You know , I really should try to get myself on some sort of update schedule for this story . I really want to update this story on a weekly basis , but college is an unpredictable bitch I brought into my life so that's a bit hard to do right now . So just to be clear , earliest update you can expect is a week or more/less . Latest by two weeks or before then.
Now about this chapter, I must say that this chapter turned out much differently than I originally imagined it would be but I'll save my thoughts for the end note.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and suggestions.
Now with nothing else to be said , let's get this chapter started !
Chapter 9 : Scars of War
The quest Naofumi handed her was pointless. She wouldn't have said it to his face, since that's too cruel to tell the soft hearted Shield Hero. But her opinion still stands.
Mein had heard about investigation type quests like these . The quest usually entailed having to go someplace like an abandoned mine , house or cave , inspect it and report whatever was found there or happened back to the guild. Boring usually and doesn't offer any valued experience.
" I found this quest on the board , the receptionist said that it was posted a few days ago " Naofumi explained " From what I could get out of the receptionist , there have been several reports of people going in and out of the inn at night , and the guild suspects that it is being used as a place to practice black magic and other dark arts "
Black magic , huh ? Now this just got interesting ...
If black magic is being practiced there and then there is the off-chance of their being a shrine in the vicinity . And she was always happy to find one of those.
" I thought this quest seemed interesting and was about to take it , but I would like to know your thoughts on it " Mein is glad Naofumi values her opinion , instead of just pushing their parties into doing quest without their input.
Mein internally smiles at Naofumi's good nature , it would seem they are already on the right track back to their relationship before the reveal of her Mark " Well , if I'm being honest Naofumi , I think we should take it "
Naofumi's eyebrow raises at this " How so ?"
" Well , for one the pay is pretty decent so I don't see why not and it shouldn't take more than a little while to complete " Mein gives a very vague explanation of her reasons to hide her true intentions.
Naofumi nods but still seems conflicted " Fair enough. But shouldn't we prepare some kind of exorcist or warding equipment or stuff ? " Naofumi looked a bit unsettled all of a sudden " I mean ... ghosts don't exist in this world right ? I've seen too many horror movies NOT to be scared of that stuff "
" That's ... something of a difficult matter to explain Naofumi " Mein admits " While there are indeed some monsters in the world that are spiritual in nature , when it comes to dealing with forces such as black magic ... it is not so simple "
" Basically there's a lot of debate as to whether souls actually linger in the world after their death . But for the most part there haven't any cases of 'haunted' inns or buildings in the capital thus far ..." The knight almost sounds sarcastic as he explains " But either way , you are right that we should probably get some spirit warding items if we're dealing with black magic stuff ..."
" And I know just the old lady to get them from ..." Ake gives them both a smirk.
The knight proceeds to lead them to what looks to be a magic shop just a short walk away from the adventurers guild. Mein eyes the sign out front with curiosity , the words displayed in big bold letters.
'Nellie's Magical Shop ! '
Mein tries not to think too hard on it as she walks through the door behind Naofumi and Ake. The door letting out a sound as it hit the bell , alerting who seemed to be the owner behind the counter who was too busy arranging something to notice them.
" Oh , hang one moment ! I'm almost finished " The witch doesn't even turn to face them .
Ake lets out an amused chuckle " Is that anyway to say hello to your nephew aunt Nellie ? "
The woman seems to freeze in her movements , before slowly turning around to face their party . As soon as her eyes landed on Ake , she almost dropped the book she was holding in her hand , before running to Ake and giving him a big hug .
" Ake ! " The woman cried out as she hugged him .
Ake for the first time chuckled " Its good to see you too aunt Nellie "
Nellie pulled away and looked him in the eye " I've been so worried about you ! "
" Yeah , sorry about that , but I've been ... kinda busy " Ake narrowed his eyes at Naofumi and Mein.
" So its true ! I didn't believe it at first , but you really did join the Shield Hero's party , I'm so happy for you ! " Nellie smiled at Ake , before turning to Naofumi " And I'm honored to meet you Shield Hero , I never thought I would ever have the pleasure of meeting a cardinal hero "
Naofumi chuckled at the witch " Its nothing , I'm glad to meet you as well Miss Nellie"
" Oh , no need to be formal with me Sir Naofumi just call me Nellie " The witch insisted .
" Alright then , its good to meet you Nellie " Naofumi smiled at the witch .
" And who is this lovely lady , Ake ? " Nellie narrowed her eyes at Mein.
Mein stepped forward with a fake smile , but one that was believable enough . " Pleased to meet you , I am Mein Sophie , Naofumi's first companion "
" Oh , yes , I've heard about you ! " Nellie clapped her hands together " You were the one who bravely spoke in Sir Naofumi's defense during the trial , that was very noble of you "
Mein could only chuckle in response " Oh , I was merely doing what was expected of me ..."
If only you knew , witch , if only you knew ...
" So I take it you didn't just stop by to say hello did you ?" Nellie gives a knowing smile to Ake.
" You know me too well auntie ..." Ake returned the smirk " We need some of those spirit warding items. We're doing a quest that involves investigating a potential den of black magic , so we might need some charm to protect us ..."
" Black magic , eh ? That's a tough one ..." Nellie goes back behind the counter to rummage through something " Hang on , let me just ... got it ! "
Nellie returned and placed what looked to be some kind of necklace made out beads on it.
" This is the only spirit ward item that I have in stock I'm afraid . They aren't in high demand as you know ..." Nellie said gravely.
Mein narrowed her eyes at the item as her HUD activated.
Necklace of Protection ( Spiritual Ward Medium )
Could be worse she supposes ...
" I think this will do just fine , thank you ma'am ..." Mein says with a smile as Naofumi pays for it.
" Anytime my dear , anytime " Nellie returns with her own smile " And while you're here ... I don't suppose you would be interested in having your magical aptitude tested , now would you Sir Naofumi ? "
" I actually already got tested by Ake here a while back , he used one of those ... aptitude orbs to do it " Naofumi seems to recall back to when they visited the town of Lute to get some supplies.
" Ah , its good to see that my former student still remembers his lessons " Nellie gave a smirk to Ake " And here I thought you only remembered the attack spells I taught you ..."
" I still remember your lesson auntie ..." Ake was being uncharacteristically nice and patient. This was probably the first time Mein had ever seen Ake acting warm to someone.
" What are your affinities anyhow ? "
" Healing and Support " Naofumi answers simply.
" The two non-elemental affinities ? That's very rare , I've only met a handful of people who claimed to have both " Nellie comments on the unlucky draw of Naofumi's affinities " Well , if an aptitude test isn't to your liking perhaps I can interest you in a magical grimoire so that you can learn some proper magic "
" No , thank you , Ake already got us a novice grimoire for me to learn some magic from " Naofumi politely rejected the witch " But I have to be honest , I'm still having a hard time learning the language of this world on top of the magic "
Mein nodded in agreement . In their downtime in between hunting monsters and doing quests , Mein has been tutoring Naofumi in the language of the world along with trying to get him to use magic. Though at Naofumi's current pace ... there's no chance he's going to be learning any magic before the wave. They will just have to deal.
" Learning from a magical grimoire is hard , novice book or not. But in my opinion it's better than learning the spell straight from a crystal ball " Nellie gives her two coins " Sure , learning from a crystal ball gives you instant access to whatever spell was contained in it but you lack an understanding of the magic itself and how to make it more powerful " Nellie shrugs her shoulder
" True enough I suppose ... but I don't think I'm gonna be learning any magic soon " Naofumi admits his own ability.
" Don't despair Shield Hero, every magic caster has trouble starting out but once you get the feel for it , it becomes a much simpler matter !" Nellie encourages with a smile " And its not as if grimoires or crystals are the only way to learn magic . You can also find a teacher who has similar affinities to yours to teach you some magic, it's not a perfect introduction to magic but it should help get you started on a few spells . You can do it ! "
" Thank you so much Nellie , we better get going though " Naofumi gives a small bow of his head as they turn to leave.
" Ake , don't forget to visit again ! " Nellie called out to him.
" I won't ! " Ake says as they leave the shop.
" Alright , we got some protection from spirits now , let's go " Naofumi said as he held the prayer beads in his hand.
" Should we get a map or something of the slums ? I hear it's like a maze there ..." Mein suggested.
" Don't worry about it , I used to patrol the slums during my early years so I know it pretty well " The knight pointed to his head for emphasis.
If it was possible , Mein wished she could throw a brick at it . Or a knife or literally anything.
After getting what they needed for the quest , the party of the Shield Hero made their way to the slums .
As they made their way to the slums Mein couldn't help but feel like she was being watched . Turning her head around , expecting to see the black robed figures from a few days ago , she sees no such thing . Mein wonders if she is getting paranoid , though after the whole debacle in the cave , her paranoia wouldn't be unjustified in this instance , as she has made herself an enemy of the most powerful religion in the country .
If she was still the proud First Princess of Melromarc , than she would have no reason to fear for her safety , even the Pope is not foolish enough to launch an assassination attempt against the First Princess herself while she is being protected by a company of knights and shadows that protect the castle .
But she is not the princess anymore . She is but the plain adventurer Mein Sophie and she needs to make use of everything if she wants to survive.
" We can get to the slums through here " The knight calls out to them , pointing down a dirty alleyway that leads to the slums . Mein scrunches her nose in disgust , wondering how commoners can live in such dirty conditions , certainly even they have standards .
Mein holds back the urge to gag as they enter the alley , the horrid smell invading her nostrils . They exit the alley and take a detour down another path . She starts to notice the difference of the environment with the slums and the nicer parts of castletown . Many of the buildings look rundown , almost abandoned if not for the faint light in the windows , indicating there are people living in some of these buildings , no matter how disgusting they may look .
Mein looks over her shoulder to make sure they aren't being followed , the slums were awfully quiet and dark even during the day , it was the perfect spot to be ambushed . Though if those robed figures did try to come at them while they were in the slums they were going to be in for a nasty surprise . With their party's general level now approaching the 20's they were more than capable of handling them , whoever they are .
They could be spies sent from another country like Siltvelt , its not unlikely that they would send envoys to Melromarc to try and extract the Shield Hero from enemy territory . But there was also the chance , that they might be assassins sent from the Three Heroes Church to eliminate them .
Mein supposes she'll just have to ask them , if they ever get the chance to have a 'friendly' chat .
She's been dying to try out Devouring Swarm .
Mein thinks its painfully ironic , that she has a skill that summons rats , while she is walking through a slum filled with rats .
"God , why is this place so rundown ? " Naofumi complained " You'd think the king would bother to try and fix up this place ..."
" Probably because the majority of demi-humans live in this section of the city " The knight says nonchalantly.
" Demi-humans live here ? " Naofumi says shocked as he looked at one crumbling building.
" Yup... I'm sure Mein has already explained to you how hated demis are in Melromarc, and its even more difficult for them socially. Its almost impossible for demis to move up in a country like Melromarc so the lot of them are stuck living in slums like these..." Ake explains.
" Damn... I had no idea ..." Naofumi said looking to the ground.
" Let's just try and get this quest finished and get out of here alright ..." Mein stepped closer to comfort Naofumi " Ake , how much further ? "
" Close . I think I know the tent that quest paper was talking about and if I'm correct than ..." The knight leads the way as they round a corner and in sight is a giant circus like tent .
" We have arrived at our destination ..." The knight blankly.
" Well , we better get to that abandoned inn and check it out " Naofumi takes a step forward , ahead of the knight and Mein .
With Naofumi leading in the front , they are quickly locate the inn and if Mein is being completely honest in her opinion ... it looks like shit . Excusing her own vulgarity the inn looked to have seen better days . The paint on the outside is decaying , there are cracked and broken windows and she thinks she can smell the wood rotting .
" God , this place is a piece of shit " The knight seems to agree with her . There truly is a first time for everything .
" Well ... yeah , you're right it is pretty bad " Naofumi agrees with both of them but doesn't resort to vulgar language . Naofumi takes out the quest paper again " This looks like the place , I mean this seems to be the only inn , close by to that giant tent over there " They all turn to look at the giant tent before back at the inn " Though I wish we had some way to confirm it "
Mein suddenly felt something by her hip , that was ... beating , the movement like a heartbeat and it was beating fast , really fast . Mein realized what it was , reaching into one of her pouches , she pulls out the heart which is beating faster than it was a few minutes .
" Mein , what the heck is that ?" Naofumi turns to look at the Heart in disgust , not that she could blame him . She was fortunate that at least this time , she was wearing gloves , so she didn't have to hold it with her bare hands , but it was still sickening to look at and hold it .
Mein stretches her arm putting the Heart as far away from her face as possible " This is the Heart of a Living Thing , it was ... given to me by the Outsider , when he first gave me the Mark "
" Outsider ? " Naofumi faces scrunches in confusion.
" He is ...something of a dark god , I take it Erhard didn't explain that part to you did he ? " Mein waits for Naofumi to shake his head before continuing " Well he is something of a mysterious figure and he is capable of bestowing his Mark onto people like me "
" And he gave you that thing ? " Naofumi pointed at the thing in her hand.
" Yes , he said that this ... heart , can be used to locate runes when its within 50 meters of it "Mein recalls back to the explanation Outsider gave her.
" Runes ?" Naofumi's face turns to one of confusion before he seems to realize something " You mean like that artifact back in that cave ? "
Mein nodded " Yes . The Outsider said that they can be used to upgrade my powers if I absorb them or unlock new powers "
" So its kind of like skill point type game , interesting ..." And there Naofumi goes again with his nonsense from his world .
" Yes ... I suppose so , the Outsider told me that this will guide me towards them . I think it starts beating faster , the closer I get to the rune " Mein explained but saw Naofumi's confused expression" It is that artifact that we found in that undead cave a while back "
Naofumi nodded in understanding " Wait a second ... if that Heart starts beating faster , if we're in 50 meters of a rune ... than maybe we're close to a shrine ? " Naofumi looked back to the abandoned inn and his eyes widening indicated that he had figured something out " Maybe this inn has shrine in it ? Or a rune at least , that would explain all the reports about black magic or dark arts being practiced here "
It seems my little hunch about this quest was correct.
Mein held the Heart closer to the door and it was beating even faster than before and the glass center started glowing , it would seem Naofumi was correct in his assessment of this abandoned inn holding a rune or a shrine .
" Naofumi , I think you're right , this inn is definitely being used to practice worship of the Outsider and there should be a shrine inside " Mein saw that the inn was within close proximity of the circus tent , as she could still see it in plain view .
" Alright , lets go " Naofumi made a move to open the door , only to find it wouldn't open . Naofumi tried to open it again with a little more force but to no avail " Damnit , I think its locked from the inside "
" Well , we could try to pick the lock or find a different way in Naofumi , I'm sure there's another -"
Before Mein could fully finish her suggestion on what to do , the knight kicked the door open.
" Or we could do that " The knight stepped inside , not caring at all over what he just did .
" Yes ... we could " Mein could not deny that the knight was technically correct , but he could have done with a bit more subtlety .
" Are you sure that this is okay ? I feel like we're committing breaking and entering here " Naofumi was technically correct since they were trespassing on somebody else's property that is if somebody actually owned this dump .
" Its fine ... the guild asked us to investigate so we won't take any heat from anything we do here ...hopefully" The knight didn't sound so certain.
Naofumi just shrugged as he entered , with Mein following him into the inn . Mein was just as disgusted as she was back in the slum , the entire building was worn down , the wood was rotten and Mein could hear rats moving along the floor . She was afraid that she might either step on a rat or fall through the floorboard . She wasn't sure which one was worse to be honest.
Naofumi stepped forward bravely , though he does seem to be unnerved with how he's clutching the beads.
" Naofumi , stay down here , me and Ake will go check out the upper floors " Mein spotted the stairs that seemed to lead up to the second floor of the inn.
" Wait , no ! " Naofumi quickly said " I've seen this before in like every asian horror movie the guy who gets left alone dies first " Naofumi said almost frantic " That's like the first rule of surviving every asian horror movie , never split up ! "
Mein wanted to sigh at Naofumi once again spouting nonsense about things from his world " Very well , then let's check out the upper floors together shall we ? "
Naofumi seemed to agree to that as he took point as they went upstairs , and it was not a surprise to find that it was a shitty as the downstairs area.
Mein narrowed her eyes at the doors that lined the short hallway. Naofumi seemed to take initiative and stepped forward to one of the doors to open it . Mein and Ake squared up behind him , their hands on their swords prepared to take down whatever springed up to attack them.
Naofumi gently pushed the door open ... and nothing happened.
Mein surveyed the room to find absolutely nothing of real note , the room itself looked just as trashed as the rest of the inn.
Nevertheless , they continued on check next room... and the one after that and the one after that , and yet another one after that...
After less than 10 minutes of searching the upper floors and then returning to the ground floor and searching there. The party of the Shield turned up absolutely nothing in their investigation.
" Alright , what gives ? " Naofumi looks annoyed rather than scared now " I thought this place was going to have some kind of shrine or cultist base , but there's absolutely nothing here "
" I don't know Naofumi , the Heart is still saying we're close ..." Mein agreed , seeing that the Heart was still pumping at a fast rate.
" How close ? " The knight asked.
" I don't know , it doesn't seem to change whenever I point it in a different direction " Mein retorted before she put it back in her pouch.
" God, this is like one of those levels in a video game where you can't figure out where to go and what to do... " Naofumi complains while spouting more of his otherworld gibberish.
" Should we try something el-"
" Zweit Air Shot ! "
Mein turned just in time to see a shot of air sent right at them , only due to her high agility was she able to push Ake out of the way and pull Naofumi out of harm's way.
The Shield party quickly got their bearings and they all turned to see another group enter the inn.
Squatters ? Muggers ? No ... they look too well-equipped to be your standard run of the mill gang or hoodlums.
Adventurers.
If the tags around their neck was any indication of their association with the guild.
The group was comprised of 5 adventurers : 3 men and 2 women. Based on their clothing, the men's classes were comprised of a warrior, rogue or scout and a mage . The two women looked to be an archer and another mage .
They all looked slightly older than them ... and their tags were coloured green.
Emerald ranked adventurers , great ...
Mein could already see that this was not going to go well for them.
How did they know we were here ? Did someone from the guild rat them out ? Or were they just overheard ?
She'll have to figure that out later.
The archer girl suddenly shot an arrow towards her , she was about to dodge but the arrow had been intercepted by Naofumi who switched to his Light Metal Shield for better protection.
Mein had already pulled out her sword , ready to fight. Ake doing the same as they faced this adventurer group that had come to kill them.
Naofumi looked frantic and shocked as he foolishly dropped his shield " Whoa ! Whoa ! Take it easy ! Why are you guys attacking us !? We're-"
" Die Shield Demon ! Fast Wind Slash ! "
" Fast Gust ! "
Naofumi barely had enough time to bring his shield up again as he took the blow of the combined wind attacks by both mages , the Light Metal Shield just barely holding up and the spells themselves making the whole inn creak from the abuse it was taking.
Mein barely jumped away in time to dodge a pair of throwing knives courtesy of their rouge . And Ake ducked from another arrow attack from their archer.
I think peace talks are over Naofumi...
" Grrrrgggghh ! Damn you Shield ! " The male mage shouted at them as he prepared his next spell " First Gust !"
" DUCK ! "
Mein shouted as they all jumped out of the way , that First wind spell destroying the few tables that were strewn around the room.
" Kill them all ! Kill the Shield Demon ! " The Warrior yelled.
Ake ran up to the warrior to try and stab him but the warrior managed to block it , just in time for his rouge comrade to follow up with a knife attack.
" Shit !" Ake cried out as he got slashed the arm , just barely being able to bash away the rouge with the hilt of his sword.
" Fast Aqua Shot ! "
" Fast Tornado ! "
The two mages of the group launched their respective spells at them.
" Air Strike Shield ! "
Naofumi was quick to the counter , summoning his Air Strike Shield to block the attack from hitting any of them.
" You damn demon ! " the male mage cried out.
Mein grit her teeth ready to charge at those two mages and end their pitiful liv-
She was cut off when Naofumi quickly jumped in front of her and took an arrow that was meant for her straight in the shoulder.
" Naofumi ! "
" Its alright , it didn't hurt me ! " Naofumi grunted as he pulled the arrow out of his armored shoulder " At least my HP bar didn't get hurt much ..."
Mein could see that damn archer girl smirking at them. She was going to cut her tongue out for this .
" AGH !" Mein saw the knight literally get his ass handed to him as he struggled to fight both the warrior and the rouge at the same time.
On any other day , she would have sit back and enjoyed the show , but if he died than they would be well and truly fucked .
" Naofumi , Shield Prison the mages on their next spell and then help Ake . I'll take out the backliners "Mein whispered to Naofumi who simply nodded . No time to argue.
" As source of thy power , we order thee , decipher the laws of nature and unleash a hurricane to destroy our enem-"
" Shield Prison ! " Naofumi cried out interrupting the duel mages chant. The mages pounding against the strong prison in both panic and surprise.
" Damn you Shield Demon ! " The archer girl cried out as she shot another arrow at Naofumi , but this time Mein was the one to deflect it with her sword.
" Not this time bitch ..." Mein said before she launched herself at the archer , the girl not even having time to properly fire another arrow at her. Before the princess ran straight up to the bitch and slam the hilt of her sword right in her face, knocking her back.
" AGH ! You worthless who-"
Mein didn't give her time to recover as she kneed her right in the gut , followed by a shoulder hit to the back of her head . Which seemed to knock her unconscious for good.
" Air Strike Shield ! " Naofumi summoned a shield to act as a barrier between the knight and their two enemies . Giving some much needed breathing room right before Naofumi ran right up to them and punched the warrior straight in the face.
It of course did zero damage, but it seemed to stun the warrior long enough for Ake to get a good punch in and a sword slash to the leg.
" AAHHH ! You motherfuckers ! " The warrior said clutching his leg as he continued fighting.
Mein smirked , they should be able to finish those two off easily .
And it was right around this time that the Shield Prison skill wore off that was trapping the two mages. Mein was already more than prepared for them.
" You bastards ! You think this will be enough to-"
" Fast Gust !" Mein released a powerful gust of wind that send the two mages flying across the room and into the remaining tables that were still left.
Mein had to admit that she specialized more in her fire magic than her wind . But she still knew a few wind spells here and there. And she couldn't use fire in a building like this.
Mein walked up to them as she saw them both try to get up " Stay down ... and maybe we'll consider letting you off gently..." She warned.
" Go fuck yourself !" The female mage yelled in anger" Fast Frostbite ! "
Mein's eyes widened as she quickly jumped out of the way of a blast of ice , she recognized her mother's element quite easily.
" Fast Air Shot !" The other mage sent a wind spell which she was able to dodge barely , but it ended up hitting the floor which caused it to creak.
These idiots are going to bring the whole building down on us . I need to finish this quickly.
Mein charged at the two mages , her focus determined on taking these out as quickly as possible.
" A suicide charge ?! You're as stupid as you dress !" Mein ignored the the female mage dig at her as she did a front roll to dodge another ice spell.
And she ended up grabbing a broken off chair leg in the process before throwing it at second mage to stop his chant.
" AGHH ! You bitch ! I think you broke my-"
" I'll break more than that ..." Mein said as she slammed her fist square into the face of the male mage and knocked him to the ground.
" Bolin ! " The female mage cried out as she prepared her next spell " Why you, Zweit-"
Mein didn't give her the chance to recover as she used the hilt of her sword to smack her across the jaw , before grabbing her by the collar and throwing across the room into the unconscious archer.
" Fast Thunderstun ! "
" AAGGGHH ! "
" How do you like that you bastard !? "
Mein turned to see Ake having just used a lightning spell to stun the rouge , which was impressive considering how fast he was. And from the looks of it , they had managed to beat down the warrior too.
" Goddamn ... these fucking idiots ..." Ake cursed as he clutched his wounds.
" Ake ! Are you alright ? " Naofumi asked looking at the knight in concern.
" I'm fine ... nothing too bad " Ake's armor seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage. But he still had quite a few bruises and cuts here and there " Its nothing Well Rest can't fix..."
" Right ...forgot this world runs on Dragon Quest and RPG logic ..." Naofumi turned to her then " Mein , you okay ? "
" Could be better . Managed to take their support out " Mein gestured to the unconscious mage and archer " We should tie them up and then get them tal-"
" Zweit Air Shot ! "
Mein barely turned around in time to see a shot of air sent directly at the back of the Shield Hero , knocking him over . In her surprise , she sees the male mage she had thought she knocked out back on his feet with an enraged look.
" You ... you devils ! You won't get away with this ! Fast Earth Shot ! " The mage sent forth a rock that seemed to cause a break in the floor.
" Son of a- Fast Thunderbolt ! " Ake shot a bolt of thunder at the mage who managed to dodge but once again hit the floor.
Mein could hear the floor creak as the fighting ensued.
" Damnit Ake ! Watch where you shoot ! You're going to make the floor-"
CRAACCCCCKKKKKK !
" ...Break..."
Oh shit.
The floor seemed to give out and Mein found herself falling down into the floor and landed on her back.
Mein felt her whole world spinning , as her back and shoulder ached from the drop which by her best estimate wasn't that far ...
As she looked up she heard the cries of voices calling out to each other followed by the sounds of running.
" ...Owww ..."
Mein exclaimed as she looked up to see a giant hole in the floor she had just fell through.
" Mein ! Mein ! " The princess turns her head to see Naofumi and the knight peering down at her from the top of the hole she just fell through " Mein are you alright ?! "
" Never better Nao...fumi ..." Mein's words died in her throat notices something in this hidden part of the inn she hadn't seen as she got up.
It was on the far side of whatever this basement was but it was illuminated by the same purple lanterns... with the same strange pull and feeling she got from it the last time.
She sees a shrine of similar to the one they found in the cave.
And Mein spots the offering placed on it.
Runes . 3 to be exact.
Mein seemed to have hit the jackpot today . Stepping in front of the shrine without thinking Mein takes the runes and stores them for later absorption.
And then Mein felt herself fall out of the world.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
She breathed again and then out of nowhere the Outsider suddenly appears , hovering above the shrine with his arms crossed . His sudden appearance , made Mein jump back a bit and almost scream at his sudden appearance , she certainly did not expect to see him again so soon !
" What the hell are you doing here !?" Mein didn't hold back , her urge to scream at him .
The Outsider only chuckled at her " Nice to see you too , your highness "
" Why did you bring me here ?" Mein eyed him suspiciously , looking at the black mist that was surrounding the room.
" I just wanted to have a friendly chat is all ..." Outsider said with a sly smile.
" Why didn't you do that when I went to that other shrine ? The one in the cave ?" Mein asked " Are you going to do this every time I find a shrine ? "
" No ... not all the time , I have other stuff to do and people to mess with " Outsider snarked at her " So it seems the woes of the Shield Hero never seem the end in this country , huh ? "
" What gave you that idea ? " Mein couldn't help but keep herself from snarking back.
The Outsider to her surprise actually chuckled a little " Fair enough , but I didn't come here to state the obvious . But I actually came to give you a nice little warning your highness..."
" Warning ?" Mein's curiosity peaked at that word " What do you mean ?"
" The knight you have in your party ... be careful around him , Mein " The Outsider refers to the young knight in their party " He's not Marked like you , but he possesses something much more ... powerful , something that not many men have and don't have at the same time "
What ? What is this Dark God speaking of now ?
" Private Ake Rorik , joined the Order of Sword last year , following a rather ... untragic and tragic loss " The Outsider seems to tell the tale of the knight " You see Mein , that thing he possesses that makes him so dangerous ... you want to know what it is ?"
Mein only nods in anticipation .
The Outsider leans forward to look Mein , directly in the eye " He has nothing left to lose ..."
The Outsider suddenly disappeared and a flash of light blinded her .
" Mein !"
Mein can hear someone shouting her name , while shaking her shoulder . She snaps out of it and turns to a frazzled Naofumi , as she tries to regain her bearings . She looks around to see the Outsider is gone.
" Naofumi I ... what happened ? "
" After you picked up those runes , you fell into a daze and you were ... mumbling something , I couldn't understand . Are you okay ?" Naofumi asked clearly concerned for her.
Mein touches his hand , getting a handle on her breathing " Yes , I think I'm okay now. Where's Ake ? "
" He's up top , I managed to help him get healed up with some of those potions we had " Naofumi explained " Those guys who attacked us ran off when you fell through the floor "
" Are you okay Naofumi ? "
" Yeah , that spell didn't do much besides knock me off balance " Naofumi reassured her.
" Alright , let's get out of here ..." Mein said as they started climbing out of the hole to meet with Ake who was sitting on some of the few chairs that hadn't been destroyed during the fight. Some rags tied around his cuts to stop the bleeding.
The knight looked at the glowing light that was coming from the hole , almost peering down into it to get a better look " So ... guess that explains why we had trouble locating the source of the occult magic here . It was right under us the whole time "
" To be fair , I doubt any of us could have guessed that this place had a basement but putting that aside ..." Naofumi looked out the door to the inn " Can somebody tell me who the hell were those guys ? "
Mein was about to speak when the knight beat her to the punch " You mean you haven't already figured it out yet ? Those guys were our fellow adventurers"
Naofumi's reaction was understandably of shock .
" What ?! " Naofumi shouted in surprise " T-Those guys were adventurers ?! They couldn't have been ... sent by the guild or the Church right ? "
" I...doubt the guild sent them to kill you . One of the hallmarks of the guild is that they are independent and they answer to no specific crown or even religion " Mein explains to try and calm Naofumi " And I doubt the Church would send just 5 Emerald adventurers to try and take us out if they were seriously gunning for our heads "
" Then why would they try to kill us ? " Naofumi says trying to make sense of everything.
" ... The answer is much more simple than you think Sir Naofumi ..." The knight butts in once again " Its because they hate you just that much to try and kill you themselves "
"This country hates you more than the demis, because you are their god. After all the shit those pillaging, raping cunts did, people are more than willing to spite them in any way." Ake says crossing his arms " And by any means it would seem ..."
" That is exactly how much you are hated in this country ... Sir Naofumi , I'm afraid ..." Ake says that last part somberly.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
An uncomfortable silence washed over them as Ake layed out the firm hard truth of the situation to Naofumi.
Mein practically stared at the Shield Hero who stood there stock still as if he still trying to come to terms with the grim reality of his situation in Melromarc . Mein can't help but feel this is her fault somehow , she should have expected there would be some fools who would try to make an attempt on his life without any intervention from either father or the Church.
She should have fully explained it out to him earlier just how bad his reputation in Melromarc is. Instead of letting the knight be the one to do it.
The Shield Hero stood there , still as a statue ... right before he picked up a chair and smashed it against a wall.
" I'm so sick of this bullshit ! " Naofumi cried out in a mix of anger and frustration" First I almost get framed for rape just because I'm the Shield Hero , then I find out that I'm the supposed devil of this country's religion because the people hate the demi's of this country and me by extension ! And nobody in the guild likes me and besides the other heroes I have no other allies ..."
"And here I thought it was just the King , prick nobles and the Church who were just acting out of blind hate for me ... but now I find out that even the common people want me dead ! All because of some shit in the past with some demi-human country , I'm just hated by extension ! I'm so sick of everybody hating me and and ..."
Mein took this chance to grab Naofumi's hand and the Shield Hero seems to stop his rant midway as he turns to look into her sympathetic eyes.
" Its okay Naofumi... you can keep talking " Mein reassures him. Outsider knows she wished she could have ranted a time or two to somebody who wasn't a mirror about her harpy excuse for a mother.
" I knew my reputation was bad but ... I didn't think it was this bad ..." Naofumi says trying to wrap his head around everything.
" The scars of the war are still fresh in many people's minds Naofumi ... hatred is not something that is so easily forgotten or forgiven for that matter "
Mein knew from experience how true that can be.
" I know that ... people from my world can be just like that too " Naofumi admitted .
" So ...Sir Naofumi , what do you intend to do ? " Ake suddenly asked , making the Shield Hero look at him in surprise " Now that you know the full extent of just how tainted your reputation is ... I ask what are you going to do about it ? "
A little more tact would have been nice but its a fair question all the same.
Mein looked at the Shield Hero curiously awaiting his answer.
After a moment of thinking , Naofumi let out a sigh " Well ...obviously I can't just sit here and whine about how unfair everything is. The king , the nobility , even the regular people of this country hate my guts and I don't think there's much I can do to change with my word alone ..." Naofumi stood up straight " So I guess the only thing I can do is show them that they are wrong and that I am not the Devil their religion claims to be "
" Actions always speak louder than words after all " Naofumi affirmed himself with renewed determination.
" A noble goal Naofumi " Mein says with a kind smile.
" Yeah ... I guess I can't really do much to change the religion , prejudice never goes away easily , but I do want to prove to everyone that they are wrong about me " Naofumi says with firmness in his tone.
" Ake and I will be there to help you every step of the way Naofumi ..." Mein assures him in a positive light.
" Thank you Mein ... thank you ..." Naofumi stretches his arm " Alright , I think we've spent enough time in this sorry excuse for an inn. Let's get out of here and head back .."
There were no arguments there as Naofumi led the way out of the inn. Never did Mein ever think she would actually appreciate the semi-breathable air of the slums , she had no clue how the people who lived here survived without constantly choking on the putrid air. But it was somehow better than the air that was borderline poisonous in the inn.
Just as they were about to head back the way they came , Naofumi suddenly stopped and turned to look at something.
" Hey Ake , what's in that circus tent over there ?" Naofumi's finger pointed out at the large circus like tent.
I don't think I need to explain the premise of what the next chapter is going to be , so I'm just leave that up to your imaginations for now.
:P
Now to get into a bit of the behind the scenes of this chapter . Originally the whole scene wasn't even supposed to have a fight scene to begin with , but Qin pointed out that the whole scene felt like it build up to nothing . Hence why I had the adventurers attack Naofumi and co here , which I think we can all agree is not unrealistic in the slightest.
Moving on to my usual review answers
To Guest :
To be fair , Naofumi taking care of the shrine but not dealing with the Necromancer using it really isn't his fault at all. Since he and the rest were working on incomplete information and had to make their own assumptions. So its not really his or anybody's fault, it was just a lack of hindsight.
And I would get into a whole rant right now about hindsight in the series , but I am way too tired so for another day I suppose.
:P