The throne room felt stuffy. Naofumi fought the urge to tug on the collar of his shirt to let his chest breathe in cool air. Through the windows, sunlight cast down on them, illuminating the room. Beside him, the other heroes stood. He could see the sweat forming on Itsuki's brow but the boy didn't raise an arm to wipe it away.
He glanced back behind him and there, along with the heroes' party members, Rachel and Mina watched on. When the three of them entered the throne room, the heroes and even the King and Malty visibly flinched when they saw Mina with him. She winked at them with a playful smile and joined Rachel on the sidelines.
Naofumi felt a sense of pride in his team of misfits. Already, they were building a name for themselves. He and Rachel saved a village and Mina single handily took down a Cardinal Hero. Legends, they might not be. Heroes, definitely not. But at least they were not to be messed with.
"Ahem." The King stood straight on his throne. "As a reward for your brave efforts in battling the monsters from the wave, I will grant you all your rewards."
He gestured to an assistant holding bags of coins.
As she handed their coins and the King announced their earnings, Naofumi noticed that one bag didn't look at filled as the other ones. He scoffed. Of course the King would give him less. Even after saving a village from being torn to the ground, he still got nothing.
Well, Rachel did have lots of gold coins thanks to her business. That was something.
"And as agreed upon, the King said, "I have set aside a total of 500 silver coins for the Shield Hero."
500 silver coins. It wasn't much, but it'll do.
He reached for the bag, only to have the assistant pull back.
"However, since it's offset by the cost of freeing his slave from her curse, he will not receive any compensation."
What?
They were still going with the idea that Rachel was his slave?
"Again with this?" Rachel called out. She broke away from the group and stood by Naofumi. "I told you idiots before that I'm not a slave."
A sharp gasp escaped from a few of the servants stationed at the far end of the room.
Before the King could reprimand her, Mina came by. "What I think she means is," she put a hand on Rachel's shoulder, "is that you have no proof that she is a slave. As neither am I, your Majesty. We joined Naofumi willingly."
The King's brows drew together. Naofumi could practically see the steam coming from his ears. He was not used to being talked back at.
"And what is it with that pocket change?" Rachel asked. "We saved a village. I think we deserve a little more, don't you think?"
Naofumi watched on in awe of these two women. They were older than him and much more experience than he ever had. Granted, he came from a world of technology and different principles while these two grew up in a world with harsh yet livable conditions. He mentally reminded himself to watch how they talk and interact with people.
"She's right."
All heads turned to Itsuki.
"He deserves to earn his money. After all, you interfered with his duel with Motoyasu. I think it's fair he earns the money from winning."
"I agree," Ren spoke. This made Motoyasu look at him with a stunned expression. "The rules said that whoever conceded defeat loses the match. And that's what Motoyasu did."
"Hey!" Motoyasu stepped up to him. "I didn't lose that fight."
"You two are mistaken, Sir Itsuki, Sir Ren," Malty said with a cocky expression. "The rules clearly stated that is was a one-on-one duel between the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero. Naofumi had monsters with him. And the dancer interfered with the match. He broke the rules, which is why father did not declare him the winner."
"Oh-ho?" Mina drew her lips into a smile that challenged Malty's. "Are you forgetting, Princess, that you cast that wind spell on Naofumi? Surely you would've remembered that, as did the audience. Lying is so unbecoming of a lady."
"You dare question me?" There was a sharp edge to her voice.
"Just stating the obvious, is all."
Ren had stepped forward from the group. "She isn't lying. We all saw what you did. Even if Naofumi had monsters with him, Motoyasu would've won if you hadn't used that spell. And I heard that it was Naofumi and Rachel who saved the village, not the knights. You owe them the money."
Suddenly, Naofumi had a newfound respect for the loner. He still had that I'm-better-than-you attitude, but he was honest.
The King grunted. "Fine. The Shield Hero gets the minimum of 500 silver coins. No more, no less."
The assistant held out the bag and Naofumi grabbed it before the King could say anything else.
"Well, you have it. Be gone with you!"
By now, he still wasn't used to his contempt. He saved a village! Yet he was still treated as an outsider. A nobody.
He strode forward, only to have Mina place a hand on his chest.
"We humbly thank you, your Majesty." She kept her gaze at the King while keeping him in place. "Though I'm sure we'll be able to manage just fine, with or without the silver coins."
She turned to Rachel. It took a few seconds for her to realize what she was talking about.
"Y-yeah!" She came up to them. "I can make double what you gave us. Still, a little pocket change wouldn't hurt."
"Shall we leave then? The air in here is too stuffy. It's bad for the skin."
Naofumi realized what they were doing. They knew he would start something with the King and stopped him. They not only held him back, but subtlety insulted the King too.
A strange feeling bloomed in his heart. It wasn't trust. Rather, it was something close to trust. It was hard to imagine there were people out there who would have his back despite the accusation that hung over his head like a storm cloud.
Elhart. Rachel. Mina.
Three people. Not enough, but it was better than nothing.
Following Mina's behavior, he mocked bow. "Thanks." He turned on his heel to the doors. "Let's go."
He heard the women's footsteps as they followed.
Outside the castle, he released a big sigh. "Well, that could've gone better."
"Tell me about it." Rachel said. "You were this close to pissing off the King with whatever it was you were going to say."
"She is correct," Mina said. "You must reign in your anger, Naofumi. One wrong move or choice of word and your livelihood could become worse."
"Worse than having the entire country hating me?"
"There are far things worse than that."
He got the feeling that she was right. Being treated like trash is nothing compared to being executed. Or worse.
"He could've at least thanked me for saving the village. They didn't even care. All he cared was those guys taking down the wave boss."
"Be that as it may, you will come across several people who are conniving and dangerous. Dangerous than the King and Malty. I should know. Us dancers are always careful when we travel to new places."
If only he had her skills with words and gestures.
"So," Rachel bobbed up and down on her toes, "what now? We got the money. Is there something we should be doing other than standing out here?"
Now that they got the reward, it was entirely up to them what their next move should be. Unless they were summoned by the King or if the next wave was going to it, they were basically free to roam around.
Naofumi stuffed his hands in his pockets. This was a habit he did when he needed to think. If he was going out and had no idea where to go, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.
Where to go next? That was a good question.
He gazed at the city and the first thing he spotted was the familiar colors of a tent. It was impossible to not notice the red and white, even if they were faded from the sunlight.
"There's this place I want to stop by," he said. "Though I'm not sure if you two will like it."
Rachel put a hand to her hip. "Have you met us?"
Mina stifled a laugh.
"True." He began walking. "Come on."
The two women looked at each other. They knew what they were getting themselves into when they joined him. Best to go with the flow. They followed him.
"Well well well, it's been a while since you came here. Did you change your mind about getting a slave?"
Naofumi would be lying if he didn't think The Slave Trader's smile was creepy. With his gold glasses that blocked out his eyes, his short stature, and his deep voice, everything about him screamed creepy.
When he first entered the tent not long after being branded a rapist, he knew about the man's business. What better than scum like him buying and trading with another scum?
That was until he saw the cages. Peering through the metal bars, he could see slaves hiding in what little shadow the cage offered. Seeing the Beastmen and a few Demi-Humans sent a chill down his spine. Try as he might to hold on to his apathetic attitude, this was wrong.
He looked through some more cages. One cage, in particular, caught his attention. Unlike the rest of them, this one was empty.
When he asked the Slave Trader about it, he said that he was supposed to receive a Demi-Human from a village that was overrun by a wave. He didn't get any. Which was probably a good thing.
In the end, Naofumi left without a slave. Which may have been a good thing. A few days later, he met Rachel.
"Just here to browse." He walked and looked at the various items the Slave Trader had displayed.
Behind him, Rachel and Mina skirted around the Slave Trader.
"Um," Rachel put a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "Should we be concerned that you're buddy-buddy with a freaking slave trader? How do you even know this creep?"
"Told you guys wouldn't like this place."
"It's not that we don't like it." Mina picked up a golden necklace. "It's just… we didn't expect you to be associated with someone who takes pleasure in receiving money at the expense of slaves."
"Sorry to disappoint."
He did feel guilty, knowing that he considered buying a slave. Even if slavery was legal here, it didn't feel right to own one. He still had his morals.
"You wound me, lady," the Slaver Trader said. "It's merely a business. We all have to make a living, don't we?"
"I'll kindly leave you to your business, then." Mina set down the necklace. "What did you have in mind to look for, Naofumi?"
There was a lot to look at. Which was a problem. Being that he was still getting used to this world, the trinkets and objects the Slave Trader had might as well be useless to him if he didn't know their purpose. The necklace Mina was holding could store magical elements in it. Or it could just be a regular gold necklace.
It was hard to pick apart the stuff that could be useful to him versus the stuff that would be useless.
An open box caught his eye. The box was open, revealing sixteen eggs with eyes drawn on them. At least he did think they were drawn on.
"What are those?"
The Slave Trader grabbed the box. "This is a monster egg lottery. You could get your own very creature! For a hundred silvers, you could get your very own filolial."
"A what?" Was this another strange monster he hasn't seen yet.
"Filolials," Rachel said. "You've seen them around, haven't you? Those giant birds that pull wagons and carriages."
It hit him that he did remember seeing giant birds pulling wagons through the city. They were the ones that looked like Chocobos from Final Fantasy.
"What's more," the Slave Trader went on, "you'll probably get a dragon! Now that is a rare creature worth a lot more than a filolial! How about it, Shield Hero? You interested? Pick one. Go on."
He was being very persistent. Must come with the job of being a merchant. And like most merchants, they push their wares in front of you and are good at bargaining.
"Is that like a gacha game or something?" There was no way in hell he would be winning a dragon. He recalled all the hours and money he spent on those gacha games on his phone.
"Gacha?" Rachel, who was looking through a crate stopped to look at him. "The hell is that?"
"Is that a form of gambling in your world?" Mina asked.
Crap. He shouldn't have said that.
"Err… kind of?" He really didn't want to go into detail about that when he didn't know much.
"How about it?" The Slave Trader was now up in his face. "Give it a shot! Act now and I'll give you a special deal. How about it?"
A few minutes later, the trio left the tent. Empty handed.
Naofumi sighed. "I hope I don't regret not buying an egg."
"It was the best choice," Rachel pointed out. "There's no telling what we'll get from those eggs. I'd bet half of my tonics that he painted those markings on them to make them look real."
"You don't know that."
"Neither do you. You need to learn a thing or two about merchants."
She really was like an older sister, chastising him and reminding him about what was right and what was wrong. Was this how Akito felt?
"I agree with her," Mina adds. "When I was still in Lula's, we had to be careful about spending our money, especially when it comes to clothing and jewelry. Luca and Lana taught us to know the difference between good quality products and bad quality."
Speaking of which…
"Were they okay with you leaving the troupe?" Naofumi asked. "That Luca guy made you sound like you're the best dancer out there."
Mina smiled. "You flatter me, Naofumi. Luca says that about all the dancers. To answer your question, they gave me permission to live. After I told them about my situation, they were more than willing to let me go. All the other dancers cried and I couldn't help but cry with them. But this is what I wanted."
He had never been in a club or a group before, so he couldn't imagine leaving one day. Granted, Mina was looking for her parents so her situation was unique.
"Have any idea where your parents could be?"
"If I had to guess, they must be hiding in a small village. Or maybe they're in a different country? The letter they left with me didn't give any hints."
"So how will you know where to find them?" It sounded like a hopeless mission.
"I just have to keep my eyes and ears open when we're at a village or a city."
Elhart's shop came into view.
Entering the shop, Naofumi spotted the man hunkering down in front of a display case, arranging weapons.
"We're back, Old Man."
"Hey there, Kid." He rose and turned, eyes widening slightly when he spotted Mina.
He was quiet for a few seconds. "You sure you're not building yourself a harem, Kid?"
"You.." The retort was ready, but Naofumi held it in. Let him think what he wants. After everything, harems were the least on his mind. Thanks to a certain someone, she ruined harems.
"Do you have any daggers our new friend could use? Preferably something sharp and deadly?"
"You got it, Kid. What kind of daggers do you need?" Elhart ushered her to a wall holding several daggers.
Naofumi took his usual seat by the counter. Beside him, Rachel had set her satchel on the counter and was going through it.
"Have everything you need?" He asked. If she was short on tonics, it would spell trouble for them. Despite his blending ability, Rachel said making tonics with that ability would work tenfold if they used the right ingredients.
"Just about." She opened a flap on the side and peered in. "Shit."
"What?"
"I'm almost out of goba berries," she sighed and closed the flap.
"And… they're important?"
"If you want ingredients for a medicine to cure the flu, fevers, and skin blotches, yes. I still have enough to make maybe three vials, but it's not enough." She shouldered her satchel.
"Why not go to the medicine man? He should have some."
Rachel shook her head. "I asked when I first got here and he said he doesn't have any. Thankfully there's a village west of here that grows them. Can we stop by and get them? It isn't that far of a walk."
If having more of those berries meant they could earn more coins, then he didn't have a problem with it.
"Sure, why not."
"Thanks."
"All done!"
Mina sheeted in a new dagger into her leg strap. "Elhart here knew exactly what I was looking for. Never knew you were so well acquainted with such a blacksmith, Naofumi."
He shrugged. "He makes good company."
Elhart chuckled while shaking his head. "I could say the same thing about you, Kid."
This was somewhat nice. He was with people who weren't hurling insults or glares at him. The moment wouldn't last forever, though.
"Now that we got Mina's daggers," he pushed himself up from the chair. "We already have a place to go to. Rachel needs some berries. We'll stock up and be on our way. It might be a while before we're summoned for a mission, so let's take some time to get more experience."
"Before you guys go," Elhart dug into his pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "The medicine shop owner and the magic shop owner wanted me to remind you they have something you might like."
"Really?" He was on somewhat good terms with the medicine man but never met the magic shop owner. What would they want to give him?
"They told me that they had family living in Lute Village. You saved them from the monsters. Guessing they want to give you something as thanks for saving them."
"See?" Rachel clamped a hand on his shoulder. "It does pay to be a hero. We get free stuff! And free stuff is the best stuff."
She wasn't wrong in that part.
"Guess we can go now."
"See ya, Elhart!" Rachel winked at him.
"Come back soon, little lady."
"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Elhart." Mina curtseyed.
Exiting the shop, Naofumi strode forward.
Things were becoming livelier with them now that Mina joined.
It felt… good.
The sun was at its high as the trio made their way to the village that grew goba berries. Westbrook was its name and Rachel pointed out that it sits near a river.
It would take them roughly an hour to get there by foot and already they cleared about thirty minutes of walking.
"Kind of wishing we gotten one of those monster eggs." Naofumi groaned.
"Those things take a while to hatch, you know?" Rachel said. "A little walk isn't going to hurt you."
"An hour of walking is not a little. It's a lot."
He had to remember that Rachel and Mina had more stamina than he did. Rachel walked for a living traveling to villages and cities to sell medicine. And Mina danced for six years. They had a huge advantage over him.
The magic shop lady proved that further. After they had gotten the grimoire from the medicine shop guy, they visited her next and there, they found out their affinities. He and Rachel shared healing magic but where they differed was Rachel's ability to cause status ailments and wield fire magic and him having support magic.
Mina's affinities were ice, illusion, and support. Basically, she could buff up their skills.
Their skills combined made them a force to be reckoned with.
With grimoires from the medicine shop guy and the magic lady, they could learn more spells. Granted, Naofumi couldn't read the language of each book. Thankfully Rachel and Mina offered to help him understand it. Which added more lessons on making medicine.
"It really was nice of them to assist us," Mina said.
"Yeah, it was." Naofumi still felt genuine happiness in his heart after those two helped them. He smiled in what felt like days. A true smile. Not a fake one.
"Tell me about it." Rachel took out the grimoire the medicine shop guy gave them. "With this book, I can learn new ways to make medicine!" She hugged the tome tightly.
"You should've seen the look in your eyes," Naofumi said. "I thought you were going to kiss him for a second there."
"I may like older men, but not that old." She put the grimoire away in her satchel. "Unless he's good in bed despite his age."
Naofumi shook his head. He'll never understand her preferences.
"How long until we reach the village?"
"Fifteen minutes, give or take. Listen, you can hear the river. That means we're close."
He could hear it. It started off softly, but as they continued walking, he could hear the sound of a babbling brook. That brook soon widened and became a river.
"Look." Rachel pointed to the horizon. "There's Westbrook. You can see the bell tower from here."
The village came into view and as Rachel said, a tall bell tower made of brick was like a beacon. The village itself was surrounded by a fence that was maybe about ten feet tall.
"Great. We can get the berries and rest here for a day."
Entering the village, Naofumi noticed how empty it was. It looked like a fairly large village from afar and the inside was dotted with several cottages and stone buildings. But only a handful of people were outside.
And they wore masks covering their mouth and nose.
"Uhh… is this normal?" Naofumi didn't know much about diseases or how they worked, but an almost empty looking village and people wearing masks isn't a good sign.
"No. Something's wrong." Rachel looked around and grabbed the nearest villager – who was wearing a mask - by the arm. "Excuse me, is there something going on? I'm an apothecary, I can help."
The villager's eyes crinkled the way it would when someone smiles. "Thank the Gods. You'd best go to the courthouse. It's been turned into a hospital. The mayor can tell you what's wrong."
When the villager left, Naofumi began looking for the courthouse. Every bone in his body, right down to the pinky toe told him to get out of here. There was no telling if whatever sickness was going around this village was like any sickness from his world.
But like in Lute Village, if this place needed saving, he would help.
Don't ask him why he would help. He doesn't even know the answer.
After a few minutes of searching, they found the courthouse nestled between two shops. When they entered, the main room – big enough to fit more than a hundred people – was crowded with makeshift beds and people running back and forth carrying trays of water.
"What sickness is this?" Mina asked as she saw a little girl no more than eight coughing violently. The girl's mother, who looked like she was on the verge of tears, patted her back and whispered words into her ear.
"Time to find out." Rachel stood on her toes and looked for the mayor. She found a chubby man refilling the cups of water near the stage. He wore a sash of red and gold wrapped around a light blue button vest.
"Found him."
She pushed her way through the beds covering her mouth and nose. Naofumi and Mina did the same thing as they followed.
The mayor noticed them and handed off his ladle to the person next to him and went around the table.
"Who are you three?" He asked, removing a handkerchief and dabbing his sweaty forehead.
"We're sorry to intrude," Rachel began, "I'm an apothecary. I came here to get goba berries. But if you all need help, I think I have some medicine you can use."
The mayor looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Thank you!" He reached out and grabbed Rachel's hands. "You have no idea how thankful we are for you."
Rachel shook her head. "It's my job. Now," she pulled out her medical journal, "can you tell me the symptoms?"
"Well then," the mayor scratched at the small stubble on his chin. "The doctors here have noted coughs, high fever, blue blotches on the skin, and muscle spasms."
Rachel stopped skimming through the pages. From behind, Naofumi noticed the sudden stiffness to her posture, like she received bad news and doesn't know how to react.
"I-I'm sorry," she looked back up at the mayor. "C-can you repeat the symptoms?"
The mayor repeated the symptoms and Rachel flipped through the book with urgency.
"What the hell?" She stopped at a page and Naofumi could see a drawing of a human with inky splotches on the body as well as a detailed list.
"Is it bad?" he asked. If people were losing control of their muscles, then it must be serious.
"More than bad." Rachel ran a finger down the list. "This… this shouldn't be happening."
"What's wrong?" Mina came around and peered at the book.
"I… I don't know." Rachel shut her book. "This is Frost Sickness."
"What's that?" Naofumi asked.
"It's a disease that attacks the skin and muscles. It starts off as a cough, then turns into a fever, and finally, blue blotches start appearing on the skin and the muscles start spasming like they're shivering."
"Is it curable?"
"It is, yes. It's not fatal, though you will be sick for a week or two before it goes away on its own. But there is medicine for it."
"Then what's the problem? If there was a cure for it, why is she freaking out about it?"
"Because Frost Sickness is a seasonal disease. It only shows up in winter and in case you haven't noticed," she pointed to a window. "We're at the end of spring. Far from winter."
"I can confirm this," Mina spoke up. "In my time at the orphanage and at Lula's, I've seen my friends get bedridden from Frost Sickness during the winter. This is certainly… strange, to say the least."
"It's just as I feared." The mayor slumped down onto a chair. "I was doubting it, but it's true. Why? Why is this happening to my village?" He looked utterly defeated.
"Don't worry," Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it. "I'll be able to cure it. I just need the goba berries. Can you point me in the direction they grow in?"
"They're right past the village. Just keep following the river and you'll come across a spot where they grow. But…"
This doesn't sound good.
"But?"
"A wave monster has been spotted around that area. A chimera."
A silence hung in the air.
"Fuck."
Naofumi's gaze went to the mayor. "What does this chimera look like? Maybe we can kill it."
The mayor's eyes landed on the shield. His eyes widened slightly before looking up. Naofumi expected to see some type of contempt in his eyes. Only, he found hope shimmering in the mayor's green eyes.
"The chimera has the body of a tiger and a goat's head sticking out from its side. The goat uses healing magic. The mercenaries living here tried to fight it but had to retreat. Please kill it, Shield Hero. I've heard what you did in Lute Village. Please save my village."
There it was again. The feeling of being wanted. When the magic shop lady thanked him for saving her grandchild, her words cut deep into his heart. She thanked him from the bottom of her heart.
Then he remembered the words of the villagers of Lute. Of the mother holding her child, looking at him with kindness and sincere gratitude.
Now this man is putting his faith in him.
His heart panged with… happiness. He was needed.
"You can count on us."
The mayor looked ready to hug him but refrained himself. "Bless you, Shield Hero."
"Leave this to us," Mina said. "We'll take care of this nasty chimera and get the berries."
"Right!" Rachel hefted her satchel. "We got this."
With new found confidence, they left the village and began following the river.
"Hey," Rachel said, looking at Naofumi. "Sorry if this sidetracked you. I know you didn't plan on fighting a chimera."
Normally, he would've agreed with her. He hasn't even seen a chimera yet, so he has no idea what's in store for him.
But oddly, he didn't mind. He felt helpful. Needed.
"No worries," was all he said.
Each step he took reaffirmed something he thought he would never see.
Slowly, he was becoming a hero.
Already we have a new strange conflict going on. And it's Rachel's time to shine.
I'm sure some of you are wondering about Raphtalia and Filo. Well, I can't say what happened to them but they will make an appearance. Just not now.
Thanks again for reading!