Unwavering heart

by Proxy4818

When an an ordinary university student named Audrey finds herself unable to buy groceries, she ends heading to a public library where she chances upon a fantasy novel which sends her to another world to defend it as the legedary bow hero. Now with her life on the line will she struggles to survive in a world that is crueller than she could have ever thought.

6. She's not yours for the taking

And we're finally back with the next chapter of this story, I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait there's been a lot things going with me and my job thanks to this damn virus going around as well as complications when writing this chapter which I'll go into at the end but you can rest assured this story's not abandoned.

And in case anyone's wondering how Audrey behind Ren and Motoyasu at this point in the story when she can attack it's because she doesn't have knowledge of where all the farming spots are and since she doesn't have a full party she's been playing especially cautious.

Also I was surprised by all the reviews claiming that Audrey was being reckless since that….wasn't really my intention.

Disclaimer: i don't own rotsh

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Total darkness, that was all Audrey could see no matter what specific direction she chose to divert her gaze in the darkness spread out endlessly.

Audrey didn't feel anything in fact it might have been rather accurate to say that she wasn't even touching any type of surface rather she was simply floating in the middle of the abyss not even able to move. It was more or less impossible not to begin wondering where this place was along with how and maybe even why she was there.

All Audrey could really recall was that she had been through some kind of major confrontation that placed her very life in danger. Maybe this was the afterlife? If this was then it only begged the question of just how did Audrey lose her life. Would she eventually go to another part of the afterlife, be reincarnated with enough time in the world of the living or simply have to spend eternity in the endless void?

That last thought frightened her to no end. If this was truly to be her end than she would rather cease to exist altogether since floating in an endless sea of nothingness would eventually drive her to insanity however all her darker thoughts her were interrupted when Audrey heard a faint sound off in the distance from a direction she really could not determine for the life (or perhaps lack thereof) of her.

The sound snagged her attention to it as the sound in question steadily grew louder little by little. It started out too distorted to make out exactly what it was but overtime the sound began clearing up little by little until Audrey was able to piece together that it was most likely a voice though she still couldn't say with absolute certainty.

Still a large part of her had to wonder if someone else had found their way into the abyss where she was somehow or if they might be able to provide her a way out. The closest thing she got to an answer was in the form of the sudden appearance of a light out in the distance ahead of her.

Before she could ponder the light's sudden appearance all that much it began to rapidly grow brighter and brighter until the blackness of the abyss began being overtaken by white and Audrey was forced to cover her eyes when the light became blinding whilst it enveloped her entire being.

Soon her consciousness began fading out but not before the sound which was now confirmed to be a voice by this point in time called out her name clearly enough that she was able to register it properly.

XXXXX

The bow hero felt herself stir awake before she opened her eyes and found herself laying in the bed in a rather unfamiliar room.

"Wh-what ho-"

"Audrey!" A voice exclaimed directly from her right before she felt a weight crash into her body full force before finding herself wrapped within a tight embrace.

The bow hero winced as a surge of pain shot through her body before she glanced down at the source of the weight and saw a head of sky blue hair laying on top of her before it rose up to face her confirming what she already guessed from the hair color alone, it was Bluebell.

As the sword maiden lifted herself off of Audrey to get a proper look at her before letting out a sigh of relief. "It's a relief to see that you're finally awake."

Wincing as she sat up, the bow hero turned to her teammate. "Nice to see you too." Looking around for a few moments Audrey soon realized that the room she and Bluebell were currently in was not one she was familiar with. "Where are we?"

"We're at the inn within the village of Lute."

Audrey's eyes widened upon hearing this before she began to recall the battle with the second wave that had taken place within the settlement and how it was lit ablaze by the castle knights.

"You don't mean the same place we defended do you? It was set on fire by the knights."

"It was but luckily the inn only sustained moderate damage, while there are a number of rooms that can't be used for the time being, the two we have are still usable."

"Does that mean you're using the other one?"

"No, both sir Naofumi and Raphtalia are staying there."

Once more Audrey's eyes widened upon hearing the name of the shield hero and remembering how he was nearly killed by the chimera. Swinging her legs around until she was sitting on the edge of the bed she wasted no time in standing up or at least attempting to before a jolt of pain caused her to grunt in pain and nearly fall to the ground before bluebell caught her.

"You shouldn't strain yourself, you've only been resting for a day."

"You make it sound like that isn't much time."

Bluebell sighed. "In this case it really isn't, out of all of us you sustained the worst injuries by far."

Audrey winced as more pain shot through her body whilst Bluebell motioned for her to return to the bed. "Judging from the area hurting the most, is it safe to assume I have some fractured ribs?"

"It's more accurate to say that more than a few of them were broken."

Audrey found herself surprised, Bluebell's assessment was worse than she could have anticipated considering everything from the previous fight. Back when the chimera managed to use its ram attack it did manage to shave off the majority of her health bar as well as send her literally sailing through the air and if she was being honest it hurt like hell but even so she was still able to fight though how that was possible if she was truly as injured as Bluebell implied was something that was anyone's guess. Maybe it was thanks to the physical enhancements this world allowed a person to gain via leveling up and raising their stats? She didn't know but those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when she remembered how Naofumi almost died.

"Ho-how about Naofumi?"

"His condition is better than yours at the very least but it's also far from ideal."

"Okay, is he also bed ridden like me."

"No he's able to walk on his own but it takes a small bit of effort; I believe it's best that he avoids any fights with monsters or other foes for the time being."

Audrey sighed "While avoiding monsters is doable I don't know if it can be done with the people."

Bluebell smiled which confused the bow hero a bit before replying. "I think it might please you to know that thanks to sir Naofumi's actions here the villagers living here view him in a light different from those in the capital."

"You mean it?!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Of course. Seeing as sir Naofumi came to their aid when neither knights nor the other two heroes bothered to lift a single finger to do so."

"I see." Audrey said as a smile overtook her expression. Truly after all the unfair treatment Naofumi had been shown since being summoned simply for nothing more than just being chosen by the shield Audrey was glad that her friend's reputation was being restored even if it was only by a small amount.

"Of course the villagers were also grateful to you too."

"That's...good to know." It was nice to be appreciated for her efforts Audrey couldn't help but wonder if she really deserved it. While it was true that she also helped defend Lute she only did so simply because she felt it was the safest action to take since she was under leveled and wasn't confident that she could take on the boss.

Audrey's smile fell as she recalled the fight with the chimera in detail. Having her initial belief that Ren and Motoyasu could handle the chimera get proven wrong when the fight with wave dragged on seemingly without end until she and others were running low on stamina and things only got worse when the chimera turned up in the village forcing both her and Naofumi to defeat it themselves.

That was something Audrey never wanted to go through again however she was now very well aware that she likely wouldn't have a choice. Since the chimera managed to make its way into the village it only went to show that relying on Ren or Motoyasu wasn't a wise idea; Audrey found herself repressing the urge to groan at her own naivety, she should have known better than to leave things in the hands of those two morons. While the sword and spear heroes were twice as high in terms of levels compared to Audrey and Naofumi that didn't equate to them being reliable, they both were convinced that this world was just a video game based on ones they knew from their respective worlds and didn't take the situation seriously.

Honestly Audrey almost felt pity for the king, three heroes church, and the other morans who placed their faith in those two, with the way things were going the people of this world were likely in for an unpleasant awakening down the line.

Speaking of the other two heroes. "Before I forget I need to ask, do you know what happened with Ren and Motoyasu?"

Bluebell sighed in exasperation upon hearing this catching Audrey by surprise once more since Bluebell was normally enthusiastic when it came to the heroes. Had the other two heroes done something that lowered her opinion of them? Thinking about Audrey could definitely see that happening with Motoyasu's retarded ass and Ren had a stick up his own ass that was more than a bit noticeable so maybe her question might have been a bit rhetorical.

"They showed up a few minutes after you lost consciousness. Then the sword hero began complaining about how you and sir Naofumi had stolen his kill."

Audrey had to roll her eyes at this. Of course being the one to make the kill was all Ren was concerned with but seriously if he wanted to be the one to land the finishing blow then he should have done it back when he and Motoyasu had initially gone after the damn thing or at the very least showed up sooner to help fight it off when it was trying to attack the village.

"Did they have any explanation for why they couldn't take it out before?"

"According to them it was stronger than another one from a game so…- I think that's what they called it so they had to retreat and regroup. I'm not really sure what they were on about. Do you?"

Audrey sighed. "Let's just say they were relying on a source of information that's semi accurate at the best of times."

"Semi accurate?"

"It means that it provides some information but it's either only something of a half truth or parts of it are a lie."

"Oh I see."

"That aside, what happened after Ren's initial complaining?"

"The spear hero turned his attention to Raptalia likely with less than pure intentions before noticing your unconscious form being held by Naofumi."

Audrey had to repress a groan upon hearing. Knowing Motoyasu the bastard probably tried to paint a picture that demonized Naofumi and made himself look like some savior.

"He proceeded to accuse sir Naofumi of hurting you before a small argument erupted between the two before sir Naofumi almost got the spear hero to back off when he pointed out that he was also injured."

"I'm guessing that bitch Myne butted in?"

Bluebell sighed. "Yes, she tried to say that sir Naofumi was faking his injuries in order to hide what he did to you so he could rape you the same way he tried to with her."

Audrey had to chuckle upon hearing. That entire scenario was so bull****ed that she couldn't help it.

"The spear hero seemed to believe her instantly and moved to try and attack sir Naofumi before I stepped in and tried to tell him the truth of what happened whilst Raphtalia tried to vouch for me but it didn't help.

'Of course it didn't, we're talking about a guy who's even worse than the one who nearly ruined my high school life completely and a woman who's nothing but a lying cunt.' Audrey thought bitterly.

"The woman who framed sir Naofumi claimed he was forcing us to defend him which caused the spear hero to try to plea with me and Raptalia to go to his side while he defeated Naofumi and rescued you."

And now Audrey found herself loathing Motoyasu even more whilst Bluebell continued with her recount of what happened while the bow hero was unconscious.

"Much to our relief and surprise the knights that stayed behind to help us defend Lute stepped in and vouched for what actually happened. The spear hero's companion looked like she wanted to push her lies even further but it became impossible when the villagers returned further vouching for your and sir Naofumi's deeds."

"That's a relief."

"I agree, I feared we'd have to try to fight off the spear hero with how determined he seemed to take us if the knights and villagers hadn't stepped in."

"Well he's been after me and Raptalia from the moment he's met us." Audrey admitted though she was now becoming a bit concerned with how far Motoyasu was going to take his advances after hearing upon how he was ready to attempt taking Raphtalia, Audrey herself, and even Bluebell now by force. At least they wouldn't be about him making any more attempts at taking them for the time being.

"Motoyasu's nonsense aside, there's one more thing I have to ask about. Where's the chimera's corpse?"

Bluebell just smiled. "There's no need to worry, sir Naofumi and Raphtalia made sure to procure them beforehand."

"That's a relief."

That earned a raised eyebrow from Bluebell. "Were you worried about obtaining the materials?"

"Yeah, knowing Ren and Motoyasu they'd likely try to take everything for themselves."

"Well when sir Naofumi went on to procure the materials from the chimera's body the sword hero issued a warning not to take everything for himself saying that just because Naofumi managed to kill the chimera didn't entitle him to everything."

And there it was, the stick Ren had a bit to deep up his own ass showing itself once more. If there was anyone with a sense of entitlement it was Ren himself along with the spear hero.

"The hero of the spear followed up by saying there was no point in Sir Naofumi having anything since his being chosen by the shield made him useless."

Aubrey found herself wishing she could punch Motoyasu, the spear hero carried too high of an opinion of himself simply for nothing more than the fact he was able to attack. "He didn't try to take things any further did he?"

"No, thankfully the knight's second in command decided to step in and defend Sir Noafumi forcing the spear hero to back off before he could try to use any type of force."

"Alright then." Audrey replied, taking a bit of comfort in the fact that Naofumi wasn't hurt any further than he already had been.

"Is there any chance to see Naofumi and Raphtalia?"

"Of course, I can get both of them shortly."

"Thanks."

Without any further reply Bluebell left the room.

Now alone Audrey began to remember how Naofumi tried to convince her to save Raphtalia, Bluebell, as well as herself and leave him behind during the clash with the chimera.

Did he really think his life was so expendable because of how others treated him simply for being chosen by the shield, did Naofumi truly think that he had less value merely because he wasn't able to attack? The thought of this upsetted Audrey internally.

A good part of the bow hero felt the need to chew Naofumi out for trying to sacrifice his life for her simply because he thought his death wouldn't be much of a loss but she wasn't in the best condition to confront Naofumi about the matter.

For now her only priorities were confirming with her own eyes the Naofumi had indeed survived the second wave and getting the materials from the chimera that her fellow cardinal hero had saved for her as well as recovering in the shortest time span possible so she could get back to improving her prowess in preparation for the next wave.

After around another minute or two passed the door to the room Audrey was currently using opened to reveal Bluebell along with Raptalia and of course Naofumi. Before Audrey could greet either of them the former of the two beat her to the punch.

"Lady Audrey, it's such a relief to see you awake, we were all worried about you!"

Audrey scratched the back of her head in slight embarrassment at Raptalia's surprisingly doting nature. "I could say the same to all of you, when you and Bluebell were knocked out by the chimera and when Naofumi was injured I was worried I was going to lose you."

"I think you may need to concern yourself with your own well being first, out of all of us you sustained the worst injuries.

"Yeah I've been told that by Bluebell."

Rapthalia grunted in annoyance at Audrey's rather nonchalant attitude concerning her own condition whilst Naofumi took the opportunity to greet Audrey himself. "It's good to see your awake Audrey."

"It's good to be awake." 'And alive for that matter.'

"With what the village doctor had told us I thought you'd be out even longer." Naofumi said, earning a glare from his companion. "But I'm….glad you're okay." With that Naofumi turned his gaze away from Audrey for some reason she couldn't really deduce it almost seemed like the shield hero was embarrassed to say what he had just revealed.

"I could really say that the feeling's mutual. I thought we were about to lose you when the chimera was about to use its lion head to bite into you."

Raptalia turned her glare to Audrey whilst Naofumi casually scratched the back of his head. "Well thanks to you it wasn't able to do me in so thanks for saving my life." He said as a genuine smile etched its way onto his face.

"You're welcome." Audrey said, forcing a smile onto her own face which didn't go unnoticed by Bluebell.

"Oh yeah before I forget." Naofumi produced what looked like a small piece of meat that had a layer of fur attached to it. "I saved materials from the chimera and other monsters that appeared during the wave for you."

"Thanks, Bluebell told me about that before she went to get you and Raptalia."

"I'm just paying you back for the help you gave me." Audrey sat up wincing as she did, which didn't escape the eye of either Naofumi or Raphtalia.

"Lady Audrey, you're still severely injured aren't you?" Rapthalia inquired.

"Apparently, it looks like these injuries are going to take more than a day to heal."

"You shouldn't stand then, you'll only worsen your injuries if you strain your body."

"There's no need to worry, I'm only sitting up so I can feed the materials Naofumi has to my bow." She said summoning her legendary weapon to her hands.

"Here." Naofumi said, holding the meat to the bow's jewel before Audrey willed the weapon to absorb it.

Chimera lion meat bow unlocked.

Stat bonus: Atk + 10 Agi + 17

Equip effect none

Skills: none

Chimera lion skin bow unlocking

Stat bonus: stealth + 10 Agi + 12 Atk + 6

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera lion leather bow unlocked

Stat bonus: Def + 5 stealth + 8 freezing resistance + 12

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera lion fur bow unlocked

Stat bonus: freezing resistance + 6 stealth + 4

Equip effect: none

Skill: none

Audrey was grateful to see all the new bows she unlocked but was a bit confused when her bow was able to absorb the meat along with the fur since she'd normally have the separate the two before feeding them to the bow, a part of her figured that it was simply due to the small size of the portion she was given. "Alright I got three new bows unlocked."

Naofumi went on to produce something else from his shield but to Audrey's and the companions of both heroes' surprise he produced a potion.

Audrey was left unsure of how to respond before Naofumi spoke up. "It should help with your wounds."

"Naofumi you don't need to go that far for me."

"You need to get better as soon as possible."

After sighing in defeat Audrey appraised the potion in question and was surprised by what she saw.

Hp potion: quality (high)

Audrey's eyes widened considerably upon seeing this. "Naofumi, how'd you get this? Back when I went to the apothecary the best the owner had was a potion of fair quality."

"One of the villagers gave it to me for defending the settlement."

"Well if that's the case are you sure you're okay with me having it?"

"Yeah if it helps you get back on your feet a little faster then I'll use it to help you."

"Alright then." With that Audrey drank the potion in one gulp before opening her status window.

Audrey Alethea level 31

Weapon: legendary bow "locked"

Equipment: Basic clothing

Hp: 331/1457

Sp: 796/796

Sta:251

Def: 82

Agi: 423

Dex: 376

Skills: quick dash lv3, scouting lv1, transport bow lv1, rain arrow lv 1, chain arrow lv1

Audrey noticed that her health bar was low but was going back up steadily until it reached 819/1457, while she wasn't back to one hundred percent she felt much better at least to the point that she could walk around again. "Thanks, that really helped."

"Are you completely healed?" Rapthalia asked.

"No but I'll have a much easier time moving around now."

Bluebell let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Now that things are going in the right direction we might be able to finally attend the celebration that the king is hosting and receive reward money."

This earned a raised eyebrow from Audrey. "A celebration?"

"Yeah as a way to thank us and the other heroes for fighting the waves."

"And the party and reward are going to be for all of us?"

Bluebell gave Audrey a look of confusion before she realized where the bow hero was coming from. "Of course in spite of his past actions against sir Naofumi he's honorbound to reward the heroes as per tradition."

"And you're sure he'll actually abide by them."

"The squad leader of the knights assured that he won't treat you or the shield hero unfairly."

"If you say so." Audrey turned to Noafumi.

"Do you plan to go?"

The shield hero scratched his head. "I don't care about the party but I can't turn down the reward money."

"Alright." Audrey said.

"Anyway all that aside I still need to give one the rest of the materials." Naofumi said before producing small pieces of the remaining materials which Audrey wasted no time in feeding to her bow one at a time.

Chimera dragon scale bow unlocked

Stat bonus: Def + 15 fire resistance + 22

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera dragon eye bow unlocked

Stat bonus: Agi + 12

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera dragon fang bow unlocked

Stat bonus: Atk + 19 Dex + 11

Equip effect: bleed resistance up (medium) atk + 5

Skills: none

Chimera dragon meat shield unlocked

Stat bonus: Atk + 9 Spd + 10

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera lion mane bow unlocked

Stat bonus: freezing resistance + 10 stealth + 20

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera lion eye bow unlocked

Stat bonus: stealth + 7

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera lion fang bow unlocked

Stat bonus: Atk + 23 bleed resistance + 18

Equip effect:none

Skills:none

Chimera goat fur bow unlocked

Stat bonus: mountain climbing + 20 freezing resistance + 9

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera goat horn bow unlocked.

Stat bonus: Atk + 10 Agi + 6 Def + 5

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera goat meat bow unlocked

Stat bonus: mountain climbing + 15 Agi + 13

Equip effect: none

Skills: none

Chimera viper bow unlocked

Stat bonus: poison resistance + 27 paralysis resistance + 20 Agi + 11

Equip effect: paralysis arrow

Skills: poison mist lv 1/10

Dimensional insect bow unlocked

Stat bonus: poison resistance + 7

Equip effect none

Skills none

Dimensional undead bow unlocked

Stat boost: Dex + 9

Equip bonus: none

Skills: none

Audrey smiled at the end result. She got multiple stat boosts that were more considerable compared to past bow variations that she had unlocked since being summoned as the bow hero and even two more that would come in handy directly on the battlefield alongside the silver and stone bows in the form of the dragon fang and viper bows. On top of that she now had another offensive skill within her arsonal giving her another tactic she could utilize in battle.

"So did the materials improve your bow?" Naofumi asked.

"Yeah. I got some considerable stat boost along with two bows I can make use of thanks to their equip effects and a new skill."

"I see." Naofumi announced before wincing.

"Are your own injuries still acting up?"

"A little bit."

"Don't you have any potions to heal yourself."

Naofumi averted his gaze away from Audrey's which only prompted her to push the subject further. "You do have potions don't you?"

The shield sighed. "No, I gave all the ones I had beforehand to the villagers to heal the injured save for the one I gave to you."

"You couldn't have saved one for yourself?"

"I'm durable enough to bear with my injuries for the time being." This earned a light glare combined with a groan of annoyance from Raphtalia which Audrey could honestly sympathize with at this point. While she admired Naofumi's kindness which had remained even through these tough times he was being put through thanks to the king, Myne, and Motoyasu even she wished the shield hero would be a little more considerate with his life….even if she wasn't in much of a place to talk.

"Anyway you should rest for today, the knights will probably come by tomorrow to see if you're awake."

"What's stopping them from doing so today?"

"They already swung by before you awoke."

"Really?"

Bluebell was the one that answered the inquiry. "Yes, I had to nearly argue with them to get them to leave."

"Why?"

"They wanted to take you back to the castle saying that the church had offered to take care of you. I thought you might prefer staying here instead."

"You were completely right on that account. After what I've learned about them I'd rather not rather not have anything to do with them." Audrey replied and that was putting it vaguely.

After they tried to manipulate her into turning against Naofumi before Audrey had immediately decided that she wanted no form of interaction with them, if they truly felt the need to cater to the heroes they could just turn to Ren or Motoyasu, the latter of the two would likely revel in the attention especially it was was given to him by woman.

"I gave you all the materials I saved for you so I'll see you later." Naofumi said before leaving with Raphtalia following close behind.

Once the two were gone Bluebell turned to the bow hero and brought up a subject that Audrey did not expect.

"Is there a reason you seemed partially upset with sir Naofumi?"

Audrey was caught off guard and needed a few moments to answer. "You noticed? I thought I hid it."

"You did, at least enough that he nor Raphtalia noticed but I've been with you long enough to know when something is bothering you."

"When did you catch on?"

"Back when you wore a forced smile."

"I see."

"Is there something sir Naofumi did to upset you today?"

"No, it was back during the wave."

"I see, what happened?"

"A bit before you and Raphtalia came to after being knocked out by the chimera it was well on its way to killing Naofumi, having him in the jaws of the lion head."

"So he was pushed closed to death, that alone shouldn't warrant being upset with him."

"But it isn't just that alone, it was what he tried to have me do."

"And just what was it that he tried to have you do exactly that made you upset?" Bluebell asked with her curiously perked. With what she had seen so far between the two she knew that Audrey deeply admired the kind nature that Naofumi had even underneath his hardened heart and it would take something major for her view of him to be changed with the closest event to that happening being when she initially found out that he bought Raphtalia as a slave and nearly jumped to the wrong conclusions as to his reason for doing so.

Had something else happened with Naofumi that Audrey may have misinterpreted? There was only one way to find out, either way Bluebell wanted to help mend things between the two heroes before it could potentially escalate into a rift between the two. It would be in everyone's best interest if they remained on good terms since they were supposed to be on the same side when fighting the waves. Plus Bluebell felt that if Audrey's friendship with Naofumi died it would negatively impact her going forward.

Audrey might not have expressed it verbally but Bluebell had come to realize that the king's wrong doings and everyone wrongfully turning against Naofumi had greatly affected Audrey's view of not only the people of Melromarc but the entire world as a whole. The bow hero's only real motivation for fighting the wave was essentially her own survival as well as Naofumi's along with Raptalia's and Bluebell herself.

Bluebell understood how Audrey initially felt about this world since the kingdom was utilizing its resources to wrongfully torture Naofumi all while demanding that he performs his duty regardless but even so she hoped that once Audrey was up and about tomorrow she'd noticed that the people had come to see Naofumi for who he really was and in turn see that the world had more good in it than the king's influence had led her to believe.

"Naofumi tried to convince me to rescue you and Raptalia and…leave him to die."

Upon hearing this Bluebell wasn't able to think of a reply for what she was told so Audrey continued. "He tried to say that it would be better for himself to die since he was the least capable hero."

"I'm beginning to understand."

The bow hero let out a sigh of exasperation. "Back when we first met I told him that simply being able to attack wasn't everything, that he had another role he could play."

Audrey began trembling. "But he thinks his life is expendable compared to that of others because of his lack of attack power."

"And you don't agree." Bluebell mused.

"Of course not, one capability doesn't define someone's worth, Naofumi needs to realize that."

Bluebell smiled as she now realized what Audrey was truly upset about was Naofumi's self-deprecating mindset.

"Then perhaps when you're feeling up to it you should tell sir Naofumi that."

Audrey's expression became a mix of surprise and uncertainty as she turned her gaze to Bluebell. "You really think it'll be that simple?"

"I'm not entirely sure but I believe that if you reach out to him with enough effort he'll see that in spite of how many look down on him that he's more valuable than what they claim."

"I'm not really sure what to say to make him see that. I don't think just telling him that I didn't agree with what he tried to have me do is enough on its own."

"You may be right, still you don't have to speak to him on the matter immediately so you have time to think of just what you want to say."

"Alright, thank you."

"You welcome, just make sure to get it off your chest before we all have to head out after the celebration." With that Bluebell left the room for the time being leaving Audrey alone to contemplate what she wanted to say to Naofumi about his attempt to throw his life away during the fight with the wave.

For the time being the bow hero now had something to preoccupy her mind with until the party that would likely be tomorrow and god knew she wasn't looking forward to it due to the bastard hosting it.

XXXXX

The next day came and passed by rather quickly with Audrey finding herself able to walk on her own so long as she didn't put too much of a strain on her body.

Once Audrey went outside she saw a child limping and decided to give them one of the potions from her item storage she decided to give the rest of them to the villagers to use on any survivors who were still injured.

Bluebell tried to convince the bow hero to use one on herself but she simply stated that the villagers needed them more than she did and that buying more wouldn't be a problem since they'd be rewarded after the celebration.

At least assuming the king actually intended to reward her or Naofumi at all.

Soon the knights showed up in the village along with two of the last people Audrey gave two shits about let alone wanted to see in the form of the lying cunt named Myne and the bull****ed hero of the spear Motoyasu and soon the latter of the two was trying to dote on her whilst blaming Naofumi for her getting hurt which grated her nerves and it took her everything once of effort she had within her not to summon her bow from her back to her hands to start firing off a large flurry of arrows at the son of b****.

Soon everyone was taken to the capital via two carriages with one being occupied by Mototoyasu and Myne and the other by Naofumi and Rapthalia on one side along with Bluebell and Audrey on the other.

Bluebell and Raptalia chatted away happily whilst the two heroes sat in silence with Audrey staring out of the carriage window whilst Naofumi did the same all while occasionally stealing curious glances at Audrey, while he wasn't completely sure it felt almost as if she was avoiding his gaze which if it was truly the case raised the question of why. Had he done something to upset Audrey? He couldn't think of anything that could have invoked such a change from the previous day, he hoped he was wrong about his suspicion, Audrey was the first true ally he had since coming to this world and the only person he could truly place his trust in without the constant worry of being backstabbed.

The thought of Audrey hypothetically turning on and abandoning him felt surprisingly frightening so much so that he really didn't even want to think about it.

After a little over two and a half hours the group arrived at the capital and from there the castle.

Both Raphtalia and Bluebell held a fair amount of excitement about the event making Audrey somewhat envious. Bluebell appeared to be certain that the king wouldn't take any action against her or Naofumi and Raphtalia was also in a worry free state.

Once everyone arrived at the castle they were taken to the throne room where various nobles were already gathered whilst Aultcray stood in front of the thrones to address everyone present. "Greetings fellow citizens of Melromarc, tonight we celebrate the heroes. sir Motoyasu, sir Ren, and lady Audrey's triumph over the wave."

Audrey didn't miss how the King had a strained undertone in his voice when he mentioned her name. If Audrey had to guess she'd say that he hadn't personally wanted to accredit her for any part of the wave and only did so out of some type of traditional obligation. Not that she cared at this point if she ever did at all since being praised by people was far removed from her list of priorities.

Still the king didn't fail to disgust her when he blatantly left out Naofumi's name even if she was expecting it at this point. Well if he was only going to go out of his way to refuse to accredit Naofumi things would at least be somewhat tolerable at least for tonight.

"Thanks to the efforts of our courageous heroes our kingdom still stands and our future is assured." All the nobility gave an applause before the Aultcray continued his speech, the rest of which Audrey and Naofumi more or less tuned out not caring about the display that the kingdom's trash ruler was putting on and simply waiting until the banquet started.

Once it did the nobles either conversed with each other or with the other two heroes. Motoyasu unsurprisingly basked in the attention particularly when it was from a young woman though oddly enough he seemed to be scanning the room as if looking for someone in particular, whoever that someone was Audrey didn't care so long as he left her, Naofumi and their companions alone.

Ren on the other hand was mostly ignoring everyone around merely giving one word answers to those that he cared to reply to, like with Motoyasu the sword hero wasn't someone worth caring for, his need to put on a cold loner persona was only good for an eye roll.

Naofumi was staying at a table by an open window and staring outside ignoring the festivities which Audrey really couldn't blame him for afterall it was all nothing more then the king's way of showing off to his countrymen and appeasing the glory hungry heroes of the spear and sword's egos.

Both Raphtalia and Bluebell were both happily indulging in the food while talking with each other.

Audrey simply decided to join Naofumi since like him she didn't give two shits about the celebration or even the reward money, at least not whatever she might get since she was able to make steady income doing various quests for the guild, still she couldn't deny the benefit of having her budget boosted. "So Naofumi do you have any idea what you plan to do when this is over?"

The shield hero turned to face Audrey and shrugged. "Probably just head over to Edward's shop to pick up the custom armor he made for me then swing by Lute village before heading to other settlements. What about yourself?"

"Something along the same lines more or less though while I'm in Lute I'll try gathering some ore from that mine you told me about and probably look into getting a cart along with a tamable monster to pull so I have a better mode of transportation. Beyond that I'll likely try to look for more party members, amongst other things."

Naofumi's expression became one of curiosity. "Other things?"

"Yeah? On top of all the things I've listed, I also am learning to read this world's language so I can learn magic."

"This world has that?"

"Yeah I actually found out about it on our first day outside the capital when one of the party members I was provided with used to try and burn a vicious rabbit alive."

Naofumi snorted upon hearing this. "They only tried?"

Looking back on it now Audrey couldn't help but smile a bit herself. "Pretty much, they flung a fireball at the monster only for the thing to dodge and try to maw their face off forcing me to bail them out."

This earned a laugh out of Naofumi, almost causing the bow hero to forget about yesterday. 'That's right I need to tell him about what I think of his actions from the wave.' Even though that was the general thought that passed through the bow hero's mind a part of her couldn't bring herself to bring the subject up at that very moment.

While she felt the need to get it off her chest she also noticed that Naofumi genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself in her company which was something she...oddly wanted to savor while she could.

Before her thoughts could go any farther Raphtalia suddenly showed up with a plate of food before sitting next to the shield hero and then to Audrey's chagrin proceeded to hold a piece of food to Naofumi using the only fork she had.

"Say ahhh."

Naofumi sweat dropped whilst scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Yo-you don't need to do that."

Raphtalia didn't seem the least bit deterred in her efforts. "Come on master Naofumi." She said bringing the bring closer to his mouth.

No longer seeing a way out of this Naofumi simply complied with Raptalia's desire which the bow hero watched with narrowed eyes as she felt a new source of frustration wail up in her which only served to confuse her as soon as she noticed.

'Why do I feel ticked off after watching Raphtalia feed Naofumi? It's not something to be mad about; he has someone who truly cares for him.'

Still over at the food stands Bluebell watched in mild amusement at the display between the shield hero and his companion as well as Audrey's reaction. The bow's hero's attachment to the shield bearer was really showing through. The bluenette was beginning to wonder if she should remind Audrey of their previous talk about her fellow hero but refrained since it seemed that all of them were able to just enjoy themselves for the moment which was something Bluebell herself appreciated since it seemed like Naofumi and Audrey were rarely ever at ease like this so she wanted it to last while it could.

Unfortunately it appeared the hero of the spear had other plans as he walked over the three were before proceeding to yell at Naofumi.

"I know everything!"

Naofumi shot Motoyasu a look of annoyance whilst Raphtalia had a look of confusion and Audrey wore a look of anger.

Bluebell was about to attempt to step in and try to dissolve the situation before a group of guards stepped in front of her and seized her. "What are you doing?"

The knights merely smirked before replying. "I'm sorry but as the companion of the bow hero we need to question you along with lady Audrey about rumors of the shield hero having a slave."

"There shouldn't be any-mhpgp!" Bluebell was cut off when her mouth was gagged.

"We'd appreciate it if you came along "quietly" don't worry the bow hero will be joining you soon." With that the guards proceeded to take her out of the throne room whilst the spear hero continued making a scene.

"What are you on about?" Naofumi said with clear exasperation in his tone. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone aside from the one person who still believed in him along with their companions least of all the bitch who framed him for something he didn't do, the trash excuse of a king persecuted him without allowing him any chance to defend himself, or in this case the shit hero who used the trial as an opportunity to steal from from him.

Audrey watched the spear hero intently wondering what the hell he was trying to take from Naofumi time.

"I know you're keeping Raphtalia as a slave!"

So that was it. Audrey should have figured it would be that considering how Motoyasu had been trying to take Raphtalia for himself ever since meeting her and finding out she was a member of Naofumi's party.

Upon hearing this various nobles started whispering amongst themselves and shooting various insults at Naofumi which Ren joined in on.

Naofumi replied. "First off does she look like a slave to you? Second in case you haben't noticed slavery is legal in this world."

"We're from a different world, we shouldn't be doing such things."

Both Naofumi and Audrey felt their patients with this fucker wearing this thin. What the shield hero did wasn't any of Motoyasu's business.

"Besides there's no way in hell someone like Raphtalia would ever follow someone like you willingly, nobody would!"

Naofumi just sighed. "Is that all you have to say?"

Motoyasu growled before removing one of his gloves and throwing it to the ground in front of Naofumi. "I challenge you to a duel, if I win you have to release Raptalia!"

At this point Audrey felt her annoyance and resentment towards the spear hero grow even further. Just how much did Motoyasu feel the need to take whatever he could from Naofumi?

Naofumi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this ridiculous declaration. "And what happens if I win?"

"That won't happen! But if it were to things can continue as they are."

Naofumi simply sighed and stood up. "Come on Raphtalia, we're leaving."

"Ri-right." With that Raphtalia got up to follow Naofumi much to Motoyasu astonishment whilst Audrey looked around for Bluebell but noticed she wasn't anywhere to be found.

"H-hey where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here. You didn't really think I was gonna waste my time with a duel that I don't gain anything from, did you?"

Before Naofumi or Raphtalia could go any further the guards cut off their path stopping them dead in their tracks and things only got worse when another group of guards came behind Rapthalia before grabbing her and restraining her via tying her up and gagging her whilst pulling her away from Naofumi.

"I have heard of your actions shield hero." Declared a voice that caused both Naofumi and Audrey to turn towards it to sight the king.

"I hereby order you to partake in the duel, otherwise I will have your slave taken from you by force."

Audrey was about to attempt to summon her bow to her hands in order to issue the same warning to the king that she had at the trial and put an end to this charade but before she could do so another group of guards jumped and restrained her before gagging her and dragging her away. "Sorry lady Audrey but we'd prefer if you don't get involved, we can't have you aggravating your injuries." Came the voice of the knight commander that had previously set fire to Lute during the wave.

The fear he had before during the wave was gone and replaced by a smug expression that only served to make Audrey's blood boil even further than it already was thanks to the actions of the King and Montoyasu. Unfortunately however Audrey couldn't do much to fight back against her captors thanks to her injuries and could only listen as the Aultcray announced where the duel was taking place.

XXXXX

Within the courtyard of the castle the nobles sat in the stands whilst the king was on a private balcony overlooking the entire courtyard with a tied up Raphtalia and two guards. Ren stood in another private stand that gave him a clearer view compared to the rest of the spectators. All the while both Audrey and Bluebell were kept at the back of the stands tied up and gagged where none of the other spectators would notice them and like Raptalia they were both tied up and gagged with three guards around them including the knight commander who still wore an arrogant smile.

"It'll be quite the spectacle seeing this, that damnable shield devil doesn't have a chance."

Audrey would have wanted to refute that claim but she really couldn't for two obvious reasons, the first was being gagged and the second was the circumstances surrounding the duel that painted it as being unfairly in Motoyasu's favor.

First was the most obvious one which was differences in their weapons, since Naofumi had no actual method for directly attacking he wasn't in much of a position to fight back. The next was the major gap in between the levels, where Naofumi was only at level 23 Motoyasu was at level 42 which was nearly twice what the former's was. The final factor was the fact that Naofumi was still injured from the fight with the chimera albeit not as badly as Audrey herself; it was still enough to visibly hinder his ability to fight.

Actually all things considered not a single thing about this fight was actually fair on any level, the king wasn't trying to enforce a sacred duel he was simply trying to strip Naofumi of his only party member and make a spectacle of further slandering him all the while making Motoyasu out to be some savior.

The entire thing both made Audrey's anger and disgust with the crown and this world's people intensify that much more and pull against her bounds with all her might.

If she and Bluebell could just break free from the ropes holding them they'd be able to put a stop to this entire sham by force injuries or no injuries when it came to herself.

Down in the courtyard Motoyasu pointed his spear at the shield hero wearing a smug expression. "Naofumi be a man and just admit defeat."

Naofumi didn't say anything and switched to his chimera shield.

"So you really wanna do this huh, I tried to give you a chance to save whatever dignity you had but if you don't wanna give up Raptalia then I'll just beat you down and take her from you."

With that Motoyasu dashed towards Naofumi, thrusting out his spear which met Naofumi's shield and to his surprise was successfully stopped.

"Say, have you ever heard the legend of the unstoppable spear and the immovable shield?" The shield hero suddenly inquired.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"The moment you couldn't penetrate my shield was the moment you lost the duel."

Before Motoyasu could give any type of reply two snake heads which were attached to the chimera shield came to life and extended outward biting both of Motoyasu's arms startling him and causing him to stumble backyards.

"Wh-what the…?!" It seemed pretty clear that the spear hero wasn't expecting this, considering the confidence he exerted moments ago he likely thought he could win this with the first blow. Regardless of that however he soon regained his composure. "I guess I should have expected you to be able to stop my normal attacks given your high defense but let's see how you fare against this!" With that Motoyasu reared his spear back, readying himself to throw it. "Thunder spear."

As Motoyasu sent his weapon sailing after Naofumi it morphed into a mass of lightning that impacted Naofumi's shield and sent him skidding backwards a bit over a meter but the ebony haired shielder remained standing nonetheless whilst his opponent's weapon reformed in his hand.

Naofumi felt a considerable numbness throughout both of his arms which was likely an effect from the thunder element that Motoyasu's skill carried.

"Da-dammit." Naofumi had a foreboding feeling he wasn't going to win this duel and the strength Motoyasu exerted only solidified that view but in spite of all that Naofumi planned to make the effort as grueling and miserable for his opponent as possible in retaliation of Motoyasu bull********ly using the fact that Raphtalia was technically a slave as a means to take her for himself.

After regaining his bearing Naofumi dashed towards Motoyasu who simply smirked believing that his opponent was simply desperate, in the spear hero's mind however it was futile for Naofumi to try and fight back since he had no attack power being a shielder of all things.

No matter what happened Montoyasu would win in the end, if Naofumi had any common sense he'd have taken the spear hero's advice and saved himself the humiliation, no matter what he tried Motoyasu was going save Raphtalia and get her away from Naofumi who was nothing but a lowly rapist and apparently a slaver to boot as such there wasn't any reason that Raptalia should never have been on a team with such a lowly criminal being forced to fight for him hell even if he wasn't a criminal and slaver Motoyasu would take Raphtalia anyway.

Any maiden as beautiful as Raphtalia had no reason to be fighting anything least of all alongside the hero who was doomed to fail being of a loser class in all, rather she should be all rights be in his own party and harem cheering for him as he protected her from all danger, he could practically picture it in his mind already, the racoon demi thanking him for saving her from a monster like Naofumi, throwing her arms around him and kissing him, joining his party, and eventually heating up the night with him and maybe as an added bonus Audrey would also finally see that Motoyasu was the true hero along with her own companion, her name was Bluebell if he remembered right. He was looking forward to hooking with all three of them after this duel.

But before any of that he had to deal with the criminal and dead weight among the cardinal heroes, it was simple enough, Naofumi was nothing more than a walking target who was utterly worthless, enough skills would bring him down sooner or later, actually the very next one would be finishing blow it with how weak he was.

With that thought in mind Motyasu fired another skill as Naofumi continued running at him with his shield held over his head earning a scoff from the spear hero believing that Naofumi's attempt at protecting himself wouldn't amount to anything before unleashing another of his skills. "Chaos spear"

Motoyasu's spear split into multiple spear like projectiles that flew towards Naofumi impacting his shield as well as his body in multiple places only for Motoyasu's previous assumption to be blown out the window when Naofumi much to his shock endured the attack from his skill and sent a punch straight into his face that caused him to stagger backwards.

While it didn't take in hp from him it still had a lot of force behind it to have a significant impact upon coming into contact with his face. "Wh-what the."

Naofumi meanwhile wasted no time in pressing his attack as he reached within his cape and pulled out an orange balloon monster and flung Motoyasu who instinctively raised his arm to protect his face only for the orange monster to bite down on the appendage within its path. "Arrrghhh."

'Good to know that the little guys can cause you pain along with my punch, let's see what else I can do to traumatize you.' Naofumi thought before summoning an air strike shield which he sent straight into Montoyasu's stomach knocking the air out of him and sending him flying across the arena.

Acting quickly Naofumi followed up reaching into his cape and throwing a few more orange balloons at Motoyasu which each latched on to various parts of the spear hero's body before Naofumi decided to utilize another one of his skills. "Shield prison."

Naofumi smiled as Motoyasu was encased in a sphere of shields leaving him with majorly reduced room of maneuver which in turn meant he wouldn't be able to dispatch the balloons biting away at him but the shield hero wasn't done just yet.

"Shield change, poison needle." A scream of pain erupted from the sphere holding Motoyasu. Many of the nobility were shocked by this development and began expressing worry at what was happening.

"How can this be?"

"Is the spear hero going to lose?"

The audience's shock turned to anger and resentment.

"Doesn't the spear hero's opponent have any honor?"

"Why would he when he's the devil of the shield?"

From the back of the stands where she and her companion were still restrained Audrey was now watching the Duel intently, when this sham of duel started she was angry with the unfairness of it do to the fact that not only was Naofumi's ability to fight severely limited due to his weapons purely defensive nature along with the gap between his and Motoyasu's level along with his injuries. But now she had hope, after seeing Naofumi gain the upperhand and turn the duel in his favor in spite of the odds being so far against him and everyone's belief.

Even if the trash king, lying cunt, stuck up sword hero, insufferable people of this world, that absolutely god awful shitty excuse of a spear wielding hero, and even Naofumi himself all believed that he was a lesser hero because of the weapon he was chosen by Audrey knew better, if anything Naofumi was every bit a hero as Audrey herself as well as the other two maybe even more of one considering he was the only one who really took the initiative to protect the people of this world which was something Audrey would make sure he knew the next time she spoke to him.

Requirements for sacred bond series met: sword hero: unable to connect, spear hero: unable to connect, shield hero: unable to connect.

Audrey found herself confused by the sudden notification in her HUD but she chose to ignore it for the time being before noticing a sight that brought her previous outrage back to the forefront of her mind. Myne had snuck into the arena and was holding a glowing hand out.

It was more or less a given what Myne was planning considering what the redhead had already shown so far. Audrey began pulling harder against her restraint than she ever had previously, earning a laugh from the knight commander. "It's no use in your condition so just stay silent and watch as the lowly shield hero loses and his slave is set free by the noble spear hero."

Everything that came out of this knight commander's mouth only served to add fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile in the arena the sphere of shields had dissipated revealing a weakened spear hero struggling to stand.

"I suggest you give up now unless you want your face ruined."

"Wh-why would I ever surrender to the likes of you?"

"Because you're going to lose this duel."

"N-no one would ever accept that conclusion!"

"Have it your way." Before Naofumi could even begin to run after the spear hero a mass of wind hit him in his back causing him to stumble forward.

Looking behind Naofumi caught sight of Myne standing at the edge of the arena with her hand outstretched smirking at him.

Naofumi growled in anger but realized that he should have expected something like this, considering the length she, the king, and Motoyasu were going to wrong him at every turn of course they wouldn't be fair about this.

Unfortunately the distraction gave Motoyasu time to recover from Naofumi's previous assault and attempt to rush him going on the attack.

"Hey wait a minute!" Naofumi exclaimed quickly, raising his shield just before his opponent was upon him.

"Not happening!" With that Motoyasu began thrusting his spear at Naofumi with all his might and pushed the shield hero back little by little.

Naofumi saw his hp bar dropping gradually with each hit he took and things only worsened when Motoyasu decided to use one of his skills again.

"Thunder spear."

Naofumi grunted in pain as the skill impacted his shield and sent him skidding backwards a few feet.

Motoyasu refused to relent in his attack and closed in on the shield hero utilizing his other skill.

"Chaos spear."

Multiple projectiles impacted Naofumi forcing one knee all the while Motoyasu ran after intending to land the finishing blow.

Naofumi felt his anger at this situation rise up inside of him. First he had this entire experience ruined right after he was summoned here by the king, the bitch who interfered with duel, and Motoyasu when they all framed him for a crime he didn't commit and now they were going to great lengths to take the only companion he had from him and for what. Simply to see him suffer? So Motoyasu could spread Raphtalia's legs? Was he really just meant to lose anything and everything he ever gained in this world?

"Dammit!" Naofumi cried out in anger before he leveled his shield with Motoyasu and activated his only remaining skill. "Shield bash." Naofumi's entire body zipped forward before his shield collided with Motoyasu's face hard and sent the spear hero flying backyards across the arena.

While the spear hero was still recovering Naofumi turned his attention to the person responsible for interfering but before he could even attempt to call her out on her previous action the red haired adventurer had already sent another attack at him this time being a fireball.

Since the incoming attack was already so close that by the time Naofumi registered what was happening he didn't have time to block or dodge the attack and was hit by the full brunt of it.

"Aarrrrghhh." As Naofumi felt himself getting burnt he managed to catch a glimpse of a second fireball headed for him. 'That bitch!' He thought as he leapt out of the way before hearing a scream of pain and glanced in the direction it came from to see that the attack had hit Motoyasu by some off chance.

A small part of Naofumi couldn't help but take a small bit of joy in what had happened to the spear hero, some might think it wrong of him to enjoy someone else's pain but what could they have possibly expected at this point? Motoyasu hadn't exactly given Naofumi any reason to like him, if anything Naofumi hated him as much as he hated Myne and the king if not more.

Unfortunately his joy was cut short when a green light enveloped the spear hero gradually healing him causing Naofumi to look in Myne direction and to see that she was long gone but when he looked in the other entrance he saw a guard with both of their hands out towards Motoyasu.

'Are you f***ing kidding me?!' First the attacks from Myne and now this?

Unfortunately Naofumi's train of thought was cut as the spear hero who had now recovered was running after him again.

"Thunder spear!"

Naofumi was forced to block the attack which sent him skidding backwards before he suddenly found his own body enveloped in a purple light and felt as if he was losing strength which alarmed him greatly.

Was someone using a spell to weaken him? If they were then they couldn't be going for his attack stat since it was practically none existent, but it wasn't his speed, his reflexes didn't feel like they were waning in the least so what was being weakened.

Glancing at his stats the shield hero was greeted with a sight that made him turn cold. They weren't weakening any of his secondary stats they; were going for his main one, his defense.

It was already taking everything Naofumi had to endure Motoyasu's attacks and skill thanks to the gap between their level along with the injuries he sustained from the fight with the chimera, if his defense was reduced he was a sitting duck.

Unfortunately there was nothing he could do about it, everyone was against him so no one would do anything to stop what was happening and he didn't have a skill that affected stats so he couldn't counter that stat reduction that way and magic was out of the question since he didn't know any.

Things only got worse as Motoyasu thrusted his spear at Naofumi, with his defense reduced every attack that hit him left gashes rather than simple scratches and even those that he blocked his shield sent painful vibrations through his entire body now. His Hp bar was now dropping at a considerable rate.

"Chaos spear!"

Naofumi was hit with an onslaught of projectiles, this time he was completely overwhelmed as he was pushed back until his body finally gave out and he was laying on his back with Motoyasu standing over him with his spear pointed at Naofumi's chest wearing a shit eating grin.

"The spear hero is the winner." Aultcray announced.

The nobles and knights alike cheered at the spectacle whilst King made his way down to the arena along with a still bound Raphtalia in tow being dragged by a group of guards at each side of her.

XXXXX

At the back of the stands Audrey was pulling harder at her bounds than she ever had before and with more strength than even she would have thought possible for herself, the knight commander and two guards that were assigned to keep her and Bluebell restrained were standing in front of the two just as immersed in Naofumi's defeat as the rest and no longer paying attention to either of the two.

The sound of her bounds straining against her wrist became more audible by the second but none of their captors bothered to take notice since they were certain she couldn't break free which had already become apparent when they initially scoffed and laughed at her when the bow hero had initially started.

Audrey could feel the ropes holding strength inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter as she continued to pull against them. Just a little more and…

The ropes finally gave way and snapped in half. The moment she was finally free, Audrey wasted no time in summoning her bow to her hands and sending an arrow through Bluebell's bounds, setting her free.

One of the two guards glanced back briefly when they heard a lot of shuffling noises but by the time they even registered that the duo had gotten loose Audrey had already sent an arrow into their shoulder.

Causing them to yelp in pain and fall to the ground gaining the attention of the remaining guard and knight commander the latter of whist was only able to turn around long enough to see an elbow collide with his face sending him into the back of the lower row of seats and knocking him out courtesy of Audrey.

Meanwhile Bluebell had made two moderately deep gashes into both of the remaining guard's thighs majorly hindering their ability to stand or walk due to the pain brought on by their injuries.

"Let's hurry and get down to the arena." Audrey said.

Not needing to be told twice Bluebell followed after the bow hero to put an end to this atrocity the king, the hero of the spear, and the red haired wench were all intent on committing against sir Naofumi. Before this she at least wanted to give the king and hero of the spear the benefit of the doubt, to believe that they still had some semblance of honor in spite of what Audrey had told her of them and the latter's demeanor towards Naofumi after the wave, but after what's been done here even Bluebell herself could no longer believe in either of the two.

XXXXX

Back down in the arena Naofumi was now left in a daze as he watched helplessly as a mage dumped a purple substance on Raphtalia's slave crest. Within moments the crest was gone leaving the racoon demi's chest bare of any marking.

At the same time Naofumi saw a notification in his HUD informing him that the slave contract between himself and Raphtalia was terminated. Honestly even though a part of him just wanted to tell himself that this was inevitable from the beginning of the duel all things considered but he couldn't help but feel a sense of despair wail up inside of himself.

Once again he began to recall how he had been shoved in the mud right from the start upon being summoned to this world and for what, just because he had a shield of all things?

Some part of japanese college student wanted to laugh bitterly at everything happening to him but even that seemed impossible, even when he tried to crawl through the mud the king, Myne, and Montoyasu along with this entire world leapt at the chance to knock him back down without missing a beat all the while making themselves look like the heroes in the process.

Glancing at his shield he recalled how he was written off as worthless by Motoyasu and Ren, how it denied him any means of attack and how everything bad that happened could be traced back to this damn shield. Was it really supposed to be a weapon to save the world or just something to ensure he suffers? Honestly at this point the latter seemed more like a given then a possibility. Grabbing the legendary shield, Naofumi tore it from his arm.

"I HATE THIS SHIELD!" he yelled out as he threw it across the arena floor. If only he didn't have that god awful piece of equipment he wouldn't need to suffer anymore. If the entire world hated the shield hero that much then he no longer wanted the role anymore, the people of this could just have the three that weren't powerless.

Unfortunately for Naofumi the shield itself had other ideas as it reappeared on his arm which only served to deepen the college student's despair that much further upon being confronted with the realization he didn't have the option of forfeiting the role he was forced into. 'I can't even get rid of this thing?'

Requirements for curse series met.

Had Naofumi been in a more rational or at least a calmer one he may have noticed the notification but all he could do now was let despair and anger overtake him as his vision became distorted as the scene change him and he found himself sounding by darkness and distorted silhouettes with the only three figures that still showed clearly being. Rapthalia, Bluebell, and Audrey which all turned to him.

"I'm finally free, now I no longer have to fight for you." The figure of Raphtalia said before disappearing.

"You're little more than a criminal, you're not even fit to carry the title of hero." The figure of Bluebell disappeared.

The final figure of Audrey followed up with her own statement. "Why did I have to fight alongside a worthless shielder? Ren and Motoyasu are far better heroes than you could ever be." With that the final figure disappeared leaving Naofumi within the dark murky abyss with no one to turn to.

XXXXX

Down in the arena Raphtalia, now freed of her bounds at last strutted in the hero of the spear's direction who waited eagerly in anticipation.

At the very least he was expecting a show of verbal gratitude along with some cute blush maybe? It'd be a good starting off point for hooking up later or maybe the Racoon demi human would kiss and maybe even french him right off the bat; Motoyasu certainly wasn't closed off to the idea if anything he'd prefer it since it would mean being to dive into more carnal activities even sooner.

It was a fair reward for a protagonist such as himself after all he did just free Raphtalia from a life of fighting for a monster like Naofumi. A life of fighting which wasn't for her or any maiden for that matter and since he already had his own harem which would now have another woman if not three more it was about time Motoyasu got to finally have a little fun.

Soon Raphtalia was right in front of him with one of her arms outstretched. Motlyasu was expecting a hug but instead Raphtalia's arm flew across his field of vision and her hand impacted his face rather painfully causing him to stumble back in shock.

It took the hero of the spear a few moments that felt like they were dragging on without end for him to process what just happened but before it could truly sink in the voice of an angry Raptalia yelled at him. Wait, why was she angry?

"You cheat!"

"H-huh?" Was the only reply that Motoyasu could muster as he struggled to wrap his mind around what was happening.

"You don't understand a single thing about Naofumi!"

"Wh-what do you mean, why are you defending him when he had you as a slave?"

"He never once forced me to do anything I wasn't able to."

"What? But Naofumi isn't that type of person."

"How would you know when you haven't seen anything he's done for me? When he barely had anything for himself he still gave me food when I was hungry and medicine when I was sick and dying."

"He's forcing you to fight monsters isn't he."

"The only time he's ever used the slave crest on me is when I refused to fight."

"And that's the entire problem no one should be forced to fight."

"Naofumi can't attack anything on his own so he needs someone to play the part of his sword."

"It doesn't have to be you though."

Raphtalia was about to refute that but was beaten to it by an unexpected arrival. "Yes it does especailly after what you the king and your fucking teammate pulled."

Motoyasu turned to see Audrey shooting him a furious glare that actually caused him to feel a bit of fear for the first time since he came to this world but he refused to relent in his argument. "Audrey, you can't seriously still be taking Naofumi's side after everything he's done. He left you to fend against the chimera alone because he knew how weak he was and on top of that he had Raphtalia as a slave."

Audrey felt her anger rise considerably upon hearing this. Was Motoyasu still trying to convince her that he had the moral high ground?

"First of all he didn't leave me to fight the chimera on my own, he actually tried to sacrifice himself to ensure my safety."

"That can't be true you were hurt when I saw you."

"That was due to my own actions and in that same regard I'm only alive because he protected me also the only reason he has a slave is because you, Myne, and the kingdom's piss ruler put him in a position where he was forced to get one."

"But it's wrong for him to have a slave."

Audrey began to wonder just how persistent was Motoyasu was going to be with this little charade of his, he sure knew how to get the tone down to the point that it almost sounded as if he himself actually believed what he was sa…- It suddenly hit Audrey, the spear hero wasn't actually in on the plot to ruin Naofumi, he like everyone else was being mislead.

It almost made the bow hero have pity on the son of a b**** but if he truly was being manipulated than he was beyond retarded if he couldn't see all the obvious flaws with his delusions even when they were presented right in front of him. As such the key word when it came to any possible pity was "almost" plus there were his motivations behind his actions which were all steered by his sickening desires, this duel being a prime example.

Raphtalia decided to go off on the spear hero once more. "Naofumi's been nothing but kind to me, he saved me from dying when no one else cared to lift a finger for me. Can you say you're capable of the same kindness?"

"O-of course I am."

"If you were then you would have a slave in your party."

Motoyasu was left stunned in silence as Raphtalia began making her way over to where Naofumi was but Myne stepped in front of her. "Stop right where you are, you filthy dem-aagghh."

Myne's attempt at halting Raphtalia ended with her being shoved out of the way by the latter which helped ease some of Audrey's anger at seeing the redhead get a small amount of what she deserved. Unfortunately when she finally looked in the direction of the shield hero the state he was in made her mind go blank.

Just from his pasture one could easily tell that the shield hero was overcome with despair. Did he believe that Raphtalia would abandon him or did his despair run even deeper.

Seeing the state Naofumi had been driven to reminded Audrey of how terrible the people of this world truly were and caused her to once more ask herself why they were so intent on making Naofumi suffer. What had he done to deserve this, to be framed, shunned, hazed and stripped of anything he had? For god sake out of all four of the heroes he was the most sincere about saving the people of this world, the spear hero's only concerned was the attention he got from any woman whom he believed was a potential partner for sex, the sword hero was only concerned with basking in his personal delsusions of self superiority and grandeur, and Audrey herself while she wasn't eager to admit it after seeing the true colors of the people of this world she didn't necessarily care if they lived or died.

Seeing this happen only further solidified that view, honestly after seeing and listening to the people egg on this duel just to see Naofumi lose Audrey could no longer see these people as being worth saving.

"Requirements for curse series met."

Audrey was so close to summoning her bow to her hand and firing every offensive skill at Motoyasu that she was practically visualizing the scenario inside of her head and would have went through with it if not for Bluebell grabbing a firm hold of Audrey's arm before shaking her head prompting the bow hero to calm down.

Meanwhile Raphtalia had gone over and knelt down in front of Naofumi. "Master Naofumi, please look at me."

"Stay away, I don't want anyone who's going to betray me!"

Raphtalia looked taken aback by what Naofumi had just shouted out but she didn't leave her spot in front of him.

"Master Naofumi, what would I have to do to gain your trust?"

"Why would I trust someone who's just going to betray and frame me for something I didn't do?"

Raphtalia appeared somewhat hurt by Naofumi's rebuttal but even so she refused to give up on the person who gave her a reason to live when she had lost everything else. "Naofumi I know of the rumors but I believe- no I know they're not true."

Naofumi looked up at Raphtalia in surprise, he couldn't believe what he was hearing as his former slave continued whilst pulling the shield hero into an embrace. "The world may call you a criminal but I know the truth, you're the kind and noble shield hero who's fighting to protect and save this world and I'm not the only who believes in you, Audrey also sees you for who you truly are too, both of us believe in you."

The Japanese otaku felt tears begin to form in his eyes while not noticing another person approaching, someone finally believed in him, truly? Taking another look at the person in front of him realizing he didn't recognize them. "Who are you?"

The person in question just smiled at the inquiry before replying. "It's me, Raphtalia."

"Impossible Raphtalia was just a kid." Naofumi mused unable to truly believe the woman holding him in her arms was truly the same child he purchased from the slave owner all that time ago.

"Naofumi have you still not realized it?"

Silence was the only reply that the tanuki received so she merely continued.

"We demi humans age rapidly when we level up, that's why I look the way I do, but that's not what I want to tell you. I know I have already told you this before but no matter what path you decide to tread I'll always be by your side through all of it."

Naofumu could hardly come to terms with what he had been told just now in fact before it could completely sink in Raptalia pulled Naofumi completely into her embrace before he felt another weight crash into his back before a new pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

"Naofumi I have some words for you for being the idiot you are." A familiar voice said, shocking the shield hero once more. "Au-Audrey?"

From behind Naofumi the bow hero wrapped her arms more firmly around his waist whilst resting her head on his back. "That should go without saying after everything I've done to support you anyway like I just said I have a few things to say to you tomorrow but for now let's just stay like this."

"Naofumi you're not alone." Raphtalia said. Upon hearing that that final barrier on Naofumi's heart broke down and the pain he had been holding in was let out as tears poured down his face as he rested within the embrace of the two people in this world who he truly now knew cherished him.

On the other side of the arena Motoyasu who had broken out of his stupor looked on at the scene with more admonishment than he had ever felt in his life even when he was stabbed back on earth. "Why are they siding with Naofumi ? There's no reason for them to be doing that. Raphtalia is finally free to leave him."

The bluenette turned her gaze towards the spear now sporting a look of pure disgust that left Motoyasu even more confused. "Even though lady Raphtalia was initially purchased as a slave she was never treated as one, as she told you lord Naofumi was showed her the utmost kindness and helped her find the strength to move forward when she had lost everything as such Naofumi is someone she cherishes with all her heart and in turn Raphtalia was become an irreplaceable person in his life."

"That can't possibly be the case, Naofumi would never do something like that for anyone."

"You're in no position to be saying what kind of person sir Naofumi is, you don't know the first thing about him."

"But he had Raphtalia as a slave, even you have to know that's wrong."

"You may be right that the practice of slavery in and of itself is disgusting but it's common within this kingdom, in fact I can assure you that the majority of the Nobles who you were basking in the praise of have slaves of their own that they mistreat and abuse. If you're truly looking to help slaves then rescue the ones in their possession."

"But what about Raphtalia? I saved her from Naofumi."

Bluebell could only facepalm in annoyance at the spear hero's persistence when it came to believing he'd done some good deed. "Let me ask you this. When did she ever ask you to save her?"

Motoyasu opened his mouth to reply but stopped short when he realized that there was no answer since the demi human never actually came to him for help. But still there was no way she could possibly want to be on the same team as Naofumi when Motoyasu was a better hero.

"In the end it doesn't matter since you lost the duel."

"Wh-what that's impossible, I pinned Naofumi."

"Only because your companion hit him with magic distracting and weakening him."

"What are you saying?!"

"Your partner interfered with the duel on your behalf."

"Myne would never do that?"

"She did, whether you accept it or not."

"But I didn't see it."

"I did and so did everyone else present even if they'll deny it on the king's behalf."

"Lady Coventry I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make such accusations against my daughter Malty less you wish for your family's position to be affected." The king said hoping to dissuade Bluebell from ruining his plan much to his dismay however he got a reply that shot his threat down.

"Well if you intend to do anything to wrong or harm my family I would suggest that you remember we have the queen's favor enough that you'll likely be faced with retribution once she returns."

Upon hearing this the Aultcray became speechless seeing as his hope of shutting Bluebell's attempt to thwart him and Malty had only resulted in his threat being thrown right back at him and what was worse was that the Bluebette was right, the Coventry family had been one of the more avid supporters in his wife's policies and if he tried to do anything to do away with them his wife would have his life in her hands and likely end it depending of what he specifically did.

Still there was one more angle Aultcray could work so he could have his guards seize Raphtalia permanently without having his ploy exposed. "You're the only person here claiming my daughter interfered but there's no one else to support your claim."

"That's because you paid these nobles to keep silent on the matter." Came the voice of Ren who had entered the arena.

'Dammit!' The king thought in rage. This is the last thing he needed, he had initially had the bow hero and her companion restrained so they couldn't say anything if the need to tamper with the duel arose and the former of the two seemed distracted with comforting and whoring herself up to the shield devil but now that the sword hero of all people was speaking up he'd be forced to give up on this entire attempt.

The thought made him cringe with disgust, he didn't go through the trouble of selecting adventures who were either avid believers in the church of the three heroes or would easily by into the rumor that the shield devil had no knowledge of this world then help his daughter from the false hero just so he could obtain an ally regardless. If he had a slave within his possession he'd have a means to continually grow stronger.

At least to a considerable extent but there was one more thing Aultcray could do to ensure the Naofumi's hero's growth would remain stunted, it was just a matter a sending the order to the three heroes church and considering it would coincide with their personal beliefs he doubted they'd have any qualm carrying the order out.

Ren turned to Motoyasu and spoke. "You lost the duel Motoyasu, not only did your companion hit Naofumi with magic but the knights healed you and used a debuff on Naofumi."

"There's no way that can be true!"

"It is. Both me and Bluebell can attest to it and odds are Audrey could too."

"Bu-but."

"Enough!" Bluebell shot off, silencing the hero of the spear before continuing. "You've lost the duel spear hero, therefore Raphtalia shall stay with Naofumi."

"But she shouldn't be forced to fight no one should."

"You say no one should be forced to fight yet you had no problem forcing Naofumi into a duel with you simply so you could deprive him of his only ally out of nothing more than a sickening sense of entitlement to her."

"How do you figure that? I was trying to save Raphtalia because she was someone who needed help."

"If you truly had such pure intent than as Raphtalia herself said you would have a slave in your party giving them a purpose to strive for like Naofumi has done besides…."

Bluebell let the silence drag on for a few moments before continuing and making an inquiry that Motoyasu could not have intended.

"Let's say Naofumi was abusing and mistreating Raphtalia the way you're insisting he does but she was a man rather than a woman. Would you still care to step in then?"

"..."

"That's a question you should truly ask yourself if you're going to feign yourself as someone who's truly noble, being a hero means helping all those in need not just those who appeal to your personal desires so let me be clear on something. Raphtalia is not yours for the taking nor is anyone sir Naofumi may meet going forward, should you insist on trying to deprive him of companions for your own gain not only would lady Audrey become your enemy but after what I've seen of you I'll also feel inclined to do so."

With that Bluebell simply watched the trio have their moment whilst both the king and his daughter snarled in frustration before leaving along with Ren.

Montoyasu just stared at the ground in frustration wondering why things turned out the way they did. Why did Rapthalia get angry with him, why was Bluebell turning against him and why was Audrey so steadfast in siding with Naofumi? Why was it the worthless shielder being embraced by two beautiful women when it should have been him in their arms? Why was everyone making him out to be the villain when he was the hero? He didn't do anything wrong.

XXXXX

The following morning the quartet had met up on one of the castle walls just before they had to meet up with the king to receive their rewards. The reason being was because after Naofumi felt better Audrey made it known that she had something serious to talk with Naofumi about.

That tone she used heavily implied she was upset with him about something. Whatever it was, Naofumi wanted to make it right as soon as he could, he was extremely relieved the previous night when neither she nor Raphtalia abandoned him needless to say he didn't want to run the risk of losing either of them now. But he couldn't figure what he could have done to angered her for the life of him.

He never said anything or did anything offensive to her unless there's something unusual that set her off but if that was the case then the japanese college student had no idea what it could have been.

Sighing, he resolved himself to face the music. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Your actions from the other day when we were fighting the wave."

"Huh? What could I have done there? I didn't abandon you, if anything I tried to sacrifice myself to save you."

This reply drew a look of shock and outrage from Raphtalia but before she could try to chew Naofumi out Audrey walked up to the shield and to everyone's shock in a rare fit a violence that no one saw coming sent a fist into Naofumi's stomach causing him to hunch over.

The shield hero was left mentally floored by what had just happened wondering how Audrey was capable of this when not only was he supposed to have the best defense out of anyone present or in the entirety of this world for that matter. Also wasn't Audrey supposed to have the worst injuries out of anyone present from the fight with the waves, how was she still able to muster up this kind of strength. Naofumi had a foreboding feeling that the guy who Audrey told him about from her high school days was left with more than a bloody lip unless she was holding back.

"And that's the entire problem!" The bow hero yelled out stunning the shield hero before he looked up to see Audrey glaring at him with a mixture of anger and hurt. "Why would you try and throw away your life?!"

Naofumi was stunned by this. He never thought that his attempt at self sacrifice of all things was what had Audrey angry with him. "I know that this world's people for the majority part a assholes and that this entire ordeal has been made into a living hell for you but that doesn't mean you should give up your life the first chance you get especially not for such an idiotic reason like the one you gave me."

"But I'm just a….."

"Just a shielder?" Audrey finished for Naofumi which left him unable to come up with a reply.

"Naofumi I thought I already told you before when we first met that the shield just has a different role to play."

"Yeah but I still can't do anything against monsters so wouldn't it be better if I was the one to get killed if one of us had to be?"

This only earned a groan of annoyance from the bow hero on the surface though on the inside she was restraining herself from sending another fist into Naofumi's stomach and unbeknownst to her Raphtalia was in a similar state of mind.

"Oh my god. How stupid can you be?"

"Huh?"

"Naofumi just being able to attack something doesn't automatically make you special nor does being given any of the legendary weapons define you as such."

The shield hero could only respond with silence as Audrey continued.

"If simply being to attack something alone was enough to determine if you're successful or not then Ren and Motoyasu should have been able to take that chimera down, hell neither one of us would have to do anything at all if that were the case!"

Audrey exhaled, calming herself down a bit before continuing in a more controlled tone.

"It's not the role you're given that determines your worth as a hero, it's what you do with it and what you accomplish with it. Motoyasu and Ren might think their special compared to you because they can attack monsters but so far the only things they've accomplished is getting higher levels for the sake of priorities that are nothing more than self-serving to their own egos and delusions, neither of them has done anything worthy of the title hero even during the fight with the wave."

Naofumi pondered what Audrey had said and found he couldn't really refute, not that he wanted to but still that the fact remained the sword and spear heroes' only priority was stroking their own egos, they weren't concerned with the lives of anyone living in this world at all.

"You on the other hand were the only one of us who truly lifted a finger for anyone here even after how much you've been ridiculed and wronged at every turn, it's because of you that the people of Lute are still alive and that I'm still here."

"Wait- when did I save you?"

"Towards the end of the fight when you block the final turret of fire that would have killed me otherwise."

Naofumi struggled to recall such a thing but he really couldn't, in fact he couldn't recall too many specific details at all, just how desperately he was fighting to make sure everyone else made it through that ordeal alive.

"Naofumi, what I'm trying to get is that what everyone from King, his lying daughter, Ren, Motoyasu, and everyone else believes about you is wrong, you have much more worth then they say you do as the shield hero. So you need to stop with the self-deprecating mindset that they've instilled in you because unlike Ren or Motoyasu you've actually accomplished something worthy of being called heroic. So I don't ever want you needlessly trying to throw your life away under the bull**** belief that you have the least amount of worth because you have a defensive weapon. Am I clear?" Audrey demanded whilst jabbing a finger at Naofumi.

"Ye-yeah."

"I want you to promise me you won't needlessly try and get yourself killed. I won't forgive you if you throw your life away because of what the trash of this world says about you."

"Alright I promise. But does it really matter that much to you."

"Of course it does!" Audrey yelled out, causing Naofumi to flinch. "That should go without saying after all I've done for you. Honestly can't you finally tell you have people that care for you including myself?"

Naofumi thought about it and recalled how Audrey reassured him when the sword and spear heroes deemed him worthless for having the shield, how she defended him at the trial when he was set up by the Myne, how she provided information to and resources to help him along his journey and how she promised she'd always be on his side regardless of what the rest of the world thought. It was at that moment in time that Naofumi finally and truly realized he wasn't alone, like with Raphtalia Audrey's words before now weren't truly reaching him because of the state he was in but now he felt like such an idiot, he's had someone who's truly believed in him right from the beginning.

"Audrey." The shield hero said before startling the bow hero when he suddenly grabbed her which momentarily confused her until he suddenly pulled her to an embrace.

Upon feeling Naofumi's arms wrapped around her it was the bow hero's turn to be taken aback for once before hearing the shield hero mouth the words "Thank you." Leaving her stunned for a few long moments before she finally registered what was happening.

Play Atashi go tonari ni iru uchi ni

It felt as if Audrey's body was moving of its own accord as she felt her own arms wrap around the shield hero and her body melted into his embrace whilst a smile made its way onto her face. "Thank you...for everything." Naofumi mused.

"Of course, never forget what you mean to others or to me."

"I won't."

The two heroes simply held their embrace in silence prompting a smile from Bluebell who was glad to see that Audrey had reconciled with Naofumi. Though she couldn't help but giggle at the sight before noticing the shield hero's companion.

Raphtalia who had been silent through the entire exchange had wanted to berate Naofumi when she had initially heard how he tried to make himself a martyr simply because he believed himself worthless but Audrey had done the job for her.

She was also grateful when Audrey made Naofumi realize he had just as much worth as any of the heroes regardless of what the world may have believed and that she made him promise to be more considerate with his life.

But at the same time an unusual sensation was felt with her chest that she was sure of, all she could tell was that it felt oddly painful but why it suddenly wailed up inside of her was a mystery. This was a happy occasion, the person who gave her the will to go forward in spite of her past, the person she now knew she loved realized he wasn't alone.

Looking at the scene in front between the two heroes and remembering all the interactions the two of them had, it suddenly dawned on her just what Naofumi may have truly meant to the bow hero even if she herself never said and maybe not even realized it. Even so, what Raphtalia felt might have been a more selfish part of her refused to simply give up on her new hopes when it came to the hero who saved her from despair. 'Audrey I won't lose to you.'

From her spot Bluebell simply sighed upon knowing what the tanuki demi human was likely thinking but her smile remained nonetheless. 'Audrey for all your outspoken and honest nature, you can be rather dense with your own feelings. That's fine for the time being.'

Bluebell glanced at Raphtalia once more. 'But if you wait too long sir Naofumi's partner may act first.'

Atashi go tonari ni iru uchi ni end

XXXXX

From a higher vantage point within the castle a man wearing elegant and rounded glasses watched the interaction of the quartet outside more so the interaction between the bow hero and shield devil to the point of their embrace before letting out a disappointed sigh.

When the heroes were first summoned he had hoped that all three of the heroes which were meant to ensure humanity's triumph over the demi humans would all condemn the shield devil that had forsaked human kind, but the bow hero refused to act in mankind's best interest.

After the trial the convicted the shield devil the figure had hoped the bow hero would eventually come to her senses and embrace her true purpose but she remained steadfast in her misguided devotion.

If the bow hero no she was no longer the true bow hero if she was so intent on whoring herself up to the shield devil then she would need to be purged along with him for the better and supremacy of humanity.

---

And that's the end of this chapter. Anyway let me explain why it mostly followed cannon since there were readers hoping that the duel would gp differently and actually I originally was going to have Naofumi win since I also like seeing Motoyasu lose but a problem arose when I wanted to keep the scene where Raptalia to console and make Naofumi see he wasn't alone in the world like he initially thought as well as put the scene at the end where Audrey hammered home that having a defensive role did not define as worthless like trash, bitch, and the two other heroes think needless to say I had written myself into a corner when I tried to have Naofumi win.

Also Motoyasu's victory helps solidify hatred toward Bitch, trash, and more sp to the point in the particular story himself.

And when it came to that final scene between Audrey and Naofumi I hope I did a good job of portraying it in a heartwarming manner that you'd find appealing.

And before anyone asks about the sacred bond series it's going to play a major role during later parts of the story but as you might be able to guess the reading the text "unable to connect" three times in a row Audrey's not going to be able to use it for a while so what it does is not going to be shown any time soon so your gonna have to be patient.

One more thing in regards to reviews saying Audrey came off as too much of a follower of Naofumi. There were two reasons that he was the one taking the lead.

First from a writer perspective I want Naofumi to retain his roles, such as leading the knights or being the lord of his own territory like in cannon, Audrey's the main protagonist here but that doesn't mean she's going to taking over every political role that Naofumi would otherwise play which brings to the second reason.

When it comes to Audrey's character unlike Itsuki she's not the least bit interested in being in the spotlight since her priority it this point is just trying to get through the ordeal of the waves for the sake of surviving and also she has no reason to present herself in a way that make her seem like a charismatic figure to the people when her personal opinion is getting lower and lower due to all of their unjust actions towards Naofumi. Also Naofumi's plan when it came to the formations and roles was the most logical course of action during the wave so she wasn't going to undermine least of all to establish herself as some type of alpha figure.

That being said if a situation calls for it she'll assume the leadership role then meaning she'll be leading her party during in-between missions where the waves are not involved.

Attention: to those who have read the light novel I'm well aware that the curse series specifically requires a near mental breakdown to unlock but back when I wrote this chapter I wasn't and thought it was simply unlocked but a good amount of anger alone. I apologize for that lore mess up.