So, I recently completed a short sequel to my Rising of the Shield Hero story Not Your Kind of People. While I had been working on it since I completed Not Your Kind of People, I only got the impetus to complete it, albeit somewhat rushed, recently. For those interested, it's called Not Your Kind of People: Postcards from Cal Mira.
At the end of that story, I said that I would try to work on a sequel, set during the Kyo arc. I even had a tentative title: Not Your Kind of People was named for the Garbage song, used for a trailer for Metal Gear Solid V. Fitting, then, that I use another Garbage song associated with espionage fiction: The World is Not Enough. It fits Kyo Ethnina's ambitions spanning at least two worlds.
Normally, I don't post the initial chapters of sequels in my compilations. But I thought I would make an exception. I've completed three chapters for this fic so far, with a fourth nearing completion. So, I hope you enjoy.
Just keep in mind, there's no guarantee this will become a full fic, as always. In addition, even if there are enough chapters to warrant posting as a standalone story, I won't be posting it until my annual December update. But hopefully, this will get you guys excited...
Oh, and before I go, I started playing a certain game today. Whether I do a fic or not depends on how well it grabs me, but it's still a possibility. I want to know if this tickles your fancy as a possible franchise for me to do fics for.
Namely, Honkai Star Rail.
Though TBH, Kafka, Natasha, and Herta all give me 'I need an adult' vibes... 0_0
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
CHAPTER 1:
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Lurolona Village. A large village, bordering on a small town, on one of the coastlines of the Kingdom of Melromarc. Once upon a time, it had been bustling, in a quiet way, a village filled with humans and demi-humans living together. Until the Wave of Calamity struck some months back, ruining it, and soon afterwards, the demi-humans were slaughtered or enslaved.
Yet now, it was beginning to come back to life once more. Lady Éclair Seatto was glad, as she supervised the drills for the guards to the village. The village was on the lands of her late father, who had been assassinated during the Wave, his death covered up and made to look the work of the monsters in the Wave. But she knew that the Three Heroes Church and the nobles who followed it had been responsible, and her attempts to exact justice ended up with her being imprisoned.
Yet now, she was free, and the new lord over these lands. Yet she wasn't comfortable with such ruling work, leaving much of it to trusted subordinates and people recommended by Queen Mirelia, such as Lord van Reichnott, a progressive lord whose lands, ironically, bordered on those of the man who led those who ransacked Lurolona. Éclair was glad that Idol Rabier was dead, thanks to a de-aging ritual experiment gone wrong.
That experiment also sent one of his slaves and a former inhabitant of Lurolona to another world, and back in time to boot, only to come back some time after the Wave that had robbed her of her home. A near-impossibility, and yet, she had proved it through the use of a Slave Crest at a broadcast trial. It was on that other world that said former inhabitant would meet a man who would be destined to become the Shield Hero.
As if summoned by her thoughts, a flare of light lit up the town square, and a quintet of people emerged. "Right, so that's Shieldfreeden's Hourglass synced now," one of them said, a young man with a messy mop of black hair, green eyes behind glasses, and with a shield on his arm. No, a Shield, THE Shield, a Cardinal Weapon wielded by one of four chosen heroes summoned to save this world.
"Hopefully Ren and Itsuki won't have any problems," said the young demi-human woman, her hair light brown, bearing a pair of rounded animal ears and a thick, bushy tail. Yet she held herself with the bearing of a warrior, much like Éclair did, though Éclair was sure that she had the demi-human beat in terms of raw skill.
Another demi-human girl, with more canine ears and a tail, and a tomboyish look, scoffed. "That stupid armoured moron couldn't keep his yap shut around demi-humans. Of course the Bow Hero's gonna have problems."
"Fweh…" moaned a timid-looking girl in her late teens with green hair done up in twin-tails and golden eyes.
"At least the Spear Guy wasn't there," scoffed the blonde girl, seemingly only about ten, with wings on her back. She looked literally angelic.
"Welcome back," Éclair said with a welcoming smile.
The young man looked at her, and smiled, a tired thing, but certainly better than he was a few weeks back. "Hi, Éclair. Nothing happen?"
"A few small attempts at raiding Lurolona while you were absent," Éclair said, not offended by the Shield Hero's familiar form of address. "The wards Raphtalia and Hermione put into place before your departure did wonders. The bandits have been sent to Melromarc Castle Town to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure. Thankfully, nothing serious has turned up…yet."
"…Thank Merlin for what mercies there are," the Shield Hero said.
"And what of Shieldfreeden? Was your journey without much trouble?"
"Not much, beyond a few bandits and a couple of monsters," he said with a shrug. "The main issue was that idiot Mald mouthing off against officials in Shieldfreeden. Nearly caused a diplomatic incident. But we've registered at the Dragon Hourglass, so we're good for now. I'm not sure when we'll be able to head to Zeltoble or Siltvelt, especially with this training course the Queen's setting up for us."
Éclair nodded. "Indeed. On Her Majesty's request, I have begun working on a curriculum. Lady Elrasa has been of considerable help. Most of the training will be in Hengen Musou, but I intend to teach the Cardinal Heroes proper fighting skills with their respective weapons, as well you know. I am more of a swordfighter, but I have trained with a spear, a bow…even using a shield as a weapon." After a moment, Éclair asked, "How are you feeling, Harry?"
Harry Potter, the Shield Hero, ran a hand through his hair. "…Better. I won't pretend everything's remotely near perfect. I'm still feeling a lot of guilt and anger about what happened at Cal Mira, about Rifana, and the others the Death Eaters killed. But…I'm better."
"That is good to hear. Will Sir Ren and Sir Itsuki be coming back here?"
The demi-human woman, Raphtalia, shook her head. "Ren is coming here, but Itsuki…given that Mald is a problem, Itsuki's trying to play peacemaker. He's staying at Melromarc Castle Town instead, at least until the training begins."
"…A shame, that," Éclair said, though she was not-so-secretly relieved that the xenophobic knight was not present: a competent warrior he may be, but he was also a racist fool. But she had to show some token semblance of respect to a fellow noble, even if he didn't deserve any. She only omitted the honorifics from Harry and Raphtalia's names because they insisted on that. Besides, Raphtalia had been like a little sister to her, the times she had met her prior to the Wave.
Then, Éclair remembered something. "I should point out that Her Majesty had allowed the Fayon children to come here. Apparently they have expressed an interest in learning Hengen Musou, and Lady Atla also wished to visit Lurolona. They arrived yesterday."
"Well, let's hope they haven't caused any trouble," Harry muttered.
As they walked towards where Elrasa Grilaroc had set up shop, Harry reflected on the past little while. Ever since the Wave of Catastrophe that hit Cal Mira, and the Death Eaters attacking, taking the lives of Rifana and a number of soldiers fighting against the Wave and its monsters, Harry had been in a bad way. True, he still was, but he was no longer quite as badly depressed or mired in self-loathing or guilt as he was.
It helped that he had friends and allies. Not long after the Wave, he had been visited by his old friend Hermione, as well as Naofumi Iwatani, the Vassal Mirror Hero of another world affected by the Waves, who'd gone through similar experiences after being summoned. They hadn't been hit by the Death Eaters, but because their allies L'Arc and Therese had been at Cal Mira, they had at least some timely warning. They helped him, talked to him.
And of course, there was the help of those in his party. Hedy, despite her childish ways, did her best to comfort the nearest thing she had to a father. So did Rishia, who'd only recently joined Harry's party.
He was glad Raphtalia and Keel, both of whom were Rifana's childhood friends, didn't blame him for what happened. Instead, they did their best to support him, and he tried, despite his depression and guilt and self-loathing, to do the same. After all, Rifana was their friend.
He had decided to head to Shieldfreeden to register at the Dragon Hourglass there, his fellow Cardinal Heroes Itsuki and Ren in tow, along with their parties, Motoyasu having gone off to do his own thing. At least then he'd ensured he knew when the Waves were coming to that country or Faubrey. Through Hedy, he'd consulted with Fitoria, and thankfully, the Waves at Siltvelt and Zeltoble weren't quite due yet.
He wasn't looking forward to going to either country. Zeltoble was filled with mercenaries and merchants, where slavery was common, and so too was gladiatorial combat. As for Siltvelt, although they worshipped the Shield Hero, they also not only legally enslaved humans, but had a form of classism even amongst the demi-human majority. That, plus some disturbing rumours about what happened to the last Shield Hero, had him wary of Siltvelt.
Thankfully, Shieldfreeden was not only welcoming, but in a way that didn't raise his hackles. While the officials weren't happy that he was staying in Melromarc, they at least accepted that he was helping with the demi-humans there, especially in Lurolona, with Raphtalia and Keel shown as examples. He promised to return to visit at a later date, which helped. That, and favouring them over Siltvelt, with whom they had had a fractious relationship. And at least Ren and Itsuki weren't treated as demons, though Mald's idiocy nearly caused major problems.
He did admit to being concerned about something the Shieldfreeden officials mentioned. Apparently the Vassal Whip Hero, Prince Takt Alsaholn Faubrey, had visited on several occasions. He even had a lover, one of many, in a fox demi-human from Shieldfreeden by the name of Tulina. And the officials, while initially willing to listen to his words, had found themselves a bit more willing to second-guess them after Harry had spoken with their ambassador in Faubrey. Takt, they feared, were trying to poison Shieldfreeden against both Melromarc and the Shield Hero (though the ex-king, Malty and Balmus' actions had certainly not helped the former).
Still, the trip to Shieldfreeden helped him thaw his relationship with Raphtalia. Rifana's death had them put the growth of their relationship on hold, at least until they could get over the worst of the mourning. Thankfully, neither Raphtalia or Keel blamed him for Rifana's demise, and it helped him stop blaming himself, at least to some degree. But they put their relationship on ice while they recovered from Rifana's death, and just when it was starting to get to an interesting stage too. They still slept together in the most literal sense, they'd gotten used to that, but beyond that and hugs, they hadn't gone any further for a time.
But soon after crossing Shieldfreeden's borders, Raphtalia had begun to make moves again, and Harry began to accept them. The girl he had met through Hermione mere months ago had swiftly grown into one of his best friends, despite a few rocky patches. And they were gradually becoming more than friends.
At times, he couldn't understand what the demi-human saw in him. She was beautiful, compassionate, and intelligent. The fact that she had the ears and tail of a tanuki didn't bother him. What's more, while a little starstruck by his fame, she never fawned over him like too many did back home.
Then again, she understood him in ways his prior girlfriends hadn't. Ginny hadn't quite understood he was no knight in shining armour, and Cho…well, that was a hot mess. But Raphtalia, having been enslaved and tortured by Idol Rabier prior to arriving on Earth, knew what misery and suffering were truly like.
He was lucky to have her. That was all there was to it.
That thought lingered with him as he arrived at the house that informally become a dojo for Elrasa Grilaroc. Their first meeting had been a brief stopover at her village to deliver medicine, the Draught of Yggdrasil, for the elderly woman. He'd stayed long enough to ensure she was recovering, having used the Shield to enhance the potion's effects.
Elrasa had more than recovered. Despite being decades his senior, the elderly woman was physically stronger and more skilled, being one of the last remaining practitioners of the martial art known as Hengen Musou, a combat style that allowed people to match the power of Cardinal Heroes. However, a rogue practitioner had wreaked havoc on the world when Elrasa was young, and the style was all but left to be forgotten, despite its utility.
So skilled was Elrasa that she had a lifetime ban from Zeltoble's arenas. As Itsuki had once said when Harry had told Itsuki and Ren of the incident, "Hengen Musou too OP, please nerf." Elrasa certainly held her own during one of the more brutal Waves of Catastrophe, fighting off many Wave monsters alone.
In the training yard near the dojo, Elrasa was sparring with Atla and Fohl, the former dressed in what looked like a more Asian style dress, like something out of a martial arts film, rather than the more rural European clothes she had worn before. The siblings were Hakuko demi-humans, part-human on their mother's side. Both had white hair with black streaks, as well as the rounded ears and tail of the white tigers their breed of demi-human were meant to resemble. Fohl, the older brother of the pair, had sky blue eyes with slitted pupils, whereas Atla almost always kept her eyes closed due to her blindness.
It said a lot about how far she had come that Harry was genuinely surprised to see Atla holding her own against Elrasa in a spar. He still had the feeling the old woman was holding back somewhat, but Atla was showing more skill than Fohl in fighting, and Fohl had been fighting in the arenas of Zeltoble for months by the time Harry bought the freedom of him and his sister. Atla was blind, and a little over a month ago, was ill to such a degree that she couldn't move much.
Of course, the siblings weren't without their quirks. Fohl was aggressive, and overprotective of his sister, even when cured. Atla, on the other hand, had a hero-worship nature that reminded Harry too much of Ginny and the fangirls in Magical Britain, as well as the way Lord Werner of Siltvelt acted, even when asked to show restraint. She even seemed to show jealousy towards Raphtalia, given how close they were, and seemed to want a relationship with Harry, despite Atla being about 10. And due to her condition, unlike other demi-humans, she didn't grow and mature with experience, though Fohl was doing so, albeit slowly.
Harry was broken from her thoughts when Atla was flung out of the ring by one blow, soon followed by Fohl. "Hah! You're a damned prodigy, girl," Elrasa said. "Your brother picked things up quicker than I thought, but you? Already being able to sense life-force has stood you in good stead! Still, it'll be some time before you can outmatch me."
"True," Atla said, getting gingerly to her feet, before bowing in respect. Fohl did so too. For all his belligerence, he at least seemed to respect the elderly woman. "I do have to admit to a moment of distraction, though I am sure you would have prevailed over me anyway, Lady Elrasa. I just sensed the advent of the Shield Hero and his party."
"So did I, but I didn't let myself get distracted," Elrasa harrumphed, before turning to them. "So, how was Shieldfreeden, Harry?"
"Welcoming, thankfully, Elrasa, and it gave us time to work out things," Harry said.
"Yes, so I heard. I'm sorry for your loss. Rifana was too young. I was training on Cal Mira myself at the time, and only learned of the Wave afterwards. I should've been there," Elrasa said with a sigh. Both Atla and Fohl nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, my training will help you and the other Cardinal Heroes get up to snuff."
"Maybe. But it's good to see you again, Elrasa. And you two are doing well?"
Fohl nodded. While not quite warm to Harry yet, his earlier belligerence was mostly gone. "Atla and I thought we should get away from the castle for a while. I mean, the Queen, our aunt, she's nice enough, and we're getting along well with Melty. But people are still staring at us because we're Hakuko demi-humans."
Atla nodded in her turn. "My grandfather's actions against Melromarc have left deep wounds. Even knowing our lineage from our mother's side of the family hasn't helped. They probably believe that we want to take Melty's place, usurp her like her sister tried to do. But I would rather help the one who has helped me recover. Hence why we came here…and why I have asked for lessons from Lady Elrasa. We wish to fight by your side."
Harry grimaced at the thought. Rifana was technically only about as old as Atla was, even if, thanks to demi-human physiology, she had grown into her teens before she died. He was still reluctant to allow Keel to fight, though he doubted he'd be able to keep the tomboyish dog demi-human away anyway. Raphtalia at least was an adult, so she could make her choices, while Hedy, being a monster, was eager to fight, and Harry reckoned he couldn't stop her.
Elrasa, as if sensing his foughts, said, "Sonny, I know how you feel about this. But leaving aside demi-humans ageing as they gain battle experience, I reckon these two have considerable potential. Fohl's already an excellent self-taught fighter, he just needs to unlearn some bad habits he picked up fighting in Zeltoble. And Atla…she has a lot of potential. In fact…" She looked at Rishia with an intrigued expression. "That girl…what's your name?"
"Fweh…Rishia Ivyred, Lady Elrasa," the green-haired girl said, bowing.
"Ivyred, huh? Oh, yes, I heard about what happened from the Queen," Elrasa said. "Damned shame that the Bow Hero had to give you to Harry. But you…I wonder…" She began to chuckle. "I think you'll be as interesting as Atla, girl…"
CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry and Raphtalia and the others have recovered, at least in part, from Rifana's death. And with Atla and Fohl undergoing Hengen Musou training earlier than they did in canon, they may yet be a force to be reckoned with sooner.
It really annoys me that, in favour of doing a finale that seems to be a recap with a few fanservice-laden moments, they discarded doing even an abridged version of the Cardinal Heroes training for the anime. The most we get is seeing Elrasa training Rishia. And while I may not go into it in too much detail, I'll still have it acknowledged.
One thing that did annoy me about canon is that Naofumi made little effort to go to any of the other countries, if only to sync with their Dragon Hourglasses. I can understand being wary of Siltvelt or Zeltoble, but what of Shieldfreeden or Faubrey? Given that Shieldfreeden eventually turns on Naofumi thanks in part to Takt, you'd think that if he'd reached out to them earlier, he'd have nipped that problem in the bud. Here, Harry, along with Ren and Itsuki, have at least synced their Weapons with the Hourglass in Shieldfreeden. Motoyasu is being contrarian as he usually is, though. He's hoping to find Malty and 'rescue' her from the Death Eaters. Moron.
No numbered annotations this time.
