Review Responses:
Nightshadegirl: Who knows~? I got Iaoth from a name generator for angels.
RlyRlyRlyKoodKid: Yeah, I went over the top with describing that. Partly to show how brutal he can and will be to anyone who attacks his family, and partly to show what he can do when he's pissed.
Chapter 50 – Varying Outcomes
The next morning, Dante sat in the one of the castle's dining halls. Sadeena, Dio, and JoJo were with him, along with Khana and her party. The castle staff had prepared a large breakfast for the heroes and their parties. The king didn't attend, as he had been up late for the festivities. That wouldn't have made much of a difference, since apparently the king didn't usually get up until quite a while past sunrise.
"Good morning, Miss Dante!" Atla called as she entered with the rest of his party.
"Nngh…Please, not so loud…" Dante held a hand to his head.
"What's wrong?" She asked, quieter.
"Headache." Dante responded, earning a loud and annoying laugh from Khana.
"Is that what you call it?" The Hammer Hero asked. "Martin, what about you?"
"Miss Khana, please…" The mage held his head in his hands.
After they had their fun, the three of them returned to the festivities. It wouldn't be a party without drinking, and there was plenty available. Being encouraged by Sadeena and Khana, Dante had more than his fair share of wine.
There were two important details in regards to drinking for Dante, one he knew and one he didn't. While mostly immune to poison, alcohol wasn't entirely considered as such. It still took a while to even get a buzz, but it was possible to get drunk. This detail he knew. What he didn't consider was the fact that he could still get hungover. Under the circumstances, that too was entirely possible. He boasted about his poison resistance and, being curious what would happen, ate a rucolu fruit that Khana had jokingly offered him. He felt perfectly fine…
Until he tried to stand and fell to the ground. Outside of the disorientation, he was able to make it through the rest of the night. That led to this moment.
"Have a little more bread, little Dante." Sadeena held a loaf in front of his face. "Drink some water, too~."
Dante bit into the offered food. "I'm never doing that again. I don't care how much MP and SP they restore." He'd always made sure to drink enough water to avoid hangovers, but he got complacent with his poison resistance.
"Well, you better get well soon, little woman." Khana gave him a nudge. "Weren't you going to take us to your village today?"
"That sounds like something I offered." Dante thought back.
He remembered offering to take the other heroes to the village he started up. Khana and Lloyd were interested, but Conrad refused. He'd mentioned something about not liking Siltvelt. Dante had noticed Conrad didn't have any demi-humans in his party, but he wasn't that bothered by it.
"Just let me get my head on straight and I'll take you two there." Dante said, downing his mug of water. At least one of them would save the location and bring them all right back, given how they were both able to open up new save spots after powering up their skills.
"Mind if I go back with you?" Reiko asked. "I really don't want to be here when the king wakes up."
"Uh, yeah, me too." Keel added in.
Both of them had the displeasure of meeting the king in person when Dante had to see him before. He couldn't blame them for being nervous. Dante still had to come back tonight and make an appearance for all the knights and adventurers that fought in the wave. Before that, the king was also going to discuss rewards. Dante wasn't looking forward to any of that.
"Yeah, sure." Dante nodded, wolfing down his food. The other members of the hero parties trickled in and ate breakfast.
"Oh, Raphtalia~." Khana sang out to the tanuki woman as she started on her food.
"Y-Yes?" Raphtalia warily asked.
"You'll be sad to know I'm no longer looking to have a fun night with you." She stated. "I have higher goals now~."
Raphtalia looked at her with a confused expression, before seeing Dante turn his head to her. You're welcome. He mouthed the words to her.
"Of course, little woman here needs get herself a Belt of Revelry once she gets her curse removed." Khana added.
"Do I even want to know what that is?" Dante asked.
Khana grinned. "It'll let us have fun longer without relying on potions."
"Uh huh. I still can't use equipment, Khana."
The potions she referred to were likely something Rat had mentioned. Apparently, nobles in Faubrey with a more debaucherous nature would drink them to change their sex for a couple hours. If Dante had to guess, the belt would be permanent until it was removed. The potions were pretty pricey, so he imagined the belt would be even more so.
"Oh my~." Sadeena wrapped an arm around Dante and leaned on his shoulder. "Maybe we should get a few of those potions for us~. Then we can—mmph!"
"No." Dante tabled that discussion by shoving his loaf of bread in her mouth.
They continued eating their breakfast in relative peace. Khana kept agitating for another round of fun, and her party members did little to curb that. When asked for assistance, one said that Dante was the Shield Hero and was easily able to fend her off.
Before long, they were ready to head out. Dante added Khana and Lloyd to his party and teleported out with them, plus Reiko and Keel.
Once they were back in the village, Dante shook.
"No! Not again!" He ran up to the manor, Keel right behind him.
A row of bodies were laid out before them. He saw both humans and demi-humans there, dead. Dante began frantically looking over the first one he came to. It was a human with a hole in his chest, larger than what would be made with a sword.
"How did this happen!? Who did…this…" Dante looked at a few of the other bodies, his anger slowly dissipating.
"These guys aren't from the village?" Keel saw the same thing. None of the people looked familiar. Keel spent more time here, so Dante would take his word over it if he didn't think so too. Even more, the first one Dante looked at was wearing armor, something recently freed slaves wouldn't have.
"Lord Shield?" Fiadia approached the kneeling Shield Hero. She was flanked by a pair of knights on loan from Siltvelt.
"What happened?" Dante asked as he stood.
"There was an attack late yesterday evening, long after you left for Faubrey." Fiadia informed him. "Slavers and rogue mercenaries, by the looks of them."
"How…How many?" Dante asked hesitantly.
"There were about 30 of them in total, but some fled during the fighting."
Dante shook his head. "How many villagers died?"
Fiadia smiled at that. "None. A few knights and villagers were wounded, but nothing Miss Rat couldn't heal. One of Reiko's monsters was killed, though."
Dante sighed in relief. "That's great. Wait, 'one of'?" He looked to the fox girl as she approached. "How many did you make?"
"Um, all of them." Reiko answered. "I mean, I made a few of the same monster using all the bodies you brought back."
"The same monster?" Dante asked to confirm.
Reiko nodded. "Yeah. Rat wanted to see how similar they'd be to each other. She was running tests on them in her lab."
Huh. Well, there is a lot of room in her lab. It's not like I poked around too much.
"We're getting off topic." Dante said as Khana and Lloyd approached too. "This isn't all of the slavers. Where are the rest?"
"We have them tied up in the manor." Fiadia said. "I would have handed them over to Siltvelt, but I thought you would want to deal with them yourself."
"Yeah, I do. But I'm in the middle of something right now."
"Then I'd hate to trouble you further, but…" Fiadia pulled something from a pouch on her hip. It was a throwing star, a bit of dried blood coated one of the ends.
Dante took the weapon in his hand. He looked around. "Shadow!" He called out.
"Yes, Lord Shield?" The rat shadow knelt next to him.
"This yours?" He asked.
"Yes." The shadow nodded, then began to explain. "I have no current leads for your current inquiry, but I have a few contacts keeping their ears to the ground. As such, I thought it best to await their word here, in case you were in need of my services. I also wished to watch over this village, as it is important to you."
"I see. Thank you." Dante said. He really did appreciate it. Villages he had a connection to seem to get attacked during waves. "You know anything about these slavers?"
"I cannot speak for the humans, but I recognized one of the demi-humans as a knight."
Dante clicked his tongue. He'd have words with Werner about this. "I want to get more information out of them."
"I shall begin questioning them at once." The shadow bowed to leave, but Dante stopped him.
"While I don't doubt your skill, I want something more concrete." He said. "Go to the capital and bring back a slave trader, or someone who can make slave seals. Some carriages for transportation, too."
"Yes, Lord Shield." The shadow set off.
"You plan to make them your slaves?" Fiadia asked.
"While I don't really like the practice of it, I'm not so high minded to ignore its uses. Besides, they attacked a village set up by the Shield Hero near the capital of Siltvelt. An example needs to be set."
"I like it when you're all tough, little woman." Khana rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't make this weird." He told her.
"Forgive me, I didn't catch your name." Fiadia turned to the newcomers.
"They are Khana and Lloyd, the Hammer and Whip Heroes." Dante introduced them. "They may visit from time to time, but I wasn't clear on the housing situation."
While the camping plants were pretty great, they still sapped a lot of nutrients from the soil. It would need some time to recover.
"The inn has been completed, and I would of course welcome heroes into my manor." Fiadia said with a slight bow. Dante was glad she'd taken so well to her role.
"Great." Dante smiled. "Now, if there's nothing urgent, we'll be going back soon. I should be back with everyone else not long after. Keel, can you help watch over the slavers?"
"You bet!" He said enthusiastically.
"And Reiko…" Dante could see the fox girl's eyes sparkling at the corpses in front of them.
Heh. Eyes just like Eddy's.
"Well, don't go too crazy. I have a project I'd like you to work on, possibly with Rat."
~The Wrong Hero~
Dante showed the two around the village a little. He made sure to give each of them a bioplant seed for the unlock, plus another for Conrad. After that, the three heroes returned to Faubrey. Khana and Lloyd wanted to relax in their usual hangouts there for a while. Dante collected the rest of his party and appraised them of the situation before returning to the village. Most went off to do their own thing, since Dante would be going to the capital after dealing with the attackers. Keel was the only one still near Dante, who went to see the prisoners.
The reactions from the two races were a bit different. The humans looked at him with indignation, likely from being captured. The demi-humans, however, held a fierce disdain in their eyes. When asked to speak, the humans said nothing, but the demi-humans turned their noses up at him.
Well, I'll learn the truth soon enough. No need to waste my energy.
He and Keel were called out of the manor when the shadow returned. There were more carriages approaching than expected. When they came to the stop, the door to one of the lead carriages opened.
"Ah, Lord Shield, so good to see you again! Yes sir!" The slave peddler proclaimed as he stepped out of the carriage. "Although the circumstances are strange indeed."
"Uh, yeah, same to you." Dante replied.
I'm not surprised to see him, I just forgot.
"I understand you have need of my services?" The slave peddler asked with a tip of his hat.
"Yeah, in the manor." Dante said as he looked to the other set of carriages. He recognized the crest on them, as well as one of the people getting off of it. "Fiadia, would you show him in? I'll join you shortly."
"Yes, Lord Shield." Fiadia led the slave peddler away.
Dante walked over to the second group of carriages with Keel. The group bowed at his approached, their pointed ears clear to see.
"Hello, Lord Shield." Nisha said as she raised back up.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I was discussing something with that slave trader when a shadow showed up. I was going to wait for your return to the castle, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity." She explained before gesturing to the vampire next to her. "But first, may I introduce my daughter, Elvira Belmont."
The younger vampire looked around 15 years old and was a bit like a smaller version of Nisha. Though she had long, black hair instead of blond, it was pulled back in a ponytail like her mother's. She also shared her mother's weapon choice with a whip at her side. Elvira bowed deeply to Dante.
"I-It's an honor to meet you, Lord Shield, Ma'am, Sir!" She shakily said. "Mother told me she traveled with you briefly and you honored her in bringing her to the North Ferret Forest and you protected her from attacks by assailants and accepted tributes from our house and—"
"Okay, okay, take a breath." Dante said, making easing motions with his hands.
Elvira did as instructed and breathed in deeply, keeping her head bowed down.
Dante sighed. "Nisha, is this urgent?"
She shook her head. "No, Lord Shield."
"Alright, well, hold on for a bit. I need to deal with the situation here first."
"As you wish, Lord Shield." Nisha bowed again as he left.
Dante and Keel entered the manor and went to where the prisoners were. The slave peddler was already appraising the bound people inside.
"This is quite the haul you have here, yes sir." The slave peddler commented.
"Credit goes to Fiadia." Dante gestured to the rabbit woman. "Before anything else, I need to know the procedure for putting slave seals on them. I don't want to cause any more problems."
"I see." The slave peddler stroked his chin. "Well, so long as they are convicted of a crime worthy of enslavement, there won't be any issues. Duration and type of labor must also be accounted for. Of course, that only goes for the demi-humans, if Lord Shield takes my meaning. Yes sir."
"I do." Basically, he could do whatever he wanted with the humans. "What would the punishment for, say, attacking a village set up by the Shield Hero be?"
The slave peddler grinned widely. "Why, Lord Shield, I believe you are trying to sell me something!"
That was a pretty clear indication. Their lives were forfeit and his to do with as he pleased. He already had a good idea of what he'd do. Most of the demi-humans were in good armor, so they may belong to a prestigious family. Werner would help out in that regard.
"You are not our god!" One of the demi-humans yelled out. He struggled against his restraints as he glared up at Dante.
"That's the first thing you're going to tell me?" Dante asked as he approached.
"Our god wouldn't befriend and free humans, and he certainly wouldn't have demi-human slaves working for him!" He declared.
"That's right!"
"Heathen!"
"You're a fake Shield Hero!"
The other demi-humans began to cry out as well.
"Guess that explains why you idiots attacked my village." Dante said. He turned to the humans. "And you all?"
The humans looked between themselves. Seeing as Dante was about to gain the information anyway, one spoke up. "You have a price on your head, Shield Hero."
"He is not the real Shield Hero!" One of the demi-humans yelled.
"Shut up!" A human yelled back. "If you'd told us this village was so well protected, we wouldn't have come with you in the first place!"
"Cowardly humans, only thinking of money!"
"Zealous beasts!"
The two groups started bickering with each other.
"Shut up, all of you!" Dante roared. It got quiet real quick. "You're all idiots as far as I'm concerned. Humans, that bounty was canceled almost a week ago. You did this for nothing." The humans looked shocked at hearing that. "Demi-humans, I am the Shield Hero. Like it or not, that's how it is."
"Liar!" One of the demi-humans called out.
"False god!"
Dante ignored the rest of their outcries. After appraising their levels and discussing the requirements with the slave peddler, they got to putting seals on all of them. Fiadia started writing out the arrest paperwork for the demi-humans so they could be charged properly. Given the slave peddler's "above board" business plan, Dante simply sold the humans to him, rather than having them auctioned off as enemies of the Shield Hero. While he was sure there were nobles in Siltvelt who were zealous and demented enough to want to buy and torture these people, not to mention the likely higher value, Dante didn't want the trouble that would no doubt come with it. The money would be used for the benefit of the village, since he was the reason they came in the first place. Fiadia would decide how to spend it.
With the demi-humans registered to him, Dante had them all led from the manor and put into a cargo carriage separate from the humans. He'd have them brought to the castle and get them sorted out by Werner.
"Alright, so what can I do for you?" Dante asked Nisha after finishing loading the now-slaves.
"It's what I can do for you, Lord Shield." Nisha said with another bow. She gestured to the second carriage of hers. "I would like you to look at some slaves I've brought for you."
Dante sighed. "Appearances to the contrary, I'm not interested in getting any slaves."
"But didn't you receive a slave from Kragen a couple weeks ago?"
"Who? Oh, right…" Dante never got his name, but he quickly realized who she was talking about. That was when he got Rat. "That was a special case."
"I hope this can be a special case too." Nisha said with a smile. "The women I brought are not only appealing to the eye, but have helpful abilities as well."
"That's not…alright, fine." Dante gave in. Whether or not he'd even consider accepting a slave from her, Nisha has been very helpful. It'd be rude to not at least listen to her offer.
With a snap of her fingers, her two attendants hastily moved to the second carriage. It was larger than the first and had a lock on the back of it. Once they opened it and started bringing out the women, Dante saw a theme to them.
I'm beginning to think there are two factions in Siltvelt. One that thinks I like cute and petite women and one that thinks I like voluptuous women. Nisha appears to be in the former camp.
"This one is skilled in alchemy." She began to showcase her slaves as they were brought over. "I know the one you received is an alchemist too, so I don't think you'd be interested. This next one has a rare magic know as Way of the Dragon Vein. Unlike standard spell, this uses magic from the surrounding area."
Sadeena was already capable of that, though she rarely needed to use it.
One after another, Nisha showed off the women—and a couple feminine-looking men—giving a brief explanation of their abilities. It was near the end of the small group that Dante paused.
"This more recent one has no magic attributes. While that might sound bad, she is not limited in the spells she may learn. This one here—"
"Stop." Dante sighed as he dragged his hand down his face. "I'll take this one."
"Fehhh—!" The girl with long, green hair in braided twin tails cried out before covering her mouth.
How does this keep happening? God, this is not helping my hangover.
"You honor me by accepting this gift, Lord Shield." Nisha said with a bow. She then turned. "Slave trader, I have need of you."
"Of course, Lady Belmont." The slave peddler approached with a few of his men.
"Apply a new slave seal to this girl. High grade, with Lord Shield as the owner."
"A standard seal is fine." Dante said. Really, having no seal at all would work too.
"She already has a high grade seal on her." Nisha responded. "Since she has such an uncommon ability, it would be a shame if she managed to escape."
"I see." It would have to do.
Dante remembered something the slave merchant in Zeltoble mentioned. High grade slave seals were more expensive to remove than standard ones. They're also more difficult to overwrite, unless the current owner's blood was available. It was part of the reason why he never bothered changing out Fohl's slave seal. That, and the fact that it was still useful, seeing as the older tiger woman tried to make out with him in the North Ferret Forest. Besides, he configured Rat's slave seal to prohibit lying. While she did help Naofumi, Dante didn't really know all that much about her for certain.
The slave peddler got to work, painting over the slave seal with new ink. The girl, Rishia, was added to Dante's list of slaves. Her level was low and her stats weren't all that good, but that was expected.
"She was a good find." Dante told Nisha. "I'm assuming you'd like two women sent to me for her once I get cured. Maybe three?"
"I'm grateful for your generosity, Lord Shield, but I have another reward in mind." Nisha beckoned Elvira closer, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "If you are willing, I would like you to take in my daughter."
Dante groaned. "Nisha, I'm not sleeping with a child, nor am I marrying one. That's especially true since vampires don't age—"
"No, no, Lord Shield, you misunderstand!" Nisha quickly interjected. Elvira's face had already turned bright red. Nisha explained. "What I mean is accept my daughter as a member of your party. During the activation event in Faubrey, you had abilities to increase my stats, and more for your other party members. I would like you to do the same thing for my daughter."
"Nisha, do you realize what you're asking?" Dante gazed into the woman's eyes.
She nodded. "I believe I do. It's because they're your slaves, correct?"
"And you're okay with putting a slave seal on your daughter."
Nisha looked down at Elvira. The girl returned the look before turning back to Dante. "Please, Lord Shield, grant me your blessing." Elvira said, a little less nervous than before. "I have been trained well in combat, magic, and politics. I promise to be of great use to you."
Dante thought about it. Having more party members was always good. Pragmatically, any people they faced could be drained by her to permanently increase her power. If she needed something extra in a pinch, she could drink a bit of his blood too. Having someone who understood Siltvelt politics close by wouldn't hurt either.
"Alright." Dante agreed.
"Thank you, Lord Shield." Nisha gave a light bow. "I know you will keep my daughter safe. To show my trust, she will take a high grade slave seal as well. It will also help to keep others from fully realizing the situation."
That wasn't a bad idea. Optics-wise, enslaving a noble wouldn't look good, so an invisible slave seal would help. Some others might also figure out how Dante could empower slaves and ask to strengthen members of their family as well.
The slave peddler and his men fixed Elvira with a slave seal. Around then, Fiadia approached with the paperwork for the demi-human attackers. Dante explained the general situation and asked her to show Elvira and Rishia around, and to have rooms prepared for them. Elvira was nervously excited, while Rishia looked outright terrified. His insistence on her safety didn't seem to help much.
"Why have her join me?" Dante asked after the three left. "I understand I can make her powerful, but there is a risk. We'll be fighting the waves."
"As nobles, it is our duty to defend our lands and country." Nisha answered. "It will also increase the standing of our house. The Tepes's will cower at the might of my family as well!"
Dante shook his head. "Listen, I'm not big on politics, and I certainly have no business meddling in your family disputes. That said, I do have a possibly dumb question. Why not combine your houses? Isn't joining noble houses through marriages a better option than fighting one another?"
"That…isn't possible, Lord Shield. Not anymore." Her eyes turned downcast, as if haunted by something.
"I see. Forget I said anything." Whatever conflict happened in the past must have been pretty bad. Not wanting to pry, Dante dropped it.
~The Wrong Hero~
With the village taken care of and the prisoners en route to the capital, Dante set about the next order of business. He needed to meet with Werner, and check on the progress on everyone's magic clothing. Keel helped him gather up everyone needed and they were ready to teleport out.
"Mind if I come to?" Keel asked.
"Yeah, that's fine. Why, though?" Dante returned. Fohl, Atla, Reiko, and Eclair were the only ones that needed to come and make sure their clothes fit right. Elvira's clothes seemed to be made of magic thread already, and he didn't want to overwhelm Rishia anymore than she already was.
"I want to talk to you about something." Keel replied.
Accepting that answer easily enough, Dante teleported the six of them to the castle. A servant was near the doors to his room and happily agreed to escort the four to the tailors. Werner would be found in his study. Once alone, Dante turned to Keel.
"What's on your mind?" Dante asked, though he had a good idea. While he was open about it, asking something about his past to the whole group could have been intimidating.
"It's about what that woman said." Keel answered his thoughts.
"I see." Dante nodded and started slowly walking down the hall. "Well, I've told you all a lot about my past already. If there's something else you want to know, I'm fine talking about it."
There were a few things he was less keen on answering, like if Keel asked about the reward Iaoth mentioned. Still…Keel seemed mature enough to handle it. Dante just hoped it wouldn't sour anything.
"How do I become a man?" Keel asked.
Dante stopped. "I'm sorry?"
"That angel woman…she said I didn't know what it was to be a man." Keel explained. "I always thought being a man meant being strong and protecting people, like you. I've tried doing that, but maybe it's not enough. I also got used to…killing people."
That was certainly true. Life and death situations aside, there were a couple times when killing people wasn't strictly necessary. Itsuki's companion came to mind, whatever his name was.
"Well, there's no perfect answer, but you're on the right path with that first part." Dante said, continuing their walk. "There are a few things you can do to be a man. Listening to Eclair talk about honor is a good start."
"Didn't you say honor wasn't worth a lot?" Keel asked skeptically.
"As something to expect from others, it's not." Dante clarified. "I'm always wary of people who claim to be honorable. Eclair is an exception, since I've seen how she acts. She can be a little pig headed at times, but she's willing to change her view when presented with a good argument. Relying on other people's honor can be dangerous, but having honor yourself is good. Just don't let honor cloud your judgement on what the best course of action is."
"What do you mean?"
"For example, knights should defend the people. When a situation arises that calls for that knight to give their life to protect others, they should weigh their options. Who are they protecting? Will their sacrifice make a difference? Can they do more good by living to fight another day? These things need to be asked. Of course, should they choose the less honorable path, others will see that. That's something they might consider too, and that's another thing. How much weight do they give to the opinions of others? Too much and they stop caring about being honorable and focus on looking the part. Too little and they'll end up stop acting honorable altogether."
Parts of his thinking were from his own experiences, and parts were what Eddy described to him. Honor was too broad of an idea to reliably use. Trust, friendship, and loyalty were better, along with understanding who he was dealing with. Of course, that was separate from being a man.
That also brought to mind Iaoth, who sent her warriors away so she could kill Dante herself. That blended honor with pride, which proved fatal for her. If Eclair ever gave up victory like Iaoth did, well…he wouldn't kill her, but she'd definitely get a broken nose. It was a stupid decision that cost Iaoth her life, one Dante would make sure his party didn't repeat.
"You can use honor as a framework, but it's mostly some key points from it that are useful. Specifically, if you give your word, follow through."
"Got it." Keel nodded along.
"As for being a man, there are other things. Being self-sufficient is good. By that, I don't mean being a hermit in the forest and hunting your own food. I mean not needing aid in providing for yourself and your family. Learning and mastering a craft is important for that. You can ask for help and then help in return, that's fine. That's what living in a community is for. But, when push comes to shove, you are able to stand on your own two feet."
"Learning a craft." Keel repeated. "Like what you did? When you…started killing people?"
Dante smiled somberly. "Like what I did." He let out a sigh. "Given our situation, being able to kill people is an important ability. People will try to kill, too. Both of those can change you. It's not an ability that should be desired, but it's intrinsically better to kill than to be killed. With exceptions…"
Dante let his words hang in the air. The memory of his father's blood on his hands as he tried cleaning it off. Going to Eddy, figuring out what to do, and finally burning down his old home…
With his thoughts drifting, they found themselves at Werner's study. The shusaku was busy looking over papers when they entered.
"Ah, Lord Shield, welcome back." Werner stood from his desk. "How was the wave?"
"Troublesome, but we'll deal with that." Dante skipped past it. "Right now, I need to tell you about the village."
Dante explained what he returned to this morning, and how some of the prisoners were on their way here.
Werner sighed. "I want to say I'm shocked, but this is almost expected. I've heard of growing discontent, but I didn't think it'd reached this point yet."
"First I'm hearing of it. Is this about starting the village?" Dante asked. "Or, freeing those slaves."
"It's not just that." Werner shook his head. "You arrived in Siltvelt nearly three weeks ago and you haven't visited any other settlements. It's also becoming more common knowledge that you have demi-human slaves, and your desire for peace with a country that has deeply wronged you."
"That last bit is subjective, but I get your point." Just because demi-human slavery was somewhat allowed here didn't mean people were happy about it. Dante knew Siltvelt would be troublesome, but it hasn't been too bad so far. Attacks like last night couldn't continue.
"In regards to the ones who attacked your village, I'll need to know who they are and what families they're part of." Werner added.
"I thought that might be a problem." Dante sighed. "What do you recommend?"
"It will depend on the family, but a life sentence isn't out of the question."
"Hm." Dante thought for a moment. "What about that list you showed me? Removing names from that could help send a message."
Werner paused, stroking his chin. "Yes…Yes, that would work well. If any knights are part of prestigious families, they would lose the benefit of their contributions, and maybe disallow them from making more. Perhaps disowning them would allow the families to make new ones. That would allow us to set higher punishments without reprisal."
"Sounds good." Dante agreed. It seemed like a decent solution for now. "Also, for any future contributions from anyone, make it equipment my party can use. Weapons, accessories, and transformable armor. With approval, of course."
"Yes, Lord Shield."
That was one part of the problem taken care of, at least.
"As for mitigating attacks like this in the future, and the discontent, we've come up with a solution." Werner announced. "And, you'll be happy to know it involves the parades you'll be in."
"I'm all for efficiency." Dante said. "What do we do?"
"It's about how we present you during the parades. The high priest at the church confirmed the idea's merits with the people and your own desires for the country, as well as that of the nobles."
Dante grimaced. "This is starting to sound too good. What's the catch?"
"While your recent curse hasn't been good for the more prosperous nobles who've already or plan to contribute to you, it provided an excellent boon for the theme of the parade." Werner smiled.
Oh god, I really don't like where this is going.
"We're declaring this a time of prolificacy, to grow stronger and more abundant. The Shield Hero not only protects, but nurtures as well. To that end, Lord Shield's condition is not a curse, but a blessing."
"Is he saying what I think he is?" Keel asked, a little unnerved.
"You're saying this is a time to have children." Dante didn't ask. He already knew that's where Werner was going.
"Exactly!" Werner confirmed. "As an added bonus, this can help strengthen our relationship with Shieldfreeden."
"How so?" Dante asked, dreading the answer.
"I believe you mentioned receiving a dragon egg during your last outing, correct?" Werner asked.
"…And the Dragon Faith is popular with the leadership in Shieldfreeden." Dante sighed.
All the pieces were fitting into place, and Dante didn't care for the picture.
"That is correct." Werner smiled happily, unaware of Dante's dissatisfaction. "The castle tailor has several outfits lined up for the event. Shall I call for a servant to guide you to him?"
"No…no, I'm going there already." Dante could see how the future was shaping up.
"Excellent. Now, as for the schedule…"
Werner explained the locations and durations of the parade across Siltvelt. It involved making use of his portal skill and riding out on the back of one of their flying dragons. Dante made sure he'd still have time to help his party train, given what happened in Faubrey's wave. He himself needed to increase his Aura spell to Drifa level, or maybe practice using it in cooperative magic with Sadeena. He vaguely recalled Naofumi doing something like that.
After finishing their discussion of Dante's coming days, he and Keel exited the room. Dante let his head hang down.
"Keel." He muttered as he started to walk.
"Yeah?" The dog boy looked up.
"Part of being a man is also doing things you don't want to do, but need to be done."
That was especially true when they arrived at the tailors' workspace. The rest of his party received their clothes, and they saw what Dante would soon be wearing. In fact, they got a preview, since the tailor needed to make sure it fit properly.
It somewhat reminded Dante of Sadeena's loincloth with how far down it went, but it was also a dress. The slits on the sides were high, revealing much more of his hips. The dress left open a large view of the top of his breasts and a lot of the back was open too. His arms and shoulders were bare and the dress was held up by wrapping around the back of his neck. A pair of delicate slippers went with the pure white dress.
Dante was fine walking around naked, he was fine walking around in a kigurumi, he was even fine with the dress itself. It was what it represented he wasn't crazy about.
"You look absolutely stunning, Lord Shield!" The tailor's assessment didn't help. He had his hands clasped together with stars in his eyes.
Dante gazed at the party members present. He had a look that said "Not a word."
"Miss Dante would look amazing in anything!" The only person not able to see his stare proclaimed.
"It is…quite lovely, Sir MacRory." Eclair gave her opinion, free of sarcasm at least.
Fohl didn't seem to have an opinion, or at least not one she could say without getting a jab. Reiko looked to be holding back her laughter. Keel, for his part, looked more embarrassed than anything. The outfit was rather revealing.
After changing back, they left the tailor's and headed for main hall. All that was left was waiting for the demi-human prisoners to arrive and be identified, and then Dante could begin a new session of grinding XP with his party.
I swear, if one more thing pops up…
"Lord Shield?"
Dante stopped upon hearing a woman's voice. When he turned, he saw a lioness therianthrope with a lion knight next to her. The knight held the sheath of his sword against his hip, but kept his other hand away.
"Yes?" Dante tentatively spoke.
The woman smiled and approached. "It's nice to see you again."
"Again?" Dante looked over the woman.
"You probably don't remember me, but we slept together on your second night in Siltvelt." She said, still smiling warmly.
"Oh…right." The face was coming back, but he couldn't recall her name. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Atla puffing up her cheeks slightly.
"I'm glad I had the opportunity to before, well…"
"Yeah, I know." Dante nodded. "Though I guess this is going to work out pretty well, too."
"I heard! You'll be visiting all around Siltvelt to give your blessing." She enthused.
"Hah, yeah, that's what I'm told." Dante was anything but enthusiastic.
"I think it's wonderful. I hope to see you when I'm home."
Dante's curiosity was piqued. "You don't live in the capital?" He asked.
The lioness shook her head. "I did, but I'm going back to the rest of my family for now. My father has called me home. I've missed them. It's thanks to you I get to go back."
"Me?" Dante pointed to himself. "I'm not really sure what I could have done."
The lioness laughed softly as she approached, the knight close behind. She gently took Dante's hand in hers and placed it against her stomach.
Dante's eyes widened. He didn't feel anything strange, but he completely understood the gesture.
"I'm pregnant, Lord Shield." The lioness said, happy tears in her eyes.
Dante took in a sharp breath. His mouth quivered as he tried to speak. "That…T-That's wonderful…"
"It is. And, if I may be so bold…" She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around the still Shield Hero. "I can't thank you enough for this. To carry Lord Shield's child…I can think of nothing more amazing."
Dante didn't hug her back. He couldn't even move his arms. He could barely even breathe.
"My lady, we should leave. Your carriage is waiting." The knight broke the silence. He glanced around them, scanning the area.
"Yes, yes, I know. You worry too much." The lioness separated from Dante. "I hope to see you soon, Lord Shield."
The two gave light bows before departing, leaving Dante. He stood unmoving, even as the pair left his sight.
"Dante?" Keel had a concerned look on his face. "Is something wrong?"
"I…" Dante took a step forward, before feeling his body give out under him.
"Sir MacRory!" Eclair was able to grab him before he fell.
"Miss Dante! What is it?" Atla held his side, keeping him steady.
"What happened? Did she do something to you?" Fohl asked, looking at where the two lions rounded the corner.
"It's…nothing." Dante slowly regained his footing.
"It's not nothing." Keel retorted. "You looked like you were about to pass out!"
Keel was right. Dante's thoughts swam in his head. He knew this would happen eventually, but he refused to think about it. Now that it was here, he saw how poorly he prepared himself for it. He wasn't ready to know that one of the women he was with here was already pregnant with his child. A child that he likely wouldn't even really know. The families of the women would raise the children. He probably wouldn't even know all their names when he was done here.
And that knight. While it wasn't uncommon for some of the nobles to have guards with them, it made him think. Noble houses fought all the time, even houses in the same tribe, like the vampires. There was no reason to think it would be any different now. If anything, they might quarrel more. And, if different houses fought…
His children might end up killing one another.
Dante stood back up fully. "It is nothing." He repeated himself, ignoring the pain in his heart.
"But—"
"It's like I said earlier, Keel." Dante continued down the long hallway. "You have to do things you don't want to, but need to be done. I need to be okay with this."
He would do what he could, whatever he could. He did not want that to be the future.
Author's Notes:
Anyone want to take a crack at where I got the Belt of Revelry from? It's called something else from its source. Hint: it's from a webcomic.
So, we got Rishia now. I wonder what events happened that led her there.
As I was describing the dress, I started to realize it was similar to what Ost wore.
Kind of a whiplash of serious to joking, I know. I'll write it off as how life can be sometimes.