By all accounts, it was a lovely party. Better than any party he's ever been to. Correction. It tops any party he's ever been to.
Mouth-watering desserts, bubbling champagne, blood red wine, steaming meat, it was the epitome of fancy. This party was for him. Too bad no one wanted to celebrate with him.
Naofumi sat on a windowsill watching the noblemen and women fluttering around in their suits and dresses, not paying attention to him. Either they were doing it deliberately or he was just good at being invisible. Not that he wanted their attention. Being alone was better than being stared at. Or glared at.
He casts several glances at the nobles, seeing the occasional knight here and there as well. He even saw the second in command bragging about fighting off a giant monster. Naofumi scoffed. As much as he wanted to say it was him and Rachel who killed the monster, no one would believe him. Only the villagers from Lute Village would back him up.
He sighed. All he's been doing since he got here was sighing. Sighing at the mundaneness of this party. He's only here just to get the reward, not mingle with the townspeople.
Another sigh escaped.
"Keep sighing like that, you'll let out all the good energy from you."
The Captain came forward along with a black wolf by his side.
"Captain," Naofumi said.
"Shield Hero. Something bothering you? I thought you'd be celebrating with the others, not here by your lonesome."
Naofumi raised an eyebrow. Was this man dense?
"I meant to say was that you shouldn't care what they think. You saved a village. My wolves told me you stood your ground against a monster. You're a hero, no matter what these people say. Celebrate!"
The sentiment was nice. He was the only person, aside from Rachel and Elhart who treated him with decency. Still, he was a knight who was close to the King. He didn't want any more trouble from him.
"I'll pass." He glanced at the window, staring at nothing in particular outside.
"Suit yourself," the Captain said. "Though it looks like you won't be by yourself for the time being."
Confused, Naofumi looked back at the throng of people and saw Rachel weaving through carrying a giant platter of sweets and two glasses of wine.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. Out of my way. Move your ass." Some nobles gasped at her obscene words but Rachel left them behind, not caring.
The Captain nodded his goodbye and left.
"Hey there, sorry it took me a while." Rachel set down the platter on a table near them. "I couldn't decide what to get so I just got what looked yummy."
The platter had nothing but sweets. Save for the two glasses of wine at the center, surrounding them were sweets upon sweets.
"Did you rob an entire table?" This was too much for two people.
"It's free food. Like these nobles are going to care if a few sweets are gone." Rachel grabbed a slice of chocolate cake and ate it. "So good!" She smiled.
Glad someone is enjoying themselves. Naofumi looked at the dessert tray and for a moment, he thought about getting some.
Rachel noticed and grabbed a small cupcake. "Try one. It's really good!"
He was about to grab it when he noticed two noblemen casting glances at him. He could see the contempt in their eyes.
"I'm good." The mood was ruined.
"Come on, it's really good!" Rachel persisted.
"I said I'm go- hmmph!"
Rachel shoved the cupcake into his mouth.
"Quit acting like a moody brat and enjoy the damn cupcake."
Naofumi glared at her and chewed on the cupcake. It was… pretty good. The vanilla frosting with the chocolate complimented each other.
"Told you it was good." Rachel grabbed a glass of wine and sipped it. She leaned back against the wall next to the window. "Some party this is, huh?"
"Not sure what you mean by that."
"I mean that this is the first time I've ever been to a party like this. Let alone in the rich part of the city."
From the way she dressed and her mannerism, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know this wasn't Rachel's type of party.
"What kind of parties do you like?" He asked.
"Hmm…" Rachel thought for a moment. "I guess I like any party. So long as there's music and food. If there's no food, it ain't a party."
"Guess I can agree with you on that."
"And you? What kind of parties do you like?"
That was a bit hard to answer. He never was a party person, to begin with. Even at a young age, he never liked going to birthday parties. He'd rather spend his time playing video games or reading manga. It was quiet, and no one bothered him. Parties were too loud and too crowded.
"I don't like parties, actually." Naofumi fiddled with the hem of his cloak.
"Understandable." Rachel downed the rest of the wine. "It's too bad Elhart couldn't come with us. But he doesn't strike me as someone who likes fancy parties."
After they came back to Castle Town, the servants of the castle gave him and Rachel an invitation to the party in celebration of the Hero's bravery in fighting off the monsters. They were allowed to bring a guest and Rachel didn't hesitate to ask Elhart.
The man kindly declined their invitation, which disappointed Rachel somewhat. Naofumi didn't understand what she saw in him. He was older than her by maybe ten or fifteen years. Maybe it was the muscles.
"I doubt he owns a fancy suit." Naofumi pointed out. Hell, he was still dressed in his barbarian armor. He and Rachel stood out among the other guests.
"True. Still, I wanted to at least have one dance with him."
"Hmph. I don't think he's even danced a day in his life."
"You never know. He may surprise me by sweeping me off my feet. We would dance, have some wine, and then…" Rachel stopped. "Oops. I forgot. You're still a kid." She chuckled.
Naofumi didn't bother with a rebuttal.
"Just feels weird."
"What's weird?"
"The party. People died in Lute Village and here we are partying. Doesn't it feel wrong?"
"It doesn't have to be." Rachel popped a chocolate strawberry into her mouth. "It's sad that people died, but what can you do? Everyone knows there's a chance they might live or die when a wave comes. There's nothing wrong with celebrating surviving. And the people of Lute will continue to grow."
"And here I thought you were an apothecary, not a philosopher."
Rachel laughed. "Please, philosophers don't make crap selling wisdom."
Naofumi chuckled and looked out the window again. He could barely make out the horizon from the glare of the light from the inside. Squinting his eye, he could just see the wall of Castle Town and the tents.
"What's up with those tents?" When they had arrived yesterday at Castle Town, several tents were set up on the perimeter.
"That's Lula's Dancing Troupe."
"Dancing troupe?" Naofumi knew of circus troupes, never dancing troupes.
"It's a group of dancers who go to perform all over the country. They've even gone overseas a few times. I'm guessing the King got one of the owners to ask them if he can have dancers perform."
Naofumi was about to ask what kind of dancers there were when he saw Motoyasu walking toward him with Malty following.
This shouldn't be good.
Before they reached them, the guests began to gather around the handrails, looking down at the first floor.
"Someone's going to perform!" Rachel set aside her plate and grabbed Naofumi. He protested by pressing his feet to the ground but Rachel somehow pulled him along. "No way are you missing this. We're here to have fun, not glower."
When they reached the rail, they saw servants clearing away the tables. A man stood in the center. He was dressed in a yellow ruffled shirt underneath a purple jacket with blue buttons. His pants were bright pink with suspenders hanging from the side. He looked flamboyant. Almost like an anime character. Even his mustache was curled.
"Ladies and Gentleman!" His voice boomed throughout the room. "I humbly thank the King for his request to get one our dancers to perform for you all!"
The guests applauded.
"Now, without further ado, I want to introduce you to your dancer. She has captured the hearts of many with her gracefulness. Her movements are known to still even the most ferocious of beasts. Please welcome…" He paused for dramatic effect. "Mina!"
The man stepped to the side and a woman walked in.
She wore a short purple top lined at the edges with gold, almost reminiscent of a bra. Her high slit skirt was purple with another layer of gold underneath, revealing tan legs. Adorning her wrists were gold bangles. Black wavy hair ended just at the collarbone. Her make up was expertly applied, accentuating her brown eyes.
She waved at the audience as they applauded. Beside him, Rachel applauded as well. Naofumi looked behind him to see if Motoyasu was still perusing him. When it looked like the coast was clear, he looked back at the dancer.
She stood in the center. The audience was silent, waiting for her to move. The beat of a drum sounded, and she began to dance.
To Naofumi, the world stood still as she danced. From the way she moved her arms, her legs, the shaking of her hips, she got his attention. Briefly, he broke his gaze from her and looked at the other guests. Mina had their full attention too. If he yelled fire, no one would pay attention to him. All eyes were on Mina.
She paused and put her hands high in the air together, intertwining them. She jutted her hips to the side, causing her skirt to reveal even more of her legs. It took a second for Naofumi to realize she was belly dancing.
With each beat and rhythm of the drum, she danced effortlessly, like she was swimming through water.
There was a pause in the beating. Mina stood still in a pose. The beat picked up, only to pause again. Mina moved within the time of the beat, now in another pose.
The beating picked up faster and Mina shook her hips to the exact beat of the drums. She tip-toed backward, never losing the rhythm of shaking her hips.
Grabbing her hair with both hands, she went around the room in circles, jutting out her hips. When she came to the area where Naofumi was, she looked up and their eyes met.
Naofumi stared back, mesmerized by her beauty and grace. Mina smiled as she passed.
She went back to the center and grabbed the hem of her skirt. In a flash, she began to spin, the gold second layer of her skirt spinning spun with her. The drumming became faster, more intense. It was nearing the end.
Mina stopped spinning and threw her arms in the air. The drumming had stopped.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then, the crowd began to applause. Cheers and shout rang out. Mina drew a small purple cloth from her skirt and bowed. Rising up, she blew kisses to the audience before leaving.
The guests began to disperse, going back to conversing with each other. Naofumi took this as a sign to go back to the windowsill.
He turned, ready to go back to his spot and almost bumped into Motoyasu.
"Naofumi." Motoyasu didn't look angry, but he sounded angry.
"What now?" Naofumi wasn't in the mood to be dealing with this idiot. Especially with Malty smiling ruefully behind him.
"I just want to clear up something," his gaze shifted to Rachel. "Is she your slave?"
…huh?
Slave? Where did he come up with such- oh. Her.
He shot daggers at Malty, who only smiled away like she did nothing wrong.
"No, she isn't."
Even with the reply, something tells him this won't go down easy.
"Be honest," Motoyasu pressed on. "There's no way she would just travel with you knowing what you did."
"Sorry to burst whatever conspiracy you have, but she came with me willingly. Ask her yourself."
Motoyasu looked to Rachel for confirmation.
She sighed at the stupidity of this conversation. "Yes, I did. Like I told you, I'm not one to judge. It doesn't matter what he's done in the past."
"Sounds like someone is under Naofumi's spell." Malty slipped forward between them. "If I didn't know any better, she's just an unfortunate victim of the Shield Hero."
This only made Motoyasu all angrier. "Well? You gonna fess up or what?"
Wherever this conversation was going, it wasn't doing him any good. Already, the guests were looking on, whispering loudly enough for him to hear.
"Just listen to yourself," he said. "How about you think for yourself and not listen to hearsay."
Motoyasu growled and lifted up his spear.
"Then fight me." The point of the spear nearly touched his nose, but Naofumi didn't flinch.
"No." He pushed aside the spear and began walking. "Rachel, let's go."
The apothecary groaned. "Fine." She set down her plate of macarons and followed Naofumi. "And I was just enjoying the party."
The whisper grew louder. Naofumi could practically feel their glares on him. Let them. They say him as nothing more than a villain. There was nothing he could do to fix any of this.
He reached the landing when a knight stepped in front of him with his spear ready.
"What the-"
More knights appeared, hands on the hilt of their swords. Rachel scooted closer to him.
"You will not be going anywhere, Shield Hero."
The King looked down on him from his spot on the second floor. "I heard your conversation. Whether your companion is a slave or not, that is to be tested. You should know it is unorthodox for a hero such as yourself to coerce a person to be your party member. For that, there will be punishment."
Punishment!
"What for!" Naofumi shouted. "I didn't do anything wrong. She doesn't even have a slave marking on her!"
"He's right," Rachel spoke. "Hell, if it'll make you listen, I'll strip right here if I have to."
She didn't even get to remove her shawl before hands clamped around her stomach.
"Wh- Hey! Get the fuck off!" She struggled against the knight. She flailed her legs, making the knight nearly let go. Nearly. His grip on her tightened.
"Let go of her!" Naofumi began to reach out only for a knight to block his path.
"Swords ready!" A knight shouted and the knights unsheathed their swords. The guests gasped and someone screamed. A glass slipped through someone's hand and shattered on the floor.
"Your companion will be kept with us until we can determine if she is your slave. As for your punishment, you will have to fight Sir Motoyasu to a duel."
Was he serious? It wouldn't take less than ten seconds for someone to see if Rachel had a slave marking on her. This whole scene is just for his entertainment. And Malty's especially.
"You hear that, Naofumi?" Motoyasu came down the stairs. "Looks like we finally get to have our duel. I can't wait to kick your ass."
"You scumbag!"
He was done being nice. "Get your fucking hand off of her you prick!"
This brought him back to the throne room. Everyone glaring at him with nothing but hatred and contempt in their eyes. The anger he felt back at then and at the Dragon Hourglass came back. It rushed from his heart to every inch of his body, from his fingers to his head.
He gritted his teeth, not caring if he ground them down to nothing. They were going to take everything away from him all over again. He would be left with nothing.
There wasn't anything worse than having nothing. Nothing meant he had no purpose. No meaning. Rachel had given him something. Without her, he would have nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
The thought of impaling the knight with is Crystal Shield flashed through his mind. He would get Rachel out of the way and stab him. Then he'll get the other. Then the King. And Malty.
Yes. Everyone one of them deserved to-
"Now, now. Why don't we all calm down."
The sultry yet commanding voice brought him back to the present. He and everyone in the room turned to the sound of the voice.
Mina walked up to them. "Boys, put your swords away. You're scaring the guests." She smiled while resting a finger below her lips.
The knights still held on to their swords, but Naofumi could see a glimmer of hesitation in their eyes as if they were actually considering doing what Mina told them to.
"What business do you have with them, dancer?" The King asked, clearly not amused by her interruption.
Mina shrugged. "I do not have any business with them, your Majesty. But I am a guest here, and I am not impressed by how you and your knights are handling the situation."
Naofumi wondered what game she was playing. She stepped into this mess with nothing to gain other than the King's irritation. Why was she doing this?
"Tonight was supposed to be a celebration," Mina continued. "A night where we would indulge ourselves in delicious food and wine. Toss caution to the wind and have fun with reckless abandon."
She turned to look at Naofumi and Rachel. "Instead I find the knights holding two heroes against their wills." She tapped her chin. "One might say this is almost like taking them hostage."
The crowd murmured, pointing at the knights and even stole a few glances at the King.
"N-no need to cause for alarm everyone," the King said with a failed attempt at a smile. "None of this is anything related to a hostage situation. Just a talk between heroes is all!"
"Then why are the Shield Hero and his companion being held with swords pointed at them?" Mina asked.
The King grunted. "Release them."
The knights sheathed their swords and the knight holding Rachel let her go. She turned to the knight and kneed him in the crotch.
"Agh!" The knight grabbed his crotch and went to his knees.
Rachel went and stood by Naofumi.
"There," the King said. "Are you happy?"
"Not yet, your Majesty."
Mina looked at the Motoyasu. "I heard the Spear Hero and Shield Hero are supposed to fight. Why not push it back to tomorrow?"
"Are you ordering me?" The King gripped the railing hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.
"I'm not ordering you around. I'm just merely offering a suggestion. Aren't we supposed to be celebrating? Let them fight tomorrow. Of course," she smiled at the King, "it would be a shame if the Queen heard about this."
"Hrk!" The King grunted. He looked at the guests and they each had a questioning look in their eyes.
Naofumi watched the whole conversation in astonishment. This woman managed to get everyone's attention and made them listen to her. It was like her dancing.
"Very well," the King said after a moment. "I'll postpone the fight until tomorrow night. The Shield Hero and his companion are free to leave."
"Thank you, your Majesty." Mina bowed.
The King did not return the sentiment.
Naofumi didn't hesitate before grabbing Rachel by the wrist and pulling her to the exit.
They passed Mina and in the tiny second they were face to face, she smiled winked at him.
He still didn't understand her intention. Looking back, he saw Motoyasu looking not pleased and Malty looking like she might break something.
Naofumi ignored the looks he was receiving.
Tomorrow, he had a fight to get ready for.