Author's Note: A kaleidoscope is a 'group of butterflies'.
Chapter 08 – Travel to Riyute Village and Beyond
Riyute Village, Melromarc, Raphtalia's World
7 Zinat, Springtime
Surprisingly, Raphtalia waited until Riyute Village was in sight before she asked the question Naofumi had been expecting to hear for the last three hours.
"What is your relationship with that boy, Master?"
"He's not a 'boy'," Naofumi firmly corrected. "According to this country's age rules, he is a 'young man'." Eiku being called a boy when Naofumi wanted to officially court him was beyond creepy.
Raphtalia scowled. "Young man then," she corrected, her tone mulish.
Naofumi kept his eyes on the village in the distance as he thought of how to answer. He could just go with the truth. That would be the easiest solution and better than avoiding the topic forever. Or making things needlessly complicated in the future somehow. He sighed. He still did not want to discuss the topic of soulmates with Raphtalia. 'You wanted to start trusting people again,' he reminded himself. He frowned at his inner voice. It sounded mocking.
Naofumi took a few seconds to draw strength from the warmth of the bond and drew the comforting feelings within it around himself like a second cloak. When he felt as ready as he ever would be, he looked over at Raphtalia walking beside him, met her eyes, and said, "He's my soulmate."
She stared at him, her face blank and crimson eyes shuttered, for five seconds. "Oh," she then said and looked away.
"That's it?" Naofumi asked. He saw Raphtalia clench her jaw as she stared straight ahead. 'That had gone better than I expected,' he thought. Raphtalia did not speak again for the remainder of the walk.
BREAK
The first thing Naofumi did when he entered the village was head to the village square and register the city as a return point using the village's fountain as a focus. It was a nice fountain with a large basin and some sort of large bird of prey looking upwards toward the sky with its wings extended. The water cascaded down in a stream from the bird's open beak and holes along the feathers in the wings. It was one of the only things in the village that had not been destroyed or damaged in the recent Wave attack. Naofumi figured permanent structures were best to use as return point anchors so the fountain was perfect for his needs.
"That should do it," he muttered allowed. Without another word, he headed off in the direction of the village's inn, knowing Raphtalia would follow. Which she did while still silently sulking for some reason. 'I will never understand women,' he thought as he reached out and opened the door to the inn. He then mentally slapped himself. 'Don't be sexist. It's people in general that you don't understand.' "Fair enough," he muttered to himself as he stepped into the inn and headed for the counter and the inn's proprietor standing behind it.
The proprietor, a middle-aged man with amber-coloured hair and brown eyes, looked up from the solo card game he was playing as Naofumi approached and grinned widely when he saw who had entered his inn. "Shield Hero! Welcome! Will you be staying in town long?"
"No, just the night to start," Naofumi said as he reached into the money pouch hanging from his belt and withdrew a silver coin. He placed it on the counter. Ever since his first night in Melromarc, he had taken to keeping most of his money in his shield. A precaution that had saved him from being utterly destitute the following morning when nearly everything else he owned had been stolen from his room. As a result, his money pouch only ever contained ten silvers at a time and he only withdrew money from his shield in front of people he trusted to some degree. Like the slave trader and the blacksmith whom both knew Naofumi was the Shield Hero and did not care. However, sometimes only keeping ten silvers on him at a time made him think he was more destitute than he was.
The innkeeper reached beneath the counter and retrieved a small, bronze key which he slid over the counter to Naofumi, pushing the silver coin back along with it. "Here you go. Take that coin with you. It's staining my counter," he said, mirth dancing in his eyes.
Naofumi frowned. "It's a silver for the room, yes?"
The proprietor scoffed. "Not for you and yours. The young miss there saved my wife and son during the last Wave attack. Your money will never be good here!"
Naofumi had not failed to notice the state of disrepair to most of the buildings in town. He looked around now at the inn and took note of the patched hole in the ceiling and the still present hole in one of the walls. He looked back to the innkeeper and frowned. "You need money to repair your inn."
The innkeeper waved the concern aside and winked. "I'll just charge those other heroes five silver a night to stay."
Naofumi smirked slightly as he tucked the coin away and picked up the room key. "Charge them at least ten. They can afford it."
The innkeeper laughed and Naofumi turned and headed for the stairs to the second level. "Come, Raphtalia," he said. "We'll drop our things off and then head out."
Raphtalia dutifully followed, her leather booted feet making very little noise as she followed Naofumi up the stairs. "Where are we going?" she asked, breaking her silence.
Naofumi unlocked the door corresponding to the number on the key and stepped into the quaint little room to deposit his travelling pack on the bed closest to the windows. He took several seconds to look around and was pleased to see that while the room was different from the last one he had stayed in last time at this inn, it was just as clean as the other one had been.
Raphtalia entered and placed the incubating egg on the table by the door and set her pack down on the other bed and then turned to Naofumi. "Master?" she prompted.
Naofumi had paced over to one of the room's windows and was watching the villagers as they worked on repairs. Naofumi looked away from the activity outside the window as he answered her. "I have business with one of the villagers in town so that is our priority. After that, I want to search the woods nearby for herbs we can either use or sell."
"All right," Raphtalia said agreeably. "Who are we seeing?"
Naofumi turned away and crossed to the door in three paces. "Mrs. Takara. I need to find out where she lives first." He was about to step back into the hall when Raphtalia's voice stopped him.
"Eiku's mother?" she asked. Naofumi frowned and turned around to look at Raphtalia. He could not place the tone in her voice. Her face was expressionless, but like always, her tail broadcasted her emotions. It hung limply behind her and was more fluffed out than normal.
"Yes," Naofumi answered. "Eiku said she would be willing to help us learn to read."
Raphtalia sat on the bed and looked away from him. "I'll stay here," she said. "Someone has to look after the egg and our things."
Naofumi felt like rolling his eyes. He did not but it was a close thing. "What is wrong, Raphtalia?"
"Nothing," she stubbornly replied, still looking away.
Naofumi reached up and rubbed his nose ridge in frustration. "Fine. If you go out, stay out of trouble. I'll be back later."
She did not deign him with a reply and feeling frustrated and confused, Naofumi stepped out into the hall and closed the room's door behind himself. 'What is going on with her?' he wondered as he descended the stairs to the first floor. As he crossed the main floor to the proprietor still standing behind the counter, he pushed thoughts of Raphtalia to the side to reexamine later. 'Maybe she'll be in a better mood when I return and will be willing to talk then,' he thought.
The innkeeper looked up at Naofumi's approach and grinned again in greeting. "Back so soon?"
"I need information," Naofumi said, getting straight to the point. "Where can I find Takara Hina?"
BREAK
Hina's house was a two-story, white and blue painted farmhouse on the outskirts of the village. It had seen some damage during the last Wave attack but not as much as many of the other houses closer to the village center. A woman wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, a pink and white floral dress, and a white apron was crouched in the front garden picking weeds.
She looked up at the sound of Noafumi's boots crunching upon the dirt path leading to the front porch. Her light brown hair curled out from under her hat and brushed the collar of her dress and the corners of her honey-coloured eyes. She smiled at Naofumi in greeting and he was struck by how much Eiku's smile resembled hers.
"Afternoon!" she called out. She leaned back onto her heels and wiped her hands on her apron, leaving dirt trails behind. "What can I do for you, stranger?"
Naofumi finished walking up the path and stopped at the edge of the garden. He then crouched so he was not looming over her as they spoke. She smiled softly at the gesture and waited for him to speak.
Naofumi was not sure how to start. He wanted to make a good first impression and that was making him inexplicably nervous. He looked into Hina's patient eyes for a few seconds and decided to be forthright. He took a deep breath and as was becoming a habit, let his soulbond's gentle warmth calm the nervous kaleidoscope in his stomach before he spoke.
"Afternoon," he answered. "My name is Iwatani Naofumi. I am the Shield Hero and your son's soulmate. Is there somewhere we can sit and talk?"
Hina's eyes widened and she covered her delighted smile with her hands. "Oh, how wonderful you are!" She stood and gestured to the farmhouse door. "Please, follow me inside. We can talk in the den." She carefully stepped over her growing plants and made her way up the porch steps. "Would you like something to drink, dear?" she asked as she opened the door and made her way down the hall.
"No, thank you," Naofumi replied as he followed her into the house and to a cozy sitting room with a fireplace in the corner.
Hina took a seat in one of the armchairs and gestured for Naofumi to do the same with the other armchair in the room. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Holy Shield Hero. I am very pleased to hear that the bond seems to have worked itself out. The last time I spoke with my son, he was concerned that you did not seem to recognize it."
Naofumi took a seat in the second armchair and turned to face Hina fully. "Me too," Naofumi told her, his voice gentling as he thought of Eiku. "You have an amazing son, Mrs. Takara."
"I have always thought so," she agreed as she looked him over. "Eiku was not exaggerating. You are indeed very handsome."
Naofumi felt his ears heat in embarrassment. "He said that?"
"Oh yes. Do not worry though. Your looks were secondary to your moral qualities. He made sure to list how honourable and brave you were first."
There was that word again. Honourable was what Eiku had called him when they first met after the last Wave. Naofumi looked down at his hands in his lap and felt uncharacteristically shy. "He believed in me from the start. Everyone else has had to be convinced – but not Eiku. He believed in me wholeheartedly even before he learned we were soulmates."
Naofumi looked back up to return his gaze to Hina's. "Have you heard the rumours about me?"
Hina nodded, her expression kind. "Yes. You were big news for a while as the king's agents went to all the towns and spread the word of your wicked deeds. The Three Heroes Church's defamation of you helped your infamous reputation quickly grow."
"And what did you believe?" Naofumi asked hesitantly. Even though they had just met, Hina's opinion of him mattered to him.
Hina folded her hands in her lap as she replied. "It is a difficult subject to think about subjectively. Especially if one does not have all of the information. Which the king made sure of. I did not want to outright dismiss the claims. Doing so is how people get away with legitimate crimes. However, I did not want to condemn someone without evidence. To be perfectly honest, I was leaning more towards the side of believing the crimes against you." Naofumi could not help but flinch a little at that but forced himself to remain calm and continue to listen.
"For someone to lie about someone else performing such an act against them seemed almost too unreal. Who, after all, would lie about something like that? I believe this was likely the mindset a lot of other people had too. Then a messenger hawk arrived from Eiku with a letter detailing everything he knew about the lack of a trial and his decision to believe in you until you were proven without a doubt to be guilty. I decided to follow his example. The details were lining up to be too suspicious and I could not in good conscience support such a possible scandal."
"Just like that?" Naofumi asked, moved by the support.
"Of course," Hina stated as if the answer was obvious and her actions not at all momentous. "I trust my son's judgment and reasoning skills. He has always been one to examine all angles before acting. With the additional information he provided, I could not do anything else but follow his example."
"Thank you," Naofumi said. "I didn't do any of the terrible things they say I did."
Hina leaned forward and took his larger hand in her own. Her smaller palms were calloused from hard work and Naofumi wondered what she did for a living. "I know, dear," Hina replied. "You would not be my son's soulmate if you were capable of such cruelty. Our soulmates are made to complement us. It's very rare for good people to be paired with those that seek to harm others. Thus, I don't need a proper trial to know that you are innocent. I knew for sure the moment Eiku came to me with stars in his eyes and all but declared his love for you."
"Love?" Naofumi whispered, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Within his bond, the ever-present tendril of love uncurled like a lazy cat and flexed through the bond's warmth. He had slowly been getting the idea that the feelings he had been feeling were actually coming from Eiku and this further confirmed the theory. He had not heard of feelings being shared through the bond back on Earth, however. Had soulbonds always acted in such a way and no one spoke of it? Or was it a phenomenon that only happened in this world?
"Of course," Hina answered. "If he does not already love you, then he will very soon. You seem the sort to quickly instill fierce loyalty and protective feelings in others." She gently squeezed his hand. "Besides, how can he not love the person he waited so long for?"
Naofumi's eyes widened as her words echoed the ones Eiku had said to him just the day before. Had it really only been yesterday? So much had happened in such a short time and it felt as if he and Eiku were closer than a mere day's acquaintanceship would allow. He felt the warmth of the bond pulse comfortably with joy and awe and shivered slightly. It seemed somehow impossible that someone could love him so quickly.
Hina squeezed his hand one final time and leaned back. "Was there some other reason you came to visit me?" she asked.
Noafumi nodded and took a fortifying breath. "I wish to inform you of my intentions to court your son should he agree. The suit will take place over the course of two years and, I assure you, will stay completely proper."
Hina's honey-coloured eyes danced with barely contained mirth. "Shouldn't you be asking for my permission first?"
Naofumi levelled her with a serious look. "Respectfully? No."
Hina giggled and leaned forward to pat his hand. "Well, you shall have it anyway." She looked him in the eyes and smiled gently at him. "Treat my son right and make him happy."
Naofumi nodded and very seriously said, "I will. I promise."
Pleased, Hina leaned back. "Good. Now then, is there anything else?"
Naofumi nodded. "Eiku told me that you may be able to provide materials from which I can learn to read."
"I have the perfect thing, dear. Follow me upstairs," Hina said.
She stood and Naofumi followed her up the stairs and to a closed door. Hina opened it and gestured for him to enter. The room was flooded in natural light from two large windows. The room contained a bed, desk, and dresser. There was also a bookcase containing a small collection of books and shelves with an assortment of clearly handmade toys on them. He approached the nearest shelf to get a better look at a yellow crocheted filolial and a small, brown crocheted bovine of some soft.
"That's an auroch," Hina told him, having noticed his interest from where she was standing by the bookcase.
"Did you make these?" Naofumi asked her.
"No," she said proudly. "Eiku did." She snorted affectingly. "I taught him. He still thinks his skills aren't as impressive as mine, the foolish child."
"These are very good," Naofumi admired.
Hina turned away and grabbed an item from the bookcase and took it over to the desk. "Come over here, dear."
Naofumi did as requested and found himself looking down at a small book sitting in the center of the desk. Hina placed a hand on it and looked up at him and Naofumi realized for the first time that Hina was shorter than himself.
"I bought this from a trader out of Siltvelt years ago. Two years before Eiku was born. It was created by the previous – no, sorry, the Shield Hero before you died. This was created by the one before that."
"No one ever talks about the previous heroes. What happened to them?" Naofumi asked her.
"Well, the last group before you all died within a month after being summoned. The Shield Hero was killed in Siltvelt and no one knows why. They love the Shield Hero, after all. With the Shield dead, the other three did not last long. That's why your group was summoned after this world's very first Wave. The one that hit this town was the second Wave."
"Well, that's just great," Naofumi said sarcastically. "I thought I had problems here with everyone hating me. For the Shield Hero to die while in a country where the Shield Hero is a beloved figure does not give me much hope." Suddenly he was less inclined to visit the other nations. At least in this one, he knew what to expect.
As if guessing the direction Naofumi's thoughts were going, Hina said, "Every country has its traitors. Still, try to keep an open mind about eventually visiting the other nations. Melromarc is not the only country affected by the Waves of Calamity. All of the other nations have Dragon Hourglasses as well and none of them have heroes to help defend them. When the king summoned all four of you here…"
Hina trailed off but Naofumi did not need for her finish. By summoning all of the heroes at once, the king had condemned all of the other nations to fight the Waves alone. "They must hate this country right now," he said.
"Possibly. At the very least, relations are certainly sure to be strained," Hina agreed. "The heroes are supposed to work together to save the entire world. Which is difficult to do if they are all confined to one area. For you four to help the other nations, you are going to have to travel to them and register with their Dragon Hourglasses. Any area that has an hourglass is in danger of having a wave attack it. However, a hero will not travel automatically to another nation's wave unless they have registered with the hourglass that is within the same region as said wave."
Naofumi pinched his nose ridge in frustration. "Why does no one tell me these things? If they seriously wanted my help they would inform me of things like this! Why bother summoning me at all if they are going to keep me in the dark?" He had seen the destruction just one wave had done to Riyute Village – and that was with heroes helping. The other nations had been suffering from waves this entire time with no help? Just how many people had died already?
"The Shield Hero is not valued here, Holy Shield Hero," Hina answered, using Naofumi's title for the second time. "All you can do now is prove everyone is wrong about the Shield Hero and save as many people as you can by being the best hero you can be."
"Why should I bother helping this world at all?" he asked bitterly and without thought. He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He knew the answer. He did not need Hina to answer his question.
She did so anyway. "Because like it or not, you live here now, Shield Hero. And so does Eiku."
Naofumi closed his eyes in defeat. "I know."
"You are understandably frustrated. Anyone in your situation would be," Hina allowed. "When you start feeling those dark thoughts, try to remember that there are people close to you that depend on you for their protection. For now, let's focus on something else. Here," she opened the book and began to unfold it. Naofumi looked curiously at the large page as it was revealed. He had not expected something like that.
Hina started to unfold another sheet as Naofumi bent closer to study the first one. It was covered in pictures and symbols that he only recognized as letters because he recognized half of the characters as the Latin alphabet used back on Earth. "The hero that made this is reported to have been very good with languages. He designed these sheets to help new heroes learn the written language of this world," Hina explained. "There are five of these, each depicting a different alphabet from the world he came from."
When she had laid out all of the sheets, Naofumi recognized three of the alphabet sheets as being Latin, Arabic, and kanji. The other two were not familiar. He took a look at the kanji sheet and noticed that the characters represented sounds that were indicated as drawings of items and animals. Those, in turn, matched up to the characters used in the second alphabet. "Wow," he said softly, impressed. "This looks valuable. How much did you pay?"
Hina chuckled and stepped back. "Not a lot. These alphabet books are commonly found in Siltvelt."
Naofumi traced one of the paths connecting characters to drawings and sounded out the foreign letter. Hina beamed. "Perfect!"
Naofumi looked up at her. "May I borrow this?"
"Of course," Hina said as she started to fold one of the sheets back up. "These are doing nothing here but collecting dust. I am happy to provide them for you to use. When I next see you, you can let me know if they have been of use or not."
"Thank you," Naofumi said as he helped her fold the sheets up. "These will certainly help a lot."
Once the pages were all folded back into the book, Hina handed it to him and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Naofumi shook his head. "Thank you for your assistance."
Hina smiled at him, her honey-coloured eyes kind. "Anytime, dear."
Naofumi followed her back downstairs and turned to the door but paused when Hina reached out and lightly touched the back of his hand. "I have something for you. Come with me," she said. She led the way back to the den and crossed the room to one of the armchairs. Beside it was a wicker knitting basket Naofumi had not taken note of before.
She opened it and reached in to retrieve a light blue bundle. She turned around and presented it to Naofumi with another gentle smile. He reached out and took it from her. The material reminded him of alpaca fur. It was incredibly soft and felt light - as if he was holding a cloud. He lightly stroked the soft material and the effect as the yarn brushed his skin was somehow soothing and relaxing. The material gave him a sense of security and his soulbond pulsed warmly in response and flooded his chest with hope and affection.
"I made those for you," Hina said. "Try them on so I can see the fit."
Curious, Naofumi looked down at the bundle he was holding. On top were two knitted mittens. He walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down so could examine the bundle further without dropping it. He placed it on his lap and set the mittens aside to reveal a knitted hat. Beneath the hat was a folded scarf. Naofumi could only stare at the items for a minute in silence, moved by the implication of the present and the show of support. Hina had knitted him the set of items before she had even met him.
Slowly and carefully, he wrapped the scarf once around his neck. It was long enough to reach three-fourths down his chest. Next, he pulled on the hat. It was large enough to cover his head and the length of his neck and also fold over and cover his ears. The mittens he slipped on last. They were slightly big and long in the thumb and fingers. The soft material hugged his skin as he moved his hands inside of them.
Naofumi heard a slight rustle and looked up to see that Hina had stepped forward and was eyeing him scrutinizingly. Her eyes ran over the mittens, hat and scarf and she nodded. "The fit is a little big but it works. The colour looks great against your dark hair. Very fetching! If you leave them with me I could weave in some green to bring out the colour of your eyes."
"No," Naofumi answered as he looked back down at the mittens and smiled at the soothing colour and the emotional effect they were having on him. "These are perfect." He reached up and stroked his cheeks, marvelling at how soft the material was. "What are they made of?"
"Ewango fur. They are large bovid animals with long fur suitable for textile production. I got that fur years ago to create something for Eiku's eventual soulmate. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of it than you."
Naofumi's throat tightened at the affection in her voice and he did not know how to respond.
Hina reached out and took his mitten-covered hands gently in her own. When he looked up at her and met her warm, honey-coloured eyes she gave him another kind smile. "Stay safe out there and come by to visit again, all right?"
Naofumi nodded mutely and Hina leaned forward to press a feather-light kiss to his forehead.
The phantom touch of Hina's lips lingered on his forehead during the walk back to the inn.
BREAK
Naofumi got back to the inn while there was still plenty of daylight left and found Raphtalia sitting at a table in the main room, eating. She looked up when he put the alphabet book on the table. "How did it go, Master?" she asked politely.
Naofumi studied Raphtalia as he pulled out a chair and sat. She looked… fine. There was no sign of her earlier strange mood. To avoid triggering it again, he did not ask how she was feeling. "Great," Naofumi said. He indicated the book. "Mrs. Takara lent us a book of alphabets to use."
Raphtalia glanced at it and made an abortive movement to open it before remembering that she was eating and her fingers were likely messy. "Do you still want to take a trip into the forest? We can begin studying tonight after we return."
"Sure. We have at least a few more hours – candle marks – left of light left." There were many things he had quickly adjusted to saying. Others things were taking longer to adjust to. There were also some phrases he still slipped up on. "Finish eating and we will head out."
BREAK
That night the egg hatched and Naofumi's life suddenly became a lot more complicated. Some would argue that his life had become more enriched as a result. Naofumi had a difficult time thinking such a thing when the small, pink chick he had suddenly acquired ate everything she could get her beak on. She was also very demanding of Naofumi's attention and insisted that he sleep with her in the barn at night after she had grown to the size of a small ostrich.
When Naofumi woke up in the morning, not only did he discover straw in his hair, he immediately noticed Filo had grown even more during the night and she was now large enough to ride.
"You grew this much in just three days?" he asked Filo in stunned astonishment, as he looked up at her tall form from his position in the hay. Yesterday she had been distinctly smaller and mostly pale pink. Now she was almost solid white with pale pink feathers on the tips of her tail and head crest feathers. The only trait that was still the same was her vibrant, blue eyes.
She chirped at him and her beak lowered to nibble his hair. He reached up and gently pushed her beak away so he could stand just as the stable door opened.
"Master Iwatani?" Raphtalia called out.
"In here," Naofumi called back.
Naofumi was brushing straw off his shoulders when Filo's stall door opened and Raphtalia gasped. "She grew again?"
"Obviously," Naofumi snarked and Raphtalia sent him a glare.
"Have you named her yet?"
"Filo," Naofumi answered as he stood with hands on his hips and studded the large bird in front of him.
"Wow, how original," Raphtalia deadpanned.
"She seems to like it."
As if to prove it, Filo chirped happily and ruffled her feathers.
"Will she get any bigger?" Raphtalia asked as she reached out to stroke Filo's yellow beak.
"Spirits, I hope not," Naofumi replied. "Besides, how much bigger can she realistically get? She's already larger than any other filolial I have seen."
BREAK
It was going on evening by the time Kitamura and his cheating doxy and her knights left the village to he did not care where. He stood with the other villagers and glared at their retreating backs until Filo nudged him with her beak. He turned and with a slight smile reached up and stroked her beak. "Good job, girl."
"Shield Hero?" someone asked.
Naofumi turned around and immediately recognized the speaker as the village leader. He was an older man with brown eyes and greying hair. He was wearing green and blue robes and a green shawl. "Thank you again for your help, Sir Hero. We don't know how to express our gratitude for everything you have done. Please, allow us to repay you for your assistance."
"I don't want money," Naofumi told him firmly. "I don't want to take funds away from your rebuilding efforts."
The village leader and the gathered villagers looked at Naofumi in surprise. "What else can we give you," the village leader asked, pleadingly.
Naofumi cast his eyes around the village entrance, seeking inspiration. 'I had not thought that far ahead…'
Filo tapped him on the head with her beak and he looked up at her in question. She looked over to one of three wagons sitting just inside the village fence, awaiting repairs. Naofumi looked back to the village leader.
"I'll take a wagon," he stated.
The village elder clasped his hands together and bowed slightly in relief. "Thank you for allowing us to serve you. We will have one ready for you by tomorrow," he stated. He looked back up at Naofumi in question. "Will you be staying in town much longer?"
Naofumi shook his head and gestured to Filo. "Now that she seems to have stopped growing, and my business here is completed, we will be heading out tomorrow morning."
The village elder nodded his head and his greying hair fluttered slightly in the evening breeze. "Your wagon will be ready," he assured.
"Look!" one of the villagers suddenly exclaimed while pointing to something behind and to the side of Naofumi. Several of the villagers gasped at the sight of whatever it was and Naofumi turned around, already dreading what he would see.
There, standing beside him was Filo, only now she was even taller, bigger and fluffier. She looked more like a giant owl. She was still a lovely snow-white, but now her head crest feathers were a solid dark pink and her chest feathers were ringed with dark pink feathers. Evidently, she could keep growing after all. Naofumi groaned at the sight and mentally saw his meagre coin disappearing under hundreds of kilos of food.
"Stop growing!"
BREAK
11 Zinat, Springtime
The next morning, Naofumi woke and packed his and Raphtalia's belongings. While he met with the village leader at the village's main entrance, Raphtalia went to the village's communal barn to retrieve Filo.
"Take this," the elderly man said, holding out a rectangular gold bar.
Naofumi took and examined it. It had a hole on the top surrounded by an embossed design. Below that, there was an area filled with writing. Having just started studying the language, Naofumi could only recognize the words for 'merchant', 'pass', and 'fee'. He looked up and asked, "What is this?"
"It is a toll pass for travelling merchants. Some roads have tolls connected to them. This pass will let you through without paying." The elderly village leader smiled. "Perhaps you can put the wagon to use and work as a travelling merchant."
Naofumi looked back down at the pass. 'That is a fine idea.' He slipped the pass into a belt pouch and looked up and said, "Thank you," just as Raphtalia came running.
"Master! Master! Quick, I need to show you something."
Alarmed by Raphtalia's viable alarm, Naofumi guessed Raphtalia had come directly from the barn and quickly made his way there. Raphtalia, hot on his heels, darted ahead to lead him inside the barn and to Filo's stall. When she opened the stall door, instead of Filo's large owl form, there was instead a small naked female child with long, golden blond hair standing in the center of the stall with hay up to her knees.
Naofumi did not have time to be more than surprised by the strange sight before the child launched herself at him with a cry of "Master!" and latched her arms around his neck.
Naofumi turned to Raphtalia, the child still clinging to his front, and asked, "Who is this? Where is Filo?"
The small girl clinging to him leaned back to look up at him and said, "Filo is here, Master!"
Naofumi took a few seconds to look at her face. He studied it and realized with a start that he recognized the girl's vibrant, blue eyes. "Filo?" he asked, confused. Then, "I told you not to grow anymore!" 'Nothing in this world is as I expect it to be,' he thought with resignation. 'Why not also have animals that can change into kids?'
"That's Filo?" Raphtalia asked in shocked surprise.
Filo turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Raphtalia. "Big sister is slow!"
Raphtalia's tail puffed up in irritation and her eyes narrowed. "I am not your sister!"
Aggrieved, Naofumi closed his eyes and groaned. 'How is this my life?'
BREAK
Naofumi had been thinking about where to go next for days now. After what Hina had said about the previous Shield Hero dying in a foreign country that was supposed to be friendly, Naofumi had thought going to another country would be too risky. However, she was correct in that he would need to go if he wanted to save the world. Simply fighting off the Waves in Melromarc would not help in the long run. There were still thirty-eight days left until the next Wave. More than enough time to get to Shieldfreeden and register with the Dragon Hourglass in that country's capital city.
Their first stop on their trip east had been in Lafan Village to send a quick letter to Eiku and to buy clothes for Filo. Naofumi had only been able to afford a few sets of dresses and undergarments because with Filo's new size came an increased appetite. She was like a bottomless pit! Naofumi had no idea where all the food went. Buying extra grain and dried auroch meat was quickly chipping into his reserve funds. By the second hamlet they reached on their way east, Naofumi had firmly told Filo that she needed to primarily graze as a bird to conserve coin. She had retaliated by refusing to strip out of her new outfit before she had transformed and it had shredded into a thousand pieces.
Naofumi could not help but sigh as he thought of Filo and her stubbornness. Raphtalia had never been so willful. He carefully tucked away the now empty vile he had used to administer a cure to the old man sitting in a rocking chair in front of the room's bed. His blond-haired daughter stood anxiously to the side, watching Naomfumi work with hopeful and desperate eyes. The cure quickly took effect and the old man's pallor drained away, leaving a healthy flush to the man's skin in its wake.
"What is bothering you, young man?" the old man he had just cured asked. He looked at Naofumi with eyes that were once again clear, instead of the milky white they had been seconds before.
Naofumi could not help but feel slightly amused. "You just got cured and instead of expressing your thanks, you are worrying about me?"
The old man's daughter dashed forward to throw her arms around her father in a tight embrace. The old man laughed and returned the hug until she pulled back and turned to Naofumi with tears of happiness in her eyes. "I'll just have to thank you for him." She bowed low. "Thank you so much for treating my father."
Naofumi nodded and looked between the young lady and her elderly father and got an idea. He looked back to the elderly man. "Would you have any advice on how to handle an extremely obstinate and willful child? About six years of age?"
"Ah! Kid troubles?" the old man asked with a chuckle.
"Something like that," Naofumi replied evasively.
"Well, my Sora was a very obedient child," the old man said as he reached out and took the young lady's hand. "Her son though is very stubborn." He looked up at the young lady. "Sora, what methods are you using with Riku?"
Sora put her free hand to her chin in thought. "I am very patient with him. Which is challenging at times. The trick is to be more stubborn than him, so I resort to patience. I give false choices when needed. 'Do you want to wear your red shirt or your blue shirt today?' for example. I don't let him choose another shirt. I also teach him that consequences have actions. If he refuses to wear his mittens in the snow then I don't force him to wear them. I warn him about the cold and if he persists, then I let him go out without mittens. He then quickly realizes that his hands are starting to freeze and he'll wear his mittens without complaint from then on.
"I always follow through with ultimatums and never threaten to do something I cannot follow through with. For example, 'You have one more chance to calm down and if you continue to act this way then we are simply going to go home.' That one can be more annoying for me than him. However, it is one that quickly teaches lessons. I only had to leave the market a few times before Riku learned and now is well behaved when we need to go anywhere. Or, 'I know that you are having fun in the bath but your bedtime is very soon. I have been trying to get you out of the tub for a while now. If you do not let me get you out then I will start taking away stories.' I always tell him three stories before bed but if I have to, I will take one, sometimes even all three away. I never threaten to leave him somewhere for not listening. 'We are going home. If you do not come with me, then I will leave you here.' Obviously, I would never follow through with that, so I do not even say it. It would teach him that I am willing to lie and that I do not follow through with what I say."
She stopped to take a moment to think and absently stroked her father's hair. "I am firm but I never yell unless it is life-threatening. Yelling all the time quickly becomes ineffective. If I need to yell to keep Riku from crossing the road without me, then he will instantly stop and listen to me. I also validate Riku's feelings. For example, if he falls down, I never say 'You're all right.' I ask him if he is. I tell him he fell and hurt himself and got a little scared and that he is not all right but that he will be. This teaches him how to recognize his own feelings and it is thus easier for him to express them. It makes it easier to talk things through with him when he is feeling particularly obstinate too. It also teaches him that I genuinely care about his well-being.
"I never use my authority to boss him around. Instead of asking him to come here and answering, 'Because I said so!' when he asks 'Why?', I explain why. Or I start with why. 'We need to go to the market. Please come here so I can help you with your shoes.' This also has the effect of speeding things along. By talking to him like a person, I show that I respect him and in turn, he returns the favour. I also do my best to give him proper choices. Children spend most of their lives with little control over it. By giving him control over harmless things, I can alleviate his frustration."
Sora shrugged and smiled at Naofumi. "I listen to him. If he is feeling stubborn, I ask why. By listening I can validate his feelings and come to a solution we are both comfortable with. I never give in either after I say something and he continues to pressure me about it. If I say I will do something, or that this is the option, take it or leave it, I teach him that there are boundaries.
"Children are people too. Adults often forget this. I would never order my father around or tell someone to just walk off stubbing their toe without asking if they are all right. By being patient and respectful, and by listening and being understanding, I have overcome a lot of obstacles and Riku is doing much better."
Naofumi looked out the window and down at where Filo was waiting in bird form, still attached to the cart. He looked back at Sora. "Thank you. I will try all that."
She smiled again. "Good luck."
BREAK
19 Zinat, Springtime
Of course, putting all of Sora's advice into practice was harder than he expected. Slowly though, he started to get the hang of it. When he needed to be particularly patient, he would focus on his soulbond and let the gentle warmth soothe his frustration away.
"Filo," Naofumi said after taking a deep breath and grounding himself. "I know you want to go swimming. You can do that. I need you to leave your clothes here though so they do not get wet."
"No!" Filo yelled. "Filo wants to swim in her dress!"
"Filo –" Raphtalia tried but Filo simply screamed over her.
Naofumi took another breath and felt his soulbond pulse warmly. "All right," Naofumi said, firmly telling himself that he was not giving in. He was simply teaching Filo consequences. "You can swim in your dress. However, it will be wet and cold after and you will not be allowed to take it off or change into a bird to get warm. Understand?"
"Yay!" Filo exclaimed and fluttered her white wings.
"Do you understand, Filo?" Naofumi pressed.
"Yes, Master!" Filo answered and spun away and ran down the hill to the bank of the river and jumped right in.
"Master," Raphtalia said, "are you sure that was a good idea?"
"No. I hope it works though."
Later, after Filo got out of the water and was sitting down to eat while shivering in her wet clothes, Naofumi looked over to her and asked, "Will you take off your clothes next time?"
"Yes," Filo replied mulishly.
Naofumi nodded and looked away and placed another log on the campfire. 'I hope her dress dries soon,' he thought. 'I do not want her to get sick.'
The sound of footsteps reached him and Naofumi looked up to see a group of five travellers heading towards them. As Naofumi watched, the one in the lead raised a hand and waved. Naofumi did not wave back and instead glanced down to ensure that his shield was disguised as a tome.
"Do you mind if we join you?" asked one of the travellers.
Naofumi looked back up. Now that they were closer, he was able to see the five travellers better. They all had worn faces and while their clothing was free of holes, they were dusty from the road. He gestured to the opposite side of the fire. "You can all sit over there."
"Thank you," said the same traveller from before. She turned to the others and together the small group went around to the other side of the fire and divested themselves of their travelling gear.
Naofumi had no intention of striking up a conversation but Raphtalia had no such qualms. "Where are you all coming from?" she asked from her position near the fire. She had been working on her reading but had put the materials aside to focus on their visitors.
"Mirso Village," one of the villagers replied, his tone mournful. "There is a plague and many people are sick. It will not be long before they start dying. We got out while we could."
Naofumi frowned and studied the five refugees. They looked all right but that did not mean they weren't sick or contagious. "What are the symptoms? Are any of you carrying this plague?"
They all looked at each other and then back at him. "I don't think so," the main female answered.
'Great,' Naofumi thought sourly as he dug through his gear for the scraps of Filo's last dress. 'Irresponsible, clueless, medieval villagers! Going around and possibly spreading a plague. Good thing I saved these as a just-in-case.' He pulled out some needle and thread and worked quickly to fashion the best scraps into face masks for himself, Filo and Raphtalia. They would not be all that great but they would certainly be better than nothing.
As he worked, he prompted, "And the symptoms?"
"Coughing blood, lethargy, vomiting, fever, headache, chills. Eventually, people slip into a sleep they do not wake from." 'Coma,' Naofumi's mind supplied as the woman continued. "Many people are at this stage. The schoolhouse is full of unconscious people. If they do not wake then they will starve to death."
Naofumi finished the first mask and passed it to Filo. "Put that on," he told her. As he set to work on the second mask he shook his head. "They'll die of dehydration first. Likely before the third day depending on how much water they were able to keep down before slipping into their coma."
One of the other refugees, a small boy, started crying. Another of the refugees pulled him into a hug and spoke gently to him.
"Where is this village?" Naofumi asked.
The woman holding the small child looked up at them through the fire. "You three had better turn back," she advised. "If you keep going, you'll die."
Naofumi finished off the second mask and shook his head. "We're just as likely to die from one of you exposing us to the plague right here and now. Might as well continue going and find out if there is anything we can do to help." He turned and passed the mask to Raphtalia. "Put that on."
"What are you making?" the original woman asked.
Naofumi pulled out a bit more fabric and started on his own mask. "Masks for my companions and me so we will not be so exposed to whatever plague you have possibly brought with you. You all should be wearing them to reduce your chances of getting sick or if you are already, passing it on to someone else."
"We have never heard of such a thing," the woman said, confused.
"Why am I not surprised?" Naofumi muttered darkly.
"Can you seriously cure the plague?" a male refugee, who had not yet spoken, asked.
"Don't know," Naofumi replied. "But I will try. Maybe they'll even pay me for helping. I've been having lots of success healing people so far."
"Master, Filo is still hungry," Filo spoke up, her voice slightly muffled from the mask.
Naofumi did not look up from his sewing. "You might be able to find some nuts or berries in the woods. Or some fish in the river. Just don't go too far. Raphtalia will go with you. Leave your mask on."
Filo wasted no time in leaping to her feet and dashing off into the woods, her bright blond hair a shining curtain in the deepening dusk. Raphtalia hastily stood and raced after her. "Filo! Don't run off alone!"
The five refugees were silent for several minutes as they started to pull out their own supplies to eat. Naofumi finished his mask and slipped it on before putting his supplies and the rest of the fabric scraps away.
"Are you a healer?" the small boy asked around a mouthful of something.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," the woman beside him chided.
"Sorry, Mum," the child dutifully replied.
"No," Naofumi denied. "I make potions that are effective against a variety of ailments. However, I have had no official training in healing others so it would not be fair to call myself one."
"Do you mind if we stay here for the night?" the main female speaker for the group asked.
"No. However, if any of you start exhibiting or experiencing any of the symptoms you listed, let me know," Naofumi said as he reached out and placed another log on the fire.
He saw the woman nod at him through the flames of the fire and turn to the others with her. Naofumi tuned the small group out as they began to talk quietly amongst themselves. He picked up A Journeyman's Guide to Potion Crafting. He was not yet able to read it fluently. However, his dedication to learning the written language ensured he could read it painstakingly slowly if he focused and had enough time. With a plague waiting for them in the next village, he needed to study. Hopefully, there would be something in the book that could help him.
He managed to get through two pages before Filo and Raphtalia returned, carrying a dead swine-like creature with them.
"Master! Look what Big Sister and Filo caught!" Filo excitedly exclaimed as they entered the clearing and approached the fire.
Naofumi looked up from his tome and groaned at the sight of the carcass. It would take at least fifteen minutes to prepare the meat for cooking. With only the light from the fire to help them. There was no time to smoke or dry it for later. A lot of the dead… whatever it was, was going to go to waste.
"Did you seriously need to kill something so large?" he asked with a frown.
"I was going to eat it all raw but Big Sister said 'no'," Filo said with a glare at Raphtalia. There were some horrified mutters from the refugees upon hearing this.
Naofumi eyed the carcass. How had he forgotten that Filo could more than likely eat almost all of that by herself? There would be no waste or leftovers to worry about.
"Eating raw meat is not healthy, Filo," Raphtalia said as she pulled the swine carcass closer and proceeded to cut its belly open. Naofumi looked away with a wince, not wanting to see the gruesome sight of blood and spilled intestines. "People often get sick from eating raw meat."
"Filo is not people," Filo replied with a huff as she sat down and watched Raphtalia prepare the carcass. "Filo is stronger than that."
Naofumi resolutely remained looking away from the scene as he joined the conversation. "Filo has shown she can handle it, Raphtalia."
"Master, Filo is hungry!" Filo said again, her voice almost a wail. "What about the innards? May I eat those now? They're just going to go to waste."
One of the refugees in the group made retching noises. Naofumi could sympathize as even he winced at the thought of Filo eating raw intestines, liver, and kidneys. However, he suspected Filo could handle the raw meat. She had, after all, eaten raw fish earlier in the day without trouble. He mentally scolded himself. Raw fish was vastly different from raw red meat. Also, he was trying to teach Filo manners. Her sitting off to the side while she scarfed down raw organs would not help reinforce the concept.
Naofumi unclipped his dagger from his belt. "Bring me some long sticks, Filo. I will make skewers and you can cook the bits over the fire."
"Yes, Master!" Filo chirped and she dashed off into the woods once more.
"Would your servant seriously eat all that raw?" asked one of the male refugees.
Naofumi did not bother to correct him on his calling Filo his servant. "Yes," Naofumi replied with a scowl as he easily imagined the scene. "With copious amounts of noise too."
Naofumi suddenly found his vision overtaken by the sight of several long sticks and blinked. He had not even heard Filo return.
"Here you go, Master!" Filo proclaimed.
Naofumi silently took them and Filo remained to hover at his shoulder. Her damp dress brushed his arm as he worked and as soon as he finished preparing the first stick, Filo reached out to snatch it from him. Naofumi quickly yanked it out of reach and looked up at her. "Hold your hand out and say 'please'" he instructed firmly.
Filo obediently did so and Naofumi handed the stick over. As soon as she had it, she ran back to Raphtalia and the swine-like carcass and speared something from the pile of discarded organs. Which she then proceeded to roast over the fire while humming happily.
Naofumi looked over to check on Raphataia's progress with the butchering and estimated she was almost done. Based on the size of the creature, it would take roughly ten hours to cook. Filo was going to be insufferable while she waited.
"Filo," Naofumi said.
"Yes, Master?" Filo cheerfully chirped in reply.
"The meat is going to take several hours to cook. It won't be ready until close to morning."
"Filo will wait. She has these tasty pieces to eat while she does."
"Do you promise not to start whining in a couple of hours?" Naofumi asked with a stern look.
Filo looked over at him with wide blue eyes that were the picture of innocence. "Filo promises!"
Naofumi was not going to count on Filo being able to keep her word. He groaned softly and ran a hand down his face. 'This is going to be a long night,' he predicted.
~*~End of Chapter 08~*~
Author's note: If you are screaming, 'The teleport skill does not work like that!', then you are partially correct. In cannon, it does not. In this story, Naofumi does not have the Portal Shield. He can teleport because Eiku told him the heroes can (Eiku does not know exactly how it works) and because Naofumi trusts Eiku not to lie to him, Naofumi's belief that the teleport skill works gives him the skill. Similar to how he unlocks weapon upgrading and copying in the series through the power of belief. This is also why Naofumi can have more than three saved locations in this story. No one has told him he can only have three. Or why Naofumi can tie the skill to whatever object he likes. No one has told him otherwise.
The skill is going to be very broken because of this. The teleport skill and how it works for the other heroes will not be covered for a long time.