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.

Special thanks for my long time reader, reviewer and consultant Commissar Gaunt for suggesting the idea of having someone temper Malty's slave seal to make Naofumi the owner. Which of course, lead to this arc. Also, most of the particular brand of EVIL!Dumbledore in my story were built on the ground work of my former co-writer Comrade Broseph. Please press 'F' to show him respect.

As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.

Mein blinks her eyes at Naofumi's suggestion. She didn't put much thought into her slave seal after their escape from capital. If anything, the scar on her chest shaped as the slave seal gives her more distress than the actual magical seal itself considering the disgrace associated with it. Although in hindsight, she probably should have put more thought on the actual slave seal itself. It would have killed her if Consevatie the Younger had activated it during Lord Noches' rescue attempt. It could also have killed her if he had set a proper punishment setting like most slave owners. Thinking back on it, the fact that she managed to have escaped the capital was due to luck, and probably Consevatie the Younger's negligence, or laziness.

"Your companion was enslaved, Master Shield Hero. I suppose it made sense… although I'm surprised you were able to escape with your companion in that case. Slave owners usually set a kill condition when the slave gets too far away from them to prevent an escape attempt." Rudolphus' musing reaffirms Mein's previous fear, and the sense of relief on how lucky she was that ConsevatIe the Younger was a genuine imbecile. "Regardless, this is a boon for Jarl Balgruuf. While I'm confident in our ability, an actual chance at observing how the Three Heroes' Church do their seal work would increase our chance of success at helping his people."

"Wait!" Mein stands up from her seat, ignoring the aching in her feet once again. "You mean for all your previous talk, you had no experience in actually tampering with a slave seal? Do you know your method would even work?"

"We had experience examining actual slave seals, even if neither my wife nor I had actually tried to tamper one. Our family isn't the most… prolific great house from Noble Faubley. But different groups do tend to add their own little changes and flares when it comes to seal works. It's to add a unique touch to the group, and to prevent foreign tempering like what we are trying to do." Mr. LeStrange's eyes wandered away from Mein's gaze. It's clear he's a bit embarrassed, but it's hard to tell if he is ashamed of his family's participation in slavery, or admit to his previous confidence at tempering the slave seal being false confidence.

"Are you saying you have no idea what you are actually doing? What if you trigger the punishment method and kill Mein?!" Naofumi looks even more worried about her fate than the princess in disguise herself. Not too surprising, considering his sentimental nature, and how many deaths he already witnessed after the Third Wave.

"Oh, relax, Shield Hero. I'm sure we won't actually kill your girl. The worst case is she might get a bit of shock if we trip over one of the magical runes we shouldn't." Bellatrix' usual flippant nature makes Mein unable to tell if she's cracking jokes to make light of the situation. But as painful and generally unpleasant as it sounds, it's still better than having the threat of a magical execution constantly hanging over her head.

Chapter 106: Pride and Prejudice and Slaves

"It's a bit hard for me to relax, when you tamper with something that might kill my first companion." The Shield Hero crosses his arms, looking not very impressed at the pair of Faubley wizards. Clearly the prestige of their ancient bloodline meant nothing to the hero from another world. "Especially when it sounds like you have no clue what might actually happen."

"It's okay, Master Naofumi. I think we should at least let them take a look at my slave seal first, even if we don't want them to alter it." The princess reaches her arm over, and gently puts her hand on the Shield Hero's shoulder.

The Shield Hero slowly turns his head to face Mein, his usually soft features frozen in abject horror. "You can't be serious! What if these people set off your slave seal and kill you?"

"Oh, she obviously isn't." Bellatrix cracks out another laughter. The LeStrange's flippant denial makes Mein wonder if she's so used to make decisions based from ulterior motives, she comes off as sinister and untrustworthy even when she is being sincere. But the former Faubley lady's next response completely lost her. "She's too pretty… and smart to be my pig-headed, ugly brother."

Mein has no idea what Bellatrix meant by this. But the Shield Hero clearly did based on the dirty look he is shooting her way. Mr. Le Strange gives an apologetic look to both Mein and Naofumi as he covers his face. "One of her brothers is named Sirius. And she tells this pun. Every. Time. Now is really not the best time to be cracking jokes, my love."

The princess is completely stunned at Mrs. LeStrange's sanity (or possible lack thereof). Now she understands why her husband is so exasperated at the situation. The Shield Hero is worried about her life, and Bellatrix thought the best way to get him off the edge was making fun of the situation?

"Do you have so little regard for people's lives because of who your parents are, your ancestors are, that you think you are above them?! That this is all some kind of joke, or a fun game to you?" Despite, or perhaps because it's not his own life that's in danger, the Shield Hero took much more offense at Bellatrix's aloof attitude than Mein herself. "Mein was enslaved, and had that damn mark tattooed on her skin with a burning iron. And here you make suggestions of using her like some lab rat, and making jokes about it? Do you care about anything?!"

"I really am sorry for how much my wife made light of the situation, Master Shield Hero. We aren't trying to imply that what you, or your companion went through was in any way easy-" Rudolphus fidgets on his chair, clearly looking uncomfortable for incurring the Shield Hero's wrath. But before he can finish his apology, his wife puts a hand over his lower face and muffles him. He turns to give an unsure look at Bellatrix, but the possibly mad woman looks rather ironically steadfast.

"Don't go around capitulating to someone's demand without making your voice heard first, husband. Even if that someone is the Shield Hero. You'll never be heard this way." Bellatrix shoots her husband a glare. For the first time, she looks genuinely affronted, either at Rudolphus or the Shield Hero. She turns around to Naofumi next, eyes blazing. "And you should not have been so quick to judge before learning the full story. You are not the only one who suffered grievous, unfounded prosecution in this world! At least learn to see the humor in it and laugh it up!"

"Oh, great. Is this another case where the trust fund kid, born with a silver spoon in mouth crying poor and mistreatment?" Naofumi didn't step back from Bellatrix's accusation. He crossed his arms and fired what Mein could only assume to be some kind of insult right back. The princess wonders why he is being extra abrasive all of sudden. Was all the stress, and misfortune of the past two weeks finally bringing him to a breaking point? Understandable, but still very bad for them. Even Count Balgruuf is shifting uncomfortably in his seat now because of this sudden, and highly volatile, development. The way his face twitches suggests he's not happy about what's coming out of Naofumi's mouth. As those hurtful words also apply to a noble like himself. "Do you even know what it's like to do your own work and make your own money without exploiting other people?! Not everything in this world is fun and games!"

"Says the boy who is entitled to the rank of a duke because he got chosen by a magical plater!" Bellatrix simply laughs at Naofumi's accusation. "You are no different than any of us. If you were so great, you wouldn't have ended in this mess to begin with. Now, you can choose to be miserable all the time with that stick up your behind, but don't make others feel as bad as you."

The Shield Hero looks ready to say something very unwise with Bellatrix's last response. Mein knows she needs to act fast, before Naofumi might blurt out something that'll turn Balgruuf against them.

"Please stop this nonsense, Master Naofumi." The princess quickly reaches her hand out. She grabs the Shield Hero by the shoulder, and gives him a pull hard enough to nearly trip him to the floors. "I was the one who volunteered to try this method of getting myself freed from the bondage of the Three Heroes' Church. You should respect my decision, and not blame someone else for trying to help."

"You still want to go through with this? They don't even know if it'll work. What if they hurt you, or worse. Kill you?!" The Shield Hero hops on his feet exactly three times before steadying himself. He still looks distressed, but at least it comes more from worrying about her than frustration towards the LeStrange couple.

To tell the truth, she doesn't. She already had some trepidation when she heard the LeStrange name, since they were supposedly behind the whole Plague of Wailing Death that almost devastated Melromarc after The Great War. It also led to the death of Mein and her nanny (although she's keenly aware that it's still her own choices and actions that lead to their untimely demise). No, she doesn't buy the full explanation from Lord Regent Dumbledore's public statement. But she's not willing to believe the LeStrange family is a fully innocent victim of a power play either, as all ancient great houses did their fair share of heinous actions. They were probably just someone who lost playing The Game. Adding the fact that Rudolphus readily admitted that he isn't fully sure what he'd be looking into the slavery seal, that's a possible recipe for disaster.

But she can't back down from the offer now. Set aside that she's been extremely lucky that an imbecile like Consevatie hasn't used the slave seal to harm them… yet. She needs to project an air of confidence towards the old noble families. Naofumi's distrust and distaste towards them after their ordeal in the capital has now reached a critical level. Almost as much paranoia as Father had towards him. If she showed hesitation, it would no doubt further influence his opinion towards the old families. As much as she's aware of their inherent (pun very much intended) problems, their influence and power is something Naofumi has to rely on. Especially with the church turning into his enemies.

"We didn't know if the seed recovered from the dungeon near Balafon would have helped them, and we were told it could be dangerous. But we used it anyway instead of destroying it like we were told, because we thought it was the right thing to do." The Shield Hero looks away from Mein in shame. It was cruel to remind him of a decision he helped make that killed a number of people and nearly left the people of Balafon homeless, and she felt sad to cause him more pain after everything he was put through. But at least it distracted him from his anger, and stopped him from souring Balgruuf's opinion of him.

"I'm not trying to blame you for your past mistakes. I was also there, and I agreed with your decisions." Mein tries to make herself sound less harsh and to comfort the Shield Hero. She pulls Naofumi into another hug. "But I think the same applies with Lord and Lady Le Strange's suggestion. They knew it would help free the slaves from the control of Three Heroes' Church. They just don't know if they can achieve it. It'd be rather hypocritical for us to judge them as harshly as you just did. Plus, we can't simply leave my slave seal unattended. The Three Heroes' Church could use it to kill me, or worse - use it to track me and find you. We don't have holy water to dissolve the seal, so their help is our best option."

"Yes… I know. I'm just worried about you. I don't want to see you hurt anymore than what that Consevate shit did to you. But you are right. I shouldn't take it on someone trying to help us." Naofumi turns his head around to look at Oersted. Their only remaining Gallian escort. Considering the young knight recently lost his last Gallia compatriots, the implication is clear. The Shield Hero is thinking about what he would be like if he loses her.

"I understand completely, Master Naofumi. Believe me when I say I'm not eager to get hurt myself, or get taken from you either." Mein tries to keep things light hearted and cracks a joke. But her attempt sounds pathetic even to herself. So she turns her head around to the gathered people instead. "Please don't be too harsh on Master Naofumi. He's just been put through a lot recently by lunatic fanatics, and he's not fully himself."

"I should be the one to apologize." Naofumi pulls away and takes a step away from Mein to face the gathered people. "I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier."

"I don't know about Rudolphus or Bellatrix, but I understand what you are going through. Sir Shield Hero. Your distress induced lapse in judgment is to be expected." Count Balgruuf is the first one to respond. Considering he was the one who granted Naofumi a proper nobility title under him, it goes to reason the lord of Midgardian descent is easy to forgive one of his own.

"Yes, yes. You are quite forgiven." Bellatrix waves her hand in a dismissive manner. "You are still young, not to mention the hero my husband and my order is named after and honored for. It would speak quite ill of myself, if I were to hold a true grudge against you."

"Perhaps it's prudent for Master Shield Hero and your companions to have a rest first before we begin the process?" The princess sensed Mr. Le Strange's attempt at changing the subject. Perhaps he does genuinely care about the Shield Hero's wellbeing, or perhaps he was a seasoned player in The Game before his escape to Melromarc, and he sensed his wife's continued flippant attitude being a great point of contention between them and the Shield Hero. Either way, he makes an offer Mein almost wants to take. "You three had no doubt went through a perilous journey to reach us, some rest, and refreshing is no doubt in order. We do still have several well furnished rooms that we kept as occasional guest suites for such occasions."

"I would rather have my seal examined first before any thought of rest, Lord LeStrange. I'm extremely lucky that the Church hasn't used my slave seal to execute me, or worse. Using it to track down Master Naofumi." The princess fights back her urge to sink her body into a real bed. The simple thought of such, even a straw one is practically heaven after weeks of sleeping on the ground. But there are more important matters at hand. She really doesn't want to be shocked awake, and then dead by an electrical torrent from her chest while she's still asleep. "The sooner we find a way to subvert the seal, the sooner we can rest. Slightly easier."

"Yes, that is a wise decision." Rudolphus nods his head as he stands up together with his wife. "Very well. My wife and I shall prepare all the needed ingredients for the ritual."

"Haven't you tried to make contact with the other heroes, Jarl Balgruuf?" Naofumi turns his attention to the lord of Midgardian descent as the LeStranges excuse themselves from the sitting room. "I'm sure they'd have tried to help you. Itsuki especially. He's against slavery. I know, since he nearly had a fight with me back after the Second Wave."

"I'm afraid we simply don't have the manpower to spare. Not to an avenue that might have been a waste of time." Balgruuf shakes his head solemnly. "When I was chased out of my home, I was only able to bring a handful of my most loyal guards. We lost contact with the rest of the nation while we were running around the land, trying to avoid assassins dispatched by the church. It's only recently after I have been rescued by Rudolphus and Bellatrix, that I started to sporadically hear the insanity that's ravaging everyone. Considering their heroic ability to teleport, I'm not even sure if your fellow heroes are still somewhere in the north."

"I suppose that makes sense. A shame I lost my shield, or else I'd have been able to contact them. If only I hadn't released Lautrec… I would never allow him to summon his bitch of a goddess." The Shield Hero slumps back into the seat. He reminded Mein once again, this whole mess could technically be traced back to his decision after the Second Wave. So in a way, the church wasn't wrong in blaming Naofumi for the whole outer goddess summoning, even if he wasn't a heretic like they tried to paint him as. Although to be fair, the Bow Hero did put him into a spot about using slavery, and she doubts the Bow Hero would have allowed Naofumi to specifically keep Lautrec under bondage.

"Lautrec will pay for his treachery, Master Naofumi. The church is mainly looking for you, because of political reasons. But I doubt they would simply forget the real heretic who summoned an invading outer goddess." Mein pulls the Shield Hero back into the comfortable long seat with her.

"Although I suppose our situation has changed. Now that you stumbled upon us." Porter rubs his own chin as he looks at the Shield Hero through his narrowly opened eyelids. Mein decides not to mention that they were actively looking for his group. "You'll need guides, probably additional escorts assuming you are still trying to flee the country. We can certainly dispatch some men knowing the land, and if they happen to stumble upon your fellow heroes, they can help deliver a message."

"Would it be alright? Didn't Jarl Balgruuf just mention you guys don't have enough men? I don't want more people to get hurt because of me." The Shield Hero turns his head to look at the lord of Midgardian descent again. His priority of placing others above himself is more than a little naive, especially considering what recently happened. But it's still a breath of fresh air compared to so many noble scions the princess had the displeasure of knowing. She'd much rather take someone like Naofumi, or Jaune over a self-serving piece of trash like the young Consevatie.

"We don't have men to spare on pointless endeavors, like trying to find a hero who could be anywhere. But your safety is of uttermost importance, Sir Shield Hero." Lord Balgruuf sits straighter in his armchair. "You are probably already informed by someone, possibly one of your companions. That keeping all of you heroes alive ensures the Wave of Catastrophe stays at a manageable level. Not to mention the more selfish reason to stop the rest of the world from turning on our nation. Your safety is much more crucial than my family and I."

"Yeah… I suppose that's true. It's kind of easy to forget when the church of all people is trying so hard to kill me." Naofumi's resigned sigh makes both Porter and Jarl Balgruuf flinch in their seats. It's just as well that the LeStrange family had chosen this moment to come back, holding some bottles. Mein also noticed that Rudolphus has a brush in his hand, while Bellatrix is carrying a dagger, and a bowl. Both seemed to be made of silver, and had some ornament markings, likely for ritualistic purposes.

A pair of skeletons followed them inside, and soon it became clear why. They silently begin to fold, and move away the carpet in the room. Leaving the center of the previously extravagant sitting room looking much less grand by showing the bare and aged stone floor.

"Please, bear with us. This part does get a little messy." Rudolphus' warning came at the right time as they set the bottles and the bowl down on a little table. Bellatrix takes the dagger, and makes a cut on her wrist, letting her own blood flow down into the container. Actually, judging by the gasp released by Naofumi, it came a bit late.

"They are trying to do some kind of blood magic, Master Naofumi." The princess tries to be helpful by informing the Shield Hero. Although judging with the unsettled look of his enlarged eyes, she wasn't very successful. "It's a very different branch from Wizardry magic created by Founder Brimir, or even the Sorcery magic used by the beastman of Siltvelt. They originated from Germania, the precursor of modern Faubley. It's… I suppose it's more related to Witchcraft, or Hex magic. I'm not an expert on it."

She's definitely not trying to be coy this time. As this branch of magic is less well practiced around the world. Considered to be taboo by both users of Wizardry and Sorcery school of magic. Not unlike Necromancy, come to think of it. She suppose it's not a huge leap for a pair of necromancers to also dabble in a different branch of forbidden magic.

"There is a good reason why most beginner mages shouldn't be practicing Witchcraft or Hexes. It has very strict laws and oaths, and breaching them can have dire consequences on the caster. So they are considered a very dark branch, and often mistakenly categorized as evil magic. Especially by those close-minded fools from the church." Rudolphus narrows his eyes and scrunches up his nose, a first sign of his pride since he first appeared not too long ago. "But if they are used correctly by a master mage, they can be helpful just like Necromancy."

Bellatrix brushes her wand against her arm to seal up the cut on her wrist. She moves over to a chair and sits down, face a bit paler than before. Her husband began to mix the content of different bottles into the bowl. After a while, he takes out his brush, dabbing it inside the mixture in the bowl and begins to draw some kind of ritualistic circle on the ground. Mein moves to the edge of her seat and tries to get a better look. It certainly bears some resemblance to ritual circles Uncle Aldrecht, or his mages use when conducting important rituals, but she's not able to make out anything. She was never proficient in this field, since she lacks the patience for magic that doesn't have more immediate effects.

The only thing Mein managed to gleam was some kind of protection field, but she has no idea what it protects from. She doubts it can negate the slave seal's effect on her body, or even stop the seal from receiving a direct magical command from her leash holder (she'll never accept the young Consevatie of all people as her master). Maybe it's to stop him from noticing someone is trying to tamper with the slave seal?

"So, going back to my earlier question." Naofumi's voice brings Mein out of her musing. The Shield Hero is apparently even more bored about Rudolphus' preparation than the princess herself, as he's trying to strike up a conversation with Bellatrix. "Do you have any evidence that Dumbledore was some kind of evil mastermind? Have you thought about presenting them to the authorities, and getting him arrested?"

"Whose authority? King Egbert had the old goat's back. And why wouldn't he? The more scions of the mage lords Dumbledore killed, the easier for that pig to sit on his gilded throne." Bellatrix practically spits out her words. Mein can sympathize with the Faubley mage lady's plight, considering her own sordid affair due to her Mother's actions. Fairness really doesn't play into a factor, when the top authority of a nation is against you. "But if you want some evidence to convince you… Have you realized that Subal Mudbelrode can be used to spell 'Albus Dumbledore' when you scramble the sequences?"

"Who's Subal Mudbelrode?" The Shield Hero's question makes both Mein and Bellatrix look at him like he just crawled out of a cave. To think his book would omit one of the most influential Dark Lords from Faubley. "What happened to Grindelwald?"

"Who's Grindelwald? Never heard of him. As for Subal Mudbelrode… He was the lord of all the dark affinity families, till our true lord came along and dethroned him." Bellatrix is practically hissing venomously by this point. Mein supposed she would act much the same, if she discovered a similar treachery. Well… she still hasn't truly forgiven her own mother, even after learning Mother had no choice in her betrothal to her Faubley uncle. "Our parents didn't know he was just a different identity used by that slimy old goat Dumbledore to play both sides. To have the descendants of the mage lords killing each other, leaving us too weak to challenge his rule. If it wasn't for our true lord, we'd still be foaming at the mouth, having each other's throats. But now, I pity those that are aligned with light. Still in Dumbledore's grasp."

"Great, Grindelwald doesn't exist in this continuity, and Dumbledore turned into Emperor Palpatine." The Shield Hero shuts his eyes and begins to squeeze his head with his fingers. "Let me guess, Voldy got his idea from Dumbledore by scrambling his own name into 'I am Lord Voldemort'?"

"Ah, a common misconception. My lord's alter ego sharing most letters of his real name is really just a coincidence. He actually took the name from the long line of his Father's prized racing filorials." Bellatrix's reply makes Naofumi blink a couple of times, and then he slides down from the chair onto the floor. Oersted quickly leaps around the back of the seat, and helps the Shield Hero up together with Mein. "I suppose it's a shame that our lord identified more with the nouveau riche side of his father, than his more dignified heritage of his mother. But it can't be helped. His mother did pass away when he's too young to remember her. And for someone raised by those copper pinching bourgeois, he grew up into an impeccable man that exemplified the best of nobility."

"It is done." Rudolphus stands up from where he was crouching, and a fully realized ritual circle of dark, red lines adorns the aged stone. One of the skeletons moves over a chair that fits one person into the middle before stepping to the back. "We can begin, if you'll sit in the chair. Companion of Master Shield Hero."

"Her name is Mein… Mein of Samphor." The Shield Hero takes a brief pause before continuing. "Please don't make Mein sounds like she's some kind of assistant to me. She's done her share of incredible things in our journey, and her advice was invaluable to me. I'd be in a much better place now, if I listened to her more."

The princess has to take a pause at Naofumi actually being offended by the way Rudolphus addressed her then she herself had a chance to. Before her travel with the Shield Hero, she would no doubt be quite scandalized at being addressed as someone else's accessory. Even if said someone is one of the four cardinal heroes, and she's hiding her true identity of being a princess. But now, she didn't even think about it 'till Naofumi brought it up.

"My apologies, Ms. Mein. I didn't mean to offend."

"That's quite alright, Lord LeStrange. There's no way you would know who I am." The princess moves over to the chair and sits down. It doesn't feel any different than the one she previously sat in. But the knowledge of someone trying to temper her slave seal, and how badly it could go wrong and hurt her makes her much more tense than before.

The princess takes a deep breath as she leans her back into the chair, trying to make herself comfortable. It doesn't do much to alleviate her sense of trepidation as Rudolphus presses his wand onto her chest, where the slave seal was. For a while, Mein doesn't feel anything other than the slight pressure of the stick. But slowly, she can feel a small magical current jumping from the slave seal. Not entirely painful, more like a slight tingle than anything else. But the frown on Rudolphus' face doesn't set her at ease.

"Is there something wrong?" The frown on Naofumi's face suggests that he's every bit as concerned as Mein herself. He clearly saw the expression on Mr. LeStrange, and assumed there's nothing good.

"This seal is definitely stronger than the ones I studied and experimented with. Whatever those clerics did, they found a way to strengthen the seal more than what could be achieved with magic alone. Guess they weren't speaking rubbish when they said Miracle magic is directly connected with their gods." Rudolphus' words make Mein's heart drop into her stomach. It certainly doesn't bode well for her current conditions. "Thankfully, the strengthening is mostly done to prevent the seal from being forcefully removed. To change the one it's tied to… that's doable, if more difficult than I foreseen. They probably need to keep that option open in the case when a slave needs to change ownership. Sit tight, this will take a while."

"Do you need some extra help, husband?" Despite her looking much more haggard after donating a good portion of her blood, Bellatrix still looks every bit sure of herself with her smirk. "It sounds like you need a bit of extra incentive to motivate you."

"You sit tight and rest, my love. I'm not our lord, but you certainly didn't marry an uneducated clown who doesn't know which end of the wand to hold onto." The response from Rudolphus makes Mein relax a little. He was clearly confident to still joke and flirt with his wife, which suggests the difficulties he was talking about leans more towards tedium, rather than life threatening. Of course, unless Naofumi was right about the LeStranges in his earlier accusation, that they are so full of themselves they laugh about other people's death. She seriously hopes that's not the case.

"Well, I'm not really helping in any way here. So I might go inform the men that'll serve as the Shield Hero's guides." Porter stands up from his seat, and walks towards the exit. The former professor of Faubley Hero academy opens the door, and lets the shadow fall in with a loud yelp. The sudden loud noise, and movement made Naofumi jump on his feet. Thankfully, it didn't break the concentration of Rudolphus and gave Mein a shock from her slave seal. "Or let the one eavesdropping us into the room, I suppose."

"Oh my! Getting anxious and deciding to join the fun, little Yukari?" Bellatrix's mad crackle makes Mein realize that yes, the one who fell into the sitting room was the little racoon demi-human who led them to the tower in the first place. "You could have just let yourself in, you know?"

"MEEP! Sorry about that, Mistress Bellatrix." Yukari quickly pushes herself back to her feet, as she pats away the dirt on her knees. "I went to the mess hall to grab a bite because I was starving! And when I got back here, it sounded like Master Rudolphus was already working on Ms. Mein's seal and I didn't want to risk breaking his concentration."

"You kind of did the opposite when you fell in the room." Naofumi crosses his arms, looking less than amused at the raccoon girl. It's rather ironic that he of all people is the one who is treating one of the demi-humans more harshly, a raccoon girl like Raphtalia no less. "Good thing your mentor is less skittish than me."

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!" The poor girl is blushing severely, while mumbling incoherently at her own mess up. She covers her face with her own hands, and peeks through her fingers at everyone. After a while where nobody moved to punish her, she slowly pulled her hands down. "So… I heard that the Shield Hero needs some guides? Can I be one of them? I'm worried about my brother still trapped in Balafon, and if I can find out more about them…"

"The point about gathering guides, and escorts for the Shield Hero is to help him avoid danger, little Yukari. Not leading him directly into it." The normally jovial face of Porter slightly twists around, his magnificently large mustache shaped more like an angry looking predator, rather than its usual puffy cloud over his smiling mouth. Yukari's face slowly turns pale under Porter's gaze. "I understand your concern for your family. But you really aren't the best fit if you place your own brother's wellbeing over the Shield Hero."

"Actually, I do want to look around Balafon, if it's safe." Naofumi's next words makes Mein fidget in her chair, sending another small wave of jolts from her chest. She would have slapped her own face if she wasn't having someone trying to tamper her slave seal. The Shield Hero, and his bleeding heart! "There are people I cared about trapped in Balafon. Well… more specifically Tyrion Lan- I mean Zylden. If it's safe, of course. And it's kind of in the same direction where I'm going anyway."

"I implore you not to put yourself in harm's way, Sir Shield Hero." This time, it's actually Lord Balgruuf who stood up, and tried to convince Naofumi away from his own foolishness. "I know I suggested this, and I'm not the most well informed person in this nation. But last I heard, the Three Heroes' Church has turned Balafon into a major food producing settlement to provide them with wartime rations. There's a bond to be goons crawling all over the woodwork just to stop anyone from sabotaging their operation. It'll be too dangerous for you."

"Precisely. That's why I'm gathering someone who knows enough about Whiterun County to escort you through the forest and mountains where you don't have to get close to Balafon. And have the church recapture you." Porter's tone with the Shield Hero is as severe as his with Yukari. The former professor seems competent enough to be giving harsh, if sound advice.

"...I'll be careful." The Shield Hero on the other hand simply gives a non-committal answer. It's hard to tell if he's trying to promise them not to get himself into a dangerous situation, or if he'll 'be careful' when he does go near danger. Mein sincerely hopes it's the former, although she fears it's more towards the later.

The princess releases a sigh of pure contentment as she slowly crawls up from the bed she's given. A real bed, with a mattress filled with feathers rather than straws, and with silk sheets and blanket on top. It's funny how something she had taken for granted for most of her life now feels like a gift straight from the Chief God himself.

For a brief moment, the disgraced princess simply allows herself to sit idly in the nice bed she's given in the guest's room. Doing absolutely nothing, like her days back as a royal princess. If she closes her eyes and shut out the rest of the world, she can almost imagine she is still safely tucked inside the palace, away from the danger and malice of the world. But then she puts her left hand over her chest, and lets her finger brush through the burnt scar, and the magical ink that has since sinked under her skin. Her active master is Naofumi now, instead of whoever Consevate the young designated (knowing him, probably himself), but the seal of the slave is still most definitely active.

With a resigned sigh, Mein crawls out of the bed and gets into a set of plain traveler's clothes provided by the LeStrange family. It might be her imagination, but the new and clean cloth feels much more comfortable on her body than the disguise cloth provided by Lord Noches' rescue team. She wonders whatever happened to them after she made her escape with Naofumi and Sir Oersted. They clearly didn't have enough men to retake the capital, or they would have done so much earlier. She hopes they too managed to escape the clutches of the Three Heroes' Church rather than being killed for their sake, although she knows not everyone will be so lucky.

She's not a particularly pious person. But she still utters a near silent prayer to the Chief God, and Saint Brimir to bless them just like when she reached the relative safety of King's Forest three days ago. At least she hopes Mala is fine alongside Baldy and Blue Eyes, although the last visage of her twisted arms doesn't inspire much faith.

No use crying over it now, she supposed.

The princess tucks the armor of the guardsman underneath her traveling cloak. It doesn't offer much protection, considering they are mostly effective against light, improvised weapons of thugs and law breakers. But they are still better than nothing. Content with how she dressed for now, the princess pushes open the door and exits the bedroom she's given. There's no one in the hallway, so she looks out through a window. In the distance, the setting sun cast everything in an purple mixed orange afterglow. She has slept for a long time, and it's close to evening now. A good time for them to start resuming their journey to flee the Three Heroes' Church under the guise of the darkness.

Mein casts her eyes down at the ground next. She noticed some people gathered around an eating area with split logs as tables, and chopped down timber as chairs. Nora, the loud mouth hellion's bright hair is hard to ignore as she bangs on the log table, probably asking for something. The princess' curiosity is quickly answered, when Naofumi and Sir Oersted carrying some plates filled with those 'soft, flat crumbly things' Nora demanded early to the table.

The princess is reminded that she herself has never tasted the supposed delicacy, thanks to a certain gluttonous devil bird stealing food right off her plate while she's not looking. She begins to make her way down the tower, hoping there's still some left over for her.

Omake: Dread of the Young Vicar Part 3

Vittorio turns his head towards the direction of disruption. He is admittedly curious on who is willing to stand up to Roger of Ajax. The giant might have been a totally uncouth brute, but he does have a lot of respect from common soldiers due to his effectiveness back in The Great War.

The one who is definitely glaring back at the Battle Saint was also a large man with bulging muscles by normal standard. His dark hairs cut short on his head. His armor is slightly more ornamented than the common soldier, though nowhere near as elaborate as some of the knights, especially those who come from noble houses. His helmet has a single, plain plumage, indicating the rank of a leader. Vittorio doesn't know all the underlings of his very undeserving Blessed Battle Master, the thug hand picked them himself, and would usually reject candidates suggested by Vittiro on principle alone.

The Vicar can't help but find a sign of divine comedy that one of Roger's personal picks turned against him in such a crucial moment. Although he wishes it happened during the Shield Hero's incarceration.

"What did you just say, Batista? You little piece of boonie trash?" Roger of Ajax stomps his way over to the captain. The giant easily stands over a head taller than his rebelling subordinate, but Captain Batista simply glares back at him with both defiant… and sheer contempt. "You got your position thanks to me picking you as one of my captains, and now you dared to betray me?! You are nothing without me!"

"I would still have my men, my brothers who served alongside me for over ten years if not for you!" Captain Batista's eyes are burning with rage as he actually takes a step towards Roger of Ajax rather than backing down. "For ten years, my men and I fought in the northern border against those pillaging, raping animals. And you got them all killed in a single day when you ordered us to charge their fortification from the front. And for what, your own glory! You never even acknowledged your own fault, never apologized for them! And you expect me to have your back when you turn against one of the summoned heroes, our nation just for your own glory again?"

"Bah! You survived, didn't you?" Roger of Ajax opens his hand, big as the head of a battle axe and tries to slap Captain Batista across his face. The captain simply blocks his wrist with his own arm instead. "Your precious brothers would have survived too if they weren't a bunch of useless pussies!"

Captain Batista's gaze grew much colder. He roughly shoved Roger of Ajax back a step. Even the brutal giant look taken aback briefly by the captain's sudden display of rage, and strength. "Damn you to the coldest hell of Cania, you piece of trash! I quit!"

"You aren't the only one. I quit too." The sound of a helmet clanking against the ground makes Vittorio turn the other direction. The bare head of the other captain who threw down his helmet has a pair of fluffy, white furred rodent ears atop of his sandy, blond hair.

"You dared to betray me too, you filthy rat!?" Roger of Ajax whips his face around, glaring daggers at the mouse demi-human who joined Captain Batista in spirit. "After I rejected the recommendation from that fuckboy for his rich buddies, and picked you and your fellow halfbreeds into my personal retinue?!"

"The name's Andre, not rat. Thank you very much. But then again, I suppose you never bothered to learn my real name, did you?" The demi-human captain narrows his eyes at the now disgraced ex-battle saint. "Let's stop pretending you picked us demi-humans as your personal lackeys because you cared about us, or want to help improve our lives like Lord Seaetto did. You just wanted cheap bodies you can throw against your enemies as you get more glories, and smack us around when there's no battle to fight. How many of my fellow men die each time we go to battle with you? Let me tell you. More than half every, single, time! We quit! All of us!"

"FINE! Why don't all you whiny little shits quit on me!? I don't need you, any of you! I'll kill you all with my bare hands if I have to!" The giant brute spits out as he looks around them. The sudden rejection of two of his captains would cut down something like a third of his men, but the rest still look like they were willing to follow him. "Those of you who have guts, follow me and destroy these traitorous fucks!"

With the last exclamation from Roger of Ajax, both the force loyal to the ex-battle saints, and those who committed mutiny draw their weapons as former comrades turn their weapons against each other and start spilling blood. The Vicar of Romalia would have lamented from this spectacular waste of human resources, if he's still not overwhelmed by the fear of what'll happen to the entire nation once a Crusade is declared against Melromarc. Amongst all the pained screams and rage filled shouting, Julio and his inquisitors form a protective circle around him. "Protect Vicar Vittorio from the traitors!"

He quickly begins to settle himself into the rhythm of battle, reverence of the Chief God's grace turned into golden lightning in his right hand, while the destructive plasma of fire coats his left hand. "Do not let arch-traitor Roger of Ajax escape! The false saint must pay for his betrayal of the Shield Hero with his blood!"

"You want me dead, you little pussy fuck boy?! Not if I kill you first!" Perhaps his loudly denouncing Roger of Ajax as a heretic was ill-considered, as the giant began to rampage his way through the fighting men, both loyal to himself and against him towards Vicar Vittorio.

End Note:

Ladies and gents. The chapter, in which Naofumi's bias towards nobility nearly caused a huge fight between him, and people who were actually helping him. And 4HC imploded into a civil war before 3HC.

So... the whole 'Subal Mudbelrode' fake identity for Dumbo in my story was first suggested by Comrade Broseph, where he suggested I rearrange letters of all the pop culture reference characters rather than their original name. That idea was dropped very quickly, probably because he realized what a nightmare it would be to rearrange the letter for all the characters I had in mind (probably... I never got around to ask him). But the initial suggestion survived when he later suggested the idea of using this as a fake identity he constructed to lead the dark side families in his little culling game. Thus, Grand Chancellor Dumbledore was born. Yep, I'm definitely going to have Naofumi comment on how this Dumbledore has the face of Ian McDiarmid.

The idea of Tommy got the name for his fake identity from his father's prized racing filorials were partially inspired by fellow writer oniforever's story The Thing About Parrots(highly recommend you check out her stories if you haven't, they are really good.). In which Tommy can shapeshift into an African gray parrot. And he accidently named his parrot form 'Lord Voldemort' when his land lady asked him what's the name of his 'pet parrot'.

Retribution is definitely slowly, but surely catching up to the villains of this story. As can be seen in this part of the omake. Sadly, taking out the villain isn't going to automatically bring stability back to the mess as you can probably guess.