Sword Hero Who Dances in the Shadows Chapter 14: Aftermath
Lyall the Werewolf: You know what's interesting? Last chapter is the thirteenth chapter, and traditionally, 13 is an unlucky number in superstition. Which is probably why I've began to think that the last chapter wasn't so good after all. I am happy it got a lot of praise, especially concerning Asuka's expanded back-story and the Sloth Sword's Vitality Drain ability, but if the last section of the chapter concerning the fight seemed like it was rushed or made no sense, that's probably because those factors are true, due to how I wanted to get it out as quickly as possible, and didn't care how it came out. Asuka getting nerfed for the sake of making her use the Sloth Sword was not so great. As for future updates, I'll try not to repeat the same mistake as last time.
As for Asuka's pickiness regarding what materials to absorb into her sword, well, those who pointed it out are not wrong. This was careless on her part. This was largely because she was confident in her skills as a Shinobi, not a Cardinal Hero. But, of course, she couldn't have predicted that Motoyasu would use a paralysis skill on her, nor did she think of poison arrows being a threat. Now that she is aware of how invulnerable she to these elements, she'll be more careful.
Because it's getting confusing, I think I'm just going to call Conan a Wolf Demi-human and be done with it. That's why I've gone back changed details about Conan, again… hopefully for the last time. To be honest, he had some parallels with Raphtalia, being a hybrid and all. His back-story will remain the same for now.
Oh, and I've just changed my username recently, so instead of BanditWerewolf or BW, it's Lyall the Werewolf now. And no, "Lyall" not my actual name; it's the name of the character I created for my profile avatar, through the use of GachaLife. You can use it to create anime chibi characters and do stuff. It's quite fun and addicting, so if you can, go download the app and play around with it.
(I don't own Senran Kagura or Shield Hero)
"In light of the recent incident that occurred near Lute Village, which involves the Captain of the Royal Knights and the nobleman Mald, who is also a member of Itsuki-dono's party, attempted to sabotage the Sword Hero on her first job as a mercenary…" King Aultcray spoke as all parties involved were in the throne room.
Asuka and her party stood to the left side of the throne, while Itsuki and his party, as well as the Captain and young Ake to the right.
The nobles standing behind the Sword Hero's party whispered in disdain about how a Demi-human like Conan was allowed inside the throne room with the Fake Sword Hero. They were silenced with Asuka turned back to glare at them, clearly not in the mood to listen to their complaints and racism.
Itsuki gave Mald, his right hand man, a look of disappointed in his actions. Mald could only look away in shame. Mald also sported a cast on his right arm, held up by a sling.
The Captain was stoic, but beneath, he was greatly annoyed at how their plan went south, was arrested by his own men after what he did got out, and now the Sword Wench had them on trial, being painted as the victim.
Ake was still utterly horrified that he played in this scheme to harm the Sword Hero and her party, albeit unwittingly.
"There is no denying what had transpired in Lute Village was staged by these two, as eyewitness accounts had heard them discussion this sabotaging plan."
"Yeah, that was so not clever." Rino muttered.
"The Captain gave a poisoned crossbow to Mald and released previously detained prisoners in an attempt on the Sword Hero's life. However, due to the Sword Hero's resilience, the attempt failed, and both offenders were detained and now stand trial for these regrettable events." Aultcray turned to the Captain, "Captain, what do you have to say in your defense?
"I… deeply regret my actions, Your Majesty." the Captain answered, "But, please understand, Mald and I felt the Sword Hero was out of line when she made her threatening declaration against you. Such disrespect cannot be tolerated! That is why we thought it necessary to show her the error of her ways."
"By sending previously incarcerated bandits after me, while also almost getting one of your soldiers and my party potentially killed in the process? Not to mention, poisoning me?" asked an irritated Asuka.
"A lapse in judgment, I assure you. One that I will never make again." the Captain replied.
Asuka simply glared at him, knowing that he wasn't being sincere. She looked toward Ake, who was still distraught about being tricked.
"Ordinarily, you would be punished severely for his actions. However, as you have performed great services for our country, and this was done out of your sense of duty. So, I have decided that you, the Captain of our Royal Knights, shall be placed under house arrest for the time being. The Vice-Captain will take over your duties until further notice. Is this acceptable?"
This came as a surprise to the nobles in attendance.
The Captain meanwhile smirked with glee at this considerably light punishment, "I thank you for your generosity, my King."
Asuka scowled, but was not at all surprised that Trash wouldn't seriously consider giving a harsher punishment to someone who clearly didn't deserve such leniency or his job for that matter.
"As for nobleman Mald, the other party also involved in this conspiracy against the Sword Hero…" Aultcray turned to Mald, who stood tall with a complex expression on his face. He also had a cast over his right arm.
"Your Majesty…" Itsuki spoke up, "The occurrence of this incident is the result of my negligence. I'm sure Mald-san was just concerned about my future as a Hero, so that is why he went to these extremes. I ask that I take his share of the blame in his place."
"Itsuki-sama…" Mald looked like he was about to cry. And yes, those tears would be faked because he saw this as a way out of punishment.
"That is admirable, Itsuki-dono, but regardless of his concerns for the future, he must be made to answer for this crime." said Aultcray.
"In that case, Mald-san, please apologize to Asuka-san." Itsuki said to Mald.
"WHAT?! Apologize to that Sword Wench?!"
"Yes. I can only assume this will be quite humbling for you. Will that suffice, Your Majesty?" Itsuki asked the King.
"Perhaps… Assuming the Sword Hero is accepting of it."
"Whatever." Asuka muttered. She saw no reason to object. She simply wanted this meaningless trial to be over as quickly as possible. Coming to this throne room for every incident was getting annoying.
"Well, I think we can treat it as acceptable. So, what are you waiting for, Mald-san? Make it snappy." Itsuki scolded.
"B-But, she broke my arm! Not to mention, she destroyed my armor! And she hasn't even apologized for that!"
"And you started a fight with her over your wounded pride. That's why she broke your arm and destroyed your armor in self-defense. So, I'd say you're even."
"I-Itsuki-sama, what if I can't perform well or at all in the next Wave?"
"We'll have to make do without you if that's the case. Besides, the Second Wave is hardly relevant right now. Stop stalling and apologize." Itsuki ordered, losing patience with Mald.
"Grr…" Mald immediately hated the idea of apologizing to that wench. However, he was in front of an audience and it was an order from the Bow Hero, so he had no choice. He walked over to the Sword Hero's party, whose leader waited patiently. He kneeled down, and while grumbling, carried out his order, "I humbly apologize for the dishonorable conduct I have caused you, Sword Hero."
Asuka didn't say a word, but she clearly found it distasteful to have to hear an insincere apology from this insufferable tin man.
"I would also like to state how sorry I am that I let this happen, Asuka-san." said Itsuki, "I'm deeply ashamed that my negligence led to so much grief for you and your party."
"If that's how you really feel, you should just kick that loser out of your party." Asuka said, causing Mald to glare up at her for that suggestion. "But whatever, if you need someone around to stroke your ego, I won't judge."
Itsuki glared at Asuka as well, but at the very least understood that she was had a right to be testy at how her plans were disrupted and her party put in danger.
The Sword Hero turned to King Aultcray, "And I'd prefer that bull headed Captain lose his job permanently for manipulating his own soldier and releasing criminals for a half-baked revenge scheme."
Aultcray didn't say a word, while the Captain scowled at the Sword Wench for the insult.
"But, I don't care as long as they keep their distance and leave me and my party alone. I mean, seriously, is a little peace too much to ask?" Asuka complained.
"I do apologize for the punishments not being up to your standards. This trial is officially over, so I won't keep you here any longer. Now be gone!" Aultcray said impatiently.
"Thank you. I'll be more than happy to leave. And I hope I won't have come back here AGAIN anytime soon." Asuka and her party make their way to the front door of the throne room, intending to leave.
"Are you sure you want to let it go like this?" Rino asked Asuka.
"What would be the point in trying? They won't listen." Asuka replied.
"Good point… but, house arrest? C'mon! That's so dumb! He really should be fired!" Rino complained.
Asuka didn't reply. She just wanted to leave and never discuss this whole thing again.
"S-Sword Hero-sama!" called out the voice Ake.
Asuka and her party stop and turn to see the young knight facing toward them.
"I-I know it won't mean much coming from me… but, I can't go against my pride as a knight! I may not have known it, but I was a part of this scheme to do you harm! And for that, I am deeply regretful of leading you to danger! I understand completely if you don't forgive me! B-But, that's all I wanted to say!" Ake said, bowing his head toward the Sword Hero.
For a brief moment, Asuka was silent, due to a fair bit of surprise at Ake's actions. A moment later, she simply smiled at him, "I don't blame you at all for what happen. You were tricked into helping them, so you're more of a victim then a perpetrator."
Ake raised his head in surprise.
"I can see you as an honest and good kid. A lot better than your Captain, whose name I don't know and won't bother remembering."
The Captain was about to open his mouth to retort, only to be silenced by the Vice-Captain standing next to him.
"Thanks for being honest with me, Ake-kun. In my opinion, you're a fine knight." Asuka beamed.
"W-Words can't express my gratitude, Lady Hero. All I can say is thank you!" a humble Ake bowed again.
"There's nothing to thank me for. Anyway, take care of yourself and keep up the good work, Ake-kun." Asuka nodded. Her mood most certainly changed after what Ake said, and she left with some of her spirits lifted.
Still, the after events of yesterday still lingered in the Sword Hero's mind.
[-Flashback: After the Fight with Mald-]
Under the influence of the Sloth Sword, Asuka made her way to the unconscious Mald. She stood over him, looking down on him with empty apathetic eyes.
Once again, she found herself in a dark void; standing all alone, save for that same silent voice calling out to her.
(Do you…?)
"I… do…"
(WHY?)
"This is his fault… today was a disaster… it was supposed to be my first mercenary job… it's such a pain… I just want this misery to end…" Asuka muttered, "Maybe killing him will end all my troubles."
(Than do it… silence him… so that he will not cause you trouble or pain ever again. And not just this man, but also the ones who have wronged you, the ones who care only for their self-satisfaction, and commit evil acts with no remorse.)
The memories of all the misfortunes Asuka had gone through came to mind. The trial, where she nearly lost a friend and suffered the indignity of being made into a unwilling victim… Her first quest, where she was alone and almost died and was forced to take innocent life as an act of mercy… The duel, where she was humiliated, molested, and nearly made into a slave… and the ones responsible for all of it where either ignorant, self-absorbed in their petty games, or completely beyond redemption.
"Yes… they all must pay… all I want… is peace of mind. But, they won't let me have it… so they can die!"
Back in reality, the slothful Sword Hero raised the Sloth Sword above her head, still towering over the unconscious man and ready to silence him for good, to end this repetitive game once and for all.
Asuka was about to finish the bastard who caused her so much trouble, until her free hand grabbed the wrist of the arm that held the sword.
"What am I doing? This isn't me! Those weren't my thoughts!" Asuka yelled, having snapped out of her negative mindset moments before she could do the deed.
She could believe what was about to happen. She nearly killed Mald over what was simply a petty revenge scheme for him. Thankfully, after regaining her senses, the sword ceased whatever mind control she was under.
"Just as I thought, this sword is influencing me like a curse…" Asuka muttered. She looked down to Mald again, this time more calmly. Part of her realized that she did have a desire to make him stop his futile errand of getting payback for disbanding the party, but to actually kill him would cause far more problems than it would solve. As much as it be cathartic to end him, she decided it would be best to let him live.
Besides, she normally wouldn't condone taking a life unless absolutely necessary. Well, baring that mercy kill on the wolf cubs.
Asuka turned to her party members currently unconscious on the ground.
"I won't let them die…" Asuka said to herself as she advanced toward them, only to feel a tall shadow looming over her. The Sword Hero looked back to see Mald standing up behind her, his sword raised his head and poised to kill.
"I should have known you'd be too soft hearted to take my life." Mald spoke with spite, "Now die, SWORD WENCH!"
Mald slammed his down, only to completely miss his target, due Asuka vanishing from sight for a moment. Before he knew it, he felt a swift and powerful kick to his right arm, one that completely dislocated his arm.
"GAAHHH!" Mald cried out in pain, now writhing on the ground caressing his broken arm. Asuka meanwhile stood over him, with next to no pity or remorse in her heart for what she just did to Mald. From her prospect, it was well deserved.
"Be happy that broken arm is all you're getting for your trouble, bucket head." Asuka spat while walking away from him and to Rino. Kneeling down to her, the Sword Hero gently shook Rino to wake her up.
"Rino-chan, wake up!"
"Asuka…" Rino stirred as she awoke. She sat up from the ground to face Asuka, "What's happened? Are we okay?"
"Yeah. The fight's over." said Asuka. She gave Rino a health potion to replenish her strength.
"Thanks." said Rino, before drinking the health potion.
"No problem. Rest up for a bit. I'll go see if Conan-kun needs any help." Asuka said, immediately rushing over to the wolf boy. He was hurt, but not too badly. "Hang on, okay. I should still have a healing potion somewhere."
It didn't take her long to find it, and immediately pour the health potion into his mouth as gently as she could. His injuries recovered soon after, and he awoke.
"A-Asuka…"
"Conan-kun, I'm glad you're alright!" Asuka exclaimed. However, Conan turned away, his expression conveying guilty and sadness.
"I'm sorry… because of me, you got hurt…"
"Don't apologize! I'm the one who got careless. I should have deflected that poison dart."
"No, much of this mess is my fault." Rino said, "I told Conan to run. I had no idea he'd run into more danger."
"I guess we need to work on our teamwork, huh?" Asuka chuckled. Even without the sabotage, they would have found trouble functioning as a unit. With this in mind, the chances of surviving the next Wave may be slim to none. They had a lot of work to do if they were to be ready. All the same, she promised herself that wouldn't let anything to her party members. There wouldn't be a repeat of what happened to her friends in Hanzo Academy, and there won't be sacrifices like those cubs. She would protect them, no matter what.
"Sword Hero, are you alright?!" called out Ake as he finally caught up. He was surprised to see Mald lying on the ground with a broken arm. Asuka quickly explained what happened, although she left out the part about her Sloth Sword activating and attempting to make her kill him. Ake, having just learned that his captain may have released the criminal, wasn't too shocked to learn Mald was in on this plan, considering he had seen Mald and the Captain drinking together before.
Following this, it didn't take very long for the Sword Hero's party to return to Lute. They planned to reveal what happened, but the Vice-Captain was already there, questioning the Captain on the extra caravan and a missing poison crossbow. Once all the pieces had been put together, the Captain was placed under arrest for suspected pre-release of criminals and sabotage.
A trial regarding this incident was to be held at the castle the following day.
[-Present Day: Castle Gate-]
The trial went about as well as one would expect from such an incompetent ruler, because… obviously. Between waiting for the trial proceedings to end while just standing around as Trash blithering on, and the really bad memories of when both she and Naofumi were made fools of, it was simply the most boring and uncomfortable experience of Asuka's life. She just wanted to leave as quickly as possible, so she can actually prepare for the Wave of Catastrophe that was soon to be hitting, hopefully without being disturbed.
It would seem that not just the King, Myne, Motoyasu, but also Mald and the Captain truly do not understand what was at stake. The lengths they went to just to sabotage two of the Cardinal Heroes they didn't like was incomprehensibly bad. At least as far as she knew, Itsuki seemed to still have some semblance of sense in him, even if he was misguided. Ensuring everyone's survival would prove to be more difficult than anticapated.
Most importantly, what to do with the Sloth Sword? Asuka couldn't deny how useful the sword could potentially be during battle, particularly with that Vitality Drain skill. But, the effect on her mental state wasn't soemthing else entirely. If she wasn't so strong of character, she would have overtaken by the sword's influence. She understood perfectly why that Series was named Cursed. She needed some way of controlling it, otherwise, it would be best not to use it at all.
It was silent as Asuka hadn't said a word until they were outside and about to re-enter Castle Town.
"So, is anyone hungry? Despite all the trouble that came with it, your first job as mercenaries was fairly successful, so we should eating something to celebrate and forget about all that nonsense from before."
"Sounds good to me! I could use to food right about now." said Rino, caressing her growling stomach.
"Me too! Conan-kun, are you hungry?" Asuka asked the fox boy. She noticed him staring at her. "Um, is something wrong?"
"No… it's just…" Conan walked to his guardian and hugged her, much to her surprise. "Thank you… for everything, Asuka."
"Conan-kun…" mumbled a stunned Asuka. She smiled and hugged him back. "There's no need to thank me. We're friends, aren't we?"
"… Yeah…" Conan said with a smile.
"You finally smiled!" Asuka chirped.
"N-No I didn't!"
"They look like siblings. That's so cute." Rino said to herself.
Minutes later, they found a cheap restaurant to eat at. Although there was a sign that said "NO DEMI-HUMANS ALLOWED!", but the Sword Hero ignored that and walked straight in, even though Conan was somewhat hesitant.
"Welcome! How may I… S-Sword Hero-sama?!" a waiter exclaimed in surprise at seeing the Sword Hero and her party.
"A table for three please." Asuka said, before her nose detected two familiar scents about to enter, "Make that five."
"Wha…?" the waiter looked confused, before he saw the Shield Hero and his young Demi-human follower enter. They had frequented this place for a while. The waiter and other patrons initially were uneasy allowing the criminal Shield Hero to dine here, but they began to get used to his presence here. Now the Sword Hero was paying this restaurant a visit? And much like the Shield Hero, she had a Demi-human in her party.
"Asuka?" a surprised Naofumi uttered.
"Asuka-san!" Raphtalia excitedly ran up to Asuka and hugged her.
"Hey, Raphtalia-chan!"
"Asuka-san, are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Raphtalia asked with worry.
"We heard about what happened in Lute. She's been worried ever since." said Naofumi.
"I'm perfectly fine. That trap those two set was just stupid to begin with." Asuka answered as the five sat a table.
Some of the other costumers were especially surprised that the Sword and Shield Heroes were interacting at all, considering rumors of the Shield Hero's crime against the First Princess, and how he was going to do the same to the Sword Hero, brainwashing drug notwithstanding. But then, they remembered how he came to her defense in the duel's aftermath, so now doubt had been called into a question as to whether his crimes against Princess Malty and the Sword Hero were true or not.
"I'll say." Naofumi scowled, "I've haven't even met that Captain guy yet, but I wanna smash his face in already. What was his name again?"
"What does it matter? He's just an arrogant idiot whose name I wouldn't even bother trying to remember." said Asuka.
"Point taken." Naofumi nodded, "And house arrest? That's a slap on the wrist at best! How stupid is that piece of trash?"
"I'm not going to bother complaining about that either. It's very obvious how stupid he is." Asuka retorted. And clearly, he was trying to get her out of the throne room as quickly as possible, a sentiment she for once reciprocated.
"And Itsuki… I swear he needs to control his party members better. Especially that tin-plated dickhead!"
"I doubt the Bow Hero's is going to kick him out any time soon. I mean, that guy must have some uses for his party, right?" said Rino.
"Yeah, and I bet he's not there for any serious reason, other than to stroke Itsuki's ego." replied Naofumi.
"My thoughts exactly." Asuka said, "But enough about that. Let's fill our stomachs. I'll pay for the five of us."
"You sure about that? Won't you just be wasting your money for me and Raphtalia?"
"I don't mind at all. Besides, I think eating together with friends makes food even better." Asuka smiled. Her bitter memory of eating rabbit and mushroom soup alone in that miserable cave became more distant.
"If you say so. Just get me the cheapest meal. Raphtalia can have the kids' meal. She likes those." Naofumi said, with Raphtalia nodding in confirmation.
"I guess your taste buds still aren't working." said Asuka with pity in her voice.
"What's the use in trying to find something good to eat when I can't taste a damn thing?" Naofumi asked.
Deciding that it was too awkward to talk about, Asuka dropped the topic and ordered everyone their desired meals. As they ate, they ignored the odd stares from the other patrons.
During the feast, Asuka opened up with this question, "Naofumi-kun, do you know of any monsters with poison or paralysis resistance?"
"Hm? Why are you asking me that?"
"Motoyasu-kun managed to paralyze me with that scorpion spear during the duel, and Itsuki-kun's goon poisoned me. I need to be prepared for those things in the future." said Asuka.
"Now that I think about it, I figured ninjas would build up immunities to poisons as part of their training. But, you got afflicted that easily?"
"Yeah. Back in my world, I actually have trained to resist most poisons. If I was afflicted with it, I could still fight while ignoring the effects and it'll wear off after a while. I guess being summoned to this world might have done something to my resistances. The only things that carried over were my physical capabilities."
"And you think I could help with that?"
"I'm sure you've at least found some monsters that could resist those ailments, right?"
"Hmm… only ones I could think of that give resistances to those ailments are the mushroom monsters. Granted, I've only seen a handful of those types, but maybe some of those could provide some resist to poison or paralysis."
"Aww! I fought mushroom monsters before, but I didn't even think to add them to my sword!" Asuka bemoaned.
"Were you being picky or something?" Rino asked.
"I guess so. I figured I should take what seems useful for my sword and practice with the skills I've acquired from the absorbed materials or copied weapons."
"That and being ninja meant you didn't have to rely on whatever skills or passive abilities you got for your sword all the time." said Naofumi.
"Yeah, that was probably my thought process at the time. I realize now that's a mistake on my part, so I need to be better prepared. So anyway, was it the same for you, Naofumi-kun? The absorption thing I mean."
"Actually, I absorbed whatever I could get. I did get some interesting skills from the mushroom monsters, like Plant Appraisal, Compounding Recipes and Apprenticeship Compounding. But, since you're so combat oriented, I doubt you'd take any interest in those."
"I admit those sounds useful, but I can't say that I am. I prefer to have the ability to resist certain ailments naturally, then to use potions to boost them. I realize that's still being picky, but I prefer simply it that way." Asuka answered.
"Whatever floats your boat, I guess." said Naofumi, "Wait a minute? That Vento guy gave you potions that cures poison and paralysis, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You could try adding those to your sword and get the sword form and Passive Skills needed to resist those ailments." Naofumi suggested, to Asuka's astonishment.
"Oh my gosh, I didn't even think of that!" Asuka said excitedly, "Thanks! I'll try adding them when I get a chance!"
"That was just a random idea, but sure, no problem." Naofumi smiled.
"And thanks for sharing the info about your Mush Skills with me. If necessary, I'll think about adding those to my sword." Asuka nodded, before turning to Rino and Conan, "We still have a couple of jobs we haven't checkout out yet. What do you guys say get them done?"
"Do you really need to ask? Of course, I'm with you on this." Rino answered, "And I won't mess up like last time!"
"I won't either! I want to get stronger, so I'll go where you go."
"Awesome! Thanks you guys!" Asuka smiled.
"I also… want to protect Asuka…" Conan whispered with a slight blush.
"Hm? Did you say something, Conan-kun?"
"Nothing!" Conan quickly complied, to Asuka's confusion.
"Alright. I guess that's that." Naofumi said, having finished his cheap dinner. Raphtalia also finished the healthy kids' meal.
It didn't take long for the Sword Hero's party to finish eating as well, and soon after, the two parties were on their way to the exit.
"We'll see you later, Naofumi-kun, Raphtalia-chan!" Asuka cheerfully said.
"You too." Naofumi smiled.
Things would have ended on a high note today, if not for disaster striking as they exited the restaurant.
"Asuka-chan!" Motoyasu called out as the two parties were now standing in the middle of the road outside the restaurant. "I finally found you! Good, I didn't know what I'd do if I couldn't."
Asuka stood in shock as Motoyasu stood before her. She didn't expect to run into him so soon. She began to wonder if he was just stalking her, because there was no way he'd find her so quickly otherwise.
"Motoyasu…" Naofumi growled. Raphtalia did behind her master, not wanting to make eye contact with the man who hurt Asuka.
"Naofumi? What're you doing here?" he asked in an unfriendly tone, before wearing an arrogant smirk, "Actually, never mind! Your timing couldn't be better." Motoyasu smirked.
"Huh…?"
"I've got a surprise for Asuka-chan, and I want you to stick around." Motoyasu said, to Asuka's slight surprise.
"A surprise?" Rino glared.
"And why would I do that?" asked Naofumi.
"Because, I know when Asuka-chan sees what I have in store for her, she'll definitely fall for me, and I wanna see you weeping in agony as she leaves you in the dust, as whatever spell you cast on her will lose its effect!"
"Spell?" Asuka asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Motoyasu-sama believes you're being brainwashed by the Shield Hero." stated Myne as she came up behind Motoyasu, albeit looking exhausted, but still managing to look haughty. The rest of the Spear Hero's party was behind her, but they didn't do as nearly good a job as Myne when it came to hiding their exhaustion.
Asuka scowled upon seeing her. Motoyasu's idiocy she could pretend to tolerate, but Myne? Similarly to her father, there was no reason to hide the hate in the Sword Hero's eyes. It was especially irritating because the cold muddy feeling on her chest was back, probably worse than before.
"Bullshit! I didn't- you know what, forget it! You're not gonna believe me, anyway."
"He must've deluded himself somehow. Just like with that stupid drug angle." said Rino, while a glaring Conan nodded in agreement.
"Oh, and who's this?" Motoyasu's attention went to young Raphtalia, who was still hiding behind Naofumi. He pushed the Shield Hero to the aside and squatted to eye level with her. Naofumi's eyebrows twitched upon seeing this.
Raphtalia tried to look brave and not intimidated by the Spear Hero.
"Don't be scared. I'm not gonna bite. The name's Motoyasu. And what's your name, cutie?"
"I thought busty sixteen year olds did it for you, but you flirt with kids now too?" Naofumi snarled, stepping between Raphtalia and Motoyasu.
"Of course not! I'm not a creeper! But, if she grows up into a real beauty, things might change. I'd even persuade her to join my party." Motoyasu smiled with confidence.
"Please tell me you're joking, Motoyasu-sama? Inviting a Demi-human of all things…" Myne grumbled, showing clear jealousy and disdain at the idea of a wretched Demi-human joining the party.
"Besides, why is she with you? Don't tell me you're brainwashing kids too!"
"Grr…" Naofumi growled in frustration.
"I-I'm not brainwashed! I'm Naofumi-sama's sword! I'm going to fight for him!" Raphtalia declared.
"What? You don't have to do that! Naofumi's worthless. Besides, it's not safe for kids like you to be fighting. Wouldn't you rather be with me when you grow up? I promise I'll protect you."
"No! You're mean to Naofumi-sama, and you hurt Asuka-san! You're a bad person! And so is that red haired lady!" Raphtalia pointed to Myne, much to the latter's visible annoyance.
"T-That's not even remotely true! Naofumi deserves the harsh treatment he's getting! And I didn't do anything to hurt Asuka-chan! A-At least not on purpose. And Myne's a bad person either! In any case, I'm worried you might get hurt protecting Naofumi, so why don't you consider-"
"Motoyasu-kun." Asuka called to the Spear Hero, "It's her choice to make if she wants to fight for Naofumi-kun, not yours. Besides, you know he can't fight on his own without additional help. Remember, he's the Shield Hero. No offensive ability and only defense."
"I-I know that, but still…"
"That aside, I thought you had business with me." she said sharply, having lost her patience as well.
"O-Oh, right. Well… I'm really sorry about how the duel turned out. Like I just said, I didn't mean to hurt you. Not with the Scorpion Sting Spear or that whole enslavement thing." Motoyasu said with guilty expression, before turning to a confident grin, "I mean, I'm glad you let up on me and all, but if I had known you were feeling so guilty about it, then-"
"He still thinks he won…" Asuka irritably thought, "If that's all you have to say, then we're done!" Asuka retorted, getting ready to leave, only for Motoyasu to get in her way.
"W-Wait! Sorry! I got carried away again! Besides, I also heard about what happened at that Lute Village place! Itsuki needs to control his party members better!"
"As if he has any right to talk." Rino muttered in annoyance at how the Spear Hero apparently still hasn't realized that Myne had sold off her before she joined Asuka, and his other party harlots were keeping quiet about it.
"The reason I'm here is because I wanted to make you feel better, so…" Motoyasu turned back to Myne, who sighed and motion to a group of knights and Filolials at the corner of the street. They wheeled over a huge cart full of extravagant gifts, like pretty dresses, jewelry, teddy bears, various types of sweets, and other things.
"What in the…" Asuka was greatly surprised by this.
The onlookers were flabbergasted to see this as well.
"Tada!" Motoyasu cheered, "I went around all kinds of shops and used all the money I got from my last quest to buy all these gifts for you! They're especially perfect after that business in Lute, which probably meant that you wouldn't be a great mood, but this is sure to brighten your day! They include dresses, jewelry, candies, and lots of other great stuff that girls love. Granted, I didn't actually know what you liked, so I went with my gut and bought what I could."
"Idiot…" Naofumi grumbled.
"He… can't be serious… Just how desperate is he?" Rino face palmed in absolute disbelief.
Asuka stood silently, not showing any reaction whatsoever. At least on the outside. Inside, she was beyond disgusted.
"Expensive gifts? Does he really think I'm that shallow?"
Myne stepped forward, smirking arrogantly, "Of course, Motoyasu-sama didn't have all the coin needed to buy all this. And we didn't want him to waste more for you, so we asked the Adventurer's Guild to lend us its aid, financially."
"You did what?!" Asuka shouted after hearing what Myne said.
"You didn't use the guild's funding for this, did you?" Rino asked in outrage.
"It was a necessary sacrifice. Everyone at the guild seemed to like her, so they happily agreed to share their recourses with us." Myne lied. She didn't notice it, but Elena was sighing in exasperation at the Princess' greed and Motoyasu's recklessness. Myne had proposed the idea of using the guild's funding to buy the gifts around town, likely as a way of getting back at them for that one receptionist mouthing off, and not waste their own money. Of course, Elena herself had a part in Motoyasu's madness, but she wasn't going to say that now.
"Did you hear that, Asuka-chan? Everyone in the guild was worried about you, so they wouldn't mind letting us use some of their money for the gifts!"
"That sounds like bullshit." Naofumi said.
"Oh, shut up, Naofumi! Don't think you have the high ground when you don't know the way to a girl's heart, Naofumi!"
"This coming from the guy bragging about buying worthless garbage." Naofumi retorted.
"Let me get this straight, Motoyasu-kun… you felt bad about 'winning' the duel, so you bought all of these gifts, just for me? Using the guild's money?" Asuka asked Motoyasu.
"Yeah! I bought these gifts just for you! This is how much I love you, Asuka-chan!" Motoyasu answered, not noticing the angered look forming on the Sword Hero's face.
"What a load of crap! Love? I don't feel any such emotion! And what exactly gave you the right to use money from the guild to buy this worthless junk?"
Meanwhile, some of the citizen watching bore disgusted looks on their face. His stunt at the end of the duel was horrendous enough, and now he was trying to buy off the Sword Hero's forgiveness? They all wondered how low the Spear Hero was willing to go.
In his excitement, and ignorance of the crowd's looks of distain, Motoyasu took out one of the dresses from the cart and showed it to Asuka. It was pink frilly dress that had a short skirt, open back side, and a fairly large cleavage window. The dress didn't leave much for the imagination.
"Look at this! This one is my favorite! I'm sure it'll look perfect on you!" he said as he handed the dress to Asuka.
"Ehh…" Asuka sighed as she stared at the dress in her hands.
"And if you don't like this one, I've got a black one and a red one." Motoyasu smiled as he held them up.
"He's not even trying to hide it now…" Asuka thought. This dress and those other colored variants were used by girls from the brothel. She had seen some women around town flirting with men while wearing such embarrassing attire in secluded places. How he managed to buy them was something she didn't want to know.
"You better be grateful, Sword Bimbo." said a condescending Myne, "Motoyasu-sama, against our wishes, worked hard and bought everything you see, and it's all for you. You have an obligation to accept these gifts and his love."
"And she no doubt suggested these things just to further humiliate me." Asuka glared hatefully at Malty. The muddle feeling was beginning to evaporate, due to boiling anger beginning to rise.
"That's right!" said Lesty, coming up from behind Myne, "I don't care about you one bit, but if Motoyasu-sama wants you to be happy with these gifts, then-"
"Oh, shut up!" Rino spat, stepping forward for Asuka, "Just what part of this is love?! She was doing just fine without him until now! And you people think you can just show up and tell how to act otherwise?!"
"How dare you talk that way to me!" Lesty marched over to Rino and glared face to face with her former party mate, "Do you need another lecture on how to behavior in front of someone superior to you?!"
"I'm not in your miserable party anymore! I can talk to you however I want!" Rino snapped back, not intimidated like before.
"It was bad enough you kept questioning our way of supporting Motoyasu-sama… now you think you can act high and mighty just because that Sword Bimbo is protecting you!"
"So what? She protects me, and I'll protect her. That's how a party is supposed to function. We work together and support each other, not act like cheap whores who are too lazy to be of any help to their leader."
"If I recall, your first mercenary job ended in failure partly because you didn't know what you were doing." Lesty said smugly.
Both Rino and Asuka looked bitter at this fact. They didn't know how to function as a party yet, so naturally they were all over the place and wound up with a mess of injuries they could have avoided.
"That... I won't deny. It was partly my fault that things went south, but I'm going to do better. We'll improve as a team and be better than you lazy skanks!" Rino declared.
Asuka smiled when she heard this from Rino.
"Why you…"
"Girls, please! We didn't come here for a fight!" Motoyasu stepped between Rino and Lesty. He turned to Rino, "Rino-chan, I'm sorry things didn't work out before, but we can still get along, can't we?"
"Not happening." Rino replied, turning away from the idiotic Spear Hero.
"I-I see…" Motoyasu sighed sadly. Knowing that Rino was a lost cause, he returned his focus to Asuka. "So, Asuka-chan, will you try one of the dresses on? I know they'll look fantastic on you, because you're so cute. Of course, if you don't like them, I can find more for you."
"No thanks. I'm not interested in what you have to offer." Asuka replied sharply as she threw the dress back at him, "My forgiveness doesn't come as cheap as you might think."
"Oh… I guess not. I'm not giving up, though." Motoyasu presented more gifts, such as a sparkling pearled necklace, "Look, I got you this pretty necklace. I bet it'll look good on you, Asuka-chan! If not this, I've got more you can try on. Girls like jewelry, right?"
"That may be true for some, but I don't go for jewelry." Asuka answered.
"No luck on that either? Then how about this?" Motoyasu presented a bottle of red perfume, "I got this nice perfume for you. I'm sure the perfume would make you smell fantastic. Its Myne's favorite, too! Isn't that right, Myne?" Motoyasu turned to Myne for confirmation.
"W-Why, yes it is! In fact I recommend this brand at once!" Myne said, halfway between smiling and looking disgruntled.
Asuka had no idea if that was a lie or not. But, judging by how uncomfortable about it Myne looked, there could be a layer of truth to it. The Sword Hero was almost tempted to accept the perfume just to spite her, but that would also mean making Motoyasu happy, which she wanted to avoid.
"See, even Myne approves! Just take a whiff and you'll love it!" Motoyasu said.
"Thanks, but no thanks. My answer is still the same." Asuka replied.
"W-Why not?!" Motoyasu whined.
"Because, I have more important things to do! Like preparing for the second Wave of Catastrophe, which will hit in the next couple of weeks. Something you ought to be doing instead of wasting time and money on things like this!"
"Huh?" Naofumi gasped.
"The next Wave? Psh! That'll be a piece of cake for me. And besides, you don't need to try so hard to catch up to me." Motoyasu said confidently.
"Please remind me who was the one losing badly in our duel?" Asuka asked with a twitchy eyebrow. It honestly amazed her that she was able to talk to Motoyasu this long with losing her patience completely.
"That's… not important right now. What's important is which of these gifts you'll accept as a token of my love for you."
"Oh my god…" Asuka groaned in exasperation.
"Grrr…" Conan growled at Motoyasu as he stepped between him and his guardian. He didn't like Motoyasu before for how he cheated in the duel, but the dislike for the Spear Hero grew after seeing how his teammates, especially Asuka were being bothered by him and his party. It struck a protective nerve in him, like how he felt compelled to come to Asuka's defense when they were ambushed by that man.
"Whoa, hey kid, what's your problem?" Motoyasu asked, surprised by Conan's aggression.
"I don't care who you think you are. Stay away from Asuka." Conan said. This pleasantly surprised Asuka. It seemed he was finally ready to open to her and was even being protective of her. It made her smile.
"That's cute, kid. But, this is between me and Asuka-chan, so if you could just stand aside…" Motoyasu said with a patient smile.
"Just ignore him, Motoyasu-sama. He's just some filthy little Demi-human the Sword Bimbo took pity on." Myne said spitefully. Motoyasu deciding he wanted that urchin Demi-human girl with the Shield Hero to join their party was bad enough, now that another one thinks he could act defiant to someone above them. It was that Sword Bimbo's fault that this lowly creature developed such bravado, no question about it.
"Excuse me. Conan-kun is not some Demi-human." Asuka retorted to Myne, "He's my friend, and it doesn't matter what a self-entitled Princess like you has to say about it."
"What did you just call me?"
"Myne, calm down! Asuka-chan's a sweet girl, so of course she'd make friends with Demi-humans." Motoyasu said to Myne, before turning back to Conan, "That aside. I'd like you to move. I still have more things to show Asuka-chan."
"No." Conan glared, causing Motoyasu lose little patience he had.
"I said move!" Motoyasu shoved Conan out of the way and onto the floor. Myne and Lesty snickered as they watched their Hero put that Demi-human in his place. In the background, Elena sighed in annoyance. She had no prejudice against Demi-humans or Beastmen, but seeing the Spear Hero respond that was something even she wouldn't approve. Of course, she dare not voice a complaint within earshot of Myne and Lesty.
Asuka bore a shocked and outraged expression when this action was taken. That was the final straw.
"Conan!" Rino cried as she rushed his side, and glared angrily at Motoyasu, "What the hell is your problem?!"
"I'm sorry, but he shouldn't be budding into romance at work." a guiltless Motoyasu replied.
"You think that justifies acting like a fuckhead?" Naofumi scowled, while Raphtalia gave him a glare that looked pouty than intimidating.
"Shut up! You've just about lost, so you can start weeping in misery now!" Motoyasu spat at Naofumi. He re-focused on Asuka with a smile, "Now, Asuka-chan, what do you say to the perfume? If not this, I've got plenty of other things for you. Plus, I have some homemade sweets for you to try. I know girls love sweets!"
"Motoyasu-kun, can you hand me that dress please? The necklace too, while you're at it." Asuka said, wearing a cute smile.
"Huh? S-Sure! Anything for you!" Motoyasu quickly gave the pink dress and pearl necklace to Asuka, as she requested.
Everyone else was surprised by Asuka's request. However, for those who know Asuka personally, they could see something sinister behind that smile she was giving Motoyasu.
"So, you'll try them on, right?"
"Actually, I was hoping you'd stand still for me."
"Huh?" Motoyasu didn't have enough time to process what Asuka just said, due to his vision suddenly and completely being obscured by darkness. Additionally, his body was suddenly completely restricted by something.
As it turned out, Asuka, with inhuman speed, somehow managed to wrap the pink dress around Motoyasu's upper body, starting with his head, blinding him and covering his mouth in the process.
"HRRRMMMM?!" the Spear Hero was in a complete panic, only able to bounce on his feet and struggling to free himself from his absurd predicament.
"That was for shoving Conan-kun." Asuka said with a cold frown, "And…"
KAPOW!
Motoyasu was suddenly punched in the groin once again, only this time much stronger than before. An audible gasp was heard all around when this action took place.
"That was for the duel, which you didn't win, and couldn't win on your own, without destroying my clothes in the process!" Asuka shouted, shoving the pained Spear Hero to the ground. By the way, the pearls from the necklace came apart as a result of Asuka clutching the necklace as she punched him in the crutch.
"Motoyasu-sama!" Myne cried and she and the other members of his party rush to his side.
For those who witnessed this, some may find it somewhat horrifying. Others however, saw it as karma, given how deplorable he had been to the Sword Hero, both during the duel and today. One such individual could not help but burst into hysteric laughter after watching his one of his enemies get owned.
"Pft! Hahahahaha!"
"N-Naofumi-sama?" Raphtalia squeaked nervously. Asuka looked cool and scary after what she did to the Spear Hero, while she found it strange that Naofumi found it funny and was actually smiling.
"That was so good! Way to stick to him Asuka!" Naofumi cheered with catharsis filling his soul.
Asuka didn't say a word, but a part of her actual did feel better just from seeing Motoyasu suffer. It was something she wasn't comfortable with, not that she was going to let it show.
"A-Asuka-chan… why…?" Motoyasu whimpered as he unraveled his bindings, while still in pain.
"You honestly thought I would be okay with you shoving my friends around?" Asuka asked, "And by the way, you never won the duel! It was declared a draw, after Myne helped you cheat! Stop deluding yourself into thinking otherwise! That goes for the idea that I'd even like you after all you've done! If you're wondering what turns me off most about you, it's your lechery and ego!"
"B-But, I… ugh…" the Spear Hero groaned in pain.
"You harpy! How dare you strike him there again!" Lesty barked, attempting to slap the Sword Hero again, only to be side stepped and tripped up again.
"If he couldn't even see that coming, I doubt the Waves of Catastrophe will be as easy for him as he thinks, so he brought it on himself. If he had any real sense, he wouldn't be wasting time buying gifts, and used it to train for upcoming battles." said Asuka, "Speaking of which…"
Asuka walked passed to him and his party to the gifts. She drew her sword from its keychain form and in quick succession, cut, slashed, and destroyed every one of the so-called 'get-well' gifts, "This is for the guild you took advantage of to buy these worthless things!"
Asuka's actions were a complete shock to everyone who witnessed them.
Elena wasn't completely surprised by this outcome. She knew it was going to happen. Motoyasu had officially made an ass of himself to the Sword Hero, and this was the natural response.
Either were Rino and Naofumi, both of whom were smiling to the entire time from watching Asuka get her point across in the most brutal way possible.
Motoyasu fainted from shock after seeing this, in addition to the immense pain in his groin.
By the time she was finished, Asuka stood quietly as she returned her sword to its keychain form. She turned to the unconscious Motoyasu and his party.
"I don't care what you, or your party members do from here on, just stay away from me." Asuka said and walked away. She helped Conan up, with a gentle smile. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah…" Conan said shyly.
"Thanks for standing up for me. That's actually twice you helped me. First, you fought with that bullheaded tin man, and now you stepped up to face Motoyasu-kun. It was really brave." Asuka beamed, causing the wolf boy to blush.
"Hey, Asuka." Naofumi called to Asuka, "It was great seeing Motoyasu getting decked and all, but what was that you were saying about the Waves coming in a couple weeks?"
"Huh? You didn't know, Naofumi-kun? The next Wave of Catastrophe is going to hit in less than two weeks. That's what the Dragon Hourglass told me."
"The Dragon Hourglass told you that? Where is it?"
"In the Church of the Three Heroes, which in the middle of Castle-Town… you didn't know that either?" Asuka asked.
"How was I supposed to…?" Naofumi grumbled in annoyance as a response to that question.
"Right… nobody likes the Shield Hero, so leaving you with info on this works is a given." Asuka sighed, "And after the trial, we didn't speak to each other for weeks, making sharing information with each other… difficult."
"Forget it. It's not your fault, remember?" Naofumi scuffed, "I might pay a visit some time after Raphtalia and I get stronger, so we can register for the Waves."
"Whether or not you go is up to you, but be careful when talking to the Pope. I think he's really shady." Asuka warned.
"I'll keep that in mind." Naofumi replied.
"Great!" Asuka looked to her party, "That's enough wasting time. Let's go."
"Hm…" Conan mumbled.
"Yeah." Rino smiled.
Just as the Sword and Shield Hero parties were about to part ways however…
"Hold it right there, you spiteful Sword Bimbo!" Myne shouted at Asuka, forcing the Sword Hero and her party to stop in their tracks once again.
Upon hearing her commanding voice, Asuka gritted her teeth in annoyance. It was clear that she was restraining herself, while Myne was treading very thin ice, and only time would tell when that ice would shatter.
Naofumi also looked annoyed at Myne's continued insistence on being a nuisance.
"You are so heartless, trampling upon Motoyasu-sama's feelings like that! Don't think you can just walk away!" Myne declared. She pointed to the unconscious Spear Hero, who seemed to be crying in his sleep. "In the state he's in, how is he supposed to fight the Waves of Catastrophe?!"
"Shut your mouth for once! He brought it on himself because he doesn't know when to take an obvious hint!" Naofumi said spitefully as he and Raphtalia stood beside Asuka's party.
"I don't recall talking to you! Don't give me, the next Queen orders, you criminal!" Myne barked.
"Call me whatever you want. I don't care if you think you're some Queen in the making. Just leave Asuka alone."
"Naofumi-kun…" Asuka looked up to Naofumi in surprise. Despite his own situation, he was prioritizing the Sword Hero's well being, rather than his own. She wasn't aware that he cared this much.
"Ohohoho! Don't tell me the Sword Bimbo is too scared to talk to me directly without one of her crutches to do so herself!"
"I could ask the same of Motoyasu, since you're sticking up for him while he's unconscious from pain he rightfully deserves." said Rino, to Myne's vexation. "Like I said before, we're a real party that helps each other out, unlike you and your cronies. And don't think I'll ever forgive you for what you did to me."
Elena, who was silent the entire time, knew what Rino was referring to. The night she 'left' the party, Elena immediately knew Myne was the one responsible for it, just like the others before her. But, she kept silent, because looking out for oneself was the nature law of the world, and it wouldn't be in her best interest to rattle about her mate's misdeeds.
"You're clearly deluded! I did nothing to make you angry at me!" Myne lied, "Now you and the Shield Hero, be silent and step aside! My business is with that bimbo you call a leader."
"I don't think so." Rino refused.
"I'd be more than happy to leave, but not if Asuka is involved." Naofumi retorted.
Asuka was very appreciative of Rino and Naofumi standing up for her, but she also knew that this farce had gone on way too long.
"Stop it you guys. Don't waste your breath on her. I'm not about to. We should just leave." Asuka said to her friends, who reluctantly complied.
"I'm not done talking to you, Sword Bimbo!" Myne spat, "Turn around, kneel down and apologize!"
"Huh?" Asuka turned her head around to face Malty's direction. Her expression was clearly that of irritation at this woman child's tantrum.
The same could be said of the townsfolk. They began to feel this confrontation was dragging on way too long, all because of the First Princess's ego and the Spear Hero's nether regions being bruised.
"You heard me, Sword Bimbo! I said apologize for everything you've said and done to us! For your ungrateful behavior after the trial! For the insults you dealt me, Motoyasu-sama, and Papa! For defying our rule time and again! For turning our own country against us! Everything! I won't be satisfied until you grovel at my feet!"
"Haha… Hahaha!" Asuka laughed, not out of amusement, but rather bemusement of Myne's selfishness, "Why should I? Because you're a Princess? The next Queen? It's impressive that you haven't figured this out up until now, but I don't take orders from you and I never will. I thought you were stupid before, but if you think I'm going to bend on my knee and apologize half-heartedly just because you demand it, you must be beyond stupid."
The crowd gasped at this. They had heard that the Sword Hero had called Princess Malty stupid, which sparked the Sacred Duel ahead of time, but to hear it first hand was upsetting.
Naofumi smirked a little, while Raphtalia looked nervous.
"Y-You called me stupid again…" Myne muttered, infuriated that she was called stupid again.
"That's because you are. Just like Motoyasu-kun, you brought it on yourself. Just like how you and your father brought the people losing faith in you on yourselves for the stunts you pulled, in addition to being poor rulers for not helping those affected by the Waves of Catastrophe." Asuka walked forward to Myne.
"Asuka…" Rino looked on in worry. As cathartic as it was seeing Asuka telling that bitch off, she was worried that this wouldn't end well.
Asuka stopped marching until she was face to face with the Vile Princess.
"We don't like each other, that much is clear. Even then, we could have worked professionally in dealing with the Waves and kept incidents like this to a minimum. But no, you just have to keep causing me nothing but grief every single time we interact, for what I can only presume to be a very petty reason! For example, the duel was simply an excuse for you to humiliate me in front of a crowd, and obviously you had no good intentions behind making me your slave! You only wanted to break my spirit! Nothing more! Any chance at a peaceful resolution to our problems, or some sort of meaningless apology from me is shot, all because of how stupid you are!"
"There you go again, acting all high and mighty, when you forget who is above your station!" Myne bellowed, "Even if you are a Hero, fake or otherwise, you have no right to talk down to the one and only Princess of Melromarc, the country I am destined by birthright to rule!"
"Except you were passed over by your mother, who deemed you unworthy of the throne. Why do you think that is?"
Myne's eye twitched, knowing what the answer would be.
"Oh, that's right! Because your little sister is more worthy than you apparently!" Asuka reminded. This earned her an angry backhand from the enraged Princess, surprising everyone.
"You're a worthless little brat who needs someone to lean on as a crutch! What exactly do you know about me?!"
The Sword Hero remained surprisingly unfazed, as she stared back with conviction.
"I know you're too pathetic to do anything on your own, so you need to hide behind someone like your father and Motoyasu-kun to save yourself from the consequences of your actions, and that will only last so long!"
Malty growled. Her eyes twitched and narrowed, and her teeth grinding with each passing second. It began to don on her that she was about to lose this shouting contest.
"You think you're entitled to everything, simply because you were lucky enough to be born into royalty. But, being born that way isn't enough to make you special! You can't expect everything to given to you, you need to earn it. You need to earn respect instead of expecting others to fall in line. You need to prove you're worthy of the title of Queen, of the status you've been blessed with, of your LEGACY! But, in my experience, all you've ever done is prove how UNWORTHY you truly are of anything!"
For a few moments, there was nothing but silence.
Asuka couldn't help but think of her own family, specifically her grandfather Hanzo as she said what she did.
She was the granddaughter of a living legend, and thus she had a lot to live up to. Before being summoned to this world, she struggled every day to live up to Hanzo's legacy as a Good Shinobi. Part of why Hanzo didn't train her until after that incident with the dog was because she wasn't ready, mentally speaking. That was why she felt so restless and she took it out on those kids. The training was tough, and she wasn't always the best, and she even cried because it was painful and tiresome, but she never gave up, because she knew in her heart that it was her very right and obligation to honor his name, and carry out his philosophy of the Sword and Shield with pride.
It was the same for her friends in Hanzo Academy. They struggled through their hardships, and trained hard to get where they were. Even Homura and her friends in Hebijo no doubt their own crosses to bear, long before the conflict between the two schools began.
On the other hand, Myne, no, Princess Malty didn't struggle for anything, nor did she want to. She preferred to slither behind someone else to suit her own selfish interests. Instead of forging bonds with others, she used and abused the trust of others for her own whims, and she betrayed that trust for her own amusement.
She didn't know the exact details, or anything of Malty's family, but Asuka felt that the very presence of this entitled, spoiled Princess spat in the face of said family legacy, and in the face of everything Asuka valued. Family was very important to the Sword Hero, but to Princess Malty, nothing else mattered, not even family. All that mattered to Malty was what she wanted. Her only concern was getting the throne, which she didn't deserve. Once that thought crossed her mind, the Sword Hero was overcome with hostile emotion, and her only instinct was to let it all out, and end this shouting contest.
Malty stood silently, seething from the speech given to her.
"I think we're done here. Don't bother me again." Asuka said, completely ignoring Motoyasu.
The Sword and Shield Heroes respective parties were finally about to make their exit, but Malty wasn't finished. In fact, she wasn't going to let the Sword Bimbo leave with answering for that insulting speech.
"As Source of Thy Power, I, the Next Queen, Orders Thee…"
Sensing an attack coming, Asuka turned to her allies while drawing her sword again, "Rino-chan, Conan-kun! Get back!"
"Don't tell me she's gonna…!" Naofumi grunted as he quickly shielded Raphtalia.
"Decipher the Laws of Creations and bring a Rain of Fire to incinerate my Target!"
"Myne, wait! STOP!" Elena called to Myne, but the vile Princess ignored her.
"Zweite Fire Squall!" using her magic, Myne created a sphere of fire above her head. From there, a torrent of fire balls fly toward Asuka and her party.
Switching her sword's form to Magic Steal Sword, Asuka quickly released a Magic Slash to collide with the fire balls. It didn't defend against all of them, as some still flew down toward the Sword Hero's party.
They all dodged out of the way of the incoming fire balls, separating to different parts of the street.
The actions by Malty left many of the citizens in shock, as many began to panic and flee.
"Myne, have you gone insane?!" Elena bellowed.
"I've tolerated that Sword Bimbo for far too long! I'll teach her a lesson and she'll never insult me again!" Myne proclaimed, conjuring another fire spell.
"And you're going to attack me in the middle of the street with a crowd just to do it?!" Asuka yelled, infuriated that the Vile Princess would endanger innocent lives just for a shot at petty revenge.
"I could care less right now! You're an eyesore, and I should have gotten rid of you sooner!"
Asuka was incredulous to see how overconfident Malty was. Surely she was aware of the Sword Hero's combat capabilities. She saw it first hand at the duel. Why did she think she stood a chance here?
"I don't think so! You'll have to go through me first!" an angered Rino asked, drawing her sword and preparing to defend her leader.
Though a little shaky, Conan was ready to jump in and fight beside Asuka too.
"Wait guys! Let me handle this!" Asuka called to Naofumi and her party.
"But, Asuka-" Rino was about to speak, but Asuka interrupted.
"It's me she wants, so I'll end this as quickly as I can so people won't get hurt. In the mean time, I want you and Conan-kun to make sure they stay clear of the fight."
This came as a surprise to them, but they understood and backed down. This was a personal matter to Asuka. Much more personal than either of them could imagine.
"You mean you want to fight me one on one?" Myne smirked arrogantly.
"I'm sure you're aware that I can handle myself in a one on one fight. What about you? Surely you don't need your so-called friends to fight for you, just like Motoyasu-kun needed you to cheat for him."
A moment later, an irritated Malty released a fire spell at Asuka, "Zweite Fire!"
The Sword Hero dodged with a little effort. However, the Zweite Fire spell was flying toward a couple of civilians who hadn't escaped the danger zone.
"Oh no!" Asuka gasped upon realizing where those fire balls were headed. Thankfully, there was one other Hero to help out.
"Dammit!" Naofumi growled, readying his shield. He had it turn to the Rope Shield, a new shield he acquired in the mine, and yelled out the name of its skill, "Air Strike Shield!"
A large green shield made of light appeared in front of those civilians, protecting them from the spell.
Naofumi actually surprised himself when he did this. Before, he couldn't care less about what happened to these people, but now he was defending them? It just happened on impulse, too.
Noticing that innocent people were still in a panic and dangerously close to the fight, Asuka was quick to get everything under control.
"Everyone, please calm down! Your lives are only in danger if you don't stay clear!" Asuka called out to the crowd. Some listened to her. "If you're able, please get behind Naofumi-kun for your own safety! If not that, then escape while you can!"
The civilians who heard this advice were reluctant to do so, because it was the Shield Hero, who was worthless compared to the Three Heroes. That was what they thought until recently, but still…
"If I were you, Sword Bimbo, I'd worry about myself!" Malty casts another Zweite Fire spell and launched at the distracted Sword Hero.
Asuka was able to deflect the spell up into the air, to avoid anyone else getting hurt. The fire ball exploded on its own a second later.
Asuka hadn't actually seen too much magic since her arrival to this world. In fact, she didn't know any forms magic beyond her Status Magic. At the very least, Malty's magic was simple enough to avoid.
"Give it a rest! Use all the magic you want, you won't hit me!" Asuka said. Meanwhile, the civilians quickly ducked behind Naofumi for protection, seeing that the fight was escalating quickly.
"Oh really? Well, try this on for size! As Source of Thy Power, I, the Next Queen, Orders Thee…" Malty began chanting, "Pierce my Foe's Heart with the Speed of an Arrow and Heat of the Inferno!" Malty form another fire ball, this one shaped like an arrow straight at Asuka.
While this was happening, Asuka switched swords to the Iron Sand Sword. Soon after, black sand began to form and surround the blade. It solidified into a great sword.
Both combatants were ready with their respective attacks.
"What are you waiting for?! Do you want to be burnt to a crisp?!" Asuka yelled at those stubborn fools too dumb to live. Seeing that both the Sword Hero and Princess Malty were serious, they finally take her advice, running behind Naofumi with Rino and Conan working to keep anyone else from mixed up the crossfire.
"Zweite Fire Arrow!" Malty released the fire arrow, launching it to its target.
"Black Sand Sword!" Asuka, as a counter measure, vertically slashed the sword to the ground, sending a blast of black sand in collusion with the fire arrow. Upon impact, the heat from the fire arrow caused the black sand to melt and solidify into a jagged glass like substance.
"Grr…"
"I think it's obvious that you're not going to win using magic. I'd just keep blocking with my sword work and skills until you've exhausted all of your magic, but that would take too long, and I want to end this fight quickly so we don't endanger any more innocent lives. Just give up, and we both can walk away unharmed."
"Don't give me that, Sword Bimbo! As much as I hate the idea, I'll just have to show you who the superior one is, by demonstrating the elegant sword play of one destined to rule Melromarc!" Malty drew her sword out.
"You really think you're a match for me with a sword?"
"You want to end this conflict quickly, don't you? I'm honestly surprised that you're worried about these peasants. Even after how they treated you for standing up for the Shield Hero, and fretting over worthless mongrels like the Demi-humans." said Malty.
"You're right. I probably shouldn't care about the people of this country after the treatment I've endured. It was tough being on my own, not knowing who to trust, and getting dirty looks from people who don't approve of my actions, and get upset at how I don't act in accordance to how they perceive the Cardinal Heroes. But, I'm still doing my job as a Hero. Even if I don't like them for their self-centered ideals for what makes a Hero, I'm still responsible for the safety of those who can't fight and are in need of saving. I'm a Sword and a Shield that fights for and protects the innocent. No matter what world I'm in, that won't change."
The civilians watching were awestruck by the Sword Hero's words.
Naofumi smiled, knowing that this was coming from the heart. Asuka was training to be a Shinobi in order to protect innocent people back in her world. Her beliefs remain true, no matter how bad life was here, and it was really impressive.
Too bad some people didn't see it that way.
"Haha! A Sword and a Shield? What a load of GARBAGE!" Myne screamed with rage as she charged forward, swinging her blade at the Sword Hero, before the latter blocked the attack with her Legendary Sword. "I'm through playing games with you! I'm going to shut you up for good, you miserable little brat!" Myne replied as she struggled to get passed her oppositions defenses.
"Give it your best shot! Just remember, you asked for it!" Asuka deflected Malty's sword, and the sword fight ensued.
Myne had fairly standard skills with a sword, but compared to the better trained Asuka… well, there was no comparison.
For Asuka, predicting and dodging the Princess' attacks were simply far too easy. The Sword Hero parried and side-stepped each of Malty's attacks. She made a big show about being an elegant sword fighter just earlier, but she might be an even worse fighter than Motoyasu. At least he somewhat knew what he was doing. Malty was simply too unfocused and swung her sword wildly. She was just sloppy in all honesty.
Deciding to end this embarrassing display now, Asuka dodged again and karate chopped Malty's hands to make her let go of the sword.
The vile redhead stood there silently in disbelief at how outclassed she was.
"Not only are you unfocused, you hold your sword too lightly. Are you afraid of hurting yourself? Guess that means the sword is simply for show." Asuka smirked.
"Tch…" Naofumi clicked his tongue, having just remembered that he bought that sword for her, all because she tricked him buying it and the armor. Still, this was quite satisfying to watch, seeing Asuka take that bitch down a peg.
"We can keep going if you want, but I'm highly certain the results will be the same. If you're smart, and I'm really hoping you are this time, you'll stop this now. You can't win." Asuka advised.
Malty glared again at the Sword Hero standing beside her.
"No… I won't stop. Not until you've learned your place! Even if that means I have to kill you!" Myne pulled out a hidden knife and threw it at Asuka's face. She dodged out of the knife's way, but in that moment of distraction, Malty quickly grabbed her sword from the ground and returned to going on the offensive. With one strike of her sword, she managed to cut Asuka's cheek as the latter leapt back to avoid the blow.
Now a few feet apart, Malty began chuckling as Asuka was frozen in mild surprise as blood trickled from her flesh wound.
"Hehe… look at that! I got you that time! And now that cute face of yours is ruined! What will you do now, Sword Bimbo? Why not cry and beg for mercy like last time?" Malty grinned, "But that's not the worst of what I'm capable of and you know it. I'm going to prove to you that I am worthy of being the next Queen, and why you are beneath my boot!"
"By doing what? Bragging about nothing?" Asuka asked with a steely gaze toward her polar opposite. She wiped off the blood from her cheek, "You think this is something to be proud of? You got lucky enough to nick me in the face, and you think I'd be bothered by it? I've had scars before, and they don't slow me down for long. If you think I care about looks more than my training, then it just goes to show how much of an amateur fighter you really are. No, amateur is too nice of a word. You're a failure."
"What did you just say…?" Malty's face twisted with rage once more. It seemed nothing would provoke the Sword Bimbo to act. If that weren't bad enough, she somehow knew exactly how to get under her skin.
"After this impulsive attack, you've just proven my point! Face it, you're not a Princess, and you're certainly not a Queen! You're an utter failure, who shouldn't have picked a fight she can't win!"
"DAMN YOUUUU!" Malty charged blindly at Asuka, ready to run her sword through the unfazed Sword Hero.
CRACK!
One clash of blades later, and Malty's sword was cut clean in half by Asuka.
"H-How can this be…" Malty trembled with apprehension as she held her broken in half sword. The half that was cut fell to the ground beside her.
"It's over now." Asuka said as she stood behind Malty. "I told you… you shouldn't have kicked a fight you couldn't win."
"Y-You…!" Malty sudden movements caused her top to come apart, vertically split in half from an unseen slash from the Sword Hero, and falling to the ground. This left Malty's chest exposed to the public. "KYAAAH!" she shrieked and quickly covered herself, while the onlookers gazed in shock.
"Oh dear! How did that happen?" asked Asuka, feigning innocence. "I thought I cut your sword in half, but it looks like I cut more than that, doesn't it? I'm sorry."
Malty gave Asuka a seething look of rage and embarrassment in response. She wasn't fooled. That little bimbo brat did it on purpose.
While some did look away from the humiliated princess, they couldn't help but find this karmic as well after what happened in the duel, and for this fight taking place in middle of the street. Even if she was royalty, it didn't absolve her of what she did. Some began to laugh at the Princess' defeated state.
Once again, one individual couldn't contain his laughter. It was especially cathartic for him because that was the armor and sword he bought for her when he assumed she was his partner and before he realized she tricked him. Seeing them both get destroyed did wonders for his mood.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Naofumi laughed and howled to the point where his stomach began to hurt.
"Naofumi-sama…" Raphtalia sighed with some level of apprehension. However, she couldn't deny that the mean red haired lady deserved it either.
"Haha! You so deserved that!" Rino cheered, while covering Conan's eyes.
"You… you will pay for this!" Malty growled at Asuka, who gaze an apathetic look in response. Meanwhile, the scar on Asuka's cheek disappeared, as though it were healed.
The angered Princess was ready to attack again, this time with her hands if she had to, until Malty suddenly felt drained of her energy, and slowly collapsed to the ground. Elena, Lesty, and the young Green Mage were quickly to surround her in concern.
"Myne, are you okay?" Lesty asked.
"W-Why do I… feel so drained…?" Malty muttered.
After Naofumi stopped his laughing fit, he noticed what caused the Princess' condition. He saw Asuka holding a new sword.
That new sword was the Sloth Sword from when she fought Mald.
As it turned out, at the last second of the blades clash, Asuka had switched to the Sloth Sword to cut through the sword and Malty's armor, upon which the latter's vitality was drained from her, thanks to the sword's Skill, Vitality Drain. This also allowed Asuka to heal away the small scar on her cheek.
She only used the Sloth Sword to rob Malty of her energy, so she'd lose the ability to fight.
Before it could take hold of her once again, Asuka switched the sword back to its original form and made it shrink to its keychain form.
"So, I have some control over it. But, I better not use it more than I have to. Otherwise, it could overtake me again."
"That was so awesome, Asuka!" Rino said, "And that sword! I don't think I've seen anything like it! Where'd it come from?"
"I'd rather not talk about it. At least not at the moment."
Naofumi gained a look of suspicion regarding that sword. It gave the same ominous feeling as before after the enslavement failed.
The laughter came to a stop when the voices of the Royal Knights could be heard calling for the crowd to disperse.
"This is the Royal Knights! Cease and desist, and let us through!" the Vice-Captain's voice sounded off. He and a handful of knights arrive at the scene of the fight, and unfortunately see its aftermath.
"Arrest her!" Malty ordered to the knights, "She embarrassed a member of the royal family! Lock her up immediately!"
The Vice-Captain looked reluctant to follow that order from the First Princess. Despite his stoic expression, his eyes seemed to give off an air of sympathy toward the Sword Hero.
Asuka wasn't surprised to see this. Whether or not the spoiled Princess deserved it for starting the fight and for enslavement incident, thoroughly humiliating someone of great importance, like royalty, would have consequences. As a former Good Shinobi and Hero, this brought great shame within her.
"What are you waiting for!? You're a knight! You're supposed to follow our orders!" Malty barked furiously, feeling some of her energy returning.
"Don't you dare! The Sword Hero hasn't don't anything wrong!" yelled out a citizen.
"Yeah, you're the one who started the fight! This wouldn't be happening if you and the Spear Hero left her alone!"
The crowd gathered in front of Asuka and her party. They stood between them and the knights protectively.
It came as an immense surprise to Asuka that they would come to her defense after all they said and did. She remembered how the citizens who attended the Sacred Duel also came to her defense when the King and his witch of a daughter ordered a Slave Crest be put on her. Sure, they faltered after Trash threatened their lives, but it showed that they had some decency. Perhaps it was really going to shine through this time after the brief fight with Malty, who initiated the fight without caring who got caught in the crossfire.
"You're the absolute worst for attacking her right here!"
"Yeah, you got what deserved!"
This act of defiance quickly got on Malty nerves.
"Shut your mouths, all of you! Defying the royal family means death!" the Princess roared, shocking the crowd.
"Myne, calm down!" yelled Elena.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Malty shoved Elena to the side and turned to the knights as she stood up, "I gave you idiots an order! Arrest the Sword Hero! Cut these peasants down if you have to! Actually, you should cut them down for laughing at me!"
The Vice-Captain gave an outraged look to the Vile Princess for a brief, but composed himself, remembering his duty as a knight, even if it was gravely misplaced at the moment.
The crowd looked visibly worried, but they stood their ground.
"Men… get ready!" the Vice-Captain reluctantly ordered.
"Those bastards…" Naofumi looked ready to get defensive if the knights really planned bulldoze their way to get to Asuka.
"Again with this! You're seriously messed up in the head!" Rino yelled, also intent on protecting Asuka and the civilians. Conan, though justifiably scared of the knights, was also willing to protect her.
However, the Sword Hero knew this would end badly if things kept up like this. She didn't want to be the center of this conflict, where her friends and uninvolved people would get hurt protecting her. So, there was only one solution to this left.
"Wait!" Asuka shouted. She calmly walked out of the crowd's protective circle and approached the Vice-Captain, who stood there with a look of stoic surprise. "This whole mess is my fault. I'll go with you quietly, but only if you don't hurt the civilians, Naofumi-kun and Raphtalia-chan, and my party." Asuka said, to the distress of those she mentioned.
"A-Asuka…" Naofumi gasped.
"Asuka-san!" Raphtalia cried.
"… Very well. Place the Sword Hero under arrest." the Vice-Captain ordered. She just made his job much easier by accepting her arrest without a fuss. Bringing harm to the people he was sworn to protect was not something he signed on for.
"Asuka, no!" Rino cried.
"It's okay. I did commit a crime against royalty. Even if I am a Hero, my actions do have consequences. I need to be punished accordingly." a solemn Asuka said.
"But, she's the one who started it!" Rino retorted pointing to Malty.
"Don't argue! Any further resistance will resort in your arrest too!" Malty bragged with an arrogant smirk.
"Shut your damn mouth!" Rino cursed.
"Rino-chan, stop it." Asuka commanded, "This way, we won't have to deal with another incident. And I don't want you guys or anyone to get hurt because of me."
"Asuka…" Rino was upset at this, but reluctantly backed down after seeing the conviction in her eyes, "Alright…"
"Thanks for understanding, and I'm sorry." Asuka smiled, before turning to the silent Conan, with sad eyes. "I'm sorry to you too, Conan-kun. It seems I broke my promise…"
Conan just shook his head, and began to cry. He understood why she was going, but he wished he could do more to protect her.
Seeing as the wolf boy was in no mood to speak, Asuka turned Naofumi next, "Naofumi-kun, can you look after Rino-chan and Conan-kun for me, until they let me out."
He looked no more distressed than anyone else, but he silently nodded.
"Asuka-san…" Raphtalia whimpered with tears strolling down her face.
"I'll be back, Raphtalia-chan. You'll see. They won't keep in jail for long. They still need me for the Second Wave, after all. Just keep supporting Naofumi-kun as best you can."
"O-Okay… I'll do me b-best!" Raphtalia swore as she wiped her tear filled eyes.
"That's enough stalling! Take her away now!" Malty ordered, not caring at all for the sad goodbyes.
Despite protests from the citizens, the knights did as ordered, and used special made cuffs to restrain a non-resistant Asuka. These cuffs were made to restrain of powers of physical strong warriors, magic users, and even Heroes.
"I am sorry for all this trouble, Sword Hero." the Vice-Captain said as he cuffed the Sword Hero.
"I understand completely. You're just doing your job." Asuka smiled at him.
The knights took her away soon after, ignoring the jeers from the crowd along the way. Hidden in the crowd, where a familiar feline duo. Kayles and Ugo watched the entire incident unfold. While they weren't impressed by the Spear Hero's buffoonery, or Princess Malty's rash actions, they did express sympathy for the Sword Hero's absurd predicament. In fact, they saw no reason to keep observing. Because, it was time to report back to their superiors. But first, they needed to speak with the Shield Hero.
Meanwhile, Malty's smugness grew tenfold as her victory over the Sword Bimbo sunk in.
[-Later That Day: Throne Room-]
Later that day, Malty's smug attitude would turn to annoyance, as after Motoyasu woke up from his… nape, he heard what happened to Asuka and immediately went to the King and pleaded to release Asuka.
"Please Your Majesty, you have to let Asuka-chan go! This isn't right!" the Spear Hero cried.
Sitting on his throne was King Aultcray, who wore a very annoyed expression. He was earlier notified of the Sword Hero's arrest following the incident in town, but…
"I don't see how that's possible." said Itsuki, who had also gotten word of Asuka's imprisonment and was also there to discuss the situation, "Circumstances aside, Asuka-san committed a crime against royalty. I doubt she'll be let out even if you beg."
"Don't give me that, Itsuki! Asuka-chan was defending herself!"
"Does cutting up Myne's armor and exposing her foe count as self-defense?" asked Itsuki. Admittedly, the karmic aspect of the situation was not lost on him. Myne was indirectly responsible for Asuka's top being destroyed since she pushed Motoyasu to use that paralyzing spear so she could do what she wanted without fear of resistance.
"Good question, Itsuki-sama!" Malty interjected before turning to her father, "Papa, can you believe the Sword Bimbo had the nerve to attack me! Right after insulting me again! She even broke my sword and destroyed my armor, exposing my pure skin to the public eye! Do you have any idea how much it hurt me?"
"Malty…" Aultcray groaned as he slumped into his throne.
"This is just typical of her, isn't it…? Whining to her father, even though she got what she deserved." Elena thought in annoyance. The hypocrisy was not lost on her either.
"That Sword Bimbo should be punished for daring to humiliate me!" Malty bellowed.
"H-Hey, Myne…" Motoyasu nervously said.
"What?!" Malty barked to the Spear Hero.
"I, uh… think you might be blowing this out of proportion. I mean, yeah, I was unconscious for most of it, but I don't think Asuka-chan meant any harm."
"Oh, so now you're taking her side?! Did that strike to the balls change something in you?!"
"It's not that! A-Actually it still hurts… anyway, I'd really like for you two to get along better, and-"
"Spare me! You really think anything will change between us after what she did!"
"W-Well…" Motoyasu wasn't sure what to say.
"She humiliated you too, Motoyasu-sama. More times than I care to count. She should be made to pay for her actions. Perhaps keeping her locked up in her cell will teach her a lesson. And naturally, Papa will do anything to please me! Isn't that right, Papa?" Malty smirked.
"No, Malty. Not this time." Aultcray said firmly. This came as a surprise to his first born daughter and the Spear Hero's party.
Itsuki also had shocked look on his face.
"P-Papa…?" Malty sputtered.
"I have decided to pardon the Sword Hero for her actions, largely because they were in self defense and she ended the fight before it escalated further, preventing other people from getting hurt. She also came quietly to diffuse to situation. There won't even be a trial needed. She'll be released tomorrow morning." Aultcray groaned. He simply didn't want to deal with another incident with the Sword Hero so soon. In fact, this happened far too quickly after that trial early today for comfort, and it was simply too cumbersome for him to deal with.
He only handed those verdicts down to the ones responsible for the sabotage of her first mercenary job just to get her out of the throne room, after all. Thankfully, she wasn't in any mood to debate and wanted to leave as well. But, now this? It hadn't been a full day and she was arrested for fighting and exposing Malty? That naturally irritated him, but he was starting to get so tired of dealing with these issues, that he just didn't want to get wrapped up in them anymore.
And, as much as it pained him, he had to admit that the root cause of these issues was in front of him looking like a whiny child.
"B-But, Papa!"
"No buts! We can't have any more interruptions of her activities or anything else for that matter." said Aultcray, "And quite frankly, an absurd amount of time and energy has been wasted on antagonizing the Sword Hero. First the Sacred Duel, and now this petty squabble in Castle-Town?! Destroying your armor and exposing your chest was bad, that much is certain, but the only reason she had to break your sword was to end the fight quickly before innocent people were injured, because of a fight you started!"
"W-Wha?!"
"Yes, I know what really happened, thanks to the reports from the Shadows, and they're not ones to lie, unfortunately. Did you forget that they're watching us even now? What were you thinking attacking the Sword Hero in broad daylight, Malty? The general public and even some of the nobility already think less of us for the outcome of the duel! Do you truly aim to make things worse for us by letting loose with magic and engaging in sword fights in the middle of the street?!"
Malty found she couldn't say anything to rebuff her father's statement. It was rare for her father to scold her, and she never liked it at all. It was like when that hag would scold her, and that was all she seemed to do when she was around.
The Shadows just had to tattle on her, too. They were mere servants. They had no right to spoil her victory like this.
"I can only assume she wasn't thinking at all. She's usually far more calculating. I guess the Sword Hero really is a sore spot for her." Elena thought as she stared at her fumming teammate. It was quite the sight to behold, seeing the Sword Hero lay into the First Princess. Considering the last time they met, the Sword Hero should have been more reasonably terrified of Myne, but she held her ground and even fought back when attacked with words, magic, and a sword. "The Sword Hero might be far stronger than anyone could have imagined."
"Um, your Majesty… you don't need to be so hard on Myne, do you? I mean, surely it wasn't that bad-"
"Motoyasu-dono, you're party to this incident as well." Aultcray said to Motoyasu.
"Huh?"
"Your foolish endeavors to impress the Sword Hero indirectly lead to this fight breaking out. Not to mention, using guild recourses to buy those expensive and excessive gifts, without their consent, or mine! Would you care to explain why?"
"W-Well, I…"
"I think Myne-san can better explain it." Itsuki said with sigh, having predicted that Motoyasu was motivated by Myne to take the guild's money without consent. It wasn't that hard.
"E-Eh?!" Myne gasped. Aultcray glared at his daughter when this information came up.
"I-Itsuki!" Motoyasu bemoaned.
"It's the truth, isn't it? Myne-san told you that using the guild's money to get gifts for Asuka-san was the fastest way to make her 'feel better', right? I actually ran into her the other day after our talk at the guild, and she seemed to be just fine without you, so I think your worries were for naught." Itsuki stated.
"You can't be serious!"
"I concur with Itsuki-dono. I spoke with her on the same day, and she was defiant as ever." Aultcray groaned, remembering the death threat she posed before she left that day. Whether or not she was bluffing remained to be seen, but even he was smart enough not to try and find out. For now, he would focus on staying clear of her wrath, and perhaps the wrath of potential rioters over the Sword Hero's imprisonment, which is another reason why he decided to release her.
"T-That's great… Asuka-chan was okay after all…" Motoyasu felt dejected. As if his groin wasn't aching enough.
"Yes. This also means you wasted precious time and money. And now look where we are! The people think of you as a less Cardinal Hero, and more of a lecherous clown!" Aultcray snapped.
"B-But, I just wanted Asuka-chan feel better about the duel! I just wanted to show her that I love her!" Motoyasu honestly thought Asuka would love those gifts he got for her, but seeing her destroy them made his heart sank. It had to be Naofumi's fault that she was like this. Him and his brainwashing power. There was no other explanation.
"No. You're simply being too distracted by your one-sided affection for her. As a result, you've become an utter disgrace, and I look like a complete fool for having summoned you here!"
"What?! But, I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear!"
"Is that so? Well then, here's a quick question for you, Motoyasu-dono..." Aultcray stood from his throne. He wore pure fury upon his wrinkled face. "Have you not noticed your reputation plummeting since the duel and because of your fruitless pursuit?"
Motoyasu hung his head down in shame. Yes, he had noticed, but he tried to ignore it, and admitting to that would be most difficult. He was used to being popular in his old world, so most people praised him for charismatic acts. The people of this game world, Myne, her father the King, the Pope, his party members, everyone sang him praise a Cardinal Hero until the aftermath of the duel.
"That's what I thought. Now then... are you even remotely prepared for the next Wave of Catastrophe? Because from where I'm standing, you haven't given it much thought, have you?"
"Y-Yes, I am prepared! I can beat the next Wave, no sweat!"
"I have my doubts, considering how you performed against Asuka-san in the duel before they had to interfere." Itsuki thought.
"Then, if you wish to actually begin repairing your reputation, you will focus on your duty, which should take priority over all. You are to especially forget about your attempts at gaining the Sword Hero's affection. She may be released tomorrow, but that does not mean you can pester her again. Leave her be! Am I understood?" Aultcray asked.
"Loud and clear." Motoyasu reluctantly complied.
"And Malty, I expect you to set aside your rivalry with the Sword Hero and do your job in aiding Motoyasu-dono. Otherwise, I will cut your allowance."
"W-What?!"
"You spend too much already on ridiculous things, but more importantly, you and Motoyasu-dono have done nothing to reassure the people's faith in us. Your actions today have only served to further damage it. We can't tarnish our reputation any further than we already have. Is that clear?"
"Y-Yes… sir…" Malty complied and stormed away, followed by Motoyasu and the rest of the Spear Hero's party, leaving Aultcray to sigh heavily.
"How did things get so out of hand…?"
"Your Majesty!" Itsuki called to the King, "I swear, I won't act like a fool, like Motoyasu-san, or Asuka-san."
"Right… see to it that you don't." said Aultcray, with dwindling expectation.
"I have one question, though. Are sure it's wise to release Asuka-san tomorrow? I know we're strapped for time, but surely Asuka-san would need more time to reflect upon her actions."
"Yes. You're correct in that regard, but with the next Wave drawing near, we can't afford any more setbacks. We need someone with her superior fighting ability at her best for the Second Wave and those beyond. At a crucial time like this, having her sit in a jail cell would be an utter waste. Additionally, having her arrested and placed in jail will cause more unrest among the people of Melromarc, which is something we don't need."
Itsuki couldn't deny that. Her skills were clearly needed for the Waves of Catastrophe. Still, it didn't change the fact that the King has begrudgingly acknowledged Asuka as a useful asset. Perhaps Melromarc's strongest asset against the Waves of Catastrophe.
It finally donned on him just much the King was playing favorites with the Cardinal Heroes. Naofumi didn't count because of the deeds he committed. Meanwhile, Motoyasu had King Aultcray's favor, because he had the support of his daughter. Now, Asuka was getting off scout free for her actions, simply because she was the best fighter among all of them, and was slowly becoming more popular than the others, possibly because of the sympathy she gained from these incidents.
It was clear that Aultcray was considering their options and was aware that he shouldn't just release Asuka almost immediately, but if the people's reaction to Asuka's arrest after she worked to prevent injuries as a result of Malty's reckless actions were of any indication, he no other options open, for fear of a possible revolt. With the Second Wave on its way in less then two weeks, they couldn't afford to make things worse before then.
Itsuki realized that he had to work much harder to be recognized as the better Hero out of the Four. The first obstacle was clearly Asuka, for her superior abilities and popularity.
One way or the other, Itsuki would uncover the secret of Asuka's strength.
[-Castle Hall-]
Meanwhile, Malty was storming down the castle hallways, while her party followed after her.
"Myne wait!" Motoyasu called to his lover.
"She'll pay for this! Not only have the people begun to defy me because of her, but she's turned Papa against me too! I'll make her pay for everything!"
Eventually, she reached her room, only to be stopped when Motoyasu grabbed her hand.
"Myne, c'mon! You heard your father! As much as I don't want to, we should probably leave Asuka-chan alone for a while!" Motoyasu suggested.
"Oh please! How long are you going to pretend to be nice to her after what she did?!" Malty snapped, wrenching her hand free from the Spear Hero.
"W-Well, I probably didn't do present my gifts the right way today. That's probably why she got mad. I just need to think of a better way to-"
"Motoyasu-sama, if I didn't know better by this point, I'd say you truly do prefer that Sword Bimbo over me. Why else would take her side despite me being wronged in the end?"
"N-No, that's not what I was saying! Just calm down, Myne!"
"No! The Sword Hero must pay for the indignity I've suffered today!" Myne barked and stormed into her room.
"Myne, wait!" it was too late, as Malty slammed the door in Motoyasu's face.
The sounds of Malty screaming and thrashing in her room came from the other side of the door.
"Poor Myne… she's really upset."
"Motoyasu-sama, we should leave Myne be for now." Elena spoke, "We don't need this sort of distraction right now. You need concentrate on the next Wave. It'll be upon us very soon."
"Huh? But…"
"I'm sure Myne will calm down after she has some time to herself."
"O-Okay, if you insist." Motoyasu sighed, "Still… what am I going to do about Asuka-chan… she doesn't deserve to be in jail."
"You're still pinning for her after today?!" Lesty complained.
"Motoyasu-sama, please stop worrying about her!" the Green Mage decried.
"I can't! Who knows what could happen to her! I know she'll be released tomorrow, but she's all alone in those dirty rotten cells! I let that happen! Not to such a cute girl!"
"Oh, give it a rest! Haven't you realized yet that she doesn't like you?!" Lesty yelled.
"I… I know she likes me! She just won't admit it yet!"
"Enough!" Elena shouted, getting Motoyasu and Lesty's attention.
Elena just sighed. How he saw her as an innocent helpless girl despite handing him his posterior in their duel, not to mention the cracks to his privates, she couldn't comprehend, nor did she want to.
"Don't forget what His Majesty told you, Motoyasu-sama. You need to concentrate on the next Wave, and figure out how to restore your reputation. Don't concern yourself with the Sword Hero." Elena stated firmly, "Otherwise, he'll never stop pestering or whining about her."
"Okay, I get it! For now, I'll focus on the Second Wave, and restore my reputation." declared Motoyasu, When the Second Wave's over, I'll try to reconnect with Asuka-chan."
"His commitment would be admirable, if he wasn't so blind to reality." Elena thought.
"Okay, after Myne blows off some steam, let's go questing again!" Motoyasu smirked confidently.
"Marching to the beat of his drum, as usual."
Meanwhile, Malty was finished trashing her room, but she was still fuming.
Everything was falling apart. Not only have the people began to show disrespect for her, her own father wouldn't back her up this time. All because that Sword Bimbo threw a wrench into her system.
Princess Malty was supposed to have everything she wanted. She was to get anything and everything, including her rightful place as Queen, but it was slowly being taken away from her. She believed Melty was an annoyance for stealing the throne from her, but that Sword Bimbo was twice the eyesore.
One way or the other, she will come out the winner. Over both of them.
[-Hours Later: Castle Dungeon-]
In the castle dungeon, Asuka sat quietly in her cell on the stone bed. These prison cells were made to house all sorts of individuals, ranging from heavy fighters to magic users, even Heroes if they had gone rough. After all, if they were in an ordinary cell, they could easily break out. Since there were Heroes in the past, so there might have been a few that didn't behave heroically, which was why these kinds of cells were designed to resist any attempt at escape by brute force or through magic. She couldn't use her sword or access her inventory. At least her Status Magic still worked, considering it wasn't anything offensive.
But, Asuka was content to wait. A guard had just told her that she would be released from her cell by tomorrow morning with a full pardon of today's incident.
The King must have done this knowing that there would be backlash from the people, and she would be of better use to Melromarc fighting on the frontline at her full possible strength, instead of sitting in a jail. She actually expected him to let her sit in prison for the remaining two weeks to punish her for what she did to his daughter. It would seem even he couldn't turn a blind eye to Malty causing havoc in the streets.
Asuka didn't exactly feel happy about a full pardon for the incident, especially when he wouldn't drop the false charges on Naofumi. But, given the circumstances, even he must have understood that everything went down because his daughter picked a fight she shouldn't have. Plus, it would be a waste not to take advantage of this to finally get some work done on training with her party for the Waves of Catastrophe.
That being said, she would like to leave as quickly as possible. It was chilly down in this dungeon. She even sneezed out of the blue just moments ago. It would have been more chilly, boring, and lonely if not for her cellmate keeping her company.
"Are you alright?" asked the cellmate. The voice of the prisoner was female.
"I'm fine. Just a little chilly…" Asuka answered as she looked to her cellmate, who sat on the stone bed on the other side of the cell. Since her time here, the Sword Hero had gotten to know the woman imprisoned here after an incident with the knights. This was before the Four Cardinal Heroes were summoned to Melromarc.
"You won't have to put up with it much longer. You'll be set free tomorrow. I'm quite envious, to be honest. You get to go free while I'm stuck here for the foreseeable future." said the cellmate.
"I'm sorry. You're a really nice person, but that so-called King is treating you horribly." Asuka said, with a mixture of sympathy and anger at the prisoner's plight.
"You don't need to apologize. I don't regret punishing those deplorable soldiers for slaughtering innocent Demi-humans." the woman replied, "I'm the one who should apologize for how my people, especially King Aultcray and Princess Malty, have treated you and the Shield Hero since your arrival. It's unforgivable, even if they are royalty."
"I'll figure out a way to get you out of here, Éclair-san. I promise."
"You're too kind, Sword Hero." said Éclair. Éclair Seaetto was a beautiful woman with long strawberry blonde hair, and refine blue eyes. She was a duke's daughter and a knight, but following her father's sudden death during the First Wave, and opposing cruelty of the Slave Hunts brought about by the knights on Aultcray's order, she was accused of treason, striped of her knighthood, and imprisoned. This was before the King had the Four Cardinal Heroes summoned.
"Just call me Asuka. After today, I don't fancy myself a Hero all that much." Asuka smiled with some regret over her actions.
"Then, Asuka, allow me to say that defending people is not a crime. Even if those people were hostile toward you for your decisions and for preposterous reasons, it was very honorable of you to protect them." said Éclair.
"I did it because it was the right thing to do. I'm the Sword and the Shield for anyone who can't defend themselves, after all." Asuka declared, "The Sword and the Shield means to act as a Sword to strike down evil, and a Shield to protect the innocent. That's the creed I can live by."
"The Sword and the Shield, huh? Who taught you such a philosophy?" Éclair asked.
"My grandfather. He's the most amazing person in the world to me. I guess you can say he's like a high level knight in my world. As such, I have to live up to his legacy, even if I'm stuck in this unfamiliar world."
"I see. I hope I can be of assistance in that regard, Asuka."
"You mean you want to join my party?" Asuka asked.
"Yes. If I'm still alive by the time my Queen arrives, I'd like to join you on your adventures. Of course, as things stand with the King and Princess Malty, I'm not holding my breath." Éclair answered solemnly.
"I told you before that I find a way to get you out of here, didn't I? Just leave it to me!"
"You truly are kind, Asuka."
Lyall the Werewolf: Okay, I had a long delay with this chapter, largely because I wanted the fight with Asuka and Bitch to be as good as could possibly get it. I know there's going to be a lot of heat from this chapter, probably because the Captain and Mald get off lightly, and most definitely because Asuka got thrown in jail for a bit, but as in Shield Hero canon, actions do have consequences, and humiliating a member of the royal family does have graver consequence, if not for the fact that Asuka is the Sword Hero. At least Bitch got a taste of her medicine. And don't worry, this is only the beginning.
I think it's clear to say that I'm going with the Ron the Death Eater trope for Motoyasu. For those who don't know, Ron the Death Eater is where a character's negative personality traits are exaggerated intentionally. I'm doing this because it's quite fun making Motoyasu this idiotic stalker with a crush on Asuka and getting punished for it. In canon, Motoyasu wouldn't have actually done what he did in the story at this point. In the Shield Hero novels, it was shown that even he had standards when Bitch tried to extort an unreasonably high tax on Lute while making Motoyasu the lord after the Second Wave. Over time, his standards started to drop, as he didn't bat an eye when he attacked Naofumi in the middle of the street and demanding that he release Filo, because… angel fetish! For the moment, he has a craving for Asuka, and because she's playing hard to get (really hates him), he's going to extreme lengths to get her attention. We'll see how much more that cost him in the future.
I definitely plan to do something with Éclair later in the future, which is why she showed up at the end of this chapter.
That's it for now. It may be another while before the next chapter.
-Update: I forgot to have Vitality Drain heal the scar on Asuka's cheek.
