Before we start this chapter, I must say that I am so so sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I've been real busy with assignments despite it being my semester break and haven't had much time to write in between it all. I can't make any promises that the next chapter will be any faster since I am up to my neck in assignments but I will try at least.
I won't say too much since I doubt anybody would like that, so let's get into that.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic.
With that said, let's get it started.
Malty's breathing was erratic as she leaned up against a tree and sat down while hugging her knees. Closing her eyes and hoping that when she opens them again, this whole nightmare will be over and she'll back home with mother and father.
But when she opened her eyes again...she still finds herself in the middle of nowhere, her dress dirtied and her hands wet with the tears from her eyes.
After fleeing from the castle, she found herself in some sort of forest...with him.
" FUCK FUCK FUCK !THAT FUCKING RAT BASTARD SOLD ME OUT ! And now I have the whole fucking nation hunting for me ! That son of a bitch ! "
The voice was...demonic, inhuman, almost impossible to tell it was a man based on the voice alone.
Malty flinched, trying her best not to look at him. Knowing full well that he was talking about father.
She didn't know what was even going on, why she was suddenly on the run or why they were running in the first place.
She just wanted to cry until she couldn't anymore and hoped things would get be back to normal soon...like this was all some bad nightmare she would wake up from soon enough.
" Malty..."
The princess looked up to see the man in the mask was no longer there and the voice had changed back he had taken off the ghostly pale skull mask and she could see the man underneath.
" W-W-What's going on ? Why did this happen ?"
"...Your father betrayed me Malty..." He explained with venom and anger in his voice " He was ready to send me to the executioner because he didn't like me and now we gotta go on the run...look like I'll explain everything later"
Malty was dealing with a whirlwind of emotions of fear, shock and irrationality...
But if there was ever a single person she could trust...she always felt like it could be him.
" Okay...okay..." Malty nodded her head as they started moving.
It was difficult enough walking through gruff forest in a dress, it didn't help that it was now dirty. Her companion seemed to catch fairly quickly to this though.
" Come here, I'll carry you..."
Malty was surprised but didn't argue, feeling her small body getting picked up. It did give her feet a chance to rest.
" Fucking hell, we'll need to get some new clothes and fast "
Malty didn't respond, just wanted to enjoy the moment of peace while it lasted...
" HEY ! I think I saw something down there ! Move out now ! "
Until they were found.
They turned to see a group of knights moving past the forest trees and quickly coming to them.
" Fucking hell ! Malty stay behind me !" He yelled as he quickly put her down and got his sword out as the knights fastly approached.
Malty hid behind a tree and counted them...there were only about 6 of them.
She closed her eyes as she already knew what was going to happen.
" The heretic is over there ! Kill-AAAHHH !"
What must have been minutes, but what felt like hours, Malty covered her ears as she dried to block out the screams of the men. They were being torn apart, one of by one..by something inhuman, by a monster...
When they finally stopped...Malty opened her eyes again.
And immediately regretted them.
The knights had been torn apart...literally. Two had been burned alive, the other three had missing limbs and Malty could swear one of them was still twitching.
And the man that was responsible for it all, had put his mask back on.
The demon turned to her and she couldn't even breath as he spoke.
" Let's go kid..."
Malty didn't argue, but simply did as she was told.
Chapter 28: Monster Within
Mein woke up with a gasp, feeling the cold sweat of her brow. She rose and looked around her, a sense of relief washing over her as she remembers that she isn't stuck in the middle of nowhere forest while being hunted by half the kingdom. With her and his face plastered all over the kingdom, they had to constantly be on the move, never staying in one place for more than a few days before having to relocate until they got them a permanent base.
Those days were hard...but they taught her much about the world and how to survive.
She is certain that she wouldn't be alive today without what happened to her back then...
Mein shakes those thoughts of her past away, she needs to get ready for the day.
She slips onto some more casual clothing with gloves to cover her Mark. She left her armor aside for now, she can put it when they get back on the road. She rubs her eyes, not necessarily to push away any remaining sleepiness, but rather to push away the thoughts of her past. She hates thinking about that shit.
The princess in disguise exits her room and heads downstairs to the inn's restaurant, when she arrives she can see that the rest of her party has already arrived and was seated at one of the tables.
" Mein, you're awake. We were just about to go get you " Naofumi greets her as she takes a seat.
" Good morning to you too Naofumi, slept in for a bit but I'm alright now " Mein said as she rubbed her eyes again as a waitress approached them and took their order. She ordered a simple breakfast of bread with butter and eggs.
She was happy to just sit in silence when her favorite Shield Hero interrupted it " So uh...Mein, are you okay ? " Naofumi slowly asked.
Mein looked at the Shield Hero in slight confusion " Why wouldn't I be ? "
It was at this point, that she noticed that Raphtalia and Ake were also looking at her in concern.
" Because well...you killed a bunch of people last night" Ake mentioned with a grim expression.
Oh...Oh. Naofumi was talking about how she acted yesterday...when she executed all the bandits. She had put that away from her mind completely but it seems that the rest of them had not.
"...Yes, I am fine Naofumi " Mein answered simply as the waitress arrived with their food.
" I mean, I get that but...just how are you ? " Naofumi asked with a look of bewilderment.
" What do you mean ? "
" You killed like over 50 people last night and you don't seem the least bit moved or concerned about it..." Ake explains a bit more bluntly.
Ake's blunt nature aside, that is a good question that she doesn't have a good answer for.
Mein can't say that she felt particularly sorry for killing a bunch of bandits that tried to kill them and take away Raphtalia. But the fact, that she did so without a second's hesitation made her think about it all.
Its not really the act itself that bothered her ...but more like how easy it was for her to do it that unnerved her.
Mein can still remember how she didn't even flinch when she killed the dopplegangers of her friends and family...
She should just lie and say that she feels guilty about doing what she did, that it was what she had to do, that's the normal response, isn't it ?
But with how they were all, including Raphtalia who was looking at her big sister with concern and worry...wouldn't it be nice to give them an honest truth for once?
Mein took a deep breath, as her expression changed to a more tired one than before.
" If you're expecting some long and drawn out explanation for why I can do the things that I can do, than I do not have or want to give a good answer to you Naofumi " Mein said bluntly but with sincerity to it " I can't say that I feel...necessarily guilty about doing what I had to do..."
Naofumi looked like he was about to interrupt when Mein continued " And don't think its because I don't care or that I can't feel anything...but because I just learned to numb myself up enough to not let it bother me..."
For the most part.
" Does that answer satisfy you Naofumi ? "
The Shield Hero didn't respond as did Ake or Raphtalia.
Instead the Shield Hero simply nodded, while Raphtalia reached out and held Mein's left hand.
It was a small comfort, but Mein got the message.
" Putting my personal baggage aside Naofumi, we need to talk about the contract that Raphtalia's former owner put out on her " Mein changed the subject. Naofumi bringing up what happened yesterday, reminded her that they need to talk about.
Her mention of the Vulture caused her little raccoon to flinch a little at the memory of what he probably did to her. Mein calmed her down by gently rubbing her back and head, reminding her that she is not alone.
" Agreed. I still can't believe the fucking Vulture himself would go so far as to send that group after us " Ake said with anger in his tone " And I don't like the idea of the same bastard still being out there, free to send whoever the fuck after us a second time "
" Yeah, but is there anything we can really do about it though ? " Naofumi questioned" You said it yourself yesterday, that he was brothers with the Lord Para-whatever of Jagged Reach "
" True, that doesn't exactly help our case. House Consevatie are the ones our Queen appointed to oversee the north eastern province after the Great War, so they aren't exactly the kind you want to mess with " Ake said grimmly.
Mein's eyebrows furrow at that, Ake appears to be overestimating the power House Consevatie actually has and its not nearly as solid as that Consevatie brat might have you believe. The only reason mother appointed Lord Consevatie to oversee the north eastern province after the Great War was because she needed to reduce the power of the Crusader Block by taking the title of Lord Paramount away from House Velthomer.
Their actual lack of power aside, they are an 'ally' of the royal house, if they could even be called that. In reality, House Consevatie is nothing more than a house of asskissers and flatterers who endeared themselves to Mother and got lucky because after the Great War, mother needed to make some political compromises to secure her rule.
That being said, it's not like House Consevatie is some kind of irreplaceable ally to the Crown like House Amelia or Claes. Not even a particularly effective allt like House Seatto at being a martial house really.
If they could get some solid evidence that the Vulture attempted to kidnap a member of the Shield Hero's party, well that would take care of that problem wouldn't it ?
Lord Consevatie was not the kind of person who would hesitate to cut off his own family if it meant saving his own house and power. And its not like his child lover of a brother would be a big loss to his family anyway. The only reason that bastard has managed to get this far was because of the goodwill of his brother, but even that has its limits.
Still without proper evidence, they've essentially hit a roadblock on what they can legally do to deal with Raphtalia's former owner. Great.
" I'm afraid that without any actual evidence, we can't move against him. Legally speaking at least " Mein said somberly.
" You have got to be kidding me... so there's really nothing we can do ? " Naofumi said in despair.
" Sadly, no..." Mein said as she patted Raphtalia's head " But its not completely bleak Naofumi, we can try to capture whoever he tries to send next after us and if we're lucky, he'll be sloppier next time "
A half-assed plan. But its the best that they got.
" Better than nothing I guess..." Naofumi shrugged as he turned to the little raccoon " I promise you Raphtalia, that we will never let you get taken again by that freak..."
" T-Thank you...thank you all so much..." Raphtalia nodded her head in gratitude.
" Well, if we're going to get ready for the next time that son of a bitch comes after us, then it would probably be a good idea to get class-ups " Ake said.
Mein took a second to realize what Ake meant and she immediately saw on her HUD that Ake had reached level 40. It seems that those bandits gave plenty of EXP that Ake managed to reach the level cap yesterday.
" Class-what? " Naofumi looked confused at the mention of that and the princess realizes that she forgot to mention the level cap to him before.
" Ah, sorry Naofumi, I forgot to tell you before but regular people or non-heroes and Marked specifically have a level cap of 40, known as the common range among regular people and standard adventurers. Heroes and Marked don't have a level cap so its no issue for us " Mein explained.
" Okay...so what's this about a class-up then ? "
" If a person wishes to grow stronger and increase their level cap to 100 they would need to receive what is called a class-up from the Dragon Hourglass which allows them to pick a class and increase their level cap. Those within the 41 to 100 are known as prestige range" The princess in disguise explained.
" So getting a class-up is a pretty big deal, huh ? " Naofumi inquired.
" You don't know the half of it. A class-up isn't just about raising one's level cap, its also about choosing what class they will pick. Choosing a class will grant that person class abilities and they will even see an increase in some of their stats, so yeah, it is a big deal " Ake commented.
" Classes ? So like D&D stuff ? " Naofumi asked with a smirk.
" What the hell is D&D ? " Mein asked with a confused expression.
" Nevermind, so you can only get a class-up from the Dragon Hourglass ? "
" Yes, depending on where you are, getting a class-up can be very difficult " Mein said. Zeltoble could be classified as the country with the most 'free' usage of their Dragon Hourglass and even then, most cannot afford to pay the enormous fee to use the damn thing in their lifetime. Only a few well-off or prestigious adventurers could afford to class-up there and even than that number wasn't exactly high.
" Let me guess, the only Dragon Hourglass close by is the one located in the Three Heroes Church...fuck..." Naofumi cursed.
"Its not as hopeless as you may think Naofumi, usually only people recognize by the court are allowed to use it, but since you are a hero, the Church might not have a choice but to let you use it " Mein cheered him up.
" Yeah, cause they were so gracious to let us use it to check how long we had until the wave..." Naofumi let out a sigh " What do we have to lose, if worse comes to worse, maybe we can go to another country to get a class-up instead"
Hopefully, it won't come to that, but not the worse idea.
Breakfast after that had been a simple affair, with little exchanging in terms of words.
Naofumi's POV
Making their way back to the capital took considerably less time than he would have expected, it took only a few hours to make it back and it made Naofumi realize that they really hadn't travelled that far from the capital before they got ambushed. He had actually taken the reins of Filo this time around, since he figured that Ake could use a break.
As they made their way back into the city, Naofumi still couldn't help but think about what happened yesterday...what Mein did...
He knows that its probably not his business and prying feels distasteful when it seems to be a bad memory for Mein but...he has to know. Some part of him needs to know. Especially when he still isn't completely sure he can trust her when she was part of the scheme that almost labelled him a rapist.
He needs more information, but who can really go to?
Mein is closed off for now and pushing it might be too much...he doubts Raphtalia knows a lot being a literal kid from a village...Ake is probably his best bet, but he can't help but ponder on what Erhard said to him all those weeks ago. The tale he spun was still fresh in his mind when he was still unsure of what Mein really was.
About that guy who wielded strange powers and was trying to take down the nobility...he didn't manage to get a full explanation on that, but he has his theories.
Was this guy one of the Marked too? And if that was the case, could he potentially have some sort of connection to Mein? Do past Marked have some sort of connection to those in the present?
He wasn't sure. Too many questions with too little answers or clues. The best he had were barely strung together theories.
He needs to talk with Ake and Erhard. And to do that, he needs to get away from Mein for a little.
" Hey Mein, do you think you could take Raphtalia to go get some extra supplies and feed for Filo ? I'll take Ake to go see Uncle Erhard since I wanted to pick some stuff up and see if there was anything new " Naofumi makes up some half-assed excuse and hoped to god that his red headed companion wouldn't catch on.
" Oh. Okay Naofumi, shall we meet up later at the cathedral of the Three Heroes Church ? " Mein thankfully didn't catch on or at least made any indication that she did. She seemed more distracted in her thoughts for the most part.
Once they parted ways with Mein and Raphtalia, Naofumi made sure that they made it far enough away before speaking to Ake.
" So Ake...I'll be straight with you, I wanted to ask you about something " Naofumi got right to it.
" Is that why you wanted to get away from Mein and the others ? "
" Honestly ? Yes. " Naofumi admitted " I wanted to ask you your opinion on what the hell is going on with Mein. I've never seen her...act like that before, sure I've seen her pissed off a couple times but...the way she just killed those people so quickly and easily...it was unnerving to say the least "
When it happened, Naofumi had heeded Mein's advice to wait by the carriage with Raphtalia...but he was still within earshot to hear all the screams and begging from the bandits when she cut them down, and he had to cover Raphtalia's own ears so that she wouldn't have to hear that.
Naofumi hadn't killed a single person yesterday...yet he still felt responsible for not stopping Mein from doing what she did.
" I know what you mean, I got the up-close and personal show of her killing them, it wasn't horrific or gorey...but it was unsettling and terrifying in a way " Ake shivered.
" Right? And she barely seemed the slightest bit moved or even concerned about it this morning" Naofumi agreed.
The Shield Hero took a quick a moment to ponder if Mein was just a sociopath or flat out closeted psychopath, with how she easily killed all of those people. Then again, he knew approximately jack about psychology or even how real world psychopathy/sociopathy works in real life, outside of how movies and TV shows usually portrayed them. And it didn't feel right slapping a half-assed mental diagnosis onto Mein, when he doesn't fully understand her emotions, her motives, why she does the things that she does and more.
Still left him in a position where he was left wondering what could have caused her to become like this.
" Yeah...I remember my old captain telling me that a lot of greenhorns and recruits were scared shitless the first time they had to kill somebody alive, they were shaking and could just barely hold their blades up afterwards..." Ake told the tale " But the way Mein acted yesterday, with no hesitation and the precision of a trained killer, THAT was straight up unsettling "
Trained killer, huh ?
" That's actually somewhat related to my next question Ake, do you know anything about some guy about a decade ago that supposedly wielded strange powers ? Was trying to bring down the crown for some reason or the other ? " Naofumi asked.
Ake seemed to ponder the question for a second, seeming to comb his brain for an answer " Can't really say that I know much. I was just a kid when that shit happened so I don't exactly have the most concrete information on that event, you're much better off asking somebody who was alive during that time, which is why we're going to uncle Erhard's isn't it ? "
" You're as smart as they come Ake. You could have made a good detective in my world " Naofumi admits. He feels as though he can trust Ake for the most part, after all he was the one who was trying to help him figure things out after the trial and he doesn't seem like a bad guy.
It took them only a few minutes to reach Erhard's shop, the address and turns of Castletown starting to feel more and more familiar each time he comes here. When they enter, the Shield Hero can see the bald man leaning over the counter looking bored but quickly looking attentive upon hearing the bell ring and seeing them enter.
" Shield Boy ! Ake ! Back so soon ? "
Naofumi scratched his head " Yeah well, we ran into a bit of trouble on the road..."
" I've heard that one a thousand times... what happened ? "
Ake gave Erhard the full story, with Naofumi chipping in a couple times to clarify somethings, they were both of course omitting the details of Mein being a heretic. By the end of it, the blacksmith looked pretty disturbed.
" Goddamn...your girlfriend did all that ? " Erhard asked in shock.
" She's not my-whatever, yeah she did..." Naofumi nodded.
" And I take it you didn't come here for a social call and to tell me all about your girl's murder tendencies " Erhard inquired.
" No, I actually came because I wanted to hear more about your story, preferably in the back ?" The Shield Hero gestured to the storage room.
" No need for the smoke and shadows business, just tell me what you want upfront " Erhard said bluntly.
" Fine then, I wanted to ask if you could tell me about the Marked, about that guy you told me about a few years back, the one that wielded strange powers and was trying to bring down the crown. I would appreciate it if you could tell me more about him "
Erhard's face sours in a matter of seconds, it was clear that Naofumi's request distressed him.
After a minute, the blacksmith let out a sigh.
" Look kid , I'll be completely honest with you, nobody and I mean NOBODY wants to talk about that time in particular okay ? " Erhard explained " Its seen and talked about almost like a dark history in Melromarc by some...a glorious time by others depending on who you ask "
" Yeah, its not exactly a proud part of our history from what I gathered " Ake commented.
Naofumi groaned " Please Erhard ! I don't really have many avenues of information ! I don't know who I can fully trust and I'm still not sure if one of my companions wants to kiss me or is planning my eventual murder "
" Sounds rough kid..." Erhard let out a sigh " Alright fine, get in the back...I'm probably gonna get my head chopped off for this but..."
" Thank you so much Erhard " Naofumi said as he and Ake stepped into Erhard's storage room. No visible changes noticeable to him.
" Okay Shield Boy, here's the deal: The time I'm going to be telling you happened around 11 years ago, a time of terror and dread where NOBODY was safe " Erhard told the story like he was telling a ghost story " It is widely known as the 'Slaughter of Melromarc' and I can't even fully count the number of bodies that piled up during that time alone because there was just so many. Many of the victims were mainly nobles who supported the royal house and they were all viciously hunted down and killed, the killing went on for almost the whole damn year "
Naofumi gulped as he felt an underlying feeling of terror enter his heart. Ake was also dreadfully silent, listening to every word.
" And here's the kicker: It was all done by one man. One man against an entire nation that was after his head. Gods, I'm probably making it sound a lot more heroic than the bastard was " Erhard let out a humorless chuckle " Anyway, the bastard was known as the ' Shadow of Melromarc ' or more commonly as the 'Shadow Demon' by the common folk "
Shadow Demon ? Why does that sound vaguely similar to my own name ? I guess the common people aren't too picky about names even if they do sound like they were created by an edgy 13 year old.
" So this guy was killing nobles left and right ? " Naofumi asked.
" Yeah, nobody was safe during that time, he butchered people all across Melromarc. The son of a bitch even went after the Amelia family, killed Lord and Lady Amelia, lucky their kids weren't around when it happened or there would have been nobody left to inherit the main house "
" Amelia...that's the wealthiest noble family in Melromarc right ? " Naofumi recalls information he heard when they got invited to Amelia manor.
" Yup. And I even heard that the poor bastards knew that the Shadow Demon was coming and tripled the guards, didn't matter much in the end cause the Shadow Demon still went after them anyway and killed them...their family home was burned to the ground" Erhard said with a grave expression " The Amelia's were just as powerful back then as they are now. Their deaths sent a powerful message to all of Melromarc, that nobody was safe from the Shadow Demon "
Goddamn, this guy sounds hardcore...but how did he do that ?
" How the hell did he pull that stuff off ? There's no way any random guy who could have done something like that for months without getting killed instantly " Naofumi asked, leaning over the table.
"Well...this guy wasn't an amateur by any means and he knew what he was doing " Erhard seemed to be avoiding the question.
" Erhard, I'm just going to ask outright, was this 'Shadow Demon' one of the Marked ? "
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A dreadful silence washed over the storage room and Erhard's expression soured as he took a deep breath and considered his options.
"...There were rumors, okay ? Nothing was ever confirmed. The royal family seemed to be trying to keep the whole 'Shadow Demon' thing under wraps and the only thing that was ever confirmed was his death later " Erhard said.
So the royal family was purposefully trying to cover up the truth of the Shadow Demon...why ? Did they have something to do with him ? Or am I just overthinking things.
" Is there anything else noticeable you can tell me about him ? Anything important in particular that he did at all ? " Naofumi prodded.
Erhard didn't answer right away but his expression darkened as he leaned in closer.
"...The Shadow Demon kidnapped the princess when she was just a little girl " Erhard said after a moment.
" Princess ? "
" Our nation has two princesses. One older and one younger. Princess Malty was kidnapped as a child...or so I have heard the stories " Ake commented.
" Well, they are true. The princess was kidnapped as a child and held by the Shadow Demon for a year. The royal family searched for months but couldn't find them anywhere, eventually the Queen declared her dead and everybody thought she was..." Erhard's voice became grave as he spoke as if remembering a bad memory " Until a raid was launched on the Shadow Demon's hideout, which they were later able to recover the princess after so long "
Being held by a murderous killer for a year ? Goddamn...
He had heard plenty of stories on the news, about what kidnappers would usually do to kidnapees, that they would sometimes have fun with them and the fact that the princess was apparently just a kid when this happened...
It made his skin crawl.
" I feel bad for the princess, couldn't have been easy being held by a killer like that for so long " Naofumi mused.
" You don't know the half of it. At least the girl managed to be brought home safe and sound...physically speaking " Erhard said with his arms crossed " Can't really say much for her mental state "
Naofumi said nothing as he took in all the information he had been given.
" So Sir Naofumi ? What do you intend to do now with this information ? " Ake asked.
Kidnapping, murder, torture...Naofumi knew that he had to talk to Mein about this later.
See if her facts match up with what Erhard told him and if not...he'll just have to see then if he can trust her.
Mein's POV
After meeting up with Naofumi and Ake, they found a suitable spot to leave their steads and carriage, before entering the cathedral of the Three Heroes Church.
Mein would never get used to coming here or feeling at ease when they walked through these pristine and clean hallways. Made her feel uneasy, having so many eyes on them as they walked, watching their every move, she can feel her hand instinctively keep close to her sword hilt in case she needs to react in a split second, in the event that one of these Church bastards tries something.
The interior of the cathedral was wide and gave plenty of space, the walls were painted a gentle blackish color and there were plenty of chandeliers and candles lit up wherever they went, there was also the burning incense that provided a pleasant aroma...
But Mein still could not feel at ease. Not when the Church walls feels so closed in, as if they were meant to trap whoever went inside, every shadow they passed made the hair's on her neck stand up in fear of a Church Phantom leaping from it to attack them. Based on the body language from Naofumi, she suspected that he felt the same way too. How could he not, when they were essentially stepping into the headquarters of their enemies?
The priests and nuns were no help either. Just walking through the cathedral, they received glares, dirty looks, she swore a couple of nuns and priests gave them the middle finger, a rude gesture that literally meant 'fuck you'. A nice little gesture heroes of past gifted to the people here. Some knights and paladins they passed had their hands on their weapons, as if daring them to make a move to disturb the peace of this place.
Mein felt very grateful over the fact that she kept her hood and veil up over her mouth the whole time. She'd rather her face not get seen here. And she kept her hand on her sword hilt the
They managed to make it all the way to the Dragon Hourglass- right before they were stopped by a group of nuns as they were about to approach it.
Mein instantly recognized the head wench, it was that four eyed Amelia witch from before.
" Can we help you ? " Sister Amelia asked, clear distaste in her voice.
" I'm here to class-up my companions, nothing more. I just want to use the Dragon Hourglass and we'll be on our merry way " Naofumi explained. His face stoic and she would be impressed at his attempt at putting on a poker face.
" Well, well, what a big request from the Shield himself " Another voice cut in and Mein instantly recognized that obnoxious tone coming from behind Amelia.
Every time she hears it, she dies a little inside at the thought that she ever courted by a Consevatie. She thinks she might throw up a little at the memory of his bad flirting.
" Unfortunately we can't just let anybody use the Hourglass willy nilly" Consevatie's tone is mocking, as he gives them a grin " Too bad..."
" Is it not customary for the Church to grant access to the Dragon Hourglass to people recognized by the court ? " Ake argues.
" Big words coming from a Shield fanboy who has nothing better than to do than follow whoever holds a Shield like a good little puppy " Consevatie mocks Ake " And the Church is allowed to choose who can class-up at our own volition "
Mein catches the odd wording of Consevatie for a moment, he speaks almost as if he knows Ake personally. But by the looks of it, Ake looks both confused and pissed at what the Consevatie brat is saying. Before Ake can give his own comeback, the wench speaks again.
" Quite right brother Consevatie..." The four eyed witch stepped up with a smirk on her lips " Though I suppose we could make an exception...for the price of 20 gold pieces, per party member "
There's no fucking way we can pay that price.
Mein is REALLY having a hard time controlling her urge to throw a knife into Consevatie and Amelia's smug faces. Paying that much money for a single class-up will leave them with barely enough to make it through the next 2 weeks- at best.
Mein wonders if now is a good time to join the argument, but not when she heard footsteps coming from behind them.
" What's going on here ? " Another unfamiliar voice cuts into the argument and Mein turns her head to see an old priest...
Along with Pope Biscas walking beside him.
At the sight of the Pope, many of the nuns bow their heads respectfully. Only Consevatie and the four eyed witch give barely a half bow, clearly they don't know the meaning of respect or more to the point, have any real respect for their spiritual leader.
" Your Eminence, preacher Logarius..." Amelia greets the two men.
" Sister Amelia, what seems to be the problem here...and why is the Shield Hero here ? " Logarius asked, looking at their party and the nun.
" The Shield Hero is requesting use of the Dragon Hourglass to class-up his party members for free..." Amelia rolled her eyes " I told him that if he wanted, he would have to pay the price "
" If the Shield Hero wishes to use the Dragon Hourglass than I don't see why we would have to charge him for usage " Logarius said to Mein's amazement
" Heresy ! You would allow the Shield to use our Hourglass Logarius ? " Consevatie tries to sound serious, but its clear that he is enjoying and all too eager to label his fellow member a heretic. The brat even has the audacity to turn to the Pope " Your Eminence, surely you can agree that what our presumptuous Preacher just suggested is heresy ? "
Mein observed the situation, she is curious for how the Pope will handle this one.
After about a minute, the Pope opens his mouth to answer " I agree with Preacher Logarius, let the Shield Hero class-up his party members "
" Yes, yes- wait what ?! " Mein got the satisfaction of seeing the four eyed wench expression turn to one of shock.
" As the unofficial main religion of Melromarc, we should be expected to provide fair and equal treatment to heroes, even if we have certain...disagreements over some of them " Pope narrowed his eyes at Naofumi when he said that " Nonetheless, your services are no longer needed. Dismissed "
The four eyed witch glared at Naofumi before she left with Consevatie, who looked pretty surprised at the Pope.
Not that her own shock wasn't the same, that the POPE of the Three Heroes Church is actually allowing them to class-up free of charge.
That still did not put her at ease as they were faced down by the Pope with a grandfatherly smile.
" A good day to you Shield Hero, I apologize about the reception but many of our members can be a bit...biased in their work " The Pope says kindly " I hope you'll forgive my subordinates
" Its uh...no problem " Naofumi was clearly nervous, since he was essentially talking to the leader of the faith that hated him and was put off guard by how friendly was.
Don't fall for it Naofumi ! This man is clearly a snake in the grass !
" I'll try to have a talk with Sister Amelia later, it is not right to act in such a manner towards guests at our cathedral " Logarius said in a tired tone. Clearly this was not the first time Logarius had a talk with that witch.
" Nevertheless, your companions class-up now if you wish Sir Naofumi " Pope got them back on track with that comment.
" Ah, yes..." Naofumi nodded, before turning to Ake " Alright Ake, you can get your class-up now. How does this work exactly ? " The Shield Hero asked the two men before them.
" You simply need to place your hand on the Hourglass and it should glow, after that you can choose your class son " Logarius explained simply to the knight.
" Understood. Thank you both " Ake said as he stepped up to the Hourglass.
Mein watched with bated breath, feeling every passing second she stood in this cathedral within close proximity to the Pope of the Three Heroes Church making her more tense and liable to do something rash. She hoped Ake would just get his class-up so they could leave already.
Her attempts to avoid eye contact with anyone and was more interested in the floor when the silence was broken once more.
" Is your other companion not going to class-up as well Sir Shield Hero ?" The Pope asked out of the blue and it was than that she realized, he was looking right at her. The look alone sent shivers down her spine that she barely suppressed.
Fuck ! Marked didn't have a level cap, so of course it would look suspicious if Ake alone got a class-up while she didn't.
Very well, she will play along for now.
" Of course, how could it slip my mind " Mein muttered as she stepped up to the Hourglass with Ake, who she whispered to " Play along "
Ake didn't say anything but simply nod. Understanding completely.
As the knight and Mein put their hands on the Hourglass, the device glowed and Mein thought she would be blinded by it...
She however was not expecting what popped up on her HUD next.
Would you like to Class-Up ?
To say that Mein was surprised to see that option appear before her was an understatement. She had previously thought that she hadn't needed to get a class-up because of her not having a level cap. It appeared that she was wrong.
Before she could think about it further, she already selected 'Yes'.
In the next instant, she was presented with a web of different classes she could choose from.
She had heard plenty of stories from high ranking knights and captains that had received class-up, that the process was much more than just increasing your level cap. It was about choosing your own class and gaining class abilities that made those who receive it so powerful.
And Mein had so many options that she had a hard time choosing.
She suppose she could go Spellblade, the subclass of Wizard that granted martial abilities and arcane abilities. A good boost to her magic and ATK stat should be useful.
But her eyes pondered a bit more on the Rogue class and upon checking some of her options there...
She narrowed it down to the Assassin Class.
The princess couldn't explain it...but she felt that out of all the potential options, this felt like the right one.
She chose it without a second thought.
When she and Ake were done, the Hourglass stopped glowing and Mein took a quick look at her stats.
Looks like my Attack and Agility receive a boost...though its much larger than I expected it to be. And my magic did as well...strange.
Mein had heard that the class-up only boosted 2 of a person's stats at most depending on which class they chose, never three. And it was never this big...
Oh well, I'm not complaining.
She could also see that she had gained two new class abilities : Backstab and Silent Step.
" Is it done ?" Naofumi asked as they stepped back down.
" Yes, we're done here..." Ake nodded before turning to the two holy men " Thank you for your generosity, my lord "
" No need to bow, my son. It is simply my duty...and feel free to come back again " Pope responded with a smile.
Mein still didn't feel anymore at ease as they left the Church behind. It was only until they were a good distance away that she let out a sigh of relief.
" Well, that was tense as hell " Naofumi said as he leaned up against their carriage. They had parked in an out of the way alley to avoid the guards giving them trouble and the alley gave them just enough cover to keep their conversation private.
" Somewhat of an understatement, but yes..." Mein agreed. She hadn't expected to see the Pope himself at the cathedral.
" Still that went down much better than I thought it would have " Ake shrugged " We got our class-ups in the end..."
" Yeah, but that's what's bothering me... why would the Pope let us class-up so easily ? I doubt it was out of the generosity of his heart " Naofumi pointed out and that made Mein think about their earlier interaction with the Pope.
Yes, why did the Pope let them class-up so easily ? Is he in on Father's scheme to play nice with the Shield Hero for now ? Or is there some sort of larger scheme that I'm unaware of ?
For all the Pope's grandfatherly smiles and visits to the castle, Mein knows that the man is a deadly snake in the grass that wouldn't hesitate to bite on your neck till you died if it came to it.
" It could be possible that he is in on the King's plan to play nice with you for now " Mein gave her own theory " Can't be too sure of anything though..."
" Yeah, we shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all of our facts together " Naofumi nodded.
Mein will have to put a pin in figuring out what the Pope's plan is for later.
" So what class did you pick anyway ? " Naofumi asked.
" I chose the Crusader Class " Ake answered.
" Crusader ? Not Knight ?" Mein was surprised at Ake's answer. She figured that knight would be more fitting since he is a...knight.
" Is there a difference ? " Naofumi cut in.
" Yes, there is a difference. A knight is more focused on martial abilities, while Crusaders are focused equally on both martial abilities and magical affinity " Ake explained " I figured it would be a good mix since I can use magic "
Mein couldn't argue with that logic, but putting that aside she had her own revelation to reveal.
" That's not all Naofumi...when I went to touch the Dragon Hourglass, I found that I could still choose a class " Mein revealed.
" What ?! How is that even possible ?" Ake and Naofumi both shouted in shock.
" I have no idea, but I did it and now I officially have a class " Mein said, just as confused as they were.
" Which class did you pick ? " Naofumi inquired.
" I went the Assassin class "
" Somehow that does not surprise me " Naofumi reaction was very subdued to say the least, though there was a hint of amusement to it. Ake's expression was also similar.
Mein rolled her eyes as she continued " It gives me a boost to my attack, agility...and strangely enough my magic too "
" Your magic ? "
" Yes, its strange...usually when one receives a class-up, only 2 of their stats increase and its never more than about 50%, but this was much bigger than normal..." Mein shook her head " Forgetting about my stats for a minute, it still doesn't answer the question for why I can still receive a class-up "
The party all racked their brains for an answer, but none of them could seem to find it-
" Maybe it's because you're one of the Marked that you can still receive a class-up " Naofumi spoke out of the blue. " Or rather you can still pick a class using the Hourglass "
They all looked at him for an elaboration as he continued to speak.
" I mean, Marked are said to be as strong as Cardinal Heroes right ? " Naofumi waited for her to nod before continuing " But they don't exactly have a self-growing Legendary Weapon, they instead have some tattoo on their hand that gives them powers similar to ours and can use pretty much whatever weapon they want. Maybe the reason you could still choose a class is because up to this point, you technically didn't have one "
" What do you mean by that ? " Mein crossed her arms.
" Like think about it. All of us Cardinal Heroes have a self-growing Legendary Weapon that we are restricted to, so I suppose we are all given our 'class' when we are first summoned to this world " Naofumi explained " But Marked aren't given that luxury. Despite having more freedom in a way than Heroes, they don't have any specific class or specialization to fall into "
Hmmmm...Naofumi might be right in his theory. That would make the most sense.
Thinking about it more, Mein pulled up her stats again and didn't see anything wrong...until she noticed something.
" You may be right in your theory Naofumi, I just noticed that besides my Attack, Agility and Magic, I noticed that my defense and magic defense is much lower than it should be for a level 42 " Mein said " Perhaps its because the class I chose doesn't focus that much in defense ? "
It was said that Rogues or rather those who choose the Rogue class were death-fodder, since their DEF was always so low.
That is a bit of an over exaggeration, its not as if her defense and magic defense were staggeringly low, its more like they are so low they wouldn't be able to make much of a difference in a real fight.
" So the Mark allow you to be both versatile and specialized towards certain things ? Interesting " Ake commented.
Before they could continue more, Mein spotted a group of knights passing them by, thankfully they didn't pay them any mind but it was still unnerving.
" Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere ? Preferrably on the road " Mein suggested quickly.
" Good idea Mein. Let's get out of here "
Naofumi's POV
They made it much further from the capital than they did yesterday, Mein insisting that they take a different road to throw off any potential pursuers that might be trying to tail them or any more ambushes. It was good that Mein seemed to know spare routes and paths their carriage can take
It was after dinner that Naofumi found himself lying down inside of their parked carriage that he thought about the name that Erhard told him earlier today.
Shadow Demon. Sounds grimm, like an urban horror story that parents would tell their children to spook them at night.
And this was the title associated with that man from before.
Naofumi let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn't avoid the topic forever and it was like pulling off a bandage. Better to get it done with as fast as possible and hope it doesn't hurt as much.
The Shield Hero exited the carriage and saw that Mein alone was still awake, sitting by the fire and occasionally poking at it with a stick. Raphtalia and Ake had already went to sleep in their tents, along with Filo and Jun.
Now or never.
He slowly approached his redhead companion from behind, her head raising a bit to indicate that she heard his footsteps.
" Can't sleep tonight ?" Naofumi asked as he got closer.
"...I doubt my dreams would be particularly pleasant " Mein said humorlessly as she threw the stick into the fire. " What keeps you awake ? "
" Well...I suppose I just have a lot on my mind right now " Naofumi told the truth. It wasn't a lie.
" Oh ? On what exactly ? "
" Its nothing its just..."
Stop stalling and just ask already.
" Alright, I wanted to ask you about something...an event that happened a long time ago, about some guy..."
" Oh ? What's his name ? " Mein sounded genuinely curious.
Here we go...
" Mein...what can you tell me about the Shadow Demon ? "
Goddamn, this chapter was a tough one to write but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless. One thing I really wanted to make clear in this chapter is that none of the characters really know how to approach or what to make of Malty's homicidal tendencies. Not even Malty herself fully understands the full extent of her problem- but she will in do time.
I do hope you all enjoyed the pieces of information involving Malty's backstory...and we're about to get into the real beef of it, that I have been dying to show for a good while now, so stay tuned for that !
Now one other small thing I feel like needs addressing is Malty's ability to still class-up: Admittedly it was an idea I had back when I first conceived this story. The Marked can essentially use whatever weapon they want but still have the same potential growth of the Cardinal Heroes. But the cost of that freedom comes to stats in the beginning and a lack of overall specialization, which is why I still allowed Malty to be able to choose a class...
And mostly because I wanted to have her officially be an 'Assassin'.
:P
Now let's answer some guest reviews shall we ?
To Guest:
I am so glad that you're enjoying this series thus far, I hope you'll continue to follow me fanagle my way to completing his fic.
About critic about the race...yes, I cannot deny that the race became less about who was actually faster and who had better synergy with their rider. Plus, I didn't just want to write a bunch of descriptive with nothing actually happening in between, so I decided having Naofumi and Mein use their skills to make the race a bit more interesting felt like a good way to spice things up. I'm sorry this ending up annoying in particular.
I won't deny that Malty is my waifu in this fic, but I do hope to remain as objective as possible when it comes characters.
To reality deviant:
Your question might be answered sooner than you think.
:P
To Caspian123:
Thank you so much for your kind words ! They really mean a lot to me. :)
Yes, I really did want to give Malty much more layers to her character than what meets the eye. At first, she may come off as a stone-cold bitch that would kill her family and friends because it was easier...but the real reason is much more complicated and does involve her backstory to a large extent.
And you are correct, murder tends to be the first option in Malty's mind when it comes to solving her problems.
Yup ! I'm pretty much going the same route as Ambition where Malty softens up after being exposed to cinnamon roll Naofumi and Raphtalia.
Naofumi will never be nearly as cynical or jaded as his canon self, but that doesn't mean he's going to be a naive idiot. He knows there is something up with Malty but still wants to believe in her and trust her.
Honestly I think Alenko deliberately made the 3 Heroes as trashy as possible so that their precious husbando MC could look better by comparison. If anything it just makes him look even more terrible, when he's only better than a bunch of mentally handicapped morons. And he isn't even really 'better' or 'smart', he just gets all of his problems solved through BS plot convenience or plot armor the author airdropped into his lap on a silver platter.
And to be fair, I wouldn't really call my Motoyasu a skirt chaser per say, I'd say he's more chivalrous towards woman with a dash of naivety sprinkled in.
But yeah, I did give the heroes plenty of redeemable qualities while still somewhat keeping consistent to their flaws, enough to make the readers go like " Yeah, we can see why these guys were summoned "
To RDDash:
Thank you so much for reading ! I will just be responding to your reviews in ascending order to make it cleaner.
I'll admit I previously just planned for Raphtalia to be bought, adding Keel was a last minute addition on the suggestion of Qin, to help spice the scene up and make it feel a bit more unique.
...
I don't blame you for thinking that since the author made everybody who ever dared to oppose their precious husbando a massive buffon or hypocrite. But Motoyasu in my story has a point , Motoyasu in canon was merely critiquing the wrong thing about what was so bad about Naofumi using slaves.
...
The reason for why I'm making it hard for the crew to get Raphtalia a prosthetic hand because I didn't want to make it feel like I was just hand waving the negative consequence of bringing a literal child into a battlefield by having them instantly get her a magical prosthetic. And now they have to go on this big journey to get Raphtalia her prosthetic which I think makes it pretty interesting.
...
Whether the author intended for Naofumi to have all the 10 years who join him be his 'adoptive' daughters is debatable since he did end up marrying Raphtalia and Melty in the WN, but that's beside the point I was trying to make in my meta-commentary.
My real problem with Raphtalia's whole growth boost in canon is that it was nothing more than a cheap excuse the author created so readers wouldn't have to feel weird about shipping an underaged character with someone else. And be it in the LN or anime, Raphtalia has romantic feelings for Naofumi that he never bothered to properly address.
...
Alright, I think that's everything, I will see you all in the next one !
Angel Out.