Sorry this chapter took a long time to publish, I'm close to finishing my semester but I still have a bunch of assignments to do. I am very damn close to finishing this semester and being free of this hell, people call a higher education.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic.
With that said, let's get it started.
Chapter 29: Framed Memories
Mein was certain that she stopped breathing upon hearing Naofumi's question.
How did Naofumi learn that name ? Where did Naofumi learn that name ?
Too many questions ran through her head and she was certain that her breathing was going to become erratic.
" Mein ? Are you alright ?" Naofumi's voice cut through her mental panic.
Okay, take it slow. Don't reveal anything that could expose you. Breath.
" Y-Yes, I'm fine Naofumi...where did you learn that name ? " Mein asked, curious to find out where he could have heard of that name.
" I...heard it from Erhard. I asked him about the history of Melromarc and any recent events in history...and during that he brought up the Shadow Demon " Naofumi told the truth.
So that's why we split up earlier...Naofumi wanted to talk with Erhard with Ake without me being around. Clever. I'll need to have a chat with Ake about keeping me up to date on Naofumi's activities.
" So you want to know about the Shadow Demon, then ? " Mein asked for confirmation " What did Erhard already tell you ? "
" He told me about the 'Slaughter of Melromarc', about how he hunted down and killing nobles left and right, those who supported the royals. The Amelia family..." Naofumi listed off " He also told me that there were rumors that he was one of the Marked, but nothing was confirmed..."
" And that he kidnapped the Princess of Melromarc when she was just a kid and held her for more than a year "
The princess suppressed a flinch as she recalled those days she spent after that happened.
" So I was hoping that maybe you could shed some light on that subject..." Naofumi said softly " Please..."
Mein thought carefully on what she was going to say. This brought up some memories from long past time that she thought she had sealed away in the back of her mind, but it seems that the past can't stay dead can it ?
She took a deep breath as she chose her words and began speaking.
" Very well, Naofumi...I shall tell you what you wish to know " Mein said, but kept some of the more pertinent details to herself " The Shadow Demon...a moniker given to him by the common people of Melromarc, during that dark time in Melromarc. When the noble houses cowered in fear of the night. Many see him as a monster, others as a hero...even fewer who see him as a human "
" A hero ? Why would anybody call him a hero ? " Naofumi said in confusion " Didn't he slaughter and torture countless people ? "
Mein bit her lip to resist the urge to yell at Naofumi for saying such disrespectful things.
Instead she took a deep breath to reaffirm herself before speaking again " What Erhard told you wasn't inaccurate Naofumi...he did slaughter noble houses all over Melromarc...but the noble families he took out were not innocent in the least. Tell me are you familiar with the Vallière family ? "
" No, Erhard didn't mention them " The Shield Hero shook his head.
" They were one of the noble houses that supported the royal house back then...before the Shadow Demon went after them " Mein said as she recalled that memory " Can't say they didn't have it coming. Did you know that they held a lot of slaves under their ownership ? Their daughter Louise was said to frequently abuse some of the slaves just because she was in a bad mood because mommy didn't love her enough. And the royal family didn't give two shits about it as long as they had their unbridled support "
Naofumi gulped looking uncomfortable from the story she was telling.
" Goddamn...what did he do them anyway ? "
" I heard that he freed the slaves under their control and had them take over the estate...they didn't stand a chance after that " Mein said vaguely. Sparing Naofumi the gritty details of what happened to them.
She can still hear Lady Vallière screams as the flames consumed her as she was pulled beneath the ground and into the hell...the cries and begging from Louise as the slaves beat and abused her... the flames of the estate rising into the air.
Those were things that would be forever burned into her mind.
" Okay...but about the strange powers Mein...I gotta ask...but was he like you ? "
Naofumi's real question was: Was he one of the Marked ?
Mein pondered how she should answer that question
She decided to at least be truthful here.
" Yes...he was..." Mein said softly after a moment " The Shadow Demon was one of the Marked "
A silence passed over them. Only the crackling fire in front of them and the occasional passing by the only sound noticeable.
" The royal family tried to cover their asses as much as possible by covering it up, but practically everyone knew he was one of the Marked " Mein said ruefully " The Amelia's, Melromarc, Vallière, Reichnott...not one of them could stop him. He became something of a symbol for the common people, a symbol that the nobility were not untouchable gods sitting on top of their Thrones and playing their games. Even now long after he's dead and buried, his name alone serves as a reminder and he acts as a boogeyman to all the nobles in Melromarc "
Mein finished her explanation on that grimm note, leaving her to watch Naofumi's expression.
The Shield Hero seemed to be digesting the information she gave to him. Understandable considering the circumstances.
Without another word, Naofumi stood up and started walking to his tent, probably to sleep on the information she just gave him.
"...Who are you Mein? "
Mein heard the mumble of Naofumi from this distance, due to her honed and enhanced hearing.
That was a good question. One that she did not have a good answer too at the moment.
I don't know Naofumi.
And that was an honest truth she could have told him that night.
Left alone with her own thoughts, she gazed into the fire, the light reflecting off her eyes, poking it with a stick as she thought back on how she first met the 'Shadow Demon'.
Malty was bored out of her mind. Why did mommy have to take so long meeting with Mister and Misses Vallière about some food or money or something. It was all so boring to her ! And she didn't understand any of it.
She was instructed to stay in the guest waiting room, but Malty couldn't take it anymore. She needed to get out and explore, she didn't have the chance to see what Mister and Misses Vallière home was like and she was eager to see it. She loved exploring and didn't like being forced to wait and sit.
Sadly, mommy had left two mean looking knights to watch over her and make sure she didn't get into trouble. It was so mean ! She just wanted to explore a little...and now it seems she could only pout and wait to go home.
Her pouting was stopped when she heard the door to the room open and she straightened up thinking mommy had finished early.
But to her surprise, it wasn't mommy who walked through the door...it was somebody else, an older girl with long pink hair and dressed in the clothings of a noble stepped into the room.
" Excuse me, but are you the knights that came with the Queen...is she already in the meeting with my parents ? " The strange woman asked the two mean looking knights.
" Yes, miss the meeting started a while ago " The knight answered curtly.
" I see...seems that I overslept " The woman coughed a bit before turning to Malty with a curious expression.
" Hello there, little one...my name is Cattleya...but you can just call me Catt for short, I'm the middle child of House Vallière" Catt said with a smile " What's your name ? "
" I'm Malty ! I'm here with my mommy...but she said to wait here for a while " Malty said with a pouting expression " But I'm so bored waiting here !"
" Well...how about you come with me so we can explore the mansion a bit ? " Catt suggested " Our parents will be busy for a while anyway, so I think that gives us plenty of time to explore "
" I would love that ! " Malty jumped at the opportunity to get out of the boring room.
The knights looked to each other " Lady Vallière, I'm sure our Queen appreciates the offer but we are under orders to-"
" I'll take the heat for whatever comes your way, my dear sir...and we are in my home, so I would take it as an insult from House Melromarc if I was given orders in my own home " Catt said with a calm smile, but the knights were unnerved " If it worries you so much, you can follow along to make sure that she is alright and I'll take responsibility for anything that happens "
The two knights looked at each other before nodding " Very well, Lady Vallière"
" Good. Come little one, follow me " Catt gestured as she opened the door leading to the hallway.
Malty was practically hopping out of her seat as she grabbed Catt's hand and was lead out of the boring room.
They left the guest waiting room and entered the hallway, staring in awe of the beauty of the Vallière mansion.
The mansion was so big and pretty ! It had pretty carpets, paintings, colors and more, that it was impossible for Malty to narrow it down to one thing.
" Wow ! Your home is so pretty !" Malty complimented, skipping as they walked through the hall.
" Thank you for saying that, it really-" Catt was cut off when she let out a cough and had to stop for a minute.
" What's wrong ? Are you okay ? " Malty said with worry in her voice but Catt responded with a smile.
" I'm alright little one...just a little sick..." Catt gave a weak smile " How about we go to the courtyard ? I'm sure a friend of mine should be there and he would love to meet you "
Malty didn't quite understand who Catt was talking about but followed her along anyway, noticing that Catt's grip had become weaker but didn't say anything. It didn't take long for them to reach the courtyard, it was a big space with lots of room to play and run around in...
And in the middle, practicing with a sharp sword was a man. He looked angry as he hit something made out of straw. It looked human.
Malty stared in awe as the man cut the manlike straw person in half with his sword.
" Hard at work as ever..." Catt said as they slowly approached the man.
" Lady Cattleya...I thought you were supposed to be in bed " The man said with a dispassionate tone.
" I was, but I thought a little sunlight and stretching my legs would do me some good..." Catt defended with a weak smile.
The man hummed in acceptance before turning to Malty " And who's this ? "
" I'm Malty ! My mommy is here to meet with Mister and Misses Vallière " Malty said with a bright smile.
Catt chuckles a little cutting into their conversation " Princess, it isn't 'Mister and Misses Vallière', they should be referred to as Lady and Lord Vallière "
" Oh..." Malty hadn't paid the most attention to her etiquette classes that mommy sent her to. They were so boring !
" She's the first princess, my knight " Catt explained to the man.
" Is that so ? Interesting " The man responded before looking away.
Catt giggled before speaking up " My friend here is one of the best knights that my family has ever recruited. He's taken down great monsters, bandits, and so much more. He's one of the strongest too with him exceeding the level cap " Catt explained things that Malty didn't understand, but she did catch that this man was super strong !
" That's amazing ! Are you a hero mister ? " Malty said excitedly.
" Not a hero, kid " The man shot that thought down as soon as it was brought up " If I was hero, I would be with Lady Cattleya's parents instead of here...but I was told to stay away since apparently I'm 'scary'...they were right"
Malty pouted, the man didn't look scary, he just looked very grumpy !
" You don't scare me " Malty said proudly with a smile on her face.
The man looked down at her " That's too bad..."
Malty beamed happily, she thinks she likes this man.
" So what's your name mister ? " Malty asked.
The man looked at her directly before speaking.
" The name's T-"
Mein's eyes widened but closed just as quickly as she was blinded by the light of the sun beaming down on her.
That fucking dream again...why would I think of it now ?
Mein's thought process was interrupted as she felt her body ache as she sat up, realizing that she had not fallen asleep in her nice and comfy tent, but instead had passed out on the dirty hard ground while she was still clad in her armor.
That explains the aching...ow, goddamnit...
Mein knew from experience that sleeping on the cold hard ground was always going to be a pain in the ass. She's lucky she didn't catch a cold.
Naofumi came out of his tent with a yawn " Good morning Mein...did you sleep on the ground ? " He asks upon seeing her sat up by the now extinguished fire.
" Ugh... yeah,must have passed out after you went to sleep "
Rubbing her eyes with her gloved hand, she looks around to try and catch a glance at where they last left their mighty steads to rest which if she recalls correctly was by their carriage.
But what Mein saw was not the large form of a bird and raptor laying beside the carriage...
What she instead saw was a blonde girl resting on the grass, alongside a boy with a greenish hair. Both no older than maybe 7 or 8.
" Naofumi, who is that girl ?! "
" I don't know !? Where's Filo and Jun !? " Naofumi shouted in turn.
Their incessant shouting woke up the girl and boy. And only when they tiredly rose did Mein saw the pure white angel wings and the lizard tail on the boy.
Wait a second...are they-?
The blonde girl stood up and with a wide smile on her face she spoke " Daddy ! " Right before she hugged him.
" What the- Who are you ? " Naofumi said, clearly surprised by this naked girl hugging him.
" I'm Filo daddy ! Can I have something to eat ? " The girl said with an innocent smile.
" Good morning mother " The raptor boy calmly stood up and approached her, while she was still in the middle of her shock.
" JUN ?! "
" Yes, it is me mother " The supposed 'Jun' replied calmly " Why do you look so surprised ?"
" I just-WHAT ?! "
" Daddy can we go somewhere else ? I don't want to be around a smelly dragon !" Filo yelled, sticking her tongue out at Jun.
" Well, I don't want anywhere near you birdbrain ! You're so stupid and fat that I'm surprised you're not dead yet !" Jun yelled out in turn " We should just throw her away ! She's completely useless compared to me !"
Filo's eyes flashed with anger as she looked ready to strange Jun, and vice versa.
" WHY YOU-!"
" BRING IT !"
The two naked children tackled each other and rolled on the ground with Naofumi scrambling to cover them with his cloak.
What the fuck was going on !?
It was a strange morning indeed. And she was certain it was going to get even stranger.
Expectedly it took a little more time to get Filo and Jun to calm down, cover them in some old blankets they got from the carriage and Mein urging them to head back to the capital to see Beloukas to get some answers on in her own words ' What the fuck kind of egg did he sell them '.
It was at that time that they learned of Filo and Jun's ability to transform between their bird and dragon form to their human form. They just transformed in a puff of smoke... which made Naofumi feel very relieved since he did not want to witness any kind of body horror, especially with two kids.
They made it back to the capital in record time and were quickly on their way to see Beloukas...
And Mein was pissed. Seriously pissed.
She was angrier than she ever had been. She was positive she was going to murder someone. Probably Beloukas.
" Mother ? Are you okay ? " Jun quietly asked her as they walked through the slums.
" I'm just fine Jun dear, I'm just trying to decide what kind of painful death to give to Beloukas deserves when we see him " Mein said, frighteningly calm but it hid a layer of anger under it.
" Mein, you can't kill him " Naofumi said gently.
" I can and I will " Mein responded.
" Mein, we need him to tell us what's going on first "
" Fine...I will decide afterwards then "
Naofumi let out a sigh, knowing that was the best he was going to get.
Arriving at the slave trader tent, it took them about a minute to find Beloukas examining some new cages filled with slaves brought in.
Beloukas noticed their presence and turned to greet them" Ah ! My favorite customers are back, how can I help you? "
" Oh , you see we were just in the neighbourhood, thought we would drop by and say hello " Mein said sarcastically " Also the eggs you sold us turned into goddamn kids !"
Beloukas was of course taken aback by this " Wait, what ? I've never heard of such a thing "
" Well, take a look !" Mein shouted before turning to the two kids " Jun, Filo transform "
Jun did so without a word, in a puff of smoke appearing as his raptor form. But Filo pouted and turned away.
" Filo doesn't listen to the dragon lady !" Filo said like a child though Mein wasn't quite offended.
Dragon lady honestly does sound like a pretty fitting name for me.
" Filo...please just do it " Naofumi pleaded.
Filo grumbled but did as she was told after a few seconds, a puff of smoke later and she had transformed into her filorial form.
With the two monsters fully transformed and on display, Mein turned to the slave trader " Well Beloukas, you got an explanation for why the hell me and Naofumi now have children who can transform into monsters ? "
Beloukas didn't seem like he was paying attention, rather he was carefully inspecting the two beasts with a critical eye. Though he took care not to get too close since Jun looked ready to bite his arm off.
" It can't be...its not possible..." Beloukas muttered " Goddamn, it really is possible ! "
" What are you going on about now ? " Mein asked annoyed.
" You two, my dear customers-" Beloukas pointed at Mein and Naofumi " Are in possession of a Filorial Queen and Dragon Emperor in the making !"
A Dragon Emperor ?!
Mein had heard stories about Dragon Emperors...about how they were the most powerful kind of dragons there are and the most dangerous. Jun could be one of them ?!
" What are you talking about ? Filorial Queen, Dragon Emperor, what are either of those things ? " Naofumi butt in, clearly confused.
" Ah, perhaps an explanation is in order, you know I would usually charge a small fee-"
" Spare the bullshit and just tell us or I'll stick you in one of these cages " Mein threatened.
Beloukas looked ready to laugh it off...but from the death glare Mein was giving him, he quickly shut up.
" Y-Yes, of course..." Beloukas stammered before fake coughing to catch his breath " A-Anyway, to start with the bird first: A filorial queen is essentially the leader of an entire flock of filorial's, filorial royalty I suppose you could say. It is rumored that they have the ability to transform into human to blend into a crowd more easily "
" Okay...and what about Jun ? " Naofumi turned his attention " You said something about a Dragon Emperor ? "
" Yes, my dear boy a Dragon Emperor...the most powerful and top-tier dragons there are out there " Beloukas explained " They are considered the best that they have a whole flight of weaker smaller dragons under them similar to the filorial's...and like them, there are also rumors that they have the ability to transform into human to blend into a crowd "
" In fact, if memory serves I remember hearing about the Whip Hero of Faubley having a griffin and Dragon Emperor child that could apparently turn into human " Beloukas stroked his chin " I thought they were just exaggerated rumors...but looking at these two, maybe they aren't so exaggerated "
Mein felt like slapping herself in the face.
Goddamnit ! I knew I was forgetting something !
She too had heard the rumors and tales about how the Whip Hero...Takt, one of her former flames had come into possession of a royal griffin and dragon emperor. He had told her as such in some of his letters, despite the two no longer dating. Maybe she should have paid more attention to those letters.
" Wait a second ! Can all monsters turn into humans ? " Naofumi asked.
" Not all...so far, we've only ever heard of griffins, dragons and now with you filorial's " Beloukas answered " Don't know if any and all races can gain the ability to turn into human "
" Okay...so we know that much, but why ? Why would they suddenly gain the ability to turn into humans ? " Naofumi asked out loud.
" Another thing for me to answer: You see, there's this old tale that supposedly monsters like filorial's, dragons and griffin that spend a certain amount of time with a hero in their party eventually gains the ability to turn into human " Beloukas tells " These are some pretty old tales though, so not many take them seriously "
" So it only works if you're a hero...or something of its equivalent " Naofumi cast a knowing glance at Mein, that she understood perfectly.
" I suppose so " Beloukas shrugged " So you have any other questions ? "
" No...I think that's everything " Mein nodded.
" Excellent ! So now may I interest you two in a high level monster seal ? At a one-time discount of course ! "
" Why would we ever want to get a slave seal from you ? " Naofumi asked blankly.
" Because your monsters are only going to get stronger, of course ! If you want to keep them under control, you're going to need a high level monster seal for that !"
Mein seriously considered that proposition for a moment. Jun for the most part was obedient to her so he doesn't really need a monster seal to keep him under control and he follows orders well enough be it from Mein or Naofumi, not counting his occasional entanglements with Filo.
Filo on the other hand...was a totally different matter altogether. The brat was impulsive and didn't listen to orders, she just barely listened to Naofumi when she felt like it and was more likely to attack one of their own than the enemy. She needs that monster seal if they are going to keep her under control.
Before she could take Beloukas up on that offer, Naofumi already spoke " No, I think we're good "
" Really ? Because this is a once in a lifetime-"
" We're good. Let's go " Naofumi said firmly as he walked out of the tent, with a now turned back human Filo and Jun.
Goddamnit.
" Well, I think that went well..." Ake commented " Mein didn't kill anybody at least "
" I only kill when its necessary " Mein said cooly " So now we know what Filo and Jun are at least "
" Yeah...but never expected them to turn out like this " Naofumi whispered to Mein " We already had enough trouble keeping them both under control when they were just fresh hatchlings, but now as human kids ? This could be a problem "
" Probably...but on the bright side, congrats you two ! You two are now proud parents to a lovely girl and boy " Ake said sarcastically, with a smirk on his face.
Mein grumbled but didn't bite back...she couldn't deny that she felt a tiny bit of maternal instincts.
" Are you okay mother ? " Jun asked, looking up at her with those lovely eyes of his.
" Of course, Jun dear...I'm fine " Mein said with a sincere smile, giving his hair a ruffle.
" Daddy I'm hungry, can we go eat something ? " Filo whined.
" Sure after this...but for now you can have a snack " Naofumi said as he took out a sandwich out of his shield and gave it to her.
" Yay ! Thanks daddy !" Filo said happily as she ate the sandwich.
Perhaps Ake wasn't totally wrong about the becoming parents part. It definitely felt that way.
" By the way Filo, Jun over there hatched the same time as you so you two are basically siblings " Naofumi said with a smile while Mein gaped in shock at the sheer idiocy of what he was doing.
Did he learn nothing from the time, Filo and Jun tried to kill each other right after they were born ?
Predictably, Filo and Jun glared at each other.
" I don't want a smelly dragon as my brother !"
" And I don't want a bird brain featherhead as my sister !"
The two spit insults at each other, the only reason the two didn't attack each other was because they were held back by Mein and Naofumi.
" Fat bird !"
" Smelly dragon !"
" Alright, that's enough you two ! "Naofumi shouted.
" Yeah, break it up !"
" Oh my word, a break in the family...so tragic " Ake said sarcastically.
" Piss off Ake " Mein said as she held Jun back " Ignoring that, we need to get Filo and Jun some proper clothes. We'll be wasting too much time if we're constantly try to find them new clothes every time they transform "
" Agreed, but from the looks of it we're going to need some kind of special kind of clothes that don't rip when they transform " Naofumi thought it over " Maybe Aunt Nellie can help ? "
" Sounds a good a place to start as any " Mein said as they left the slums behind.
" So that's the whole situation with these two kids " Ake explained the whole situation to Aunt Nellie " Can you help us ? " Ake asked politely.
" I see..." Nellie took a minute to think it through " From the sounds of it, you two are going to need some magic thread "
" Magic thread ? " Naofumi repeated confused.
" Thread made out of the person's own mana. I hear that some beastman and demi-humans who have the ability to transform into actual animal forms have clothes made out of their mana to prevent their equipment from breaking when they are transforming " Nellie explains " You need a magical wheel to do it, I'd let you use mine but..."
" Its broken, isn't it ? " Naofumi already guessed exasperated.
" Yes, indeed and its inoperable without a special gemstone called the 'Weaver Stone' "
" Is it expensive ? " Mein said.
" Yes, but the bigger problem is that it is rare and not exactly easy to come by...I'll talk to some people and get back to you " Nellie said.
The group thanked the old lady for the trouble and left.
" Well, that was pointless..." Mein muttered as they left the shop.
" Not quite. Now at least we know what we need to get Filo and Jun some clothes " Ake countered.
" Yes, we just need to get a rare and expensive gemstone that is not easy to come by " Mein bit back.
" Don't worry your pretty little head about it, I already got an idea for how to handle that problem " Ake waved her off.
" What do you mean by that Ake ? "
" We need to go see Uncle Erhard, he'll be able to help...and I'm curious to see his reaction to you two becoming parents "
" Oh bite me Ake. I'm sure he'll be completely professional "
" So let me get this right...you two are basically parents now ? " Erhard said after a minute of hearing the full story from Ake.
" Pretty much " Ake and Raphtalia nodded in agreement.
Erhard let out a whistle " Goddamn boy, I knew you were attracted to the lass but just a month here and you already have kids? Bravo !"
Naofumi and Mein blushed a little at the implication, but didn't say anything.
" Anyway, you said something about needing magical thread ? And about a gemstone ? " Erhard clarified.
" Yeah, Aunt Nellie says we need if we want to make magic thread. You know where we can find Jonas ? " Ake asked.
" Jonas ? Last I heard he and his crew were digging up ores to the north " Erhard answered.
" Wait a second, who's Jonas ? " Naofumi cut in to ask.
" He's a miner that my father did business with more than a couple of times. He also worked together with Uncle Erhard here to get him some precious ores " Ake explained" If anybody can tell us where we can find that special gemstone he sure as hell can"
A miner would definitely have much more in-depth knowledge about where to find precious gemstones and ores.
" Can you give us a map and mark out Jonas's position Uncle Erhard ? "
" Sure " Erhard took out a map and placed it on the counter, pointing down in the northern direction.
" Last I heard, he and his crew were up here ...though I'd be careful if I were you, I heard there were all sorts of bandit groups running around and with the Hound Lord on the prowl, I'd watch out " Erhard cautioned.
They all looked at each other before back at Mein.
" Erhard...trust me, it is the bandits who should be scared of us "
Damn right.
" If you say so kid " Erhard shrugged.
" In the meantime, until we get that magical thread we should probably get Filo and Jun some proper clothes " Naofumi suggested and he makes a good point. Preferably something better than blankets they got out of their carriage.
" That sounds a bit pointless Sir Naofumi, any normal clothes we put on them will just tear when they transform and they are arguably at their strongest when they are in their beast form "
" Good point..." Mein agreed, upon hearing Ake's point.
" Maybe you should get these two kids some oversized cloaks with a button ? " Erhard chimed in with a suggestion " At worst when they transform, they'll just rip whatever clip or buttons holding the cape together than waste entire suit of cloth. So this way you won't have two naked kids running around and being questioned by every guard who spots you "
" That's a great idea !" Naofumi agreed instantly " Thanks so much for your help Erhard "
" Anytime Shield Boy...anytime "
" Okay, so our next destination: The north of Melromarc " Naofumi announced.
So now they are taking a trip to the northern part of Melromarc that has been said to be swarmed with bandits around every corner. Fun.
Itsuki's POV
Itsuki did not consider himself a rookie by any means. Be it when it came to tracking and hunting people, hand to hand combat, proficiency in using firearms, foreign languages and like...people can call him arrogant if they want, he just likes properly evaluating himself.
Still he had enough sense and humility to know that there was always more to learn about the trade. And Itsuki had to hand it to Slayer...he really knew his stuff.
Bandits will usually if not always target villages that are out of the way or far from the protection of the ruling noble's army. Making them easy pickings for raids and kidnappings. Travelling merchants with little to no armed escort are targets too.
That was the advice that Slayer gave and it was more than true. They had arrived in a village not too long after a raid had taken place, standard fare: Bandits had looted the spot, killed anybody who tried to resist, took some women and fled the scene before any help could be dispatched by the noble's army.
A half burned down village with bodies littering the streets...a village that had gotten off light from the Wave was afterwards ransacked by cowardly bandits that preyed on the weak.
Itsuki grimaced as Slayer told him in short and brief detail on what exactly bandits did to the women they captured- He didn't need to be told. He already knew or had a good guess anyway.
" Please Bow Hero ! You must save our sisters and wives !" The local lord pleaded with him, and Itsuki comforted him with some words that they would save them.
It was nothing new to him. Just the same shit, different scenery.
Slayer seemed in a rush to track down the bandits, saying it wasn't uncommon for bandit groups to set up temporary camps close by to their next raid with the intention of moving out as soon as they get the loot. Before they left , Slayer gave them all an aromatic satchel that Itsuki wore around his neck. It smelled funny but Slayer quickly explained his reasons for doing so.
Demi-humans have much more heightened senses than ours. Dogs and wolves can sniff you out from a mile away, and rabbitman can hear you coming if you aren't careful.
Can't argue with a professional, now can he ?
The bandits weren't careful in the least when it came to covering their tracks, large group of around a platoon's worth of bandits who hit hard and ran just as quickly before the real soldiers could show up. Slayer made short work of it and helped track them to their camp.
Carefully approaching from the treeline, Itsuki used a skill to observe the bandit camp from a tree branch. He was best suited for scouting anyway...
Which meant he got a good view of what those bastards were doing to the women.
" AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" One of the women screamed, she among others were in the center of the camp being held down and raped by a wolve demi-human.
" Like that bitch !? How's it feel to have a real cock inside you !? " The wolf laughed and it was grating on Itsuki's ears.
He would have loved so much to aim carefully and take his dick out-
Itsuki breathed in. He had to keep control or these women would never see the light again.
He observed the scene tactically: 40 plus bandits. Mostly melee types based on their gear and weapons. No rabbitman or flyers. These assholes were clearly no career bandits.
He spotted the captives, women who were held in wooden cages near the center of the camp, all looking very fearful of what awaited them.
Not if he had anything to say about it.
He dropped down from the tree to his team that was waiting for him.
" What do we got Itsuki ? " Armina asked.
" Large bandit camp like Slayer said. Around 40 or so bandits. They have no rabbitman archers or anything like that, no flying types either. Saw more than a few dogs, wolves, racoon and bear beasts and demi-humans. Real mix bag of scumbags" Itsuki said spitefully before turning to Slayer " What do you suggest Slayer ? "
" A frontal attack is ill-advised. Half of them would fight, while the other half would flee into the forests " Slayer shook his head " No, we have the element of surprise we should use it" Slayer turned to Itsuki for a moment " What kind of skills and spells do you have ? "
" I have plenty of AOE-I mean, area of effect skills and attacks that should be able to take out most of the bandits before they can flee " Itsuki answered with a nod. He was glad that his Bow granted skills that allowed him to hit multiple enemies at once." The bandits are pretty spread out so I can take out a good chunk of them before they can react "
" Alright, we'll blitz them before they even have a chance to react or respond. The Bow Hero will cover us and take out any who try to flee. Understood ? " Slayer asked to his party which they all nodded " Let's kill some bandits then "
Once they were in position, Itsuki took a deep breath as she stood on the tree that overlooked the bandit camp and he took a deep breath.
He raised his bow and took aim.
Breath in-
" Air Strike Spread !"
Breath out.
The quick attack had taken out 6 bandits in total, the first shot raising hell as others quickly took up arms to try and figure out where the shot came from. They didn't even notice Slayer and the others attacking their flank until Slayer threw an egg at a large cluster of bandits, which exploded into a kind of dark powder...
" MY EYES ! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT !? " The bandits cried out as their eyes started to water, making it impossible for them coordinate or act rationally.
The bandits that got hit by the tear egg were made short work of by Slayer and the others who started cutting through them all as if they were paper.
Nobody was purposefully going for non-lethal shots, everybody was fighting to kill. These were all the scum of the planet. Rapist, murderers and thieves who preyed on the weak.
The bandits can surrender if they wish, but they are all going to die either way. Be it by them or the executioners axe.
Both work for Itsuki.
Armina slashed and stabbed the bandits with her spear, fighting with righteous fury at what these scum did to the women. Audrey was in the same boat, his big axe let him cut through the bandits as if they were melting butter.
Ducking under the sloppy greatsword attack of a bear beastman, Audrey counterattacked with a cleave straight across the bastard's chest, effectively cutting him in half.
" Fast Fireball ! Fast Dark Slash !" Welst fired off spell after spell at the bandits. Clearly in the game as much as the melee fighters were.
Slayer though...Slayer was a monster on the battlefield.
He stabbed one bandit through the heart, before taking his dagger and throwing it into the face of another, before grabbing another sword and slashing through another few bandits before moving on to the next weapon.
Itsuki was impressed. He knew he recruited the right guy for the job.
Itsuki for his part didn't even bother using skills from that point, in fear that he may hit his allies or one of the captives, a single shot was more than sufficient for taking out these bastards who preyed on the weak. Having such a high ATK stat definitely had its perks.
Within only a few minutes, the remaining bandits threw their hands up to surrender. Which were only 4 of them since they had killed the rest.
Itsuki would have been more than happy killing them all...until he saw that wolf that raped the woman from before among the prisoners.
Dropping down from the tree, he approached the scene where his teammates and Slayer stood among the dead bandits. Slayer and Armina tying up the remaining ones while Welst and Audrey freed the women trapped in cages.
" You all alright ? " Itsuki asked Armina.
" We're alright... but the women Itsuki..." Armina's gaze turned to one of the women from before, the one the wolf had been raping
Itsuki's gaze softened as he slowly approached the woman that was hugging her knees, trying to gently touch her resulted in a flinch.
" Hey, hey, its okay...you're safe now. We're here to take you home " Itsuki said in a gentle tone.
The woman turned to him with shock in her eyes " Who...who are you ? "
" I'm the Bow Hero. I'm here to save you " Itsuki said sympathetically, kneeling down to her level.
The woman was at a loss for words, before she suddenly hugged him which shocked him considering the fact that she was still naked, but he awkwardly returned it after a moment.
The woman cried and let out a bunch of incoherent words but among them was " Thank you...thank you..."
Itsuki's stone heart broke a bit at that and he returned the hug a bit more sincerely.
" Its okay now...you're safe "
After a few minutes of crying and hugging, the woman broke the hug and Itsuki instructed his people to cover the women with cloaks to save what dignity remained.
Seeing the women the bandits had taken huddle together...
It lighted a fire of anger in Itsuki and he knew where to direct it.
" Armina...please take the women back to the village and muster the men there to take back what was stolen from them here..." Itsuki turned his gaze to the prisoners " Me and Slayer will take care of the prisoners..."
"...Understood Itsuki " Armina said simply, understanding perfectly.
Once the women and the others were out of sight, Itsuki turned to the prisoners.
" So...you are the bastards who raped those women ? "
" I-I-I-U-Uh, listen that was just a...fucking shit ! " The pathetic wolf cursed " Look can we work out a deal here ? You need money right ? You can take anything or hell everything we took from that village ! Just let us live !"
The wolf's bargains fell on deaf ears as Itsuki's eyes narrowed at them.
" Spare me whatever pathetic deals or bargains you're trying to match...this is happening " Itsuki said as he took out a knife and the bandits face blanche as he went around them-
And proceeded to cut their ropes restraining them, much to the surprise of Slayer.
" H-Huh ? " The bandits said as they felt the ropes slide off their wrists.
" I don't like the idea of killing a bunch of bound scum. No sport in it. This makes it feel a bit more fair " Itsuki said coldly " Go ahead, fight back. It'll make this even sweeter. Slayer please stay out of this one "
Slayer seemingly trusting him stood back " I see..."
" Well, what are you waiting for ? Let's do this..."
The bandits looked at each other for a minute before grinning and made a dash for what they thought was the defenseless Bow Hero who was weak in close range.
They had no idea that Itsuki had trained for months in hand-to-hand combat. And now that guns were not available to him, he was even more thankful now.
He used his bow to summon two arrows into his hand as the first bandit tried to tackle him, he delivered a harsh punch to the face which knocked him into another bandit, breaking their synergy.
The wolf tried to slash at him with his claws but Itsuki counterattacked with a Judo throw over the shoulder, before twirling around, stabbing the arrow straight into the mouth of the other bandit.
The two who had been knocked down, before being able to recover was stabbed through the brain by Itsuki. Piercing both of their skulls.
That just left the wolf.
Itsuki hoped he looked terrifying by the way the pathetic wolf tried to crawl away only to bring himself closer to the fire.
" W-Wait, let's talk about this! Let's just-" The wolf was cut off when Itsuki kicked his teeth in with his boot.
" What's wrong ? Not too good against people who can fight back ? Anything that isn't a defenseless villager ? "
" N-No, I...fuck, just don't-"
Itsuki didn't want to hear his musing anymore, so he did the only logical thing.
He pulled the wolf by his shirt toward the fire...and proceeded to shove his face into the fire, holding his foot down on the wolf who thrashed and screamed in pain.
" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The wolf screamed echoed throughout the forest and Itsuki forced his boot onto him until he stopped moving.
Once he was dead, he took a deep breath. He was right before.
Same shit, different scenery.
I apologize if this chapter was a bit slow and kinda boring, but I really just wanted to get the whole Naofumi and Mein dealing with Filo and Jun turning into human bit out of the way, since this felt like the right time for it to happen. And this chapter was meant to set up for something bigger that's happening later.
I hope the Itsuki scene helped the chapter feel a bit less flat and add some action to the dullness a bit. Before you ask, if you felt unsettled reading Itsuki's scene...then that was intentional.
Now let's answer some reviews shall we ?
To Allyexis:
Thank you so much for saying that ! I'm touched you find my story, which is basically just my own personal middle finger to canon as good writing.
And I'm glad that Altara is an engaging character, I'm thankful Allen let me use her in my story even if I have some disagreements over how she was handled, I still find her a very interesting character. She's going to have a much bigger role later in the story, that I cannot say yet.
The amount of violence is well...only going to escalate from here.
:P
To Qin:
I'll be honest, the reason I had the whole Pig goes to Spy division thing was mostly because of how the Shiv's that appeared in your story were pig beastman. Though now that I think about it, it does make more sense for them to belong to the foot soldier division. Thanks for pointing it out !
XD
To dragoon109:
My problem with the slave user boost in canon, is that it is basically just a cheap and easy power-up plot armor for the MC and whoever sucks him off. So anybody who uses it doesn't have to put any real effort into becoming stronger, they just have to put the bare minimum effort of levelling to become stronger. And since the Cal Mira arc had an EXP boost event...yeah, this becomes basically cheat plot armor very quickly.
Canon Naofumi didn't even have to go through any sort of difficult hardship or trial to unlock it, he literally gets it from absorbing Raphtalia's hair and Filo's blood.
It COULD have been interesting within the story, if it had actual negative consequences/drawbacks or required some sort of sacrifice to make it a bit more balanced and interesting. But no, its completely consequence free and has no such drawbacks. Another reason I hate the slave user boost is because it is essentially a cheap mechanical reason to justify a much more serious morality issue of slavery but I think I've already given my thoughts on that matter before.
With all that said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.