Managed to get this chapter finished early, though I have to say that the next chapter will probably be later than usual because I have some work that needs to be done on other stories.
Anyway, not getting too much into it, this chapter will show how the party handles having both a dragon and a filorial in the same party. This is going to about as well as you would expect and it is not going to be tied up in the span of this single chapter.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic.
Chapter 23 : How to Train your Dragon
" Can somebody please explain to me what is wrong with these two !? " Naofumi yells as he tries to get the the filorial back into his hands.
They had managed to stop the two little monsters from killing each other, but now they were both running around the room, occasionally taking potshots at each other while at the same dodging and avoiding the disguised princess and Shield Hero trying unsuccessfully to catch them.
" Please stop and come here !" Naofumi pleaded as he tried to chase the bird onto the bed.
" Stop running at once !" Mein commanded before she bumped into Naofumi " Ow ! Watch it Naofumi "
" Sorry ! For the love of god, just come here already ! " Naofumi shouted as he tried to grab the stupid bird.
The bird and dragon collided briefly , the dragon trying to slash at the bird with its claws while the bird dodged and tried to kick it in its face. Neither of them hitting the other but coming pretty damn close to seriously injuring each other.
" Stop trying to hit each other ! " Naofumi shouted as he tried to grab the filorial.
" P-Please stop-! Ah !" Raphtalia bless her little heart was trying to help them catch the two monsters , unfortunately fell flat on her bum when the the dumb chick went under her feet.
" Leave this to us Raphtalia ! You might hurt yourself !" Naofumi quickly reminds the raccoon that she's still not used to her new balance problems from missing a arm.
" O-Okay !" Raphtalia quickly picked herself up with her sold arm to stand by the door with the other two.
Needless to say, the situation of trying to catch the two monsters was not going well in the slightest.
Ake who was watching the whole scene unfold stood next to Carlyle and had an amused look on his face. A rare expression he had almost never shown during their travels together so far.
Mein was less than amused by this " I'm glad that this is amusing to you , but would please help us !? Ow ! " Mein screamed at him as she landed face first onto the bed.
" Master Ake, this hardly any way to act when ones friends are in trouble " Carlyle scolded Ake.
" Fine " Ake rolled his eyes as he and Carlyle joined the fight to catch the two monsters " Come here you little brats..."
It took a couple of minutes of pointless running and thinking but they had finally managed to catch to the two monsters. Mein holding the lizard firmly while Naofumi held onto the filorial. Though both monsters still gave hardcore death glares at each other.
" Alright, now that that's settled can somebody please explain why these two were so hellbent on killing each other ? They were really going at it just now " Naofumi asked, still holding the filorial chick in his hands.
Mein tries to rack her brain for an answer. Her brat of a little sister being obsessed with these overgrown chickens has on more than one occasion bothered her with pointless filorial facts, she's certain she brought up the rivalry between filorial's and dragons, but Mein had learned to tune her out and just pretend to listen at that point. If she knew that knowledge would have been somewhat useful to have then perhaps she would have listened.
" I think I can explain that Sir Naofumi , its a well known fact that dragons and filorial's don't exactly get along very well " Ake stepped up to explain. Mein grateful that he is finally being helpful.
" Dragons and Filorial's don't get along , huh ? But why though ? " Naofumi asked.
" Nobody really knows the true reason for their intense rivalry , but some folks say that there was a war between dragons and filorial's a long time ago over dominance " Ake shrugged his shoulders " Then again this is just a story I heard as a kid , the true reason could very well be lost to time "
" Regardless , this does a mild present a problem with our party dynamic " Ake addresses the obvious issue of having a filorial and a dragon in the party.
Mein nodded in agreement " Ake's right , we're gonna have a problem leveling these two up , if we're constantly going to have to play referee between them to keep them from tearing each others throats out " It would certainly be a pain if while they were busy fighting off monsters , the bird and dragon would get into another fight and they certainly won't have the time to break it up while they are in battle.
" Well , we are going to need to come up with some way to level these two up or we might have to scrap the idea of travelling across Melromarc ... " Naofumi puts a hand to his chin thought , obviously trying to come up with an idea.
While Naofumi was busy trying to come up with something to solve their dilemma , Mein turned her attention to the table , eyeing the fragments of the two monsters shells.
Mein picked up a single piece of the dragons shell , inspecting it closely.
I wonder... if that skill exists then...
Mein absorbs the piece of shell , the piece turning into dust and flowing into her Mark. Holding it behind her hand to avoid Carlyle seeing her absorb it.
Monster Tamer ( Tier I )
Enhancement : Monster Maturation Adjustment ( Small )
Description : Any monster being raised in the party , receives an automatic growth boost in their maturation.
Mein stares at her HUD with curiosity , at the enhancement she had just unlocked.
So the skill really does exist huh ...
" Hey Mein , what did you unlock ? " Naofumi whispered having seen her absorb the shell.
" I unlocked something called 'Monster Tamer ' , its a type of enhancement that increases the growth rate and maturation of monsters in the party " Mein whispered back, reading off the description of the ability.
" It increases their growth rate and maturation , huh ? " Naofumi repeats.
" It appears so ... " Mein grabbed one of the pieces of the birds shells and hands it to Naofumi " Here , see if you unlock something "
Naofumi inserted the fragment into the shield and like always it gave a brief glow " Hey , I just unlocked a new shield called ' Monster Users Shield ' it basically has exact same effect as what yours does "
So the abilities are basically the same , but just the name is different ? Why is that ?
"Regardless we should probably come up with a good name for these two " Naofumi suggested narrowing his eyes between the dragon in her hands and the bird in his" It would be a pain if we just kept calling the two of them 'bird' and 'dragon' constantly-"
" Actually Master Naofumi, I believe the reptile that is in Miss Sophie's possession is a raptor, not a dragon by strict academic definition " Carlyle cut in, glancing at the reptile in Mein's hands.
But it was her comment that made Mein realize that the reptile she held in her hands wasn't a dragon, but rather the kind of raptor that she would sometimes see knight captains ride.
" Is there a difference ? " Naofumi raised an eyebrow.
" A raptor is considered demi-dragon or subspecies of dragon that runs on two legs and have two clawed limbs that can tear at their enemy. A wyvern is a two legged, and usually smaller dragon with a pair of wings for frontal limbs, and a drake is a quadropad lesser dragon that can have wings, or not. But a true dragon is one that has all four limbs and wings that can fly " Carlyle explained in detail " Since the one we currently have clearly has two legs and clawed limbs, it would be referred to as a raptor "
" Oh yeah, I remember there were multiple species of 'dragon' back in my world " Naofumi ponders " Still a raptor is pretty lucky, right ? "
" Indeed it is " Mein nodded as she held the raptor up " Aren't you good boy ? You're gonna grow up big and strong aren't you ? "
The raptor seemed to nod happily at that, making little happy noises if it was possible.
" Getting back to the matter hand, we need some good names for these two " Naofumi smiles as he scratches the birds feathers. Naofumi turned to Ake first " Any suggestions ? "
" I don't really care, just name them whatever floats your boat " Ake shrugged.
" Master Ake don't be rude " Carlyle scolded Ake again, who just crossed his arms in response.
The Shield Hero then turned to the little raccoon who seemed to be glancing at the two monsters every now and again" Do you want to name them Raphtalia ? "
" I-I have a few suggestions " Raphtalia admitted.
" Well we'd be happy to hear them " Naofumi agreed.
" Rifana...and Keel..."
Mein needed a second to register what Raphtalia just said. She has no recollection of Raphtalia ever mentioning a Rifana. But Keel was a different story...
No Raphtalia, its never a good idea to name anyone after a dead person. Its a bad omen.
Mein's eyes softened as the raccoon,it seems Raphtalia was still emotionally hurt about her dead friends.
The princess in disguise approached the little girl and kneeled down " You still miss Keel, huh ? "
" Y-Yes..."
" Who's Rifana ? " Mein asked softly.
" My friend...she was still alive after the wave...and when the manhunters came...we were seperated... I was with Keel...I don't know if she's alive or dead " Raphtalia said with a few tears in her eyes.
" Come here girl " Mein while still holding the raptor in her hand, gave the girl a hug.
" I'm so sorry Raphtalia " Naofumi said as he patted Raphtalia on the head, unable to join the hug on account of keeping the bird away from Jun.
Mein pulled away and wiped a few tears from Raphtalia's face.
" If she's alive, I promise we'll find her , there should be records of her if she was sold " Mein said encouragingly.
" O-Okay..." Raphtalia nodded.
"...Pick something simple for the two and just leave it at that " Ake suggested.
Nobody disagreed with him on that.
Naofumi scratched the side of his head as he looked at the bird in his hand " Okay how about...Filo ? "
" Wow Naofumi , you are truly a master of names " Mein couldn't help but speak a bit sarcastically as she gave him the blankest look in history " How pray tell did you ever come with such a sophisticated name ? "
" Have to agree with Mein on that " Even the knight agrees that Naofumi's naming abilities are terrible.
It was official. Mein was never going to let Naofumi name their children if THAT was the best he could come up with.
" Hey, don't hate on the name I chose " Naofumi defended " What would you name your raptor ? "
Mein thought long and hard on it.
My birthday is in the 6th month of the year...
" How does Jun sound ? " Mein asks the little lizard in her hand.
The dragon seems to understand what she means as it nods happily at its name , given to it by the princess in disguise.
" Jun it is then ..." Mein gently rubs the little dragons head , with her finger similar to what Naofumi did.
Mein turned to Ake who was giving her a blank look while Naofumi was giving her a smug smile.
" Jun ? Seriously ? "
" Fuck you " Mein retorted at the knight before she turned to Naofumi " Don't be smug ! Its still more creative than something stupid like Filo ! "
" GUAH ! GUAH !" The bird agitated started wriggling in Naofumi's hand, clearly wanting to attempt to peck at Mein.
" Hey, hey , calm down Filo..." Naofumi calmed the bird down as he rubbed her feathers " Let's just settle on those two names and move on, okay ? "
" Fine " Mein agreed.
Mine is still way more creative than something stupid like Filo.
" So to reiterate we have Jun and Filo...who both hate each other..." Naofumi reassessed the situation " Its going to be difficult to level them both up if they are at each others throats...and we don't have any convenient way to keep them both in check-"
A loud rumbling sound cut through their conversation and it would have resembled an earthquake if it was any louder. All eyes turned to the little bird and Mein quietly wondered how the hell a small bird was able to make a sound like that.
" Well , I guess somebody's hungry " Naofumi mentioned.
Mein had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the bird , its only been less than an hour since it hatched and its already hungry. She remembers reading that filorials are said to have bottomless stomachs.
" Perhaps it would be a good idea to have some breakfast first while you consider your options ?" Carlyle suggested.
" Sounds good, but just asking do filorials have any specific dietary restrictions ? I mean, I know dragons eat meat and all that, but I'm not too sure about filorials " Naofumi admitted his lack of knowledge.
"Don't worry too much Sir Naofumi, filorial's don't really need much in the way of special care , they can eat practically anything so long as it isn't dangerous to their bodies like poison or rotting flesh " Ake explains.
" Alright come now, its almost noon for chief god's sake " Carlyle lead the way down stairs to the kitchen to prepare a breakfast for them all.
It took less than 15 minutes for breakfast to be prepared with Ake, Carlyle and Naofumi working together in the kitchen. The old maid complimenting the hero on his cooking ability. While Mein and Raphtalia were left to keep the two monsters in check.
The trio had prepared a pretty damn good breakfast with the bird practically drooling at the food present and would have gorged it all up had Naofumi kept it in check. Feeding it manually himself over the course of the meal.
Mein was in the same situation as she cut up a piece of meat and offered it to the raptor. Carlyle herself was also feeding Raphtalia since she still wasn't used to eating with only one hand.
" Open wide my little hatchling " Mein said in a happy tone as if speaking to a baby. The little raptor happily ate the piece of meat out of her finger" Good boy..." Mein congratulated, patting the raptor's head.
" C-Can I do it too ? " Raphtalia asked as she was sitting next to Mein.
" Of course Raphtalia, here you go " Mein said softly as she handed a small cut up piece to Raphtalia to give to the dragon.
The little reptile seemed hesitant of Raphtalia at first and the raccoon also seemed scared that the reptile was going to bite her finger off.
" Hey, its okay...Raphtalia is a friend..." Mein said in a soft tone to goad the reptile into accepting the piece.
The raptor looked at her for a brief moment before it finally accepted the piece of meat, swallowing it happily and giving a happy rub against Raphtalia's left hand.
" Its so warm..." Raphtalia said.
Mein giggled "Dragons bodies are said to be naturally warm so that's to be expected "
" So nice..." Raphtalia muttered.
" Raphtalia finish your meal first before playing with the reptile " Carlyle interrupted with the tone of a fully trained nanny.
The little raccoon had no argument as she was continued to be fed. They really did need to teach Raphtalia how to live with one arm until they can get her a prosthetic.
" So what do you guys think our plan should be ? " Naofumi asks as feed another spoonful to the bird " I don't really have one so I'm open to suggestions "
"I did some thinking on it and I think the best option we have at the moment is to level them both separately " Ake suggested " I think we can work out some kind of schedule, where me and Mein level each of them at a different time in a separate party in order to maximize the amount of EXP that each beasts gets "
" Okay...but won't the EXP be small without my shield amplifying the EXP gains ? " Naofumi posed the question.
" With just the three of us , the exp gains should be better maximized " Ake explained " We'll level up Jun for today and Filo for tomorrow "
" GRAH !" Jun appears to roar at the bird next to Naofumi, giving it what would be equivalent to a smirk with his teeth. Clearly gloating about being chosen first.
" GUAHH !" The dumb bird looked ready to fight right on the dinner table had Naofumi and Mein quickly held the two beasts back.
" Both of you calm down !" Naofumi yelled and the two stopped screaming at each other. Though they still glared at each other intensely.
" Getting back on track, me and Raphtalia can stay in the village while you guys go out to hunt monsters, maybe we can help with the rebuilding or help make some medicines that they could use " Naofumi suggested.
Sounds like a plan.
" If you're planning on raising a filorial then perhaps you should talk to Bill if you want some more in depth knowledge Master Naofumi " Carlyle commented.
" Who's Bill ? "
" Filorial Bill. He's the guy that manages the filorials we have here in Lute " Ake turned to his maid " Kate, do you think you can take them to Bill after this ? "
" Of course, Master Ake " Carlyle nodded.
" Thank you for the help Miss Carlyle " Naofumi thanked the older woman.
" It is my pleasure Master Naofumi " Carlyle spoke modestly.
" Though for the dragon ...we might have a bit of a problem figuring how to raise it properly since raptor steads are much rarer than filorial's , only the nobility and military have access to them " Ake commented, narrowing his eyes at the lizard next to Mein.
The princess in disguise has to agree with the knight, her own knowledge of dragons is rather limited as well due to the creatures being so damn rare in the first place.
" So we might need to find a specialist ...great " Naofumi sighed in exasperation.
" Don't worry Sir Naofumi , I know a guy here in the village who can help " Ake interjects " The head hunter here in Lute , his name's Gaston , he was part of the Melromarc's Ranger Corp and was a damn good one until he left , so he should have at least some information as to how to raise a raptor properly "
" Okay... so after breakfast, Carlyle can take me and Raphtalia to see Bill and afterward we go help where we can , while you guys go see this Gaston and then go ahead with levelling up Jun " Naofumi summarized everything " Sounds like a plan. Meet up back here for lunch ? "
" Sounds good Naofumi " Mein nodded in agreement.
So she would be getting some alone time with Ake...that's good.
She has some very important questions for him, but that's for later, food for her new dragon first.
After finishing up breakfast, Mein added Ake and Jun to her own personal party and they had split up with Naofumi. Carlyle leading Naofumi , Raphtalia and the dumb bird to filorial Bill, while Ake lead Mein to wherever this Gaston was.
They both walk in silence, neither of them saying anything with the little dragon perched on her shoulder like a bird.
Eventually Mein got sick of the silence and decided to break it.
" So when were you going to tell me ? "
Ake gave her a look " Tell you what ? "
" Tell me that you were nobility, like Naofumi I thought your parents were just general store owners " Mein said sharply.
" You never asked "
" Spare me the witty sarcastic remarks and speak plainly for Void's sake " Mein retorted " I feel like information like you being noble would have been something I should have known, partner "
" Last I checked princess, we never agreed to share our life stories so don't get pissy at me for not sharing " Ake rolled his eyes at her " What do you want to do next ? Share sob stories and feel sorry for how tragic our lives are ? Count me out "
" It would have nice to know at least..." Mein grit her teeth at the knight " Why would you even hide that you're a noble anyway ? What would even be the point ? "
While Mein can admit that she's not the perfect example of what a noble lady should be, she will always be a noble and princess at heart. Despite whatever hatred she has towards her mother, she always took pride being a member of the royal family of House Melromarc. She enjoys the status and privileges that come with being a princess, along with the very obvious bragging rights that she never hesitated to rub into the faces of those inferior to her.
Despite no longer virtually being the crown princess.
So she cannot help but wonder why one would willingly conceal their noble heritage, even if there are nobles out there that act more like knights than proper nobility like her old playmate Eclair.
Ake looks her directly in the eye " Maybe its because I didn't want special treatment or anybody in the order treating me differently because I was nobility...maybe its because I wanted to get away from my stuffy parents who were trying to get me to take over the family business...maybe its because I didn't want to become one of those greedy asshole nobles who are too busy having dick measuring contests with each other and stuffing their faces to notice the plight of the common people..." Ake glares at her.
Mein glares right back at him, she will not stand idly by as Ake trash talks her people.
"Oh gods don't tell me you're one of those people who spout the usual rhetoric of 'nobles bad, common people good ' bullshit " Mein says in a mocking tone " You do seem to conveniently forget that without those lords and ladies, there wouldn't be anyone to keep them all together and form a cohesive society and our country wouldn't even be what it is now ? " Mein argued " There are also many honorable noble houses that care about their people and wellbeing "
Mein can't deny that she has met more than her fair share of arrogant and petty nobles that fit Ake's description. But Lesty, Katarina, Bertia, Keith, Jaune and hell even Iris are not anything like Ake describes them as.
" Sure, for every half competent and decent noble out there, I guarantee there are hundreds more who would love nothing more than to bleed the people dry , abusing their privileges and not doing their duties ! What about those assholes huh ?!" Ake shouts back at her " You got a defense for those assholes too ? "
Mein wanted to refute him, to say that he was wrong...
But she had seen many things over the course of her life.
Nobles bleeding the innocent dry just to further their wealth...noble children who abuse slaves for no better reason than just because they were mad mommy didn't love her enough...nobles like Consevatie who stuff their faces while the innocent starve.
Her year of being kidnapped taught her many things.
It taught her cruelty for one. It taught her about evil. And most of all...
It taught her about helplessness.
"...I'm afraid I must agree on that part " Mein said softly.
" Wait what ? " Ake was clearly taken off guard by her agreeing with him.
" I know what you're talking about Ake, nobles who abuse their privileges and not performing their duties properly and only care about furthering their own ego and power...I've seen it many times before " Mein said " But there are good noble houses out there...it can just be hard to see them through the sea of shit..."
" I know there are good ones " Ake said softly.
" Were your parents like that ? Is that why you abandoned your noble title ? " Mein asked quietly.
Ake turned away, walking a bit forward.
"...Yes "
That was all to be said as they continued walking.
Despite not speaking...they seemed to have reached an odd sort of understanding on each other's in a weird sorta way.
What a world.
Mein eventually sees a small shack on the south end of the village. The structure itself didn't look too bad , it seemed like one of the few buildings that didn't get demolished during the wave.
Pushing the wooden doors open , causing them to creak as they opened inside , Mein could see the skins of several monsters on displayed on the walls. None of them particularly impressive to a seasoned adventurer , but still admirable for a hunter. A man at the back of the shack appears to be too busy skinning a porcupine to really notice her presence.
Mein steps inside the shack following behind Ake , careful not to step into a pool of monster blood , the dragon seems to be eyeing some of the animal skins with desire in its eyes had Mein kept a close eye on it to keep it from pouncing on the meat.
" What is it Georg ? Is Sir Rathos back yet ? " The hunter asks , not even turning to face her.
" Is that any way to say hi to your old student Gaston ? " Ake said with amusement in his tone.
The hunter head notches up and he turns around to look at Ake " Ake ! Its good to see again my boy, Georg said that he saw you a couple times in the village but you never stopped by to say hello "
Mein upon fully seeing the man's face, recognizes him as one men she saw as part of the militia. The one with the big ponytail.
" Sorry Gaston, I've been busy..." Ake greeted the hunter with a smile.
" Come here you little rascal " Gaston walked over and gave Ake a big hug " Its been too long Ake "
" Way too long "
" And who is this fine lady you have with...wait a second, you're that lady who helped us out during the Wave ! You're part of the Shield Hero's crew " Gaston's eyes flash with recognition" I recognize the cloak and veil thing "
" Indeed , pleased to meet you , the name's Mein Sophie "Mein gently smiles at him and holds out her gloved hand.
" Gaston. The best hunter in Lute " Gaston has enough foresight to wipe his bloody hand with a cloth , before shaking Mein's hand. The hunter turning to Ake " So you're part of one of the Cardinal Heroes crew huh ? Pretty sweet huh ? "
" Its...been an interesting experience to say the least " Ake glanced at her for a moment " But sorry to say, that I didn't come by to catch up, me and my friend here need your expertise on monsters "
" So what's this problem you need my expertise in ? "
" You see , we purchased two monster eggs from a trader and they just hatched this morning , a filorial and a raptor " Ake explains the situation to Gaston as Mein takes the raptor off her shoulder and into her hand to show the hunter " The bird's already well taken care of , though we have no idea on how to raise a raptor properly. We hoped you could shed some light on the subject "
" Whoa...a raptor , huh ? " Gaston gets up close to see the raptor in Mein's hand , the lizard observing the hunter closely as well as if waiting for him to make a move " Damn , your party really struck it lucky getting a raptor. I've never had the pleasure of riding one myself "
"You don't need to tell me that ... " Mein smirks proudly " So how do I raise it ? "
" Well , to be honest I know about as much as dragons as the next guy , but I do know a few basic pointers on raising a raptor that I learned while I was still a Ranger " The hunter raises three fingers as if to emphasize his point " Firstly , dragons are carnivores but dragon hatchlings who are fresh out of their shell should be fed light meat to make their growth steady. So just be sure to only start feeding it bigger pieces of monster meat when it gets bigger "
" We already know that " Mein shrugged as the hunter continued.
" Secondly , understand that dragons are different from filorial's meaning that there aren't necessarily built for pulling carriages , its much more advisable to use them as steads to protect your main carriage "
Okay , that makes sense. Never did understand why filorial's are so happy pulling carriages around.
" Thirdly , remember to keep in mind that raptors have less stamina than a filorial, while they can definitely be faster and stronger in short burst, they burn out much faster than a filorial. A newborn raptor raised incorrectly not knowing their limit can ends up overexerting themselves "
" GRAH ! GRAH !" Jun screeched at Gaston, suddenly attempting to bite at the man's finger had he not quickly moved it away.
" Whoa ! Whoa ! " Gaston exclaimed.
" Hey, don't do that !" Ake yelled as Mein held the raptor back.
The raptor calmed down, but it was clear that he wasn't happy about being talked about his weaknesses.
" Sorry about that " Mein apologized.
" Its alright, he's still a young remember to take it slow when you're training him and you should be fine " Gaston waved her off.
Mein nods respectfully to the hunter " Got it. Thank you for your time , Mr Gaston "
" No problem miss , its the least I can do after you and the Shield Hero helped defend this village " Gaston waves her off , before eyeing her curiously " Take care yourself Ake, these Waves ain't no joke "
" You don't gotta tell us twice, say hi to Sir Rathos if you can " Ake gave the hunter a goodbye as they left the shack.
The two walk back onto the main path. The dragon resting calmly on her shoulder , as if it is a mighty eagle. Mein doesn't know why , but she feels the need to take care of this dragon much more than anything else she's ever taken care of.
" We can head to the forest, there should be plenty of monsters and it would be a good idea to get the dragon some combat experience " Ake suggested " We can raise his level until we have to meet up back at the manor "
" Agreed " Mein nodded " We're going to make sure you grow up big and strong , okay ? " Mein asks the dragon , who makes a sorta happy noise. Mein can't help but giggle at how cute it was.
" Windblast ! " Mein sends the blast of wind towards a group of monsters , the sheer force of the blast sends them flying , the impact of hitting the trees and ground is enough to instantly kill them.
Those who don't immediately die...
" Go Jun ! Bite them to death !"
Mein called out as the raptor leaped forward and started biting and tearing away at the monsters with its claws. They had mostly been fighting balloons and mush, so this was nothing.
Mein smirks as more monsters appear from the forest .Probably attracted by all the noise they're making.
Quite convenient. More free EXP to level up Jun.
Ake for the most part was just slashing at the few monsters that came close to them, but for the most part left the fighting to Mein and Jun. Smart man.
A group of balloons jump at her and with one single arc slash of her sword she manages to pop them all . At the same time , a mush decides to jump at her , but Jun was quick and jumped to bite the mush to the ground and start tearing it apart. Mein quickly regains her footing , standing off against the many monsters of the forest , the grass beneath her armored foot now stained with monster blood and balloon skins.
Mein smirks as she changes skills " Thorns ! "
Mein aims her hand at the monsters and several dark, dart-like projectiles shoot out of her left hand. The following ranged attack, punctures fatal wounds on the monsters causing them to fall to the grass and bleed out.
The princess in disguise was quite pleased with her new ability, it provided her with a new weapon to kill her enemies with.
Mein grins as she sees Jun's level rise once again , he is now a proud level 8.
" Good boy Jun , thanks for all the help back there. You did so well " Mein praised the little raptor , rubbing the top of his head with her finger. Mein could already see the effects of the growth boost enhancement working while it was subtle for now , Mein could tell that Jun was already getting bigger.
It is true , they really do grow up so fast.
Mein started to get to busy absorbing the monster carcasses , there was not a single new monster that she could absorb for a new skill and the drops were only half decent at best. They're gonna have to find a place to sell this stuff later.
" You really are getting attached to that dragon aren't you ? " Ake said offhandedly.
" I suppose I am " Mein nodded.
" Purrrrrrrr~!"
Mein heads snapped to the little dragon in her hand , as she swears that she had just heard it purr like a kitten.
It sounded ... very cute in a way. She kinda liked it.
Mein continued rubbing the little head affectionately , giggling a bit as it purred like a kitten , it was as if she were a child once more and she was playing with a new she had just gotten. Mother never allowed her to have pets back then , saying that she could handle the responsibility of taking care of another life . Mein didn't quite understand it until she was older , but that must have been mother's way of saying to her that if she can't take care of a pet than she has no hope of ruling a kingdom.
Well , the simple fact that Mein is taking care of this little dragon so well , is a direct contradiction to that .
Take that mother !
Mein thinks proudly in her head , as she plays with Jun.
Mein is definitely keeping this dragon once she goes back to being a princess , Jun will be her personal steed. She can just imagine it now , riding on this dragon as she leads her armies to battle against the wave. It would certainly look good for a painting.
" Its kinda odd though, don't you think ? " Ake asks out loud.
" What do you mean ? "
"We've only been at it for a while and Jun is already level 8...and I'm noticing that the EXP gains are much higher than they should be " Ake mentions with a thinking look on his face " Not as high when we were with Sir Naofumi but still unusually high "
Mein raised an eyebrow " What do you think it means ? "
" I don't know but maybe it has something with your Mark " Ake glances at her left hand.
" My Mark ? What about it ? "
" Couldn't it be possible that the Mark also amplifies the amount of EXP that you and those in your party gain ? "
Mein thought about it long and hard...it actually did make a lot of sense looking on it. Before the 2nd Wave, they were levelling at a fairly quick rate but Mein had drummed it up to it just being Naofumi's shield. But looking back on it, it did seem like her Mark also amplified the amount of EXP they received.
" But why didn't they cancel each other out ? "
" Maybe it only works with heroes and vice versa for you Mark, it doesn't cancel out when a Hero and Mark are close together " Ake shrugged.
" Possibly we'll just have to let Naofumi know later for now..." Mein turned to more monsters that had shown up " Let's get back to work "
The trio continued slaying monsters, occasionally levelling up themselves but for the most part Jun was making great strides in increasing his overall level and stats.
" Go Jun ! Take out that rabbit !" Mein ordered and the raptor had no hesitation pouncing and attacking the rabbit.
But Mein was too late to notice that Jun was moving slower than before, his movements didn't have the same speed as just now and his claw attack didn't have nearly the same strength as before. The wound he inflicted on the rabbit too shallow to put it down. She watched the rabbit pill knock the raptor away with a headbutt.
" JUN ! "Mein screamed out as she pointed her hand at the rabbit " Fast Fireball !"
A small ball of fire launched itself at the rabbit and instantly burned it to death. But Mein was more focused on her little companion.
" Jun ! Are you okay-"
Mein heard the rustling in the bushes and turned just in time to see a large porcupine emerge from the leaves and charge at the little raptor that was still down.
" NO !" Mein screamed as she teleported over to Jun, covering and shielding him with her body, ready to receive the pointy attack-
" Zweit Thunderbolt !"
A loud chant broke through and she heard the sound of a bolt of lightning erupting followed by it hitting something. She looked up to see Ake with his guard up defending her and the charred body of the porcupine.
The remaining monsters quickly fled back into the forest. Smart move.
" Jun are you okay ? " Mein looked down at the little raptor in her hand and it looked up at her in self disappointment " I'm so happy you're safe Jun, I'm so sorry I put you in that situation "
That seemed to cheer the raptor up quickly as it nuzzled into her cheek.
Mein turned to the knight who approached them with his sword sheathed.
" You two okay ? " Ake asked.
" Y-yeah...that porcupine came out of nowhere "
" You should have remembered that Jun's stamina is low, especially for a newborn you should remember that in the future " Ake said with his arms crossed.
" You don't have to tell me twice " Mein said as she turned to her pet " I promise that we'll train you better and keep you safe "
Jun nodded in happiness.
The sound of a loud stomach growl interrupts her fantasizing , she turns to Jun who is looking down embarrassed.
" We should probably head back to Lute, its almost time for lunch and its time to meet up with Sir Naofumi " Ake said as he began walking away.
" Agreed...and Ake ? "
" Yeah ? "
" Thanks for the save back there..."
Ake doesn't even turn to face her.
"...Don't mention it "
The trip back to Lute was quite short , as they had not traveled very far from the village to hunt monsters .
Mein stepped through one of the brand new entrances to Lute Village , which was a gigantic hole in where their wooden walls used to be , breached by the wavespawn.
After a few minutes of walking , she finally makes it back to Ake's mansion and walked inside casually toward the dining room. Upon entering Mein can see that Carlyle had already prepared lunch and Naofumi and Raphtalia were already seated and eating.
Naofumi seems to notice her and the knight " Mein we didn't hear you come in "
" Master Ake, Miss Mein, I have already prepared lunch as well as appropriate meals for your pets " Carlyle greeted them.
" Thanks Kate, appreciate it " Ake nodded in gratitude as he took a seat next to Carlyle.
Mein took the seat opposite of Naofumi as he continued to feed the now much bigger bird. Her body is already much bigger than it was just this morning and her beak is bigger than Mein remembered it to be.
Mein can't help but wonder if that's the effects of the growth boost ...or if the bird is just getting fat.
" Good afternoon Naofumi , how did it go with Bill ? " Mein asked , as she sat down.
" Pretty good, he gave us some decent advice and we were able to help out a little with the reconstruction " Naofumi happily fed another spoon to the bird " Ain't that right Filo ? "
" PI~! " The bird responded happily.
" How did it go for you guys ? " Naofumi asked.
" The usual. We managed to get Jun's level up pretty high, we can do Filo's tomorrow..." Ake explained " Though I think you and I should be the ones that go while Mein stays with Raphtalia and Jun "
" But why-" Naofumi was about to ask when he noticed the stupid bird giving Jun hardcore death glares, her good boy returning them in masse.
They both didn't move to attack each other, but they both were practically daring each other to make the first move.
" Okay point taken " Naofumi agreed as he slowly moved Filo back to keep her from attacking Jun " So you and I can go tomorrow and-"
" Ah !" Raphtalia suddenly exclaimed followed by the sound of metal hitting the fine wooden table. Mein turned to the little raccoon and saw that she had spilled her spoon full of rice all over the table. Mein can already guess that Raphtalia trying to feed herself but her arm
" Oh my, I'll clean that up immediately " Carlyle quickly got up and started cleaning up the mess.
" I-I'm sorry !" Raphtalia bowed her head in apologies " I was just trying to...eat by myself "
It seemed Raphtalia had gotten sick of being fed like a babe and wanted to try eating with her own hand.
" Its okay Raphtalia, we understand... " Mein said sympathetically, patting the raccoon girl's head.
" I used my right hand to eat but now that its gone..." Raphtalia explained sadly.
" We're not mad Raphtalia, we understand that its not easy to adjust to your new...situation " Naofumi said precariously.
" Still we should probably teach her how to use her left hand until we can get her that magical prosthetic " Mein mused " Hopefully it will be easier after she gets her level growth spurt "
" Yeah, hopefully " Ake shrugs.
" Um guys ? " Naofumi spoke up " What are you two talking about ? What do you mean growth spurt ? "
Mein honestly felt like slapping herself in the face for forgetting to tell Naofumi the most pertinent bit of information about demi-humans and beastman.
"So sorry Naofumi, I completely forgot to tell you about that didn't I ? " Mein clarified.
" Yeah , what is it ? "
" You see Naofumi , demi-humans and beastman have a significant advantage over humans when it comes to maturation. Their bodies are much more attuned to their levels and as such they can age into a fully grown adult within just a few weeks by raising their levels. They usually stop at age 20 or so "
" Really..." The Shield Hero appears to be deep in thought , Mein can't quite tell what he's thinking.
" This sounds like one of those BS mechanical excuses you would find in a badly written isekai novel to help the weebs/audience not feel weird about shipping what would probably be an underaged character with a much older one by giving them an implausible excuse about their age " Naofumi said offhandedly.
Mein and everybody else stared at the Shield Hero in confusion, what was he even talking about ?
Ake faked a cough " Well be that as it may , Raphtalia's level growth boost should help her get used to only having one arm. The added strength should help "
" Don't worry Raphtalia, you'll be alright " Mein said encouragingly.
" O-okay !"
Yes...maybe everything would be alright. Maybe.
(Word of warning, I am genuinely sorry for this monster of an author's note)
Yeah, if it wasn't immediately obvious from this chapter, the whole rivalry between Filo and Jun is not something that's going to be rectified in the span of a single chapter or even just a couple. Its going to be like an arc long thing before they even to tolerate each other. Hope I was able to show their distinct personalities, differences and similarities.
Fun fact , Malty naming Jun after her birth month was actually an idea by me since my birthday is in June and I couldn't come up with anything better.
:P
I hope you all enjoyed the small heart to heart scene with Ake and Malty. That's definitely something that's going to come up a few times more. Along with Raphtalia still adjusting to the only having one arm deal.
Let's answer some reviews shall we ?
To axel4ekruz:
Yeah, sometimes you really gotta have chapters of levity to keep the story from going full grimderp. There are definitely plenty of adventures and new characters for the cast to meet during this time !
Getting a magical prosthetic definitely isn't going to be easy in the slightest and as this chapter has shown, she's just going to have to adapt for now and it will take a lot of training to get used to the new sensation of replacement hand. It in fact her dominant one.
Malty is definitely a dragon mother now if this chapter is any indication.
To answer your question about GOT...I have never watched the series nor have any intention too. I'm not really into the political side of things like Qin is, hence why my story is more character driven than world building driven.
To drmcgraw186 :
I would still argue that it should have taken Naofumi a LOT longer to learn the language in Melromarc to even get to a basic level, that's not even counting how he somehow managed to learn to read from a grimoire which could have totally meaning and interpretation depending on the text.
To Argent7771 :
Glad you liked it ! There are many more fluff moments like that coming.
:)
To Allyexis :
Its definitely on the list of things the cast is looking for...but its going to be a while I'm afraid.
Glad that you're excited to see how her character will progress !
To Guest :
No problem, I am always reasonable when others are in turn.
Queenie isn't even making a half good desperate play, she's making a very bad bluff to the other world leaders the heroes would give a sh*t about who attacks Melromarc as long as the other countries can treat them well. The only way this actually worked was because the author said so. And considering how young Melty, I'm not surprised she idolizes her mother and when she becomes Queen, the most she'll do is just follow the whims of Bitchassfumi.
Legally speaking, Queenie can't execute Aultcray or Malty. She can exile them and strip them of their titles, but she can't outright kill them ( Don't fact check me on this, I'm just barely remembering a conversation I had with Commissar Gaunt a while ago). And it was totally BS either which way, because she's essentially just scapegoating her own family to cover up for the fact that she let the Church almost overthrow her family if the MC's plot armor wasn't stronger.
Don't even get me started on the Church. Queenie abolishing them might be a cathartic moment for the audience and Bitchassfumi, but it was a downright stupid and political suicide move. Since they were a nation wide worshipped religion and attempting to abolish them outright would result in civil war while the Wave is going on. But no, the author just made Queenie's abolishing of the Church equivalent to Thanos Snap.
Shield Hero basically is just your typical trash power fantasy and the only reason it stood out was because Alenko rode the anti woke sentiments all the way to the bank so that it didn't disappear into the sea of trash power fantasy. The whole idea of Bitchassfumi only have 1 ATK is completely self defeating when he has something Wrath Shield that he uses as an overly glorified Deus Ex Machina whenever the author wants to make their hunky husbando look so cool and strong ( Instead of you know, the most pathetic character that can't do shit without the author airdropping plot armor into his lap ).
If you want something like you describe than you should check out Qin's story, where he does get some offensive shields but eventually just gives up on trying to increase his ATK since it would take too damn long and its better to rely on his companions.
The idea of a stat growth bonuses COULD have been an interesting idea if it wasn't just used as a cheap plot device to buff up Naofumi's companions and act as a BS mechanical reason to shill for his morally reprehensible act that justifies an absolutely oppressive and blackhearted system that is designed to enslave others.
One idea that COULD have been interesting is that there was a Friend Growth Boost Series that is larger than Slave Series, and it can only be unlocked if Bitchassfumi actually trusts his companions. Which you know, would have forced him to develop and realize that he was wrong ? Not like the author could ever have something like that happen.
Bitchassfumi's actions aren't morally ambiguous when the author goes out of their way to morally justify/shill for every single thing he does. So its more like Bitchassfumi being a piece of shit and getting away with it looking like an angel because the author bent the world over backwards to justify his sorry ass.
Glad you liked Naofumi and Malty find common ground in their past, there's definitely going to be more of that in the future.
Fitoria is definitely going to bitch about Jun, not lying about that.
To ssbob90 :
Thank you so much for your kind words ! I'm glad you're loving this story and Qin's to go along with it.
:)
Its less about creating the story that Rotsh should have been and more like taking the piss at canon wherever we can.
XD
Yeah...killing off Keel wasn't something I planned to have happened, but considering the overall tone of the story, it had to be done.
Raphtalia losing her arm wasn't originally planned, but more like a suggestion from Qin to make the consequences a bit more severe when you bring a literal child into a war zone. Raphtalia becoming crippled was definitely an important lesson the party learned, especially for Raphtalia.
If Toolnuki ever became crippled or too troublesome to deal with, canon Bitchassfumi would have had no hesitation throwing her back into slavery and getting the lizardman instead. People tend to forget that Bitchassfumi got Toolnuki not out of the kindness of his heart, but because he wanted to feel a bit like a man by having total dominance over another woman.
So yeah, it is a good thing that Dishonored Naofumi is actually a compassionate man.
Glad you liked Motoyasu calling Naofumi out on his hypocrisy, that was definitely favorite scene to have written by far.
That's...actually a pretty cool idea. The forearm blade and maybe even a canon sounds like a pretty nifty additions, thanks for the ideas !
:)
Okay, with that monster of an author's notes completed, please enjoy this deleted scene/omake that didn't make it into the chapter.
Omake: Deleted Scene
Malty : You see Naofumi , demi-humans and beastman have a significant advantage over humans when it comes to maturation. Their bodies are much more attuned to their levels and as such they can age into a fully grown adult within just a few weeks of raising their levels. They usually stop at age 20 or so…
Naofumi : Really...
The Shield Hero appears to be deep in thought , Mein can't quite tell what he's thinking.
Naofumi : This sounds like one of those BS mechanical reasons you would find in a badly written isekai novel to help the weebs/audience not feel weird about shipping what would probably be an underaged character with a much older one by giving them an implausible excuse.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Malty : Why does this sound so much like meta-commentary ?
Angel : That's because it is, how's it going folks ?
Malty : What the hell are you doing here ?
Angel : Oh just here to take the piss at the whole demi-human growth boost mechanic in canon. It would have been a nice source of conflict if it wasn't used as a cheap excuse the author gave the audience so they could ship an underaged character without the audience feeling weird or worrying about those pesky moral concerns. The whole idea of a demi-human child maturing into an adult with their rising level is ridiculous, since despite some fans claiming that it also matures demi-humans mentally, Raphtalia still thinks that you can pregnant from kissing.
Angel : In all seriousness, I wouldn't have minded it as much if it was used as an actual source of conflict instead of a cheap excuse the author gave the audience so they could ship Raphtalia with Naofumi without feeling guilty. Or at the very least tackle it in a mature way that actually acknowledges how screwed up accelerated aging actually is. I just wish more writers out there talked about it in a mature manner instead of just barely acknowledging it.
Angel and characters stare at the audience.
Malty : Yeah , you all know who you are.