Motoyasu
"Elena," said Motoyasu as he stared at the massive firestorm that Malty had used to incinerate the entire mountainside. It was huge, left the ground half-melted, and turned everything, except the strongest monsters, to ash. "What happened to Malty? She's…"
"Scary," said Elena, swallowing as the heat reached them moments after Malty started her attack.
"Yeah," he said.
"I-I don't know," she admitted, wiping some sweat off her brow, "but it's pretty well known that His Majesty favoured Malty a lot. She must be mad about some animal killing him."
Motoyasu winced. He struggled to think of the old man on the throne. Malty was an amazing person, but that sleazy idiot had only banished Naofumi after the Shield bastard had raped Malty. The Spear Hero had disliked the man ever since. It wasn't right that Naofumi got away with a slap on the wrist just because he was a Hero. Rape was seriously wrong.
Malty had gone through that, and she'd been so brave. Only, Motoyasu was fairly certain now that she'd been suppressing her emotions, and losing her dad had changed everything. Motoyasu couldn't even imagine how she was feeling.
"Captain," she said, walking towards Motoyasu and the soldiers Malty had insisted he add to their party while hunting the Dragons, "Report."
The man saluted, "No injuries, Princess," he said with a stiff tone, "we are ready to continue."
Malty glanced at the twenty soldiers, each of them below level 40, that she had brought along and nodded. "Good," she said, "We will need another hour or so before we reach level 40. I expect that all of you will Class Up. Make sure that your choices are suitable for War. I will leave the particulars to your squad leaders."
All of the soldiers stood at attention and gave the red-head an answering roar. Motoyasu figured they were pretty happy about the boosts that his Spear and Malty's Cane were giving them. He had no idea that Malty was so smart. She'd shown him a ton of forms he'd managed to unlock and boost. The best of them even helped Elena grow stronger with each level. According to Malty it meant that Elena and the soldiers would be as strong as level 100's by the time they hit level 60 or 70.
It was good, but he was much stronger than them without even trying.
Malty smiled and walked. Motoyasu quickly moved next to her. The others followed.
"Mein," he said, "You don't need to fight-"
Her glare stopped him. "Sir Motoyasu," she said, "Are you suggesting that I leave myself helpless during a war."
"No, no," he said, raising his arms to guard against her anger, "I just mean that I'll be there to protect you."
Malty smiled, and Motoyasu relaxed. "Thank you," she said, "But I'd rather you protect this country from the scum that wants to ruin it. I can protect myself. Thousands cannot."
"I will," he said firmly, he was a Hero after all, "but I want to protect you as well."
She laughed, and Motoyasu smiled. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh since the death of the King.
"How kind," she said before her expression turned melancholy, "but there are those who need protection more than I do. When we return home, I want to show you what my parents and the Church have permitted to fester in my kingdom."
"Uh, I don't get it," he said.
Malty kept walking and took a moment before she spoke again. "Do you think it is acceptable to enslave someone simply because they have an extra set of ears and a tail?" she asked.
Demi-humans!, he thought.
"No," he said firmly and lit up at her smile, "It's wrong. Totally wrong."
"Then, you will be horrified to know that Demi-human slavery is legal thanks to my foolish parents and the Church. They believe in Human supremacy," she said, almost spitting out the words.
"That's…" he started but found little to say. Slavery was just not right. He hadn't liked the old King or the Pope. They were kinda annoying, in fact, but he'd never imagined that they enslaved people who were different. That was kinda fucked up.
"It is horrible," said Malty bluntly, "but my mother and father viewed it as a good way to maintain their power base. In fact, my mother used a Slave Trader as a part of her network. I want to stop slavery, completely, but I can't do it alone."
Motoyasu nodded, he knew what he had to do, "You've got my help," he said, spinning his spear, "I won't let anyone stop us!"
Malty smiled, "Thank you," she said, "but please remember to be careful. The Church will not like you helping those people. To them, demi-humans are filthy animals. To the Church and my mother, they deserve to suffer. Deserve to be owned and used. If you help them, then they might even declare you a false hero and try to hurt you."
Motoyasu turned to see that Elena was choking on something. She looked almost stunned, but the expression faded soon. Terror replaced it.
The Spear Hero was quick to comfort her, "Don't worry Elena!" he said, "I'll save them and make sure that no one gets hurt. I promise."
The girl nodded but still looked a little ill.
"Motoyasu," said Malty with an amused smile, "Elena is worried about you. Not them. Most people in my Kingdom have been deceived by my pathetic parents and the Church to think that demi-humans are lesser."
The Spear Hero flinched. He'd heard of stuff like that. Making some people look like scum so that they could be blamed. Bullying like that was seriously common.
"Don't worry, Elena," said Malty, taking Elena's hands in her own, "Everything will be fine."
Motoyasu smiled at the friendship these two had. It was so nice to see his girls get along.
Malty
"Is this the place?" asked Motoyasu, looking puzzled at the tent.
"Looks harmless doesn't it," mused Malty, studying the massive circus tent, "It doubles as a monster selling shop. You can get a large variety of monsters here...and if a client should ask then slaves are offered as well."
"I thought it was legal," said Motoyasu, showing a rare flash of intelligence.
"It is," admitted Malty, "but Beloukas hides his chief trade because it doesn't have a very good reputation. Demi-human slavery is not something people boast about, that era has ended, but it is still deeply embedded in Melromarc."
"Huh," he said, gripping his Spear tightly, "So do we…"
Malty walked forward and waved her Knights to pause. Motoyasu followed. The entrance was a fairly well-designed area. Beautiful red carpet and air-based enchantments meant to keep the scent of the slaves and monsters away. A table full of the equipment needed to mark slaves and a register along with a vault where the money was stored.
Beloukas was absent.
Jessica didn't wait for him to arrive. She burned the sheet of cloth that separated the entry area from the monster storage. Ignored the horrible condition the caged beasts were kept in, making a note to kill them later for experience and materials, and stepped into the slave space.
Motoyasu gagged as the smell of filth, sweat and blood hit them both. It took Malty only a moment to muster her mana and cast a simple fire spell to burn away all the coverings around the cages.
She studied the emancipated demi-humans with rising fury but kept it away from the fire spell that was still burning the coverings away. Jessica only stopped once dozens had been revealed. The rest would be shown to the man after the master was dead.
It would be horrible for Jessica to harm them while attempting a rescue.
The sounds of retching filled the space as Motoyasu lost a battle with his disgust and nausea. She doubted the arrogant womanizer had seen anything like this in his previous life. It made Jessica appreciate both the lives she had memories of. Neither Jessica nor Malty were unfamiliar with cruelty.
Malty kept moving and Motoyasu scrambled to follow. He didn't speak, but she could see him looking away from the people in cages. None of the slaves tried to speak.
They were used to humans ignoring their pain. Or worse, causing it.
"Malty," said Motoyasu, a rare serious tone filling his voice, "We have to get them out."
Jessica turned to him, "We will," she said, "but Beloukas and his assistants must be dealt with first. Those bastards will kill them using the slave seals otherwise."
The Spear Hero grit his teeth and his grip on his weapon tightened, but he nodded.
They found Beloukas with a customer.
"-they are ready for use, Yes Sir!" said the slaver, pointing at a woman "Don't worry-"
Motoyasu surged forward. Rage and disgust driving him. At level 40, with the weapon tuned for speed and attack, Beloukas barely reacted.
It meant that his stomach was pierced instead of his heart.
The Spear Hero looked stunned at his actions. Malty went for the customer. A flick of her Cane sent a small wind bullet. It was a sphere barely two centimetres in diameter.
Moments before it struck the customer, it multiplied to ten bullets. The customer, a nobleman's proxy, if his clothing was any indication, died. Blood and stomach acid mixed on the floor. Malty ignored it.
Motoyasu and herself had enough of a defence stat that such an acid wouldn't even be able to harm their clothing.
The Spear Hero stared at his first kill in shock. The man was spasming. Begging for his life. Motoyasu turned to her, fear and horror were written all over his expression.
"Mein, I-I didn't mean to," he said, "It's just-I was so angry…"
"It's okay," she said, gently placing a hand on his spear that was still embedded within Beloukas, "keep the spear where it is. He can still be healed."
"R-right," he said, relief flickering in before another pained moan from the slaver had him flinch.
Malty cast a larger fireball burning through the tent's ceiling. The signal for her Knights to arrive before focusing on the air around Beloukas and chanting, "Let the breath of life be taken from my foes, Zweite Air Zero"
The man whimpered before he was robbed of his breath. Air was dragged out from his lungs gently as she pulled at the air around him. Motoyasu looked stunned but didn't have a chance to speak before the Slave Trader was unconscious and she stopped her spell.
His defence stat would make brain damage less likely.
Her knights arrived and bowed to her, "Find the assistants, capture them and escort them to the dungeons," she said to the captain before turning to the healer, "Make sure he lives and throw him in there as well."
They got to work and Jessica went for her real target.
It took her nearly five minutes of checking. Fireballs floating around her for light and to burn away the shrouds covering the cages.
Jessica made note of their injuries and their reactions to her. At level 43 with so many power-boosting methods, she was certain that level 70's had nothing on her. Her knights, even those who exceeded her level were weaker. This was something she had verified but the viciously snarling Wolfman still freaked her out when he roared at her.
It was his fault that she roasted him reflexively.
Malty walked away before the smell of burned flesh got to her.
Raphtalia was nearby. It took her three more cages, two with crippled demi-humans, before she found the Racoon-Type demihuman who was the heir to Q'ten Lo.
The girl was terrified when the cloth was burned away. She coughed and a jagged sound erupted from her throat. Her body was covered in filth, blood and sweat.
Malty smiled nonetheless and knelt on the other side of the bars. The smell was horrible, but she had spent enough time in this piece of hell to have adapted to it.
"What's your name?" asked Jessica, while melting the lock and moving it away with a wind burst. The princess swung the cage door open and waved at the girl. A request for her to leave her prison.
The girl only shivered. Fear, not cold. She didn't look Jessica in the eye.
Jessica sighed. Tapped her cane on the side of the cage and slowly warped the metal with her magic until the bars and ceiling were reduced to a heap of twisted metal and shattered wood.
"I'm Malty," she said, holding a hand out, "I'm here to help."
It took nearly a minute, but the sense of victory when the calloused hands of the child met Jessica's soft fingertips was enough to make her smile.
This was her first step to crush any Hero who opposed her. Helping this kid out was a wonderful bonus as well, and the provocation she was delivering to the Church only made it better. Plus, she got to upgrade Motoyasu's loyalty to her in particular.
She loved it when a plan had so many benefits.
Delaying it might have been better when it came to the Church or the nobles, but they barely mattered. A loyal Motoyasu, a living heir to Q'ten Lo and some monsters with an incentive to be loyal to her first was a worthwhile exchange.
