Rise of the Sword and the Shield

by Lyall the Werewolf

She thought this was the end, that she would die in battle against Orochi. But, fate would later grant her a second chance at life as the Cardinal Sword Hero. She and the Shield Hero will rise from disgrace and face the future.

12. Chapter 12: Spear's Hero Party

Rise of the Sword and the Shield chapter 12: Together with the Spear Hero's Party

Lyall the Werewolf: Okay, I expected a little more of a warm reception last time. I guess chapter 11 wasn't anything too mind-blowing, considering I just lifted it straight from canon, except for the scene with Itsuki and Asuka's influence over Naofumi and Raphtalia. I was also pretty late for an update. But hey, who among us is perfect?

I'm sure that will change with this chapter since now we're back to focusing on Asuka and her misadventures with Motoyasu's party.

(I don't own Senran Kagura or Shield Hero)

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Callma village was one of the calmer villages in Melromarc. It was best known for its wide marketplace thanks to the nobleman residing as lord's trading business.

The Spear Hero's party and their guest strolled through the village streets on their way to Vento Manor. Richter Vento was the governor of the Vento Territory, who made a name for himself in the import trading business. He was also acquainted with Elena's family and the one who gave her the information regarding the Giant Scorpion King.

Truthfully, Motoyasu would much rather be looking for Asuka right now. Motoyasu knew the girls in his party were trying to distract him from it. He wanted to go looking for Asuka after she left the guild, but Myne and the others kept his attention on other things, like questing or buying them new gifts and other luxuries. Motoyasu appreciated that the girls were trying to keep his spirits up, but now that he knew that Asuka was missing, he couldn't help worrying even more.

In fact, Motoyasu would much rather be looking for Asuka now instead of hunting for the Giant Scorpion King.

Even though the King told him to leave Asuka alone until the Next Wave, the Spear Hero couldn't help worrying and hoping she was alright.

"Asuka-chan, where are you?" Motoyasu thought.

Meanwhile, right beside him, Myne knew what Motoyasu was thinking, and it irritated her.

This idiot was useful for combat so long as he wasn't thinking about the Sword Bimbo. But, she imagined it wouldn't take much to convince him to let her enslave the little brat. After all, no matter how noble he presented himself, Motoyasu was led purely by his own desires. Myne was more than happy to let him do as he pleased with the Sword Bimbo once he won the duel.

That was the reason for this monster hunt, to get the skill necessary for Motoyasu to strike her down so she wouldn't escape Myne's plan to enslave her.

Things would be going more smoothly if not for the pest that suddenly came along.

Myne looked back to the maidservant, Felecia, as she followed behind the Spear Hero's party.

"Something about that girl still bothers me…" Myne thought.

Meanwhile, Felecia felt incredibly jaded after three days of traveling with Motoyasu's party. There was a reasonable explanation for that, and it went back three days ago.

[-Castle-Town: Three Days Ago-]

After leaving Raphtalia and Naofumi, Asuka had gone on to follow Motoyasu and his party as they were preparing to leave for Callma Village. Elena carried the map to the Giant Scorpion King's lair, and Asuka had to get it if she wanted to find that monster first.

From the shadows, Asuka watched as the Spear Hero's Party were getting everything they wanted to be loaded onto the stupidly expensive stagecoach.

"Looks like they're going in style," Asuka muttered, unsurprised by their choice of transportation. As she spied on them during the week, the former Shinobi often saw Motoyasu paying for the most expensive modes of transportation for his girlfriends, wasting tons of money in the process. But of course, he had plenty to throw around thanks to his royal favorite status, and they wasted even more money on expensive luxuries.

Following the Spear Hero's party to the gate was easy. Now came the hard part. Asuka realized there was no easy way to follow the coach on foot. If she had a trained monster, that would make following them easier. Suddenly, buying one didn't seem like a bad idea. But, that had to wait, like so many things.

Asuka decided that the best and only way to follow them was to join them.

Taking out some commoner clothes she bought some time ago, Asuka started dolling herself up for another disguise. She hoped Motoyasu would fall for it, at least. She also wished there was an easier way to do this without having to change clothes within a few minutes every time. If there was some kind of sword out there that could make masquerading easier, Asuka would definitely add it to her collection of skills in a heartbeat.

At any rate, Asuka was sure that this would be the most unpleasant experience in her life.

"Careful with that! That case is delicate, you idiot!" Myne snapped at one of the drivers for his unintended careless handling of the spoiled Princess' belongings.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss!"

"Easy, Myne. We have plenty of time," said Motoyasu.

"Time I'm not going to waste." Myne replied, "Remember, we need to get that skill if you want to beat that Sword Bimbo."

"Myne, why do you insist on calling Asuka-chan that? It's not very nice." Motoyasu frowned, "Not only that, you and the girls seem to be bullying her too. I don't understand why."

"She's been irritatingly defiant and ungrateful ever since the trial. I can't help it if she thinks she can get away with what she said to us." Myne groaned. Her ego just wouldn't allow for the Sword Bimbo to think she was superior. Putting a slave crest on her will fix that attitude problem of hers.

"But that's because of Naofumi's drug. You said so yourself!"

"Y-Yes, of course! And if we want to see that cute obedient side of hers, you need to go on this journey." Myne said. She was careful not to mention the Giant Scorpion King, just in case any undesirables were listening in. Ever since yesterday, Myne had been extremely overcautious. She hoped she was imagining things when she met that maid.

"Yeah, you're right. But still…" Motoyasu paused as he spotted someone out of the corner of his eye. "Huh? Is that…"

A familiar stranger approached them.

The Spear Hero immediately recognized her.

"Oh, it's Felecia-chan!" Motoyasu exclaimed excitedly. He ran up to her, leaving Myne behind.

"Who is that?" asked Lesty irritably.

"Some maid from the castle. She was with Motoyasu-sama the other day." Myne answered with a scowled.

"Oh, are you jealous, Myne?" Elena teased.

"Not even! Something about that servant irritates me." Myne said. She wasn't the only one not taking kindly to the maidservant's presence. Lesty, Elena, and Emerald also glared like lionesses at an intruder. The only natural one was the new addition to the party, Rino.

Meanwhile, Motoyasu was very enthusiastic about seeing 'Felecia' again.

"Felecia-chan, it's good to see you!" Motoyasu said.

"Hello, Spear Hero-sama!" Felecia replied cheerfully. After putting on the clothes she bought, Felecia hid the Legendary Sword in its miniature keychain form. Like her ninja scroll, she kept it hidden between her breasts. Felecia also had a backpack on. Prior today, she had secretly bought necessary supplies, like long-lasting food, changes of clothes, and utilities, just in case she had to camp to travel the road again. Felecia wasn't going to make the same mistake as her first quest by going on foot and having nothing to eat but Usapil meat and unidentifiable mushrooms.

"What a relief. He hasn't caught on yet. Although, it's only the second we've met like this."

"What brings you here? Did you come to see us off?" Motoyasu asked. His eyes wandered from her cute face to her chest a few times.

"Oh no! Actually, I'm on leave for a little while, so I'm going to Callma Village. It's my hometown, and I wanted to catch up with my family." Felecia said. She pretended not to notice where the Spear Hero's eyes were focused on.

"What a coincidence! We're heading to Callma Village too." Motoyasu said before whispering, "You know, to slay that monster we talked about…"

"Eh?! I didn't know that monster was near my village!" Felecia panicked. Of course, she already knew this, so she feigned distress.

"Have no fear! I, Motoyasu the Spear Hero, will vanquish this beast that stalks swamps near your village." Motoyasu proclaimed while striking another heroic pose.

"H-How gallant!" Felecia cheered. Inwardly, she felt that line from the Spear Poser was recycled.

"Oh, I have an idea! You should come with us!" Motoyasu loudly declared. Myne and the other party members heard this and were very displeased.

"Thank goodness he does all the work for me." Felecia inwardly smirked. His need to please women was Motoyasu's biggest flaw, so it was probably just as easy for his party to take advantage of him. She quickly put on an innocent face, "I don't know. Isn't this really important for you and your party? Won't I just be in the way?"

"Of course, you won't! As a Hero, it's my job to protect all cute girls." Motoyasu confidently said.

Felecia remembered what he said about his death in his previous world. He must have said cheesy lines like that to any girl willing to listen. The girls who killed him most likely took his words to heart, and that was why they did it. In Felecia's opinion, those poor girls deserved better.

"All you need to do is leave the fighting to me, okay? And don't worry about the girls. They know how to take care of themselves." Motoyasu said.

"Highly doubtful…" Felecia thought. That marathon last week made things perfectly clear that Myne and her posse couldn't take care of themselves in a fight if they tried. It was because Motoyasu never bothered to train them. Instead, he spoiled them rotten.

From what she observed as Asuka, they rarely went on quests, and when they did, it was mostly a short venture, with Myne deciding which quests for him to take. More often than not, they would just be lounging around the castle and flirting in public. Not to mention the frequent times Motoyasu and Myne slept together in bed. They really were shameless. Of course, Asuka never stuck around when that action was going down.

"So, now that it's decided…" Motoyasu turned to his party/harem, "Girls, we have a passenger with us on our way to Callma Village! She has family there, so it won't be a problem to escort her there, right?"

Most of the girls grumbled for a second before nodding their heads in compliance.

"That's our Motoyasu-sama for you! Always willing to help a lady in distress. I have no objections." Myne chanted with a twitchy smile.

"There you have it, Felecia. Myne and the others on board!"

"Even though I didn't give my consent yet. But, whatever works."

"But, on one condition!" Myne declared as she marched Felecia and Motoyasu and gave Felecia a fierce glare.

"And here she comes."

"Since you're a servant of the Royal family, you have to obey every word I say on this trip until we reach Callma Village. Is that clear?"

Myne bore down on Felecia, who remained unfazed by the princess's heated gaze.

"W-Wait, Myne! She's on leave, right? Doesn't mean you should cut her a break?" Motoyasu asked.

"Absolutely not! If she's traveling with me, then I, the Princess and rightful heir to the Throne, decree that she must obey me." Myne stated.

"But, I want Felecia-chan to relax on the way to her hometown!" Motoyasu argued.

"No, it's a fair trade. I wouldn't feel right doing nothing in return for allowing me to come along with you." Felecia said. She already knew that Myne wouldn't take kindly to the former's sudden appearance and wouldn't allow the disguised maid to do as she pleased. It was best to comply, for now, so she wouldn't raise any more suspicion. "If I must serve Malty-sama while on his journey, I accept this task wholly."

"A-Are you sure, Felecia-chan?"

"Please don't worry about me. Consider this my way of thanking you for your generosity, Spear Hero-sama!" Felecia beamed at Motoyasu.

The Spear Hero immediately got emotional and hugged her, "Oh, you're so cute! I just wanna squeeze you!"

"You're already going that!" Felecia thought in well-hidden disgust.

Myne's eye twitched as she watched Motoyasu displaying affection for a measly maidservant. The feeling of dislike for the maid intensified. And now that she had a better look at her, Myne spotted bigger than normal breasts pressed against Motoyasu's body. It was a familiar and irritating sight.

Meanwhile, Motoyasu was in complete bliss. To him, this was exactly what being a Hero was all about. Getting to hug all the cute girls he wanted. Felecia's soft body was to die for. Although, hugging her like this felt familiar. Maybe it was because of her soft breasts pushing against his midsection. But, whatever, he was just so happy to have another female friend.

"And there's no need for the formalities. Just call me, Motoyasu." Motoyasu said as his hands subtly crept from her waist to slightly above her hips.

This caused yet another chill to run down Felecia's spine. It was just like the hug from the day of the trial and that chill she got before she left the guild. Her arms tensed up like they were ready to instinctually retaliate against the blatant invasion of her personal space and unwanted touching. But, self-restraint kicked in just in time.

"Calm down, Asuka… you knew this was going to happen. It's so like him to get up close and personal like this. But you can't afford to blow your cover. After the mental preparation for this mission you did, you can handle it!"

"I'm so honored! My favorite of the Cardinal Heroes gave me permission to address him formally!" Felecia said with feigned happiness, "Thank you so much, Motoyasu-sama!"

"Anything for a cutie pie like you."

"Excuse me, Spear Hero-sama! We're ready to go any time!" called one of the drivers on the stagecoach.

"Be right there!" Motoyasu hollowed back. "What're we waiting for? Let's get going!" Motoyasu declared as he dragged Felecia along.

The semi-reluctant passengers board up in the stagecoach and set off to Callma Village of the Northwest Territory belonging to Ricardo Vento.

It would take three days to reach this location.

Felecia hoped she could hold out until then because the lionesses were still bearing down on her with intense glares. Myne was especially scary right now.

Both Felecia and Myne sat at Motoyasu's side for the journey.

"You can handle this… Asuka…"

[-Hours Later: On the Road to Callma Village-]

Felecia sat quietly in the stagecoach with everyone else chatting about various things or flirting, in some cases. It was very uncomfortable. At least the Spear Hero's party lost interest in her for the time being. But, just having to sit quietly for hours, listening to the Spear Hero's party's excessive meaningless chatting was starting to bore her.

Every so often, most of the female members would spare brief spiteful glances at Felecia, despite her not having done or said anything since the start of the journey.

"I suddenly feel like a bullied kid." Felecia thought. Her past as a former bully made this all the more uncomfortable.

Still, looking at the Spear Hero's dynamic as a party, she started to feel some familiarity between them and her friends at Hanzō Academy. Felecia couldn't help feeling nostalgia for the days she spent with all of them before they were killed by Orochi.

Of course, Felecia knew the Spear Hero's party was a pale imitation. It was all fake.

There was no warmth or familial bond. There was no friendship to be found here.

"Felecia-chan?" Motoyasu called out to the maid upon noticing the sad expression on Felecia's face. "What's wrong? You look kind of sad."

"Eh?"

"Oh, is the dingy maid feeling a little homesick?" Myne asked mockingly. The other girls, minus Rino, chuckled at the jab at the maidservant.

"N-No, everything's fine!" Felecia insisted.

"Are you sure? You can always talk to me if you want." Motoyasu offered.

"Don't bother wasting your time with a commoner, Motoyasu-sama. She isn't worth your time." Myne said spitefully.

"Is she like this to every newcomer to the party?" Felecia wondered. There hadn't been any new additions to the Spear Hero's party lately, so she wasn't too sure. This might be a good time to observe Myne in closer detail.

"You should be paying more attention to us instead, Motoyasu-sama," Myne said as she snuggled up to him.

"Yeah, pay attention to us now!" said Lesty.

"I wish Motoyasu-sama would love me more!" Emerald whined.

"Hey, c'mon, girls! That's too much! I love each of you equally! I'm just worried about Felecia-chan, that's all." Motoyasu said with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh really? Then why is it that every time your mind wanders, you think of the Sword Bimbo?" a suspicious Myne asked.

Felecia tensed a little when she heard her disparaging nickname.

"Huh? N-Not this again… Um…" Motoyasu couldn't find an answer. Sometimes Myne would inquire what he thought about Asuka, but he couldn't come up with an answer without offending her.

"It's her boobs, isn't it?" asked Emerald, puffing her cheeks. She already felt inadequate compared to everyone else in the party for being the youngest and least developed. Emerald was certain she and the Sword Hero were around the same age, so why was there a huge difference in bust size? "It's not fair…"

"You know, it always irritated me how that little brat flaunted those useless sacks of meat around without a care in the world! Not to mention all those men in the guild gawking at the girl! I'll definitely slap her tits next time I see them!" Lesty growled.

"The breasts on that girl are outrageous. What does she eat to make them so big?" Elena wondered aloud.

"U-Um, aren't you all just exaggerating just a bit? I mean, I have heard rumors, but…" Rino trailed off. She was confused about why everyone in the party didn't like the Sword Hero. From what she heard, the Sword Hero was unapproachable, but she seemed nicer compared to the other Cardinal Heroes.

"You'll know when you see her," Elena answered.

Felecia kept a calm façade, but she was annoyed at these lazy women for talking about her disparagingly. "It's not like I wanted them to get this big! Why do people feel the need to point them out?"

"Girls, seriously! It's not cool to talk about Asuka-chan like that!" Motoyasu said, "I can't help it if I worry about her. If Itsuki and his tin crony hadn't made her run away, we'd finally get to hang out as we should have."

"Ignoring how you harassed me…" Felecia thought.

"Oh please, fretting over her is a waste of energy. The Sword Bimbo decided on her own to leave the guild. Given how clueless about this world she is, it wouldn't surprise me if she was crying in an alley, regretting not accepting your kindness and love right now, Motoyasu-sama. Ohohoho!" Myne laughed.

Again, Felecia kept the calm façade, but the boiling anger exploded on the inside after hearing that comment from the spoiled Princess, "I swear when this is all over, I'm gonna knock you out!"

"Myne, that's going too far! You and Asuka-chan really need to start getting along!" Motoyasu scolded.

"Impossible. She's the unreasonable, not me." Myne said, turning up her nose.

"Said the irredeemable sadist who started all of this…"

"But, she's still under the effects of the drug! If you at least show you care, you might be able to get through to her." Motoyasu pleaded.

"Also, impossible. I'm not under the effects of any drug."

"Excuse me, Spear Hero-sama. It looks like the sun is about to set." one of the drivers announced.

"Oh, really? Is there a nearby town with an inn we can stop by?" Motoyasu asked.

"Yes. It shouldn't take long to reach it if we keep going at this pace." the driver answered.

"Okay then, hop to it! I'm sure the girls are tired and wanna rest." Motoyasu ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, finally! I was worried we'd have to camp out in the wilderness again." Myne groaned.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, Myne. That won't happen again." Motoyasu assured, "It's like I always say: cute girls hate getting dirty."

"You're so right, Motoyasu-sama!" Myne swooned.

"So wonderful!" Lesty also swooned.

"I don't know what the big deal is. Camping out is to be expected when on an adventure." Rino said nonchalantly. This earned her glares from Myne and Lesty, making Rino shrink.

"Rino-chan, you can't seriously mean that. Didn't I just say girls hate getting dirty?" Motoyasu said in disbelief.

"But, I've already been doing it long before joining this party…" Rino said nervously.

"Pft! That figures! A common girl taking naps in the dirt makes the most sense!" Myne laughed at Rino, making her feel even smaller. She turned to Felecia with a spiteful grin, "Speaking of which… maid girl…"

Felecia tensed as Myne looked at her, "Y-Yes, Malty-sama?"

The need to vomit from her mouth returned.

"Refer to me as Myne while we're currently on this adventure." Myne ordered, "Now then, out of curiosity, what is your home life like at Callma Village? I hope it's not anything like a gutter."

"Myne!" Motoyasu scolded.

Felecia didn't show any reaction. She already figured Myne would want to taunt her for no reason other than she could. Irritating as it was, Felecia wasn't going to let it get to her. That would mean Myne won.

"On the contrary, my home life is stable. My grandfather also owns a restaurant in Callma Village. I sometimes help out at the shop. Afterward, he gives me free food and an allowance." said Felecia. It technically wasn't a lie, but the disguised maid thought none of the inhabitants of this world would understand what sushi was. Unless there was a country like Japan in this world, that is.

"Really? I can't wait to meet him and see what food he serves!" Motoyasu excitedly said.

Myne didn't seem to buy it, "So, am I to assume you can cook as well?"

"Yes. In fact, I'm very confident in my cooking." Felecia answered.

"Good! Then once we get to the inn, you can cook our meal!"

"Eh?" Felecia gasped. She immediately regretted saying anything about her cooking. It was true that she was a good chef, nonetheless. Her grandfather always enjoyed her cooking, as seen by his reactions after eating it. They were always amusing.

"Oh, I like that idea! Nothing tastes better than a cute girl's home-cooked meal." Motoyasu said, "Of course, I could prepare the food myself like I've done in the past-"

"NO!" Myne and the party yelled in unison. Much to the Spear Hero and disguised maid's confusion.

"I-I mean, your talents as a chef are always appreciated, but I think you should have a break from cooking just this once, Motoyasu-sama."

"I agree! Your cooking is delicious, but I say let the maid handle it!"

"Same here! Leave it to her!"

"Please rest your delicate hands, Motoyasu-sama!"

"O-Okay, if you girls insist. I know I'm an awesome chef, but I'm still looking forward to what Felecia-chan makes for dinner." Motoyasu smiled.

All eyes went to the disguised maid. Some were outright demanding, while others were actually pleading.

From the observable eye, anyone could tell that these girls were desperate to avoid their leader's cooking. It must be because his dishes don't taste very good. In fact, this desperation must imply that Motoyasu's cooking was awful, and having it multiple times was cumbersome. This might be one of the few times Felecia would sympathize with the enemy.

Seeing those eyes made it difficult to refuse.

"Your wish is my command." Felecia sighed.

[-Later: Town Inn Kitchen-]

"Okay… so now what?" Felecia said to herself. She was standing alone in the kitchen of the town's inn. The kitchen was well kept and in a separate room from the bar, which Felecia was grateful for.

It didn't take much persuasion from Myne and Motoyasu to allow her entry into the kitchen for tonight's dinner. It was another matter entirely to make Felecia cook by herself with no additional help. The inn's chef had errands to run, anyway.

The Spear Hero's party was a large group, so feeding them all would be a challenging task.

But, Ikaruga once cooked for Team Hanzō by herself, so there wasn't any reason Felecia couldn't do the same. Of course, it wouldn't turn out like what Ikaruga concocted, despite it tasting good somehow. And Felecia already assumed she'd get complaints about her own tastes going into the meal. They definitely seemed like the type to prefer small food as opposed to large and thick. Although, it would be funny to see them struggle to fit a large futomaki roll into their mouths.

But, even as Felecia was prepared, there were two problems with this task thrust upon her.

"I usually cook Japanese food, so I don't know many western recipes. And I still can't read this world's language."

It was easy to assume that Melromarc had similar western dishes, given how it closely resembled a medieval European setting. Felecia wasn't completely clueless about western cuisine, but she didn't know much about European culture.

Felecia half suspected Myne might have caught on to the deception by now, which was why the spoiled Princess decided to make her cook and have her cover blown when it's revealed she couldn't recipes in Melromarc. Or more likely, Myne just liked being bossy.

Either way, she had to come up with something. Myne said she didn't care what Felecia made so long as it wasn't anything fish-related. During her observation prior to today, Felecia had seen what a picky eater Myne was. So long as it suited her high standards, the redhead would eat almost anything. Except for fish…

As she pondered her options, Felecia remembered the old recipe guide the chef gave her for when she had trouble deciding what to make. He said she could keep it if she wanted since they had more. Unfortunately, Felecia still couldn't read the language, but he was a nice man, so turning him down was difficult.

Suddenly, she remembered how Naofumi absorbed various monster parts during his hunt with Raphtalia.

Some of the monsters included the mush monsters that varied in color, and some looked like eggs. There might have been more things than just monster parts he absorbed into his shield too.

"I wonder…" Felecia muttered. She copied a few weapons and absorbed monster parts for her Legendary Sword. Meanwhile, Naofumi may have absorbed anything he could get his hands to unlock new shields for any use, including making medicines. If that were the case, maybe it was time to take advantage of her new knowledge and experiment.

She took a brief gander around to make sure no one was watching. Luckily, no one was there, so it was unlikely anyone from Motoyasu's party suspected anything from her. At least not yet.

Reaching into her cleavage, Felecia took out her Legendary Sword. It returned from its keychain form to the normal-sized Small Sword.

"Let's see if this works…" Felecia absorbed the cookbook into the Small Sword's jewel. Her experiment paid off as it unlocked a new sword. It looked like the Small Sword, but the cookbook appeared in place of the blade.

|Unlocked: Cookbook Sword|

Passive Skill: Cooking Recipes
Passive Skill: Cooking Improvement

"Cookbook Sword… Cooking Recipes and Cooking Improvement. Interesting." Felecia muttered. Thankfully, the text was in Japanese, and she already knew a handful of these western recipes. It was probably because the book was a part of the sword now, so the HUD translated the text to Japanese kanji.

Felecia was confident she could make one of these dishes in no time.

Since she had a big group to feed, Felecia decided to try making beef stew. The ingredients weren't hard to find on the shelves, so it was perfect.

"Alright! Let's do it!"

[-Two Hours Later-]

The Beef Stew was complete. Thus, Felecia presented it to the Spear Hero's party at their table.

The stew was in a big pot. Felecia prepared a few side dishes as well, such as vegetable stir-fry, fried chicken, and berry pie. Felecia surprised herself with how much she could make on her own with this Cookbook Sword.

She carried everything on a wooden cart.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Felecia said as she placed all the dishes on the table for the party.

"Ohh! This looks so good!" Motoyasu was excited. It smelled so wonderful it made his mouth begin to water.

"I… I can't believe it…" Myne uttered in disbelief. Motoyasu never made food look this good, contrary to his delusion otherwise.

"Please, enjoy yourselves." Felecia bowed. This was her first attempt at cooking western-style foods, so she hoped it was at least decent.

It didn't take long for everyone in the party to dig in and immediately find their taste buds crying out in delight.

"Oh wow! This is delicious!" Elena exclaimed after sampling the stew.

"Yeah, I'm surprised by how well the flavor holds!" Rino said.

"So sweet! I love it!" Emerald squealed as she tried the pie.

"It… It's almost irritatingly good…" Lesty muttered in disbelief at how tasty the fried chicken was.

"This is so good! It might even be better than my cooking!" Motoyasu said with tears of joy. In his mind, a cute girl's cooking was definitely the best.

Myne couldn't bring herself to say a word. She thought this commoner was an even worse chef than Motoyasu. She was going to make fun of the worthless maid for preparing food that tasted like dirt. That plan had gone out of the window now.

Meanwhile, Felecia looked on as the party consumed her food.

She remembered the times she and members of Team Hanzō took turns cooking for the rest of the group. Everyone had unique tastes, like Yagyū and her obsession with squid. Katsuragi had her ramen. Ikaruga's unorthodox yet brilliant idea to successfully mix everyone's favorite food together was also pretty memorable. It was all so much fun, and it was always lively. That was because of the bond they shared and forged over time in Hanzō Academy.

But once again, she knew there was no true bond in Motoyasu's party. It was a cheap imitation. They may enjoy what they were given, but the liveliness still felt fake.

It made her wish for more of those fun days with her friends. She wished it they didn't end so horrifically. They all could've had fun, training together, going on adventures, and enjoying each other's company. Above all, they could have fulfilled their dreams of becoming Shinobi, so they could protect the innocent as Swords and Shields. They could have even become friends with Homura and the girls from Hebijo.

But, it all came down to one thing preventing any of that from happening. Felecia's weakness got every single one of them killed, including herself. She had no one to blame but herself for her friends and those precious days being taken away.

Felecia… no, Asuka wanted to see them again. The friends who helped shape her into who she was today. The rivals who inspired a drive they never had before. Even more so, she wanted to see the family still alive in her old world. Her loving mother and father… her doting grandfather… her strict but wise grandmother…

The cruel reality of this world was so unfair.

"Felecia-chan, what's wrong?" Motoyasu suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Felecia quickly realized that everyone had eyes on her again. She also felt something lukewarm on her cheek. She realized she was crying.

"I-I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me." Felecia said as she wiped away her tears.

"Aw, what's the matter? Feeling homesick? Or are you happy we're sampling your common food?" Lesty arrogantly asked.

"A-A mix of both actually…" Felecia replied, "Seeing everyone enjoying my cooking made me think of my friends and family back home. I couldn't help myself."

"T-That's good to hear. Thank god it's nothing serious. I'm not good at dealing with girls who are upset." Motoyasu sighed in relief.

"I apologize for causing you such concern." Felecia bowed her head to the Spear Hero's party.

"Don't apologize." Myne suddenly spoke, "You have every right to shed tears of happiness."

This caught Felecia by surprise. Was Myne actually being sincere for once, or…?

"After all, I just decided you're going to be our personal chef from now on," Myne announced with the most pompous expression known to man. There wasn't an ounce of sympathy coming from the spoiled Princess.

"Thought so…" Felecia mentally groaned.

"Be grateful! I took careful consideration for this decision after tasting what you prepared. You're more skilled than I gave you credit for. Now that I've praised you and given you a job worthy of my time, you may cry to your heart's content. Ohohoho!"

Felecia kept a calm front after hearing this backhanded compliment, but on the inside, "Getting praise from her… really makes me want to take a cold shower…"

Felecia could see what led to this. It all boiled Motoyasu's presumably awful cooking, and Myne definitely wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

"I second that! It would be an absolute waste if you didn't cook for us exclusively!" Lesty shouted.

"Me too!" Emerald cried.

"Huh? Wait girls, I thought you liked my cooking!" Motoyasu said.

This caused the girls to blench. That pretty much confirmed Felecia's theory.

"W-We do, but I thought you shouldn't waste your energy on a job meant for a servant. So now that we have a servant willing to do the cooking and other miscellaneous chores, you can take it easy," said Myne.

"But, I like cooking for you girls. Besides, it's not fair to make Felecia-chan do this."

"I agree with Motoyasu-sama." said Rino, "Wouldn't it make more sense to take turns cooking?"

"No one asked for your opinion, newbie!" Myne snapped at Rino.

"My name is Rino…"

"Shut up!"

Rino did as ordered, so she could avoid incurring Myne's wrath any further.

Myne turned to Felecia, who was still silent.

"So, what do we say when someone of my stature has acknowledged your skills and given you the privilege to serve our party, maid?"

After a short pause, Felecia courtly bowed and spoke in a reverent tone, "I am truly humbled that you would give such consideration for a mere servant like myself. Your generosity overwhelms me."

"Of course it does. The future Queen of Melromarc has deemed you worthy. There's no higher honor! Ohohoho!"

"On the contrary, I can't think of any worse insults to my pride." Felecia thought before continuing the act, "Thank you very much for giving me such a wonderful opportunity, Myne-sama. I'll work hard."

"Huh? I thought Princess Melty was supposed to be the next Queen." Rino suddenly spoke. This earned her shocked glares from Lesty, Elena, and Emerald.

Meanwhile, Myne's haughty laughter ceased entirely, while Motoyasu looked on in confusion.

"Princess Melty? Who's that?" the Spear Hero asked.

"Myne's little sister…" Lesty answered nervously.

"What? Really? You never told me you had a little sister, Myne!" Motoyasu exclaimed.

"S-She and I don't get along very well…" Myne said with a shaky voice. Her eyes were cold as ice as she glared at Rino, who flinched.

The blonde swordswoman quickly regretted bringing Myne's sister up without thinking.

"Why don't you get along? Little sisters are cute." Motoyasu said, "And what's this about her going to be the next Queen?"

"It's absolutely nothing to concern yourself over, Motoyasu-sama. It's just a silly matter of inheritance." Myne said with an icy tone. It was a clear indicator that this was a touchy subject. For once, Motoyasu got the message and let the topic die down.

"I'm sure it is…" Felecia thought. She came across this information long before this revelation. During her infiltrating the castle and out on the streets, Felecia sometimes heard talk about the right of succession to Queen Mirellia. From what she had gathered, the Queen chose Princess Melty over Myne to inherit the throne and responsibility as Melromarc's ruling matriarch. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. Due to her maturity, Melty took her duties as royalty more seriously than her older sister ever did. The sisters didn't get along well before, but after their mother decided to name Melty the next Queen, their relationship only got worse.

Outside of that, Felecia knew next to nothing about the Second Princess. She was most concerned about the imprisoned knight and the ransacked demi-human village. Felecia realized that she needed to get more info about Melty.

Obviously, asking Myne was out of the question. But, perhaps one of the party members would be willing to divulge information since it seemed they knew more about Myne's family than even Motoyasu.

Unfortunately, none of them seemed trustworthy, except perhaps Rino. Unlike the others, Rino hadn't been so condescending to Felecia since she was welcomed aboard. Talking to her might yield some insight into the royal family. Or maybe Motoyasu's party as a whole.

"At any rate… maid!" Myne called out to Felecia, "I've given the job of cooking for us, but that doesn't mean you get to cozy up to Motoyasu-sama as you did earlier. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, Myne-sama." Felecia nodded.

"As for you new girl…" Myne's cold gaze turned back to Rino, "Don't mention Melty in my presence again, got it?!"

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry!" Rino cried.

"Chill out, Myne! I'm sure Rino-chan didn't mean to offend you. And I'm sure Melty-chan is really nice and super cute, right?" Motoyasu smiled.

"You could say that… if only she wasn't so cheeky…" Myne whispered.

"I wonder if Asuka-chan has siblings. Preferably, little sisters." Motoyasu said as he thought of what Asuka's little sister looked like.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have any siblings, let alone little sisters." Felecia inwardly groaned, "But, maybe having a little sister would be nice. Hibari-chan and Yagyū-chan always got along like sisters… I was kinda envious of that."

And so, the night continued on with the lively dinner.

It wasn't until later that night that the Spear Hero's party, plus their guest, went to bed in their separate rooms.

This was when Felecia contemplated whether it was good to steal the map leading to the Giant Scorpion King or not. Elena was in possession of it.

Stealing the map and disappearing into the night should be a breeze. It was getting to Callma Village and finding the monster that provided a roadblock.

Even though she could read the cookbook she absorbed, Felecia still couldn't decipher Melromarc's language. It was a strange gimmick.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Suddenly, Felecia heard knocking on her door. Behind the door was Motoyasu's voice.

"Felecia-chan, are you still up?"

"What could he want this late?" Felecia whispered to herself. She decided it was better to not ignore him, so she opened the door for the Spear Hero.

"Hey there! I hope I'm not bothering you." Motoyasu smiled as he walked in.

"No, I'm fine. Is there something the matter, Motoyasu-sama?" Felecia asked.

"Oh no, It's nothing. I sometimes worry about the girls, so I check up on them to ensure they're safe."

"Are you sure you're not just intruding on their privacy?" Felecia thought, "That's very kind of you, Motoyasu-sama. I'm sure they appreciate it."

"Well, I don't want what happened to Myne to happen to anyone else," Motoyasu said confidently.

It still amazed Felecia how he hadn't figured out he was lied to. Myne displayed such vain behavior unbecoming of a victim of sexual assault in front of him, and Motoyasu still didn't get the hint. Then again, Motoyasu wasn't the smartest person around, especially where women were concerned.

"I'm also worried about you too, Felecia-chan."

"Eh?"

"I know a sad girl when I see one. If there's some way I can cheer her up, I'll do all in my power to brighten her spirits!" declared Motoyasu.

Felecia realized he was talking about her melancholy from before. Personally, as much as she would appreciate Motoyasu's concern for her, Felecia didn't feel at all comfortable sharing what troubled her with him.

"Please, don't concern yourself with me. It's late, so you should plenty of sleep before our journey continues." Felecia suggested.

"I can't do that when a cute girl is in distress." Motoyasu refuted, "It's better to get this out now before it becomes too difficult to handle on your own!"

"Isn't he using the term cute girl too directly? And why is he so desperate to get me to spill the beans about my troubles?"

Before she could get an answer, her Enhanced Scent Detection picked up Myne's scent. She was beside the door, likely trying to listen in.

Myne was probably concerned about Felecia getting close to Motoyasu.

There wasn't anything Felecia wanted from the Spear Hero except for him to leave as quickly as possible. Myne made it clear to Felecia that she wasn't supposed to be near Motoyasu, and he wasn't helping by being here of his own accord.

"Um… what if Myne-sama finds out?" asked Felecia.

"Don't worry about what Myne said to you. This'll be our little secret. You have my word." Motoyasu promised.

"But, she's right outside. Of course, you wouldn't know that." Felecia mentally sighed. It didn't look like he wasn't going anywhere until he got what he wanted, so Felecia reluctantly indulged his wishes.

She and Motoyasu sat on the bed.

"Earlier, when I watch you all eat my cooking, I… I was thinking about the friends I had back at home…" Felecia began, "I remembered all the fun times we had…"

"Oh, you had friends in Callma Village? I'm sure they're just as cute as you are. I can't wait to get to meet them!" Motoyasu chimed.

"That's not possible, I'm afraid…" Felecia braced herself for what she had to reveal next, "T-They're all dead…"

"What?! When did…" Motoyasu paused for a brief moment before realization kicked in, "Was it during the First Wave?"

"Y-Yes…" Felecia nodded weakly. It wasn't a total lie. But, her friends were dead. She saw it firsthand and there was no changing that fact. Except when it suited her desire to get this fool to leave. "It all happened so fast… I was lucky to have survived, but they…"

Even then, it still hurt to bring this up. It hurt to be reminded of her failure to save them. It also hurt knowing Orochi was probably still rampaging in her world. More people in her world may have died. Even her family.

"Say no more, Felecia-chan! I understand exactly how you feel!" Motoyasu declared.

"Except you don't, Mr. 'I got stabbed to death by my psycho girlfriends'…"

"No cute girl deserves to suffer! Especially not a girl as sweet as you! I promise on my name as the Spear Hero, I'll avenge your friends by beating back all the Waves of Catastrophe!" the Spear Hero swore, striking yet another heroic pose.

"I'm so over the dramatic posing." Felecia thought, before putting on a grateful smile, "I-I'm so moved, Motoyasu-sama! Your kindness and empathy know no bounds!"

"Hmph, unlike Itsuki, and especially Naofumi, I know how to treat a woman right!" Motoyasu bragged.

Felecia had sincere doubts about that. It hadn't been a full day yet, and already, she was tired of playing the innocent maid falling in love with this idiot hero. Felecia couldn't imagine any girl in her right mind would fall for him. Unless, of course, they had something to gain by using him, like his party.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better, Felecia-chan. I want to see you smiling always." Motoyasu smiled as he caressed her face.

Felecia kept her grateful smile on to hide her discomfort.

"I'd say my work here is done. I'll go back to my own room now. I'll see you in the morning!" Motoyasu sat up from the bed and left Felecia's room. "And like I said, I promise not to tell Myne!"

After a few moments, Motoyasu's footsteps faded. He was gone.

"Finally…" Felecia sighed. She couldn't detect Myne's scent, meaning she must have left before Motoyasu did.

In a moment that should have caused a sigh of relief, instead, Felecia felt great sadness.

Felecia finally got to talk about something that deeply troubled her, but somehow it didn't feel any better. It was probably because the last two people she wanted to hear it did. They don't know everything right now, but it still worried Felecia, especially in regards to Myne. It wouldn't surprise Felecia if that conniving Princess exploited her failings as a weakness.

"I can't worry about it… I'm just a step closer to completing this mission." Felecia muttered to herself, "But, with Myne on the prowl, maybe it's better to play the waiting game a little longer before stealing the map. Hopefully, she'll drop her guard by then."

Felecia went to bed after that, hoping that tomorrow and beyond would provide better results.

[-Three Days Later: Callma Village-]

It turned out that playing the waiting game wasn't the best of ideas.

Myne kept Felecia busy with the cooking and even had her do menial tasks, like carrying newly purchased useless junk for the party to waste time with or cleaning up the stagecoach when it needed cleaning. Myne even made her feed the Filolials, even though that job belonged to the drivers. And when they weren't forcing her to do the chores, Myne and her flunkies would tease her for being a common girl or a servant.

Also, Motoyasu didn't know when to keep his hands to himself, which was frequent. Felecia even overheard how they were glad to have her aboard since Motoyasu would keep his attention on the false maid and away from them for the time being. Myne also seems to have forgotten about her order to Felecia to stay away from Motoyasu.

Thankfully, the trip wasn't all bad. There were no monsters to get in their way. It was likely because they chose the safest and quickest route to Callma Village. That saved her the trouble of figuring out where to hide when a monster did show up.

The part with the Filolials wasn't terribly bad, either. They took a liking to Felecia, especially her cooking. She made a batch of croquettes from leftover ingredients, and they gobbled them up in seconds. As it turned out, Filolials can and will eat anything edible. They also came dangerously close to ripping her top off to get at her breasts. They must have thought she was hiding more croquettes in her shirt. Thankfully, Motoyasu and the drivers intervened before anything could happen. Otherwise, her true identity could have been exposed since the Legendary Sword was hidden in her cleavage.

It also bears mentioning that the constant cooking for the Spear Hero's party was actually beneficial in helping Felecia learn more recipes from the Cookbook Sword. During her downtime, she studied the cookbook's contents in private.

Felecia also became acquainted with Rino, who often offered to help the false maid whenever she could.

Other than that, the trip over to Callma Village was awful. Between Myne ordering her around and Motoyasu's constant flirting and invading her personal space, Felecia couldn't decide which part of this trip made her more cynical and tired.

The worst part of it all was that Felecia never had a chance to steal the map and get information about Princess Melty.

Of the five party members besides Myne and Motoyasu, Felecia guessed that only two would have more knowledge of the inheritance situation. The first pick would be Lesty. If memory served the disguised maid, Myne was sent to a boarding school in the country of Faubrey by her mother to discipline her. Obviously, that didn't work. Myne became acquainted with Lesty there, so the latter could be considered her friend. They certainly shared the same terrible attitude and interests. Lesty was a snobbish noblewoman and held the same racist views on demi-humans. Getting any useful information out of her would be much more hassle than it was worth, so Felecia decided against it.

Elena was the second choice. Despite being a noble as well, she was obviously more intelligent than she let on. She was also good at putting on an act to mask her actual personality. Elena only put on the adoring fangirl act when around Motoyasu. She also obediently followed Myne and stayed on her good side. And if there was one word to describe her, it was lazy. She was more than happy to let Motoyasu do the legwork so long as she could relax. For that reason, Felecia had her doubts she would be able to get along with Elena.

By the time they finally reached Callma Village, it was nightfall. That meant there was only one chance left. She couldn't afford to waste it. That was especially the case, knowing that the lair of the Giant Scorpion King was probably somewhere near this village.

"Hey, Felecia-chan, now that we're in Callma Village, why don't we go see your family before heading over to the lord," Motoyasu suggested.

"Eh? That's not necessary. Your business here takes priority, doesn't it?" asked Felecia.

"That's correct, Motoyasu-sama." a stern Myne said, "You don't have time or energy to waste meeting with a peasant family."

"Really, Myne? We could at least escort Felecia-chan home. It's not safe to let a girl walk home alone at night."

"Callma Village is relatively peaceful. She should be fine by herself." Elena said.

"Hmm… I don't know." Motoyasu groaned. He was willing to admit that the village had a lively and safe air around, but still…

While Motoyasu was mulling it over, Myne stared at Felecia intensely.

Myne gave the maid the job of cooking and cleaning up after the Spear Hero's Party because it saved her from ingesting crappy food, and it was funny watching her work her butt off. But, there was another reason for this. It was to test her.

Normally, a new party member would quit after being treated like a servant until they proved their worth. Or, if they became a nuisance to Myne, she would just sell them off in the middle of the night. Myne wanted to see if this maid would break under pressure or become a nuisance to be disposed of, largely because she still suspected her.

So far, this maid has proven resilient. She never complained about being forced to do manual labor. She simply took it in stride and did as she was ordered. Even servants at the castle showed fatigue from listening to excessive orders. But not this servant girl. This maid was patient and obedient and followed orders without question. It bothered the spoiled Princess to no end. There had to be more to that maid's complacent attitude.

On top of that, the maid still reminded her of someone. Myne still couldn't place who it was. Or, maybe she didn't want to.

Perhaps it was best not to think about it too hard. The maid had her uses, such as distracting Motoyasu when he got handsy. Babysitting him could get tiring at times. Were it not for how useful he could be, both on the field and in bed, Myne would have stolen anything he held valuable and dumped him off the street long ago.

At any rate, Myne was going to keep a close eye on this annoying maid. That tale she spun about her friends dying in the First Wave was probably a lie to get sympathy from Motoyasu. If Myne wasn't careful, the Spear Hero might turn his back on her and the rest of the party, thanks to that maid and the Sword Bimbo.

"Wait… the Sword Bimbo… the annoying maid…" something in Myne started to click.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly, a loud cackle caught the attention of the Spear Hero's group.

In the middle of the street, there were three men. One of them had a crude imitation of the Legendary Shield mounted on his right arm. The man with the shield raised the shield and had an intimidating smile as he spoke, "Give up your valuables if you want to live! I'm the Shield Hero, and this is my party!"

"Are you kidding me? Even thieves are willing to impersonate Naofumi-kun?" Felecia thought as she glared at the thieves for their disrespectful use of Naofumi's situation. It was unforgivable. She would have taught them a lesson herself, but she couldn't risk blowing her cover.

"Eek! Save me, Motoyasu-sama! That brute has come to defile me again!" Myne cried as she clung to the Spear Hero.

This earned a disgusted frown from Felecia.

"It's okay, Myne. That guy's just a poser." Motoyasu assured, "Still, I can't let him get away with frightening my girl. I'll handle this. You girls wait here." Motoyasu ordered as he readied his Legendary Spear.

"M-Motoyasu-sama, won't you need back-up?" Rino asked.

"Nah, I got this. He couldn't possibly beat me in a fight." Motoyasu said with confidence.

After hearing Motoyasu's reassurance, Myne spoke up, "Alright everyone, let's show Motoyasu-sama our support!"

"Yeah!" the girls cried, sans Rino and Felecia.

"Alright girls, watch me go to work!" Motoyasu casually said to them with a wink and a thumbs-up. Afterward, he marched over to the fake Shield Hero and his allies, ready to confront them.

"You're so cool, Motoyasu-sama! Mop the floor with those brigands!" Myne called out to Motoyasu. The Spear Hero's entire party swoon and start cheering loudly for him. Except for Rino, who looked confused by what they were doing, and Felecia, who was also unimpressed.

"I don't blame you for being bewildered by this. Even I can't believe how they're acting."

Felecia only tailed them around Castle-Town before, having never seen the Spear Hero's party fight. This pretty much confirmed those rumors about Motoyasu's party acting like his personal cheer squad. It was a small wonder that none of them were suited for combat. They didn't participate in fights at all.

Instead, they stood by and cheered Motoyasu on while he did the fighting alone. They even had the advantage in numbers, but they chose the most idiotic way to fight by letting the leader fight by himself while they hung back.

It all boiled down to a harem building up Motoyasu's ego so he could show off.

"Oh, somebody's confident. Don't you realize who I am?" the imposter Shield Hero rose his shield up, trying to intimidate Motoyasu.

Unfazed, Motoyasu pointed his spear at the fake Shield Hero.

"You're the Shield Hero, right? Well, I'm the Spear Hero. Pleased to meetcha!"

"Huh? That's a good one, buddy!" the imposter Shield Hero chuckled, "Now, are you gonna fight me all by yourself? I don't mind if it's three against one, but won't you need help, "Spear Hero"?"

"As long as the girls put their faith in me, I'm plenty strong enough to take you guys on all by my lonesome!" Motoyasu bragged, "That being said, I don't think I need to waste much effort on some poser and his goons."

"D-Don't look down on me! I'm the Shield Hero!"

"Yeah, so what?" Motoyasu smirked.

He raised his Legendary Spear. The bladed tip began to glow yellow. The light from the spear changed shape into a javelin.

"Air Strike Javelin!" Motoyasu called out as he threw the glowing javelin forward to the imposter Shield Hero.

The latter was surprised by this and barely managed to raise his shield to block the attack. He and his fellow thieves were blown back. The fake Legendary Shield carried by the imposter broke apart upon impact.

This came as a shock to the civilians watching, and many began to panic and flee the area.

"If you were a real Cardinal Hero, you'd be able to do something like that, right? And something tells me the Legendary Weapons aren't so weak that they'd break apart that easily." Motoyasu said.

The fake Shield Hero grimaced as he felt intense pain in his arm, "M-My arm!"

"Looks like it's broken. Consider yourself lucky I held back some. I don't wanna scar the girls for life." Motoyasu proclaimed.

"That's my Motoyasu-sama! You're truly worthy of the Spear Hero title!" Myne cried as she hugged the Spear Hero.

"O-Oh god… so he really is the Spear Hero…?" the imposter Shield Hero blenched.

Felecia watched with worry. She just witnessed Motoyasu using a Spear skill against a weaker opponent in a public area with innocent people nearby. Normally, you'd just knock them immediately, but Motoyasu chose to use a potentially lethal skill on someone who stood no chance. If he wasn't careful, he could have hurt other people, too.

"Did you see that, girls? I took care of 'em!" Motoyasu waved his spear triumphantly for his party.

"You were wonderful as usual, Motoyasu-sama!" Myne cheered as loud as she could, followed by the others. However, she quickly took notice of the two who didn't cheer Motoyasu on.

"Hey, I noticed you weren't cheering," Myne said to Felecia. "I thought you were Motoyasu-sama's biggest fan!"

"Huh? O-Oh, I'm sorry! I was just so shocked by h-how amazing he was!" Felecia sputtered.

"Hmph, next time, act like you give a crap and cheer with all your might! That includes you too, newbie!" Myne lectured Felecia and Rino.

"Y-Yes, ma'am…" Rino nodded meekly.

The women in the group joined Motoyasu, who still had the thieves at his mercy.

"L-Look, you win, okay?! I'm not really the Shield Hero! I just wanted the money!" the imposter Shield Hero admitted, fearful of incurring Motoyasu's wrath.

"I know. And I guess you figured you could disguise yourself as Naofumi to shake unsuspecting folks down for cash. But, don't worry. I don't care if you're using Naofumi's reputation for your own gain. But, you won't get off you lightly for scaring Myne." Motoyasu glowered.

"Huh?"

"Now, how am I going to punish you?" Motoyasu mulled.

"H-Hold on a sec! I just needed money, okay?! Don't do anything rash!" the imposter pleaded.

"I'd demand money for the trouble they caused us, but none of the filthy thieves have anything of value." said Myne, as she approached the Spear Hero, "You might as well do away with them, Motoyasu-sama."

"If you say so, Myne." Motoyasu grinned, raising his spear threateningly to the cowering thieves.

"Wait!" Felecia called out to Motoyasu, catching his attention before he could do anything else.

"What's wrong, Felecia-chan?"

"Can't you just turn them over to the authorities? There's no need to get violent."

"Huh? Why should I let them so easily with a slap on the wrist? They were about to rob your hometown, Felecia-chan. Not to mention, they scared Myne by reminding her of Naofumi!" Motoyasu reminded.

"But, these are just harmless crooks. You went too far using a skill on them. They also surrendered, so any more force is excessive!" Felecia said sternly. The petty thugs in her world were capable of defending themselves, seeing as they were at the very least on par with Shinobi in terms of strength, especially in when numbers. These three were mere common, small-time thieves with barely any fighting potential by comparison. Another difference was that Shinobi could trap the thugs in Shinobi Barriers, so they wouldn't disturb the civilians and fight without worry. Motoyasu's lack of care for his surroundings wasn't okay.

Motoyasu wasn't expecting Felecia to actually scold him. He thought she would fall in love with him after that display of strength like the other girls had. It was an odd feeling to get such a disappointing reaction from her.

"Excuse me?!" Myne interjected, pulling Felecia by the collar, "I hope you're not implying that Motoyasu-sama shouldn't dispense justice where it should be served."

Felecia did not answer, but her expression was resolute. It was irritating for the vile redhead. This maid display more resilience than she thought possible. Those determined gave her yet another aggravating reminder of someone.

Meanwhile, Felecia formulated part of where Motoyasu's reckless heroics came from. Motoyasu thinking this was a video game world was bad enough, but Myne letting him do as he pleased was even more troubling.

"Hey, take it easy, Myne!" Motoyasu yelled to the Princess. He grabbed her by the shoulder and gently pulled her away from Felecia.

"Sorry, Felecia-chan. I might have gone a little overboard. I'll just drop these guys off at the local prison or something. That should work for you, right?" Motoyasu asked.

"Um… yes." Felecia was a little surprised to see Motoyasu acting like a decent person for once. Throughout the trip, the Spear Hero had been ogling and touching her, which was a real bother. He wasn't much help when Myne and the others forced the hard labor on her either. Maybe there was some hope for him if he was willing to reconsider his rash actions this time.

Meanwhile, Myne gritted her teeth. This was exactly what she was worried about. That annoying maid was swaying Motoyasu's mind. Pretty soon, he won't be as dependent on Myne for direction.

"That won't be necessary. We'll take it from here." a new voice cut in.

The group noticed a well-dressed man and a few of his guards approaching them.

He looked like a pleasant middle-aged sporting graying black hair and a trim beard. He wore a white dress shirt and dark green coat.

"My name is Richter Vento, the Lord of Callma Village. I've been expecting you, Spear Hero-sama."

"You know me?" asked Motoyasu.

"Yes. Elena sent word to me that you would be arriving." Vento answered.

"He's acquainted with my family through the trading business. He's also the one who provided me with the map to the Giant Scorpion King's lair. I thought I told you that, Motoyasu-sama." Elena said to Motoyasu.

"Oh yeah, I think you mentioned that before." shrugged Motoyasu.

"So, that's the lord presiding over Callma Village?" Felecia thought. She heard Elena and Myne talk about him a few times during the trip. From what she pieced together, he was a successful trader, importing and selling rare items from around the world.

"I heard about some ne'er-do-wells causing a ruckus in the middle of the street, so I gathered some guards to apprehend the thieves. But you took care of it, Spear Hero-sama. I'm truly grateful for that." the gentleman said while the guards detained the thieves.

"No problem! I'll do my best to ensure peace of mind for anyone. Especially, the lovely ladies!" proclaimed Motoyasu as he held Myne tightly around the waist.

"I have no doubt about that. However, I must ask that you refrain from using such violent measures in a public place. You don't want civilians to get hurt in the crossfire, do you?" Vento asked.

"Uhh…" once again, Motoyasu didn't expect to get scolded. Getting an earful from Felecia was okay, but hearing it from some old guy didn't sit well with him.

"Motoyasu-sama was simply doing his best to protect us! He did nothing wrong!" Myne defended.

"I am aware of his good intentions, but reckless abandon will only get him so far. Please advise him on heroics more thoughtfully, Princess Malty." Vento spoke politely to Myne. He recognized her as the First Princess of Melromarc.

"When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it!" Myne snapped.

"Then I humbly apologize for speaking out of turn," Vento said calmly.

Felecia gave a scrutinizing gaze to Vento. Before she left the guild, Asuka came across some nobles who were simply slime, and they were utterly predictable in their behavior, particularly when they offered to sponsor her or ask her to marry them. There was one noble who she wished she could forget meeting. He was astonishingly disgusting in appearance and personality. Asuka nearly lost it after speaking with him for a few minutes. She honestly hoped she wouldn't see him again.

Vento was the opposite. He at least seemed to be more intelligent than he let on. He also had the nerve to politely talk down to Myne.

"Is there a problem, young lady?" asked Vento as he turned to Felecia.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare, Vento-sama!" Felecia apologized and bowed her head to the noble gentleman.

"It's fine. I'm sure you're just curious about me." Vento chuckled. He turned to Motoyasu, "Ay any rate, now that things have calmed down, why don't you join me at my mansion, Spear Hero-sama? I have plenty of room for guests."

"Sounds like a plan to me! What do you say, Myne?" Motoyasu asked to Myne.

"Of course, I'm in! I'm tired of resting in those old, dirty inns!" cheered Myne. Everyone else in the Spear Hero's party agreed with their red-haired leader.

"Alright. We'll accept your offer." Motoyasu said as he shook hands with Vento.

"Excellent! Now, if you'll follow me…" Vento was about to lead the way to his home.

"Wait a moment!" Myne called out before pointing toward Felecia, "Might I recommend this peasant maid serve dinner at your abode tonight? I assure you, she is more talented than she looks."

Felecia flinched at hearing this.

"Oh really?" asked Vento.

"Yes indeed. I personally chose this maid to handle all the cooking for our party." declared Myne.

"Hold on there, Myne! Felecia-chan said this was her home town and she had family here, so we brought her along so she could see them." Motoyasu said, pointing to Felecia.

"Ah, then I wouldn't want to keep her from a family reunion. She should probably go see them," said Vento.

"N-No, I don't mind at all. I'm sure my family can wait on me, too." said Felecia, "I'd be happy to cook for you, Vento-sama."

"Hm. In that case, I'll take you up on your offer." smiled Vento.

Felecia realized that this might be her chance to steal the map. She could let this chance go to waste.

Meanwhile, Myne grew even more suspicious of the annoying maid. She wasn't going to let her out of her sight.

[-Vento's Manor: Dining Room Kitchen-]

The group was now at Vento's manor, waiting in the dining room.

Felecia was put in charge of cooking once again. Knowing that there was a larger group, Motoyasu offered to help, but she politely refused. Felecia said he should rest and wait on the feast. In actuality, she felt he would just get in the way. Rino stepped up to help again, and this Felecia accepted.

The two were now in the manor's kitchen.

"Sorry for making you do all this on your own." Rino apologized as she helped Felecia gather ingredients for tonight's feast.

"I said I didn't mind. I'm doing this for Motoyasu-sama's sake," said Felecia.

"Are you sure?" asked a skeptic Rino.

"Hm?"

"I mean, I heard a lot of other girls quit the party after joining. I think it's because of how badly the older members generally treat new ones until she's conformed to their way of thinking. Not only that, there's not a single guy in the party." said Rino.

"That would be because Motoyasu-kun turns male adventurers away out of a selfish desire to not share his personal harem. And I'm sure Myne took care of most of the girls who quit."

"You're different, though. You stuck around with us this whole time, and not once have you complained. There has to be a reason behind that, right? Even if you are a fan, I figured you would want to quit by now."

"If I said I wanted to quit my new job, I doubt it will pass by Myne-sama very well. So, I don't really have a choice." answered Felecia, "As for why I'm really sticking around, I just want to learn more about Motoyasu-sama."

That part wasn't a total lie. Felecia just couldn't tell the whole truth. And part of this masquerade was to learn about Motoyasu's fighting style. He seemed to fancy using his skills for flashiness' sake rather than using actual strategy. Maybe she didn't need to worry about winning the duel if that was all to his fighting style.

"What about you? I've seen how they don't treat you with much respect either, Rino-san. I'm sure you thought about quitting, too, haven't you?"

"Yeah…" Rino grimaced, "At first, I was really excited to join up with Motoyasu-sama and become a member of his party… but, after all the shopping frees, luxurious tea parties, cheerleading, and not actually fighting, I can't help but think I made an error in judgment about our beloved Spear Hero."

Felecia kept silent, intent on listening. She was genuinely curious about Rino's feelings about her party mates.

"I really did want to fight together with a Cardinal Hero. But, he only sees me as a pretty face and never lets me fight. I am happy he wants to protect me, but I feel insulted, as a swordswoman." sighed Rino.

Felecia knew that feeling quite well. When Motoyasu said girls weren't suited to fighting, it made her blood boil. She trained most of her life as a fighter and Shinobi. Sure, he didn't know that, but Motoyasu had no right to place such an outdated view on her.

"My teammates, if you can really call them that, don't encourage me at all. I'm always getting put down and made to do the heavy lifting when Motoyasu-sama isn't looking. When I ask him what to do about it, he says something like 'I'm sure it'll work. Just have faith in them.' and walks off without a care."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Felecia. She knew this already, but it really donned on her that Motoyasu was a poor choice for a leadership role. He was dimwitted, lecherous, and reckless; not at all good qualities for a Cardinal Hero.

"It's fine. Thanks for listening. I'm not sure why, but I feel like I can trust you." Rino said with an appreciative smile.

"I'm happy to help." Felecia smiled back. She was also happy to have made an actual friend in the Spear Hero's Party. However, it didn't distract the false maid from noticing the ever-watchful stink eye of a certain someone with red hair. She must be eavesdropping again. It was probably better to ignore her and concentrate on preparing the meal. Felecia couldn't afford to raise any more suspicion.

[-Hours later -]

Felecia and Rino finished preparing tonight's dinner and served it in the dining hall of Vento's Manor.

Tonight's palette was Roasted Chicken, Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, and apple pie.

"It's about time! I nearly starved to death." Myne growled.

"My apologies for the delay." said Felecia, "You certainly weren't starved enough to spy on us earlier."

The false maid hoped Myne didn't suspect anything yet.

"This looks quite good. I'm looking forward to this," said Vento.

It didn't take long for everyone to eat and enjoy the meal.

"Delicious, as usual, Felecia-chan!" Motoyasu beamed with joy.

A pleasantly surprised Vento turned to Felecia, "Young lady, this is very delicious. Color me surprised!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Vento-sama. It brings me great joy to serve this meal to you."

"In that case, how would you like to become a chef in my home?" Vento asked, "I treat my employees quite well, and I can promise a handsome salary."

"Me? Working for a noble?" a surprised Felecia thought. She was aware of adventurers being hired by nobles to complete certain quests. She had a few noble clients herself, but they were far and few between in decorum. Despite their willingness to pay handsomely, Felecia more often than not turned them down because they were still trying to win her favor. That one disgusting nobleman resurfaced in her mind again. And, of course, there was a certain Princess in the room, too.

"I don't think so!" Myne yelled, "She is my personal maid! My property! I hope you're not thinking of buying her off while in my presence, Vento!"

"I thought I was the team's chef…" Felecia irritably thought. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to put up with it for much longer.

"Oh, I apologize. It was merely a suggestion." Vento said as he bowed his head to the spoiled Princess.

"Hmph!" Myne turned up her nose and continued eating.

"At any rate, I would like to thank you again for dealing with those thieves, Spear Hero-sama," said Vento to Motoyasu.

"Don't worry about it. It's not actually I was doing you any favors. I'm just trying to protect my girls." Motoyasu said, seemingly semi-bragging. The girls predictably swooned over him.

"Ugh… Give it a rest…" Felecia mentally groaned.

"Hey, we could have helped. I don't understand why we have to stay out of the fight." Rino said. She was understandably frustrated with being forced to stay on the sidelines.

"Why is it so difficult for you to understand? Motoyasu-sama is simply concerned for our safety. That's why we stay behind and cheer him on! We support him that way." Myne snapped at Rino.

"Myne's right. You know I don't wanna see my friends get hurt or dirty." Motoyasu said.

"I know, but that's just part of the job, though." refuted Rino, "Besides, I can defend myself just fine."

"Listen! My job is to protect the cute girls in the world. That includes the ones in my party! I'll handle the fighting, so you don't have to!" Motoyasu declared.

This made Myne swoon yet again, "Oh, Motoyasu-sama!"

Meanwhile, Rino looked uncomfortable.

Again, Felecia couldn't blame her. She suffered the same thing before she left the guild. She wasn't going to deny he had good intentions, but Motoyasu was as insensitive as they came. The only ones willing to entertain his false views were those taking advantage of him for his money and protection.

The day he eventually realizes none of his party members really care about him will be a sad day indeed.

"How ungrateful can you be? Are you saying you want to leave the party? That's what it sounds like to me!" growled Myne.

"What?! You can't leave, Rino-chan! I'll protect you, so you don't have to worry, okay?" Motoyasu said desperately.

"I-I..."

"Ahem!" Vento coughed, "If that's how you truly feel, Spear Hero-sama, perhaps you should reconsider your plan to subjugate the Giant Scorpion King."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"I know you came here to defeat that monster, but I've been hearing reports of another dangerous monster prowling the swamp area where the Giant Scorpion King dwells," Vento explained.

This caught Felecia's attention, "Another monster?"

"So what? I can handle two monsters by myself!" Motoyasu grinned.

"Are you sure? According to the rumors, this monster might be the First Wave Boss." Vento revealed.

"The First Wave Boss?"

"There weren't any able-bodied soldiers or adventurers around to defeat it. The beast escaped and has likely roamed around this world for quite some time. No eye-witness reports have confirmed whether or not this monster is the First Wave Boss. None that came back alive, anyway…" Vento stated solemnly.

The mood became grim after hearing what the gentleman trader had to say.

Felecia especially had ill feelings about this.

"The First Wave Boss… I heard rumors about that too. If I remember correctly, it was first seen in that demi-human village. If only those knights were there to find that monster instead of raiding a defenseless village. Killing the boss first and foremost would have prevented more lives from being lost. But, that idiot king..."

"Big deal! I've gotten super strong thanks to Myne's guidance. I won't lose to an outdated boss monster!" Motoyasu proclaimed.

"That's right! My guidance will surely win our brave Spear Hero the day against any monster." bragged Myne.

"Well then, I suppose I can't stop you when you're that confident. Please be careful when dealing with it."

"Whatever. I don't need you telling me what to do. But, out of curiosity, what's this boss monster called?"

"I believe it was named Cerberus, a large dog-like monster with three heads. That's as much as I was able to gather."

"Gotcha. If Cerberus shows its ugly mug, I'll send it back to Hell." declared Motoyasu, making the Spear Hero's party swoon and cry in adulation again.

Though unsurprised by those girls appealing to his ego, Felecia was truly sick of this party's dynamic. The constant swooning over the Spear Hero was giving her a headache.

"Seriously… give it a rest."

"Felecia-chan!" Motoyasu called to the false maid and gave her a flirty wink, "I promise to protect your hometown, no matter what! So you can relax, okay?"

"T-Thank you so much, Motoyasu-sama! You're so wonderfully kind!" Felecia replied happily. As happy as she could get without feeling the urge to vomit in her own mouth.

Myne glared suspiciously at Felecia. The main purpose of keeping the annoying maid around was to figure out who she really was. It almost came to her before, but she started to feel that her suspicion was correct about that girl.

"Speaking of your home town, perhaps you should visit with your family after this," suggested Vento.

"Eh?"

"Isn't that your purpose for coming back to Callma Village?"

"O-Oh, yes! But, I have my duties as the Myne-sama's chef now, so…" Felecia nervously turned to Myne.

"Very well. You are entitled to see your family. You may visit them while we're here. But, once Motoyasu-sama has slain the Giant Scorpion King and possibly that boss monster, you will come along with us. Is that clear?" asked Myne, with a stern glare.

This surprised Felecia. She didn't think Myne would give up that easily. Still, this was likely the only chance she would get at stealing the map from Elena.

"Yes. Thank you for your generosity, Myne-sama." Felecia bowed respectfully to Myne.

Myne didn't respond. That set off an alarm bell in Felecia's head.

"Isn't that great, Felecia-chan? You'll get to see your family, after all!" Motoyasu smiled, "But I don't like the idea of you going alone. Maybe I should come with you."

"T-Thank you, but it isn't necessary! You need your rest!"

"Then, do you want me to come with you?" Rino spoke up. She noticed Felecia's nervousness and decided to offer her company. "It's probably safer to have someone with you trust, right?"

"You and Felecia-chan get along fairly well." said Motoyasu, "But, I still don't feel right letting two cute girls wander the streets alone at night."

"You have nothing to fear. Beside that thief and his brood, nothing troubling happens around here." Vento assured.

"Hmm…"

"Motoyasu-sama, I can look after myself and Felecia. Don't worry about us!" Rino tried to assure.

"Actually, I think I should come along." Myne suddenly said, to everyone's surprise.

"M-Myne?" a confused Motoyasu uttered.

"I'm simply curious about my new chef's home. Besides, it may be a while before she can meet her family again, so I generously thought she should be allowed to spend quality time with them before we leave this town."

"That's so kind of you, Myne. I wouldn't expect any less of you!" said Lesty.

"It's sure to be a safe venture with the best member of our party!" Elena chimed in.

"I think so too!" Emerald followed up.

"M-Myne, are you sure? I could still go with you if you want…"

Myne turned to Motoyasu while leaning against him, "Motoyasu-sama, you're going to need your rest for hunting the Giant Scorpion King tomorrow. Let me handle the maid tonight, okay?"

"O-Okay. If you think you can protect Felecia-chan with Rino-chan, then I'll allow it. I trust you." said a blushing Motoyasu. He turned to Felecia, "I hope to meet your family when I get back, Felecia-chan."

"Of course, they'll be happy to meet you too," Felecia said. Asuka's family were pleasant people, but pissing them off, particularly her grandmother, would be a fatal mistake, "I'm sure my grandma would almost kill Motoyasu-kun for causing me so much grief."

She imagined her grandmother, Sayuri, viciously kicking Motoyasu in his Bahunkus.

"Alright, with that out of the way, I think we should call it a night once dinner is done," Vento said.

"Sounds good. Of course, I'll never get tired of eating Felecia-chan's cooking!" Motoyasu said as he happily gorged on the meal prepared by Felecia.

Though she hated to admit it, the false maid considered times like this the only time when she'd take compliments from Motoyasu.

[-Later That Night-]

After the diner party was over, Felecia left the manor with Rino and Myne as her escorts.

"Okay… now what…?" Felecia thought as she, Rino, and Myne walked down an empty street. She was a few steps ahead of Rino and Myne, leading the way.

Felecia found it odd that Vento would suggest letting her see her 'family'. She couldn't tell if he knew who she truly was right away. As the noble who owns this region, he ought to know many of the residents who live in it. If a Felecia did exist, he would know. And if Vento did know, was he allied with Myne or not? They did seem to know each other. But, he gave off a vibe that suggest that he didn't like dealing with her. Small wonder about that.

But, Vento was the least of Felecia's worries right now. The woman casually walking behind her was at the top. Felecia was dreading what she planning. But maybe there was still a way out of this.

"Maybe I can say that this was far enough, and I could go it from here. But, I can't just leave Rino-chan alone with Myne-san." Felecia thought as she glanced back to the unsuspecting Rino.

Myne was no doubt she was listening in on their conversation in the kitchen. And given what a waste of human skin Myne was, Rino was in immediate danger. Of that, Felecia was certain. Felecia felt she had to figure out some way to save her.

"Hey!" Myne suddenly called out.

"Y-Yes?!" Felecia haphazardly answered.

"I think there's a shortcut here. Why don't we use it?" Myne suggested as she pointed to a dark empty alleyway.

"Really? Doesn't it look a little dangerous in there?"

"Maybe, but it is the fastest way, I'm sure. Isn't that right, maid?" Myne asked Felecia.

Felecia was hesitant to answer. It was such an obvious trap. The only one unaware was Rino.

Felecia had two options. She could disregard the shortcut and leave now while letting Rino suffer whatever cruel fate awaited her. The second choice involved agreeing to take the shortcut and improvising from there.

Given that Rino was the most approachable member of Motoyasu's party and didn't deserve what was in store for her, the choice was made clear.

"I-I'll trust Myne-sama's judgment on this one." Felecia said as she walked over to her 'mistress'.

"Huh? Okay, if you say so. You know this town better than us." said Rino, following along.

Felecia stole a quick glance at Myne to see the pleased smirk on her face.

"We fell for her trap…" Felecia regretfully thought.

---

Lyall the Werewolf: I think this is a good place to stop. There goes stealing the map… Of course, it wasn't going to be so easy. Something had to go wrong in the plan. And now, something horrible happens at the end. How will our lovely Sword Hero get out of this fix? We'll find out in the chapter.

Now, on to the highlight of this chapter. I got the idea for the Cookbook Sword from Naofumi's Book Shield. I also wanted to avoid making up something weird like in the original story (before I changed it to something less weird). That's why I studied various recipes from the Tales series and some real-life dishes. It was pointed out to me in a previous review that Asuka was a talented chef, something I should have realized since I did play Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit long before I started this crossover. She may not have absorbed monster parts that allowed her to cook, but I hope the Cookbook Sword is a novel idea.

Speaking of crossovers, the SK/DBZ crossover is on the way. All this time, I've been toiling around trying to figure out how to get it started and what I want to do with it, and I have some idea. It probably won't be much longer until I post it.

Anyway, stay safe, and I'll see you guys later.