This chapter came out a little later than I wanted it to but its still not past the 2 week mark so ... I think I'm safe.
:P
But for real about this chapter some serious sh*t is about to happen in regards to the party , don't want to spoil too much on what's to come so just read on.
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 12 : Freedoms Cost
" Naofumi ? ...Are you alright ? "
Mein's question was enough to snap Naofumi out of his stupor and look at the red head with a bewildered expression. The next few minutes after the adventurers had been dragged out passed by like a blur for the Shield Hero. From what he could remember , Maria cleared up the whole issue with them screwing up who was actually behind the undead infestation , though she did say that this would reflect on any upcoming rank promotions. Not that Naofumi really cares that much about his rank.
After all was said and done though , Justinia very 'politely' told them to leave the cathedral if they had no more business with her.
Naofumi already knew from Micah what a polite 'get the hell out' sounded like.
" Naofumi ? " Mein asked again and Naofumi realized he had dozed off.
" S-Sorry Mein just uh ...thinking ..." Naofumi tried to shrug it off but he could feel Mein's gaze on him.
" ...You're thinking about those adventurers aren't you ? " Mein accurately guessed as if she could read his mind " I saw how you were about to speak up for them just now ..."
" ...Yeah , you got it right ..." Naofumi nodded , no use hiding it.
" Why the hell would you stand up for those punks ? " Ake asked with a raised eyebrow.
" I don't know I just ... seeing those guys brought back bad memories of the trial I guess ..." Naofumi admitted. The memory of the trial was still a sour note , despite being found innocent.
Mein looked at him sympathetically " I understand your feelings Naofumi ... but those adventurers attempted to kill us . And as messy as it is , they need to be punished to send not just them but everyone else a message that murder isn't the kind of thing you want to encourage... "
Mein looked strangely thoughtful as she said that.
I know that ... but that still doesn't change the feeling in my heart.
" ...Say , we never collected our reward for the investigation quest did we ? " Naofumi tries to subtly change the subject " Come on , let's go back to the guild and get it "
Whether Mein knew he was deliberately changing the subject and didn't say anything or not. He didn't know.
But that was another thing that was still plaguing his mind ... Alice and the Three Heroes actually being helpful and fair to him was something he did not expect. If he was honest , he thought they would have killed him the second he walked in ...
So that begged the question ...how reliable is Mein's information that the men who hired her was members of the Three Heroes Church really ?
Or if she's been lying to him this whole time.
Mein's POV
After collecting their well-deserved reward with the majority of the guild giving them death glares every two seconds , they were finally back onto the streets of Castletown.
It was while walking that Mein heard the sound of two stomachs grumbling . Mein turned to the little raccoon who made an 'Eep ! ' sound and tried to hide it , but it was already heard by everybody in the party. The dog boy looked down at the ground , but from the looks of it he had not eaten in a while too.
They should probably get the slaves something to eat so that they don't collapse from starvation while walking. She was not about to help carry two dirty and starved animals.
" You two hungry ? " Naofumi very gently asked.
" ...No " The dog boy said simply while the little raccoon shook her head, but Mein could tell by how her tail was swishing behind her that she was lying.
Did the two think they were going to be punished for being hungry ? Granted living as slaves probably instilled that mentality into them.
" Come on , lets go get something to eat , its almost lunch anyway " Naofumi led the way to the same tavern they went to , the night they almost got robbed by those pathetic urchins . Mein sincerely hopes they don't encounter any more of those urchins , lest a rumor start of the Devil of the Shield assaulting 'innocent bystanders' .
Before Mein could walk behind Naofumi and the knight ,she noticed the two slaves stop in their tracks . Looking down at them confused at their sudden stop , the little raccoon gestured towards the sign at the side of the entrance .
' We don't serve Demi-Humans'
Mein felt the urge to roll her eyes , low life taverns like these should take whatever clientele they can get , by restricting their customers to only humans they are openly hurting their own business " Come on , you two ... " Mein took a step into the tavern while gesturing the two into it.
" B-But the sign ..." The raccoon pointed at the sign again .
" Its fine , lets go " Mein said with a little more force and the two followed along this time . Entering the tavern , Mein could see several of the customers turn their gazes towards them and she hear several of the customers whisper among themselves .
' Hey , isn't that the Shield Hero ?'
" What's that demi doing here ?"
" Isn't he the rapist ?"
" He was cleared of any charges , now be quiet before they hear you ! "
Screw them all .
Mein sat down at the table with Naofumi and the knight , she led the slaves to the seat next to her . Its by sitting like this , that she realizes how much their party has grown since then and she kinda misses the days when it was just her and Naofumi .
" Hey , can we order something here ?" The knight directed his glare to the waiter , who nervously walked over to them .
The waiter turned to look at the little raccoon and the dog boy , seated next to Mein before turning to the Shield Hero " Um sir ... we don't serve -"
One death glare from the knight was all it took to get the waiter to shut up .
"I'm sure your establishment can make an exception for a Hero of Legend , right ?" The knight dangerously reached for the hilt of his sword .
" Y-Yes ! Of course , sir ! " The waiter straighten up at the threat from the knight " W-What'll it be ?"
" I'll have the daily special " The knight retracted his hand away from his sword .
" Yeah ...same " Naofumi seemed to notice the knight threatening the waiter , but wasn't sure if he should say anything .
" I'll have the daily special too " Mein ordered the same as the knight , before looking at the little girl and boy beside her , both of them not even making a move to order anything . Mein sighed before ordering on behalf of the little raccoon " And the two kids will have some warm stew "
The girl was malnourished meaning she couldn't have solid food for a while , before her body became accustomed to it again . Mein remembered learning from father , from his days in war that you shouldn't feed people who have been starving solid food right away since their bodies can't handle the sudden feeling of having that much food again , it was better to have them eat something easier to digest , like stew .
" Why did you order stew for them ?" Naofumi looked confused at her actions .
" She did it , because their bodies can't handle having solid food yet , if she ordered something heavy their bodies wouldn't be able to take it and they would just throw it back up ... or worse " The knight surprisingly jumps in for her defense .
" Yes , exactly what Ake said " Mein nods her head in agreement with the knight .
" You're right , I think I remember learning about this , back in history class about World War 2 " Naofumi seems to fall deep in thought over the history of his world . So Naofumi's world has gone through a world war like Medea has ? Very interesting...
The waiter eventually returns with their food and they quickly dig in . Except for the little raccoon and dog , the former who seems to be holding herself back from eating the warm delicious stew in front of her . While the latter is looking at the food with close disdain.
Mein decides to speak up at this " What's wrong , Raphtalia ? Keel ? Don't you like it ? We can order you something different if you want"
The little raccoon fiddles her fingers before raising her head " C-Can I really ?"
Mein was annoyed at the raccoon , she can't believe she actually needs to tell her to eat.
Naofumi looked at the raccoon sympathetically " Yes Raphtalia , you can eat "
Mein noticed the slight drool coming from the edge of the raccoon's mouth as she eyed the warm stew " Are you sure its okay ?"
" Does the man have to repeat himself ? Just eat " The knight blankly said to the raccoon .
The little raccoon could barely contain herself , taking one spoon of the stew before just picking up the whole bowl and hoarding it into her mouth .
The dog boy seems to crumble quickly and begins eating in a similar manner to Raphtalia.
Mein resists the urge to roll her eyes , it seems neither of them know much in the way of proper table manners , but that's probably because they've been slaves for so long ...
Not that it really matters much to Mein ...
Besides the animals lack of table manners and the stares they were getting from some of the patrons , the rest of their lunch was quite enjoyable .
Immediately after getting their fill of food , well more the slaves than the rest of them , their party headed back towards the forest .They had to start out small again for the brats sake , so it was back to fighting balloons , mush and eggies .
Mein quickly slashes three balloons all out once in a single swipe of her sword , while Naofumi was busy drawing the attention of more monsters for them to kill . Mein with her quickly agility , cuts down the next group of balloons to jump at her . She then proceeded to cut down 3 mushes that Naofumi bashed away with his shield .
Leveling seemed to be going well for the new slaves of their party . But that was only because they were riding on the rest of the party's kills.
The foolish raccoon tried to be helpful ... emphasis on tried. The damn girl tried to swing her blade at a balloon but only ended up falling flat on her bottom when she missed. The dog boy wasn't much different, despite his inherent ferociousness , he didn't seem to be any more useful than dispatching a few extra balloons here and there.
Mein was seriously starting to regret letting Naofumi take these animals in . They are just dead weight ...
They continue on like this until the sun was starting to go down , by that point the little raccoon and dog's level had gone up to 6. And Naofumi suggested they head back to the city to find a nice inn to spend the night in. It didn't take them long to make it back to castledown.
Naofumi was busy carrying around a white bag that was filled with the the remains of monsters and of course any drops from the monsters. Most of which were in his words 'trash drops'.
Naofumi turned to the knight , while still holding the bag " Ake , I know that this is kinda last minute , but do you think you could go to the market and sell all this off ? I don't like carrying this much loot around with us and we need to go find an inn before it gets too dark "
The knight took the bag away from Naofumi and slung it over his shoulder " Yeah sure , Sir Naofumi but ..." The knight turned his gaze to Mein " Do you think , you could come along with me ? I would feel a lot better if I had someone with me while I'm carrying all this loot around "
Mein glanced at the knight , was this knight playing at what she thinks he's playing at ?
" Good idea... " Naofumi interrupted Mein's train of thought " Mein , could you please take Raphtalia and Keel ? We can meet back at Daedric's inn "
As much as Mein wanted to refuse , to offer to go with the knight instead but ... she already knew how suspicious that would have looked in Naofumi's eyes.
She has to bite the arrowhead here. And give her best smile.
" Of course Naofumi , I'll protect them as if they were my own siblings " Mein smiled sweetly at Naofumi , who gave a grateful nod as he walked away with the knight.
The princess in disguise watched the two slowly disappear among the crowds of people , before turning to the two brats before her. She did not plan to babysit two brats today.
" Come on , Keel , Raphtalia , let's go find a nice inn " Mein said calmly. Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.
The two slaves didn't reply but simply nodded as Mein lead the way. She wasn't about to hold either of their hands like she was their guardian. She didn't want to get her gloves dirty with whatever dirt the two slaves must have scrounge up. And she has much more important things to think about.
Like whatever lies that damn knight might be spewing into Naofumi's ear right this second. There's no doubt in mind that he knows who I am ... but what puzzles me is what he's playing at ? Like why didn't he just tell Naofumi straight away in his note that I was the Princess ? If he's just trying to garner favor with a Legendary Hero that would be a surefire way to do it...
It was clear that he's not the usual run of the mill opportunistic knight.
Or could it be that he's-
" Raphtalia stay close to me , I don't want you getting sweeped away in this sea of human trash ..." Mein's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the dog ushering the other brat to stay close.
" O-Okay..." The little raccoon mutters back.
Mein rolls her eyes as she turns her head slightly back at the brats "Stay close to big sister Mein alright ? "
" Big sister ...yeah right ..." Keel says spitefully in a whisper " Like you guys actually care about us... "
" Keel ...don't say stuff like that " The raccoon practically mutters which seems to affect the dog in no meaningful way.
The dog has a point though. If it was up to her , she would let these two brats wander off by themselves and let the streets do what they will to them. But she can't at the risk of how Naofumi's views her.
Back to the matter at hand . The knight could be concerned about the potential repercussion from such a reveal . From not just myself but Father ... I wonder if the reason he's held off going after Naofumi directly is if I'm part of his party . So that might be one reason for why he hasn't spilled the beans yet...
Unless he plans on telling Naofumi my identity in secret and telling Naofumi to keep me in the party just to keep father off their backs...
If he tells Naofumi who I am , then I am fucked ... there's no way he would let me get close to him after this and even after being revealed as the thief than-
" Hey ...aren't we supposed to be going to an inn ? " Mein turns around to see that the dog boy spoke up , interrupting her train of thought.
Mein resists the urge to sigh in annoyance or roll her eyes " Yes , that's correct , sorry I lost my train of thought for a minute " She said before going in the direction of Daedric's inn.
She takes a deep breath to calm herself ...there was no point letting her mind run rampant on what that damn knight might be saying. She should truly be more worried about Naofumi's admittedly admirable if not naive compassion towards others. The fact that he was willing to try and speak up for adventurers who tried to murder them not even a few hours prior proved that.
She just hopes that his compassion doesn't get him in trouble in the brief period of time they are apart.
It doesn't take them long to reach Daedric's inn , she finds it very ironic they end up all the way back here after all that is happened . Despite being the best inn in the capital , she almost detests the idea of coming back here.
Mein leads the way inside and heads to the reception desk where a female demi-human cat girl younger than herself is reading a romance novel of some kind.
" Excuse me , I would like to rent a few rooms for the night " Mein says calmly , but enough to make the reception girl's eye flick up to her in surprise.
" Y-Yes ma'am , how many would you like ? "
Mein gives a look to the two slaves " Are you two okay with sharing a room ? "
" ...Yeah , sure " The dog boy answered quietly.
" Four standard rooms please " Mein requested simply.
" Alright , thank you for your patronage " The receptionist girl smiled as Mein payed for their rooms and gave their designated room numbers to each other.
Mein was about to walk upstairs and hopefully wait for Naofumi and Ake to come back. She also needs time to think about-
The sound of a familiar tummy growl interrupts her train of thought and this time Mein looks down at the little raccoon who's gaze turned to the floor as her tail swished behind her.
For goodness sake , we just had our lunch just a few hours ago , is this girl seriously hungry again ?
Mein sighed as she turned to the restaurant portion of the inn " ...I suppose its almost dinner time anyway "
" S-Sorry ..." The raccoon mutters out but Mein isn't paying attention to her.
The restaurant is surprisingly packed , not nearly as much as the night that all the heroes stayed here , but still a decent number of customers were around.
Mein sits down as she feels the exhaustion the day has brought her come in full force. Going into the slums to investigate a dirty inn was one thing , getting ambushed by adventurers ,talking to the Outsider , acquiring slaves , and then getting falsely accused by said adventurers and then having to resort to having the Church help them of all people was another-
" Aren't you going to order something ? " The dog boy once again cuts in her thoughts. Mein realizing they had been sitting in total silence for a few minutes.
" ...Right " Mein says in the calmest tone imaginable . Was a moment of peace not possible with these two brats ?
Mein gestures a waiter over and orders some food for herself and the two brats. Hoping that will get them to shut up for a while. She also pre-ordered some for Naofumi and the knight in case they showed up soon.
I now need to consider how the Church's action affected Naofumi today... I had claimed in my little sob story that the men who hired me were supposedly from the Three Heroes Church ...and yet with the Church's recent fair action towards helping Naofumi clear his name today , the bastards might very well have undermined the trust Naofumi has in m-
" Pardon me , miss Mein...but can you please also order some water too ? " The dog boy asks in an abrasive tone. Clearly mocking the miss part.
" Of course ..." Mein forces a smile as she waves the waiter over and orders some water for all of them.
" T-Thank you miss Mein..." The raccoon muttered out but it did little to calm Mein.
She is seriously starting to lose patience with these brats.
While the result of how horrible losing the trial would look for them is obvious ...I much would have preferred that they received help from anybody but the Three Heroes Church. And now those bastards might have unintentionally sabotaged my budding trust with Naofumi and-
" M-Miss Mein ... are you oka-"
" Can you both be quiet for more than 5 minutes ?! " Mein could not hold back as she snapped at the two slaves " I am trying to think and I do not need your incessant questions to deal with ..."
The little raccoon shrunk back in her seat as the dog boy glared at Mein.
" A thousand apologies ...mistress fuckface..." The dog said quietly but she still heard it.
" Excuse me ?! " Mein shouted back.
" K-Keel ! Don't say stuff like that ! " The raccoon said to her companion , while giving pleading eyes to the princess " I-I'm so sorry miss Mein ! "
The princess in disguise glared at the two demi-brats before resting her head on her hand . A wave of silence washing over them as the other patrons in the restaurant gave them odd looks.
She hopes Naofumi is doing better than she is.
Ake's POV
By the time , they had made their way to the market the sun had already set and it was getting darker . Ake saw that there were significantly fewer people walking the streets now , he suspects it was due to most of the stores being closed for the day . Or maybe there weren't many people who wanted to be out this close to dark . As they passed all the empty stores that were closed , fortunately there was one store that was still open.
" Good evening , knight and... Shield Hero " The shopkeeper gives a look towards Naofumi but makes no further comment " What can I do for you both ?"
Ake said nothing as he placed the big sack on the counter , which surprised the merchant as he untied the knot and examined the loot.
" How much for everything ?" Naofumi politely asked.
" I can give you about... 10 silvers for everything "
Ake could easily tell from a glance that the merchant was trying to underpay them. While even he had to admit that he would likely do the same with how weak merchandise they were selling ...he was at least hoping for a better price.
He turns his head to the Shield Hero , expecting him to barter for a better price ...only to see that the Shield is completely silent and appears to be deep in thought.
Ake stepped up to the counter in his place " Hmmm ... that's not your best price , how about 20 silvers ?"
" 12 silvers " The merchant shot back at him .
" 19 " The knight calmly replied .
" 11 silvers ! "
" 15 , that's our final offer , take it or leave it " Ake proposed the offer to which the merchant seemed to accept .
" Deal " The merchant handed Naofumi a pouch filled with silvers .
" Pleasure doing business with you ..." Ake waved his hand as he walked away with the Shield Hero in tow. On any normal occasion , he would have detested being sent off like some kind of errand boy...
But this provided the perfect opportunity to get nice and alone with the Shield Hero. Who no doubts wants to talk to him about something.
Not even five minutes after they left the store , Naofumi spoke up " Ake hang on a second ... I need to talk to you about something..."
There it is.
Ake could understand why the princess would think she could manipulate the Shield Hero. He was so easy to read after all...
" What is it Sir Naofumi ? " Ake asks, pretending to be oblivious.
" Not here ...come on " Naofumi led him into an alleyway , out of the way of any street traffic. Not like there was many eyes or ears that could see them...hopefully speaking.
" So what is it you wish to speak to me about Sir Naofumi ? " Ake asks again with his arms crossed.
" Its nothing its just ...its about Mein..."
Big shocker.
" I just ...don't know whether I can actually trust Mein you know ? "Naofumi says after a breath , desperation in his tone " She was the one who stole my equipment and went along with the plan to frame me for rape ...I don't even know for sure whether her speaking up for my innocence during the trial was her backing out in fear or just a last minute change in plan with the rest of the conspirators..."
Ake put a hand to his chin in thought. He hadn't given much thought on why the First Princess backed out of the King's little scheme to frame the Shield Hero... it would have been the easy way out ...or perhaps she realized something ?
He had to figure that out later.
" Other conspirators ? What did she tell you exactly Sir Naofumi ? " Ake asked , wanting to know whatever sob story the princess fed to him to keep her in his party.
" She told me she came from a cadet branch of some fallen noble house , House Sophie she said ...it collapsed a century ago due to internal conflict " Naofumi explained " And she implied that the men who hired her to frame me were members of the Three Heroes Church ... and before you ask , I did check with the adventurers guild to confirm her identity "
Ake thought about the information the Shield Hero had just given him.
Good cover story , I have to admit. Purposefully feeding him a sob story and giving proper evidence prepared in advance for it. The Princess is much smarter than she looks...
" Then what troubles you Sir Naofumi ? " Ake calmly asked.
" After today with the Church and how fair they were ...I can't be sure of how truthful Mein's information about the men who hired really is ... then again she never flat out said they were from the Three Heroes Church either so ..."
" So its getting kinda hard to discern the truth from the lies with Mein ? " Ake said plainly " I can see why ..."
Ake thought about what kind of card he should play right now. On the one hand, he could easily reveal the princess's identity right here and now ...
But on the other hand , the Shield might very well attempt to boot her out of the party if that happened. And if she gets ejected out of the party than that would severely limit my ability to keep tabs on her and make sure she doesn't kill us. Sure , I might be able to convince the Shield to simply keep her in the party ...but how convincing of an actor can the Shield actually be before she realizes that her identity has been blown ? When he doesn't even look like he could lie to save his life.
No , the best move to play here is make the Shield cautious of Mein while at the same time playing to his sympathies about the two demi-human slaves they acquired.
He'll keep her identity in his back pocket for now. Along with the fact that she's one of the Marked too.
He hadn't expected the First Princess to end up being a heretic or given powers by the Outsider himself ...but perhaps its cruel irony in a way.
" I don't think its right to draw any rash conclusions for now Sir Naofumi , we simply do not enough about Mein's background to tell how much truth she's actually been telling ..." Ake mused calmly " So for now , the best course is to keep a close eye on Mein to make sure she doesn't do anything else bad "
Thankfully the Shield seems to nod in agreement " Yeah ...I suppose you're right. I don't like suspecting my own companions of being bad people but ...after all that's happened I have to"
Ake has to hold back the urge to smirk. This was good. He had managed to get the Shield to keep an eye on the princess , practically doing his job for him.
Now for the finishing touches.
" Speaking of which Sir Naofumi... what do you make of Raphtalia and Keel ? " Ake tried his best to subtly shift the conversation to the two kids they just picked up.
Naofumi seems to be in thought for a moment before answering " Well Ake I-"
Naofumi didn't get to finish his sentence as he was suddenly bumped into his side by an unknown force. Ake turned to his head to see a demi-human mouse boy based on the whiskers on his face , he was just a year or two older than Raphtalia and Keel standing there and looking up at them with surprised eyes.
Wait a second...that isn't surprise. That's acting.
" So sorry sirs ! I didn't mean to ! I was in a rush and-"
" Its alright , neither of us were hurt ..." Naofumi softly spoke to the boy in a gentle tone.
" Thank you so much sir ! I'll be on my way ..." The boy bows respectfully before walking away.
" Hang on a second..." Ake stops. He could tell that the surprise in the boy's eyes was fake ... and that 'accidental' bump was fake as well.
The boy stilled while Naofumi looked at him in shock. Ake turned to the Shield " Sir Naofumi , please check your belt to make you still have your coin pouch on you "
" What ? Yeah , I got it right..." Naofumi reached to his belt ...to reach for nothing instead
"...Here" Naofumi finished.
Ake gave a look towards the boy who hesitated for a moment : Before running like hell.
" Catch him ! Don't let him get away ! " Ake shouted as he broke off to chase the boy. Naofumi hesitated for a moment before breaking off into a sprint as well.
The boy made a quick turn out of the alley and into the open street. Which of course had a few people who were still roaming around , the boy was agile and quick enough to maneuver his way through them.
Ake and Naofumi however ? Not so much...
" Hey ! "
" Watch where you're going !"
" Damn morons ! "
Those were some of the responses they got as they both bumped into people or narrowly avoided them , causing the two of them to slow down in their pursuit. But they still manage to keep in sight of the boy as he made a hard right into a narrow path.
" Piss off ! " The boy yelled at them as he grabbed some stacked crates and threw them to the ground.
Ake jumped over the crates but stumbled a little on the recovery. Naofumi took the easier approach , going around the mess of crates the boy had left. The boy getting even further ahead of them.
Ake grit his teeth as he ran with all his might , practicing the breathing techniques that his captain taught him to do when they were doing laps around the courtyard. Controlling your breath and breathing is essential in a fight. Ake supposes those techniques can also apply to chasing after pickpockets too.
Sir Naofumi wasn't doing much better based on how ragged his breaths are . It makes Ake briefly wonder how well trained the Heroes prior to their summoning or if they have any physical training.
The boy ducked into a sidealley and the two men kept chasing after him.
Yet no matter how fast they ran , the boy seemed to constantly be ahead of them. It wasn't as though the boy was especially fast or agile per say , but it was that Naofumi and Ake were just too slow. Their agility stats were pretty terrible , add in the fact that they were wearing at least a few dozen pounds of armor and equipment on them ...it was no surprise that they were slowly losing the boy in distance.
Damn it ! The one time we actually need that red headed bitch and she's nowhere to be seen !
Of course , the one time they actually need a fast fighter and their only one was tied up playing babysitter. Damn it !
Ake felt his legs start to wear down from all the running, it was only a matter of time before they tired themselves out too much to continue chasing or the brat lose them in one of the many turns he was taking.
" Sir Naofumi ! Use Air Strike Shield or Shield Prison to cut him off ! " Ake shouted . It was a heat of the moment thought.
Naofumi eyes widen for a second before he held out his hand as he pointed in front of the boy " Air Strike Shield ! "
Suddenly a large green ethereal shield appeared out of thin air in front of the boy. But he was fast enough to dodge out of the way in time and keep running.
" Damnit !" Ake cursed.
" S-Sorry ! " Naofumi apologized as they kept chasing after the boy.
" Fuck off !" The boy yelled once again as jumped over some crates . Ake and Naofumi had to go around since with their armor , they couldn't make a move like that as easily. Which further increased the gap between them and the boy.
This was going nowhere and fast ...I'm going to need to cut him off.
Ake was starting to appreciate the dozens of patrols he had done in and around the capital. It gave him a pretty good direction of the layout.
And if he was correct than...
He had seen a side path that was leading out of the alley they were following the boy in.
"Sir Naofumi ! Try to slow him down ! I got an idea ! " Ake called out before he ran down the side path.
" W-wait what ?! But-"
" Just trust me ! "
They didn't have time to argue as Ake disappeared from sight and began running down the sidepath in an attempt to cut the boy off.
" Air Strike Shield ! Shield Prison ! "
Ake could still hear the sound of Naofumi using his skills in an attempt to cut the boy off from a distance . But from the sounds of curses from the boy and Naofumi , it was clear they weren't doing much to stop him.
That was fine though. Ake already expected that.
Just a little further and...
Ake sprinted with all his might as he made a hard left-
Just in time as the boy passed by.
Ake practically barrelled into the boy as they both fell to the ground sprawling and groaning.
" Ow ..."
The two exclaimed in pain from the sudden hit as Naofumi ran up to them.
" Ake ! You got him ! " Naofumi shouted as he stopped in front of them.
" Damn right ..." Ake quickly recovered and grabbed his arm before he could recover and pulled him up.
" Hand over the money kid ..." Ake said as he pulled the boy to his feet.
" Ugh ...get off me ! " The boy struggled in vain against Ake. Punching his arm in vain , but only causing him to hurt himself against his improved armor.
" Please don't hurt him ! " Another voice interrupted , and Ake and Naofumi's attention turned to a girl , who was much younger than the boy emerge from the shadows of one of the alleys.
" Ellis ! I told you to stay back ! " The boy shouted.
" I didn't know you would get caught dummy ! " Ellis shot back " Please don't hurt my brother ! "
Naofumi's eyes soften at the girl as he put a hand on Ake's shoulder " Ake just relax ..."
Ake eased his grip on the boy but didn't let him out of his sight " Hand it over " Ake said firmly.
The boy went silent for a moment before glaring at him " Here ! Take it ! " The boy practically shoved the money in Ake's hand before he handed it over to Naofumi.
" Count it , make sure that its all there " Ake instructed. There was a possibility he gave him the slip.
Naofumi did a quick count and nodded " Yeah , everything's here "
Ake let out a breath of relief . That was a good . They didn't lose a sizeable portion of their funds before the wave was even here.
" Now let me go ! " The boy finally wrestled his way out of Ake's grip and went over to his sister who hugged him.
" You idiot ...I told you to stay home " The boy whispered.
" Dummy ...I couldn't let you go alone ..." Ellis said back.
" Hang on a second ...why were you trying to steal from me ? Where are your parents ? " Naofumi asked.
The boy glared at them " Why do you think jackass ?! My father is dead and my mother breaks her back working as a waitress to help put food on the table ! I have to steal from assholes like you to help keep my family off the streets !"
The boy stood up straight " If you're going to turn me in then just do it , but don't drag my family into it ..."
Ake observed the Shield Hero's expression. Curious to see what he would do.
"Hold on ...we're not going to turn you in ..." Naofumi said calmly taking a cautious step forward " Actually..."
To Ake's surprise , he actually took a couple of silvers and held them out to the young children who looked at his hand cautiously.
" Just take this money and go ..." Naofumi said , sympathy in his eyes.
Interesting...
Ake watched as the boy looked from his sister to the Shield Hero with cautious eyes . As if making sure that this wasn't a trick . And then as quick as he could , he grabbed the coins out of Naofumi's hand and ran off with his sister holding his hand.
Ake watched the two kids run off into the alley , slowly disappearing from sight before he turned back to the Shield.
" Come on Ake ...let's head back ..." Naofumi said quietly and Ake didn't say anything but give a look of approval.
It seems the Shield Hero really is as compassionate as they say ...
It makes him all the more easier for me to manipulate.
Mein's POV
It took more than a while before their food arrived. The restaurant had increasingly grown crowded so their food was delayed a bit , but it did eventually arrive albeit late.
Now the three of them were just quietly eating their food . Mein thinks her earlier outburst being the cause for their silence .
Good. She prefers eating in peace and quiet.
It was at that moment that she noticed two new additions walked into the restaurant ...and caught sight of the familiar Shield Hero.
Mein waved over to them " Naofumi , Ake ! You're back ! So how did it go ? " Mein asked as they walked over and sat down.
" Well ...we got pickpocketed and had to chase the thief and get our money back " Naofumi explains " But besides that everything went well... "
Mein immediately picked up on Naofumi's tell. He wasn't telling everything.
He's telling the truth about the pickpocket but not something else ...
The knight definitely said something to him ...but what ?
She'll have to figure that out later.
" Alright then ..." Mein pretended to accept the answer " I already ordered you two some food , hope you don't mind"
" Its fine , thanks Mein ..." Naofumi nodded while the knight just shrugged.
The undercover princess threw a look at the two kids who were still eating their meals in relative silence. The raccoon girl seemed to be deliberately keeping her eyes away from everyone while the dog boy just looked to be focused on finishing his food , but his eyes held a look of silent irritation.
" So where are you two from ? "
Mein was in the midst of eating her salad when the knight broke through the silence. Naofumi also looked surprised by this . But the two slaves also looked surprised at this.
Silence followed before the raccoon muttered something out " P-Port Harp ..."
" Port Harp ? Seatto's place ? " The knight looked genuinely surprised by this and so was the princess.
These two are from Uncle Uther's land ?
The first princess had been aware of uncle Uther's position as one of the few lords that were open about treating demi-humans fairly. His crowning achievement was Port Harp which welcomed both demi-humans with open arms and was a bustling trading port ... right before the First Wave blew through and destroyed it . Along with uncle Uther too ...
" So where are your parents ?" Ake asked next , which elicit a flinch from the two slaves.
It was clear that their parents were either dead or worse. She's betting on dead.
Naofumi gave the knight a look " Ake ...maybe you shouldn't ask that-"
" They're dead ..." The dog boy interrupted before a word could get in. His voice laced with anger " They're all dead , you hear ? "
Mein gave the dog boy a look as he seemed that he was about to go on a rant.
" Mine got torn apart protecting me from a swarm of undead ...while Raphtalia's died when they got killed by the Wave Boss to save her life ..." Keel's voice had a certain unadulterated anger to it. The raccoon flinched at the reminder of her parents death.
Naofumi looked at the two slaves sympathetically" Keel ... I ..."
" Forget it , we're done here ..." Keel pushed his plate aside and stood up , grabbing Raphtalia along " May we please retire to our rooms , Shield Hero ? "
" Sure ...but if you need anything you can- "
Keel didn't even stop to listen as he disappeared out of sight and presumably upstairs with the raccoon.
Ungrateful brat !
Mein turned back to the Shield Hero , who seemed hurt by the way the dog boy spoke to him.
" Its alright Naofumi , try not to take it personally ..."
" I know ...I just feel sad that I don't know how to help those kids " Naofumi admitted " They've been through so much ...and I don't know how to help them deal with that ..."
" ...In any case , all we can do right now is try to keep them both safe " Mein advised " Though we should keep an eye on Keel , he seems like the type that might be a little reckless on the battlefield "
She had seen the way the dog boy swung his sword with the grace of a drunken woodcutter. Reckless would be an understatement. And the sheer amount of disrespect he had spoke to her for a slave was uncanny.
" Yeah , you're right Mein ... " Naofumi said but his eyes still look conflicted.
No matter , they will further discuss it in the morning.
After finishing their dinner , Mein retired to her room, took off her armor and fell on the very comfortable and soft bed that was practically calling to her.
Today had been a very tiresome day ...and she has no doubts that it will get even more tiresome tomorrow.
She falls out of consciousness like a light.
Malty spent what felt like hours crying into her pillow , she didn't care how much her tears ruined her pillow and sheets , she just needed to let it all out ...
Because she still could not believe what she had seen today in the Throne Room , it all seemed so unreal and unbelievable . Like a bad dream or nightmare she had , closing her eyes and hoping to god that she would wake up ...
But she didn't . This was real and it really happened .
Fresh hot tears spilled from her eyes onto her already wet pillow , burying her face into it again to try and stifle her sobs of sadness .
She had never before in her life seen Father act in such a cruel manner , she had always viewed him as kind and gentle man . Father who would tell her bedtime stories before bed and let her ride on his shoulders even when he seemed to be too old for it .
For him to act in such a ... cruel way towards someone else , was something unimaginable for her .
And for Father to do it to ... him of all people was inconceivable to her.
She sits up on her bed and wipes away the tears with the sleeves of her dress... her cheeks still wet though from the amount of tears spilled.
She needs to go speak to Father ...maybe she can convince him to let whatever bad thing he did go or maybe-
" AAAGGGGHHH! "
Malty fell out of bed at the sound of a loud ...scream coming outside her door.
" W-W-What's going on ...? " Malty thought out loud as she walked to the door and leaned in on it. She heard the sound of several armored boots running down the hall.
" Squads ! Form up a defensive formation in the hallway ! We absolutely cannot let him-"
" Drifa Firestorm ! "
The sounds of more mens scream made Malty fall on her back as she scurried away from the door.
" S-Somebody stop him ! " She heard a man scream
" He's heading for the First Princess's room ! "
Malty's heart dropped as she heard that ...and the sound of boots hitting against the floor starting growing louder and louder...
" Stop right there you bas-"
" Zweit Thunderbolt ! "
Malty screamed as she saw the door to her room get blasted open ...and a man launched through it and fell to the floor.
Malty's breath was fast paced , ragged and she wasn't sure if she was going to stay awake ...
She could smell the flesh of the dead man burning from the lightning blast.
Malty slowly turned her head ...as she heard another man enter the room.
She looked up at him with a terrified expression ...
And all she ended up staring back at ...was the face of a skull mask.
His right hand held a blade that was ...caked in blood.
The sound of it dripping onto the floor echoed in her ears.
His left hand was smoking...burning ...
She couldn't scream. She couldn't breath . She couldn't even say a word.
She was shocked by everything that had transpired.
She couldn't even see the eyes behind the mask ...
" He's in here ! "
" He's in the Princess's room ! "
" STOP HIM YOU FOOLS ! " She heard a familiar voice , it was Father's voice " DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY ! "
In an instant , she felt herself get picked up by him ... and she felt him run with all his might towards her balcony.
Her eyes widened , but she still couldn't scream ...
Even as he jumped off the balcony and the wind blew up against her ... she held onto him for dear life.
" MALTY ! "
She looked over his shoulder ...and she could just barely see her Father reaching out to her.
Before everything turned so bright ...
She still never let go.
Mein shot up with a gasped breath and reached for her sword that she left by her bedside and pointed it at ...absolutely nothing.
She let out a few ragged breaths before she realized she had another dream as she lowered her sword.
That same fucking dream ...
It had been quite a long time since my last nightmare ... makes me wonder if our time in the slums were the cause of it. Or maybe it was those scumbag adventurers who ambushed us that caused it ?
Mein pondered the reasons in her head , not being able to pin it down to a precise source...
But as she looks at the tattoo on her hand and instantly remembers why she hates it.
She sets it aside for now to go meet with Naofumi and the rest , no doubt the knight and the two brats have already awoken.
Mein slowly rises from her bed and stretches her arms and legs a little to get the stiffness out of them. Before grabbing her sword and heading out the door , she can put her armor on later.
Right as she exits her room , she finds Naofumi seems to have just exited his room.
" Oh Mein ! You just woke up ?" Naofumi greeted her.
" Yeah ... " Mein says , rubbing her eyes " Where's Ake and the other two ? "
" Ake already went downstairs to get some breakfast ...though Keel and Raphtalia still haven't gotten up yet " Naofumi points to the door , which belongs to the two slaves.
" Could be that they are sleeping in today ..." Mein mused .
" Maybe ...but they should at least get up for breakfast " Naofumi walks up to the door and gives it a soft knock " Keel ? Raphtalia ? Are you awake ? "
No response.
" Keel ? Raphtalia ? " Naofumi said again slightly louder to once again receive silence.
" Let me try Naofumi ..." Mein gently pushed the Shield Hero aside to try her hand " Raphtalia dear ? Can you please come out? We have a nice bowl of -"
Mein turned the doorknob ... and it opens. Revealing it had been unlocked the entire time.
" What the ..." Mein said , looking at Naofumi who had a worried expression . Mein held up a hand to him as she spoke " Raphtalia ! Keel ! I'm coming in "
Mein pushed the door open ... to see that there was no one inside.
The bed was messy , but besides that there were no indication of where the two slaves were.
"W-What the hell ?! " Naofumi shouted in shock as Mein tried to keep her cool.
She spotted a single note on the nearby desk.
She picked it up and read it :
We're leaving and not coming back. Don't try to find us you bastards.
- PS , Go fuck yourselves.
Mein glared at the note left behind , no doubt by the dog ...
The two slaves had really cut and run.
" Sir Naofumi ... please calm down " The knight advised.
" How can I calm down Ake ? When there are two kids out there missing because of me ?" Naofumi said in self anger. As he continued pacing back and forth , to the point where she thinks he's going to wear grooves into the floor at this rate.
The last hour was nothing short of stressful with alerting Ake to the matter of the two missing brats and their nice little note before they left. And then thoroughly canvasing the nearby area around the inn to search for the little brats before concluding that they were probably long gone.
"We honestly should have seen this coming..." Mein let out a groan " Its not uncommon for slaves to try and run when they get the chance , so we should have anticipated something like this ..."
Frankly speaking , she's more disappointed in herself . She should have predicted that the dog brat would have cut and run at the first opportunity.
" Forgetting that , we need to find them ! They have no money , no food and they don't know their way around the capital ! God knows what could happen to them ..." Naofumi shouted in frustration " Isn't there some kind of like ...slave tracker or something ? "
" Such a thing does not exist Naofumi ..." Mein shook her head.
Though there does exist a setting in the slave parameters that force slaves to stay within a certain range to their masters . She hears that it is prevent them from escaping or attempting to cut and run...
Although as inclined Mein is to suggest Naofumi activate the slave seal ...it would do no real good to locate the little brats. Since the animals probably wouldn't even know to return to them to stop the pain of the slave seal.
" We could ask around , maybe somebody saw them ? " Ake suggested mildy , but from his tone alone it was clear that he didn't have much optimism for his suggestion.
" Right in the capital of a country that hates demi-humans guts , I'm sure there will be plenty of people who care enough to notice two demi-human kids wander around by themselves ..." Naofumi said sarcastically.
Mein let out a sigh as she looked out the window.
Where could those brats have gone ?
Raphtalia's POV
The sounds of many people moving on the street , made her recoil further back into the cold and darkness of the alley. Where she was told by Keel to stay put until she came back.
The little raccoon girl whimpered , both scared and worried that Keel wouldn't come back . But she promised that she would be back soon. Said that she needed to find something for them to eat.
The sound of her tummy grumbling made the little girl whimper even more , close to crying at this point. The delicious and warm food they had last night already starting to run out in their bellies.
Raphtalia almost wanted to suggest that they just return to the Shield Hero ... sure that lady was a bit mean but the knight seemed to care about them.
The only reason she didn't was because Keel insisted that they had to get as far away as possible from the Shield Hero ... the man who saved them.
Raphtalia leaned against the cold stone wall of the alley and sat down , hugging her knees together just hoping that Keel would be back soon. She felt the cold breeze of the morning blow against her , which made her tail coil further around herself to try and keep her warm.
" Raphtalia ! I'm back , sorry I took so long but there were so many people and-" Raphtalia's head rises when she sees Keel finally returned , holding something in both hands. Keel awkwardly rubs the back of her hair " Sorry , this is all I could get us for breakfast ..."
Keel held out two apples. Only two.
She didn't ask where she got them . Or more like she didn't want to ask how she got them.
Raphtalia didn't hesitate as she took one of them and gave it a bite , it tasted juicy and sweet. It filled her stomach if only a little bit.
Keel doubled checked both sides of the alley before grabbing her hand " Come on Raphtalia , we gotta get these seals off of us as soon as possible . I don't want to think of that wannabe hero activating them when we're in range "
Raphtalia quickly crammed whatever was left of the apple in her mouth , spitting out a couple of the seeds as Keel lead her back into the streets and into the scary crowds of people.
She hid behind Keel and held her hand the whole time ...
She missed mommy and daddy...
And this is my dear readers the reason for why this chapter took so long to ...and why I am loving it !
The idea of Keel cutting and running was born the moment Qin suggested adding her to the party early on. Since Keel comes off as someone who isn't going to sit by and let shit happen , so it should come as no surprise that she decided to cut and run with Raphtalia here. And of course the very swift reality of what happens to two slaves who manage to escape from their masters. No money , no food , just the clothes on their backs.
I hope I was able to drill that fear of uncertainty and the future into the situation.
:P
And I must give thanks to Qin who provided great suggestions for the chase scene with Ake and Naofumi. Originally it was actually going to be Malty and Ake fighting against a bunch of muggers but he pointed out that it would have just been a repeat of the previous chapter. So he suggested the chase scene instead.
Speaking of Malty...I hope you all like the flashback in this chapter. We haven't had a proper flashback since chapter 3 so I figured it was about high time I threw another clue nugget in regards to Malty's backstory.
That is all I will say now.
Moving on to reviews
To Super Normal Man :
Thank you ! I'm glad you like how I made Aultcray in my story . Where he isn't an incompetent moron and is actually thinking about the future and his own actions and how they can be used to play against his enemies. And yeah , sometimes you really do just gotta do some bad stuff to protect those you care about and make sure nobody tries to take over your land.
One of the things that very personally annoyed me about canon is how Alenko pretty much retconned Aultcray as this super smart badass strategist after Queenie kicked the bucket. And no , I flat refuse to believe that this was totally planned by Alenko and not because they realized they had done fucked up when they killed Queen Safespace and needed to replace her with somebody else to help carry Bitchassfumi to victory.
Even if this sudden change makes NO fucking sense because of how much of an incompetent buffoon Aultcray has been acting up to that point. And no , the argument that he was 'blinded' by his emotions doesn't work here since he was still fully capable of working with Bitchassfumi during that arc despite supposedly still hating him.
Hence why I made him smart from the beginning .
There actually is a reason within this story for why he can still use the Vassal Staff but that's a spoiler. Let's just say that its going to be related to Malty's backstory.
:P
That's all I have to say ,thank you for reading and I'll see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.