Chapter Eleven: ... I...I Really... I Really Do Trust You!
…
"What? But, Myne-" Motoyasu finally tried to say something. He had lost, hadn't he?
"It's obvious that he used the slave crest on his slave and forced her to cast a spell to destroy your armor," Myne said, her snotful arrogance lacing her words. "There's no way that the Shield could have that kind of power!" Oh, she definitely knew that Naofumi had that power. But, she had the title of the most hated bitch in the world to live up to, and Naofumi was in the way of that title. Or was it supposed to be the title of Queen?
Either way, Naofumi was in her way.
Naofumi backed away along with Raphtalia, both of them looking shocked at what was happening. This girl was spouting BS. Raphtalia didn't even know any magic!
…
And yet, the crowd above them started to cheer for the Spear Hero's victory. Slowly at first, but it gradually grew over the course of fifteen seconds, until it was a triumphant roar mixed with thunderous applause. Despite how absurd Malty's statement was, everyone had taken it wholeheartedly at face value.
'But… Raphtalia was on the field... she didn't cast a spell or anything… it's absurd… but nobody is checking to see if Myne is lying or not… why are they not checking?!'
"Yeah, that's right!" Motoyasu said more excitedly. After all, it made no sense for Naofumi to be capable of something like shattering his armor. He must have used the command he had over his slave to make her do it. That was the only explanation. Way to go Myne! He couldn't believe that he'd almost fallen for the Shield Hero's tricks! "You really are sick Naofumi! Forcing your slave to cheat for you!"
'No… please no…' Naofumi's vision was starting to get blurry and distorted. Some sort of static ringing in his head was overpowering the ambient sounds around him. He looked up above, but couldn't see Itsuki or Ren. All he saw were the nobles. Every single one of them cheering at the fact that the Spear Hero had won. That he had trounced the great devil of the Shield in the end.
Naofumi had never truly realized how dangerous a group of idiots could be until now. Especially when they had a manipulative bitch at their head leading them along.
"But I don't know any spells like that!-" Raphtalia tried to say.
"Save it Naofumi. We all know what you did. Stop trying to make her deny it." Motoyasu angrily cut her off.
Naofumi's worst thoughts had been confirmed. They were all willing to accept it. Even Motoyasu was willing to accept it. The Shield Hero had cheated somehow. Maybe not by Raphtalia using a spell to shatter Motoyasu's armor, but no one cared. These people couldn't bear the thought of their precious Spear Hero losing fair and square in a duel to the weak and lowly Shield Demon. Motoyasu himself was diving right into the lie without so much as questioning his teammate because he thought the Shield was useless. Even Itsuki and Ren, who had claimed to be on his side, had left Naofumi high and dry.
Raphtalia was speechless at the farce unfolding around them. Did these people really hate Naofumi that much?
Naofumi finally found the ability to speak again. "No! That's not true!" He cried out. "She doesn't even know any magic!" He continued, pointing at Raphtalia. "Even if Raphtalia did know magic, this b-bitch interfered first!" He finally pointed an accusing finger at Malty. "With that wind magic from earlier!"
"How dare you! Myne would never do such a thing!" Motoyasu was quick to come to the princess's defense.
"But it's the truth! I know that someone must have seen it!" Naofumi was getting desperate as he yelled up above at the nobles. "Surely at least one of you saw it!... Please! Say something!" He yelled. Someone had to believe him... anybody…
"I have no idea what you're talking about. My daughter would never interfere with a sacred duel." King Aultcray said haughtily, glaring down at the Shield Hero.
...
Naofumi lost hope. Ren and Itsuki weren't up above anymore. They had likely abandoned him. No one would believe that the Shield had won. Not one person. They were all determined to think of him as a villain. As scum. As the lowest of the low. They wanted him to lose, so he'd be thrown into the dungeons, never to be seen again.
Naofumi growled angrily. These people sickened him.
"You're just saying that because she's your daughter, aren't you!?" He asked angrily. The King narrowed his eyes at him. "You think I didn't see you two plotting together earlier at the celebration?! You wanted me thrown into the dungeons the moment I walked through that door! You set this whole thing up just so your bitch daughter could interfere with that duel and you know it you cowardly piece of trash-"
"That is enough!" The King yelled angrily, cutting Naofumi off. "You dishonor my daughter, then you run away from your crimes, avoid arrest for a month, sneak into my Capital, break into our nation's Church, and now after all this, you DARE to accuse my dear Malty?!" He seethed at Naofumi, shocking him into silence. "Knights, bind this scum! That girl of his has suffered under the curse of being his slave for long enough!" The King ordered.
Suddenly, several knights grabbed Naofumi from the sides. Kicking him down onto his knees. "Master Naofumi-" Raphtalia tried to grab the hilt of her sword, but she was also grabbed from behind by several Knights as well.
"Raphtalia!-" He tried to yell but was forced down into the ground, cutting off his sentence. The knights behind him used their combined stats to lock him into a grapple effect. "What are you doing?! Let my friend go! We agreed that you wouldn't hurt her!" He yelled at the Knights.
"Any friend of the Shield Demon is an enemy to us." The knight on Naofumi's left whispered quietly enough for only him to hear. "But don't worry. Since the king is watching, we'll let her go after this. It's a shame really. We wanted to inflict punishment on the demi-human bitch for helping you desecrate our Inner Sanctum, but at least we'll still be able to inflict God's Divine Punishment on you."
Naofumi managed to look up and saw the rosary hanging around the Knight's neck. Naofumi's eyes widened when he realized it wasn't a group of Royal Knights holding him down. 'No! Gods please no! Damn you, Ren!'
Had this all been some heinous plot to give him hope only to take it away at the last second?!
"Now, after your slave is freed, we'll be able to take you away. And no one will stop us from giving the Devil of the Shield the treatment he so rightfully deserves." The Church Knight whispered in his ear. Malice dripping off his tone like venom off the forked tongue of a venomous snake.
No, this couldn't be his fate! He couldn't be all alone in this world now! Not after everything he had to go through!
"GET OFF OF ME!" Naofumi elbowed a knight, but it did nothing. But when he bashed his head back into a knight's helmet, the force of the helmet hit the Knight's face, making the man fall back and cuss as he gripped at his bleeding nose.
He continued to struggle, but the armored knights holding him down forced his face into the ground again. As a shielder, he could use his defense stat instead of his attack stat to try and break free from a grapple effect. But his defense stat, as high as it was, was nowhere near high enough to outclass their combined stats. The hurt knight rejoined angrily, and Naofumi's face hit the ground so hard his nose started to bleed.
They must have also had some pretty high attack power too, because that hurt!
He tried to focus so he could get his shield to change back to the Chimera Viper Shield to attack them. He didn't care if they'd die from the poison, he had to-
"Too bad Shield Hero."
Naofumi barely managed to lift his head up enough to see Malty standing over him with a smirk. No one besides the Church knights was nearby to overhear her. "Better luck next time... Oh wait, there won't be a next time for you. After all, I doubt you'll last long in the cold dark dungeons all by yourself." She said before she started to laugh like the bitch she was into her hand.
'That… that…' Naofumi's vision was clouded with rage. 'That *&^%$#! bitch!'
"Get the hell off me!" Naofumi yelled, feeling enraged at the knights and at Malty. He was enraged with everyone there. Yet all that hate was being drawn like a black hole, focusing in on this, this… BITCH! All the other emotions he was feeling didn't matter. He had to slug this bitch in the face, now! And then use that ability on her! Only for a bitch like HER! "Let me go! Damn it, let me go!" Said bitch continued to laugh as he struggled.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled to him when she saw the way that he was being treated. In her worry, she struggled to free herself. Almost managing to break the wrist of one of the knights in the process.
"Gag and bind her, this slave crest is a powerful one, it needs to be removed immediately!" The King ordered.
"No- Umph! Mmmph!" The knights complied, and Raphtalia found herself straining at binds around her hands and a gag over her mouth. Though she still tried to scream through it in worry at Master Naofumi's treatment.
Naofumi's attention was taken away from Malty back to the present situation. "Raphtalia!-" Naofumi's face was dug into the ground again by one of the knights holding him down. 'Urghhh! I have to get to her! I have to get us out of here! I have to-'
"There there dear." The King said in a more gentle voice to the struggling girl. He gave her a reassuring pat on the head that made the fur on Raphtalia's tail and ears bristle. "In just a moment you will be released from your servitude to this rapist, and you won't have to defend him anymore."
…
Naofumi's world stopped.
He looked up, and he saw a wide-eyed look on Raphtalia's face as she stopped struggling. It was a look of disbelief, shock, and… and…
'No…' He thought in horror. 'This isn't how I wanted her to learn about why I ran away… this wasn't supposed to happen... please don't believe them Raphtalia...' He looked down at the ground in pain. 'Please don't believe them…'
His surroundings darkened. No longer did he see the people in the stands up above. The knights holding him down disappeared. But he was weak, unable to do anything but observe what he was seeing.
Raphtalia, not the strong young adult, but the child that he had met in Belouka's slave tent so long ago, stared at him with her dull, tea-red eyes. The slave cuff disappeared from his wrist and reappeared on hers. The gag and binds on her also disappeared.
"Raphtalia…" He said weakly. "You don't believe them… do you?"
...
"Is it true?" She asked quietly, her voice sad.
"No. I swear it's not-" He tried to say, but it ended with a gasp when she was turned away by a knight. The front of her ragged shirt was lowered enough to reveal the slave crest on her chest.
She didn't resist.
"Let us begin." A priest handed the bottle he was holding to Motoyasu, who had just been healed up by a wizard. Though he was still only in his briefs.
"It's high time that somebody fixed this wrong," Motoyasu said.
"Wait. Please. You have to listen to me Raphtalia." Naofumi weakly called out to her. Yet she didn't resist when Motoyasu poured the liquid over the seal on her chest. It easily dissolved it, leaving the spot of skin clean and pristine, like the slave seal was never there in the first place.
Contract with Raphtalia: Terminated
Raphtalia's name and stats disappeared from below his.
Just like that, it was over. It was all over. "No!" Naofumi screamed.
"There, you're free now. Be grateful for Sir Motoyasu's kindness." Malty said in a sweet voice to the young Raphtalia as the soldiers who had been holding her released her.
"Go on. I'll make sure to protect you from that rapist from now on." Motoyasu said in an encouraging voice to her.
"You're free to forge your own path from here on out." King Aultcray said to the young girl. "Without this Demon trying to manipulate you."
…
The young Raphtalia stared blankly at Naofumi for a few seconds… he stared back beggingly. His last strand of hope was hanging in front of him. She wouldn't leave him now?... would she? "Please… don't go…" He whispered.
…
She turned to walk away. "Wait, Raphtalia!" He cried out desperately. "None of what they said is true! I'm not a rapist! I'd never do that to anyone! I'd never do that to you! Please, you have to believe me!"
His thoughts from last night came back to haunt him. If she left him… "You said you'd always believe me, didn't you?! Please don't leave me now!" He cried out.
She stopped walking to glance back at him. The look in her eyes was still dull, and still a little sad. Like she felt… sorry for him.
"Goodbye, Naofumi." She whispered.
Raphtalia turned back around and walked away.
...
Naofumi breathed in and out heavily. Even as Raphtalia got farther and farther from view. 'No…'
Boom!
Her fading footsteps sounded louder in his ears. Like thunderclaps of lightning overhead. 'No… you said you'd always believe me… you… you promised...'
She never looked back as she disappeared into the darkness.
…
'No…'
…
'No…'
She had left him. She'd broken her promise.
…
'No… she… she…'
…
The realization hit harder than a brick wall.
He'd been betrayed for the last time.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He tore the shield off his arm, throwing it away from himself.
The Church Knights, Motoyasu, Malty, the King, and everyone else around him disappeared. The last strand of hope he'd been holding onto, the hope that Raphtalia had helped him to nurture all that time, had burned away. Naofumi let the cold pessimistic part of him take over again. But now it felt hot, the lingering chill replaced with a burning all-encompassing feeling of hatred. Berating him deservingly for the fool that he had been for trusting someone else.
It was always as if a small part of him had known that this would happen when she learned what he'd been accused of. Wait till you're older? What a joke. It could have been ten years, twenty years and she still wouldn't have believed him, just like she didn't now.
She didn't believe him. She never had. Elhart didn't believe him. The town guard and monster shop owner in Lute didn't believe him. Jerry didn't believe him.
No one believed him.
Breathing in and out heavily, he turned and started to run away. "That's it! I'm done! Get me out of here! Get me away from this stupid world! I can't take it anymore!"
A bright green light flashed, blinding Naofumi for a second. Then the Legendary Shield reappeared on his arm. He looked down at it, and his eyes widened in rage. 'Does this world really hate me that much!? Does this world really think I want to be here!? After everything that everyone in it has done to me!'
…
"I'll never be rid of it." He realized.
He'd never go back to his world. He'd been doomed from the start. He'd never be rid of the distrust that followed him. This whole world was plotting against him. The whole world hated him!
That's why it summoned him here! To take the last bit of hope he'd been cherishing from his dead-end life from before so it could crush it mercilessly in its grasp! The people of this world would always look at him as if he was nothing other than a devil! Whatever lies they would spin the world would believe!
Who was he kidding?! He'd never stood a chance!
"No one will ever believe me! No matter how much I run in this world!"
This world…
Naofumi looked up. It was like he'd dawned on a great realization. "A messed up world…"
Screw that he was a Hero. Screw that he was supposed to protect others with his shield. If this world was so messed up that it'd turn even sweet innocent Raphtalia against him…
...
"This messed up world..." Everything in his vision slowly became absorbed in black.
...
" I$ N&T W&8TH S*$%!G!"
The gemstone on his shield burned a bright fiery red. At the same time, a new notification surrounded by red took up his view.
Requirements met, Cursed Series Unlocked
That was what Naofumi had seen in the dark corners of his mind while enveloped in the crushing and suffocating embrace of his own despair.
But the reality around him could not have been further from it.
After Raphtalia's slave crest was removed, her bindings and gag were taken off. "There, you're free now." The princess nodded in satisfaction with a malicious smile. "Be grateful for Sir Motoyasu's kindness."
The Spear Hero approached her with a gentle and understanding smile, reaching out with his hand to cup her face and reassure her. "Go on. I'll make sure to protect you from that rapist from now on."
"You're free to forge your own path from here on-." King Aultcray began saying this to the young woman.
But he was unable to finish his sentence because of what happened next.
CRUNCH!
"AAAHH!" Motoyasu cried out in pain as he fell backward, clutching his broken nose.
"Sir Motoyasu!" Malty shouted his name in surprise while everyone gasped or stared with their mouths wide open.
"M-mai noth!" The Spear Hero whined, trying to stop the blood flow by holding it with both hands. He looked up at Raphtalia in confusion and disbelief, only to shrink back and start to crawl away in fear as she stepped forward.
"You…" Raphtalia glared down at the Spear Hero's pathetic crumbled form with the fury of an angry goddess. The top of her face was hidden in shadow. She held her right hand in front of her, balling it into a fist so hard that her nails were digging into her own skin. Blood, his blood, slowly dripped from it on the floor. "You. Worthless. Spineless Worm! Liar! Cheat!" She yelled every word with every step she took forward while Motoyasu crawled back over the floor of the arena, stumbling and smearing himself in the dirt.
"How, DARE YOU! I didn't interfere in your duel and you know it!"
A few dozen feet to the side, Naofumi was on his hands and knees staring at the ground, not paying attention to his surroundings. The Church Knights still held him down, smirking maliciously at their lowly captive who was no longer struggling, despite Raphtalia's outburst. It angered Raphtalia in a way that nothing else could!
Motoyasu continued to look up at her, his body shaking both from the chill in the evening air, his own fear, and very unfortunate memories that were suddenly being brought up in his mind. "You filthy animal! How dare you strike Sir Motoyasu after he so kindly set you free! You ungrateful, worthless sla-" Malty shouted and ran up to Raphtalia.
SLAP!
"Shut up, you BITCH!" Raphtalia cut Myne off with a harsh slap to the face. It held enough force to make the Princess turn around on the spot and stare off into space in a daze.
"I never asked for anyone to free me! I was never acting under that slave crest! I was with Naofumi by choice!" The demi-human girl continued heatedly, deeply offended by what Malty had just said.
Before the disgraced princess could respond, Motoyasu timidly spoke out from his spot on the ground. "Buth, buth I sought saht Naofumi wath raping yuu!" He protested weakly.
"You thought that he was raping me!? Why would Master Naofumi rape anybody!? You obviously know nothing about him!" Raphtalia angrily glared at the Spear Hero again, making him shrink back once more.
"He did rape someone though, me!" Myne replied heatedly while clutching the burning side of her face. She had finally managed to regain her senses after that last slap.
…
Raphtalia stared at the princess for a long moment. And then, she threw her head back and laughed. It wasn't a laugh that came from hearing a good joke. Rather, it was a laugh that said she didn't believe it... at all. The laugh caught Myne off guard. "You? You seriously think that I'll believe that Master Naofumi raped you? A blackhearted ugly sow like you!? You'd be lucky if one of the pigs in the pens outside your castle would look your way! Master Naofumi would never stoop that low!"
Malty's mouth opened wide while the people around her gasped again while nervously looking away from the first princess of Melromarc. She flapped her mouth, trying to respond to the scathing words, but couldn't stop choking on her own rage as her face turned even more red than the palm print on her cheek.
"And besides, you just lied saying that Master Naofumi lost because I interfered with magic!" The demihuman girl continued. "Now you expect me to believe something even more ludicrous?!"
Myne sputtered. Motoyasu also tried to formulate a response, but honestly couldn't. This wasn't how he was expecting Raphtalia to act now that she was no longer under the conditions of the slave crest. Nor had anyone else seriously given it much thought as they were all equally stunned.
"Master Naofumi has never abused me, not even once! He only activated my crest when I was too scared to fight! And he did it to protect the both of us!"
Motoyasu angrily slammed the bottom of his spear into the ground, after tossing an empty healing potion bottle away and standing up. His face and upper body still looked like a mess but he seemed to be more focused now. "And that's the problem! Nobody should ever be forced into a fight! Especially a beautiful girl like you!" He tried to argue.
"Would you rather I hadn't fought and allowed both me and Master Naofumi to die when we faced a monster!?" Motoyasu sputtered at her comeback. "Master Naofumi can't use any weapons!" Raphtalia immediately followed up. "If I didn't fight for him then we would have both died long before the wave! The Shield defends, so someone has to fight for him! Somebody has to be his sword!"
"... But you don't have to be that person. Don't you think he'll put you in danger every time to save his hide?" Motoyasu tried to reason with her. His voice was filled with honest concern for her well-being.
"You don't know him as I do," Raphtalia said seriously. Indeed he did not. None of them did. "Master Naofumi has always defended me, even when badly injured he's defended me!" She yelled, counteracting his concern with the truth.
She thought back to the time when he summoned the Air Strike Shield to protect her from the Orthrus dog, despite how much he hated that shield then. There had been a time similar to that when they'd been hunting in a forest only for Naofumi to push her out of the way before a metal trap meant for a monster snapped over one of his legs. Only his high defense had kept his leg from being cut clean off, but his calf still bore a scar from the event. Had he not pushed her out of the way when he had...
Tears touched Raphtalia's eyes. "He's always defended me from monsters! Even the ones that plague my nightmares at night because of my village being destroyed by Melromarc's Knights!"
Gasps came from up above. Motoyasu was speechless. "He saved me from dying in a slave tent! He's always been willing to protect me and comfort me when I needed it!" Raphtalia continued heatedly, tears were falling from the corners of her eyes. "He's shown more care for me than he ever has for himself!"
"No… no way... he isn't that kind of guy," Why was Motoyasu denying it. Even though Raphtalia could now speak the truth about her Master if she so wished. And yet she was still defending him.
Did that mean what she was saying was the truth?
"Well then know this; Master Naofumi is not a rapist! He had the opportunity to do so after he first bought me! But he didn't! He instead treated the wounds on my back that my previous master left and cried as he did so!" She had finally learned enough. Not just from what had been said to her but what she'd overheard at dinner, during their talking on the field, and from the nobles and knights up above to fit the pieces together. She put her hand to her chest. "He took the time to feed me every day. Healthy nourishing food, anything that I wanted even though he couldn't taste any of it. He gave me valuable medicine and treatments that cured my illness! He shared everything he had with me, a traumatized slave girl who had nothing... tell me! Do you think you'd be capable of such kindness?!"
...
Motoyasu looked conflicted. "Of... of course, I would!" He finally replied heatedly! He was a Hero! Of course, he would do all that and more-
"Then where are they?" Raphtalia coldly cut him off.
"... Excuse me?" Motoyasu looked confused.
"Where are your slaves? Where are the grateful people that you have saved? The ones who want to pay you back for your kindness? The ones who are willing to stand up for you! To speak for you! To die for you!" She shouted as she stared right into his face. "Because from where I stand, the only person that I can see taking your side right now, is this lying two-faced bitch!" She pointed to the side at said Bitch.
"How dare you say such things!" Malty yelled. "Take that back you filthy DEMI-HUMAN!" Malty yelled at Raphtalia with all the indignation centered around the last word.
"I'll never take back the truth! Naofumi is right to call a black-hearted person like you a bitch! I'd rather be a demi-human than a human like you!" Raphtalia said angrily, much to Malty's surprise and anger, before looking back at Motoyasu. "Do you really trust someone like her to make you a better person Spear Hero!?" Raphtalia heatedly asked. "Do you really think this, this, sow here wants to help you?! Or is she just using you to hurt others like my master!?"
Motoyasu again backed away another step. "I… I…" He didn't know how to answer. Myne was looking increasingly indignant, waiting for her hero to respond in her defense. This demi-human had just called her a pig! She deserved death!
...
"This chatter is pointless." The King, who had been standing to the side this whole time, finally snapped out of his shock and started to speak. "The Shield Hero lost. According to his terms, he will give up everything he has, you will go free, and he will be thrown into the dungeons-" He said as he approached Raphtalia. He had a deal to uphold. She would go free, and the Shield would-
"HE DIDN'T LOSE!" Raphtalia roared, drawing out her sword in the process.
"Draw swords!"
The Knights all-around immediately drew their swords at once to defend his Majesty. Motoyasu backed away in shock. The nobles up above became silent. The Pope observed what was going on. If Raphtalia had looked angry before, then the look adorning her face now was absolutely feral. Her fangs and her sword were pointed at the stunned king. Those close to her backed away and gathered around the King, suddenly realizing just how dangerous this demi-girl was.
"Your daughter lied. I didn't interfere." She said icily, her glare causing some of the knights to tremble in fear. "If you try to take him away, then I will not hesitate. I swear I will cut you all down right here and now." She didn't sugarcoat anything. The knights facing her realized she wasn't joking around, and that scared them even more.
"My dear, there must be some mistake-" The King tried to say in an appeasing voice.
"The only mistake here is the fool in front of me who thinks he and his sow daughter can do whatever they want." Raphtalia cut him off icily. "You might be royalty, but I will never, ever, allow you to hurt Naofumi." Raphtalia finished determinedly. She had been a weak sick girl when Naofumi had first found her. But now, because of him, she was strong. Not just physically, but she resolved she'd do what was right. And right now, the right thing was to stand up and defend him from this fool in front of her. And kill that fool if that was truly necessary.
…
The King lost all pretense of being nice as he glared at Raphtalia with pure unadulterated hatred. "You filth." He said with disgust, finally revealing his true thoughts on the demi-human girl before him. "I have heard enough from you today, and I will not tolerate it anymore." He said venomously. "Unless you feel like joining this devil after gaining your freedom-"
"I think that's enough."
At that moment, Ren and Itsuki finally walked out onto the duel arena that was on the verge of becoming a battlefield. They would have interrupted this farce far sooner, but after the bull crap Myne had spouted, Ren was indecisive about what to do. What if she was more influential than he'd realized? What if he only caused more trouble by trying to speak?
Upon hearing Raphtalia's words though, resolve had finally formed. And after witnessing all that crap, Ren and Itsuki truly felt more disgust towards the King and Princess than they ever had for anyone else in their entire lives.
And that was saying something.
Their timely arrival prompted whispers from the nobles up above. Both of them appeared calm, but their eyes held back anger and disgust at what was going on. They'd heard and watched enough. Both the Princess and the King were truly rotten to the core.
They couldn't believe they'd ever thought about listening to them before. How horribly could an AI possibly be programmed?
"What is this now?" The King asked, forcing himself to calm back down.
"Myne. I have to ask about your illegal and magical interference in that duel." Itsuki said, calmly ignoring the King.
"What are you talking about? I did no such thing." Malty responded, sounding nervous.
"Illegal interference?" Motoyasu asked in bafflement.
"Hey Motoyasu, sorry to break it to you, but you not only lost that duel at the end but halfway through," Ren said. Motoyasu gasped. "Obviously, someone shot a powerful wind magic spell at Naofumi near the middle of the duel. If he hadn't used his shield when he had, then it would have been hard to tell. But the light metal variant exposed the wind magic to everyone watching in the stands." He directed a look at the nobles up above, watching as they shuffled nervously in their seats.
...
"Myne?" Motoyasu asked confusedly after a few seconds. The King was remaining silent now that the two other heroes were accusing his daughter.
"I think you imagined it." She tried to fake a happier innocent tone as she looked up at the nobles. "The audience didn't see a thing-"
"The King has ordered everyone to keep quiet. Some of the nobles revealed to us privately that there was foul play." Itsuki said, completely blowing away Malty's argument.
Malty went silent, unable to think of something to defend herself with now. Her face twisted into a scowl. "They also don't believe that Raphtalia interfered. She said it herself without a slave crest on her. She knows no magic. You were just trying to find a reason to have Naofumi locked up." Itsuki's stinging accusation made Myne scowl more deeply.
Ren shook his head. Their cowardice really did sicken him. Naofumi had proved himself through pure strength, grit, and determination in that duel. Yet here they were, spitting on that image out of what, spite? He couldn't tell. Naofumi had done nothing wrong to them, and yet they hated him. What kind of malicious A.I. was this?
It sickened him more than their cowardice.
"I can't believe royalty would interfere with a sacred duel," Ren said, his gaze looking condescendingly at the King. The King looked off to the side, unable to meet the Sword Hero's piercing gaze. He knew he'd been caught. "Guess it wasn't so sacred to you after all if it meant getting what you wanted in the end."
…
The king looked like he was about to shout orders to his knights. "Here is the deal, your Majesty," Itsuki spoke out first. "If you are going to order your people to lay even one finger on Naofumi and this girl, then we'll refuse to help out Melromarc with any more waves," The Bow Hero finished his ultimatum.
He still didn't know Naofumi all that well, but he did believe in truth, justice, and fairness. And if the King was going to go back on his word and that of his Commander's when Naofumi had won the duel not just once, but twice, then he saw none in this situation. No matter what Naofumi had been accused of in the past. It wasn't right.
The King looked shocked at that. "But, but we need you to fight the waves-" He tried to argue.
"You need him too," Ren said, pointing to Naofumi. "Our help guides all say that if even one of the heroes is killed or goes missing, then the waves will become almost impossible to beat for the other heroes. Right, Motoyasu?" Ren asked the Spear Hero.
Motoyasu stuttered for a moment at being put in the spotlight like that. Eventually, he answered by silently nodding. Not trusting himself to speak. He had read the same thing in his help guide.
Ren, feeling inspired, looked up at the stands towards the Pope and his followers. "I heard that Naofumi had to break into the Three Heroes Church so he could register for the Wave. Yet at the same time, you were praying for our success out on the battlefield. Were you idiots thinking your prayers would make it easier for us to fight the wave without the help of one of the four Cardinal Heroes? Do you think you're above the rules just because you worship us?" He calmly asked in an accusatory tone.
The Pope frowned slightly but didn't respond to Ren's calm accusing tone. What was the Sword Hero doing?
Ren looked back at the King. Where was all this coming from? He'd been so anxious to act like this before. Could it be that Raphtalia's words had moved him more deeply than he'd realized? Whatever it was, he continued to speak. His voice confident, very much unlike what it had been back in his world. He felt... like an actual hero.
"If we had gone ahead with your plan to lock Naofumi away in a dungeon, then he would have been so weak that he would have never survived the Wave of Catastrophe. You would have doomed this whole world because of it, and yet..." Ren's calm facade started to fade, revealing the anger he held towards the king and his daughter. "Do you two even care about protecting your kingdom and the others from the waves?! Don't you care that Naofumi saved the people in your village from being slaughtered?! Or do you both really hate the Shield Hero that much?! Which is more important to you King Aultcray!? Saving the lives of your people, or satisfying your own vain foolish pride!?"
…
He paused, allowing the question to sink in. "If you value your pride more than your own people, then our help here is wasted. Because this world will end... no matter what we choose to do." He finished calmly. Yet out of everything else he said, those words hit everyone there like a bucket of ice water being thrown on a sleeping person.
Everyone remained silent. In the face of such cold hard and indisputable words, not one argument against it could be mounted… the nobles up above were silenced. The Pope, Myne, and even the King were silenced…
Was it enough? Ren finally felt the weight of his own words. He hoped it was enough. He felt so timid now that he wasn't sure he could say anymore.
…
The silence was broken by the sound of a sword being sheathed, and the sound of footfalls.
Raphtalia walked past them all, unarmed and standing tall like a royal queen. Nobody dared to oppose her. Nobody dared to look her in the eyes. The glare she gave the Church Knights standing near Naofumi was so deadly, that they backed away from her out of fear.
"All of you... Go away… and never… ever… bother us again." She said to them slowly, and icily, as she directed her glare at the Knights, then at the King and Myne, and her words ended when she glared up at the Pope and his followers.
The meaning was clear. She was directing the same words and threats to all of them. Anyone who tried to harm and take away Master Naofumi from her again would have to go through her sword. And she wasn't afraid to inflict the same harm on them that they had wanted to inflict on Naofumi.
The Pope continued frowning at the way this whole predicament had unfolded.
"Pope Balamus, let us strike now. We may still be able to incapacitate the demi-human-" Altara, the ever hate-inspired nun, tried to say quietly to the Pope.
"Then we'd truly risk losing the Sword Hero, the Bow Hero, and possibly the Spear Hero over to their side entirely." Pope Balamus cut her off. "If we haven't already lost them now, that is." He said sadly at the end. It was possible they were even swaying the King to his side. And if that was the case...
Altara stayed silent and looked down below in shock. There really was nothing they could do in this situation. Not without provoking the Sword and Bow to turn on them… and possibly the Spear Hero if Raphtalia was attacked.
No, they would have to wait before they tried to make a move again. Altara still bit her tongue in frustration. "I am afraid, my child, that God won't be meting out his judgment today." The Pope said.
...
King Aultcray clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He hated being made a fool of by others. Especially when he'd been so wise before.
However, he knew there was nothing he could do about it. As much as he hated the Shield Hero, he couldn't lose the support of the other Cardinal Heroes. He couldn't do something that'd end their world. He definitely couldn't do something that'd make his wife hate him forever, even if what he was doing was to protect their family.
The only thing he could do now was to give in and save face... again.
"You two... have till the end of tomorrow... to get out of my Capital." He said back to Raphtalia as if the words were poison in his mouth. "After that... you'll be hunted by my Knights like the dogs you are without mercy! Damn the waves!" King Aultcray yelled with finality before he turned and stalked away.
Malty looked at her Father with shock. "But, but father-" He really couldn't be suggesting they let them go!? But seeing how she'd already been humiliated enough by what had happened, and not wanting to make a further fool of herself, she closed her mouth and walked away after him while nursing the side of her face that still stung.
The knights down below, both Church and Royal sheathed their weapons, despite looking unsure and left. The King's orders had been crystal clear, and they no longer had a reason to be there. Nor did they want to risk facing Raphtalia's wrath. The Royal Knights followed the King. The Church Knights followed the Church. The nobles began filing out of the stands. Many of them left stunned by what they had all witnessed.
After a few moments, it was just Raphtalia and the four Cardinal Heroes of Legend down in the duel arena. No one else.
And that was what had really happened while Naofumi was blinded by the dark corners of his mind.
...
Raphtalia breathed in deeply to calm herself. Then, she stared down at Naofumi's form. Even after everything that had happened, he was still on his hands and knees. His eyes clenched tightly shut.
Inwardly, it was like she understood what was happening... Naofumi was somewhere far away in his mind, almost unreachable… almost impossible to pull back at this point… she couldn't even begin to realize how much he must have been suffering… how much he'd been scared to reveal why he'd run away.
Had he really not held as much trust for her as she'd thought. Even after everything they'd gone through together...
...
"Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia finally said.
Naofumi opened his eyes, glaring down at the ground below him. He couldn't see the slave cuff that was still on his right wrist. He was stuck in his own dark world. His own, lonely cursed dark world. "Why'd you come back?" He asked bitterly. "You're free now, aren't you?"
…
"... but, but I didn't leave-" Raphtalia tried to say.
"I don't need a traitor, get lost." He said. His tone was angry and bitter.
Raphtalia stared down at him, her eyes sad. 'He really is suffering from this…' She hadn't realized it, doing her best to make him proud every day. But having only one person constantly supporting you… and fearing that person leaving you when she learned the truth…
"I, I know you were accused of terrible things Master Naofumi... I learned about them during the party, listening to the other nobles." She admitted.
Naofumi gasped in shock. 'She knew!... She knew even before the duel! So was all this just a plan between her, Ren, and the other heroes to get her FREE?!'
Raphtalia's eyes took on a determined glint. "And yet I believed, no, I knew that you would never ever do such a thing-"
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Naofumi yelled in anger at the ground...
Raphtalia became concerned. "Master Naofumi-" She said as she tried to approach.
"STAY AWAY!" Raphtalia stopped just a foot from him. Still, even though she was uncertain about what to do, she knew that Naofumi needed her at that moment.
She tried to reach down. "Please, you have to listen to me."
Her hand was almost on his shoulder when he reacted. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Naofumi yelled with rage, pushing Raphtalia's hand away. The action caused the slave cuff to come flying off his wrist, and to roll across the ground of the arena. Raphtalia gasped in surprise and hurt.
"Thanks to your savior Motoyasu you're free now! GO! I never want to see you again!" His insides felt like they were breaking into pieces. She'd thrown away the last bit of hope he'd had for this world. Why should he allow her back? Why?! "Or are you hanging around just to get one last look at this loser's face before he's dragged off to the dungeons for the rest of his miserable life?!" Did she really have to come back to rub that fact in his face! Did she have to rub in the fact that he was as good as dead now!
Raphtalia shook her head, holding her hands to herself. "Master Naofumi, please,"
"Just!... just leave me alone." He said, his voice now filled with despair. The deepest, darkest despair imaginable. "I don't care if you hate me now Raphtalia. You don't deserve to be like me... Just leave, leave me alone and hate me like everyone else..." He started crying at the end.
"It'd be easier for everyone to hate me…"
...
'... … Naofumi...'
...
He was all alone in this world. This world of cursed, lonely darkness. Where he'd never have anyone to support him. Never have anyone to help him. Never have anyone to calm him. Never have anyone to hold him, to believe him, or believe in him. He was all alone, with no hope, and nothing else but his burning shield on his arm. This cursed shield that he hated so much…
...
"I believe you, Master Naofumi." Raphtalia's voice sounded in the darkness of his mind. "I really do. Tell me, what can I do to make you believe me?" Her voice sounded far away to him in his dark isle of hate where he hid in the shadows.
…
"Believe you? After you betrayed me? After you plotted against me?" He asked, his tone deathly flat.
"I will always be on your side! Even if you never believe me!" She said confidently.
"Liar!" He covered his head up further under his hands. "You're just saying that to trick me again! I won't let you!"
"No, I-"
"Just shut up!" He buried his head deeper into his hooded cloak. "What else are you people going to accuse me of!? What else are you going to plot to push me down!?..."
He revealed his face, showing there was an unnatural red color over the whites of his eyes along with red lines on his cheeks. "I tried to deal with being pulled from my world! I tried to be content with being able to only fight with a shield! I tried to do what I thought was right, I tried to help everyone out, I tried to hope that things would get better, but it was over before it even started! The damn royalty hate me, the zealots all hate me, even the common people spread false rumors about me that everyone believes!" His eyes became sad for a moment. "And those who would have supported me in the beginning... they were either imprisoned, or they were killed. All because they wanted to help me… and now there's nobody left to help me… I'm all alone!" He looked down in anger at his shield. "This damn shield is a curse!"
He tried to rip the fiery red shield in his vision off his arm. "Urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I hate it!..."
…
A small hand appeared over the burning gem on the shield. "I don't." It was from the same young Raphtalia. But this time she was dressed in the clothes he had gotten for her at Elhart's place. She had the same haircut he had helped her to get before the dog monster… the... the same lively look in her eyes. "This shield has saved my life over and over. It has never let me down when I needed help." Raphtalia said quietly.
He looked up at her in surprise. Somehow, she'd pierced into this world, this veil of darkness surrounding him. Not the real her in the real world, but this young version of her had cut through his agony into his mind.
"Don't you remember… during the wave?" She continued. "How you tried so hard to protect everyone?"
Her speaking about it brought memories through his anger around him. He saw times during the wave when he used a skill, a shield, or even his own body to save an individual, a family, random groups of strangers. Air Strike Shield. Shield Prison. Rope 'Shield. Small Shield. Light Metal Shield…
"Even though you knew you couldn't fight. You still used your shield and your strength to defend everyone. You risked your life to save the lives of so many others, Master Naofumi."
Naofumi looked shocked. He could see those memories of fighting off monsters during the wave clear as day. The monsters he had so courageously fought, the burning houses he'd ran in to make sure everyone had made it out safely... risking his life over and over again… "To be honest, I didn't do any of that for the villagers. I..." He tried to reason with her, to find something that'd keep him in this dark world, but his words sounded hollow, even to him.
"You must see that it doesn't matter." She cut off his thought process. "You still fought hard, and you still saved everyone. You saved me." She said, reaching through to his humanity. "You pushed yourself, more than anyone else to protect them."
"No. I'm not that nice a guy Raphtalia." Naofumi denied. "I just wanted to survive, even if just for a day longer, by any means necessary, and you were just a tool for me do that! You were the only way I could survive in this world!"
He tried again to push her away with his words. Wanting to be left alone in this isle of hatred, where he'd never have to feel anything other than his rage. Where no one in the world could ever hurt him again.
"Even if I was only a tool..." She looked from the shield to him. "It doesn't matter because you still rescued me." She continued. "And it doesn't change how I feel about you. Even if you have been using me this whole time, my feelings for you will never change."
He backed away in shock and fear at her words. "No! Stop it! It was… it was all about how I could save myself! How I could-" He tried so hard to find the words to push her away. He didn't deserve someone like Raphtalia to support him. Not a cursed individual like him.
He had to be alone! He had to!...
...
However, he found he was powerless as she got on her knees, slowly leaned in, and lightly embraced him in a warm and loving hug.
...
The shield on his arm started to glow blue again, battling with the red fire on its gem. Naofumi's eyes widened, and he slowly gasped at the surge of emotions that went through him, purging through his feelings of hatred and self-loathing. 'What's… what's happening…'
…
...
…
"Master Naofumi," Raphtalia finally spoke. A small smile was on her face. "I bet I know you better than anyone else in the world."
She remembered some of her own memories of Naofumi as she thought of what to say. Like the time they made a ball together.
"I know how kind you are."
She remembered the first time she'd been laying on her stomach. Naofumi crying over her as he treated the horrid wounds on her back.
"I know how generous you can be."
She remembered the day after they'd gone into the mine. How she'd been playing with her ball in front of the inn again when a different group of kids visiting the town came to bully her and steal her ball. Naofumi had been there to get the other kids to back off, though. She smiled, remembering how he threatened them with a balloon.
It was such a classic Naofumi move...
"I know how much you want to protect and serve others."
She remembered the nights he'd spent hugging her close when she suffered from some nightmare. She remembered him covering her body with his, even as monsters tried to get at her. He rubbed the back of her head, telling her everything would be alright.
She especially remembered how tired he always was the next day, and yet he never visibly complained or said it was all her fault. Sometimes, she'd even get him to smile by being in such a good mood after a rough night.
"Even if it meant you having to sacrifice everything to help those you care about…"
A tear landed on Naofumi's cloak. Raphtalia tightened her hug, allowing the torrent of emotions to flow through her.
It had only been a month, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed. These were some of the happiest memories in her entire life. Even if she were to die tomorrow, she would treasure them forever. "So… so even if the whole world speaks ill of you, I'll always tell them that they're wrong." She said determinedly.
Naofumi could do nothing but sit on his knees in shock. His arms hanging loosely beside him. He was almost unable to believe what he was hearing... Almost.
"I'll defend you. And remind them of all that you've done. You are the one who saved my life." She spoke with conviction. "You are the one who cured my illness, who helped me to overcome my fears and traumas, who gave me a sword, and showed me that I still had a purpose."
At that moment, the red fire finally gave way to the blue light being emitted from the gemstone of Naofumi's shield. Naofumi shakily breathed out, the red disappearing from his eyes and face. The hatred and self-loathing were gone… the darkness around his mind was gradually lifting...
Raphtalia finally backed away. She looked like a young adult to him again. "You've always believed in me. Now I will prove that I believe in you…" She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I swear to be your sword forever, and to always stand beside you, through hellfire and brimstone." She smiled at him. "I could never hate you Master Naofumi. Never."
...
…
...
Naofumi felt tears pricking at his eyes. 'I've… I've always wished… someone... would say those very words to me…'
His mind flashed back to earlier that day by the carriage.
"I swear to be your sword forever… Wherever you go, I'll be there with you... Even if everyone else hates you, I will never hate you, Naofumi Iwatani… I believe in you."
His mind returned to the present, and Naofumi lowered his head in shame. The tears were close to escaping. 'I guess… I didn't believe her before.' He was ashamed. He hadn't believed Raphtalia… honest, sincere Raphtalia...
Raphtalia continued to smile. Bringing light back into his darkened world. "This is a world where it's hard to find people to trust. It's even harder to find someone you can trust to be yourself with… your past, your secrets... your feelings... But I know I can trust you Master Naofumi because you saved my life." She spoke from the bottom of her heart. "You gave me a purpose when I thought I had none. You showed me kindness when I thought it no longer existed."
The hallway of Elhart's house flashed before her mind. When she'd yelled at him, asking how she could trust him.
She knew the answer to that now. It had been in front of her the whole time. "And because you showed me who you really are… I... I really... I really do trust you!"
The darkness that had been around him for so long vanished entirely. He opened his eyes to a different world than what he'd been seeing before. The stars shone brightly in the sky up above. The moon shone even more brightly than the stars. The stands around him were empty. The Cardinal Heroes stood nearby.
But Raphtalia, on one knee in front of him, outshone everything else. Or, at least, the woman who had been Raphtalia before.
A gasp of surprise escaped his lips.
Her auburn hair was the same length, but it had deepened in color and appeared more vibrant as it swayed in the light breeze. Even though they were both kneeling, he could tell that she had grown more in height. Her body and assets had matured to the point that had he seen her on campus, he would have mistaken her for a hot college student… In short, she wasn't a young adult. She was a beautiful, young woman that rivaled the prettiest girls he'd ever met. Actually, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever met.
"The great Shield Hero." Raphtalia finished happily, the same smile still on her face. The smile and her deep tea-red eyes held the same sincerity as before. And she fully believed it. He was a hero to her.
How… when had she become like this?
…
"... Raphtalia, is it, is that really you?" He asked. His hands shaking at his sides.
"Yes, Master Naofumi. Who else could it be?"
"But, but how?" He asked, still unable to believe what he was seeing. "You don't look the same as before."
"... Yes. I'm not a kid now." She said shyly. "I haven't been for some time… And it's time for you to stop seeing me as a kid." She said seriously, before staring bashfully down. "I mean sure, I might get a little emotional sometimes… and act like a little kid when I want to… I may be a burden, but, but please." She looked back up to his face. "Please let me remain by your side."
Naofumi gasped in air again and felt tears threatening to escape. With more power than ever before. "I need you, and you need me. We're a team. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than here with you." She said sincerely. "Please, please don't push me away again. Let me help you, Naofumi."
…
Naofumi couldn't hold it back anymore. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, tears dripping down onto one of his hands below as he sobbed. It was all too much. His perception of the world was crumbling down, and he could do nothing to stop it. He'd thought everything was bad. He'd tried to push away Raphtalia, and yet she'd stayed.
Raphtalia put her hand over his hand, shielding it from his falling tears. She then wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes as she embraced him. He embraced her back, and continued to cry onto her shoulder, his sobs forcing their way out of his system. Her kindness only caused him to sob harder. To grip the Tanuki girl as he would an anchor.
It was all too much. Too much kindness all at once after being in that dark, lonely cursed world for an eternity...
…
The three other Cardinal Heroes of legend stood off to the side, having watched what had been going on silently the whole time to their fellow Hero...
Motoyasu clutched his spear tightly. "Urgh, I don't believe it." He said.
"Even after watching all of that?" Itsuki asked incredulously. 'Does Motoyasu not have a heart?!'
"Don't you know that it's wrong for a hero to have a slave? Or, maybe, maybe Raphtalia's only doing this because she's been brainwashed." He said out loud, trying to find a reason to justify what was going on other than the real one. Myne, one of his most trusted companions, couldn't have lied to him! There had to be a reason why this was happening!
"I'm not so sure about that," Ren said calmly. Causing Motoyasu to look at Ren.
"You too? But, but don't you think it's wrong?!" Motoyasu asked.
Ren looked calmly at Motoyasu. "Of course I think it's wrong for a hero to own a slave. But does it look like Naofumi treats Raphtalia like one?" He pointedly asked.
"I mean, just look at them," Itsuki said. "It's not like a master and slave relationship. It's... it's different."
The three all turned to look at them again. Itsuki's words were true. Only an idiot could look at the pair and think the same thing Motoyasu had.
Naofumi was still being held in Raphtalia's embrace. He had tears leaking from his eyes, but he was no longer sobbing. He looked so tired and emotionally drained. Like a dam had broken, and everything that had been held back was gone.
Raphtalia was still smiling softly down at him, holding him close. She was sad that Master Naofumi had gone through so much pain, yet she was also glad to have him there with her at that moment. Glad that, after all the times he'd comforted her, she was there to comfort him in his time of greatest need.
"You've gone through a lot of pain," Raphtalia spoke softly, her hand making similar motions on the back of his head that he'd used so many times to comfort her before. "But from now on, you won't need to be alone with that pain." She rested her head against his. "I'll shoulder it with you forever, Naofumi Iwatani. Because… because I love you."
She had no problem admitting it out loud now. After everything Master Naofumi had done for her, she could hold no other emotion towards him. "I love you." She confessed again. "And because I do, you'll never be alone. Don't ever forget that."
Naofumi still had tears leaking from his eyes. 'She… Raphtalia… she loves me…'
…
Naofumi sighed, and closed his eyes, relaxing into Raphtalia's embrace. The tiredness caught up to him. His hand rubbed along the edge of the green gem, blue glowing legendary shield… the legendary shield, which as it turned out, wasn't so much of a curse after all.
The shield's gemstone flashed a brilliant blue in response.
Ren smiled a little bit. Itsuki was still as calm as ever. And Motoyasu… he appeared to be conflicted. "But… but he…" He couldn't find the words. The foundations for his thoughts of Naofumi had already taken a severe beating and were now shaking on the verge of collapse at that moment.
One more move and his world would come crashing down like Naofumi's… 'Did… was Myne lying to me earlier about Naofumi abusing Raphtalia?' It seemed impossible for one of his closest companions to lie to him, but even with Raphtalia freed she was staying with Naofumi. And she had said of her own free will that she loved him… did that mean that Myne had lied to him?
Itsuki put a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder. "Come on Motoyasu. Those two have had enough for one night." He began to lead the Spear Hero away. "Let's leave them alone."
Motoyasu was in such a stunted mental state that he allowed himself to be led out.
Had the simp even realized how naked he was in only his undergarments? Disgusting.
Ren continued to watch for a moment more. His heart softening at the visual display in front of him. 'It's still wrong that he owns her… but if that NPC girl wants to stay with him...' And that same NPC had said something that inspired him to act. To actually fulfill his role as a Hero...
It didn't help that it brought back some of his own memories... of a girl he knew from home...
...
Raphtalia was still holding Naofumi, who had fallen asleep when she looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps stopping in front of her. Ren stood over the two of them, his face expressionless. He said nothing, but he slowly took out a blanket from his sword, and then he placed it over Naofumi's peacefully sleeping figure. Without saying a word, he turned around to walk away.
...
"Why?" Raphtalia asked.
Ren stopped a few footsteps away and then glanced back at her. Though his face revealed nothing, his eyes showed he understood what the question was. Why did he help them? "I left a girl behind in my world when I came here. A girl who'd do anything to help out those around her, no matter the circumstances, or the consequences." He said softly, before turning to face forward again. "She was always willing to help out those around her… and your words earlier reminded me of that. I knew then that, if she'd been here to see how I was reacting to my plan falling apart, she would have beaten me up if I didn't continue to try and help." He might have been joking at the end, but it was hard to tell.
He hated that his anxiety had kept him from acting. He thought he'd left it behind entirely after dying and coming here...
...
"She must have been a great girl," Raphtalia spoke softly, looking down at Naofumi's sleeping face. Her hand gently traced one of his cheekbones. She was grateful that the Sword Hero and the Bow Hero had intervened when they had. If they hadn't… "Thank you. Sir Sword Hero."
…
'You have no idea… and I'd give anything just to see her again...' Ren sadly walked away, not trusting himself to say more. The persona he'd hidden behind since being summoned had been shattered. It would need some time to be rebuilt.
...
Raphtalia held onto Naofumi for the rest of that night… staying in her kneeling position so Naofumi could rest peacefully.
Sometime during that night, the shield's gemstone slowly started to transition from the blue glow to its normal green color. Yet Naofumi kept a smile on his face.
For once, his restless sleep was at peace. His hope had been restored, and his perception of the world had forever changed… all because a Tanuki girl had cared enough to help, to carry his burdens, and to light the darkness that had been hiding inside his soul since the night of his betrayal.
He had never been more grateful for anyone in his entire life...
...
...
Requirements Met, Blessed Series Unlocked, Shield of Hope [A Shield Made with the help of a Half-Tanuki, Half-Raccoon Girl]
Till Next Time
Allen