Welp, here's your daily dose of cuteness and adoration.
Chapter Six: Smol and Stronk
The next three days passed like a dream for Raphtalia.
She spent a lot of time lying in Naofumi's bed, resting while the injuries on her back healed. The old man who'd treated her before visited once to make sure she was recovering well. He also gave her a tastier version of some medicine to take a sip of once in the morning; once after lunch, and once in the evening before she went to sleep. Her coughs hurt a lot less, and the meals she was eating were helping to give her some strength back.
Her life had taken a turn for the better… But the most shocking thing was how nice Naofumi and Mr. Bald Guy were toward her.
The next night after her life turned around, she woke up screaming from a nightmare. After a little freak out from Naofumi himself, who'd been sleeping in his nest of pillows near her bedside, he sat on the bed and patted the top of her head. Saying things like 'It's alright. You're safe now. Me and Mr. Bald Guy will protect you.' until she calmed down and fell asleep again. He'd done that for her several times during her nightmares. And then, during breakfast or dinner (since he was gone during lunch), he'd try all sorts of goofy things to get her to laugh and smile.
He was so nice and adorable... even if most of his goofy attempts failed.
Mr. Bald Guy, when he wasn't busy running his store, helped her to look less like a slave and more like a girl. He ran a bath for her and helped clean all the grime of slavery off her skin. He gave her a haircut (he joked that he used to be good at giving himself a haircut, back when he had any hair to cut) and some new clothes that fit her well. Naofumi cleaned the hair off the floor at Erhard's request, but she didn't see him throw it away.
Strange.
It was amazing… yet her heart still ached whenever she thought about the past.
She didn't know how to get over it…
On the third day, Raphtalia came down the stairs just as Erhard and Naofumi were about to leave. "Morning little lady, breakfast is waiting for you on the table," Erhard said with a smile.
"Oh…" Raphtalia looked surprised that the two weren't eating with her for once.
"We should be back later today. Do you think you could hold down the fort while we're-" Erhard was asking.
"Umm..! Can I come too?!"
Erhard looked surprised at Raphtalia's outburst. She covered her face in embarrassment. "I mean… um…" She suddenly looked unsure. Did she really want to go with them? Would it be a bad thing to spend some time alone in Erhard's blacksmith shop?
But they were so nice. And it was bad enough when Naofumi disappeared during the day. If they both left...
"Yeah, we should bring her with us, Mr. Bald Guy!" Naofumi perked up happily.
"But kid, she's just a kid!" Erhard said seriously.
"Duhhhh! That's why we should bring her along!" Naofumi said with an eye-roll. "That's why you're helping me to level up, right? Since I'm just a kid."
"No, I'm helping you level up because you're a Hero. And you need all the help you can get since you can't attack, Short Stack!" Erhard said, playfully jabbing a finger into Naofumi's chest.
"I'll get big one day!" Naofumi said angrily. He tried to get in the taller man's face, but the height difference was laughable. "And I'll punch a balloon so hard that it'll die in one hit!"
"Yeah, when I'm turning in my grave! Ha!" Erhard said with a belly-aching laugh at the end.
"Um… I don't need to go out today if it's too much trouble..." Raphtalia said, tail wagging low to the ground behind her in disappointment.
"No way! I don't mind you coming along Raphtalia!" Naofumi said happily.
Raphtalia perked up. "Really!?" Her tail started wagging fiercely high above the ground behind her.
Erhard thought to himself. "Fine, you can come along. But just in case." He went to another part of his shop. While he did that, Naofumi sent a party request to Raphtalia. She was at first surprised, and then smiled and accepted. She then giggled to herself when she saw Erhard on the party HUD labeled as 'Mr. Bald Guy.'
"Is that really his name?" She whispered to Naofumi.
"It's what I think his name should be," Naofumi whispered back, grinning like a little devil.
Raphtalia found it so cute she started giggling again.
Erhard looked around, pulling out a small leather chest plate and a dagger. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could find for a girl her size at level one. "Here. Try this on."
Erhard helped Raphtalia put the leather chest plate on. Unlike Naofumi's, it was almost a perfect fit for her. Naofumi looked jealously at her. She was just a girl, yet the armor looked so much cooler on her. Unlike him, who was stuck with his oversized football armor.
So uncool.
"What's this for?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Just in case you need to defend yourself. Don't stray too far from either of us." Erhard said seriously.
Raphtalia nodded, wondering what she was getting herself into. The three walked out of the shop.
Erhard locked the door behind him. "Alright, onto the fields-" Erhard turned to walk the usual direction and didn't see Naofumi and Raphtalia. He quickly turned around and saw them both walking the other direction. "COME ON KID! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO CORRECT YOU!?" Erhard said as he grabbed both by the collars and turned them around.
"Awwww, you're no fun, Mr. Bald Guy," Naofumi said with a pout. "I wanted to show Raphtalia the scenic route."
"Scenic route my-" He slapped his hand over his mouth before the cuss word came out. "Just don't leave my line of sight." He said with a grumble as he continued on. People on the street looked at him weirdly.
Naofumi and Raphtalia both giggled to themselves and followed behind Erhard.
Pop!
Another balloon popped beneath the might of Erhard's war hammer. He smirked to himself as Naofumi stared at him enviously. The first balloon he'd been fighting was still attached to his arm.
"Are you going to just stand there, or do you want me to kill that for you, Short Stack?" Erhard said good-humoredly. No matter how sharp the kid's tongue was, there was always one solid way he had of getting him back for all his little insults and jabs.
Naofumi humphed, and gave the red balloon another solid punch. "EAGLE PUNCH!" He imagined fire covering his hand as he punched it. But no such luck. A loud clang filled his ears instead. The HP bar didn't drop on the monster at all.
With a sigh, he held his arm out toward the blacksmith. "Yeah... go ahead," he muttered tiredly. Thirty minutes of punching, and nothing.
"Hmmm…" Erhard looked to Raphtalia, who stood nearby. Holding a dagger nervously while looking around. "Hey, little lady, do you feel like helping Short Stack here?"
"Eep!" She jumped. "Umm... do I have to?..." She asked nervously. Her tail wagging low to the ground in fear. She hadn't killed any monsters yet. But she was already at level 3 from the beginning monsters Erhard had killed on their way into the forest.
Erhard's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Thinking about it now. If the kid is gonna go out on his own, he'll need someone who can take care of the monsters for him.' He couldn't go out with him every day. And who knew what sort of sickos might try to attack a free demi-child in this country. He wanted her not only to recover but to be able to fend for herself too.
"Hey, brat!" He shouted as Naofumi had gotten distracted by something and started wandered away. Naofumi glanced in his direction. "Hold one of those things out so the little lady can stab it."
"I'm not a brat!" Naofumi childishly complained.
"Then stop acting like one and listen to your elders for once!"
Naofumi blew a raspberry at the blacksmith and jogged over to Raphtalia. He grabbed the red balloon attached to his arm and held it out to her. Its large eyes glared menacingly at the little Tanuki girl, and it snapped its jaws in her direction.
"EEP!" Raphtalia fell back. Looking very afraid of the monster.
"Hey, don't worry! It can't hurt you as long as I'm here!" Naofumi reassured with a smile.
Raphtalia still looked afraid. "Are… are you sure?" She asked quietly.
"Yep. I promise I won't allow it to hurt you." He said, smiling widely for her.
...
Raphtalia trembled as she got back up. Then, closing her eyes, she thrust the dagger forward.
"Hey, watch it!" Raphtalia opened her eyes, finding she'd accidentally missed the balloon. The blade was pressed against the back of one of his hands.
"AH!" She looked really scared as she pulled back. Bowing again and again in apology! "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" She said quickly. Very much afraid that she'd hurt the cute smol boy.
"Well… I'm not actually hurt." Naofumi said.
"... huh?" Raphtalia looked up. He was still holding the struggling balloon in his hands like it was nothing. And where she thought she'd stabbed him, there was no mark. Not even a papercut. "Huh?" She looked even more confused.
"See. There's nothing for you to be afraid of. I'm still holding onto it." Naofumi said, attempting to cheer her up with a smile. "It's going to take more than a surprise to get me to let go of this thing."
Raphtalia stared at first. Shocked at what she was seeing. Then, more determinedly, she grabbed the dagger off the ground. And thrust it into the still struggling balloon.
Pop!
The balloon popped on the first try. "See, I knew you could do it!" Naofumi said happily as the red balloon scraps fell all around Raphtalia like confetti.
She looked around in awe. Wondering if that had really happened. She'd never gained EXP on her own before, and it brought her a small measure of personal satisfaction. Raphtalia gripped the dagger tightly, however.
She wasn't used to killing. She'd seen it happen to so many people already, even people she knew and cared about. Although she still felt a small knot in her stomach at the thought of it, this was more like breaking a toy than hurting someone.
While she was thinking about it, another balloon flew out of a bush right for her head. "Whoa!" Naofumi reacted just in time, grabbing the balloon out of the air. "You have to pay attention out here! I know I don't get hurt by these things, but you might!"
Raphtalia eeped, and started bowing to Naofumi again and again in apology. However, she was greeted by a pleasant laugh and a head pat from the cute young boy. "Hey, it's fine. I just don't want to see my friend get hurt is all." He said assuredly.
Raphtalia looked at him again. Her eyes were wide with wonder. He held out the chomping balloon for her. "So, do you feel like taking these things out for me Raphtalia?" He asked.
…
Raphtalia didn't need to be told twice.
Pop!
Erhard smirked proudly. And crushed a Mush under his hammer. 'There we go, kid. Looks like you won't be out here by yourself any longer.' Done watching the two, the blacksmith got back to work searching for other monsters and herbs for the kid to collect.
They eventually returned to the city after a long day of grinding. Raphtalia, at level 6, was starting to feel more comfortable with attacking, as long as Naofumi held them down. And Naofumi had once more amassed a small fortune for the nice Apotheguy.
It was strange. She could feel herself getting stronger and faster as she gained levels, even though physically she was exactly the same. She'd heard others talk about leveling up before. But this felt… boosted somehow.
She looked up her stats on her own personal HUD. It wasn't near as fancy as the one Cardinal Heroes had. But everyone in the world had access to their personal Status Magic.
'I'm level six… but my stats are higher than normal!' A few friends had bragged about their stats in her village. And those who'd been level six hadn't been anywhere near as high as this!... was there something else at work here that she didn't know about?
Naofumi looked bored as he walked with his hands behind his head. "Ugh...what a long day." He groaned.
"Hey, kid, did you get any special drops from those monsters this time around?" Erhard asked.
"Hmmm…" Naofumi pulled up his HUD. Raphtalia looked at him curiously.
'Monster drops… does such a thing even exist?' She thought.
"Um. There's this." Naofumi put his hand into the gem, and then pulled out the weirdest shortsword he'd ever seen. It was made completely of balloon materials. And the edge was sharpened like a balloon's teeth.
In all honesty, it looked like a children's toy.
He held it for a few seconds. But as soon as he started wondering if he could use it to attack someone, his Shield gave him a shock. "Ow!" Naofumi dropped it right into Erhard's waiting hand. "Stupid Shield!"
It gave him an additional shock for that. As if to say; "How dare you brat! You don't know half the **** I deal with putting up with you!"
Erhard gave it a look over. "Kid, that Shield of yours is really something." He muttered.
It was a horrible weapon, but it could sell... Someone had to have a use for something like this.
"Oh yeah, there's also this." Naofumi pulled out a ball from his Shield. Raphtalia looked at the ball with wide eyes.
'BALL!' Her tail started wagging really fast behind her in excitement.
"A ball…?"
"Yeah, there were a lot of these today for some reason," Naofumi said curiously.
Erhard looked from the kid to Raphtalia. At the blacksmith's gaze, she looked scared. "Do you want the ball, little lady?" He asked.
"No, I didn't say that!" She said. Yet her tail still wagged behind her like a walking lie detector.
Erhard gave her a long silent stare. And then he started chuckling. "Shield Kid, if you don't give her the ball, I'll deck you into next week." He said jokingly.
"I'd like to see you try Mr. Bald Guy!" Naofumi said boldly.
"Just look at her! She totally wants to play with it!"
"I do not!" Raphtalia cried, tail still flicking behind her.
"Um, you do look like you want it," Naofumi said shyly. Holding the ball out to her. "It's okay if you want something."
Raphtalia's tail stopped wagging as she looked at Naofumi in confusion. Erhard chuckled again at the scene. "You've got to remember you're free now, little lady. Have a little fun for once in your life."
"Is… is that really okay?" She asked, hesitantly. It was heartbreaking that she had to ask. "Won't people be mad at you for being nice to...someone like me?" That was even more heartbreaking for the kind blacksmith to hear.
'What the hell was she going through before he found her?' Erhard thought somberly.
Naofumi smiled as bright as the evening sun in the face of her sadness. "Of course it's okay! And if people don't like it, that's too bad for them! We'll get to have lots of fun together without them!" He said happily. Giving the ball over to her.
…
She looked down at it in awe. Feeling the soft new leather under her hands for the first time. A wide, bright smile also broke out on her face. And she started bouncing it against the ground of the street. "Yay! Thank you Naofumi!" She said happily.
Erhard smiled at the two before rustling the boy's hair. The little kid was still capable of surprising him. In a good way, of course. "How about you two go play with that for a while? I'll go whip up something for dinner after I sell everything."
Naofumi smiled brightly at the thought of playing with Raphtalia. "Okay, let's go Raphtalia!" Naofumi started running down the street in the direction of the castle.
"O-okay!" Raphtalia followed behind cute little ball in hand. Like the little cutie she was.
It took about ten minutes, but soon, Raphtalia found herself staring in awe at the castle walls around them. They were near a large building in the midst of the most beautiful garden she'd ever seen. 'Wooooooow!' Everything looked so new. And so pretty!
"Come on! Throw the ball over here!" Naofumi said, waving his arms in the air. It looked like he wanted to play catch. Just like some of the other kids from her village that she'd watched.
Raphtalia tried to gently pass the ball to him. Unsure about the correct way to throw it. She'd preferred watching instead of playing before. But it went soaring over Naofumi's head. Much farther than she had intended it.
She was so stronk now! She hadn't realized how much her STR stat had increased before now! "Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She squeaked out in embarrassment.
"Hahaha!" Naofumi ran off after the ball. He was faster than before thanks to his AGI stat, allowing him to chase the ball down before it rolled too far. "You're doing great!" He picked it up and threw the ball back towards her. He, apparently, wasn't used to his higher STR stat either, as the ball flew high over Raphtalia's head. "Oops." Now it was Naofumi's turn to be embarrassed. He was a smol stronk kid too now.
Raphtalia couldn't resist giggling at him and ran after the ball herself. It took her longer because of her lower level, but she managed to grab it where it rested beside the large building. They went back and forth for a little while. And during that time, Raphtalia actually felt... happy… but as she walked back toward him the fifth time to throw it, she looked down in sadness.
"Hey..." She said. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure! What's up?"
She swallowed nervously. "Why ... Why were you and Mr. Bald Guy out killing… monsters?" She asked. It seemed like a good place as any to start to her. She'd been so scared, yet they were both so brave.
"Because I have to get stronger," Naofumi answered happily. "I mean, I didn't want to really do it at first because I thought a balloon would make a good pet. But then the whole 'chewing on my arm' thing got old pretty quickly." Naofumi said boredly.
It was shocking to think that Naofumi wanted to even keep one of those little things as a pet! "But why do you have to get strong?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Because I'm a hero! The Shield Hero!" Naofumi said excitedly. "I have to get strong so I can protect others and save the world!" He said happily.
...
Raphtalia froze in shock, staring at Naofumi as if he'd grown a second head. It was the first time she'd heard that title in reference to him. 'T-The, the Shield HERO!?'
This cute little boy was the Hero her parents had always told her about!? And he was a kid, just like her!?
"D-did you say you were the Shield Hero!?" Raphtalia's eyes lit up and her tail flicked behind her excitedly. "The one from all the stories!?... But you're my age!"
"Wait, there's stories about me?" Naofumi asked excitedly. Not having heard the rest of the second part of what she said. "Sweet! I want to know all of them!"
She explained that the Shield Hero was always a friend of demi-humans and that he saved them by making a whole country of demi-humans. Raphtalia had never been there herself, but she remembered stories from her parents that said the Shield Hero was an incredible person that was worthy of the utmost respect.
"Well, I don't think I'm anywhere near there yet," Naofumi said shyly. "But maybe one day!" He said excitedly.
Raphtalia stared at him. Ball still in hand. She rolled it across to him. "Do you… do you not mind someone like me helping you, Sir Shield Hero?" She shyly asked, tail flicking behind her.
"Why are you calling me that all of a sudden? My name's Naofumi, not Sir Shield Hero." He said, kicking the ball around himself.
Raphtalia looked embarrassed at that. "I'm sorry! I'm used to thinking of the Shield Hero as the Shield Hero!"
"Well, Shield Hero is what strangers can call me. But since you're my friend... I'd be really happy if you called me Naofumi instead of Short Stack." He said shyly.
At the nickname, Raphtalia giggled to herself again. The Shield Hero was her age, cute, and funny.
Rifana would have really loved to meet him.
"But… are you really okay with someone like me helping you, Sir-, I mean, Naofumi?" She whispered to herself.
She was a little girl. Broken by her previous master and the experiences beforehand. What use could she be to him? One of the great Cardinal Heroes of Legend?
"Anyway, what do you want to do?" Naofumi asked, not having heard her.
"Huh?" She asked, ears twitching attentively. "What do you mean?"
"I mean what do you want to do when you grow up? I'm going to be off saving the world and everything so I can get back to my mom before she panics. But what about you?" He asked curiously. Kicking the ball to her.
She caught the ball. "I… I don't know." She admitted. Feeling that pit of sadness in herself again.
She'd already lost her village, her family, and her friends. Did she have anything left to grow up for?
Naofumi frowned as he noticed that her eyes had lost the light that they usually held. 'That's right...she said she didn't have any family left...' He remembered what she'd said a few days ago. He remembered the times at night when she cried out for her mommy and daddy. It was strange how his memory could fail him at times, yet now he could recall those things about her so clearly. Maybe this was why his memory was bad a lot of the time. He reserved his best memory space for those he really cared about.
He thought to himself for a moment, before an idea came to mind. "Hey! Why don't you come with me then?" he offered with a bright smile.
"... Huh?"
"After I'm done saving the world! How about you come home with me! My mom would probably love you!" Raphtalia stared at him in confusion and shock. "My dad can be a little mean but he isn't around much, but my little bro would love someone like you to play with! And my mom always said she wanted a daughter!"
Raphtalia stared at him with mouth agape as he rambled on. 'He...he's willing to take me in?... As part of his own family?...' She thought in awe. 'It sounds like it could be fun, and mommy and daddy always told me to follow my heart...'
The cute adorable kid in front of her suddenly looked shy. "I mean, that is, if you'd want to come with me. It's not like I'm trying to force you or anything! You're just really nice, and your ears are adorable. And, um, I'd feel bad if I had to leave you behind with Mr. Bald Guy since...you know..." He trailed off meaningfully. He didn't want to bring up the fact that her only family was gone, but she knew what he meant.
She wasn't sure what her heart was telling her, but she started to smile brightly. She grabbed Naofumi's hand when he'd finished rambling and put it on top of her head.
"Eh?" He made a noise of confusion. But when he noticed her smile and how much she loved the petting, he smiled back and rubbed her head more. Fluffing around her ears a little bit. Her tail swished back and forth behind her happily.
"I guess that's a little far out to worry about, eh?" Naofumi asked happily. "For now, how about we focus on playing and getting stronger together!"
"Mmmmm…" Raphtalia purred in delight when he fluffed her ears. He was gentle and cautious, and for some reason, it felt sooooo gooooooooood.
She'd do anything for him if he only did that for her.
Maybe the Shield Hero amassed his army through headpats?
She'd believe it. It was working on her just fine.
Soon, they were back to playing with the ball. And Raphtalia didn't frown once during the entirety of their playtime.
Towards the end, a King talking with his advisors happened to glance out of his window boredly. They'd been going on and on about the problem of getting Knights to the site of the Wave of Catastrophe. The last one had been in Seaetto, it had taken the knights far too long to arrive in a sufficient manner to help out before the region was completely destroyed (at least they thought the whole region had been destroyed only by the Wave), and they had no idea where the next one would be. But the discussion got nowhere from there. They talked about the problem again and again from different angles. But no one was offering a solution.
It was so repetitive at this point. The only thing that could possibly be more boring would be to listen to side characters who felt the need to describe exactly what an ability is and how it works. Every, single, little, fight scene… THROUGHOUT THE DAMN ANIME!
Yes. The King was indeed utterly bored out of his mind…
"-if the Wave strikes outside of the city, how will the knights be assigned?" An advisor said. The king wasn't paying attention, too busy admiring the view from the window beside him.
"Your Majesty?" The man asked. "Are you well? You seem distracted."
Aultcray hummed in thought. 'Who's the demi-human kid he has with him? She doesn't look like a slave, and they're just out there having fun without a care in the world. As if the world isn't on the brink of destruction every other month.'
He really wished he could do something like that with his daughters now.
"Sir?"
"Hmm?" The king finally turned back to his new advisor. The last one had been properly dealt with in Siltvelt. And the relations between the two countries had become much more amicable because of the… gift of handing over a corrupt official that plotted against their beloved God after he was summoned. "My apologies. My mind has been drifting as of late. Could you say that one more time?" He asked, turning away from the window.
"How will we assign the knights to deal with the next Wave of Catastrophe?"
"I don't know." The King admitted. "That's what I have all of you here for. Is it smarter to have the knights near the heroes to aid them, or away from the heroes to protect the citizens?... Hmm..."
"... Sire. We're wondering how we'd even get the knights to the site of the catastrophe, to begin with. We could talk about aiding the Heroes or protecting the civilians after we figure that out-"
Nope. It was boring repetitive talk as usual. So the King went back to looking out the window again. The advisors sighed but began discussing with each other again.
The two had been in the middle of seeing who could throw the ball the farthest. The demi-child really chucked the ball. But this time, it flew and bounced farther and farther out of the garden. Out onto the road leading away from the Capital. And right into the back of a passing caravan being pushed by a cabbage vendor.
'Hmmm?' He watched as Naofumi and this girl ran out of the Royal Garden. They stopped the man pushing the caravan along and pointed out the ball. Yet the man was making no moves to look and grab it for the two kids.
'Hm?' As he watched the scene unfold, he saw the vendor yelling something at the two kids. He couldn't make out what it was, but the children were clearly panicking.
As soon as the cabbage vendor raised his fist aggressively, Aultcray saw red.
'Oh hell no. Not on my watch.''
Aultcray stood from his seat and marched out of the room.
"Your Majesty!? Where are you going!?" The new head advisor exclaimed fearfully.
Aultcray didn't answer. He frowned deeply as he walked through the halls of the castle quickly. 'That pathetic little man dares to threaten young Naofumi?!' He marched out the front doors, and down the road towards the cabbage vendor. He was definitely yelling at the two kids, who looked scared. Oh, he was so going to get a taste of his wrath.
"If you lay even one finger on my cabbages, then I swear to my God that I'll make sure you're arrested! Especially you, you dirty little Shield De-"
Aultcray raised a hand. "Zweite Air Shot!" He commanded.
A blast of air in the shape of a ball slammed into the carriage faster than the eye could follow, nearly knocking it over on its side. Cabbages went flying everywhere. Including the ball.
"MY CABBAGES!" The cabbage vendor turned around in horror.
"What is the meaning of this commotion!?" Aultcray boomed. "What could these children possibly have done for you to threaten them in such a manner!?"
"Mr. Aultcray!" Naofumi exclaimed in surprise. "We were just playing with our ball and accidentally threw it too hard! We gained a bunch of levels with Mr. Bald Guy and we're super strong now, so we're not used to it yet!"
"I see. And you're using this as an opportunity to get acquainted with your newfound strength? Quite an industrious boy, aren't you young Naofumi?" The king said with a smile.
The cabbage vendor, who was in the middle of gathering his cabbages, finally realized who the kid he'd been yelling at before was talking to. "Ah, your Majesty!" He bowed deeply. "Thank goodness you're here! These devils are trying to steal my cabbages!" He said angrily. "I can see the hunger in their little eyes! They wanted them, especially that little devil girl there-"
"SILENCE!" Aultcray's voice boomed, silencing the cabbage vendor with an 'EEP!'. "You're lucky I don't execute you on the spot! Do you even know who this is!?" He said, pointing at Naofumi who glanced between the two adults repeatedly. Raphtalia hid fearfully behind him.
The poor guy looked like he'd pissed his pants. "U-um uhh, uh… no?" He quietly offered as a white lie.
He could recognize the Shield Demon. But he didn't recognize the little girl. He could have sworn the King didn't like either of them.
…
"BEGONE THIS INSTANT! BEFORE I DECIDE TO HAVE YOU EXECUTED FOR DISTURBING THE PEACE!"
"EEP! R-right away, Your Majesty! Stay out of trouble, you dev- I mean, kids!" The cabbage merchant quickly grabbed his small carriage and sprinted away as fast as he could. Some cabbages flew out the back. Nope, he'd been lied to. The King definitely cared about the Shield Hero and demi-humans.
When he was farther away, Naofumi almost thought he yelled something about this place being worse than Ba Sing Se or something like that.
What a weird name. It sounded oddly familiar, though. Kind of Chinese...
"I'm sorry, young Naofumi. Some people don't understand how to deal with children properly." Aultcray said with a sigh. It sounded like the vendor had also called Naofumi a devil.
Now that just wouldn't do. If he ever saw him again, Siltvelt would be gaining another gift.
"No worries. Thanks for your help Mr. Aultcray!"
"It is my pleasure young Naofumi... Now then, do you mind introducing me to your new friend here?" He politely asked, looking down at Raphtalia.
Raphtalia hid behind Naofumi's back again, tail puffed in fear and ears flattened against her head. "This is my awesome friend!" He said happily. "Don't be scared, Raphtalia! Mr. Aultcray is the king, and he's super nice and strong! Just like Mr. Bald Guy, but with hair!"
Down in the shop where he was preparing dinner, Erhard sneezed. 'I swear. That kid better not be making fun of me again.'
…
Slowly, Raphtalia peeked her head out from behind Naofumi. Looking up at the King herself. "Um...M-my name's...Raphtalia."
"Um…" Aultcray looked at a loss for what to say at first. Memories of the previous war with Siltvelt ran through his mind. As well as the night he lost his family, and the day he lost his sister. "If you don't mind me asking, young Naofumi, how did you and young… Raphtalia meet?" He asked.
Naofumi smiled brightly. "I met her outside Mr. Bald Guy's shop. She was scared, hurt, and running from some creepy guy with a silly outfit and an ugly mustache! He was a total creep! So I protected her from him and now she's my friend who's going to help me save the world!"
"Really now?" Aultcray looked from Naofumi to the little girl. "Is that what you want to do, young Raphtalia?" He asked curiously.
"Y-Y-Yes!" She said, perking up. "I want to get strong so I can help Naofumi!"
"Hmm..." The king regarded her with curiosity and interest, and she cowered from his intense stare. Naofumi started rubbing her head though, and she started to smile again. Her tail wagging happily behind her.
Aultcray had those bad memories of the past. But they'd mainly involved the Hakuko. Not… this adorable little girl and the Shield Hero.
'The boy does seem to attract trouble, so maybe I can teach this girl to keep him in line?' Aultcray thought... a devious smirk appeared on his face. 'Plus, training a demi-human along with the Shield Hero looks good to Siltvelt for public relations, so Mirellia may give me some special time when she gets back.'
If she didn't kill him for everything else, that is. But this would be another step in the right direction to prevent that. Oh, his mind was finally waking up after another boring day! How he'd missed this part of himself!
"Pssst, he's got that weird look on his face, sorta like the creepy guy. Be careful." Naofumi whispered to Raphtalia, who nodded in understanding.
Aultcray's nose scrunched up playfully before walking over and picking up their ball from where it laid amongst cabbages on the ground. "Who are you calling weird? I'll show you what happens when you call the King of Melromarc weird! I hope you're as strong as you say because I can throw this ball pretty hard!" He'd been pent up in boring meetings all day.
He could use this.
Naofumi shrieked childishly as he ran. Aultcray cocked his arm back and then chucked with all of his might. The ball struck Naofumi in the back of the head with a loud *THUNK*, slamming him face-first into the ground.
"AH! Naofumi, are you okay!?" Raphtalia screeched, running over to him and checking for injuries.
"Haha..."
"Huh?" She was confused. Why was he laughing!? Was he broken!? That throw probably hurt a lot!
Naofumi suddenly stood up, almost causing her to freak out. "That was awesome!" It was just like dodgeball! "Do it again! It didn't hurt at all but it almost threw me in the air!"
"Hmmm?" Aultcray looked perplexed by that. He hadn't meant to throw it so hard. It had been a heat of the moment thing. But then Naofumi reached into his shield and pulled out more balls that he'd gotten as drops from balloons. He handed a few to Raphtalia and smirked. "I hope you're ready, Mr. Aultcray! Here we come!"
Aultcray paled at the menacing looks on the two kids' faces. 'Uh oh.' Apparently, this was going to become much more than a heat of the moment deal.
The next fifteen minutes could only be described as the weirdest game of dodgeball ever to be seen. The servants and nobles passing by the garden had to stop to observe the unusual scene.
When was the last time their king looked so happy? Ten years felt like an eternity ago. If it were possible, he actually looked younger.
"Zweite Gust!" Aultcray formed a strong breeze in front of him. Blowing a line of a half dozen balls through the air at Naofumi.
"Hahahaha! Can't touch meeeeee!" Naofumi evaded every shot. Running and twisting his body through the barrage. He raised his shield in time to block the last one, only for another ball to come flying out of nowhere, knocking him to the ground.
"Hey! That's not fair! I don't know magic yet!"
"Young Naofumi! Are you implying that I, King Aultcray, am a cheater!?" The king exclaimed dramatically in mock surprise and indignation. "You wound me, my boy! My honor could never recover from such a blow!-"
A ball suddenly hit Aultcray in the side of his face. "Good job Raphtalia! He bought the distraction!" Naofumi said happily.
Raphtalia giggled nearby from behind a statue. Aultcray looked at the girl and Naofumi in shock as they ran up to each other and high-fived.
He couldn't resist the laughter that came from his throat. "Hahahahaha! A clever strategy, you two! Perhaps you could become the next Wise King and Queen!"
The two stopped laughing, looking at Aultcray in shock. Then they looked at each other, and started gagging and fake vomiting at the ground. "Ewwwww! Raphtalia's my friend! Don't make it weird!" Naofumi cried.
"We're only friends! We just met a few days ago!" Raphtalia agreed.
"Hahahaha!" Aultcray was bent over, laughing so hard that his hands were on his knees. 'Ah, young love. I forgot how sweet and innocent it was."
He looked at the two, who couldn't look each other in the eyes. "And now. You've fallen for my trap!"
Suddenly, the balls the King had levitated all around with a clever wind spell threw themselves at the two.
"Wah!" The two panicked as they were struck by the onslaught of rubber projectiles over and over. "Uncle! Uncle!" Naofumi yelled.
The king laughed with them, and he felt some of his frozen heart melt. It had been so long since he lost his dear sister, and his anger was the only thing he could focus on for years. Finally, he could feel himself returning to who he used to be.
'Is this what it's like to be a normal parent?' He wondered. 'No kingly duties, no ridiculous political games, no boring tax laws. Just a nice little game to play between Father and-'
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
His happy train of thought crashed into a brick wall as his advisors ran up to them in a panic. "There you are! What have you been doing?! You just ran off in the middle of our discussion and we had no idea where you were at!" The lead advisor yelled in worry.
"Oh, I was just training with Young Naofumi and Young Raphtalia. They need to understand complex strategies and deception if they want to save the world, after all!" Aultcray said with a smile. Somewhat annoyed that his advisors were interrupting him.
'The one chance I get to have a normal kid and they want to pull me away!? Bastards! Malty - bless her heart - was always so moody! She still is, actually! And Mirellia's expectations for Melty have turned her into such a killjoy! She'll never find a husband like that!'
He almost felt tempted to send this lot of whiners to Siltvelt too for interrupting their little father-son game.
'That's it! When the Waves are over, I'm stealing Young Naofumi and claiming him as my unofficial son! May as well grab Young Raphtalia while I'm at it! If young Naofumi does wish to become the next King, he could have young Raphtalia as his Queen! Yes, I will do whatever it takes to make it happen! Melty deserves a normal life if she wants one!' Oh yeah, DadCray was definitely making an appearance here in his thoughts. He was so excited to think about future plans for his son!
So he wanted a son the first two times around. So what? Sue him.
"Your Majesty. We still have to figure out how we're going to get the knights to the Waves of Catastrophe." The lead advisor said seriously.
...
Aultcray sighed in defeat and boredom. "I suppose we should get back to that." He said with a sigh.
"Umm, Mr. Aultcray?"
"Yes, Young Naofumi?" Aultcray asked, looking sadder than before.
"Can I come too? Mr. Bald Guy said he'd take a while to make dinner, and I want to see what kind of things a king does! I bet it's super cool!"
"I'm sorry, young Naofumi. But this next activity is rather dull. We're trying to figure out a problem, but we have no idea-"
"What kind of problem?" Raphtalia was the one that asked curiously before Naofumi could. She was hiding behind him with the presence of the other advisors.
One of the advisors stepped forward. "Young Shield Hero, we are trying to devise a strategy for our royal knights when the Wave of Catastrophe strikes. But we do not know where it'll strike, or how we can get our knights there. Do you have any wisdom to give to us about the Waves that may help us?"
…
Aultcray reconsidered his thoughts about sending this group to Siltvelt. If they were actually willing to ask Young Naofumi for advice, then maybe they weren't so bad after all.
"Hmm..." Naofumi trailed off, hand on his chin in thought. "So you need the knights to protect people, right? That's what they're there for."
The advisors nodded. Naofumi looked down at his shield. "Is there a way to bring the Knights to the Wave of… Cat-ass-trophy?" He made sure to pronounce it as closely as he could.
Erhard would have gaped in horror had he been there.
His help guide pinged. He opened it to find it on a section detailing these Waves they were supposed to fight. It also, for some reason, gave a pronunciation guide for how to properly pronounce Catastrophe. As if it too was trying to protect his innocent mouth from ever saying foul language. "Um… it says that… the Hero's party system allows us to assign others as… squad Captains in our party? And that…uhh... when the Wave strikes… they and their groups are brought with us."
…
"Really?!" The advisors' faces lit up. "If that's true, that would be invaluable!"
Another advisor smiled. "That's right! According to the Legends, the heroes and their parties get summoned to the Wave, so having some knights assigned into parties to be summoned with them solves the issue entirely!"
"All we'd have to do is assign knights to each hero's party accordingly and we could deal with the monsters and protect the civilians!"
The advisors started to chatter amongst themselves. Fresh ideas and questions coming to mind. Who would they assign? How many would there be? If there wasn't a limit to the number of people the Heroes could bring along, could they also bring adventurers volunteering to fight the waves along too?
Now they were really getting somewhere!
Aultcray couldn't help the proud smile that came to his face. 'So the boy managed to help us after all...' He thought. 'Maybe Mirellia won't kill me when she gets back. Young Naofumi could be the key to her plan for peace... In that case, I'll do what I can to make him as powerful as possible!'
"Young Naofumi, I think it's about time I finally got to teaching you magic," Aultcray said seriously.
"Really!? Will I get to throw fireballs or lightning bolts and be super cool like you!?" Naofumi was practically bouncing in excitement as he grabbed Raphtalia's hands and kept jumping up and down. "Did you hear that, Raphtalia!? We're gonna learn magic! Isn't that cool!?"
Her head bobbed up and down, watching the boy's excitement with a confused smile. "Umm, yes!" She finally allowed his excitement to flow through her as well. It felt weird… yet invigorating! "It sounds fun!"
It was weird to think he'd also be teaching a demi-human magic. Hell, it was weird to think he was considering this demi-human becoming Naofumi's future Queen if he had his way. But Aultcray had warmed up to the cute girl in surprising time despite the difference of race.
Was it simply because she was with Young Naofumi? Or was it because of how the boy's eyes lit up whenever he talked to her?
He wasn't sure. But if anything would threaten their smiles, he would call upon every power he could muster to erase it from existence.
"Yes. Since you've freed me from the rest of my meetings for a while." He said, glaring at his advisors. Who quickly nodded in agreement. "And it will be some time before Erhard has your dinner ready, yes?" Aultcray asked.
Naofumi nodded happily. "Mmhmm!"
"Then it is settled! From now on, you two will be under my tutelage so you can learn magic to better protect people from the Waves of Catastrophe! It will be anytime when you're available, and your training will take precedence over anything else unless it is truly important for the survival of our world!" He glared at the advisors again as he said that. Who again nodded in slight fear.
"Now, do you want to know the first step to learning magic, young Naofumi?"
"Ooo ooo! Is it learning to control the elements or shooting laser beams or something cool like that!?" Naofumi asked. "No, wait, it's the weird balls you showed me, isn't it?! I have to break one of them!"
"Nope! First, you have to learn how to read!"
…
…
"WHAT!?" The look on Naofumi's face was priceless. "But that's so... BORING!" Naofumi whined, literally falling to his knees and weeping. Raphtalia gently patted his head, doing her best to comfort him, but it was not as effective on the smol boy compared to when he did it for her.
"If you want to learn the strongest magic, you can only do it from reading grimoires! Now come on! Your training begins immediately! We have no time to waste if you want to get back in time for dinner!"
"Awwww..." Naofumi sniffled. "I thought magic would be fun..." He and Raphtalia followed the King into the castle.
It was time to face his most dreaded enemy of all.
LEARNING!
Author's Notes:
Allen: You know, working on this chapter, I knew Dadcray was going to make an appearance. But never expected to work him in so soon. I love how, lowkey, he is already shipping KidFumi and KidTalia for the future when they grow up together. Like Simba and Nala from the Lion King. That's what I pictured there. XD Hopefully KidFumi helps shape him up into the Wise King before Queen Mirellia gets back.
RLTygurr: So I'll admit that Dadcray is my favorite dad. The guy just wants to not deal with the crap of being a king so he can enjoy time with his new son(?). Between Naofumi and Raphtalia, he's sure to have a lot of other problems to deal with! Just wait until Mirellia gets back, though...
Hero Clips!
Tail Telling
"Um, N-Naofumi? What are you doing?" Raphtalia asked nervously. Naofumi was dressed in a weird vest and was talking in a strange accent.
"Right there's a fine-looking demi-human. A very peculiar creature indeed. Along with their adorable animal characteristics is one of the greatest wonders of the world. Their thick, groomed tails." He was talking to a box with his back turned to her, pretending she couldn't hear him.
"The tail is capable of capturing the full emotional spectrum of even this cute stronk, smol demi-human girl. Watch how it flicks back and forth low to the ground." He motioned toward her with his hands. "That's a clear sign of shyness right there. Just look at the way it slowly flicks around. She's acting so shy, it's cute enough to reward her with a head pat!"
"Ah!" At Naofumi's hand giving her a head pat. Her cheeks flushed red, and her tail started wagging very quickly. "Hmm, interesting. It appears the demi-human girl is now embarrassed by the head pat. The speed of the tail here indicates how embarrassed she is."
Her auburn tail wagged quickly at mid-range. At his words, it wagged even more quickly as she got more embarrassed. "Krikey! Too fast and she might just take off like Mario! Let's calm her down with a nice old ear rub while we rub her head!"
"Wh-Wh-What-" Naofumi gently started rubbing the ears of the adorable creature. At his touch, the embarrassment melted away into pure happiness. Her eyes shined brightly.
"And now, you can tell she's happy because the tail wags happily high up off the ground." The tail was indeed wagging at a slower pace, but it was a higher tail wag instead of a lower one.
"N-Naofumi?..." She glanced up at him with a blush on her face. "Why are you acting so weird? You're starting to scare me-"
"A demi-human's tail is truly an amazing thing. But as for how it feels," Naofumi's hand moved from her head and grabbed the tail. Causing the girl to "EEP!" in surprise.
"Just as I suspected. It's just as smooth as the hair on her head. Only thicker, and… hmmm, why is it bristling now?" Naofumi asked himself. This was an odd sight indeed. He'd never seen anything like it.
He glanced up, and the girl looked...angry? He'd never seen such a look on her face befo-
A growl escaped her lips. Naofumi paled at the sound. She was very angry indeed. And not the adorable kind either.
"Krikey! It looks like she didn't like that very much!" He let go of the tail. But the growling didn't stop. "It's hard to put into words. But I believe it's safe to assume that when the tail bristles-" He turned around and started running. "You run for your lifffffffffffe!"
"Get back here!" Raphtalia yelled in anger, chasing after Naofumi.
"That's it for today's adventure folks! I'll see you all next week if I survive this encounterrrrr!" Naofumi yelled as he and Raphtalia ran off into the distance.
The cute, smol, stronk girl was going to kill him for touching her tail without her permission!
Till Next Time
Allen and RLT