decided it was time to end this game of cat and mouse. Through quick turns on the streets, clever parkour, and well-timed dodging, Asuka finally gave them the slip.
Now standing on a rooftop, the busty Sword Hero looked down on her pursers. The four were situated in another dead-end alley. She didn't want to admit it, but Asuka did feel a sense of catharsis in making these lazy girls run ragged all over town. That was especially the case with Myne for what she did to Naofumi. Not to mention all the taunting and name-calling directed at the Sword Hero. And no doubt, she and her posse were planning on interfering with her job today, so they deserved this.
"Argh! Lost her! I can't believe we lost her!" Myne yelled while furiously kicking a barrel.
"Wah! I can't run anymore!" Lesty whined while sobbing on the floor.
"Hey, Myne… how about we never do that again…" Elena wheezed. She was also tired and leaning against a wall. Behind her, Green Mage doubled over and fell down again due to exhaustion.
"Shut up! This is your fault for not telling us how fast she can move!" Myne snapped after kicking the barrel away.
"Yes, you're right, I'm sorry!" Elena cried. She would have argued by reminding Myne of what she said about her agility, but she was too tired to do so. And she didn't want to lose her place in the party.
"No, it's the Sword Bimbo's fault… that brat and her jiggling tits! She'll pay for this humiliation!" Myne swore.
"I guess an ambush would be pointless if she could catch us that quickly." Elena said, "So now what?"
"I know what will work! Let's tell Myne's father and get him to ban her from taking quests! That'll slow her down! And it'll show her who's boss around here!" Lesty suggested.
"That's so juvenile." Asuka thought. If Myne really did consider that idea, she would be a complete idiot for being so petty. Then again, it would be a problem to have a ban placed on her.
"No!" Myne replied, to the surprise of her party mates, "That's too easy. She's made this personal, so it's only fitting we carve payback out of her the smart way. We wound up like this because we rushed into this and let her trick us. We'll bid our time and wait for a better opportunity to teach her to know her place!"
"Good idea! Whatever plan you hatch up, I'll follow your lead, Myne!"
"Ohohoho! You may praise me more, Lesty!"
Hearing this troubled Asuka, "So she is capable of thinking. I should be on the lookout for her."
"Excuse me, Myne." Elena said, "I know you're proud of yourself for being so cunning, but… where are we?"
Myne and Lesty stopped laughing at their deviousness after Elena asked her question.
It donned on all of them that they had no idea where they were. They realized that the Sword Bimbo must have led them on a wild goose chase on purpose and made them lose their way in Castle-Town.
"DAMN YOU, SWORD BIMBO!" Myne howled furiously.
"And that's my cue to leave!" Asuka said to herself before hopping away on the rooftops to her client's shop. Incidentally, Asuka led them across Castle-Town far away from the magic shop. At her speed, it would take Asuka only a few minutes to reach the magic shop. Whereas Myne's gang would probably take longer, especially in the weak state they were in.
As for Myne's group… after being so turned around, it would take them many painful hours later to find their way back to the castle.
[-Later: Magic Shop-]
The magic shop owner was tending her shop when she heard the front door open.
"Ah, welcome!" the old witch said. To her surprise, it was Asuka.
"I'm sorry for the delay. I'm here to help you with your research project." the Sword Hero said politely to the elderly woman.
Lyall the Werewolf: Well, that took a while. I think I'm satisfied with this chapter. I originally wanted to have Myne and her gang try to attack Asuka while she was on a quest, but I figured it would be more fun to have Asuka play around with them instead.
I actually wanted Asuka and Itsuki to have a rivalry in the original, albeit one-sided on Itsuki's part. I'm hoping to give that more attention in the future.
I think this chapter will be a chance at rectifying something I didn't do in the original. I didn't showcase Asuka's struggles in Melromarc after the trial. I just skipped to her meeting Naofumi and Raphtalia and snowballed from there.
So, I want to try to expand on this part of Asuka's development in this story and make it as interesting as I could.
That'll do it for this chapter. See you later.