I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero
Special thanks for Ace-Triad on the SPAG edit! Also big thanks to Angel Wraith for reading my rough draft and provide some feedbacks.
Also, special mention to DJman248 for that dragon cave analogy. I loved it so much I had my own twist of it in this chapter.
;)
More author note at the end for people who are interested to see me blabber some more.
It is common knowledge that Legendary Weapons can be used to summon heroes, but not all heroes have self-upgrading Legendary Weapons. Great conflicts and crises often make heroes out of ordinary men, and their stories are sung by the bards around taverns.
Needless to say, there were many heroes in Melromarc with the Great War only less than three decades from the past. Most of them aren't chosen by a Legendary Weapon, but their tales are as famous as any heroes of old.
The Lone Shadows of Melromarc, who waged a shadow war on the Siltvelt Ravens to disrupt their army, with the four riders of Melromarc, serving as the vanguard of the charging Melromarc forces, and their last line of defense in a tactical retreat. The right hand and left fist of the Wand Hero, Father's two lieutenants who help realize all his dazzling maneuvers.
Duke Wales Arc, the heir of House Arc, organized an insurgent movement in Defiant Bay after the fall of New Albion Castle and the death of his family, creating a swamp of rebellion and bogging down a large portion of Siltvelt army in the coastal province.
Prince Joseph Gaul de Gallia, the Mad Tempest of Ousterre, stopped the invading army dead in its tracks. His effort shielded the last Melromarc province away from war, allowing the remaining Melromarc army to regroup and have a permanent base in House Amelia's Golden Coast to stage their eventual counteroffensive.
And in spite of Mein's distaste, she simply can't overlook the role played by her mother, the last surviving member of House Melromarc. The Fire Princess served as a rallying beacon for all the Melromarc resistance, giving everyone hope to reclaim their lost land and glory. She was the only queen other than Queen Evangeline to gain the title of 'Boudicca Reborn', named after the most famous Hibernia warrior queen.
Amongst all the Melromarc war heroes, the Triumvirate stands over all others.
With his right hand and left fist, Father, the Magician of the Battlefield, claimed countless victories against the invading beast with a smaller and weaker army, and it's not only thanks to his legendary wand. He is well known for coming up with unorthodox maneuvers, and his cunning use of the complex terrain to his advantage to misdirect and confuse the enemy. But Father is also a great commander when facing down an opposing army, able to utilize the formation skill to the max yet at the same time controlling his units like a chessmaster. In glorious Melromarc, he is better well known as the nation's Wise Sage King after the war.
Gazelle Diaz Anderson, the Indomitable Beast, the nation's greatest frontline General, is the exactly opposite of Father. He scoffs at the idea of careful consideration when charging into battle. Yet the man seems to have the instinct of a wild beast, able to easily smell out traps and tears out the throat of his prey. But he is mostly known for his strength, able to smash through the fiercest resistance with his great spear, to the point where even the animals of Siltvelt call him 'the Beast'.
And when clever strategy or indomitable strength falters, the boundless faith of the Miracle Maker was there as glorious Melromarc's equalizer. Able to call heaven's blessing down to shine its light over whole armies as if he's the Chief God's chosen, Biscas Balmus was probably one of, if not the most powerful cleric knights throughout the world's history. Coupled with strength that is second only to General Anderson, and his charisma to inspire the troops to forget even death, the former preacher of the Three Heroes was able to turn multiple near defeats into complete victories.
But for the Miracle Maker, the crowning jewel of his achievement was no doubt saving as of yet to be Duke Wales Arc from certain death in the siege of New Albion. As the tales goes, when the heir Wales refused to surrender and was ready to fight to his death, Preacher Biscas Balmus knocked him out, strapped the young heir to his back and managed to carve out a path of blood to safety from the besieging army. His white robe was turned red by the blood of countless beasts by dusk.
Chapter 19: Head of a Vainglorious Faith
Mein has to physically hold herself back from shaking like a withered leaf in winter's howl. Even without looking at the Pope, she knows the old man's attention is focused on her.
The first princess of Melromarc wants to run away more than anything else, more desperately than when she was facing the two-headed Wavehound back in the mineshaft. But when she's trapped in this healing chamber so small and sparse of any necessity, it feels so much more like a prison cell.
The only thing she can do is to school her expression into a carefully crafted neutrality, constructed after all the time she's been observing, or dealing with the nobles in her parent's court. She can only hope her excuse of being a 'sleeper agent besides the Shield Demon' manages to get the old man fooled.
And failing that... what else can she do? Claim that she was brainwashed, or even under the demonic influence of the Shield Demon? It would probably work for Father, but Pope Balmus is no doubt an expert in everything related to curses and mind manipulation magic.
There is no way this can end well for her, if she even shows a sliver of weakness beneath her mask.
"No words for your father's old friend? Perhaps I overestimated the intimacy I shared with your family, or maybe, it's because I underestimated the severity of your wound? Well, it does not matter. We should get those cursed wounds of yours looked after right away. We do not want them to leave an even more everlasting impact on the daughter of my old friend... more than it already did, of course." For a while, the only sound in the room is the rambling of the Pope, while his footsteps begin to echo in the small chamber till he stops just behind the princess.
"I was surprised, that's all, Your Eminence." Mein gives a carefully neutral response, not being overly close, but not antagonizing towards the old coot either. "I did not think the Pope of the Three Heroes Church' would be attending my wound. There's surely something more important going on in this hall."
"Ah, there's always things happening in here. Sadly they aren't that important... usually. A few pointless religious debates, the vicars of different provinces trying to act more important than they are. The likes of these fools." Pope Balmus gives a hearty chuckle. He places a firm hand on Mein's good shoulder. "You, on the other hand, you are important. It's only the best treatment for the daughter of my old friend, and comrade-in-arms, of course."
Mein was already aware of the Pope fighting in the Great War with Father and Mother, and the three bringing the country back from ruin together. But she's willing to bet her entire jewelry stash that this old snake oil salesman isn't as friendly towards her family as he's showing.
The hand leaves her shoulder, and the Pope of the Three Heroes Church slowly walks his way so the two of them come face to face. The old man's eyes are closed behind his twin spectacles and his benevolent, grandfatherly smile. This doesn't mean he's blind. In fact, there's rumors about him mastering some kind of advanced Miracle which gives him inner eyes. A special perception that not only lets him see those around him without eyes, but to pierce his sight right into the truth through all lies and deceptions.
It sounds more like the crazy ramble of a drunken roob to Mein. But now there are only two of them in this small room, so the first princess truly realizes for the first time why the grandfatherly old man in front of her is one of the Triumvirate.
This is of course, not the first time she sees the Pope of the Three Heroes' Church. It's not the first time she talked face to face with him either. But previously she only saw him in the palace, usually with her family, nobles, or guards and servants around. Now that they are in a small room where the Pope's attention is solely focused on Mein, the princess in disguise finally realized just how ... big he is, for the lack of a better word.
Big, not as in physically imposing, although the Pope is certainly no slouch in that department. Biscas Balmus stands tall and confident like a statue, with broad shoulders that seems to defy the almost seventy summers he already spent on the soil of Medea. No, when he stands in front of Mein, it feels like the Pope of the Three Heroes Church somehow manages to fill the entire room with his presence. Like he can simply close his hand, and have the first princess trapped in his palm for as long as he wishes to.
And that is the thing she is going up against.
"Now, tell me, my child. After spending two weeks with the Shield, what do you think of the young man?" Another smile cracks on the Pope's face. Mein feels something crack inside of her as well.
Damnit, Damnit, DAMNIT! What should she tell him?
She obviously can't tell him nothing - that would all but admit her lie of acting as a sleeper agent besides the Shield Hero for the Pope and Father. But she can't tell him too much either - not unless she wants to throw away everything she's been working for... and literally bled for, at this point.
"The Shield Demon is... cunning. He's able to make quite a number of acute observations that'll fly over the head of a less perceptive man. Back in the first week, we encountered a group of animals claiming they are the envoys of Siltvelt. The Shield Demon turned their offer to bring him back to Siltvelt down, because he realized the move is too risky... and he also figured out the Siltvelt animals wanted to exploit him somehow." Mein gives it some thought, and decided to tell what happened with the Siltvelt rats to the Pope. While the event was... impactful to their journey, it ultimately didn't cause too much consequence, except for Naofumi getting some demi-human slaves into his party.
The Pope nods his head patiently, but does not say anything back. It appears he wants something more. Presumably something more tangible, than an event happened over a week ago.
"He's also... resourceful, and dare I say it, ambitious. When the good people of Melromarc Castle is turning against him, he started to build his base of power outside the city walls, where the farmers, miners, and lumberjacks are still more open to the Faith of Four." After a moment of careful consideration, Mein decided to give some ambiguous recount of what happened in Lute. Telling this to the Pope can be dangerous, since Lute is barely a day away from the capital... and the Cathedral of the Three, by extension.
On the other hand, they haven't really been covering up their work in Lute village either. Even the villagers said they will begin to spread works of her Naofumi's kindness to everyone who visit them. So it won't be a secret for very long even if she chooses to say nothing about it.
"Good, good! This is all good information to have on our cunning, resourceful, and ambitious interloper." The grandfatherly Pope's smile stretches wide as he nods along. "But not really what I was looking for. I should phrase my question better ... Tell me, my child. What is the young man to you, personally?"
DAMNIT! He's not distracted by her information. He's looking for a declaration of allegiance!
"He's the enemy of our nation, and our faith of course. Every man, woman, and children of glorious Melromarc should dedicate themselves to stand against the Demon of Shield, and his band of animal sycophants."
"I did not ask you to recite the doctrine of our most draconian sect, my child. But perhaps, I should expected that. How should I expect the truth from the others, when I kept my intentions hidden?" The Pope chuckles again, he puts his hand behind his back and begin to pace around the room. "Let me tell you what I think of not only our current young interloper, but all the previous ones who carry the Legendary Shield as well. I respect them. Even if I do not agree with their actions or methods, the dedication to protect the weak is something to be revered. Out of all four Legendary Heroes throughout history, the Shield Hero embodies this sentiment the most. That is why they have more than earned my respect, despite my current position."
What!?
Did the Pope of the Three Heroes Church, their shepherd and spiritual leader, just admit his respect to the faith's devil figure in front of her?
Why did he reveal something to her that can come back and paint himself a heretic? Is he trying to mislead and manipulate her? But for what purpose? Surely, the spiritual leader of glorious Melromarc does not need to convince a princess for anything, especially the one who is clearly in a weaker position from assuming the throne.
"Even the King of Rape?" Mein hears herself talk before her brain even processed the question. She wants to slap herself for being led by the nose by the Pope's surprising revelation, but she obviously can't take the question back now.
"Ah, yes. The King of Rape, the easy-to-use example to rebuke any claim of the Shield Hero's validity. Especially when he stands opposed to the Martyr of the Bow, the greatest Bow Hero throughout the ages." The Pope turns back to face Mein once again. There is something to his smile that makes it look less condescending and almost solemn. "To claim he was nothing but an animal was disrespecting both himself, and the legacy of Master Shirou. People love to forget that Master Shirou's best friend was Mikage before he became the man known as the King of Rape."
Mein doesn't know what to say to the Pope, who seems to be pouring out his heart to her. So she simply looks at the much older man pacing around the room and let him continue his monologue. She briefly debates making a run for it while Pope Balmus is distracted, but knows she won't make it far.
"Master Shirou felt every part the larger than life hero from ancient legends back when I was a foolish child, blindly following in his footsteps, and worshipping the ground he steps on." The Pope looks down at the golden triangle shaped crest on his robe and shakes his head. "Shame I grew old before I got a chance to grow wise. But now, with almost sixty summers and winters behind me, I finally see the truth behind Master Shirou, Mikage, Kazuto and Makoto. When we see our summoned saviors from another world, we automatically assume them to be heroes, or villains. But what they are really consists of nothing more than confused young men, or boys trapped in a world that makes no sense to them."
Mein lets her mind ponder back to the actions of her Naofumi. While he definitely has shown a lot of traits that fit the textbook definition of a hero, at other times he truly does look more like a confused boy who she wants to simply pull into a tight embrace and tell him that everything will be okay in the end.
Even if the words are lies.
"Mikage Mikami, in particular - I obviously did not meet him as soon as he was summoned by those Siltvelt sorcerers, since I only joined Master Shirou's party after his visit to Melromarc. But looking back into my memory ... he was a deeply troubled young man, more than what those animals from Siltvelt could have done to him. I suspect he went through a lot of hardship even back in his home world. After all, what kind of twenty-year old would tell Master Shirou things such as 'a world where everyone lives happily, is a world where no one is happy', or 'with greater power comes greater evil, and thus the most responsible thing one in power can do is to be the lesser evil'? But he was only that, a deeply troubled man. Not a born tyrant, and not a demon."
Mein feels like her head is going blank. Once again, she fails to process why the Pope of the Three Heroes' Church would openly tell her something that's borderline blasphemous to his own faith, which she can use to blackmail him. But then, she realizes they are in a sealed room without any witnesses. When it's the world of a princess' word against the revered Miracle Maker of the Triumvirate, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who the masses would choose to believe.
It still does not explain why he's telling her this. Is it what he truly feels, or is it a lie for the pure reason to solely unbalance her? While she certainly feels like falling over her stool now, it still doesn't tell her what the Pope is trying to achieve with her.
"It is... interesting to hear what happened from the last Wave of Catastrophe, from someone who fought with a previous Legendary Hero, Your Eminence. But pardon my question... why are you telling me all of this?" Mein tries to keep her voice steady despite her tongue seemingly trying to resist the command in her head.
"Why, I have lived through almost seventy summers and winters on this land, my child. Is it so hard to believe I simply want to talk your ear off?" The grandfatherly smile is back on the Pope's face as he turns back to look at Mein. His smile did not reach his eyes. "But you are right, of course. I want to show that you can trust me, by telling you one of the biggest secrets I have kept close to my heart. Because my next big question will require your honesty. What do you think would happen to glorious Melromarc, now that my old friend has went ahead and summoned all Four Legendary Heroes?"
A crusade from the rest of the world declared on their nation, assuming the Wave of Catastrophe doesn't wipe everyone out first?
"Cal Mira Island is declared neutral ground by past heroes, so it's less likely there will be bloodshed involved with your mother and sister. But at the same time, I fail to foresee the Queen's haste return. And when a ruler is away from her nation, lots of things can simply... happen."
Mein feels like chewing her finger once again, but she does not want to make any sudden movements while being stared at by the Pope. She settles for chewing the inside of her lip instead.
"On the other hand, I can see Queen Mirellia managing to send Princess Melty back to us in the near future. Possibly to let her join hands with one of the Four Heroes to further secure her claim for the throne for any... possible unfortunate incident. But while Queen Mirellia is certainly wise for her age, I think she's wrong on her choice of successor."
Mein blinks her eyes at the Pope. Did the old man just do what she think he did? Meddling in the succession of royalty?
Does the man have a death wish? Granted, the currently still incognito princess has no power to deliver punishment on behalf of her mother. But any one playing the game of thrones knows that meddling in the choice of a royal successor is one of the highest risks they can take.
Surely the spiritual leader of glorious Melromarc doesn't need to expose himself to the most danger. Unless there is something much bigger he's aiming after.
The Pope seems to be unaware of Mein's thoughts, as he continues his monologue. "Princess Melty is honest, just and compassionate, all good traits to have for an administrator. But therein lies the misconception of our Queen. The ability to administrate the land and its people is a good trait for a ruler, yes, but it's not the most important trait to look for in an heir. The land of glorious Melromarc is vast enough for a ruler to work herself into an early grave if she tries to do everything herself. No, a true leader for us is someone who can sit down with the squabbling nobility, listen to their self-serving and inane ramble, and convince them to put down their differences and do what she wants."
The old man walks back to stand in front of Mein, bearing his entire presence down on her as he grips her good shoulder once again. "In that, you are decidedly the better candidate, Princess Malty S Melromarc. Now, I ask you again, my child. What is the Shield Hero to you, personally?"
Mein feels like her breath is caught in her throat, she can barely stay conscious. Did the Pope of the Three Heroes' Church all but declared his intention to put his stack of behind her, and not her self-righteous, bratty younger sister?
When the Pope of the Three Heroes' Church walks into this room, Mein feels like she's trapped inside a dragon's cave with its master. But with this sharp turn of events ... it's more like the dragon just wants to have tea with her, and maybe offer her whatever she fancies from his treasure hoard. If the Pope is being sincere ... she can easily claim what should have been rightfully hers with the most powerful group of glorious Melromarc behind her.
But she begins to think deeper after her initial excitement. In particular, what her Naofumi said about Equivalent Exchange rings in her ear. If the Pope is willing to give so much to her, what is he asking for return?
Regardless, she needs to tread lightly with her answer. One wrong syllable, and the Pope retracting his support for her will be the last worry.
"No price is too great to pay when one plays the game of thrones. You either win, or you become the bone that build its foundation. I intend to win the game, unlike my naive sister." Mein looks into the Pope's eyes and gives an ambiguous sounding answer that announces her allegiance. "But if you are willing to forgive me for asking, Your Eminence, what do I have to give up in return?"
"Why, what do you think I want anything in return? I was the disciple of Master Shirou Emiya after all. Am I not allowed to do what I think is right for the good of our glorious nation?"
"With all due respect, Your Eminence, you can't gain anything without sacrificing something in return. To gain, something equal in value must first be given. The law of equivalent exchange."
"You are indeed the child of the Red Queen and her Wise Sage King, despite what's said by ignorant fools." The Pope's smile seems to finally reach the corner of his closed eyes as he retracts his hand. "While Her Grace, Queen Mirellia, has shown great wisdom in working with my faith during the reconstruction of Melromarc, there are also lots of much needed changes she wasn't willing to undergo due to some kind of... misplaced sense of guilt. It is the greatest wish for an old man like me, to see how the future ruler can go about ... rectifying those."
Translation: I want to have more real power in day to day operation of this country than a fancier title.
She was well aware the title of 'Pope' is not the usual title granted to the leader of a religious faction. It used to belong to the supreme ruler of the old Theocracy of Romalia. The title was a reward for all the achievements and contribution Biscas Balmus had given to glorious Melromarc, which should by all rights, give him the same authority as Father, the King Regent.
But the reality is he has very little actual power in the court of Melromarc. Father has effectively done the job of the country's former Prime Ministers by overseeing all the major decisions, while the individual Ministers run the business of their specific department. It's not hard to imagine the Pope wants to have a hand in real decision making of the country's policy, and not just as the spiritual leader of her people.
What he wants to use those powers for, now that is the important question. Will the Pope be satiated by the stewardship of the nation, or will he want even more after that? Will he turn the royal family into his own puppet, or even turning glorious Melromarc into a Theocracy like Romalia of the old kingdoms?
Mein knows better than to ask for more when she's at a fierce disadvantage. The current situation only calls for one response.
"I'm sure there will be further discussions in those matters, if the most... unfortunate disaster befalls glorious Melromarc. I am still young, my little sister even more so. We will need someone seasoned and experienced to serve as our wise mentor and advisor, so that we don't steer our country off a cliff."
"As I was saying, your mother did not give you enough credit, my child."
"About that, Your Eminence... why does Mother want my younger sister to succeed her? Even if she's simply blind to my qualities, surely Father would have reminded her?"
"Even the greatest of us have our faults, of course. Just like our summoned saviors. As for Queen Mirellia … well, it's not my place to tell you her story. But one can say she's a slave to her own past mistakes. Ask her about the 'bloodstained princess' next time you talk with her, it's a rather enlightening tale."
The title alone tells Mein not to mention a breath of this question to Mother.
"Now that our discussion is finished, let us move to the healing part." The Pope takes the vial of holy water and begin to apply them over Mein's wounded face and shoulder. He offers a chant of prayer as his hand is engulfed in holy light. "I offer my prayer to our Chief God of Commerce, Culinary arts, and Healing. May His coin turn the world around, food nurture our souls, and medicine heal our bodies. We thank Him from the bottom of our heart, for He forever shields us from the chaos of the Wave, His mercy and compassion shine down on His faithful children, and His wrath and vengeance befall our enemies."
The princess feels a warmth to her cheek and shoulder. It gradually turns into a refreshing coolness on her wound, making them numb rather than biting hot. She looks down at her shoulder first, and carefully run a finger around her cloth. It does not hurt like something is digging into her flesh and bone anymore.
"You should make a full recovery in a few days, my child, but I recommend you not overexert yourself till the next Wave. You don't want to hurt your recovering shoulder in a more mundane way, after all." The Pope takes a step back and silently looks at the princess. His visage is carefully schooled into that kind, benevolent grandfatherly image once again. "Think over what we talked about as you travel with the Shield Hero."
"What would be expected of me? As a sleeper agent besides him, of course."
"You been doing a fine job as is, aside from being wounded by a monster from the Wave. Very unfortunate, that. I'm sure you will know what to do when the time comes." The Pope simply nods at her once, his smile deepens as he seems to withdraw into his own mind and memories once again. "A shame I can never work with Shield Heroes, despite my respect to them. At the end, death will be the only resolution between us."
Mein quickly, but quietly slips off her seat. She gives one last look at the Miracle Maker before she silently tips her way over to the door and opens it. She sees the face of the four eyed witch again.
"You."
"Yes, me." Sister Amelia narrows her eyes at the princess and points down the hall. She smirks at the now treated princess. "I am to guide you back to the Shield Demon. Hope you don't gain any new souvenirs from those Wavespawn."
Mein feels a raging fire begin to jump up from her chest into her head. She took the abuse this four-eyed witch levelled at her before, when she was anxious about her fate. But she's not going to keep turning the other cheek now that she received her treatment, and manages to pull the wool over the Pope's eyes for now. "At least I am making my own destiny, unlike you. And yet you still dare to call yourself an Amelia."
"What are you getting at?" The Witch in the holy cloth narrows her eyes at Mein.
"You aren't a Haven, the bastard branch of House Amelia. Yet you are working in the clergy, not managing your own land. I'm guessing your parents didn't pass you anything, and you couldn't even secure a husband for a political alliance. So the only thing left for you is to either work for one of the businesses owned by House Amelia, or join the clergy like a bastard. Guess you took the easy way out. But honestly, if I were you, I would not even bother to wear my name. It's more of a mark of shame than a badge of honor at this point." Mein sneers down at Sister Amelia, whose eyes are jumping in anger at this point.
"This way!" Sister Amelia turns on her heel just when Mein wonders if the witch would strike her. They walk silently through the silent corridor, eventually reaching the hall of the Dragon Hourglass once again.
Mein hears the instruction of the Preacher before she saw her Naofumi.
"Power is power for Wizardry school of magic. But for Miracles, power is only as good as your focus. We cleric knights derive our power from our faith to our deities, not the Aether between the endless cosmos like the wizards. Clear your mind, and sharpen your willpower to connect yourself to the celestial sphere. If you truly believe in the wall's strength, it will be impenetrable. If you begin to doubt, it will falter."
Both the middle aged preacher, and the young man from another world are sitting on the floor. Preacher Logarius looks tranquil, while beadlike sweat is running down Naofumi's hair and face like a flurry. The young man's body is glowing with a faint, but unmistakable golden shimmer.
Mein isn't an expert on Miracle with herself having stronger affinity with Fire sphere Wizardry magic. But she knows that a golden shine tends to be much stronger than the common white light for Miracle users. It's not a stretch to imagine her Naofumi also has strong affinity with Miracles, if his Wizardry affinity is towards healing and fortification.
Mein notices the new shield on Naofumi's arm, a white cloth shield with the Golden Triangle of the Three in the middle. A shield unlocked by a Three Heroes Church ivory talisman they use as their focus to cast Miracles? It seems like someone either sold, or donated a talisman to her Naofumi so he can take a quick impromptu lesson from the surprisingly accommodating Preacher.
Naofumi lets out a pained grunt as he collapses back onto the floor, the shimmer around his body fade away into nothing. "It's harder than it looked. Maybe I'm no good at casting Miracles?"
It's clear the attempted cast has failed, if Mein can't even tell he's trying to heal someone, create a barrier around himself, or force push the preacher into a wall. The preacher's word implies he was trying to cast some kind of barrier spell, but the wall analogy tends to be the common go-to example for beginner Miracle classes.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Shield Hero. You did exceptionally well for a first lesson. Most students can't even bring out the golden light in their first try." The preacher turns around to see Mein approaching, his scarred face turning into an admittedly scary looking smile. "Ah, it seems like your companion has returned."
Mein wonders if this will be what other people think of her, whenever she tries to look friendly from now on.
"Mein! You're okay!" The preacher's word makes Naofumi ignore his obvious fatigue and jumps onto his feet, as the Shield Hero wobbles for a second. He manages to catch his footing, partially thanks to Raphtalia quickly pushing herself against him. The young man quickly jogs his way to her and opens his arm like he's about to pull her into a tight embrace. The Shield Hero manages to catch himself a breath away from Mein.
It's hard to say why he stopped. Is it because he doesn't want to hug Mein due to himself drenched in his own sweat? Or is he afraid to make Mein's wound worse?
"I am fine, Master Naofumi. Thank you for your concern." Mein quickly closes her arms around Naofumi instead and rests her head on his neck, not minding the sweat of his odor. She whispers into his ear. "Let us leave quickly, Master Naofumi. We don't want to take more risks, and run into any more draconian members of the Three Heroes' Church."
"Yeah, let's do that." Naofumi nods his head and whispers quietly back to her. Mein feels his head turn, possibly towards the preacher. "Guess we'll be leaving now. Thank you for all your help, Preacher."
"Once again, no thanks is necessary. I am only doing what was preached by my faith. Your companion is back in good health, and you began learning the path of Miracles because you paid the price for both."
Mein gives a bow at the deceptively fair preacher to show her appreciation. She quickly follows the Shield Hero, his two demi-human slaves, the boy from Lute, and their guardsman escort out of the hall of the Dragon Hourglass, and the entrance hall. Her mind is still mostly on the rather strange encounter she had with the Pope when she hears her Naofumi calls out. "Amagi, Kawasumi? You guys are here for holy water too?"
Mein looks up from Naofumi's shoulder. Sure enough, the Sword and the Bow Heroes are both at the foot of the cathedral. The Sword Hero is by his lonesome, while the Bow Hero is with his usual entourage.
"What are you talking about, Iwatani? Ren and I are here to check the Dragon Hourglass, to see the exact time we have left before the next Wave." The Bow Hero raises one of his eyebrows at Naofumi.
"Oh. You can do that?" That was Naofumi's rather eloquent response.
"Yes? Didn't you know it from your game ..." The Sword Hero gives a quick nudge on the Bow Hero's shoulder. The boy turns to the equally young Sword Hero before patting his head. "Oh, right. You only have a book in your world. Sorry, I forgot. Anyways, in Dimension Wave you check the timer of the next wave of boss battles through Dragon Hourglass. Same thing with Brave Star Online when Ren needs to check when the next event raid happens."
"I see..." Naofumi nods his head as Raphtalia quickly hands him two pouches. He smiles and run his fingers through the raccoon girl's hair and ear again.
Someone should probably tell him about the significance of what he's been doing to the poor girl. Then again... the raccoon girl seems to genuinely begin to enjoy having her ears played by the Shield Hero by this point. She would probably not simply close her eyes and smile when Naofumi does that, if she feels uncomfortable.
The raccoon girl is settling into the role of being the Shield Hero's lover, while Mein herself recently got disfigured. Great, everything is just going great!
Can she rely on the possible alliance with the Pope of the Three Heroes? Or is it a trap?
Naofumi takes the pouches from Raphtalia and walks to the two younger heroes as they walk up the grand staircase of the Cathedral. "Here you go, the newest batches of healing potions I made. They are stronger than the ones I give out before."
"Thanks, they aren't too helpful for my ranged fighting style, but my followers will appreciate them." Mein can see the armored mustachioed knight scoffing behind the Bow Hero. Well, the fool can refuse the kindness of her Naofumi and bleed to death himself, for all she cares!
The silent Sword Hero silently takes the pouch without looking at Naofumi. He seems to find her hiding behind the Shield Hero more interesting. "What was it you said about holy water, Iwatani?"
"Oh, that." Naofumi doesn't seem to mind the Sword Hero's lack of attention on himself. The Shield Hero quickly gives an apologetic look back to Mein before looking back at the two younger heroes again. "Be careful with the monsters from the Wave. They apparently cause cursed wounds on their victims if the healing isn't strong enough. We … we found out the hard way."
"Oh." Bow Hero seems to finally realize Mein was hiding her face from them. He lowers his gaze and dips his head down for a second. "My condolences."
Despite his body language, his casual way of speaking reveals his failure to understand the grave nature of Mein's situation.
"I see, it's unfortunate, but it happens to people who are under levelled and under prepared. Maybe I should leave my party behind the wall in the coming Wave in that case. It'll be hard for me to keep track of them amid the chaos." The Sword Hero's gaze finally leaves Mein. The princess can only alleviate her anger at the boy's bluntness by gnawing her own finger.
"Where is your party anyways?" Naofumi once again brush away the possibly unintended jab at him. "They aren't hurt, are they?"
"No, I sent them on an errand when they couldn't keep up with me. Should be getting our rooms at the inn for tonight."
"Any one of you know where Kitamura is? One of the villagers from where I was staying said he's around here somewhere. I might as well give him his share of the potions too."
"Oh yeah. About Kitamura. Listen, you should be careful with..." Bow Hero is about to say something when he's interrupted by a commotion on the Heroes' Square. Apparently, people are angrily shouting and leaping out of the way of black filorial dashing madly toward the Cathedral of the Three.
A runaway racer from his stables burning some excessive energy? No, upon closer inspection the first princess realizes it's actually Gaston's personal steed Wolfgang. And sure enough, on top of the big bird is both the hunter, and the flamboyant Spear Hero. His fire red cloak and blond ponytail flapping in the wind.
Wolfgang makes a hard break in front of the Grand Staircase as the Spear Hero leaps off his back. He runs up the staircase like a raging firestorm, taking two steps at time. Naofumi walks down towards the Spear Hero while holding another pouch in front of him. "Oh, here you are, Kitamura. This is your share of po-"
Without a single word, the Spear Hero socks Naofumi right in the face. Sending him fly up the stairs and crashing onto the granite base of the Cathedral. The potion bottles fly out of the pouch and glitter in the sunlight like tossed flowers for a brief moment, before they shatter onto the ivory colored stairs.
The Spear Hero does not seem to be finished, as he runs towards Naofumi and wordlessly picks the Shield Hero up by his collar and pulls his fist back again.
"What the hell!? What are you doing, Kitamura!?" The Bow Hero seems to be the first one to shake himself out of the daze caused by the Spear Hero's sudden display of aggression towards his fellow hero. He quickly charges forward and begins grappling with the Spear Hero's pulled back arm. "Iwatani was trying to be nice to you, and you just decked him!"
"That was for Mein! She saved Iwatani from the frame-up, and he couldn't even protect her!" The Fool of Spear begins howling at the top of his lung.
Yes, why don't you start announcing to the world that the first princess of Melromarc is now some disfigured package of damaged goods? Maybe someone should give him a voice amplification spell too, while he's at it!
The Spear Fool, on the other hand, is completely ignorant of his mistake. He continues to struggle against the Bow Hero and Sword Hero who by now has joined the Bow Hero's attempt to separate the Spear and the Shield. "You can't attack for shit with your low ATK, so all you can do is defend. And you can't even protect the girl who saved you from becoming a criminal! If you aren't going to take good care of his companion, maybe you should pass them to someone who will!"
"Damn it, stop being a child and act your age, Kitamura! Bad things and accidents happen!" The Sword Hero's word sadly fall to deaf ears as the Spear Fool continues to struggle against the two younger heroes to punch and kick at Naofumi. It looks like the heroes will make a spectacle, and a joke of themselves in front of the grand Cathedral of Three.
Then, an armored hand seems to come out of nowhere. The owner of the hand drags the Spear Hero back like he's a hapless little baby filorial, and tosses the fool over his shoulder into the ground with a loud thud. "That is enough! Do not profane this hallowed ground if you are going to act like drunken roobs!"
Mein finally manages to bring her attention to the grey haired knight in full heavy plate armor now that her attention is no longer focused on the tangled limbs that once made up the four Cardinal Heroes. Carrying a giant saber with a golden disk embedded in its blade behind his back, lines of age crawl over his face like a spider web, his once black hair and beard now ash grey just like his nickname. Yet the mountain of a man easily wears a giant set of heavy titanite armor over his body that'll crush a lesser man half his age.
This was Tirion Fordring the Ash Bringer, Lord Commander of the Knight Templar of the Three Heroes Church. Being the cousin of the late Lord Seatto, the old paladin is often contributed as the real ruler of the Ivory Pass due to the former Lord Paramount's immense unpopularity even amongst the other noble houses within the pass.
"The four of you are supposed to act as role models for the young. If you can't live up to it, don't make a public display on holy ground! Go back to whatever rough bars you crawl out of!" The Lord Commander crosses his arms in front of his chest as he chastises not only the Fool of the Spear, but the rest of the heroes as well.
The Spear Hero seems to slowly recover back from the suplex delivered by the Ash Bringer. He manages to slowly rises up to a half sit while looking at Mein in the eyes, all the while taking some hard breaths. "Miss Mein... you agree with me, right? You want to be with a Hero... who takes good care of his companions."
It occurs to Mein that she should do something now everyone's attention is drawn on her by the Fool of the Spear.
"Please, do not fight because of what happened to me, heroes. Our world can only be saved by your cooperation, not by antagonizing each other." She walks to Naofumi again and slowly helps him stand back to his feet. "What happened to me is not the fault of Master Naofumi."
"I see ... you're lucky, Iwatani, to have someone loyal like Mein." The Spear Clown slowly crawls up by himself, using his weapon almost like a walking stick to help him stand. "If he screws up more ... you'll always have a place in my party, Miss Mein."
The Fool of the Spear gives Mein one last look before he turns around, before slowly hobbling away.
"What caught his panties in a knot?" Naofumi wipes some blood away from his mouth and looks at the Bow Hero. "You said something about him before that, Kawasumi?"
"You haven't heard of it huh?" The young boy tears his eyes away from the Spear Hero to look at Naofumi.
"Heard what?"
"His whole party left him shortly after we separated. He's been fighting by himself, for the most part." The Sword Hero helpfully reply back to Naofumi.
"Is that right?" Naofumi's eyes meet with the Sword Hero for a short moment before he looks away. "I think I understand his reaction now. I mean, it's not cool how he punched me in the face. But I kind of understand why he did it."
"You shouldn't have just taken this one lying down, Iwatani. Kitamura had no right to attack you. He should've at least apologized." The Bow Hero is the one to reply back to the Shield Hero's statement.
Naofumi stays silently, his eyes following the Spear Hero slowly disappearing into the crowd of Heroes' Squire. "He's not wrong. I should've protected Mein better."
The Bow Hero's eyes are fixed on Naofumi, as he gives a light tap on the Shield Hero's shoulder with his fist. "Well, take better care of Mein from now on. Kitamura was right about one thing though - loyal companions like her deserve better."
"I will."
Mein's eye falls down to the shattered glass vials which contained the healing potion. They are slowly draining down the granite staircase now that their vessels are shattered, never to be put back.
Omake: Folly of the Wise King
He paces around his reading room in anxiety, making a trampled circle on the expansive carpet. The last time he felt like this was back when Mirellia gave birth to Melty. Now, one member of his family is in danger once again, and he is just as helpless as the man from almost twenty five years ago.
What is the prestige of being the Hero of the Wand, or the Wise Sage King of Melromarc good for if he can't even protect his own family?
"His Eminence, Pope Biscas Balmus of the Three Heroes' Church is here to see you, Your Grace." The muffled sound of his attendant calls out through the door.
"Send him in." His eyes is ready to bore a whole through the door as it opens, and in came his brother in arms who bled together with him on countless battlefields. Someone he considers him to be closer to family, than the pig wearing the crown of Faubley who is connected to him through nothing more than the water of their mother's womb. "Biscas, old friend. I received your messenger. You have urgent news regarding my elder daughter?"
"Yes, Aultcray. I meet the first princess earlier today in the Cathedral. You'll want to sit down for this." The Pope of the Three Heroes' Church did not bother to put on his usual smile. It speaks about the gravity of the situation when Biscas forgoes the usual pleasantries. "Princess Malty arrived with the Shield Demon at my door seeking treatment. No doubt they would not come unless they exhausted all other resources. I'm sorry to inform you this old friend... but your elder daughter suffers from the cursed wound of the Wave."
"How bad?"
The Pope look away from his expectant stare. "Most of her left shoulder and her left face... she's also missing an ear as well. I'm sorry, old friend."
The entire room would have exploded through his anger induced mana outburst... but all he manages to let out is some colorful light. "I'll KILL HIM! I'LL KILL HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS!"
"Not in your current weakened state, old friend." The Pope takes a quick step forward and pats him on the shoulder.
"Yes, you are right... but we should do something to bring Malty back fast. The Shield Demon clearly does not take good care of her!" He begin to furiously pace on his carpet with renewed vigor. Yes, Malty clearly belongs in the safety of her home, not playing vagabond with a careless demon in disguise!
"It is your call of course, since it's your daughter we are talking about. But I advise against making any drastic moves. Think about it Aultcray - what's happening with the Shield Demon and Malty? He has not tried to make a power play even with the first princess in his party yet." The Pope sits down in one of his armchairs and begin to run circles in his hair with a finger. "That means he either does not know the true identity of 'Mein of Samphor', or he knows the truth but has no way to prove her identity. If you announce to everyone the true identity of your daughter, you give the Shield Demon all the leverage he need to dip his claw into Melromarc's court, and to blackmail you."
"You are right, old friend! Thank you for being my voice of reason in this trying time!" He forces himself to sit down as well, and tries to comb through his brain to find a solution to the predicament he made himself. "You talked with my daughter. How is she fairing, aside from her recent injuries? Does she seems like she's being controlled by the Shield Demon?"
"There is no immediate sign of any kind of mind control, the slave seal is also missing from her skin. But we can't rule the possibility out. It could be something more sinister, this is the Demon of Shield we are talking about, of course." The Pope opens his eyes and looks at him. "It could be the Imperius Seal created by the King of Rape. That evil invention has the ability to completely rewrite a person's perception to reality, after all."
"Can we not use this against him, denounce him as a heretic and fake hero for dabbing into the taboo?"
The Pope closes his eyes and let his head drop down. A rare defeatist sign coming from the Miracle Maker. "It'll be hard to prove his usage of the mind altering slave seal. Especially with my position as the Pope of the Three Heroes' Church. The animals from Siltvelt, Shiltfreeden, and even those fools from Faubley can dispute the claim on the account of me persecuting the Shield Demon due to religious differences."
He closes his eyes while feeling the shattering pain in his head. He remembers the day when those Siltvelt beasts arrived in their peaceful little village. How life slowly leaves Henrietta while he holds her in his arms.
It's happening right in front of his eyes again with Malty, and even worse, he is the one to solely blame for the predicament his daughter is caught in. "Why is my family the ones suffering when I'm the one who made mistakes? The Chief God should take me away, not my daughter. I already outlived one of my children."
"... I'm sorry, old friend." Biscas turns his head away to look out the window.
Ah, he's no doubt remembering his own share of tragedy from the war with the animals. Seeing the orphans one has been taking cared of turned into breeding stocks for those savage animals... it's enough to break a man.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Biscas. It's the fault of the Shield Demon, and his pet animals. We would have both been happier living in that mountain village with children playing around our rocking chairs, and not as the King and Pope of glorious Melromarc." He takes a bottle of champagne out of his safe box, pops open the stopper and pours two shots. One for himself, and one for the Pope of the Three Heroes' Church. He carries the glass to the pious old man, and set it down. "The drink is the only improvement."
"Too right you are, old friend." Biscas lets out a hearty laugh and takes over the glass. He takes a light sip and looks back again. "Neither of us asked for the burden of power, but we can only carry them to the best of our abilities, now that they are placed upon us. My hands are tied due to perceived bias from my position, but there is something I can do. Do you remember our initial plan to deal with the Shield Demon?"
"Accuse him of rape, and denounce him as a heretic through your connection with the Faith of Four? That plan is in tatters now after the demon brainwashed my daughter."
"Only the first half, old friend. I already wrote a letter to Lord Emon. As the High Inquisitor for the Church of Four, nobody will doubt his word if he's the one who condemns the Shield Demon. He should be on his way from Faubley as we speak." The smile from the Pope almost has a sinister tune now.
"You mean Emon the Fair? Yes! With his reputation, even the animals from Siltvelt can't deny his judgment as biased! With his help, we'll be able to save my daughter from the Shield Demon for sure!"
He looks out of the window as the sun begin to set down along the horizon, giving the heavy sky a red tint just like the Wave of Catastrophe. Another day is ending now, and hopefully the next day can be more hopeful while he still draws breath. He is lucky to have such good friends in his time of is common knowledge that Legendary Weapons can be used to summon heroes, but not all heroes have self-upgrading Legendary Weapons. Great conflicts and crises often make heroes out of ordinary men, and their stories are sung by the bards around taverns.
End Note:
IS YOUR EXPECTATION SUBVERTED YET~?
Shameless and tasteless joke on internet meme aside, this chapter is the one I was most eager to get to even when I started doing my major rewrite around chapter six. I'm just crossing my fingers my subversion of the Pope's characterization came out as a good subversion, and not TLJ, or D&D subversion.
Thought up some additional character themes:
Raphtalia - We Survive (Variable Geo Neo)
Trash - The Stains of Time (Metal Gear Rising: Revengance)
Pope (Not Armstrong) Balmus - Collective Consciousness (Metal Gear Rising: Revengance)
Now, onto some guests review replies.
To Guests
I am so sorry for both the slow update... and the even slower pacing of my story. While I didn't give an official genre definition, my first priority for this story is an interpersonal drama revolved around a smarter than canon Malty, which is why I choose to have a deliberate slow pacing where all the events have a point in shaping the character's interaction. So, yes, while I recognize this particular shortcoming of my story, it's also kind of the point. I'm just hoping the premise of a Malty who act practical instead of pointlessly sadistic can at least be entertaining to some people.
Who is Maple?
To Rando12
Hope this chapter answered your big questions in a satisfying way. Regarding Motoyasu, people who read my 'Spear and Shield' one-shot already know he's my favorite character (and the only one who I think is consistently written well through out the whole canon story), so he's definitely not out of the game yet despite what's revealed in this chapter. But just because he's my favorite, doesn't mean I'm going to have everything easy for him.
I love to torment the characters I hate, and the character I love equally. Guess that's why I wanted to write a story about Malty of all people.
XD
To Guest1
Glad you enjoyed the additional world building I put into this story! I want to try and come up with something to make the hero worshiping feels like a tangible part of RotSH world's culture, and not just a convenient plot device. So I took some inspiration from various sources. You probably noticed I took heavy inspiration from the Four Houses of Hogwarts except Ravenclaw.
As for historical battle sites... I admit I don't have a lot of plan for that. Since while I'm doing a lots of my own stuff, I don't want to create something that flat out contradict the history of canon RotSH if I can help it either, unless the change is supposed to serve bigger narrative purpose.
To Halo
I have no plan to actually write a prequel due to two major reasons. First, I like the idea of the past is not completely defined, so based on conflicting recount of information from older people, everyone can come up with their own theory about the last generation and they are all valid.
And the second, bigger reason. Much of my plan of the past revolves around a pitch by Comrade Broseph before his mysterious disappearance. While I do have his general outline, if I end up doing the story it would unarguably be very different from his original vision (because unlike him being a massive FATE fan, I have no knowledge of the franchise). And I find that to be pretty disrespectful to him, who obviously put a lot of effort into thinking how it would connect with Ambition.
The one thing I am comfortable in sharing with everyone is Mikage Mikami's backstory before he was summoned, since it's the same as his direct inspiration Hyuin Mikage. I'm assuming that's how it's supposed to spell, but I'm a Japanese spelling hack so I'm very likely wrong. It's written as 御影 日阴 in that Persona fanfiction I read in Chinese, for anyone who actually know Japanese.
Basically, unlike Naofumi who is mostly ignored by his parents, Mikage suffers constant mental abuse from his mother and little sister, who constantly berates him and make him feel worthless. Which is how he got his extremely cynical personality. He also never know who, or even what his father was like so he had no strong positive male role model to follow.
To DiscipleOfErebos
Thank you very much for your kind words! Glad to learn you been enjoying the story so far!
As a Chinese, we always assumed Japan was more open to adopting the western way of life than ourselves. That's probably my Chinese bias working even when I try to keep it under a lid. Thank you very much for this information about what Japanese feel about western culture!
Although that being said... how 3HC is portrayed in RotSH definitely remind me a lot of Chinese fantasy web novels (with a lot of tropes taken from JRPG fantasy mixed with Chinese kungfu novel tropes), where the Christianity themed religion is not just evil, but flat out incompetent. The portrayal of religion in Fromsoft games are definitely more compelling to me. I mean, the good preacher's name is a namesake from Bloodborn after all, same as Ludwig, the four riders of Melromarc who has a clerical background.
:P
To Tanu
Thank you very much for your review! I'm very sad to know you had a bad time with this story, and knows you aren't likely to read this reply to you. But I want to show my appreciation towards your well written, and well thought out critic in some way.
I can very much relate to this feeling of objectively know something is good, but can't subjectively enjoy it. I mean, I didn't regret watching Nolan's the Dark Knight in theater with a friend, but by uncle Sheo did I had an absolutely miserable time watching the movie when all I wanted was to see a movie where Trump Jr. dresses up as a flying rodent and punch some shmuck in a halloween suit to get his boner. TDK is a movie I have no desire to watch ever again, unlike Batman and Robin which I have a blast every time I watch it even though TDK blow B&R out of the water in quality.
I can totally understand the unwillingness to commit to a fan fiction told from the perspective of a character who is created to be despised in canon, and not even in that fun to be a villain way like Gaston from Beauty and Beast. Although sadly, I am a very stubborn asshole when it comes to creative writing, and I definitely put my own need to express what I wanted to say over making the story broadly enjoyable by most people. That's probably part of the reason why I can somewhat understand people like Ryan Johnson acted the way they acted, I can only hope I don't let my pride get the best of me, and take the critique with more grace than people like Johnson. Since I know what I created is not perfect.
