No two cities were the same. It was a lesson he had learned from his world and it seemed to apply in this one as well. Certainly, the basic features like the fact that there would be some form of shelter, some method to obtain food, someplace for people to gather, a market of some kind and many others were inevitable but the history of these features determined a great deal about a city or in this case, a town.

Mildea was a fairly large town. It was at the centre of several farming villages and its' purpose was to act as a trade centre. Its' walls weren't very tall because all the nearby regions that were dangerous had been stripped clean of monsters and the Adventurers guild had a standing contract to protect the roads. The guards out in front charged a small amount of silver to enter but didn't keep track of who entered because they wanted to keep the thriving black market active. All in all, it was a very active town which had a fair amount of wealth flowing through it.

Thus it was a real surprise to learn that 90% of the people here were Demi-humans.

Adrian didn't find it impressive. Compared to New York, Dubai or London this place was nothing more than a collection of hovels. The options present in the market were limited even if the magical goods were fascinating. The filth and squalor that large portions of the population lived in were disgusting. Slavery didn't seem to be a concern here but there were other ills born when an imperfect sentient species gathered in large numbers. Trystan and Isis found the place quite irritating as well. Though in their case it was because he had forced them to stay in their human forms and hide their wings behind some heavy cloaks. Raphtalia was also a little antsy but that was because they were delaying their attempt to save her friend.

Unfortunately, this was his last chance to visit civilization. If all went according to plan after this they would go to Rabier's domain, assault the man, rescue the people he had enslaved, then go to Cal Mira and eventually back to the wilds. So he needed to confirm the location of the Lord's domain and gather some resources that his Sword could not provide.

Food, water, clothing, temporary shelter and even some luxuries like soap were things that his power could provide as long as it had the right materials. The problem was that the Sword had no way to teach him, Raphtalia or Trystan magic nor could it check their affinities. Yet, it was entirely possible that it would be able to do so in the future. Another concern was getting some magic thread for clothing his filolials so that transforming would become a little more convenient. He had already checked that he could use his sword to make the clothes but he needed the thread.

The four of them had visited a Smith first and then a herbalist. Adrian had sold many things that his Sword had crafted. Turned out that medicine, stamina potions and weapons sell very well when an apocalypse has started and ravaged a nearby area. Adrian made ten gold coins in total which was double the value that he had been given by the King. It made him realize just how paltry the amount the King had given them truly had been.

Their final destination for the day was a fairly small magic shop. Both the Herbalist and the smith had recommended it and while they could be misleading them. it was unlikely to lead to anything very negative so he had decided to follow the advice they had given him. Though this time he would have Raphtalia take the lead. This town had a fair amount of discrimination against humans. The Smith had been much more polite towards Raphtalia though the Herbalist had been fairly apathetic. Thankfully they hadn't desired to throw him out.

Then again he was a masked man with a fairly large build wearing a heavy cloak while Raphtalia was a beautiful young woman. That probably played an even greater role in this case.

Once they reached the store, he double-checked their surroundings and the store with Blindsight, Mana sight and the rest of his sensory suite. The crowd made it difficult for him to be certain that there were no dangers. It was fairly unlikely that there were any threats here. But Adrian didn't feel very confident in his ability to pick up spies or assassins after his recent failure to find them.

He took a deep breath as he turned towards Raphtalia, "Please take the lead. After last time…" he said trailing off.

Raphtalia smiled a little but nodded and said, "Yes Mr Adrian."

"Any concerns?" he asked, to be sure.

"Magic thread, affinity test and grimoires for learning magic and confirming the information we have about the Lord's territories." she said firmly, "I remember."

"Good," he answered and gave her an unmarked map of Melromarc. It was created by his Cartography Skill.

She took the rolled-up map and then walked towards the door. Adrian herded the filolials who had been looking around curiously.

The shop itself was very well organized. Adrian had expected something along the lines of Agatha's atelier which was a study in chaotic organization with everything having a fairly well-defined place but the overall organization having no logic. This store was a hell of a lot better organized. Artefacts in one corner of the second floor, clothing which was enchanted on one side, books and grimoires in the basement and even a comfortable place for the customer to be seated if need be. Honestly, it was impressive and perhaps that was why they had to wait for five minutes before they got to meet a clerk.

"Good afternoon Miss," she said, "Welcome to the Mage's Haven. How may I help you?"

Adrian ignored the fox demihuman and Raphtalia starting up their conversation. He scanned the area both inside and outside the shop with his skills. Trying to ensure that there were no distortions. Adrian knew that it was paranoid but he was hyper-aware of the fact that he had detected those three rabbit demi-humans only due to luck. If they had decided to kill him after the first day while he and his party were sleeping...Adrian shook off the thought and placed his hand on Trystan's shoulder, just making sure that the boy was still here. Isis had wandered over to the artefacts, probably drawn over there due to their powerful magic that even he could sense. He let her, it was something she was very fascinated by and if she broke something they could pay for it or escape, in the worst case.

Once Raphtalia had made what they needed clear to the fox woman she led them to a corner of the second floor where a fairly large crystal ball, about fifty centimetres in diameter, sat on top of a sturdy wooden platform. Adrian could feel the mana in it and from the way that Isis was studying the object he was fairly certain that she could as well.

A flare of his sensory skills confirmed that there didn't seem to be a trap...but maybe he should try using it first. Just in case.

"Please give me a moment to get it ready," she said with a polite, false smile.

Adrian observed with Mana Sight while Raphtalia reassured the woman that they were willing to wait. It was quite interesting how the mana of the fox didn't alter the mana of the orb at all. It just seemed to amplify the mana somehow. It was a bit hard to describe.

"It's ready," she said, looking to Raphtalia. The child in a teenager's body turned to him and Adrain winced a little as she made it clear that he was the leader but he tried to play it off and checked his affinity first. Hopefully, the Kitsune was fooled.

"Please place your hands on the sides and keep it pressed until I remove my hands' sir," she said keeping one hand on the top. Adrian gripped the sides with his fingertips and nodded to her while keeping track of the process with mana sight.

It was fascinating how the mana of the crystal seemed to be changing until it started to resemble his mana. Each moment allowed for more alteration.

"Does this work by synchronizing to my mana which lets you understand my affinity by checking the crystal?" he ended up asking, deeming the question relatively harmless.

The fox woman blinked in surprise before nodding, "Umm...Yes, sir. That's exactly it. Reading a person is hard since they're living beings so we use the Crystal as an intermediate."

Adrian nodded thoughtfully and moved his hands once she indicated that they were done. The woman looked quite rather impressed when she said, "Your affinity is related to the void element. It is also called Ether or nothingness. You will be skilled at using any type of magic that creates objects from magical energy though elemental magics will be rather difficult for you to use easily. Perfect for a craftsman. I would recommend learning alchemy, enchanting or something like smithing."

Adrian blinked in surprise at the assessment. He had been assuming that much like Naofumi had been told that he was good at support and healing magic he would also have an affinity that was tied to his weapon, something attack or speed-related. This was odd but it emphasized how limited his understanding of the world was.

Raphtalia went next and got what he had expected, Light and Darkness with an affinity for illusions. Trystan was fairly mundane with an affinity towards Support and Healing, which was fitting for a defensive fighter. Isis was a different story.

The silver-haired girl touched the orb after the fox-woman had reset it and instantly he could tell that her case was a little odd. Unlike in all the other three cases, the crystal started to match her mana and then seemed to be oscillating between half a dozen colours. After five minutes of this the fox woman looked up at them, her expression uncertain.

"I'm not...I don't know exactly what this means." she admitted, "It's like she has a lot of equal affinities. Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning and Light from what I could tell though there were more."

Isis looked smug and Adrian mussed her hair up a bit, which she smiled at him for, "I suppose that should have been expected," he mused. He had seen her use a lot of different elements barely a day after she had been born and she was clearly some type of Filolial subtype that was specialized in the use of magic.

Raphtalia promised the woman that they would pay her in full and then they moved on to getting the Grimoires while Trystan and Isis started to create the magic thread with their mana. Raphtalia managed to confirm the location of Rabier during this time and it meshed well with what the Smith and Herbalist had told them.

It cost them five gold coins for all their purchases after some haggling. Turns out buying all the beginner and intermediate books for their diverse affinities was damn expensive. A single Gold Coin had been enough for the affinity check and the threads but the books had cost four coins.

As they walked out of the shop Adrian couldn't help but feel like they might have gotten ripped off. Though that was at least partly because he couldn't even read yet. He promised himself that he would make it a point to learn as soon as possible and that he would teach Isis and Trystan. No child of his would-be illiterate.

The party moved toward the edges of town, dodging the dwindling crowds as the sun began to set. All in all, it had taken them nearly three hours to get everything done and the result was an irritated Trystan who was feeling quite cranky after getting his mana drained.

Adrian had absorbed all the books, threads and maps into his item storage so carrying them wasn't a problem but it was undeniable that this deviation had been very time consuming while they were on a time-critical task.

As they approached the location from which he would use Dash to get them over the wall one at a time he spoke to Raphtalia, "I'm sorry about the delay. I hadn't realized how long it would take."

He disliked apologizing but his desire to get access to magic to empower his party and himself could lead to her friend dying. A miscalculation or not an apology was the least of what she deserved. Even if Adrian personally believed that it was the best possible move for them given that they would not be able to risk entering any town after assaulting Rabier's domain.

Raphtalia looked surprised but then shook her head, "It was only three hours it's fine."

Adrian looked her in the eye and decided that the truth would be the best, no matter how cruel, and said, "We don't know what condition your friend is in. These three hours could mean everything to her." he sighed here, "I just wanted to have some more options in case my hunters come after us again."

It was the truth and Adrian hated the fact that it was the truth. He was scared of those invisible stalkers. They might have been watching him from his very first day here, they were certainly watching him from the moment he had left the city with Raphtalia but he doubted that they had suddenly decided to track him right at that moment. Rather, that was when he had first gotten a hint about them. He didn't know who they served or what their goals were and even now he was torn about his actions regarding them.

They were spies and potential assassins. That was something he did not doubt about. If it wasn't for his absurd growth those three would have been good enough to kill him with ease. Had it not been for the absurd strength he had gained in Dragon Territory he would have died if he fought them. But did that justify his killing them when all they had done was observe him? It was possible that they would have done nothing if he hadn't initiated the conflict.

It was honestly shameful that he was so willing to throw away his morality just because it was convenient and because he was scared. His father would have been ashamed of him, no, his father might very well have arrested him, he had committed murder after all. A moment later he felt like laughing at the thought. He was being really stupid. Trying to apply the morality of his world to this pathetic, broken world.

She looked at him, almost spoke but hesitated before mustering up her courage and asking, " who were those people? Why were they after you?"

Adrian took a deep breath and said, "Let's get back on the move. It's something I should have told all three of you about before. "

Raphtalia nodded and Isis who had been listening in on their conversation from behind the two of them nodded to herself as well. Trystan was just feeling happy that since they were away from the crowds Adrian had given the boy permission to remove the cloak covering his wings. Honestly, it was a bit of a risk but Blindsight confirmed that there was no one around here and Trystan had done very well today. A small reward like this was the least of what he deserved.

Adrian took his party over the short walls using Dash, easily getting past the guards who could not even perceive him. The only hitch being that Raphtalia was a little embarrassed about being carried by him now that she was a teenager. But this let them bypass the guards at the gates and all the potential watchers that would be looking into who entered the towns should have a little bit more trouble. It was far from foolproof but he would take any advantage no matter how trivial.

Trystan immediately transformed into his Filolial form and they used him to build up some distance before they switched over to using the wooden carrier disc. It was the same version as the one they had used in the forest but painted a deep blue on the underside and ensuring that the indents for the projected swords covered them completely so that there was no glint of metal or light from a glowing magical sword.

Once they were far away and his Blindsight had been used to verify that they were not being followed. Adrian double-checked to ensure that they were moving in the right direction before turning to his party members who were all staring at him curiously. Even Trystan was interested after Isis told him about his conversation with Raphtalia.

"All right before I start we need to get some facts established." he said, "What do you know about the Legendary Heroes or Cardinal Heroes?"

Adrian was pretty sure that Trystan and Isis didn't know anything but after considering all the things that they did know he didn't want to just assume.

In this case, however, they just looked a little confused, Raphtalia, on the other hand, looked stunned.

"You're the Sword Hero," she said, in the tones of a realization.

Isis looked between Raphtalia and Adrian before she said in a slightly irritated tone, "What's a sword hero?"

Adrian smiled at her and started to explain, "There is a phenomenon called the Waves of Calamity. It happens every few centuries and it releases a huge horde of monsters. This happens again and again until they are stopped somehow. The heroes are tools to stop the waves. And there are four Heroes. The Shield, Bow, Spear and of course, the Sword Hero." He changed his sword form as he said his last statement.

Adrian winced internally as he saw Raphtalia shrink as he mentioned the waves but continued, it would be good for the girl if she spoke to him about it, better than suppressing it, "Around ten days ago I was summoned in the capital of this country so that I would fight the waves on their behalf...unfortunately my Summoners were scum who just wanted a pawn. They wanted to use me and that's why I left them behind. I'm guessing that the three people who followed us were spies or assassins."

It was a simplified story but he'd fill them in on the details later.

"You're want to go and fight the waves. That's why you're training," said Raphtalia, looking at him with some kind of awe. The wave of anger that it induced caught him by surprise.

Adrian snorted, "I am training because I'm being forced to fight the waves," he said bitterly before even thinking about it. Then he winced, he doubted that's what a girl orphaned by the waves wanted to hear from a bloody Hero but honestly he didn't regret it much. If there was one impression he didn't want her to have it was that he was some type of fucking hero.

Raphtalia looked surprised but it was Trystan who spoke next, "Who's forcing you big brother?" he asked, clearly angry.

Adrian felt his fury diminish at his words and the implicit support, "It's not a particular person just a part of being summoned" he lied, he didn't want them trying to fight Fitoria, there was another name for something like that, Suicide by Bird God.

"We'll be fighting these Waves in the future." noted Isis, "are the monsters strong?"

Adrian frowned at the line of questioning, he had intended for them to fight but…"It's up to you both if you want to fight Isis. You are not obligated to do anything regarding them, I'm the one stuck with it. If you two want to help me there are other ways as well."

He didn't know much about the waves at all. The thought of his children fighting an endless Wave of monsters was genuinely sickening. Adrian didn't know when his thoughts had gone fromI want them to support me in a fight to I don't want to drag them into the frontlines of an apocalypse but at this point, he didn't want them to fight in a wave even if they were powerful.

"But you'll be fighting," she pointed out, wrecking his ideas with ease, "we'll fight if you fight," she said firmly and Trystan nodded along with her even pounding his hand into the opposite palm.

He sighed and wondered how to convince these two not to be idiots...and what he needed to do if they were going to be stubborn. Adrian knew what it was like to wish to protect a parent. He would not deny them their choice even if it made him feel ill to even consider the idea.

"I still don't know much about the wave," he admitted, "once I find out more we can revisit this," given their mutinous looks he was pretty sure that they would not be changing their minds until they faced a wave. Adrian swallowed his fears and decided that they would be prepared enough that their survival was a guarantee.

"I...I know about the waves ," said Raphtalia, she was shaking," My village was destroyed in the previous one."

Adrian looked at Trystan and flicked his head towards Raphtalia who was looking at the cloth covering the floor of the disc rather than their eyes. The filolial got the hint and jumped towards the demi-human and hugged her.

She blinked in surprise but relaxed into it then the whole story poured out of her like the dam holding it back had been shattered.

How she had been playing with her friends when the sky turned red and the monsters started falling from the sky. The bravery her parents had shown in fighting the monsters...until they had been overwhelmed and had sacrificed themselves for her and how she had promised to be happy and help the village until some people destroyed it and she was enslaved.

She was crying almost the whole time and by the time her story ended Trystan was crying with her while Isis was furious. Adrian found himself getting more and more enraged as well even as Raphtalia started to calm down and eventually nodded off cuddling with Trystan and Isis.

The three of them slept, it was nice to see how peaceful they looked, but Adrian felt an uncomfortable weight settling on him, he had not even considered fighting the waves as a priority. Hell, the only reason he was planning for them was to avoid Fitoria or Melromrac coming after him with all their power.

Even with having Raphtalia in his party he had never considered the very real cost that the most powerless part of the population suffered. They had never wronged him...even if they probably wouldn't bother helping him.

As he moved across the sky towards the man who had tortured his charge Adrian started to plan out how he would defeat the waves rather than just survive them for the first time since he had arrived in this world.