Right off the bat , I must apologize for this chapter's lateness . I've been very busy juggling my other Avatar story so I've had trouble keeping up with this one and I will admit that this chapter actually went through a major overhaul as a direct result of the previous chapter and also because of Qin's suggestions over changes.
I'll hopefully be able to update more frequently since I'm FINALLY on semester break so I hope you're all looking forward to it !
:P
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic !
With that said , let's get this chapter started !
Chapter 10 : Slaves and Chains
For the first time since he had joined their party , the knight seemed to hesitate " Um ... its just a regular circus , for the people to watch and uh ... have fun and stuff "
That couldn't have sounded more like a lie .
Naofumi stares at the tent for a few seconds before heading towards the entrance " Well , if it isn't too much trouble , why don't we check it out ? I'm kinda curious to see the inside "
" I really don't think that's a good idea , Sir Naofumi " The knight seemed to be pretty against Naofumi going into the tent suspiciously.
" Why ? I just want to check it out for a few minutes , if you don't want to follow than you can just stay outside " Naofumi turned his head to speak to the knight before continuing towards the entrance .
" Because you might not like what you see ..." Mein can hear the knight say under his breath , before he and Mein hurried to catch up with Naofumi .
Naofumi lifts the white curtain that covers the entrance , as they all enter the tent . Looking around , the entirety of the tent is lit up solely by lanterns which just barely makes it good enough to see . Mein also noticed that there are dozens of metal cages around the tent , many of them are stacked atop of others just because of how many there are , she wonders what kind of circus is this ?
" What is this place ?" Naofumi not asking anybody in particular , walking through path that is surrounded by cages .
" The worst kind ..." Mein can hear the knight mumble under his breath .
Mein leans in to whisper to the knight " What the hell is this place ?"
The knight doesn't even turn to look at her as he speaks "... A slave trade "
Slave ... trade ?
Oh fuck .
Damnit , damnit , DAMNIT ! Naofumi is not even close to ready to find out about Melromarc's slavery system ! Mein knew that he would find out about it eventually with him staying in their world indefinitely , but she didn't expect him to find out so soon !
They need to get out of here . Now.
Mein takes a step forward to touch Naofumi's shoulder " Naofumi ? Maybe we should -"
" Oh , I didn't know I had customers come in " A foreign voice cuts Mein off and she turns to see a short robust man , dressed in a purple tuxedo wearing glasses and carrying a cane with him.
A slave trader .
The slave trader steps forward to Naofumi , who looked surprised at the short man's appearance " My apologies for my rudeness , welcome to my circus good sir ! " The slave trader bows his head but she doubts he's being sincere . While he is bowing that he seems to notice the Legendary Shield on Naofumi's arm " Hmmm ... that shield , could it be ..."
The slave trader eyes Naofumi with a critical eye before coming to a realization " Oh my word ! It really is you ! The Shield Hero , Naofumi Iwatani ! It is an honor to meet you , Sir Hero " Mein could feel the excitement coming from him about Naofumi being the Shield Hero , though she didn't miss him eyeing his coin bag either .
" Um ... hi , I guess ? " Naofumi looked rather awkward at this slavers formal attitude " Its nice to meet you too , mister ...? "
" Please Sir Hero , just call me Beloukas " Beloukas adjusts his glasses at the Shield Hero , smiling at Naofumi creepily " Now what do I owe the honor of having the Shield Hero here ?"
" I was actually just in the neighborhood doing a quest and I saw your big tent , and I got curious is all " Naofumi decides to be honest , though it wasn't like he was going to up and tell this slave trader over what they were actually doing or what they had found .
Beloukas seems to grin at Naofumi " Well then Sir Hero , you have just made the good choice of stepping into my fine establishment ! " Mein holds back the urge snort at the dirty state of the cages or the somber mood in the air . Beloukas doesn't waste time trying to reel Naofumi in with a sales pitch " How about browsing through some of my product my boy? I guarantee you everything in here is of the finest quality ! "
" Well ... I guess it wouldn't hurt to check this place out for a bit " Naofumi looks at the many assortment of cages and Mein is genuinely surprised that he hasn't figured out what this place is by now , does slavery not exist in his world ? Or maybe he's just not picking the bad feeling this place is giving off .
Their little party follows Beloukas through the many cages , that are covered up with a sheet .
Mein doing her absolute best to avoid completely freaking out and trying to think of a way to get Naofumi out of here.
" Sir Naofumi ... I really think we shouldn't be here ..." Ake speaks in a hard tone.
Yes ! Listen to the knight for once !
" Come on Ake , what's the rush ? " Naofumi shrugs him off " So what is this place anyway ? Is this place some kind of circus or pet shop or something else ?" Naofumi eyes some of the cages around them " And what's in all these cages anyway ?"
Beloukas chuckles at Naofumi's question , which unnerves her " Haven't you figured it out my boy ? Those things in the cages are slaves "
Shit...
Naofumi's stops where he stands and his eyes widen considerably at this " ...What ?
Beloukas laughs at Naofumi's surprise " Yes my boy ! I run a slave trading business ! And you have just come to the best place in Melromarc to get a slave ! "
" Why the hell would you think that I would want to own a slave ?" Naofumi's shock about the reality of the situation is clear on his face, it makes Mein wish they had never taken this quest to begin with , even if she did get some runes on this quest it wasn't worth it if she had to see Naofumi like this " Owning slaves is wrong , its immoral , its-"
" Completely legal , my boy " Beloukas chuckles at Naofumi's shocked expression .
" What ?" If it was possible , Mein thinks Naofumi's eyes widened even more now .
" You didn't hear ? Slavery of demi-humans and beastmen is completely legal here in Glorious Melromarc "
Naofumi turns his eyes to her in horror " Mein , is this true ?"
Mein doesn't know what to say ... she's not entirely if there is a right thing to say in this scenario . So she's just going to have mediate this situation the best she can .
Mein lets out a sigh , before looking him directly in the eye " Yes , Naofumi its true . The enslavement of demi-humans and beastmen and the slave trade is legal here in Melromarc "
" While the manhunting of demi-human's is technically illegal , there are several legal loopholes one can use to own a slave " The knight crosses his arms , refusing to look at Naofumi " It is the Faith of the Three Heroes that dictate that demi-human's are nothing more than property , though this is only seen as acceptable by the Church when it is used to punish criminals "
" Then ... this has to be illegal right !?" Naofumi doesn't bother keeping his voice down , despite being in the presence of an actual slaver " There's no way in hell all these people are hardened criminals ! "
Naofumi seems to glare at the smiling slaver , it shows his observation skills are quite good , but his naivety and optimism still remain . Mein gently places a hand on his shoulder ,as he turns to look at her with eyes that makes her want to give him a hug .
" I'm sorry Naofumi ... but it won't work " Mein decides to take the gentle approach to this matter " Our country doesn't keep records on every single criminal , especially demi-human's who couldn't be cared for less by the crown . It doesn't take much for some slavers or nobility who own slaves ..." Mein eyes narrow to the still grinning Beloukas , before turning back to Naofumi " To bribe a few corrupt guard captains to forge a few criminal records and claim that they are criminals waiting to be transported "
" And the fact that you're the Shield Hero ... who do you think , they're going to believe more ?" Naofumi seems to flinch a little at the knight's words . Mein glares at the knight for his blunt attitude , he could learn to have a bit of tact .
Personally speaking ... she doesn't find anything wrong with the enslavement of these filthy beasts. After all they had done to Melromarc during the war and Siltvelt flat out refusing to pay any reparations to them afterwards , she finds it fitting that their nation was practically rebuilt on the backs of the captured dogs and cunts. But it seems that Naofumi has too much sympathy for these dogs to think about that.
Naofumi's eyes dilate like they did back in the trial " So there's ... nothing I can do ? " Naofumi leans in on her , and she holds him up by his arm to keep him from falling " God , I need to sit down "
The knight decides to be helpful for once and helps Mein place Naofumi down on a nearby crate . Naofumi places two fingers to his forehead , trying to comprehend the situation but failing to .Mein put a comforting hand on Naofumi's shoulder , she didn't like seeing the usual optimistic , kind and cute Shield Hero in such a state of despair.
Beloukas lets out a loud cough to get their attention " If I may say Sir Hero ... there is one thing you can do " Naofumi raises his head to the slave trader's grinning face to give him a puzzled look , the slaver seem to have gotten his attention " Have you ever considered the possibility that , you could perhaps ... purchase a few slaves yourself ?"
Naofumi eyes widened in shock and anger , as he glares at the slaver even harder than before " Why the hell would I ever think of owning a slave ? And how would that even be helping them ?" The slaver's grin doesn't waver under the glare of the shield hero .
The slaver lightly chuckles , re-adjusting his glasses " Oh , I don't know , maybe so you can save them from the next cruel master ? " The slaver places his cane in front of him as he stares their whole group down " Let me tell you one thing about the slave trade my boy , free of charge ! A lot of slavers aren't very nice , quite a few of them use slaves as their own personal toys to satisfy whatever strange fetish they have , I've seen some pretty sadistic stuff in my line of work "
Naofumi clenches his hand into a fist , indicating his frustration and anger towards the situation " So you're basically trying to tell me that I should perpetuate an evil system just so I can save a few people ? "
The slaver lets out an amused chuckle " Is it working ?"
" Go to hell " Naofumi spits at him.
" Already on that list my boy , but do tell what's it going to be ?" Beloukas merely shrugs at Naofumi's insult at him.
"Sir Naofumi we don't have to listen to this raptor shit and I don't think we should be taking advice from the lowest of the low of the criminal ladder " Ake glares hard at Beloukas " Yes , I am talking about you penguin ..."
" Oof ! You wound me my dear knight ! " Beloukas feigns being hurt before laughing.
" I sincerely hope I do " Ake says with as much disgust in his voice as there was anger in his voice . It was clear that the knight hated men like Beloukas.
Naofumi seems to slump back into his seat , clearly in deep thought . Mein can't blame his culture shock to slavery in Melromarc , she's guessing based on his reaction just now that slavery is looked down upon in his world or perhaps is outlawed entirely.
A few minutes pass before Naofumi suddenly rises out of his seat as he takes a deep breath and looked down at the slaver "... Show me what you have " Naofumi spits out every last letter of that sentence almost sounding disgusted with himself .
Mein and the knight looked quite surprised at Naofumi's decision.
" I knew you would come around eventually Shield Hero ! " The slaver seems to be ecstatic over this.
Naofumi turn to Mein looking her in the eyes , and he almost seems to want to look away from her shocked face " I'm sorry Mein ... but if I want to help these people , than I have to play by this country's rules " Naofumi looks downcast at this , seeming to be disappointed in himself " I'm sorry , if I disappoint you guys "
Mein feels like a flaming arrow just struck her heart at Naofumi's sad look , she pulls him into an embrace and whispers some words into his ears " I'm not disappointed in you Naofumi ... in fact I think its very noble of you , to try to help these people ..."
If they can even be called that but still...
She releases him from her hug and he looks at her surprised at her for a brief moment , before giving her a small smile " Thanks Mein ..."
Naofumi turns his head to face the knight , whose scowl is evident on his face.
" Ake I..." Naofumi seems at a loss words for what to say " Ake I know that this isn't exactly the best way to help but ...its the only thing I can think of "
Ake doesn't say anything but crosses his arms. Mein couldn't really tell why the knight seemed to have so much distaste towards the slave trade , yes it was 'horrible' but she would have thought the knight of all people would be numb to something like this.
" Look ...if you're against me getting a slave than I won't , if you really think its not alright then-"
" I didn't say that ..." Ake interrupted , his eyes softening a little and sighing " ... Look obviously I'm not very happy that you decided to go this route ...but you pose a good point... free demi-humans who can't fight for themselves are treated worse than slaves since they have no laws protecting them .But if they are slaves of your party than ...nobody would dare to mess with them "
" So ...what are you saying ?" Mein slowly asked.
" I'm saying ..." Ake said " Let's just get this over with ..."
Mein did not miss the fact that Ake's fist had been clenched . Clearly not happy about this in the slightest.
They all turn back to the slaver , who's been watching the entire scene with a grin on his face . Mein looks at him in annoyance " What are you smiling at ?"
" Ah , to be young again ..." The slaver mumbles loud enough for them to hear
" Go fall in a ditch " Ake spits.
" Maybe but not today . Right this way "
They follow the slave trader as he guides them through the path cleared out with slave cages surrounding them . Mein thought that this place , really was the lowest of the low . She could vaguely smell the sense of despair and death in the air .
But she was more concerned about keeping her distance from the slaves as much as physically possible , who knows what filthy diseases they could be carrying ! She certainly wasn't going to risk her neck for some expendable demi-human or beastman .
Looking around as they walked , Mein noticed several of the slaves in cages hissed , barked and stared at them as they walked , some of them seemed to have turned feral and some were flat out growling at them.
" I would recommend this one for such a high class , gentlemen and lady such as yourselves " The slaver regains their attention , as he pulls back the curtain for a certain cage . A wolf beastman suddenly jumps at them and grabs at the bars , growling at them like an animal . It glares at them ready rip out their throats out if they got too close.
Mein's HUD activates and registers the wolf .
Combat Slave , Level 75
Type : Wolf
Level 75 ... That's over 3 times my level ...
The knight crosses his arms , not seeming fazed by the wolf at all " How much do you want for him ?"
" Well , since it is highly capable in battle and fairly rare ... " The slaver gives Naofumi a mischievous smile " How does 15 gold pieces sound ?"
Even with all the adventurer quests they've been doing , there's no way they can afford that ...
" Showing us your most expensive slave , knowing full well I probably can't afford it ?" Naofumi's eyes the slaver suspiciously .
" Indeed ! You're going to become one of my best customers , I got a nose for these kinds of things " The slaver doesn't even bother trying to hide his business tactic .
Naofumi scowls at the slavers words " I wouldn't get your hopes up ..."
" Well , good sir now that you've seen my best , what kind of slave are you in the market for ?"
Naofumi looks around the many cages that surround the room when the sounds of coughing , reaches both Naofumi and Mein's ears . They both turn their heads to the source of the coughing , it would appear to come from one of the cages . Naofumi pays attention to the coughing , following it until he comes to stand in front of cage being covered by a sheet .
Pulling back the sheet , inside the cage appears to be nothing more than a little girl , maybe 10 years of age by Mein's best guess . Her body looks brittle , like it could turn to dust at any minute , her coughing indicates she is suffering from some kind of sickness . And the ears on her head , shows that she is a raccoon .
Mein scowls underneath her veil at the sight of the raccoon , as Naofumi kneels down to get a better look at her .
The girl seems to be completely livid to the whole situation , coughing like there's no tomorrow . Mein doesn't need her HUD to tell her that she isn't long for this world. But based on the pitiful look Naofumi is giving this brat , she sincerely hopes that he doesn't pick this girl to save first . The girl will virtually be useless deadweight for them , they will need to heal her first before she can even raise a weapon and even then she can't fight nothing but low level monsters until she fully matures with a high enough level .
No no no , don't look at her . You'll just make yourself feel bad for her.
Mein wants to say but holds her tongue.
Mein's not sure if there's a level requirement for demi-human's to mature but she's guessing its somewhere in the 10's or 20's at least . And reaching the 10's is going to take time , this damn brat is pretty much just going to be a useless meat shield at best. Extra baggage at worst.
She hope's Naofumi has enough sense in him , not to choose this girl.
" This one is a level 1 raccoon dog , and she's suffering from a flu as well as some night terrors . You have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to hear her wake up screaming from whatever nightmare she's having . From what I've heard , her previous master loved his torture " The slaver gives the details regarding the raccoon . Though Mein wishes he hadn't done that , he's just giving the girl more sympathy points !
" HEY ! STAY AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARDS ! "
A loud and agitated voice yelled at them and Mein turned to see another demi-human , screaming his head off at them and gripping the bars. As if his little arms could break free of the iron bars and chains wrapped around his neck and hands.
" My apologies Sir Naofumi , but this one in particular has always been troublesome " Beloukas rolls his eyes at the curses screamed at him " The brat keeps attempting to break free of her cage and escape . From what I can tell , he seems to be from the same town as this raccoon girl " Beloukas explains " Please ignore him and let's get back to business-"
" IF YOU EVEN THINK OF LAYING A FINGER ON RAPHTALIA , I'LL-I'LL- " The brat seemed to be running out of breath , it was clear that this was not the first time he had a screaming fit.
" Raphtalia ... ? " Naofumi briefly stepped away from the raccoons cage to approach the screaming slave's cage. Upon close inspection , it seemed that it was a boy that was similar in age to the raccoon . Only this one had dog features. He was practically growling like a dog.
" Do you know her ? " Naofumi asked as he knelled down next to the cage.
" Raphtalia and I grew up in the same town ! And if you scum lay another hand on her I'll-'
" Hey , hey relax , I'm the Shield Hero ... " Naofumi tried to calm the irate demi-human.
" Shield ...Hero ? " The demi-human's eyes widen in shock before they return to suspicious hostility " What's the Shield Hero doing in a place like this ?"
" ...I've come to take you two out of this place " Mein feels like face palming herself , based on Naofumi's words , he's already made up his mind on saving not just one , but two of these brats !
" I've decided , I'll take these two ..." Naofumi gestures to the dog and the raccoon cage respectively.
" Very well . You heard the man , let the two out of their cages and let them stretch their legs " The slaver signals and all of a sudden , a few thugs appear out of nowhere and open up the cage to let the little raccoon girl out.
The girl nervously climbed out of the cage , almost falling flat on her face as she got out. Naofumi kneeled down to help her stand , Mein felt a hint of jealousy rise in her as she saw Naofumi help another girl , even if it was just a dirty raccoon.
" Hey ... can you hear me ? I'm the Shield Hero , Naofumi Iwatani , everything is going to be okay "
" Its okay , nobody's going to hurt you now ..." Naofumi whispers words of comfort to the raccoon , though Mein isn't sure if she's even listening.
" Raphtalia ! " The dog boy as soon as he got out of his cage ,ran and embraced the young raccoon " Its okay ! Everything's going to be okay..."
" K-Keel ...? "
" Its alright Raphtalia ...I'm here ..." Keel said gently.
The slave trader pulled out a watch from his inner pocket " Come now , we still have to form the master-slave pact and time is money " The slave trader's laugh seems to scare the raccoon while making the dog glare at him . Out of the corner of her eye she sees Ake's hand inch towards his sword.
The slave trader escorted them to a small tent in the center of the giant tent away from all the cages with slaves in them , it had a table and what looked to be the items used to make a slave seal . Mein recognized the items from the castle's dungeon , she has taken trip once or twice to the prison underneath her home.
" Please cut yourself and drip some blood into the bowl , so we can get this started " The slaver gestures towards the small cup , filled with some kind of black liquid and set next to it is a knife . Naofumi wordlessly picks up the knife and cuts his finger a little , dripping a few drops of blood into the black liquid.
" Now let's begin " The slaver picks up the cup filled with the black liquid mixed with Naofumi's blood over to the raccoon girl . She tries to cover her chest , but he gently pushes her hands away , revealing some kind of slave mark . He dips a paintbrush into the cup and draw a circle onto the slave mark , the ink turning into purple smoke and causing the girl to flinch in pain .
" Hey ! " Naofumi clearly didn't want to see the little girl in pain any longer .
" Raphtalia ! " Keel barely seems to restrain himself.
The slaver maintains his poker face , not concerned at Naofumi's or the dog's anger at all " Calm yourself , the pain will dissipate soon and that slave crest on her chest makes it impossible for her to defy you in any way "
In the next instant , Mein can see the girl's bars and name appear below the knight's on her HUD .
The slaver quickly repeated the same process with the dog boy , though the dog glared at him the whole way while trying not to seem weak or in slight pain from the process.
" Now then , she's all yours " The slaver grins as Naofumi takes out a small pouch of money from his belt .
" 60 silvers right ?" Naofumi simply placed the money on the table , with a scowl on his face directed towards the slaver .
Naofumi's face softens , as he approaches the little raccoon girl who is still coughing
" Hey , it's going to be okay now , I'm going to take you out of this place " Naofumi kneels in front of her so that they are on equal level . He reaches out to touch her shoulder " Everything's going to be okay now , I'm the Shield Hero and -"
The dog boy stands in his way and moves to help Raphtalia stand up " Just let me handle her ...Shield Hero ..."
Naofumi got the message and backed away with a hurt expression " ...Okay ..."
Ungrateful brat ! After the money they spent just to free both of them !
They were about to leave when the slaver called out to them " Oh and by the way , I neglected to mention that there is a small commission for the applying the slave crest to the two "
Both Naofumi and the knight grumbled at the slaver in response , but Naofumi wordlessly took out two silver and threw it at him , which he caught with his white gloved hand . Naofumi stared down the slaver " There , happy ?"
The slaver just chuckled " More than happy , Sir Hero . And please come back again , we're always open for business "
Mein turned her head to give him a look " Don't hold your breath "
They all turned their backs on the slaver , as they walked out of the giant circus tent and went back the way they came . As they walked through the slum , with the knight as usual leading in the front to make sure they don't get lost , Mein saw the dog boy whispering words of comfort to the little raccoon , the girl only nodding along to whatever it was he was saying.
Mein turned her head , she really couldn't care less to eavesdrop on whatever they were saying.
They were able to finally leave the slum at long last.
" We should probably get going now , we need to get Raphtalia and Keel some proper clothes " The knight crosses his arms , referring to the rags the two slaves are wearing .
" You're right , do you know a clothes shop nearby Ake ?" Naofumi nods his head in agreement .
The knight doesn't answer right away , but looks at the stores of the castletown . It was a whole minute before he finally answered " I know some place better , we should go to Erhard's shop , he should have some clothes on clearance that would fit them both "
Naofumi looks at both Mein and the raccoon before speaking " Alright , lets go "
As they walked through the streets of castletown , Mein noticed that there were several people staring at them , some of them even had the gall to scrunch up their noses at disgust . Either at the Shield Hero for owning slaves , the slaves themselves or both . Mein honestly couldn't care less about what some low life commoners thought about them , they were nothing but faceless nobodies who couldn't hope to reach her kind of ambitions .
Naofumi holds open the door as their whole party enters Erhard's shop . Erhard appears to have been manually sharpening a sword when they entered , but his attention turned to them as they enter the shop .
" Welcome " Erhard puts the sword away as they approach the counter " Well if it isn't Ake , Shield boy and the kid " It takes a few seconds for Erhard to notice the two brats they have " Hey Shield Boy , what's up with the two kids ?"
" Their names are Raphtalia and Keel . They are Sir Naofumi's slaves as of today " The knight being blunt but truthful as usual .
Erhard looks at the little slave girl clutching Mein's hand with clear distaste on his face , though it is not directed at the girl herself " Please don't tell me you're suddenly into the slave trade now , Shield Boy "
" Its not like that " Naofumi places his hands on the counter , letting out a tired sigh after the events of today " This country hates demi-human's almost as much as they hate me , they have no rights or laws protecting them , at least by owning Raphtalia and Keel , I can make sure they doesn't get mistreated or abused by anyone else "
Erhard then turns his attention to the knight " Are you really okay with this Ake ? "
The knight however doesn't give a response right away , but looks away " ...It doesn't matter "
" How can you say that Ake ? After what happened-"
" I really don't want to talk about it Erhard , least of all in front of them " Ake gestures to the rest of them in irritation " So can you just drop it ? "
Erhard looks like he wanted to say more but decided against it , letting out a sigh.
If Mein didn't know better ...she would say Erhard sounded more worried about Ake than Naofumi.
"... So I'm guessing you didn't just come here to tell me you got slaves did you ?" Erhard scratches the side of his head , looking at the two brats sympathetically .
The knight spoke " We came to get them some proper clothing , you got some on clearance don't you ?"
Erhard placed a hand to his chin in thought " Yeah , I think I have just the thing and ... what the hell happened to your armor Ake ? " Erhard questioned as he eyed the knight critically.
Upon closer inspection , the knight's armor had seen better days which was expected since his current set and weaponry was generally geared towards people in the 10 to 20 level range . And with Ake approaching the 30's ... he's going to need better armor.
" Oh yeah , we got into a bit of a scuffle in the slums " Ake took notice of his own gear " I definitely need some new armor "
" Its alright , might as well get it while we're here for Raphtalia and Keel's clothes too " Naofumi nodded.
" Come on Ake , kids ... " Erhard stepped out from behind the counter to take the two slaves to get proper clothes and Ake to get him some new armor.
The little raccoon practically hid behind the dog boy , as he glared at the much older blacksmith. As if he could be a threat to anyone.
" Its fine Raphtalia ...Keel , just go with uncle Erhard ... he's a good man "
The dog boy seems to consider the kind and soft words of the shield hero , before he eventually took the little raccoon's hand and reluctantly stepped toward and followed Erhard into the backroom with Ake .
While Erhard was busy getting the brats some clothes , Mein decided now was the time to bring up the matter that had been on her mind for a while now.
" Naofumi we need to talk about those adventurers who attacked us in the slum " Mein was still very much pissed at the fact that a ragtag group had attempted to kill them " We need to deal with them before they can make another attempt on our lives . This crossed a line "
Naofumi let out a sigh " I get that ... but what can we actually do ? Its not like the King will put any real effort into punishing these adventurers if I tell him about it "
" We don't need to go to the king Naofumi , we can simply report them to the guild directly " Mein knew that the guild could be trusted to deal with troublesome adventurers. She had heard the stories.
" That's all fine and dandy ... but how do we know that guild won't just let them off with a smack on the wrist ? " Naofumi spoke with worry in his tone " I mean , the guild doesn't seem to like me very much ..."
" Regardless of your status as the Shield Hero, the guild has prided itself on being fair and just to all of its adventurers. They would not simply let such a matter of fellow adventurers attacking each other slide , whether or not you're the Shield Hero Naofumi " Mein calmly deflects the argument.
" Alright ... but that's the other thing , if we report those guys who attacked us wouldn't that just piss off a lot of other adventurers ? " Naofumi still persists in arguing against reporting them " I can't imagine that a lot of adventurers wouldn't be pissed if we got some other group punished so maybe it would be better to just keep this under our hat ..."
Mein let out a sigh , she had to admit that Naofumi had a point. There was something of a stigma against reporting on fellow adventurers for their misconduct or unlawful actions. Nobody wanted to be that rat snitch. But Mein still had to argue with her dear Naofumi.
" I understand your concern Naofumi but think of it this way. If we just let this matter slide we would basically just be sending a message that everyone is free to take a shot at our lives if they feel like it " Mein stood her ground " We need to be firm if we're going to let people know that we are not pushovers or punching bags to vent their frustrations at "
Naofumi seems to consider her words for a minute before nodding " Alright , you make a good point Mein . We'll go to the guild after this "
Mein smiled at him.
Honestly if Naofumi hadn't decided to report them , she probably would have hunted them down and killed them all herself.
At that moment , the blacksmith had finally returned with the two brats and Ake . Raphtalia was now wearing a small red and black dress that seemed to be just her size with a knife holster attached to it. While Keel got a simple white shirt that seemed a bit too big for him and short pants , and a knife of similar length to Raphtalia's.
" I couldn't find any armor for the little ones , since I don't exactly outfit child soldiers , but the knife should be just right for their height " The blacksmith gestures to the little raccoon and dog.
" That's alright " Mein waved him off.
As for the knight himself ... he seemed to have gotten a much more improved version of his previous armor set. His chestplate seemed to made out of steel instead of the usual iron. Along with the gauntlets, leggings , boots, an improved sword that looked to be made out tougher material and a full face helmet that had a small slit where his eyes should be.
Honestly ... a big improvement. At least Mein doesn't have to see his stupid face anymore.
" Thanks a bunch for the armor uncle ..." Ake said as he put his new helmet on.
" Nothing too pricy but should hold up with his new level range he's going to " Erhard explained.
" Thanks for the help Erhard " Naofumi thanked him as he paid for the new armor and weapons.
" Just remember to watch your back alright Shield Boy ? " Erhard gave him a smirk " Hate to lose my best customer "
" Wouldn't dream of it " Naofumi musters up a smile of his own right before they left the shop and headed for the guild.
Naofumi's POV
The sounds of the birds chirping on the nearby rooftops did little to ease the tension of walking back to the Guild. They still had to make their report on what they had discovered on their investigation and more importantly report those adventurers who tried to kill them.
Even though Naofumi still had his reservations about reporting on them , Mein convinced him it was the logical thing to do. If there was one thing Naofumi could trust Mein on , it was too be the logical one of the group.
Naofumi noticed how Raphtalia stuck close to Keel during their walk to the guild avoiding the people they had passed . He was glad they got Keel along with Raphtalia and that the dog boy could handle Raphtalia well enough. Naofumi wasn't sure whether he or Ake or Mein could handle Raphtalia by themselves.
He glanced over at Mein who seemed to be keeping the two kids in her sight . Presumably to make sure the two don't wander off...
That had been something he had come to notice about Mein , she was definitely a skilled adventurer , a good fighter ... but what stuck out to him was her ability to improvise and adapt and observe . He wonders if that's part of the reason why she was picked to try and frame him for rape.
But another part of him wonders why a dark god would give such great power to somebody like Mein , it wasn't as if she was a bad person per say but she wasn't a complete angel.
Naofumi wonders if that's why she was Marked by the Outsider.
The Shield Hero's train of thought was stopped when he realized they had arrived at the guild, recognizing the building he had entered several times already now looking more intimidating than ever for some reason.
Naofumi took a deep breath before pushing the doors to the guild open taking the lead here . He was the party leader so that's what he was supposed to do right ?
Not even 20 steps after they set foot in the guild , all of a sudden several spears , swords and knives pointed at them.
And what looked to be the entirety of the guild giving them their respective looks of disgust or full-on death glares.
Alright ...I'll be honest with you all for a minute, Keel was NOT meant to be part of this chapter or was not even meant to appear at this point in the story yet for that matter . But Qin suggested adding her to the scene to make it feel at least a little bit different since he pointed out that this whole song and dance of Naofumi getting Raphtalia has essentially been done to death by ...everyone. So he suggested adding Keel to at least make the scene feel different even if it isn't in term of plot beat.
And frankly ? I kinda agreed with him since a lot of my original plan mostly just followed canon and I don't think anyone would want to read a story like that. Especially when I gave Malty Dishonored powers of all things.
XD
In regards to Keel and Raphtalia ...let's just say you're all in for a surprise in the next few chapters.
( Strokes hands deviously)
Anyway , don't got much else to say here but see you all in the next one !
Angel Out.