Naofumi Iwatani felt a tingle at the back of his skull, that small hint of dread that everything was going to come crashing down on him at any moment. Ever since he had come back in time, everything had gone relatively well due to his understanding of the world around him. He had avoided being branded a rapist and through this had managed to somehow convince the other Heroes to listen to him despite their delusions. Raphtalia had come back alongside him and had done something Naofumi had not even considered by saving her friends before they had reunited.
Yet despite all of these accomplishments, Naofumi still felt the pang of dread that reminded him that it could all be taken away in an instant.
The Shield Hero looked up at the massive stone castle just as nobles and aristocrats made their entrances. He had come to Melromarc Castle many times before; it was the first part of this world that he saw.
The ancient castle seemed to loom with malicious glee against the night. Meanwhile, the nobility walked in. Some cast glances at him, ranging from obvious worry to hidden disdain. Others bore familiar faces, people that Naofumi met later down the line, after Queen Mirellia purged her domain of the disloyal; they looked at him more curiously, as if waiting for something to happen.
Naofumi turned towards the girls to his side as they adjusted themselves.
Keel's expression contained a thinly veiled scorn for certain members of the upper nobility.
Rifana threw nervous glances towards Raphtalia, who held onto her hand as she walked beside her.
"There's just so many important people," the weasel girl said.
Naofumi nodded, understanding her concern. "Just stay close and no one will bother you. They'll focus on me first."
"What if Lord Rabier shows up?" Keel muttered, her tone icy.
Rifana quieted down, a certain nervousness in her expression.
Raphtalia stepped in, unafraid. "We didn't meet him here last time. We'll be safe."
Naofumi sincerely regretted he did not pay any attention to the goings on of the feast during the first time. The only reason he went was that he needed the money. He had been so angry and frustrated at the hand he had been dealt, that the game was rigged from the start. He did not realize the full extent of the schemes and plots right beside him. Trusting Raphtalia's better memory here, he nodded. "If anything happens, I'll be the one to handle it."
Keel nodded, a clear vindictiveness in her eyes. She most likely wanted to get back at the man who wronged her friends and arguably let Rifana die in a different timeline. "Fine," she said eventually.
Deeming the situation resolved and that there was no point in delaying any further, the Shield Hero walked up to the castle's doors, his party right behind him.
At the entrance, a few men stood in front of him, as a greeter announced their names to the public.
Now it was his turn, the greeter, a young man who was not all too much older than Naofumi himself, gave him a nervous glance as he looked through the list. "Uh…" he mumbled.
"Naofumi Iwatani, Shield Hero and company," Naofumi recommended.
The greeter nodded and then shouted to the room. "Sir Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero, and his sl-company!" he shouted.
The party seemed to take a slight pause as some of the nearby crowds gave glances at him, as if wondering who invited riff raff. Others gave him stoic and unreadable expressions, neither giving him scorn nor praise. Lastly, some greeted him with honeyed words, offering him polite, but likely feigned approval for his actions in the Wave. In short, Naofumi's reputation was in the middle, disliked but appreciated. No one seemed to outright hate him, at least in that moment.
The other guests then resumed what they were doing, deeming they had given the Shield Hero the attention he deserved.
The feast hall itself was a place Naofumi had rarely visited. The room was incredibly spacious with a ceiling that was far higher than anyone needed. The walls were covered in decorative paintings depicting the Royal family whilst banners and expensive drapery covered the few places in the walls not occupied by artworks. Food as far as the eye could see adorned every table, each morsel giving of an inviting scent.
"I can smell the food from here," Keel muttered under her breath.
Naofumi sniffed the air and felt his mouth water slightly. The food at the feast was definitely something he missed out on, on account of his anger… and Motoyasu. The idea of eating something not made by his hands and done by expensive chefs appealed to him.
Dozens of tables were spread out with food and drink.. There was no order to it, guests could take what they wanted when they wanted. Whether it was the sauted reptilian meat, an entire plate that Naofumi was sure was orange chicken or the fish roast the size of a walrus, there was much more than any of the guests or servants could have finished all at once.
"I don't trust most people here. Don't talk to anyone unless you have to," Naofumi ordered.
Keel grumbled something impolite but accepted this, especially after Rifana gave her friend a harsh look.
The four of them walked towards what appeared to be an available table, walking through the crowds. Gossip and chatter filled the room, some more interesting than others.
"It's such a shame Lute was the one that got swept up in the attack. If it was anywhere else, we could have invited those cooks to bring those delectable frogs in!" Was that the food inspector? Naofumi did not realize he wasimportant enough that he could get into this place.
But more important gossip caught the Shield Hero's attention.
"It appears Princess Melty might be showing up soon?"
"How soon? Do we know when? It would be quite awkward if she were to arrive here and now."
"I am not sure. The Queen may be displeased and may be sending the younger daughter to act on her behalf."
"That girl is too naive."
Naofumi wondered if this was some conversation he had heard about last time, but never paid attention to. Melty was… fine, if a bit of a brat. And she did care for Filo… Hopefully he'd see the two of them playing out in the grasslands soon enough.
"Iwatani!" A voice called out.
The Shield Hero turned and saw that Ren approached him, without his party.
"Hello, Ren," Naofumi gave a small nod. "You see Itsuki or Motoyasu yet?"
Ren shook his head. "Not yet. I came to you because I heard your name called. I merely wanted to extend a greeting."
Naofumi nodded, though he did not want to return the greeting. It might have been polite, but he was still bothered about how the Sword Hero viewed this world as a game. And from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one.
Rifana and Keel both gave him the stink eye.
Keel was the one to speak up. "We know what NPC's are."
Ren stared before regaining his composure. "What…"
"You called us that, remember?" Keel answered. "You said that we could take care of ourselves… because we were not real to you."
Ren just took a step back and turned a glance towards Naofumi. "Is this some kind of joke?"
Raphtalia turned to Keel. "Let's not cause a scene."
Naofumi blinked several times as he realized what was going on. This was pretty much the only time Keel had come face to face with Ren. "Keel, I know you don't like this and I know you don't like Ren, but this is not the time or place for it."
Keel stared hard at Naofumi.
The Shield Hero honestly considered activating the slave crest, not merely to bring the dog girl under control, but also to ensure she wouldn't do anything that would get herself killed.
Raphtalia grabbed Keel by the arm. "Come on, let's get some food, okay?"
"I'm starved," Keel muttered as she let Raphtalia take her.
Naofumi did not stop them, because as far as he was concerned, diffusing the situation was more important than protocol being upheld.
Ren looked at the two girls as they left. "What's the meaning of this? Did you set this up?"
"No," Naofumi answered. "I did not plan for that to happen. At all."
"Then why is an NPC… angry about that?" Ren just stared. "Did you edit Keel's script to make her speak a custom dialogue?"
"Can't you understand? You make it sound like we're actors or storybook characters!" Rifana spat out. "Keel's mad because you think we're not real!"
Naofumi could see the Sword Hero's face twist into something between a hard stare and a look of confusion. Then, Ren calmed down very quickly, too quickly. "Oh, I get it. Neural network chatbot thing to make dynamic dialogue trees." He laughed. "That's very neat.."
"What… what even is that?" Rifana said back.
Naofumi could feel a blood vessel about to burst in his skull. He barely understood Ren, but he knew for sure that he just dug up some futuristic technology that allowed him to rationalize the world as a video game. "Ren, I get that you're from a world more advanced than mine, but… really?"
Ren scoffed. "Don't act so heartbroken about it. Your obsession with proving a game as being real is unhealthy."
Naofumi stared really hard at his Shield. At this point, forcing Ren to come to terms with reality was a truly sisyphean effort if he automatically disbelieved even being confronted about it by a so-called NPC. "Ren, if this is a game, what happens when it ends?"
Ren blinked.
"All things come to an end, even MMO's. Servers shut down, the bosses are defeated, all the quests are finished. So what comes after all that?" Naofumi assumed for the most part, the video game business in Ren's world was mostly the same as it was in his world: a cutthroat race to score the most money from a limited pool of customers.
Ren gave a slight wince before he made his expression unreadable. Clearly there was something there that stung him.
Naofumi pressed on. "And then what happens to you?" The Shield Hero put an extra emphasis on that last word, one meant to highlight a simple, indelible truth that applied to every Hero but Naofumi: they were all dead. "In fact, why are you here instead of elsewhere?"
Ren seemed to process that for a good moment, his mind trying to come up with a solution to the question posed to him. Ren's own intelligence most likely allowed him to understand what Naofumi was implying. "I…but…" he seemed to struggle to come up with an answer, his mind locked in the stressful question.
Naofumi stared hard into the Sword Hero, hoping to get him to wake up to the reality of the situation.
But it was for naught.
"NOW PRESENTING, SIR ITSUKI THE BOW HERO!" the crier called out in front, in a voice more bombastic and uplifting than anything Naofumi had been given.
Ren snapped out of his daze and turned to Naofumi with a hard look. "I don't have to listen to this."
Naofumi frowned. It was worth a shot, but Ren was just as bullheaded as ever, it seemed. There was no point in continuing this endeavor. "And I don't have to keep butting heads with you."
Ren nodded and then turned his head away. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to go meet Itsuki. He actually understands my predicament."
Naofumi shook his head and took Rifana by the hand.
"He's… impossible," Rifana muttered, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "How can anyone be so … blind?"
"There was a time I thought he was the smart one." Naofumi gave an offhand comment.
Rifana groaned. "Let's just go find Keel and Raphtalia before anything else happens."
"Agreed," Naofumi replied.
But as the two went to search for their other party members, a noble stepped right in front of the Shield Hero. "Excuse me, Sir Naofumi, might I have your attention?"
"I don't…wait..." At first, Naofumi wanted to turn away, but then he recognized the individual when he noticed the tiny spectacles perched right atop his nose. "You're Lord Van Reichnott, aren't you?"
"Indeed, I am!" the noble gave a polite bow. "I'm surprised you know my name, but then again, the Court knows you to be very knowledgeable in both business and politics." He extended his hand.
Naofumi barely knew the man, but he knew the lord was trustworthy. He had personally stuck out his neck for him and Raphtalia when they were fugitives. Honestly, it was a surprise to meet the man so early. He returned the hand with a shake. "It's the area of study I took before becoming a Hero," Naofumi answered. "I made it a point to learn who the important nobles were when I arrived."
"My. I had not anticipated you put me in such high standing," the noble chuckled.
"You'd be surprised to know what I value," Naofumi replied bluntly.
"Indeed. I don't suppose you have the time to discuss matters in detail. I have quite a few things I seek to discuss with you."
Naofumi shrugged and turned a glance to Rifana who gave a nervous look to the man; she did not know Van Reichnott beyond him being a noble. "That depends, are you willing to allow this discussion to be listened to by demihumans? I need to regroup with my party just in case someone causes a scene."
The man shook his head. "Their race is irrelevant. They can be trustworthy or they can't. You trust your companions, therefore there shall be no problem." Good answer.
Naofumi beckoned the man to follow him.
Raphtalia did not like the fact she was the one who had to act, but Keel could have gotten in serious trouble for insulting a Hero. She did not have much positive to say about Ren as a person, but understood from Naofumi that it was very difficult to prove anything to Ren.
After all, if the characters in a storybook started talking to the reader, that was just part of the story. It was not supposed to be a real conversation with real people involved.
That did not make it feel any better though.
Once she had taken the dog girl far enough and away from the Sword Hero, she let go of Keel's hand and looked her in the eye. "Keel, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Keel responded, kicking an imaginary pile of dirt in the process. "I'm not hurt or anything."
Raphtalia pouted. "But something has been bothering you?"
"Nothing has!"
Raphtalia frowned. She had known her friend long enough to know something was off. She was afraid to speak up, yet if she didn't, maybe things would get worse. "Keel…"
"I'm perfectly healthy, Raphtalia! I'm not hurt or anything!" Keel defended herself.
Raphtalia took a chance. "But you've been… different, lately. You've been acting odd and you've been easily irritated about… something."
The dog girl looked away for a second before turning back to Raphtalia. "I guess I just haven't been sleeping well," Keel admitted, scratching the back of her ears. "But besides that, I'm fine!"
Raphtalia knew that wasn't the whole story. But if Keel was being honest, why wasn't she sleeping well? Was it because of their work schedule? Either way, if Keel did't want help, there was little she could do to force her on her own. "Well, if you need help sleeping or anything else, you can always ask me or Rifana for help. Even Master Naofumi, too."'
Kel grumbled. "Uh, thanks, I guess."
Wanting to give her friend something to cheer up about, Raphtalia took her by the hand and led her closer to one of the serving tables. She pointed at one of the dishes, specifically a gigantic monster fish. "That fish is bigger than I am. I bet it tastes good."
Keel's mouth watered and she licked her lips. "...It does look tasty with all of that seasoning."
"And then there's all those cuts of meat from different types of animals." Raphtalia gently nudged Keel to step forward, urging her to get close to the table with just the slightest of efforts.
Keel's eyes did not waver from the table, even as the two of them approached.
No one bothered them. Even back when Master Naofumi had been seen as a barely tolerated criminal, no one seemed to care about demihumans fetching food for themselves. Both because there was so much of it to go around and because there were some nobles that did have servants.
Raphtalia turned back from where they came. Master Naofumi had not come back yet. Hopefully, he would be here soon.
For now, she had a friend to cheer up.
Keel eagerly took a plate and filled it with as much as she could, stopping only when it was near overflowing. Raphtalia took a more modest selection of food, she knew she could always come back if she was still hungry.
Then, stepping away, Keel took the fried leg from some bird and tore a chunk off of it. "This stuff is good! Not as good as… Sir Naofumi's cooking, but it's still good."
Raphtalia smiled, noting the immediate change in her friend's demeanor. She took her own morsels and ate as well.
As Keel continued to eat the drumstick, getting messy crumbles and meat sauces over her face, her expression changed yet again, turning into a deep frown.
Raphtalia took notice, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, Raph, I…" he looked down, as if searching for the right words. "I think finding out I was a girl just… still bugs me. But it's not the whole… girl part that's my problem."
Raphtalia squinted, not getting it. So, Keel was still bothered about the fact she was girl, but not about being a girl itself? "Then, what is it?"
Keel turned away. "I…. I don't think I can talk to you about it."
Raphtalia stared, tilting her head. "Wait, why not?"
"I think Rifana would understand it more, maybe. I don't know," Keel seemed lost. She sighed. "I'm glad that you're here, willing to listen and all, but I don't think I can talk to you about it, not yet."
Raphtalia was about to reply, but out in the corner of her eye, she could see Naofumi and Rifana approaching, along with someone else, a young man that she had only met once or twice before.
"Please don't tell Sir Naofumi about this," Keel begged. "He can't know."
Raphtalia nodded. She knew that if this was going to be a problem, Master would force the issue, but hopefully she or Rifana could give Keel the help she deserved before Master had to get involved. She waved at her friends and their guests. "Master Naofumi, Rifana, and … Lord Reichnott?"
The noble gave a polite bow. "Greetings, Raphtalia, is it? Have we met before? You seemed to recognize me."
"We… uh… never met, I think," Raphtalia said, recalling just what exactly her knowledge of the young man was before she met Master Naofumi. "I just recognize you from somewhere, though I can't remember where."
"Maybe in a book or painting, then?" Lord Reichnott turned to Master Naofumi. "If you'd like, I can lend you a small private room. The matters I wish to discuss are of a sensitive sort."
Master Naofumi nodded in consent. "If you feel it best, we will trust you on this."
Keel mouthed to Raphtalia, "Is this guy, okay?"
"He's trustworthy, though I have no idea why he wants to talk to us. I just know he has close ties with the Queen." Actually, Raphtalia had a few guesses. Namely, maybe he was involved with a certain "Donut" being in the wrong place.
Nodding, Lord Reichnott took them to a small private room. All he had to do was speak to a servant and a room was simply available.
On the way over, Master Naofumi and Rifana grabbed a few plates laden with food.
The chamber was little more than a fancy lounge with a small collection of tables and comfy sofas.
Everyone took a seat on a nearby table, with Raphtalia by her Master's side and Van Reichnott opposite of him.
"Sir Naofumi, how informed are you on the matters pertaining to myself?" the Lord asked, adjusting his glasses as he did.
Master Naofumi turned a glance towards Raphtalia before answering. "I know you are close to the Queen and were political allies with Lord Seaetto before he was slain in battle."
Raphtalia gave a mournful look. She had seen the body of the former Lord with her own eyes, mangled and twisted as he felled the beast that destroyed the village. Though she had grown past it, both physically and mentally, that was not a stain that she could make light of. In fact, her two friends shuddered as well.
Lord Reichnott took note of this. "I…uh, is something wrong?"
"We saw Lord Seaetto's body, Lord Reichnott," Raphtalia recalled.
Rifana nodded. "He… fought valiantly."
Keel simply nodded.
Lord Reichnott shifted in his seat. "I admit that while I understood you to have originally been very young, I had not considered you three were from his territory until now."
"So, why come to us then? I take it you aren't here about a destroyed demihuman village given you didn't know my party members were from there," Master Naofumi asked directly.
"I merely wished to emphasize my connections to the Queen. I had not anticipated you'd be so familiar with events that happened before your arrival," Lord Reichnott answered.
Master Naofumi nodded. "The Queen wants the Waves dealt with with as little bloodshed as possible. That's why she originally went to that Summit before the Summoning, she wanted international cooperation with the nations of the world."
"That's correct. She had not anticipated that her own husband would listen to the Church of Three Heroes over her, but I understand that the King has… been blinded." The young Lord shook his head. "The Queen, through her agents, gave me orders to make my way to Lute with medical supplies and food. She told me that the Wave would strike near the castle and that it would be best if I arrived in the Capital despite the City being full of enemies."
Raphtalia gave him a hard look.
Master Naofumi was the one to ask, "You mean to tell us that the Queen knew about Lute being in danger?"
The young man nodded. "In fact, were it not for my duties and the limited forces I have, I would have aided you. But alas, we could not meet until now."
Raphtalia knew that the man was being honest; she had already seen his character. So, that raised a bunch of questions, especially since it made her wonder how exactly the Queen's agents knew so much. Then again, there were incidents that proved that there were oddities here. "Master Naofumi, remember Eclair?"
"Yeah." Master Naofumi narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about a certain pink haired nobleman's daughter being executed, would you?"
The young Lord smiled. "There aren't many people who can order the execution of a knight without the Queen's consent."
Raphtalia stared. When she had first came back with Master Naofumi, she had wondered just what it was she could have possibly done that led to Eclair's death. When she met Eclair again, dressed up in heavy armor and hiding in Itsuki's party as "Donut", it brought up questions on what she knew was real. Now, with this new information, it became clear: someone had convinced the Queen to both spirit Eclair away and to prepare for Lute's invasion. Someone who had also seen the future.
"I'd rather not talk too much about that. Regardless, I am to provide you aid while I can. Discreetly ideally, overtly if not," Van Reichnott replied.
Master Naofumi nodded his head as vocally started to list out possible options "Money is fine… materials are nice…" He shook his head. "How about information?"
"Information and knowledge is something I have an abundance of," the young Lord said.
"What is the political situation? I know something about Siltvelt, but what of the rest of the world?" Naofumi requested.
Raphtalia smirked. If there was something Master Naofumi did not know, he aimed to find out what it was.
Keel for some reason stared hard at him.
"Tensions are still high at Melromarc summoning all of the Hero without their consent, but this has largely calmed down as the Queen has argued that the Heroes, working together, would be able to better serve the world as a whole. Once the Heroes had gotten their bearings and grown in power, they would adventure to other lands, at any rate."
"Right, so instead of being accused of hoarding the Heroes, you're arguing that they'll be shared once they're strong enough," Master Naofumi commented, an astute observation.
"That's right." Van Reichnott replied. "Though, part of the reason why the other Nations have not decided to go to war to liberate the Heroes and shame the Crown is because they believe that doing so would be a long, drawn affair."
"That's… a bit hard to believe. I know that Melromarc is one of the Great Powers of the World, I don't know how powerful the other countries are, but just including Siltvelt, Shieldfreeden, and Faubrey and it's three against one."
"In terms of fighting strength, Melromarc and Siltvelt are on even footing. Shieldfreeden is a bit more complicated and Faubrey possesses a technological advantage over other countries. If it was purely due to military strength and the other nations were in agreement, Melromarc may have been dissolved by now," the Lord explained. "However, it is not because of sheer force of arms that the other nations are so hesitant. They instead fear King Aultcray's military accomplishments and acumen."
Master Naofumi froze and then turned to Raphtalia, before going to Keel, and then Rifana. "I… I find that hard to believe."
"King Aultcray is the reason Melromarc is an independent nation today instead of a subject under Siltvelt."
"I remember that!" Rifana spoke up. "King Aultcray fought… I think a Hakuko Lord. I don't remember the name."
"He bested and slew Tyran Ga Fayon, the leader of Siltvelt at the time using cunning, bravery, and his Seven Star Staff."
"Seven Star Staff?" Master Naofumi questioned.
"Yes. I take it you are not familiar based on your expression, but to make a long story short, the Seven Star Weapons are a series of seven Holy Weapons found in our world. Unlike the Four Cardinal Weapons, the Seven Star Weapons can select bearers from our world and are considerably less powerful and capable than the Four Holies." He frowned. "Each of the weapons is considered a divine instrument with a holy significance. Being selected or holding onto either a Seven Star Weapon or a Legendary Weapon is akin to being touched by the divine. For the Cardinal Heroes, general theology likens you to gods, while for the Seven Star Heroes, it is more like being a venerated saint."
"I never heard of such a thing," It was times like these that Raphtalia wished she paid more attention in her schooling. She wasn't perfect at school, but something like this told her she really should know about this sort of thing.
"I think I recall something like that, but I don't remember the details…" Rifana answered.
"Just know this then. In those days, King Aultcray, then just a general, wielded the Seven Star Staff and was dubbed the Staff Hero. His opponent, Tyran Fayon was the Claw Hero for he wielded the Seven Star Claw. In the end, King Aultcray proved victorious."
Raphtalia just blinked.
"I get that as a Hero, he must be very personally powerful, but I don't understand how one man, even as powerful as a Hero can stop a war, especially one that involves such an alliance."
"That's very simple. The Wisest King of the West has a reputation as being a brilliant strategist, able to divine the best course of action to counter nearly any stratagem." Van Reichnott chuckled. "Admittedly, it's somewhat exaggerated, but it also isn't not that far away from the truth. The King was very adept at tactics, strategy, and wargames. Even if other countries had a massive power advantage, it was well within the King's abilities to render their victory pyrrhic at best. And there was the chance he could very well win that war."
"I…I have a hard time believing that." Master Naofumi paused, clearly choosing his words carefully. "None of his actions have shown much wisdom, in my experience."
Raphtalia agreed. The man she met those months ago was a spiteful, hateful creature who had little in the way of forethought or reasoning.
Van Reichnott sighed, "The King is… not the same man he used to be. I was not born yet, but from what my parents told me, the Independence war and the fallout of years after changed him. And apparently, he's been on a downward spiral ever since his son was murdered by a prince of Siltvelt."
Raphtalia felt something in her stomach twist. "Is that why he… hates demihumans? Why he's willing to side with the Three Heroes Church?"
"Grief makes men do strange things," Van Reichnott agreed. "He hates Siltvelt with a burning passion, everything that relates to it, he sees it as a threat."
"And as Shield Hero, I'm basically a walking, talking symbol of Siltvelt," Master Naofumi groaned.
"He values his family more than anything in the world, Shield Hero, especially his children, remember that."
Van Reichnott then lifted his head. "I apologize, but I think I need to return to festivities as I do have other matters to attend to. I bid you a good night."
"Same to you," Master Naofumi replied.
The young Lord then stepped out of the room.
"I… did not expect that someone would tell me what makes the King tick like that," Master Naofumi commented.
"Yeah, you told me that the King was mostly a jerk who seemingly had no power of his own," Keel muttered.
"He basically never fought back against anyone, especially not the Queen. I just… never thought some would be suggesting that that man… is a caring father," Raphtalia remembered her own father pushing her off a cliff all to save her life. She could imagine the King doing the same for his own flesh and blood.
Master Naofumi shook his head. "It suddenly explains why the rape accusation was so effective on him. It wasn't just that I was the Shield Hero, I was Siltvelt once again taking away from his family. I hate that I'm the target of that rage and frustration. Can't he just get over it and not punish me?"
Raphtalia chuckled. "Master Naofumi, I wouldn't say that if I were you."
"Hey! When I punish people, I'm giving them exactly what they deserve!"
That drew some snickers from her friends.
Even Master Naofumi did not seem all that upset.
After the meeting with Van Reichnott, they were out of the private room right now and cavorted about the castle as the night went on without incident.
For Naofumi, learning about the King's reasons for being such a pompous tyrant did not justify any of his actions. All it merely did was lend context to why he was willing to listen to every word his daughter strung along or why he hated everything to do with the Shield Hero. Annoying context.
Still, it also made the Shield Hero rather uncomfortable, since learning about the King's losses reminded him of his own. After all, he nearly burned Raphtalia because he thought she had perished against that zombie dragon. What kind of depths would he sink to if given a nudge?
Naofumi tried to focus more on the food he ate.
Whether it was the flesh of a succulent pig monster, the snail soup that used its own shell as a serving pot, or the ribs off of some gigantic reptile, the Shield Hero found some comfort in the simple pleasure of eating. Some of the food was normal to him, but just as many dishes were things that had no equivalent to his homeworld. They provided a fertile ground in his mind for the future, whether it be new recipes to learn or new flavors he needed to experiment with.
Naofumi even took the time to try adding some of the entrees into his Shield, just to see what would happen, though nothing really stood out.
Kilosnail Slime Shield Unlocked
Salaguana Bone Shield Unlocked
Boar Shield Unlocked
About the only thing of note that increased was his cooking skill.
Keel side-eyed the nobles, but mostly kept to herself and ate.
Meanwhile Rifana paid attention to her surroundings. Occasionally, she spoke to Raphtalia and Keel.
Raphtalia in contrast, was focused entirely on him, a mix of worry and concern over her eyes.
"How are you feeling, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia spoke to him whilst he imbibed on some snail soup. "The feast seems rather quiet so far."
"I hope it stays that way. The only people that bothered us just wanted to congratulate us," the Shield Hero replied. It helped that the ones who were against him kept themselves away, glaring daggers at most. It was odd just how much easier not being falsely accused of a crime made life. Or maybe, it was simply the truth, and he simply felt it was odd because he had that stain on his reputation for so long.
"So that's where you've been!" a voice called out.
Naofumi turned and greeted the newcomer, or rather newcomers. "Itsuki…and Rishia," he said in a neutral tone, not expecting the latter.
"Fueh…" Rishia nervously whimpered. "Uh, greetings, Sir Shield Hero." While Itsuki was dressed in his usual outfit, Rishia had obtained a frilled dress, one with a green mantle and blue lining.
"Hello. Are your other companions around?" They were bereft of their other companions.
"I've been trying to look everywhere for you, after I met Ren," Itsuki flashed them a smile. "Welst and Rojeel are here, though we parted ways earlier in the feast. Donut…I don't know, but I think she's talking with the Knights."
He then turned his attention to the other members of Naofumi's group. "Your name was Keel, right?"
Keel gave him a stern look before nodding.
"Yes!" Itsuki visibly gave himself a pat on the back, as if knowing her name was some grand achievement. "And uh, you're Rifana and you're… Raphtalia?"
Both girls nodded.
"Yes!" Itsuki raised a fist.
"You're patting yourself on the back over that?" Naofumi questioned.
"I mean, if we're going to work together, I might as well know who I'm doing it with," Itsuki shrugged. "I'm taking what you said about learning more to heart. If I want to help slaves, I have to learn more about them and their situations. And that includes learning their names."
Naofumi stared. That was an unexpected twist; Itsuki actually was starting to think things through. "Knowing something's name is important." In fact, it almost made Naofumi wonder if he should put some effort into learning the names of other Heroes' companions; last time, he only really met them while they were enemies. They also had a few off chance run-ins at Cal Mira, but that was not enough time to familiarize himself with everyone since the names of Itsuki's other companions slipped his mind.
Itsuki smirked. "So, uh, there's a few things I want to ask you about."
Naofumi scanned his companions. None seemed to have a strong opinion one way or another. While Itsuki still harbored the sentiment that the world was still a game, unlike Ren, the Bow Hero did not directly insult them when they were at their weakest. "Go on."
"Okay, so Ren told me about what your companions said to him," Itsuki questioned. "Especially about uh… game mechanics."
Naofumi immediately regretted his decision as he felt the beginnings of a migraine developing. "Itsuki, what's the point of this?"
"Fueh…" Rishia whimpered.
"Calm down, Rishia. Naofumi just wants to know why I'm asking about this," the Bow Hero raised a hand towards her. "Okay, so… I don't understand… why did you tell the girls about that sort of stuff in the first place? Like, was it really important?"
Naofumi ground his teeth. "Ren called them NPCs. They wanted to know what it meant, because they knew Ren was basically name calling them but they did not know why."
For some reason, that caused Itsuki's jaw to clench. Naofumi knew he hit a nerve.
Both Rifana and Raphtalia gave firm nods to him.
Keel spoke up. "He said that we weren't even people. We thought he was talking about us being demihumans, but the actual reason… I just don't know what's worse."
"Right…" Itsuki shrugged. "So you taught them the whole NPC concept, just because Ren was being rude?"
"And video games in general," Rifana said.
"And his world," Raphtalia said. "It's… different from what we expected."
Itsuki stared. "What do you mean by that? And why would you do that?"
Because Naofumi had spent a whole lot of time thinking about how he wanted to approach a scared girl who deserved better than a slave driving tyrant who only really saw her as a means to an end. "I brought books, Itsuki. Books and electronics. I shared them because I thought it would help them understand where we came from better. You don't come from the same Japan as I do, but it's a whole different world compared to what they're used to."
"... What is the world of Heroes like?" Rishia spoke up, catching the attention of her Hero. "... I want to know… If it's not a problem, that is, Sir Itsuki."
"... It isn't, Rishia. I just… don't know how I could show you. I'm not the Mister Overprepared over here," Itsuki gave an awkward chuckle. "I don't know where to start, either."
"You could start with skyscrapers! They're the thing you'd notice immediately if you came into Sir Naofumi's world." Rifana said eagerly. "They're towers that poke above the clouds, so tall that it's like an entire castle on the inside.
"Oh, wow!" Rishia's eyes shone.
Naofumi eyed the girl closely, remembering how not too far from now, she nearly drowned herself out of a broken heart, all because she outshone the supposed Hero. He really did not like how she had this unwavering devotion to the Bow Hero, but at the very least, they seemed on better terms with each other than what he saw in Cal Mira.
"I could loan you a book or two; I have a history and a geography book. You'd have to read to her though since Japanese is not exactly an easy language to learn," Naofumi offered, mostly to see what he could get out of it in exchange.
"... I suppose I could give it a try," Itsuki shrugged. "It might be interesting to learn about how your world is different from mine." He shook his head.
"Also, about Rishia."
Naofumi cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"So, I'm trying to help her and I noticed her stats were absurdly low," Itsuki explained. "At first, I just thought she wasn't trained properly, but even with the work I and the others put in, she barely gained any stats. I have her training as a mage right now, because that way she can contribute even with low stats, but I… know something has to be up with her stat growths are so abysmally low across the board. Good game design means that there's a reason for that.."
Naofumi could relate. He tried trying to fix Rishia's stats, too, but nothing he tried worked. And Rishia didn't want to level reset because Itsuki chose her class up and she wanted to have something given to her from him. "Why are you bringing this up?"
"When you met her, you immediately offered her a place in your party." Itsuki answered. He then frowned. "I want to know why."
This was an odd turn. Itsuki wanted to improve Rishia's well being.
Rishia whimpered as everyone's eyes turned to look at her. "Fueh…fueh… uh, please look away."
Naofumi did not. Though Rishia didn't remember him, he still considered the girl a friend of sorts. Stats be damned, no one deserved abandonment like that. He just had to make sure the Bow Hero's head was screwed on right, first. "You sure? You're going to have to go through a lot of effort over a girl who might not be real."
"What?" Rishia stared.
"It's what NPC means," Naofumi explained. "To naive Heroes, you might as well be imaginary characters in a book."
Rishia gave Itsuki a confused look.
Raphtalia and Rifana gave the girl concerned looks whilst giving the Shield Hero a nervous stare. Keel stared at Itsuki, waiting for his reaction.
"Hey!" Itsuki snapped.
"I need to know your answer."
"Does it matter?" Itsuki said back.
Naofumi stared into Itsuki's eyes, trying to get a measure of the Bow Hero. "Are you going to tell me that it doesn't?" The Shield Hero had the monopoly on information and that meant he set the terms.
Itsuki's eyes furrowed as he understood the point. "What do you want?"
Naofumi took a deep breath and contained his frustration. He could probably force the issue if he really wanted to, but he saw little hope of changing his mind. "Treat her well, okay? Don't bully her."
Itsuki groaned. "... Fine, I'll… do not that!"
"Fueh," Rishia whimpered, looking her Hero in the eyes. "Thank you, Sir Itsuki."
Itsuki's expression brightened slightly.
Naofumi held down his anger and tried to shift the conversation to something more… reasonable. "Do you know anything about the King also being a Hero? Apparently, he wields what's called the Seven Star Staff."
"Never heard of it in Dimension Wave," Itsuki replied. "Why are you bringing it up?"
"Because it's another weapon like ours; it selects a wielder though not by summoning them. And I'm thinking it might have its own power up method," Naofumi replied. It was something he had no way to confirm since it was the only weapon of its type he knew about, but it seemed like something to think about. "I can't ask the King about it."
"But I can," Itsuki nodded, getting the idea. "So, instead of making me pay for it with coins, you're thinking of seeing if I can learn it from him."
"We'll share it with Motoyasu, and with Ren whenever he gets his head out of his ass," Naofumi replied. "Just don't say anything about me asking about it, or he won't tell you at all."
Itsuki shook his head; he did not like the idea. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. Come on, Rishia. "
"Yes, Sir Itsuki!" the girl said as the two walked off.
"I worry for her," Raphtalia spoke.
Naofumi nodded. Rishia was not someone he was close with, but she was at one point his responsibility. "Itsuki, I think will treat her better this time." He sighed. "At the very least, I can try to open his eyes a bit at a time."
The night passed without event.
Guests were already filing out, many of the nobles either exiting the castle or turning into the private rooms set aside for them.
Naofumi wanted to leave and put the original night's bad memories behind him. At the same time, he wanted to keep a close watch on anything that happened within Melromarc Castle. He hoped nothing would happen and they could leave without anything going wrong.
The Shield Hero stood at the edge of a window, his eyes turned slowly skyward to see the starry sky, unmarred by the light pollution of the modern world. It was a different pattern than what he recalled from back home.
Raphtalia stood behind him. "Are we leaving soon? Most of the people have already begun to leave." After all, none of them really wanted to stay.
Naofumi nodded as he continued to look up. "It almost feels too peaceful. I'm worried that I'm going to be hit with an unexpected crisis."
Raphtalia frowned. "What is it you're worried about the most?"
Naofumi did not have to think twice. He could trust Raphtalia. "I'm worried that someone's going to bring up those fake Shield Heroes and blame me for whatever havoc they cause. I think that's the most likely thing, but no one's approached me about it. Next, would be the Church making a move here, but as far as I know, they haven't done much."
Raphtalia frowned. "Hm, I overheard some nobles gossiping about that. Some of them sounded like they believed in the rumors, since they were wondering how you could stay in Lute while building a… monster army up north."
"Good to know." Naofumi then noticed his partner's eyes were not necessarily looking at him. He turned to glance and noticed her eyes staring through a window at what appeared to be a couple in the courtyard, a man and woman, around the same age as the two of them, holding hands while laughing and smiling, their voices bubbly as they gushed at one another. There was even a kiss.
Naofumi looked down and noticed Raphtlaia was actually quite close to him. Right, Raphtalia had a crush on him and she wanted to explore that. It did not necessarily bother him to think that Raphtalia really did… want him. It was unexpected, but not unwanted. After all, he did come back here, just for her.
He lowered his head slightly and planted a light kiss on her forehead.
Raphtalia's cheeks turned red and her face contorted in surprise.
"Did you dislike that?" he asked her directly, for a moment unsure if he did the right thing.
Raphtalia's expression turned into a small smile. "No." She brought herself close and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.. "I don't hate it," she whispered in his ears.
Naofumi nodded slowly and brought his own arms around her.
It was an unknowable amount of time before they spoke again. Raphtalia was the one to break the silence. "You know, you rarely talked about yourself before. I know now that some of it would be… hard to explain to us, but you never really said much about yourself." She drew herself away, breaking the hug, but still holding onto his hand. "For me, you know much about me, but I really didn't know that much about you. I didn't know you worked at a restaurant, for instance."
Naofumi nodded his head. "I…did not want you to miss me when I left to go back home."
Raphtalia held his hand a little tighter, a nervous tension in her voice. "So, why now? Why are you showing us now?"
"Because, you deserve to know and because I don't know if I'll be returning home."
Raphtalia opened her mouth to begin asking a followup question, but Rifana and Keel approached with an armored soldier looking at them.
"Sir Naofumi, this man says he wants to talk to you," Rifana asked.
Keel stared hard at him, his eyes glancing down towards Naofumi's hand holding on to Raphtalia's. How odd.
The Shield Hero turned to face the soldier, a man Naofumi did not recognize. "Do you need me for anything?"
The knight bowed. "Sir Hero, the King wants you to be present for the trial of Sir Motoyasu, because-"
Naofumi's blood froze, he raised his voice and cut off the guard. "What did Motoyasu do!?"
"He is being accused of the crime of raping the First Princess, threatening the First Princess with enslavery, and for the possible murder and enslavery of over twenty other women and..."
Naofumi's eyes widened. He ran past the man and dashed to the throne room.
In what felt like an eternity, the Shield Hero managed to navigate his way through the dwindling feast hall, passing through what few guests and party goers remained. Several nobles even gave him harsh glares and shouts as he ran past them. Naofumi didn't care about what they wanted. He'd push his way through if he had to.
Naofumi found himself in the throne room where a crowd gathered to observe the event. The doors were opened and the Shield Hero moved through them.
At the sidelines was a crowd of observers, a small legion of knights and soldiers standing between the spectators and those more directly involved. Itsuki and Ren were already there, standing before the King as he sat upon the throne with a burning hatred visible in his eyes. And most damning of all, a single broken man stood in the center, held down by cast iron chains and brutish men.
Bitch was pleading in front of her father, crying her eyes out for the benefit of her audience. "...And that was when he said he'd make us disappear, like so many of the others! I did not know where any of those girls went! I only thought they were scared off by all that bloody gore when we fought monsters, but now I'm scared to even think about it! And that's when he told us to get in bed with him and I…I…" Myne bent her knees and fell to the floor, crying all the more.
The King scowled at the man in chains before him. "And to think, I trusted you to keep her safe. I did not expect such a reprehensible monster from one of the Holy Heroes!"
Motoyasu did not answer. Instead, he threw up and hunched over, ill and sickened. He barely stood, the seven guards holding his chains not only restraining him, but keeping him standing.
"And to think we would have never known if it were not for him getting so drunk and careless. Thankfully, it means Myne is safe now," Itsuki commented, shaking his head. "What some people do with absolute power."
"This is… beneath me. I do not wish to be involved." Ren, standing next to him, crossed his arms and tensed, turning his gaze away from the Spear and Bow Heroes, only to meet eyes with the Shield's. The Sword Hero's eyes widened. "...Naofumi?"
Naofumi's heart pounded as his ears rang. Every poisoned word that that monster spoke burned in his heart and mind as he remembered the suffering he went through at her hands. Once again, she destroyed a man with her lies. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists.
Ÿ̴̖̲̺́̇̏͘͝ŏ̶̯͙͓̞̥͐̚ū̵̻̇͐͠ ̶̙̠̻͉̱́̀̀͌h̵̛̰̋͒̅̆ą̵̯̳̘̒̒̓̚͘t̵̨̛̯̱̝̀̒ͅe̴̖̲̤̾̊̈̏̇ ̸̬͖͓̓̇͐̂̀e̷͉͎̝͂̎̀v̷̨̯̜̇̆̌̀͝e̵͉̰͉͗̀̀̇ͅr̴̥͖͋y̷͙͙̬͓͊o̴̫͉͒n̵͇͓͕̙̲̈́͋͗͊e̸̟̳̗͌͗ͅ
All eyes turned to the Shield Hero as he walked into the Throne room, his boots clattering like peals of thunder.
Onlookers muttered and pointed at him. "Look at his Shield. Did it always look like that?""
"He's like a demon."
"Sir Naofumi?" the King cocked a glance, probably considering whether or not the Shield Hero was an accomplice.
His eyes fixed on the broken Hero who did not even speak. Rage burned inside his heart, Naofumi's words thundered. "WHAT. HAPPENED. HERE?"
Everyone in the room stared at him with empty eyes, like magic had turned them into statues.
Y̷̡̳͓̓ŏ̷͎̓̊͠ů̷̘̞̓͝ ̸͈̰̟͙͑̄ć̷̜͈̙̟̽͑ȁ̷̪̗͖̭͈̚n̸̲̭̈̚ͅ ̴̮̏b̸̧̙͍̃̅̾͛̕û̸̮͇̠̱̻r̶͈̈̊̉̈́n̴̢͕̿̂̄͐͐ ̷̼̦͕͈̃̓̚t̸̜̓̔͝h̸̭̖̎͂͘ę̸̼̭̪̿͌͝m̶̠͓̲͎͌̀́̚͝ ̶̛̞̯̿͆͂à̶̡̘̘͐̋l̸̖͉̳͎͌l̶̲̟̊̎͗͒͝
Myne was the first one to break the silence. "Oh, Sir Naofumi, I… I don't know if I can recount it yet a third time!" she cried in a tone that rang all sorts of alarm bells in the Shield Hero's mind.
"And I won't ask you to, my dear, I will do it for you," the King replied. His face… softened upon seeing the Shield Hero. "Sir Motoyasu, had arrived at the castle earlier this night. After drinking heavily, he invited my daughter to stay with her and she refused. He did not take it well and threatened to… disappear her as he had done to some many other girls."
Myne burst out crying more, covering her lies with false pleading.
Other girls in Motoyasu's party huddled around her, crying their eyes out as well.
"It's a tragedy," Itsuki said. "He turned out to be so rotten!"
Naofumi's eyes stared deep into Itsuki's.
The boy flinched and took a step back.
Naoumi stepped forward and approached the Bow Hero, one step at a time. The Shield Hero even told them that the Princess was a foe and he had the gall to still think of her as an innocent victim?
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia's voice froze him in his tracks. She let out a deep exhale and placed an arm around his. "I… I know you're angry, but please, please calm down."
Naofumi blinked, his rage stifled only for a moment. He looked down and noticed the Shield of Wrath on his arm.
How close was he from using it?
The Shield Hero tried to change out his Shield, but even though he tried the Shield of Wrath refused to let go of its hold. He couldn't break from his rage, not when he could see someone else endure what he had faced.
He turned his attention to Motoyasu and felt a cruel pang of sympathy. "What is the evidence?" he demanded.
Itsuki shook his head. "I already asked for that. They didn't have any,"
The King coughed. "Unfortunately, due to circumstances and timing of this, we did not have the time to do a proper investigation."
Naofumi's eyes narrowed, fixating onto the chained man who continued to throw up. "What does he have to say?"
Motoyasu looked at him weakly, his eyes quaking. "Nao.. fumi…" he said in a raspy tone, as though talking itself was a serious effort. Dehydration no doubt, perhaps related to the symptoms of a hangover.
The Shield Hero approached, staring deep into Motoyasu's eyes. He reeked of alcohol. "Get him water! Let him speak?"
The guards near him stared at him like frightened deer in the headlights.
"You heard him!" King Aultcray shouted. "I want to hear the criminal's words for myself, too!"
Seconds later, a guard brought a large mug full of water and poured it down the Spear Hero's throat. Motoyasu offered little resistance.
King Aultcray from his throne and eyed the Spear Hero in the eyes. "Now, what say you?"
Motoyasu rasped. "I… I…"
"Still can't speak? He must still be hung over."
Naofumi's gaze burned as he observed the King condemn another innocent man without such much as a proper investigation.
Motoyasu looked at the King with a pleading look.
The King looked down at Motoyasu.. "See that man over there?" he pointed to the Shield Hero. "He and I both understand how badly you've wronged my daughter!"
Shoving his way through, Naofumi stepped over to the enchained Spear Hero and brought his hands over him.
Naofumi looked at the man's weary eyes.
Motoyasu seemed lost, his gaze drifting towards Myne with hopelessness in his eyes. Though he was drunk and constantly vomiting, he was still conscious enough to know what exactly has happened. It felt like looking into the past.
This was not what the Shield Hero intended. There were times that he wished he could forcibly rip open the eyes of other Heroes so that they would see the world as it truly was. He may have felt that they needed to experience Hell on Earth, but not like this. Motoyasu did not deserve to be mocked in this way, reduced to nothing but a broken man.
Sure, Motoyasu was annoying with his fixation of Filo and he may have encouraged the Filolial Queen to kick him in the groin whenever they met, but not even the Motoyasu he originally knew deserved this.
Naofumi shook his head and brought his hands over to the Spear Hero's head and began an incantation. "As source of thy power, as Shield Hero. Decipher the laws of nature and heal my target. First Heal!"
From the gem of his Shield, a soft light engulfed them both. There was something… different about his spell, but he did not know what. A message appeared upon Naofumi's HUD, but he didn't care to read it. Motoyasu was more important.
The Spear Hero winced in pain and threw up bile and everything left within his stomach.
"You healed him?" The King questioned.
"So he can speak," Naofumi spat back. Admittedly, he had never used a healing spell to cure something like drunkenness before given that no one in his party drank much alcohol and he was immune to intoxication. Granted, unlike a video game where healing spells only healed hitpoints, reality was a bit more complicated.
"I… I… am innocent!" Motoyasu spat out.
"Liar!" Malty cried out. "You are a treacherous pig for what you've done."
Tears fell from Motoyasu's eyes. "Why are you doing this Myne? I thought we…"
"Because you're evil! You're a heartless, thieving monster who sold Rino into slavery!" Malty spat out as a matter of factly.
Naofumi's rage bubbled and burned even more as he stared between the two of them. How hard would it be to close the distance and end the threat of the Bitch once and for all? He had to lower his fist before he did anything rash.
Motoyasu's tears grew large and a river streamed over his face. "No… no…"
"How pathetic," Itsuki shook his head. "He thinks that just because he's crying we'd take pity on him."
And yet the other crier completely fooled Itsuki.
"You won't even accept the crimes you committed, did you?"
"I did not…rape Myne! And I did not sell any of my girls into slavery!"
"How could you?" Gasped one of the girls.
"It goes to show, he thinks of us as nothing more than property."
"His property. He can do anything he wants. Selling us, murdering us, or turning us into his favorite toy!" A golden haired woman next to Malty stated.
Motoyasu continued to bawl. "No… no… This has to be… has to be…"
A nightmare?
"Given you have already fought in defense of our country, I will allow you to keep whatever dignity and pride you have left. You will have your life, but from now on, you are forbidden from leaving the country without permission," the King said at last. "You are still needed, as much as it pains me so."
Motoyasu hung his head in shame.
Naofumi wanted to say something, to save his… his friend. But he knew that as the Shield Hero, whatever he did would be scrutinized, if it wasn't already. The only reason the King wasn't giving him the usual sneers was because his tone suited the popular opinion of the room. At the very least, Motoyasu was not getting killed.. That… gave him a few ideas, but nothing would be easy.
"Now get this garbage out of my sight so that he may never darken my halls again."
Motoyasu did not fight back, instead he was watching the crying girls as they patted themselves on the back for ruining a man's life. The Spear Hero was dragged away and thrown out of the palace like he was nothing more than garbage.
Ren tried to seem apathetic to the whole thing, but he was simply too stiff to say he was unaffected. But Itsuki, he looked like justice was served, his chest swelling with pride.
Raphtalia moved before him, her expression serious. "Are we going to do anything to help?" she asked.
Naofumi nodded back.
The Shield Hero could no longer linger there, his disgust reaching new heights.
He eyed Bitch as he walked out, the Red Princess crying tears over Itsuki's side.
One day, that woman was going to get what was coming to her and more.
And then he left to pick up the pieces of a broken man's heart.
This was hard to write, mostly because while I had been planning this for a while, the exact specifics on what happened were very intimidating.