Bit of an early upload this time since I felt awkward dropping part 1 and leaving it on a cliffhanger. Also, this marks the first chapter I've written since I first started writing again, so if you start seeing some slight writing inconsistencies with my previous chapters, that would be why. Hopefully the quality hasn't dropped at all for you guys.
If one were to ask a citizen of Melromarc's Castle Town about the state of recent affairs, you would've gotten many answers. Most would've been about the church's not-so-subtle take-over and attempts to rule over the city, mostly out of fear for the fact that speaking out too much will get them "Rehabilitated" by the church knights. Any thoughts of dissent had been quickly crushed within the first week or so of occupation, leading to an atmosphere of uncertainty.
What nobody was expecting was a battle erupting between the church's main caretakers and one of the Legendary Heroes in the church plaza.
At Naofumi's response to Malty's gloating, both sides fiercely engaged, resulting in a loud commotion that attracted curious onlookers. Those who were repressed by the church prayed that the Shield Hero would win and end the tyranny of the Church of Three Heroes.
"Filo, Obsidian! Guard Melty as best you can while she fires off spells! Raphtalia, stay close to me. We'll show them just what kind of force we are." Because Glone, in his unknown madness, seemed to focus solely on the Shield Hero, Naofumi decided that it would be best to keep him away from the other three for now while they took care of everyone else.
"Got it, Papa! Mel-chan, I'll protect you with Kuro-kun!" Melty was elated to be fighting alongside not one but two royal Filolials as she brought her magic to bear. Obsidian, while missing his father, was happy to be fighting alongside Filo and Melty as the trio started fighting the cannon-fodder church knights.
Church reinforcements did appear, presumably because they received word that the Shield Hero they hate was inside Castle town. Thanks to Melty's magic, Obsidian's blinding speed and raw physical power, and Filo's all-round capabilities as a powerhouse, the regular church knights couldn't catch a break. Even with Malty supporting them, they had trouble getting close to Melty.
Filo noted something mid-combat. "Kuro-kun, I've seen you fighting more in your human form than in your normal one lately."
"It's strange, but ever since I realized my capabilities in this form, I've felt like it is much better for combat adaptability. Daddy always taught me to be flexible whenever possible, so I guess this is me trying to follow his advice." Obsidian quickly weaves around an electrically-enchanted sword strike before sending the church soldier flying with a solid kick. It definitely helped that Tersia gave him a few pointers for hand-to-hand combat focusing on kicks.
Melty casts a Faust Aqua Sphere before backing up by the two filolials. "Just don't forget your Filolial form, Kuro-kun. I get the feeling you're faster and more powerful in that form."
"I know that, Mel-chan, I just like to reserve that kind of brute force and speed for when I can get away with it."
Malty was annoyed by the three pests in front of her. Apparently they thought little of her as a threat if they were engaging in casual conversation amidst the chaos. I really hate it when people treat me like that! Thankfully, I have my OTHER ace up my sleeve!
"I'm sure you don't have too much to worry about with- MALTY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Melty suddenly cried out when she saw the bottle of crimson potion in Malty's hand.
"Remember when I said I like to stack the deck in my favor? I like to keep things like these up my sleeve in case my prospects aren't looking good." Malty grinned maliciously as she opened the bottle. "Perhaps you should be worried about yourselves more!" With those words, she downs the bottle.
"Mel-chan, it's just a potion. What are you freaking out about?" To say Filo was confused by Melty's reaction was accurate.
"'Just a potion', she says. That's a Dragon Wrath Elixer! One DRUG amongst 6 others that all nations have declared illegal for its effects! It'll not only heal her to full like a normal elixir, but it'll super-charge her stats!"
"You catch on quick, dear sister." Malty's voice somehow became even more unhinged as she was surrounded by a red aura. "This little bottle of power will certainly help me put you down! Besides… you really think I'm the only one with a bottle?"
Obsidian noted a few church knights drinking a similar crimson potion, all gaining ominous red auras as well. "Three- no, five more of them also drank that potion!"
"Where did they get them?! I thought Mother destroyed all of the bottles Melromarc had within its borders alongside the others!"
"You thought wrong! The church saw fit to keep a few bottles intact for situations like this!" Malty sounded like she was slowly losing herself to wrath in a vain attempt to assert her dominance. "With this, those birds of yours will soon become ready for the dinner table! Zweite Flame Burst!"
The fireball that Filo barely dodged exploded on a nearby wall with far more force than what was expected for a Zweite-level spell, which launched the trio. Obsidian was able to recover and tried to go in for a hit, but one of the Wrath Knights was able to outright deny his attack. "Uh oh… looks like raw power isn't going to be as helpful…"
Melty quickly casted an All Zweite Aqua Surge to give herself and her filolial companions some breathing room. "Be careful, you two! If I remember what I read about the elixir correctly, it'll give the drinker a MASSIVE boost to all stats, with the sole exception being agility!"
Filo quickly switched to her human form with a grin, ready to use Spiral Strike. "So speed and maneuverability will help us, got it! I don't care how much their stats have increased, Filo will still beat them!"
"Bold words for a roast bird!" Malty launched another fire spell, though Melty was able to cancel it out with one of her water ones. "Grr, you were ALWAYS annoying with that water affinity of yours, Melty!"
"Maybe you should have spent more time becoming a decent person instead of wasting time on causing so much misery to everyone around you! Or did all of Father's coddling remove logical thought from your mind?" Was Melty's barb at her older "sister" for complaining.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" Malty was so enraged by that comment, she started casting Faust spells on rapid-fire. Melty was barely able to keep up in order to prevent her filolial friends from getting too badly hurt.
"Turn Burst!" Obsidian quickly overwhelmed the Wrath Knight that was attacking him with blinding speed, though he noted that his MP for the technique was getting low. Good for only one more. "I hope their defenses didn't increase too- ack!" Another knight almost blind-sided the Filolial King, forcing him to start dodging.
Filo's Spiral Strike Technique was able to kill one of the other Wrath Knights after a few well-placed hits, but was immediately injured afterwards by one of his cohorts. "Owie… you hurt Filo, you rude person!"
Naofumi noticed the other 3 struggling. Damn it… to think the church had such things up their dirty sleeves. Never thought Bitch would be giving us this much-
"HRAAAAAGH!"
The Shield Hero quickly snapped back to his own battle and blocked Glone's attack. The blood-soaked knight, while proving very predictable, was powerful enough to cause concern. Even with all of the strengthening methods currently known unlocked for him, Glone's spear strikes were causing decent damage which says everything about what would happen if Raphtalia were to get hit.
The silver lining here is that Glone was focused solely on Naofumi, only swiping at Raphtalia whenever she attacked him too much in a short time-frame. As long as Raphtalia doesn't attack too much, she should be able to chip away at Glone's health safely. If it's a battle of attrition, then I'm pretty sure I have the advantage- wait a minute…
Raphtalia noticed it too. "Glone is somehow regenerating health! Even with my offensive prowess, it's going to take far too long to kill him!"
"Shooting Star Shield!" The skill that he got from Weapon Copying Rifana's Siderite Shield put a blue barrier between Glone and Naofumi. "Raphtalia! Go help the other three! I'll keep Glone distracted since he's focused on me- hah!" Naofumi was able to use his Grenadier's Shield counter-explosive to launch Glone away. "Don't worry about me! Once you're done cleaning up the rabble... and Bitch, we can take down this berserker."
Raphtalia felt her heart hurt a bit, but nodded. "Be safe, Naofumi-sama." She rushes at the Wrath Knight that was attacking Filo and blind-sided her.
No promises, especially against this… thing.
Thanks to Raphtalia backing up the royal trio with swift sword strikes and illusion magic, the Wrath Knights suddenly found themselves once again losing. One let out a scream of raw fury. "This demi-human bitch thinks she can walk all over US?! WE'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!"
For what the insult was worth, Raphtalia didn't let it bother her too much. "Defiant to the end defending a lie." She glares at Malty, who was still trying to overpower Melty with spells. "Sums up that red-headed princess' life quite well."
"YOU! YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! NOW YOU'LL REGRET EVER BECOMING THE SHIELD HERO'S SLAVE!" Malty was clearly lost to her own wrath as she held out both hands. "As the next Queen, source of thy power, I command thee! Decipher the laws of nature and INCINERATE MY ENEMIES WITH FIERY DESTRUCTION! DRIFA BLAZING EXPLOSION!"
The fireball that erupted from the magic circle hit the ground in front of the 4 party members before detonating in a massive explosion. Melty was barely able to cast a Zweite Aqua Surge to mitigate some of the flames, but everyone was blown back from the force of the explosion. The only silver lining was the remainder of the Wrath Knights getting blown up, killing them.
Malty, having exhausted both herself and her wrath from the Drifa spell, realized that her prospects were no longer good and beat a hasty retreat amidst the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion.
Naofumi blanched when he saw everyone get blasted. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was all Glone needed to embed his spear into the Shield Hero's shoulder, which put him into severe pain. "Damn it! What the hell did they put into that spear to make it match even THIS level of defensive power?!"
Is it because I'm underleveled?! I can't believe I'm getting screwed over by the church's influence on matters like this even still!
"DIE DIE DIE!"
Glone didn't stop at one injury as he quickly renewed his assault. Naofumi was able to start deflecting again, but it was clear that counter-attacks wouldn't cut it. I'm sorry, everyone, but… I don't see any other option… I need to use-
"You made the correct choice."
Naofumi found himself deep in his mind once again, staring at the Zombie Dragon's soul as it glared down at him with intense wrath.
"You releasing my shackles tells me you understand. That only WRATH can truly overcome adversity! Cease your struggle, and the transformation won't be as painful!"
As if on cue, the reddened symbols of all of his unlocked shields started appearing as a crimson web all over Naofumi's body. "N-no… even if I willingly went for this, I refuse to submit to your rage!" Even as he said that, his armor slowly manifested into the dragon armor he used against the Soul Eater.
"You misunderstand something, for it isn't my rage, the rage of a dragon. It's all your own rage!" That revelation shocked Naofumi enough to let his control slip, allowing the wrath to take over even more. "That your wrath burns near as hot as mine is proof that we were meant for this path!"
"No… You're lying!" Naofumi was already beginning to regret resorting to the power threatening to overtake him.
However, images of everything bad that has happened to him since coming to this world flashed before him. "I'm not. All of the persecution you endured. All of the times you were unable to defend yourself from accusations. All of the people out to kill you and all you love. Al̪̣̱̰l͍̠̞̕ ̟̤̬̻̘̘o̴̱̦̘̩̞̦ͅf̷̺̗̩̝̫̘ ̠̮͕͘t͖͎̭h̭͙͇ḁ͈̜͖̬t̛̬̦̥̠̻ͅ ̴͔̜̫̲̱̜͉r͙̲a̧̱̙̪̗g͙̰̳̹̜͈̦e̷̮̝̮͔ ̙͜b͓ụ̻̮̜̩i͈͕͝l̗̙̬̘̣͡t̖͙̭͠ ̠͓͇͙͕u̮͕͇̝̬͍͖p̜̺͚ ̩̫i͟n̥̲͙̣̬͝ ҉̞̖̰̮y̨o̺̥̝̖̬̩͟u̴ ͍͇͍͚͖̭i͇͖̥̯s̮̘̰̜̣̥ ̣̮̣͟ỳ̭̠̬o̗u̼̲͡rs͇̖ ͚̞̪a̢͎̩̤̘̯n̡ḏ̳ ̧̺̙̝̠̫̩̥y̤̼͉͕͇o̫̘̰̳͔͇ͅu̖̭̕ŗ̣s͎̲ ͓͙͉͓̕al̼͟o̠̠̹͕n̵̮é̳͍̠͙̭!̰͍͉"
Bitch stabbing him in the back when he barely got started. The duel that was rigged from the start against him that tried to rip his only companion away from him. All of the times people looked down on him for things out of his control.
Naofumi slowly remembered why he unlocked the Wrath Series. How much he wanted to hurt those who wronged him. How much he wanted to watch this world burn.
The armor's appearance advanced further, becoming even more demonic and covering more of his body. Naofumi quickly regained some composure. "No… these poisonous words… I can't fall for them!"
"You claim them poison, but answer me this. Did it not feel good when you were able to directly kill something yourself?"
The feeling of satisfaction Naofumi felt when he killed the second Soul Eater with Iron Maiden made itself all too apparent. Mixed in was the potential satisfaction of making everyone who opposed him suffer.
"With these cursed flames, you can force those who defied you to bow to your might! You can take TRUE revenge for all of your suffering!
"A̞̼͙̠ll̻͈͎̜̺̫͓ ̟̣̻̼̬͟ͅỳo̶̬͕̠̮͈̞͎u͙̠̞̬ ̹̘͘ͅn͉̪̜̭͠e͔̹̥͈͚̖̼è̙̥̱̩d̮͎̹̙ ̨is͕̱͇̤ ̳͍̬͇p̴͎o̢͙͕̖͔̞w̦̱͕͢e̛̱r̵̯̘͉!̵͔ ̟̕S̺͜ẖ̨̭o̹̞̣̥͘w̢͇̠ ̰͚͈̩͕͖̘y͇͎̦͖o̢̥u̱̼̩̱̰͚r͕̺̦͚͝ ̰̫͓̻̯͙R̦͇͔͖̖̩͜a͇̗͚̮͚̫̞g͈̜̘̥̙̯͎é̹̻͎̣̰̖ͅ ̨̠a̜n̲̠̺͈d̘̫̘̬̙̥ ̞̠̗̫̣H̵̯͕a̲̱̮͓̮̦̺t̹̠̥͓̦̭̜r͝ed͕̞̤͚͜!̰̟̼͖̤̖ ͓S̠̞͚͇̘͢e҉̙͉e̟̬͙k͖̥ ͈̻̖̗̘t̬̕h̭̗͎͔̟̯̪ḭ̪̞̱s̬̻̞̼̕ ͈͚̫͈͕̲p̤̗̝̜ọ͈͘ͅw̵̠̝̖̟̼̳̭e̳͖̩r̵̩̙̬̠͖̯ ̛̯a̶̰̥͙͓̫͕̱n̫̟̠̯͡d͙̰͍ ̠į̠̞̺t͚̘̮̼̦̩͢ ̵̦w̭̝̼̘̯̰i̡ļ̹͈l͉̳͢ ̣b͍o͖̘͉͇̖w̧͈ ̩͙̯t̪̥͉̪̦̯ọ̵̠̹͎̫̖ y̬̥͔̕ò͚̹̱͉̖u͎̙͍̳r̭̬ w̛̗͉͍̖̬i̗̦̰̖̟͝l̸͓̙̖̘͎̼l̨͚͎̥͕̭̤!̢̩ L̨͎̰E̻̯̳̰̯̯T̻̖͜ ͠Ḁ̮Ĺ̘̭̗͇̟̥L̗̰̫͎͈̼ ̹̭͓̟̦̰͞ͅW̢HO͙̥ ͏͉O̝͕̖P͈P͟Ò̼̝̠̲S̗̮͔̫̞̫E̳̪̲͎̮͕̠ ͔̩͎͕̺U̵̙̣͎ͅS̖̰̝ ̨̹͎̹̯͖̥B̬̯̯͟E͍ ̟̹̰̟̠̼̩D̛̹̫͖̜̫̗̼E̹̮̻S͎̠TR̼̖̰̻̮̣͞O̟̲̰̹̤Y͚̙̯͡E̬͍̥̮̼̦ͅD̳̯̬̥͉͎!̶
"A͏̶͔̣̰̭̤͉͎̹N͈̪D̩͎̼̠͉̱̻̀ ̯̞̮͕̣̩́͡B̥̭̗̳U̻̖̻̭͘̕ͅR҉̼̲N̬̝̞̗ ̰̘̺͚͎͉͖̘Ẹ͎͚̮͍̤̼͓͞V̜̭̪̣̭͍͡E͏̪̘̱̠̙R̘͓̝͚Ỳ̼͔̠̝̖̫̳̮̕T͈̼̩́H̴͔̬͔̩͓I̷̷̱̪̞̗͎ͅN̵͖̳͚͔G̷̳ ̨҉̠̦̟̥̤̱͈ͅI̞͕͠N̢̛͕̦͞ ̫̰̣̳̭̮͜T̢͚͕͙͉͉͢H̕҉͖̭̫̼Į҉͖̦̟͇̣̰̹͞S̰̥̖͇͙͘͘ͅ ̛͎̭́͠W̧̢̳̗Ơ̦̳͓͕͞R̞̤̯L҉̥͉̩͠D̡͉̜́ ͎͖T̵̷͓͇̙̮O҉̗̱͇̟̕ ̦̼̝͘A҉̞͚̦̣̠̻S̷̬̘H҉̜E̗͜S̢̛̹͕̮̜!̵̷̟̫̰̹̺͖̠!̧̳̪͉̗͍̞̞͝!͏̷̹̯̣̘͙̖̖͙"
"Burn…" Naofumi finally let go of what remained of his doubts and submitted to his Wrath as he clenched his armored fist.
Back in the waking world, all of the changes that occurred in Naofumi's mind were now reflected. Glone, in his madness, merely dove at the Shield Hero in an attempt to maim him once again, only to get a face full of cursed fire for his troubles as Naofumi blocked the strike with this newly upgraded Shield of Wrath III.
The cursed flames didn't slow Glone down at all. If anything, the permanent damage to his HP made him even more feral and unhinged as he suddenly downed a red potion. "WE GO TOGETHER!" His spear suddenly changed form to a more demonic-looking spear with flames covering the blades.
Glone had unlocked a Cursed Series in the Advanced Replica replica Legendary Spear.
The four that were caught in the blast of Malty's Drifa spell were barely able to recover thanks to potions, only to realize with horror that Naofumi fell deeper into his wrath. What dismayed them in equal measure was Glone wielding a spear of a similar nature.
Raphtalia in particular felt like her heart was being pierced. No… Naofumi-sama… please…
Melty grimaced. "That he was forced to use such power in front of everyone watching. The only silver lining is that Glone is now using something similar, which hopefully won't ruin any positive reputation Naofumi-sama has built…"
The Zombie Dragon's soul, meanwhile, noticed something after a few more clashes and exchanging cursed flames. That something other than a Legendary Weapon or Vassal Weapon can unlock the Cursed Series is unprecedented… but what piques my interest is this knight's soul. It almost looks like it's eroded away…
With the two wrathful individuals constantly striking at each other, the battle was at risk of moving outside of the square in front of the church. Yet Naofumi no longer cared, for his mind was consumed by his single-minded obsession in burning all opposition before him.
Be they enemy, friend, or even non-combatant.
After one clash left Glone prone, Naofumi suddenly felt his movement being restricted. "Get out… out of my way…"
"Do you… hate us now, Naofumi-sama?"
Back into his mind, he started looking around as half-familiar images began flashing in front of him. "Who…?"
"Don't you remember? You saved me… saved me from my fate as a sick and dying slave. You healed me… and promised me that we would save this world together."
Raph… talia?
"You hatched and raised me! You even gave me a carriage and many amazing things! You'll always be my Papa!"
Filo… as well?
"We started off on the wrong foot… especially when I tried to convince you to talk with Father. However… my short time with you, dangerous as it has been, were also the most fulfilling times of my life. You even saw me, not as a princess, but as a trustworthy party member."
Melty too? Why?
"I've always known you as a kind and wise Uncle! Please… even if you forget about me… don't forget Daddy! Don't forget your first friend in this world!"
Obsidian… even you…
"Please come back to us!"
Naofumi snapped back to reality and found himself being clung onto. It was everyone that spoke to him as they looked up with relief, covered in cursed burns. "You guys… why did you go that far?"
"Because we don't want to lose you to your wrath, Naofumi-sama!" There was relief on her face, but tears were beginning to build up. "I don't want to believe the paths we have chosen were wrong!"
Filo beamed up at him, doing her best to ignore the pain. "Don't worry, Papa! Filo will make sure to eat up all your negative feelings from now on!"
"You always were a troublemaker, weren't you?" Melty tried to joke while holding back her own tears. "I'm just glad we reached you in the end…"
"I told Daddy this before and I'll say it to you, Uncle Naofumi. Please let us help you as much as we can with this!" Obsidian sounded like he was trying to hold himself together for everyone's sake.
Everyone… even Obsidian who has to deal with Chazon's dark side as well…
Naofumi finally smiled, even in spite of him noticing Glone finally getting back up. "Thank you… I guess I wouldn't be half the hero I am today without your support." He looks at the crazed blood-knight ready to viciously attack him and the people he loved. "Don't worry, I'm back in control. Let's put this beast down before he causes any more damage!"
"RIP AND TEAR!" Glone was clearly tone deaf in his wrath, not comprehending that he was suddenly by himself against 5 opponents. All his focus was still on the Shield Hero, something everyone was quick to take advantage of.
It very quickly became apparent that, thanks to their own cursed burns and being tired from fighting super-powered church knights and Malty, Naofumi's party members couldn't really keep up with how aggressive Glone was being. No… even after regaining control of my Shield of Wrath, we're STILL struggling?! Did Glone down a Dragon Wrath Elixer at some point as well?
It was then that his status magic told him of a new skill. One that could end the battle in a single blow at the high chance of killing himself.
I guess I got my own Absolute Zero. Forgive me, everyone… but I think this is our only way out.
"Shield Prison!" Glone was surrounded by a ball of shields chained together. However, Noufumi knew that wouldn't hold the beast for very long as he held up his shield with a determined glare. Glone got staggered from one of Obsidian's strikes right after he broke out of the prison.
"Foolish sinner, I sentence you to cast your screams unto the heavens! Within the dragon's jaws born from my flesh, become an offering to the gods as you howl in pain! BLOOD SACRIFICE!"
Raphtalia barely had time to realize what Naofumi was doing before blood erupted from his body. "NAOFUMI-SAMA!"
Obsidian went sheet white at the sight. No… just like Daddy with Absolute Zero!
Glone saw the blood splurt out of his target and laughed maniacally. "YOU. WILL. DIE!"
He was about to finish Naofumi off when a giant, demonic-looking bear-trap contraption erupted out of the ground and caught him with its outermost teeth stuck open thanks to his spear. All the while, the Bloody Knight kept screaming "WE GO TOGETHER!" on repeat until his spear finally snapped from the pressure and his life ended with a sickening crunch and a spray of blood everywhere.
Naofumi, happy that he spared his party members further pain, finally collapsed from his injuries. Filo and Obsidian managed to catch him before he fell all the way down while crying out for him. Raphtalia and Melty quickly joined them, with the Tanuki trying to feed him a potent healing potion.
"Everyone! Are you all okay?" Ake, who had been supporting people from the shadows while trying to maintain loyalty to the crown, knew it was time to stop skulking around. "Captain! The Shield Hero is in critical condition!"
The Knight Captain grimaced at the sight before turning to those still loyal to him. "Anyone with healing magic, use it NOW! Everyone else, fetch as much pure holy water as you can carry! Let's get our hero moved to the infirmary ASAP!"
One day later...
Queen Mirellia was looking outside her window at the royal clinic where both the Shield and Spear Heroes were currently recovering. When she heard that Naofumi had used his own forbidden technique similar to Chazon's "Final Indignation" and lost a lot of blood, she was almost beside herself.
Thankfully, both Heroes were out of danger but were still suffering side-effects from their stunts, with Naofumi afflicted with a stubborn stat-lowering curse and Chazon's Envolted status being healed into a regular but persistent paralysis.
Even so… from the reports that I've read from the guards still loyal to the crown and civilian observers, his opponent had somehow unlocked a cursed power as well. I've got the documents the Sword Hero extracted from the Church's forbidden vault under analysis for answers, but…
"My queen, I've brought King Aultcray to your room as you ordered." Mirellia turns around and beholds her foolish husband being escorted in by Eclair, wearing cleaner clothes but still not fit for royalty. "Shall I take my leave?"
"Yes you may." Eclair closes the door behind her while Mirellia scrutinizes Aultcray. He very much had a down-trodden look, but she couldn't see his eyes. "You know why you are here, correct?"
"Yes…"
*SLAP*
Mirellia gave Aultcray one good smack across the face, if only to vent some of her frustrations with him. "You understand why I did that?"
"For my mistreatment of the Shield Hero?" Aultcray finally looked at his wife directly and she could see the apparent regret in his eyes. "Despite you constantly telling me to treat the Shield Hero equally to the other Heroes, I discarded those words and heeded only my rage and hatred. That… I never gave Naofumi-dono a true chance to prove himself…"
That made Mirellia cross her arms, holding off on further physical punishment until she deems it necessary. "Perhaps your little "vacation" in the castle dungeons have made you reflect on your poor judgement? I distinctly recall marrying an amazing man who was known as "The Wise King", not some pompous idiot who puts his frankly irrelevant whims before the safety of his nation and world."
"Perhaps my arrest at the hands of Pope Balmus was the start… but my time spent with your personal guard has taught me much more…" Aultcray shakes his head solemnly. "I've learned just how much my racism against demi-humans has cost you both personally and politically… and how much the ones living in Melromarc didn't deserve such treatment."
Perhaps it was fate that he wound up in the same cell as Eclair…
Aultcray continued, "I… might not be able to change right away… but I will do my best to treat demi-humans with more humanity than before. Though… I won't be able to forgive the Hakuko so quickly considering my past with them… but for all the others, I'll do my best."
"It's a start…" Mirellia sighed at her husband's words, but figured that forcing him to change faster would make it more difficult for all parties involved. "However, I'm not the one who has the final say in your punishment. The one you have to answer to most is the Shield Hero for everything you've done to him."
"I understand… and will accept any punishment he deems me worthy of… even if it's death."
From my current analysis of the Shield Hero's outward personality, I doubt he'll order death. However… in the event that he does, I'll have to convince him that Aultcray has uses as a political tool, even if Siltvelt doesn't fear him as much anymore.
There was a knock on the door which made Mirellia sigh, knowing who it was. "Enter."
Melty burst through the door. "Father!"
"Melty!" Aultcray hugged his youngest daughter with tears in his eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe!"
"I am too! I was so worried when I heard you were imprisoned!" Melty looks at her mother with tears in her eyes. "Mother… please don't-"
"It's out of my hands now. It's up to the Shield Hero to determine what will happen to your father." Despite saying that, Mirellia joined the family hug, her softer side coming out now. I… sincerely hope… I don't have to condemn my foolish husband to death…
Breaking the hug, Mirellia frowned at something else on her mind. "There's also the matter of Malty's escape from the city. It will be difficult to discharge the rape accusations surrounding the Shield Hero if we hope to placate Siltvelt."
"Dispel them we must, even if my word means little anymore." Aultcray shook his head at the surprised looks he was getting. "I saw the battle between the Church's "caretakers" and the Shield Hero's party. Malty… went out of her way to try and kill Melty so many times. I also overheard a captured church guard confess that she sold me out to Balmus in hopes of gaining his favor and ascending the throne quicker."
There were tears in his eyes now. "And… I learned just how much she used me even before the Hero Summoning, playing the victim to many false rape accusations. Did I really… go too far with caring for her? Have I created a monster?"
"That you have… though I wonder to myself if she was rotten from the start even without your pampering…" Mirellia looks out the window again. "People have often wondered if evil is born or created. I had always hoped for the latter and wanted to make a nation that doesn't encourage it, but my own daughter is making me think both are right…"
"Urgh… my head... "
Malty was holding her head as she tried to fight off another headache. She was able to slip away from the capital during the chaos of Glone's fight with the Shield Hero and her own spell's explosion. She was able to reunite with Lesty and some of the remnants of the Church of Three Heroes who escaped the battle with the Queen's army and the Spear Hero's rampage.
"Have another drink of water, your highness." Lesty was already used to how demanding Malty was and knew how to placate her. "That will help with your headache."
"I think another dose of that Dragon Wrath Elixir might help as well."
That prompted a sigh out of the pink-haired attendant. "Again, not only do we have none, but even if we did I'm not letting you near anymore. A single shot of that drug is addicting enough on its own. I don't need you losing your mind to such an addiction."
"Right, right...'' Malty knew Lesty was right, plus arguing would just make her headache worse. "I'm still angry over this situation. That throne should have been mine, yet now I'm on the run like a common crook!"
"Princess Malty, what do you propose we do?" One of the church knights asked with worry. "At this point, we're directionless and just as thirsty for revenge against the Shield and Spear Demons."
Malty grunted as she tried to plot anything past her headache. Lesty quickly remembered something from her battle with a certain other red-head. "While this probably won't affect the Shield Hero much, I know of something that could get us started against the Spear Hero!"
"Do tell, Lesty-chan…"
Lesty grins maliciously. "Let's just say I found out that a certain red-headed "peasant" from Lerno had become the Spear Hero's girlfriend… but I did not hear mention of a harem or multiple spouses."
"Your point?"
She resisted the urge to sigh. "Remember Faubray's traditions? Descendants of prior Legendary Heroes are expected to create harems or reverse harems to try and spread hero genetic strengths as much as possible. I would imagine they would try and uphold it on summoned Legendary Heroes as well because of how highly valued their genetics are."
The church knight widened his eyes. "I remember hearing of an incident in the past where one of the hero's descendants wanted to just have a single wife… only for said wife to get killed by Faubray women and him being forced to impregnate them or suffer further consequences, meaning…"
Malty quickly realized what the two were getting at and matched Lesty's grin. "If that's true… we could cause unrest in Faubrey around the Spear Hero not having a proper harem with clever use of rumors. We won't have to take direct action against them for revenge, we can just wait for Faubray women to either kill that peasant or steal the Spear Hero away from his party!"
"Considering how seriously Faubray and maybe even some of the other nations treat Heroes having harems to have many strong children, it's especially devious. The only way it would fail is if he truly does have a harem…"
"You miss all of the shots you don't take, Lesty-sama!" One of the church knights nods. "One of our own managed to keep a hold on a crystal ball for communicating with other groups of scattered Three Heroes Faith devotees. We can request the ones closest to Faubray to start spreading said rumors in order to target the Spear Demon!"
"Then do it!" Malty was ecstatic that she already found a plan to take revenge on the Spear Hero and his party. "Now we just need a way to get back at the other three heroes… since I saw the Sword Hero beforehand and heard of the Bow Hero's survival. The Bow and Sword Heroes have enough of a bad reputation to try and turn the population against them, but the Shield Hero will remain a problem. No doubt, he's going to enjoy special treatment from my mother…"
"I might not have an answer to the Shield Demon myself, but I know of a way to further discredit the other three false prophets." Another church knight spoke up. "I remember a legend I was told not long before this all began, though I want us to be in a more stable environment before I recite it. I believe it's called "The Legend of the Four Heavenly Beasts" if my memory hasn't started failing me."
"How are we going to spin that?" Lesty looks at the knight with a flat look. She knew of the legend as well, but was somewhat skeptical. "I know what you're talking about and I could maybe see the Bow Hero getting cocky enough to be goaded into helping with "that" but the other two?"
"We can simply disguise our own as two or three of the false heroes and "create" witnesses to them unsealing the Spirit Turtle. Once the testimony gets into circulation, they will lose all credibility in the eyes of the public and maybe even their own party members."
"Forcing the Shield Hero to run himself ragged trying to "fix" the problems the other three supposedly make. We'll discuss it in further context later. For now, let's focus on recovering before plotting anything else." Malty sighed. "I could go for another Dragon Wrath-"
"Once again, please refrain from lusting over that drug, Princess Malty." Malty could only huff in indignance at that.
Couple things I want to say here:
1. Aultcray/Trash being more sympathetic and remorseful about what he did is intentional. Unlike in canon, where he was never imprisoned, he had at least a week with Eclair to stew over what he had been doing wrong. To learn just how screwed up the world was and how much he overlooked the important details because he was blinded by hate. To quote Starcraft 2: "They say a man never truly knows himself until his freedom's been taken away." Then there's him witnessing both first-hand and from testimony just how rotten his first daughter was being and how much he was used by her.
2. I'll confess that I used the anime scene when Naofumi was fighting the pope to write the part where everyone was trying to bring him back from his wrath. I actually skipped writing that part for a while because it had became the new writing block for me until I left it alone. Yes it's cliché, but honesty I have no idea how to make it better, so apologies.