CHAPTER 2:
LAYING DOWN THE LAW
Harry and Ren were led through the corridors of Melromarc Castle by a maid, though given the way she seemed alert, Harry reckoned this woman was a Shadow in mufti. He had mixed feelings about leaving Raphtalia and Hedy amongst the people who, not so long ago, wanted Raphtalia dead, but he knew she could take care of herself. Hell, in cases requiring tact and diplomacy, he'd readily admit she was probably better than him.
While being conscripted into another adventure didn't sit right with him, in the end, once much of his anger in general had leached away, he was glad that Raphtalia was with him. The tanuki demi-human girl had become a friend shortly before his summoning, and she had helped him not only cope with the whole situation, but supported him both in combat and at rest. Compassionate, beautiful, and quite intelligent, he had been growing closer to her, though his scars from his time at Hogwarts hindered this.
Did he love her? As a friend, most definitely. She was certainly at the level of the Weasleys, Hermione and Luna. But romantically? He'd gladly sleep with her, true, but he didn't want to do something so intimate before he was sure he did love her. He wanted to be certain, to be committed, lest it be a shallow experience.
It was as those thoughts ran through his head that they entered the meeting room, which had a round table, with five seats arranged around it. Mirelia and Itsuki were already present, and indeed, they were talking, surprisingly candidly. Mirelia, as she noticed them entering, said, "Forgive me, Sir Itsuki, but we'll have to have this talk another time. I'll see if I can get to the bottom of who took your funds. Though I would ask that you consider carefully before you undertake such jobs in future, as it can make some people nervous."
"I'll try, Your Majesty. Harry, Ren, good to see you," Itsuki said with a smile. Although Ren was the youngest of the Cardinal Heroes, Itsuki looked and acted younger. Somewhat immature and quixotic, Harry still saw something of his old reckless self in the Bow Hero, and empathised, despite his frustrations with his actions.
"Itsuki," Ren said with a nod. Harry noted that Ren had begun to call both Harry and Itsuki by their first names, though he consistently called Motoyasu by his surname.
"Hey, Itsuki. Is the Queen looking into who took the reward for that job?" Harry asked.
"If she can spare the time and manpower, I'd appreciate it," Itsuki said as they sat down, the Bow Hero showing a sheepish smile. "It's been a bit eventful, these past weeks, huh?"
Ren scoffed. "Stopping a coup d'etat does count as 'eventful', I'm sure. Your Majesty, how long before Kitamura arrives?"
"The Spear Hero should be along presently. However, I'm afraid he is still in denial as to Malty's guilt. Do any of you recall a woman called Rino with the Spear Hero? One who soon left his party?"
Harry frowned. He vaguely recalled Raphtalia mentioning that. Ren clicked his tongue. "I remember her, I think. Blonde woman, in her twenties?"
"Yes. Rino was expelled from the party by Malty. But she also used her contacts in the underbelly of this city to have her sold into sex slavery in a brothel," Mirelia said, her face twisted in anger and disgust, an expression mirrored on the others present. "I only learned of this because another of Sir Motoyasu's party, Elena, quietly spoke to me after the trial. For now, Rino is being treated for what she went through in secrecy. I have confronted Sir Motoyasu, but he claims ignorance, and cannot believe Malty capable of doing this. I do believe he was fooled, but that speaks little to his intelligence. I should have made Malty's punishment harsher."
Itsuki gritted his teeth. "What a cruel injustice."
"That being said, I ask you to be as civil towards him as you can," Mirelia said. "As Fitoria has pointed out, cooperation between the Cardinal Heroes is necessary. If one dies, the Waves become more powerful. Keep that in mind before any of you start with recriminations. Sir Motoyasu's sin has been wilful ignorance at worst, not outright malice."
Reluctant agreement was her answer, and thankfully, they had calmed down just as Motoyasu came in. That womanising blonde moron was the oldest of the Cardinal Heroes, claiming to be a university student, but he had died prior to summoning thanks to a pair of women he had been two-timing. Malty, the treacherous eldest daughter of Mirelia, had seduced him, leading him around by his dick, and causing quite a lot of trouble for them.
Motoyasu glared at them, especially Harry, but held his tongue before taking his seat, his only words being a curt "Your Majesty" to Mirelia. A tense silence fell over the table, waiting for someone to break it. Harry didn't trust himself to.
Mirelia, after enough time had passed, began speaking. "I have gathered the four of you here to discuss a number of matters of great import. Firstly, the Activation Event at Cal Mira is nigh."
Harry blinked, not knowing what those words meant, but it clearly excited the other Cardinal Heroes. He put a hand up. "Okay, I know Cal Mira is an island resort, but can someone please explain to the non-gamer what an Activation Event is?"
Motoyasu rolled his eyes and showed a smug smirk, clearly unwilling to help. However, Itsuki and Ren exchanged looks, before Ren said, "I'll explain."
"Thanks," Itsuki said.
Ren turned to Harry. "The Cal Mira Archipelago, from what we've learned, has a number of islands with strong monsters on them. We were hoping to go there once we were strong enough, but the whole debacle with Balmus' coup happened. An Activation Event basically means you gain increased experience points and better item drops. In other words…"
"Perfect for levelling up, I get you," Harry said, nodding in gratitude. "Thanks, Ren."
"The Activation Event only occurs once every decade," Mirelia said, nodding to Ren in her own turn. "It is a dependency of Melromarc, though, so I can ensure that you and your respective parties are able to get a place alongside the adventurers and the like flocking there." She began tapping her lips with her fan, a habit of hers Harry had noted. "It's an opportunity for you four and your parties to get stronger, which is also part of why I gathered you here today. My former consort left a recording of your battle in the prior Wave, and that has raised concerns. I was heartened to see that three of you, at least, could cooperate, but one of you has been lagging behind. I fear that, when the next Wave arrives, it could end in the Spear Hero's demise…"
Raphtalia sighed to herself as she ate her meal. The feast had a better atmosphere than the one where Balmus, through Aultcray, accused her of murdering Idol Rabier. Never mind that killing someone like him was a service to the world. But it was lonely without Harry, and Hedy's attention was divided between her food, and conversation with Melty, who was seated at their table.
Even when she had been exonerated, she still felt the attention of the nobles on her. She knew it was because she was a demi-human, and the comrade of the Shield Hero. As far as many of them were concerned, she was unworthy of being here at best. Even if she revealed her status as heiress to the throne of Q'ten Lo, she was sure that wouldn't change.
A bottle of wine suddenly slammed onto the table, and she looked to see the moustachioed features of Mald, a knight in Itsuki's party. She remembered him from meeting him at Fitoria's sanctuary, as well as the Waves. He smirked at her, and she smelled the sour tang of alcohol on his breath, his cheeks flushed. "Well, well, no wonder my wine tastes sour, what with the demi-human here."
"Sir Mald, do you have a reason for interrupting our meal?" Melty asked calmly. Despite not even being in her teens, Melty held herself with a maturity many adults would envy, though she did lighten up in private.
Mald looked to Melty, and his expression softened, albeit only slightly. "Princess, you shouldn't be sitting with this rabble."
"Who I choose to sit with is my own affair, Sir Mald, and both Hedy and Raphtalia are my friends, as is the Shield Hero."
"The Shield Hero? Don't make me laugh," Mald scoffed. "Demi-humans and monsters have no place sitting with royalty, they should know their place. Sir Itsuki is the only Cardinal Hero needed, and don't you forget it! He's far better than a disgrace like the Shield Hero. Hey, raccoon bitch, tell your master to piss off, lest he get hurt in the Waves!"
Melty opened her mouth to object, but Raphtalia held up a hand, a vicious smirk coming across her lips. "What a fascinating and eloquent argument," she said. "I do have a rebuttal in two words."
"Yeah? And what are those?"
"Petrificus Totalus." With a wave of her hand, Mald stiffened, then toppled over like a felled tree from the Body-Bind. Raphtalia then looked over to Itsuki's party. Unbidden, they came over and brought Mald away. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," one of them said. "Hey, Rishia, sit over there while we keep an eye on Mald."
Raphtalia's eyes lit up when she saw the timid green-haired girl come over. While not a great fighter, the skittish girl was knowledgeable, according to Itsuki, and had been saved by him from being made a sex slave. "Fweh, sorry about Sir Mald," she said.
"You've done nothing to warrant an apology," Melty said, wrinkling her nose. "A man of such status should know better than to drink so much that he causes a scene at such an occasion. And I'd rather this feast not turn into a brawl…"
The talks were on the verge of devolving into a brawl. Harry was trying not to lose his temper. Motoyasu was accusing him of using a cheat to somehow get as far as he did. But he also realised he needed to come clean about something. Not to Motoyasu, he owed that wannabe playboy nothing, but Itsuki and Ren were other matters entirely.
Calming himself with an effort, Harry pulled out the journal of Ignotus Peverell, the translated copy, and waved it. "Both Itsuki and Ren already know one reason I got stronger than you'd expect a so-called shielder to get. One of my ancestors, Ignotus Peverell, was a former Shield Hero, and I have a perk that increases my experience gained, along with that of my party members. What's more, it enhanced my magic, though I had to relearn how to use most of the spells I had, because I lacked control over them. Ignotus Peverell was also the one to raise Fitoria, the Filolial Queen you saw at the trial."
Itsuki frowned. "But you're implying another source, one you kept secret?"
"Out of necessity, and even then, its usefulness was limited. I still kept quiet about it because Raphtalia warned me of how hated the Shield Hero was in Melromarc, and all it did was give me an advantage comparable to the ones you guys got from the games you played. In other words, I knew of a couple of the enhancement methods that could be used on the Shield from the start, including feeding items to it and Weapon Copying, methods you already knew." He waved the journal again. "This is my ancestor's journal, or at least the first volume. I actually found it and had it translated from Old English soon before meeting Raphtalia. In fact, she caught wind of the journal through a mutual friend, Hermione, whom Ren and Queen Mirelia have both met."
"But you were still keeping shit from us!" Motoyasu protested.
"If Harry Potter had revealed this journal's existence to you, Sir Motoyasu," Mirelia said, her eyes narrowing, "Malty would have either stolen it, or have my ex-consort confiscate it."
Motoyasu blinked. "So what?"
Harry slammed his hand on the table. "This thing is an heirloom, Motoyasu, not a fucking walkthrough! We're not in a game! Ren understands it, Itsuki understands it! I kept the journal secret not because I wanted to lord it over you. Ignotus Peverell was the Shield Hero centuries ago, any usefulness this has beyond telling me how to use the Shield properly is mostly out of date! I kept it secret because it was a tangible link to my ancestor, one that had some usefulness, especially in warning me about the Cursed Series, but that's it! And if I did reveal its existence, Malty or Aultcray would have stolen it, you hormone-addled, child-molesting moron!"
"But you were still keeping shit from us!"
"And you sound like a broken record, Kitamura," Ren said. "Don't get me wrong, I am annoyed, but I understand why he did what he did. That being said, Harry, with the cat out of the bag, are you willing to furnish copies of this journal for us to peruse, just in case?"
Harry nodded, grateful to Ren for understanding. "Sure. I don't know how useful it'd be, but Fitoria wanted us to cooperate, which is the only reason I would share a copy with Motoyasu. I can have temporary copies made with a spell, but more permanent copies, I don't know how to make, at least with magic. Raphtalia may know, and if Hermione comes back from Glass' world, I'll consult her. Ren, Itsuki, I am sorry for keeping it from you two, but knowing how Melromarc was, can you blame me?"
Ren shook his head, while Itsuki said, "Don't get me wrong, I am a little annoyed, but I can't blame you, if you're telling the truth."
"C'mon, guys, don't take his side!" Motoyasu protested.
"It's not a matter of sides, Sir Motoyasu," Mirelia said, her eyes narrowing. "The Cardinal Heroes' duty is to face the Waves. What's more, we have the problem of the other world to consider. Glass and her compatriots are allies, but there is a treacherous Vassal Weapon wielder from their world, Kyo Ethnina, who intends to wreak havoc on this world. Harry is trying to meet you halfway, out of duty, and yet you protest out of some libido-fuelled contrarianism."
"I don't want to hear that shit from the woman who publicly tortured her own daughter!" Motoyasu snapped.
Mirelia's lips thinned, before sighing. "I'm not sure how much more we will get out of this with emotions running so highly. Instead, I suggest we finish for the night and go back to the feast, and pick this up another time…"
Just before retiring for the night, having learned about what happened at the feast from Raphtalia and Melty, Harry and Raphtalia were bearded by a surprising person. Itsuki, of all people. "Hey, Harry, Raphtalia, can I have a word?"
Harry and Raphtalia exchanged looks. Hedy was sleeping in Melty's bedroom for the night before they headed to Cal Mira, and Harry and Raphtalia intended to sleep the night in the castle. "Sure," Harry said.
Itsuki led them to a nearby door, and to a balcony, looking out across the town. The Bow Hero began rubbing his forehead, before he finally said, "I'm worried."
"About what?"
"About whom," Raphtalia said. "I think I can take a guess. Rishia, right?"
Itsuki blinked. "How did you…?"
"She spoke to us after I paralysed Mald. Sorry about that, but I thought it was the best way to defuse the situation without causing a fight at the banquet," Raphtalia said. "She didn't say anything specific, but she looked rather down, said something about trying to get strong for your sake."
"…I know," Itsuki said, looking out across the town. "I…I think I made a mistake bringing her into my party. Rishia's got courage, even if she seems as timid as a mouse, and she's one of the smartest people I have ever met. But she's struggling in combat. And I think part of the problem is my party. I get along with everyone in my party, I try my best to defuse any situation…but…while I get that she needs training and needs to strengthen her body, I think they're bullying her behind my back. I've had to stop them from using her as a glorified pack mule more than once. The problem is…I need strong fighters to face the Waves, and I need them to present a unified front. And from that viewpoint, the problem is Rishia. I can't just divest myself of those strongest fighters just for her sake. But neither do I want to see her bullied. Rishia's got some talent in magic, especially wind magic, but…Harry, Raphtalia…if things don't work out in Cal Mira, I need to ask you two a big favour for me."
Harry got the gist. "You want me to take Rishia into my party?"
Itsuki nodded. "I'm worried…is this my failure as a leader? Am I too eager for flattery? Am I willing to turn a blind eye to injustice because of my own ideals? I want to keep Rishia from harm, but it seems I can't do that even in my own party. But…I think you might be able to bring her to her full potential. Even if she can't be a fighter, her mind is amazing. I think she'd work better under both of you."
"So why not do it before Cal Mira?" Harry asked.
"…I want to be sure, after the levelling there. I'll decide after a few days there. That way, you could take her on partway through. Harry, Raphtalia, I know it's much to ask, but do you accept?"
Harry and Raphtalia shared a glance, before they nodded. "We'll do it, Itsuki," Raphtalia said. "But keep in mind, Rishia's loyalty to you is genuine. I can't speak for your other party members, but I don't trust Mald one bit. I think you may be making a mistake."
"It'll be a worse one if I let Rishia get bullied around too much," Itsuki said. "I'll let her know when we have a moment alone. I don't want to drop this on her without due preparation…"
CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:
So, the Four Heroes meeting goes a little differently, and Itsuki is showing some character development. Motoyasu, though…he's a lost cause…
No numbered annotations this time.
