Chapter 06 – Information and the Blessed Shield
Capital Town, Melromarc, Raphtalia's World
6 Zinat, Springtime
When Naofumi next opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed as he stared up at the ceiling in a room partly shrouded in darkness, was that his head and sides no longer hurt. The second thing he noticed was that his soulbond was warmer than it had ever been before. It was a pleasant warmth that enfolded him like a blanket and leaked the same comforting feelings of joy, awe, admiration, pride, and love that he had felt while eating under the tree with Raphtalia.
He spent a couple of minutes with his eyes closed, simply basking in the feelings and letting them soothe him before he reopened his eyes and looked to the right. The drapes were partially open and he could tell by the dim light entering the room that it was approaching dawn. He started to move to get out of bed and it was then that he noticed someone was holding his hand.
He turned his head to the left and found himself looking at the crown of someone's honey-blond hair. The head was turned away from him while it lay on the duvet asleep and the body it was attached to was sitting on a chair by the bed. It was this person who was holding his hand.
Naofumi tried to extract his hand without waking the person. Whomever it was must have been a light sleeper though for as soon as Naofumi's hand twitched, it was gripped tighter and his sleeping visitor sat up. It took less than a second for Naofumi to recognize the teen sitting by his bedside.
"Eiku?" he asked, surprised to see the young knight there.
Eiku reached up with his free hand and rubbed his face a few times and yawned. His hair was messy and his face sported a red mark and lines from where it had pressed against wrinkles in the duvet. He smiled softly at Naofumi and his warm brown eyes contained a look that could only be described as adoring. "You're awake." He flushed slightly in embarrassment and huffed a small laugh. "Obviously. How do you feel?"
"Better," Naofumi answered. "Why are you here?" he asked as he tugged his hand, indicating that he wanted it back.
"Oh, sorry." Eiku released his hand and Naofumi immediately pulled it back to tuck beneath the covers. "I apologize for touching you without your permission. You kept having nightmares. We tried having Raphtalia comfort you first by holding your hand and stroking your forehead. We figured you would want a familiar presence to comfort you. You only calmed down when I touched you, however. Thus, I stayed here with you. Raphtalia is in the other room – likely still sleeping. I can get her for you if you like."
"No. Let her sleep." As Naofumi sat and looked into Eiku's affectionate eyes, he began to notice that the soulbond was singing with joy and warmth. His eyes widened with realization and the bond, which had been seeking entrance into his heart the day before, finally found its way in and exploded into a supernova of heat that coursed throughout his entire being.
He could not contain the gasp he uttered at the feeling. Nor could he control the way his eyes suddenly watered with unshed tears at the extreme wonder and joy he felt as the connection established itself more firmly than it had previously been. He had thought the bond was already complete. This feeling was so much grander than the one he had felt before that it paled the other into obscurity.
He opened eyes that he had not realized he had closed and his eyes met Eiku's misty ones. Eiku was smiling with such happiness that it rivalled the sun in its brightness. Naofumi's heart tugged at the sight and he wanted nothing more at that moment than to have the power to always protect Eiku and keep that smile from going out. Once again, he completely missed an important notification that popped up: Blessed Series Unlocked. For at the same time it appeared, he sat up fully in bed and removed his hand from beneath the duvet and reached out to offer it to Eiku.
"It's you," he whispered, reverently.
Eiku nodded and reached out to take Naofumi's hand. "Yes."
"Why didn't you say anything in Riyute Village?"
Eiku gently squeezed Naofumi's hand once. "The short answer is that you didn't respond at all to the completion of the soulbond. I had to consider the impossible possibility that it was one-sided. I decided to leave a good impression before I fled. My friends advised that you likely just needed time.
"The long answer is something I thought of on the walk back to Capital Town. If the soulbond was one-sided, then mentioning anything to you would have placed undue pressure on you. You have enough expectations from this world and its inhabitants. Ones that you never asked for but were placed on your shoulders as soon as you were summoned to this world – willingly or not. I resolved that I would be whomever you needed me to be to you. If that ended up being no more than a person you could rely on for emotional support, then I was all right with that."
Naofumi looked at Eiku in disbelief. He could not believe that. "You would honestly be all right with being nothing more than friends if that was what I wanted?"
"Of course," Eiku responded in a tone of voice that implied the answer should be obvious. "As I once told my friends, being a truly supportive soulmate is the essence of being a fantastic one. I would never ask more from someone than they were willing to give." Eiku chuckled in amusement. "Besides, after finally getting a bond out of the blue a month ago, I was prepared to forever have a loving but platonic bond with my infant soulmate. You being an adult does not alter my resolution to keep our connection platonic if needed. "
Naofumi's eyes widened. He had not even considered the possibility that his soulmate would be a child or an infant. "No wonder I had to cross into a whole other world to meet you," Naofumi said, feeling something akin to awe. "I have never before heard of someone willing to be so selfless."
Eiku flushed attractively and Naofumi mentally slapped himself. No matter how mature his soulmate sounded, he looked young.
"My mom once told me, 'Only a life lived for others is a life worth living," Eiku told him with a gentle smile.
'Spirits, my soulmate is perfect!' Naofumi thought as he stared at Eiku in astonishment.
"Besides," Eiku continued gently, "how can I do anything less than fully love and support the one I have waited so long for?"
Naofumi's heart pounded in his chest. 'Maybe a little too perfect,' his cynical side whispered even as he continued to hold Eiku's hand and absently stoke the back with his thumb.
"You've heard the rumours about me," Naofumi said. It was not a question. Eiku nodded. "How much of what you said in Riyute Village was due to the soulbond? Would you still be so supportive of me if we weren't soulmates?"
"Yes," Eiku replied without hesitation. "My friends and I had already decided to fully support you on the fourth day after you arrived."
Naofumi's breath caught. "That long ago?" If so, then this certainly did not seem to be a trick to gain Naofumi's trust just to betray him later.
Eiku gave Naofumi's hand another reassuring squeeze. "Kazane saw what happened when you were dragged before the king. Soulmate bonds are a sacred topic here in Melromarc. We don't discuss them with anyone other than close friends and family. You revealed details about yourself and your soulmate to a room full of strangers to prove your innocence. We decided that anyone willing to do something like that was innocent unless proven, without a doubt, to be otherwise. As you were not given a fair trial, you were, therefore, still innocent. That opinion was further reinforced in Riyutevillage when we saw you selflessly defend Knight-Captain Ishida even though he had been hateful towards Raphtalia and yourself."
Naofumi swallowed but his throat felt tight with sudden emotion. He looked down at their clasped hands and marvelled at the feeling. It had been years since he had last imagined being able to meet his soulmate and hold his hand. "Soulbonds are sacred where I come from too," he said softly. "Only my parents and brother knew that I did not have one."
"Well then," Eiku said as he brought Naofumi's hand up so he could lightly press a kiss to the back of it, "I will just have to surpass all of your expectations to make the wait worth it."
The courtly gesture made Naofumi's cheeks flush hotly as he felt Eiku's soft lips lightly brush the back of his hand. "Trust me," he squeaked in reply, "you already have."
BREAK
Eiku excused himself after that to fetch some food and water for Naofumi and it gave him time to lean back in the bed and try to compose himself. 'What is wrong with me?' he asked himself as he rubbed his hands on his face and looked out the partially curtained window. The sky was truly transitioning to daybreak and the room had gotten lighter without him noticing. 'I have spent just over a month being bitter about this world and my life here and just one conversation with Eiku has me feeling better about my situation. I'm actually… happy.'
Naofumi swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood so he could look out the window. The view was not the best. With Erhard's shop being in the center of the city and situated between two other buildings, the windows on the back of the shop looked out into an ally. The room's window could still let in light and Naofumi had surprisingly seen worse alleys back home. It was cleaner than he expected from this world's technology and sanitation levels.
As he stood and watched the people walk by below, Naofumi examined his feelings and physical state. He felt a lot better than he had yesterday. There was some residual soreness in his sides and head but the headache, dizziness, exhaustion and everything else was gone. He reached his hands above his head and stretched as he twisted side to side. The fight had taken more out of him than he had thought for him to end up collapsing… Was it yesterday? How long had he slept?
Inside, the warmth of the soulbond still pulsed joyfully. He closed his eyes and once more let the feelings he felt from it wash through him. 'Is it so wrong to be happy?' he asked himself, his earlier question coming to mind. While living in Japan he had been happy and carefree. He had been a very positive person and had trusted most people without question. The idea that he could be constantly bitter and cynical of the world, and distrustful towards others had never even accrued to him. Being constantly in such a frame of mind while in this world had caused him to question seconds ago if there was something wrong with him feeling happy. There was something seriously wrong with that.
'I want to be happy,' he thought as he placed a hand on the wooden windowsill and tilted his gaze up to look at the sky. Brushes of pinks and oranges in a dark blue sky were just barely visible over the tall buildings across from him. 'I want to be more positive. I want to trust others again.' He frowned. Those were likely to be difficult to accomplish. This room almost felt like an oasis away from the hostility he constantly encountered from the rest of the kingdom. Returning to his past self would be challenging while most people continued to treat him unjustly. 'Perhaps,' he thought as he heard footsteps lightly ascend the stairs and start down the hall, 'I can start with simply trusting one more person at a time.'
A soft knock sounded on the doorframe and Naofumi turned to see Eiku standing in the doorway holding a tray. "May I come in?" he asked.
'So polite,' Naofumi thought. If Eiku's behaviour was all an act then it was a very solid one. "Please," Naofumi told him.
Eiku smiled one of his sweet smiles and Naofumi realized with a start that he was quickly growing to adore them. He watched as his soulmate entered the room and set the tray on top of the dresser.
"Master Erhard said we can eat in here as long as we don't make a mess. His kids may not live here anymore but they still come to visit from time to time," Eiku said as he removed some items from the tray and turned around to face Naofumi.
"He has kids?" Naofumi asked in surprise as he moved to sit on the bed. He had known the blacksmith for over a month and had never thought to enquire about the man's family.
"Most middle-aged men do," Eiku lightly teased him. He held out the items he was holding for Naofumi to take: a stoneware cup of water and a bowl of hearty meat stew. Naofumi held out his hands to take the offerings and Eiku then passed him a spoon. "His wife is currently working in Shieldfreeden, trading the cloth she weaves." Eiku went back to the tray and returned with a piece of bread which he handed to Naofumi to dip in his stew.
"Shieldfreeden?" Naofumi asked between bites of delicious stew.
"Aye. It's a country southeast of Melromarc. You may want to consider going there. As the Shield Hero, you would be highly welcomed. Their main religion is the Shield Faith. It's a country of demi-humans so Raphtaia will be treated well there too. It would initially take you about a month to get there. If you set one of your warp places as Capital Town, you will be able to freely travel back and forward from there in an instant."
Naofumi froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth and stared at Eiku who was once again sitting on the chair by the bed, eating from his bowl of stew. "What?" he asked, wide-eyed. "People can teleport in this world?"
Eiku shook his head, his eyes showing concern. "No. Just Heroes. Has no one told you this before?"
Naofumi shook his head and Eiku sighed, the sound slightly frustrated. "Of course not. Why am I even surprised at this point? All right, I'll tell you all I heard when working for the other heroes, or read about in history texts and other books. I'm sure there are things I do not know, but from now on my friends and I will strive to seek out information for you."
Naofumi momentarily saw red and his hand clenched his spoon tightly. What other information had been kept for him? It seems as if forming parties to share experience was not the only information that had been withheld. He forced himself to release his death grip on his spoon and took a deep breath to calm down. He had found an ally. He was behind the other 'heroes' but as long as he learned more about the world and the way it worked, he was sure to catch up quickly.
"Thank you, Eiku. I would very much appreciate your help," Naofumi said.
Eiku nodded. "Of course! All right, why don't we start now since we have the time?" Naofumi nodded and Eiku smiled brightly. Smiles seemed to come so easy to him, Naofumi noticed. "Great! We'll cover geography, the sovereign regime in Melromarc, teleporting, class upgrades, and whatever else I can think of."
Naofumi took another bite of stew and settled in to listen.
Eiku went into detail regarding the surrounding countries and what he knew of them first. Zeltoble did not sound like a country Naofumi wanted to visit. Of the bordering countries, Shieldfreeden did sound the most promising considering his situation. From there, topics moved to various things such as class upgrades: what they were, how they worked, where they were acquired and how much they cost. "You may end up having to go to another country to get them done," Eiku warned. He then explained what he had overseen and heard regarding teleportation.
From there, talk moved on to Melromarc's primary religion: The Church of the Three Heroes. Naofumi had learned of the Three Heroes Church weeks ago, and the exclusion of the shield had left a bad taste in his mouth. Though it had helped partially explain why he was being treated so unfairly in this country. Now, he learned of their tenets: discrimination towards demi-humans and the ideology that the Shield Hero was a devil that was set on destroying the world, while the other three heroes were revered.
"Now things are making a lot more sense," Naofumi said with a scowl as he sipped his water. He had long since finished his stew, bread, and the cheese Eiku had brought up. "It seems as if the Church has too much influence over this country's government and its people."
Eiku shrugged as if he did not find the idea strange that it would be any other way. To Naofumi, who had not grown up with a church having so much power over his own county's government, the idea that the church held such sway here seemed corrupt to him. "Many of the other country's policies and ideas are heavily influenced by their church as well," he explained. In Naofumi's mind, that did not make the situation any better.
"You would love the queen," Eiku said fifteen minutes later, after five minutes of explanation on Melromarc's ruling government. "She was working to get slavery abolished before she was called away. Which would be great for thousands of demi-humans in the country. Unfortunately, the Three Heroes Church has been her main obstacle in achieving such a goal."
Naofumi wondered if Eiku knew about Raphtalia and how he would feel about her being a slave. "Are demi-humans the only slaves?" Naofumi asked.
"No. However, they are the most prevalent. Her Majesty, Mirellia Q Melromarc, also does not practice many of the more… barbaric? practices as her predecessors. For example, the castle has three oubliettes in the dungeons but she has forbidden their use since rising to power. Since she has been gone, however, the king has done many terrible things in her absence. One of those, it is rumoured, has been to bring back the practice of imprisoning common thieves and other criminals in the oubliettes. Were it not for needing all four of the Cardinal Heroes to stop the waves, I do not doubt that is where you would have been tossed on your second day here."
"What is an oubliette?" Naofumi asked.
Eiku told him. They sounded truly horrific. Eiku's face was interesting to watch as he spoke of them. The things were clearly something he held unmistakable distaste for and their use revolted him. The idea of ever being imprisoned in one made Naofumi mentally shudder.
"The Second Princess," Eiku continued, "Melty Q Melromarc, is much like her mother in personality. They both care deeply for their subjects and actively work towards improving the conditions for the demi-humans, for example. I have only seen her a handful of times, but she also looks more like her mother than either her father or sister. They both have eyes that are a shade of purple, for instance. Rather than her sister, the First Princess, Malty S Melromarc, Melty is first in line for the throne."
Five minutes later the conversation moved on to the Waves of Calamity and how they worked and why. "A lot of information has been lost over the years for some reason. We know very little about the past heroes, or even why the Waves are happening in the first place. We do know that the Four Cardinal Heroes are supposed to save the world from them. So far, none of the previous heroes have been able to do more than simply survive the Waves long enough for their current cycle to end and the next one to begin. It is said that should the Four Heroes be triumphant over the waves, then the Waves will end for good."
"Well," Naofumi said wryly, "no pressure."
Eiku chuckled but a sudden knock upon the doorframe interrupted whatever response he had in mind.
Naofumi started and looked towards the door. He had been so invested in the conversation and so focused on Eiku that he had not heard anyone approaching the room.
Raphtalia stood in the doorway looking well-rested and holding a tray. When she saw that she had Naofumi's attention, she lifted the tray a tad to highlight its presence. "I brought breakfast. Do you want to eat together?" she asked.
"I have already eaten," Naofumi informed her, gesturing to the tray on the dresser.
"Oh," Raphtalia answered, her tail drooping slightly in disappointment. 'She seriously broadcasts all of her emotions with her ears and tail,' Naofumi thought (not for the first time).
Naofumi's attention shifted back to Eiku when the young man stood. Eiku approached Raphtalia and help out his arms. "May I?" he asked.
"Oh, sure. Thank you," she said with surprise and handed the tray over.
Eiku smiled at her and turned to place the tray on the dresser and then picked up the one he had brought up earlier. He turned around to face them and shifted the tray to one arm so he could use the other to gesture to the chair. "Miss Raphtalia, please sit. Your arrival is very timely. I need to return to the barracks and change," he said while indicating his long red tunic and brown pants. He turned to look at Naofumi. "My commander gave me the day off. I would like to speak with you more later if you are amiable."
"Yes!" Naofumi startled himself by instantly agreeing, a bit too loudly. "Yes," he tried again. "Please return once you are ready."
Eiku nodded. "All right. I shall return presently." He gave them both a shallow bow. "Miss Raphtalia. Sir Iwatani." He stepped out the door and partly closed it behind him.
Naofumi stared at the door and listened to Eiku's light footsteps recede and start down the stairs before he turned to look at Raphtalia. Raphtalia had retrieved a bowl from her tray before sitting down in the chair and was carefully eating as she studied him.
When she had his attention once more she put her spoon down. "How are you feeling this morning, Master Iwatani?" she asked.
"Better. What happened? I didn't get around to asking Eiku," Naofumi answered.
"You didn't have a concussion after all," she answered. Her grip on her spoon tightened until her knuckles turned white and her eyes flashed with fury. "The arrow the Bow Hero shot you with was poisoned."
Unexpected mirth bubbled up in his chest and Naofumi laughed bitterly. "They genuinely are trying to kill me," he explained in response to Raphtalia's startled look. "It's highly ironic that the random thought I had during the duel about the possibility of Kawasumi using poisoned arrows turned out to be accurate."
To think, he never would have gotten sick if he had thought to make himself an antidote. He had been so sure that he had had a concussion that he had not considered other possibilities. Thinking about it more clearly, a concussion had not been all that possible. The arrow had sliced into the side of his head. It hadn't shaken his skull or impacted it with force. He needed to work on making health potions that would also cure a variety of ailments at once.
"How did I get better?" Naofumi asked once he had stopped laughing. Which had not taken long. The situation was not all that amusing.
"You asked me to find Commander Sazama. He took me to the barracks where Eiku and his friends were spending the afternoon and I led them back here. Eiku and one of the mages healed you. They did not have magic strong enough to fully combat the poison on their own so they repeatedly cast what magic they could on you and one of the others made antidotes from ingredients found in the market. Eiku's companions were here until late in the evening. Only Eiku stayed behind. The young mage, Reki, could barely walk due to exhaustion but declined Master Erhard's offer to stay the night. He claimed he had not been given today off, unlike Eiku, so his master would still expect him to show early in the morning."
'My soulmate healed me,' Naofumi thought. The information made him feel warm with gratitude. The feeling curled through his chest and joined his soulbond which seemed to hum and pulse affectionately in response. 'Then he stayed by my side because I was having nightmares.' Naofumi almost could not believe it. Eiku barely even knew him. Yet he had slept in an uncomfortable chair by Naofumi's bedside even though he must have been just as exhausted as his friend. Simply because Naofumi had needed him. Eiku had not even mentioned it. As if such assistance should be freely given without the expectation of thanks.
Further, Eiku's friends had all helped too. If he had to guess, he would say that they were ones he had met briefly in Riyute Village after the last Wave. They had stood with Eiku as he pledged to offer their assistance to Naofumi should it ever be needed. Evidently, they had every intention of upholding that promise. Naofumi sighed and ran one hand down his face as he looked up at the ceiling. 'I need to do something nice for them all in return for helping save my life. But what?' He chuckled slightly without humour. 'If they are anything like Eiku, they likely don't expect any thanks either. Although it's not like I can even offer them much right now thanks to that horrid princess,' he thought sourly. 'I'll just have to think about it and come up with something for them later.'
Raphtalia had gone back to eating and Naofumi left her alone while he silently thought about what to do for the next month until the next Wave. 'According to Eiku, I have just under a month until the next Wave hits. I need to visit the Dragon Hourglass to get the exact time. I wonder if I have enough time to make it to Shieldfreeden before then. Maybe I should try to get as close as possible and set a return point so I can warp back later to resume the trip after the Wave.' Realistically, that seemed his best bet. It would be foolish of him to hope to make it all the way there within the month. Too many things were likely to go wrong.
There was also the matter of Raphtalia's slave crest. He frowned and looked down as he thought it over. Just that morning he had told himself he wanted to try trusting people again. Keeping Raphtalia free and not bound to him would be a great start. His teeth clenched at the thought as fear of betrayal again rose inside his mind. He had to forcibly push the worry aside enough to think rationally. If Raphtalia were going to betray him, she would have done so the moment the slave crest was removed. 'She could be bidding her time,' his cynical side whispered. Naofumi mentally shuddered. The idea that Raphtalia was just bidding her time for the best moment to abandon or betray him hurt to think about.
'Small steps,' he told himself. 'If you are not ready to let someone else in then do not push it.' He groaned and rubbed his face with both hands. He needed to start somewhere. If he could not trust Raphtalia when she had done nothing but stay by him and remain loyal to him this entire time, then who could he trust?
"Master, are you all right?" Raphtalia asked in concern.
Naofumi looked back up at her and took a few seconds to study her open expression and caring eyes. He took a deep breath to steel himself. 'Trust starts somewhere.' "Your slave crest was removed," he said, glad that his voice was calm and controlled. "If you want, we do not have to get it reapplied."
Raphtalia placed one hand on her chest and smiled at him. "I want it reapplied, Master. Because of your unique skill, I level faster with the Slave Pact. It's not just that though," she continued with a blush. "It also connects me to you."
"If you are sure," Naofumi said, doing his best to ignore the feeling of relief that Raphtalia had declined his offer of freedom.
"I am," Raphtalia said with conviction. "I trust you, Master. I want to always be by your side. I know you don't trust people easily. I –"
Naofumi shook his head and interrupted her. "I don't trust people here easily, that's true. I want to trust you though. I can't very well trust you if I don't allow myself the chance to try."
Raphtalia stared at him with wide eyes and her cheeks were bright pink. She looked down at her bowl for a couple of seconds and then looked back up and met Naofumi's eyes once more. "Thank you, Master, but I want the crest back. I will prove my loyalty to you over time. I don't need to be free for you to learn to trust me."
Naofumi swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "All right. Then as soon as you are finished eating we will visit the slaver. We will leave a message with Erhard for Eiku should he return before we do."
Raphtalia smiled at him again and resumed eating.
BREAK
When they arrived back at the blacksmith's shop one hour later, slave crest reapplied and carrying an incubator and an egg, they heard voices from inside as soon as they opened the door. Naofumi expertly maneuvered around displays as he moved towards the back of the shop. The low conversation between Erhard and a shorter individual with honey-blond hair became easier to hear as he approached Erhard's shop counter.
"Just how old are you, kid?" Erhard asked.
"Fifteen," the individual responded proudly in a voice Naofumi immediately recognized as Eiku's. "I'll be sixteen next month."
"Oh, is that right? Got anything planned for your Maturity Day? Taking time off to go see your mother?"
Naofumi stopped next to a nearby display, far enough away to give Erhard and Eiku space to continue chatting. Raphtalia paused at his side to wait patiently as well.
"No. Half a day at most. I just took time off last month. Unless I can get to Riyute and back in half a day – which I can't do on my own – I will be staying here and spending it with friends." Eiku shrugged and his voice was cheery, without any sign he was bothered by not being able to visit home on what was clearly an important day. "Which is fine. My mother will understand and will likely celebrate with me the next time I see her."
"You'll be an adult and of marrying age," Erhard said while he looked over and waved to Naofumi and Raphtalia. "Got your eyes on anyone?"
Eiku turned to see whom Erhard had waved to and he smiled brightly when he saw Naofumi, his brown eyes sparkling happily. "I do now," he answered while looking straight at Naofumi.
Naofumi felt himself blush and his cheeks and ears felt like they were on fire. He needed to speak with Eiku about what each of them wanted. Eiku had said he would be fine with keeping things platonic and yet there he was, flirting with Naofumi. 'Likely because I did not share where I stood on the matter.' Naofumi knew that if he were to tell Eiku to stop flirting, then he would. Naofumi already knew he did not want their bond to stay 'lovingly platonic' as Eiku had put it. However, they would be going slow. He was not going to start a relationship with a fifteen, going on sixteen-year-old! No matter how fine said teenager looked with slightly damp hair while wearing a soft green tunic and attractive cream-coloured trousers that accentuated his form just so.
The blacksmith noticed where Eiku was looking and immediately caught on. He laughed boisterously as he lightly punched Eiku's shoulder. "Setting your sights pretty high there, kid." Eiku ducked his head shyly at the teasing and Erhard laughed again. He looked to Naofumi. "Welcome back, kiddo. Got what you needed?"
Naofumi nodded and held up his egg incubator. "I got an egg."
"An egg?" Erhard asked skeptically. "That all? Seemed to be a pretty important errand you were heading out for."
Naofumi darted his eyes to Eiku and did not answer. He did not know where Eiku stood on the matter of slavery and did not feel like being judged harshly by his soulmate. When he did not elaborate on their errand, however, Raphtalia did, obvious to the cause of Naofumi's hesitation.
"We went to get my slave crest reapplied," Raphtalia stated happily. She placed one hand over her breasts where the slave mark was drawn and covered up by her clothing and armour.
"You're a slave?" asked Eiku. Naofumi looked over at him. Eiku did not sound scandalized or upset, merely curious.
"Yes. Master Naofumi bought me as a sick cub and raised and took care of me," Raphtalia confirmed.
"Huh," Eiku said. Naofumi watched as Eiku looked at Raphtalia's thick brown hair, peachy, flawless skin, and strong figure. "I never would have guessed," he said without judgement. "You look incredibly healthy, happy, and well cared for."
Naofumi blinked. He had not expected Eiku to be so easily accepting. 'He keeps surprising me,' Naofumi thought and tension he had not realized he was feeling ebbed away. 'I wonder if this is simply another difference in our cultural upbringings. He lives in a country where slavery is legal so my owning a slave doesn't bother him, perhaps?'
"Thank you," Raphtalia said brightly. "Master is wonderful to me."
"I'm glad," Eiku said. "We all deserve to be treated properly by the ones we care about."
Raphtalia's eyes shone as she looked at Eiku. "You understand!"
Erhard chuckled. "Kid," he said to Eiku, "try to only woe one person at a time."
Eiku laughed nervously and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Why did the crest need to be reapplied?" he asked Raphtalia.
"The Spear Hero demanded Master Iwatani duel him and if Master lost then he would have to set me free."
"Ah, and because he 'lost', your crest was removed," Eiku said in understanding.
"Exactly. Master gave me a choice to have it reapplied or not." Erhard looked startled by this and shot Naofumi a searching look. "I choose to have it put back on."
"Loyalty like yours is definitely earned through thrust," Eiku said.
Raphtalia smiled brightly again and Erhard groaned. "Kid, what did I just tell you?" He turned to Naofumi. "I heard you were poisoned."
Naofumi nodded and stepped closer to put the incubator on the shop counter. "Kawasumi must have found something to poison his arrows with. I have no idea what he used though. Where I come from, the only similar symptoms to the ones I had come from ingesting poisonous frogs. Other symptoms included difficulty breathing, vomiting, and eventual death. There is no known antidote, but there are successful treatments."
Erhard whistled. "You are one tough individual, Lad. To think, you would have won that fight even while poisoned."
Raphtalia puffed her chest out in obvious pride. "Master Iwatani is amazing!"
"Eiku, I have been wanting to thank you for speaking out against the obvious cheating that night," Naofumi said, turning to look directly at Eiku. "Everyone there saw that bedswerving princess fire a spell at me, yet you were the only one to speak up about it." Naofumi cleared his throat as he felt himself getting emotional. "That meant a lot to me."
Eiku looked at him with warm eyes and did not brush Naofumi's thanks aside. "You are most welcome, Sir Iwatani. It was my pleasure and I am glad I was there that night to do so. You fought magnificently by the way. You were very heroic and valiant. You saved my life that night as well."
Naofumi's heart skipped a beat in horror. "What do you mean?"
"One of the Spear Hero's attacks would have hit me and two others. With the power he put behind it, if you had not hurried to block it, then two others and I would have been seriously injured or killed," Eiku explained calmly.
How was Eiku able to say that so calmly? Naofumi certainly did not feel fine! The thought that his soulmate would have died had it not been for Naofumi's dedication to protecting everyone that night, caused horror to grip his stomach. As if sensing his thoughts somehow, or reading the stillness of Naofumi's face and coming to the correct conclusion, Eiku stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Naofumi's bicep.
"I am all right thanks to you," he said while looking into Naofumi's eyes. "It is in your nature to protect all those you can. Thanks to your desire to protect others, you not only saved me but also many others that night. That quality is why you were chosen as the Cardinal Hero of Fortitude."
"What are you talking about?" Naofumi asked. He looked around at Erhard and Raphtalia for clarification. Raphtalia looked just as confused as Naofumi felt but Erhard was looking at him with dawning realization.
"He is speaking of the doctrine the Church of the Shield preaches," Erhard clarified. He gave each of them a meaningful look. "Hold on." He quickly crossed to the front of the shop and flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' and locked the door. He came back to them and put a finger to his lips. "We'll make this quick," he whispered. He looked at all three of them while he spoke but he primarily focused on Naofumi. "The Church of the Shield in Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden preaches that the Shield Hero embodies the spirit of courage and fortitude. Unlike the other heroes whose defining qualities always change, the Shield has always been illustrated the same way. Whether you displayed these qualities in your past world or not, the shield you possess believed you had them and choose you to be the Shield Hero."
Naofumi looked at Eiku whose eyes were shining with excitement and then looked down at the shield on his arm. "The shield choose me?" he asked softly and a little skeptically.
"Yes," Erhard confirmed, continuing to speak quietly. "A lot of the information regarding the heroes gets lost over the years but that is one thing that has remained in all of the Church doctrines. The Legendary Holy Weapons choose their wielders and bring them here from other worlds to save ours."
Naofumi looked up again. "Why fortitude and courage?" he asked in a whisper and looked furtively around the otherwise empty shop. He got a distinct impression that they were discussing something forbidden.
"It takes a lot of courage to stand at the forefront of every enemy attack and take blows meant for others," Eiku answered affectingly. "Like what you did in Riyute Village and during the duel."
"Exactly so," Erhard agreed. "The Church of Three Heroes preaches a similar doctrine. Aside from their tenet which claims the Shield Hero is a devil, that is."
"I told him about that," Eiku said softly.
Erhard continued. "Their doctrine states that the other three heroes embody the values of prudence, justice, and temperance. Again, unlike the Shield Hero, their qualities are not set for each hero. The Bow Hero, for example, can be any of the three. That is why the Four Heroes are known as the Four Cardinal Heroes. The other three young men that arrived with you were also chosen by their weapons because they must each possess one of those qualities. It has been theorized that the qualities of each hero working together is why only with all four, can the Waves be defeated. For instance, courage without prudence may lead to foolhardiness and unnecessary risk-taking, resulting in the Shield Hero's untimely death. Thus, the Hero of Prudence, The Three Heroes Church claims, is supposed to be the leader of the group and act as the voice of reason."
Naofumi stared at Erhard, his mind whirling. It felt as if everything he thought he knew had been flipped on its head. He had never once stopped to wonder why the heroes were called the Four Cardinal Heroes or why their weapon titles sometimes contained the word 'Holy' depending on who was speaking. He had wondered why he had been chosen to come to this world but had never thought it was because his weapon had made the decision. Why had the shield chosen him? He did not think he had the extreme qualities of courage or fortitude Eiku and Erhard said were so important to the Shield Hero.
Just then a little red triangle with a black exclamation mark in the center started to blink. He frowned and clicked on it and two unread notices he did not remember receiving, popped up. He read them aloud. "'Cursed Series Unlocked' and 'Blessed Series Unlocked?'" He looked to Erhard. "What do those mean?"
Erhard frowned and shook his head. He looked to Eiku who also shook his head. "I don't know," Erhard said. "So much information is missing regarding the Four Heroes and the Shield Hero in particular. Do you remember what you were doing when you got those messages?"
Naofumi opened the Cursed Series Unlocked notification to get more information and noticed that the time stamp placed the acquisition during his duel with Kitamura. The Blessed Series Unlocked time stamp indicated it was just that morning – when he had been talking to Eiku.
"I don't like the sound of this 'Cursed Series'," Erhard was saying when Naofumi tuned back into the conversation.
"I got that notice when I was duelling Kitamura," Naofumi said. "I remember being furious and wallowing in despair at one point. All I could think about was how much I hated everyone."
"Well that's nice," Erhard said with a grin. "Glad to know I am so loved."
Naofumi rolled his eyes at the lighthearted teasing. "The other one I got this morning while talking to Eiku. I remember feeling highly protective of him." This time he flushed slightly in embarrassment as he admitted his private thoughts from that morning in front of Erhard and Raphtalia.
Eiku blushed lightly at this and his smile was shy and adorable as looked back at Naofumi. 'Two years,' Naofumi mentally chanted. 'I just need to get through two years.'
Erhard looked between the two of them and smiled wolfishly. "All right, let's start with that one. 'Blessed' sounds much better than 'cursed', to me. Think those protective thoughts again. Only this time expand them to include Raphtalia and me."
Naofumi looked at the encouraging faces of Eiku, Erhard and Raphtalia and nodded. "All right, I'll give it a try." Thinking protective thoughts regarding his friends, he felt, was more positive than conjuring thoughts of rage and despair while thinking of the king, Myne and the rest of the country.
He closed his eyes and focused on how Raphtalia's devotion and loyalty made him feel. He thought of Erhard and his willingness to give Naofumi a chance when the rest of the country had deemed him a criminal. He thought of Eiku and his smiles. He thought of Eiku's faith and belief in Naofumi and his conviction and certainty that Naofumi was innocent. He thought of how the soulbond they shared made him feel cherished and wanted. His soulbond reacted to his thoughts and pulsed warmly, emitting its feelings of joy and love and Naofumi felt that warmth expand throughout his being.
He opened his eyes and looked at his three friends and thought of how much he wanted them to always be safe and protected. His feelings of protectiveness filled his entire being, met with his soulbound and exploded outwards in a pulse of blue light.
Blessed Fortitude Shield Series
"Master?" Raphtalia asked uncertainly.
Naofumi looked towards her with vision that was tinted blue. "I'm fine, Raphtalia," he answered and his voice sounded deeper and melodic to his ears. "I figured it out."
Naofumi looked down at his shield and activated Fortitude Shield. The shield that burst into existence was a stunning silver with silver filigree woven throughout the soothing sky blue center. As the shield activated, Naofumi felt his mind course with courage. He felt brave enough to face any threat, no matter how large, without flinching.
"By the Shield," Erhard whispered as stared at Naofumi with wide eyes.
"Literally," Eiku agreed, his eyes just as wide and filled with awe. Naofumi's soulbond pulsed strongly with the feeling in response.
"Your eyes are glowing blue, Master," Raphtalia said, her voice hushed, "and your skin and hair are shimmering."
"That would explain why my vision is blue," Naofumi replied, still in that same deep, melodic voice. "I'm going to try something," he told them. He held out his shield arm. "Divine Shield." A shimmering ice-blue barrier solidified individually around all three of them. Naofumi reached out and tried to push through Eiku's while Erhard and Eiku tried to push through theirs from within. Raphtalia took it a step farther. She drew her sword and pressed it against her barrier.
Naofumi grinned as the barriers held. "This is going to come in handy."
BREAK
Ten minutes later Naomi and Eiku were playing Twenty Questions as they strolled through a nearby park. After banishing the impenetrable barriers and Erhard had reopened his shop, Naofumi had pulled Erhard aside and begged him to let Raphtalia help him mind the shop. "Please, just for today. Besides, you have that outstanding order to complete, don't you?"
Erhard had looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Is this about that starry-eyed youth?" he had asked while gesturing to Eiku who was looking at daggers with Raphtalia.
Naofumi had sighed and leaned in close and pitched his voice lower. "Yes," he had confirmed, having already decided he was going to tell Erhard what was going on. Soulmates may be a sacred topic here and back home, but Erhard was a friend. Not a stranger in a throne room full of vultures and vipers. "He's my soulmate – I just found out this morning. He's sweet and wonderful and I want to spend the day getting to know him. Please, Erhard, don't make me beg."
Erhard had grinned and clapped Naofumi on the shoulder. "That's quite the shinning endorsement coming from you. Very well, go have some fun with your lad. I'll watch your daughter."
"She's not my –. You know what? Nevermind. Thank you. I'll see you in a few hours."
"You're welcome, Kiddo. Just remember to keep your hands to yourself."
Naofumi had rolled his eyes. "Of course I will. He's a teen and I am not a pervert."
Erhard had looked at him in bewilderment and said, "Not this again."
Naofumi had not cared to ask Erhard what that meant before he had quickly turned and gone to pull Eiku from the shop.
Now, they were outside and the day was lovely and Naofumi was learning a lot about his younger soulmate.
"All right, my turn," he said as he glanced around for inspiration. "Ah! Favourite flower?"
"Shrianna," Eiku answered without hesitation.
Naofumi was learning a lot, sure. Sometimes though, the answers were not very helpful at the moment. What did shrianna look like, for example? This was a foreign world and he had not learned about all of its unique plants and animals. Yet, many were the same somehow while there were many more that were not. He filed the information away along with other details to find more about later.
"If it's raining outside, what activity do you most want to do?" Eiku asked.
"Read," Naofumi answered. "I can't read this country's language though, so…"
"I can teach you!" Eiku excitedly offered. He looked up at Naofumi (who was seven centimetres taller) with an excited expression. "It will allow us the opportunity to spend more time together whenever you are in the city for business."
Naofumi swallowed and his fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and tuck one of Eiku's errant locks of hair back behind his ears. He gripped his hands together behind his back and nodded. "Thank you. Having someone help me learn will be easier than teaching myself."
"Great! We'll get you reading in no time. All right, your turn."
"What's a food you vow never to eat again?" Naofumi asked after a few seconds of consideration. What number were they on?
"Plikawi bread," Eiku answered with a bright laugh. "It was so spicy and there was not enough auroch milk to drink. My eyes and nose ran for what felt like hours."
"Right. I'll make sure to stay away from that too," Naofumi said while having no idea what plikawi bread was.
Eiku grinned and bounced slightly on the balls of his feet. "What is the next skill that you'd like to learn well?" he asked.
"Better potion-making. I need to make something that will combat poisons and other ailments at once," Naofumi replied wryly. He looked to Eiku. "What about you?"
"Hmm… I think I want to devote more time to my magical studies. Although…" he said thoughtfully. "As both of us already know those skills, we need to answer again. It must be something we don't already know how to do."
Naofumi groaned good-naturally. For some reason, it was easy to feel more cheerful around Eiku. "What are some crafts people can learn here?"
"Well," Eiku said and started to list them, "there is blacksmithing, jewelry or accessory making, jewel crafting, bookbinding, shoemaking, weaponsmithing, weaving, lace making, embroidery… I could keep going. Any of those sound appealing?"
"Honestly?" Naofumi said. "Most of them do."
Questions continued in a similar vein for several more minutes and then Eiku stopped next to a large bush with purple flowers. He fidgeted for a few seconds and then said, "Last question: What do you want to happen with our relationship? Do you want us to stay platonic friends and confidants? Or," he blushed a charming pink colour but did not look away from Naofumi's eyes, "do you want us to have more of a romantic relationship?"
Naofumi felt himself blush as he looked into Eiku's charming brown eyes. Years ago, before he had turned eleven and the possibility of ever getting a soulbound had become impossible, he used to imagine all of the ways he would be romantic with his soulmate when they finally met. Hand holding, walks in the park, exchanging flower crowns… His eyes darted to the purple flowers on display and he felt more of his past carefree self take over to guide him. He reached out and gently picked one of the purple flowers blooming amidst the teal leaves and pressed a soft kiss to one of the delicate petals as he looked into Eiku's eyes again.
"I want us to eventually be more than friends," he said softly.
Eiku's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed an even darker shade of pink as Naofumi stepped closer to tuck the flower into Eiku's honey-blond hair and secured the stem around his ear. Inside Naofumi's chest, the soulbond sang with ecstasy.
"Please," he gently requested. "Call me Naofumi."
~*~End of Chapter 06~*~
"Only a life lived for others is a life worth living." – Albert Einstein