First off, I apologize for the chapter being posted later than usual. This wasn't my idea of an April Fool's joke. I was originally going to do a fifth hero one-shot for April Fools because of just how much I despise that branch of fanfiction due to the edgy and cringe version of those stories that came out back in 2019 when the anime first released. Because I realized that I was posting this chapter today, however, I decided to leave the doc on my Discord Server instead. It is available to read for anyone who wants to join my Fan Server.
Anyway, as to why this chapter was released late, it is because this site verified my internet connection when I tried to save all the changes I'd made from Grammarly and the like. So... yeah. Moderators, FIX YOUR DAMN SITE'S INTERNET VERIFICATION THINGY! YOU ALMOST MADE ME THROW MY LAPTOP AT A WALL WHEN HOURS OF WORK WERE THROWN AWAY BECAUSE YOUR SITE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO &^%$&^% VERIFY AN INTERNET CONNECTION WITHOUT SAVING ANYTHING FROM BEFORE! SERIOUSLY, TO QUOTE ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF SAO ABRIDGED: &^%$! ALL Y'ALL!
Ahem, with that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I certainly suffered a lot with the final edits on this one. -_-
Chapter Six: The Underbelly
Motoyasu didn't know why he expected it to be dark underground.
Perhaps, it was because he expected the undercity to look creepy and disgusting. And indeed, there were undoubtedly many parts of it that could be described as just that and much worse.
But for the most part, after the group exited the passage and looked around, things looked... surprisingly clean.
The main street was spacious and well-lit. It looked just as well-kept and maintained as the capital's topside. The walls and ceiling looked sturdy and smooth to the touch. It was obvious that they had been enhanced by earth magic to prevent any collapses and water leakage from the river that ran across the city above.
Most of the people found moving around down here were either well-dressed or decked out in top-of-the-line adventuring gear. The illumination was provided by magic lanterns hanging on the ceiling and from numerous sconces attached to the walls. There were even stalls along the main underground road, with merchants peddling their wares behind them.
But despite the seemingly clean and innocuous first impression, there were still some big differences between this place and the upper city. And the most notable one was the abundance of slaves that were put on display.
Moto and his group had seen a handful of them up above, but there were far, far more of them down here. And as the Spear Hero followed Hickwaal and his bodyguards, he was able to get a good look at them all.
A slaver was moving a group of adult slaves bound in chains toward an open auction happening in plain sight in one of the specially designated slave markets.
Another group was apparently in charge of keeping this part of the Undercity tidy. Their weak and malnourished forms could be seen cleaning the stone floors and walls with rags that looked no different from the ones that the slaves wore on their bodies. And to make sure that the slaves wouldn't slack off, a group of armed guards with whips was monitoring them nearby. Their tools occasionally cracked the air, making the servants flinch and raise their pace.
The younger and better-looking slaves had price tags attached to their collars and were put up on display next to other exotic and premium products and goods that the various stall merchants were selling.
The larger storefronts, carved right into the stone walls seemed to be more specialized and prestigious, focusing on some specific type of commodity or service. Many of them seemed to cater to and provide things that would get you run out of town in more orderly parts of the world.
There were also many side passages splintering off from the main road that Motoyasu was briefly able to look into as they walked. And as he did, it quickly became apparent that only the main roads of the Undercity were regularly maintained. The places where all the numerous tourists and customers mingled were all well-lit and clean, but the moment you made a sharp turn down into one of the side tunnels, alleyways, or maintenance tunnels used for slaves, maintenance workers, and the like, things turned ghetto pretty quick.
Cracked floors, walls stained with blood, vomit, and fecal matter, and piles of garbage; it was an unnerving sight. Throughout their trip with Hickwaal, Motoyasu spotted what was drugs being sold to some miserable wretches out in the open. Once, he saw a brawl break out between a homeless human and a homeless wolfman over a pinch of the mysterious white powder.
"Bubba, why's that woman over there wearing so little clothing? Won't she catch a cold like that?" Keel asked, pointing out a woman standing outside a door in one of the wider side tunnels. She was smoking while wearing an outfit that barely left anything to the imagination.
"I'll tell you later, Keel. Let's just keep moving." Anya grimaced, nudging her friend to continue while ignoring the prostitute who began to walk up to one of the tourists traveling along the main street.
Less than a minute later, Motoyasu nearly stopped in outrage as he saw a group of six slaves carrying a litter upon which sat a bald portly man that was so obese, Idol Rabier would have looked healthy in comparison. The six slaves, a mix of humans and demis, were struggling to transport his massive bulk around. At the first sign of slowing down, one of the man's aids struck the lead human with a striped whip over his head, causing the slave to collapse to the ground unconscious. Blood began to leak from the wound, staining his graying hair.
The obese man frowned on his litter, and the purple seal on the fallen slave's chest activated once, then twice. But besides some twitching, the unconscious man didn't get up.
"I understand how you feel, but I must ask you to not start a scene," Hickwaal said before Motoyasu could confront the obese man.
The obese master rolled his eyes and gestured with his hand to the five remaining slaves carrying his litter to continue moving. One of them tried to get down to pick up their unconscious comrade, but the man shook his head, forbidding the slave from doing so. The purple crest on the other slave's chest also glowed faintly, threatening punishment if he disobeyed.
The remaining five had no choice but to continue, leaving their fallen comrade behind as they went around a corner, disappearing.
Motoyasu deflated in disappointment.
"That man is Ziro Quaker, one of the most influential landowners in the city and the man who owns the Colosseum, Zeltoble's most prestigious arena. He is a spiteful man with a lot of authority. If you cross him, he will not only ban you from entering the Colosseum but every other fighting pit and arena in the city. And that will make completing your task here practically impossible."
As Motoyasu looked down at the unconscious slave while gritting his teeth in anger, a group of mercenaries came out of the shadows. One of them forced the fallen man up while another used some healing magic to seal the slave's bleeding wound.
That was the extent of the treatment that he got, however, before the guards dragged his unconscious body off into one of the dark alleys. A few moments later a few of the cleaning slaves from earlier knelt by the bloodstain that was left behind on the ground and began to clean it up.
"That man's luckier than most. From what I heard, Ziro usually has his slaves killed outright when they fail him. He must be in a good mood today." Hickwaal's face briefly soured, before he masked it with another fake smile.
Motoyasu and his group continued following the midget merchant. But now, Motoyasu was starting to struggle with ignoring everything around him.
Such inhuman cruelty to sentient life was unforgivable…
…
As they walked past another side passage, Motoyasu spotted a group of black-robed individuals. They were going down an alleyway, dragging a scared child slave in chains behind them.
One of the men was holding some kind of strange and wicked-looking ceremonial dagger in his hands.
…
Motoyasu vowed internally after seeing that. If this job did end up being successful, he'd come back one day to deal with this cesspit himself.
There was no way something like this could be allowed to continue. He'd clean this place up no matter how long it took.
…
As they continued down the road, Motoyasu spotted some people staring at his group.
"Is that a Shuzaku?" A gritty-looking man spoke. He wasn't very tall, and most of his teeth were missing.
"Hmmm, their wings are supposed to be red. Hers isn't." Another man spoke next to him. He was even more wiry than his comrade, and while he had almost all his teeth, they were all yellowed or black.
"That might mean a mutation. I wonder if she's for sale." The first man licked his lips and began to salivate, leering at Amber as if she were nothing more than a piece of meat.
"That dog looks nice too. Haven't had any in a while." The second man began to salivate as well.
…
Perverts. If they even touched Amber, they'd end up on Motoyasu's murder list, I say. No way he'd trust her or anyone else in his group with those fellows.
"Nghh…" Amber began to shift uncomfortably. "Amber doesn't like those two men, Big Brother." She suddenly said.
"What? Should I kill them for their pervertedness now, I say?" Motoyasu quickly responded.
"Perverted…? Oh, you mean wanting to mate." Amber shook her head. "No, Big Brother, Amber doesn't think those men want to mate with Amber.
"They look like they want to eat Amber."
…
"Eat you?" "That's ridiculous." Keel and Anya both scoffed simultaneously, after having a moment to process the Filolial girl's words.
Motoyasu looked at the two men again though, and the one staring at Keel licked his lips again. His eyes were filled with nothing but hunger. And Amber shuddered again as the first man whispered something to his fellow, which made both of them chuckle ominously.
…
…
…
Did Motoyasu say they weren't on his murder list yet? My bad.
He was going to rectify that mistake right now, I say!
"Big Brother, don't." Amber pulled the Spear Hero along by the arm.
"Come on, at least let me scare them a little!" Motoyasu complained to the girl.
"Big Brother, no." Amber persisted.
The two men must have been wiser than they looked because upon seeing the waves of murderous intent coming off the knight figure being restrained by the younger girl, they quickly bolted from the street.
Motoyasu had their faces and builds memorized, however. If he found them again and nobody else was around, they weren't going to survive the encounter. Their ashes would be ashes by the time he was done with them.
Amber sighed. "Just leave it alone. We don't want to cause trouble, remember?"
"No promises!" Motoyasu responded almost too casually.
Amber didn't let go of his arm as they walked past that area.
At some point, as they walked, the streets opened into large underground caverns. The streets were replaced with wide-open plazas filled with the other establishments Granny had warned him about.
Gambling and drug dens showed up en masse. They were placed alongside bars, brothels, and restaurants, as well as the occasional theater, though it didn't look like anyone was interested in the plays. Armed mercenaries were everywhere, ready to drag off drunkards and junkies from the area with the speed and efficiency of veteran Disneyland workers.
Motoyasu saw an argument turn into a fight between two patrons in one of the bars. But one of the armed mercenaries swiftly moved in, knocking the two men out with the hilt of his sword before binding their wrists and dragging them away. Another armed mercenary, a woman with floppy dog ears on her head, took the first one's place, keeping watch over the plaza.
This whole place was a real piece of work.
"Oooh, Bubba, this smoky stuff in the air smells really sweet." Keel pointed out as they passed by one of the drug dens. A large white cloud of ...something was clinging to it, occasionally leaking out into the main street in long tendril-like wisps.
"Yeah, don't breathe that in please." Motoyasu hastily plastered a handkerchief over Keel's face and pulled her away. She let out some muffled words of confusion or protest at the action but otherwise listened to what Motoyasu had told her.
It looked like most of the crowds were drawn to doors leading to the various underground fighting pits in the place. Where the sounds of fighting could be heard clear as day.
Hickwaal wasn't leading them to these entrances, however, and instead led them to a staircase leading further up toward the surface again.
Finally, after some time of going up the stairs, Hickwaal stopped before a door. A person opened a slot in it to look down, and right afterward, it was opened by an older gentleman.
"Master Hickwaal, I didn't expect to see you for today's matches." The man was dressed like your typical butler. There wasn't a single wrinkle in his black, gold-trimmed suit, and he had a handkerchief poking out of his front coat pocket. The hair on his head was white with age, yet it was well groomed, along with his beard and mustache. However, he had a fierce expression on his face. He had an aura of power around him that Motoyasu recognized from veteran adventurers. Ones who'd managed to live their entire lives facing monsters again and again, living to tell about it in their ripe old age.
He knew this all too well because these traits were shared by one other person he knew very well: Granny.
...
For some reason, Motoyasu had the unconscious thought that those two would get along well if they met face to face. He wasn't keen on seeing that happen anytime soon.
"Greetings Sebas, I wasn't planning to visit today either, but I've run into some old acquaintances." Hickwaal smiled, entirely unphased by the man's appearance as he gestured to Motoyasu and his cohorts. "This is their first time at the capital, so I am showing them around."
"I see... very well. I shall be at your service then." The older man bowed politely. While his facial expression didn't change, the threatening aura coming off him diminished somewhat.
Holy... Hickwaal had himself one very good butler. He was surprised he needed other bodyguards when this old man would be enough to scare anybody off. Even monsters.
He'd seen it happen before too. You didn't know true fear until you saw dragons flying away from one old lady in the mountains, absolutely terrified of being annihilated without a shred of mercy for interrupting.
Granted, they were a lesser species of dragon he and Granny encountered when the retired adventurer was looking for a good spot to train him in feeling his life force, but anyway.
Motoyasu and the others entered a room that, besides the butler who'd answered, was devoid of anyone else.
The bodyguards stayed in front of the door, taking positions by it to stand guard as it closed shut.
This was some kind of VIP observation room. One of the walls had several large windows, showing a view of a large, underground arena down below. If it had been a football stadium, this would have been considered skybox seating.
There was a fight going on at the bottom right now. A towering, heavily scarred hakuko male dressed in nothing but a loincloth was facing off against a Griffon monster.
Motoyasu's HUD indicated the monster's level at being 115.
"Ah, perfect, with a match as exciting as this happening, no one will mind me bringing a few guests up here." Hickwaal chuckled as he took a seat, staring down at the arena below. "And as a bonus, you'll also get a sneak peek at what you'll be getting yourself into when you're not facing other contestants."
Keel, Amber, and Anya didn't take seats. Instead, the girls headed over to a counter where snacks had been laid out. They began to munch on them greedily while Motoyasu took a seat next to the plump merchant. Sebas stood near the back wall, calmly observing everyone while waiting to receive commands from his benefactor.
"Is this room yours?" The Spear Hero decided to break the ice with a bit of small talk first.
"Indeed, it is! It's soundproofed and the windows are one-way mirrors, so it should be relatively safe for us to discuss business here. Especially since you'll be participating in these fights down there soon," Hickwaal said while continuing to observe the fight down below.
"As a wandering traveler that goes by the name 'Bubba'." Motoyasu sighed. He had failed to come up with an alternative name by this point. He was wondering if he was going to be stuck with it for the rest of the time he was here.
"On that note, may I suggest a better background for you? Instead of claiming to be some wandering traveler, you should say that you're a knight that survived the battle against the Spirit Tortoise in Sworn." Hickwaal suggested. "It was thanks to the Cardinal Heroes that some people escaped that place alive. The fact that you fought the beast and its minions and lived to talk about it would prove your strength without exposing your real identity."
"Oh… okay." Motoyasu nodded, liking the idea. "And my name?"
"Nothing wrong with it, keep it as it is." Hickwaal shrugged.
…
Motoyasu crossed his arms, looking down below. His vizor was down, hiding the fact that he was pouting.
The Griffon monster unleashed a loud screech from its beak. It must have been a magic attack, as Motoyasu was able to see indistinct waves coming from its mouth covering the whole ground of the arena. Yet its effect was blocked by a magical barrier that shimmered to existence in front of the windows of the room.
The hakuko male on the ground didn't waver as his ears pressed flat against his head. He raced past the monster, his clawed hands leaving deep gashes along the beast's left flank.
He then spun on one hand as the monster tried to peck him, not only dodging its beak but allowing him to nail the side of the creature's head with one of his feet, making it stagger back.
Motoyasu began to look at the fight more closely, awed at the skill the fighter was showing.
"Hmmm, they've already cast a speed debuff on Hu. Looks like the crowd wants the griffon to win today's fight." Hickwaal frowned to himself.
"Oh…" Motoyasu trailed off. He remembered Granny mentioning this to him about the Colosseum and the underground arenas in particular.
Each match in these illegal arenas had people betting on the victor. Not only that, members of the audience could do all sorts of things to have their side win. Like paying to have support or debuff magic cast on the participants. Or throw a weapon or armor set down for the fighters to use. They could even pay to have the fighting arena's environment changed to suit one side over the other.
There were quite a few things that could be done in these fights if enough money was thrown around.
It appeared that this audience wanted the Griffon to win. Which would mean the hakuko man's death… was that allowed?
The two watched the fight proceed for a little while longer.
…
"How do you know Naofumi?" Motoyasu finally spoke after a while.
The fight below was starting to heat up as the original griffon lay injured on the ground, yet two more suddenly appeared from holes in the wall that opened up. One's level was 120, while the other was level 125.
"We met a few months ago. I'd say it would have been a couple of weeks or so after Melromarc had the wave that hit close to its Capital." Hickwaal answered.
Motoyasu grunted. "That would have been when he was on the run."
"Indeed, I assumed he was hiding his identity after he introduced himself as the Nocturnal Doctor. But I didn't realize who he was until later.
"I'll take it that he hasn't gone by that title lately since you didn't recognize it?" Hickwaal inquired.
"Not really. I think I remember being told he called himself the Nocturnal Doctor at one point. But I can't recall when." Motoyasu frowned under his helmet.
"Hmmm, well in any case, he, his companion, and his Filolial protected me from an attempt on my life by one of my associates seeking my role as guildmaster, and I have owed him my gratitude for that ever since.
"Said associate has since been taken care of, but that's a different story for another time." Hickwaal chuckled to himself.
"Anyway, while I was traveling with the Shield Hero, I saw some of the things he'd made by himself and realized that he had a talent with his hands. So I decided to teach him what I could of crafting accessories before we parted ways.
"Hmmm… this reminds me, I did hear from one of my colleagues who went to Cal Mira that his skills have progressed, but I haven't been able to see Sir Naofumi's latest works yet." Hickwaal pondered out loud. "Do you think you could bring a sample or two of his work to me during your stay? I recall that heroes can traverse great distances in an instant with some kind of special ability called teleport. So it shouldn't be too much trouble."
"... That might be difficult at the moment," Motoyasu said, fidgeting in his seat. "Naofumi isn't exactly reachable right now."
"Oh? Is that why he's not here?" Hickwaal asked curiously.
"Yeah, kind of." Motoyasu refused to elaborate further.
"I see… can you at least say where he's at?" Hickwaal pressed on.
"No. All I can say is that he's helping out elsewhere and that he's doing well." Motoyasu answered honestly.
"Hmmm…" Hickwaal looked down at the fight below again.
The original griffon monster was finally dead, though the hakuko fighter now had a gash on one of his shoulders. Not that the two other griffons looked better, as one looked like its wings had been ripped off while the other was missing one of its eyes.
"How did you find out Naofumi was the Shield Hero back then?" Motoyasu asked.
"I did the same thing I did before with you while I was teaching him about accessory crafting and enchanting," Hickwaal answered. "I do know some of the tricks that can distinguish a Hero from a normal person. No matter how many times I changed the language I was speaking when I was teaching him in private, he didn't even bat an eye at me.
"I wasn't certain if he was the Shield Hero specifically. But after everything I'd learned about him and his situation at that point, I had a pretty good guess." Hickwaal continued to smile while thinking back at that time. "My associate merely confirmed it to me after he returned from his very profitable trip to Cal Mira. I was glad to see the Shield Hero managed to beat some business sense into that skull of his."
"So… Was the only reason why you helped Naofumi back then because of his crafting skills?" Motoyasu asked.
"Yes. I needed no other reason. He was the first person I met who I thought to be worthy of inheriting my knowledge, and because he saved my life, I had all the more reason to do so." Hickwaal answered honestly. "I considered it an investment helping him out even if it had the chance of souring some of my connections in Melromarc. But being the benefactor of a Hero is far better for business than keeping a few disgruntled nobles happy."
"Hmmm…" Motoyasu thought about his answer for a moment.
This time, since he was watching for it, he saw as strength and speed debuff magic was cast on the hakuko fighter down below at a critical moment as one of the two griffons suddenly lunged toward his throat, having been enhanced by speed buff magic.
Yet despite being slowed down and weakened, the man slid sideways, wrapping his furry arms around the griffon's neck as it passed overhead. He began strangling the creature and biting into the monster's neck above where he was strangling it as the other tried getting over its comrade's back to get at the pesky white tiger.
The therianthrope man must have been using strengthening magic of his own in his beast form. Either that or he had a freakishly high level and stats for his race because there was no way the arena's debuff magic should have been shrugged off that easily. Not without life force training from Granny, at least.
Though, then again, Motoyasu saw parts of the tiger man's body glow as he fought. So perhaps he was channeling his life force instinctually without realizing it? Granny had mentioned in the past that such a thing was possible without training in life force if an individual honed their talents in their profession past their absolute limits.
It was strange to see such an individual fighting in a death match like this though. Who was this man exactly?
…
"Any other questions you want to get out of the way before we continue?" Hickwaal asked.
"... One more, I think," Motoyasu said. "You seem to understand that by helping me out, your position here will be put in jeopardy."
"Oh, no it won't be put in jeopardy." Hickwaal clarified. "Rather, if I'm found out, I'll be kicked out of Zeltoble's Merchant's guild, branded as a traitor by the other members of the city council, and either be sold off as a debt slave at best or publicly executed at worst."
…
…
…
Motoyasu could not help but stare at the man, who still had a jovial smile on his face while watching the scarred hakuko down below struggling against the last monster.
The two of them were both covered in wounds, and the people betting on the griffons winning were trying everything they could to get the hakuko killed, either by paying for more intense debuff magic to be cast on him, paying for more buff magic to be cast on the remaining griffon, or by trying to pay for an additional fighter to be added to aid the griffon.
They couldn't pay for more reinforcements though. They could only do that once in these monster matches since the supply of powerful monsters that the arenas were keeping around for fights wasn't unlimited.
"Why the hell do you want to help me out then? What could be in it for you if you lose everything here? I seriously doubt you'd stay around if doing this would put your life in danger." Motoyasu responded heatedly and turned his head to face the short merchant.
"Meh. What I have here is a trifling of what I could have later if things work out." Hickwaal chuckled as he waved off the Spear Hero's concern.
"And what would that be?" Motoyasu asked incredulously.
"Why, I could set up a new shop in the middle of the Hero's Nation!" Hickwaal proclaimed excitedly. "I can already see it in my mind! A franchise more glorious than anything else I've ever built, selling goods from all over the world! Blessed by all four of the Holy Heroes!
"I say, there'd be endless profits to reap from such an endeavor for me and my descendants!"
…
…
Again, Motoyasu took another moment as he pondered over the merchant's answer.
"Is something wrong?" Hickwaal asked, looking concerned.
"... I mean, yeah, I guess if you want to set up a shop in exchange for helping us, I think that's actually pretty reasonable. It might take some time to find a plot of land that'd work for you, but I think Melty is capable enough to work out the details with you.
"But… our nation is really small. We're nowhere close to being able to compete with the likes of Zeltoble or even Melromarc in terms of trade or people or anything like that. So I doubt that you'd get to see what you are envisioning happen in your lifetime."
"I disagree," Hickwaal smirked as he turned his head to face Motoyasu as well.
"Let me go on a little side tangent before I explain. "
Hickwaal reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out three gold coins. The merchant then put one of the gold coins in his right hand while keeping two gold coins in his left.
"Let's say I have an offer for you. I wish to purchase one of the buttons from your gambeson. I can either pay you one gold coin for it right now, or I can pay you two coins for it tomorrow.
"Which option do you think is more profitable?"
Motoyasu quickly opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated at the last second…
After a short moment of thinking it over himself, he shook his head and leaned back in his seat.
"To take one gold coin now." He answered.
Hickwaal's eyes widened slightly, betraying his surprise. This was not the response that he expected.
"May I ask for your reasoning?" The merchant passed the gold coin over to the Spear Hero who took it and raised it to the slit in his helmet to take a closer look at the freshly-minted piece of shiny metal.
"Because now I can invest this gold coin today." Motoyasu lowered his hand and stored the coin in his weapon's Gemstone before tearing off one of the buttons off his armor's gambeson and tossing it over to Hickwaal.
The merchant caught it deftly, rolling it in between his fingers while Motoyasu continued.
"Besides that, there is no guarantee that you'll keep your word and give me two gold coins tomorrow. Even if we sign a contract and you try your best to follow its conditions with no ill intent, something unexpected could happen. You could get robbed, or go bankrupt, or some kind of natural disaster or random misfortune could leave you destitute or dead.
"In short, it's best to take what is being offered here and now and then use that wealth to multiply it on your terms instead of waiting for more wealth that could come from an uncertain future."
"I see… I do apologize." Hickwaal pocketed the button and bowed his head. "I was not aware that you were a merchant too, Sir Motoyasu. My attempts at communicating with you earlier must have sounded rather boorish."
"I'm not a merchant." The Spear Hero shook his head. "But I did study Economics and Commerce in my original world. Allow me to apologize too. You must have had something profound to say and I ruined it by subverting your expectations of me."
Hickwaal leaned back in his seat next and let out a deep throaty chuckle. "It's quite alright. Not everything will always go according to plan, no matter how many preparations you make.
"But regarding what I wanted to say. Taking the gold coin now would be the statistically more profitable option to take, as you've said. Any good merchant who knows his salt would agree with this."
Hickwaal's jovial expression soured just a little bit. "But not I."
"Oh? Why's that?" Motoyasu quirked his eyebrows and crossed his arms.
"Because I am not a 'good' merchant, Sir Motoyasu." Hickwaal shrugged helplessly.
"Throughout my career, I never cared about chasing trends. I didn't participate in any quick schemes. I didn't invest in any new untested products. I didn't join any shifty cliques or conspiracies to manipulate or claim a monopoly over certain local markets. I didn't abuse unfortunate situations to jack up the prices of essential goods. And I tried my best to distance myself from certain types of merchandise and services that I could have easily provided and profited greatly from, out of personal distaste.
"Instead, I took the assets that I inherited from my comfortably wealthy parents and slowly worked my way up with safe long-term investments, building a strong reputation and simply outlasting my competitors. One after another, I watched them crash and burn in their single-minded pursuit of multiplying their wealth at any cost. Slowly and carefully I made my way forward over their ashes, making sure to not repeat their mishaps and mistakes. Until I finally found myself at the top one day.
"But the thing is... I wasn't the first person to get to the top. I wasn't alone up there.
"There were already notorious, experienced, and influential people up there. But they didn't get there by taking the road that I took. Nor did they get there by taking the road that my competitors have. Or rather... they did, but without any of the risks.
"They did the same things as the ones who had lost their businesses and investments as a consequence of their failures and shortsighted pursuit of profits. But instead of crashing and burning alongside them, they managed to safely land back on their feet. Because they had help.
"It came in many different ways. Some of them had rich and influential patrons or were members of nobility themselves. So they were able to get back up with a few donations under the promise that they would return the favor later.
"Others shifted their failures on someone else. Like the workers in their factories. Or the customers who kept their money in their banks. They paid the price of failure for those individuals, allowing them to start over.
"Regardless of their circumstances, most of the people on my current level are either morons, aggressively malicious sociopaths, or both, which is most common.
"They did not reach this far up through any merit and it shows.
"So when they saw me. Someone who got to this level in a way that was 'wrong'.
"They felt threatened.
"Since the moment that I became the Guildmaster of the Merchant's guild, Zeltoble's elites have done everything in their power to sabotage me or to remove me outright. It was only because of the genuine connections that I made along with my outstanding reputation that I was able to weather this never-ending storm for all these years.
For the longest time, I even toyed with the idea of using my vast influence to shift the local market trends toward healthier ways that would bring long-term stability. I succeeded to some extent. By paying my workers double the wages of my current competitors, I was able to easily snatch up every expert and skilled laborer in the field while simultaneously forcing my competitors to adapt or die out.
"And with how stubborn they were, they tried to compensate by using slave labor instead. Needless to say, slaves who can't even read make for poor workers.
"At that point, I became the owner of close to half of the industry in Zeltoble. Many of the towns in this country operated their mines and manufacturing in my name.
"But all good things have to come to an end. And in my case, The Waves of Destruction made me suffer a fatal blow.
"The other elites of Zeltoble saw this opportunity and ordered our mercenary armies to pull back to the capital and focus on only protecting the main city. I tried my best to defend my numerous assets across the country through the use of private security, but only a handful were willing to work for me. And the numbers of those who did quickly dwindled even further as the waves ground them down to dust.
"I'm sure you've seen the results on your way here. Most of the country is now in ruins. There has been almost no one here strong enough to effectively combat the waves for the last few months."
"I..." Motoyasu tried to interject while biting his lip.
"Do not worry, I am not blaming you or the other heroes. I am aware of what the Three Heroes Church and King Aultcray tried to pull off during the first few months. I wasn't present at the conference in Faubley personally, but I heard what Queen Mirellia had to say on the topic. And I am aware that you operate worldwide now under the Queen of the Filolials. I am afraid it's a bit too late in Zeltoble's case.
"But, I digress. To get back on topic, in regards of me seeking asylum in your country, Sir Spear Hero..."
"I have influence here, but as I explained, my influence here is dwindling. I have a lot of enemies and I'm not flexible enough when it comes to dealing with the certain types of goods and 'unique' services in demand here. Hence the bodyguards." Hickwaal coughed into his hand.
"But if I were to liquidate all my assets here and seek asylum in the Hero's nation, I'd be able to set up shop again under much more favorable conditions. I wouldn't have to deal with demand for slaves or other less tasteful services. And my wealth would also help to bolster your economy and give employment to those among you who aren't training to fight."
Motoyasu frowned. "But again, this could potentially take decades to pay off. Why not just retire at that point?
"Hmhmhm." Hickwaal chuckled to himself. "Because I have something that most of my colleagues don't have thanks to their focus on profits they could make now instead of later. Vision.
"You say your nation is small now, but what about in five years or ten years? Perhaps, twenty, maybe fifty?
"It was thanks to a past Spear Hero that Faubley's royal family came to be. Areas of Shieldfreeden and Zeltoble are dotted with the descendants of past Sword Heroes. Remnants of the Bow Hero's lineage live on in some of Melromarc's nobility. And Siltvelt itself was founded thanks to the efforts of past Shield Heroes.
"Now imagine a nation being founded by all four of the Cardinal Heroes. A nation where they and their descendants will be able to live after the current set of Waves is over. Where the people will be able to grow strong and expand their influence under all four Cardinal Heroes. Whose descendants will mix with theirs, and be blessed with power and abilities thanks to their Hero lineages.
"Do you think that any of the other nations would be able to compare to the progress that one nation would make after even one century had passed?"
…
"I… don't know," Motoyasu answered, looking unsure.
"History remembers the rise of the major nations and families established by Cardinal Heroes of the past. But most people tend to forget the darker lessons taught to us by history.
"Zeltoble might have been great at one point. But now, this nation is nothing but a dead end. Because of the greed of those in charge, we have no middle class that exists here anymore. Many you've seen here above or below ground are tourists or traders passing through. The only people left here either own other people, are owned themselves, or work low-paying jobs, so they can avoid being thrown out into the streets.
"Most of the property in the city is in the hands of a select few like myself. And the slaves…
"Zeltoble's population was already in decline before the Waves hit, and I already explained to you what happened when the City Council decided to throw the smaller settlements that provided food and resources to us under the bus in favor of centralizing all of Zeltoble's economy around its capital. So what little the country had in terms of actual citizens and diversity in portfolios has either fled, been destroyed, killed, or is in the process of being enslaved.
"All food and other essentials are being imported from other countries and any major shift or disturbance in trade routes and logistics could spell disaster for us.
"We don't even have a proper standing army here. Instead, we rely on the same slave soldiers and mercenaries we use for entertainment underground to keep things running in our nation. Gods know where our Seven-Star Hero went at this point. She must have abandoned us, either that, or she perished in a ditch, killed by some monster long ago."
…
Hickwaal sighed to himself. "As it stands, with or without the help of the Heroes, Zeltoble is a dead nation that hasn't realized it is dead yet. Most of the people living here have sunk so low into the most depraved things to acquire money and power that I can't stand for it any longer. It is only a matter of time until our mercenary armies are unable to keep up with the strength of the Waves around the Capital, and we'll have to beg for the Hero's help to save this wretched place."
"And I doubt that you would wish to do so after seeing your reactions to some of the things here already."
"We're Cardinal Heroes. If we don't fight off the Waves everywhere, it'd hurt everyone the world over, not just here." Motoyasu finally spoke, rebutting what Hickwaal said at first, before pausing for a few seconds. "... but if it came down to it, I'd kill some of the people here myself after witnessing what I have."
"Exactly my point." Hickwaal's sardonic smile reappeared. "So again, why wouldn't I have a reason to help now when I'd stand to benefit massively over my colleagues by ending up in the Hero's good graces?"
"Because we could end up failing and getting us all killed here," Motoyasu answered grimly.
"... Ah, I guess there is that." Hickwaal's smile turned into a frown, but then he was smiling again within seconds. "But I have faith the Cardinal Heroes will prevail! And I've never been one to think a future business endeavor wouldn't be without any risk!
"This one seems especially worth going for if it means seeing my colleagues suffering under an economic bubble collapse of their own making! Hahahaha!"
Down below, the heavily wounded hakuko fighter finally let out a roar of victory as he stood over the dead remains of the last griffon. A few people in the crowd were cheering while the rest booed at losing the bets they'd placed on the monsters.
"Ah, I'm glad Hu won. He's one of the just gladiators in this place." Hickwaal continued to smile, looking down at the fighter with pride. "I wish he would agree to work for me already. Alas, I'll just have to make sure he gets the best healers to look at him after this fight."
The audiences could be pretty fickle sometimes. Hu as an asset was more valuable alive than dead. Hardly any of the other gladiators could compare, besides Mercenary Captain Larsa and the old-timer Nadia. Hu was one of the few individuals they had left who was strong enough to fight off the Waves in the area.
Why today's executive had thought it'd be fine to risk having Hou-Lon killed off in such a one-sided match was beyond Hickwaal's imagination.
Oh well. He knew those individuals in the audience would go back to being happy and carefree within moments since the remains of the griffons would be cooked up and served for that night's commemorative dinner thanks to the audience's participation in throwing lots of money at today's match. This fighting pit in particular had a long-standing tradition of cooking the remains of the loser for the members of the audience to partake in.
…
"Alright." Motoyasu nodded his head. "Where should we start?"
"Excellent! We should have plenty of time to talk before we have to vacate! I'll see to it that one of my servants arranges a room for your group by the time we're done."
"Thanks… one last thing, I'm sorry for the poorly thought out answer I gave earlier." Motoyasu bowed his head. "It was wrong for me to say I'd use that gold coin to invest in what was trending when it'd be better to usurp the markets as you said."
"Nonsense. I might not have agreed with it, but that doesn't mean you were wrong, Sir Motoyasu." Hickwaal chuckled. "There are many right ways to do business in different places. For example, my approach here would have never worked in Faubley for more than one reason.
"I'd simply ask that you be wary of how you invest your wealth abroad when visiting different countries in the future. You could end up investing in the right industries, or you could end up feeding more power to the wrong people." Hickwaal looked at the Spear Hero with a studious eye.
"I'll remember that in the future," Motoyasu recalled when he bought Bitch her sword again.
He was now able to see how that hadn't just been a massive waste of wealth on his part. That weapon had helped to strengthen one of the worst people in the world…
…
Looking over at his friends again, Motoyasu saw that the entire snack counter had been cleaned out. As well as the leftovers they'd brought from lunch. The three girls were all sitting back on a couch, patting their stomachs with content looks on their faces. Sebas still stood in his spot, as still as a statue. However, he was now looking at Hickwaal, as if expecting to receive an order at any moment.
"Think you could arrange for more food to be delivered here while we discuss the details of the plan?" Motoyasu suggested.
Hickwaal did so on the spot. Asking Sebas to do it for him.
The old man did so without complaint.
Motoyasu had no idea how grabbing lunch at one of the only places he knew in Zeltoble had turned to this. Coincidence could have been one word for it. Fate could have also been thrown around. Or maybe it was just pure, blind, stupid luck.
However it happened, Motoyasu found a literal gold mine of an ally in Hickwaal. Learning just how he could integrate himself and his companions into the tournaments here whilst keeping suspicion off him, and the person who sent the letter.
The backstory he weaved for "Bubba" was nothing short of genius. He was the son of a low-ranking noble, fighting in Zeltoble's arenas to win money for his family, whom he was able to get out of Sworn thanks to his connections in the army. Because they'd lost everything after the Spirit Tortoise tore the mountain city apart, he was in desperate need of cash, and fast.
His mother had a very expensive lifestyle she didn't want to give up, and his father was busy trying to salvage what little was left of his social network. His only companions on this journey were his maid Keel, a former slave from Melromarc; Anya, an acquaintance who'd been living in his house studying magic before the cataclysm, and his little sister Amber, who came about thanks to "Bubba"'s dad having a hidden affair with a shuzaku.
Because his family name was worthless in these parts, Motoyasu went by the gladiator name "Bubba" because that's what his comrades in the army called him.
It was a bit on the nose with the truth in some parts there, but the best lies had a grain of truth to them. Besides, his family's background was considered tame compared to the stories of other nobles in different countries around the world, so it honestly wasn't going to get a lot of attention.
Keel and Anya were signed up for tournaments topside, while Motoyasu and Amber would be tag teaming in the underground fighting arenas. They'd be introduced as newcomers there, fight a preliminary match against another rookie pair in tomorrow's matchups, and only then go to the Gladiator's bar, where they'd establish contact with the woman who sent them the letter.
He didn't have a name, as Hickwaal himself didn't know her real name. All he knew was that her gladiator name was Nadia and that she was a lightning specialist in combat.
Motoyasu remembered lightning magic being an uncommon magic attribute in Emerald Online. So he was ecstatic to finally meet someone who had a proficiency in it! Not that he could ever learn it thanks to his affinities, but it'd be super cool regardless!
As for why he wasn't meeting her today… Hickwaal explained that Nadia liked to watch newcomers fight so she could tell if they were worth her time or not. In short, she'd be far more likely to open up to Motoyasu if he participated in a match first before going to meet her. Which would allow him to avoid her more... tactful approach to strangers walking up to talk to her.
Motoyasu did ask why she'd watch his fight when there would be others happening elsewhere at the same time.
"Knowing her, she's going to be observing all the fights."
He never did explain how that would be possible. And Motoyasu wasn't able to ask.
Hickwaal also helped Motoyasu overcome some of the hurdles of the Hero Weapon's ability to translate all languages perfectly, at least when he was in a one-on-one conversation with somebody else. If the accent he heard addressed to him was Melromarcian or Siltveltish, or any other languages a Sworn nobleman grew up learning, he could respond to them. If the accent Motoyasu heard was unfamiliar, however, he could remain silent to express his lack of understanding. His helmet aided him by hiding his facial expressions, so it would hopefully work later on.
He was also going to have to be silent in the arena itself. Speaking loud enough for everyone to hear would out him instantly. Good thing this was being addressed now, at least.
"And here are your rooms," Hickwaal stated as they walked down a hallway.
They'd long since left that arena room, as Hickwaal led the group deeper underground to what Motoyasu could, at best, call an apartment complex on the fringes of the Undercity. After coming topside earlier, Motoyasu found it was close to sunset. Meaning Lurolona, further to the east, was already approaching nighttime.
Motoyasu called it an apartment complex, though it might have also passed as a storehouse. He wasn't sure what to label it since it didn't look like your typical warehouse inside, but some of the rooms were covered in claw and scorch marks, amongst other things.
The place also had a few disguised guards patrolling the halls. Many of the rooms they passed were either empty or in the process of being cleaned out.
When he'd asked Hickwaal about it, he stated that he used this place for multiple things. As a warehouse to store his more… dangerous goods. As a place for merchants or others to rent out rooms while they were in the city. And, whenever he was being targeted by an assassin, as a safehouse.
For now, "Bubba" was renting a room here for himself and his party.
Hickwaal had sent out an additional bodyguard ahead to this place to give the order to have his assets moved out via a private underground passage to the outskirts of the city and to have rooms prepared for the Spear Hero and his comrades.
All of that was done even before he walked into the restaurant to speak to Motoyasu.
The merchant's confidence in who he was and how their conversation would go was slightly unnerving for Motoyasu. But either way, the Spear Hero and his group had a part of the place to themselves. And thanks to their earlier wandering, they more or less knew how to move around topside in the city at this point using the main streets.
"If you need anything, you can just ask my servant Beatrice here. She is the Land lady in charge of this place." Hickwaal gestured to a drop-dead gorgeous blonde kitsune woman dressed in a maid's outfit, who walked up next to the merchant.
"I will serve however you need me to, masters." She bowed herself while smiling politely.
Motoyasu took his helmet off, his eyes boggling in their sockets. He just didn't know what part of her to look at first! HOT DAMN, NOW THIS GIRL WAS TOTALLY HIS TYPE! BOW CHICK A BOW WOW!
"Thank you very much," The blonde simp finally remembered to bow. "But if it's just you and me, feel free to call me just 'Moto' instead of- mph!" The rest of the flirtatious sentence he wanted to say was cut off by Amber slapping a hand over Motoyasu's mouth.
"Big Brother. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, do we not?" Amber asked in an all too kind voice. "Perhaps we should get some rest before we ask the nice Land lady to do anything for us."
"Mph!? MMMMM!?" Motoyasu screamed into her hand, but Amber continued to nicely smile while the utterly gorgeous woman tilted her head to the side in curiosity.
What the hell?! He was trying to hit on somebody who was DEFINITELY the kind of woman he'd ask out on a date! Why was Amber keeping him from flirting with her?!
"I shall look forward to assisting my new masters tomorrow then," The maid bowed her head, still smiling politely as she turned around and walked off. Hickwaal followed after her, but not before sending a party request to Motoyasu.
"Just in case," He winked jovially, before laughing to himself and walking after his servant.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! COME BACK SUPER HOT KITSUNE MAID GIRL!
…
It was only after she was out of sight that Motoyasu turned around to face Amber, clearly looking displeased. "What the hell Amber?! You tried marrying me off to those other people earlier! Why can't I flirt with a cute maid girl?!"
And here he'd thought it was impossible to get mad at a Filolial… well, maybe mad was too strong a word? But displeased didn't sound right either, urgh…
"I don't know Blondie…" Amber's face scrunched up in uncertainty. "Amber didn't like the feeling she was getting from Fox Maid."
"... What?" Motoyasu asked, being pulled out of his thoughts on Filolials.
"Amber would rather that she and Blondie avoid talking to Fox Maid in general." Amber continued. "Fox Maid is going to cause us nothing but trouble in the future."
"Please, trust Amber on this." The girl looked into the Spear Hero's eyes with intensity.
…
Awwwwwwwwwwww… okay! Since it was Amber saying it, Motoyasu would restrain himself.
That girl wasn't even that hot anyway!
"I don't see why you're complaining Bubba Spear. After all, you already have a cute maid girl in your party." Keel called from the soft mattress she was lying on while slapping the biceps on her right arm.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"What?" Keel asked, seeing the stares everyone was giving her.
"I thought you hated the word 'cute'," Motoyasu admitted, much to the tomboy's shock.
"Ehhhhh~!? That was back when I thought I was a boy! Why would I have a problem with that now that I'm a girl, Bubba?!" Keel asked, pouting as she sat up and put her hands on her hips.
"This is too weird." Anya deadpanned. "Go back to being normal again."
"Oh shut it, you!" Keel whined at her friend.
As the two devolved into bickering again, Motoyasu sighed to himself.
Still, even though he tried to convince himself otherwise, that kitsune maid girl was super hot! Like, not even Malty could have compared with…
…
Oh, Motoyasu was going to be sick. Why had he just thought that pig was hot, I say?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!-
Maybe it would be better to just forget about all this and go to sleep.
"Blondie, isn't it about time for us to head back and report to Melty?" Amber asked the Spear Hero.
"Eh- can't we just do it tomorrow? I'm mentally exhausted after today, you know!" Motoyasu checked the timer for Melromarc's next Wave in the corner of his HUD. Guestimating from what was shown on it that it was around 9 P.M. or so.
"Motoyasuuuuuuuu." Amber put her hands on her hips and pouted. "We're already late to report in as it is. Do you want Melty to cut our mission short after we just got here?"
"..." The Spear Hero was stunned, seeing Amber use his real name for once instead of one of her cutesy nicknames for him.
Her pout didn't relent, and Motoyasu found it impossible to resist. "F-Fine! Just please stop making me feel guilty! We'll go right now!"
Amber's pout transformed into a happy smile. Motoyasu's weakness was truly pleasing Filolials and making them look happy, I say!
"Alright, you two. Get up. We're going home." Motoyasu ordered the two kids, who'd stopped bickering once again.
Keel yawned. "I don't know, Bubba. The beds here look wayyyyy more comfy than what we have back home."
Anya didn't yawn, but after patting her mattress, she nodded her head in agreement. "We'll stay here. It should be safe.
"His butler gives off the same feeling I get around Granny. I don't think anybody would be foolish enough to attack us here while he's around."
"Hmmm…" Motoyasu was unsure about leaving the two kids by themselves. Especially in Zeltoble.
He looked at Amber, and the girl just smiled happily in his direction.
"I'll stay behind to make sure these two don't get into any trouble then."
Aw, but he wanted Amber to come along with him too! And what if those men he saw underground came for her after he was gone and-
"If those evil men even show their faces around Amber or the others, Amber will make sure to crush their pelvises just like how Filo taught Amber to do while Filo was in Fitoria's Sanctuary," Amber promised.
…
Awwww, she'd just read his mind, that was so adorable, I say-
Wait, Filo had taught Amber her patented nut-cracking move?!
"See you later Blondie!" Amber giggled mischievously.
Motoyasu sighed and shook his head. "Alright, stay safe you all. I'll be back first thing in the morning."
After saving his current location to his weapon, the Spear Hero selected only himself on his HUD. He then quickly remembered to accept Hickwaal's party invitation, adding the plump merchant to his party system before raising his weapon over his head. "Portal Spear!"
In a flash of light, the blonde disappeared from the room. Leaving the two demi girls and his Royal Companion behind.
Amber giggled to herself again. "Amber's going to take a moment to scout out the building. Stay here, you two."
"Yes." "Will do."
Amber began humming to herself as she went out the door. She'd watch over the kids like she promised to Moto.
She just wanted to make sure Hickwaal was as trustworthy as he claimed. And simultaneously test to see if the two would behave while she left them alone.
…
…
The two kids stared silently at the closed door for a moment.
…
…
"So, are we going to explore by ourselves now, or what?" Anya asked.
Keel yawned as she lay down on one of the beds. "Nah, I meant it when I said I was tired earlier. I'm going to hit the hay."
"... really, you're not in any mood to do anything while Amber's gone?" Anya asked, this time looking shocked.
Keel glared from her pillow. "Of course not."
"... ok, are you really Keel?" Anya moved closer to inspect the dog girl closely. "This is very abnormal behavior for you."
"I don't know what the word abnormal even means!" Keel pouted.
"I stand corrected." Anya deadpanned.
"Of course I'm me. Do I have to prove I'm who I am or something?" Keel glared in challenge at the tabby-haired cat girl.
"I don't know. What did you do when Sir Itsuki went berserk?" Anya asked.
"I jumped him and bit his arm so his attention would be taken off you and the others," Keel answered instantly. "I would have died if the other Heroes hadn't made it in time."
…
…
At the irrefutable evidence of the dog girl proving that she was Keel, Anya frowned, shaking her head. "I don't understand. Why are you acting so differently?
"First you dress up in that ridiculous get-up. Then you want to be called cute. Now you don't want to go out and explore even though you were always first in line to sneak out and have fun back home?
"Did learning that you were a girl seriously change things that much?" Anya pressed on.
"... … …" Keel's head faced away.
Anya saw that the other girl had been frowning, however.
"Yeah, I can at least admit that I've had to… well, rethink who I thought I was before.
"That has crossed my mind, but…"
"..."
Keel went silent again, but Anya sat on her mattress. Staring at the dog girl patiently as she put her thoughts together in her head.
…
…
…
"What Bubba Spear said at that store reminded me that we're not just here to play around and fight in some random tournament." Keel finally spoke again. "Some of my friends are trapped here, stuck in some twisted greedy scheme I can hardly wrap my head around.
"Someone from my village is here trying to save them, and they asked for our help."
"They asked for the Hero's help. We're just here because Granny recommended that we accompany Motoyasu." Anya clarified.
Keel turned over, directing a glare at the cat girl.
"I'm sorry, please go on." Anya apologized, looking guilty.
"Hmph, not that you're wrong. In a way, this is also Granny's way of testing to see if we can handle ourselves outside my old home or not." Keel glared down at one of her hands as she clenched it into a tight fist.
"I could hardly do a thing when the Bow Hero almost killed us. And then even after I worked hard, I still almost died trying to fight off the monsters that swarmed our village.
"I don't want to fail this time. I want to show that I've gotten stronger. That I can help.
"I want to save my friends here… above all, I can't do anything to jeopardize their lives. I can hardly imagine what they're going through right now being in the middle of this mess, even though I was a slave myself. I don't want to make things worse for them by acting out."
…
"I see." Anya looked off to the side. Then she had a thought come to her mind. "So is you acting out of character like this a part of your disguise?"
Keel finally grinned. "Yeah, mostly. I'm also testing out what it's like being a girl. You have no idea what it's like to go from thinking you were a boy all your life to realizing you were a girl all along."
"At least you learned that now before something happened," Anya replied. "How did you learn you were a girl anyway?"
"Ah, it was because I walked into the boy's bathhouse while Bubba Spear was in there." Keel rubbed the back of her neck while chuckling to herself. "I dropped my towel and he screeched like he saw a ghost.
"He never did explain why he did that though." Keel began thinking to herself again. "All he did was turn away, pointed out that I was a girl, and helped me realize why I couldn't have been a boy.
"I still don't understand what I did wrong to make him scream at me to cover myself though. Hmmm…"
…
…
When Keel finally looked at Anya again, the cat girl was staring at her with a blank expression.
There was no way… how could this dog girl try to say she wanted to act more girly if she didn't even understand something that basic?!
Had Keel been a slave?! Her slavemasters must have thought she was a boy too if she never had to go through something as traumatic as that!
"What?" Keel asked, looking confused.
Anya could only facepalm and groan in exasperation. "Moto, you're going to owe me for this."
Before they went to bed that night, Anya told Keel about the birds and the bees.
The dog girl's life would never be the same after that.
"We have arrived at your residence, Master Quaker."
"Yes, I can see that." The obese man grumbled as he clumsily got out of his seat and stepped down on the cobblestone road.
"Will you require anything else of me tonight, sir?" The landowner's assistant inquired.
"No, I have been carried around all day. I can handle a few steps on my own."
"Very well, sir. In that case, I shall go to the pens at once to personally punish the slaves that carried your litter today. The laziness and incompetence that they have displayed was unacceptable." The assistant gave a quick bow to his superior.
"You know, if I was allowed to walk around on my own, I wouldn't be so hard to carry." The obese man grumbled bitterly again.
"A man mustn't walk himself when he can make others do it for him." The assistant replied curtly in a well-practiced manner.
"Bah. Stop quoting our father already, Khan. He was a vile man. And the day the two of us went together to piss on his grave was the happiest in my life." The fat nobleman spat on the ground.
"Doesn't mean that he wasn't right from time to time." The attendant shrugged.
Ziro Quaker, the Arenamaster of Zeltoble, and one of the wealthiest men in the nation, furrowed his brow but didn't respond. He waved his hand again, dismissing his half-brother to enter the Colosseum and see all the important matches topside for the day.
The corpulent arena master knew better than to tell Khan to take it easy on the slaves. He never would, even if Ziro insisted on it. The Quakers had an image to maintain as one of Zeltoble's oldest and most influential families.
They were well known for how they treated their slaves over the centuries. And despite the two brothers being seen as troublemakers and outliers to that cruel mentality during their childhood, Khan had eventually learned to accept the teachings of their family, despite being only a bastard son.
As for Ziro himself?… …
Well, at least that man who collapsed earlier today wasn't one of his slaves anymore. Hopefully, whoever ended up buying him would be kinder and less obsessed with their family's public image than Ziro's half-brother.
…
Thankfully, after the final, boring match for the day was done, Ziro was able to walk home by himself. Using a secret passage from his room in the Colosseum topside that went all the way to his spacious home underground.
"You're late, piggie."
As the morbid obese arena master fit himself through one of the doors of his home, he sighed in relief. Thank the Gods, he could finally drop the act of being the all-powerful boss of the undercity! Ziro could already see the goddess who'd make his day that much better standing in the living room, impatiently waiting for him.
"Ah, Princess, I'm so glad to-"
CRUNCH!
A fist plowed into the obese man's face, dropping him to the floor with a heavy and meaty thud.
"Do you have any idea how long you made me wait, you disgusting animal?!" An incensed voice screamed hysterically as a foot was driven into Ziro's gut. "Do you have any idea how valuable my time is compared to the peasants around here?!"
"Yes, oh yes, I'm so sorry Princess! I'm so sorry!" Ziro began to yell in ecstasy. A mix of madness and lust glazed over his tiny eyes, enraging the crimson-haired woman even further and making her kick Ziro in the face next.
In public, Master Quaker was viewed as a large and all-powerful businessman who'd proven his mettle and clawed his way to his position. Toppling over any potential opponents and either selling them as slaves or having them killed off in private for his entertainment.
In reality, all that couldn't possibly be further from the truth. Quaker had inherited his position and his wealth from his father, who'd passed away several years ago.
Nobody had ever felt brave enough to challenge Ziro over the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father's death, due to Ziro's imposing size and the reputation that his bastard brother had helped to build around him. But the truth was, Quaker Jr. wasn't responsible for his old man's death in the slightest, despite how much he despised him throughout his life. The old fool's death was simple: he died thanks to a disease he got from a prostitute.
Why people thought he'd killed his old man, he'd never know.
In rare moments of self-reflection, Ziro could admit to himself that he didn't even want to be in charge of the business empire his family had built over many generations. He didn't care for the bloodsports that made up for nearly half of his country's yearly income in the slightest. Violence bored him terribly at best and made him sick to the stomach at worst.
When it wasn't directed at him at least.
Indeed, he would rather stay at home, where he could live out all of his masochistic fantasies and be punished by strong and beautiful women like his late mother in peace.
…
No, I'm dead serious. Being beaten up and spat upon was the only way for Ziro to experience anything close to joy in his life. Nothing in the world made him happier than being treated even worse than an object by hot, commandeering women.
Oh, how Ziro wished that he had been born a bastard instead of Khan! His half-brother was so much better at running their empire, but instead, he was forced to act as Ziro's steward and attendant because he was born from a prostitute.
"Let me have a try, Malty! You're not the only one who's pent up!" Lesty shouted excitedly.
When the exiled princess of Melromarc and her friends were brought into his home, it truly brightened Quaker's life. He'd finally been able to get what he'd wanted without the public finding out! Women just like his beloved mother, who would gladly beat him up for no reason whatsoever!
He'd been knowing bliss ever since.
Bitch scowled as she pulled back from the orgasming fat man on the floor, allowing Lesty to begin kicking Ziro everywhere her foot could reach. No matter how hard she kicked though, it only made Ziro quake with pleasure more.
"Oh yes! Harder, mommy! I've been such a bad boy today!" The obese man squealed out.
&^%$. And here Malty had been hoping that beating up the fat nobleman would improve her mood. Just like every other time before this though, it didn't.
It just didn't feel that enjoyable when the other person loved being beaten or burned or cut or whatever. Where were the cries of pain? The pleas for mercy or forgiveness?
The scowl on the ex-princess's burned face only deepened as she longed to hear such things from those who'd so wronged her in the past.
She spat on the floor in disgust from the scene before her, which prompted the pathetic blob of a man to crawl over to the spittle and start licking it off while squealing like a pig.
Malty covered her mouth, struggling to not vomit.
"Someone's in a bad mood today." A mustached man grunted where he sat with a half-finished meal at a fancy dining table in the corner of the room. "Still no response from that boy toy of yours in Faubley?"
"I'll hear back from him soon! It can't take that long to get a letter sent across the world!" Bitch screamed at the former nobleman.
Mauld sighed. They were currently amongst the most wanted individuals on this side of the world right now. He'd be surprised if their message did make it to Tact within the next month without being intercepted.
He'd heard rumors while spying at the guild that the Whip Hero was celebrating with his harem at some random island over something, so maybe it'd take even longer.
Mauld was feeling impatient himself. Most of the parties he and Malty had organized to raid the Hero's Nation were devastated by the Spirit Tortoise's minions en route. And those that remained of their allies were planning an ill-fated attack without waiting for more allies to strengthen their forces.
Had that wreck of a monster not interfered, they might have stood a chance now that they didn't have the foolish and weak Church Allies holding them down anymore. But Mauld didn't have much faith in those who remained to accomplish much of anything. Some that had survived had changed their minds and gone elsewhere because of the Heroes saving everyone from the Spirit Tortoise. Some of their backers amongst the nobility had also pulled out, seeing how much more powerful the Heroes had become by defeating the Spirit Tortoise.
Stupid and worthless. The whole lot of them. What he'd give to be able to make Sir Itsuki pay for turning away from the true path of justice.
Their comrade, Malty's childhood friend Lesty, continued beating the fat nobleman on the floor with her feet and fists. She laughed as she drove her high heels into his soft and malleable flesh, enjoying the beating she was dishing out, unlike the First Princess.
Ziro's clothes were torn and bloodied by this point. And one of his teeth was lying on the floor. But his enjoyment wasn't decreasing in the slightest. It seemed to be growing the more beat up and destitute his appearance became.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Ziro continued to squeal as Lesty put a spiked collar around his neck and climbed up on his back.
"Come on, piggy! Move it!" The woman laughed in delight and sharply whipped the man's sizeable behind with a riding crop.
The boss of the undercity began to crawl on all fours around the room while snorting loudly like a pig.
…
The twisted roleplay lasted for some time, but eventually, a servant who was aware of her master's unique… tastes, entered the room.
She kept a neutral look on her face at the sight of her master lying beaten and bloodied on the floor, looking far too blissful at what he'd gone through. She sighed, knowing she'd have to use a lot of healing magic on him later before he went out again.
"Guests of Lord Quaker, Councilman Judas has asked if you'd be willing to please the crowds once more tonight."
"Yes!" Malty spoke before the others could. "Will I get showered with gifts like last time?!"
"The members of the Council were very pleased with last night's execution." The girl said in a flat tone. "Should you please them again, I don't see why not."
"Did they get their hands on a real Lurolona brat this time?!" Malty asked eagerly.
"... no." The servant girl answered, this time withholding a sigh. "It is another fake that was trained to act like a kid from Lurolona." It was not like they would ever have one of those gold mines wasted on such a frivolous activity.
The city's landowners were entertaining the disgraced princess because of her birthright claim over Melromarc's throne. But until the prince of Faubley showed up in person with the empire's army at his back to put Malty on said throne, Zeltoble would not move an inch. Paying Malty lip service was the extent of their support for now.
Bitch scowled again. However, thanks to all the trials a poor unfortunate soul such as herself had been through, she'd long since learned to look at the bright side of things.
For example, at least the brat she'd be executing tonight was a demi-human! She longed to kill a Lurolona slave so that she could truly hit the supposed Heroes of Legend where it'd hurt. But the real thing was too expensive to waste in such a way here.
Surely, nothing could have been too expensive for the future Queen of Melromarc! It was outrageous!
Regardless, murdering an innocent demi-child in front of a cheering audience was a way to improve her mood! So Bitch accepted the opportunity on the spot!
"If you'd follow me then."
Malty followed the servant out a back door to the establishment. A secret hallway that allowed her to travel underground unseen by anybody else.
Once she was before the entrance, she was given a drape of black cloth to cover her face. Her hair, which had to be cut short because of the damage it'd sustained from the Shield Hero's hellfire, wouldn't give her away.
A portcullis raised as she stepped foot into one of the underground fighting pits. She breathed in deeply as the smell of blood from today's matches washed over her nose.
"And now, here to execute another fake claiming to be from Lurolona, "The Fiery Inferno!" An announcer roared over the howls of the crowd.
Bitch smirked as she leisurely walked up to the center of the room. Already, a child slave dressed in nothing but rags who looked like a kitsune sat chained to a pole in the center of the room.
His eyes looked up at her, full of fear and pleading for mercy. But Bitch began to chant without hesitation as her other hand pulled out a very familiar-looking sword. Its edge was now stained a permanent red after all the lives she'd ended with it down here.
Ah, she couldn't wait to see what it'd be like seeing it from the eyes of one of those from Lurolona. If it could be one of the Heroes or their companions, it'd be even better. And if it was her Mother, Father, or her Sister…
Well, that'd just be PERFECT! Who better to take her righteous fury out on than those who should have held her up above the masses, a right she so rightfully deserved?!
Nobody was allowed to stand in the way of her becoming Queen.
NOBODY.
"Fast Hellfire!"
The screams of the young kitsune kid soon filled the fighting pit as Bitch used magic and the weapon Moto bought for her long ago to slowly whittle away at his life. Laughing maniacally to herself as she did so.
It would be another hour before the kid finally died. And Bitch would receive cheers and roars of approval from the crowd throughout the process.
Ah, another successful execution.
She was going to be treated like a goddess tonight.
Author's Notes:
Ah, time to go back to hating Bitch again. It's been so long. If only it could have been longer before I had to see her ugly butt face in this fic again.
Life is getting busy, but at least Virtue is writing itself. I'll see you all again in two weeks!
Hero Clips
Have You Ever Heard The Tragedy of...
Motoyasu found himself on a balcony with the plump merchant Hickwaal.
The Spear Hero thought they were going to watch a fight, but instead, it appeared that they were watching some kind of opera performing for the midget.
Motoyasu wasn't sure what to think. The people weaving through the air like water in front of him were just so weird. And wasn't he supposed to be doing something important right now?
"Tell me, did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise, Sir Motoyasu?" Hickwaal suddenly spoke in a strangely rich tone.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Motoyasu asked, looking genuinely confused.
"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. For it is a Sith legend." Hickwaal stated, his eyes not moving off the performance before them.
"I'm... sorry. But weren't we going to talk about why I was here to fight in the arena?" Motoyasu asked, looking even more confused. Jedi? Sith? What were those supposed to be?!
He thought he'd spoken that out loud, at least. But Hickwaal continued as if he hadn't heard him.
"Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life…"
Midi-what now- WHAT WAS THIS PLUMP LITTLE MIDGET GOING ON ABOUT?!
Motoyasu realized something else. WHY WAS HE WEARING THESE CRINGE &^% DARK ROBES INSTEAD OF HIS COOL AND COLORFUL KNIGHT ARMOR?! WHY DID HICKWAAL LOOK LIKE SOME EVIL POLITICIAN HIDING HIS TRUE SELF WITH A FAKE SMILE AND HONEYED LIPS?! AND WHY DID HE HAVE THE FEELING THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO SLAUGHTER A BUNCH OF YOUNGLINGS SOON?!
WHAT THE HELL WERE YOUNGLINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE!?
"He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying." Hickwaal continued in the same tone, even as Motoyasu experienced a mental breakdown. "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did.
"Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself."
Hickatine looked to Motoyasu as if expecting a response.
AMBER! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!-
Motoyasu sat up straight.
Oh, thank goodness, it was only a dream.
The blonde man sighed in relief. Realizing he'd taken a short nap. That was a relief.
He hadn't had to sit through that snooze fest of a story again! Man, he would have been even more pissed off had that been the case!
"Sir, we are ready to follow your orders."
Motoyasu smirked as he turned to face Clone Commander Appo. "Of course, let's get this done quickly so I can see Fitoria sooner."
The Clone nodded his head, and Motoyasu led a detachment of Order 66 infected troopers up the steps of the Jedi Temple. Cutting down the Battlemaster at the front doors of the large building before initiating one of the biggest mass genocides of Jedi in the history of the entire Jedi Order. Which, of course, included all the younglings, whom he killed by decapitation since he didn't want to risk any surviving a stab to the gut.
Believe it or not, that was a thing... somehow. Motoyasu honestly didn't understand how one could survive being stabbed clean through the gut by burning hot plasma, but hey, that one guy his master 'killed' in the past survived being cut in half because of his hatred and rage, so you never know!
In the end, Hickatine didn't have to tell him such a boring story full of droll stories to make Motoyasu turn on the Jedi.
All the midget had to say was that they discriminated against Amber because of her angel species and Motoyasu knew that they were unworthy of life.
His orange-haired Padawan sweatdropped in the distance, where she had a good view of the Jedi Temple on fire. "Yep, I knew this would happen if I didn't keep an eye on Master. He always did have a struggle with his murder tendencies whenever it concerned me."
At least Sir Ren and his Dog Jedi Knight survived! He was busy living as a green hermit on a planet in the middle of nowhere since he was surrounded by water and hadn't learned how to swim from the dog girl and their friends yet!
But everyone else... yeah, not even the Younglings survived this time around.
The Shield Jedi would come back to quite the headache after he figured out what the Spear Jedi had done in his absence.
Till Next Time
Allen