Managed to get this one out before two weeks ! Its a miracle !
:P
Jokes aside, I've been really tired and hammered doing assignments so expect updates to be late for a while. But getting that outta the way, we have now reached the banquet...and you all know what that means.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic.
With that said , let's it started !
Chapter 20 : Spear vs Shield
Mein does not consider herself a nostalgic person , but this felt like a special occasion.
The delicious smell of the finest food and wine was in the air prepared by the best cooks the kingdom's royal kitchen had to offer , as professional musicians play a soothing and nice tune for the whole room to hear , providing an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere for everyone. It reminded her so much of the banquets and parties she has attended before in the past , when she was still the proud First Princess of Melromarc.
Mein takes a deep breath and sighs , a content smile on her face.
She was home.
Mein felt like she was a soldier coming home , after years of being at war ... she wonders if this is the exact same feeling the knights of Melromarc felt after returning home after the Great War with Siltvelt.
Mein looks around the room full of nobility , all dressed in the finest cloth money could buy. She must thank Erhard after this for providing her with such nice armor , even though it pales in comparison to some of what the noble women are wearing tonight . Though it is quite a shame she could not make a quick trip to her room to change into one of her more formal dresses , maybe she could have Naofumi take her for a dance and he would sweep her off her feet and then they would enjoy a night full of passion and-
Mein stops herself right there giggling at the thought , it was fun to dream when she had the time.
She takes a glass of wine from one of the servants , carrying and offering drinks to the guests. She takes a few sips and enjoys the sweet taste of red wine on her tongue , she missed this . Even though she has gotten used to the life of an adventurer ... she is still and always will be a princess at heart.
She looks around the room and quickly spots the spiky haired Shield Hero , looking like a fish out of water in the room of nobility and luxury. He was obviously nervous based on the way he just stood there with a stick up his behind, eyes darting around nervously as he seemed too afraid to even move.
She can't help but giggle at the Shield Hero , he's clearly never been to a banquet or a formal party before in his life , it was a rather amusing sight.
" Enjoying the banquet Naofumi ?" Mein walked to stand by his side , seeing that Raphtalia was standing closely to him. Most likely afraid of the huge crowd of unknown people.
" The banquet is fine , its just... I've never really been to anything so fancy before" The Shield Hero scratched his head , clearly nervous about the whole affair . Mein wonders if Naofumi comes from humble beginnings , that would certainly explain his lack of knowledge concerning formal affairs like this one " I've just never really been a big fan of parties like these , even my birthdays back home were always informal events "
Mein innocently smiled , moving to stand closer to him " Well don't worry , I'm sure you'll get used to them sooner or later " Naofumi has to get used to it, banquets and formal parties are an aspect of noble and royal life.
Mein glances over Naofumi's shoulder and notices that a few of the nobles are casting dirty looks at Naofumi and Raphtalia . Either because Naofumi looks like a literal bandit or because he is the Shield Hero ... or maybe both.
She ignores them all. She has more productive things to do than entertain fools.
Mein refocuses and looks around the room she searches for the familiar head and face of the knight , the one that had killed Mald . She spots him near the windowsill , looking at the city of lights below him . Mein wonders what is going through his head at this moment , considering he had just brutally murdered a man in cold blood , she can't help but wonder what his mind is thinking about.
Not that it really matters , now Mein needs to just wait for an opportune time to confront him about and have him arrested on the count of murder. This had been the moment she has been waiting for , finally she will be rid of the pesky knight that had been a thorn in her side for too long. She can't help but wonder what kind of face he will make when she confronts him about it and knows that there is no escape for him.
Naofumi let out a mild chuckle , turning his gaze to Ake , who is sitting by the windowsill " Guess Ake isn't too fond of parties either , huh Mein ?"
" Yes , I suppose so ..."
Damnit woman get a hold of yourself ! This is no time to be fantasizing , now you need to think.
Mein carefully considers her options , on the more appealing hand she could expose the knight for the murderer he is and have him be executed , before he could expose her true identity to Naofumi . She could slip back into the castle after the banquet is over and arrange to have him arrested by her father. This will cut off any opportunity , he would have to spill the truth about her identity. Going this route seems to be quick , easy and convenient route for her , but there is one more factor she needs to consider-
Mein casts a glance to Naofumi , who is telling Raphtalia to behave and stay close while they are at the banquet .
She needs to factor in Naofumi's reputation as well. If she exposes the knight as a murderer , his reputation around the country and perhaps even the other heroes , specifically the Bow , will drop considerably. Having had a murderer in his party doesn't exactly spell trustworthy and it would look even worse when its revealed that he had no knowledge that Ake had killed one of other heroes party members .
The short term gain from having the knight out of the party sadly doesn't outweigh the long term consequence she would have to deal with.
Mein has to swallow her pride for once , outing the knight just isn't an option. As much as she wants to .
The only other option is to blackmail the knight with the information regarding the truth behind Mald's death. She could easily press him into serving her and obeying her will , this time under the threat that he will be imprisoned or potentially executed if he does not comply. And she would finally able to stop all his meddling and advance forward with her relationship with Naofumi .
Mein nodded her head , this seems to be the best choice for now .
Now I just need to wait for this banquet to be over and confront him about it .
" Mein look " Naofumi leaned in and whispered to her , nudging her shoulder to get her attention " I think the king's about to say something " Naofumi gestures towards her father who is standing above all as a king should.
" Thanks to our heroes , the battle was splendidly won and tonight we celebrate ! " Father raised his glass high , a content smile on his face " Enjoy yourselves to the fullest ! "
The crowd of nobles lift their glasses up and cheer for the king. Mein turns her head to see even the Sword Hero crack a smile , this really was a joyous occasion , if it can even get the stony faced Sword Hero to show some positive emotion.
" We all owe everything to our brave heroes " Mein heard a noblewoman praise the heroes.
And out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the familiar light aqua hair of her old childhood playmate, looking as beautiful as she last saw her.
Iris Lana Amelia, the Head of House Amelia.
The Lady of House Amelia was chatting it up with some other nobles, no doubt trying to close a trade deal of some kind. Dear Iris was always so hardworking like that even at banquets like this.
That's the Lady of House Amelia...now where are sweet Katarina and Bertia ? I wonder if Keith is here too to keep Katarina in line...
Mein looks around the room looking for her other two childhood playmates...and her former lover.
Her eyes stop upon seeing the familiar sight of flaxen brown hair, wearing his usual long white and purple jacket.
Keith still looks as handsome as ever it appears...
Mein cannot help but find herself staring at her former lover...the ever famous Keith of House Claes. A dream for many Melromarc noble woman to fawn and lust over . A prodigy of his time for his powerful Earth Magic...
And yet...Mein can only ever see him as Keith, sweet and pleasant Keith who was one of the few suitors she can genuinely say she loved truly and was able to tolerate for more than a few weeks. Their relationship lasted long too...
She followed Keith's gaze and saw that he was staring longingly at dear Katarina...who was with Bertia at the banquet table, talking about Void knows what.
Mein has a good guess that aunt Mili told Keith to keep Katarina from embarrassing herself at the banquet. Like always...
Mein was practically full on staring at him and before she knew it , she felt her feet start to move to-
How could you do this to me Malty !?
I was just trying to help-
Help me ?! How on earth was that helping me ! You ruined EVERYTHING !
Mein stopped in her movement before she could even take a step toward him... flinching at the memory of what Keith said to her that night.
He looked so angry, so full of hate...
So hurt.
And it was all directed at her that night...the night they broke up.
You are a-
Mein stops herself before she goes down that road...she doesn't need anymore sobering reminders of her failed relationships.
She took a mental note of their positions in the room and to steer clear of them.
Mein gave one last glance at Keith...before looking away and holding onto Naofumi's arm.
" Naofumi , how are you enjoying the banquet ?" Both Naofumi and Mein turn to see the Spear Hero walk towards them , with his usual face of friendliness and his party in tow.
Mein looks over the Spear Hero's shoulder to see Lesty giving Mein a smile which she returns sincerely. Lesty was one of the few people in her life she could genuinely call a friend and in Mein's experience , having genuine friends was a luxury and a blessing when you are a noble.
Naofumi greeted the Spear Hero with a smile " Hey Motoyasu the banquet is fine , but its honestly not really my style " Naofumi seems to still be unfamiliar with all these formal affairs , while the Spear Hero seems to be taking the banquet much better than Naofumi by a longshot.
" Well , how about joining me and my party for dinner and a round of wine ?" The Spear Hero gestured towards the exotic wines on display on the tables " They got some interesting stuff here , that I've never even heard of or can even pronounce "
" Well ..." Naofumi glanced at the few nobles who were practically glaring at him , at this point " If you don't mind eating with the most unpopular person in the room , then sure "
Motoyasu patted Naofumi on the back " That's the spirit... "
Mein couldn't help but notice that Haven didn't look particularly happy about eating with the 'Devil of the Shield ' , but wisely chose not to say anything. After getting their grub , both their parties sat a large round table , covered by a pure white cloth.
Mein randomly chose to sit next to Lesty , in their youth they tactfully sat next to each other , so they could exchange notes among themselves without anybody being the wiser . Raphtalia and Gretel sat side by side , fitting considering their height , Mein thought they both looked like children who were sitting at the adults table. While Haven sat as close as possible to the Spear Hero.
Although...Mein couldn't help but notice Haven making glances at the Amelia heiress every now and again.
Interesting...
" So Naofumi ..." Motoyasu poured himself and Naofumi a drink , a friendly smile on his face " How about sharing some adventure stories ? You got to have one or two interesting stories , about your travels. And we can drink to our hearts content while we do so ! " The Spear Hero raises his glass having that same cheerfulness , she saw during their first night at Daedric's inn.
" Please don't drink too much Sir Motoyasu " Haven sounds like she's pleading with the Spear Hero to not get drunk " I think we can all agree , we don't want to go through a repeat of what happened back at the inn during our first night as a party " Both Lesty and Gretel seem to silently nod in agreement with Haven , while the Spear Hero in question awkwardly chuckled scratching the back of his head , he doesn't seem to find his first night in the kingdom of Melromarc to be his proudest moment as a hero.
" Don't worry Elena , I promise I won't drink too much " Motoyasu reassures Elena before turning back to Naofumi " So do you want go first or shall I ?"
Naofumi hummed in thought before answering " You go first , your adventures were probably way more interesting than ours . After we got Ake , we were mostly focusing our time leveling up , doing a few guild quests here and there to make money...though I did hear from the guild receptionist that you took care of a mess my group and I left behind ? "
" The undead infestation...please don't remind me " Haven groaned at the thought.
" Yeah , what happened there? We thought we had cleared out the nest but then the receptionist told us we had screwed up " Naofumi explained " Something about a mage or something ?
" Well we got a call that there were still undead near Pickaxe , so we went there and checked the cave out and found out that some necromancer asshole was using black magic to attract undead " Motoyasu explained.
" Necromancer of course...that explains the shrine Mein " Naofumi gestures towards her.
Of course ! I should have realized that somebody had set up that shrine...
" Afterwards the necromancer attacked the village and we put a stop to him...though he did get a few good hits in " Motoyasu admitted.
" Sorry you had to deal with that for me Motoyasu " Naofumi apologized.
" Its alright, you'd do the same for me if I screwed up " Motoyasu said with a smile " Anyway enough doom and gloom, now let me tell you about the time we..." The Spear Hero proceeded to literally talk Naofumi's ear off , the two heroes laughing at the tales of Spear Hero and his companions , Naofumi offering one or two stories from their own adventures, of course Naofumi was mindful and didn't reveal anything concerning her Mark.
Mein couldn't help but be amazed , the two heroes were chatting between each other as if they were comrades in arms who had fought side by side for years . Both sharing the same objective , the only difference being their roles. The Spear being an attacker , while Naofumi was a defender . Both working to protect and save the world from the Wave's of Catastrophe. Mein recalls some history of heroes of past , if her memory serves her correctly , there were not many heroes in recent history that were particularly ... close or even on friendly terms.
But seeing Naofumi and Motoyasu laughing together as if they were best friends , who have known each other for years ... perhaps father's idea of summoning all four heroes together wasn't such a bad idea after all ... at least not entirely.
As Mein eats her food , she casts a glance towards Lesty who isn't even looking at her , but instead her gaze is directed at Haven who is silently keeping an eye on them like a hawk. Mein raises an eyebrow... of course , its obvious that Haven is the unofficial leader of the girls in the party , keeping everybody in line and making sure nobody does anything stupid. So it would make sense that Elena would keep an eye on Lesty , to make sure she doesn't try to spill any info regarding their party to an enemy.
Which in this case would be Mein.
Elena seems to be keeping on Lesty's hands in particular , casting subtle glances every now and again , she seems to have taken into consideration of the idea of Lesty slipping a note to her by hand .
Mein will give Haven some credit , she's good ... but they're better .
Out of the corner of her eye , she can see Lesty slip off her left sandal , from under the table and Mein can see a small note hidden under her foot. A little unorthodox , but it will get the job done. Lesty pushes the small note off her sandal with her toe and with subtlety slides the note over to Mein , which she catches with her armored boot.
Mein couldn't help but smile , they still got it.
Now I just need to wait for the opportunity to-
" Ah !" Raphtalia cried out as she spilled some of her food from her fork onto the table cloth.
It appeared that Raphtalia was clearly not used with eating with her left arm...or having one less arm for that matter. She easily caught the attention of everybody at the table.
Well that's convenient.
Mein thought as she quickly leaned down and picked up the note, sliding it into her pouch.
Mein honestly feels bad for using Raphtalia's new disability as a distraction, almost disgusted.
The princess in disguise glances over at Lesty , who gives a slight nod to her.
" I-I'm sorry ! " Raphtalia apologized as Naofumi helped clean up the table.
" Its alright Raphtalia , we understand that you're still not used to using your left hand " Naofumi reassured her.
" I...I know...I was just so used to using my right...but now its gone and..." Raphtalia rambled off.
Mein looks around the table , she sees Lesty seems to be respectfully silent choosing not to say anything, it seems even Raphtalia was able to make Lesty feel somewhat sorry for her. Even Haven was being silent for the most part , choosing not to say anything , out of respect , but Mein suspects that this is mostly to not taint her image with the Spear Hero.
" It takes a while before you get used to using a different hand " Motoyasu admitted " You just have to be patient Raphtalia...though until then maybe it would be best to feed her "
" Good call, though we might want to change seats " Naofumi nodded.
" I can feed her if you want Sir Naofumi " Gretel offered respectfully.
" Are you sure ? It would be kinda awkward since you're both kids and all..." Naofumi looked awkward saying that.
Gretel fixed him with a harsh glare " Contrary to my height , I am 19 years old Sir Naofumi..."
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Naofumi was shocked into silence and so was Mein, she never would have guessed THAT was Gretel's age.
" Yeah , I was pretty surprised by it too " Motoyasu chuckled at the memory.
" S-Sorry..." Naofumi apologized.
Gretel huffed as she started to feed Raphtalia, Mein was grateful to the witch for it.
" So uh ... where's your other companion ? The knight , he was named Ake right ?" Motoyasu tries to dispel the awkward and tense atmosphere with the question " Where is he ? I haven't seen him around ?"
" He's over there by the window " Naofumi diverted his eyes to the windowsill where the knight was looking out of , looking as broody as ever . Naofumi let out a sigh , standing up from his seat " I should probably go talk to him , he should at least eat something its been a long day "
Naofumi patted Raphtalia's head with a smile , before turning to Motoyasu " Raphtalia stay here , I'll be right back "Raphtalia nodded her head at the Shield Hero , before getting back into being fed by Gretel.
" I'll come with Naofumi , you're going to need all the help you can get to convince Ake " Mein quickly takes this opportunity to help out the Shield Hero.
Naofumi walks to the stand by Ake with Mein closely behind him , they see Ake crossing his arms looking out the window with a rough look on his face.
" Hey Ake , aren't you going to eat something ?" Naofumi's voice is enough to make the knight snap out of whatever thought he was having to face them " I've seen you just stand here by the window , looking down on the city for the whole time we've been here . Aren't you hungry ?"
" I'm not hungry " The knight turns away , his face reflecting in the window . Mein has half a mind to tell Naofumi to give up on the knight and let him starve to death , but she wisely chooses to keep her mouth shut .
" Come on Ake , you gotta eat something , I don't think you've eaten anything all day. And there's plenty of food here , free for the taking " Naofumi gestures towards the many tables , of elegantly placed cuisines and fruits .
Ake doesn't turn to face them , instead he just keeps staring out the window " People died ... many of them lost their homes ... several children were probably orphaned today ..." Ake turns back to face them , with a sad expression " Just feels wrong to have such a celebration so soon after , you know ?"
Ah , so the knight is thinking about the many casualties of the Wave. He's not exactly wrong in his statement but the banquet itself is necessary . This whole banquet is just an excuse to coddle up to all the Heroes , excluding Naofumi that is . Here the different noble families throw their hat in with their selected Cardinal Hero , perhaps offer financial support or the like . Father will do his best to make sure the 3 Heroes are taken care of , more than any other noble house in Melromarc.
Mein turns to see Naofumi with a conflicted expression on his face , seemingly choosing his words carefully " You're right Ake , this whole banquet was done a little too soon after the Wave and I agree that its sad to know that so many people died ... but at the end of the day , we did everything that we could " Naofumi places a hand to his chin as if trying to come up with some breathtaking inspirational line " We can't save everybody ... so the least we can do is try to keep our heads up and keep living for all those people who couldn't be here today "
Mein looks at Naofumi in surprise , she did not think that he was capable of giving such a rousing speech.
A few seconds pass , before Ake lets out a sigh and turns back to them. " Alright fine , lets go ..."
Naofumi eyes widen , disbelieving that his own words got to Ake " Wait , really ?"
Ake shrugs his shoulders " Let's just go, I'm starving at this point "
Naofumi smiles at Ake actually joining in on the party " Well okay then , lets head back to Motoyasu's table and-"
"Naofumi "
A voice coming from behind them causes all of them to turn to see Motoyasu standing there , with his party standing behind him and Raphtalia looking down to the ground looking ashamed for some reason.
" We need to talk "
Naofumi looked caught off guard and so was Mein. They had never the Spear Hero sound so serious and barely restrained in anger.
" What is it Motoyasu ?" Naofumi said surprised.
" Is it true ? "
" Is what-"
" Is it true that Raphtalia is your slave ? " Motoyasu said in anger, barely keeping his voice down.
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Well shit.
Damnit ! Of all the times for Raphtalia's status as a slave to get revealed , why did it have to be now ? In front of all the nobility and fellow Heroes ? This will no doubt damage Naofumi's already meager reputation among the nobility. This isn't good...shit...
Naofumi took a deep breath to respond " Motoyasu its not-"
" Don't you dare lie to me man " Motoyasu interrupted " Gretel discovered the curse slave seal on Raphtalia while she was feeding her and from what my party members tell me ... that can only mean that she is your slave , correct ?"
Gretel looks disapprovingly at the Shield Hero, Haven looks disgusted and Lesty looks worried.
" Yeah ... Raphtalia is my slave ..." Naofumi finally admitted , seeing as there was no other way out of this.
At least they hadn't attracted the attention of the rest of the party. Yet.
" You ..." The Spear Hero's grip on his Legendary Weapon seems to shake in anger " You can't honestly believe that enslaving others is okay ! We're heroes from another world , we're supposed to be better !"
" I know that ..." Naofumi mumbles under his breath .
" Then why would you do this ?" Motoyasu questioned , gripping his spear even tighter.
"Its hard to explain right now ... but trust me ! Its for her own protection ! " Naofumi refers to how keeping Raphtalia in his party , will keep her safe from being taken back into slavery .
" How is keeping her a slave protection !? " Motoyasu argued " I don't know what kind of earth you come from , but you have a pretty messed up definition of protection man "
" You know what , I'll explain later " Naofumi grit his teeth , he seems to have realized that this argument is going nowhere . He suddenly starts to walk forward , past the still angered Spear Hero , pulling Raphtalia along as he did so Mein and Ake following along " Come on guys , lets get out here " Naofumi lets go of Raphtalia's hand as he leads them out.
" Hey ! Don't just walk away from me ! " Motoyasu yells out , angered by Naofumi's actions at this point they were starting to get the attention of the other party guests.
If they can just get out the door then-
" I challenge you to a duel Naofumi !"
That single loud declaration silenced the entire party and stopped Naofumi in his tracks. The rest of the guests was staring at both the Spear and Shield Hero at the sudden challenge to the duel of honor , while others were whispering among themselves.
The Bow and Sword Hero got closer to figure out what the hell was going on.
" I refuse " Naofumi shook his head " I won't fight a meaningless battle with you Motoyasu "
" I'm afraid you must Shield Hero..." Mein heard Father's familiar voice as he looked down on the Shield.
At that moment they were suddenly stopped by knights . One of them grabbed Raphtalia away from Naofumi , causing her to struggle fruitlessly in his arms.
" Get off of me ! No ! Let me go ! " Raphtalia struggled in vain against the knight who was pulling her away .
Another knight tried to grab Mein from behind , but a quick stomp on his foot was enough to make it clear " Don't even think about it "
A third knight tried to grab Ake ... only for Ake to send a death glare that could kill him a hundred times over " Try it and I'll beat you with your own leg " Ake's threat seems to make the knight turn pale , as he slowly backed away from Ake .
Mein finds it very pathetic , on how the only member of the Shield Hero's party the knights were able to subdue was a literal child .
" Hey ! What the hell is the meaning of this !?" Naofumi looks to the top of the staircase , where father is looking down on him , just like he did back during the trial.
" Calm yourself Shield Hero merely a precaution..." Father talks down to Naofumi calmly " When a hero is challenged to a duel by another hero...it is tradition for them to accept no matter the circumstance "
"To hell with that tradition ! " Naofumi glares up at father.
" And I should also mention that if you don't accept than your privilege and status as a hero can be called into question. But ... as a fair ruler , if you accept Sir Motoyasu's duel , you may keep your status and privilege as a hero "
" But if I win , you have to free Raphtalia ! " Motoyasu adds that condition to the duel .
Mein takes a second to process everything .
That has to be the worse deal she has ever heard before in her life , not only does Naofumi gain literally nothing from this duel , but if he loses he will only humiliate himself further and push the idea of the Shield Hero being the weakest of the Cardinal Heroes . Hopefully , Naofumi has enough sense of mind to-
" I accept ! " Naofumi shouts out , before Mein could even finish her thoughts.
Wait ... what ?
" If beating Motoyasu is what I have to prove my worth as a Hero and save Raphtalia ... then I'll do it ! "
Father nods before turning to the knights " Prepare the dueling area ! The duel between Spear and Shield will begin soon ! "
Well this just went from bad to worst.
All Mein wanted was a peaceful and calm evening back in her home , was that too much to ask ?
Apparently it was if the Spear Hero was now challenging Naofumi to a duel over Raphtalia.
With the sheer amount of guests that wish to see the ensuing duel between the Cardinal Heroes, it took at least a good 10 minutes to empty the ballroom and get everybody to the dueling yard.
With how much reconstruction Melromarc castle had after the Great War, one of the places that remained consistent was the dueling yard- which was mainly used in the case that a member of royalty was challenged to such an affair , but it should be more than enough to suit the purposes of the Cardinal Heroes.
Mein was among the last groups to be get moving towards the dueling arena- Not that she was looking forward to seeing her Naofumi lose.
While Naofumi has certainly grown in strength and levels these past few weeks...he is still very much underleveled and weaker than the Cardinal heroes. And the Spear undoubtedly has the level advantage...on top of Naofumi's low ATK stat puts him at a serious disadvantage in a one-on-one duel.
Ake and Raphtalia were already escorted away with the former serving as an escort/babysitter for the young girl. Mein trusts the knight enough to take care of Raphtalia.
She's still totally going to blackmail him after this.
" Get moving..." A knight grabbed her by her arm and was about to push her forward if she hadn't pulled away.
" Touch me and I promise that the King will have your head on a pike " Mein glowered as she moved forward.
" Is that anyway to talk to a knight of glorious Melromarc princess ?" A voice distorted by the sound of chewing came from behind.
Oh Outsider no...
" You can leave this lady to me guard..." The voice commands with a wannabe authority.
" Better you Church Knights than me..." The guard walks away and Mein feels her left arm grabbed by the brat.
" Come on princess , you don't want to miss your big hero's duel now would you ? " The voice is mocking her as he pushes her forward towards the doors and straight to the dueling arena.
Mein doesn't even need to turn her head to see the chiseled face of a young man her age, or his stupid blue eyes no doubt looking at her with mockery. His messy black hair no doubt bobbing as it munches on an apple , while no doubt giving her a depraved smirk.
If one ever needed a pitch perfect example of a pampered egotistic noble brat who earns his reputation off the workings of his father , than one needs to look no further than Siegmar Isaac Octavius Consevatie.
One of her many former suitors that Father tried to set up with her.
Mein had to give Father credit for at least trying to give her a fighting chance for the Throne by setting her up with multiple noble and prestigious houses of Melromarc...but he really gave her too little credit if he genuinely believed that she would ever marry this piece of shit.
She would sooner get fucked by a common street urchin than let this rat faced bitch ever touch her.
Both Mein Sophie and Malty S Melromarc had standards.
There were others of course...but looking back on it...her failed relationships always seemed to be her fault most of the time.
Bern was always too focused training and honing his skill with his grandfather to ever give her the time of day...something she can admittedly respect.
The only two that stood out to her were Jaune ...and Keith.
The latter was always too busy admiring and catching glances at his adopted sister...even she at the time could tell that dear Keith had feelings for Katarina but was always too afraid to act on it. And Katarina being too obliviously stupid to notice her poor adopted brother's feelings...until somebody pointed them out to her.
We all know how that ended.
Mein swallows a bitter reminder of her failed relationship with Keith...and the words he gave to her during their break up.
And that left Jaune...
Mein looks forward to catch a glance at the blonde haired knight guarding and guiding the other nobles towards the dueling arena.
Sweet, sincere Jaune...he wasn't like the others, he truly did his best to try and make their relationship work. He genuinely cared about her and was more than ready to defend her honor at a moments notice-
If she still had any that is.
Things were going great...until Jaune caught her red handed doing something she shouldn't have.
Jaune breaking up with her...that was the second time she got her heart broken.
She thought she could make it work, that with his family's influence she could take the Throne and they could live happily ever-
As if that could happen for someone like me...
Mein decidingly stops thinking about it as she is moved forward by the Consevatie heir.
" What are looking for princess ? A big hero riding in on a pure white filorial to save you ? Sorry to burst your bubble, but nobody's coming for you... " The heir of House Consevatie breaths down her neck " And let's be honest, there isn't anybody in your life who would actually choose you..."
It takes all of Mein's restraint not to sock the bastard right in his stupid face. She will not give him the satisfaction of seeing her worked up by his provocation.
" Poor, poor princess Malty. Lost her rightful title to her younger sister before she was even a toddler. Abandoned by her own mother who gave up on her and left her for dead. And now trying desperately to reclaim her title through a big hero man " Consevatie doesn't let up on his mockery " Too bad her options are as shitty as the rest of her life. A blonde playboy idiot whose only good at thinking with his dick and following whatever his girlfriends tell him and just waiting to get stabbed in the back. A self righteous moron who makes everything worse by pretending to be a hero. A smug teen who doesn't listen to anyone and is more likely to get his entire party killed. I'm not surprised you picked the loser who can't even fight and is too naive to see you for what you really are..."
Everything the heir had just said...couldn't be further from the truth. That may have been her own initial assessment but after working with the heroes firsthand, she can see that they are nothing like the presumptuous Consevatie heir calls them.
But the heir speaks with such familiarity and confidence towards the heroes. Either somebody has been spreading bad rumors about the heroes...or House Consevatie has a very shitty spy network of their own.
" Better a hero focused on defense than a brat who has never worked for a single thing in his life. At least Naofumi fulfills his role and protects me. Not turning and running like a gutless rat at the first sign of trouble " Mein hisses back at the heir.
" Well , we can't all be pretentious idiots running around with a self growing legendary weapon, can we ? Using all available resources at my disposable, its called being smart princess , maybe you've heard of it ? " The brat smirks at her " Besides what do those summoned idiots have to brag about anyways ? They can't even fight properly without their Legendary Weapons skills. And they couldn't even close the Wave fast enough...if your Father hadn't ordered the army to steer clear of the Wave Boss and let the Heroes do it. Those morons still couldn't even do their jobs quick enough "
Father ordered the army to steer clear of the Wave Boss ? That's interesting info...why would he do that unless he-
Mein's eyes widen as she realizes her father's intentions in the Wave...and allowing this duel.
He's testing the heroes.
" As for the loser who protects you...well he must be doing a pretty shit job if he already got one of his 'valued companions' crippled in the Second Wave" The Consevatie brat knocks her out of her thinking with a stark reminder of what happened to Raphtalia " Curious who you'd turn to now. That Arc brat ? He's already got a redhead he can submit himself to so too bad there..."
Jaune has already started courting someone else ? That's...great...good...I hope they are happy.
Mein ignores the bitter and sad feeling in her stomach.
" You speak as if Sir Naofumi is going to lose for sure. He's not as much of a pushover as many would believe..." Mein turns her head to focus on the coming duel, not listening to this mewling brat.
" So what if he wins ? He'll still be stuck with you " Consevatie brushes the side of her hood , till it rests on her shoulder " And what are you but a bitch with her teeth pulled ? There is nothing but failure in front of you and you'll drag the Shield Loser down with you. Shame you didn't take me up on my offer now , huh ? You'd at least be the wife of a future Reach Lord "
" If I recall you were the one who courted me and even I have higher standards for a husband than you " Mein spits back.
" Oh really ? Who else will you settle for, hmmm ? " Consevatie mocking spits back " Bern, the muscle head whose too busy following the orders of his sister ? Jaune, the naive fool who is at best going to become a Count or Viscount...but we both know you would never settle for being the wife of either, not with your lust for power " Consevatie mocks " Or maybe even Keith,the adopted bastard who was too busy chasing the tail of his brain dead sister to even notice your existence..."
Mein stiffens at the mention of Keith.
" Oh did I touch a nerve there ? Not surprising considering the fool got his heart broken by his younger sister...and then broke up with you shortly after " Consevatie grips her arm tighter and breaths down her neck " You're just a self-centered bitch who ruins every relationship she is in. Your relationship with the Shield loser isn't going to last long either..."
Mein doesn't grace the brat with a response...as she patiently waits for Naofumi's duel to begin.
Naofumi's POV
After Naofumi officially accepted the duel , he was escorted to a pitch black dark room , as he awaited for the duel to begin. To the sides and walls of the room were crates filled with various types of weapons. Swords , bows , spears , axes , greatswords and many more he couldn't even name.
Naofumi tried to reach for one of the swords , but a quick shock when he tried to touch the hilt jolted his hand away , the same violation appearing from before. He wondered if they had put him in this room specifically to mock him , for having practically no attack power and not many ways to attack.
Looking at the many weapons made him think of his party . While he was taken away to the dueling area , Mein , Ake and Raphtalia were escorted elsewhere . Raphtalia was less than happy about it , with her still struggling against the knight , until Mein calmed her down and assured both her and Naofumi , that they would okay.
It was reassuring to know that Mein could be relied on to settle Raphtalia when needed.
As he awaited for the doors to open , Naofumi couldn't help but feel slightly worried about the upcoming fight. He was fighting Motoyasu . Who probably had a higher level than him and some serious attack skills , if what he saw during the Wave was anything to go by. Naofumi wondered if the King purposefully made him fight in a duel against Motoyasu , because he wanted to humiliate him.
It made sense considering how much he hated Naofumi , by having him fight against one of the other Cardinal Heroes and lose in front of all the nobility in Melromarc no less , it would showcase how weak and helpless he is.
Well , Naofumi wasn't weak and helpless.
He has been working his ass off these past few weeks unlocking as many different types of shields that he can , a lot of them had a bunch of skills that would be useless in this fight , but a quite a number of them had some useful skills and effects that would give him an edge in this fight. It was something at least . And hopefully it would be enough to beat Motoyasu.
Plus with all the new shields he had unlocked during the Wave and while he still couldn't use the Chimera Dragon Shield , Naofumi thinks he still has a real chance of winning.
" This duel will end when one of the combatants is pinned or incapacitated or admits defeat " Naofumi heard an announcer from outside say to the crowd waiting outside.
The wooden doors in front of him opened , revealing an empty hallway . Taking a deep breath and pushing down any remaining feelings of anxiety , he walked through towards the field of the duel arena . Entering the dueling area , he saw Motoyasu on the opposite side entering , Naofumi could see that there were several knights on both sides of the hallways he walked through , giving Motoyasu's entrance much more flair than Naofumi's.
Even now the differences between how I'm treated in comparison to the other heroes is obvious.
" This duel will take place in the presence of King Melromarc and the Pope. And it is thus legitimate and official " The announcer for the duel , speaks loud enough for everybody to hear .
Naofumi looks up above to see the crowds of nobles assembled to see the duel happen. He spotted both Itsuki and Ren , both of them watching with curious eyes , they are obviously curious to see who's going to win.
Naofumi and Motoyasu walked to the center of the duel arena , stopping a little ways from each other . Naofumi could feel all eyes were on them now , a battle between two figures , the people see as gods ... and devils . Naofumi silently wondered if some of the nobles were betting on who was going to win .
" Naofumi , I just want you to know that I don't want to fight you , but I will if I have to " Motoyasu admits to Naofumi .
Naofumi clenches his fist " The feeling is mutual "
Motoyasu spin his spear around and held in it in an offensive stance " Don't make this any harder than it has to be , just admit defeat and release Raphtalia "
Naofumi didn't say anything , but instead just changed his shield to the Light Metal Shield " Sorry Motoyasu , not happening " Naofumi quickly got into defensive stance , the one that Ake taught him.
" Fine then... " Motoyasu changed the tip of his spear into a gigantic three pronged trident .
Both of them remained still in their stances , neither of them moving waiting for the duel to commence .
" Ready ... BEGIN ! " The announcer yelled .
" Haaaaaaahhgh !" Motoyasu let out a battle cry as he charged forward at Naofumi , before jumping into the air to attack Naofumi .
Naofumi focused, blocking the first strike with his shield from the tip of Motoyasu's spear , than the second strike with the sharp end of the spear and the final strike to his front as Motoyasu dropped to back to the ground .
Motoyasu continued to try and pierce through Naofumi's shield " Not too bad Naofumi ! Guess you got a few moves up your sleeve "
" Thanks ... I've been working on it ! " Naofumi yelled as he parried Motoyasu's spear away , pushing him back .
Motoyasu jumped back , getting into a attacking stance once again , as Naofumi got back into defense .
" You know Motoyasu , if we use logic in this folktale battle between the greatest spear vs the greatest shield , than you lost the moment you couldn't pierce my shield ! " Naofumi taunted Motoyasu , trying to get him to attack .
" You shouldn't put too much stock in folktales Naofumi " Motoyasu glared at Naofumi , pointing his spear at him " Chaos Spear ! "
Motoyasu charged at Naofumi thrusting his spear forward at Naofumi , releasing a flurry of strikes at the Shield Hero . Naofumi barely had time to react , he quickly moved his shield left and right as fast he could , trying to block all the strikes thrown at him . He jumped back in pain , as he felt two strike his left shoulder and left thigh.
Naofumi panted , thankful that the wounds were very shallow and his health bar had barely dropped by even a quarter . Naofumi had high defense , so Motoyasu wasn't able to deal much damage , unless he used some big skill or piercing based attack on him , but Naofumi wasn't going to win if he just stayed on the defensive.
Naofumi quickly got up and charged forward at Motoyasu , waiting to get close enough to him . Motoyasu was surprised by Naofumi's sudden charge for a brief , before running at Naofumi as well holding his spear up .
Motoyasu tried to thrust his spear forward at Naofumi , but the Shield Hero seemed to be thinking ahead of him . Naofumi quickly sidestepped Motoyasu's spear and got right up close to the him and then-
" Spike Bash ! " Naofumi changed his shield to the Iron Spiked Shield and bashed it square into the center of Motoyasu's chest . Motoyasu's gasped at the sudden feeling of pain at his chest as the shield slammed into him , enough to make him jump back .
Motoyasu touched his chest in pain , looking at Naofumi's spiky shield " An offensive shield , huh ? Didn't see that one coming ..."
" Yeah , I'm full of surprises ..." Naofumi grinned at Motoyasu , holding his shield up defensively.
" Well if you're pulling out all the stops ..." Motoyasu changed his spear " Then so am I !"
Motoyasu charged at Naofumi again , which made Naofumi run at him as well to close the distance between them . Before Naofumi could even get close , Motoyasu used his spear's length to his advantage and used it to push Naofumi back , holding his spear up with one hand using his arm as support . Naofumi was surprised at the sudden switch of tactics by Motoyasu , he hadn't expected for Motoyasu to switch from offense to defense so quickly .
" Not this time Naofumi " Motoyasu retracted his spear and held it up high " Blinding Lance !"
Motoyasu's spear suddenly shined brightly to the point where it blinded everybody in the stands . Naofumi held his hand up to try and block the bright light blinding him .
Motoyasu didn't waste this opportunity , charging at Naofumi again activating his skill " Chaos Spear ! "
Motoyasu used the same skill from before on Naofumi , but this time Naofumi didn't have time to react with him being blinded . Naofumi gasped in pain as he felt several strikes hit his body , his Barbarian Armor barely holding up against the attack launched at him.
" I'm not finished yet , Vipers Thrust !" Motoyasu's spear changed to green spear that had snakes coiling around the base. He launched the attack and two big ass snakes emerged from the spear towards him !
" Holy shit ! " Naofumi changed to the Iron Spiked Shield and bashed the snakes away just in time.
Naofumi jumped back , but Motoyasu wasn't letting up " Air Strike Javelin ! "
Motoyasu's spear glowed red , before he threw his spear at Naofumi like a javelin . The spear ended up hitting Naofumi in the shoulder , piercing through his armor , the sheer force of the throw caused Naofumi to fall to his knees.
Naofumi felt pain in his shoulders , thighs and chest . Those last three skills really did a number on him . His health bar was down by half now , but if things were to keep up at this rate , he was going to lose ! Motoyasu had used a surprising combination of tactics and skills to deal damage to Naofumi , it hadn't been much but Motoyasu was taking this fight seriously.
So Naofumi will just have to do the same.
Quickly thinking up a combo of skills himself , Naofumi waited as Motoyasu charged at him again . Naofumi timed it just as Motoyasu thrusted his spear at him and ...
Naofumi quickly stood up and blocked Motoyasu's attack changing his shield as he did so. Naofumi changed his shield to the Two Headed Black Dog Shield and activated its exclusive skill.
" Dog Bite ! " The eyes of the dogs heads glowed red , before they extended from the shield to bite at Motoyasu's arm.
" Ow ! Get off ! " Motoyasu yelled , shaking his arm to try and get the dog heads off . The dog heads just kept biting on his arm , which forced him to jump back.
" Air Strike Shield ! " Naofumi held his hand forward at Motoyasu . A green ethereal shield appeared in front of his horizontally and launched itself at Motoyasu . Naofumi had expected the Air Strike Shield to hit Motoyasu in the gut , but Motoyasu then did something unexpected .
He jumped over the green shield launched at him and rolled on the arena floor , before getting back up . Motoyasu held his spear up high as the tip started to glow with electricity " Lightning Spear ! "
Naofumi's eyes widened as Motoyasu thrusted the lightning attack at him , quickly changing to the Light Metal Shield and holding it up in defensive stance . Naofumi felt the full force of lightning hit the shield as light blinded everyone in the arena .
When the light dissipated and the smoke cleared , Naofumi still stood tall , panting from having to defend from the powerful attack .
Naofumi looks at Motoyasu who gets back into offensive stance.
He has to be almost out of SP at this point , now's my chance.
Naofumi both met eyes , neither of them looking like they are going to back down . They both start charging at it each other , the gap between them closing with each second .
Once Naofumi was in range , Motoyasu extended his spear to try and push Naofumi back .
But this time , it was Naofumi who did something unexpected.
" Lasso ! " Naofumi changed to the Rope Shield and activated its skill , rope shot out of the shield and wrapped itself around Motoyasu's spear , preventing him from pulling back .
" What the -! " Motoyasu tried to pull his spear away , but Naofumi's rope had it firmly trapped " Shit ! "
Taking this chance , Naofumi went face to face with Motoyasu , changing shields again " Shield Bash ! " Naofumi bashed his shield square into Motoyasu's chest , making him jump back in surprise .
Naofumi's shield was now that of the Iron Shield , one of the many shields he had copied from Erhard's shop . It didn't have a very good defense stat or an attack stat like the Spiked version did , but the Shield Bash skill had the nice effect of stunning enemies for 5 seconds .
And those 5 seconds were all Naofumi needed .
" Air Strike Shield ! " While Motoyasu was still stunned , Naofumi jumped back and sent another shield at Motoyasu , this time hitting him in the gut . Motoyasu cried out in pain , but Naofumi wasn't about to let up just yet .
Naofumi charged up to the stunned Motoyasu changing to the Bee Needle Shield " Take this !"
" Ah ! " Motoyasu backed away in surprised at the sudden stab " What the-"
Motoyasu noticed that his movements were slowed, sluggish even... as the Bee Needle Shield did its job.
" Relax its just a paralysis , it won't hurt you " Naofumi reassured him.
" You gotta be... kidding...me..." Motoyasu said before he fell square to the floor.
The audience was shocked into silence , but nobody had to announce it .
Naofumi had won.
You know originally I was going to have this chapter happen in the next chapter, but then I realized the next chapter would have been super long so I decided to just break it up here to save you all some time.
Anyway I hope you all enjoyed the duel scene ! I really wanted to make it so it wasn't just a one-sided battle and showed Motoyasu gaining the advantage and Naofumi triumphing from it. Which is made exponentially harder since he doesn't have the Chimera Viper Shield.
Before anybody asks, yes these are the same Keith, Katarina, Jaune, Iris and Bertia from Qin's story.
And Malty's relationship with Jaune and Keith goes much deeper than they did in Qin's story...and things are not necessarily the same with Katarina, Bertia and Iris... I'll leave that up to your imaginations for now.
With that said , I'll see you all in the next one !