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setokayba2n: That was just his quick way of explaining it. It's still beneficial items and spells he uses on people besides him that get degraded.
Chapter 59 – From the Ashes
Now that their business was done in Melromarc, the party returned to the village.
Melty looked around at her surroundings. "This isn't Siltvelt's capital."
"No. It's a village I started. Or, rebuilt, I should say." Dante explained. "It houses freed human slaves, as well as people from Reichnott's territory."
"Reichnott? Van Reichnott?" Melty looked to him. "Why are his people here?"
Dante sighed. "Looks like there's a lot you need to be told about. I need to get some things done first." He turned to the recently rescued tailor, her bruises more visible in the early evening light. "Keel, take Ann to see Rat. Have her checked out."
"Got it." Keel nodded and transformed, offering the injured woman his hand to help her along.
"Thank you, Dante." Ann said as she passed him. "I'll find some way to thank you."
Dante shook his head. "None of that. This was my fault."
He was the one that needed to repay Ann for everything those knights put her through. First was finding out exactly what happened. She was shaken, but not terrified, so it hopefully wasn't too severe.
Dante spoke to Melty next. "We should probably visit the castle soon. It'll be faster to wait for my portal skill to recharge than to travel by carriage, so we can discuss—"
Before he could finish speaking, Fohl walked up and grabbed his arm. She started dragging him away mid-sentence.
"Uh, Fohl, I'm in the middle of—"
"Come with me." Fohl's tone was commanding, offering no room for argument.
If it was urgent, Dante didn't want to put if off. "Make yourselves comfortable!" He called out to the group. "Sadeena, check with Fiadia about the children!"
"Okay, little Dante~" Sadeena gave him a wave as Dante straightened himself out to walk with Fohl.
"So, what's the issue?" Dante asked, taking Fohl's hand in his.
The tiger woman looked over and down at him. "Did you really think Atla was in a position to fight anyone?"
Dante cocked an eyebrow. "Well, she's weaker than she was, but she could hold her own. Did something happen to her?"
Fohl said nothing. Instead, she continued to lead him. As they passed one of the camping plants, the building housing the Vassal Weapons came into view. Dante saw the problem immediately.
The door to the building was blown off its hinges.
Oh shit! What happened? Was Atla…no, her HP is full in my status. I never got any notifications either.
Once in front of the building, Dante noticed a larger number of knights than usual. Atla was sitting next to the destroyed door. She had her back against the wall, her head down and hidden behind her knees pulled up close to her. She didn't react at all to their approach.
"Atla?" The younger tiger sister flinched at Dante's voice.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was low and muffled.
"What happened?" Dante looked to the broken doorway.
Atla, however, shook her head. She didn't even lift it up for Dante to look at her properly.
Dante looked to Fohl, who had moved her hand to his back. She gave him a push, forcing him to quickly grasp Atla's shoulder.
"Talk to her. Make her feel better." Fohl said before turning and lowering her voice. "Do what I can't."
Looking between the sisters, Dante sat himself next to Atla. She whimpered as their sides touched. Fohl stayed close enough to hear, but she kept her back to them.
"Atla…can you tell me what happened?"
"I failed you." She leaned into his touch slightly, moving her head up. "There was a fire…on the other side of the village. I went with the knights to investigate. Then, there was an explosion. I ran back to find out what happened. The knight that stayed here was killed. I went inside and there was someone there. But, I couldn't sense them. I felt the Seven Star Projectile moving in the air. Before I could do anything, the person, a man, used a skill like you do and teleported away."
"He…" Dante tried to process what he heard.
Someone stole the Projectile Weapon and was actually able to use it. He'd bet good money it was Takt. That was bad, but at least he probably wasn't that strong of an opponent. Most of his power came from the guns he made. Dio was able to chase him off herself, after all.
"Why didn't anyone call for me?" He asked her.
Atla shook her head. "It was a little after you said the wave would start. I didn't want to make you worry while you were fighting."
It was pretty well known here that Dante and his party would be at Melromarc's wave. With the strongest people away, it was the perfect time.
"Did we lose anyone else? What about the other weapons?" Dante wanted to know the extent of the damage.
"No one else died." Atla told him. "The Whip and Axe are still here." Atla turned her face toward him, tears leaking from her closed eyes. "Mister Dante, I couldn't do anything."
"It's not your fault." Dante consoled her.
"How can you say that?" She asked a bit forcefully. "You told me to watch over the village and I let this happen. I'm not fit to help you."
"Stop that." Dante held her a bit closer. "This man, probably Takt, is more resourceful than I imagined. This is my fault. He laid low and had abilities I didn't predict."
Whatever god-like being, or whoever was behind the waves, did a better job selecting and equipping Takt than the one that picked Reiko. Between those two and Conrad, Takt seemed the most cautious, opting for stealth and subterfuge over personal conflict. Dante would see how Takt would handle fighting without his guns, once they tracked him down.
"I don't want you to worry about this." Dante went on. "You are sick. I didn't leave you here to be the village's guardian. I know I told you to protect this place, but—"
"I know." Atla murmured. "You just wanted to make me feel better about staying here."
"Yeah…" He felt a little bad tricking her, even more so learning she already knew.
"But I was still here." Atla argued. "I still had the power to help, and I couldn't even do that. I should be punished for that."
"Atla, I'm not—"
"Please, Mister Dante!" Atla cried out. "I need to make it up to you somehow!"
Dante wasn't going to argue. From his interactions with both her and Fohl, he knew the sisters were very stubborn. The only difference was what they were fixated on.
"Alright. I think I have something in mind." He slowly rose, keeping a hand on Atla. "Come with me."
"You're actually going to punish her!?" Fohl yelled, turning back around.
"You come too, Fohl."
Atla took Dante's hand and followed behind, keeping her head down.
"Whatever punishment you're thinking of giving to Atla, give it to me instead!" Fohl chased after them. "I was here too, and I can fight!"
"This is just for her, but you'll be affected too." Dante told the siblings. "The punishment is…well, nothing bad, but you'll see soon enough."
Dante was never really sure how to broach the subject. He knew he would have to tell them eventually, but it wasn't necessary for a long time.
They walked less for a minute until Atla perked up. "There are more new people here."
"That's right." Dante approached the rest of his party.
They were with Fiadia, explaining the situation. While it wasn't that long ago, everyone was still there. Dio and JoJo were back in their child forms, ready to play with Melty. She at least looked less on edge than Dante thought she'd be.
When the three of them approached, the pair of shadows had a tense feel about them. Given that two hakukos just walked over, it wasn't surprising.
"Sir Shield Hero?" Melty took notice of the sisters and took a step back. The two shadows stood closer together in front of her.
"Princess Melty." Dante stopped in front of her shadows. "While I'm sure Eclair is more than willing to watch over you during your time here, along with your shadows, I want this one to help out."
"T-That's not necessary, Sir Shield Hero." Melty stammered, keeping her eyes focused on the sisters.
"She feels…familiar, Mister Dante." Atla tilted her head to the side.
"I would imagine so." Dante sighed. "Princess, what do you know about your father's family? Specifically, his sister?"
Melty managed to remove her eyes from the sisters. "S-She was killed by hakukos."
"Was she blind and sickly?" Dante asked.
"I…yes, I think so." Melty nodded. "How did you know?"
In response, Dante moved Atla in front of him and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Princess Melty, Atla, Fohl." Dante glanced over his shoulder to the older sister. "Aultcray was the brother of Lucia, the mother of these two."
This wasn't how Dante wanted to reveal that bit of information, but circumstances provided a decent opportunity. He also didn't want any bad blood between them, given what he'd previously told the hakuko sisters about Melty's sister.
"She's our cousin?" Fohl stepped forward to stand next to Dante. "But…Melromarc's king…"
"Yeah." The two of them heard Dante talk about the man before, and they likely heard much worse in the capital, let alone from Jaralis when they spoke with him.
Melty looked between the two tiger sisters, her expression relaxing. "It seems we have a lot to discuss."
"We do, but I need to take care of something urgent." Dante patted Atla's shoulders. "Atla, since you want to make amends to me so badly, here is your punishment. You are to guard Princess Melty so long as she stays in Siltvelt."
"Of course, Mister Dante!" She smiled up at him. Whether or not she realized this was a similar task to watching over the village, or genuine interest in meeting with a new family member, Dante couldn't tell. Still, it would provide extra security for Melty.
"Good." Dante looked to Raphtalia. "Give Atla the medicine."
While Raphtalia moved to do that, Dante gave out more instructions.
"Fiadia, I need a report on everything you've found out about the attack. Sadeena and I will take a look around, along with Dio and JoJo. Eclair, please show Princess Melty inside the manor. I'm sure there's plenty you can discuss with her until I return. Same with everyone else, actually."
Dante didn't know how much Melty knew about what was happening in Melromarc, even with her shadows. This would be a good time to figure that out.
"Very well." Eclair gave him nod. "If you would follow me, Princess."
"Of course." Melty indicated for Eclair to lead on.
"Bye Mel!" Dio called out. "We'll play later."
Melty gave her a soft smile. "I'm looking forward to it."
Once the princess's entourage left, Dante walked with the rest. Sadeena kept her hand on his.
"What can you tell me?" Dante asked Fiadia. "I got an idea of what happened from Atla."
"From what I gathered, this man, Takt, came into the village undetected while wearing knight armor." Fiadia began. "We've searched, but we've found no indication of where he was hiding, nor where the missing knight went."
"That's troubling." Dante looked over to the weapon building. With all the knights there now, no one would be able to sneak in without drawing attention.
Fiadia gave him the rest of the report. There was little damage, aside from where Takt struck. The building that caught fire was quickly put out. Of course, no one saw his face. He kept his visor down, and the armor covered any identifying marks on him.
The real issue was what to do about him popping back in. It wasn't known if he saved this location with his new portal skill.
"Dio, JoJo, can you contact Fitoria and let her know what happened?" Dante asked. While it wasn't a good look, more help in this would be better.
"What do you mean?" Dio asked back.
"Call for Fitoria. Use your hair…things. I think."
"We can't talk to her, Dad." JoJo told him.
"You can't?" Dante looked between them. "She doesn't want to talk?"
JoJo shook his head. "No, we just can't talk to her."
"…Has she ever tried talking to either of you?"
Both of his kids shook their heads.
In retrospect, Fitoria likely would have contacted him before now. If not for the invading vassal heroes, then for after his fight with Itsuki, plus his stunt in Melromarc. If they couldn't communicate, he'd have to find her himself. He could try getting information about other dragon hourglasses that weren't near people and fly around on Lilith once she finished growing. It wouldn't be long now, but that was for later.
"Alright, well, go and see if you can sniff out where Takt was hiding at before. Find a trail from the building. Come back immediately and call for me if you run into any trouble at all. Got it?" Dante told his kids.
"Okay!" They shouted and ran off after transforming and getting a casting of Zweite Aura.
"That should be all I need from you." He said to Fiadia. "You should probably see if Princess Melty needs anything."
"Yes, Lord Shield…" Her voice trailed off.
"Is something wrong?" He asked the rabbit woman.
"I've…never met the princess before." Fiadia said. "The queen had come by before, but never her daughters. At least, not that I saw. And now that we're in Siltvelt…I wouldn't know what to say."
"Say whatever you wish." Dante simply said. "You can tell her about Idol, if you want. I plan on having a long discussion with her later."
"Okay." She gave a nod and walked back to the manor.
Dante and Sadeena were left to work this out.
"What are you thinking?" Sadeena asked.
"We need a way to stop Takt from popping in whenever he wants, which will probably be when I can't return quickly." Dante said. "While he could have heard when I would be out, I find it more likely he knew exactly when the wave would be."
"Because that would be even worse for us." Sadeena reasoned.
"Exactly."
Dante didn't have any real evidence, but he found it unlikely Takt was somehow lurking around the village unnoticed and was able to overhear his exact plans. Fighting in all the waves, however, was something he mentioned to Conrad.
"What can we do about it?" Sadeena asked.
"Well, I have an idea, but you aren't going to like it." Dante scratched the back of his head. "I can cast Sanctuary on the village, giving us a permanent teleportation block to others, unless it's taken down. I'll…need to use Way of the Dragon Vein to do it, and it's a pretty potent spell."
Sadeena frowned. "That's a ceremonial spell."
"Yeah." Dante nodded. "And from what I'm feeling, it'll be like casting a few Liberation spells, and strong ones at that."
"Little Dante…" Sadeena's tone alone told him she was not in favor of this plan.
He could have asked the priests in the church to help out, but recent revelations made asking them risky. Besides, he didn't want anyone else to be in control of who could teleport into the village.
"There's a lesser version I can cast, but it'll last less than a day." Dante felt the spell in his mind. "Hang on…There's a way to make it last longer."
Information about the spell poured into his mind. To increase the duration, he would need to anchor the spell to something. Doing that, it would last for a couple weeks. Given the power necessary to cast it, it would be months before it equaled casting the more powerful version once. Dante relayed this information to Sadeena.
"Well, that would give us time to come up with a better plan, little Dante." She still didn't sound happy about it, but she wasn't entirely against it. "How do we do it?"
"Let me see."
The requirements were pretty unique. They would need to construct a special building to enchant the spell into, something like a shrine. It would also need an object of worship. Given that there were plenty of demi-humans in the village, he could probably ask someone for a pendant of the Shield Faith.
Just then, Dante remembered his skill. He brought up his menu to create buildings in the village. Scanning through it, he found something that would work. Most of the materials were available, plus a few reagents that Rat likely had. He compared the building to the spell in question. Based on what its intended use was, he needed only one more thing.
Something that inhibited hero abilities.
"Sadeena, can I see that chain?" Dante asked.
With the object in hand, Dante could feel the spell would work.
It may be a poor man's Sakura Stone, but it's enough. I'll have to thank Aultcray later for trying to murder me.
The two of them set out to gather what they needed. The items from Rat's lab were easy enough to find. As for the pendant, Dante asked a few of the villagers. One woman had what they needed, and she was ecstatic to help.
They went to the center of the village. Dante brought up his menu again and selected the building. It took nearly all of his build points, so he would have to put his orphanage plan on hold for a bit, or at least this type of building for it. The land should be vitalized enough to be able to handle one more large camping plant.
He placed the building on the ground in front of them. The building was more like a large totem made out of stone, standing nearly 10 feet tall. It had the visage of a dragon's face at the top of it.
"All that's left is the spell." Dante said, preparing it in his mind.
"Little Dante." Sadeena held out her arm, a vial of holy water in her hand.
"Oh, right."
She cast her spell on him, again removing the bulk of the aftereffects from his previous castings in Melromarc.
"Now, let's cast this together." Sadeena said.
"Can we do that?" Dante turned to her.
Sadeena nodded. "I'll do the work. You just show me the spell. I don't want you casting something so powerful by yourself."
"Alright." Dante wasn't going to argue. Even as a lesser version, he felt it would be something like casting a Staff empowered Drifa spell he didn't have, and he couldn't even do that.
Dante readied himself, the spell fully popping in his mind. The puzzles for casting Way of the Dragon Vein appeared.
"Oh my~. That's a lot!" Sadeena voiced her amazement.
"Can you do it?" Dante asked.
"I will." Sadeena stated with conviction. They both closed their eyes to focus.
He let the spell play out, the fist puzzle slowly being solved. Dante could see how they should be moved, but a quick squeeze from Sadeena kept him from helping. His only job was to show her the spell, nothing more.
The puzzles were getting solved, but at a slow rate. A minute passed. Then another. And another. Her pace wasn't improving with time. She was good, but this was a spell meant for a much larger group.
Just then, all the puzzles broke apart. The spell was cut off.
"What happened?" Dante's eyes shot open as he looked to Sadeena. "What's wrong? Why did you stop? We were getting close—"
"Just breathe, little Dante." Sadeena soothed him, bringing out another vial of holy water.
"What's that for? What the hell are…" Dante began to chastise her, but her gentle hand against his face stopped him.
He realized the problem. His curse was already affecting him again. Even with a half complete spell, he was beginning to feel like he did when they first tested out what his curse could do.
"Holy Purge." Sadeena let the spell wash over Dante. Just like last time, he felt something remain.
"This is going to suck no matter how we do this." Dante lamented.
"You're right." Sadeena sighed. "Let's go again. This time…maybe just a nudge or two is okay, little Dante."
"Alright."
They started again. This time, Dante pointed out how each one needed to be solved. The first one got solved much faster than Sadeena on her own. The second one was even faster. Puzzle after puzzle was solved in quick succession.
"I, Dante, draw on the power of the land and ask you to fulfill my request! Dragon Vein! Secure these lands against my enemy's travel! Asylum!"
With the puzzles completed, Dante chanted out the last lines of the spell. The totem glowed, the grey stone gaining a polish that made it look like silver. Dante could feel the effects of the spell instantly. Anyone he did not designate couldn't use a portal ability into or out of this village.
Dante looked on at the work they did. It was…breathtaking. The amount of power they unleashed felt unreal.
"Dante!"
Sadeena's cry seemed to echo out as Dante fell forward. He was barely able to catch himself, dropping to one knee before hitting the ground.
"Ugh…" His insides felt like they were twisting in every direction.
"Mister Dante!" He heard Atla's voice. From the side, he saw her running from the manor.
"At…la…" His voice was slurred, barely forming her name.
What are you doing? You're supposed to be watching over Melty! I don't need you here! Just do what you're told and—
"Holy Purge!" Sadeena's spell washed over him yet again.
What…was I just thinking about? Why was I…?"
He knew right away. Just like when they worked on the spell the first time, his mind was filled with anger. No, rage. If Sadeena hadn't cast her spell just then…he wouldn't have hurt Atla. He knew that. But…some part of him wanted to.
"Sadeena, what happened to Mister Dante?!" Atla cried out.
"I'm…fine…just…" The words fell from his lips as his vision darkened.
~The Wrong Hero~
Consciousness started flowing back into Dante. With the smell of pine in the air, he realized he was inside a camping plant, likely his room in the manor. He also felt much warmer than he was expecting.
"What happened?" He murmured.
In response, two large arms squeezed him.
"Little Dante!" Looking up, he saw he was laying on top of Sadeena in her therianthrope form, both on his bed. "You're awake!"
"Yeah. Yeah?" It took him a moment to get his bearings back. "I was asleep?"
"Don't you remember?" Sadeena asked, rubbing her smooth face against his. "You passed out after casting that spell."
"The spell…" Dante tried to scratch his chin, but his arms were fully pressed to his sides. "And then I passed out? For how long?"
"About an hour." Sadeena answered.
Sadeena continued to snuggle up against him as he thought.
I really passed out? Huh. Guess that would explain why I feel so refreshed.
"What did I miss?" He asked. "Has anything happened?"
"Little Dante, you passed out. Why aren't you worried?"
"Should I be?"
Sadeena sighed, but kept him close. "Check your status."
Doing as she said, he brought up the menu and looked things over. Everything seemed in order, until he looked at one of his most important stats.
"My HP got cut in half." It wasn't that his HP was lowered through damage. His maximum HP went down.
"Do you see why I'm worried?" Sadeena traced her hand over his back. "That spell you cast…you can't do that again."
"I'll try to avoid it."
"Dante." Her tone left no room for discussion. Unfortunately, Dante disagreed.
"Sadeena, if I need to cast a spell, I will. Takt has a Vassal Weapon, and I don't know how strong he'll be. I won't have him appearing out of nowhere. If he wants to attack, he'll have to walk into the village like everyone else."
"…Then we'll have to find a solution quickly."
Dante didn't want to worry her, and he didn't want to keep casting that spell. But if the alternative was letting Takt come and go as he pleased, Dante would do what he must. Hopefully, this effect wouldn't last long on him.
"Oh shit, the kids!" Dante tried to sit up again. He remembered sending them out earlier.
"Relax, little Dante. They're fine. You're the only one here that's hurt."
Dante settled back down. Thinking about it, Conrad had mentioned getting the portal location to the village from the other weapons. It was a fair guess the only ones the Projectile had were what was saved before. Given that Raphtalia only had a few of Khana's, the odds were in their favor he wasn't around.
"Alright. I think I should go see Melty now." He tried to move, but Sadeena kept him close. He still needed to be in contact with someone, so it wasn't as if he could just get up and leave.
"You should rest a bit more." Sadeena argued.
"I'm fine, really." Dante said. "The curse isn't affecting me that much. I mean, besides—"
"Your eyes."
"Huh? Oh." Now that she mentioned it, his eyes did feel a bit off. A little bit like when he tested his spells. They were probably sunken in again. "Well, that's not so bad."
"Little Dante." Sadeena chided.
"Really! Besides…" Dante tried to think of something. He looked through his status again for something to argue. Then, he realized something. Two somethings, really. "I think I can cast Drifa spells now."
Sadeena held his face in her hands and stared into his eyes.
"I'm not making it up, I promise! Just watch." He began chanting out his spell, powering it up like he normally would. "Drifa Aura X!" He applied it to Sadeena.
Thanks to the conflict with Aultcray in the capital, Dante was able to gain a level from the knights they killed. That put him over the threshold for the Staff's power up method. He now had enough points to power up three spells to 'X', plus some spells at lower levels. It still didn't empower Sadeena as much as it should have due to his curse, but it was still a great amount.
"See? No change." Dante maneuvered his arm and pointed at himself. "Now, would you relax a little?"
Whatever negative effects casting Asylum had on him, it had at least one positive. He didn't understand why it happened, but he was willing to accept a gift horse if it meant he could protect his family better. It also added to his offensive capabilities, since how to cast Firestorm clicked in his mind, too.
Sadeena kept staring at him, giving a light sigh. "I wish you would take your well-being more seriously."
"I do." Dante nodded. "I take everyone else's well-being seriously, too."
"I know." Sadeena relaxed her hold on his head.
"I'll try to be more careful, okay? Now then…"
Dante once more tried to get up, but Sadeena kept him down. She shifted in the bed, laying on her side and tucking Dante into her.
"You shouldn't have cast that on me if you wanted to get up~."
"Sadeena…" He was about to argue, but the look on her face stopped him.
"Please stay. Just for a little while."
I really worried her again, didn't I?
Dante did as she asked. Melty was important, but she wasn't urgent.
~The Wrong Hero~
It was about 20 minutes later before Sadeena allowed him to get up.
While they lay together, Sadeena explained a little of what he missed. The first thing she did was take him to see Rat. Given Dante's proclivity to gaining curses, the alchemist had begun researching the subject more. Rat had begun to see what Dante was feeling: each spell cast added more curse damage to him. It wasn't something he could really see in his stats, nor actual damage to his HP, but he could feel it. Unfortunately, the only remedy was waiting. Resting more would help, but only time would remove it. Dante knew he had to cut back on his other castings.
When Sadeena took Dante to Rat, she'd sent Atla back to Melty and the others. Since it was her loosely applied punishment, Atla did as she was told. Before she did, Atla told Sadeena what she felt in his life force. It was like Dante had died for a brief moment, horrifying Atla.
For this reason, the moment Dante and Sadeena walked into the meeting room, Atla tackled into his side with a fierce hug.
"Mister Dante!" She cried out, gripping his tunic.
"Atla…" Dante looked around the room. With Melty were Eclair, Raphtalia, and Fohl, though he assumed the shadows were somewhere close by.
"Are you okay?" Atla asked, her voice muffled with her face pressed into his side.
"I'm fine." Dante patted her head. "I just misunderstood the cost to me."
He honestly didn't think it would be that bad. There were times in the novels that people cast Sanctuary by themselves, but…thinking about it, they were part of Takt's crew.
Shit, that's right. The griffin and dragon women. Both were over level 200. I figured my stats would be enough, but maybe level itself plays a factor, like with my shield unlocks or what armor can be worn without penalty. That, and being monsters. Liberation spells wouldn't be as bad. Probably.
Mental justifications aside, he was in no hurry to test out his hypothesis.
"Sir Shield Hero, I am glad you are well." Melty gave him a light nod.
"Thanks." He returned her gesture. "I'm sure my party has told you there side of what's been going on, yeah?"
Melty lowered her head. "They have. Some of it does line up with what my shadows have been able to uncover. But, despite some of the exaggerations being spread around Melromarc, there has been plenty said there that was true." She looked back at his eyes. "While I don't agree with at least half of what you've done, I think I can at least understand why you did it."
It's a start.
"In that case, we should probably go to the castle soon. I don't want you being here to be a surprise to anyone." He also wanted to make sure they knew not to try anything. "After that, we'll come back here. I'm not sure what rooms to set you up in…"
Melty shook her head. "Lady Fiadia has already arranged it. But, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak with you privately for a bit."
"Sure, we can do that." Dante gave a nod to his party. The sun was starting to set, and he still had business to take care of in the castle. Specifically, the bedroom. This didn't feel like it would be a long chat.
Everyone else started to leave the room. Sadeena was among them, separating from Dante. She gave Atla's head a quick pat before giving him a wink and leaving. Dante guided Atla to a couch opposite of Melty's seat.
"I wish to speak privately, Sir Shield Hero." Melty gave her cousin a quick look.
"Just Dante, please." He said as he sat down with Atla. The tiger woman kept close to him.
Melty looked back to him. "Very well. In that case, please just call me Melty."
"But you're a princess."
"And you are a hero."
"Fair enough." Dante cast a glance at Atla himself. "As for being in private, I need someone with me. It's for one of my curses."
Melty folded her hands in her lap and leaned back. "So it's true. You are cursed."
In response, Dante pulled a cheap metal helmet from his item drops and placed it on his head. Within seconds, it rusted and split in half.
"That…was shorter than before." Dante looked at the still decaying armor on the ground. It seemed like there was another drawback to having multiple curses.
"You can't use armor too?" Melty asked.
"Yeah." Dante filed that bit away for later. "I can't wear armor or accessories, the spells and potions I use on my allies are weaker, I need to be touching someone that has a slave seal of mine on them, and healing and grafting arms to me has been a hassle. That last part hasn't been an issue lately, but you never know. Honestly, I'm just glad my arms haven't fallen off."
Atla shivered against him, prompting Dante to stroke her head. "Relax. I was joking. Mostly." He refocused on Melty. "You hear about this from your father, my party, or your spies?"
"My father." Melty sighed. "He sounded so happy when he told me. I asked him not to do anything, but…"
"He didn't listen." Dante finished her thought. "He's been doing that a lot."
"I didn't want to believe it, but after everything your party has told me…" She shook her head. "My father has a lot to answer for, but he isn't the only one at fault here."
"Most recently, he is. But I haven't exactly been making a good image of myself." Dante conceded.
"Two nobles, dozens of knights, one companion of a hero, not to mention all those knights in the castle. Granted, you and your party were defending yourselves, but you planned on attacking regardless, right?"
"To rescue an innocent person." Dante pointed out.
"Yes." Melty nodded. "I'll be speaking with this tailor soon to hear what led up to her imprisonment. I promise, I didn't know anything about her before."
"I believe you." Dante waved her off. "Though I don't think you could have done anything even if you did know."
Melty straightened out. "I may not be the ruler, or even the reagent, but I do still have influence."
"But not enough." Dante countered. "Otherwise, Ann and the others wouldn't have had their shops burglarized in the first place."
"What?" Melty's eyes widened.
"I'm not surprised you didn't know. None of the shop owners wanted to say anything after the last time you got involved."
"That…" Melty sunk lower into her seat.
Dante continued. "Even now, at least three of them had to close up shop. One of them is trying to do something to help others, but it's not a good situation."
There really was no telling which group was responsible for this, the church knights or royal knights. The two weren't mutually exclusive either, what with the Three Heroes Faith being the predominant religion.
Melty scrunched up her dress, then relaxed her grip. "These are things that need to be fixed. Once Mother returns, she'll be able to solve a lot of issues. In the meantime, my only goal is to make sure you and Father don't come into conflict again."
"If she takes too long, we probably will. Or, the other three heroes and I will." Taking Melty to Siltvelt wasn't a good look. Aultcray would definitely try something come the next wave, assuming he believed Dante would return.
"That's also something I want to avoid." Melty said. "We've been working on getting all the heroes to cooperate."
"We?" Dante raised an eyebrow.
"My sister and I." Melty lowered her voice.
"Ah…" It looked like they did meet at some point. "Did you give her my message?"
Melty shook her head. "I didn't need to. She warned me about the church."
"Did she now?" Dante stroked his chin. "What else did she tell you?"
That earned an annoyed look from Melty. Most likely, she still believed Dante raped her and was now trying to justify doing something worse. Nevertheless, she answered his question.
"She told me about your character, and some of the things she learned you've done."
"All terrible, I'm sure." Dante commented.
To his surprise, Melty shook her head again. "It was about the good you've done, especially for your party. How you treat them like family, and would go to any length to protect them. It, well, it reminds me of my father."
In any other circumstance, Dante would take offense to being compared to Aultcray. That was the one thing he knew they had in common. Instead, he was more concerned about the praise he was receiving from the woman who claimed he had raped her.
"Honestly, I was nervous to offer myself to you after seeing all those knights killed, but seeing this village confirmed what she told me. I knew I'd be safe." Melty added.
"Not all those knights were dead, though I don't know how…many…" Dante didn't get XP from the ones that killed each other, after all. Her last comment, however, gave him pause. "What do you mean? About being safe?"
Melty fidgeted in her seat for a moment. "Sister told me about the day you returned to the capital, missing an arm. You had two more demi-human children with you. Raphtalia and Rifana confirmed it was them and told me more about it. You risked your life, fought Lord Idol Rabier, and lost your arm to save two children you didn't even know."
How does Malty know anything about that?
Dante wondered, but recalled something during his first meeting with the emissaries. Sadeena indicated that they were being watched. That could have been a spy for Malty, or a shadow for the church.
Could Malty…have worked it out? That we killed Idol? But…no. There's no way. Why would she sit on that knowledge for so long? The church definitely would have done something, so it must have been Malty's spy.
"Hearing it from Raphtalia and Rifana's point of view, that's when I knew what Sister told me was true." Melty regained Dante's focus, only for her to say the most shocking thing next. "Despite what you did to her, you would never harm a child. I would be safe around you. That's why, to keep Father unharmed and prevent more bloodshed, I offered to come to Siltvelt."
Dante couldn't believe what he was hearing. Malty was the one responsible for Melty coming with him? It was too incredible to believe. And yet…
She…She played me. She really got me. How did she do it? How could she have known…We were watched. Just like at the inn. Just like near Lurolona, when those mercenaries came after us. They knew about Sadeena, and how to avoid being detected. Then Malty's spy…How much does she know?
Did she know I planned on fighting all the waves I could? How I was friendly with those shopkeepers? That I would come to the rescue of one of them if they were imprisoned? Melty wouldn't have gone far from the castle. Did…Malty really plan on me taking Melty with me?
Oh, fuck! This really was planned! Everything she's said and done has led up to this! She made it look like she was pushing for cooperation, and now she's maneuvered me into this position. How!? What's really the goal? War with Siltvelt? Damn it! Melty being here isn't a deterrent, it's an incentive! I should have killed that bitch when I had the chance! To hell with clearing my name!
"Mister Dante?" Atla's hand against his cheek brought him back. "What's wrong? What's making you so upset?"
"Atla." Dante covered her hand with his, earning a soft smile. "It's…nothing. I'll worry about it later…"
He wasn't trying to put it off. It just wouldn't do any good to reveal his concerns in front of Melty. Not that she would entertain any of his speculations about her sister anyway. He also needed to get his thoughts in proper order.
Despite his moment of panic, they continued their discussions for a little bit, talking about some of Dante's companions, the village, and a few others.
Melty added to her point before about children, citing not only the fact that Dante bought some in Melromarc specifically to live freely, but that the slaves Siltvelt freed included many small families. She commented how he must have someone good in diplomacy to work that. Dante didn't want to tell her the actual line of circumstances that led to it.
With the baroness they killed, Melty actually approved of her death, though not the method it was achieved. Considering Dante came up with that plan while incredibly pissed off, he couldn't blame her. Apparently, Fiadia mentioned to Melty that she wished Dante had killed more of that baroness's knights. Dante couldn't fault that either. There was some speculation in Melromarc that Dante was responsible for Reichnott's death. It didn't gain much traction, since the lord was kind to demi-humans.
Melty also brought up Atla and Fohl, and Dante finding them in Zeltoble. Atla was happy to add what she could remember, and what Fohl had told her. After their mother passed away and their father died in battle, what servants they had were given some money and dismissed. Fohl eventually found herself in debt to keep treating Atla. While their home was abandoned, it was now being restored thanks to a family friend learning about it. Jaralis was likely that friend. Dante would have to take them there at some point. He might also owe Jaralis for the favor.
After a short while, they decided it was best to inform Werner of what was going on. Besides the three of them, Raphtalia, Rifana, Eclair, and Sadeena went. So long as they remained visible, the shadows were allowed to come as well. The Staff didn't have the form for Portal Staff revealed, so they needed to get that fixed for Rifana.
Werner's reaction was…predictable.
The group found him in his office. He paled the moment his eyes met Melty's. With his Silence ability active, Dante and Melty sat down as he explained how Aultcray attempted to kill him, ending with Dante taking the Staff. He also informed Werner about the missing Projectile weapon.
It wasn't every day Dante saw a grown man cry. It wasn't even a rarity, it almost never happened near him. In this world with much more abrupt death, it wouldn't be surprising if it was more common. On this day, he still didn't see it, but damn if Werner wasn't close.
"Why are you doing this? Do you hate me? Is that it? How could you be so stupid?!" These and other questions were what Dante assumed Werner had running through his head. Of course, the shusaku didn't say any of them.
"Lord Shield…" Werner's voice was shaky at best. He took a deep breath and spoke again, this time in a sterner voice. "Lord Shield, are you trying to make things difficult?!"
"We're off to a great start…" Dante said under his breath. It was much more reserved than Dante thought, and definitely less than he deserved.
"Why did you think any of that was a good idea?!" Werner yelled. Atla seemed agitated at that, but she kept quiet as she continued holding Dante's hand.
"Obviously because I was pissed and clearly wasn't thinking."
Sure, burning the king on his throne wouldn't have been much better. Dante almost wanted to blame Eclair for not stopping him from doing yet another stupid thing. Seeing Davon Mallory again probably disrupted that.
They went back and forth a while, Werner trying to maintain what composure he had to Melromarc's princess. Some ideas were floated around, like returning Melty to Melromarc immediately, but Dante wasn't so sure. He didn't know how far the plan went, who all was involved, and what contingencies were in place. He didn't say any of that, merely stating he was considering his options.
Werner also insisted on sending more knights to village. If for no other reason, it was to safeguard the two remaining Seven Star Weapons.
"Most of the people there are freed slaves, while the rest are survivors of a knight attack. Korokan was also wiped out by knights before. Not to mention I'm hosting the princess of a foreign and despised country. Do the math."
Dante soundly refused.
"Lord Shield…" Werner buried his face in his hands as he slumped against his chair.
Normally, he'd give the shusaku time to process whatever political catastrophe he was involved in, or what problems he brought with him, but Dante had questions of his own. The last topic revolved around what he recently learned.
"There was something Aultcray mentioned before he tried to murder me." Dante started. Melty turned her head down at his words. "It involves the curses heroes can get from their weapons."
Werner flinched.
Dante leaned forward in his chair. "You knew a hero with a weapon curse couldn't be resummoned for some time. So? Why didn't you tell me what you all learned about my curses?"
Werner slowly lowered his hands to his desk, folding them. "There…was never a good time."
"Bullshit." Dante didn't need to be good at spotting lies to see that one.
"There was nothing to be done about it, so we didn't see the need to tell you immediately."
"Try a third time. I might believe you then."
"If I may?" Melty perked up. "It sounds like a form of control. If Dante—If Sir Shield Hero didn't know about it, he couldn't use it against you."
Werner clenched his fists on his desk as he stood. "That is—"
"Exactly what I was thinking." Dante had to admit, the younger princess was sharp.
As things stood, Dante was fairly docile, at least domestically. He made no sweeping reforms, partook in the parade they wanted—which was finished now, thankfully—participated in their wave and others' to strengthen diplomatic ties, and was sleeping with numerous women, all what the leadership would want. The only thing he really got for free was the village, and even that had its own costs to build up and populate. Sure, he and his party killed the knights that attacked Korokan before, but that was justifiable. It was only internationally that Dante was really a problem.
True, it wasn't as if the Shield would let him kill himself, not that he would if he could. Knowledge was power, so if he wanted to find a way to use that information, he could.
A full report was expected later out of the sullen shusaku concerning everything they learned about hero curses.
After their meeting concluded and Rifana returned, most of the group took a portal back to the village with Raphtalia's skill. Dante and Sadeena would go back after his obligation for the night was finished. It would also give him some time to consider what all his options for the future actually were. He'd meet privately with his party later to get their input as well.
Whatever Malty, or the church, or whomever was planning against them, Dante wanted to be prepared.
Author's Notes:
I think Sanctuary just blocks anyone from entering or exiting an area, including portal skills. The only times I remember it being used were with Fitoria, the pope, and Takt. With the pope, I think it also decreased curse effects. Not sure how long it actually lasts, but I feel like it would be longer for the monster versions, since it's like claiming territory. I don't know. Here, he planned on using a bastardized monster version for blocking teleportation and claiming territory.
So, yeah, Dante realized how bad a move bringing Melty was. Anger juice did not help his decision making abilities. Hopefully, nothing too bad will come from this.
Next chapter will start with something I've been thinking about for some time. Depending on how in-tune you are with my sense of humor, and how much you remember from earlier chapters, you'll have seen this coming at some point.