Before we start, we're going to say some stuff. To the one guest. We do not mind the age changing thing, or find it creepy or dumb since we're supposed to view demi-humans as another race like elves and not as half-humans. We both still use the aging rule in our other popular fics, as it makes their different demi-races unique. We simply wanted to not use that rule in this AU fic for shipping reasons. (We didn't want Raphtalia to be a shotacon in other words)
Next, for all reviewers, please remove 'and' whenever you're referring to possible romances. We are not putting KidFumi into a harem with three or more other little girls (or big girls. No shotaconing our precious innocent KidFumi). RLT and Allen are also Raphumi shippers. Meaning there's only one future romance we'll support for KidFumi (winks at KidTalia Lion King style). Sorry if this disappoints some of you. But we're not going to ship anyone else with KidFumi. Don't bring it up again in the future.
Lastly, this is for everyone that's asked about Filo. We're sorry anime-onlies. Read the Reprise of the Spear Hero Novels to understand what'll happen 'if' KidFumi gets a Filolial egg. On that note, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Eight: Uncle Bald Guy
The next day came. After a nice dinner and a fitful night of rest at the inn, Erhard delivered the weapons to his customer. After that, he showed Naofumi and Raphtalia the small village. It reminded Naofumi of a country town his parents had visited with him once. Only not as advanced. And poorer.
The people were smiling though. So maybe they enjoyed being poor.
After that, they went back to the inn. And now, they were ordering lunch.
"I'll take your cheapest lunch set, along with two kids' meals."
"That'll be 15 Copper."
"But I don't want the kid's meal!" Naofumi complained. "I want an adult meal too!"
"Too bad, Short Stack!" Erhard said with a hearty laugh. "Maybe when you grow a foot or two I'll think about it!"
Naofumi sat back in his seat and pouted. He was not small! He was just a late bloomer! Yeah, that's what it was!
Raphtalia, taking pity on the cute pouting smol boy, started patting his head comfortingly.
The waiter walked off, the order in hand. Erhard leaned on the table, looking at the two trouble makers. "So, what do ya think of the town kid? Pretty cool, eh?"
Naofumi shrugged. "I guess... It doesn't look like there's much to do here." He said.
Raphtalia was still patting his head, so he started patting hers. She smiled brightly, and her tail started hitting the edges of her chair behind her. Naofumi didn't know why, but it felt way better to give headpats to the demi-girl than to receive them himself from her.
Maybe it was because of the animal ears and tail. They could somehow be making the experience more enjoyable. Though he still wondered why Raphtalia never wanted her tail rubbed when she liked having him floof her ears.
Demi-girls were weird.
"There isn't much. But the monsters around here are a little stronger. That means more experience points, better monster materials, and an easier way to get you to level 50." Erhard said, winking at the end.
"But we already killed so many yesterday," Naofumi whined.
Hadn't the innocent(?) monsters suffered enough? Thinking about it more might spoil his appetite.
"I don't know Mr. Bald Guy." Raphtalia looked down shyly at her food. "Maybe we could use a break."
Erhard looked between the two kids, and then he sighed in defeat. "Fine. I guess we could visit the market instead." He said in disappointment. "We have a lot of items and monster materials to sell anyway."
The blacksmith really wanted to teleport around. Was that such a bad thing to wish for?
"Yay! Thanks Mr. Bald Guy!" Raphtalia and Naofumi perked up happily and said the same thing at the same time.
Erhard chuckled at them. They were both so adorable. He had no idea what he'd do if he had to face an army filled with these kids.
Who was he kidding? He'd probably piss them off by calling them all Short Stack.
Probably.
The food arrived, and lunch passed by quickly for the two kids. Both Naofumi and Raphtalia's meals came with a little flag on top. Raphtalia stared at hers with such awe that Naofumi couldn't help but give his flag to her.
For some reason, her tail wagged really happily at that. So much so that had the chair not been holding her down, Naofumi theorized she might have taken flight from the force of the wagging.
He'd have to remember that next time he gave her a little flag. He didn't want his best friend to fly away from too much happiness. That'd make him sad.
But turning into a helicopter sounded kind of cool too.
Naofumi inhaled the food in less than a minute. He was surprised at how hungry he was but chalked it up to a long day of emptying his stomach from Erhard's slaughter-fest yesterday and not having any dinner.
With nothing left to do but wait for the others to finish eating, he absentmindedly perused his HUD.
'Did that already...checked that twice...tried th- Wait a minute! I never tried that Item whatever thingy Itsu… whatever told me about!' He thought excitedly. After poking through his menu for all the monster materials he'd absorbed, he decided to start with Usapil-related materials.
An option appeared in his HUD that said 'Convert to Energy', and he selected it. His number of Usapil meat chunks decreased by 1, and a new number appeared that read 'Energy'. Its current value was 1.
'Hmmm…' He decided to look at a monster drop from a Usapil. It was an excellent quality Cordota herb. He selected the option again, and his energy value went up to 6! 'So different stuff is worth different amounts? What if I had, like, some dragon teeth or something? How much is that worth?'
He didn't have any dragon teeth. But he did have a pretty cool looking Usapil Sword in his inventory. It actually looked pretty decent, unlike the balloon sword. He couldn't use it for anything because of his stupid shield-
ZAP!
...
-SO ANYWAY, the only thing it was good for was raw materials. He converted it to energy, and his energy went up to 26! 'Awesome!'
He was starting to get an idea for how valuable some things were, at least for Usapil materials. He continued breaking down Usapil pieces until he had 100 energy.
Flicking over to his Iron Shield, he saw an option called 'Enchantment'. When he chose it, a confirmation appeared.
"Consume 100 energy to enchant the selected shield?" It read, and Naofumi selected the option for 'Yes'. His energy dropped from 100 down to 0, and his Iron Shield glowed for a second. Catching Erhard's attention.
"Hey, kid. What's happening with your Shield now?" Erhard asked.
Naofumi's HUD flashed as the enchantment took effect.
Balloon Damage Level 1, -4% damage taken
"Awww, but I don't take damage from balloons..." Naofumi said in disappointment. What a stupid power up! It was totally useless! Itsu-whatever is dumb if this is how he gets stronger!
"What are you talking about there, Short Stack?
He started converting more items to energy. Either it would work next time, or Itsu-guy was a lying jerkface! Each shield could only hold one enchantment at a time, so he enchanted the Pillow Shield and the Steel Shield.
Pillow Shield: Agility Up Level 1, +4%
Steel Shield: Usapil Damage Level 1, -4% damage taken
He didn't want to use all of their materials, so he figured that was enough for now. Usapils couldn't hurt him either unless they were really big or something. But the agility meant he could move faster or something, right? And it was his favorite Shield too, so maybe the ability from Itsu-jerkface wasn't totally useless after all!
Thinking about it more, maybe he should run track when he gets home? He'd be faster than Kirito for sure now! The jerk, always acting so high and mighty just because he runs fast! That'll show him!
"Hey." Erhard bonked Naofumi on the head, breaking him from his trance. "You listening, or are you still lost in dreamland?"
Naofumi shook his head. "Sorry...I was just trying something new. Apparently I can break down stuff into energy and use it to power up myself. Like now I don't take as much damage from Balloons or Usapils, and I'm a little faster too!"
"Huh…" Erhard thought about it. "That shield continues to amaze me kid."
"Yeah, and it sucks too. I couldn't get a lot of energy unless I converted some pretty good stuff."
"... Kid..." Erhard started threateningly. "What did you use!?"
"Just some monster remains... And some good herbs. A few swords. And I think there was a piece of armor or two… or three…" Naofumi trailed off. Erhard didn't look very happy anymore.
"We were supposed to sell that stuff for money, you dingus!" Erhard lightly chopped the boy on the head, earning a whine from him.
"Hey, I had nothing better to do!" Naofumi complained.
"How are we supposed to afford sh-stuff if you keep making things go poof into your little shield all the time!?"
"But this is the first time I've done this!" Naofumi complained.
...
The blacksmith sighed in defeat. "Just don't do it again if you know we're using it for cash, okay? We - I - worked hard for all that crap!"
Yeah right! If it wasn't for this freaking Shield, Mr. Bald Guy would have never known about the monster drops!
Naofumi wouldn't have known about them either if it wasn't for big brother Moto telling him about it. But that was beside the point!
"Don't we have a lot of cash though?" Naofumi asked. He couldn't think of a time where he'd used any of his earnings yet. Hell, he wasn't sure if he'd even touched the allowance Aultcray gave him.
"Kid… let's just say I'm going through a lot of trouble to keep you and the little lady here in my home. Okay?" He said.
He hadn't wanted to admit it. But his business hadn't been doing very well since he'd decided to take Naofumi in. He said he was busy with customers, but this was the first real customer he'd had in a week. He'd had people entering his shop… but they weren't coming to buy anything. The only source of income he was really getting was the monsters. And food, materials, taxes, and other expenses were eating at Erhard's wallet like sharks.
He refused to tell little Naofumi and Raphtalia what went on with these people who came in. But needless to say, prejudice against the Shield Hero was still very much alive. And it was costing him big time.
"Ahhhh...that was so delicious Mr. Bald Guy!" Raphtalia exclaimed, patting her stomach. "Thanks for the food!" It was as if she wasn't even there the past few minutes, too entranced by her nutritious and delicious meal to pay attention to anything else.
"Why can't you be more like her? At least she's adorable and nice." Erhard said.
"I can be adorable and nice too!" Naofumi complained.
"Yeah, you're really showing it now kid. You're really showing it." Erhard said with an unconvinced look on his face.
Naofumi pouted. It wasn't nice. But it looked adorable on him.
Erhard paid the bill and they left for the market. When they arrived, the blacksmith and some random vendor shared a quick hug.
"Erhard, ya old bastard. How ya been?" The man said.
Erhard flinched. "Good to see you too, but can you keep the language down? I've got kids now, ya see." He said, pointing a thumb down at the two children who were busy trying to find anything worth looking at.
Thank the Gods they hadn't heard the man say one of the two b-words. He did not want their young minds to be corrupted with such foul language.
"You're a father now? Who's the lucky lady, eh?"
The blacksmith waved him off. "Relax, they're not mine. I'm just watching 'em as a favor for the king."
"Ooh! A favor for the King! You're getting mighty important in the world now, aren't ya!?" The vendor said happily. "Good on ya mate."
Erhard looked down at Naofumi and Raphtalia. "This may take a little bit, so feel free to go play a little. I'll be right here. But don't get lost this time, brats!"
"Okaaaaaay!" They exclaimed, happily running off in search of excitement and adventure. Or at least, whatever could be considered excitement or adventure within a boring little town like this one.
"So what do you wanna do?" Naofumi asked, hands clasped behind his head as they walked. Raphtalia put a finger to her chin in thought as they walked past different people. All of whom were bigger than they were.
Naofumi couldn't wait for the day when he'd grow to their height. Then he'd be the one looking down on Mr. Bald Guy! And he wouldn't go bald, either!
"Hmm... we could play with the ball again!"
She really liked that ball for some reason.
Naofumi weighed his options. 'We always play with the ball or play tag, but that gets boring after a while. We should do something exciting! Like, go on a real adventure, just the two of us!'
He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide in realization. "Hey, I know!" He exclaimed, grabbing her attention. "Moto and the other guys told me that mines are always a good place to find valuable stuff! I bet Mr. Bald Guy would be super impressed and super happy if we brought him some cool stuff from the mine!"
"But… where would we find one?" Raphtalia asked.
Naofumi thought about it. Mines were supposed to exist in caves, right? Or were they man-made?...
Maybe he should have paid more attention in history class… or whatever class they talked about mines in. Did any of his old classes talk about mines? He felt like at least one of them did.
"I don't know…" Naofumi and Raphtalia wondered together where they'd find a mine on such short notice.
"You're looking for a mine?"
Naofumi and Raphtalia turned in surprise. There was a random stranger standing by a stall. He was dressed in some kind of white robe. Was he a pri… er... white...mage? One of those awesome magic guys called to help heal people? Or was this one of those guys like Mauron who was snooty and manipulative and tried to keep two midgets from throwing the Precious bracelet into Mt. Doomp?
Oh, sorry. Vertically challenged people. His mom would kill him for using language like that.
Either way, he decided not to trust a word this man said. Big brother Moto's wisdom would not be wasted on this Naofumi! "No, not really-" Naofumi tried to walk away with Raphtalia.
"There's a mine just outside of town. If you follow that dirt road there," The man continued eagerly, pointing at a road that led towards the cliffs outside town. "You'll find it within ten minutes of walking. Look for the big cave entrance with the wooden shack outside. I'm sure you'll... enjoy it."
With that, the man walked away. "What a weird man..." Raphtalia mumbled, sticking close to Naofumi for safety.
"You can say that again…" Big Brother Moto had warned him about trusting strangers… or had that been cool guy Ren? It definitely wasn't Itsu-jerk. He'd never do something that helpful.
But this stranger had told them where a mine was! So he couldn't be completely bad, right?! RIGHT!?
Plus, he looked nice enough...
"Come on! I bet we'll find all kinds of fancy things there!" Naofumi grabbed her hand and ran off with her in tow.
"Wait, Naofumi, slow down!" Raphtalia said. But Naofumi was so excited at the thought of adventure that he and Raphtalia ended up running full speed out of the market.
A few minutes later, Erhard walked by the stall. "Kid, where are you?"
The blacksmith looked around. "Kid? Kid?!"
Oh crap, he couldn't find him anywhere in the market!
Erhard ran around the small town, trying to find where the kid and his little lady friend had gone.
"Naofumi, are you sure this is a good idea?" Raphtalia asked, looking around fearfully. She held a pickaxe in her hands. One they'd scavenged from the wooden shack before going in.
"Um… I'm not sure anymore myself." Naofumi said, looking around nervously. He held a lantern from the wood shack up. Its light didn't go very far into the dark cavern. "But we're already here, so we may as well go until we find at least one cool thing!" He said determinedly.
"O-okay...if you say so..."
She stuck close to him like a cute puppy. He almost wanted to pet her tail like a dog. But he figured she wouldn't appreciate that right now. "I still don't have a good feeling about this." Raphtalia murmured.
Before Naofumi could reply, a high-pitched screech echoed through the cavern.
The two children clutched each other tightly. "What was that!?" Raphtalia cried.
"I-I don't know! Get behind me!" Naofumi said, raising his shield. He looked scared. He and Raphtalia were on the verge of running in terror...
After a few seconds, a small mouse scurried past their feet and toward the entrance. The two breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Oh… it was just a mouse… false alarm." Naofumi said.
Raphtalia giggled, causing him to giggle too. They both devolved into sets of giggles and continued on their way. Completely missing the large paw-shaped mark in the ground.
...
After a couple more minutes of walking, they came out into a large glowing cavern. "Whoaaaa!" They both looked around in surprise.
The cavern was huge! There were several stories of stone ledges, with them standing on the highest, biggest one! A beautiful waterfall fell into an underground lake at the bottom of the cavern fifty feet in front of them. And poking out from the walls and floor all around was green, glowing crystals and ores.
The light of the crystals reflected off of the waterfall, casting the walls of the cavern in a gorgeous, shifting light show.
"It's so pretty!" Raphtalia ran up to one of the glowing crystals in the wall with sparkles in her eyes. "I've never seen anything shine like this before! We should take one with us!"
Naofumi nodded in agreement. "You're right! I bet Mr. Bald Guy would love to sell some of this stuff! And we could keep some of it for ourselves!" He said excitedly.
Naofumi switched to a shield he'd unlocked by absorbing a broken pickaxe. It was a Pickaxe Shield. "Come on! Let's start mining!... uh…" He tried to figure out how he was supposed to hold the shield to use it. But then, after a moment, he realized he wasn't supposed to use it for mining. The edges of the pickaxes on the Shield weren't even sharp!
'Who makes a stupid Shield that can turn into a pickaxe that can't be used?!' He thought angrily. 'What a waste of-'
ZAP!
He hadn't even considered using it as a weapon! Stupid uncool useless shield!
Raphtalia tried swinging her pickaxe at a chunk of glowing ore. But she looked awkward as she swung it, and it bounced off of the crystal without any visible effect to it. "Awww… it says I'm not skilled enough to mine." She said sadly, seeing the notification pop up on her HUD.
"Here. Let me try." Naofumi grabbed the pickaxe from her. Surprisingly, he was allowed to hold it.
'Cool! Maybe I can use this as a weapon-'
ZAP!
'-I WAS JUST JOKING!'
Your jokes suck.
Naofumi stared fearfully at the words that appeared on his HUD. This Shield was starting to scare him. It was like it was alive and not just a weapon...
Wait, if he stopped feeding the shield things, would it die? Maybe he should-
ZAP!
"Oww! Okay, okay! Jeez..." he rubbed his arm, which had gotten sore from repeated shocks. "Drama queen..."
"What's wrong Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.
"It's nothing." Naofumi took a mighty swing with his stronk arms, and the pickaxe hit the ore dead center.
Boom!
A small explosion came outward from the impact. The ore and the wall behind it exploded! It was the coolest thing Naofumi had ever seen! 'Okay Shield, you're forgiven… for now.' He glared at his Shield, which didn't respond.
When the dust from the swing cleared up, there was a five-foot crater in the wall. And lying around it was a lot of the glowing green ore!
"Sweet!" Naofumi started picking it up greedily. There was way more than the small bump that had formerly been the cave's wall suggested. He could grab an entire handful and still have some leftover!
Raphtalia got down and started helping. Picking the crystals up and putting them into Naofumi's Shield. Naofumi got up and pounded another crystal in the wall with similar results! 'This is even easier than I thought!' Erhard was going to be happy to see this! It'd probably more than makeup for what had happened earlier!
Raphtalia deposited what she was holding into Naofumi's shield. And she bent over to pick up more glowing ore from the third crater when she paused. "Um… Naofumi?"
Naofumi had crossed over to a crystal protruding from the ground. It looked like some of the ore Moto had given him was also sticking out around it.
"Yeah? What is it?"
Raphtalia was looking down at a large pair of paw footprints. She gulped. "Maybe we should get going." She suggested.
"Huh? Why? There's still so much more ore right here!" He exclaimed, swinging the pickaxe, making another crater in the floor that he harvested more ore from.
There was so much! He could finally make his Pillow Shield even more floofy with all of this ore!
Raphtalia was being quiet as he prepared to swing down at another crystal. "Hey, Raphtalia, why'd you stop-" A deep growling stopped him from swinging. He turned, and his eyes widened. "O-oh. That's why."
Through the darkness, two glowing eyes shined through. Then, as if it couldn't get scarier, the two glowing eyes became four. And then, a massive black paw slammed down. The impact was enough to break the ground beneath it. Both him and Raphtalia were staring at it. She'd seen it long before he had.
'...' The pickaxe fell to the ground beside Naofumi. 'Meep!' Naofumi thought in fear.
Another paw followed, and then the main body followed. It was huge! Like, Godvilla having a baby levels of huge! Two canine heads came into view. They growled and drooled as they eyed their next meal.
Naofumi did not want to be on the menu! "Raphtalia, let's go!" He abandoned the pickaxe and ran for the entrance they came out of. Fearing very much for his life.
However, he quickly realized his best friend wasn't following.
"Raphtalia-" He gasped when he turned around. The smol girl was standing in her spot, clutching at her chest, breathing in and out heavily. She fell to her knees. The look of fear on her face was beyond what she'd shown when she faced the Usapil Rabbit the day before. Naofumi didn't have a large vocabulary. But scared and terrified weren't enough to describe what Raphtalia looked like there.
The monster roared, and charged in her direction. Like a big black semi-truck!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Have you seen two kids running around?" Erhard was at the market. Asking people if they'd seen where Naofumi and Raphtalia ran off to.
"No, sorry." The patrolling knight continued on.
"Have you seen two kids!? One of them's in armor that's several sizes too big for him!" Erhard asked a vendor.
"I'm sorry. I haven't seen any lost kids around here." The guy said with a shrug.
Erhard looked around. 'Damn it kid! Where the hell did you go now?!'
He saw a white-robed man walking by. "Hey, have you seen-" He was asking.
"No, I have not." The white-robed man spoke. "I'm sure wherever the Shield Hero and that demi-girl are, they're causing nothing but trouble." He turned and walked off.
"Well… To hell with you!" Erhard yelled. He fumed as he stormed away. He really hated these Three Hero Church dip****s. Always so full of themselves and-
Erhard stopped. 'Wait, I didn't mention who I was looking for!'
The man was still walking along when, suddenly, he found himself lifted up by his robe. "What did you do to them?!" Erhard angrily asked.
"Put me down. I have done nothing to warrant this-"
Erhard punched the man, hard. "Don't lie to me you little ****! What did you do to those kids?!" He angrily asked.
The people around him in this part of the market stopped to stare in surprise. Their Three Heroes Church priest was being attacked!
The man was reeling from the punch. And the townspeople would have come to the priest's aid. But then the priest started to chuckle evilly. A sense of dread went down Erhard's spine. "I didn't do anything." He said, smiling like a creep. "I only put those two devils on the path that God decreed for them."
"You, what?" Erhard asked in disbelief. Even the townspeople looked confused.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Erhard started looking around in shock. That scream. It had sounded like-
The man started laughing. "Yes! At last! Our world shall be freed from the influence of the Devil of the-"
Erhard punched the man again, this time hard enough to knock him out. He threw him to a knight. "Lock him up! Make sure he doesn't run!" Erhard looked so intimidating that despite not being a knight, the knight immediately complied and carried the unconscious priest to the local prison.
Everyone in the market looked at the cliffs in the distance. "That sounded like it came from the abandoned mine." A vendor said worriedly.
"What abandoned mine?!" Erhard asked the vendor. Gripping him by the collar. "Tell me!"
"After the first wave, monsters moved into it! We haven't been able to go in since!" The vendor responded fearfully after being picked up by the large man.
Erhard's mind quickly connected the dots. The kid had said there wasn't much to do here. But if that bad guy had told him about a place he could explore..!
"DAMN IT!" Erhard pulled out his war hammer. He'd have to have a long talk with the kid about trusting random strangers. "NAOFUMI! RAPHTALIA! I'M COMINGGGGGG!" He bellowed, running out of the market towards the cliffs.
"Wait, don't go alone!" Erhard ignored the villagers behind him. Some adventurers were quickly donning armor to follow and help.
But these kids were in danger! They needed him there now!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Raphtalia covered her head in fear. Too afraid to try and move out of the way.
Right as the Orthrus Dog was about to bite down on the scared Tanuki girl, it yipped in surprise. Naofumi stopped it in its tracks, gripping onto its long tail with both hands.
"Hey! Leave. My friend. ALONE!" He turned and threw the dog with such force, it flew past the waterfall and hit the wall on the other side of the cavern. It fell onto a stone ledge, disoriented, but unhurt.
Stupid Attack stat. At least he was allowed to have a STR stat.
Naofumi ran over to Raphtalia, who was still frozen in terror. "We have to get out of here, come on!"
Raphtalia huddled in on herself. "Dog, dog monster." She whispered. "Mama...Papa..."
"Raphtalia!" He tried to force her up, but she was locked in place. The poor smol girl couldn't move. "Dog monster… it's just like the one… t-the one that…"
"Raphtalia, come on!" Naofumi said worriedly. Trying to force the girl up.
The dog monster growled. It jumped from ledge to ledge, trying to get back up to where the two were at.
"Like the one that killed my parents!" Raphtalia started to cry.
...
Naofumi stared at her in shock.
"Mother… father…" Raphtalia whispered fearfully again.
His little kid's mind started to connect the dots. "You… you lost your parents to a dog monster." He said.
The girl continued to cry. Not even a head pat or an ear floof was enough to cheer her up. Memories of losing her parents had taken over her mind, so Naofumi hugged her. "Hey, it's okay… you're going to be okay…" He whispered.
Naofumi had no idea what was going on. The dog monster was getting closer again. He was honestly really scared and wanted to go home!... But he couldn't leave his friend behind!
Gritting his teeth, Naofumi let go and stood protectively in front of her with his shield raised. "Stay behind me, Raphtalia!"
She didn't respond.
The Orthrus Dog Monster leaped back onto their ledge and charged Naofumi.
That was its first mistake.
"Ahhhhhh!" Naofumi charged forward, ducking under the first head and slamming his shield into the second one. He could hear its jaws snapping violently on the other end of the shield. If it weren't for Raphtalia sitting helplessly behind him, he would already be running.
'No! I've got to be strong! I have to protect my friend!' She was too scared to run. So he had to stand up and fight!
The first head came for him again, and he rolled out of the way at the last second. The first head bit down on its twin, and both roared in pain. Naofumi then gave a massive push to its side, knocking it over into a low hanging rock ledge.
The Orthrus Dog got back up, now entirely focused on Naofumi.
"Mother… father…" Raphtalia mumbled to herself, eyes wide in fear. She knew deep down that Naofumi couldn't beat something like this on his own, but she couldn't move! Her body refused to do anything but freeze up when she stared at the large beast!
Naofumi blocked another head with his shield. The fear was easy to see on his face. Yet he still fought. He was fighting to protect her.
Suddenly, he cried out in pain as one of the monster's jaws clamped down on his shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound as it swung him back and forth like a chew toy. The teeth weren't too deep because of his defense stat, but they were deep enough that it hurt!
"Ahhhhh!" The dog monster threw Naofumi into a wall. And he collapsed to the ground.
"No… mother… father… Naofumi…" Raphtalia mumbled. She tried to get up. To take a step forward. But it hurt too much!
She saw that moment. Of her falling off the cliff. Her wounded mother and father staring down at her. The Cerberus Dog coming up behind to finish them off.
"Urgh...Raphtalia...Get out. Get out of here!" Naofumi wheezed, groaning in pain as he stood on shaky legs. "I'll distract it, go!"
The Dog Monster charged him again, and its body slammed him into the wall. But he forced himself to stand, and, as the dog monster went to bite him again, Naofumi punched the head hard on its nose.
The dog monster reeled back. Howling in surprise despite the attack doing no damage. Before it could recover, Naofumi jumped onto its back. Grabbing both heads by the neck before slamming them into each other with his STR stat.
"Raphtalia, RUN!" he screamed, holding onto both heads with all of his might. They flailed about, but couldn't seem to catch the boy in their jaws.
The Dog monster growled and started rolling over again and again. Repeatedly squashing the little boy into the ground in an attempt to get him to release. Yet Naofumi switched to the Pillow Shield, cushioning his impact to the ground under him each time.
Raphtalia still stared... her mind a jumbled mess. 'No… Naofumi… why… why are you doing this?'
She was forced to watch as Naofumi's arm was caught in the jaws of one of the monster's heads, and he cried out in pain. He grabbed onto it with his other hand and shoved it down into the ground with a pained grimace. The force was strong enough that the head became disoriented, and he managed to free his arm.
'No… please stop this… I… I can't do this.' Raphtalia thought.
The other dog head lunged, and Naofumi turned in time to grab it before its jaws could bite down on his head. He stared up in wide-eyed fear at all its sharp teeth.
This was definitely no innocent creature. It was a monster straight from his nightmares.
He was managing to keep this head from snapping at him. But the other head was recovering. If Naofumi couldn't do something, then-
'Please! I can't do this! Momma! Pappa! Help meeeee!' Raphtalia thought in fear.
She didn't want her parents to leave her. She'd never wanted them to leave! But she had Naofumi now. She had Naofumi, Erhard, Apotheguy, and Mr. Aultcray too! She didn't want to lose any of them now!
Her bestest friend in the whole world was giving his all to protect her. To buy her time to run. Yet she couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Just like when the Cerberus Dog killed her parents!
The other dog head growled. Naofumi looked up at it in fear. He tried to hold the other set of snapping jaws back with one hand, but he couldn't. He had to use both tired hands to keep it in place.
The other head snapped at him once, but he ducked it. The second time and he jumped it.
He wouldn't be able to dodge a third time.
'No…' Raphtalia had already lost her parents. Their sacrifice was the only reason she was alive now.
The head reeled back.
'No!'
Naofumi closed his eyes. And gripped the other head tightly. He'd die to protect his friend. Just like her parents!
"NOOOOOOOO!"
The dog head sped down to chomp Naofumi's head, but a small dagger stabbed its head. Both heads reared up with roars of pain.
Naofumi fell to its back and gripped it in surprise. He wondered if he'd somehow died and gone to heaven, but when he opened his eyes, he saw Raphtalia also holding onto the monsters back too. Gripping the bloody dagger in her grasp. "Raphtalia?" Naofumi said in surprise.
One of the heads was bleeding where she'd stabbed it. The fear from the smol girl was far from gone, but that fear turned into a fierce drive to protect. She swore she'd never be useless to Naofumi or anyone again. She'd promised him that she'd be his sword!
This smol stronk boy had been brave enough to fight for her! SHE HAD TO BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FIGHT FOR HIM TOO!
The dog monster tried to throw them both off, but the two kids gripped on like parasites. "Quick! Stab it again! You can do it Raphtalia!" Naofumi yelled encouragement to his friend.
Raphtalia brought the dagger up and stabbed it into the monster's back. It roared in pain, and both heads focused on the girl.
Naofumi's HUD pinged. Bringing up the Skills menu he'd just acquired earlier. There was no time for a tutorial! Naofumi raised a hand, pointing in front of Raphtalia. His Shield automatically changed to the Rope Shield on his arm.
"Air Strike Shield!"
A translucent green shield with an awesome design on it appeared over Raphtalia. Both heads slammed into it and retracted painfully. "Now! Kill it!"
"Huah!" Raphtalia brought her dagger down several times, stabbing in different spots and releasing spurts of blood. Then she brought it up one last time and stabbed it down in the Orthrus's chest right between the two heads.
The monster roared, this time in dying agony. It reared up on its two back legs, and right before it fell, Naofumi and Raphtalia grabbed hands and both jumped away. Rolling across the floor in a heap of small jumbled limbs.
The monster fell onto its back. And then it became limp.
The vile beast had finally been killed...
Naofumi and Raphtalia sat up. Both of them were breathing heavily. The blood of the dead beast covered their clothes, and in Naofumi's case, his ruined armor. Experience notifications popped up on their visuals, confirming the beast was dead.
They stared at the big dead Orthrus Monster.
'We… we did it.' Naofumi thought. Almost unable to believe it.
"Wah… WAHHHHHHHH!" A crying Raphtalia tackled Naofumi from the side in a tight embrace, knocking him to the ground. "Don't you ever scare me like that again Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried into his shoulder.
Naofumi was surprised at first. But then he started crying too. The whole experience had been so scary! He'd almost died! What would his mom think?!
"You were the one that didn't run!" Naofumi cried.
"I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry too!" The two continued to cry.
'Mother… Father… I'm so sorry that I failed you that day on the cliff...' Raphtalia felt two invisible pairs of arms wrap around her and her friend. A hand started rubbing her head. It felt like her Father's.
"It's okay, sweetie. We'll always be there to watch over you." She heard her mother's voice.
"We're so proud of you, Raphtalia. Please, don't think what happened was your fault." She heard her Father's voice.
"We died, knowing that you would live." A second hand joined the first, floofing the ears on her head. "We will love you. Now and forever." Her mother whispered in her ear.
Raphtalia continued to cry. Gripping to Naofumi tightly. 'Thank you… mother… father…'
...
A short time later, a voice started to echo down the tunnel. "-id!? Naofumi! Raphtalia! Where the hell are you two!?" The booming voice echoed through the mines, along with the occasional sound of a warhammer slamming into something with a splattering crunch.
The two continued to cry. But the loud crying eventually managed to lead Erhard to the cavern they were in. Along with the group of adventurers following him.
"Kid!? Why in the world did you come all the way out-" The blacksmith cut off as he took in the scene. Naofumi and Raphtalia were on the ground, hugging and crying as if they just saw the most terrifying thing in the world. Beside them was the motionless corpse of a massive, two-headed beast.
He looked stunned at it, and then at the two kids. Then, with tears coming from his own eyes, he dropped the warhammer and hugged the two to his shoulders. "You stupid, little, brave, awesome kids." He said, having to choke back his sad and proud sobs. "Why'd ya have to go and scare me like that!?"
"We're… we're sorry Uncle Bald Guy. I-I just felt bad for breaking all the stuff you were going to sell, and I-I wanted to make it up to you!" Naofumi cried. Raphtalia, tears in her eyes, nodded in agreement with him.
Erhard had never had such a large slice of humble pie in his entire life. It made him feel even more terrible about what had happened earlier.
"I'm sorry, you two. It's my fault I pushed you into this mess." He said, wiping a few tears from his eyes. The three cried together.
What?! A grown man was allowed to cry!
The adventurers looked throughout the rest of the cavern during their little family moment to make sure no other monsters were around. But they found no other monsters. The cavern was entirely clear.
"Uncle Bald Guy…" Naofumi spoke after a moment. Mr. Bald Guy didn't seem like an appropriate title to Naofumi anymore. Erhard was like the cool uncle that always teased him, but cared about him all the same. The name updated itself on his party HUD. "Can we please go? I don't like this place..."
"Me neither…" Raphtalia mumbled. She and Naofumi had had enough excitement for one day.
Erhard almost immediately agreed. But then he saw all the ore sticking out of the walls of the cavern. Because it had been a while since the town had a chance to go this deep to mine, there was A LOT!
"Um… would you two be okay if we mined-"
"NO!" Both Raphtalia and Naofumi yelled at the same time. They vehemently refused wanting to stay in this mine any longer.
Erhard gave a deep bellied laugh. "Alright, alright. Let's get you two back to town. Shield Kid looks like he's going to need treatment for his arm and shoulder."
The kind blacksmith got up, and after he helped Naofumi absorb the Orthrus Monster into his Shield, he carried the two tired kids towards the exit. The adventurers ran ahead of him to make sure there really were no more monsters.
Naofumi changed his Shield to the Pillow Shield again. And then he reached over and rested it under Raphtalia's head so she could lay against it. The tired girl fell asleep on the Shield within moments, and Naofumi fell asleep against Erhard's shoulder almost at the same time.
'Kid… you have plenty of flaws, you're stubborn and you're foolhardy… but I'm really starting to see why that Shield chose you to wield it.' Erhard thought. Looking down at the sweet looking Naofumi and Raphtalia.
To think they could get into so much trouble when he'd looked away for about five minutes...
...
It was a long walk to the exit. And it gave Erhard plenty of time to think his situation over.
Business had been normal at first after he took in Naofumi. But then customers learned about him being the Shield Hero. And while they ignored the kid on the streets, his business took a turn for the worse. People still came in, but most of the time, it wasn't too shop. It was to convince him to throw the kid away before he was tainted with his devil magic.
When he decided to take Raphtalia in, things got worse. Those same people started spreading lies about him and his equipment. Saying he was a scumbag who only forged flawed armor and weapons from cheap materials so he could overcharge everyone who bought from him. Some of those people also held influence, meaning people actually listened to them.
He'd hidden it from Naofumi and the King, not wanting to cause them any trouble. But he wouldn't be able to hide that he was being boycotted by the people of the Capital for much longer.
Unless something major changed in this country, he would find himself out of business within weeks. That is, if the world didn't end before then.
'Kid… you really want to change our world…'
Erhard thought long and hard to himself about it. '... Alright.'
Maybe it was time to pick up the old warhammer for good. His master's teachings be damned! These two needed someone they could count on, or they'd end up in even more trouble!
That reminded Erhard. There was a certain priest he wasn't going to let off the hook.
The rest of the day passed by quickly. Erhard sent a messenger to the capital, telling the King what had happened. He then stayed in the inn room while a nurse helped bandage Naofumi's arm and shoulder.
"Do you think they're going to scar?" Raphtalia asked sadly. She felt terrible about her inaction earlier. If her best friend got scarred because of her, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.
Naofumi's good arm moved so his hand could head pat the cute demi-girl. "It's okay, Raphtalia." He smiled brightly. "If they scar, then I'll be like those cool kids that tell others stories about how they got their scars!"
Raphtalia giggled, and blushed as Naofumi's hand floofed her ears again. He loved floofing her ears. "Unlike them though, it'll actually be a cool story!" Naofumi said excitedly.
That one Kirito kid always went on and on about some scar on his arm or whatever. He claimed it was from some game where it got cut off and he went into a coma before saving some girl named Alice or something like that. Honestly, he'd told the story so many times that it was very lame and uncool.
The blacksmith shook his head. "Doesn't look like it'll scar. He's a tough one."
"How can you tell though?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Simple. His dense skull is proof of that."
Naofumi pouted on the bed. "Hey!" Erhard laughed, and Raphtalia smiled and giggled. Naofumi couldn't stay mad, and he started giggling too.
"You know I'm just teasing ya!" Erhard said happily.
"Well, it takes a dense skull to know one!" Naofumi retorted.
"I am not dense skulled!" Erhard yelled angrily.
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Later, after Naofumi was bandaged up, the group of three had a large dinner. Erhard went the extra mile to make sure they got all the food they deserved.
"Wow, is this really all for us?" Raphtalia asked.
"Yep! Dig in little lady! You both earned it!" Erhard said happily.
The two excitedly started grabbing food with their hands and downing it like there was no tomorrow. "Hey, slow down, otherwise you're gonna-" Raphtalia and Naofumi both started coughing at the same time and began pounding their chests.
Erhard sighed and slid them each a glass of water. The two gratefully began gulping them down, and then they looked at each other and started laughing in delight. Erhard stared at the two, and he started to chuckle too.
They really were something, weren't they...
"Alright," Erhard said with finality. "I've made up my mind."
"About what, Uncle Bald Guy?" Naofumi asked. Him and Raphtalia both calming down to look at him.
Erhard smiled. He liked the new nickname. Even if it did still have Bald Guy in it. He'd wear it with pride! "You two seem to find trouble everywhere you go, so someone has to keep an eye on you," Erhard said. "So I decided I'm going to close up the shop, and I'm coming with you wherever you two decide to adventure too."
"... Whaaaaaaat!?"
"Yep, from here on out. I'll be a full-time party member working on getting you stronger and equipped with the latest gears!" Erhard said excitedly.
"But… But what about all your customers!?" Raphtalia cried.
Erhard shook his head. "What customers? Anyway, you two need me a lot more than people need my business." He averted his gaze with a slight blush. "And...you two have grown on me a little." He admitted.
"You mean like a plant!?" Naofumi exclaimed.
"More like a weed."
"Hey! I'm not a weed!" the boy said, crossing his arms and pouting. Raphtalia patted his head comfortingly.
"Yeah, I know... Weeds grow a lot taller than you." Erhard said with a smirk.
"HEY!"
Erhard and Raphtalia both burst into fits of laughter. And eventually, Naofumi couldn't help but laugh too.
'Mom, I hope you know I'm doing well.' Naofumi thought. Smiling at his best friend and his new uncle figure. 'Really, really, really well.'
He missed his mom. He missed his little brother Jun. He missed some of his friends from school. He missed cars and phones and planes and TV and everything else that was cool about his world.
But he was feeling grateful that he was missing boring old school for this.
"Then that means you're a weed, Uncle Bald Guy!" Naofumi retorted.
"I'm no weed Short Stack!" Erhard yelled.
"You're definitely a weed! The way you want to stick to me and Raphtalia!" Naofumi said, sticking his tongue out. Him and Raphtalia both laughed.
"You're going to regret the day you ever messed with Uncle Bald Guy!" He made a funny face at them using some of the food as props to make him look funnier.
"Ahhhhhh! Uncle Bald Guy's trying to grow hair!"
"Keep that up, and I'll shave you bald tonight!"
King Aultcray was preparing to go to bed. It had been a long, boring day of being King. He couldn't wait for his head to hit the pillow so he could go to sleep and dream about-
A knock sounded at his door. "Your Majesty, I have news from Lute."
Aultcray sighed tiredly. "What is it now?" He asked. Being King was an exhausting endeavor, and without young Naofumi and young Raphtalia in town, he had no way of leaving his duties to teach them magic.
The door was slightly pushed open into his room. "It's a message from Erhard, the blacksmith." The knight showed the letter he was gripping.
"Erhard?" The King grumbled to himself. But he took the letter from the knight and thanked him. The knight closed the door, leaving Ailtcray alone again.
He was almost tempted to leave the letter on his nightstand and go to sleep for the night. But then curiosity got the better of him. Erhard had Naofumi and Raphtalia with him in Lute. Maybe the kind Blacksmith was writing to let him know how they were doing. That brought a smile to his face. It'd be great to read about how young Naofumi and young Raphtalia were enjoying the world outside of the Capital.
He lit the candle at his desk, opened Erhard's letter and began to read it.
…
…
Aultcray finished the letter.
He was seeing red.
'Someone dared to make an attempt on young Naofumi and young Raphtalia's lives!' He thought angrily. First his lead advisor. Then some random cabbage merchant. And now THIS!?
Oh no. This would not do. This would not do at all.
The pair of knights were still standing on duty at Aultcray's doors when a burst of wind slammed them open, surprising both of the knights.
"Get my carriage ready immediately!" Aultcray demanded as he walked past. He was already dressed in his regal attire. "I am going on a short trip! My advisors will be in charge until further notice!"
"Your, your Majesty-" The two knights started to bow in surprise.
"Don't just stand there! Go!" Aultcray yelled at them.
The knights immediately complied. Going to alert the stables to get a carriage ready for the King immediately. As well as passing on the news about the advisors being in charge for now.
Aultcray fumed as he walked the hallways of the castle. The words of Erhard's letter were going through his mind.
Your Majesty,
Naofumi and Raphtalia are both fine now. But the two of them almost got killed in a mine today by a large Orthrus Dog Monster. I was busy selling stuff at the market when they snuck off. I am terribly sorry for neglecting my duty to protect them. I promise to not make the same mistake again in the future. Fortunately, those two brave kids managed to kill it before I got there. You would be so proud of them if you saw it yourself.
However, I learned they didn't come up with the idea. I captured a man here, the local priest. He hates the Shield Hero, and he admitted after he was arrested that he told the two kids about the mine with the intent of killing them with the monsters inside. He also said he would take the chance to have them killed again if he ever got the chance.
The knights here don't have the authority to dispose of the bastard. And I feel jail time is too good for this man. If you could come up with a more fitting punishment for what he tried to do to these wonderful brave kids, I would greatly appreciate it. I hope to hear from you soon.
Your friend,
Erhard
Oh, Erhard would be hearing from the King alright. Tiredness be damned! He needed to come up with a punishment for this priest now! And dispatch it as soon as possible! In fact, he was coming up with several different punishments. Each worse than the last as a pair of knights bowed and opened the doors to his carriage.
"Where to, Your Majesty?" The driver asked.
"Lute Village." Aultcray calmly ordered.
The driver nodded and snapped the reins. Getting the fast rider dragons running.
Aultcray stared out the windows of the fancy carriage. Watching as the streets of the city went by.
'I knew the prejudice of my country was bad… but to think that someone would attempt to kill young Naofumi…'
His fists tightened. Erhard said this man was a Three Heroes priest from the village. It was likely he hadn't acted under the authority of the main Church. But if he valued his religion that much... A fitting punishment finally came to Aultcray's mind.
Oh, this man would regret the day he'd ever tried to harm a hair on young Naofumi's head. He'd make sure of it.
Author's Notes:
Allen: I'll admit it. Me and RLT came up with a family chart for every character that'll interact with KidFumi. And Erhard's the awesome uncle that loves to tease you but is there for you when you need it. Also, I don't know what I love more. The head patting and ear floofing, or the interactions between Naofumi and his Shield. It's just a lot of fun to imagine a visual of a lot of these scenes XD!
RLTygurr: We're getting into the action for real now! A pissed off king is not the kind of person you want to make an enemy of, and the priest is about to figure that out firsthand!
No omake this chapter since we had a double omake last chapter.
Till Next Time
Allen and RLT