Finally finished LN 19. Amazing. Just utterly, fantastically amazing. 10/10
The new cover was done by TemeroHimitaki. You can find more of his amazing art on Twitter!
Chapter Twenty-One: Redemption at Leruno
"Sir Spear Hero."
Motoyasu paused in his training to face the knight. "Yes, what is it?"
The Spear Hero stood in Lurolona's new training arena. It had been around four days since the other Heroes had left him in charge. He'd been in the middle of practicing a new skill when one of the knights interrupted his training.
"I wanted to inform you that we had no choice but to tear out some of the plants that Sir Naofumi and Sir Ren had planted. While the fertilizer helped, there were too many of them close together to allow all of them to survive."
Motoyasu frowned at the news, but the knight perked up. "Fortunately, the ones that we planted using the original plant's seeds are doing well. I sampled some of them just now." The knight revealed a little basket of strawberry oranges from behind his back.
"Hmmm." The Spear Hero looked them over and took a tentative bite from one of them. "That's not bad, actually." He commented. He finished off the rest of the fruit in a few short bites before he continued. "It's too bad about what happened to Naofumi's, but at least we can grow more of them. Thank you for resolving this for me, Gelford."
The knight gave a polite bow. "Of course sir. You put me in charge of the issue, and I tried my best with my farmer's background to find a solution. Though I do hope Sir Naofumi won't mind some of his plants being missing."
"Your best was enough. Thank you. And don't worry about Naofumi, I'm sure he'll understand and if not, I'll take full responsibility for it." Motoyasu dismissed the man so he could return back to his duties of protecting the village.
The Spear Hero then heaved a sigh of relief. That was one more problem that he didn't have to worry about anymore.
Ever since Rino's pep talk to him a few nights ago, he'd not only taken to relying on his girls to solve the issues in the town but had also delegated certain tasks to Mirellia's former knights. The progress made on the training arena that he was standing in was thanks to them, actually.
Things hadn't gotten any easier the last few days. In fact, it felt like issues kept on popping up one after the other. But by relying on others, he was steadily powering through the various problems… somehow.
As Gelford left, an older-looking knight Motoyasu recognized from when the Raccoon family came to town walked into the arena. He was leading a group of small demi-human children behind him. Their heads were all hanging down, and their tails trailed on the ground behind them.
"Why do they look like they were caught sticking their hands inside the cookie jar?" Motoyasu asked the knight.
"Um… I'm sorry Sir Motoyasu but could you please rephrase that? I don't understand what you're saying."
"Err…" Motoyasu hesitated. Apparently, the auto-translation function wasn't always foolproof. "Why do these kids look like they were caught doing something bad?" Motoyasu asked instead.
"Oh. That makes much more sense." The knight coughed into his hand. "That's because they were doing something bad. I found them in the forest."
"Huh, were they trying to pick some herbs for the Apothecarian-" Motoyasu stopped speaking, finally realizing that the kids present were a little too young for such activities, even with adult supervision.
The knight shook his head. "No. They were trying to find monsters to fight." He held out several knives that'd gone missing from Motoyasu's kitchen. "Some of them were carrying these."
"... oh. I was wondering where those went." Motoyasu took them, absorbing them into his spear to store them. "What were you kids thinking? Don't you realize how dangerous it is for you to be fighting monsters by yourselves?" Motoyasu asked the oldest-looking one. A dog demi-human that looked to be around nine years old.
"But… but we…" The boy shrunk back, hanging his head in shame. "We're sorry, Sir Spear Hero."
The other kids started to awkwardly shuffle in place. "We're sorry." They said in unison.
Motoyasu frowned. "Apology accepted. But why would you do something like this? Don't you realize you could have died?"
"..."
The kids didn't answer. Motoyasu relaxed his frown and started rubbing the dog kid between his ears, which perked up in surprise at the petting. "Let me guess, you were inspired by Keel, weren't you?"
Several of the kids there blushed. The dog demi-human he was petting blushed the most, and his tail moved side to side behind him. He didn't even try to deny it. "Keel-kun is just… so cool! We want to become big and strong just like him!" He said excitedly.
Motoyasu laughed good-naturedly. "Keel isn't exactly big yet, but he's getting there." The older knight, however, still had his arms crossed in front of him. "Still, there's a reason why we made it so only those that are ten and older can level up. We don't want to rob you younger kids of your childhoods."
"B-But Sir Spear Hero!" The kid prostrated himself on the ground. "We just want to be strong enough to be able to help out! Even if we won't be able to play anymore! Isn't that our choice to make?"
"Not yet it's not." Motoyasu shut the boy down harshly, making the kid pout up at him. "Even for demi-humans, there's a limit on how early you should make decisions like that. It's admirable that you want to help but you shouldn't be giving up your childhoods to jump straight into a war if you have other options. Hmmm…" Motoyasu thought to himself. He then looked to the knight. "Do you have any suggestions, uh… Mack, was it?"
The older man frowned. "I can understand wanting to help as well. But sneaking into the forest by yourselves doesn't help anyone."
"Yeah…" Motoyasu thought about it some more when he suddenly remembered something that he'd discussed with Gelford the day before. "Say, you kids want to help out, right?" He asked them.
The children nodded. "How about you help out with the harvesting process instead?" He suggested.
...
The kids tilted their heads to the side curiously. "Huh?"
"It's a waste of time to have everyone walk over to the bioplant field whenever they want a snack. So how about you grab some baskets and fill them with fruit. Then you can carry them back to the town and sort them. Those that are slightly deformed or damaged can be used to feed people immediately while the quality ones can be set aside for preservation or sale. I imagine it'll be no different than drying fish, so you could ask Keel and some of the other village kids for help with that." Motoyasu said.
As he explained it, the young kid's eyes shone in awe at him. Motoyasu smiled as he saw their excited tails wagging behind them. "That way you can do something productive, and not have to give up your childhoods. Who knows, maybe you could even play around while you're at it." He said, rubbing the dog kid between the ears again. "How's that sound?"
"It doesn't sound as cool as fighting monsters…" The kid looked unsure at first but brightened quickly. "But it sounds like a way to help!"
"Glad to hear it. And I'm sure it'll be much easier for Mack to keep watch over you while you're harvesting." Motoyasu smirked and looked up at the knight.
The older man was smirking. "Indeed. Much easier."
Some of the kids groaned. "Go now. There's a great harvest waiting to be picked, I say!" Motoyasu waved them off.
"Thanks, Sir Motoyasu." The knight told him gratefully as he led the kids away.
"Thanks, Sir Motoyasu!" Many of the kids cheered happily.
"Work hard, and have fun!" Motoyasu yelled after them.
After settling that, Motoyasu once again turned around to practice his skill on the training dummy. He had such a good feeling. Relying on others really did work out, I say!
But as the older knight and the kids departed, another knight appeared once again. "Sir Motoyasu!"
"Yes, what is it now?" He asked, trying not to sound annoyed. He was already behind the other three Heroes and at this rate, he would never catch up if he kept on getting interrupted during his training. Couldn't he catch a break already?
"My Lord, um…" The guard showed the cowering person behind him. "This man was caught throwing his waste out onto the street again."
...
After a long pause, Motoyasu looked from the knight to the cowering dog demi-human. "I can explain! I swear, it's just a misunderstanding!"
The dog demi-human proceeded to hastily explain how he used to be a florist before getting enslaved. He was only trying to get a flower patch outside his house to grow. That was why he kept on throwing his waste out of his window.
He was just… a tad airheaded, and kept on forgetting what window he had to throw the fertilizer out of...
Motoyasu sighed, rubbing his face with his hand in a long, agonizing motion.
…
About ten minutes later, after amicably settling the matter by promising to have the correct window in his home marked for him, Motoyasu turned to his training dummy again. However, he didn't feel like training anymore, even if it meant Granny wouldn't be happy about him not working on his latest arsenal of attacks that he could now use thanks to Hengen Musou.
He walked back to the village. The sun was lowering in the sky, meaning he had to get dinner ready.
Preparing dinner for the large group of demi-kids turned out once again to be a huge pain in the ^%$. It didn't seem to get any easier no matter how many times he did it.
Keel and his friends, along with the new kids that Beloukas had brought in were exhausting him. What he'd give for a break.
"More food, more food, more food!"
Keel and those closest to him were nearing level 30, and they were beginning to experience their first growth spurts.
Along with that, their appetites were growing larger than ever.
"More food, more food, more food!"
He'd tried using his weapon to just automatically make a dish for them. It was a simple process really. All he had to do was have the recipe unlocked, put the right ingredients in, and his weapon could automatically make the desired recipe straight out of its gemstone.
However, any dish made this way was average. It didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste good either. It was like eating an MRE. And the kids had picked up on it immediately, refusing to eat any food he made via the 'cheat' way.
"More food more food more food!"
So to try and make the dinner a bit easier on himself today without earning their indignation, Motoyasu was cooking noodles flavored with meat from a monster that tasted almost like beef. He'd also thrown in some carrot-like things and broccoli-like things to add some additional flavor to it.
It was thanks to Elena he had noodles to cook with. Where and how she got them, he had no idea. But he was thankful that she had gotten them.
"MORE FOOD MORE FOOD MORE FOOD!" Keel, Anya, and the others started to yell louder.
"Alright, I hear you." Motoyasu, finally finished and with his kind patience running thin, drained the large pot and approached the table. "Here ya-" Motoyasu set the large cooking pot on the table.
He didn't get the chance to say anything more than that as everyone's hands immediately reached in, stuffing the noodles into their mouths with their bare hands. The Spear Hero watched in stunned silence as the two-foot-tall pot was emptied into their insatiable stomachs within seconds.
"Burp!"
"Mmm, that was really good!"
"Not as good as Sir Naofumi's cooking, but still good!"
...
At least his cooking skills were improving with all the practice that he was getting.
"More food more food more food!" They began to chant once more.
As the Spear Hero felt another part of himself die yet again, he did his best to make sure his tears didn't fall into the pot as he got to cooking again.
...
The door opened a minute later, and the Apothecarian walked in holding a medical kit in his hands. "Sir Motoyasu. I'm here to check on the young ones."
The Spear Hero numbly nodded his head, staying focused on his task. The old man walked to the table, grabbing the attention of the younger kids so he could begin looking over their old injuries from their time as slaves.
At least he didn't have to worry about healing all of their injuries and ailments himself. The old man was really good at his job. He could focus on the cooking while the old man focused on the healing.
"Oops, sorry to barge in." A few minutes later, the Witch came in through the door as well. Motoyasu tiredly turned his head to look at her, and his eyes widened.
She was carrying a large tray in her hands, filled with all sorts of food. Rino and Elena followed behind her, also carrying large trays stacked with other dishes. "I made a bit too much for myself, so I thought I should come and share it." The old lady said happily.
"Yayyyyyyyy!" The cheers of 'more food' abruptly ended as all the kids ran to the older woman. The Witch laughed as she had to shoo them back to the table where the mess could be contained.
The Apothecarian clicked his tongue in annoyance when the kid that he'd been checking on ran off in the middle of his examination. "Did you have to excite them even more than they are already?" He asked the old lady in annoyance.
"Well, I did hear a certain Hero has been running ragged trying to keep them well-fed lately." She smirked knowingly at the Spear Hero. "Is it wrong for me to lend a helping hand in his time of need?"
Motoyasu still looked stunned at the turn of events. He almost didn't recognize it when Rino tugged on his sleeve. "Elena and I can handle the rest of the cooking. Go have an evening to yourself."
"Huh?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're overworking yourself again. Go spend some time to unwind. Elena and I can handle the rest, right?" She asked, looking at her other party member.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure, whatever." Elena said dismissively. It looked like she was trying to sneak something off of her tray for herself.
…
Motoyasu literally began to cry in joy at her words. "Freeeeeeeeedom!" He screamed as he ran out the back door. He was likely to be the most grateful man in the entire world at that moment.
Keel looked up curiously from the meal. "Wha's hus deal?" He said through a full mouth.
"Don't talk with food in your mouth dear. You won't grow up big and strong otherwise." The Witch said with a gentle smile.
"That isn't how it works!" Keel complained after swallowing his food.
"Trust me, you should never doubt the wisdom of an old lady." The Apothecarian said.
"Oh hush now, you're not much older than I am." She said good-naturedly.
"Not old enough to be your grandpa, that's for sure." He replied in good humor.
The two of them laughed while the kids watched them in disgust.
"Ew, two old people flirting." Anya pinched her nose and made a gagging sound.
"Come now, it won't be long until you're flirting with boys just like them." Elena snorted at the cat girl's antics.
"Never." Anya gagged some more.
"Yeah, single bros for life!" Keel cheered.
"... I'm not a boy though." Anya pointed out.
"Sucks to be you." Keel said happily.
Motoyasu, free of his cooking duties for the evening, went to check up on the Filolials.
This was honestly his favorite activity ever. Even if they were here to help guard the village under Fitoria's orders, he loved going out and finding them in the forest. They didn't come to him with problems like people. They just enjoyed a good pet.
Though killing a frog monster or some other big beefy monster along the way also made them even more loving than normal.
He'd learned they especially loved it when you brought them meat.
"Gwah!"
"Hey there, did things go well today?" Motoyasu asked the Filolial he came across. They were all the same size, but some of them had different colored feathers compared to the others. This one had red feathers covering her body. She was also the one he found most often in the forest, though there were at least a dozen of them around the village.
Maybe she was more comfortable around humans than the rest of her pack? Or maybe she knew that Motoyasu normally brought food with him. Either way, he didn't mind at all.
"Gwah!" It almost sounded to Motoyasu like she was saying 'food and pets first please!'
Actually, it probably hadn't said please. Filolials were absolutely demanding creatures.
He laughed good-naturedly, tossing the Filolial the large frog monster he'd hunted in front of her. She immediately got to gobble it down, and Motoyasu began petting along her back.
It was the most beautiful sight the Spear Hero had ever seen. He should have become acquainted with Filolials far sooner. Such majestic creatures, I say!
For some reason, he felt like calling this one Amber. He'd been hesitant on naming her without her permission, however.
"Gwah." After finishing her meal, the Filolial rested her belly against the ground. She curved her head, butting playfully against Motoyasu's forehead.
"So no intruders to report, eh?" Motoyasu asked.
"Gwah!" She reported happily.
"Good. Make sure you and your fellows keep a lookout." Motoyasu said, his gaze turning to the forest. A serious expression crossed his features. "There's no telling when Myne-... when Bitch will choose to strike next..."
The Filolial said nothing but merely rested her head against Motoyasu's shoulder.
...
After a moment, Motoyasu shook his head, clearing it of the memories he'd been thinking over. He gave the creature a wide smile, and a nice loving rub on top of its head. "You and the others stay safe now, okay?"
"Gwah!"
Motoyasu smiled. He hoped he could develop this close of a relationship with Filo one day.
You know, without her trying to kick him in the balls.
For some reason, he almost felt like he could hear the crack of his little blonde angel destroying someone's balls at that moment. But that didn't make sense, she was currently at Cal Mira. Who would possibly be deserving of such attention?
He shrugged to himself and walked back to the village in the darkening night. Feeling much better than he had before.
…
By the time he got back, his house was empty and the kitchen was clean. Rino and Elena had made sure he'd have no other task when he got back, which brought a smile to his face.
When he started walking upstairs to retire for the night, however a loud, incessant knock on his door startled him. His smile disappeared, his night ruined. He walked back down to answer it, the most annoyed expression on his face. Couldn't he have just one break from everyone?! Maybe this was the downside of relying on others to perform tasks!
"What is it-"
"Sir Spear Hero! We received a plea for aid from Leruno!" Gelford, the knight from earlier that day, announced.
…
Motoyasu's face noticeably paled. "What happened?" He asked.
The knight took a deep breath. It sounded like he'd ran straight to Motoyasu's door. "A woman came stumbling into town about an hour ago. She was dangerously thin and dehydrated. Me and the other guards gave her some food and water, and now she's pleading for us to help her village."
"... You said she's from Leruno?" Motoyasu asked, almost as if he was in a daze.
The knight nodded. "Me and the others were wondering what we should do. She's in no state to travel right now, and we can't leave-"
"Let me see her," Motoyasu said.
"But-"
"Let, me, see her!" Motoyasu demanded.
"... Yes, Sir Spear Hero." The knight saluted him.
Motoyasu went back inside, putting on some new armor as well as a cloak. Once he was dressed and had his spear changed to a miniature one he could hang on his belt, he met up with Gelford outside his home and raced with him to the knight's barracks.
They passed by a few other knights bearing torches, patrolling the dark streets for any signs of danger. Ever since the incident with the drugged wine, they'd started to take their guard duties far more seriously.
When they finally got to the barracks, Motoyasu was met with a horrible sight.
The woman sitting near the fire looked incredibly gaunt. She might have been beautiful once, but that was no longer the case. It was a miracle that she'd made it this far without being killed by monsters. Then again, she looked so thin that maybe monsters had thought that it wouldn't be worth the effort to attack her.
At first, he didn't recognize her as anyone that he had met in Leruno. But then again, no one there had looked this thin and gaunt when he'd last been there.
They'd looked thin, but not to this degree.
"Are you…" The lady coughed. "The Lord… of this place?" She weakly asked.
Her voice sparked a distant memory in his mind. He studied her more closely from under his hood. She had brunette hair as well as brown eyes. He tried to imagine her face being full of life, maybe her body being a little more filled out. An optimistic smile etched into her features…
He wasn't positive, but this was likely the first girl he'd shown the Miracle Seed to upon entering Leruno.
"Yes, I am," Motoyasu said, masking his voice.
A pleading look appeared over her features. "Please, there aren't many of us left… we need food. I don't care what price I have to pay for it."
Motoyasu, who'd planned to say more, froze up as dry sobs wracked her frame. "I know this place harbors the Heroes of legend… that two of them are responsible for the state my village was left in… but I don't care anymore. Please, I beg you, send some food. Help my town. I'll pay any price for it." She shakily got out of her chair, bowing herself to the ground. "Please… help us..."
…
Motoyasu turned around with a sigh. "Find her a place to sleep and then go wake up the apothecary and tell him what happened. He's better equipped to deal with her current condition than me. Follow his advice until I come back."
"Y-You're leaving us?" The knight asked.
"If I leave now, I should hopefully be back by noon tomorrow." Motoyasu stood up. "I'll see what help I can provide to Leruno."
The woman rested her head in her hands and started crying. Motoyasu almost reached forward to hug her, to tell her that everything would be okay. Then he remembered that it was his fault her home had been left in such a state. It sounded like they might blame Ren too, but Ren had only gone in to clean Motoyasu's mess.
No, this was his fault.
He sighed. He should have gone there sooner, like, as soon as Naofumi had finished making the modified Bio-Plant seed. But he'd been too focused on his training…
A small part of him wondered if this was a trap. But the rest of him couldn't care even if it was.
"Make sure nothing bad happens while I'm gone." He told the knights there. If it was a trap, he wouldn't be stupid about it. "Stay on high alert."
All of them nodded, giving him a salute. He then immediately left, running off towards the forest.
Only a little way in, he found the same red-feathered Filolial he'd been petting an hour ago. It was resting on the ground, but at Motoyasu's approach, it got up and looked at him curiously.
"Sorry to wake you up buddy, but I need a ride and it's urgent. Can you help me, please?" He asked.
"Gwah!" The Filolial gwahed at him. It sounded like she was asking him if she would get to pull something.
"Sorry, but no. There's a village I need to help out. Once that's done, I'll portal us back here." Motoyasu said.
"... gwah." The bird looked a little disappointed. However, she got up and bent low, allowing the Spear Hero to climb on top of her back.
"Thank you. I'll make sure to get you something good to eat for doing this." Motoyasu said as he rubbed her neck.
"Gwah!" The Filolial suddenly looked happy again, and energetically nodded her head.
Filolials really were strange creatures, but Motoyasu was really growing to like them.
Oh, how long it'd been since he'd seen his glorious Filo-Tan. He hoped she was doing well at the islands and-
He slapped himself. No, he had a task to focus on right now.
He gripped the red-feathered Filolial's back as she sprinted through the forest west.
After a long night of riding, the sun began to rise in the distant horizon when Motoyasu crested over a hill. The village of Leruno stood in the distance.
The Spear Hero looked tired, and the Filolial he was riding on collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "Gwah…"
"Thank you. I can take it from here, Amber." He rubbed along her neck.
After a night together, he'd decided to give this Filolial a name. He'd asked for permission of course, and Amber looked to enjoy her new name. "You stay here and rest for now, ok? I'll be back soon."
"Gwah…" Amber rested her head against the ground, and within moments, she was asleep.
Honestly, nothing was cuter than seeing a Filolial fall asleep...
Motoyasu rubbed his eyes to clear them. He had to try and focus right now. He wished that he'd been able to sleep on the way, however, his mind had been consumed by thoughts of Leruno.
When he'd originally come here, it'd been when he'd still had his game mindset. The King had tasked him to guard a food convoy to the area so he could restore some of his respect from the Lute Village fiasco. However, he'd thought it'd be simpler to go to a dungeon he knew of, acquire the Miracle Seed from its depths, and present it as a gift to the famine-stricken village.
Not only had his abandoning the convoy caused it to be looted by bandits, but the seed he'd given to solve the famine had made things worse. Much, much worse. He only learned how bad things had gotten after coming back from his self-exile. And that woman's appearance last night had shown him things had gotten even worse since he'd last heard about it.
He'd made a major mistake that'd gotten a lot of people hurt. And he'd failed to take responsibility for it.
…
As he finally approached the village in the light of the morning sun, he raised both hands and lowered his hood. His orange eyes took in his surroundings.
Fields, which he'd remembered being full of dead crops, were now covered with a small layering of dead, withered vines. Attached were the long rotten remains of the fruit that had been growing on them. Where trees had been standing before, there was nothing but withered remains, drained of their vitality.
…
And then there were the numerous fresh graves along the road that made him cringe.
As he continued along, things didn't get better. Motoyasu's shame grew greater with each step.
He had given that seed with good intentions. But to see just how bad it'd gotten with his own eyes...
He heard a noise, and quickly raised his hood over his head. He'd walked by several wooden lodges that'd been abandoned. But up ahead, someone had stumbled out of their ramshackle home. The windows on it were broken, and the woman who'd stumbled out looked frail.
"Turn back, traveler." She muttered. "Only death awaits you here."
His mouth opened to say something, but no words came out. Guilt closed his throat, keeping him from speaking.
"This famine has taken my neighbors. It has taken my friends. It drove my husband to dirty work, and now, I am afraid I will never see him again… go, leave while you still can."
The hopeless woman eventually turned around and stumbled back through her door. Just before it closed, he saw the eyes of two young kids staring out at him in fear. Their small bodies were as thin as their mother's.
…
Motoyasu held his arms to himself and continued on. Even though it was warm here, he felt cold.
Minutes later, he was walking into the town proper. The buildings looked as ramshackled as the ones he'd passed on the road. Some were still covered in the withered remains of vines and plants. Some looked like an effort had been made to clean them off, but the damage the plants had caused was extensive. When the food had run short again, the efforts to repair the town had likely come to a standstill as well.
He could see faces peeking out from behind broken windows. But no one came out. No one came to confront Motoyasu.
Eventually, Motoyasu stopped at the center of town. The vines and plants had been cleared from here, but Motoyasu remembered well how he'd thrown the seed in this exact spot.
Here was where he'd kickstarted that whole mess…
"What are you doing here?"
Motoyasu looked up at the voice. An old man was standing across from him. Despite his age, he stood tall, his hands held behind his back.
"I… I…" Motoyasu struggled to find what to say. An apology? A statement?
"If you're here to cause trouble, I suggest you move on." The Lord of the area stated. "We have enough trouble as it is." He looked off to the side. Motoyasu glanced, seeing a family standing in their doorway, staring at him.
"I… I know." Motoyasu finally said. "I came here because I wanted to help."
The old man looked back at him but said nothing. Motoyasu gulped, but he got on one knee. He put a hand in his pocket and pulled out the familiar seed. He held it in both hands for the Lord.
The old man scowled. "We already know the evil that comes from this. If this is your idea of helping-"
"This isn't from me." Motoyasu lowered his head in shame but raised his voice for everyone around him to hear.
"I come from the Hero's village! One of your citizens reached us, pleading for our help!
"The Shield Hero listened to her pleas, remembering what the Sword Hero and the Spear Demon did here! He sent me with this! A fixed version of the Bio-Plant seed he modified himself! A seed that won't mutate into monsters! A seed that will grow plenty from the worst ground! It'll do far more good than the Spear Demon thought he could ever do..."
He lowered his head again, still holding it to the Lord. "Please, on behalf of the Shield Hero, accept this and save your village." Motoyasu pleaded. Tears leaked from the edges of his eyes.
…
After a tense silence, he felt the seed leave his hands. He looked up, seeing the Lord studying the seed thoughtfully. His face didn't look as hard as it looked… hopeful?
"You say the Shield Hero fixed it? Is such a thing truly possible?" He asked, hope in his voice.
Motoyasu nodded. "I've seen it with my own eyes. The Hero's village has plants from those seeds growing. As long as you don't plant them close together, they will grow and produce enough to save everyone here." Motoyasu said.
The man looked thoughtful, then got on his knees, digging a small hole in front of him with one hand. Other villagers came out, watching fearfully as their leader put the seed into the ground, and then covered it with dirt.
Both Motoyasu and the Lord stayed kneeling, watching the spot for a moment.
…
A green plant began to sprout. Quickly growing taller and taller till it was level with them. Then, branches snaked out from it. Buds appeared on them.
And strawberry oranges appeared.
The Lord took one, taking a bite. A gasp escaped his lips, and tears filled his eyes. He looked at the faces of all those who had surrounded them.
"It is a miracle. The gods haven't forsaken us in our time of need!" He held the fruit high for them to see.
Slowly, unsurely, the others approached the plant. Plucking a fruit off one of its branches. Tears fell from their eyes after their first bite. Some collapsed, sobbing in relief that the threat of starvation was over. Others hugged their family, trying to help their young ones to take a bite of the miracle fruit.
It'd be a while before they could grow enough of these to stay well-fed and trade with other nearby villages for food. But finally, at last, the true Miracle Seed had made its way to their village.
Motoyasu watched what was going on. Feeling both happy that the lives of the villagers had turned for the better… yet still feeling sad that it had been his fault that the famine had happened.
That's why he'd said it was a gift from Naofumi. Why he'd spoken down about himself as a Demon. This was Naofumi's seed, not his.
As he walked away from the crowd surrounding the plant, a hand stopped him.
"Can I ask you something?" The Lord appeared in front of him. "Was this really a gift from the Shield Hero?"
Motoyasu, looking him in the eyes from under his hood, nodded in affirmation. "The Shield Hero took a foolish mistake from the Spear Demon and fixed it so it wouldn't harm anyone ever again. I have merely delivered it for him." Motoyasu stated.
"Hmmm… I can believe it was the Shield Hero who fixed the seeds... but I believe it was the Spear Hero who wanted to fix his mistake."
Motoyasu couldn't hide the look of surprise under his hood. The Lord gave him a knowing look as he shook Motoyasu's hand, and rested his other hand over it. "I could recognize those orange eyes of yours from anywhere."
… Motoyasu hung his head in shame. "Please, don't tell the other villagers. I… couldn't bear to face them, knowing the state my foolishness left them in."
"When you first came here, you were indeed a fool, maybe you were even a demon. But now, leaving here, I can't say that I see a Demon in front of me." The old Lord smiled. "Thank you for helping us, Sir Motoyasu."
Motoyasu did start crying then, and the old man led him away. "I will keep your secret from the others if you wish. Just know, if you're ever passing through our area again, you will be welcome in my house." The Lord said.
"Th-Thank you." Motoyasu humbly accepted. Still leaking tears from his eyes. He gave the Lord several more modified seeds from the Bio-Plant. "Make sure no one starves here again."
The Lord nodded and left the Spear Hero to share in the celebration with his people.
As Motoyasu left the town, he felt like a great weight had been lifted from his back. Even if it'd taken a long while, the town of Leruno would recover. The farmers there would be able to care for the plants. The food they'd produce would feed everyone in the village, and attract others from famine-stricken areas.
And that hopeless woman and her children, the ones Motoyasu had met outside town. They would be happy and well-fed. Just as their husband and father, the mercenary that Itsuki had killed while under the effect of his Cursed Series, would have wanted.
A mistake he'd made long ago had finally been made right.
Amber rubbed her head against his head affectionately when he approached. "Haha, thanks. Everything worked out better than I'd thought." He rubbed her head back with his hands.
"Gwah!"
He somehow understood that she was asking where the food he'd promised her was. This caused Motoyasu to laugh. "Of course. It doesn't matter that I stayed up all night, you want your reward, huh?"
"Gwah!" Obviously! She had run with his fat butt on her back all night long! She wanted a reward! A nice, big, juicy reward!
He raised his spear high. "Don't worry! I'll give you something good to eat real soon! Portal Spear!"
Light enveloped the pair, and they disappeared from the area.
Motoyasu reappeared in front of his house. An exhausted sigh left his lips. It felt good to be back-
"Huah!"
Then, Granny punched him in the gut.
Motoyasu instantly collapsed in pain. "Wh-What was that for?!" He whined.
"Silence, fool! Your training was supposed to start two hours ago!" Granny put her hands on her hips and adopted an attack stance over him.
"But I had to go help a village! And now I'm pretty tired-" He tried to get back up.
She karate-chopped his head, making him collapse again in pain. "Tough! If you want to become as strong as the other Heroes, you'll need to be able to use Hengen Musou even when you're exhausted! Now, fight me!"
Motoyasu groaned. Where were those blasted knights to interrupt his training?
"Gwah!" Amber shouted at him nearby. He somehow understood what she'd said.
"He's supposed to feed me first though!"
Granny didn't pay the Filolial any mind though, and Motoyasu was forced to endure her training from hell once again. Without a single wink of sleep to boot either.
Needless to say, his happy mood didn't last long.
"... So… what you're telling me is that you weren't at the village the entire time?" Naofumi asked, crossing his arms. He was giving Motoyasu a dry look.
Motoyasu chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, it was for a good reason." He looked down at the coffee table with a frown. "I couldn't just leave those people starving there. It was my fault…"
Naofumi rolled his eyes, but he batted Motoyasu's shoulder playfully. "I can't believe you said it was a gift from me too. Are you trying to become a completely different person or something?"
"I mean, I wasn't the one to modify the seed!" Motoyasu defended himself. "So I wasn't exactly wrong in crediting you."
Naofumi chuckled. It'd been an hour or so since he'd teleported to the village. Motoyasu had been busy filling him in on some of what'd happened.
"You did a good thing there, Motoyasu. That was pretty damn heroic of you." Naofumi gave the blonde man a sincere smile.
Motoyasu blushed. "Well, I do try my best, I say."
"Don't make me take that back, bastard."
The both of them laughed.
"Urgh…" "Ugh…"
"Oh, Ren, Itsuki! Glad to see you both!" Motoyasu yelled happily.
The two Heroes, looking a little greener than normal, walked through the front door and took seats around where Motoyasu and Naofumi were sitting. "How long have you been here?" Ren asked Naofumi, a sick look on his face.
"Hmmm… around an hour or so," Naofumi said.
"And you didn't think to tell us we could use our portal skills sooner?" Itsuki moaned where he'd sunk into his seat.
Naofumi opened his mouth to answer, then thought better of it. Teasing them by saying he didn't want to earn their girls' wraths by interrupting their 'care' time for their heroes didn't seem like a wise thing to do.
"Oh no, I don't like the look on his face." Ren paled.
"I don't either." Itsuki agreed.
"Anyway, it sounds like things were pretty uneventful for you here, Motoyasu. Though you still haven't told me how you learned that skill of yours, or why you have that scar on your cheek." Naofumi said.
"Oh, well… that was Hengen Musou Piercing Strike that I accidentally hit you with… apparently, parts of Granny's style can be used for defense ignoring and defense rating attacks. It's really useful." Motoyasu said nervously. "But anyway, didn't you have some things of your own to tell me though?"
...
Naofumi raised an eyebrow. Did Motoyasu just want to avoid telling an embarrassing story or something? However, he shrugged it off, figuring it was just Motoyasu being Motoyasu, and told him about what'd happened at Cal Mira.
Another hour or so passed. The sunset outside, and stars began to appear in the night sky.
Motoyasu listened intently to Naofumi, with Itsuki and Ren filling in gaps here and there for the Shield Hero. He told him about leveling on the islands, befriending L'Arc and Therese, their outings with him; including Ren's drunken escapade, much to the Sword Hero's embarrassment.
"Seriously, Ren got hammered and I wasn't there to see it?!" Motoyasu laughed.
"It wasn't that funny." The Sword Hero pouted.
"It was pretty funny," Itsuki admitted.
"I still don't know what I did that night," Ren said. "Why won't you two tell me?"
Naofumi continued on, ignoring the Sword Hero's complaints. He told Motoyasu about how they learned about the Wave. How they'd had to quickly rush to prepare for it. How the Wave itself had gone. And then how the two they'd befriended had actually been from another world alongside Glass.
"Wait… what…" Motoyasu looked surprised, getting that part of Naofumi's info dump. "Otherworlds… I don't remember that being a part of my game." Naofumi immediately went to say something, but Motoyasu cut him off. "Yeah yeah, I know. This place doesn't follow our games exactly. Still, that's something I didn't know before. So Glass and her friends are Heroes from another world?"
"Yeah. And the reason they were fighting us was because of some legend that said our worlds are all in some big free for all with each other." Naofumi sat back in his chair.
"... damn…" Motoyasu looked stunned.
"Still, I don't put much stock in that being the truth. In fact, tomorrow, I was planning on asking the Queen if she's found any books on this subject when we go to report to her." Naofumi said.
"I daresay, that will not be needed, Shield Hero."
Naofumi jumped in surprise, as well as Ren and Itsuki. The Queen's shadow had just appeared by the coffee table between them all.
"What the- don't scare us like that?!" Ren said, gripping his chest. The poor guy felt like he was going to have a heart attack.
"My apologies, I came to give news to Sir Motoyasu. I was also asked to check and make sure the Cardinal Heroes returned safely, along with her Majesty's daughter." She paused, looking straight at Naofumi.
"Of course she's alright. Also, Melty handled leading the Wave quite well, to be honest." Naofumi grudgingly admitted.
"Her Majesty thanks you for this. I should also inform you that her Majesty was informed by Count Hadenburg about what transpired on the islands as well as what you learned from the Wave. The scholars in her Majesty's employ have been working tirelessly day and night, seeking additional texts that speak of the waves and the Heroes here in Melromarc and beyond. We also recently received a valuable shipment of copies of some ancient scrolls from Siltvelt, chronicling the lives of the various Shield Heroes that have lived there over the years. I daresay, she should have them ready for you to pick up by tomorrow when you come to get your Hakuko party member classed up." The Shadow explained.
…
Naofumi had to admit, he wasn't surprised by this. The count had somehow managed to inform Queen Mirellia when the Activation event started before anyone else could learn about it. It seemed likely he would have reported what happened to her even before they left the islands.
Did that mean he had access to a means of communication that he wasn't aware of?
"Must have been the guild system," Itsuki spoke to himself.
"Probably." Ren agreed.
"Guild system?" Naofumi asked.
"Later," Itsuki said. He gestured for the Shadow to continue.
"Now, as for the other reason, I came here." The Shadow turned to address the Spear Hero. "I'm sorry to report that we haven't been able to track down Bitch and her fellow conspirators since your... confrontation with them two days ago. Her Majesty thanks you, however, for tracking their base of operations and rescuing those Shadows she had kidnapped."
Motoyasu grimaced, and the others stared at him in shock. "Tell her it was nothing. I'm only sorry that I couldn't bring her in." Motoyasu said.
The Shadow nodded. "Thank you for your time, Sir Heroes. I daresay, I hope you have a good evening."
Within the blink of an eye, she was gone from their midst.
Soon after, Naofumi looked at Motoyasu, a crazed look in his eyes. "You fought Bitch?! How?! When!? Where?!"
Motoyasu's grimace deepened, and he put a hand over the scar on his face. Ren immediately reached over, putting a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "Calm down. Give him time to gather his thoughts."
"I'm quite curious myself," Itsuki said, leaning forward in his seat. "I was expecting her to make another move after prodding our defenses with those slavers. But to think that she would act again so soon?"
Naofumi took a deep breath to calm himself, then stared at the Spear Hero. "Tell us everything."
…
Motoyasu took a deep breath himself, then nodded. "Ok. It started two days ago…"
Author's Notes:
Yes, I just did that. Hang from this cliff and suffer.
Didn't want the chapter to drag on for too long. But honestly, this feels right to end on. The next chapter will finish fleshing out what happened while the others were gone. And then, we can go back to life as normal. Or, at least, as normal as it can be for our group of heroes.
Hero Clips!
Double Meanings
"Wow, Mel! You look so pretty with that necklace!" Filo said happily.
"R-Really?!" The blue-haired girl blushed. "That's nice of you to say..."
The two girls were walking through the town street, enjoying each other's company.
"Hey, do you want to ride me, Mel?" Filo suddenly asked.
"H-Huh?" Melty sputtered in surprise.
"Filo just loves it when you ride Filo!" Filo said happily.
"Oh, um, alright." Filo transformed, and Melty climbed on her back.
"But not as much as when daddy rides me." Filo then added a bit into their walk.
"What?! But why?" Melty asked.
"Daddy really knows how to move at the same rhythm as Filo!" Filo stated happily.
"... hmph!" Melty pouted and crossed her arms. "I can move much better than he can."
Naofumi, who was watching them from the shadows, frowned suspiciously as he watched the pair move along.
"He's so good to me! We go everywhere together! And he makes me all this yummy food!" Filo said happily.
The two were now sitting in their room together. Naofumi was up above in the rafters, peering down at them intently.
"Naofumi, what are you doing?" Raphtalia quietly asked him.
"Shhh." Naofumi shushed his girlfriend and watched his two daughters carefully.
"Pfft, what's so good about him? Mine is better." Melty stated. "His smiles always cheer me up. And he's an intellectual unlike yours."
"Boo! Filo's is the best!" Filo stated.
"But I never saw anyone beat him at chess. He's also bigger."
Naofumi frowned. What?
"No way! Filo's is bigger!" Filo stated.
His frown deepened. WHAT?!
"Mel's is only bigger because of the funny hat!" Filo then yelled.
Naofumi desperately tried to think of anyone in the village who wore a hat beside the knights. Were these two talking about secret boyfriends or something?!
Just how far had the Second Princess corrupted his daughter!? Filo was in no way ready for that sort of thing!
Or was this an attempt to disguise something even more sinister on Melty's end…
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia sighed next to him.
"Shhh." Naofumi shushed her again. She simply rolled his eyes and disappeared into an illusion.
"And besides, Mel's is so hairy!"
"No, he is not!"
"Ah so good!"
Naofumi paused on the stairs. He'd just been about to enter the living room upon hearing Filo's yell.
"Wahh, Filo be careful, it's slipping!" Was that Melty's voice?
"Uahhh!" Then Filo.
"Now you've done it!" Then Melty!
Naofumi's eyes widened. Was this Melty putting her sinister plot into effect?! Had she finally corrupted Filo once and for all?!
"Look at this mess!"
"It's okay Filo will lick it up!"
"Wh-what! No Filo! That's not appropriate-"
"Ahhhhhh! Don't do it, Filo! Don't lose your-" Naofumi rushed in, completely sure that Melty was further corrupting his daughter.
Only, the Second Princess was sitting on a chair with a bowl in her lap, and Filo was licking ice cream off the floor nearby.
"Oh, hey daddy!" Filo happily waved. She then proceeded to take a nice, long lick that cleaned up much of the fallen ice cream.
"N-Naofumi!" Melty stood up in surprise.
Naofumi continued looking between both girls. One embarrassed to have been caught eating ice cream, and the other happily licking what had fallen on the floor.
"I swear, this isn't what it looks like!" Melty said hastily.
…
Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "Whatever Second Princess. And Filo, what have I told you about LICKING FOOD OFF THE GOD DAMN FLOOR?!" Naofumi yelled at his daughter.
"Eh? But Filo doesn't want it to go to waste!" She defended herself.
"Stop calling me Second Princess!" Melty yelled after Filo.
"Too bad!"
"BOO!" Both girls pouted at him.
To be honest, though, Naofumi was beyond relieved he'd been wrong about what they'd been doing.
Sometimes, double meanings combined with dirty minds could have a bad effect on people.
Till Next Time
Allen