Chapter 65 – First Princess of Melromarc
Dante stared at the red-haired princess, but Motoyasu moved to block his line of sight. Slowly approaching on her right was Rino, while the shadow inched forward on the left. It seemed like he found out who the shadow was working for.
So, either the shadow is on loan from the church, or was swayed to Malty's side. It will not matter when Malty is dead.
By numbers, the two groups were even. By levels and raw power, one person from Dante's party could likely handle all of them. The only real problem was Motoyasu. Just because he fell to Glass didn't mean he wasn't strong. He might pose a threat.
"I will hold off Motoyasu." Dante glanced over his shoulder to his party. "Kill the shadow, but leave the others alive."
He'd rather kill Malty himself. It would probably be good to learn what she knows first, but he wasn't too picky.
"Stay behind me, ladies." Motoyasu called to his party. "I won't let this bastard hurt any of you!"
It didn't seem like Motoyasu listened to him at all. That wasn't surprising in the least. That, or he was including the shadow in his vow.
"Little Dante, maybe I should try talking to him first?" Sadeena offered.
Dante shook his head. "Pointless." However Malty got him here, she likely already filled his head with all sorts of things to keep him from listening. Whatever her plan was, it wouldn't go farther than this.
"I'll free everyone in your party you've enslaved!" Motoyasu roared and he charged forward.
Case in point.
Dante ran to meet him. His shield crashed into Motoyasu's spear, pushing the blond man back. Only, it wasn't as easy as Dante imagined. The spear wielder was losing ground, but Dante thought he'd get knocked over without issue.
The shield Dante had equipped was his Goliath Spider Shield. After improving it to the same degree as his others, he found the stats were a bit better than his Dark Tyrannosaurus Shield, except for his attack stat.
"Cleave Bash III!" Dante broke off and swung his shield at Motoyasu.
The blond man barely avoided the strike and pointed his spear. "Lightning Spear!"
A beam of electricity shot out at Dante. He raised he shield and blocked the attack, but his HP went down slightly. He had some equip bonuses giving him lightning resistance, so this was a bit strange to see.
"Little Dante, maybe we should take this out of the city." Sadeena voiced her concern, though she did move forward with Raphtalia and JoJo.
"This will not take long." Dante assured her. Motoyasu was just a little stronger than he realized.
As Dante blocked another strike, he noticed Motoyasu's armor looked a bit better than at the last wave. He even had a few accessories on it, his spear, and on his body. Most of the latter were in the form of rings.
Oh, yeah, I gave him a few of my battle potions. Perhaps he took one before charging.
That might explain his slight power.
"Chaos Spear!" The skill launched numerous spears toward Dante.
"Air Strike Shield VI!" Dante skill intercepted most of them, but a coupled raced toward him around his erected barrier. Dante blocked those easily enough, but there was still some slight damage.
Deciding to end this fight to take care of what he actually wanted, Dante dismissed his skill and lunged forward to grab hold of Motoyasu's spear. Just like on his first day here, he'd show the spear user his weapon's weakness. Motoyasu, on the other hand, quickly twisted his spear around. It broke Dante's grip, causing him to step back. With the moment of surprise, Motoyasu swiped his spear across Dante's chest.
Dante took another step back. He felt the pain. When he looked down, the hand he placed against his chest had blood on it. There was a clean, horizontal cut on Dante's upper chest.
He…He actually hurt me.
It was no longer a matter of powerful skills being strong enough to penetrate Dante's block and defense. Motoyasu's attack itself had risen to the point that he could damage Dante.
During his distraction, Motoyasu lunged forward. Dante was able to deflect the spear to the side, making a glancing wound on his hip.
Well, someone has smelted his weapon considerably. I wonder how much ore he used up to do that.
Not wanting to prolong the fight any further than he had already, Dante ducked around another swipe and rammed his fist into Motoyasu's stomach. The blond man reeled back, gasping for air.
When Dante moved in to take hold of him, another quick swipe from the spear caused him to step back again.
"You won't…win!" Motoyasu readied his spear again, having quickly recovered.
"Annoying." This fight wasn't going to be nearly as quick as Dante wanted.
On the other hand, Motoyasu's companions were backing away from Dante's. The shadow stayed next to Malty, a shortsword in her hand. Dante figured it was a woman, given Motoyasu's proclamation. Either way, they clearly knew Dante's party was far stronger than them.
One way or another, this fight would end with Dante's side winning.
"Get away from Papa!"
The sudden shout in a young girl's voice froze Dante. He slowly looked to the side, only for a flying claw to slam into his face, knocking him to the ground. There was little damage, less than from Motoyasu's normal attack, but he felt a daze all the same.
As Dante looked up, he saw a golden filolial queen standing in front of him. She glared down at him as two more women quickly jumped from her back. Dante barely recognized them as Motoyasu's other two party members. They quickly ran over to help against Dante's party, though they didn't attack right away.
"Careful, Fleonne!" Motoyasu angled his spear at Dante's head. "He's dangerous."
Dante's world spun around him. This golden filolial, who looked so much like his dead daughter, just called Motoyasu 'Papa'.
"Dante!" Raphtalia yelled back to him.
"Dad!" JoJo looked ready to run over.
"Stay here." Sadeena calmly told them.
With the other two, it was now five on three. Dante's party still had the advantage of power, but even Sadeena had a concerned look on her face at the development. Specifically, what stood before Dante.
"You…" Dante glared hatefully at Motoyasu. He swung his shield to the side, knocking the spear tip away from him. With a quick roll to the side, he jumped up.
The filolial, Fleonne, ruffled her wing feathers as she stood next to Motoyasu.
"How dare you…" Dante hissed out.
He wasn't blind. He knew this filolial wasn't his daughter. The eye color was clearly different, as was the less noticeable shape of her feathers. But, Dante didn't care. All he saw was a yellow filolial calling Motoyasu what his own daughter called him.
"I'll lead, you follow up, Fleonne." Motoyasu told his filolial.
"Okay, Papa." Fleonne took a few steps to the side.
Dante kept his eyes on the Spear Hero.
"You will suffer for this." Dante's voice was low. "Titanic Charge V!"
With his skill, Dante burst forward. Motoyasu's spear was poised to block the charge along the shaft. With the extra power of the skill, Dante pushed Motoyasu back greatly.
Once they stopped, Dante removed his shield and turned it around, intercepting a strike from Fleonne. He pulled back his free hand…
And then, he did nothing.
A sharp pain in Dante's side forced him to return his attention to Motoyasu. Dante turned his fist to the spear's shaft, knocking it out of him. A swift kick sent the Spear Hero back a few feet, allowing Dante room to block another claw strike from Fleonne with his hand. Her leg held in his grip, Dante brought his shield arm up, ready to break the filolial's leg.
Again, he couldn't move his arm.
"Windmill!"
A burst of wind from Motoyasu's skill staggered Dante, allowing Fleonne to free herself.
Damn it, Dante, just do it! She is not your daughter!
Despite this knowledge, Dante couldn't force his body to react how he wanted it to.
"Surrender, Dante! We have the upper hand here!" Motoyasu had a confident scowl on his face.
All Dante could do was grit his teeth. His party had the upper hand, not Motoyasu's. Yet, Dante couldn't focus enough to do what he needed.
"Everyone, stop!" Sadeena's voice rang out.
Motoyasu looked over, his mouth gaping. Dante turned to see what had shocked him.
Sadeena had Malty on the ground, a foot on her chest and her harpoon at the red-head's neck. Raphtalia and JoJo stood next to her while the rest of Motoyasu's party had various cuts and wounds on them. Dante hadn't heard any fighting over there, far too focused on Motoyasu's filolial.
"Myne!" Motoyasu cried out.
"Mama!" Fleonne joined him.
All Dante wanted to do in that moment was beat the shit out of Motoyasu for his part in having his daughter…having Fleonne call Malty that.
"What are you doing, Sadeena?" Dante used his Stat Allocation to quickly transfer his MP to HP and close up his wounds before his regeneration could. "Just kill her and let us be done with it."
Once she was dead, he'd figure out what to do next.
"Little Dante, didn't you say to take them alive?" Sadeena eyed the other women in Motoyasu's party, making sure none made any sudden moves. "Don't you need her to admit she lied?"
"We have more important matters to deal with." He said, despite having no idea on how to fix the mess in Melromarc.
"If you try to hurt her—"
"You will do nothing!" Dante cut off Motoyasu with a roar.
"Little Dante." Sadeena tried again. "We should take her with us. If she has a slave seal, she won't be able to run away."
"Hm…" Dante paused for a moment. "Yes. That is a good idea. I need a proper hostage against the old man."
That was his original thought, at least in the back of his mind. Their sudden appearance, and the existence of Fleonne, distorted that.
"You already kidnapped Princess Melty!" Motoyasu yelled.
"I did not kidnap Melty, and she is not a hostage." Dante sighed at the blond fool. "You are not a hostage if there is not a real threat of death."
With reason being spoken to him by his lover, he was able to calm down and think properly. If they killed Malty, that would likely exacerbate the issue and cause Aultcray to do something stupid. With both of his daughters in Siltvelt, he would have to accept anything Dante demanded. Or, taking Aultcray's other daughter would cause him to lash out.
Well, then I might be justified in killing Malty. That would be fine.
Keeping Melromarc out of his hair while they dealt with Q'ten Lo was what he really wanted. It wasn't as if Melromarc would be able to attack now. Siltvelt had a number of countries to call on, including Faubrey. Dante could dangle Malty in the Pig King's face and get his support.
It also wouldn't hurt to figure out what Malty's plan really was, and what the church was doing.
Dante nodded at his assessment. "She comes with us."
"You aren't taking Myne anywhere!" Motoyasu leveled his spear at Dante again. Fleonne looked ready to pounce.
"You all are coming, too. I think you need to see what type of person Malty really is." Once Malty gets fitted with a slave seal, Dante would force her to only speak the truth. He just needed a way to make Motoyasu believe there was no deception, like a brainwashing shield or some other nonsense.
"I already know who she is!" Motoyasu argued.
"Quiet." Dante fiddled with his status for a moment. "All of you will join my party—"
"Fleonne doesn't wanna join with the bad man!" The filolial complained.
"Stop!" Dante was surprised to hear Malty of all people call out. From her position on the ground, she looked at Motoyasu with pleading eyes. "Please, Sir Motoyasu, everyone, do what he says. He still has Melty."
Both Motoyasu and Fleonne quickly deflated at her words. Within the next few seconds, all of the Spear Hero's companions appeared in Dante's party menu.
"Good." Dante briefly looked over the names, learning the two other women were Lesty and Elena. The shadow only came up as 'Shadow'. "Now, here is how we will do this."
Dante walked over to the two parties while Motoyasu and Fleonne followed behind. The sound of grinding teeth softly wafted through the air.
"Raphtalia, you will take JoJo and Malty back to the village first. If she tries to run, kill her—"
"Little Dante."
"Hmph. Restrain her." He couldn't help the fact that his mind easily shifted from pragmatism to murder.
"I want to stay with Mom…" JoJo looked at him with nervous eyes.
"We will be right behind you." Dante assured his son. "However, if Malty refuses the portal skill and remains here," Dante looked right in Sadeena's eyes, "you will kill her."
Sadeena's soft nod was accompanied by Motoyasu clenching his spear tightly.
"The rest of us will come after. Are we all clear?"
Dante looked around. The women that bothered to look at him gave shallow nods.
With a nod from Dante, Raphtalia raised her hammer. "Portal Hammer!"
Disappointingly, Malty disappeared along with Raphtalia and JoJo.
"Tsk. Fine." Dante opened up his portal menu. He really needed to keep his emotions in check. "Portal Shield!"
In a flash, they left Zeltoble—and the confused onlookers—and reappeared in the village.
Dante quickly looked to where Raphtalia would have appeared. She and JoJo were there, both standing above Malty. Raphtalia had her hammer at the ready, just in case. The older princess sat up on the ground, giving no indication of trying to flee.
Turning back to Motoyasu's party, Dante realized the shadow was no longer there. He didn't see her with Life Sense, so he determined she refused the teleportation. It didn't matter either way to him.
"Mama!" Fleonne ran toward the three that went before. JoJo and Raphtalia readied themselves.
"Fleonne, wait!" Motoyasu called out, slowing the yellow filolial.
The ones with Dante made their way closer. From the commotion, a few of Dante's other party members started walking over. Keel and Rifana were together, both looking incredibly confused at the situation. Seeing where he was walking, Elvira ran up next to Raphtalia's group and took a knee at his approach.
"Welcome back, Shield God!" Elvira proclaimed quite loudly. "How was your recruitment?"
"Good, I suppose." Dante answered. There seemed to be a number of interested mercenaries.
Elvira gave a sideways glance to the prone princess. "And I see you've captured Melromarc's older princess. Simply amazing!"
"I did not expect it either." But he would soon get to the bottom of things. "Go and inform—"
"Portal Spear!" Motoyasu quickly called out the moment his party left Dante's in his status. Only, they all remained where they were.
Motoyasu looked around in a panic. Dante let out a single laugh.
"Only people I have chosen may use their portal skills here." Dante pointed over at the largest dragon just outside the village. "He prevents all others from traveling."
The Spear Hero's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head at the sight. It was then he slowly began looking around the village, his eyes settling on anything of interest.
"Gau!" Lilith rushed over, practically galloping, before skidding to a stop next to Dante. Fleonne gave her a stink eye, but Dante kept Lilith from doing anything too hostile by patting her head.
"Elvira." Dante turned back to the kneeling vampire. "Inform Princess Melty and her guards that her sister is here. And fetch Reiko, too."
"At once, Shield God!" The vampire jumped to her feet and ran off to the manor.
Motoyasu glared at him. "You have kids worshipping you as a god now?"
"The Shield Hero is a god in Siltvelt, Motoyasu, though her situation is unique." Dante causally explained.
"Whatever." Motoyasu continued to scowl. "If this is Siltvelt, why are there so many humans? And what's with all these weird houses?"
"Freed slaves and modified bioplants."
"What!?" Motoyasu shouted again. "You used that seed after what happened…" He quickly lost his steam as he recalled who was to blame for that dead village Dante showed him before.
"I have an alchemist to fix any adjustments I make."
For a man who was basically brought here against his will, Dante thought he asked a lot of irrelevant questions.
"Yeah, right." Motoyasu dismissed. "Where's the rest of your party, anyway? Like your other kid?"
Dante's fist immediately clenched as he snarled at the Spear Hero. Motoyasu took a step back and raised his spear as Dante took a step toward him. Only Sadeena quickly wrapping her arms around Dante's rising one prevented further aggression.
"Breathe, little Dante." Sadeena soothed, slowly moving her hand up and down his arm.
Dante fixed her with a glare, but did as she said. He took in a deep breath and, through gritted teeth, let it out.
Sadeena looked to Motoyasu. "Little Dio and little Eclair were killed yesterday by…assassins."
Motoyasu stared blankly at them. The tip of his spear slowly moved to the ground as he turned his head away. "…Sorry for your loss."
At the very least, Motoyasu had the decency to apologize. Idiot or not, he wasn't cruel.
"Lady Eclair is dead?" Malty asked, flinching on the ground as Dante met her gaze. If she could see it from her position, Raphtalia's glare would likely evaporate her.
After that, no one said anything. The other women in Motoyasu's party didn't look as on edge as when they first arrived, or even before teleporting, but they all still looked ready for trouble.
Another minute or so passed before Elvira ran from the manor toward the lab. A few seconds after that, Melty rushed outside as well. The hakuko sisters and her remaining shadow followed after.
"Sister!" Melty cried out, making a beeline for the group.
"Melty!" Malty greeted her in kind. Dante could even see a tear form in her eye. He had to hand it to the older princess, she was good at acting.
Dante didn't think much on what Malty's plan was, considering his current plan for her. She knew a slave seal was coming, yet still kept up appearances. Either she thought of a way out of this, or she was too stubborn to admit to anything yet.
"Mel!" Fleonne ran up to the younger princess before JoJo could even get a word out.
Looks like Fleonne has spent time with Melty before coming here. I wonder how that came about. Well, no matter. I will have answers soon enough.
Fleonne hugged Melty with her wings, though that did little to calm the clearly panicking princess. Once free, she continued running to her sister, though Sadeena kept her back by standing between them.
"Sister, what are you doing here?!" Melty asked around Sadeena.
"We were brought here by…the Shield Hero." Malty lowered her head toward her sister.
Melty gazed up at Dante. "What's going on?"
Dante looked stone-faced at the younger princess. "I am going to put a slave seal on your sister." He said. "You will hear exactly what she has done."
"You'll just force her to lie!" Motoyasu quickly argued.
"It will be a high grade slave seal. Melty will be an owner with me, as well as you."
That's what Dante came up with to help convince Motoyasu. At least, to start with. The Spear Hero would likely argue that Melty was under some sort of control, or some other nonsense, and refuse to believe it. But, if Motoyasu was also an owner, he'd have a harder time refuting it.
"I'm not going to own Myne!"
"Yes, you will."
Even if he tried something, Dante could easily kill Malty with a thought. Well, her level might extend her life for a few seconds, but they wouldn't have time to run out of the village with her writhing in pain.
The tension in the air was growing as Elvira ran out of the lab. Reiko was coming up behind her.
"Yes, Dante?" The fox girl looked at the confusing situation around her.
"I need you and Rifana to bring back someone who can create high grade slave seals from the capital." Dante said, waving Rifana over. "Either the slave peddler or someone else, it does not matter. Ask Werner, but do not say what the situation is here."
Rifana had a portal location in his room at the castle. No matter where they went, it shouldn't take long.
~The Wrong Hero~
20 minutes passed before they returned.
Dante had spent the time on the ground, sitting with his legs crossed and Lilith's head on his lap as he stroked it. It was strange, just waiting for his oldest crime in this world to get turned around.
Motoyasu had made over a dozen excuses and reasons to stop whatever he was doing. Dante ignored him for the most part. The other members of his party weren't any happier, since they weren't allowed to get close to Malty.
Malty was what Dante focused on. She spent her time calming Melty down, telling her everything would be alright. Parts of the talk almost made it sound like she was going to die, which wasn't exactly far from the truth. She would die, just not this day. After thinking as calmly as he could, he decided he'd save that for after the queen returned. Once Mirellia heard everything Malty did, as well as Dante's push for death and realizing her own position politically, the queen would have little choice but to accept. Depending on what Dante learned, he might sell Malty off to King Faubrey.
"What a pleasure it is to see you again Lord Shield, yes sir." The annoying voice of the slave peddler broke Dante from his thoughts.
"Do you have a monopoly on slaves in the capital?" Dante asked as he stood.
"Far from it!" The slave peddler gave a quick tip of his hat. "I am merely a humble servant of Lord Shield. And, I had business near the castle, yes sir."
"Yes, fine." Dante saw two more employees of the slave peddler approach, along with Rifana and Reiko. "Get started."
"Of course, Lord Shield." The slave peddler gestured to one of his workers.
A crate was set down in front of Dante. Inside was a number of bottles and implements used in the slave business.
As that was being prepared, Dante looked to the royal sisters. "Melty."
At his call, the younger princess stood from her place a few feet from Malty. Raphtalia kept above the older princess the entire time, plus Atla and Fohl standing next to Melty kept her safe from any half-assed attack.
The three soon-to-be slave owners stood in front of the short slave peddler. The dish with the slave ink was prepared, as was his two workers.
"Now then, who will be making the contract?" The slave peddler asked.
"The three of us." Dante told him.
"For a new high grade slave seal, one person must be the owner first before others are added, yes sir." The slave peddler informed them.
"Me, then." Dante stepped forward, biting the end of his finger to draw blood.
"This isn't right…" Motoyasu murmured, though he made no move to stop it. He knew there was nothing he could do.
"Get her up." Dante said to the large tanuki woman as the slave peddler prepared the mixture.
Raphtalia replaced her hammer on her back. With both hands, she lifted Malty from under her arms and kept her in place. Dante watched as Malty made no other moves.
I do not like how easy this is…
Part of it was his concern of whatever it was Malty had planned, and part of it was him hoping for a fight.
The slave peddler came forward with a brush in hand and his workers behind him. Raphtalia leaned Malty down slightly, presenting her waiting chest. The two workers began chanting as the slave peddler painted the seal on her.
After about a minute, the process was complete. The seal on her chest glowed for a moment before disappearing. Dante opened his status to make the proper adjustments…
"She is not registered to me." Dante told the slave peddler.
"She's not?" The slave peddler looked between him and Malty. "How strange."
"Did she resist it somehow?" Dante asked.
"No, no, not possible." The slave peddler shook his head. "The only way for a slave seal to not take is—"
In the momentary distraction, Malty reached behind her and pulled a knife from Raphtalia's belt, her own weapon having already been taken from her. She quickly jump away from Raphtalia and pointed the knife around wildly. The slave peddler backed up rather fast.
"Myne!" Seeing that as his cue, Motoyasu readied his spear at Dante. "What's the plan?"
His other party members quickly got ready, as did Dante's. Elvira pulled out her new whip, letting it coil on the ground near her and looking to Dante for orders. The Shield Hero himself casually watched Malty, wondering how this could possibly work out for her. Melty was pulled behind Atla and Fohl, and every Vassal Hero Dante had, except Warbaldt, was right there.
In response to his question, Malty pointed her knife at Motoyasu.
"Myne?" Motoyasu stood dumbfounded as his companion held her knife in both hands, looking ready to charge at him. The look in her eyes was that of a cornered animal's.
"What are you planning?" Dante asked, taking a step forward. Malty turned the knife to him.
"What did you do to her!?" Motoyasu roared at him, keeping the spear tip facing Dante.
"Slave Peddler?" Dante looked to his side at the short demi-human.
"It was not us, Lord Shield." He quickly assured him. "This human is likely under—"
"Rah!" Malty swung her knife, grazing Motoyasu's hand closest to the spear's tip.
"Ow! Myne, what's wrong!?"
"Your girlfriend has gone crazy." Dante took another step forward, giving his knuckles a crack.
"Lord Shield, please restrain her! I know the issue!" The slave peddler went back to his crate and started rummaging around.
"I could, but…" Dante smirked.
With so many witnesses to this outburst, he could easily claim she was a danger to the people of the village. Since opportunity came knocking, why not take advantage of it?
"She has armed herself. Kill her quickly."
"Don't hurt her, Dante! Please!"
Dante heard Melty's voice at the same time he…thought to himself? It almost felt like he heard a second voice, but not quite. The words were so much like his own…
"Little Dante, your curse." Sadeena quickly reminded him.
"Fine." Dante shelved that thought for now. He could wait a little while longer before Malty got what was coming to her, and in a way that didn't agitate his curse. He did tell her he'd work on that, and making attacks was the opposite. "Everyone, back up!"
Dante's party did as he said, though Motoyasu's still looked ready for anything. That didn't, however, include one of their fellow party members swinging a knife around. Motoyasu kept trying to ease her down, to no discernable effect.
"Move." Dante stepped around Motoyasu, only for the knife to come stabbing toward him. Lifting up his arm, the knife barely pierced his skin and drew the smallest amount of blood. Malty's stats were no doubt good, but her choice of weapon was terrible.
Grabbing her weapon hand, Dante spun Malty around, forcing the knife out of her grasp. He held his arms under hers, placing his hands behind her head in a hold. She struggled, but his strength and defense couldn't be matched.
"Here it is, Lord Shield!" The slave peddler ran up, only to stop short with Malty kicking at him.
"Raphtalia, take it." Dante told the tanuki woman.
She took a vial from the slave peddler, uncorking it and coming close.
"Pour that over her chest." The slave peddler instructed.
"What'll that do?" Motoyasu forcefully asked, though Raphtalia had already started.
A soft hissing sound came off Malty's chest where the potion made contact. Purple smoke came up from it as she began to slow her movements. Once the smoke was completely gone, she stopped.
Still trying to figure out what all just happened, Dante let go of her. She took one unsteady step forward.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Free…" He heard her whisper.
"What?" Dante asked.
"I'm free…" Her whisper was barely any louder.
"Speak up." Dante placed a hand on her shoulder.
In response, Malty whirled around and lunged for him.
Instead of a spell or an attack, Dante found Malty's hands clinging to his tunic as she pressed her face into his chest.
"Thank you!" She sobbed out, actual tears streaming down her face. "Thank you so much!"
Dante couldn't move. The action happening to him defied all expectations. A look at Motoyasu told him the Spear Hero knew no more than he did.
All he wanted to do was throw Malty to the ground. This pitiful display unnerved him. Playing the victim was one of Malty's strongest moves. And yet…he found his arm slowly moving up.
He could barely believe it. Not in a thousand years did he think he would actually do something like this. After his hand came up, it slow moved back down and rested on Malty's shoulder.
No one said anything. Not Dante's party, not Motoyasu or his party, not any of the villagers who saw the whole thing. The only sound in the village was that of Malty's crying.
Eventually, Dante had enough of this heartfelt and gross moment. He pushed against Malty's shoulder, bringing her back up.
"I have questions." He told her.
Still sniveling, Malty nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"What is going on? Why are you like…this? And what was that potion?" Dante directed that last question to the slave peddler.
"It was a concoction to quickly remove high grade slave seals, yes sir." The slave peddler informed him.
"A slave seal…" Dante looked back at Malty. She had a hand on her chest and a soft smile on her face.
"Yes…" She said softly, looking up at him. "Sir Shield Hero, I have…so much I need to speak with you about. But, now isn't the time. We need to go to Melromarc's castle and save my father!"
"What?" Dante felt like he missed a large part of the conversation.
"Father!? What's happening to father!?" Melty cried out.
"Please, Sir Shield Hero, I'll explain everything once my father is safe!" Malty pleaded with him.
Dante grunted and crossed his arms. "I do not know why you think I would help you do anything, let alone save your father. And from what?"
"The church!" Malty yelled. "But, there isn't time!"
"Why should I help you?" He felt like he was just getting swept along in the conversation.
"I…" Malty stammered, eyes cast down as she thought of what to say.
This plan did seem like a good one, Dante admitted. For a quickly made plan, at least. Disorient him, confuse him with nonsense, and then try to bring him back to Melromarc.
Finding her answer, Malty looked Dante in his eyes. "Put the slave seal on me. You'll know I'm telling the truth then."
"That was already the plan." Dante waved the slave peddler forward. He and his men began again.
"Hey, you aren't—"
"Stop, Sir Motoyasu!" Malty held up her hand before the Spear Hero could object.
"But Myne…" He tried to argue, but Malty shook her head at him.
"We need Sir Shield Hero's help." She turned back to Dante. "Please, Sir Shield Hero, what can I promise you so you'll help save my father's life?"
Dante couldn't hold back his laugh. Aultcray's only value to him right now was his tactical mind, and that was far beyond reach at the moment.
"What can you offer?" Dante decided to play along, crossing his arms again.
"The Three Heroes Church is your enemy." Malty said. The slave peddler just finished applying the new seal and her stats appeared in his vision. "I will convince my father to…allow their extermination."
Dante gave a light chuckle at that. The slave seal was in effect, so he knew she meant it. Still, it felt like she was having him get rid of her enemies.
"There is a shadow that keeps close to my father. You could kill that one to start…"
It sounded like more of the same, but Dante actually considered it.
"If there are any resources you need that Siltvelt can't offer you, I'll be happy to arrange them."
There was little in that regard, but there was surely something he could get from the royal family that would be costly with Siltvelt.
"I'll make sure the crimes you were convicted of get repealed."
He thought he'd have to wait for Mirellia's return to take care of that, if he really cared to at all. This would speed things up.
"And I know you were looking for mercenaries to fight another country." Malty added. "I could help convince the other heroes to help you. Right, Sir Motoyasu?"
The hero in question looked between the two of them, thoroughly lost.
"I…guess I could help out…" Motoyasu eventually said, rubbing the back of his head.
That gave Dante pause to really consider her request.
"Please, Dante." Melty came up to him as well. "I don't know what's happening, but please save my father!"
Dante tilted his head from side to side. There was no love lost between him and the old man, but he didn't want Melty to lose her father at this point in her life. At least, not without good reason.
A quick glance to her guards added to that. Atla looked indifferent to the situation, but Fohl seemed conflicted. She probably didn't want to lose the chance to meet her uncle, despite what she's been told about him.
"What do you think, little Dante?" Sadeena moved up as well.
"I cannot shake the feeling this is some convoluted trap." Dante shrugged. "However, I do not think Motoyasu is clever enough to be a part of it."
"Hey!"
"I also like the idea of setting shadows on fire." Dante added on. They weren't Q'ten Lo shadows, but they'd do. "I am a little curious how this will play out."
If things got settled, he could also ask the other heroes what their power up methods were. He was still running with about half of theirs, and any more power he could get him and his family would be a great help in Q'ten Lo. That wasn't even mentioning possibly having four Holy Heroes and four Vassal Heroes there.
"Then…you'll help?" Malty asked, looking hopeful.
"Sure." Dante shrugged again. "You have piqued my interest. Betray me and your life is over."
"Thank you, Sir Shield Hero!" Malty gave him a quick bow.
"I'll be coming too~." Sadeena gave him a wink.
"You are not—"
"Little Dante." She give him a pointed look.
He scoffs and turns away. "Fine. But, you are not leaving my sight until all this gets sorted."
Dante's portal skill was just about off cooldown, so they could flee at a moment's notice. Plus, Malty basically said he could kill any Three Heroes Church members they came across. At least, that's what he interpreted.
"Gaelion!" He called out.
The large dragon looked over at them from the edge of the village.
"Allow the Spear Hero temporary use of his portal skill. We are going."
~The Wrong Hero~
Motoyasu's portal skill dropped them off on one of the balconies of the castle. Dante didn't look around much before JoJo burst through the door, carrying him, Sadeena, and Raphtalia, now in her demi-human form. Motoyasu and Malty came in right after on Fleonne, leading the way down the halls.
They couldn't bring too many people with Motoyasu's skill, and they didn't have time to convince the Spear Hero of the power up sharing, so they went with this smaller group.
The two mounted filolials sped down the halls, passing by numerous guards and servants. Malty called out again and again for everyone to move out of their way. Fortunately for the guards, they listened.
Around the last bend, they came up to the door to the throne room. Malty had informed them her father would be there holding court at this time of day. The guards at the door looked conflicted at seeing the older princess with the Shield Demon, but they didn't say anything. JoJo and Fleonne didn't give them the chance.
With a swift kick from each of them, the doors were thrown open.
The assembled nobles cried out in shock. Knights drew their swords and made ready to attack. Aultcray was about to yell out, but stopped himself.
"Malty?" Seeing one of his daughters overrode his hatred of the Shield Hero, if only temporarily. That was all the two preparing spellcasters needed.
"Zweite Revealing Light II!" Raphtalia let out her spell she had readied on the ride over. A large ball of light shone out in the room. It wasn't particularly bright, but it did show Dante where to aim his spell. The target was outside his Life Sense, since it was in the corner near the throne.
"Drifa Hellfire III!" From Dante's extended hand shot out a fast ball of fire. Before the revealed shadow could react, they were struck by the flames. They couldn't even put out the fire, since an XP notification told of their death. "Well, that was not unsatisfying."
Aultcray's head turned to the crumpled, dead shadow near him before facing the two groups again, standing from his throne. "What is the meaning of this!?"
"I just saved your life." Dante said with noticeable disdain as he climbed off of JoJo. Sadeena and Raphtalia did as well, the latter transforming once back on the ground.
"Shield Demon, you bastard! I'll—"
"Father!" Malty called out, stopping his tirade. "The Shield Hero just saved your life! Don't antagonize him anymore!"
Aultcray stood there, speechless. It wasn't surprising at all, since his beloved daughter just defended the man she claimed raped her. Though, he quickly found his voice, and it was full of anger.
"Shield! What did you do to my daughter!?" He pointed an accusatory finger at the man in question.
"We are off to a great start." Dante sarcastically commented. He saw Malty and Motoyasu dismount Fleonne.
"Father, I need to speak with you. Without the nobles present." She told him adamantly.
~The Wrong Hero~
It took a full five minutes for Malty to convince her father to have a discussion with Dante. All the while, the hero in question waited to the side, back leaning against the wall. Most of the nobles quickly dispersed, but a few hung back, along with all the knights that were in the room already. The armed men and women looked like they wanted to start something, but they must have heard what Dante did to the last group of knights in the throne room. No doubt it was exaggerated to paint him as some demonic force, since they stayed at least 10 feet away from him and his party.
It was interesting listening to Motoyasu trying to argue in favor of talking with Dante. Not because he made compelling points, but because he didn't seem to know what to say. For example, the first thing he brought up was the slave seal. That took up about half of the argument, not that Dante paid it much attention.
Once calmed down enough, Aultcray hesitantly dismissed the knights in the room. All that was left were the two partial parties and Aultcray. Dante switched to his Humming Shield for extra privacy.
The two parties stood before the throne.
"So." The king began through gritted teeth. "You have enslaved my oldest daughter, after having taken my youngest."
"Motoyasu struck first." Dante pointed out.
"Because you abducted Melty!" Aultcray slammed his fist on his throne's armrest.
"Melty came to me willingly."
"You attacked my castle!"
"I was invited, if you recall."
"Bastard!"
"Enough!" Malty stepped in between the two, holding up a hand to each of them.
Aultcray continued to scowl, but Dante was indifferent. He was still waiting to see what Malty was planning.
With a moment of peace, Malty rubbed her head in exacerbation. Things clearly weren't going how she wanted them to.
"Father." She turned to the old man. "I'm going to say the truth about what's been going on in our country. Please don't interrupt and listen until the end."
"Malty, dear, I can't believe anything you say." Aultcray said sympathetically, before letting another scowl form on his face. "The Shield Demon could be forcing you to tell me anything."
"When I'm done," she continued, turning to Dante, "I can get the slave seal removed? So my father will believe what I told him?" She phrased that more as a question.
"If I am satisfied by what I hear." Dante nodded.
Besides, if this was some sort of trick and they all teleported out, Dante could always slaughter everyone in the castle. Not that Motoyasu would have his portal skill off cooldown anytime soon. Though, Dante and Raphtalia's both were, so they could easily escape, after killing anyone preventing portal skills, of course.
That seemed to be enough for Malty, earning a light nod from her. Aultcray didn't look convinced, but a look from his daughter kept back any objections.
"Now then." Malty moved to the side, turning so all could clearly see her. "Since this is to first convince Sir Shield Hero, please ask me anything. I am already bound to tell you the truth." She had her arms down with her hands folded together, a somewhat regal air about her.
"Very well." Dante figured he'd start with the first issue with her. "Did I rape you?"
"No." She responded without hesitation.
"Did I even try?"
"No."
Dante cast a glance at Aultcray. The king didn't look to believe what was said, but he paid attention nonetheless.
"Why did you say I did?"
"I was forced to by the Three Heroes Church. They put a slave seal on me and threatened my father's life if I tried to disobey."
That was what Dante was starting to think, given the context of the situation. At least, he thought she would try to blame them. Him knowing she was telling the truth changed the circumstances.
He came to the next interaction with her. "At the banquet after the first wave, I remember you spoke with the old man before I was challenged to a duel. What did you tell him?"
Malty's face stiffened. "I was ordered to start a conflict between you and my father."
Again, that seemed to line up with what was being revealed.
"But, I told my father to leave you alone instead. I said you missing your arm was punishment enough."
Dante raised his eyebrow. "You did? You disobeyed a command?"
Malty nodded. "I knew more conflict between you two would end up bringing more problems to Melromarc from other countries. And after the trouble I already caused you, I didn't want to hurt you more."
"How did you disobey?" Dante asked the more pressing question.
"There's…a salve that can disrupt high grade slave seals. It prevents new orders from being given, but it doesn't stop old ones or prevent the seal from being activated."
Dante thought for a moment. If that was the case, she'd be able to act like she's still loyal while subverting her master. If it was something secret and they didn't know about it, she only had to fear the seal's manual activation.
"Why did you not simply remove it?" He asked.
"One of my first orders was not to, and to tell no one about it." She said.
"How do I know you did not already use this salve on my seal?" He didn't think she had the time, but he had to be sure.
Malty pursed her lips. "Please give me an order, then."
"Kneel." He didn't even hesitate.
Malty continued to stand where she was. After a few seconds, her seal went off, causing her to cry out in pain. By the time Dante opened his status to switch off the command, she was already kneeling on the ground.
"Malty!" Aultcray yelled, glaring at Dante.
"She is fine." He could see her exact level, and he was pretty sure she was about as tough as Fohl was in the North Ferret Forest when he activated her slave seal. Maybe a bit less, since Fohl is one of the elite races.
"I'm…alright." She breathed out, slowly standing up again. "What else do you want to know, Sir Shield Hero?"
If he was being honest, there wasn't much left he wanted to ask. What she said before completely changed the circumstances of what he thought about her. Later things started to shift places, and his most recent thoughts were thrown out the window.
That didn't paint Aultcray in a better light. It meant he was the one to instigate, instead of Malty. If Dante had to guess, her asking Aultcray not to pick any fights was interpreted not as a warning to diplomatic relations, but because he thought his daughter was scared of her rapist. Maybe he already knew about the summoning issue with curses and was trying to trigger one in Dante.
Still, there was at least one thing he wanted to know.
"Did you put an assassination job on me?"
He thought back to his time during the activation event, and later in Faubrey's Dark Guild branch. There were three requests put in, and he believed she was one of them.
"…Yes." Malty lowered her head as she answered.
And now, confusion set in.
"Why?" He asked her.
"I knew the church was going to keep coming for you however they could until they eventually killed you. When I heard you were traveling to Faubrey, I sent a spy loyal to me to put in the order at the Dark Guild there, disguised as a Three Heroes priest. I was hoping you would survive, return, and kill my…owner." She actually bowed to Dante before she next spoke. "I didn't know what else to do and I was scared. Please forgive me."
Dante wanted to be angrier, but he could see himself doing something similar if he was in her position. A death curse wasn't something to brush off. Instead, he was angrier about slowly losing a target for his wrath.
"I am having trouble understanding." Dante said. "If you are claiming you did these things to protect your life, your father, and your country—a fact I seem to have little choice but to accept—then why are you not the first heir to the throne?" He directed that as much to Aultcray as he did Malty.
Aultcray answered first. "That is between my wife and my daughter. While I don't understand it, I accepted Malty's choice."
Despite the different circumstances, Mirellia's motives were still unclear to her husband.
"Malty?" Dante turned to the only other person who would know.
She fidgeted in place, rubbing her wrist. "I…may I tell you privately?"
"Hm…"
Dante walked toward her. Aultcray sent a fresh glare at Dante's approach to his daughter. Once next to her, he leaned forward slightly, tilting his ear to her lips. In a soft whisper, one that even Raphtalia and Sadeena would be hard-pressed to hear, she explained her mother's reasons. As she went on, Dante's eyes slowly widened.
"Oh, wow. Yeah…that would do it." Dante straightened out, looking Malty in the eye.
"Please tell no one, Sir Shield Hero." She asked, the beginning of a blush on her face.
"That is fine." Dante walked back to his original spot.
That…is not what I was expecting.
After clearing his throat, Dante spoke again. "I am satisfied. We can remove the slave seal, if no one else has any questions."
No one did.
Aultcray had Motoyasu go to the door and call for a knight to bring some powerful slave seal remover. The moment he opened the door, dozens of knights were ready to charge in, but the Spear Hero kept them back. Dante lowered his Silence ability, allowing Aultcray to order them back out. It seemed he wanted to verify his daughter's statements more than he wanted to kill Dante at the moment. Or, he knew they would fail.
After only a few minutes of waiting, a knight returned with a vial. Motoyasu took it and closed the door again. He uncorked it and approached Malty.
"I have something to ask." Raphtalia stepped forward before Motoyasu reached her.
Malty shrunk back a little, but looked prepared to answer.
"You asked about Eclair at the wave, and again in the village. Why?"
"I didn't know what happened to her." Malty said. "The knight the church had me recommend bragged about Lady Eclair getting what she deserved, but that was months ago. My spies couldn't find her and I feared the worst. I was elated to know she was in the Shield Hero's party. I'm sorry she's no longer with us."
Raphtalia grunted and turned away. Sadeena raised her hand next.
"I have a question too~. What were you doing in Zeltoble?" She asked.
"We were looking for Sir Shield Hero to arrest him." Malty said. "We knew he had been there, Faubrey, and Othil, so the three heroes split up to search for any leads on where he might go outside of Siltvelt."
"I see." Sadeena glanced at Aultcray.
"No." Malty shook her head, reading Sadeena's thoughts. "My father didn't order the heroes to do that, and neither did the church. I did."
"Hmm~? But why? Little Melty said you told her little Dante would never hurt a child."
"I…" Malty wrapped her arms around her stomach. "I was scared. I told her that before so she wouldn't be afraid to speak with Sir Shield Hero, and maybe help you figure out what was going on. But, when I saw him at the wave…"
She clenched herself tightly, looking up at Dante.
"Your eyes. They reminded me of my father when my little brother was murdered. I was afraid…you would hurt her."
Dante felt his eye twitch. He wanted to be outraged that she thought he'd take his frustrations out on a child. Yet still, he could understand. Malty and Aultcray's actions against him could have easily sent someone down that path.
With no other questions being asked, Motoyasu poured the remover onto Malty's chest.
Dante felt a bit off. Such revelations should have made him feel more…well, more. It was surprising, to be sure, but he felt underwhelmed by it all. Perhaps it was Malty's relative insignificance at the moment. Q'ten Lo was still the much bigger issue, so that occupied his mind the most.
It also felt surreal to him, like this was all a dream. Malty Melromarc, Myne Sophia, Bitch, Whore, Witch, and whatever else she was known by. This woman, who was one of the biggest sociopaths he knew of, was not only trying to keep her family safe, but also apologized to him with sincerity.
Well, with all the other assholes I saw running around, I suppose her being good, or at least neutral, is not so crazy.
It was the only way he could rationalize it. Still, he would need to extract something from her for everything she helped put him through. And he needed to find a new outlet for his anger, since having her killed was off the table now. Luckily, the church just became a bigger target.
The slave seal appeared on her chest before being removed by the potion. At the same time, her listing was removed from Dante's status.
"Mama!" Fleonne called out as she ran up to Malty, transforming and clinging to her legs in her child form.
"Is it true, Myne?" Motoyasu was the first to ask. "All this time…Dante didn't do anything to you?" They didn't bother registering him as an owner, so he couldn't see the slave seal settings, let alone fully understand them.
"It's true." Malty confirmed before turning to Dante, then her father. "I can't apologize enough for everything that's happened." She lowered her head again.
"Malty…how can this be?" Aultcray stood from his throne and slowly walked down the short steps in front of it.
"It's true, Father. Please, just like Melty and Mother wanted, make peace with the Shield Hero." Malty looked back to Dante. "I hope I can earn your forgiveness someday."
That would be a tall order. If only Dante was targeted, he could brush it off more easily. But this conflict made targets out of his family. If things were different, Dio and Eclair might not have died. That thought angered him again, but he tried to push it down. Any number of things being different could have changed that, including himself.
"But, Malty…" Aultcray took her hands in his. "The night you came back to the castle…the doctors…"
"It was a lie, Father." Malty's face became sullen. "The Shield Hero isn't the one who raped me."
"What?" Dante perked up at her words. "What did you say?"
When she looked at him, he could see pain in her eyes. "That night…"
"This does not concern you, Shield Demon!" Aultcray snapped his head toward him.
"Dante, don't make her talk about it." Motoyasu said, far less hostile than Aultcray.
"Father, stop." Malty gave his hands a squeeze. "Sir Shield Hero deserves to know. He was framed for it."
"Malty, this thing killed many of my knights and committed countless crimes!" Aultcray argued. "I will not forgive this!"
"You tried to have him killed, Father!" Malty argued back. "Besides, the church has been spreading lies about him. How well do you truly know him?"
"I know enough! Being innocent of one crime does not excuse everything else he—"
"Enough!" Dante yelled, bringing the attention of the parent and child to him. "I am not here to speak about what I have done. Right now, I want to hear what your daughter has to say."
Whether or not he would be forgiven for the nobles and knights he killed was beside the point. He just wanted to confirm what he heard.
Malty nodded nervously before speaking, giving Fleonne's head a soft rub. "That night…the plan was to frame you for rape and have all your equipment and silver stolen. I met with a nun from the church to go over the next step. Then…she called in a knight loyal to the church. They said…to make it convincing…"
Tears started to pour from her eyes as she shook her head.
Dante thought back to the trial. Some knights brought in a bloody sheet as evidence of the crime. At the time, he simply dismissed it as a prop and possible cruelty of Malty, possibly having killed someone to bloody the sheet. Now, he knew better.
"You have your answer, Shield Demon, now leave her be!" Aultcray demanded.
"What happened to him?" Dante ignored the old man's order. "Did you have him killed?"
Malty held back a sob as she shook her head. "I was commanded not to tell anyone before I was able to disrupt my slave seal. It wasn't until a few days later that I got in contact with my spies. I had one search out the knight, but he couldn't find him. I don't know where the church is hiding him."
"Name him."
"What?" Malty looked at him with teary eyes.
"Name him, and I will kill him." Dante still had a few people on his list to kill. What was one more?
"You would do that?" Malty sighed. "No, I can't put that on you."
"You said the church is my enemy and I could kill them. This knight raped a woman just to get me convicted of a crime that normally has the death penalty. I want someone to kill, and this monster will serve, for now. Name him."
If the church was truly hiding him somewhere, Dante could justify marching right up to the building and killing anyone who got in his path. He would tear apart everyone there to get any information. It was as much an excuse as it was revenge, given what they did to Malty.
"I…don't know his name, Sir Shield Hero." Malty sadly said. "I only know what he looks like."
"I have worked with less. Raphtalia." Dante called to the tanuki woman. She knew what to do, pulling from her pack a notebook. It was the same one Dante wrote the descriptions of the knights who attacked Lurolona in.
Malty saw her come forward, ready to write. She swallowed before starting. "He…has black hair, a few inches long. Slightly taller than you, with wide shoulders. He might have been in his mid-twenties, maybe older. He was a patrolman around the city. And he has a scar above his right eye."
Dante listened intently as Raphtalia wrote it all down. "Anything else about him? Friends or associates?"
"My spy told me he was close a few of the knights you…killed here."
"Which knights?" Dante wanted all the information clarified.
"They were the ones your party killed."
"Hm?" Dante looked at the description Raphtalia wrote. Once she was finished, he took the book from her and started leafing through it. He skimmed over the pages they marked off for those particular knights, as well as those for the others.
If he was friends with them, maybe he was involved in Lurolona. Is he here somewhere? Was he the one found at the mines near Ronota? No, none of these descriptions match.
"Say, little Dante~." Sadeena leaned in between him and Raphtalia, with JoJo just behind her. "Doesn't he sound familiar~?"
"Now that you mention it, yes." Dante looked up from the book. "I can almost picture him in my mind."
"Maybe one of the guards at the gates?" Sadeena offered.
"I misspoke." Malty interrupted their musings. "He patrolled outside the walls of the city."
"Outside…" Dante murmured.
It took a moment, but both he and Sadeena realized something at once, turning to face each other.
"You don't think…" Sadeena pointed to his shield.
"Maybe." Dante nodded.
"What is it?" Raphtalia looked between the two of them.
Dante opened up his inventory and searched around. There was a lot of monster parts to go through, but he was able to find what he was looking for. Selecting it, he reached into his shield and pulled it out, letting it dangle in his outstretched hand.
"What is the meaning of this, Shield!?" Aultcray took a step back. "How many knights have you—"
"AH!" Malty screamed, pointing at the object in Dante's hand. "That's him!"
Dante used most of the remains he got from monsters, but he always kept some stored for later. Some parts he knew could be made into armor for his party, or used to improve it. Some would be absorbed by the other heroes with him and, eventually, the other Holy Heroes. And some he could use for intimidation or identification.
That was why, in Dante's hand was the dismembered head of a knight. He remembered this one. This was the knight he and Sadeena tortured for information about the knights who attacked Lurolona. After carving him up, Dante got three shield forms before absorbing the rest. He was glad he kept the head intact. Though it was decayed, the Shield preserved it enough for Malty to clearly be able to identify him.
"How…" Fresh tears started coming down Malty's face.
"He is the reason we knew who attacked Lurolona." Dante explained. "One of the first people I killed in this world. Or, rather, someone I helped kill."
Malty stared at the head in front of her. Motoyasu actually looked like he was about to throw up.
After wiping her eyes, Malty looked back at Dante. She had a hard look in her eyes. "How did he die? Was it painful?"
"We tortured him with water, making him feel as though he was drowning. Then, we drowned him and stabbed him in the throat." It didn't happen exactly like that, but it was close enough. "The coward sold out all his friends to try and save his own life. He also told us the church wanted me to kill you, likely so your father could execute me."
He didn't know when they told Aultcray about the weapon curses affecting the summoning, but it was probably before the first wave he fought in, or soon after.
"It is yours." Dante said, continuing to hold the head in his hand. "Perhaps you want to mount it on a spike, or smash it to pieces?"
Dante offered his suggestions, but Malty simply stepped forward, separating from Fleonne and moving away from Motoyasu and Aultcray.
"Myne?" Motoyasu reached out his hand, as if to grab her, but the attempt was halfhearted.
She reached out her hands, taking hold of the head. A small smile formed on her face before she whipped around and threw it at the nearby wall. It crunched as it made contact, the rotting flesh having weakened the bones. As it fell to the ground, Malty chanted out a spell.
"Drifa Hellfire!" The ball of fire sped from her outstretched hands and slammed into the head, incinerating it.
She stood there, breathing heavily. Slightly manic laughs escaped her lips. Even from the side, Dante could see the look of immense satisfaction on her face.
"Papa, is Mama okay?" Fleonne asked as she tugged on Motoyasu's pant leg.
Malty spun around and fell to the floor, grabbing Fleonne in a tight hug.
"Yes, sweetie." Malty rubbed her face against Fleonne's, tears coming out once again. "Mama feels great."
She looked up from her position at Dante, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Sir Shield Hero."
"Hm." Dante nodded at her.
It wasn't even an hour ago that hearing the yellow-winged filolial calling Motoyasu and Malty that angered him. Now, he didn't really feel anything at all.
Author's Notes:
Not gonna lie, I didn't really know how to do the fight well in the beginning. It was never going to last long and was always going to end about the same way, just wasn't sure who'd be threatening Malty.
For those of you waiting to see Malty get torn apart…yeah, sorry. I had this planned from the very beginning. Some people guessed Malty was actually good, so well done there.
Thinking about it, I do use a lot of dialogue and a lot of parts can't be gone through without it, at least not without sacrificing more than I want to. I still don't think I'll go over 100 chapters, but I still have a decent amount to go through. The "winding down" is more about not using some plot ideas I had, but still wrapping up what I have set up. There'll still be a few incidents, nothing to make the story super long. I think.