STA: I went through and made some light updates to the older chapters. Mostly stuff like sentences rephrased for clarity or excessive inner monlogue being somewhat cut back. Sometimes. Plus a couple consistency errors fixed with regard to who knows what when. Lemme know if I accidentally overwrote a chapter with a different chapter. I'd skim through now, but FFN sometimes takes a bit for changes to go live.
Feel free to reread. Lord knows I went long enough without updating that anyone who came back probably needs the refresher. But if you have read this recently, the only critical changes is that Motoyasu now gets his portal skill in chapter 21 while Bridie does her class-up, although he's still not high enough level to use it.
-x-
It was two weeks later that Motoyasu found himself resting in a beanbag-like chair in the back of a carriage. Despite telling Warner to pick, he'd ended up eliminating competition when he described the concept of shocks (in as great of detail as an art student with a friend in the engineering program could) and only one builder had been able to replicate the design. After that, it just made sense to start giving more specifications. In addition to a place to sit, it had a built in frame for a large mattress which he and Birdie could share, an ice box, a low table to eat at that folded out from the wall, and sections of floor that could be opened up to access storage. The front and back had tarp rather than wood wall, which could be zipped or unzipped to suit the weather.
The one thing it lacked was sound proofing. Motoyasu flinched at the sound of Takt's fighter jets flying by overhead.
Officially, the Whip Hero and his allies were only on standby to bear witness to the conflict on behalf of Faubrey and some sort of international committee or other. Motoyasu hadn't paid close attention to the details. The important part was that if Motoyasu could lead Itsuki into a fight outside of Melromarc's borders, Takt could help subdue him.
That, of course, assumed he made it all the way to the border.
Escape would be complicated. Motoyasu crawled to the front of the carriage to peer out and saw yet more men and wagons stationed around him. Somehow, he and Birdie would have to come up with an excuse to be anywhere other than the center of the caravan. Even if they abandoned the nice new carriage, they would be hard pressed to cross an entire war camp unnoticed.
"Motoyasu-sama, you'll still ride me while I pull the carriage, won't you?"
"As much as I can."
To appear obedient, he still had to spend a certain amount of time studying magic and entertaining guests.
Being quiet enough to be polite to the men guarding him while fulfilling his 'duty' to the daughters of politicians… would be hard. He had been supplied all but one key ingredient to the tonic that let him temporarily shoot blanks, and was still given the virility tonic most evenings. Without the privacy of his bedroom, just how did you fake being under the effects of that while keeping quiet? It almost sounded easier to take whatever he was handed and blame his behavior on the apothecary.
"Motoyasu-sama, you aren't disappointed in me for not being as good at fighting as that other hero, are you?" Birdie asked. "I'm training to learn more forms of combat, and I'll work hard to get my level up."
"I'm never disappointed in you," Motoyasu assured her.
If anything, he ought to be disappointed in himself for making an angel worry. Motoyasu climbed out of the wagon and onto Birdie's back to spend the remainder of their wait atop her, stroking her neck to assure her that she was still number one in all regards.
Soon, he would be able to gush over how precious and dear she was again without worrying that doing so endangered her.
When they at last moved out, Motoyasu did his best to study atop Birdie's back. He had Siltvelt's writing system and the basics of magic script down, and knew most of their common words as well. The shield didn't translate for him if he spoke a word aloud that he didn't know, but it would translate when someone repeated the word back. On the rare occasion that he found a word Birdie also had yet to learn, a nearby soldier could say it. With that tactic, he was able to work his way through the beginnings of a spell book. He could use First Heal thanks to the use of a crystal ball, and was determined to learn something to do with fire before they reached Melromarc.
Aside from magic, he had a much better array of skills to depend on than when he arrived in Siltvelt. He had Werner's work collecting materials to absorb to thank for that.
Erst Feather Shield was by far his nicest ability. It let him create a barrier to protect Birdie even when she strayed away from him. Reflection Shield wasn't nearly as useful as he expected it to be when he first saw it unlock from absorbing the mirror. It gave any other shield skills he used the ability to reflect projectile attacks, but it also made the shields fragile. They might withstand attacks from common soldiers, but if Itsuki fired a shot at a mirror shield, it would break without so much as slowing an attack rather than bounced anything back. The Mirror Shield that unlocked that skill had the same effect while being sturdy to boot, but he couldn't throw it up anywhere in his field of vision like he could an Erst Feather Shield-Reflection Shield combo. Besides, even it had a pretty poor defense. He practically relied on his base defense stat when using it.
Other than that, he'd obtained a skill called Shield Prison, which was just about perfect. It regrettably only lasted so long, but he'd been looking for such a skill. If he did wind up in a confrontation with Itsuki, they could capture rather than kill him.
The idea of Itsuki at the mercy of Siltvelt captors made Motoyasu grin. Siltvelt's church didn't demonize those heroes who it didn't worship, but they took a dim view to anyone who abused their Shield Hero.
There was also the Shooting Star Shield, of course. All of the other classes from when the game first launched had Shooting Star skills, so it made sense the shielder class would as well. Motoyasu had crossed his fingers that it was one of the details that carried over to Birdie's world and requested a shield brought in from Zeltoble made of the same material as the one what could unlock the Shooting Star Spear. Lucky for him, it turned out to be a handy skill. Although since it formed more of a force field than a shield-shaped barrier like Shield Prison and Erst Feather Shield, it seemed he couldn't modify it with the Reflection Shield skill.
Did Naofumi know about Shooting Star skills? Itsuki definitely obtained a Shooting Star Bow. Motoyasu regretted not telling Naofumi more about the game before leaving Melromarc, but maybe Itsuki or Ren shared some of their knowledge.
Motoyasu had to climb down from Birdie and back into the carriage to take notes. There were things to tell Naofumi about, a few last items he wanted to gather before he and Birdie ran away, and a few translated lines from his spell book that he wanted to jot down in a language he could read easier.
-o-
Their caravan passed several towns throughout the day, ultimately setting up camp in a field between two. Water was brought to the carriage in an oil drum and, after Motoyasu failed to heat it himself, a different mage heated it to a comfortable soaking temperature.
When Motoyasu returned to the carriage, the panda woman waiting for him was fully clothed in un-sexy armor. Also, she was a therianthrope.
Motoyasu's confusion must have been apparent, because she laughed at him and said, "I heard they were giving you the harem special. Don't get any funny ideas with me. I have better things to do than drag your kid around with me. I've been assigned to your security 'till we reach the battlefield. The name is Larsazusa."
"Nice to meet you." Motoyasu bowed politely.
Personal security. He should have expected that, but it wasn't factored into any of his escape plans.
"Hm?" Birdie, climbing into the carriage behind Motoyasu, peered around him to get a good look at their visitor and then lit up. "Larsa-san! You're traveling with us?"
"You know her?"
"Mm! Her grandfather uses some interesting fighting tricks. He's helping me battle more effectively in my angel form so I can be at my cutest even while serving as your talons!"
She really liked that 'Shield Hero's talons' title. To Motoyasu, who had no talons even before he lost the ability to deal damage on his own, it sounded awkward. But then plenty of demi-humans and Birdie herself did fight with claws or talons.
"Gramps refused to teach anyone his skills. I'm jealous," Larsa said. "Must be 'cuase you're a monster that it comes easy to you."
Birdie puffed out her chest with pride.
"What kind of skills does she need a teacher for if it comes to her naturally?" Motoyasu asked.
"Ki," Larsa told him.
"Martial arts," Birdie said. "Ki is simple. You just take your energy and you push it out. But my teacher knows all sorts of ways to hold and move your body when you strike enemies that make fighting more efficient. He's teaching me how to fight with my hands and a staff, and sometimes he also points out ways you can mix ki in so you do even more damage."
A little girl like Birdie fighting barehanded seemed obscene, but there was something elegant about a staff that Motoyasu though suited her.
"I wanted something like a flamberg that would give me good reach while letting me stay close to Motoyasu-sama, but my teacher said it didn't suit me at all."
It didn't! What a good man, keeping such a massive sword out of Birdie's hands.
"Your grandfather has good taste, Larsa-chan."
For some reason, Larsa seemed startled to hear her own nickname. She sputtered, then gave a great "Hmph!" and turned away.
A tsundere, Motoyasu decided. You had to be careful with those types. You never knew if you were dealing with the sharp tongued type who became sweet over time, or the kind who was easily embarrassed until you either achieved eventual sweetness or got physically assaulted. Motoyasu
"Sorry. Larsazusa-san."
If she was the latter, he didn't need to test his defense against his personal guard's attack. A little playful slapping as light punishment for mischief was one thing. Tsundere slaps tended to have more force behind them. Especially if you were involved with more than one woman, and Motoyasu was currently involved with the daughter of every senator, every governor, and mayor's secretary in the kingdom. Or at least, it felt that way.
"Larsa-san is fine," she declared. "I've only seen a bit a her in actin, but Birdie's good at quick, calculated moves. A sword that size ain't suited for her at all. Anyone with an eye for combat'd say as much. But Birdie, if you wanna fight with a weapon at long range, how 'bout a bow?"
"No bows," Motoyasu said.
"Bows are evil," Birdie added. Like a true angel, she could sense the inherent wrongness in the weapon that chose a jerk like Itsuki even if she'd never met him for herself.
"Then a crossbow—"
"I want to fight by Motoyasu-sama's side, but I was in a fight recently in which I wasn't allowed to depend on him to protect me," Birdie said. "Sparring with your grandfather, I'm learning new ways to divert attacks with my hands and staff, and when I fail to do so, I gain a lesson in continuing to fight after taking a hit. I realize I can't always depend on Motoyasu-sama. If I don't know how to protect myself, then I'll cause him trouble. While I may be safest behind Motoyasu-sama's shield, I need a weapon that will assure him that I am safe when I step away as well. Otherwise, I would worry him too much."
Such a sweet, pure, dedicated pinnacle of perfection. Motoyasu threw his arms around Birdie and hugged her with all his might.
"Hmm? So the filolial girl is still the Shield Hero's favorite? Well, havin' seen for myself how fast she learns, I can see somethin' to like in her. When the war ends, you two should come by Zeltobler. You could go far in a team battle."
"Zeltoble… It wouldn't be an issue if I went there?"
"Most nations would welcome the Shield Hero, although Siltvelt's senate might raise a fuss about lettin' you go. And it goes without saying that Melromarc ain't showin' any mercy if they capture you in the conflict."
"Erk… Of course."
Motoyasu chose to push that dark thought to the furthest corners of your mind and not think about it again. Ever.
Birdie lost a sliver of her perfection when she kept the conversation there. "You think we might lose?"
"They say the Wisest King of Wisdom is unable to use his Seven Star Weapon, but he's still the same man whose strategies defeated Siltvelt last time. If I didn't believe the rumor that the queen opposes this conflict entirely, I wouldn't even throw my lot in against that man. Not that I'm dumb enough to take a job fighting for a human supremacist nation. I'd have skipped the job offer here and stayed in Zeltoble if I weren't betting on split loyalties among Melromarc's army."
All Motoyasu knew about the queen was that she set up the trap that killed Mei and the others. It was the queen who told the delegates they were welcome to take him while the guards were ordered to stop him from leaving no matter what.
More than that, it was the king and queen both who raised that bitch princess.
He sure hoped that queen was frantically trying to avoid a conflict, and he hoped that the dispute between her and her husband got them both killed.
-o-
Over the next week of magic practice, a pattern emerged.
Motoyasu could perform spells that generated fire or heat, but not anything that shot fire at a target. he shield thwarted Motoyasu even in non-physical matters. Area of effect spells were usable, but spotty. If anyone was within their range, they failed. If a spell couldn't possibly do harm, such as one meant to put fire out, then it would reliably work. His only hope of hurting people with fire was by accident. That or religious zealotry. One demi-human decided upon hearing Motoyasu complain about his magic to stick his hand in a campfire Motoyasu had started in order to confirm that his flames were still able to burn people after having successfully been cast.
That man seemed pleased with the results even before Motoyasu frantically healed his burns, and acted like he'd been blessed afterward.
Basically, he couldn't deliberately target anyone, but fire was still fire. Motoyasu did wonder about if he might be able to light the fuse on a bomb, but said bomb would probably fly from his hand when he tried to set it. And then detonate in his face from the force of being knocked away by his stupid shield.
Other than lightning campfires and healing burns from those fires, Motoyasu did develop spells that might be useful in combat. He had more of an affinity for fire than healing, and it turned out that mixing fire in with his more support-based spells let him amplify them. According to the spellbooks he was given, there were even fire spells he might be able to use that had support-based effects like partial illusions.
In Emerald Online, he only ever learned basic healing spells and magic for dealing mass damage. Fire-bases support might have been a thing in the game and it might not have, It fell under the same category as lore: elements irrelevant to his play style that he now wished he paid attention to.
They marched all day, sometimes stopping near cities or towns and sometimes stopping wherever they were on the road when the sun dipped too low. Motoyasu took the first opportunity to sleep in an inn when offered, but after that opted each night to sleep in the carriage. The bed it contained was quickly becoming familiar, and monitoring it's place in camp was crucial for determining how he might sneak it away and always have a home to take with him.
In the evenings, Birdie would receive lessons from Larsa's grandfather. Motoyasu watched the first few times, and then agreed to act as a target for Birdie to practice striking without hurting herself.
It hurt.
Since Motoyasu played games with the theory that the best defense was a strong offense, he'd never had to worry about defense-rating attacks. They did a little more damage than regular attacks, but not much more. As someone with an excessive defense specialty, it felt like his entire skeleton vibrated with the first strike to his shield. And so, when told it would give him a means of subverting such attacks, he found himself agreeing to try and learn ki as well.
Nothing came of that, of course. The old panda expected him to sit and meditate in the middle of a busy camp while his darling angel worked with precious diligence to better her fighting skills, and he had to do so with the knowledge that other women would latch onto him as soon as training ended. (It seemed that Siltvelt had no shortage of female warriors and healers who were as ready to serve on the front lines as they were to be withdrawn should they become pregnant.) What man could let go of all thoughts and reach deep within himself under such circumstances? Noise and dread of the future aside, the sight before him when meditating was one which no sane man could miss. Motoyasu tried instead to look like he was meditating while peeking frequently to admire Birdie's dedication.
-o-
The second week, Takt must have gotten bored with wherever he flew his fighter planes to. One plane returned and Takt hopped out of it with his griffon-girl in tow.
"Are you making good progress on your leveling?" was the first thing he asked as he approached Motoyasu.
"Urk… Not really. But I'm finally learning magic, and Birdie's gotten the hang of using a weapon."
Siltvelt brought a number of craftsmen with them for the war. Most specialized in things like claws or swords or shields, but a few were woodworkers who made mages staffs. Werner had contacted on to make a staff that was sturdy for close combat fighting while also boosting Birdie's spell casting abilities. Beyond that, she had provided more magic thread to create an outfit better suited for combat. Birdie wanted to continue wearing the dress that Motoyasu designed for her, but had grudgingly agreed that when knowingly entering combat, she could don something less flowing.
"So you're still weak."
"We made progress!"
Takt sighed and shook his head. "It can't be helped. The monsters in this area are trash, so you should be able to deal with them even without my help. Do whatever you can to get your level up. It's so pathetic it makes me want to cry."
"Urg… D-does that mean you're not coming with us again?"
"You really can't do anything on your own, can you?"
Motoyasu felt the words like a punch in the gut.
It was only because of Takt that he and Birdie reached the level you first class up at. Only because of Fitoria that he survived every major fight he'd been in. Only because of Birdie that he made it to Siltvelt. Only because of Mei's sacrifice that he escaped Melromarc. Only because of Naofumi's kindness that he avoided starvation and found Mei.
And what had he accomplished for himself, other than screwing his way into a political web?
All his life, Motoyasu had distanced himself from the unpleasant while seeking fun, and followed the lead of others in lieu of thinking too hard. The only time he took the initiative was pursuing the odd girl who didn't come to him.
He still had those last few balloon scraps he worked so hard for in his inventory. If he'd been as assertive as Takt and demanded fair pay for those, maybe he could have fed himself.
If he hadn't let Siltvelt pamper him right out the gate, if he'd taken his suspicion of those women as reason to avoid them rather than to take what they offered while avoiding only emotional attachment, he could make more demands of them. He could barter a certain amount of parading around and ceremonial duties in exchange for slightly less opulent support and more freedom. He and Birdie could run away at any time. They did it once before. If he did that the very first day they told him he couldn't level, and then returned and promised to keep coming back and doing whatever political tasks they all agreed on, he wouldn't be so pathetic that another hero wanted to cry looking at him. He'd asserted himself a little and not been killed. Surely there had been some way where he could have asked for a little more agency as a hero without upsetting the political squabbles of Siltvelt such that he mysteriously died in his sleep.
He was pathetic… wasn't he?
Even if he still couldn't do much without Birdie, it was high time he stopped following Siltvelt's lead.
"Really, I wonder if they even call you a hero outside of Siltvelt."
Motoyasu wondered that as well. With as little as he'd done and as little as he'd fought to do, he didn't think he would pick the title out for himself if it didn't come with the shield.
"I'll go train then," he mumbled. "Thank you for your words of encouragement. Um… and Takt?"
Takt sighed in frustration and asked, "What else do you need?"
"This evening, I was supposed to entertain the company of a couple of girls, but making it back in time to meet them wouldn't give me much time to gain exp. You seem like your good with the ladies. Could you distract them for me?"
This was a man who wouldn't mind juggling a couple of women at once. Takt had more women with him the last time Motoyasu saw him than Motoyasu ever had on a consecutive phone list of ladies he could meet separately for hook ups.
The dude still dressed himself down to a six. That just showed you how status and power could make the less savory women of the world overlook your other shortcomings. But as the more pathetic hero of the two of them, Motoyasu had no standing to voice that aloud.
Takt grinned and threw an arm around Motoyasu's shoulder. "See? I knew there was something redeemable about you. Run along and get your level up. It'll cause a lot of trouble for us if you can't give Melromarc any trouble."
"Will do. Thanks."
Motoyasu slid out of Takt's grip and went to grab Birdie. And his carriage. And maybe a handful of guards who, on foot, would never catch Birdie even with the carriage in tow.
He should have known from the start, if not when he thought aloud that Ren might flee there, that Zeltoble was a place he could run away to.
-x-
STA: NGL it's been a hot minute since I read up on spin-off spoilers and I probably ought to re-read the main series as well. I'm fairly certain that I heard a spoiler that Larsa's grandpa was one of the Hengen Muso users, and I don't know if I ever knew the New Reprise canon condition by which he can be recruited as a trainer. By which I mean I totally forgot he exists until reading this fic chapter again. Which I could do because I finished writing this one in June of 2020, And then sat on it. For three years. After leaving off on the chapter where Ren is left for dead.
In my defense, I knew I effed up Larsa's characterization by trying to add her to the fic with only spoiler to go off of, and once I got some actually translated material to use as a reference on how she acts, rewriting her felt like a lot of effort
Err… Um. What's the fanfic writer stereotype?
Hey guys! Sorry the chapter is late. I got run over by a truck and unfortunately wasn't isekai'd, lol. The doctor finally removed my full body cast, so now I have use of my fingers again!
Yup. That's totally why we're late.
drm186: I can't comment on any speculation, but you would be correct in your assessment of Tatk's weapon theft/intention and wrong about the fire spell. That was Takt who set Ren on fire.
fractalman: yup.
Uday Sra: Mm-hm
reality deviant: There does seem to be some technicallity by which holy heroes can be replaced without all of them dying, but summoning a new one is off the table.
Giuseppe: The chapter was like 3500 words tho? I know some of my chapters run into the 6k range, but that wasn't a short chapter. A lot of the chapters in this fic are in the 3k-4k range.
NoahStorys: Thanks. I hope you held out hope as long as it took me to update.
NVJ: Yyyup.
Longinia: Um... if you were asking about updates, then here's one.
Guest (1): No, apparently.
Guest (2): Thanks!
MagicBrain2: *bursting out of the ground at the graveyard* I'm not dead yet!
Come To Jesus: Rebirth!