Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took a while to post. I originally wanted it to be shorter but decided it would be best if I did not split it up.
(See author notes at the end regarding two frequently ask questions)
Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!
This is a stupid plan.
And I'm the idiot who came up with it at four in the morning.
Naofumi stifled a yawn. The village of Haven Clove was silent save for the crickets. A cool breeze blew by and he wrapped his arms around himself. He was already regretting this idea. He blamed it on Legrand.
He couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Legrand and Rowan nagged at him until he finally managed to get some sleep. Only to wake up around four and couldn't sleep. The girls were peacefully sleeping away. Lucky them. While he was getting only four hours of sleep, they'll get the full eight hours.
Yep, blame this on Legrand.
When sleep wasn't an option, Naofumi climbed out of his bed, pulled a chair and sat by the window. The full moon bathed the room in soft moonlight. It was the only thing that offered any ounce of normalcy in this strange world. If he stared long enough, he could imagine he was back home.
He cast a glance at the village. The room they were occupying was on the third-floor which game him a good view of the village. Naofumi could make out Rowan's house. It was one of the very few houses that have two stories. For someone who looked young, he did live a good life as a hunter. And there were the rewards he received after each hunt.
Briefly, Naofumi wondered where Gareth's house was. It must've been the same size as Rowan's house but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly which one. Some houses looked the same while others had one or more decorations outside that made them stand out.
Again, the normalcy of the houses made him wish he was at home and not in this world. The more he thought about home, the more he wished he could go back.
Leaning against the window, Naofumi thought back on today's events. It was tiring. Everything was tiring. This world, the people, the fucking waves. If the waves have been going on for over a thousand years as Rachel said, why hasn't it completely wiped it all out? Why not just destroy everything? If that were the case, he would be back home living his mundane life. He would take simplicity over extraordinary.
Sure, his life wasn't grand, but back home, he wasn't hated by half the population thanks to that stupid bitch.
He sighed. Why did this have to happen to him? The first day he arrived in Melromarc with the other guys, he was somewhat excited. That came crashing down thanks to Malty.
But things were starting to work in his favor. He saved Lute Village and they thanked him deeply. Then there was Rachel and Mina. The only people, along with Elhart, who was nice to him. They were the silver lining in all of this. He hoped that the King would realize what big idiots the heroes were and send them back for new ones.
But where would that leave Lute Village and the rest of the country? And what would happen to Rachel, Mina, and Rowan? Especially Mina and Rowan.
With Mina, they have to rely on luck just to find her parents and avoid any contact with the Black Foxes. He didn't know just how dangerous they were, but from what Mina said about the Sunset Incident, they are ruthless killers who won't hesitate to slit someone's throat.
Then there's Rowan. If he was to look for Gareth, it could take him months, maybe years before he finds him. Alive or dead.
Poor kid.
If what he said was true, then Legrand does know something. The captain was staying the night here. After they returned from Rowan's home, Naofumi saw him speaking with the innkeeper and lugging his belongings up the stairs, his wolves following him.
He wished he saw his eyes to confirm Rowan's suspicion. If he could see the coldness and sharpness Rowan saw. He could be sleeping in the next room or below them. The answer to Rowan's question was in this very inn.
That's when he came up with a plan.
Which is how he found himself outside Rowan's house at four in the morning.
This was stupid. There was no guarantee if he would even wake up. But it was now or never. If Legrand were to leave today, then all of Rowan's hope would be gone.
Steeling himself ready, Naofumi knocked on the door.
Nothing.
He knocked again.
…
Then came the sound of footsteps.
"Give me a second, Naofumi!" Rowan called out.
Naofumi gaped at the door surprised. How did he know it was me?
The doorknob turned and Rowan poked his head out.
"Um… is there something you need?" He too looked surprised. He sure as hell wasn't expecting anyone to visit him at this hour.
"How did you know it was me?" Naofumi asked.
Rowan pointed outside. Naofumi followed his direction and-
"GAH!" He fell back on his butt and scooted away.
There, on the awning of the door, a spider the size of a dinner plate was handing from a web string.
"Wh-wh-wh-what the hell?!"
Rowan, unfazed by Naofumi's fall, cupped his hands underneath the spider. The orange sigil he drew from yesterday materialized in front of his face and the spider began to shrink until it was the size of Rowan's palm. The spider lowered itself, detaching from the web and crawled up Rowan's arm.
"She's my security guard," he said matter of factly. "I knew it was you because I saw through her eyes."
"Saw?" Naofumi got up and dusted himself off.
"Yeah. I guess I didn't mention it to you guys, but beastmasters can also look through the eyes of animals if they concentrate hard."
Now that he didn't have to worry about a giant spider, his sudden shock dissipated. "Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's about Legrand."
Hearing the Captain's name made Rowan still.
"What about him?"
"This is a long shot, but I have a plan that involves him. Can I come in?"
"S-sure." He pushed open the door wider.
Inside, Naofumi took a seat on the sofa while Rowan went to the kitchen. "Do you want some water?"
He was about to say no, but his throat did feel parched when he woke earlier. "Sure."
The sound of running water filled the otherwise silence.
Whatever year he arrived in, Naofumi was glad that plumbing was a thing. He dreads the day he would have to use a chamber pot and have to throw it outside.
Rowan returned with the glass and Naofumi took it, drinking every last drop of it.
"So," he set the glass on the coffee table, "I think I have an idea on how you can get information about Gareth."
"How so?" Rowan's eyes gleamed with hope. This was probably his only chance at knowing Gareth's whereabouts.
"You said Legrand may know where he is, right?"
"Yes. I believe so."
"Well, if you're right on your hunch, then you need to look through his things back at the inn."
It wasn't the most complicated plan out there. They weren't breaking into a vault or scaling mountains to reach the top where treasure might lay. It was simple and easy.
He continued on. "He's bound to have something relating to Gareth in his belongings. A journal, maybe some documents or letters. If any of those things have proof of where Gareth is, then you can find him."
Naofumi expected Rowan to bear some sort of resemblance to excitement. But his face betrayed any signs of hope.
"There's one problem," he said. "His wolves. Beastmasters are highly tuned to their animals and if one or two of them see me, they'll alert Legrand and it'll be over before it starts. I could get arrested if I got caught going through his things."
Naofumi raised a finger. "That's where I come in."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that me, Rachel and Mina could ask him to hunt a silver moose for us. If we can convince him, he'll be far away from the village to where his wolves might not even be in contact with him."
The gleam of hope in Rowan's eye brightened. 'There we go.' Naofumi thought.
"That… might just work," Rowan said. "Well, there's still the problem of the wolves. While Legrand may be far away, they're still under his command."
"How so?" If the plan was going to get tangled, he'll just have to untangle.
"The distance between a beastmaster and their animal is one thing. But if they're given a command, they'll follow said command until their master comes back. If I told one of my spiders to kill a bear, they'll go and find the bear even if our connection is cut off. It'll still be following my command until I can sense it.
"Meaning that the wolves will fight like hell to protect Legrand's things."
That was a tricky obstacle.
It didn't take him less than five seconds to come up with a solution.
"Rachel. She can concoct something to knock them out. Will that work?"
"Yeah… Yeah! That could work!" Rowan smiled. "Thank you, Naofumi. I don't know what I would've done without you."
"It's nothing."
"No, it's nothing," he insisted. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Even if I don't find anything, I'll still have hope that Gareth will return. Or maybe I can go find him myself. You really are a hero."
Hero.
The fresh graves from Lute Village came to mind. The people he failed to save. Vividly, he remembers the bodies being carried. One had so much blood on their shirt, the whiteness of it was replaced by dark red. In the distance, someone was crying. "Papa!"
He was their salvation, their hero. And he failed them.
No. He wasn't a hero. The graves were a reminder of that. And the child calling for their dad.
"I'm not."
He clenched his hands. His nails were biting into his skin. The pain ebbed the sadness creeping upon him like a plague. His eyes burned slightly, tears threatening to spill.
"Papa!"
"You know…"
Naofumi looked up. Rowan leaned back on the couch his body relaxed. "I failed a few hunts before. No hunter is ever perfect. Not even Gareth, and he's considered the best out there. Once, when I was ten, Gareth took me out to the grasslands to hunt bison. I've never seen one and when I did, I was a little scared."
He laughed at the memory. "I was trained well enough to hunt big animals and monsters, but I get a little scared sometimes when I see one. The bison we were hunting was no exception. The bison was causing trouble for anyone traveling the dirt path. Chasing them away, destroying even a few carts.
"We were hiding behind a big rock and the bison was eating grass. Completely distracted. I had a clear shot. I nocked an arrow and was ready to shot. I was aiming for the neck. It should've been easy. But even if I did hit its neck, it will still have enough strength left to charge after me. Because of that fear, my arrow missed the neck and went to its stomach.
"Of course, the bison got mad and was about to turn and charge at us had Gareth not killed it with a perfect aim for the neck. His arrow hit an artery and the bison bled out in a minute. I was so scared he would chastise me, tell me that I wasn't a great hunter. You know what he did?"
Naofumi could only stare.
"We went to a village and at the inn we stayed in, he ordered us buffalo meat with stuffed bread, cauliflower, beans, and a beer for him and apple juice for me. 'Chin up, Rowan!'" Rowan puffed out his chest and spoke deeper. "'No use being gloomy when there's fresh food in front of you. Enjoy!'"
Rowan chuckled. "I guess he was trying to tell me that everyone fails. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, just know that you'll do better next time. And I did. He really helped a lot when I started to doubt myself. What I'm trying to say is, we don't always get the outcome we want. I know our circumstances are different, but you can't save everyone. Just like how I can't always be a perfect hunter who never fails."
Naofumi could feel the guilt and anger simmer. The memory of the graves and crying child is still fresh in his mind. But eventually, it will fade but still be present. It will be a reminder of how cruel fate can be. But that he tried. And he will try again.
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks."
"No worries," Rowan said. "I'm not good with small talk, let alone giving advice. I've always been shy since I was little, but I can be brave enough to say something if needed. And it looked like you needed some comfort. I-I hope it was good advice. It was good advice, right?" He canted his head slightly.
"It helped," Naofumi replied. "Though it might take a while before I'm comfortable with being called a hero."
"But you are a hero!"
His sudden outburst startled Naofumi. Rowan realized he spoke loudly and he blushed a deep red. "I-I mean that you do good things and… and I um… you… I… the thing is…" he sighed. "I'm not really good at these kinds of things."
He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I meant what I said. You are a hero. You saved Lute Village from being destroyed. And you're helping me find answers about where Gareth is. If that isn't a hero, I don't know what is."
Being put on such a high pedestal was bewildering to Naofumi. Not long ago, he was just some shut-in otaku who just wanted to play video games. Never did he imagine himself to be praised when so far, half of the world seemed to despise him for a crime he didn't commit.
He almost wanted to throw back Rowan's praise. Hero? He inwardly scoffed. What kind of hero is hated?
Still, the faces of the survivors of Lute Village and the grateful thanks he received from the villagers of Westbrook played in his mind.
In time, that may change with all the help he's doing. He just has to start from scratch. 'Everyone starts at the bottom all the time.' He thought.
Pessimistic he may be, but if Rowan can see the hero in him, maybe it isn't so bad to start believing again.
He stood. "So, you got the gist of the plan, right?"
"Yep," Rowan replied. "But wait, let me get something."
He scampered up the stairs and came back in less than thirty seconds. In his hands, he was holding a colorful spider. It stood out in the darkness, the colors reflecting from the moonlight. The legs were bright orange and the rest of the body was black with yellow vertical stripes running down its back.
"Here." He held out the spider.
Naofumi backed up. "What the hell is that?"
"You said you were going to speak with Legrand. If you can keep this spider on you, I can see and hear from her. You just have to let her be on you."
"I…" 'How the fuck can he say that with a straight face? Who the hell wants a spider on their body?!'
"She won't bite. Don't worry," Rowan said. "Just keep her on your back when speaking to Legrand. If it's the size you're worried about, watch."
He held the spider in one hand and drew the orange sigil and the spider shrank until it was the size of a quarter. "That should work. Just keep her on the bedside table when you're sleeping and let her crawl on you when the plan begins."
Again, he held it out.
Naofumi suppressed a shudder and extended his arm. The spider crawled from Rowan's hand onto his fingers. 'God, this is uncomfortable!' Eight semi-pointy legs moving around in his hand made him shiver.
"Thanks." What else could he say?
"No problem," Rowan said nonchalantly like this was a regular occurrence.
"Anyway, I'm gonna head back now. Be sure you're able to listen around 9. That's when I'll try and get Legrand out of the inn."
"Understood."
Naofumi made his way to the door and took probably a few steps before Rowan called out to him.
"Um…"
Naofumi looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"T-thank you, again. For doing this. I mean it." He smiled then.
A sudden surge of hope flooded through him. He turned before Rowan could see the hint of tears pricking his eyes. "Sure."
With the door closed behind him, Naofumi released a shuddering breath. This was too much. The hope coursing through his body was too much to handle. Having too much hope and not living up to it could drive a person to despair.
So many people believed in him like he's their savior. And he kind of is.
'They're going to be in for a disappointment when they realize I can't do everything.' He thought bitterly.
Back at the inn, he made his way up the stairs until he was in front of his room. Pushing the door ever so slowly and quietly, he peered in and saw the girls were still sleeping. Perfect. He closed the door behind him and tip-toed to his bed.
Following Rowan's directions, he reached for the nightstand until his fingers touched the edge. The spider crawled down his arm until it was sitting next to his coin pouch.
'Finally.' He pulled the sheet back, got into bed and nestled against the pillow.
The plan was going to start in roughly five hours. Four hours of sleep should be enough.
With that, he closed his eyes.
…
…
…
…
"Naofumi, if you're having trouble going to the bathroom, I have laxatives if you need some."
He shot up from his position. "You're awake?!"
Rachel moved a bit in her bed. "I mean, you were gone for a while. I figured you must have some digestive problems or something."
"But how did you know I was gone?" He went in and out as quietly as possible!
"No offense, Naofumi," Mina said, her back facing him, lying on her side. "Stealth isn't your strongest forte."
"No kidding," Rachel said. "I could hear you trying to be sneaky."
"If it were me, I could sneak out of here dancing. All while wearing my bangles and accessories."
An argument started to form in Naofumi's mind, but he was too damn tired to be dealing with them.
"Ugh!" He plopped back down.
"See, I told you he has a babyface."
"Hehe, he does look so peaceful. Like a sleeping baby."
"Told you. Who knew a legendary hero could have such a babyface?"
"Makes me want to poke his cheek."
The voices sounded distant, but when Naofumi shifted in his bed, more awake, they became clear.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by Rachel and Mina looking at him from the foot of his bed.
"What the hell are you two doing?" He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes.
"Well," Rachel smiled coyly, "we were going to wake you up but you looked so cute sleeping. It was like watching a baby."
An insult was already forming in his mind, but he let it pass. "What time is it?"
"Eight," Mina answered. "We have only an hour before we're supposed to meet with Rowan. It would be best if you take a bath before we go."
Naofumi looked at the clock to confirm the time. 8:03. It then hit him. The plan!
"Actually," he stood and stretched. "There's been a change of plans."
He explained to them about his rendezvous with Rowan and the plan they formulated. The girls listened intently and nodded when he went over every detail.
"Well, what do you guys think? Is it doable?"
The girls were silent for a moment, mulling over the plan.
"It could." Rachel said. "It might be tricky to lace a sleeping tonic in the wolf's water bowl but if I can convince Legrand to let me give them water, it could work. I just have to make one quickly."
"Good. All that's left to do now is try and make him help us. Rowan said to stroke his ego."
Mina smiled. "Leave that to me." She winked playfully at Naofumi.
Naofumi looked over his shoulder to the nightstand. The spider sat still, observing them. "Think you can sneak in, Rowan?"
The spider lifted a leg and tapped twice.
"… does two taps mean yes?" Naofumi asked.
The spider tapped twice.
"OK." That was going to take some time getting used to. And he had to let it crawl on him when talking to Legrand. He shuddered at the thought.
"Alright." He reached for his bed and grabbed his clothes. "I'm gonna take a bath. Get the sleeping tonic ready before we go, Rachel."
She gave him a thumbs up.
When he left the room, Rachel took out various tools and herbs and liquids from her satchel.
"This shouldn't take long. Five minutes at best." She worked fast, grabbing a vial of clear liquid and another one with a light purple liquid. She mixed them in a small bowl and poured it in a small test tube. "There. All done."
"Will that work?" Mina asked, leaning in close to look at the tube.
"It should. Normally I use this for patients who have trouble sleeping through pain but it should work on animals. I'm not a vet, but if this can knock out a fully-grown man, it should do the same for the wolves." She tucked the tube in a side pocket of her satchel.
"Now all we have to do is wait." Mina moved to the center of the room, stretched her arms and legs, and began her dancing. "Do you think the plan will work?"
"Hard to say," Rachel replied. She leaned back in her chair and watched Mina dance. "If Rowan does find something suspicious about Legrand, it means we're dealing with another enemy. It's bad enough the knights, the King, and the Church hate him, now we'll have to add another person to that list."
"It won't be easy for him, will it?" Mina rolled her stomach and swayed her arms. "Does he know about the Church of the Three Heroes?"
"I…" Rachel's eyes widened slightly. "Shit! I knew I forgot to tell him something about that. And here I am chastising him for never asking questions."
"I'm sure he would've found out eventually had we not join him. I'm more worried about them than Legrand and the King. I'm just thankful their influence is not strong enough to sway the people to reject him as a hero."
"You got that right. I'll tell him about the Church after we deal with Legrand." Rachel let out a chuckle.
Mina stopped midway through her dance. "What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just… I never thought I'd be tangled in a conspiracy about the captain of the royal knights. Not that long ago I was just an ordinary apothecary and here I am traveling with a Cardinal Hero. Some life I'm living, huh?"
"Stranger things have happened," Mina replied. She continued her dance. "I'm only with Naofumi in the hopes of finding my parents. Should things start to pop up, I'd be willing to assist him for letting me join him. And if that includes exposing Legrand, then so be it. And for Rowan, of course."
"Kind of makes you wonder about that."
"Rowan?"
"Yeah. After we saved most of the people from Lute Village, Naofumi was more broody than usual. We couldn't save everyone and he felt guilty about it. He never told me, but I could see it in his posture, especially when the village lord thanked him and called him a hero."
Rachel could remember vividly seeing Naofumi shaking slightly when he saw the fresh graves. She was tending to a person who had minor burns on their arms and stole a few glances at Naofumi. He wasn't crying, but when she heard a small child crying for their father, she did see him tremble a bit.
She wanted to go over there and comfort him but there were too many people with injuries that needed tending. When she did get to comfort him, she was straight to the point. Hero or not, he couldn't save everyone. That was the truth.
And she knew that more than anyone.
'Not even I can save everyone." She thought glumly. Her satchel was filled with various tonics and salves that can help people. Even save them. But not all the time.
She sighs. "Anyway, I just hope this plan of his will work. If it does, not only will we know what happened to Rowan's master, Naofumi will start to feel good about himself. I worry about him sometimes."
"So do I." Mina spun, bowed, and sat on her bed. "I may not know him as well as you do, but first impressions leave an impact. That scene at the palace, he was so angry and filled with contempt. I felt sorry for him."
"You didn't believe in the rumors about him and the princess?"
"No. Not to say I'm dismissing anyone who comes forward if they're raped. When you're with a troupe such as mine, you travel from city to village to city. You're bound to hear rumors. And just so happens the rumors about Malty being… a bitch is true."
"Heh, nice one."
Two minutes later, Rachel held a small test tube filled with a clear liquid. "Perfect. This will knock 'em out for sure."
When she put the vial in her satchel, Naofumi entered, fresh from his bath and dressed in his armor.
He looked between the two. "Ready?"
They nodded.
"Good." He went over to the nightstand and let the spider crawl on his arm. It rested underneath the back of his leather vest. "Let's do this."
Downstairs, the three ordered breakfast and sat at a table with a perfect view of the stairs. Naofumi shoved the food in his mouth, not caring what it tasted like. Honestly, how could anyone eat at a time like this? Thoughts of the mission going south raced around in his mind. One wrong move on either part of them and they could be facing real trouble.
'And Rowan won't be able to find Gareth.' Naofumi thought.
No. He mentally shook the thought. He will complete this mission. He owes it to Rowan.
He let out a small chuckle, barely audible. In reality, he really doesn't owe Rowan anything. Why should he? This wasn't his problem.
But if he can help people like those in Lute Village, then he can try to help others. Not every mission will end successfully. Even if there is a partial success, he would try and help.
You are a hero. Rowan's words were filled with conviction.
'I am a hero.'
Beside him, Rachel nudged him with her elbow. She pointed to the stairs and Legrand was coming down. He was not dressed in his armor. In fact, it looked like he just woke up not that long ago. He talked to the man behind the bar counter and sat at a table.
Naofumi pushed his plate aside and stood. 'Now or never.'
"Legrand." He called out to the man.
Legrand looked up and waved. "Hello, Naofumi. Care to join me?" He gestured to the other side of the table.
"No thanks. We just had breakfast." He could hear the girls come up from behind. "Actually, I was hoping to ask you a favor."
"A favor?" Legrand raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Naofumi explained the situation at Lute Village all while Legrand sat patiently. "So, I was wondering if you could help us get a silver moose."
He made sure to sound assertive and not show any nervousness. This was harder than he thought it would be. And he was just talking to the man, not exchanging blows.
"Why not ask Rowan?" Legrand asked. "I may not be an expert hunter like him, but he's far better at hunting silver moose."
"Unfortunately," Mina said, "Rowan was called out to a hunt earlier and can not help us. But I have heard of your exploits, Legrand. A man such as yourself is more than capable of not only fighting monsters but also hunting them as well."
"Yeah." Rachel said. "With you helping us, we'll get that silver moose in no time."
Naofumi could see the gears turning in Legrand's head. Just a little more and he'll have him wrapped around his finger.
"In fact," Naofumi leaned a little closer. "If I end up winning the race, I can tell the people of Lute Village that you helped us. They'll owe you big time for helping us save their village."
'Please work. Please work. Please work. Please work.'
"Hmmm…" Legrand kept his gaze straight on Naofumi.
Naofumi returned the gaze. Starting directly into his eyes, he could understand what Rowan meant when looking into someone's eyes.
Legrand's eyes were blue. A clear blue like the sky. Calming and pleasant. Though he could also see them as the color of ice. Cold, sharp, enough to send someone shivering.
"I'm sorry," Legrand said, "but I'm afraid I can't help you with your endeavor. I apologize, but I have a busy day ahead of me."
'Of course," Naofumi thought bitterly. 'He's a freaking captain. He's always going to be busy with something. But there has to be a way to convince him. Think!'
That's when it came to him.
"You know, I heard that you're a great hunter of monsters." This may be putting it on thick, but what other choice was there? "You've hunted monsters yourself. You're probably better than Gareth."
'Sorry, Rowan! And Gareth… even if I never met you.'
Naofumi knew he was probably insulting a man's pride by saying he's not the best hunter in all the land. Though from the way Rowan described him when they were at his home, Gareth sounded like a man who would let any mean comment pass by and continue on. If he does help Rowan find him, he'd like to get to know him a bit.
That was for another time.
Throwing the comment was a gamble. It could go either good in their favor or south real fast. What else was there to goad the man with?
Luckily, that seemed to work.
"Well, not to toot my own horn." Legrand adjusted himself, sitting up straight looking more dignified. "I do help the Queen hunt monsters while protecting the citizens." He sounded prideful. The kind of pride that said, "I'm better than you."
'Guess his true colors have shown.'
"Yeah," Naofumi continued. "Which is why we need your help. It shouldn't take that long. Your wolves will make this easier for us."
He hadn't thought of Legrand's wolves at first. But if Rowan cared for his spiders, it must be the same with Legrand.
"When you put it like that," Legrand said. "Then yes, I guess I can help. Anything for the Shield Hero."
It took a lot of inner strength for Naofumi to not roll his eyes.
"Let me just eat my breakfast first. Can't go hunting on an empty stomach, right?" He laughed.
Rachel and Mina played along, laughing with him.
"Oh!" Rachel stepped forward. "What about your wolves? I saw them with you yesterday. Are they all going to help?"
Legrand shook his head. "We only need two wolves to get the silver moose. And there's plenty of wolves in the forest if we need more. And besides, some of them are resting upstairs. They're tired from all the traveling and fighting we did. Two are outside, ready to go."
"Those poor wolves," Rachel solemnly said. She's a pretty good actress when needed. "If it's not too much trouble, can I go give them some water?"
Naofumi wanted to hug her right there. That's how she's going to slip in the sleeping tonic.
'Nice work.'
Legrand beamed. "Sure! Awfully nice of you to do so." He called over a waiter and asked for a large bowl with water. When the bowl came, Rachel took it.
"What room are you staying in?"
"The second floor, third door to the right. The door should be unlocked. And don't worry about my wolves. I trained them not to attack unless they feel threatened."
"Thanks!"
She turned and gave Naofumi a wink and disappeared upstairs.
"Then I guess we better not get in the way of your breakfast, Legrand." Mina tugged Naofumi's sleeve. "Let's wait outside."
Outside the inn, the village was starting to come to life. A group of children procced to walk in the direction of what looked like to be a school. A farmer was ushering pigs. An old woman with two small children trailing behind her holds an empty basket that will be filled with fruit and vegetables no doubt.
Mundane tasks carried out by people unaware of what might happen. Was that how everyone lived here in this world? Naofumi cast his gaze up at the sky. Cloudy. It all could change in an instant and turn into a kaleidoscope of red and purple.
'Waves and now this.' It sounded bitter in his mind even if he didn't mean it. He's doing this on his own volition. He wasn't obligated to help Rowan. But if there is something wrong with Legrand and Gareth's life is on the line, he would help.
It's what a hero would do.
The door opened and Rachel stepped out. "Worked like a charm." She smiled.
"That easy?"
"Yep. I poured in the tonic with the water outside Legrand's room and gave it to the wolves. Shouldn't be long before they fall asleep."
"All that's left is for Rowan to look for evidence," Mina said. "I'll admit, this plan does make me slightly nervous."
"No kidding." Naofumi put his hands behind his head. "Anything could go wrong."
Thinking about it wasn't going to make things better.
Several minutes later, the door opened and Legrand was dressed in leather armor and dark pants with shin guards.
"All set?" He asked the trio.
"Lead the way." Naofumi gestured to the village entrance.
When they reached the entrance, two wolves lazing by the gate stood and flanked Legrand.
Naofumi looked over his shoulder back at the village.
'Good luck, Rowan.'
The spider sill attached to Naofumi alerted him of their leaving the village. Rowan waited a few minutes before leaving his house.
Each step to the inn felt like wading through quicksand. The answer to Gareth's whereabouts could be in that room and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened. The unknown of it all shook him to his core.
If something did happen to Gareth, if the man was dead or trapped somewhere waiting for help, Rowan was not sure how he would deal with Legrand. He would be angry, yes. Hate the man? Maybe.
Maybe this was how Naofumi felt. Rowan only heard rumors of what transpired at Castle Town. During Gareth's absence, Rowan continued his hunting and each village or city he arrived in, whispers of the Shield Hero could be heard.
Of course, he didn't believe any of it.
Last year, Gareth had taken him to Castle Town during a hunt and they stayed in the city. It was the Queen's birthday and a parade was being thrown in honor. Their hunt had ended and decided to stay for the parade.
"Who are we to pass up free food?" Gareth laughed and handed Rowan a skewer with meatballs.
Rowan chuckled and took the food. Whether it be food, booze, bows, or felines, Gareth's whole demeanor was that of an excited kid even if he was in his early 50s. Nothing seemed to have made him angry.
They stood adjacent to the main road along with the other citizens. Cheers erupted when the Queen and King arrived. Their carriage was an open one and they waved at the crowd. Trailing behind them in another open carriage was princess Malty. It was hard not to miss the red hair.
She waved too at the crowd and when Rowan got a good glimpse at her, that's when he saw it.
In the princess's emerald green eyes, he saw boredom. Contempt. Annoyance. Her smile betrayed hid her true emotions. Dressed elegantly in a purple dress, she was the epitome of royalty. It was her eyes that betrayed her.
Since then, Rowan had always had a strange feeling about the princess. This feeling grew strong when he began to hear rumors of the princess. Her beauty could not hide her rotten core.
When Naofumi was accused, Rowan knew it was nothing more than a false accusation by the princess. If he was there in the same room as them, he could probably see Malty's lie written in her eyes.
Anyone would be angry at her if they were accused by her. Who would they believe? A princess or some random guy from a different world?
Their predicaments may be different, but Rowan had his own Malty in the form of Legrand.
What he would do with Legrand if he is involved in Gareth's prolonged absence, that was for a different time. First, he needed to look through his belongings.
The inn came into view and Rowan inhaled and exhaled.
"Remember," Gareth's words rang in his head. "Always take a deep breath before a hunt. Breathe in all the tension and let it out of your body."
'Here we go.'
He pushed open the door and made a bee-line to the stairs. The lobby and dining area as fairly empty and no one was behind the counter, making it easy to not be noticed.
'Second floor, third door on the right.'
In front of the door, Rowan pressed his ear against it, listening for any sound of movement. There was a chance not all the wolves drank the water and one could still be awake.
When no noise could be heard, Rowan slowly turned the knob and opened it. It was careless of Legrand to leave it unlocked. But he did have wolves guarding his stuff. A burglar wouldn't make it one step in before wolves had him pinned to the ground.
The more he pushed open the door, Rowan could hear the faint sounds of even breathing.
Once the door was wide open, Rowan was greeted by four wolves sleeping. In the center of the room was a large bowl with some water still left in it.
So far, so good.
Closing the door, Rowan looked around for anything of noteworthy. The bed was made and had chainmail armor splayed out on it. On a desk were two swords and a cloth. Beside the bed was a large satchel.
Careful to step around the sleeping wolves, Rowan sat on the bed and pulled up the satchel. Opening it, there were various things inside. He guessed it would take a few minutes to go through it. Not wanting to take any chances on the sleeping tonic wearing off, he took the bag outside of the room.
He moved stuff around the bag. If he were to find any type of evidence, it would have to be a journal meant. The time he saw Legrand in the village after killing the frog monster clan, he saw Legrand jot something in a journal. He guessed it was a traveling log of some kind.
Rowan had to remove some of the different things before he saw it. Near the bottom was a brown leather-bound book.
The mere sight of it made his breath hitch. This journal held his long-awaited answer. That answer could either bring his hopes up or plunge him into despair.
He flipped through it, looking at the date of each entry. He skimmed halfway until he reached the date when Gareth was given the official order.
He took in each and every single black ink word. When he got to the end, the journal nearly fell from his grip.
A surge of anger took over him. Beneath his shawl, the spiders moved about. They were reacting to his emotions.
Rowan stood, opened the door and tossed in the satchel and bolted out of the inn.
Heart pounding, he ran until he was at the village entrance.
He knew where they would be hunting the silver moose.
Journal in hand, he ran.
So I get two frequnetly asked questions a lot and even if I have to repeat myself later down the line when more chapters of Kingdom are posted, I'll still answer them.
Question 1) Is Naofumi going to be OP?
No. Going into Kindom, I wanted there to be situations where people and monsters are significantly powerful than Naofumi even if he has a legendary weapon. A Cardinal Hero he may be, but he is not invincible. Take for example, Rowan. He can control spiders. Some spiders have deadly venom. And in the world of Shield Hero, there's bound to be magical spiders that can cause even more damage. If there was a fight between the two, Rowan might win. Naofumi will gain new abilities and powers, but he is still human and is not invincible. He will come across more dangerous people and monsters when he recruits more party members.
Question 2) Are Raphtalia and Filo going to make an appearance?
Yes. Remember in an earlier chapter where Naofumi was looking around the slave trader's tend and saw an empty cage among others that were filled. You can probably guess who was supposed to be there. They will make an appearance later on and will play important roles. Their roles are not written out. I had this in mind when the story started to form in my mind.
I hope that answers your questions!