Sword and Shield
Civil War 5
When Aultcray came to, he found himself strapped to a chair.
It took a moment for everything to come back to him. Intervening in yet another fight between the pro- and anti-demi-human faction. Being targeted by young, but highly powerful demi-humans. The surprise appearance of a member of the Shield Hero's party. A hard fought battle. The Shield Hero himself and the rest of his party suddenly showing up, and-
The king bit the inside of his cheek in frustration.
-being curb stomped into unconsciousness.
The second that the Devil of the Shield had used his magic, the fight had effectively been over. Upgraded by the Magic Rank Strengthening Method, an ability that should have been unique to the Seven Star Staff Weapon, the Enhancement magic had empowered their enemies far beyond the point that they could handle.
The revelation that it was somehow possible for Strengthening Methods to be shared between Legendary Weapons and Seven Star Weapons was heavy on his mind. The mystery of how the Shield Hero had attained the Magic Rank Strengthening Method was equally as baffling to him. However, now wasn't the time to ponder said revelation and mystery. First, he needed to take immediate stock of the situation.
"…"
His eyes darted in their sockets. Like previously stated, he was strapped down to a chair, thick, enchanted rope fastened around his limbs in positions that made even the slightest bit of movement impossible. Moreover, a pair of magic suppressing manacles had been added on top of the rope holding his arms around the back of the chair.
He was in a dark room, with only a few small windows allowing light to shine in, throwing shadows all around him. The room itself wasn't all that large and nearly empty. He was not alone, however.
There were more chairs in the room besides his own, placed in a semicircle, all of which were occupied. To the left of the king was his eldest. To the right the Spear Hero. In the chairs farther out from him was the rest of the Spear Hero's party. Surprisingly, the Grizzled Captain, the commander of their regular forces, was there as well. Every single one of them but him were still out cold.
"…" an explosive breath escaped Aultcray as he closed his eyes. The fact that all of them were here, the most powerful and commanding officers of their faction, made the situation very clear. They had been bested, plain and simple.
The king's mind thickened with black thoughts of self-recrimination, but he consciously banished those before they could take hold. He could beat himself up all he wanted after he had freed himself.
He tested his bonds, trying to see if there was any give in the range of movements of his limbs. No luck. Next, he tried to see if he could cast a spell of any kind. But as much as he had feared, the magic suppressing manacles did their job, making it impossible for him to direct his magical energy as he desired.
"Everyone, wake up!" the king called. With his magic effectively sealed and with his limbs being stuck in position, he had no other choice buy to rely on the others if he wanted to escape.
It took a few tries, but eventually the others started to wake up. They blinked awake, awareness slowly but surely returning to their eyes. Luckily, their captors didn't come to investigate the now awake prisoners.
"Huh?-wha?" Motoyasu murmured as his head bobbed up.
"Papa, I don't want to wake up," Myne whined, still out of it.
"Hmm. What is this!?" the Grizzled Captain was quicker to return to awareness and to notice their predicament.
"Ack?! The hell?!" Motoyasu yelped when he realized that he couldn't move.
The entire group was now awake. Before they could make any more noise, the king intervened.
"Calm down, everyone. Panicking won't help us," Aultcray said.
"Papa, please get us out of here," Myne whimpered, squirming impotently in her seat.
"Can anyone move? Is there any give in your bonds?" the king got right down to business.
They tried, trying to move their limbs. Much like Aultcray, however, they did not have the good fortune of their captors making a mistake in tying them down. Those that could perform magic of any kind tried. Magic suppressing manacles had been slapped on them as well, so no such luck.
"This is bad. Real bad," Motoyasu summed up the situation.
"The Spear Hero is right," the Grizzled Captain agreed, grimacing
"Papa, do something," Myne was still pulling on her bonds, trying to increase her range of movement, but she was making no headway.
"…"
"Papa, please!" Myne pleaded.
"…They clearly aren't intending on killing us. If they did, they would have done so already," Aultcray said after a long pause. "The only thing that we can do right now is wait for an opportunity for escape to present itself."
With their situation being as it was, that was the only thing they could realistically do, really. They all knew that. However, that didn't mean that all of them were satisfied with that.
"That's not good enough, papa," Myne snapped, face scrunching up in anger. "We're being held captive by the Devil of the Shield! Do you have any idea what he will do to me as soon as he gets the chance!? Forget killing us! He'll do so much worse!"
Aultcray grimaced, but said nothing. He merely lowered his head.
"Papa!"
It was then that a new voice cut through the room.
"Father can't help you this time, sister."
Myne choked. Aultcray jerked in his seat. Their heads swiveled towards where the voice came from, but as it came from right behind them, they could not quite see the person in question.
Footsteps. The person in question rounded the semicircle of tied up people. Less then a second later, they had a head-on view of the speaker.
"You don't need to worry too much, sister," was what was said. "Naofumi can be a right bastard at times, but regardless of your shared history, he never went out of his way to target you, now has he? Considering how strong he has gotten, if he truly desired revenge on you, there was little anyone could have done to stop him."
Melty, crown princess of Melromarc, stood before them. Her hands, closed into fists, were placed on her hips as she stared at the captives.
"Melty…" Aultcray breathed. His eyes racked over her form and to his immeasurable relief, she was hale and healthy, with no scratch or mark to be found on her.
"Really, what a right mess you lot have gotten yourself into," Melty sighed.
"Dear little sister!" Melty winced as Myne said that. "Quick, free us before anyone else shows up!"
Melty made no move to do such a thing. She remained where she was and gave her elder sister a flat, unamused look. After a moment, it became abundantly clear that Melty was not going to do as asked.
"Crown princess?" the Grizzled Captain looked at her, a disbelieving light in his eyes.
"Little sister, please! I know that we haven't gotten on in the past, but…" Myne started pulling on her bonds again, pale faced.
Silently, Melty turned her eyes back towards her father.
"Hah," a self-deprecating bark of laughter escaped Aultcray. "So, that demi-human was speaking the truth after all?"
"Yes," Melty confirmed. "On the orders of mother, I sought out the Shield Hero and helped to broker an alliance. Mother, I, and anyone who choses to stand beside us are allied with the Shield Hero and the pro-demi-human faction."
Motoyasu's mouth moved, but it took a long moment for him to find words. "I do not believe it. Why would the queen every willingly ally with Naofumi!?"
"She's been brainwashed! As has mama!" Myne shouted, her face coloring in sudden anger.
"Crap! There are rumors of that going around, aren't there!" Motoyasu clenched his teeth. "Naofumi has gained the same power as Itsuki and-!"
"Faust Water Shot!"
Melty's hands snapped upwards, palms aimed outwards. Twin magic circles flared into existence in front of said palms. With the sound of rushing liquid, twin blasts of pressurized water erupted out of her palms, striking the Spear Hero and her elder sister square in the face.
The two crashed to the ground, the chairs they were bound to toppling over backwards with a loud clatter. They sputtered as they tried to eject the water that had gotten into their mouths and nostrils.
"It wasn't a good excuse when the Church of the Three Heroes started perpetuating that nonsense," Melty spat. "And neither is it coming from you! Naofumi doesn't have the power to brainwash people! Moreover, mother has never met him face to face, only over long distances through a crystal ball! When and how would he have gotten the chance to brainwash her, huh?!"
From the sound of her voice and her expression, it was blatantly obvious that Melty was outraged at the claim. Then, she took a deep breath, and-
"You have always been like that, sister," Melty continued, becoming more subdued. Briefly, it looked like she was about to continue to air her grievances, but she refrained.
The room fell silent. Only the sound of Myne and Motoyasu's continued sputtering could be heard.
"Melty…"
Melty gave her father a pointed look. Not quite hostile, but close. The king fell quiet.
"All of you, be silent," she said, waving her hand.
At that signal, Aultcray heard people approach from behind. Two of said unseen individuals hoisted the toppled over chairs that Myne and Motoyasu occupied back upright. Hair drenched and faces still dripping, Myne gave her younger sister a glare while Motoyasu just looked bedraggled.
A third individual, a man in a knight's attire, approached Melty. Wordlessly, he handed her a clear crystal ball. Melty nodded at the man and dismissed him with another wave of the hand. With that, she sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and placing the crystal ball in her lap.
"Mother has been dying to talk to you," Melty said.
Hearing that, more then one set of eyes opened wide.
The crystal ball in Melty's lap swirled with colors, which slowly resolved in the form of a face. A sharp face, framed by royal purple hair, while a ruby encrusted crown rested upon the person's head.
For the first time in months, the king and queen of Melromarc were face to face.
Well, more or less.
"…There's a lot I want to say to all of you," behind Mirellia's eyes, a storm was brewing. But it was on a leash, held back by the demands of the moment. "However, now isn't the time. I will get straight to the point: Melromarc is being torn apart, in part because of your lot's actions, and every single one of you are going to help me gluing it back together."
"We didn't have anything to do with the cause of this civil war," Myne spat back defiantly.
"Hoh? Are you sure about that?" Mirellia's eyes landed on her eldest. "Did or did not all of you believe and perpetuate the lie of the Church of the Three Heroes? That it was the Shield Hero and not them that had kidnapped Melty? With no other evidence than some obviously doctored footage?"
The queen's lips became a thin line of displeasure.
"Putting aside the summoning of all four Holy Heroes and the apparent situation with the Bow Hero, it's that lie and Melromarc's internal divisions that are the cause behind this civil war," Mirellia's eyes narrowed into slits. "And that damned lie and the country's internal divisions' root cause is the Church of the Three Heroes. That's nothing less than an malignant tumor of an religious institution all of you have aided or abetted in one way or the other, through inaction or willful malice."
Her thin lips became a small, sharp smile that did little to hide the queen's anger.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't bare any responsibility for this civil war," the queen spat, her eyes daring them to do exactly that.
Myne didn't get the message, and opened her mouth to deny, "We don't-
"Faust Water Shot!"
With another blast of water to the face, the elder sibling once again toppled over backwards with a loud crash. This time, no one moved to help her back up.
"Thank you, Melty."
"No problem, mother," Melty looked all too pleased with herself.
A brief moment of silence followed.
"…What happens if we don't join forces?" the hitherto silent Aultcray asked.
"Then you have become an even greater fool than I thought, and I will have no more use for you, be it either as king…or as a husband and father," Mirellia stated flatly.
Aultcray closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "The Shield Hero assaulted our eldest."
"Do you truly believe that?" Mirellia's voice was an scathing mix of frustration and disappointment. "You do realize that around the time that supposedly happened, the Shield Hero was just Level 1 and utterly lacked the ability to harm anyone, yes? Regardless of who makes that accusation, the circumstances make that claim damn near impossible."
"Yes," Aultcray said without hesitation. "Malty wouldn't lie about that."
"I wouldn't! That really happened, mama!" Myne, Malty, whatever, shouted from her prone position on the ground.
Mirellia closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. It took all of her willpower to keep from laying into them again.
"…Let's join forces," a deep breath exploded out of Aultcray.
"Papa!?" Myne spluttered.
"Father-in-law! What the hell!?" Motoyasu was equally as shocked.
"Your majesty?" the Grizzled Captain's reaction was more subdued, but his eyes nonetheless opened wide in surprise
Aultcray opened his eyes again and sagged into his chair. All of a sudden, as the fight seemed to leave him, he looked ten years older. "Regardless of what happened in the past, it can no longer be denied that Mirellia and Melty have allied themselves with the Shield Hero and the pro-demi-human faction with the explicit purpose of bringing an end to the civil war. Moreover, they have captured us. They could do whatever they wanted to us. But all that they are asking for is our cooperation. Considering our position and the situation, we are in no position to refuse their request."
"...It seems you haven't taken leave of all of your senses," Mirellia said, relaxing marginally.
"But Naofumi..!" Motoyasu snarled, outraged.
"Don't get me wrong, sir Spear Hero. I still believe Malty's accusation," the king stated flatly.
Both Mirellia and Melty looked put off, rolling their eyes.
"However, that doesn't preclude us from working together with Mirellia, Melty and the pro-demi-human faction," Aultcray said, though the derision with which he spat out the name of the pro-demi-human faction should be noted. "We will simply have to bite our tongue and keep the Shield Hero in our sights constantly, to make sure he doesn't let his proclivities get the better of him again."
Melty clenched her fists, though she managed to keep the anger from showing on her face. Though Naofumi was, like she had said earlier, a right bastard at times, he was by no means the scumbag her father assumed him to be.
Much more importantly, he had saved her from the Church of the Three Heroes. Hearing her father deride him and having to hold back the urge to lay into him was frustrating in the extreme.
"Are you certain of this, your majesty?" the Grizzled Captain asked.
"Circumstances won't allow for any other choice, captain," Aultcray said. Then, he made direct eye contact with Mirellia, and he inclined his head in clear deference. "We, and whatever forces we have remaining, are at your command."
The queen looked deeply into the king's eyes, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not.
Thankfully, she had a way to be sure.
"…Atla," Mirellia called.
"He is telling the truth, your highness," a young girl's voice bounced off the walls.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
The girl in question approached from the side, coming to stand beside the still sitting Melty. They had fought this girl, who's feline ears twitched atop her head and who's stripped tail swished idly behind her, before. But now, her hood was down, allowing them to see her face with her perpetually closed eyes, for the first time.
"The king meant every word that he said."
"..!"
"…Father?" Melty looked at her father, who had jolted ramrod straight in his seat.
Aultcray had gone with as a sheet and his mouth moved, but no sound came out. All of his focus was on Atla, who tilted her head and frowned back at him. She could feel a raging maelstrom of emotions coming from the king, consisting mostly of happiness, sorrow, and deep regret.
All of it apparently triggered by her and her alone.
"Father-in-law? You alright?" Motoyasu's said, but he got no response from the shaken king.
Eventually, a single mumbled word escaped Aultcray's lips.
"Lucia."
In the crystal ball, the image of the queen's face showed abject surprise, eyes going wide and her lips falling open.
"…Melty, turn the crystal ball. Allow me to see Atla's face," she instructed.
"Huh? Sure, mother," Melty appeared taken aback, but did as requested by her mother.
"Atla," Mirellia said in all seriousness after having studied Atla's face. "What's your last name?"
The king was breathing rapidly in his seat. It almost looked like he was about to have a panic attack.
For her part, Atla just looked slightly confused and apprehensive.
"…I was told to never mention it."
"Please tell us, Atla. This is important."
Atla's frown deepened, but after a moment, she did as the queen asked.
"Fayon."
Aultcray shuddered. A single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?" Mirellia said and shook her head in disbelief.
At that, Atla's full attention fell on the queen. "And what do you mean by that?"
"What I mean," Mirellia said, a note of gallows humor entering her voice. "Is that we have just discovered that you, Atla, are the granddaughter of Tyran Ga Fayon, the strongest Hakuko of this era and the last king of Siltvelt. And are also the niece of Aultcray here."
Hearing that Atla fell silent, as did the rest of the room. If it weren't for the fact her eyes were always closed, she would have been blinking rapidly right about now.
Eventually-
"What?"
-she had to air her incredulousness.
"Hey, Fohl. Could you run the whole story by me again, just to make sure we are all on the same page of how ridiculous it is?"
Fohl's brow twitched at Naofumi's inane request. They were once again on the road, the carriage that had become their home smack-dap in the middle of the formation of now well over a thousand pro-demi-human soldiers. The entire party, including Melty and except for Filo, who was pulling the carriage, was present while Naofumi was in the driver's seat.
"I'd rather not," he grumbled. "It's convoluted as all hell."
Raphtalia slowly raised her hand. "I'd like to hear it again. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it."
At that, Fohl gave Raphtalia a dry, unamused look.
"I'll start it off, if my…cousin," Melty shook her head in still readily apparent disbelief. "Doesn't mind?"
"Knock yourself out."
In the past, Aultcray had a sister much younger then himself who was blind. Her name was Lucia. On top of that, Aultcray at the time went by a much different name: Lüge Lansarz Faubrey. He had been the thirtieth heir to the throne of Faubrey, the most powerful nation in this world.
"I still cannot believe that trash wasn't even born in Melromarc," Naofumi grumbled underneath his breath as Melty told the tale.
Aultcray had been the youngest prince, but he relinquished the right to the throne due to a certain incident: the murder of his parents and everyone he loved – except for his precious younger sister – by the Hakuko.
"…" both Atla and Fohl frowned at this.
For political reasons, Faubrey made no attempt to hold Siltvelt, the country the Hakuko called home and at the time ruled, accountable. As a result, Aultcray developed an intense hatred for Faubrey, Siltvelt and demi-humans in general. He changed his name and moved to Melromarc with his younger sister, a country where he could be as bigoted to demi-humans as much as he wanted.
Aultcray concealed the fact that he was royalty. Then, he joined Melromarc's army, first as a soldier and then as an officer in a time the country had been constantly at war. He established an impressive track record for himself.
He had been so impressive at the time that he achieved something astounding.
Aultcray became a Seven Star Hero. The Staff Hero, to be precise.
"Staff Hero…What a joke," Naofumi spat. He would believe it if and when he saw it.
"Mother told me that it was his cleverness and strength that stole her heart," Melty said.
Naofumi muttered something unkind under his breath. The rest of the party ignored him entirely as Melty continued the tale.
But just as things were starting to go Aultcray's way, Lucia, his blind and vulnerable sister was attacked by a Hakuko. Due to the sheer carnage at the scene, she was presumed dead, but her body was never found.
This drove Aultcray's disdain of demi-humans and Hakuko in particular to new heights. It was during the last great war with Siltvelt that he ascended to the throne as the king of Melromarc. And once he did, he used all his quick-wittedness and power as the Staff Hero to eventually defeat the Hakuko king of Siltvelt: Tyran Ga Fayon.
Moreover, it was his tactics and acumen as a military leader that had turned the tides of war with Siltvelt. Without him, Melromarc would surely have lost. On top of that, Aultcray had quashed any and all attempts of other nations to take advantage of the situation through both diplomacy and brilliant strategic maneuvers.
At the time everyone had written Melromarc off, the inevitable loser of the conflict. Only for Aultcray to turn that around with apparent ease, earning himself the title as the Wisest King of Wisdom.
However…
"After the war, mother tells me that father grew soft," Melty said. "With the fighting coming to an end and with his sister dead, he lost his drive. It was gradual at first, barely noticeable, but when Malty was born…it accelerated. His quick-wittedness went away. His battle instincts dulled. And finally, the Seven Star Staff Weapon refused to heed his call anymore. Though he is still officially a Hero, he can no longer call on his power as the Staff Hero."
"Considering what I saw during my fight with him and the Spear Hero," Shirou piped up. "I'd say he has regained some of his former…edge, I would call it."
"With the Bow Hero forcing him out of his comfy castle and then being thrown into a civil war and constant fighting, he'd be dead or worse if he didn't shape up a little bit," Elrasla snorted.
"And because he shaped up and acted decisively," Melty continued. "He ended up forming his own faction in the civil war and encountering us. Which eventually led to him seeing Atla's face."
"Atla, who is apparently the spitting image of Aultcray's younger sister, Lucia," Raphtalia finished.
"Mother, her name was Alucia," Atla muttered.
This was just conjecture, but the current theory was that Aultcray's younger sister didn't actually die. Instead, she was taken back to Siltvelt. In this cruel and unreasonable world, Naofumi would assume that she had been used as a plaything, which is in turn how Fohl and Atla were conceived, but…
"…What was your family situation like?" Naofumi asked the Hakuko siblings. "Are you two half human?"
Atla shook her head. "Who knows? I was too young at the time to remember anything before our parents died. Onii-sama would know more, I think."
"All I know is that our grandfather was supposedly really, really impressive," Fohl began.
"Impressive. If anything, that's selling Tyran Ga Fayon short," Elrasla muttered.
"We were told to never mention our last name," Fohl continued. "Mother died from illness. Father died in some minor war when I was still young. Grandfather had been long dead. We'd been well off, though. We had servants and other helpers, too."
What Fohl described didn't sound like an abusive family situation. Their parents had at the very least loved them enough to ensure that they would be well looked after in the event of their deaths. It was only because of the expensive medicine Atla needed to treat her illness that she and her brother had ended up in the care of a slave trader. Fohl nor Atla mentioned any kind of conflict or resentment between their parents, either.
Considering all the clues, the only possibility came to mind was that, as unbelievable as it sounded, was that Lucia and the Hakuko son of Tyran Ga Fayon had been secretly in love all the while or had fallen love during or after Lucia had been kidnapped. Honestly, it sounded like some kind of cheesy soap opera.
"The pieces do fit," Raphtalia said after thinking it over for a moment.
"And considering father's reaction, he must have figured it out too," Melty added.
"How is he taking it?" Naofumi asked, honestly curious.
Melty gave him a flat look in return. "He has been staring off into space since and barely reacts to anything. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was trying to develop some spell that allows him burn through objects with nothing more than his gaze."
"Give him some time to process," Elrasla said. "He'll bounce back…eventually."
"Where is he, anyway? And the Spear Hero and his party, for that matter?" Atla asked.
"In a carriage to the back of the formation," Shadow's distorted voice echoed throughout the carriage. They weren't visible, having hidden themselves away. "My men are keeping a close eye on them like you requested, Shield Hero."
"Is that really necessary?" Fohl raised a brow. "I know we had to needle the king a lot to get him out of his funk for a moment, but all of us, they and we, signed a Magical Contract that forces us to work together and forbids any kind of hostility. At least for the duration of the civil war."
"Yeah, well, I plain don't like having them around, period," Naofumi said stubbornly. "By having them monitored constantly, it will afford me some peace of mind."
At that, they all briefly fell silent. It wasn't long before the next subject of conversation was brought up, however.
"The ultimate goal of this campaign…it isn't far off now, is it?"
Naofumi didn't turn to look back at the question. "Yes," he said shortly. "We'll reach the capital city of the Igreja Region within a day or two."
Shirou's eyes focused on the map laid out on the floor of the carriage. It had become a permanent fixture since their campaign in this region had begun. Close to the very center of the region, a city of prominent size had been circled in red: Clérigo City, the capital city of the Igreja Region.
"Once there…" Shirou began
"…We will put the screws to the claims of the Church of the Three Heroes," Naofumi continued.
"And I'll be the one to do it, with my father's help," Melty finished.
Smoke and errant embers rose towards the sky. On the ground below were the ruined remains of a small castle. It's gates had been smashed in, the watchtowers had collapsed, and small plumes of fire coated the crumbling walls.
The sounds of combat had been raging here less then fifteen minutes ago. Now, the battlefield had fallen hauntingly silent.
"…I guess this fight is as good as over."
Ren sighed, feeling heavy but relieved at the same time. He lowered the Legendary Sword.
This was the castle of an anti-demi-human noble. The man in question had holed himself up here with what remained of his men after the territory he governed had fallen into the control of the pro-demi-human faction.
They would have let the noble be…if it weren't for the fact that anti-demi-human faction forces from surrounding territories had begun to marshal at this location.
The situation in the Khoth Region had decisively shifted in the pro-demi-human faction's favor, caused by the Sword Hero publicly declaring his allegiance. With the common folk by and large rising up against the Church of the Three Heroes, territories under the control of anti-demi-human faction were falling left and right.
Because of this Ren and his forces, under the guidance of the queen's Shadows, were being directed towards territories where the anti-demi-human faction had or were predicted to win out.
Which naturally led them to this inevitable battle. As this castle had been well on its way to becoming a gathering ground for anti-demi-human forces in the region, it was best to quash it before it could build up any real steam.
And that was exactly what they done. Their forces, now well over 300 strong and under the general command of Olberic, had marched on the castle under the banner of the Sword Hero. What followed was an ultimatum that was promptly ignored, even with the Sword Hero's and sir Olberic's names being thrown around.
Ren couldn't even really blame the anti-demi-human faction forces for ignoring the demand to surrender. Intelligence gathered by the queen's Shadows had estimated the opposing forces to have numbered well in excess of 700, more then double the pro-demi-human forces on the scene. Couple that with their excellent defensible position, the anti-demi-human faction held every advantage.
Or, at least, that's how it looked on the face of it. The enemy had not factored in just how powerful a properly powered up Hero was.
With his party members as his guards, Ren had made his presence felt all across the battlefield. A single Meteor Sword had blown the castle gates to smithereens. Then he had brought down every single watchtower. Finally, he had made judicious use off the One Thousand Swords Skill to bombard the castle indiscriminately and cull the enemy numbers.
Counter spells and conjured barriers that the enemy had employed were useless, the attacks of the Sword Hero blowing through everything like they weren't even there. And since the ghostly swords conjured by his Skill had proven capable of punching through the castle walls, hunkering down inside hadn't been of much use either.
Sir Olberic had led the charge of their forces into the castle grounds proper as soon as Ren had let up. The sound of fighting had flared up periodically as their forces swarmed into every nook and cranny, hunting down the few survivors of the Sword Hero's overwhelming assault. And as stated previously, the battle had not lasted long after that, with the sounds of combat dying off as soon as it had begun.
Ren observed the ruined remains of the castle.
"I think I might have overdone it a little," he said to himself.
"With all due respect, Ren-sama," Isaac responded. "In battle, overkill is better than no kill."
Garett grunted. "Isaac's right. You had the power to make their advantages irrelevant, and you used it. It's as simple as that."
"Didn't the Shadows advise us to try and take the noble prisoner?" Mai cut in, trying to provide some distraction. "So that we can extract information from him?"
"If it wouldn't jeopardize our odds of taking down this stronghold or put our own forces at risk, yes," Ivan countered. "And since Ren-sama's raw power completely trivialized this battle, it would be idiotic to not to use it. Besides, that noble probably hid himself in the most well defended area of the castle. I'd be willing to bet some solid money that he survived."
Ivan's words would prove to be prophetic. Half an hour later, Olberic would come striding out from the wrecked remains of the castle gates, having finished cleaning out the enemy base. A small retinue of knights followed in his wake, the fast majority of their forces busying themselves with doing one final sweep of the premises to ensure that the enemy force had been annihilated.
Over sir Olberic's shoulder he carried what at first glance looked like a sack. It took a moment for Ren to figure out that the 'sack' in question was actually a fat man, bound and gagged, that gave off the impression of a sack thanks to a combination of his girth and gaudy clothes.
"Sword Hero-sama," Olberic greeted, plopping down the bound and gagged man in front of him in a kneeling position. Though large in girth, the man in question was still small compared to Olberic's sheer stature, a fact underscored by how Olberic moved the man around with just one errant hand.
"The noble?"
"Yes," Olberic confirmed.
The noble squirmed, red faced and clearly incensed. With his limbs bound and with Olberic's hand on his shoulder, he did not have a snowflake's chance in hell of escape.
"I'm up then?" Ivan asked.
"Go for it," Ren confirmed.
Ivan stepped forwards in front of the bound man, who glared up at the him in impotence. He placed his hand on the noble's head.
"I command the origin of power. I have read, deciphered and augmented a law of nature. May my target's mind be laid bare to me."
"Zweite Mind Read."
Outwardly, it appeared like nothing happened, but…
"Is there anything you, if questioned, would try and hide from us?"
Being gagged, the noble in question could not respond. Thankfully, that wasn't necessary.
Ivan nodded. "In his personal room in the castle, there's a ledger inside a hidden compartment underneath the floor. It holds documents pertaining to correspondence with other anti-demi-human nobles and other bits of intelligence."
The noble's eyes bugged out in alarm as he became thoroughly aware of what was going on.
Olberic snapped his fingers and two of his men turned on their heels and left to search for the aforementioned ledger.
"Anything else you do not want us to know?"
The noble's eyes darted in his head as he tried to either think of nothing or irrelevant things, but that was easier said than done.
Ren watched the process. What Ivan was doing was obvious: using magic to read the noble's mind. It was a branch of magic that required certain traits in order to be able to learn it. In other words, the correct Element – Wind – and a compatible Origin. Having the Wind Element wasn't all that rare, but having a compatible Origin was.
As had been explained to him, there was maybe one individual in a million that could learn spells that would allow you to read minds. And Ivan was one of those rare few.
That said, at his current level of skill, Ivan could not invade a person's mind with impunity and search for whatever information he needed. He could only read surface thoughts. In other words, whatever the target was actually thinking. That meant he had to trigger those thoughts in his target. Questioning was usually more then enough, as restraining one's mind from recalling or thinking about anything was a rather difficult skill most did not possess.
All of a sudden, Ivan frowned thunderously.
"…Underneath the castle, in a hidden dungeon, there are several dozen demi-humans being held captive," he said, glaring down at the visibly sweating noble.
"Illegal slaves?" Olberic dug his fingers into the noble's shoulder, who whimpered.
"Yes," Ivan confirmed. "From what I can see in this…man's mind, he used them mostly in order to take his frustrations out on."
Ren grimaced. Ivan was trying to be diplomatic about it, but it took little imagination to figure out what his party member meant. Especially as he had run into exactly this situation quite a few times before since their campaign in the Khoth Region began.
"Sir Olberic," Ren called.
"I'll have my men retrieve these illegal slaves immediately," was Olberic's prompt response.
"Don't forget to take along someone with Healing magic or potions."
"Will do, Sword Hero-sama. Now, sir Ivan, where are these illegal slaves being held?"
As Ivan relayed the information, Ren's mind turned inward as he pondered the current situation. The campaign in the Khoth Region was going well, but the next Wave in Melromarc was now less than a week away. It was blatantly obvious that they weren't going to be able to resolve this civil war before the Wave in question was upon them.
And considering what he had been told about Itsuki and the Church of the Three Heroes, that no doubt ensured that the next Wave was going to be a quagmire.
Ren could only hope they were ready for it.
"Father-in-law?"
"Sir Spear Hero, thank you for heeding my summons."
"No problem," Motoyasu responded and sat down cross-legged on the floor.
They were currently sat in their carriage, with Aultcray resting his back up against the wall all the way towards the rear of the carriage. Motoyasu sat facing him, a contemplative look in his eyes.
"How are you feeling, father-in-law?" the Spear Hero ventured. "Better?"
"Sort of. And I will be. It will just take some time," Aultcray sighed.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," was the immediate answer. "I…I still need a little while to process everything, in order to properly understand all that the existence of my niece and nephew," as he said this, Aultcray looked truly lost. "Implies."
"Fair enough," Motoyasu nodded and didn't push any further. "Then, what did you want to talk about?"
At this, Aultcray sat up straight and gave the Spear Hero a serious look. "Near the end of our latest fight, when the Shield Hero and his party drove us into a corner. Do you remember the magic that the Shield Hero used?"
"I'd be hard-pressed to forget it," Motoyasu mumbled and shook his head. "It was Enhancement magic, but far more powerful than anything else I have experienced. Naofumi used it and then wiped the floor with us. It wasn't even a fight anymore after that."
Aultcray licked his dry lips. "Magic Rank," he said. "It's a Strengthening Method unique to the Seven Star Staff Weapon. By Leveling up, you gain points that you can spend on spells in order to make them more powerful. Only the Staff Hero should be able to use it, or so I had thought."
"Then, that's why Naofumi's spells are so strong?" Motoyasu's mouth flapped. As he came to terms with this fact, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose hard enough that the skin of his fingers became stark white. "That bastard had been telling the truth."
"Sir Spear Hero?" the words had been mumbled underneath Motoyasu's breath, but Aultcray still managed to catch them.
Without any further word Motoyasu gestured with his hand. From the central jewel of the Legendary Spear a small booklet manifested and dropped into his waiting hand.
"This," he said, still in a pose that just exuded frustration. "Is a book Naofumi gave to me a while back when we ran into each other. In it are all the Strengthening Methods known to Naofumi and his party at the time. I tried to use them…but for some reason I couldn't make these methods work for me."
Other tips in the book had worked as advertised, though. Like, for instance, dismantling monsters in order to absorb each piece separately, unlocking a whole bunch of Weapon Forms. Or that by absorbing multiples of the same thing you could master a Weapon Form without having had it equipped for a certain period of time. Those two things had provided a nice boost to his overall Stats.
The fact remained, however, that he had not been able to make use of the Strengthening Methods in the book. But if what the king said was true, it should nonetheless be possible to share Strengthening Methods. And if that was indeed the case, it would go a hell of a long way to explaining how Naofumi was so bloody strong.
"You are the Staff Hero, father-in-law," Motoyasu said. "Any idea what I am doing wrong?"
"I'm not sure, I'm afraid," Aultcray admitted. The reason why he had wanted to talk to Motoyasu was in order to discuss the implications of sharing Strengthening Methods, and see if the Spear Hero could replicate the feat. If they could figure this out, his ally would be a lot stronger for it. "It was not previously known that Strengthening Methods could be shared. And as I have told you previously, for unknown reasons, the Staff no longer heeds my call. So, I cannot experiment for myself."
"Great," Motoyasu mumbled. "No matter what is written down in this book, Magic Rank is obviously real. I mean, you say it is and I've seen it in action, but then why…"
Ding!
A faint chime went off that only Motoyasu could hear. The Spear Hero's eyes became unfocused as a notification appeared in his field of view.
"…I just gained access to the Magic Rank Strengthening Method."
"What," Aultcray perked up. "Truly?"
"Yeah. It just all of a sudden popped up in my Menu," Motoyasu shook his head in disbelief.
"…What about the other methods?"
At the king's prompting the Spear Hero skimmed through the booklet yet again. His eyes darted from line to line as he went over all the Strengthening Methods detailed on the pages.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A rapid series of notifications fired off. In no time at all, the methods with which Motoyasu could get stronger had more than quadrupled. The moment Magic Rank had become available to him, the expectation that he could also make the other Strengthening Methods his own had been born somewhere in the back of the Spear Hero's mind.
This was just enough to get Motoyasu over the hurdle his skepticism had proven to be.
Not that he was aware of that, though.
"I do not get it," Motoyasu said after sharing the good news with Aultcray. "Why did it work this time and not all the other times I read through this book?"
"That, I cannot say. However, this does conclusively prove that Strengthening Methods can indeed be shared," Aultcray said. "This will prove to be quite a boon for you, sir Spear Hero."
"You can say that again," A mad grin slashed Motoyasu's face apart. Just you wait, Naofumi! he thought. I'll catch up to you yet!
And now, to make full use of all these Strengthening Methods.
"…Hey, father-in-law, want to help me tinker with all these new systems?" Motoyasu asked. All these new methods of gaining strength were a lot to take in, and two heads were better than one.
"Of course."
The Spear Hero and the king would remain in deep discussion for the rest of the day. By sticking their heads together, they'd ensure that the Spear Hero would gain the maximum amount of benefit these new systems could provide.
Two days later, they arrived at the outskirts of the Igreja Region's capital: Clérigo City.
The city in question was, by the standards of this world, truly massive. Several miles worth of urban sprawl, businesses and religious institutions surrounded by gargantuan city walls. Surrounding the city in all directions were farms of considerable size, golden wheat swaying in the breeze as far as the eye could see. Wide, well maintained cobblestone roads came from all four cardinal directions, feeding like a lifeline towards the city and cutting right through the fields upon fields of wheat.
"It's quite the sight."
"True."
"Too bad we might have to burn it all to the ground, though."
"That's an ultimate last resort, remember?"
"Shirou-sama is right, like always."
"Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst is sound advice no matter the situation."
"In this world, I think expecting the worst is probably for the best."
"Naofumi-sama, with all due respect, would it kill you to try and be just a bit more positive?"
"Probably."
Far away from the city, atop a large rolling hill covered in trees and greenery, several people of note were getting a lay of the land. They discussed amongst themselves as they observed the city and its surroundings.
The walls of the city had a distinctly gothic design. Though the city walls were the standard dark grey, they had plenty of flying exterior buttresses, long pointed arches and steep spires that drew in all attention. To them, however, the fact that the walls were so tall that they could not at all see the city behind the walls was of far greater importance.
The only thing that peeked out above the city walls were a few central spires of the largest building in the city: the cathedral. One could only imagine the size of the cathedral in question.
"For our goal here, we need to get into the city," Naofumi said.
"Do you really think we can take the city without any fighting?" Fohl asked, skeptical.
"I don't, actually, but…"
"That said, even if our plan doesn't bring the city to heel, it should at least destabilize it and galvanize the pro-demi-human faction supporters. Degojaru," Shadow's voice echoed from an indeterminate location. "Intelligence gathered by my comrades shows that there's a sizeable faction of the population on our side. However, they are minority and none of them are in any positions of power. That's why there hasn't been any fighting over the control of this city. It remains firmly in the control of the anti-demi-human faction. Degojaru."
"And once we have destabilized it, we can attack the city from both within and without," Elrasla said with a grin. It was a simple plan, but an effective one exactly because of that.
"But we can't take this slow and set out a plan of attack in detail, though," Shirou cautioned.
"Shirou-sama is right," Atla backed him up. "The longer we wait, the more enemy forces will marshal at this city. We are outnumbered as it is. The longer we take, the more difficult it will become to take the city."
Shadow's voice was once again heard from nowhere. "By our best estimation, the city houses about 5000 enemy soldiers. They outnumber us more than three-to-one, at least. And that number will only increase as time progresses. Degojaru."
"It's also highly unlikely that the anti-demi-human faction is in the dark about our aims," Melty added. "We have taken the most direct route to the capital of this region we could, and we weren't in any way subtle about it. They must be aware of the presence of our forces."
"My daughter has the right of it," Aultcray said. "Considering the situation, we have no other choice, but to act as quickly as possible. In other words: tonight."
Naofumi fought hard to keep from glaring at the king, managing to do so by the skin of his teeth. He didn't much like having the king around, but as they were allied for the time being, he had to swallow his scorn for the man and allow him to participate.
He drew the line at Myne's presence, however. The farther she was kept away from him, the better. Luckily, everyone agreed with him on that, Aultcray and co. included for their own reasons, and all of them made a conscious effort to keep Naofumi and Myne separated from each other at all times.
Naofumi would work with them for the purposes of ending the civil war. But he had long since come to the resolution to only agree to deploy Aultcray, Motoyasu, Myne and the rest of the Spear Hero's party when necessary. Magical Contract or not, it would be a cold day in hell before he trusted his back to them.
At the moment, the entirety of the Spear Hero's party was back with the rest of their forces in their well-hidden basecamp. Surrounded by loyal pro-demi-human forces, it was unlikely for any of them to up and try anything stupid.
"…Another stealth mission, huh?" was all Naofumi elected to say.
"We could use the king and Melty as a trojan horse and enter the city in broad daylight," Shirou said as he mused out loud. "It's not like the city would turn them away. But considering that the anti-demi-human faction is under the control of the Church of the Three Heroes and the Hero of the Bow, who has gone off the deep end…"
"An unacceptable risk," Shadow opinionated. "For all we know, instructions might have been sent all over the nation to treat members of the royal family with suspicion. Degojaru."
Everyone briefly fell silent as their course of action took form in all their minds.
"…Raphtalia."
"I'll get us into the city, Naofumi-sama. Don't you worry."
In the distance the city walls of Clérigo City awaited them, the very first obstacle they would have to overcome in order to reach the ultimate goal of this long fought campaign.
Night fell, and the full moon rose high in the sky. Combined with the torches lining the top of the city walls and the roads leading to the city, there was far more light and visibility then most would expect from a dark night.
Soldiers patrolled the roads in a constant rhythm, carrying torches of their own. They moved in formations of three, and they were out in force to the point that each and every squad was in sight of another squad. It honestly looked like they were swarming all around the city.
"Damn, there sure are a lot of them."
"If they know we are here, it would only make sense."
"True," a sigh. "Lass, I think this as close as we are gonna get without being seen. It's time to work your magic."
A reply wasn't necessary. A deep breath was taken, and…
"All Zweite Hiding."
An illusionary spell was cast.
For the squads patrolling the roads, they didn't notice anything amiss. There was no apparent change in the environment. No people but themselves were out to be seen. And that was exactly what the illusion magic that had been cast had been supposed to do.
The patrolling squads were none the wiser.
And they remained none the wiser as a party of pro-demi-human aligned infiltrators stole past them. Remaining close to the roads but outside of the wheatfields in which the movement of the wheat might give them away, the group made steady progress towards the city as squad after squad passed them by.
Traveling at a steady but unhurried clip, they made their way towards the city gates.
The gates in question were massive, towering over them all. More importantly, the gates were closed and a dozen soldiers were stationed to guard said gates.
"Come, we'll make our way to the eastern gate."
Unseen and unheard the invisible infiltrators traveled east, hugging the city walls as they did so. They passed evermore patrols, but none of them noticed their unwanted guests.
Like the southern gates they had been at previously, the eastern gates were guarded by a dozen soldiers. However, the eastern gates had one thing that made them unique: a second set of smaller gates just next to the larger main ones.
And unlike the main gates, the smaller gates would remain open at night. This was in order to be able to admit important guests – ambassadors, church officials, etc. – who arrived late at night, while merchants and ordinary peasants would have to wait outside the city walls until the main gates were to be opened back up in the morning.
It took a little while to make the journey on foot. Clérigo City was quite a big place, as were the walls protecting it.
"There, I can see the secondary gates."
"They are open, like you said."
"Naturally."
A moment of silence.
"Let's go. Watch your step…"
The group approached, steering well clear of the soldiers guarding both the closed main gates and the open secondary gates. The secondary gates were far smaller, only about as wide as two men side by side and no taller then said men, either.
There was no way to get a substantial force through those gates. That was for sure.
A soldier stood on either side of the small gates, the buts of their spears resting on the ground as they stood at attention. Though it was late at night, both men were wide awake and alert, their eyes darting to and fro as they kept watch and made idle talk between them.
More soldiers were in the vicinity, milling about and keeping watch. Torches hung from the city walls and were driven into the ground, their flames making visibility around the gates excellent.
"…I need to get close. Otherwise, I won't be able to get us past the security."
"Understood. Miss Raphtalia, make sure that they don't see us. I'll make sure that they won't be able to hear us approach, either. Degojaru."
Raphtalia didn't respond. She muttered an aria and layered yet another illusion over them all.
They edged closer. Raphtalia rendered them invisible, while someone else in their retinue used their own magic to limit how far noise they produced could travel. Together, it made it possible to get right up to the gate without being seen or heard, even with more than half a dozen eyes passing over them constantly.
When they had gone to save Melty, they had made it all to way to her without being discovered with this exact combination of magics. Now, they were practically nose to nose with the two soldiers by the gate, and still they didn't notice anything amiss.
Another of the group stalked forwards, coming to a stop just in front of the threshold of the gates, right in between the two unaware soldiers. He got down on a knee and his hand came to rest right in front of said threshold. Faint, invisible magical energy sparked from his fingertips.
An invisible line was drawn over said threshold. A line of power, that would activate if someone that was not supposed to be there were to pass over it.
Shirou would call it a Bounded Field.
The figure muttered something underneath his breath. Not even a second later, the figure rose back up and gestured for them to come forwards. He himself stepped over the threshold, the Bounded Field seemingly not reacting at all to his passing. The entire group followed behind him in a single file.
The two soldiers continued to stand at their posts, completely unaware that they had failed utterly in their task. More importantly, their security had been tempered with without their knowing.
"All good so far."
As soon as they were on the other side within the bowels of Clérigo City's walls, they found themselves in a well lit corridor. Said corridor ran straight ahead and promised to lead them towards the city grounds proper.
They ran forwards at a steady clip, invisible and soundless still. A soldier was placed along the right wall of the corridor at what seemed to be regular intervals, but much like their fellows outside, they did not notice their unwanted guests.
"Stop. Another one."
They stopped in their run, allowing one of their number to access and temper with yet another Bounded Field that ran the width of the corridor. The process took ten seconds tops and the moment it was done, they were on their way again.
This repeated four more times after that, forcing them to stop briefly each time, but in the end, the Bounded Fields proved to be little trouble. As the last Bounded Field was tampered with and allowed them to pass without any trouble, they stepped into Clérigo City proper.
Emerging in a large open area besides the closed main gates, they found themselves in the streets of the city, the shadow of the city walls falling over them. Another two soldiers were posted on either side of the gates they had just emerged from, while another squad of torch bearing soldiers could be seen marching down the nearest road.
Like usual, these soldiers did not notice anything amiss.
"…"
At the behest of their most experienced infiltrator, they ducked into a nearby dark alley.
Though hidden by illusions as they were, the group still kept to the shadows as they made their way towards their destination. Through alleys and backstreets, they advanced on their goal.
The goal in question? The cathedral of the Church of the Three Heroes that was built smack-dab in the center of city. It was by far the largest building in the city, towering over every other building. Its largest central spires even eclipsed the massive city walls by a considerable margin.
No matter where you found yourself in the city, chances were that you could see the cathedral just fine even with other buildings in the way.
"Wait. Okay, the coast is clear. Let's go."
Invisible though they were, they still took caution to remain well away from any squad they saw patrolling the streets. This, combined with the sheer size of the city, meant that it took a while until they started getting close to the cathedral. Nonetheless, it was just that: a matter of time.
"We've arrived. Now what?"
Later that very same night, with the full moon shining overhead, they found themselves in the closest back-alley to the cathedral that connected to one of the exceptionally wide boulevards leading straight towards said cathedral. One of their number leaned out of the alley, peeking out just enough to allow their eyes to rove over the cathedral that was their target.
All around the cathedral was a wide open area sans any structure or building, creating a wide open plaza in the center of the city. Further out were buildings, homes and such, that ringed the plaza and the cathedral.
Quite a few squads could be seen patrolling the plaza. Their torches flickered in the evening wind.
"…This isn't the first time I have infiltrated a church. Follow me. Degojaru."
They stepped out of the alley and rounded the corner. They hugged the houses ringing the plaza as they followed the one leading them. They continued doing so until they were on the opposite side of the cathedral, the other side where there was no grand staircase leading inside.
"Wait. Not yet," a voice cautioned. "…Now."
On that signal, they darted forwards just as two patrolling squads crossed each other in front of them. In the blind spot in between the squads they dashed towards the cathedral.
"…"
With nary a sound, the group pressed their backs against the stonework of the cathedral. They shuffled along behind the one who had taken the lead, continuing on until they reached a small back entrance tucked away in between a curve of the wall.
Without a word, another came to the front of the group. He placed his hand on the door and focused for a brief moment.
"Like expected, this door also has security. Hang on a moment."
A brief moment later…
"It's done. Shadow?"
"I'll unlock the door. Degojaru."
Faint scratching sounds could be heard.
Clunk!
With a deep sound, the lock clicked open. With a small push the door creaked open, the Bounded Field that had been tampered with not reacting to the unauthorized access.
They slipped inside. They found themselves in a corridor with a high ceiling and a distinctly gothic design, not that dissimilar to the city walls, though more grand and ostentatious. Light radiated from rounded bulbs hanging from the ceiling, powered by magical energy.
In other words, the corridor was well lit in spite of the late hour. Thankfully, no one but them was in the corridor and they were invisible still anyhow.
"Come. Follow me."
"Do you know where we need to go?"
"Not precisely, but this cathedral's system must be designed in the same way as the one in the castle. Considering that, what we are aiming for must be somewhere on the upper levels."
"The Shadow is right."
Brief conversation over, they set off again, making sure to silently close the door behind them. They ran down several corridors, taking multiple turns, but encountering nobody. Eventually, they found a set of stairs in a side room leading to the next floor.
This process repeated itself many times as they went up floor after floor. As they did so, they would start to encounter the occasional priest or pair of nuns walking the halls. Much like the soldiers, however, these women and men would not notice their invisible guests running by them.
The cathedral was a huge complex, however, and because they were trying to take less traveled corridors in order to minimize the chance of running into anyone, it took a considerable amount of time to climb all the floors.
"I hope we won't be too late…"
"Don't worry. So long as we reach our goal before dawn, we'll make it. We have plenty of time."
After that they fell silent again. The group continued their journey upwards.
Said journey continued for a long while, to the point that they had long since lost count of how many corridors and stairs they had crossed. Eventually, however…
"Wait. Another layer of security. Allow me."
As they reached the base of one the cathedral's high rising spires, they ran into another Bounded Field. The usual suspect came forward and started tempering with it. However, this took considerable more time than previously.
"…"
"I know. This one is far more intricate and difficult to tamper with. Give me a moment…"
A good minute later…
"It's done. Let's continue."
Considering the Bounded Field a sign that they were on the right track, the group continued their journey up the spire. As they were in said spire now, the floors were a lot smaller, because of which it should have taken a lot less time to reach the next floor.
"…"
Conversely, however, they were now running into soldiers again, standing guard. And Bounded Fields were increasing frequency. Their progress slowed due to an abundance of caution.
"I have a good feeling about this. We must be on the right track."
"The signs do indeed point that way, but do not get too hopeful. Degojaru."
In spite of the cautionary words, they would eventually reach a sealed room near the very top of the spire at the end of a long corridor. The door leading into the room looked large and heavy, with an ostentatious design of a Spear, Bow and Sword engraved onto them. Two soldiers stood guard on either side of the door, two more soldiers were posted halfway down the corridor, and yet two more soldiers stood at the very beginning of corridor.
Invisible and with noise being prevented from traveling any real distance, they snuck past the first two guards, stepping into the corridor.
"Any security?"
"The door ahead has security, yes. There's none in the corridor itself, though it won't surprise me if the guards can trigger some kind of alarm if given the chance."
"I see."
No further words needed to be said. The group dispersed, targeting the soldiers standing guard. As one, the group led out a deep breath.
And then, still under the cover of invisibility, they…
CRUNCH!
THUMP. THUMP.
GURGLE!
….struck.
The two soldiers at the beginning of the corridor slumped to the ground in unconsciousness, one after the other in quick succession. It honestly looked like someone had just flipped a switch on their brains.
The two soldiers in the middle found water all of a sudden enveloping their heads, cutting of their air supply. When the water began forcing its way down their throats, they also lost the ability to vocalize anything beyond the sound of choking.
What happened next was far more important. A second later, the water coating their heads froze over, becoming solid ice. Water rapidly enveloped the rest of their bodies as well, freezing once more and enclosing them both in solid pillars of ice.
Those two soldiers on either side of the door saw this happen, but before their eyes could even widen their heads were suddenly smashed together with eyewatering force. As if a singularity had all of a sudden spawned in between their heads and inexorably dragged their skulls together.
In reality, someone invisible had grabbed both men by the skull and had smashed said skulls temple first into the other.
Suffice it to say, both men went out like a light.
And just like that all the guards had been taken care of.
"Quick, undo the security before anyone else comes up here."
"On it."
One of their number placed his hand on the door, accessing the Bounded Field with an expert's touch. Nonetheless, though the man in question was indeed an expert at what he did, it took quite a while for him to tamper with the Bounded Field.
"Tch, this is the most intricate piece of work I have seen in a while."
"Can you crack it?"
"Naturally."
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
"It's done."
Eight minutes in and the man pushed open the heavy door with both hands. The door swung inward, revealing an expansive room on the other side.
They piled inside, dragging along the incapacitated figures of the six guards. After this, however, they didn't close the doors again. Instead, yet another set of illusionary spells was cast, layered over the corridor they had just come from.
"Zweite Mirage."
Identical copies of the six guards appeared in their designated locations.
"Zweite Illusion."
The doorway shimmered and the previously closed door seemed to faze into existence, appearing for all intents and purposes to still be shut tight. But that was the illusion: the door was still open, the illusion only made it appear that the door was closed. The people inside the room could look out, but the same didn't hold true the other way around.
A collective deep breath of relief was released as soon as this was done. They checked the room to make absolutely certain that no security or guards remained in between them and their goal. Having verified that, the caster let the magic rendering them invisible drop.
"A stellar job, lass, if I do say so myself," Elrasla gave a toothy grin.
"It wasn't just me," Raphtalia blushed. "Shadow's noise restricting spells helped a lot, too."
"Thank you for the praise," Shadow inclined their head.
"That went a lot more smoothly than I had thought it would," Melty shook her head.
"…All of you are good at what you do, I'll grant you that," Aultcray said.
"I can say the same about you, old stuff," Elrasla snorted. "All that security, except for the last bit, did not give you a lick of trouble."
Aultcray inclined his head in agreement. That done, they turned their gazes towards the center of the room where the goal of this infiltration lay.
The room they were in was of medium size, with a high ceiling and curved walls. Said walls were bare of any decoration and lacked any windows. It was not the room itself, however, which was of interest to them. No, their goal all along had been what is housed inside of this very room: a diamond with a diameter of over two meters. The diamond in question was floating in the center of the room, slowly rotating on its axes.
"We're in luck," Shadow said. "We managed to find the Broadcast Jewel remarkably quickly."
"Aren't these a bitch to figure out how to use?" Elrasla asked.
"Yes, but me and father know how these Broadcast Jewels operate. It's a part of our royal duties to know how these work," Melty said. "There should be no problem making that recording…"
"Except maybe for getting your lines right," Elrasla snorted again.
Aultcray stepped forwards. His hand reached out for the Broadcast Jewel.
"I'll program in the commands," he said.
"And then we will make that recording," Melty finished.
Without further word, Raphtalia, Shadow and Elrasla nodded at the royals and turned around to stand guard. Their part in this operation, for now, was over. Now, they needed to make sure no one stumbled on this incriminating scene.
The king's hand made contact with Broadcast Jewel with the lightest of touches. He fed his magical energy into it, and the jewel in question glowed in response. As it did so, Aultcray started feeding the preplanned instructions into the jewel.
"Father."
A small hand closed around his wrist.
"Yes, Melty?"
"…Thank you for aiding us," Melty said. "I had feared the worst, that you…"
She couldn't even finish the sentence. She trailed off and looked towards the side with a grimace.
"…I do not like the current state of affairs," Aultcray admitted. "However, I could not call myself king, or your father, if I did not swallow my stubbornness. No matter my personal grievances, there is no way I'd be able to look myself in the mirror if I didn't grab this opportunity to save Melromarc, or…or leave you to face the challenge of doing so alone."
Honestly, that had been one of his greatest driving reasons to throw in his lot with the pro-demi-human faction. No matter his dislike of demi-humans or his hatred of the Shield Hero's presence, the need to make sure that Melty was hale and healthy overwrote all other considerations.
Though he was a king and a man with grudges, his duty as a father outweighed them all.
"Thanks, dad."
Aultcray felt his lips curl up in spite of himself. Melty hadn't called him something as childish as 'dad' for years, even though she was still so young.
"Anything for you, Melty."
The next day, with the onset of dawn, well over a thousand pro-demi-human forces marched on the city of Clérigo.
Having left behind their horses and striding forwards in tightly packed and neatly organized lines, they made for quite the sight. The fact that the Shield Hero and Spear Hero and their parties were in the lead of this army gave it far more weight then the size of said army would imply.
"…"
From his position on the city wall, the Commander of the City Watch looked grimly out over the soon to be field of battle. Though they were on defense and they outnumbered the enemy more then three to one, this force had busted its way through all that they had encountered on their way here with apparent contemptuous ease.
Intel suggested this was because of the Shield Hero, who was said to wield powerful Enhancement magic that could elevate an ordinary man to the level of a Hero. Those were the rumors, at any rate. The Commander of the City Watch could only hope that those rumors were overblown.
"…"
The fact that the Spear Hero and his party were included in the enemy host was as of yet entirely unknown. If the Command of the City Watch had known, it would have only added to his worries and fears.
The walls of the city were packed. The walls were big enough to contain up to six rows of bow wielding men and the occasional mage. All close range fighters were deployed into several staggered defensive lines, starting out from behind the main gates and leading back into the city proper.
"…"
Except for the somewhat distant sound of an oncoming army, it was oddly quiet. The men atop the city walls were silent and tense. The enemy was still out of range of their archers and spells. All they could do at the moment was watch the oncoming storm approach.
Suffice it to say, the tension in the air could be cut with a knife, and grew progressively worse.
"…"
On some unspoken signal. the enemy host halted their advance, just outside the range of their archers. A single men stepped forwards out from the tightly packed lines, being the only enemy who they could now strike.
His Lieutenant wordlessly cast a spell on him, enhancing the vision of the Commander of the City Watch. The man in question focused on the lone enemy.
Tall. Sharp face. Dark hair. Decked out in rugged, but practical looking armor. To his right arm a shield was strapped, its central green jewel glinting in the sunlight.
"The Devil of the Shield," the Commander of the City Watch murmured.
The men around him shifted nervously when they heard that.
"Is he baiting us?" his Lieutenant asked.
"Maybe, but if so, I can't see for what purpose."
"…"
All remained silent and motionless for a long, excruciating moment. It made the sickening tension in the air ten times worse.
"…"
"Is…is he waiting for something?" the Lieutenant suggested in a whisper.
"For what?"
The moment the question was broached, a loud chime echoed over the city of Clérigo. It came from multiple locations, from the cathedral in the center of the city and each and every fountain that one could find within the city limits.
More than a few eyes went wide.
"A broadcast?! Now?!" the Commander of the City Watch said, incredulous.
Back in the city, the townsfolk who had retreated into their homes or other save areas emerged. The chime that they had just heard was a signal that a broadcast was about to be held.
It was not an oft used system, usually only to relay information that was deemed critical for everyone within the bounds of the city to know. Clérigo city was one of the very few cities, including Castle Town, within Melromarc who could boast about having such a system.
Fun fact: the last time this system had been used in Castle Town, it was to broadcast the 'trial' of the Shield Hero after having allegedly assaulted his only party member at the time. It was with the use of that system that the news had so quickly circulated and the Shield Hero became persona non grata.
Naofumi's lips pulled up into a vicious grin. Back then, a Broadcasting Jewel had been used against him. Now, he was using one against his enemies. It was a cruel irony he could enjoy.
Around the cathedral and all the fountains in the city, what appeared to be screens, or holograms, manifested. There were four screens around the cathedral and the every fountain, pointing towards the four cardinal directions. The screens of the cathedral were huge, big enough that you could almost see them wherever you were in the city. Those screens around the fountains were relatively small, but did ensure that everyone in the city could not miss the ensuing broadcast.
Two figures manifested on the screens.
Melty Q Melromarc and Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. If the sudden situation did not command all the attention of the citizenry before, it did now.
"Citizens!"
Instead of the king speaking first like one would expect, it was the princess who took the lead. Her voice, through the use of the system, reached every nook and cranny of the city.
"Here speaks Melty Q Melromarc, your crown princess! I am here today to ask you, no, to beg you! Do not resist the pro-demi-human faction! Do not aid the anti-demi-human faction!"
Those unprecedented words echoed out over the city and beyond.
"You have been told that it was the Shield Hero who stole me from my home! That was a lie, told on the behest of the Church of the Three Heroes! That's right! The cause of this civil war is based on nothing more than deception!"
Melty's words were strident and full of passion.
"The footage that you saw of my kidnapping was doctored! In truth, it was the Church of the Three Heroes who kidnapped me! They merely shifted the blame to the Shield Hero, thinking that everyone would believe it without question nor consequence!"
On the screen, Melty stepped forwards and held out a hand to her people.
"But it was not without consequence! This civil war…all of it can be laid at the feet of that lie and the teachings of the Church of the Three Heroes! What else can we do but conclude that a religion that preaches the inferiority of demi-humans, and that sows divisions between the peoples of this nation to be little more than a scourge!"
Melty pulled her hand back to her chest.
"The royal family has aligned themselves with the Shield Hero and the pro-demi-human faction! For the future of Melromarc, please! Stand down!"
On the screen, Aultcray could be seen placing his hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"My people, I know that what we are asking of you is beyond unreasonable! To go against everything you have been taught and told!"
Just like Melty, Aultcray's words were self-assured and passion filled.
"But my daughter speaks nothing more than the truth! The Holy Heroes have all heard the call of our cause! Not only the Shield Hero marches on this city, but the Spear Hero does as well! Even as we speak, the Sword Hero is fighting for us on the other side of the country!"
Pulling on all the regality he had regained in recent days, Aultcray said the following.
"Stand down! This is the command of your ruling monarch! In the name of the queen! Stand down!"
With that, both Melty and Aultcray bowed their heads.
Then, the screens disappeared, leaving behind a ringing silence. Said silence would endure for quite a long moment. Eventually, however, voices were raised.
"This can't be real, can it?"
"Of course it isn't real, you moron!"
"It sounded pretty real to me!"
"The Devil of the Shield didn't kidnap princess Melty!?"
"The Church of the Three Heroes lying…I can't believe it!"
In the onset of the doubt caused by Melty and Aultcray, conflict was soon to follow. The soldiers atop the city walls grew rowdy, shouting at each other as they struggled to figure out what to do. The Commander of the City Watch and his lieutenant tried desperately to restore order but it was neither a simple nor straightforward task.
In the city itself things were little different. Some believed what the royals had said, and some didn't. Combined with how dire the situation was, it was only natural for the people to come to blows.
And in the resulting chaos, the supporters of the pro-demi-human faction took advantage.
Boom!-Boom!-Boom!
Explosions rang out over the city as they hit critical infrastructure and defenses.
Raphtalia, Shadow, Aultcray, Elrasla and Melty led the charge there. After making that recording and programming the Broadcast Jewel to activate on a trigger set by Aultcray, they'd sought out the pro-demi-human supporters in the city, a relatively small insurgency that hadn't been able to make much headway. With their help and the Shadows of the queen, they had acted to weaken Clérigo city from within.
"Now, let's really put the boot in," Naofumi said, a dark grin on his face as he watched the chaos unfold.
Motoyasu stepped forward to stand beside him. He looked less than pleased.
A Magic Water potion manifested from the Legendary Shield. Naofumi snagged it and raised it to his lips as his Circuits switched on.
"All Zweite Power X! All Zweite Guard X! All Zweite Agility X!"
The Enhancement magic rained down on the entire army. The boosts to Defence and Agility were universal, though the boost to Attack was restricted to the party of the Shield Hero. The only persons other then them to receive a boost to their Attack Stat was Eclair...and the Spear Hero.
As Naofumi chugged down the Magic Water potion, Motoyasu closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
He detested Naofumi with every fiber of his being. The Shield Hero revolted him on every level, and he would like nothing more than to teach the man a lesson he would never forget. But, he had to admit, if only to himself, that as he felt his Stats soar beyond what he had considered to be possible any time soon…that being allied with him did have some advantages.
"Would you do the honors, Motoyasu?" Naofumi prompted him.
"I'm going to, you bastard," the Spear Hero grumbled back.
Eyes hardening, Motoyasu took another step forwards, taking point. His heel twisted and dug into the soil as he took up a stance. The Legendary Spear was held at the ready in both hands, before the Spear Hero called on an old, but reliable Skill.
"Meteor…
The Legendary Spear spun with a deft movement of Motoyasu's hands, leaving behind a circle of energy.
"…Spear!"
Taking a thundering step forwards, the Legendary Spear was thrust through the circle of energy. The energy collected into a single point in front of the spear tip before erupting forwards in a beam of silvery energy.
One thing most people didn't appreciate about the Meteor Spear Skill after having seen it only once, was its effective range. As a beam of concentrated energy, it could hit hard and far if nothing obstructed it.
Motoyasu did appreciate that about the Skill, however, and that's why he had chosen to use it in this very moment. But, now he could also appreciate just how strong he could be with Naofumi's aid and, more importantly, having been powered up appropriately.
"..!"
Barriers manifested rapidly in front of the city gates. They were placed at least a dozen barriers thick in a single file. If this was some kind of automatic defence of the city or not, it didn't matter, because-
CRUNCH!-CRUNCH!-CRUNCH!-CRUNCH!-CRUNCH!-CRUNCH!
The silvery beam shattered them one after the other, not slowing down one iota.
BOOM!
And then the beam struck the city gates in a massive explosion that made the ground quake. As the smoke cleared, it revealed that the gates, in spite of whatever magical defences they might have had, had been reduced to ashes and splinters, leaving the way forwards open.
"Charge!"
The pro-demi-human forces did as ordered, charging into the breach.
They received sporadic fire from the city's in turmoil defenders as they did so, only for those arrows and spells to bounce off uselessly from the Shield Hero's barriers.
Not like those attacks would have done much of anything if they had struck true.
Clérigo city would fall to the pro-demi-human faction before the following onset of dusk
Hey, guys. Not much to say this time. I just hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
There's not really a 'real' battle in this chapter like usual, but I did enjoy writing the infiltration scene and how the conflict over Clérigo city played out.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
