I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero
Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad helping me with SPAG edit! Also special thanks to Angel Wraith for reading my rough draft and provide important feedbacks.
More author note at the end for people who are interested to see me blabber some more.
Count Winchester's armored boots make a rhythmic thud on the polished granite floor. Each click feels like a hammer falling on Mein's heart. She chews on her gloved finger while mechanically following the steps of Naofumi.
She had been complacent. What happened in the banquet was a harsh, but much needed reminder of who she and her Naofumi were: The disfavored first princess of glorious Melromarc, and the hated hero of mankind.
What would the rest of this country do to them, if even Father was willing to ignore her plight to condemn the Shield Hero?
She already became a player in this game of thrones. It's too late to back out, even if she wants to. Playing to win is the only way out for both her Naofumi, and herself.
"Didn't expect you to testify in my favor. Thought you hated demi-humans." Naofumi is trying to strike up a conversation with their escort.
"Don't mistake my action for validation, Shield Hero. You could have afforded to keep more savory company around you." The knight captain turns his nose at both Raphtalia and Kyubey. "But I'm a knight of glorious Melromarc. I swore an oath to uphold truth and honor, even against savage animals."
"Isn't it too judgemental to assume they are the same?" Naofumi's shielded arm moves back towards his party, like he's trying to frame his two remaining demi-human companions. "Raphtalia and Kyubey are both born and raised in Port Harp."
"Well, pardon me. Shield Hero." Count Winchester stops his stride and turns back to look at Naofumi. His face is carefully neutral, but distaste clearly hides underneath his count's mask. The way he looks down from his nose at the younger man a clear indication. "What is the appropriate way to see the demi-humans when they killed my father, and raped countless women who could be my mother, sister, and daughter right in front of my eyes?"
"I see." Naofumi's eyes cast downward. "Hatred isn't easily forgotten."
A distinct difference from how he acted when oppressed by Father. It seems like this is a sore spot for the young interloper. Perhaps something to do with the war in his world he wasn't keen to elaborate on, when they were planning for Lute's defence? Naofumi definitely hinted to his people where the aggressor was.
"I won't treat you and your party differently than the other heroes, so long as you continue to fulfill your duty. I am a knight of glorious Melromarc. If I let my anger drive my actions, I will become no better than the savage invaders." The knight captain turns his back on the Shield Hero and his party. His last words are a soft murmur, clearly meant only for himself. "Now I sound like old man Seatto."
"Iwatani." The sudden call from a different voice draws everyone's attention. Right underneath a magical torch where the shadow gathers stands the young Sword Hero. His midnight colored mail shirt makes him look like a dark silhouette on the wall. "We need to talk."
Chapter 24: Begin Anew
"I'll give you two some privacy." Count Winchester looks back at Naofumi. He walks ahead and stands on the other end of the corridor. Close enough to jump in, if there's any trouble between the two heroes, but far enough to let them speak in a hushed voice without being overheard.
"Amagi." Shield Hero nods back to the much younger boy hero. He takes out the magical tablet he calls 'smartphone' from his shield storage. "You are right, we do need to talk. But not here."
The Sword Hero's attention is drawn by the light on Naofumi's magical tablet. His eyebrow slowly rises to his hairline. "Your phone still works? Are you from a world with extra long battery life?"
"Probably not, it ran out of juice in the first week." Naofumi looks down at the phone in his hand, before looking back up at the Sword Hero again. The Shield Hero turns his body sideways and give Mein a nod. "Mein taught me how to recharge it, with my mana reserves."
"Magic works like electricity? Interesting... I suppose they are both power sources. You'll have to teach me how to do it later." The Sword Hero mumbles something underneath his breath while Naofumi starts to poke and slash his finger on the 'touch screen'. The Shield Hero holds his magical tablet up to the younger boy after a short while.
Mein tries to steal a peak herself, but she can't make sense of the symbols on the screen.
There have been efforts to decipher the heroes' native written language throughout the age. But the progress made so far has been slow and limited, to put things lightly. Especially when the different churches, or nations all keep their own research away from each other.
It seems her Naofumi has also realized the danger after the stunt pulled by Father. He's acting extra cautious now, if he's trying to rely whatever information to his fellow hero through his world's written language.
The Sword Hero's eyes enlarge as they follow along the screen. His body also leaves the wall and stands up more and more rigidly. The younger boy slowly edges his head to face Naofumi. "Is that so? I'll see you around. Watch your back."
"You too." Naofumi eyes the Sword Hero, until the younger boy's back disappears from the corridor.
They quickly catch up to Count Winchester, until he leads them out of the gate of the Castle.
Mein gives a long and hard look back to the inner Melromarc Castle wall surrounding the palace once when they walked a safe distance - The home she grows up in for better or worse. There are some happy memories, but they are beaten by the amount of sad and downright painful memories.
Still, it was an easy life full of luxury before she became an active player for the game of thrones. It is no longer a safe haven for her in any shape or form.
"What should we do now, Master Shield Hero?" Kyubey's deadpan delivery brings Mein's focus back onto the Shield Hero. It's clear Naofumi's action back in the training yard gained true respect from the rabbit man.
"The king of this country has shown himself untrustworthy. We must grow stronger, if we are to survive." Naofumi gives a quick glance back to the palace wall just like Mein. He brings his attention back to his three companions. The Shield Hero's sight seems to linger on Mein for the longest. "We are forced to fight in the Wave. And, honestly... I don't want to abandon my duty for the people just because their king is trash. A lot of people depend on the heroes for their survival. But we need to be strong enough to defend ourselves if the king, or anyone else tries to pull a fast one again."
A simple, but elegant plan. A complex and clever strategy is good, but they all need a strong base of power as the foundation. Naofumi was able to walk away from the duel four thousand silvers richer, but he got lucky the only one who accepted his duel was an imbecile. They can't rely on good luck to carry them through trouble every time.
If they are at the pinnacle of common levels, they could have made their way to Stormwind. No doubt, the small kingdom would be near the point of total anarchy thanks to the Bow Hero's foolish actions. It would be the perfect opportunity to turn the small kingdom into a base of power for Naofumi and herself.
Alas, she has no choice to let this opportunity go. All the border garrisons no doubt have received the likeness of the four summoned heroes, in case any of them tries to escape the influence of glorious Melromarc. Going through the garrison is implausible, but their levels are too low to attempt crossing the border through undefended territory since they usually have monster nests.
What a pity.
"We'll get Farkas away from that slave trader, too. His arms are hurt, but he's still a seasoned gladiator and adventurer. He'll have a lot to teach us." Naofumi begins to slowly count his fingers as he starts to lay a more structured plan. "We'll pay back Uncle Elhard for the armor he lent me, and use whatever we have left to equip ourselves to our best. We can make money back with the enhanced herb gathering and potion crafting skills I unlocked, with barely any seed fund."
"Good plan. But we'll need to be on the move. Even if Master Shield Hero can craft higher tier potions than other potioneer, there'll only be so much demand in each city and settlement." Kyubey looks down and scratches his chin, no doubt drawing from his life experience as a general store shopkeeper. "The only reliable way we can sell them in bulk would be to go to one of the larger trade groups. And that's not ideal. They'll be able to slash the price down with their stronger bargaining power, and pocket most of the profit from Master Shield Hero's hard work for themselves."
"Exactly, that's why I'm thinking about getting a filorial carriage for ourselves. We can move to other places much easier to supply local demand, and hopefully unlock more forms for my shield."
"Should we talk to Filorial Bill once we return to Lute, Master Naofumi?" Mein looks back at Naofumi expectedly.
Maybe he's even willing to give them a bird for free. It might even be his prized racer.
"I... would rather not take advantage of him. Lute was half destroyed when we left. They'll no doubt need all the help to rebuild their village." Naofumi bites his lower lips when Mein brings up Lute.
The princess in disguise feels like slapping herself for making such an obvious mistake. Her Naofumi was clearly distressed over his inability to stop the monsters from hurting the villagers, even if he already did everything he could. She quickly leans closer to the young man to wrap her arms around him. "It's okay, Master Naofumi. There are plenty of traders that deal with filorials right here in the capital. We'll have to pay a premium from five hundred silver pieces to a thousand to them. But we don't have to go bother Big Bill."
"Thanks, Mein. At least we have enough cash to pay the premium now, thanks to Kitamura." Naofumi wraps his arms right back around Mein's shoulders. Raphtalia quickly pushes her way between the two of them to hug them both.
"Or we can buy a monster egg, and raise our own filorial at birth." Kyubey's emotionless voice cut right into their little moment. "They'll cause a lot less, something around one hundred silver pieces if we don't get picky with the breed. We could raise an adult in less than a week, thanks to Master Shield Hero's EXP boost. A filorial's body matures with their level."
"Is that so? Four hundred to almost a thousand silver pieces less? Sounds like a good deal for us. We aren't trying to compete in a race or anything. Even the lowest breed should be fine, so long as they can pull a carriage." Naofumi nods his head along at Kyubey's recommendation.
It seems like a plan for their future action is slowly, but surely coming to form. Mein has to admit, it's not bad considering what resources they have. There is of course, only one last point to add.
"Master Naofumi, I think we should come up with a contingency plan if things... deteriorate. Here, in Melromarc." Mein pointedly nudges her face towards the direction of Ivory Street, where the top of the Three Heroes' Cathedral can be seen atop the many rooftops. "They may act even bolder next time."
"Hmm, good point. A contingency plan is needed, judging from what happened at the banquet. '' Naofumi closes his eyes for a moment, obviously not thrilled to get a reminder of what happened a short moment ago. "We know Siltvelt is willing to have me, but I know next to nothing about that country. And they obviously aren't going to treat you well, if those two spies were any indication. Is there somewhere more... neutral we can retreat to, in worst case scenario?"
"Cal Mira Island is declared neutral ground by past heroes. But they have no army to stand against an invasion if someone decides to do something unwise. Plus the place is too small to blend in and hide from assassins." The incognito princess wrecks her brain for any information she learned from her geography class. For the first time, she truly regretted reading more romance novels than her study text. "I think our best bet is the Free City Alliance of Zeltoble. They can't go head to head with the kingdoms in a full scale war, but they do have an army of mercenaries to deter an invasion. The coliseum city of Zeltoble is the center hub for all sellswords and gladiators. It'll be easy for us to blend in. Plus, without a central government, it'll be hard for anyone in power to know about Master Naofumi's true identity, and try to exploit you."
"Sounds as good a plan as any." Naofumi nods his head in affirmation. "Zeltoble will be our contingency plan, in case things belly up here in Melromarc."
"If Master Shield Hero is willing to provide me with funds, I can go buy a map right now. And we'll chart out our escape routes in case we are separated." Kyubey leans closer to Naofumi and whispers near his ear.
Naofumi takes out a coin pouch from his shield. He's about to hand it to Kyubey before he stills his hand, and returns the money into his shield. "Thanks for the offer, but separating our party is too dangerous. Let's move together as one for now, in case anyone does try to do something more covert to harm us."
"A sound plan, Master Naofumi." Mein can't help but gnaw at her finger once again, remembering what happened the first time they went into the slum.
Fortunately, their second venture into the bowel of Melromarc Castle fared better than their first time. There are still some dangerous glares from the less savory characters, especially with their much fancier clothes than the first time. But none of them tried to demand money, or outright attack their party. They're possibly still cautious from the unwitting bloodbath they caused almost two weeks ago.
It seems the old saying of 'criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot' does hold a lot of truth.
They manage to find the tent of the slave trader without much trouble. The guards outside are two demi-humans, instead of humans like the last time. One of them quickly ducks right back into the tent after catching a glimpse of them. Possibly to inform the pudgy but flamboyant skin merchant.
The slave trader makes his flashy exit of the tent as he tosses the flap aside. He is flanked by both the guard, and the white haired woman.
"Ah, my favorite customer returns. I see your venture has been rather successful, Master Shield Hero, if your new getup is any indication." The light of the setting sun reflects on his thick spectacles, as the mustache over his wide lips hops up and down with his overenunciated syllables.
"Let's cut the chase. I'm here to fulfill my end of the bargain... and to get Farkas out of his cage, now that I have the money." Naofumi's face is neutral just like Count Winchester, and hides as much distaste underneath as the knight captain.
The white haired woman snarls at Naofumi's word, making her disfigured face look even more ferocious. But any possible intention to escalate the tension to a violent level is stopped by a simple hand gesture from Beloukas.
"Ah, I see Master Shield Hero is in a straight to business mood. So the rumor must be true then, there was much unpleasantness hidden underneath the extravagant banquet underneath the king's court. Why, it makes me feel very happy not being on the invitation list." Beloukas puts his hand underneath his chin, in a false thinking pose. "Well, not important. I have enough imports from various lands to hold my own little banquet if I so desire. Now, if Master Shield Hero is willing to fulfill your end of the deal now?"
"Those are my Yuzu. Raised to level 20." Naofumi opens his cloak and lets the orange abominations jump off his body. They hop up and down on the dirty and cracked street, never mind the bad smell.
Beloukas takes out a small silver dagger from his tailor made suit. He moves closer to the balloon and pokes one of them with the weapon.
Raphtalia makes a distressed yelp, no doubt scared for someone she often plays with.
The silver dagger sinks deeper into the balloon's rubbery body, but fails to pop it. The skin merchant shows surprising nimbleness of his stubby hand and legs when he retracts away, just as a bringer of pain jumps up to bite him.
"Interesting... very interesting." The slave trader twirls his mustache with his finger as he puts the silver dagger away. He looks genuinely thoughtful this time, ignoring the angry and hissing eldritch monstrosities. "I may not be a warrior, but that dagger was made in the Sky Forge of Siltvelt, by one of the greatest smiths of our generation, Eolund Greymane. It's more than enough to deal damage ten times over to pop a regular balloon. Yet, your balloon simply stretches its skin, and the blade dealt no damage at all to it. A special ability unlocked by the Hero, or simply through level process? Very interesting, and promising, if this is what a level 20 balloon is capable of."
"Is that so? Good boy, Yuzuichi." Naofumi bends down and rubs his head over the stabbed balloons. It stops snarling at Beloukas and licks Naofumi's face, obviously revelling in the attention from the Shield Hero. Its two brethren hops up to Naofumi, and joins in their combined offense to paint Shield Hero full of their slobber.
"Well, you certainly kept your promise, Master Shield Hero. Although... I would like you to possibly expand on your collection, and see if there are other interesting things to find for other low level monsters as well. We are trying to discover a whole new market, after all." The slave trader claps his hand together and rubs his palm with visible glee. "Now, let's get to the fun part - where I help you solve your problems. Do you require some exotic items for extraordinary solutions, my favorite customer?"
"As I said, I'm here to fulfill my promise to Farkas. And if you happen to have eggs for filorials, I'll pick one up too." Naofumi picks up the balloons and attaches two of them onto his back. He hands the last one to Raphtalia who rubs her small hand on the monster.
"Well, I can certainly provide for both of your needs! Come on in, don't be shy." The skin merchant chants jovially as he returns into the tent.
Mein follows Naofumi into the tent, the thugs once again start to remove the boxes that hide the entrance to his real stock.
"If you desire only the big birds, we have a full selection on all of them." Beloukas points his stubby finger to an open chest with a few dozen eggs lined up together in mould. A small label under each egg to mark the breed and price of the baby bird slept inside. "Or, if you feel a bit more adventurous... we can also play a game of chance. For one hundred silver pieces each."
Mein's sight moves together with Naofumi, at a similar looking box full of identical looking eggs. This one however, lacks the label underneath them.
"All of those eggs cost one hundred silver, but none are named. If you get lucky, you can take home a knight's dragon, or even a griffin for the grand prize. But if luck doesn't smile upon you... well, you will get a rabbit pill." The pudgy merchant's face split into a wide toothy grin. He looks like some kind of evil spirit, whispering words of allure to lead a wayward hero down a cliff.
That doesn't sound like a bad deal to Mein. Sure, there is a chance they'll have a complete bust in their hand, but one hundred silver coins isn't going to hurt them too badly with the bet Naofumi just won. A griffin will be invaluable to their adventure, if they hit the grand prize.
"Master Naofumi, let's go for a bet. Luck was on your side, back in the banquet and the duel." Mein edges closer to Naofumi and whispers into his ear. "We can always come back and just buy a filorial afterwards, if we end up with a rabbit pill."
"So it's like a gacha. I just hope I haven't used up all my luck." Naofumi rubs his nose as his eyes slowly narrow. He turned to look at Beloukas. "When will they hatch?"
"You'll know your results tomorrow morning. We provide the full service of a specialized incubator unit. Great customer service is how we grow our base, after all."
"Very well, we'll try our hand. I can always come back for a filorial egg." Naofumi nods his head and points to one of the non-descriptive eggs.
"My man Matthew will prepare for both the monster seal on the egg, and fit it with an incubator. While that's going on, let's get ready for your other service, shall we?" The skin merchant snaps his finger, and one of the demi-humans picks out the egg of Naofumi's choosing and moves away.
"You won't switch out the egg, will you?" Mein can't help but frown at the idea. Sure, the flamboyant short man act friendly, but he is still someone who deals with slave trade.
"Well, if Master Shield Hero's company does not trust the word of this old smuggler, she can always follow my man and watch over them." Beloukas turns around to look at the undercover princess. Despite his thick spectacles hiding his eyes, Mein gets the sense he looks quite affronted at her suggestion.
She doesn't care about the skin merchant's hurt feelings, of course. If the situation permits, she would love to follow through every transaction just to make sure they aren't being cheated. But there are more important things she needs to deal with.
For example... convince her Naofumi to keep the werewolf as a slave instead of flat out freeing him. The dire wolves of Skyguard tundra's wild nature is as well known as the great lizard of Mara Gobi desert, after all.
"I can do that, if Master Shield Hero wishes." Kyubey steps up from the behind.
Mein would have given him a kiss on the cheek, but she didn't want Naofumi to get the wrong idea. Yes, she is definitely keeping this rabbit man as a servant, maybe even her personal chamberlain, after she reclaims her lost right.
"Do it." Naofumi slowly turns his head to look at the pudgy half man. "After what happened at the banquet, I want to be careful with everything."
"It pains me that my favorite customer doesn't hold the same faith in me. But, Master Shield Hero is right to be suspicious, of course. Being careful will carry you far in life." The slave trader recovers quickly from his indignation. He holds his arm up to invite Naofumi into the dilapidated office of a former merchant company. "After you, my favorite customer."
The dilapidated building didn't look or smell any better than her first visit. Mein is glad for the face mask the seamstress included into her new clothes. It doesn't improve the smell, but it blocks out the dust in the very least.
Raphtalia makes a loud sneeze almost as soon as she enters the building. She quickly wipes at her nose. "Sorry."
Remember her first visit, Mein takes a hankie out of her pocket and wet them with her water skin. She hands the wet fabric to the demi-human girl. "Cover your nose, Raphtalia."
Raphtalia takes the cloth from Mein's hand. She looks up at the undercover princess with her tear stained eyes. "Thank you, big sister Mein."
Oh, heroes of old. She forgot Raphtalia used to 'live' here in this sorry establishment. What would happen to the girl, if she loses the game of thrones and gets Naofumi and herself killed?
She truly has no room to step back down. Not anymore.
Naofumi looks back at the little girl with a sad smile. "We'll get this done quickly. The dust can't be good for Raphtalia's lungs."
They carefully tread over the rotting floorboards into the old warehouse area again. At the center of the area is the cage, where the werewolf lies in the middle on top of a bed made of dried hay. He lazily looks up as he hears the sound of steps approaching. "You are back."
It seems Naofumi made quite the impression on the beastman. If he's able to recognize the Naofumi even after his change of armor and cloth.
Naofumi walks to the cage and slowly kneels down. "I made a promise with you. Did I not?"
"That you did." The wolf man narrows his head as he slowly sits up from his makeshift bed. "I suppose you made enough money to get a new slave? I lost my sword arms, but I can still be your shield if you stick me in a set of heavy armor."
"No, I will not own another slave anymore." Naofumi looks down at the floor, no doubt thinking back to his conversation with the Bow Hero after the duel. "I had a talk with a fellow hero. He pointed out the error of my ways. I'm going to truly set you free."
The werewolf's mouth seems to twist into a scowl instead of looking happy, or relived for the news."You mean to take off this accursed seal? Make no mistake, hero. What you are giving me is no freedom, only a shackle of a different form."
Naofumi takes half a step back, his head reels abruptly back as if hit by a strong spell. "What do you mean by that?"
"I may have left my clan behind, but I still hold onto a Greyback's sworn oath and bloody curse. A debt like this demands repayment in life." Farkas lies right back into his bed of hay. His voice sounds distant, as if spoken from a dream. "True freedom can't be given by others like a tool. What is given can be easily taken."
"Maybe that's true." Naofumi nods his head along. He sits down beside the cage of Farkas, not minding the dust and rotting splinters underneath his feet. The Shield Hero does not look offended despite the werewolf's word.
In fact, the white haired thug seems to be much angrier than the young man from another world, if the twitching tusk sticking out of her ripped lips is any indication.
Naofumi turns his head to look at the wolf man. His face without any merit. "At least you have a choice this way. You are the one making the decision of following me or not."
"Is it truly wise, Master Naofumi?" Mein quickly tiptoes her way around the cage. She slowly squats down behind Naofumi and whispers into his ears. "The Greyback is another deeply temperamental clan, just like the great lizards of the Mara tribe. Not to mention he's a full beastman. He'd be more in tune with his beast side than Lautrec. It'll be hard to keep him in line without the slave seal. Remember what happened to Lautrec after we freed him?"
"I imagine it's hard, but not impossible. They are intelligent enough to build a society and have beliefs, and not congregate like animals. I meant it, when I told Itsuki I will not take the easy way out." Naofumi turns back to Mein, his intense gaze lingers in her eyes a little too long for her liking. After what feels like an eternity, Naofumi's face finally turns back to the werewolf again. "Make no mistake, you are my responsibility no matter what you do. If you go on your own, and I hear you killing innocent people, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."
It's a really bad idea to threaten someone whose level is more than three times higher than you, Master Naofumi.
"Very well, Shield Hero. If that is what you wish." The werewolf slowly gets up from the bottom of the cage. He does not stand in full, but kneels on his single knee. It almost gives him a noble physical form, like a knight instead of a beast. "As sworn by my forefathers to the first king, I shall follow you till' my debt is paid in full."
"I see Master Shield Hero has a change of heart. Perhaps it pertains to something that happened at the banquet. A little bird whispered to my ear?" The pudgy skin trader is twirling his curly mustache with his stubby stump of a finger. His mouth split into a smirk. "Personally, I wouldn't recommend my favorite customer to pay fifteen hundred silvers for a slave, only to hand more coins out to free him. Then again, who am I to argue against more coins into my pocket? Unless you decide to pursue the criminal career of robbing me blind."
"Cut the crap." Naofumi purses his lips and stands up from the floor. The deep frown on his face makes his displeasure apparent to all even without the young man raising his voice. "I'm not going to harm my allies, assuming you do keep your end of the bargain in help me end slavery. But I won't be persuaded to help perpetuate and legitimize an abusive system you profit from."
"Who do you think you are!?" The white haired and disfigured woman suddenly burst forward. She picks up Naofumi by his neck and pushes him right up against the bars of the cage, making the steel construct rattle. "What gives you the right to talk down to Master Beloukas! You don't even have an idea of how lucky you are!"
"Put Master Naofumi down!" Mein pulls her sword out of its sheath, prompting the rest of Beloukas' thugs to brandish their weapons out too.
"NO! Leave Master Naofumi alone!" Raphtalia tries her best to pry the burly woman away from Naofumi. Unfortunately for the little girl, she's too small to do anything other than hanging on the woman's arm like a bag.
"Stand down." Beloukas does not raise his voice, not unlike the Shield Hero a moment ago. Yet, there is something different in his tone, something much more commanding that demands everyone's attention in the abandoned warehouse. As if responding to his words, the thugs in the warehouse all put down their weapon despite Mein still has her sword drawn.
The portly man walks up to the white haired woman, who easily towers over him. He stands on the tip of his toes, barely reaching her shoulders with the tip of his fingers. "Have you forgotten what I told you, Kristy?"
The giant muscle bound woman takes a few deep breaths. Her voice breaking a little. "No, I did not. Master Beloukas. But still, seeing this clueless boy berates you..."
"Make others accept our way of life, but never beg for their approval." The slave trader makes each word clear, like he is reciting a mantra. His stern face turns to look at Naofumi, who is slowly being put down by Kristy. "Despite what you may think, Master Shield Hero. I did not lie to you in our first meeting. I do intend to help you abolish slavery, if you proven to have what it takes, of course."
Naofumi lets out a few coughs as he slowly climbs up to his feet. It seems like the burly woman did more damage to him than the Spear Hero in their duel. "If you are serious about abolishing slavery, why do you still use it?"
"As disclosed from our first meeting, Master Shield Hero, I built my reputation as the problem solver of Melromarc's underbelly. That means I engage in a number of less savory acts you won't find in the Street of Silver, even if I do not like them. As the saying goes, 'when you only have a hammer as your tool, every problem is a nail.'" The portly man looks back to his gathered thugs, his icy expression slowly melting into something warmer. "Or, perhaps you mean my family?"
The thugs all rips open their tunics, showing the slave seal on their chest.
"I'm no mighty warrior, or powerful mage, Master Shield Hero. I can't offer my family protection like you. My preferred weapon is right here." Beloukas taps the side of his large head with his stubby fingers. "I make deals, and connections with people. Powerful people. They grant certain privileges to my family, so long as we keep our business here in the bowels of Melromarc Castle. But their protection only offers so much, especially in the lawless slums. My family can easily be taken and be made slaves to others if I let them run around as free men."
The slave trader suddenly rips open his expensive tailor made suit open just like his thugs. Right on his chest, there is a slave crest just like others. "This is the best I can do."
Mein finds herself unable to tear her eyes off the pudgy man's chest while her sword drops down. Judging from Naofumi's words, he is very much like her. "You, you put yourself into slavery?"
"We can't all be heroes in life, Master Shield Hero. As you can see, my life is in my family's hands, as much as they are in mine. With the hand I was dealt with, this is the best I can do. That is why I hope you will be successful in finding an avenue that'll let my family and I walk straight on the Street of Silver, so I can get rid of this farce." Unlike before, the smile on the pudgy half man looks solemn, instead of jovial. "I hope you don't go around telling everyone. If my enemies learn of this, they can easily ruin me. I showed you this secret, because you are my favorite customer and ally."
"I would be a very shitty ally if I go around blabbering my mouth." The Shield Hero stands up straight. He looks at the slum trader, but it looks more like he's bowing his head. "I imagine I'll have a lot more future transactions with you."
"Nothing would please me more." The jovial smile is back on the face of Beloukas.
The thugs work quickly after the immediate disaster is averted. Mein stands on the side after picking her sword and returns it to the sheath again. She notices some of Beloukas' men passing some copper coins to each other. "You guys have a betting pool?"
"No worries, lass. Not on you, or your man." One of the human thugs looks up and winks at Mein.
"No, Master Naofumi and I aren't in a relationship together." Mein shuffles her feet around, nearly slipping into one of the holes in the floor and falling over. The thug's word reminds her how she utterly failed the initial task she set herself with. "What is your betting pool for, anyways?"
"Oh, we are betting how long Kristy will lose it on our 'customer' again." Replies a demi-human with fluffy canine ears. "She managed to keep her temper for two years. Pretty impressive, really. Your man must be the most upstanding hero, or the biggest hypocrite to make her lose control."
"Is it so?" Mein looks to the other side. The werewolf is now out of his cage, and has the slave seal on his chest erased by now. The undercover princess starts to bite her gloved finger at the sight. It looks like she'll have to sleep with one eye open from now on. "Your boss is kind of short sighted, to brand himself with a slave's seal. And put his life in others' hand."
The man laughs at Mein's implication. "Not to everyone, of course. Only his 'family' who he trusts. Why do you think the boss wanted your big hero man keeping his secret?"
"Work him hard. Let him get into a lot of fights with monsters." Kristy does not look at Naofumi, Mein, or Raphtalia. It's clear she hasn't forgiven Naofumi for his transgression against Beloukas yet. "For demi-humans like us, managing aggression is easier when we lean into our human side. It's the opposite for a full blood beastman. Their wild side will burst out if they don't have a lot of fight to work them off."
So the woman really is a demi-human. But where are her ears?
"Thanks for the tip." Naofumi gives Kristy a quick glance before turning back to Farkas again. "Welcome aboard, Farkas."
They pick up Kyubey and the monster egg on the way out of Beloukas' tent. The return trip back to the Street of Silver is even less exciting with a towering werewolf snarling and glaring at any one dares to look at them funny.
The incognito princess almost wished that a gang of demi-humans would try to rob them again. Just so they can set Farkas on those filthy scoundrels.
Mein feels some eyes on them coming from the shadow from time to time. But she can't find anyone when she focuses her attention. Some more unsavory resident of the slums, like that demi-human gang they encountered? Or perhaps one of Mother's Shadows or Father's spies?
Regardless, they arrive at Elhard's smithy without any fanfare.
"I'm sorry, lass. But this piece of junk won't last you another battle." The Smith Demon is looking at the rusted iron sword on his counter. "This iron sword was in poor quality to begin with. And after you more or less bathed it in the blood of the Wavespawn? You are lucky it didn't snap in half on your trip from Lute."
"Yeah. I thought so. I was hoping a professional smith can prove me wrong. I'm a little short on the coins." The black iron pot helmet droops down at Elhard's word. The shoulder of the adventurer slumps down.
"How about you leave this piece of shit with me, and trade it in for a better sword with your helmet? A helmet is important, sure. But what's the point of protecting your head if you don't have anything to defend yourself with?"
"NO!" The adventurer lets out a shriek and jumps back. She manages to recover her composure right after. "Sorry. This helmet has a lot of... err... sentimental value to me."
"Is that so?" Elhard's eyebrow slowly rises up. It's clear the Smith Demon isn't entirely convinced of the hedge knight's argument. He turns his attention to Naofumi. "Well, you were looking for a party for some treasure hunt, right? How about the Shield Hero's party? He has a habit of picking up strays, like this big guy behind him. Maybe you can borrow some coins from him for your equipment."
"Uncle Elhard, I..." Naofumi walks up to the counter and waves at the bald man. The Smith Demon's fist promptly falls on his head, a trail of smoke slowly rises up from his Blue Chromezoid helmet. "Ouch."
"What did I tell you about calling me 'uncle' again, Shield Boy? I'm still young enough to whoop your ass." Elhard's eyes twitch as he clenches his hammer like fist tight. He turns to look at the adventurer in the pot helmet. "Anyways, feel like picking up a new member for your party? I have a better feeling with this one than your first companion, and she turned out already."
"Sir Shield Hero!" The hedge knight stands straight like one of Mother's knights ready for her inspection. She even raises her fist halfway to her left chest before dropping her arm down. "It's an honor to see you again! Thank you for defending the people of Lute!"
"Ah, right. I saw you in that battle." Naofumi turns to look at the adventurer. He offers her a hand. "We never introduced ourselves. I'm Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero."
"Right, Ecla-" The adventurer suddenly stops in the middle of her introduction. Did she just bite her tongue? It certainly looks plausible, with how jumpy this hedge knight acts. "Eclea of Port Harp. That's who I am. Yes, it is."
"Okay...?" Naofumi's eyebrow is rising into his hairline. He turns to take out his money pouches to set them on the counter. "I'm here to pay back the money I owed you."
"Hmm... I have to admit, I didn't think I'd get anything back. Our king's hatred towards anything related to Siltvelt is well known." The Smith Demon sets the rusted out iron sword down, he picks up a dirty rag and starts to clean his dirty counter.
"Well... I had to win it out of a duel with the Spear Hero."
"Oh." Elhard stops his hand to look at Naofumi. The bald smith lets out a sigh as he starts to clean his counter again. "Yeah. that sounds more like it. I'll help out what I can, shield boy. You are a good kid. Someone has to look after you if our king doesn't."
"Do you have anything for Farkas? He hurt his arms back in his gladiator days." Naofumi turns back to point his arm up at the beastman in their party. The werewolf hisses at the bald smith.
"You don't say... yeah. His arms are no good for weapons, unless you get a dose of Yggdrasil medicine for him." The Smith Demon turns his head sideways to get a better look at Farkas. Elhard squints his eyes nearly shut, his hand scratches his beard. "I can fit him in a suit of armor. Weapons are tricky, although he has good teeth... tell you what, kid. Come back to my shop in two days. I'll smith up something for him, so he's not helpless. In the meantime, pick up some better gear from my shop for your other companions, or talk to Eclea here. While I go through my heavy armor selection."
"Alright." Naofumi turns to look at the female hedge knight as the Smith Demon returns to the back of his shop. "You mentioned something about looking for a party?"
"Yes, Sir Shield Hero. I am on a quest to find a certain powerful artifact. If you are willing to aid me in my quest, I am willing to lend you my sword arm." The adventurer furiously nods her helmeted head, to the point Mein wonders if she'd shake the helmet free.
Yes, having a human adventurer on them would be a very good idea. Judging by how she fought in the Wave, she is an experienced adventurer who is skilled with her sword and her class abilities. If the werewolf loses his mind to his bloodlust, this Eclea of Port Harp will be invaluable help.
But there is something wrong with this adventurer, even if Mein can't quite put her finger on it. The hedge knight is acting too excited.
"A treasure hunt, huh? Want to give me some more information to work with? I'm going to assume it's a long expedition, or else you'd be gone already." Naofumi turns back to rest his back on the counter. He nods to Kyubey to let him go browse the selection of weapons and armor. "I'll need to know what to prepare for. Are we going to climb a mountain, or go to an island?"
"Well... we are going to the edge of Melromarc. Ivory Peak was the Silver Peak lay, to be exact. But we don't need any special gear, other than maybe a carriage to carry us." The adventurer nudges her feet around, her helmeted head turns left and right.
"The old seat of power for House Seatto? Didn't it turn to ruin in the 1st Wave?" Mein looks up at the adventurer. The princess in disguise didn't take this adventurer to be a grave robber. This Eclea may only be a hedge knight, but she acts with far more honor than that disgrace of House Armure. "What's to find there? Anything hasn't been destroyed by the Wavespawn, or looted by the robbers is probably sealed in their family crypt."
"Is this a treasure hunt, or grave robbing?" It seems Naofumi comes to the same conclusion as Mein from a moment ago.
"No, no! Nothing so unbecoming. I mean... technically it's alright since we are only going to find an artifact for safekeeping..." The knight furiously waves her hands in front of her. But her head eventually droops underneath Naofumi's withering glare and slowly rising eyebrow. "Okay. You have a point, Sir Shield Hero. I suppose it is grave robbing. But it's still a matter of uttermost importance."
"Something smells fishy here. And it's not the smoked chuckle fish back in the king's banquet." Mein squints her eyes. She closes in on the adventurer together with Naofumi. "You mentioned your name is Eclea, and you comes from Port Harp. A very important trade port town for House Seatto... didn't the heiress of House Seatto has a very similar to your name? What was her name again, Éclair?"
"Ehh... my parents named me after the daughter of our lord?" The adventurer slowly edges back till she touches the wall. Her trembling voice sounds very unsure of her own reasoning.
"It certainly explains why you didn't think anything was wrong about robbing the grave of this House Seatto, if it's your own family's to begin with. You will simply take back something that belonged to your family to begin with." Naofumi nods his head in agreement. "Although I don't understand why you don't just be honest with me to begin with. It'll certainly help me prepare for the expedition, plus I don't like being lied to."
"Why, the reason is simple. Master Naofumi. It looks like we have a runaway criminal on our hand. The heiress of House Seatto was taken into the dungeon around the same time the 1st Wave hit us, on suspicion of treason against the crown." Mein looks back between Naofumi and the shaking knight. "Guess she's secretly rescued by a sympathizer, or an ally of her family."
"Is that so? I have no love for the king, after what he did at the banquet. But I'm afraid I'll have to turn this quest down, if you aren't going to be honest with me. I don't want to walk into another trap again."
"WAIT!" The adventurer lets out a desperate cry as Naofumi turns his back.
Silly girl, it's obvious Naofumi is only baiting her actions, and not actually trying to leave. He still hasn't gotten armor for Farkas yet, even Kyubey is still browsing the Smithy's wares.
The knight slowly pulls her black iron helmet off her head, letting her pink hair fall down. "It's true. My real identity is Éclair Seatto. The last of my house."
Despite her initial suspicion, Mein can't help but still be a little surprised to confirm the true identity of this adventurer. To think the one she fought side by side in the 2nd Wave, who she had mistaken for a hedge knight, was the Seatto heiress? That's certainly something unexpected.
The question remains how she managed to escape Father's dungeon. An insider is most definitely involved. But who would be a sympathizer of the Seatto in Father's court, which is seeing increasing influence from the Three Heroes' Church?
Mein was never close to the noble heiress of House Seatto. Considering the knight always pursues martial excellence, while the first princess herself enjoys more courtly affairs. But it's clear the last of the Seatto house has seen better days. Her dry hair that forks at the end, and bags underneath her eyes is a good indication.
"I was rescued by the royal battle mage, Master Aldrecht, at great peril of his own. That was why I did not want to reveal my true identity. The king secretly tasked him to execute me back in the dungeon, and Master Aldrecht's life will be forfeit if word of my survival gets out."
If Mein was surprised to confirm Éclair's identity, she's now shocked to learn how the knight was set free. Uncle Aldrecht, Father's oldest friend before his time as the king of Melromarc, and even before his time as a resistance fighter in the Great War? The one who is practically his brother?
There has to be more to the story. Uncle Aldrecht can't possibly betray Father's trust.
Éclair bows her head down at the Shield Hero with her eyes closed. "Please, aid me in my quest to retrieve my family heirloom. It is an artifact of great power, and the Three Heroes' Church is scouring the land for anything of this nature. If Pope Balmus gets his hands on it, it will no doubt be detrimental to both the nation, and Sir Shield Hero yourself."
The Seatto Heirloom? It IS an artifact of great power. It is rumored to have the ability to instantly unlock anyone's full potential and grant them a great leap of power. That's how House Seatto manages to hold their command of the Ivory Pass, despite being an unpopular leader among their own lords.
If Pope Balmus is conspiring to acquire this item, it certainly makes sense why Uncle Aldrecht chooses to free Éclair instead execute her.
But more importantly to Mein herself. The artifact will surely be a necessary boost in power for both her Naofumi, and herself. Maybe it won't make them fight on equal footing with one of the Triumvirate, but they will no longer be helpless against someone like the Pope.
Yes, this is an opportunity too good to pass up.
"Master Naofumi, we should aid Heir Seatto, if she's being truthful. There are great legends about her family's artifacts throughout many generations. Even if there are those more sympathetic towards you within the Three Heroes' Church, we shouldn't let them get their hands on an artifact like this."
"Very well." Naofumi turns back to look at Éclair, as he points his finger at the helmet in her hand. "Put your helmet back on. Let's talk about preparations."
End Note:
Farkas and Éclair joins the party, Firo won't be far behind.
If anyone read Fluffball13's Shield Ninja, yes, Beloukas and his family having a circular master/slave relationship is an intentional homage to Naruto and his team member's relationship in that story.
Depends on your point of view, this chapter more or less conclude the Act 1 of the story. And Act 2 will be the hunt of Éclair's family heirloom I set up bacin in the second Interlude. Hopefully, this overarching plot will make the stuff happening between Wave 2 and 3 less meandering and random.
We'll be having 2 back to back Interlude chapters in the following 2 update. The first one is finally, from the queen's POV where we get to see what she thinks about the event happening behind her back, and a little taste of what the world conference is happening. The 2nd Interlude will be once again, from Naofumi's POV between the secret meeting he set up with Ren.
Here are some guest review replies:
To Halo:
The balloon squad will join the first patch nerf club with Prowling Magus and Congregation, Deacons of the Deep, and Celestial Emissary (first phase).
XD
To Disciple of Erebos:
Thank you very much for your kind words! Glad to know you enjoyed this chapter! Yeah, this chapter is the payoff chapter to a bunch of plot thread I set up earlier, which is why I personally consider it the 'Act 1 conclusion'.
Definitely agree with you on how slavery was never a big talking point in Japan. In fact, the aspect of being a wage slave is much more prominent in Japanese culture and to my best knowledge, more accepted to the point where manga artist taking the piss of the idea of being a wage slave (or as they call it, a company cattle).
I think it has more to do with Eastern culture generally being more hierarchical than western culture.
To Guest:
Sorry, wrong Dark Souls 1 character.
XD
Well, technically Shield party only got Firo's egg in this chapter. She's still waiting to be born for another month with my Interlude chapters.
As for the other heroes... they'll definitely get more development. Don't want to give away too much, but in this upcoming Act 2, Naofumi will get to have a crossover event with each one of the weapon heroes.