Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading... and picked out a pretty major plot hole in the original draft of this chapter.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
They walk through the forest that's filled with skeletons. Whoever Yukari's mentors are, they are at least on the cleaner side of necromancers. They only use skeletal creatures in their disposal, rather than have rotting corpses shambling around, filling the area with their decomposing stench. One might think it makes their undead creatures weak, and they are only intimidating due to their overwhelming numbers as a result. Their earlier encounter with the skeleton horde in the abandoned settlement of Porter's group seems to further support this assumption.
Mein knew there had to be more to it, or else the Three Heroes' Church would have sent a team to kill Count Balgruuf. Unlike the regular army, the various different church branches are especially adapted at fighting unnatural threats of undead, or demonic nature. Even Jaune's small group of remnant knight templars and battle priests were instrumental in the help they provided at cleaning up the undead nest Eclair's home turned into. If all Yukari's mentors had were these weak skeletons, they would have been destroyed by the Three Heroes' Church no matter how many there were.
As they move further into the forest, the princess' suspicion is vindicated. While they still only see skeletal creatures, their construction slowly becomes more complex and sophisticated. Their bones are much denser, and start to even take on an almost metallic hue. The weapons they wielded went from rusty weapons to much stronger bone construct, and they are covered by thick bone armor that clearly have magical runes carved into them. The princess is thankful these weren't the creatures sent to hunt them down. As there was a good chance they would have been killed before Yukari's arrival.
The thick foliage and trees slowly give way to a clearing near the foot of the mountain, and Mein raises her eyebrows at the field surrounding a stone tower. Hermits, or common folks who try to escape their lord's taxes by hiding in the forest growing some of their own food isn't a big surprise. But a field entirely cultivated and maintained by a literal skeleton crew is a rather peculiar sight. Despite the rather macabre scene, Mein can't help but see the practical advantage of having undead creatures running a farm, as the workers don't need the crops they are growing for sustenance. Of course, the church would probably scream heresy if any ruler actually hires a necromancer to act as their agriculture minister.
Chapter 105: Unlife is Strange
Some newly built wooden shacks also dot around the tall, stone tower and its crumbling wall. Not unlike the abandoned settlement around the hot spring. It's probably the same handiwork from Porter's group. Speaking of them, Mein can see the same refugees sitting and walking around this new settlement. Their clothing is as tattered as before, but their faces all have a healthier tone. Among them are the guardsman of House Whiterun, with their creamy yellow color, and shields with the equine head emblem. Yukari wasn't lying, Lord Balgruuf has clearly joined this particular group.
She looks closer at these people, noticing how relaxed their mannerisms are in a place that's anything but normal. Instead of twitching around nervously among the unliving skeletal creatures, both the Whiterun guards and the refugees look completely relaxed as they lean against the wall, sit around on wooden logs and fallen stones, or simply lie around on the ground. In fact, the only time they look uneasy is when they first notice Mein's group walking towards them.
It does suggest that despite being highly powerful and skilled necromancers and corpse crafters, the mentors of Yukari are on the more reasonable side of the mental scale. While a rational necromancer sounds oxymoron due to their reputation of usually being corpse lovers or crackling mad mass murderers, the school of magic itself was supposedly created by a highly jovial man for trying to preserve food ingredients without resorting to ice magic to reduce their freshness.
The princess shakes her head free of pointless musing and looks up to the door of the stone tower. It's watched and protected by a pair of Whiterun guards instead of the skeleton creatures, suggesting the necromancers trusted Balgruuf. She thinks back on the talk she had when she first visited the city of Trumpet, and remembered that he diverged information about a certain pair of hermits. It seems like the count of Midgardian descent didn't let her know as much as he did. As for the guards, they at least retained some professionalism as they stand straight by the door, shields in hand and weapons on their waist where it can easily be pulled. At least they aren't like their 'off duty' compatriots who are content to sit and stand around lollygagging.
"Come on, let me pass. I need to see my mentors." Yukari runs up the broken stairs two steps at a time. She jumps to a stop in front of the guards, staring right into their faceguards. "The Shield Hero is here! Isn't he some champion named by your lord? I'm sure Balgruuf wants to see him."
"Thane Shield Hero is here too?" The guards turn their helmet wearing head over to Naofumi, clearly having a hard time recognizing the Shield Hero. Probably because he is still wearing a set of the basic guardsman's uniform and chainmail Yomi gives him as a disguise during their jailbreak. Or maybe they didn't see Naofumi the first time he visited Trumpet. His lack of shield obviously didn't help either. But they look convinced. "Yes, Jarl Balgruuf would like to see his thane safe and sound. Wait here for a moment while I inform the jarl and your mentors."
One of the guards turns around and enters the door. With nothing left to do but to wait, Mein sits down on the broken stones on the wall. She idly wonders if they arrived at a bad time. That's when she heard a voice from behind. "Hey, you. Yes, you! Can you make me some more of that sweet, flat, soft and crumbly thing you did last time?"
"NORA! Now's not the best time." Mein turns around, and sure enough she sees Porter's two little helpers standing down on the ground. The red haired girl is positively drooling at Naofumi. At least she's only enticed by his cooking, and not him as a person. The boy who shared the same name with the Sword Hero looks exasperated at his friend. He seems to notice Mein staring down at him, so he turns to look up just like his female friend, albeit with a more apologetic look. "Sorry."
"It's alright. I enjoy cooking. Help me relax." The Shield Hero gives the former highwayman a reserved smile as he turns back to the female hellion. "Do you have the ingredients, and cooking wares? We lost everything back when we got captured in the capital."
"Oh, yeah! I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. have everything we need!' Nora furiously nodded her head. She either didn't know anything about Yukari's mentors, or she's smarter than she looks and didn't want to give away the information. Any case, she immediately spins on her heels and runs towards the back of the tower. "I'll go get a pan for you from the storage!"
"Nora! Stop! You'll make a mess again!" Ren gives an exasperated call after Nora's quickly disappearing back as he gives chase. Mein shares a look with Naofumi, and they both shake their heads. At least someone is having an easier time than the two of them.
The door behind them creaks once again, indicating someone is here to see them. The princess, and the Shield Hero turns around to see the wooden double doors now fully opened. The Whiterun guard that previously disappeared into the tower is now back, although he stands to the side of the elevated walkway atop the stone stairs and walls with his partner. Someone important is clearly coming out. And judging from the pair of boots that's walking out of the shadow, they didn't plan to keep them waiting.
The pair of figures slowly and gracefully walks out of the shadow, with the leisure of walking into a grand ballroom filled with party guests. Their emerald trimmed, black colored robes reach all the way to the ground, yet don't seem to pick up any dust from the stone floor. Their face slowly leaves dark shadow and reveals themselves to the light, and they certainly don't fit the usual image of boney and dry skin covering skull kind of face one expect from typical necromancers. Judging them being a man and a woman, Mein is willing to bet they are the 'Mr. and Mrs.' Nora was talking about, and likely the mentors of Yukari.
Both of them seem to be in their late, or perhaps even mid forties. Age had clearly been kind to them, as they still look attractive to make Mein feel heat on her face. Rather than having lines of time marring up their sculpture-like physiques, they are blessed with the kind of charm that only came with the self-assured confidence of experiencing things in life. The man has his short hair, and thin mustache well-groomed. The lady on the other hand has wild, puffy hair that gives her an exotic, dangerously allure. But the common thing amongst them is their impeccable cleanliness despite living in what seems to be an abandoned guard tower that's surrounded by undead creatures. Overall, both their appearance and the way they carry themselves fit more of the image of nobility with a long history and prominent bloodline than a pair of necromancers.
In a better time, the princess might already be fantasizing about lying down with the both of them on a large, comfortable bed. Obviously, she's not so shallow as to have a very adult fantasy towards a pair of strangers less than a week after witnessing someone die to save her life. Naofumi's reaction is also interesting, as he takes half a step to stand in front of her. She can't see the Shield Hero's face, but the way his body stands up straight and tense suggests he is very alarmed about this pair of strangers. Very peculiar… and alarming.
"Master Shield Hero. It is an honor to finally meet you, the legendary hero my order was named after face to face." The man inclines his head down, lower than a simple nod of acknowledgement, but slightly shorter than a full bow of submission. "I am Rudopholus LeStrange, and on behalf of my wife Bellatrix LeStrange, we welcome you to our humble abode."
Le Strange? The last name instantly sounded the alarm bell in Mein's head. She remembered after the whole 'Plague of Wailing Death' incident, their acting regent Lord Dumbledore gave out a statement that a Rabastan Le Strange was the mastermind behind the creation of the arcane plague. Back when she was a child, she took the announcement at its face value. But looking at it now with the hindsight of her life observing Father and Mother's court, it's not hard to see signs of a power play.
Despite both descending from lines of mage lords, the traditionalist LeStrange family is the bitter enemy of Dumbledore who has chosen to take a more progressive stance. It's very possible that the poor Lord Rabastan was simply unlucky enough to find himself at the wrong end of the wand for Faubley's acting regent.
"I don't think my name has anything to do with Death Eaters, thank you very much." Naofumi's response sounds strangely clipped, almost hostile in a rather passive way. It makes Mein raise her eyebrows considering how it differs from his usual behavior in general. Especially considering the situation they are in. For a brief moment, the princess wonders perhaps that Naofumi discovered the information about the whole Plague of Wailing Death from someone else despite her never mentioning it, or LeStrange family's supposed connection to it. And what's that name about some 'death eater'? Sounds like some edgy kid's idea of making up some kind of order of dark knights that sounds cool to them, and dumb to everyone else.
Regardless of Mein's personal feeling over the matter, she closes her hands around the shaft of the star wand and ready for the possible hostility to break out. Acting less than cordial in the presence of someone from an old bloodline could easily lead to pride being offended. And the situation could quickly deteriorate and escalate from that point. She doesn't know how skilled at fighting face to face the Le Stranges are, but judging from the undead creatures under their thrall, they are no doubt powerful.
Thankfully, the pair of LeStrange doesn't seem to be offended by Shield Hero's less than warm reaction. If anything, the two of them seem amused at his words. Mr. Le Strange teased his presumeable wife with a smirk on his face. "It seems like the Shield Hero of this cycle is much more informed than we previously anticipated, love."
"And he has a good sense of humor about it too! Oh, I do love a hero who isn't uptight, and knows how to have fun." Mrs. Le Strange by contrast starts to crack out laughter. Her face turns back to look at the Shield Hero with a wide smile. Fully, puffy lips make Mein's throat feel dry. Judging from the quiet but audible swallow from both Naofumi and Oersted, she's not the only one who is enticed. It makes the princess wonder if Mrs. LeStrange is using some kind of seductive glamor to enchant them already. "Haha, I always loved how over the top the name 'Death Eater' was. Had those fools blindly followed Old Dumbledore wetting themselves from the name alone, good times!"
"Don't make their lives too hard, love. I think their situation is bad enough as is." Mr. Le Strange schools his expression into something more serious as he explains to the Shield Hero. "The order I spoke of was the one I was in while attending Faubley's Hero Academy, not the one I joined after graduation. Master Shield Hero. Perhaps it would have been fitting, as the alumnus from Order of the Shield was the most prosecuted by that doddering fool Dumbledore. But our lord didn't name our underground movement after the hero our order revered because he wanted to open the door for everyone who shared our beliefs. Enough about ancient history now, Master Shield Hero. If you would like to join us in our sitting room. Professor Porter and Jarl Whiterun are both waiting for you. We were just talking about the state of Whiterun Hold before you arrived."
Mein lifts her feet and is ready to follow the Le Stranges into their home. Under the circumstance, she feels like complying to their instruction to be the most safe option. Considering they are surrounded by who knows how many unliving creatures under their control. Plus, it seems like both Porter's group and the deposed head of House Whiterun trust them. But before she can move forward, her waist is grabbed by the Shield Hero. She raises an eyebrow as she looks at Naofumi, who is acting almost uncharacteristically paranoid.
Mein tries to pull her arm away from Naofumi's grasp to no avail. For some reason, the Shield Hero is acting less courteous than his usual self. So she tries to change tactics, and crook her elbow enough to poke at his body. She's not expected to cause enough damage, or pain to make him release her even without his shield. But she is trying to get his attention to listen to her. "Master Naofumi, this really isn't the best time to get curious about ancient history."
"But I am curious about what happened in the past." Unfortunately, it seems like the Shield Hero is very adamant on getting his way this time. It appears that the person who got his information isn't very charitable about the LeStrange family. Or perhaps it's more information he learned from his world, which might be wrong and misleading entirely. To be fair, the princess isn't entirely against his caution towards the old families. All of the old bloodline families (including her own) have their share of skeletons hiding in the closet. But his bout of stubborness couldn't have manifested in a worst time.
"My, mine. You are acting like one of the new recruits for Dumbledore's little 'peace keeping' order. Master Shield Hero. How positively, and deliciously ironic. Oh, I'm sure that old mountain goat would have loved to see the Shield Hero of all people acting like this, just so he can rub it in all of our faces." Once again, Mrs. LeStrange acts more bemused, maybe a bit scandalized at the way Naofumi is currently behaving. At least she has enough grace to only laugh it up, rather than take affront for it.
"I see there's no getting away from an explanation of our less glorious past if we want you to trust us." Rudopholus rubs his chin as he looks at the Shield Hero and nods along. "It was true that my wife and I had been associates of Death Eaters under Lord Voldemort. But the alternative would have been a life of servitude under the other dark wizard Subal Mudbelrode. And that life would have both of us blinded, and indoctrinated into a war for a false cause. At least as Death Eaters, we helped smuggle some of our fellow prosecuted wizards to escape the madness that overtook the high society of Faubley at the time. At least before our lord arranged for us to make our escape as well."
"Wait… the way you are describing it… are you saying the Death Eaters were some kind of underground smuggling operation to illegally get people out of Faubley? Like some kind of magical people traffic ring?" The Shield Hero looks utterly shocked as he receives the answer from Mr. LeStrange. And he mentioned that name again, Death Eaters. It's clearly supposed to be some kind of organization of importance, and judging by Naofumi's utter surprise, he did not expect the organization to work like the way Rudopholus described. "I'm not sure if that's better or worse…"
The princess has no idea what the group is supposed to be like. She knows about the supposed secret war happening in Faubley high society around the start of The Great War. That was the reason why King Egbert supposedly was unable to join her Mother in her surprise attack at Siltvelt after all. So she can make the connection that this group of 'Death Eater' is likely involved. Aside from that… maybe she'll learn more about it when she gets access to some more of Mother's secret documents one way or another.
Rudopholus blinks his eyes at Naofumi's words. He looks away, looking embarrassed while his wife breaks out in mad laughter once again. "Not exactly how I would describe it… but now that you mentioned it. Yes, I suppose it does work exactly like some underground slave traffic ring."
"Ah, but it's all for a good cause, my dear Shield Hero." Mrs. LeStrange takes a few steps closer, till she's leaning her body right over the Shield Hero. Mein would feel affronted about a woman getting so close to Naofumi, if she isn't busy being envious of the position he suddenly found himself in. "I'm sure a vigorous young man like you would appreciate the effort my lord had to keep us alive, now? Especially considering the alternative: both me and my husband, and countless others being dead, just so a dirty old man gets to keep his power forever."
"Please stop causing further distress to Master Shield Hero for your own amusement, love. He deserves better than this." Rudopholus shakes his head in what seems to be exasperation, as he puts a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"Oh, hush you kill joy! Such a good thing our little Micah is more fun loving like me than you." Bellatrix gives a rather playful slap to her husband, but she complies and steps away from the Shield Hero. Naofumi looks much more relieved at it.
"You are kidding yourself dear. Micah is nowhere as crazy as you." Mr. LeStrange stops his flirtatious argument with his wife, and turns back to the Shield Hero. "To better answer your question, Master Shield Hero. The upper society of Faubley was in turmoil even before the time of my wife and myself. There was a scheme to turn the children of noble families against each other in an attempt to cull our number, and to make sure no family can achieve the same level of power the King Mikage of Siltvelt did. Our Lord discovered the plot, but were unable to stop it due to the very people who rules Faubley are the ones who engineered this plan. So he worked to subvert it, pretending to be an ambitious dark wizard who leads us to gain power for himself, but he secretly shipped the people who didn't want anything to do with this pointless war out of Faubley. Where they can start new lives away from prosecution."
Mein feels like her head spinning at such a dramatic revelation. She knows that The Game in Faubley was supposedly even more cutthroat than Melromarc. But even beyond her wildest dream, she would never have thought it was a scheme to kill off the children of Faubley noble houses. And for what? Someone's ambition to hold the court in their iron grip? She most certainly dodged a very deadly arrow (or perhaps bullet, since it's Faubley) when she decided to get out of her secret betrothal with her uncle.
"Great. I'm in a 'Good Voldemort' fanfiction… WAIT! Does that mean Dumbledore is evil? He's the one behind it all, isn't he?" Naofumi's quiet, insane sounding mumbling is suddenly interrupted by his own scream, as he starts to make accusations of the most powerful man in (not so) Noble Faubley.
Once again, the Le Stranges share a knowing smirk with each other. Mrs. Le Strange is the first to speak this time. "Oh, he catches on quickly. We have a winner right here. Can we keep him with us, dear?"
"We could certainly provide Master Shield Hero safety here with us, but something tells me he's not too thrilled at the idea."
"Nevermind about that. If you are saying Dumbledore is evil, and he's getting people killed… Do you have any proof for it?"
The princess has to blink a couple of times for Naofumi's response. He really isn't in a position to be worrying about what's happening in Faubley considering what's happening right around him. "Master Naofumi. Now really isn't the best time to worry about Faubley politics. We are still being pursued by the Three Heroes' Church. They want you dead."
"Ah, right." The Shield Hero gives a quick glance to her, then replies back to the Le Stranges. "No offense, but I'm trying to disappear from this country. Because the church is trying to kill me. Staying with you guys doesn't sound that safe, even if you have a small army of undead."
"Hmph! So little faith. I'll have you know we protected the people of this land from the Siltvelt invasion army back during The Great War. This little rebellion of the church won't be much different." For all the things Bellatrix could have taken offense from, she seems most annoyed at the Shield Hero's lack of faith for them to keep the Three Heroes' Church out of the forest. "Those beastmen talk big, but when it comes down to unliving creatures, they were such a superstitious cowardly lot."
"We should respect the Shield Hero's opinion, love. Our lord helped us get away from Faubley. We should do our best to extend the courtesy and help Master Shield Hero. But let's bring the Shield Hero to see Professor Porter, and Jarl Balgruuf. We'll only come to the best idea if all of us work together." Once again, Mr. Le Strange acts as the voice of reason between them. Thankfully, the Shield Hero didn't stop Mein this time as she tried to follow them. He himself follows right after with Sir Oersted into the tower while the Le Strange family continue to make small comments with each other.. "Although now that I think about it, calling ourselves the 'Death Eaters' is perhaps a bit too presumptuous."
"Hey, we had to play the part to fool old Dumbledore. He can be quite a jester when he thinks he has everything under control. But he would just allow us to start sending people he wants to kill out of the country." Mrs. Le Strange opens up her arms as she spins around, still walking besides her husband. "What better way to have him fool himself, than making him think it's the work or someone exactly like him? An ambitious, sinister mage lord trying to seize power."
The princess stops paying attention to the LeStrange family, and begins to observe the environment of their tower. The first level doesn't look any remarkable, where torches on the wall provide illumination for what seems to be a very rudimentary quarters where the Whiterun guards loiter around. Wooden tables, benches, and straw filled beds of dubious quality decorate these rooms. She is willing to bet that these were also newly, and hastily built by the refugees lead by Porter considering the pair of necromancers didn't have need for living guards.
The tower takes a vastly different appearance once they take the stairs around the outer wall to the second level. The first thing Mein notice is the scent of calming incense, and second is the softness when her feet touch down on fine carpets spread across the floors. Simplistic torches give way to magical crystals that illuminate the hallway and rooms with elegant [Mage Light]. The makeshift furniture hammered together by refugees give way to finely crafted and decorated furnishing that's as much art pieces as the function they provide.
"We obviously can't pack up Le Strange family manor with us when we escaped Faubley. So the answer is simple. We had to bring a little of Le Strange mansion's comfort to us. It took us a while, but my love and I were happy that our daughter didn't have to grow up in squalor." Rudopholus clearly guessed Mein's thought, as he proudly announced the achievement of the home they built themselves away from their family legacy. "Both Professor Porter and Jarl Balgruuf are here in our sitting room. If you would like to join us, Master Shield Hero. Or perhaps you would like to wash away your grime and have some rest to heal your fatigue from your travels?"
"We'll get the business out of the way first." The Shield Hero's response is still more than a little wooden. But at least he no longer sounds like he's ready to turn on the LeStranges at the drop of a copper. Mr. Le Strange gives another curt incline of his head as he opens the door.
For a brief moment, Mein is almost ready to brace for some kind of trap the pair of necromancers prepared for them. It's very unlikely, considering how at ease the other people are around them. But the princess likes to keep a healthy amount of skepticism when dealing with strangers she doesn't personally know. Especially when said strangers happen to be necromancers. Mages who dedicate their craft to messing with the dead. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any tricks, as Professor Porter and Count Balgruuf are both sitting on cushioned chairs in the room.
Both men rise from their comfortable looking seats as they see Naofumi enter the room. The Nordic lord is the one to speak. "Sir Shield Hero! It's so great to see you are alive and well. Yatsuhashi would have been relieved to learn you had escaped capture on your own."
"Alive, yes. I wouldn't really say well though, and I definitely did not escape on my own. A lot of good men died or got hurt to help me get here." The jovial expression disappears from both Porter and Balgruuf's expression from Naofumi's solemn answer. The Shield Hero noticed the depressing mood he cast over their head, as he quickly tried to change the subject. "Yeah. I heard Yukari talk about Yatsuhashi nearly dropping when he heard I was imprisoned. Where is he? I want to help ease his mind, tell him I'm okay."
"Ah… about that. I kind of… sent him away." Count Whiterun looks away, a faint shade of red appears on his face. "When the boy Raki came and brought the grave news, he was ready to storm Melromarc Castle by himself. I knew it would have been suicide, so I sent him with Raki to find your fellow heroes. Convincing him that protecting the boy and seeking aid for you is more beneficial for you than him dying pointlessly. If I had found a way to keep him around for two more days, he would have been here to greet you. That's entirely my fault."
"You did nothing wrong, Lord Balgruuf. You wouldn't have been able to know there were people ready to give their own lives to free me, and they succeeded. It was better to have him help escort Raki than risk him getting killed in the capital." The Shield Hero takes a few steps forward, and helps the lord of Midgardian descent to sit back down. He turns to look at Porter next. "Sorry that the settlement idea near that hot spring didn't work out for your group."
"Ah, that's no fault of your own, young man!" The former professor of Faubley's Hero Academy is much less ragged looking than before. For starters, he's actually wearing impeccably clean cloth. And his hair and magnificent looking mustaches are now clean, trimmed and styled. He actually looks like someone who would serve as a respected staff member of the world's most important and honored academy rather than a ridiculous looking vagabond. "The settlement was turning out well. We just decided there's strength in numbers, so I came over to live with my former students. That's why Rudopholus and Bellatrix still have their own servants patrolling and maintaining our budding village. We want to go back and start rebuilding our lives once this nonsense with the church blows over.
So, that's why those undead were particularly easy to defeat even in large numbers. They were a group of glorified ground keepers.
"You know we'd always do you a favor, Peter. You were my favorite professor back in the day. Oh, I always loved to listen to your wild stories, and imagine I was there alongside you!" Bellatrix sits down on a cushioned chair, dangling one of her legs over the other in a very distinctly non-lady-like manner. Rudopholus sits down right beside his wife, leaning an army over her shoulders while slightly shaking his head. It's… a bit hard to guess if he's exasperated at the way she carries herself, or her gushing over the former professor's teaching method.
Like a lady or not, Mein decided to follow the example of the Le Strange family and pulled Naofumi onto a cushioned chair alongside her. She's more used to trekking over long distances on her feet than when she first started. But getting used to something and liking something are very different. And she most definitely didn't like the pain in her feet or her back when forced to march continuously for days on end. She actually lets out an audible enough moan when her aching body sinks into the soft, silk covered pillow filled with soft feathers. Something she was used to and taken for granted every day as a princess. Now a rarity in the life of an adventurer (A wanted one at that). Finally! A sign of luxury in life. She almost forgot how that felt.
"Aren't you going to sit down with us, Oersted?" Naofumi turns back and asks their only remaining Gallian escort in a hushed voice.
"It's not my place to sit among the lords." The young knight shakes his head, as he stands right behind the Shield Hero even straighter. "Don't worry, Lord Shield Hero. The drills and training I went through prepared me to ride, march or stand all day long."
"Can we at least keep the Shield Hero's companion, my dear? I like what I'm hearing… and seeing." While the quiet conversation between Naofumi and Oersted is going on, Bellatrix gives Mein a wink and a smirk before turning towards her husband again. The gesture made the princess blush. Perhaps she was being a bit over dramatic. Considering all she did was sit down in a very comfortable cushioned chair.
"You don't find my scar to be grotesque, Lady Bellatrix?" Mein definitely feels her face heating up. It's not like people made a habit of commenting on her hideous scar, but it is admittedly nice to know someone still wants her despite her physical hideousness.
"Oh, I think it built your character, my dear. I have lived long enough, and seen enough good looking women whose head had nothing but empty air. You, on the other hand. Surely there is a very interesting story behind them. It makes me want to know you more… intimately." The mature woman's comment once again makes Mein's breath grow ragged. She suddenly feels someone wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulder. It takes her a few seconds to realize that someone is the Shield Hero.
"Yeah, you aren't taking away my partner from me." The princess belatedly realized that Naofumi had just shown jealousy towards someone taking an interest in her.
"Please stop teasing Master Shield Hero and his companion while we are trying to have a serious discussion here about our situation, my love. There is a time, and place for it." Rudopholus lets his hand fall on his wife's shoulder, as he gives her a firm shake.
"AH! You are such a killjoy! You should count yourself lucky that I was willing to take you." Bellatrix throws her arm over her head in an overexaggerated move before slamming them both down on her knees. She receives an affectionate peck on the side of her face from her husband, followed by a short 'of course, love'.
"Now, Mr. and Mrs. LeStrange, if you are finished flirting with each other to reaffirm your love…" Count Balgruuf clears his throat, bringing everyone's attention to him once again. "As I was saying. Is it possible to take back Balafon, or at least rescue my people from the church's occupation? I know taking the city of Trumpet back is out of the question, especially since the church used one of my sons as a puppet to justify their rule. But perhaps we could find a way to save my people from Balafon? They had already suffered enough from their previous food shortage, and I shudder to think what might be happening to them after all the rumors about what the church did to Lute village."
"Balafon was taken over too? What happened to Motoyasu? I thought he was mostly staying there and basically turned the village into a staging area for us heroes?" Mein feels Naofumi's arm pulling away from her. She turns around, and sees the Shield Hero sitting forward, by the edge of the cushioned chair. "How did he allow it to happen?"
"I don't know the exact order of what happened in the situation, Sir Shield Hero. But from what I gathered, it took a few days for the heroes to heal from the injuries they sustained fighting the 3rd Wave." Count Balgruuf's reply makes Mein and Naofumi share a quick look at each other. It was easy for them to forget just how powerful Lautrec's outer goddess was with neither of them suffering from her full wrath. But she was capable of taking down Pope Balmus with a bare amount of difficulties… and they were torn apart right through everyone gathered for the wave afterwards. Even if she held back against the Sword and Spear Hero for some strange reason, it's reasonable that they took much longer to heal back to their peak. "After that, they immediately joined the northern lord's coalition to take back Stolen Land from the bandits. Shortly before I was chased away by the Three Heroes' Church, I received a letter of emergency summoning to reinforce them because of some giant, undead thunder lizard."
A giant, undead thunder lizard? Where did something like that come from? Unless it was…
"It was the body of the giant T-Rex I left behind… and it did rise again as an undead creature." The Shield Hero moves his hands up, and covers his face in shame. "I was told the risk of leaving it behind. But I did it anyway. Because I was afraid to be ambushed by more bandits."
"It wasn't your fault, Master Naofumi. At least it wasn't your fault alone." Mein reaches her arm over this time, and pulls the Shield Hero closer to her in an offer of comfort. "We all knew the risk of leaving the body of the ancient thunder lizard behind. And we all agreed that staying behind in the bandit infested region with our small group was too risky. You did immediately inform the force of the other nobles gathered around the border. There's not anything you could have done better. It's just a shame all the bad things happened at once in the north."
"I figured as much. If I thought you were an irresponsible, foolish boy who just got lucky to be summoned as a hero, I would not have offered you the position of my thane. And yes. It was truly unfortunate that misery always seems to love company." The Nordic lord of House Whiterun also gave some soothing words to the Shield Hero to relieve his sense of guilt. "But back to my point. Is it possible to help at least some of my people? I don't foresee the Three Heroes' Church actually succeeding at their ill considered coup in the end. They made too many enemies, and the nobility would not allow the clergy to climb above them again like back in the age of Found Brimir worshiping. But even if the Three Heroes' Church falls in the end, they can do a lot of harm to the innocent people they lord over."
"Oh, yeah! I feel what you are saying, Balgruuf. Let me go get my wand, and teach those clergy boys a lesson with my husband!" Bellatrix immediately stands up from her chair. With the dark cloud over her face, the woman looks genuinely upset enough to bring her horde of skeletons, and storm the village of Balafon with them.
"Don't be too hasty, Bellatrix." Porter holds his hand up in a sign of caution. "You and your husband are powerful dark wizards, and you two have amassed an army of undead creatures over the years. But there's still only two of you while the Three Heroes' Church has thousands, maybe even tens of thousands men ready to wage war. The main reason your family was able to offer asylum to both my group, and Lord Balgruuf's family was because you haven't posed a direct threat to the church's rule. It will change immediately, if you go on the offense and take out one of the villages under their control."
"A village that's responsible for producing most of their war ration too, if the information Yukari and your men brought back was correct. Thanks to those strange magical plants and their miracle ashes, Balafon supposedly could complete a crop's growth cycle within the week, where it takes multiple months anywhere else. The Three Heroes' Church wouldn't take a lying down if we attack Balafon with a horde of skeletons. If anything, it'll open an opportunity for them to gain some good will from the people by crushing us, the dangerous necromancy practicing dark wizards." Rudopholus narrows his eyes as he runs a finger through his well groomed mustache. "Not to mention, the entire population of Balafon is likely put under the effect of the slave seal now. Even if we could rescue them and hold back the church. All they had to do to nullify our victory would be commanding your people to drop dead through the slave seal's punishment system."
"So, there's no saving my people from the prosecution of the Three Heroes' Church." Balgruuf's body slumps in his arm chair. The lord of Midgardian descent looks as defeated as Naofumi when he hears the news about the ancient thunder lizard rising up as an undead. "There's no way we can get enough holy water to free the entire village of Balafon. I doubt we can even find enough if we raid the local church."
"Not entirely true. There is something my wife and I could do." Mr. LeStrange's eyes are now squinted into a thin line, his fingers gently twirling at his thin mustache. "We can't erase the slave seals without the church's holy water. But we did do enough study and research into the composition of Brimir's original familiar sealing back during our student days and after. I think we have enough knowledge to subvert it. Changing the owner of the slaves without setting off its punishment matrix. This way, we could change your people's ownership from the Three Heroes' Church to you, and you can simply erase all the punishment conditions placed on them. But the trick is to do it without the church's notice, since it's a delicate process that'll take a lot of time…"
"Wait, you can change the owner of slave seals?" Naofumi suddenly jumps out of his chair, as he looks back at Mein. "Can you do it for my companion? She was enslaved by those assholes from the church when we were captured."
Omake: Dread of the Young Vicar Part 2
Vicar Vittorio didn't have time to wait for his Adeptus Astartes, and their Lord Commander, Sir Cloud to link up with him. When Julio's inquisitors rallied together, they immediately rushed their way out of the city and onto the plain where the majority of their church's force gathered.
Roger of Ajax, the Blessed Battle Master of their force wasn't at the camp. It might have been a good thing for a less informed Vicar, or one that's less versed in The Game. The main physical threat to his well-being is not present amongst the troops that's vastly outnumbered his own retinue and escort. The fact that Roger isn't with his army begs the question where the battle saint is, and what could have been so important that he left the army he's supposedly in command of to their own device.
The foreboding feeling intensified when Roger's aid Sebastian was summoned to appear in front of Vittorio. The young Vicar can feel someone drumming his heart when he sees the bandage wrappings over the face of the usually impeccably well-groomed man. "What happened to your face, AidE Sebastian?"
"I tripped… and had a nasty fall." The always serious and dutiful man avoided Vicar Vittorio's gaze, and gave an answer that's so laughably ridiculous, he might as well haven't bothered with the lie. No, the wound is clearly caused by Roger of Ajax himself if Sebastian was too ashamed to speak the truth. While the brutal man is scarce at showing affection yet quick to deal out overwhelming physical punishment, he always had a soft place for his first companion, and aid Sebastian. The much younger, and learned Romalian man had been the first Melromarc soldier Roger of Ajax saved during The Great War. He was a great help for Roger who never bothered with things such as administration, supplies, and logistic works, and was loyal to the bone.
It doesn't take a genius to guess what Sebastian must have done to earn him the wrath of Roger of Ajax. "Did Roger of Ajax betray the Shield Hero, Sebastian? Did he had a direct hand in capturing the Shield Hero alongside the heir of House Consevatie?"
Sebastian answered with silence, still not facing Vicar Vittorio. For the Vicar of Romalia, he feels his heart… and himself slowly sinking down into a pit of dark abyss. The mess created by Cromwell was a true crisis, but it was still salvageable. While Three Heroes' Church has thoroughly turned the Shield Hero (if not all four Cardinal Heroes together) against them, his own church was innocent amid the chaos. He could step up and act as the ally to the Shield Hero to convince him to side with Melromarc, rather than any other nations that seek to exploit this opportunity to drag Melromarc further down. For the greater good of the nation, Balmus even already agreed to take the fall for Cromwell's action if it helps keep the Shield Hero on their side.
Now with the knowledge that Roger of Ajax had a direct hand in getting the Shield Hero captured… and no doubt an avalanche of other abuse he subjected the Shield Hero to. Everything is crumbling down.
At this moment, Vicar Vittorio, the most powerful man of Melromarc branch of Four Heroes Church can do nothing but to pray that Lord Commander Cloud could arrive with his Adeptus Astartes before Roger of Ajax shows up. Together with Lord Inquisitor Julio, the three of them might still have time to catch the cruel, uncivilized mongrel alone, sever his head and present it to the Shield Hero as a possible peace offer.
"What's wrong with you, Sebastian? Speak up! Tell sissy boy what I did." Unfortunately for the Romalian Vicar, the Chief God did not smile down at him on this fateful day. With a screech that reminded him of a broken trumpet, Roger of Ajax announced his arrival. The strong wave of stench that smelled of sewerage assaulted Vittorio's senses. The heavy titanite armor covering Roger's whole body is shattered and broken in various parts, exposing scraped bare skin that drips blood mixed with indescribable filth. But the battle saint's very step still shakes the earth as he stomps his way over the camp.
He had allowed his personal attack dog to grow arrogant enough to bite himself back in the worst way possible. Because he had needed Roger of Ajax's achievement and influence to not have his own church's power fall too much behind the Three Heroes' Church. But now the brute had openly rebelled against him and sided with the worst being from the Three Heroes' Church. If only he had taken more decisive action before this wave started, everything might have been different.
"Roger of Ajax. You should not have betrayed the Shield Hero. You have doomed us all!" Vittorio has always pride himself at holding his emotions in check even compared to the much older players of The Game. Yet seeing the aftermath of the riot that caused the Shield Hero to escape his incarceration mixed with the smug sneer of the Battle Saint he named still broke something inside the comparatively young Vicar. "You did not behave as someone befitting your own station. Do you have anything to say in your defense, before I cast you down from your position?"
"Hero? What Hero? That little bitch boy was a useless, sniveling little trash just like you!" Roger of Ajax trampled his way right in front of Vittorio… and suddenly plucked his hat right off his head before Julio or himself had a chance to react. The giant thug of a man putting the hat on his own head, staining the white and blue fabric brown. "You wouldn't have even held onto your fancy little hat if it weren't for my achievement back in The Great War. And you think I cared about that little title you gave me? I would never have accepted if I knew how much credit you stole right from me just to build up your blonde fuck toy of yours. Shove aside and let a real man do his job, or I'll make you!"
"How dare you treat Vicar Vittorio this way, Roger of Ajax!" Julio pulls his sword out and steps right in front of Vittorio.
"Oooh. Look at you pretty boys with your fancy little toothpicks. What are you going to do with it? Scratch my back for me?" The brute leans back in fake, over dramatic shock before leaning forward again. "Get it through your tiny little girly head, fuck boys. I'm done taking the shit from you! I'm taking over!"
Vicar Vittorio wraps his fingers tightly around his own magical staff and is ready for the fight of his life. He only has Julio, and his less than a hundred inquisitors to rely on, while Roger of Ajax's force number over a thousand. Despite the condescending attitude of the brute, he had to concede that Roger of Ajax is well deserved in his overconfidence. Even if Sir Cloud reaches them, it might be a desperate struggle against Roger's rebellion more than an attempt to slay the traitor.
"Fuck this shit! If you want to rebel against the Vicar, I want no part of it!"
End Note:
So... I accidentally wrote the end note I intended for this chapter from last chapter, because my brain was a bit fried after writing the chapter. But anyways, it's not like I spoiled an important dramatic reveal since the Le Strange already made their debute appearance in an earlier omake.
Speaking of Omake, Vittorio isn't having any better time than Balmus. Come with the title, I suppose.
Also, yes. EVIL!Dumbledore is the best kind of Dumbledore. I always see canon Dumbledore as the antithesis of Motoyasu in my personal opinion. Where Motoyasu's single mindedness in spite of everything else ends up become his character depth, that it tunneled him into the otherside and become an character with depth by being one-dimensional, Dumbledore is in my opinion, the opposite. Where JK Trolling's (failed) attempt at making him comes off as complex character went so schizophrenic (to the point it inspired certain fandom portrayal where each one of his too many names is a separate personality of him, a great idea by the author on this site 'AverageFish' I wished him got more indepth with this portrayal), it instead makes him into a more one-dimensionally evil character.
Yes, Dumbo did all his actions with quote unquote, 'good intentions'. But he was being such a control freak, and unable to recongnize repeated pattern of his own failure to the point he had a direct hand in EVERY. SINGLE. TRAGEDY. that ever happened in the story. At this point, he isn't a well meaning man who made mistakes anymore. He is just a delusion evil piece of trash that if someone tell him 'do the world a favor and die', it would be more of a subjective statement rather than a mean spirited curse.
I would be very disappointed if Ian McDiarmid doesn't get to play Dumbo in the supposed remake (or he wasn't cast in the original movies, for that matter). He would absolutely killed the role as Dumbledore.