Chapter 25
The plan was fairly simply.
Kunshu, way up the the air, would spot 'origin points' for plant growth. When she saw one, she'd hover over it, then drop one of Raphtalia's glow stones. Clive would keep an eye on her, then the stone, and point it out to Usa.
Usa would then lead the pack of farmers, guarded by the mercenaries, to these origin points, and with axe and sickle, clear what they could, then pour a bottle of herbicide onto it.
Raphtalia, Tetsu and I, would be helping until we got close enough to the fountain to rush it. From what the Mayor had said, there was a giant tree over the fountain itself. That would be our target while the rest of the party and the villagers focused on clearing the way.
I was confident we could do it, but if not, the way in, and out, would be cleared already, and as fast as this plant grew, it would take a few days to recover the ground we hoped to gain.
Probably... Stupid weird magic...
We'd already tested the herbicide, so we knew at the very least we could protect the refugee camp more or less forever. Well... Until the next Wave at least... Or tax time, though after this I fully planned on making sure the next Lord of this area was more of a people person.
"Everything clear?" I asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Be sure to look above and below!" The Mercenary leader reminded, "This leafy crap grows up walls, and can bite your face off just as well as your leg."
A good reminder to be sure. "Kunshu? Come here?" I asked.
People made way for her as she glided towards me. I gave her the bag of pre-lit glow stones, then touched my forehead to hers. "That'd be cute if it wasn't a giant bee... I mean... that is a bee, right?" Someone mumbled.
Usa, in that rare moment of assertiveness replied, "An Empress Bee."
I stepped away from Kunshu, and we all backed up a step as her wings got up to speed, and she darted into the air.
"Clive?" I looked to him, watching his independently mobile eyes track the black and sliver streak, then one of his eyes start to follow something down.
He then pulled an arrow back in his bow, sighted, and fired. "Chase that arrow!" Raphtalia called out.
And with Raphtalia, Tetsu and I in the front, we rushed into the overgrown jungle like town of Lerno.
I led the charge towards the first arrow. At first, all we had to deal with was really uneven ground. Vines and brick pulled from nearby buildings making a 'charge' a bit difficult. But that hardly mattered until we encountered some kind of resistance.
And we did. It was subtle at first. I'd put a foot down in a spot I thought clear, and my next step would be hindered by the start of a vine trying to entangle my leg. Not long after, those vines started to flick at us, harmless to anyone with clothes on, but stinging. But then we got within sight of the first arrow.
I had to jump in front of Tetsu as something that looked like a giant green pea pod burst open. Using a mix of the Shield and a quick motion with my other hand, I diverted the burst of suddenly slushy acid away from her.
There was a cry from the rear ranks as a flower with a small eyeball in is centre focused on someone with a pitchfork, and I had to place an Air Strike Shield between them and a sudden blast of flame.
Initial surprise lost for the plants, the people figured out what to look for and went about chopping with axes or machete. Raphtalia got my attention with a battle cry, and I jumped away from Tetsu to cover her flank as the raccoon girl hacked through a thick bundle of vines. The plant screamed and bled as her new sword went through, and I put myself directly between her and another blast of fire.
Tetsu finished uprooting her own cluster of vines, biting a flower with as many teeth (or more!) than she had before it could latch on.
"Herbicide here!" Someone behind me said, running up and pouring the bottle onto the ground and over the still screaming plants.
It was... weird. With a hissing crackle, the branches attached to that trunk desiccated, shrivelled up and snapped apart under its own weight. Behind me, among the cracks of Usa's whip or the chops of a farmer's axe, I heard other, smaller sounds to the same effect as other root systems were treated with the herbicide.
The 'staggered advance' was working.
It took a half hour of near frantic, constant motion. Acquire target, mark target, charge target, cut/chop/uproot target, pour herbicide.
The flame spitting and acid bursting plants were easy to spot now, and with that experience the townsfolk gained confidence. So once the fountain was in sight, or rather... the giant mutant apple tree that had weird pillars of vines and eyeballs guarding it, and a massive flower with a single giant eye in the middle looking out from its centre bough, the Mayor just said, "We can deal with this! Go kill that!"
So Raphtalia, Tetsu and I rushed towards the tree, confident our rear was protected.
The vine pillars were far more accurate with their attacks, and the lashing tendrils they sent out were barbed with toxic spines. But Raphtalia was too fast for them, her blade cutting the vines before they could start to wrap her up, and Tetsu was too tough, the spines unable to penetrate her scales as she used her strength to rip and jaws to tear them apart.
But every one that we killed made that giant eye on the tree divert more attention to us. Suddenly, there were twice the number of acid and fire plants, and the vine pillars skipped the 'pillar' part and became just... lengths of vines with eyes as they lashed and quested out, trying to entangle us. Before we lost our forward momentum though, took out one of the 'herbicide smoke' bottles I'd made, pulling on the Shield's skill system. 'Potion efficacy up'.
"Bottle out!" I called out, the cheap glass bottle arcing towards the thickest bundle of vines I figured I could reliably hit.
The explosion of... well it looked like a cartoon burst of flatulence. Didn't smell much better, but the plants around the sudden explosion of green and yellow smoke took it much worse than we did. The single bottle took out about half the area between us and the giant tree.
"Back off!" I called out.
"But it's withering!" Tetsu replied, backing up, but reluctantly.
As if knowing what hurt it, and how to deal with it, there was a sudden burst of flame in the gas cloud. The gas itself wasn't flammable, but the fire moved the air, dissipating it faster than it might have in the little breeze we had.
"Going to need to be more direct." I said, holding another bottle and activating the skill, "Raphtalia, I need a moment, Tetsu, come here."
"Sir!" Raphtalia replied, stepping forward and hacking at the regrowing plants that were trying to bind us.
I handed Tetsu the 'charged' bottle, then a moment later a second one. "This one is for you." I tapped her left hand, "Give the other one to Raphtalia." I tapped her right hand. Then I raised my voice, "Plan! I'll head to the middle, you two run past. Raphtalia, throw a bottle into its eye, Tetsu, throw the other into its roots!"
"Yes Boss!" Tetsu said, running towards Raphtalia.
I ran ahead of them, switching my Shield to the Book Shield. It was feeding from the fountain, so I was going to poison the well, so to speak.
I ran into the recently cleared patch of the city square, jumping over and around a barrage of lashing vines, turning acidic bursts to ice and ignoring the occasional blast of fire. "GO!" I yelled, slamming my second bottle of Herbicide Gas at my feet to give the two of them a clear path.
Through the foul smelling mist, I saw Raphtalia balanced on top of Tetsu's back, sword sheathed, and a bottle in her hand. Tetsu roared, jumping over my head, then landing past me. At the apex of her jump, Raphtalia sprung off the dragon's back.
But Tetsu was too slow. In mid landing, before she could get her balance back, thick vines lashed out from around her, coming up from the ground, the sides, the branches, everywhere. But she was too clever!
As I ran towards her, to pull her free and maybe salvage the plan, she vanished into a puff of transforming smoke, her large body replaced with her smaller one, that slipped out of the vines grasp, letting her loft the bottle into a gap in the trunk, where a couple of marble bricks were still exposed.
Above me, I heard the shattering of cheap glass, and the rasp of steel as Raphtalia hit the eye of the tree, and started to cut the vines trying to pull her from the air.
Above and Below the herbicide went to work, but I wasn't going to rely on that alone. Even as the giant tree screamed with pain, I clapped both hands together, forming seals to pull the water from under the fountain up. I was going to force feed this thing weed killer...
The tree howled in agony, the bark splitting as it peeled off the trunk like rotten skin. From below, water burst out from under it, coloured brown and green from the herbicide and mud. Beside me, as I stood absolutely still to focus my Senjitsu, an eyeball the size of Tetsu slammed to the ground, rolling to look at me before melting like wax near a flame.
And like that, the rest of the tree just... withered away, leaving behind brown gunk, leaves, and... I thought they were apples, but they weren't. They were seed pods!
My SP bar ran to nearly nothing, and I released the effect, the sudden geyser of water snapping off like a faucet. "Phew..." I sighed, falling to one knee to catch my breath. "You two okay?"
The two of them came over, both grabbing one of my arms to help me up. For a moment, Raphtalia and Tetsu glared at each other, but I put a stop to that and hugged them both.
"I asked a question." I said, letting them go.
Both looking a little embarrassed, they gave themselves the 'are my clothes dirty' look, twisting in place a few times. "Owie..." Tetsu pouted, holding her tail and pulling out a little thorn.
"Let me help." Raphtalia said.
"Right." I smiled, "Now, what happens after a hunt?"
"Proper cleanup!" They said together.
"Good. Let's see what we have." I replied, applying headpats.
Thankfully, the tree was the only thing that seemed to have seeds. It was either by design, or luck, since I couldn't imagine... no, I could imagine it... The Amazon Jungle did it to themselves on purpose... But here in this world, if this thing had seeds like a dandelion, or a root system that could sprout independent of the main tree... This would would be doomed.
Doomed, or living in mountains where no plants would grow. The fruit we pretty good though, seedless too!
Of course, I gave the Shield its tribute, and...
"Sir? That one was strange sounding." Usa commented, using his good arm to pick up and set down a canvas sack of seeds.
My sigh (because yes, the Shield wanted this as well) had turned into something close to shock when the Shield Almanac appeared and showed me exactly what we were dealing with.
Bio Plant Shield: conditions met
PlantRiwe Shield: conditions met
Mandragora Shield: conditions met
Bio Plant Shield: ability locked: equip bonus: plant reform
Special Effect: Hook
PlantRiwe Shield: ability locked: equip bonus: intermediate compounding recipes 2
Mandragora Shield: ability locked: equip bonus: plant analysis
This wasn't what surprised me. The Mandragora were the weird pillars of vines and eyeballs that sort of moved about in a 'swamp thing' motion. The PlantRiwe were the ones spawning acid, fire or blossoms with teeth, and the giant tree thing was the 'bio plant'.
The 'surprise' was now that I had unlocked the skill of 'plant analysis', and was holding another seed (I was getting ready to feed it into the Shield in case it said 'insufficient material'. The Status Screen put a little target circle on the seed in my hand, and spilled out a set of stats.
Special Abilities: propagation 9, production 9, vitality 9, immunity 4, intelligence 1, growth 9, mutation 9
I looked to Usa, "These seeds have stats like we do... kind of. It's set to grow super fast, produce a huge amount, and be super tough so it can grown anywhere."
"That does sound like a perfect plant..." He said, kneeling down to look at the seed.
The seed that had come out of the apple shaped pod was kind of weird looking. It honestly looked like the head of that one carnivorous plant, with all the sticky sap on it... or maybe a green and red chestnut husk.
"The problem is the last one. Mutation. It's set so high..." I dropped the seed I had into the Shield, then grabbed a handful more for storage.
"Mutation? So it would change into this...?" He looked around at the devastation.
"Seems so. But the seed itself, unlocked something that might fix it..." I started poking at the settings.
"Hey Boss!" Tetsu called out, once again in her dragon form so she could gather the fallen seeds, rip up plants, and eat any fruit she found. "We've got them all gathered up here!"
Raphtalia came over as well, a canvas sack over one shoulder, her flint knife in the other, "What are we going to do with the seeds? They seem far too dangerous to plant again..."
"Most of them? Burn them. But give me a moment..." I hunted through my inventory screen for another seed. I'd used them all up in Mirso, but on the way here we had gathered some more. "Aha." I held the seed I'd gotten from this world's equivalent of an orange, and poked it with the plant analysis skill.
Special Abilities: propagation 2, production 3, vitality 4, immunity 3, intelligence 1, growth 2, mutation 1
Then I tried one of the medicinal herbs.
Special Abilities: propagation 5, production 1, vitality 2, immunity 2, intelligence 1, growth 5, mutation 1
Now with some kind of baseline for a tough and sturdy tree, and a wide spread yet delicate flower that didn't 'fruit' with anything, I took one of the seeds from that monster tree. "I'll just..." I poked it with the 'plant reform' skill.
I wanted this thing to be controllable, so I set propagation to 4. Now that the main plant was dead, the town's food supply was gone again... So I set production to 9. If a normal tree that could survive winter (if winter was a thing in Melromarc?) was a 4, I'd set this one to 5. Immunity I left at 4. Herbicide still worked at that level, so if it did get out of control it could be used again. Intelligence... Well, I did know a very smart plant... But for the people here, I'd leave it at 1. Growth... A weed like the medicinal flowers was 5, but this was going to be a food producer, so I doubled it to 10. And lastly, mutation. Yeah, no, that went to a 1, like nature seemed to intend.
With each tweak, my MP dipped noticeably, and the seed in my palm quivered with each potential I changed within it. "Ready up." I said.
"You're not going to..." Usa went wide eyed, but still unhooked his whip.
"But what if it goes crazy again?" Raphtalia asked, but also drew her sword.
"We kill it and I try something else." I said, "Tetsu? Dig a little spot?"
Tetsu reached down and lifted up a cobblestone with one of her clawed hands, "There!"
I tossed the seed onto the ground, and Tetsu helpfully covered it up with a bit of dirt. Seconds later, there was a sprout, then a branch, then a bush, and finally a stubby tree. The leg thick trunk split a dozen times, the leaves reaching out for sunlight before flowers spontaneously budded, flowered, and inverted, slowly turning into bright yellow pear shaped fruit.
The sudden growth seemed to slam to a halt, then ever so slowly continue, almost like watching a water balloon fill up from a slow tap.
Tetsu, impatient, pulled one off the bush/tree and chomped on it with an excited "Ahhhhh CHOMP." We waited a moment, then she started shivering, then shaking, until finally she started running around in circles, "Ah! It's sour! Really sour!"
Curious, we all took one off the plant, then took a bite. It was SUPER sour. Almost inedible! And I could see Raphtalia and Usa making the same panicked expression, torn between spitting it out or toughing it out.
I managed to get the mouthful down, then say, "It's not ripe." The fruits were still growing, and slowly changing from the super bright yellow to a more mellow green. "I could set its growth higher..." I mused, the other two tossing their fruit away. "But no. This has far more cooking applications." I suddenly felt like making a pie or something...
"Sir Hero!" It was the Mayor. "We found the other villagers! They were on the other side of town, using the herbicide we bought before you and the Merchant arrived to keep safe. But there is a... What's that?" He pointed at the new tree/bush thing that I'd just planted.
"I think I will name it, Fox-berry." I replied, "It's not ripe yet, and really sour. But I changed the disaster that caused this, into something that won't do it again." But I waved it off, "What's the problem?"
"Ah right! This way, please! There are still some lingering effects from the plant monster!"
Clive was already there, as well as Kunshu. The two of them, even without the ability to talk, were getting along with the people trying to care for the sick. What they were sick with, well, I'd never seen it before. But it looked like they had their own root system growing over their skin.
Kunshu, upon seeing me, buzzed/floated/danced over to me in that weird way of hers, and offered me what looked like a cutting from one of the weird parasites. "Thank you." I said, wondering exactly what to do with it, then seeing if my new skill of plant analysis would give me anything. "Parasitic vines... Not able to grow on their own, doesn't propagate..." I looked around. Most of the victims were younger, and the thin lattice of vines growing over them was glowing ever so slightly.
"What will you do Sir?" Usa asked, kneeling beside me as I did my usual 'field exam'. Checking pulse, under the eyelid, breathing, temperature...
"It's sapping magic from them, I think. But when that runs out, it will eat their life... But, it's still a plant. Remember the child we treated near Mirso?"
They all nodded, and Clive motioned me over to the next room. It was a kitchen, though the windows were all but blocked by slowly wilting vines. That healer I met before was herding some women around, directing them to gather cloth, clean bandages etc etc.
"Ah, Sir Hero. A little worse than the last time we met, but still alive. It's done then?"
"It is." I nodded, "I'm going to need that pot, and a smaller pot. Going to boil some herbicide, but we need to cover the victims nose and mouth with a wet cloth so they don't breath it in too."
"Aha! I understand."
We spent the rest of the day cleaning up. We (my party and I) weren't expected to get our hands any dirtier than we had already, but we still helped out. It would be a while before this place was back in proper order, but the sudden overgrowth hadn't actually destroyed many of the buildings. Just grown over and into them. If nothing else, they would have enough firewood to last months.
The Fox-berry, at least, the one and only bush of it, was now sporting head sized pear shaped fruit that had gone from a nearly painful to look at yellow, to an all too alluring emerald. I knew that colour. It was the same colour I saw every time my wife opened her eyes. Amusingly enough, the outer skin had hardened a little. Much like Haruhime herself, she was very sweet, but not nearly as soft as people thought she was.
Total grow time from seed to edible fruit? About eight hours.
Of course, now that it was this late, we were going to be stuck there for the night. But before the sun had given up on the day, the Mayor came up to my party and I.
"Sir Hero... How can we thank you? After this disaster, we don't have much, but what ever we can give you is yours to ask." He was practically beside himself trying to get into my good graces. "And that new... I'm not sure if it's a tree, or a bush..."
"It will forever be a mystery." I nodded, "We'll take going price on the herbicide we used, mediated by our Merchant friend." I said, "Don't worry about paying for the renewed seed though. We broke it, we fix it." I motioned to the distant and completely obliterated fountain that used to be the centrepiece of their town.
He looked like he might faint for how relieved he was. I figured they'd be having trouble with actual money, so I left it to 'the expert' on how much I should get for the supplies we used. "We are thankful! Forever grateful for your help!"
"It's our job, right?" Tetsu asked, nibbling on a properly ripe Fox-berry. "So much better now!"
"Don't be such a messy eater!" Raphtalia grumbled.
"Only these teeth can get through the skin!"
"We'll be leaving in the morning." I said, "My expert says that you'll have seeds in the fruit in a day or two. So plant them carefully, and give them plenty of fertilizer."
Kunshu (the expert) was also nibbling on the fruit, but paused and looked to the Mayor with a, "click!" of her jaw.
"We will make sure to treat this new miracle plant with care!" He assured me, "Feel free to stay in any building you please tonight, I'm sure no one will mind." He extended a hand, and we shook. Then with one last wave he wandered away.
"Will we..." Usa started asking.
"No. We have our own place to sleep." I motioned towards our wagon. "Tomorrow, after breakfast... Raphtalia? Since we're here?"
She looked at me, then caught on, "Yes."
In the morning, with all intentions to head north towards the local Lord's manor, we were greeted by the Mayor and several farmers. Thanks to a little extra spending on their part, most of the injuries had been reduced to a bandage or less. Next to them, being pulled by a VERY alert filolial (who was giving Tetsu the angry squint eye) was another wagon. This was loaded with big woven baskets of fruit and vegetables.
"Be nice Tetsu." I warned as I got off the driver's seat.
"I don't even know why it's mad!" Tetsu pouted, then leaned her head down so I could rub the side of her face.
The Mayor ignored the byplay, stepping forward with the two farmers. "Sir Hero." He greeted, "This is for the herbicide and extra healing medicine." He handed me a satisfyingly heavy sack that jingled cheerfully. "And this is an extra thank you." He motioned to the cart with the barrel sized food baskets, "It may be a while before our usual fields return to what they were, but for now, the Fox-Berry will be enough."
"Have all the other plants been dealt with?" I asked, "I don't want to worry you, but nothing of that plant can remain."
"We've had everyone looking for, and uprooting everything we find of the old plant." He nodded, "The final harvests we got from them will sustain up for at least a season, long enough for your new plant to take over, and our normal fields to grow the more mundane foods we all know."
"Good." I nodded, "Be sure to talk to the Mercenaries, have them stick around a while longer. You may need them during the next wave, and even if you don't they can help train people to swing a weapon around in their free time."
"Would that we could rely on Lord Rabier..." He sighed.
"Maybe you'll get along with his replacement." I shrugged.
"Wha-"
"Thank you for the food." I ignored his puzzled expression, "Tetsu? Gonna need a little muscle to move this to the back. Clive! Raphtalia! Give me a hand. Usa, open up the back!"
North we went. The wagon had a bit of a hard time with the still overgrown roads, but instead of using our monstrous wagon and its equally strong driver to just pull ourselves over them, we all got out and started ripping up and chopping down the overgrowth. That alone took us almost a full day to get out of it, but it was worth it. Without really working on the wagon, I didn't want to risk shattering a wheel or something just for the sake of expediency. And of course, since we had all this wood handy, we set aside suitable branches for arrows and the like.
Someplace around lunch on the third day through the rough hilly road leading north, we spotted a... Well it wasn't really big enough to be a town, but too big to be a satellite of another town like the mining and farming branches around Mirso. It also had a 'one big building' theme. But instead of an Inn, or a barn like Riyute, this was a small but very fancy manor.
"That's not..." I thought out loud.
There was a bit of noise as Raphtalia slowly made her way around things in the back to peek out from behind the canvas curtain, "No..." Raphtalia said, "I don't... I don't know that place."
Usa, from his spot as 'rear guard', spoke over the rumble of wheels, "The Mayor of Lerno said four days, right?"
Clive, who I could hear quietly carving arrow shafts behind me in the wagon bed agreed with a "Gr."
"Then who runs this little place..." I mused, reaching up to pat Raphtalia's ears, "You okay?"
"I've figured out what you meant by looking at nothing and still seeing everything. It really helps. But I can't read while I do it..." She said, leaning into my attention for a moment, then pushing my hand away, "Ah, I'm not a kid!" Of course, she puffed her cheeks out at me, like a kid.
"I miss petting all the fuzzy ears from back home." I replied, "A this pace we'll get there around dinner I think."
"I could go faster!" Tetsu said, "I wanna lay on a bed again!"
"Just a little then." I said, patting the seat next to me, "Get some air, I'm going to try work on something on the anvil."
For the next few hours, I put a serious effort into enchanting something. Once I got used to the sway of the wagon, I started hammering a cold plate of bronze into something on the anvil. There was a reason I chose 'small thin bits of metal' when we collected them in Melromarc. I knew I wouldn't have a forge handy, so I chose something I could work, hot or cold. Armed with the information from the Enchanter Merchant, I chose to make something 'all in one go'. And since I knew the sound of my work (and anyone else who had tried to enchant) would sound horrible for poor Usa, it was for him.
The end result, by the time I could smell the familiar scents of farmer's fields through the canvas of the wagon walls, looked kind of like the top of a clam shell, with the flat end that I'd curled around for a string set with a little disk of onyx.
You made a Bronze Icon!
Bronze Icon: quality: excellent
As I'd learned from Sindri, I 'connected' the little onyx disk, tapping out individual grooves in the shell so the effect of the little stone would encompass the entire pendant, and not just focus from a single point. It also made it look more distinct.
Bronze Icon (sound equalization): quality: excellent
Because it wasn't really a shell, but the 'speaker' icon you'd find in the bottom corner of your monitor.
I admired my work, then fished through the Shield's inventory for 'leather string'. I was seriously going to miss this inventory thing when I left this world. "Hey Usa? I made you better ear protection."
It was a... a very modest little town. Something was off about it, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. There were people out in the fields (not very large fields, but if what I'd learned about farmland in Orario was any clue, very healthy fields). The area around the 'big manor' (that wasn't very big, but certainly the best looking building around) was properly paved with cobblestone. There was a small busy smithy. Small but well kept stone and wood houses.
So what was it that was bothering me?
"This reminds me of home..." Raphtalia said, peeking her head out from behind the canvas again. "You look troubled."
Her comment clued me in, "They're all... no, almost all demi-human." I said, "From your description of him, this can't be his house at all."
"Almost all?" She asked.
"Hello there." Someone greeted, stepping off from the side of the road, not quite in the way of Tetsu, but close enough that she could reach out to eat him, if she wanted. "You must be the Dragon of Fortune." He looked at Tetsu as she slowed to a stop.
She looked over her shoulder at me, and I nodded. "You can pat my head riiiiiight here." Tetsu said, reaching out a clawed hand that made most of his forearm vanish, and carefully directed his hand to the right spot.
If the sudden talking dragon bothered him, he didn't show it. Tall, and looking somewhat bookish with little wire framed glasses perched on his nose, he seemed all too happy to give Tetsu her tribute. His smile at her pleased 'hee hee' looked genuine too. As for the rest of him, he was dressed in a robe, not unlike the priesthood around here, but with more colours and a family crest on the shoulder instead of the 'sword/bow/spear' icon on the front.
"She has certainly brought us good fortune." I agreed, "My name is Kodori. This is Raphtalia. That's Tetsu..." I paused as we started to get off the wagon, "This is Clive, Usa and... Has anyone seen Kunshu?"
With a puff of air that was just strong enough to make the scholar's robe ruffle, Kunshu landed behind him. She was covered in pollen, but unarmed. Of course, anyone who was friendly with Tetsu warranted investigation, and she leaned in to swish at him with her antenna.
My opinion of this man went up a little further, when not only did he hold his ground to Kunshu's almost alien appearance and proximity, he raised his other hand to swish at her antenna. Now, this may be because he knew what to do, or because he didn't want his glasses to get knocked off his nose or mess up his neat black hair, but either way, he showed no fear in the face of a nearly silent person sized bee.
"I've heard all about your group. Please, be welcome to my humble estate." He smiled and stopped petting the two 'monsters', making one lose interest and hover over to me, and the other pout. "Please, follow me, and I'll show you a place to put your wagon. Perhaps conduct business? I've heard you sell medicines?"
Everyone looked to me, and I nodded, "Lead the way sir...?"
"Van Reichnott." He replied.
Usa perked up at the name, but didn't say anything. I motioned for him to speak, and after a moment he put his thoughts together. "I've heard his name Sir. Before I was sold. But weren't you..." He paused again, but Van's smile didn't change at all, and seemed encouragement enough for Usa to continue, "Weren't you a Lord?" He looked around to the well built, yet very small estate and the surrounding buildings.
"Ah... Well, shortly after the first wave, my opinions became very unpopular." He looked at me, "Ah, so that rumour is true."
I put two and two together so to speak, "You don't discriminate against the demi-humans." I said, letting out a deep breath and the anger I was feeling.
"Indeed. But instead of fighting back, I used what influence I still had to keep this small area here, and let Lord Rabier assume control." He sighed a little wistfully.
"You didn't fig-" I put a hand on Raphtalia's shoulder, "But..."
"Does he look like a fighter?" I asked her. "He held on to what he could, and continues to do his best." I motioned to the demi-humans who were going about their business around us. "But, we can talk about our opinions of the current Lord while sitting down some place." I said, "Once we put the wagon out of the way, we can have tea and talk business."
I made sure to put a little extra venom in my voice when I said 'Lord', and Van's perpetual seeming smile faded just a tiny bit when he heard it. I'd made myself clear I was sure. "Of course." The smile came back and he looked to Tetsu, "If you moved slow enough, I'd be happy to keep patting your head."
"Very tempting... But I've been told not to 'drive distracted'... what ever that means." Tetsu replied.
Van's home, while not huge, was very well appointed. Neat, clean, smelled nice, had a half dozen maids (human and demi-human)... But even so, it still had a modest air. There were very few decorations for instance. Or after we'd all been seated (except Kunshu, who still didn't really 'do' dinner tables and opted for a spot to nap on the ceiling) the dishes and cutlery were all made of 'common' quality stuff. No silver or gold. The only real excess he had here was space and even that wasn't much.
"Sir Kodori." He started as one of the maids (four out of four worlds had almost the exact same maid dress!) went one way around the table to pour tea, while another followed behind her to place plates of food before us. "Oh? Did we wake you again?"
Kunshu, who had went to cling to the ceiling as soon as we entered, dropped back down to the floor and stood beside Usa on his weak side.
"As you can see, my friend Usa has a lame arm." I said, "We do our best to cover for it."
"Tetsu..." Raphtalia warned as the dark skinned dragon-newt was about to use her bare hands to eat.
"Oh! I forgot..." Tetsu picked up the knife and fork, "Um... I don't eat like this much..."
"Gr." Clive got her attention and demonstrated the proper use of a knife and fork... I couldn't help but smile since he was the next worst offender to 'eating like an animal'. But if he wasn't just downing an entire meal in a single bite, he had to cut things up small since he couldn't chew.
"I see." Van nodded, nibbling at his own food. "I hope you'll forgive the simple fare. I feel a little distraught this is all I can offer a Hero."
"Your cook does well." I said honestly. It was a simple 'steak and salad' with some bread on the side, and yes, our host was sure to serve fish for Usa. "We are thankful for the warm welcome, all things considered."
"Ah... It is a little sad that a Hero would be treated this way. I am aware of the rumours that came about shortly after your arrival. But I am more keen on the things I've heard from trusted merchants who've heard of your deeds." He watched Kunshu take the place of Usa's lame arm, fascinated at how natural the actions were.
There was few moments of quiet clatter as we ate, then Raphtalia asked, "I think... I think I've heard your name before..." She didn't stop eating, but her motions became slower as she tried to recall. "Did you know Lord Seaetto?"
Van's calm eyes widened just a tiny bit, "Oh? You knew him?" He rested his wrists on the table, "Ah, did you live in his former territory?" His voice changed a little too, that calm cheerfulness fading.
"I lived in Lurolona, before the first wave." She said sadly, "It was..."
I flicked my tail against hers, an attempt to distract her, and Van aided me (knowingly or not) by saying, "He was a friend. Sadly, after the first Wave, and the Queen's absence, I was exiled here. As Sir Kodori said, I am not a fighter like Lord Seaetto, but I do my best for the demi-humans in my domain."
A question bubbled to the surface of my mind, "How did it get so bad?" I asked, "Altcray and his daughter I mean. And this church of the three heroes."
His surprise this time made him narrow his eyes slightly, like he had just felt the beginnings of a headache. "It's... I do not know all the details, but I can think of a rumour, a fact, and a theory."
The clever wordplay told me exactly where this man's real strength was. I could respect that. "Go on."
"The rumour was before he became King. He was born in Faubrey, that much I know. But the rumour is that he fled here after an attack on his home. Demi-humans from Siltvelt were blamed, but again, just rumour to me." We had all stopped eating (except Tetsu who didn't care about politics, and Usa, since Kunshu only cared about caring for her 'hive'). "The next is the 'fact'. He and the Queen have had three children. Malty, the firstborn, Melty, the youngest, but also a middle child, a son. I do not know what provoked it, but the middle son was killed while visiting Siltvelt."
"And Siltvelt is...?" I asked.
"A predominately Demi-human country." Van replied. "My theory, is that Lord Altcray harbours a deep hatred for Siltvelt, and thus Demi-humans in general. Sadly, this would explain why a demi-human hating religion has gained so much traction."
"And how someone who..." Raphtalia started, her tail starting to stick straight out from her rear and bristle.
This time I had to put a hand on her shoulder, "And this made your opinions unpopular, and as soon as the Waves started, and the Queen left to treat the other countries, the King, this branch of the church and the nobility who shared his views were suddenly free to run amok."
"I see your world also deals with such politics." Van's smile returned to its 'neutral' form. He was starting to remind me of Kiba, before he figured out how to smile like he meant it.
"Four out of four worlds agree... Politics suck." I sighed, my tail flicking against the back of my head. "Well, that explains it."
Usa, Clive and Raphtalia looked at me, but before they could form any expression past that, I made sure to add...
"But does not excuse it." I took a deep breath, carefully rubbing a finger around the base of one of my horns. "May we stay the night? We've had a long and busy road."
"Of course." He looked towards the door, where a maid was standing with the tea cart. Without a word, she smiled, bowed, and left. "If there is anything I can do for you in the mean time, I would be happy to help."
Notes!
A bit of a long note this time.
So. In the books, Naofumi goes to deal with the plants first, the zombie dragon second, and then meets a certain someone third very soon after. That is 'book 2' of the Light novels.
But... Kodori went to the dragon first, the plants second, and is now about to deal with something that doesn't happen until book 4 of the light novels. And she also misses the meeting of a certain someone...
Ah well! Time to recover the plot!
Thank you for reading! And if you want to see any full colour art, join the discord!
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And my actual book, Were Too? is on Inkitt.
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