Sorry that this chapter is a bit late but I've been busy working on another story on AO3 called 'Tales from the Foundation' about the SCP Foundation and college has always been keeping me busy despite the fact that my semester is already finished. Hopefully when all my assignments and tests are done with, I can start updating this story on a more frequent basis.
Putting that aside, I hope you all enjoy this chapter since this chapter essentially marks the end of this story's first major arc. And we may finally get into the REAL beef of this story that I have been dying to get into for so long.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading and providing important feedback and critic.
With that said, let's get it started.
Chapter 21: Freedoms Illusion
Mein looked at the scene slack jawed , with Naofumi standing victorious and the Spear Hero on the floor of the dueling arena defeated.
She almost couldn't believe it , Naofumi had won the duel.
If Mein was to be completely honest , she was not expecting Naofumi to win the duel.
When the rules of the duel were announced , when one combatant is either incapacitated or admits defeat , she had thought that was it for Naofumi. Even with the Iron Spiked Shield as an offensive weapon , his attack stat was still pretty low and she doubts he could do much damage to the Spear Hero with his shiny armor boosting his defense.
And yet Naofumi managed to surprise her with his victory. Using a mix of tactics and ingenuity , against all odds he had managed to defeat the Spear Hero on fair ground.
That's my hero !
She would jump down and give him a big kiss for his victory if she wasn't being held by Consevatie. His fingers digging hard into her arm and it would have hurt if it wasn't covered by her black chainmail.
Mein sneers at the Consevatie heir " Surprised Fuckboy ? "
" So the loser beat an idiot in a one-on-one duel, big deal" Consevatie scoffs at the scene before him " I would have beat the moron in a split second "
Mein can't help but think back on the words of wisdom her mentor gave her...
What are the Heroes for, Master ?
She remembers herself asking that question when she was still young and naive...and she will never forget the answer that was given.
" Anyone can win a fight when the odds are stacked in their favor. It's only when facing and persevering when all the odds are stacked against them... THAT is what the heroes are for " Mein recites the words her master taught her , rather smugly back at the pompous heir , easily pulling her arm away from his grip " Oh and about you winning against a Cardinal Hero ? I would love to see you do that without all the equipment Daddy dearest bought you from his coffers "
The Consevatie heir turns to her , his face scrunched in anger but she does not feel intimidated.
For how could she be afraid of a pathetic boy who's trying so desperately to convince everybody that he's a big man.
" I am the son of noble House Consevatie , future lord paramount of Jagged Reach. What are you slut ? " Consevatie practically hisses at her, unable to hide his wounded ego " Nothing but a bitch who's only good at manipulating morons who can't see her for who she truly is "
Such is a question that Mein would like to ask herself. What is she exactly ?
The first princess of glorious Melromarc who had her birthright stolen by her younger sister before she was even born ? A political bargaining tool to marry off to one of the other noble houses to further prosperity of house Melromarc ?
Or will her only worthwhile note of her existence forever be the princess that got kidnapped and declared dead by her own mother ? Taken by a man in a mask in the night and was missing for a year ?
She thinks she knows the answer...
" I am the Shadow Heir, something beyond your pitiful understanding Fuckboy" Mein sneers at him before she turns around and walks down to greet the Shield Hero.
She can see that Ake and Raphtalia had also made their way down.
As she enters, Mein sees that the Spear Hero's party has also entered to tend to their fallen hero , who is still under the effects of the paralysis aliment. She can see Haven holding his head up , while Gretel feeds him some kind of potion , most likely to deal with the paralysis.
Raphtalia had also been escorted into the arena and it would seem that Naofumi's surprising victory , was enough to distract the knight holding her back. She manages to shake free of his hold and run towards the Shield Hero , tackling him in a hug that almost makes him fall over " Master Naofumi ! You won ! I knew you could do it ! "
Naofumi let out a chuckle , patting Raphtalia's head " Thank you Raphtalia ... for believing in me "
Mein quickly move to stand by Naofumi's side " Good job Naofumi ! I believed you could do it ! " Mein gives an encouraging smile to the Shield Hero.
" As the Spear Hero has been incapacitated , the winner of the duel is the Shield Hero !" The announcer yelled out.
Mein glances over to Father who seemed to have made his way into the dueling arena itself, Naofumi also looked at him clearly awaiting his verdict.
" The Shield Hero is the winner and is allowed to keep his status as hero , effective immediately " Father said simply.
Mein already knew what father was doing...he was trying to save face with the heroes.
Smart.
" Yay ! Master Naofumi won ! " Raphtalia happily jumped at the announcement .
" Not too bad for your first duel " Ake congratulates Naofumi. And this might just Mein hallucinating , but she thinks that she sees Ake lips curve into a smile . She actually didn't think it was physically possible for him to smile.
" You have done quite well Naofumi , I knew we could all count on you " Mein grabs Naofumi's arm and pulls him close. Making him blush at the sudden contact.
Naofumi lets out a nervous chuckle " It was nothing Mein ..."
" Sorry to break up , your little party Naofumi but ..." The Shield Hero's party turns to the Bow Hero , who lets out a fake cough to get their attention " I hope you have a damn good explanation for why you have a slave in your party , a child slave no less. And I better like what I hear " The Bow Hero manages to sound threatening , but civil at the same time.
Naofumi unhooks his arm from Mein " I thought you were on my side "
" I'm on nobody's side but Justice... " The Bow Hero narrows his eyes at Raphtalia before coming back to Naofumi " I find slavery of any kind to be both evil and utterly despicable ,no matter how one tries to play it , so I hope you have a good explanation "
Raphtalia opens her mouth to try and defend Naofumi , but the Shield Hero holds up a hand to stop her. Naofumi looks at the Bow Hero and sighs " Trust me Itsuki , I don't like slavery any more than you do , in fact I find it just as disgusting and revolting as the next guy " Naofumi's eyes turn to serious in the next moment " But please believe me ! Its the only way I can protect Raphtalia , by keeping her in my party as slave I can protect her better !"
The Bow Hero crosses his arms , not looking impressed at all " Please enlighten me on how keeping her as a slave is protecting her "
" Well, you may not be aware of this but demi-humans and beastmen in this have practically no rights at all ! In fact , you could literally kill one and get away with it , off-scotch free with absolutely no consequences whatsoever " Naofumi's voice sounds angry now " Hell , this isn't even just plain hatred between races , there are quite literally no laws whatsoever protecting demi-humans ! They're hunted for game and turned into slaves. And its completely legal too ! " Naofumi turns to glare at father.
" What !? " Itsuki turns to father with a shocked look on his face " Is this true your majesty ?"
Father can feel the intimidating gazes of all 3 cardinal heroes on him , causing a single line of sweat to drip from the side of his face , because he is just that nervous " Yes it is Sir Itsuki to own a demi-human slave. But you must understand the demi-humans and beastmen committed great atrocities against the people of Melromarc during the Great War , of course there will be hatred between races " Father tries to garner pity from the heroes but from the looks he was receiving , it didn't look like he was getting any.
" And yet , you still do nothing to help demi-humans in this country , choosing to just take the easy way out " Naofumi doesn't fall for father's pity act , anymore than the Bow or Sword.
Mein couldn't help but feel pity for her father , the poor man was under the scrutiny of all 3 heroes at this point and the situation doesn't look to be calming down anytime soon.
" You know , you're not speaking from any sort of moral high ground Naofumi "
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Mein turns her head , along with everybody else to look at the Spear Hero who appears to have recovered. He keeps one hand around Haven to support himself and uses his Spear to hold himself up , the paralysis only recently starting to wear off.
" What are you talking about Motoyasu ?" Naofumi asks sounded reasonably confused. What in the world was the Spear Hero going on about now ?
" You heard me Naofumi" Motoyasu unhooked his arm around Haven to stand up straight " You're not speaking from any sort of moral high ground in this scenario , considering the fact that you actually have a slave , do you honestly think you have the right to critique the very system , you yourself is using to enslave others ?"
Naofumi seems to flinch at Motoyasu's words , enough to make Raphtalia jump to his defense " No that's wrong ! Master Naofumi never mistreated me ! He sheltered me ! Gave me warm meals and even cured my illness !"
The Spear narrows his eyes at the little girl who seems to be glaring at him , before letting a sigh " I'm glad Naofumi is treating you well but-" Motoyasu's eyes returned to Naofumi " That is not the real issue here "
Now it was Mein's turn to be confused .
What ? What could the Spear Hero be talking about ?
" We're heroes from another world Naofumi , the people look up to us they follow our examples. What the hell kind of example are we trying to set if we use such an evil and corrupt system like slavery when it benefits us ?"
" You don't understand Motoyasu , I'm not doing this out of benefit for myself but to try and protect Raphtalia ! By keeping her in my party , nobody would dare to try and harm her " Naofumi tries to defend himself .
" Don't you dare give me that crap ! " Motoyasu points a finger at Naofumi " Protection ?! Is that what you call it , to justify your own use of such an evil system ? All you're really doing is just legitimizing the practice itself and giving more leeway to a bunch more slave owners , that are probably treat their slaves a lot less nice than you do ! If anything , you're just making the whole slavery situation in Melromarc even worse ! "
" You know Naofumi , for somebody who was just giving crap to the king for not doing anything for demi-humans in this country , you're acting like quite the hypocrite "
Naofumi seems to be shocked into silence from the Spear Hero's words , as was everybody else that was within the arena . Even Mein was shocked by what she had just heard . Nobody was expecting to hear something so ...wise , from the Spear Hero no less ! Mein had once thought of the Spear Hero as someone , who was too naive , optimistic and friendly for his own good . He was quite literally the last person , she would expect to be hearing this from .
" And you King ! " The Spear Hero goes after father next " You're just as much to blame as Naofumi , for the way things have turned out , I understand that you can't abolish an entire system overnight , but you should've at least created some laws that provide protection to demi-humans and beastman ! But no ! Instead you squander your time in this castle , prioritizing your own personal vendettas instead of doing what's right for your people "
" Let me ask you this , Naofumi ... and King Aultcray " Motoyasu narrows his eyes both at father and Naofumi " What have either of you really done to help the slavery system in Melromarc ? Huh ?"
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Mein didn't notice it , but Lesty subtly made her way to her side without her even noticing " Damn ... Sir Motoyasu has uncle Aultcray and the Shield Hero verbally cornered "
Mein could only nod at Lesty's words " It would seem so..."
When neither father or Naofumi answered him , Motoyasu grimaced " That's what I thought " Motoyasu turned his gaze to Naofumi and Raphtalia " You know , Naofumi if you really wanted to help demi-human slaves in Melromarc , than you should start by freeing Raphtalia of her own slave crest "
" But ... she is free " Naofumi mumbled out.
" What you have given her isn't freedom ... its just the sad illusion of it " Motoyasu twirled his spear and sheathed it on his back , before walking towards the exit.
" Lets go girls " Motoyasu called out to his party and they followed after him , leaving all those in the arena shocked into silence.
As the Spear Hero and his party disappear in the darkness of the hallway , Mein turns back to Naofumi who face is twisted as what can only be described as shock and horror. Naofumi's eyes are dilated , his arms hang motionlessly by his side as he looks to the floor of the arena. Mein didn't think that the Spear Hero's words would have such a powerful effect on him...and it seemed to have left their mark.
" I ... believe that is quite enough excitement for one night " Father fakes a cough to recompose himself " The Heroes and their parties are to gather at the castle again tomorrow morning to receive their rewards for the Wave "
Ah yes , the rewards from the Wave. With everything going on , I almost forgot about that .
The nobility sitting up in the viewing stands slowly make their way out of the stands and head back to their own abodes. The Sword and Bow Hero wordlessly walk away , following in the direction that the Spear Hero took. Father says nothing to them as he takes his own leave.
And that just left Naofumi's party alone in the arena , the moonlight shining down on them as if it were the holy light from heaven itself. But even the light of heaven wasn't enough to dispel the tense atmosphere that had overtaken them.
" Naofumi are you okay ?" Mein gently shook Naofumi by the shoulder. It would seem that the action was more than enough to jostle Naofumi back from whatever abyss he wandered down , looking at Mein and the rest of his party in surprise.
" Master Naofumi , are you alright ? " Raphtalia grasps Naofumi's arm , looking at him in concern.
Naofumi's eyes narrow at the little raccoon girl and Mein's sees ... sadness in his eyes ?
" I-I-I'm fine Raphtalia , lets go " Naofumi started walking towards the exit , the rest of them following after him.
Mein didn't know why , but even though Naofumi had won the duel ... it still felt like he lost at the same time.
Quite ironic when you think about it.
The Shield may have won the battle , but the Spear won the war.
Their party left the castle behind after the duel was concluded and the banquet was over. Mein will admit that she was more than a little disappointed to have the banquet be cut so short because of the duel , but there was no use in complaining about it now was there.
Naofumi had been... eerily quiet as they walked through the streets of Castletown after leaving the castle , if Mein has learned anything in her time she has spent with the Shield Hero , that Naofumi being exceptionally quiet is NEVER a good sign.
Naofumi's face was covered in the shadow of his hair , so Mein couldn't read his expression but she could tell from his body language that he was not in a good mood.
In fact , he's been - wait are they in the slums ?
Mein nose scrunched in disgust as she smelled the familiar stench of the slums. She hadn't noticed it because she had been so deep in thought , but their party had taken a turn earlier that led back into the slums. Mein must have been so busy thinking to have noticed.
" Sir Naofumi , why the hell are we back in the slums ?" Ake looks around , seeming to have noticed the change in scenery as well.
" You'll see in a second , come on " Naofumi rounded the corner and the rest of them followed after him.
When Mein rounded the corner , her eyes landed on the recognizable tent of the slave owner , Beloukas. It feels like so long ago they had gotten Raphtalia and Keel from the slaver...and rebranding Raphtalia. Mein heard Raphtalia whimper in fear at the sight of the tent , bad memories must be surfacing in her head at the mere sight of the place she was once imprisoned in.
" Its okay , its okay Raphtalia " Mein whispered to the little girl , grabbing her hand and leading the way.
Before they entered the slavers tent , Raphtalia suddenly reached out and grabbed Naofumi's hand tightly , causing him to stop in his tracks " Master Naofumi , you're ... you're not going to sell me back are you ?" Raphtalia's voice and eyes look desperate and afraid , practically begging Naofumi with her eyes.
Naofumi look at Raphtalia with sympathetic eyes , before reaching and petting her on the head " Of course not Raphtalia , I won't sell you back for anything ...I just need to settle something here first ..." Naofumi mumbled that last part out , but Mein still managed to hear it as their party entered the tent .
Upon entering , Mein sees the same cages and is greeted by the same putrid smell of death and despair. Mein almost gags at the smell of it , she pulls her veil up , but it barely helps against the smell. Maybe she should have the cloth be enchanted with some kind of flower enchantment to make it smell better or something , at least then it wouldn't be such a torture on her nose whenever they came here.
In fact now that she thinks about , why did they come here ?
" Ah , Sir Shield Hero ! I did not think you would end returning so soon " Beloukas greets them , he must have heard them come in earlier. Beloukas narrows his eyes at Raphtalia before back at Naofumi " Now why would you be back here at such an hour ? Would you perhaps be in need of a new slave ...?"
Beloukas's usual creepy grin is enough to make Raphtalia hide behind Naofumi's leg at the mere sight of the slaver.
" No , of course not " Naofumi bluntly responds , not even bothering to keep any of the anger out of his voice " As a matter of fact , I've actually come to have Raphtalia slave seal removed and have her be freed "
The knight and Beloukas look at Naofumi surprised at what they heard. Mein was in the same boat , looking at Naofumi in surprise by his actions. Could it be that the Spear Hero's words actually got through to him ?
" You do have it right ? The tools needed to remove a slave seal ?" Naofumi's words seem to knock Beloukas out of his stupor .
" Um ... yes of course Sir Hero ! I do have the tools required to remove the seal from your slave , at a small fee of course " Beloukas coughs into his hand , before putting back on his usual creepy business grin " If you would just follow me then- "
" NO ! DON'T ! " Raphtalia grabs Naofumi's arm , looking up at him with pleading eyes , almost on the verge of tears " Please don't throw me away Master Naofumi ! I don't want to be alone again ! I'll be a good girl I promise ! Just please don't leave me ! "
To say Mein was shocked by Raphtalia outburst would be an understatement.
She never would have thought of a slave actually rejecting the chance of freedom and would willingly choose to stay a slave. Mein deduces that Raphtalia must only measure her worth as a slave to Naofumi. Which is... quite disturbing when she thinks about it , how she can only find worth in herself as a slave to somebody else's wishes.
" Raphtalia..." Naofumi kneels down to look Raphtalia in the eye " I'm not throwing you away , all I want to do is to make you ... truly free. I'll still take care of you as the Shield Hero and you'll still be a member of my party , I just won't be your owner anymore. I don't feel that it is right that I own the life of another living being , even if you do agree to remain as my slave "
" Bu-but , the seal is a sign of your faith and trust in me , isn't it ?"
No , not even close Raphtalia ...
The seal isn't a symbol of faith or trust . Its just a tool to keep the slave obedient and make sure they follow orders.
Naofumi seems to look at Raphtalia with sadness in his eyes " Maybe you can say that the seal is a symbol of faith or trust , but that's only because I'm your owner. I don't think the dozens of other slaves in Melromarc who are forced into doing their masters every whim through the pain of that exact same seal on your chest would agree "
" Trust isn't something you need a literal kill switch for ... but rather its something you can feel in your heart " Naofumi turns to look at Mein for a brief moment " I know that best of all "
" I ... I don't understand " Raphtalia looks at the floor , with tears falling from her eyes .
" You will understand in due time ... when you're older and have more experience in life " Naofumi runs his hand on Raphtalia's head , taking her other hand and standing up " I'll always be there for you even if I'm not your master. Til the time comes that you no longer need me "
" I agree with Naofumi , you will understand when you're older Raphtalia " Mein comes in to support Naofumi's statement.
A loud fake cough brings their attention back to Beloukas who has been watching the scene the whole time " Well , if we're done with the waterworks can we please get a move on ?"
Naofumi takes Raphtalia's hand and follows Beloukas back to the small tent where they officiated Raphtalia's status as Naofumi's slave , with Mein and Ake following behind them.
Stepping inside , Mein sees Beloukas takes out the same instruments he used to apply the slave seal , but this time the black ink bottle is replaced with a bottle of holy water. Beloukas pours the holy water into the small plate and hands a small knife over to Naofumi , who cuts his finger and lets the blood drip into the holy water.
Beloukas takes a step forward to Raphtalia and starts to wet his brush with the holy water combined with Naofumi's blood. He applies the brush to Raphtalia's slave seal and the ivory seal on her chest starts to glow faintly . But in the next few minutes , the slave seal begins to disappear completely from her chest.
Raphtalia lets out a breath she's been holding in as the last of the seal ink disappears from her chest. If Mein had to guess the removal of the slave seal had to be as painful as having it applied. Mein can see Raphtalia's name disappear at the top left corner of her HUD , it must be when the slave contract was terminated , it also automatically exited her as a party member.
" The slave seal has been completely removed Sir Shield Hero ..." Beloukas turns to Naofumi with his usual grin " Now if you would be so kind "
" Yeah , yeah , here's your money " Naofumi takes out a silver coin and tosses it at Beloukas , who catches it with one of his ringed hands.
Raphtalia grabs onto Naofumi's hand , as they all begin to make their exit from the slavers tent.
" Please do come back again " Beloukas lets out a chuckle as they make their leave.
" I wouldn't hold your breath " Naofumi says back to Beloukas , as he holds open the flap of the tents entrance and they all leave.
Walking down the streets of the slum , Naofumi lets out a sigh " Well ... I think that went well "
" I agree Naofumi , at least we didn't have to be in there long ..." Mein nods her head in agreement " And Naofumi if I may say so ... I think you did the right thing by having Raphtalia's slave seal removed "
" For once , we are in agreement Mein , Sir Motoyasu made an excellent point tonight " The knight seems to back her up here.
" Thanks guys , I'm glad you think so ..." Naofumi looks at the floor dejectedly " I'm just feeling bad that I didn't realize it sooner "
" Well ... just remember not to let this hold you down Naofumi , your failures should not hold you back from being a hero " Mein says encouragingly to Naofumi.
Naofumi is silent for a moment , before he smiles at her " Thanks Mein ..."
" And you did well too Raphtalia " Mein turns to Raptalia who is still following along by Naofumi's side.
" Huh ?" Raphtalia looks up at her in confusion.
" You were very brave today, I'm proud of you " Mein decides to spare some encouragement for Raphtalia as well.
" Thanks big sister Mein" Raphtalia says softly , but still loud enough for her to hear.
" Well , I think its about time we find a place to stay the night " Naofumi yawned into his hand " I'm beat and we need to get up early for tomorrow "
Nobody had an arguments with what Naofumi said , almost all of them looked tired except for Mein , she didn't know why but she was always more active during the night. She remembers how much of a nightmare she was at bedtime for mother and father.
Well , its not only because of her night owl status that she doesn't intend to slumber , but the note Lesty slipped to her during the banquet .
' Meet me behind the Dancing Flower tonight '
Was all that Lesty wrote on the note and Mein intended to meet with her old childhood friend.
The night was still young after all.
Naofumi had decided to spoil them a bit or maybe he was just too tired to care , they settled in for the night at Daedric's inn. The very same inn they had stayed in for their first night together.
They had agreed that Raphtalia could have her own room , she still had night terrors but it would be agreed that Naofumi would be in the room next to hers just in case. The last thing they needed was a rumor going around about Naofumi being a child lover.
Mein was very much tempted to enjoy the softness of her room's bed , but she knew that she had work to do. By now , Lesty has probably made her way to the Dancing Flower, a tavern some low to mid tier nobility frequent.
Grabbing all of her items , she pulls her hood and veil up and jumps out the window and uses Blink to teleport to the bottom. Her room was on the second floor , so she had to use Blink if she didn't want to break her legs.
Running off into the night reminded her of when she first received the Mark and she had to raise her level again. It was quite an unpleasant thought and not one of her finest nights , but it was also the night she learned that she had no choice but to utilize and upgrade the Mark , if she were to survive the Waves of Catastrophe. And she was correct had she not used Windblast , they would have been overrun back in Lute before the knights arrived.
As she started to get closer into the wealthy side of Castletown , Mein started sticking to rooftops to avoid the regular guard patrols at night , Mein knew this because it was not the first time she has sneaked off to meet with someone in the dead of night. She knew that the guards regularly patrolled the streets at night, to avoid any crimes occurring such as theft of a merchants shop or the break in at some noble's manor.
Though patrols and guard presence was much more frequent in the wealthy part of the city for obvious reasons. Who wants to steal from poor people ?
Thankfully Mein had long memorized the guard patrol routes way back then and made a note to keep informed about any changes in shift.
Mein stops at the edge of a rooftop overlooking the Dancing Flower, she can see a few noble making their way inside, no doubt to try and drink their sorrows of the day away. Mein recalled in Lesty's note that she wanted to meet behind the tavern, so she quickly used Blink to maneuver her way over the buildings and to the back of the tavern.
But when she makes her way onto the rooftop of the bar and looks down into the small alley behind the tavern , she sees a girl around her age donned in a fashionable travelling cloak.
But she wasn't alone. Mein saw that there were two big men there with her. Their clothes were too rough to be that of a low-tier noble and their movements weren't sluggish enough to indicate that they were drunk. Street urchins then. Petty thieves that hang around places low to mid-tier nobles frequent looking to get an easy pay day.
And based on the way they were looking at Lesty, their intentions were clear.
" What's a fine piece of noble ass like yourself doing in a place like this ? " Musclehead one said smugly " You know, its not safe for noble girls to be out here all alone in districts like this "
" What I do here is my own business " Lesty said back curtly.
Mein was already thinking of how best to intervene, she can't kill them outright with Lesty around, a quick drop-takedown followed by a face slam into the concrete ? That might be a little more preferable.
" Come on baby, show us a little love and money ..." Musclehead two gave a lecherous smirk at Lesty as Mein watched on " It's hard being a commoner some days ,we just want a taste of what the noble life is like "
Musclehead two moved forward and tried to grab Lesty's arm which she pulled away from easily.
" Don't touch me you filthy animal " Lesty said angrily.
" Oooh ! A fiesty one, I love it when they put up a fight " Musclehead one taunted as he produced a knife " But enough playing around lady, come with us or-"
" Fast Gust !" Lesty chanted as she blew a gust of wind magic at her would be muggers. Easily forcing them back and slamming them into the wall.
Mein stopped in her movements to intervene and instead decided to simply watch and enjoy the show. She so enjoys watching Lesty destroy a few fools.
Musclehead one was slow to recover as he kept a grip on his knife " Y-Y-You bitch ! You're gonna pay for-"
" First Aqua Missile !" Lesty pointed her hand at their legs and two aqua missiles the size of steak knives came out of her hand and into their legs.
" AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! "
If they weren't near a pub during the night , then somebody surely would have cared enough to hear the two men's screams of pain.
Mein watched in amusement as Lesty approached the two men and raised her foot.
" This-"
CRACK!
Lesty's foot came down hard on Musclehead one's crouch, making him scream like a little girl.
" Is for trying to rob me and this-" She raised her foot again.
CRACK!
She slammed her boot down hard on Musclehead two's crouch, also making him scream like a bitch.
" Is for assuming that I'm some kind of low class whore " Lesty said with her hand on her hip " Now get the hell out of here and make sure I never have to see your ugly faces again "
" Y-Y-yes ! Sorry !" The two men didn't waste any time, picking themselves up and running away...well as fast they could with wounds in their legs and their crouches still reeling from the pain of being stepped on.
The princess in disguise smirked at seeing the result of her friend's skill, never let it be said that Lesty was a pushover.
Mein started climbing down from the roof, but she jumped down from a safe distance behind Lesty.
"Sorry I kept you waiting, but I couldn't help but watch you work "
Lesty jumped and almost screamed , before turning to her " Goddamnit Malty, you scared the daylights out of me..." Lesty reached up and pulled down her hood " Is that anyway to say hi to your old friend ?"
Mein smiled at her old friend " Sorry couldn't help myself "
" Nice to see you too Malty " Lesty smiled at her , Mein can see that she's still dressed in her dancer outfit .
Mein rolled her eyes , before giving Lesty a friendly hug " I'm happy to see you again Lesty , its nice to see a familiar face. Never thought I'd see the day you would be dressed up like a dancer adventurer "
" What can I say, the class suited me and you remember how my father forced all those dance lessons on me back in our younger years " Lesty reminded playfully " You're not looking too bad yourself , love the armor and cloak by the way, really screams roguish assassin "
" It suits me just fine, thank you " Mein said " Are you okay by the way ? "
" I'm fine, but I hope you enjoyed the show back there " Lesty smirked at her.
" I always love watching you work Lesty " Mein complimented.
" Well , I'm glad you're here Malty , sorry that I couldn't pick a better venue but this was the only place I could think of on short notice that didn't have any prying eyes " Lesty admitted looking at the barren alley they were talking in " We have a lot to talk about "
Mein nodded in agreement , she wanted the info Lesty could give her on the Spear Hero and she no doubts Lesty would want to hear about her many adventures with Naofumi. Lesty always was the nosy type of person , who wasn't satisfied with just telling stories , but also learning them .
Mein leaned up against the wall and faced Lesty " So what have you got on the Spear Hero ? While initially I pegged him as a naive , cheerful and optimistic fool , tonight has ... changed my perception a bit regarding him "
Lesty didn't look offended at Mein's assessment , in fact she chuckled a bit " I suppose that is fair , considering how Sir Motoyasu acts most of the time "
" So do tell Lesty , what is travelling with the Spear Hero like ? " Mein questioned.
" Well , Sir Motoyasu is quite flirty with women wherever we go , but he never actively tries to go beyond that if you know what I mean ..." Lesty playfully winked at her " He acts befitting that of a Cardinal Hero...I'd say you're missing out girl " Lesty says flirtily.
Mein put a hand to her chin , now this is quite interesting.
" What do you have on Haven and Gretel ? " Mein changes the question " I can't help but get a strange feel from those two "
" From what Gretel has told me , she doesn't come from any noble family , but she graduated top of her class at the magic academy here in Melromarc "
Mein almost jumps out of her seat at this " She graduated at the top of her class !? "
Mein was beyond shocked by this , she had never attended the magic academy in Melromarc before , because mother was actively sabotaging her and keeping her brat of a sister ahead of her in terms of magic . Mein has heard that the best magic users graduate from there and the fact that Gretel is only 19 itself is incredible ! Most students graduate by the age of mid 20's or at the latest their late 20's , so to graduate at such a young age is an impressive feat.
She can understand now , why she should be wary around Gretel the next time she sees the little witch.
" Yes and please keep it down ..." Lesty urged Mein to stay quiet , letting her settle down before continuing " Yeah , apparently she was the youngest student to ever graduate from there. I heard that her father who was a former knight captain in the war and the headmaster at the academy , quietly pulled some strings to get her a spot in a hero's party "
It makes sense , that's the first place they would look for good magic users is the academy. Combined with the influence of a former war captain and the headmaster of the most prestigious academy in Melromarc , Gretel's position on a Hero's party was practically guaranteed.
" And what about Haven ? What's a member of House Amelia's bastard branch doing in the Spear Hero's party ? " Mein had been wondering why Iris would allow a bastard to get in good with the Spear Hero.
" Not much I'm afraid. Elena's been pretty tight lipped and she hasn't even mentioned Iris or House Amelia to Sir Motoyasu " Lesty sighed crossing her arms " Although...if I had to take a guess, I would say that Iris is planning something big and she wants the Spear Hero on her side for whatever she has planned "
" And how do you figure that ? " Mein raised an eyebrow at her friend.
" Think about it, why would Iris Amelia, the Head of House Amelia , the wealthiest and one of the most influential houses in Melromarc dispatch a pointless daughter from their bastard branch ? Why not just go after the Spear Hero herself ? " Lesty pondered the question out loud " My best guess is that she is merely using Elena to test the waters with Sir Motoyasu, that way she can build relations with one of the Cardinal Heroes-"
" But can just as easily burn that bridge if things don't work out with the Spear Hero should he become a liability , without incurring any actual damage to House Amelia itself in the process " Mein agreed smiling at her compriot " Lesty I don't know what I'd do without you..."
" I know, I know, I'm amazing and you love me...but enough about my party , what's going on with you ? "Lesty smirked at Mein " How exactly is travelling with the infamous Shield Hero going ? "
Mein thinks over her words carefully , while she trusts Lesty more than most of her other playmates , she can't help but be cautious over who might try to get information on her through Lesty. But by the way Lesty is looking at her , she isn't going to be left off the hook unless she gives some essence of information.
" Well ... I will say that he is nothing like the Three Heroes Church describes him as . As I said before back in the trial , he is quite gentle and kind and honestly almost too easy to bring under my thumb " Mein said calmly " Unfortunately we had a bit of a rough start after the trial...but I think I'm finally making some progress "
" I guess even someone of your caliber has trouble every now and again " Lesty smugly smiles at her , but not in a mocking way.
" Don't be smug , I'll have him in bed before the next wave hits " Mein huffs turning way, prepared to make her getaway " I should probably get going now before Naofumi realizes I'm missing "
" If you say so... by the way , what's the name of that knight you have in your party ? " Lesty stops her with a question before she can leave .
" Hmmmm ? You mean , Ake ? He's just a random knight father gave us to increase our numbers , he's been a pain in my progress with Naofumi ..." Mein couldn't help but smile evilly " But not anymore "
" Well , tell him I said hi ... he's kinda cute "
Mein stops dead in her tracks , turning to her childhood with a shocked expression on her face .
" Seriously ? " Mein couldn't help but ask.
Lesty mischievously smiled back " Seriously "
" Oh heroes of old why ... " Mein facepalmed , before heading out of the alley and back to the inn.
Disappearing into the night , before anybody else even knew she was there.
The trip back to the inn took less time than she expected , with her making use of the rooftops and blinking to get around Castletown quickly.
Walking to the building next to Daedric's inn , she uses Blink to teleport into the room since she left the window open.
Mein let out a tired sigh as she took off her cloak.
Now to enjoy a peaceful sleep ...
" Didn't anyone ever tell you that little princesses shouldn't sneak out so late at night ? "
For the second time tonight , Mein jumped and almost screamed in surprise , as a voice from behind her shocked her. Mein didn't waste any time , unsheathing her sword and pointing it at the bed , where an unknown figure sat down.
The second Mein saw the figure, she instantly eased up but her anger flared at the same time , even in the darkness the stupid knight's armor shines in the darkness.
" The hell are you doing here ? " Mein glared at Ake , who seats cross legged on her bed.
" I could ask you the exact same thing , oh wait no , let me guess ... you were sneaking off to meet with that girl in the Spear Hero's party ...Lesty was it ? Weren't you ? " Ake smugly smiled at her , to which she grit her teeth in anger " Did you really think that passing notes under the table with your feet was subtle ? I could see it from a mile away "
Mein glared at the knight as he mocked her " I could say the same for you Ake ... " Mein smugly grins at Ake " Or should I call you Mald's murderer ? "
Ake's eyes widen at that and Mein's grin just grows even bigger.
Got you now...
" I have no idea what you are talking about " Ake stands up from the bed and crosses his arms , sounding as cold as ever.
" You know , I must say it was a very clever trick by purposefully pushing to split us up and you even subtly had yourself placed in the same group as Mald " Mein walks to stand closer to Ake , who is gritting his teeth in anger " And then once everybody was scattered in Pickaxe , you cleverly took out Mald ... if this were any other situation , I would say I'm impressed "
" You have no evidence of that , Mald was killed by the undead at Pickaxe " Ake retorted back .
" Yes , I thought that as well as everybody else did , but there was something about Mald's body that caught my interest " Mein remembers back to the god awful state Mald's body was in " Specifically speaking , his wounds "
" His wounds ? " Ake repeated .
" Yes , whoever killed Mald specifically targeted specific non-armored areas of his body . And I highly doubt that the undead would have the foresight to do such a thing. The curves of the blade that made the cuts themselves were quite interesting and all of the undead were using curved blades that didn't match up with the consistency of the cuts" Mein looked at Ake's sword attached to his hip " But after doing a little experiment , I found that the type of iron sword that the Order of the Knight's use ... or more specifically the one that you use , is a perfect match "
" But what really tipped me off was the residual lightning magic on Mald's armor " Mein can't help but feel a beam of pride as Ake's eyes widen " For you see , there is a phenomenon where when lightning magic hits metal armor of some kind , that armor will carry a small spark of the lightning and when touched will hurt the person who touches it "
" And you are the only lightning user in the area at the time so ..." Mein points an accusatory finger at Ake " You are the murderer, Ake Rorik "
Ake flinches as she ends her explanation as if to confirm it. Mein chuckles at the sight , now she has him in her trap.
" Now let's get down to business knight , if you do not wish to spend the rest of your life rotting in a dungeon you will do exactly as I say and I mean exactly , no more getting in between Naofumi and me. As far as you are concerned , I am a goddess and if you step of out line even once-"
Mein was cut off when Ake unsheathes his sword and make a swing at her , she was able to jump back , a few seconds slower and she would be spilling her guts. The knight charges at her again , this time swinging his blade in quick motions forcing her to jump back even further.
Her back hits the wall and the knight thrust his sword forward , Mein moved her body to the side in just the nick of time .Mein delivers a punch to the knight's face but it barely seems to affect him , as he quickly pulls his sword out and swings at her again.
Mein's back is forced against a wall again , as the knight swings his blade aiming at her even thinking , she takes out her knife and points it at knight's throat and holding a ball of fire pointed at him. She doesn't care if she has to burn this whole inn to the ground , she is not dying here !
The knight stops his blade just inches away from her neck , but keeps it positioned there. Mein presses the knife against his throat , the both of them having worked the other into a standstill. Mein stares into the knight's eyes and all she can see is anger and pain in them.
They are eyes she is quite familiar with.
" It looks like we have ourselves a standoff ... " Ake finally speaks after a moment of silence.
" Looks that way " Mein holds firm in her stance " So we gonna kill each other or not ? "
" I'd rather not die today so ... " Ake leans in , his face inches away from hers " Let's talk "
" You gonna lower your sword for that ? " Mein asks.
" Nah , I think I'll keep mine the way it is , you ? "
" What do you think ? "
" Fair enough , I suppose ..." Ake gives her a death glare that is further amplified by the fact that he is holding a blade to her throat " Listen here , you second- in line royalty bitch , if you expose me as Mald's killer ... I'll take you down with me and expose your identity to Sir Naofumi "
Mein tenses at that , if Ake reveals her identity than her plan for Naofumi goes down the drain " He'll never believe you. Once he finds out that you're a murderer , do you really think that he's going to believe anything you say over the word of his first and most trusted companion ? " Mein tries not to sound worried over the idea of being exposed.
Ake doesn't seem impressed " Oh please , you should know Sir Naofumi better than that . He's quite the curious and intelligent fellow , it wouldn't be too hard for him to find out what a lying bitch you really are ... and when that happens-"
My chances of getting the throne back turn to nothing.
It would seem that they have both worked each other into checkmate.
Only difference is Mein has more to lose.
" So ... it would seem that we have both come to a stalemate , both in words and literally " Ake pushes the blade further into Mein's neck , as she does the same " So should we just kill each other and get it over with ? "
" Wait ! Just wait a second ... let's talk about this " Mein tries to reason with the crazy knight " We both have information over each other that can destroy us in one way or another ... in more ways than one. If I talk you spend the rest of your life in a dungeon and if you talk , I lose any chance of getting the Throne back... "
" What are you saying ? " Ake raises an eyebrow at her.
By the gods I can't believe I'm doing this.
" I'm saying ... that we should work together "
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A whole minute of uninterrupted silence passed , as Mein's proposal hangs in the air , the knight taps his fingers against the hilt of his blade in thought , clearly thinking it over.
" Are you being serious ? " Ake sounds skeptical about her proposal.
Mein has to hold back the urge to sigh " Do I sound like I'm joking ? We both want certain things and whether we like it or not , we have a better chance of doing it , if we work together "
Ake dryly chuckles " And what makes you think I want to work with the two faced bitch , that tried to kill me ? "
" You see any other way out of this ? " Malty glared at him " Either you kill me or I kill you or we both kill each other and I end up burning this whole inn to the ground. Look what happened back in the cave ... that wasn't anything personal alright ? And like it or not , working together is the best solution we have at the moment "
Ake grimaced at that.
" So what's it gonna be ?" Mein asks , keeping her blade and fire at the ready .
Ake seems to be put back into deep thought again...but after a minute or so he pulls his blade back from her neck if only slightly .
" Let's say we do work together ... what would you want out of our partnership ? " Ake asks in the tone of a seasoned businessman.
" I want you to stay the hell out of my way when I'm making moves on Naofumi and to keep Raphtalia from getting in between if you can "
" Alright ... I think I can do that " Ake sheaths his sword.
" But partnerships are a two-way street ... what do you want in return ? " Mein puts her knife away and crosses her arms "Money, women, a position in the nobility ? "
" I want you to not try to kill me again and also there is a special thing, I may need your help with ... but now is not the time " Ake sounds cryptic regarding his special request " And since I'm such a helpful partner , I'll even aid you in increasing the power your Mark holds"
" So its official ..."
" Not yet ... " Ake takes off his glove and unsheathes his sword , before cutting his hand with it , making Mein flinch at the sight. Ake then holds out his cut hand to her " Let's make it a pact in blood "
Mein has half a mind to call Ake crazy for even suggesting such a thing , but she is not in the mood to argue and by the look on Ake's face , neither is he. So she reluctantly takes off her glove and cuts her hand , before shaking on it with Ake.
" So we're good ? " Mein asks , as she puts her glove back on.
" Yeah ... we're good " Ake says simply , before walking to the door.
" What exactly is that special request you want my help for ? What exactly am I getting into by helping you ?" Mein can't help but ask before Ake leaves.
Ake turns away from her , the shadow of his helm concealing his face " Nothing much ... just a little bit of good old fashion revenge "
Revenge ? Is that what this knight seeks ? Is that why he killed Mald ?
" What do you mean by that ? " Mein presses the issue .
Ake scoffs at her " Like I'll tell you ..."
" Has anyone ever told you , you are one cryptic and cold bastard ? "
" Has anyone ever told you , you're one arrogant cynical bitch who has no honor whatsoever ? " Ake retorted back .
Mein froze at Ake's words , honor.
Her mind flashes back to that fateful day in the castle , when mother all but made it official to her face that Melty was going to be the Queen of Melromarc...
It was the second worst day of her life ...
The day she found out that she was being replaced because mother gave up on her and decided she wanted a redo on raising an heir...
The day she was looked down upon by everybody , from high ranked nobility to the guards stationed in the castle...
" Honor ? Oh please ..." Mein's voice turns as cold as ice , before walking to the door and slamming it closed .
" The day I lost my position as heir to the throne ... was the day I was Dishonored ..."
In case any of you are wondering , that last line from Malty is not a mistake and 100% intentional on my part. If you weren't playing the theme of Dishonored for when the title card showed up, then you have not read this chapter properly.
:P
Okay, but in all seriousness to address the elephant in the room about this chapter, the slavery issue in Rotsh. Much like Qin, my problem with the slavery issue is the same as his, in which the author handled the entire issue very poorly.
Naofumi using slavery at the start is reasonable, but not after the duel when Raphtalia expressed how much she absolutely worships him. Especially heinous in anime after he witnesses Raphtalia's friend dies in slavery. At this point, him owning Raphtalia as his slave is just him taking the selfish and easy way out for himself.
And don't even get me started on the whole 'slaves have growth bonus' schtick. Which is pretty much just a mechanical reason the author pulled out of their behind to justify a much more serious morality issue. Its nothing more than an easy reason to shill for his morally reprehensible act.
This chapter was definitely my all time favorite since it is the first time in Rotsh fanfiction history that Motoyasu has put Naofumi down in a verbal argument.
If any of you were wondering what the second reason for why I essentially turned Motoyasu into an OOC in this story, well here you go.
I think Alenko straight up forgot that the 3 Heroes were supposed to have different personalities, but completely tossed that out the window in favor of making their prized husbando look more competent and smart than his competition . So all the 3 Heroes are basically mentally handicapped morons until they get turned into Bitchassfumi's overly glorified henchmen later in the story.
Which is why I changed the Cardinal Heroes so Naofumi in my story has some real competition to contend with. Even Ren whose character and backstory I left canon for the most part will pose a challenge for Naofumi. And this will cause some changes I don't think any of you will expect.
Putting my hatred for canon aside for a moment, this arc has officially come to a close with many new changes to the cast. You know, when I first started this story admittedly it was a LOT rougher around the edges and while some ideas so far will not come to fruition...I think I'm happy with the story I have so far.
I hope you all are still following along with this weird story I have written and I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.