Chapter 10 – Meeting with Envoys fromShieldfreeden

Mirso Village, Melromarc, Raphtalia's World

20 Zinat, Springtime

They reached Mirso Village near sunset. The villagers out and about cheered when they saw Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo. One of them dashed off to the schoolhouse and disappeared inside. Naofumi took the time to steer Filo and the cart to the stables near the schoolhouse. Once the wagon was parked, Naofumi instructed Filo to go inside, change form, and get dressed. Once she had rejoined Raphtalia and him, the three of them headed for the entrance to the schoolhouse that the villager had disappeared into. As they drew close, they were met at the school house's entrance by the healer and the village leader.

The village leader beamed brightly when she saw them, her grey eyes alight with pleasure and delight. "You've returned! I don't even need to ask how it went." She gestured widely, the motion encompassing the entire village and the milling townsfolk that had stopped their activities to listen in. "As you can see, the poisonous air has cleared and those you healed before you left for the mountains, myself included, are hearty and walking around. Truly, your efforts have been monumental and you have saved us all. How shall we repay you for all you have done?" she asked with a bow.

Naofumi looked around at all the smiling villagers and then back to the bowing healer and village elder. "You can start by paying me what you can afford to spare. Then, you can further pay me back by denying any future help from the three weapon heroes."

"But, sir –" the village leader started to say.

Naofumi silenced her with a stern look and gestured to the mountains. "The 'plague' was caused by the Sword Hero slaying the dragon in the mountains. The body decomposed faster than it should have and the carcass that had not been properly disposed of rotted and poisoned the air, making the people in this village sick. I don't appreciate having to clean up the reckless messes of others. In the future, should you need aid, send a messenger bird to Commander Sazama in Capital Town. He will get ahold of me and I will come to your aid as soon as I am able."

"You mean that?" the bearded healer asked, hopefully, as he smoothed out his white cloak.

"Yes," Naofumi answered, his voice firm.

"Whom shall we ask for?" the village leader asked.

"Shield Hero Iwatani," Naofumi answered, holding his head high.

Mutters of disbelief immediately broke out amongst the gathered crowd and both the village leader and healer looked at him in shocked incredulity. Naofumi was surprised to realize that the apparent judgment from all those assembled did not bother him as it once would have. Instead, the bond pulsed warmly in his chest, reminding him that there were people in the country whose opinions truly mattered to him. The opinions of these townsfolk did not matter as much as Raphtalia, Filo's, Eiku's and select others did. Such a realization was also freeing. As if he were truly on his way to healing from the damage this country had done to him.

The village leader and healer were still staring at him in shock and before they could recover, four people from the assembled crowd stepped forward. "Are you truly the Blessed Holy Shield Hero?" asked one of them.

The speaker's garb reminded Naofumi of the robes he had seen in pictures that people from the Middle East back on Earth wore. His robes were long and swept the ground and the sleeves reached his wrists. He also wore a tall, wrapped headdress. The only features visible were his hands which had sharpened nails, and face, out of which green eyes with horizontally-slitted pupils peered. The other three were dressed similarly and the only differences between them were their skin tones, eye colours, and pupils. It was immediately obvious that they were not from the village.

The question threw him for a split second. No one had ever called him blessed and holy before. He turned around to face the four travellers and nodded confidently even as he marvelled at his willingness to reveal himself to so many strangers. He decided to go for broke. "That is me. The Cardinal Hero of Fortitude, the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani.

Immediately upon this declaration all four pairs of eyes widened and shone with a glowing reference. Then all four of them quickly averted their eyes and all but threw themselves to the ground to prostrate at his feet. "My holy Lord," the first male with the green, slitted eyes proclaimed, "we have travelled far to trade words with you. Please meet with us and hear what we have to say."

Naofumi blinked in startled bafflement. 'Well, this respect is new. Also, over the top. What is going on?'

"Ummm… sure," he answered. He turned back to the village leader. "Is there a place we can use to chat privately?"

The woman nodded. "You may use my place."

Naofumi turned back to the four prostrating travellers. "Rise. We can talk now if you are of the mind."

They rose as one and gratefully joined Noafumi's side. The village leader nodded to the healer in parting and led the turbaned travellers, Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo to a random house and stopped outside. "Go on in. I'll stay out here to give you all privacy. When you are done, come find me. I'll likely be at the schoolhouse."

"Thank you," Naofumi said, "for trusting us with your house in your absence."

The woman smiled slightly. "You saved this town. Lending you a place to talk is the least I can do."

Naofumi nodded and turned away from her to open the door and step inside. The small group followed after him and they all stepped inside the house to find themselves standing with Naofumi in a comfortable sitting room.

"This will do," Naofumi said and stepped across the room to claim one of the lounge chairs. He gestured to the assorted chairs and sofas in the room. "Sit and let's get started."

Raphtalia and Filo claimed a loveseat and the four oddly dressed travellers claimed the sofa and a chair. Naofumi sat forward in his chair and watched as everyone else arranged themselves so they were either facing Naofumi or each other.

"What is it you need to talk to me about?" Naofumi asked the four strangers. "Who are you?"

The male with the green, horizontally slitted eyes reached up and removed his turban, revealing hair in various shades of brown and taupe, and pointed cat ears with black tips. He reminded Naofumi of a wildcat. The other three with him did the same, revealing themselves to also be various beast folk. One of them was also a wildcat, but female. She had shades of black and brown in her hair and her slitted eyes were yellow. There was another female, an arctic fox, with white hair and rounded ears. Her eyes were heterochromia with one blue and the other crimson. Lastly, there was another male, with a long face and long ears. His hair was brown with streaks of white and he had black, backwards sweeping antlers similar to an antelope.

'Well, that explains the full-body coverings,' Naofumi thought as he looked at them. Travelling in Melromarc as a beast folk was a risk as there was a very real possibility of being captured by slavers and sold.

"My name is Cindermane, my most holy Lord," the male wildcat said. He indicated his companions one at a time and introduced them. "This is Moonbraid," he said, indicating the arctic fox. "Brightfang," he continued, introducing the female wildcat. "And Keenspine," he finished, indicating the antelope. "We are official envoys, sent by the kingship of Shieldfreeden. We have travelled for nearly thirty days by foot to get here. The kingship wishes to invite you to Shieldfreeden for feasting and to discuss the effects the Waves are having on our country and to beg your assistance."

"As you may be aware," Moonbraid said, "Melromarc summoned all four heroes on its own. A summit of this world's major countries and its leaders was held, headed by Melromarc's queen, to discuss the Waves and the summoning of the Four Holy Cardinal Heroes. It was agreed that each country would summon one hero each, with Melromarc going last. Due to Melromarc summoning all four on its own, the other countries have been left defenceless during the Waves of Calamity and as a result, the Waves are decimating the lands of each country."

'Hina was correct,' Naofumi thought as he listened to the envoys take turns telling him about the troubles Shieldfreeden and the other countries and their people had faced since the start of the Waves with no hero to help them through it. They mainly focused on telling him information and statistics involving Shieldfreeden, the country's details they knew best. They had lost more people to the Waves than Melromarc had thus far. Many of the small towns had been reduced to nothing but rubble.

"We have taken to posting detachments of soldiers in each region of Shieldfreeden so they can quickly go to the aid of those in areas near where the Waves appear. Still, the soldiers can only move so quickly. By the time they arrive where they are needed, most of the time the village has already been wiped out. We have lost so many brave soldiers, villagers, and farmers. If something is not done to protect the rest of the farmers, Shieldfreeden's people will be at risk of starving." Keenspine's voice was bleak as he spoke and the other three beast folk looked at Naofumi with grave faces.

Naofumi steepled his hands together beneath his chin ask asked, "How many Waves have there been in Shieldfreeden?"

"Four," Cindermane answered, voice grave. "On the day we left, the Dragon Hourglass in the capital indicated that there were three weeks until the next Wave. Thus, the fourth Wave would have been a week ago."

Naofumi's teeth clenched. Melromarc had only had two Waves so far. Currently, not only did they have all four heroes to protect them, but they also had had fewer Waves. Where was the fairness in that? If the other countries were suffering from the same disproportionate Wave amounts and did not already hate Melromarc, then that would be a wonder.

"What do you want me to do?" Naofumi asked. "This country's next Wave is twenty-nine days away. As soon as it triggers, no matter where I am, if I am not registered with another Dragon Hourglass, I will automatically travel to my registered hourglass' region currently encountering the Wave. This means I will teleport straight back here if we have not reached your country's hourglass before then. On top of travel time being tight, I have very real concerns about travelling to another country. I heard about the last Shield Hero being killed in Siltvelt – a country that is supposed to revere the Shield Hero. There is a possibility the same fate could befall me in Shieldfreeden."

"We would never!" Brightfang exclaimed while shooting to her feet. "The Blessed Holy Shield Hero is our most respected and sacred person. No one would dare harm you!"

Naofumi fixed her with a calm look. "I'm sure there are those in Siltvelt that felt the same way. The fact remains that the Shield Hero was killed while in that country. I hear that Shieldfreeden also admires the Shield Hero. While it is tempting to go to a country where I would be respected and not treated like trash the way this country has treated me, I am not looking to get murdered in a country I should be safe in."

Cindermane gestured for Brightfang to sit back down. "Holy Lord Iwatani is correct to feel cautious. Siltvelt did fail in protecting the last Blessed Holy Shield Hero. His concerns are valid."

"What did kill the last Shield Hero?" Raphtalia asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting started.

All four pairs of envoy's eyes turned to her. "We never did get your name," Cindermane said.

"Allow me to belatedly introduce my trusted companions, Raphtalia and Filo," Naofumi said, indicating each of them as he said their names. "They are both permitted to speak and ask questions of their own."

"Very well," Cindermane said. He turned his head to address Raphtalia. "Even after all this time, the exact culprits involved are unclear. However, it is suspected that the ones responsible were from the nation of Q'ten Lo. The current Heavenly Emperor is very young. Instead, an extremely cruel woman named Makina rules in his stead and over the years she has caused the nation of Q'ten Lo to fall into insolation and war. Traditionally, the Heavenly Emperor, and by extension, Makina, possess powers that are specially designed to fight against the Four Holy Heroes. If a group of assassins had infiltrated Siltvelt, then ones sent from Q'ten Lo would have had the best chance of taking out the holiest of the heroes."

Naofumi could not help but snort at that. What a strange turn his day had taken that he now found himself speaking to a group of religious zealots concerning the Shield Hero and by extension, himself. "I am not holy," he said as gently as he could. "None of the four heroes are."

"Well of course the other three are not," Brightfang said with a sneer and a dismissive wave of her clawed hand.

"You introduced yourself as the 'Hero of Fortitude'," Moonbraid said, her heterochromia eyes shrewd. "Why?"

Naofumi reached up to run his left hand through his raven black hair. He sensed a trap but could not guess what it could be. "I acquired the Blessed Shield of Fortitude."

Moonbraid's eyes glittered with delighted justification. "For the Legendary Blessed Shield to choose you, you are truly holy and worthy."

"Now hold on –" Naofumi tried to protest but the envoys were too excited. Their eyes shone with reverence and their smiles were bright and excited.

"To be able to see the Blessed Fortitude Shield in my lifetime, I never even dreamed of the possibility," Keenspine said. "Please, may we see it?"

Naofumi looked at the four of them and could only think, 'Oh, bother.'

Filo stood up excitedly and sprung in a circle with her arms and wings spread wide. "Filo wants to see Master's new shield too! Filo was inside a dragon's belly at the time and missed it."

Naofumi closed his eyes and sighed softly. When he reopened them, all six people in the room were looking at him with hopeful eyes. "Fine," he said.

Filo cheered and Naofumi stood and held his shield arm out. The four envoys and Raphtalia leaned forward in rapt attention. Mentally, he ordered the shield to change to the Blessed Fortitude Shield. There were gasps of amazement from the four envoys as the shield changed form and colour. As it turned blue and silver with silver filigree across the surface, the blue tint returned to his vision and his skin began to emit a blue glow. The main change involved his feelings. All at once, all he could feel was a fierce desire to protect others, calmness, and intense bravery.

When he spoke, his words echoed deeply, the tone emitting waves of strength and persuasion. "Aura of Protection."

Iridescent light immediately surrounded the four envoys and they looked at each other in amazement as the rainbow of coloured light seeped into their skin and clothes and disappeared.

"What was that," asked Cindermane. He looked up from looking at his hands in astonishment to peer at Naofumi instead.

"A protection spell," Naofumi answered as he cancelled the Blessed Shield of Fortitude and lowered his shield arm back to his side. "It will protect the four of you from evil – such as the undead – curses, poison, and the four elements. You will also take reduced damage when hit because most of it will come to me instead. It is not affected by distance." Naofumi took a few seconds to gauge the amount of mana it was using to keep Aura of Protection up on four targets. The cost was minimal. He would only have a problem with maintaining it if he ran out of mana during a fight or during the next Wave. "I will cancel it thirty-five days from now. That should be enough time for you all to make it back to your homeland safely. However, the next Wave is coming soon. I may be forced to cancel it if I need the mana for something else."

"You truly are not returning to Shieldfreeden with us?" Cindermane asked, his ears drooping in disappointment.

Naofumi shook his head. "I originally began travelling east towards Shieldfreeden so that I may get as close to there as possible before the next Wave. However, my journey here has revealed that there are still things I need to do to prepare for the next wave." He indicated Filo. "For starters, Filo there is a filolial. Every time she shapeshifts she tears the clothes she is wearing to shreds. I need to find a way to keep her clothed. Then there are the other three heroes. If one of them managed to do this much damage to this region by killing a dragon and not properly taking care of the corpse, I can only imagine the amount of trouble the other two have gotten up to. I would not be surprised to learn of something else I need to clean up after them from."

"My holy Lord," Moonbraid pleaded, "Shieldfreeden needs you. The next Wave is coming and our forces are getting wiped out faster than we can replace them."

Naofumi raised a hand, halting her panicked pleas. "I didn't say I wouldn't help. Just that I cannot leave with you currently." He reached into his shield and removed three stones: a pale yellow stone, a dark red stone, and an opalescent silver stone. He set each one as a return point and held them out for Cindermane to take. "Take these stones with you. Place the opalescent one with your Dragon Hourglass. In twenty-seven days I will use it to teleport instantly to wherever that stone is. If it has reached its destination, I will be able to register with your hourglass and come to your country's aid during its next Wave."

All four pairs of the envoy's eyes widened as Cindermane took the stone. "You can do that?" Keenspine asked in disbelief.

Naofumi nodded. "I already have. Twenty-seven days will give me enough time to register with your hourglass, speak with your leadership and get back here in time for this country's next wave. As for the other two stones, I request that you send people to both Faubrey and Siltvelt on my behalf and bring each of them one of the stones. This will save me time on having to travel there on my own, enabling me to help those countries sooner than I would otherwise be able to. I will visit them after I have visited Shieldfreeden. Zeltoble and the other remaining nations will be on their own for now. I will try to eventually help them when I can or if they reach out to me. Frankly, however, they make me nervous and I am in no hurry to visit either of them."

Cindermane clutched the stones and he and the other three envoys bowed deeply. "You are even more amazing than the legends claim the Blessed Holy Shield Hero to be. I shall speak with the religious leaders of the Church of the Shield Hero when I return home. New information shall be added to our religious dogma about you. All shall know of your greatness for you truly are benevolent!"

Naofumi tried very hard to keep the dawning horror he felt from showing on his face. The last thing he wanted was to be worshiped as some infallible deity. Talk about pressure and expectations! He put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Please, there is no need for all that fuss. I'm normal and mortal just like you."

"No," said Moonbraid, her voice soft and reverent, "you are much more than that. Meeting you will forever be the greatest honour. Thank you for agreeing to speak with us."

The other three envoys echoed her thanks and straightened. "We shall take our leave," Cindermane said. "We need to get moving if we are to make it home in time. May your holy light shield you from all danger."

"Umm… thanks," Naofumi responded, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. "You too?"

The four beast people smiled as if his hesitant reply was a great blessing and after donning their headdresses once more, they took their leave. Naofumi found himself standing in the middle of the village leader's sitting room while Filo and Raphtalia sat and looked at him with barely contained mirth.

"I think they liked you," Raphtalia said with a smirk.

Naofumi groaned and ran a hand down his face. "They are going to go home and tell everyone about me and I'm going to become their new god or something."

Filo giggled. "Master, you already are their god. They love you!"

"Well, I think it's great," Raphtalia said, not seeming at all sympathetic to his plight. "You are amazing. Now even more people will recognize that."

Naofumi sighed and decided that this was all a lost cause. "Thanks, Raphtalia." He turned to the door that had remained open after the envoys had left. "Come on, you two. Let's collect our reward and get to bed."

"Where are we going next, Master?" Filo cheerfully asked as she dashed outside and spun in a circle. Her red dress and long blond hair flared out around her in the twilight.

"We are getting a room for the night and in the morning heading back to Capital Town," he answered as he led the way down the village road towards the schoolhouse.

He felt his soulbond pulse warmly in his chest and his steps unconsciously quickened. He would get to see Eiku tomorrow. He could barely wait.

~*~End of Chapter 10~*~