"Wait, you are planning on joining the fight?" Motoyasu said with no small amount of surprise as he and his party arrived at the arranged meeting place before the start of the Wave, only to be met by Schnee, dressed in leather armor and with his short blade at his waist.
"Of course I am. I'm supposed to be observing your party and determining your contributions during the Wave. I can't exactly do that if I'm not there." Schnee replied as if he was talking to an idiot.
"Are you sure you are going to be able to handle yourself? The Wave is pretty dangerous, you know?" Motoyasu said, feeling concerned for the tiny rabbit child.
"While I might not be as strong as some of my siblings, I am confident in my abilities." Schnee replied with a bit of a smirk. The next moment, Schnee seemed to disappear and Motoyasu's feet were swept out from under him. Next thing the man knew, he was on his back, Schnee sitting on his chest with a dagger held to his throat. "We Crystal Library Rabbits are strengthened by our Lady's 'Trust' in us. Don't underestimate the power of her faith."
The Legendary Weapons' 'Trust' system was a two way street, where the Hero would be strengthened by the faith that the people had in them, but they would also strengthen the people who they trusted as well.
For the Library Rabbits, Rozemyne was their Creator and their Goddess. Their trust in her was unconditional and she had total faith in them and their work as well. So while their natural stats were low compared to a human's, the power of her faith in them gave them far greater strength. It was something that they understood and took pride in, always pushing themselves to meet and surpass their lady's expectations of them.
"R…Right." Motoyasu said, before extending the little guy a party invite so that he would get off of his chest. Having a tiny hermaphrodite having him in such a compromising position made the hero nervous.
Though when Schnee joined his party and he saw that the little rabbit was level 69 and had stats comparable to his own boosted stats, he couldn't help but have wide eyes.
Schnee's level was lower compared to many of the others because his duties collecting information took him far away from home, resulting in him receiving less 'praise' than some of the others, and he didn't regularly fight monsters as well, but he was still a match for the Spear Hero, due to his Lady's faith and the power of the Retainer Series and the Library Rabbit Series of the Holy Shield, each of which increased stat growth rate by 20% and gave a 50% base increase in the stats of those affected.
As a result, even a non-combatant race like the Crystal Library Rabbits were abnormally strong.
Motoyasu might not have understood all of this, but he did understand a little when Schnee boisted about the trust that Rozemyne had in him, after the Legendary Weapon Systems were taught to him.
While many of them could be used so long as you had the materials, which Rozemyne and Melty had graciously provided for Motoyasu, others required build up that would take time, like the Weapon Mastery and Job systems. But it was the Trust system that left Motoyasu feeling hollow inside, as upon unlocking it… his stats barely moved an inch. Not only that, the amount was going down slowly, a visible representation of the news of his recent actions spreading.
It was heart wrenching, as he had thought he had been a good Hero, that he had done his best to inspire and protect the people. Now he could see just how much faith his actions had bought him, like a politician looking at his own abysmal approval rating. People had been sheltering him from what the world truly thought about him. He wasn't a Hero. He was a joke to these people. Worse, he was a criminal who was being allowed to walk free.
As he looked around at the five hundred and something odd soldiers and adventurers who had gathered to take part in the Wave, he started to notice the looks of disapproval they were all giving him. Looks that made him feel weak.
"Lord Motoyasu, were you successful in your last minute preparations?" Rozemyne said, drawing the man out of his thoughts as she approached with her usual party/guards.
"Oh, yeah. All the materials you gathered really helped." Motoyasu said, scratching the back of his head as he stood tall.
"You are welcome, though those resources didn't come from me. It was everyone here who gathered them. The efforts of all the adventurers, working together to support us." Rozemyne said, gesturing to the surrounding people who were men and women who were watching their interaction. "It is good to remember that while we wield the power, we could never succeed without those who support us."
"Right… Their support makes us strong." Motoyasu said, trying to give his Heroic smile, but seeming a little off to Rozemyne.
Rozemyne paused before fishing out a sound blocking magic tool and holding it out to Motoyasu. The man was confused, but took it. "That is a sound blocking magic tool. They are commonly used in my homeland when high nobles need to keep up appearances or discuss important information but can't send their guards and attendants away. You can speak without worrying that those around us can hear you. Tell me, what's on your mind?"
"...I'm sorry." Motoyasu said, before defeating the purpose of the tool by bowing low to Rozemyne in public. "I really didn't take the time to figure out what was going on and treated you poorly. I hope you can forgive me."
"Motoyasu, I don't blame you at all." Rozemyne said with a shake of her head. "We can't be everywhere at once. Whenever I gather intel, I have to do it through those around me. My retainers are my eyes and ears. If they hide things from me and try to warp my perception of the world, then I am worse than blind and deaf. As I said before, you've been surrounded by bad influences."
"No! I'm sure they didn't know the truth either!" Motoyasu insisted.
While Malty and Lesty were acting up after their recent treatment by Princess Melty, the girls were still his party and had supported him throughout it all, even when others left him. Even if he owed Rozemyne a lot, he didn't want to hear her insult them.
"...Loyalty is a virtue. I pray that your trust is well placed." Rozemyne said as a way of saying she wasn't going to argue it with him. Though the word trust stung him, it was true that the stat increase the girls gained from the trust system proved that he had a good deal of trust in them. More than the people had in him. "Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing, I just realize I have a long way to go as a Hero." Motoyasu laughed, scratching the back of his head.
"You've had a rough start, but I am sure that you can make it." Rozemyne said with a smile, though it seemed a little sad. "This reminds me of my adoptive brother, Wilfried. He also had a rough start because the people he trusted caused him to do something he shouldn't have."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"When Wilfried was young, he had already been declared to be the next Archduke of Ehrenfest, and because of that, he was spoiled as a child. No one wanted to force him to learn how to be a proper Archduke, because they didn't want him to hate them. Also, his ignorance would make him easier to manipulate as an adult. Because of that, he was kept in the dark and there were many things he didn't know." Rozemyne said. "When he had just turned eight, he was tricked into visiting his grandmother at the Ivory Tower, a prison used to keep traitors of the Archducal Family. Because of that, he was labeled as a grave criminal in the eyes of the people, and his reputation was ruined. Despite him only being a child, many were calling for him to be imprisoned in the Ivory Tower himself for his crime."
"That's absurd!" Motoyasu said in disbelief at the idea of locking up an eight-year-old child.
"I know. We managed to avoid that outcome, but even so, no one ever allowed him to live it down. Years later, despite all of his hard work, people still claimed that his reputation was ruined because of that day and that he was not worthy of being my fiance."
"Your fiance!?" Motoyasu shouted, not that anyone but Rozemyne could hear him. He hadn't realized that she was spoken for, though he supposed it made sense. High nobles usually had engagements. But to her adopted brother?
Wait, didn't she say he remembered her of the guy?
"That is a story all to itself." Rozemyne said with a chuckle before giving him a smile. "Motoyasu, I won't lie to you and tell you that people will forget what you did, or that everyone will forgive you. But know that we aren't defined by our mistakes, but by what we learn from them. I for one am rooting for you."
"T…Thanks." Motoyasu said, trying to contain his blush.
The moment was broken as they heard a shout of anger and turned their heads to see Malty glaring at Melty as the younger Princess was surrounded by guards and dressed in decorative armor that was covered in charms.
"So she is going to make a scene even now." Rozemyne said with obvious disappointment. "It is no wonder the Queen disinherited her."
"What?" Motoyasu said in surprise.
"I suppose it is no surprise she didn't tell you. Princess Malty was caught sleeping around when she was sent to study abroad. As a result, she was disgraced and removed from the line of succession." Rozemyne said in a whisper, despite the fact that no one could hear them. "The only way she would ever become Queen is if she managed to achieve something great, or she married someone who was desirable enough by the country for them to overlook her past indiscretions."
'Someone like a Hero.'
Rozemyne didn't say the words, but Motoyasu knew what she was implying.
Motoyasu was more than a little shocked to hear that Malty wasn't a virgin, as, despite being a natural flirt, he'd never actually ever taken a girl to bed.
That's right, Motoyasu, the guy who died because two girls had been fighting over him, was a virgin himself. He'd never even taken a girl out on a real date before becoming the Spear Hero.
Regardless of how the others seemed to think it went down, Motoyasu hadn't been a two timer. Two of his friends had confessed to him at the same time, and he had been unable to decide between them, but he hadn't actually started to date either of them. Then Momiji, who had always been so quiet and shy, turned out to be a Yandere, and Motoyasu got stabbed when putting himself between the two girls to stop Momiji from stabbing Itsuyo. …Only for Itsuyo to get jealous when Momiji said she would kill herself so that they could be together in the afterlife. Itsuyo then grabbed a second knife and started stabbing him as well so that SHE could kill herself and be with him in the afterlife.
He was stabbed multiple times by both girls as they ignored his pleas for mercy before finally bleeding out. The last thing he saw in that world was the crazed look in their eyes.
Honestly, being in a world where harems were commonplace and he wouldn't be put into that kind of a situation again had been a relief.
"Now that the news about her embezzling all of that money is out, her prospects are looking even worse than before. And rather than admitting fault, she's blaming her little sister for it." Rozemyne said with a shake of her head. "But I suppose I don't know Princess Malty personally. Tell me, do you think that she would make a good ruler?"
"I… I don't know. I'm not really familiar with politics." Motoyasu said, dodging the question.
"Then I suppose Schnee will have their work cut out for them. Do your best to learn all you can." Rozemyne said with a smile.
She then retrieved her magic tool from him, gave Schnee a pat to his magic stone, causing it to glow as he absorbed her magic power, before moving off to see to other matters, leaving a conflicted Motoyasu behind.
Would Malty make a good Queen, with him as her King?
Honestly, he knew he didn't have the education required to be a King. Hell, he couldn't even read the local language yet. If he married Malty, he'd be a trophy husband and ruling would be up to her.
…Motoyasu hated to admit it, but he couldn't help but compare Malty to Rozemyne and find that his lover fell short. If Rozemyne was what was expected of a ruler, then Malty wasn't up for the job.
"Lord Motoyasu." Schnee said, drawing the man out of his pondering. "Perhaps you should fetch your party, before Princess Malty does something to get herself arrested before the Wave even starts."
"...Yeah. Right." Motoyasu said before heading over to pull the girl away from her little sister.
It would be a little while before he noticed that his 'Trust' boost had increased from his conversation with Rozemyne, and that Malty's had taken a dip.
"Groups A, B and C will all be in charge of securing the perimeter after transport. Group D and E will separate and scout the area to locate the nearest settlement. If one is found in the immediate area, we will move our base of operations to that location, otherwise…" Melty was running through the battle strategy with the team leaders of the various volunteer parties organized for the Wave.
There were forty-eight teams in total of twelve people each, divided pretty evenly between soldiers and adventurers and organized into eight large groups, not including the Hero parties and Melty's own honor guard, consisting of ten Library Rabbits, five Royal Filolials, two Shadows, Eclair and six other Royal Guard Knights.
At Rozemyne's urging, Melty would be taking part in the Wave as well, acting as a field commander. Both for the experience and for the boost in her reputation, as the younger Princess was virtually unknown by the people.
There were risks involved in this, but it was something that had to be done, especially if Princess Malty was going to be going to the front line.
Melty couldn't be seen as doing less for her country than her older sister, even if her sister was a well known criminal.
Rozemyne would be openly deferring to Melty throughout the entire campaign and providing her protection, but she would also be sneakily giving her instructions using magic tools, just in case.
Melty was extremely grateful for the opportunity, but was also nervous.
"You're doing great." Rozemyne said as the meeting ended and the group leaders went back to relay their instructions to those under their command.
"You think so?" Melty asked, a bit of her worry showing as the number of eyes on his dropped.
"Of course. If I didn't know any better, I would never guess that this was your first time." Rozemyne said with a playful smile before turning serious. "Don't let your worry show. If the commander shows fear then that fear will spread through the ranks. Keep your head high and never look away, no matter what."
"Right." Melty said, straightening herself a little more.
Rozemyne's expression softened again. "And remember that Lord Ren and I, and everyone else, are here with you. You aren't the only one who has to bear this weight and you won't have to do it alone."
"...Right." Melty said again, glad to have others there to support her.
"You did a good job giving instructions, and with how little experience we have, detailed instructions are best. But once you become more comfortable with those in command, giving them more autonomy in how they act can help motivate people to make further preparations themselves. You can't plan for everything, but if each of the squads has researched various situations, the odds that one of them will know what to do will increase, and they can react to things without having to wait for your instructions." Rozemyne said. "Remember, your retainers are like your arms and legs. Your job is to learn how to make them move, and if they can move on their own, that frees you up to concentrate on other matters."
Melty listened to everything Rozemyne had to say, glad to have her there as a teacher, while all around them the adventurers and soldiers moved around preparing for battle.
Soon, Rozemyne would be giving the army her blessings, and then, the Wave would begin for real.
I love how in the spin-off it is revealed that Motoyasu wasn't a two timer and that he was actually a virgin.