Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter.
Just a heads up... I got sick this week (Yes, I had my date with Corona-Chan. Thankfully it's just a pretty mild fever for me, and I didn't feel the more severe symptom like shortness of breath), and haven't finished next week's chapter yet. So it might not go live next Sunday night, and honestly... the quality is probably complete shit since my brain is working half capacity as I wrote most of the chapter.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Their journey becomes much harder now they are forced to travel by foot, especially with Mein's heart acting up again due to her over-taxing her magic once again in Graile. Yet, they continue onward, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Graile, once the Three Heroes' Church, or any other noble associated with the rogue faith similar to Lord El Bridget inevitably come investigating.
For a short while, Mein managed to walk alongside Naofumi. But soon, the Shield Hero, and a now much quieter Sir Oersted begin to take turns carrying her on their backs. Still, even without her actually moving around, the way she gets jogged left and right makes black spots filling her vision, and she begins to drift in and out of consciousness.
"Stop. We can't keep going like this. Miss Mein… no, Miss Sophia, needs rest." Uranus' voice sounds like they are right next to her ears, but it also sounds like it comes from far away. Possibly from the edge where the heaven and earth split. The fugitive princess feels someone wrapping their arms behind her, slowly prying her arms away from the neck of… was it Naofumi, or was it Oersted? She can't even remember who is currently carrying her. Whoever it was, gently lays her on the ground, where she can thankfully have better rest than when she's being moved left and right.
Mein blinks her eyes, and sees both Naofumi and Uranus' face looming over her. Oersted is there too, but the young knight is looking expectedly at the old Four Heroes' Church priest. Almost as if expecting him to do something. Above them, there is thick foliage of branches and leaves where beams of lights pierce through and cast waving shadows down on them. Naofumi turns to look at Uranus. "You can't make her feel better with healing magic, or even potions. Because they would both make her heart condition even worse."
"Correct. While healing magic and potion tend to make most wounds, or ailments better, it's very different when it's wound, or long term condition to vital organs. The magical reaction to fix them would be too violent for a near fatal wound, or long term condition, likely killing the patient from organ failure before it has a chance to fix the problem." Uranus' explanation makes Oersted drop his head down, as if he's ashamed for his lack of knowledge. "What Miss Sophia needs right now is rest. Ideally for a week or so where she's not moved around. To let the mana in the air naturally heal her through a slower process."
The Shield Hero turns his eyes away from the old, balding priest and looks at Mein with equally worried, and painful expression. "Are we safe here? Can we rest in this forest?"
Uranus pauses for a few moments, clearly thinking over Naofumi's question for a short while before shaking his head. "Having Miss Sophia rest in the wild isn't the best, her condition might not improve because she's exposed too much to the elements. But I do have an idea. There's a hidden monastery for my faith a bit deeper in this forest. Let's take a short rest, and we can go seek shelter with the people I know."
Chapter 96: Infinite in Mystery is the Gift of the Goddess
Their now party of four (not counting the three Yuzus) resumed their journey after a short rest. Well, three of them, as Mein herself is still a glorified load of burdens between Naofumi, and Oersted's back. With her drifting in and out of full awareness, it's hard to tell exactly how much time passes. Although the few times she looks ahead, light still pierce through the foliage above their heads, indicating they haven't exited the forest, and the day hasn't turned into night yet.
The fugitive princess is shaked into awareness again as she can feel the magic in the air being more pronounced than before. Not channeling too much mana to the point sparks of lightning dance across her skin, but in a way that almost feels soothing, like a small breeze blowing through her hair.
Mein rises her head above and looks ahead, beyond the back of… it's definitely Naofumi this time. She can see a few strands of his dark hair from the corner of her vision. Ahead of them is a monastery as Uranus promised, standing in a small clearing surrounded by trees. A halo of golden light passes through the clear sky in the middle, shining down on the sloped roof. Thick, but healthy and verdant leaves crawl up and cover the walls, blooming with white and yellow lily flowers.
The princess normally isn't usually too fond of these kinds of flowers. Their sight and color makes her feel a sense of meekness. But the sight felt much more different to her in her weakened state. And amongst the field of blooming flowers, a young man and a young woman around Mein's age, maybe younger, are kneeling amongst the plant, tending them.
The woman has her long brown hair tied into a single braid behind her back wearing a simple white one piece dress, while the young man's white hair is ruffled and short and he's dressed in black tunics. The young man is clearly less dedicated in his work, as he stands up to his full height and turns to look towards their direction. His hand slowly moved towards the handle of some weapon on his back, although not yet holding it yet.
"What's wrong, Seph?" The young woman asks her male companion before looking up at their direction too. She clearly notice Mein still being carried on Naofumi's back, as she quickly stands up to her full head just like the now named Seph. "Relax, Seph. I think they are refugees seeking help. They have a patient with them."
"Alright, Aerith." Seph's hand slowly returns to his side as he casts a brief glance over at his female companion Aerith. His posture and lowered center of gravity still suggests he's ready to jump into combat if the situation demands it. He turns his green eyes over to Mein's group, making the princess see his slit, cat-like eyes.
His eyes and hair color suggest a white tiger beastman's bloodline. The lack of animal-like ears on his head is a bit bewildering, but Siltvelt nobles are known to cut off the ears and tails of their offspring with human women shortly after their birth in a show of disdain for their impurity. The young man's age suggests he was conceived at the tail end of The Great War, or possibly even after. But it's not like The Great War was the only time those Siltvelt animals forced themselves on Melromarc women… or men, for that matter.
"Aerith, Sephiroth. Is Sylvie still here?" Uranus takes off the hood from his traveling robe and takes a single step ahead of Naofumi and Oersted. "You two probably don't remember me. It's been a decade now. But I like to think Sylvie didn't forget about me."
The name belongs to a woman. Even in her half-conscious state, (or perhaps its delusion caused by it) the fugitive princess wonders perhaps it's a secret lover, or an old flame of the elderly priest.
"Oh, you are looking for Mother Sylvie?" Aerith pats her hands free of dirt. "We'll go get Mother Sylvie for you. You coming, Seph?"
The white-haired boy with cat eyes gives a quick glance to his female companion, and gives a rather nonplussed answer. "I'll wait with them."
"Take it easy with them, Seph. One of them is being carried. They are clearly someone who needs help." Aerith shakes her head disapprovingly at the boy.
"Refugees can act on their desperations." Sephiroth gives another plain answer while having at least one of his eyes trained on them. Mein can appreciate the boy's caution… Wait, wasn't his name the same as the one mentioned by Naofumi a while before? Aerith stomps her foot lightly on the ground, shakes her head again and turns around to enter the monastery.
The princess sees Oersted walking behind her as Naofumi slowly bends his knees. With the help of the now quiet knight, they slowly lower her onto the ground where it's easier for her to rest. Throughout the whole time, Sephiroth looks at them with the eyes of a predator, but doesn't do anything that'll come off as threatening to them. Not too long after, the door of the monastery opens again and a woman much more mature than Aerith steps out together with the younger girl. Her long, curly green hair tied behind her back in a much simpler fashion than Aerith's braid. "Uranus, it's been a while. I figured you are enjoying your retirement training new acolyte back in Gallia City."
The fugitive princess casts a glance at Uranus. Mother Sylvie is a bit on the young side if she is indeed Uranus' former lover, as the Four Heroes' Church priest is well into his 60s. Then again, it's not unheard of for clerics with generation gaps to start a relationship.
"Sylvie. It's good to see you." The two of them walk towards each other and share an embrace. The gesture is warm, but doesn't suggest anything other than a past friendship. The elderly priest turns around and looks at Mein. "I'm taking some of our younger acolytes around to see the world. Although as you can see, one of us has fallen to ailment and she needs rest. I figured we can still have some respite here at this monastery, away from everything else."
"Taking the young ones to see the world while the Wave of Catastrophe is still going on? I see your timing is still as bad as your younger years." Uranus stammers for Mother Sylvie's chide, while Mein silently thanks the elderly priest taking a hit for her. The green haired woman walks over and kneels besides Mein, she extends her hand down and peels back Mein's eyelid and frowns. "I'm not my late husband, chief god bless his kind soul. But even I can tell she's suffering from severe mana exhaustion… and something even more severe. Did all of you get ambushed by a migrating monster herd running away from the last wave? Just what were you thinking?"
"As you said. Not even one of my better decisions. That's why I stepped down from official duties." Uranus bows his head in a display of regret and shame. The old man can apparently put on quite the act despite being a fairly sincere person most of the time. That, or he feels responsible for Mein's current condition for some reasons. "Miss Sophia needs rest, where she can recover normally, and not have her condition worsen by accelerated magical healing."
"Well, don't let the poor dear catch a cold resting on the ground. Come on, lads. Let's get Miss Sophia comfortable inside." Mother Sylvie looks up, extends both of her arms to pat both Oersted and Naofumi on the shoulder.
Naofumi bends down, ready to pick Mein up with his arms when he's stopped by Oersted putting a hand on his chest. The knight tilts his head sideways, to which the Shield Hero answers. "I'm not tired yet."
Oersted nods his head and steps back, and Naofumi picks Mein up with his arms and carries her in front of his chest this time. Aerith and Sephiroth hold the wooden door open for them. Mother Sylvie quickly ushers them away from the main hall to the side door where the bedrooms are presumably located. Although even in the short time, Mein managed to catch a glance that the statue at the end of the worship hall was a goddess, and not the masculine statue of their chief god, or even one of the holy symbols of the heroes.
The monastery itself is very bare of clerics or monks. In fact, they managed to walk through the whole hallway without even encountering a single person that wears religious regalia that's associated with any faith, or even brown robes the more modest monks prefer. While there are definitely some people going around, carrying things such as washed cloth and water jugs, they are all clothed very plainly, that gives the impression of a group of modest peasants or townsfolk appropriating a place of worship that has long since abandoned. There are even demi-human walking among them as many as humans, not showing any sign that they are indentured servants.
Mother Sylvie leads them into a side room that's filled with a dozen or so beds lined up against walls. There is a thick smell of bitterness and herbs in the air that makes Mein crinkles her nose. The head priestess (presumably) clearly noticed her discomfort. "Please excuse the smell, dear. We aren't one of those big churches with a lot of donations from rich merchants or nobles. So we have to make do with what we can forage in the wild to help the ill and the wounded coming to us for help."
The fugitive princess nods her head in Naofumi's arms, as the Shield Hero carries her over towards an empty bed in the corner. She suddenly feels a violent shake, before the arms underneath her steadies and slowly lowered her onto the straw bed. Mein briefly wonders if Naofumi overestimated his stamina, when she hears his shocked murmuring. "Raphtalia?"
Mein turns to look at the direction Naofumi is facing, and there is a raccoon demi-human resting in the bed beside her. She even has the same brown colored hair, in a very similar style, even her face, sunken from ailment, resembles an older Raphtalia in her adult (technically late teen) form. While most demi-human from Q'ten Lo have a more distinct facial, there is something uncanny about looking at a face that very well could be Raphtalia in another twenty, or maybe thirty years.
"Oh, do you know her?" The low, almost timid voice comes from a young woman with a pair of ram horns sitting by the bed of Raphtalia look alike. She is currently dipping a piece of cloth in a small bucket of water. "She was wandering around the forest a few days ago, and collapsed our monastery. It's lucky Via found her on her hunting trip, or she would have died from her fever, or gotten eaten by a predator. Since she hasn't woken up yet, we don't know who she is. Our best guess is that she's someone who escaped from the wave near Gallia city, since she's obviously descended from Q'ten Lo. We don't have as many of them as Port Harp used to, but there are some near Gallia."
"That's not Raphtalia. She's much older." Mein lightly pulls Naofumi's sleeves, clearing him away from his stupor. The fugitive princess turns towards the ram girl next. "I'm sorry. She looks like one of our friends. We lost her from the last Wave, so Miss Siesta is a bit shaken up."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to have brought it up… You have my condolences." The ram girl is taken aback by Mein's reply, as she looks down and places the wet towel on the older Raphtalia look alike's forehead. She quickly makes herself scarce, as she begins to tend the other patience.
"I'm afraid we'll have to disturb your peace and quiet for at least a few days, Sylvie. As you can see, Miss Sophia isn't in the condition to travel, even if the others take turns to carry her around." On the side, Uranus cast another apologetic glance over at the presumed head priestess, or at least some kind of leader of the monastery.
"Think nothing of it, Uranus. You know my door is always open to anyone. So long as they don't bring trouble." Sylvie gives a light tap on the shoulder of the old Four Heroes' Church priest before turning around to look at Aerith. "Come and give Lana a hand with me, Aerith. She can't diagnose our newest patient if she's busy taking care of everyone else."
"Of course, Mother Sylvie." Aerith walks over to the ram girl with Sylvie, as they take the bucket off the demi-human girl's hand. While they help tend the other patients, the now named Lana picks up a small wooden stool from where it was leaning against the wall and moves over to Mein's side again. She sets her chair down, and pulls her long sleeves back.
"Try to relax yourself. Make yourself comfortable and breathe naturally while I diagnose you." The demi-human girl picks Mein's left arm up by her wrist, and places her fully extended index, and middle finger on the underside of Mein's wrist while counting numbers on her free hand. The princess can almost picture the sand from a non-existent hourglass falling down while Lana's brows slowly twist together as the fingers on her free hand go up and down. Her heart also seems to beat according to the rhythm of her moving fingers. After a while, the ram girl puts her arm down. "You shouldn't have overtaxed your magic when you already seem to have a heart condition. You are lucky to be alive. I'll go get some herbs, and start making a brew for you right away. Take it three times a day, and I suggest you continue doing so even after you leave our monastery. And definitely stop pushing yourself like you did recently."
"Can she even take it in the first place? I thought her condition was too severe to use healing potions or magic?" Naofumi looks up from the opposite side, his eyebrow raised. The fugitive princess herself is having as much skepticism as the Shield Hero.
"No, not a potion. A healing brew is a more complicated method of healing from Midland Siltvelt, or Q'ten Lo." Lana shakes her head as she slowly raises from her stool. She begins explaining to them while moving the chair back against the wall. "Healing spells and potions recover a man's health by directly repairing what is wrong on a man's body. It takes effect much faster, but is also much more taxing on the body itself due to the severity of the effect. A herbal brew on the other hand is more about bringing a body's internal imbalance back into balance again, while subtly boosting the body's ability to naturally recover which is safe to take… assuming the herbs are picked and balanced properly. I'm going to prepare it right now, and write down the recipe for her, so anyone of you with healing knowledge can prepare it yourself."
"I see that there is definitely an advantage in taking everyone into your door." Uranus' eyes trailed after Lana till the ram girl exited the room. "Siltvelt or Q'ten Lo healing methods is well known of in the Cathedral of the Earth's archive. But none of us are skilled enough to use them in practice. And I doubt the Cathedral of the Void in Romalia city is any different."
"Yes, Lana is a god sent to us. Without her, we'd still be grinding herbs into paste in a bowl and hope for the best." Sylvie nods her head as she picks up the water bucket and drips some of the used towel on the side. "But let's not disturb our patience further. Let them rest, and I'll show you where you guys will be staying while waiting for your friend's recovery."
Oersted wordlessly pushes himself away from the wall, ready to leave. He takes a couple of steps before stopping, and looks back at Naofumi. The Shield Hero stutters with his initial reply. "I'll… I'll stay with Miss Sophia a bit longer."
"Yes, you two have always been close. I'm sure Sylvie wouldn't mind as long as you don't cause a scene." Uranus turns to look at Sylvie for permission after answering Naofumi.
"Don't take me for some crusty, heartless, no fun elderly priestess hellbent to enforce rules. I used to be a traveling dancer in my younger days before I met my husband, you know." Sylvie puts her hands on her waist as she slightly bends her upper body forward. An answer that surprises Mein. Sure, she doesn't dress or fully act like an orthodox priestess, but to go from a dancer (possibly the 'exotic' kind) to running a monastery is a pretty big change in one's lifestyle. "Like Uranus said, don't disturb the other patients who need their rest, and you can stay with your friend for as long as you like. One of us will be in the prayer hall, or the garden. If you need some food, drink, or show it to your quarters."
Uranus, Oersted, and the people of the little hidden monastery quickly file out of the room. Leaving Mein and Naofumi with the smell of the herbs, and the snoring and grunting of the ill, or wounded patients in the ward. The Shield Hero remains quiet, and simply stares down at her with the miserable look of a kicked filorial chick.
Mein looks to the side, and sees the raccoon woman lying across from them is still sleeping. Not soundly, as she seems to be quietly mumbling something that's unintelligible. She might be risking the chance of the other patients discovering their identity, but she doesn't want to see Naofumi keep blaming himself for what happened in Graile. So she flexes her fingers, motioning the Shield Hero to lean down closer.
"Do you need something, Miss Sophia?" Naofumi quickly obeys her instruction. After a while of practicing their fake identity, he's at least not in the habit of giving their 'true' selves away as soon as he opens his mouth now.
The fugitive princess keeps beckoning Naofumi to lean closer with her hand, till his face is practically right next to her. She can feel his shallow breaths on her face. Satisfied that they are being as non discreetly discrete, she whispers to the Shield Hero. "What happened in Graile isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself."
The Shield Hero's body gives one violent shake, he looks like he's about to blurt something out but manages to hold himself back at the last second. Clearly remembered that they are not alone. He looks to the side for a brief moment, before mumbling back to Mein. "You got hurt again, and almost died because of me."
"No, you saved my life. I would have been killed. Gutted by the mad dog of El Bridget if you didn't grab her from behind." The fugitive princess slowly turns her head left and right on her straw pillow. "You risked your life to save me. So it's only fair for me to do my best to save you. If anyone is to blame, it is that feral bitch Satellizer."
The Shield Hero stays quiet, but he doesn't look convinced by Mein's argument. A short pause after, he starts to predictably go down the road of self-blaming as the fugitive princess feared. "We didn't have to be in this mess, if I listened to you before the Third Wave. Kyubei and Farkas didn't have to die. Raphtalia and Firo didn't have to be taken by the Three Heroes' Church…"
It really feels like a replay of the conversation she had with Raphtalia shortly before the Second Wave. On the one hand, that's something Mein expects when dealing with sincere and kind people, and she can rely on such traits to manipulate them. But it sure is a problem when she's trying to convince them to let go of the unfounded sense of guilt. "You weren't wrong in saying there are many people more unfortunate than us, and you weren't wrong in putting them before yourself either. It's the Three Heroes' Church that acted in bad faith, and they are the ones who hurt a lot of good people. And even if it's not you, or the title of the Shield Hero to begin with, they would do something to seize more power."
The princess takes a few breaths in, trying to calm herself and get more air in her lungs before continuing. "The Three Heroes' Church took Princess Melty was the proof that the church acted in bad faith regardless of what you did. They are conspiring against the crown for their own political gain when they are already the most powerful organization in the nation. So you should stop blaming yourself for all the bad things truly bad people do."
"Yeah… there is that. I mean, I messed up, true. But some of those people from church are clearly the bad guys. And we have to do something about it..." Naofumi turns his head around, and looks intently down into Mein's eyes as his voice wanders off. Just when the princess feels happy that she managed to stop the Shield Hero from continuing to mentally flagellate himself, he says something that feels completely random. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not being the hero you needed."
The fugitive princess briefly wonders where that thought came from. He can't be serious. Did Naofumi come out of the deadend of blaming himself for causing all the bad things that happened. Only to run headfirst into another deadend in blaming himself for not being strong enough to stop them?
"You didn't have enough time to get your bearings yet, Master Naofumi." Once again, the fugitive princess is forced to comfort someone when they are upset, rather than using such a show of weakness to exploit or manipulate them. "It's been less than two months, and we had too many things happen between that time. You can't be expected to learn all the intricate web of schemes in the land. Scions of noble families literally spend most of their early years learning all about these before they are even allowed to attend a public social event. If anything, you did much better than what should be expected of you. You were almost condemned as a criminal barely two days after you set foot in our world. You could have simply turned your head away from everyone else's, or tried to gather as much power and wealth as you can to protect yourself afterwards. But instead, you continue to do your best to help anyone you come across. You could always be better. But don't let anyone, yourself included, tell you that you're not the hero we need. Because no one has the right to expect any more from you."
The Shield Hero seems to shrink into himself once again after her words. This time, he looks more thoughtful, rather than depressed as before. But with the still pensive look, he still doesn't look sure of himself. The princess can relate, it took her a while to start trusting herself too after Mein's death. Regardless, she doesn't want him to spiral down the route of depression again after she managed to pull him up. "I had a conversation with Raphtalia shortly before the Second Wave. You remember that time the two of us fell down the cavern deep inside the abandoned mine near Lute village?"
"Yeah." Naofumi slowly leans behind, seemingly to straighten his back a little before leaning back down to resume their whispering conversation. She can't help but think how they would be kissing each other if someone makes a gentle tap on the back of Naofumi's head. "Kind of hard not to. It was my first major fuckup since I got here."
"I left Raphtalia to the wave hound, because I was scared." The fugitive princess turns her eyes away from Naofumi and focuses on the wall of the monastery where there's a stain on the wall. It wasn't even that long ago, yet she could barely stomach her action back then. Or maybe she's only thinking this way, because she's lying on a bed resting. She… might have tried to take the coward's way out again in a similar situation, not that it helped her with the wave hound. "She was so beaten down by her life back then, she didn't even see there being anything wrong for me to have left her for death. And she was busy blaming herself for not being able to help those she cared about, like her parents, or her dead friend."
"Oh." Naofumi draws back a little after she recounts what happened. "Well… both of you are different people now. At least before Raphtalia got taken… I wonder how she's holding up."
The princess winces together with the Shield Hero when he mentions Raphtalia's situation. She recovers, and continues on. "The point is, I told her that she needs to stop blaming herself, thinking she's the reason everything went badly. I told her that life isn't fair, and sometimes bad things simply happen to you no matter what you do. That's why if she wants to be happy, she needs to take it herself. She needs to stop thinking about what other people think or do, and be ready to take what'll make her happy on her own."
"Yeah… I suppose that makes sense. The Three Heroes' Church stabbed me in the back, because they know that I can't do anything to stop them, or hurt them back." The Shield Hero nods his head and slowly leans back to once again stretch his back, before closing back in on Mein's face. "Thank you for telling me that. I'm really lucky to have you."
"Of course you are. The Spear Hero was right to be jealous of you." The princess smirks back at the Shield Hero, who looks much more at ease now. "And I'm lucky to have all of you too. Now leave me to rest. I'm feeling tired."
"Yeah… I'll come back once they finish making you the herbal brew, or to bring you something to eat." The Shield Hero nods his head as he slowly backs away, and stands up from the edge of her bed where he propped himself. He slowly backs out of the patient's ward, leaving the fugitive princess slowly drifting herself back to sleep among the bitter smell of herbs, and the sound of other patients.
Mein's life settles into a bit of routine for two more days. She sleeps for most of the day, wakes up mostly to ingest some soup, or porridge to keep herself alive, and takes her medicine. It looks not that different from a potion, although it's a black liquid that's filled inside a bowel rather than something more colorful inside a transparent bottle.
The taste was bitter, but also had a mixture of sourness that feels very unpleasant in her mouth, or on her tongue. Not that anyone pops a magical potion down their mouth as some kind of culinary experience, but they are comparatively much easier in the mouth and down her throat than whatever the ram demi-human prepared for her. And she doesn't know if the black potion Lana calls a 'herbal brew' is doing anything to help her, or she's simply feeling better thanks to the natural healing she enjoyed for more than simply being [Well Rested].
At least it didn't make her heart rupture and cause her to die an agonizingly painful death. So the fugitive princess knows that the demi-human wasn't trying to poison her.
Other patients inside her ward come and go. Although the ones leaving are mostly human patients, the ones trickling in seemed to be demi-human. By now, she's the only human patient inside her room.
On the third day since their arrival at the hidden forest monastery, Mein feels well enough to stay awake for an extended period of time. Her body is aching all over due to staying on an uncomfortably hard bed, and she doesn't want to spend most of her time waking smelling the same bitter aftertaste Lana's brew left in her mouth, or listening to the snoring and moaning of the other patients in her ward. So she had Naofumi and Oersted supporting her from both sides, and guide her into the garden maintained by Aerith, and the other people from the church. She isn't the romantic 'smell the flower' type, but after three days in the room that has since grown foul from the bitterness of herbs, she is ready for a change in scenery.
The princess takes her step into the garden, the much fresher air gives her the same sense of relief as when she broke the surface of the underground river she fell into below the abandoned Lute mine. Besides her, the Shield Hero is making some light conversation recounting what they've been doing while she's resting, and recovering. "Uranus is helping them heal patients, and refugees from the wave. I'm also doing my best to help him, when I'm not learning how to properly prepare the herbal brew from Lana. There she is now."
Mein looks to the side of the monastery wall, where Lana is sitting on top of another small wooden stool in the shade. She is holding up a fan that seems to be weaved by some kind of dried, and treated grasses or very long leaves, and is fanning at a small clay pot sitting on top of a small stove. Okay… the way to prepare this thing is definitely different from potions made by alchemists.
Aerith is once again tending her flowers just like when Mein first arrived at the monastery. Sephiroth on the other hand stands over Aerith, his eyes trained on them once again. It seems the cat (possibly white tiger) boy is still cautious around them even after a few days, and Uranus' apparent familiarity with Mother Sylvie. Once again, it's a quality she can appreciate, especially since she isn't up for mischievous schemes this time.
"What about you, Sir Oersted?" The princess turns her head to the other direction, and looks at the young knight. He once again gives her a tired looking smile, and answers her with silence. In this case, Oersted really didn't have to speak up to show that he is most definitely NOT holding it okay after the death of his supposed best friend. It's kind of sad, as Mein is fairly sure that the reverse would not have held true.
The three of them slowly walk away from the people working around the monastery. Oersted and Naofumi help Mein sit down at the foot of a tree underneath its shade. Naofumi sits down on her left side, their shoulders touching each other. Mein slowly moves her hand towards Naofumi's hand, their fingers brushing against each other. Naofumi feels a bit timid at first, as his hand seems to try to retreat back at first contact, but he settles down after a few seconds, till their fingers eventually interlock together.
Oersted leans back against the tree further away on her right side. Not too close for the knight to break the silent, but intimate moment she shares with Naofumi. But close enough that he'll jump right in for their aid if something bad happens. The three of them stay like this, as gentle wind breezes past the verdant grass and leaves of Aerith's flowers. A bell chimes in the distance, enhancing the little hidden monastery's serenity rather than breaking it.
The calming tranquility of the experience feels a bit… off. Not something Mein is used to. Not for a long time, at least. Maybe she had felt something similar back when she was a carefree child rather than the maligned first (but now crown) princess of Glorious Melromarc. But even as far as she remembers, the princess turned adventurer, turned fugitive was always active and hated sitting down in the same place for too long. That's why she sneaked away from the castle and got Mein killed…
NOPE! Not thinking about that time again. She's trying to keep it to the calmer, happier thoughts.
The princess leans her head back against the bark of the large tree, thinking back on small moments of her life where she had similar feelings. There was that one time when she took Melty, six years old, out for a ride on the open plain with only two knights as their escort (she predictably got a fierce scolding from mother afterwards for endangering her younger sister). Her little sister had let out a laughter similar to the distant chime of the wind bell when a gust of wind carried away a wave of flower petals and dandelions across them.
There was also that time when Jaune was still courting her, and they enjoyed a walk in Melromarc Castle's palace garden. Sitting amongst the delicately arranged flowers, Jaune told her how he is trying his best to live up to the heroism of his great-aunt Artoria when she accompanied the Martyr of the Bow to stop the Wave of Catastrophe from sixty years ago, and his father Archduke Wales for organizing the underground resistance against Siltvelt occupation twenty five years ago. He shared his fear of not being good enough, and shaming his house, but also his pride of coming from a family with such a history of heroism without having to rely on a heroic weapon.
The more the princess thinks about it, the more she realizes that she doesn't hate these quiet moments in her life. Even if she failed to appreciate them at the moment when they happened, she can look back on them fondly in the peaceful tranquility of this hidden monastery.
She wonders if this is the kind of life she could look forward to, if she takes up on Naofumi's suggestion during the earlier days of their journey. Back then, he said that he'll give up on his hero title after the Wave of Catastrophe, and retire to a quiet village with her where he'll work as a chief for the town's inn. Maybe they'll have a small, quiet homestead with some vegetables, spices, and herbs they grow for themselves, and raise a small herd of filorials away from the backstabbing, scheming and maiming of The Game.
Of course, the fugitive princess knows that it'll simply be an idle musing of herself when she is too weak and fragile to do anything else. She'll no doubt immediately get tired of such a plain life once she recovers her health, because she would be bored out of her mind otherwise.
"What are your plans now?" Mein opens her eyes, and sees Uranus sitting cross legged across from them. Close enough that he can converse with them with whispers that'll hopefully not be overheard by those from the monastery. Yet still give Mein and Naofumi enough room to share their intimacy like Sir Oersted did earlier. "Originally, we were making our way north east because we were traveling to Faubley for Miss Sophia's pilgrimage. But now… well, Graile happened."
It's good that the old priest understands the importance of keeping a secret. While they are speaking quietly enough to not worry about being overheard by a human, this Monastery also houses demi-humans, and some of them might be from a species that's known for their acute hearing.
"We talked about visiting Zeltoble, the free city of the sellswords and mercenary before. Miss Siesta always wanted to see their grand colosseums." The fugitive princess also begins to speak in a more roundabout way, putting emphasis on certain words that give her true intentions without spelling it out for anyone to understand.
Uranus nods his head, clearly understanding the idea was for the Shield Hero to disappear in a free city known for their hired muscles. The less experienced Oersted on the other hand simply looks at them in confusion. But in his quiet, almost mute state he doesn't voice his question and risks giving information away.
"We also talked about visiting New Albion before. The Chapel of the Air isn't the same as the Cathedral of the Air the beastman of Siltvelt destroyed when Lord Wagnus took Old Albion. But I still wanted to see it before I tried to complete my Pilgrimage of the Pentagon. Plus, it's always nice to see a part of our nation's history. That's the place where that rebellion of the Spirit Incarnate happened, was it not?" Mein further elaborated, explaining her intended destination in a way that seems to fit her cover about a faithful acolyte completing her pilgrimage in case she's overheard by someone from the monastery. Uranus bows his head solemnly when the fugitive princess mentions about the rebellion.
"Yes. The rebellion of the Spirit Incarnate. It was another blow to my faith after The Great War, since she was someone who was born by a pair of clerics of Four Heroes' Church. We were forced to give away the seat of Vicar in Defiant Bay to Faubley's Four Heroes' Church branch afterwards." Uranus closes his eyes, and shakes his head painfully. "I truly feel sorry for Vicar Vittorio. He took the Vicar seat of Romalia too young, and left with a mess he's still trying his best to sort out while fighting off influence from the Faubley branch. And now… the treachery from our three heroes worshiping brethren. I wonder how he is doing right now."
"You could have asked me if you want to know what the Vicar is doing!" An energetic voice suddenly comes down from the branches of the tree above them. Mein nearly feels her heart jumping out of her mouth again as a mop of red hair and a pair of yellow cat ears drop upside down in front of her and Naofumi's faces. "The entourage of His Holiness, Vicar Vittorio of Romalia Four Heroes' Church, has just reached Melromarc Castle yesterday at dusk. But he's barred from entering the city by the city garrison, and Three Heroes' Church. Citing that there's still skirmishes and rebellion inside the city, and it'll be too dangerous for His Holiness to enter."
End Note:
So we are back to the main characters, and as pointed out by my long time reader/consultant Commissar Gaunt (He's not openly leaving reviews anymore because I like to keep my reply to a single reply thread, but we still exchange PMs with every upload), Malty needs to have a rest to let her heart heal. It's a chance for me to slip in some fluff... almost romance moment.
To anyone who is honestly looking forward to a Naofumi X Malty ship (yes, that's the ship for this story). I'm sorry... I'm just sorry. This chapter is probably as 'romantic' I can get when writing these kind of scenes. And it's just a moment where they share a quiet moment sitting together, while awkwardly holding hands. I'm a very aromantic guy in real life, so while I can do emotional charged scenes, I just can't write an actual romantic scene between two characters in love to save my life. Unless I'm flat out stealing entire scenes from other writers.
And yeah. I privately made the jokes with some guys in private that I might turn 'Sephiroth' into a young, commoner boy since 'Cloud' is the experienced super soldier. So here, white tiger demi-human boy 'Sephiroth', growing up with his childhood friend Aerith in an out of the way monastery.
Those who also happens to read my good friend & rough draft reader AngelWraith will recognize Lana, and Kate. Who are characters I originally 'made' for his story. In case anyone is interested, Kate is roughly based on Katt from Breath of Fire II, while Lana, at least her basic design of a sheep girl is based from an original hentai manga where a sheep girl is taken as a slave servant by a wolfman and developed Stockhelm syndrome with him since he once saved her life.
Guest review time.
To Halo:
Glad you liked SIOC as a villain.
I think canon RotSH sort of kind of did the thing you suggested, where some of the later villains were modern incarnate. It's just Alenko obviously can't (or rather, doesn't want to) go full 360 meta, by having a villain being a 'real life incarnate' who already read their story and works to undermine the main characters unlike a fanfiction.
Yeah, SIOC really isn't a very competent SIOC, or even having a sense of self-awareness. The reason he is written more as a clown rather than a genuine threat is me making meta-narrative dunk on this kind of fanfictions, where the SIOC protagonist often lack the sense of self-awareness (probably because the writers of the hack variety who write them have no sense of self-awareness) that how smug, and stupid they really are when they look down on the story's original casts, and their success are always granted by the author giving them cheat, or plot McGuffins.
I'm sure someone from Isekai writing community will eventually be meta enough to write a story that's all about the meta-narrative. That both the protagonist, and the antagonist are aware they were already in a pre-written story and they do JoJo style mental battle by trying to jump out of the script.
:)
Editor's Note:
Hello, AceTriad here, editor and fight choreographer of the fic.
While I'm a few chapters late for this address (due to issues IRL), I'd like to share an opinion for you. Specifically, the concept of a Hate Sink and Malty's character as a whole.
Over the last four years or so, I must say that this fic is one of the most interesting things that I have read. Most Shield Hero fics essentially follow the story word by word, or focus on the comedy. This is one of the few that genuinely examines one of the main topics that is the driving force of the story: false rape accusations made by female villains.
I'm going to disagree with Qinlongfei slightly on this one - the concept of a Hate Sink, and a story that touches on false rape accusations is actually good, as I had been well versed in real life situations (see Duke Lacrosse v. Crystal Mangum, Brian Banks v. Kennisha Rice, Scott Espinosa v. Leslie Peterson and of course, Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard). I think Aneko Yusagi is noble for actually shedding light on this topic on paper.
The problem, as always, is the execution.
Malty S. Melromarc to me, was so underwhelming - she had no presence, nor threat or competency to actually function as an antagonist, let alone a Hate Sink.
In order to properly function as a Hate Sink, the character must continue to frustrate the audience by not getting their just punishment too early, akin to a Dark Souls game. If the audience continues to be frustrated by the lack of an emotional catharsis
Between the end of Season 1 of the anime and the ending of the web novel, Malty S. Melromarc is disowned, branded, rendered a sex slave, killed, had her soul torn out of her body, destroyed, . She turned from foul and loathsome to pitiful and pathetic. She not only receives disproportionate retribution, but her character keeps getting defeat after defeat. I started feeling sorry for Malty S. Melromarc.
That's why I looked for Malty-centric fics. And the rest is history - I found this interesting story, joined the crew, and here I am.
Ironically enough, this rendition of Malty is a better feminist character than Captain Marvel, Rey Palpatine, and She-Hulk combined, due to being reframed as a charismatic protagonist that slowly grows, struggles, and develops a morality later on, without overshadowing Naofumi and co. And I couldn't be any prouder to be a part of that.