Sorry I left you all on a cliffhanger the last chapter, but I promise this chapter makes up for it with a fight scene right off bat and a little surprise at the end for you all.
Spoilers for some of you who haven't read up until at least chapter 58 of Ambition of the Red Princess. You have been warned.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important critic which helped improve this chapter a lot now.
With that said, let's get it started !
Chapter 32: Bad Morning
Mein had just wanted a peaceful morning, was that too much to ask ? Get some breakfast, chat with Raphtalia, maybe share what happened last night with Naofumi and give him a lock of Lilian's hair. Then they could get a move on from this village and proceed to Ake's friend.
The princess in disguise looked between the dead innkeeper who had just taken an arrow to the neck, to the group of bandits attacking the village coming in through the collapsed entrances and collapsed parts of the wall. Feeling more annoyance than anger having to do this, taking out her sword and pulling her hood and veil up to cover her face.
But no, instead she has to deal with this shit first thing in the morning. Such a pain.
" Look out ! Harpies in the air !" One of the militia yelled out.
" Air Strike Shield !" Naofumi summoned his shield to protect them from the arrows that seemed to come from the air. Mein took a quick look from behind the shield to see men flying in the sky armed with bows.
Demi-human bird archers. And looking at the scumbags attacking the village, we're fighting against demi-human and beastman bandits.
" Stand strong men ! Don't let these savages beat you-AAAAH!"
" HAHAHA ! WEAK ! YOU STUPID MAN ANIMALS ARE ALL TOO WEAK !"
The militia tried as they might to stand against the large group of bandits, they were easily steamrolled and pushed back by the physically stronger and probably higher level bandits. The bandits stabbed and literally tore through the militia within a few seconds, the bear beastman crushed men with their axes and hammers, the dogs and cats were quick on their feet outpacing the militia and cutting them down. The militia was almost instantly put on the defensive and pushed back further into the village.
" Shit ! We have to help !" Naofumi shouted, changing his shield to the Light Metal Shield.
" Goddamnit...Naofumi defend the villagers ! Ake take the left ! Raphtalia stay close to Filo and Jun ! Filo and Jun, tear through their center ! I'll take care of the flyers " Mein instantly came up with orders to give to the group.
" Got it !" They all agreed, no time to argue over anything during a pivotal moment. Jun and Filo changing to their beast forms for the added advantage.
Their group broke apart, going off to perform their own jobs.
" Air Strike Shield ! Shield Prison !" Naofumi summoned a shield to protect a group of villagers and a ball of chains to trap the bandits.
" What the- Who the fuck are these-?! "
The bandit was cut off when he had his chest slashed open by a claw attack from Jun followed by a kick from Filo than sent him flying. The two beasts seemed to be in a competition over who could take out more bandits and neither were willing to lose to the other. Both focusing more on throwing quick strikes and slashes than permanently killing, though their strikes were more than enough to knock the bandits out of the fight. Raphtalia did her best to follow along, but staying out of trouble.
" Zweit Thunder Chain Lightning !" Ake let out a quick bolt of lightning that managed to chain 4 bandits, not outright killing them but giving him enough time for him to go in for the kill. Decapitating one, cutting the throat of another, stabbing the third through the heart, and another decapitation. He was doing quite well for himself.
Mein for her part, needed to get to the higher ground. Quickly climbing a nearby building that gave her a good view of the battle was taking place in the village. Once she did, she could start getting to work on these stupid birds.
" Fast Fire Arrows ! Fast Fireballs !" Mein didn't hold back, holding her hand up to the sky, blasting arrows and balls of fire at the bird demi-humans flying overhead.
They were able to easily dodge her fire attacks, but in doing so it threw off their aim and stopped them from raining arrows on those down below. Now she just needs to figure out how to take them out of the sky entirely.
" Kill these bastards ! Kill them all-WHOA WHAT THE FUCK !? "
Some of the bandits were suddenly overtaken by...vines ? Several long and thick vines had slithered their way over the walls and through the village, grabbing the bandits by the waist or legs and hurling them into each other.
Mein turned her head to see Lilian, dressed in her usual green dress pointing her hand at the bandits, seemingly controlling the vines that are coming from the forest and flowing into the village. A man and the girl, Racheal from the night before at her side. The dryad was protecting them.
" Get the hell...out of my home !" Lilian shouted as she commanded a vine slap that sent a few bandits slamming into the walls, not quite killing them.
Mein dodged an arrow that was aimed for her head, the archers up above trying to take her out. She took out her bow and prepared to take aim at the birds, it was much more difficult to hit an aerial target than one on the ground.
Breath kid, breath.
She breathed and let go of the string-
The arrow managed to hit one of the birds square in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground and land with a dull thud. The impact killing it.
" Yes !" Mein allowed herself a brief moment to congratulate herself before getting back to business. Trying to shoot at more of the harpies, not quite succeeding at killing them but at least keeping them occupied.
A loud cry and roar cut through her focus as she turned to see Jun and Filo get overpowered by the bearman that were part of the main muscle of the group of beasts. Both being forced down onto the ground by the strength of the group of bears holding them down, the two beasts thrashing and trying to throw the bearman off them but were unsuccessful.
" Filo ! "
" Jun !"
Both Mein and Naofumi cried out as they watched their beloved children get manhandled by the beasts. The bears focusing on tying up and subduing Filo and Jun with some sturdy rope, and proving successful in their attempts.
" Get these stupid beasts under control ! We can fetch a pretty coin for them ! Kill the rest ! " The bandit called out.
" No !" Naofumi tried to run over and help Filo and Jun. Only to get a slash to chest for his trouble, his armor holding up against the attack.
" Goddamnit Naofumi, focus on defending-AAH !" Ake was cut off when a demi-human slammed his hammer into his face. His helmet taking most of the damage " Motherfucker !"
" Shit !" Mein cursed as she turned her attention to the bear trying to get them off her son. Shooting her bow at one of the bears, but only managing to graze his skin with how his armor flung the arrow off him.
" AH !" A loud cry of pain came from Lilian, not because she was hit but because the bandits had started cutting and chopping at the vines that had grabbed and slammed into them. The cutting of her plants clearly causing her some kind of pain.
" Lily !" Racheal cried out, trying to help her up with her father.
The battle on the ground was slowly turning against them, the militia still hasn't recovered and was still getting slaughtered by the bandits with only a few able to stand their ground. Their own group wasn't faring much better, Naofumi was still trying to make his way over to help Filo and Jun, Ake was fending off another section of the bandit group, and she still hadn't taken care of those fucking harpies.
At this rate, the whole damn village was going to be slaughtered. And Naofumi is too preoccupied, if I could use Windblast or something to take care of the crowd than maybe I could get the situation under control.
Yes, the solution seemed obvious...but acting on it would mean revealing her identity as one of the Marked and its abundantly clear now to all present that the Shield Hero is in the village, which means if she reveals herself now it will only tie herself to Naofumi. She might as well just let the village be slaughtered if that was the case.
" Air Strike Spread !"
Before Mein can do anything rash, a loud voice broke through the screams and a spread of arrows rained down on the bandits, killing them instantly. Mein turned her head to see another group enter the fight, coming in from one of the other entrances and the princess instantly recognized one of the figures.
The Bow Hero !
" Everybody fan out ! Help the militia and take these bastards out ! I'm taking the high ground !" Itsuki shouted at the top of his lungs, shooting his bow while moving through the village.
The rest of the Bow Hero's party understood this perfectly. Armina took the flank focused on taking out the fast moving targets like the cats and dogs. Welst firing off spells at the cluster of bandits, though he seemed to be using primarily dark spells to avoid a fire breaking out. Audrey was helping take out the bears that had been holding down Filo and Jun.
" Get off them you scumbags !" Audrey gave a great swing of his axe, slashing at two bears and scaring the rest into backing off.
Filo and Jun broke free...and were more pissed than ever at these bandits. The two let out a squawk and roar, beginning to tear through the ranks of the bandits once more. At an even greater rate than before, hitting and slashing harder at the bandits that left many to bleed out or groan from their cracked ribs.
" Goddamnit ! We're getting massacred here ! Fall ba-ARHK !" The bandit who tried to order the retreat ended up choking on his blood, when Mein saw a familiar metal armored figure stab him in his throat.
It would seem that the Bow has recruited the famous 'Slayer' into his ranks. How lovely.
Mein actually noticed the Bow Hero climb up onto the same rooftop that she was on. It would seem that the Bow had some experience when it came to climbing or perhaps he was simply a natural at it.
" Mind if I join you on this rooftop Mein ?" Itsuki said with a smirk as he climbed up.
" Only if you can keep up " Mein replied with a smile herself " Help take these stupid birds out of the air " She pointed up at the harpies who were in disarray at the appearance of this new party.
" With pleasure " Itsuki aimed his bow at the bird demi-humans-
And with a single release of the string, he managed to hit one. Then another. And another.
All of them sent tumbling to the ground, landing with a dull 'thud !', the fall alone killing them instantly.
Mein looked at the Bow in shock that he was able to accurately hit all of the targets perfectly, she would almost believe that he was using some sort of skill to amplify his accuracy. Or he was just really that good at shooting at things. Mein didn't really care as long as he was on their side, thanks to the sudden entry of the Bow Hero's party, the battle was slowly turning to their favor.
Mein and Itsuki kept shooting their bows from the top of the rooftop, the Bow Hero only occasionally firing off a skill to help his companions out. Letting the others ground units take care of mopping what was left of the bandits.
Within just a few minutes, all the bandits who had attacked or tried to flee were dead. Slayer seemed to be specifically going around stabbing the ones who were injured or down in the throat to make sure they stayed down. Only a handful were smart enough to throw down their weapons to surrender.
" Looks like we won..." Itsuki said as he looked down at the battlefield of bodies strewn across the ground.
" But at what costs, I wonder ? " Mein said out loud.
"...Let's go " Itsuki jumped down and Mein followed after him, approaching both of their groups who had regrouped with each other.
" Hey Itsuki..." Naofumi said waving him over, out of breath from the battle just now " Didn't expect to see you here... "
" Well, I did tell you guys I would be doing some bandit hunting before the next wave " Itsuki said.
Mein butted in, a bit of worry on her face at the fight just now " Naofumi, Raphtalia, are you all okay ? "
" We're fine Mein, my DEF held up and I already gave out healing spells to everybody" Naofumi nodded.
Her little raccoon had come up and hug her leg in surprise " Are you okay, big sister Mein ? "
" I'm fine Raphtalia, don't worry about me " Mein said as she looked at the field of bodies " Its everybody else you should be worried about..."
Most of the militia were dead, their bodies torn and stabbed open, left on display in the aftermath of this bloody fight. Families and those that remained mourning over their lost friends and family. Some of the militia tied up the few bandit prisoners they had taken, but they had looks of anger that seemed barely restrained. Mein glanced over at Lilian, who seemed focus on leading Racheal and her father away from the carnage. Probably for the best.
" Not many wounded to heal, huh Naofumi ? " Mein asked grimly.
" No...I'll still check in to see if anyone else was injured "
Mein turned her attention to the Bow Hero who was talking to his party " You guys okay ? "
" We're fine Sir Itsuki, only a few bruises and cuts " Armina informed.
" Get them checked out anyway, you don't want that stuff getting infected " Itsuki advised, before turning to Slayer " Any escapees ? "
" None. We managed to get any who tried to flee " Slayer explained.
That made the Shield Hero and Slayer aware of each other's existence. Naofumi very clearly looking nervous at being face to face with the man who hates all demi-humans and by extension him.
" By the way, I should probably introduce the newest addition to my party " Itsuki pointed at the armored man " Slayer, Naofumi. Naofumi, Slayer. I think you'll both get along swimmingly "
The two men looked at each other, though it was more one-sided on Slayer's part since he seemed to be staring at the Shield Hero unnervingly. Naofumi was very quickly unnerved and looked at Itsuki.
" So uh, how goes the bandit hunting ? " Naofumi fake coughed to dispel the awkwardness.
" Pretty good. We're still trying to track down bigger bandit groups up north " Itsuki explained " What are you doing all the way out here ? Looking for components for Raphtalia's prosthetic arm ? "
Naofumi shook his head " Not really, you see-"
" DADDY ! I'm hungry ! Can we get something to eat now ? " Filo interrupted, turning into her human form without warning...and she was still naked as a result. Hugging the Shield Hero suddenly.
" Oh for the love of-" Mein cursed under her breath as she took off her cloak to cover Filo up.
" What the fuck...?" Itsuki breathed in surprise.
" Its not what you think !" Naofumi tried to excuse himself from the judging looks he was getting from Itsuki and his party. Mein managing to cover the blonde brat up in time before any of the villagers noticed anything.
"...So mind telling me all about this over breakfast ? " Itsuki suggested after a brief silence.
" Meet in an hour at the inn after checking on the wounded ? " Naofumi suggested.
" Definitely " They all unanimously agreed. Mein was starving too.
It was time to have some breakfast and catch up with the Bow Hero.
It actually took one and a half hour before their group was done, the townspeople having moved their wounded to their healer's hut. More people had been injured than previously thought. Some were regular villagers who had got caught in the crossfire of the raid , while others were some of the luckier members of the militia who got off with a few broken bones, claw cuts, non-vital stab wounds. It was lucky that Naofumi had the mana to spare for all the healing spells he dished out, since he definitely did not know what else to do for them medically speaking.
While that was going on, the Bow Hero had actually gone out with his team to make sure that there weren't any bandit reinforcements that were lying in wait to counterattack the village. Thankfully they returned not long after, saying that the group that attacked the village was most likely the main and only force.
Once both their tasks were done, they were all able to join at the inn to enjoy a nice meal where they could update each other about their progress.
" So let me get this straight here: You're both basically married now ? " Itsuki summed it up.
" Why does everybody keep saying that !? " Naofumi shouted.
Their group decided to have breakfast at the inn they were staying at, Naofumi was actually the one to make breakfast since the restaurant staff needed some time to process the loss of their innkeeper and Naofumi had asked permission to use their kitchen to make some food for all of them. Mein of course feeding Raphtalia since she still only had one hand. Itsuki's group complimenting his cooking, the only one absent from eating was Slayer.
Who seemed to be refuse eating anything the Shield Hero made. More for the rest of them then, he can starve for all she cares.
" I mean, its true " Ake said snidely, sipping his water.
" My own teasing aside, heroes can raise beasts in our party into humans ? Sounds unbelievable..." Itsuki said as he glanced at Filo and Jun, who were eating up a storm.
" And yet me and Naofumi are now saddled with two kids " Mein commented " Apparently it only works with species like griffin, dragon and filorial. We're not sure that all monsters can gain the ability to turn into human "
" Still its an interesting thing to consider, so you two are on a quest to get these two some magic thread to make them clothes that don't rip ? " Itsuki asked trying to get the whole picture.
" Not quite, we just need some kind of magical gemstone to make the magical thread, so we can make these two some clothes that don't rip when they transform "Naofumi explained in detail " Putting that aside Itsuki...have you made any progress on collecting parts for Raphtalia's prosthetic ? "
Itsuki shrugged " A little. I talked to some guys and got a list of things that you usually need to make a magical prosthetic arm " The Bow Hero took out a list and handed it to Naofumi " This is what we need to get "
Naofumi whistled as he looked down the list written in Japanese " Magical gemstones...magical iron or steel...high grade magical optics...this is a lot of stuff "
" Better get to it then after you finish up getting your kids their clothes " Itsuki shrugged" I'll pass this same list out to the others when I see them again "
" Thanks Itsuki, is there anything else ? "
" Actually yeah, I wanted to show you something. You still have your smartphone ? " Itsuki asked but Mein was confused. What is a smart-fone ?
" Yeah, but it ran out of battery weeks ago. Maybe I should have put it in battery saving mode " Naofumi said as he took something out of his shield, it looked square in shape and black. A device from his world perhaps ?
" Apparently you can charge it with mana. My companions showed me how to do it, you just need to will your mana into your phone to charge it " Itsuki explained.
" I'm uh...still not quite sure how to use magic yet, besides the spells I got from the crystal balls " The Shield Hero turned to her " Mein can you do it ? "
" Let me try Naofumi " The princess took the strange device and willed her mana into it. Though she did feel a bit lightheaded at the feeling of transferring her mana into this thing " Ugh...that was disorienting. It should work now "
Mein handed the device back to Naofumi, who pressed some button on the side to turn it on. Surprised gasps came from Raphtalia and Jun, who were staring at the phone with curious wonder.
" Sweet. Now I can show Raphtalia how to play Candy Crush " Naofumi showed the device to Raphtalia who was staring in amazement " Its a game that you can play on this thing, I'll show you how to play it"
"Wow, this is amazing Master Naofumi-" Raphtalia said, almost falling out of her chair but quickly caught by Mein.
" Raphtalia finish your meal first, you can play with Master Naofumi's device later " Mein chided as she pushed another piece of bread into her mouth.
" Okay..."
Breakfast continued on like that for a while, the two heroes chatting and the Bow Heroe even took out some monster materials and drops he had acquired over his journey and gave them to Naofumi. As part of their business plan, Naofumi would be the one to sell off the materials and split the profits with the other heroes.
" I'm going to be busy hunting some more bandits, so we'll meet up again at the capital when we can okay ? "
" Sounds good, we're going to be heading to meet this friend of Ake's for a few more days "
" Excuse me, Sir Heroes ? "
A third voice cut through and they all turned to see an old man with white hair and a white beard at their table. Most likely the village lord.
" Yes, sir ? " Itsuki stood up and greeted the man.
" I am the lord of this village and would like to personally thank you both for protecting our home...we never would have survived that attack without your help and would have suffered much heavier losses afterwards if not for your assistance " The lord thanked them for their efforts " Unfortunately we are unable to pay you for your efforts since all our funds are going to rebuilding the village...and after this attack-"
" Its alright, we didn't do this for the money " Itsuki held up a hand to stop them " And if you want to make some fast cash to rebuild your village, you could try taking some of the gear off the bandits and selling it for cheap even if some is a bit dented. Or just use it yourselves to defend against anything else that tries to attack you..."
" That is...brilliant Sir Bow Hero ! Thank you for the suggestion "
" It my pleasure..." The Bow turned to Naofumi " So are you staying the night Naofumi ? "
" No, we better get a move on for today. Thanks for helping us out back there " Naofumi stood up and shook Itsuki's hand.
" No problem and hey, if you want you can join up with us to take down some bandit groups. We're aiming big..." Itsuki said with a smirk.
" I'll...think about it, come on let's go " Naofumi left some coins for the ingredients that he used before leaving the inn.
As they were leaving, Mein saw Lilian and her family waiting outside. The dryad in disguise waving her over.
" You go on ahead, I'll catch up " Mein said to Naofumi before walking over to Lilian.
" What do you want ? I'm in a hurry and we're about to leave " Mein said bluntly, probably sounding more rude than she intended but after what she endured this morning, she doesn't give a rat's ass about etiquette.
" Very well then, I will get straight to the point...I wanted to thank you, for defending the village " Lilian said blankly, though it held a slight tone of sincerity to it.
" We were in the village too, they would have killed us while they were raiding your village. The Bow Hero also helped a lot taking down the bandits " Mein shrugged" You should really be thanking the Shield Hero for helping defend your village "
" No, you could have cut and run while the bandits were busy killing and raiding us. But you stayed and defend, the people here will remember that " Lilian said with genuine respect in her tone.
Mein honestly didn't know how to respond to that, would she have stayed and defend had Naofumi also not been there ? She doesn't know the answer to that for certain...but she can't help but feel the respect she's getting from this dryad is a little unearned.
" And I also wanted to thank you " The man spoke up " The name's Robert and I appreciate you not revealing Lilian's presence "
" Its no problem " Mein said. And I did get something out of it anyway.
" Thank you so much scary lady " Racheal said, though there was a slight teasing to it.
" Your welcome. Goodbye Lilian "
" Take care...sorry, I never got your name "
" Its Mein. Mein Sophie "
The princess in disguise said as she walked back to the group that was already waiting for her.
" What was that all about Mein ? " Naofumi asked as she climbed onto Jun, seeing the conversation between her and Lilian.
" I'll tell you on the road " Mein said as they left Greenland village behind.
The village they had fought to defend slowly faded into the distance as they continued on their journey to become stronger.
Itsuki's POV
Unlike Naofumi, Itsuki had decided to stay in Greenland village for an extra night. Not just because he figured that his group could use the rest to recover...but because he also needed to gather some information about other bandit groups.
They had been doing well so far, taking out small and mid-sized bandit groups that terrorize the roads, rob merchants, raid villages, killing innocent people and kidnapping women. Those were all wins in his book...but Itsuki was looking at taking out much bigger fish, the kind that would make a real difference and send a message to all the scum in Melromarc that one of the heroes was not going to tolerate their existence.
He wanted the Hound Lord. The leader of the biggest and most organized group in the north. He wanted his head.
He just needed to find it. And he hoped some of the bandits they had captured, could tell him just that.
The local lord had granted him, Slayer and Armina access to the few prisoners they had captured after the raid. Apparently they were just waiting to hear back from the ruling noble's army to get these bastards transferred and probably executed for their crimes. So he had some time.
He stepped into the 'jail' which was a very small building, a bit bigger than a house maybe. It was clear that the village was not prepared for holding prisoners and just made use of whatever they could.
" Itsuki, are you sure you want to do this ? We can just leave this to Slayer " Armina warned as they stepped in front of the designated interrogation room.
" I'm sure...I have some experience in this field " Itsuki said simply, much to Armina's bewilderment.
" How old are you again ? "
" 17 "
" Goddamn...Slayer, say something for Chief God's sake !" Armina tried to rouse support from the older adventurer, only for him to turn his head away.
" If he wishes to come, than I can do nothing to stop him " Slayer replied.
" Its alright Armina...I'll be okay " Itsuki put a hand on her shoulder.
" That's honestly what I'm afraid of some days..." Armina whispered as Slayer and Itsuki entered the interrogation room.
It was a regular sized room that was devoid of any furniture...save for the bandit in the center of the group, sitting in a chair. With his hands tied behind his back.
Time to go to work. Hope he doesn't look too much like a rookie to Slayer.
The bandit was a dog man, with brown hair in his early to mid 30's from the looks of it. A gruff and angry look on his face as he turned his head up to glare at them.
" I'm saying anything you bastar-AGH !" The bandit was cut off when Slayer struck him across the mouth.
" Shut up dog " Slayer said, grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him up against the wall, holding him up by the throat.
Well, guess we're doing this, bad cop and even worse cop.
" Relax Slayer, let me ask a question at least first " Itsuki said as he told the veteran to cool his jets " Now me and my crew knows that your group has been completely destroyed...but what I'm curious about is knowing where the Hound Lord's base of operation is "
" Oh yeah, let me just grab that out my pocket " The dog said, right before he spit right into Slayer's helmet.
" Now that wasn't very nice " Itsuki said, before Slayer headbutted the man, breaking his nose and punching him in the gut a few more times.
Itsuki waited a minute before stepping in, stopping Slayer before he punched him again.
Now that Slayer has effectively hazed this bastard...the real work can begin.
" I'll take it from here Slayer " Itsuki ordered and the silver rank abide by his order, dropping the bandit to the ground.
Slayer stood by his side, as Itsuki knelled down to look the bandit straight in the eye.
" I-I'll never tell you bastards anything..."
" Oh, but you're already going to tell me plenty already " Itsuki said with a smile, looking deep into his eyes " I can see your whole history in your eyes "
" Bullshit "
" No, I can. Its a special power of mine " Itsuki said still smiling, thinking of questions to ask " You ever kill people ? Rob people ? You ever rape a woman ? "
"...I wouldn't touch one of you man animals if you were the last whores around. Unlike you bastards, I have standards..."
There it is.
" Alright, I'm going to read your mind now " Itsuki explained " You grew up with nothing, orphan ?"
Truth.
" You had to steal to survive, you were probably bullied a lot as a kid and grew up with a lot of anger towards humans correct ? "
" Fuck you..."
Truth.
" You joined up at soon as you were physically able and have heard lots of things about other bandit groups...hopping from one group to the next in hopes of climbing the food chain, huh ? "
"...I don't know what you're talking about "
" Right again..." Itsuki smirked " Why don't we skip this next part and you just tell me where I can find the Hound Lord ? "
" Go to hell..." The bandit tried to spit at him, but he easily dodged by turning his head slightly.
Itsuki let out a sigh, as he turned to more...scary tactics. He took out his bow and summoned an arrow.
" You know, I used to be bullied a lot too as a kid. I won't bore you with the nitty gritty details of it all, but...I actually am very grateful to my bullies " Itsuki told his story " They taught me many things about the world...one of them was pain...and that nobody in the whole wide world gives a shit about you if you're in pain "
Itsuki remembered those days, getting his ass beaten and mocked for having a weak quirk. Those days were long and torturous...but they made him stronger. Stronger than any of his bullies realized until it was too late.
Itsuki positioned the tip of the arrow at the bandit's eye.
" Shall I teach you something about pain ? "
The bandit looked close to shitting himself, he was almost quaking in fear. Good. Itsuki wanted him afraid.
"...I don't know where he is okay ? Nobody ever knows where is. Its a rule that bandit groups stay out of each other's territory to avoid getting into pissing contests with each other. The last thing any worthwhile bandit group wants is fighting a war with another group on top being hunted by the law, so I don't know where he is-"
Itsuki glared at the dog, edging the tip of the arrow very very close to his face.
"-But I heard that he was fucking up Reichnott and Rabier territory recently alright !? "
" Thank you..." Itsuki said before he stood up and left the room with Slayer, leaving the bandit to his own devices. Armina was waiting for them outside patiently.
" How did it go ? " Armina asked.
" The Hound Lord has been terrorizing Reichnott and Rabier county. We should be able to find him there " Itsuki answered.
" What's our next move then ? "
" We still have a few bandit groups to cross off our list before him. We'll deal with them before we go after the big fish " Itsuki said.
" Are you sure ? Why don't we just go after the Hound Lord right away, take out the big fish first ? " Armina questioned.
" Because if we do that, other bandit groups will probably swoop in to take his territory then we'll have a lot of bandit groups to take care of at once. Its better to take care of the small fish, before we go after the sharks " Itsuki explained his reasoning.
Armina seemed satisfied with that answer and nodded.
" Impressive work you did there. Where did you learn how to do that ? " Slayer inquired with slight curiosity in his tone.
" Like I said Slayer, my bullies taught me much about pain...and how to inflict it on others " Itsuki said, scarily calm as he spoke.
" Next time leave the interrogation to me "
Slayer suddenly saying that made Itsuki stop in his tracks and turn to the veteran adventurer.
" May I ask why ? " Itsuki questioned.
" Because I don't think its right for a boy no older than somebody who's around the starting age of most rookies things like this " Slayer said calmly.
" I didn't even lay a hand on the scumbag, so I don't get what you're getting so fussy about " Itsuki rolled his eyes.
" No you didn't, but I saw the look in your eyes...you were fully prepared to carve that dog's eye out with your arrow " Slayer pointed out.
And he was right. He was prepared.
" Going soft on me Slayer ? Don't tell me you're starting to grow a conscience for these scumbags " Itsuki said a bit more forcefully.
" Its not them I care about...its you and how you act that I'm concerned about " Slayer admitted.
Itsuki glared at Slayer " I don't want to hear this from the person who was beating the bandit in there, kinda hypocritical for you to be trying to play the wise sage, don't you think ? "
" I know it is and I don't think I'm wise..." Slayer confessed " But I have enough brains to know that someone your age shouldn't come close to doing the things that I do since I was younger than you when I started doing this shit. Nobody should follow me..."
Itsuki and Slayer stared each other, even from behind the visor Itsuki could feel Slayer's stare...and there was a hint of compassion and worry buried underneath all that metal, grime and anger. And maybe a hint of self-loathing there ?
He didn't know. But the Bow Hero turned away and walked back out into the village.
"...Let's just go "
The Hound Lord's head would be his soon enough. He could deal with Slayer's crap later.
Mein's POV
" So last night the Outsider came to you and told you to go hunt down the dryad that was near the village ? " Naofumi asked in surprise, as he held onto Filo's reins.
She had decided to sit on the carriage by his side, as Jun took a break and rested inside the carriage. It had been more than a few hours since they left the village behind and were making good pace, aside from breaks to eat and rest before continuing.
" That sums it up pretty well, yes " Mein nodded. After leaving Greenland village behind, Mein explained the whole story of what had happened last night to the Shield Hero. It wasn't like revealing the story would harm her standing with him anyway and it would be a good way to earn some brownie points by telling him about some of her night activities.
She had also given him the lock of Lilian's hair, which led him to unlock the Dryad Shield. Its stats were nothing spectacularly good, but Naofumi did note that the Shield gave him the skill ' Thorn Trap' which said that it created a trap made out of thorns to hurt enemies and slow them down.
" And you met with said dryad and talked to her ? " Naofumi asked.
" Something to that effect, yes . She explained that she lives in the village and that the village gives her animals to feed on in exchange for protection " Mein explained " She didn't seem to be lying so I decided to let her live after she gave me a lock of her hair to unlock something for us. She was that same woman in the green dress that was fighting alongside us "
" Is that so ?" Naofumi gave a long look at Filo " I guess since Filo and Jun can turn into humans and have the intelligence of children, I shouldn't be too surprised that there are monsters out there that have human intelligence "
" Yes, I have heard stories of other monsters that possess something beyond an animalistic instinct and primal intelligence. Those species tend to be far and few in between " Mein shrugged.
" Yeah..." Naofumi had a thoughtful look on his face " You know Mein, I can't figure this Outsider out...a lot of people make him sound like some kind of evil dark god, but...his actions and motives don't really make a lot of sense. Like he seems to go out of his way to give you advice sometimes, but never outright help you directly. Its really weird now that I think about it..."
" You're not the only one Naofumi, the Outsider is... for lack of better word, a mysterious and indecipherable figure for much of Medea's history. They say that he is neither outright good or evil, some believe that he gives these wonderful Marks out in hopes that his Marked will do something entertaining for his amusement " Mein said holding up her Marked hand and letting it glow red.
" What is the Outsider and the Void Mein ? "
That is a very difficult question to answer.
Mein took a deep breath before she responded.
" Look Naofumi, nobody really knows exactly what the Void or Outsider is, okay ? There is a lot of pseudo-arcane borderlining cult thinking there. Common wisdom that might be all crap " Mein explained, recalling from her lessons of old about the void and Outsider " What are the Void and Outsider you ask ? It really depends on who you're asking that question. Some believe him to be some kind evil outer god trying to take over our realm, others believe him to be a neutral figure in our world and that the void is some kind of dimension beyond our senses, and some even believe that the Void and Outsider are some kind of hellish afterlife for those who don't follow the principles of the heroes. Take your pick really, that's like- I'm having a really hard time trying to explain this "
" Use small words " Naofumi suggested.
" Imagine you're trying to dispel a magical seal that you've never seen before in your life and on a hunch you decide to throw a fireball at it, a completely unrelated spell from an unrelated field of magic and it works !" Mein gives an example " There's no reason it should work, you'd have to be downright insane to expect it to work !"
" And yet here we are " Naofumi commented.
" Yes, don't ask what that means because I have no idea " Mein said.
The two continued to drive in silence as Mein watched the sun go down over the horizon.
" Its getting dark, we should stop for the night and continue on tomorrow " Mein advised.
" Right " Naofumi simply said as he pulled over by the roadside.
" We stopping for the night ?" Ake poked his head out of the backseat to ask.
" Yup. Mein you start a fire, Ake set up the tents, I'll-"
" Could you run any louder you fat bird ! " Jun insulted Filo.
" Well, you smell ! You smelly dragon !" Filo shot back.
The two children immediately began arguing again.
" I'll...take care of this before getting started on dinner " Naofumi exasperatedly as he walked over to break up another argument between the two monster children.
" What about me ? " Raphtalia asked quietly.
" Help gather some sticks and kindling for me to start a fire, okay ? " Mein said gently, purposefully giving the girl an easy job for her to do.
" Okay !"
" Don't stray too far and stay where we can see you !" Mein called out.
" Are sure that's a good idea ?" Ake questioned giving her a long look.
" The girl wants to feel useful, she doesn't want to feel as though she's deadweight to the group. So might as well let her help a little " Mein said as she watched the young girl gather up sticks with her remaining arm and hold them in the armpit of her loss arm. Its good that she's gotten better at balancing herself.
Ake had no argument for that as he went to the back of the carriage to get their tents.
Mein picked a suitable spot to set up the fire, gathering up some rocks to form a circle with the intention of putting the fire in the middle.
" Here you go big sister Mein " Raphtalia approached her and Mein helped take the load of sticks and kindling she had gathered from her.
" This is plenty Raphtalia, thank you " Mein patted the girl on the head with her Marked hand.
The princess turned heretic got to work starting the fire with Raphtalia watching,looking very interested in how she was going to go about this. She assembled the wood in a triangle like the way she was taught. Putting the kindling in the middle to make sure that it burned from the inside.
" You want to make sure your fire gets enough oxygen to grow, but you don't want it to get too big that you start a forest fire. Too small and you won't be able to keep yourself warm, too big and you might end up attracting the wrong kind of attention. Judge the terrain and where you are before deciding on the size of your fire " Mein explained the concept.
She took out her knife and grabbed a rock with a somewhat flat-ish end.
" Now for the spark, you just need a little creativity" Mein said, striking her blade against the rock causing sparks to fly. She struck it a couple times near the center of the kindling until smoke started to burn.
" Yes, just like that..." Mein said blowing into the smoke to provide some oxygen " You don't want to give too much oxygen or else you'll extinguish it, you need to give it the right amount of-"
Another blow and the fire was starting to burn.
" There we go " Mein smiled as Raphtalia stared at the fire amazed " You learn something new everyday..."
" Thank you for teaching me big sister Mein " Raphtalia smiled " My father never really taught me anything like this "
" Its okay, I still have plenty to teach you "
It was at that moment that she noticed that Ake had been observing her the whole time, watching her like a hawk.
" What ? " Mein broke the silence.
" Nothing. Just wondering whether you actually knew how to start a fire besides tossing a fireball at it " Ake said with a slight tinge of mocking to it.
" Piss off. Shouldn't you be setting up the tents ? "
" Got it, got it..." Ake rolled his eyes as he got to work on it.
It was going to be a long night from the looks of it.
After getting Filo and Jun to calm down, Naofumi got started on dinner. Mein hunting down some rabbit pill and deer for him to cook up. The princess savored in eating the delicious meat prepared by the Shield Hero, the taste only amplified by his Egg Shield that improves his cooking ability. Its almost magical in its own way.
Filo and Jun ate tons of the meat, to the point where they immediately passed out after eating so much. Providing some much needed reprieve to Mein and Naofumi, after they put the two to sleep in their own tents.
At the moment, Mein was busy looking over her skill tree, Ake was sharpening his sword, Raphtalia poking the fire with a stick and Naofumi cleaning up after the meal.
" Hey, so uh...I've been meaning to ask but what's the deal with Siltvelt ? You've said that they worship me as a sorta god figure and you guys went to war with them, but not many specifics about them as a nation ?" Naofumi questioned. It was only natural that he would inquire about the nation that sees him as a literal god.
Mein and Ake shared a look, but it was the princess who spoke " Well, what do you want to know specifically ? "
" How they came to be ? Who they are, I guess " Naofumi shrugged.
" Its a long story..."
" We have time "
Mein took a deep breath, remembering the pieces of history and about the 'Great War' that took place decades ago.
" Very well Naofumi, I shall begin from the start. Siltvelt wasn't exactly a nation in the same sense like Melromarc. They are made up different beastman clans of different races, so they functioned more like an alliance than a proper country , with usually the Shield Hero at the helm or the High Council of Siltvelt " Mein explained slowly and made sure that Naofumi could follow along " This was changed last Wave when the Shield Hero at the time, Noriko Tatsumiya-"
" Wait a second, Noriko Tatsumiya was a past Shield Hero ?! " Naofumi interrupted.
" Yes...? Why is that strange to you ? " Mein looked confused as to why Naofumi reacted in such a manner.
" Um,nothing nevermind. Please continue " Naofumi changed the subject very badly and quickly.
Was Noriko Tatsumiya a notable figure in Naofumi's world ? It would explain why he reacted in such a manner.
Mein ignored that thought for now as she continued " Anyway, Noriko reshaped Siltvelt into the strongest, most terrifying empire Medea had ever seen under her reign. Managing to bring all the bickering clan heads and chieftains under her rule. She was also the one who destroyed Q'ten Lou, the self proclaimed 'Judge of Heroes', the one nation that could have potentially stood up to her got crushed under her boot "
" Goddamn..." Naofumi muttered, obviously not happy hearing about what some of his predecessors did.
"Thankfully this didn't last forever, after she died the different clan heads and Chieftains started turning on each other, with their Empress dead and no one to keep them in line the beastman started turning on each other, everyone fighting with each for power " Mein tells in detail what happened after the Empress death " Despite all the in-fighting, their army was still the strongest and at the height of its power, it compressed most of the current free cities of today. The defense pact of Zeltoble was all Siltvelt's land and Shiltfreedeen sworn their fealty as a vassal of Siltvelt out of fear of their army "
" Shiltfreedeen ? Zeltoble ? Are those other countries ? " Naofumi questioned.
" Zeltoble is a mercenary country that is generally lawless, while Shiltfreeden was established by the lower caste of beastman and mistreated demi-humans from Siltvelt after they broke away in an exodus. I'll tell you about them later, but let's stay on topic for now " Mein changed the subject back to the main topic " Anyway Siltvelt's army had started encroaching on Melromarc land and tensions were quickly rising between our two nations. The first Princess at the time, Princess Margaret entered into a peace talk with the clan heads in order to get them to retreat from Melromarc land "
" I take it things didn't go so well..." Naofumi already had a hunch of where this story was going.
" It didn't. The attendant of one of Melromarc's army commander Karen Bowman went rogue, betrayed the second Princess Mirellia and launched a pre-emptive strike during the negotiation talks. Her intentions were supposedly that if she managed to take out some of the clan heads and Chieftains, the rest of the beastman horde would be humbled and run back to their lands "
" And that's what didn't happen ? "
" No...the strike was a complete failure, most of the leaders got away in the confusion and once word got back to the Siltvelt council, the beastman leaders were enraged and quick to unite against their common enemy " Mein tried to hide the spite out of her tone when she thought about the sheer stupidity of Karen Bowman. On paper it was a sound tactic, but the fool wasn't even competent enough to execute it correctly and the rest of Melromarc ended up paying the price as a result for her foolishness.
" Melromarc's army was quickly crushed and Siltvelt iron boots marched forward, leading to an almost decade long occupation for most of Melromarc. It was until the Clan Head of Siltvelt's White Tiger clan kidnapped Princess Lucia in a peace negotiation, leading to Faubley finally joining the Great War and helping the Alliance of Men beat back the Siltvelt animals. Though at this point, most of Melromarc was in ruins "
" So in short instead of trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution, your nation picked a fight against a larger, stronger and organized force pissed off at you. Because the attendant of the princess commander was a reckless idiot and didn't think her entire plan through. I can't imagine...actually no, I can totally see something like this happening back in my world. There's plenty of stupid shit there. So what happened to this 'Princess Mirellia' and Princess Margaret ?"
" As for Princess Mirellia, she is the current reigning queen of our nation, after she was rescued from captivity by our current King Aultcray. The Great War had claimed the lives of her mother Queen Lianne and sister Princess Margaret "
" She was taken captive ? " Naofumi attention was caught on that part.
" Yes, she was held for some time by one of the Chieftain's who occupied Melromarc at the time. Both herself and Princess Margaret " Mein shrugged.
" Damn...I can't imagine that it was easy, being held that long and losing your family. I'm not all too close with my own family and I would be sad if they died, I can't imagine what it was like for her " Naofumi said with sympathy in his voice.
The princess can't help but feel annoyed at the fact that she unintentionally helped her mother score sympathy points with Naofumi. The last thing she wants is Naofumi falling in mother's sphere of influence than Mein is truly fucked. She doesn't know the full details of her mother's captivity and she doesn't want to know either. She's not going to let herself feel an ounce of sympathy for the woman who left her to die.
Raphtalia's yawn stopped her from talking further and Mein saw that Raphtalia looked ready fall asleep.
" I think that's enough talking about history for tonight, its time to put Raphtalia to bed, come on Raphtalia " Mein gestured the girl to her tent and she tucked her into bed.
" Goodnight Raphtalia "
" Goodnight big sister..." Raphtalia said as she drifted off to sleep.
Mein yawned a bit too as it was left to just Ake, Naofumi and Mein who were awake.
" We need a guard in case, we get attacked or something " Ake said as he rubbed his eyes.
" I'll take first watch tonight, you two can go to sleep " Mein said as she leaned up against a tree.
" Are you sure Mein ? I can stay up if you want " Naofumi offered.
" That's kind of you Naofumi, but I can stay up by myself " Mein waved him off.
" Come on Mein, I know you didn't get much sleep. At least let's do it in shifts " Naofumi said a bit more forceful.
" Fine, I'll wake you up and then you can take over " Mein nodded.
That's what she said, but as Naofumi and Ake went to sleep, and left her to stare up at the moon...
She found herself drifting off to sleep and closing her eyes.
When Mein opened her eyes again, it was because a noise had roused her awake. She briefly cursed herself for allowing herself to fall asleep before turning back to the noise-
It was coming from Raphtalia's tent. It was low shouting and...screaming ? Mein saw the side of the tent get kicked forward.
Was Raphtalia having some kind of nightmare induced thrashing ?
Mein quietly approached the tent, deciding to take the gentle approach.
" Raphtalia dear ? Are you okay ? What's wrong ? " Mein said a little worried.
" B-Big sis ?! " Raphtalia sounded very surprised at the fact that she was there " GO AWAY !" Raphtalia practically screeched at her, which was uncharacteristic with her normal behavior.
In the entire time Mein had spent with Raphtalia, she had gotten a good handle on some things to note. She was saddened at the deaths of her friends and family, shy most of the time, traumatized definitely...but she was never this aggressive or angry. Even during her nightmare screaming episodes, she would never get overly angry at one of them.
And what's more her voice sounds...different. Different from the usual voice Mein had grown accustomed to. Deeper than before...
Something wasn't right.
" I'm coming in " Mein announced as she held open the flap.
" NO DON'T COME IN-"
It was too late, Mein had already pushed the flap away and looked inside. And what Mein found was not at all what she was expecting.
Sitting in the tent was not the 10 year old raccoon girl Mein had put to bed earlier...but instead it was a woman around 20 years old, sporting the same hair and the same raccoon ears as her little raccoon. She also missing her right arm and was mostly naked, with scraps of clothing covering her body.
" Raphtalia ? " Mein said surprised.
" NO ! Don't look I-"
A puff of smoke blinded Mein...and when it cleared, in its place was a little tanuki. Though like before the tanuki was missing one of its limbs and fell flat on its face.
" What the fu-"
Another puff of smoke and Raphtalia was back to her normal child self.
Mein couldn't believe her eyes...Raphtalia had transformed from an adult to a tanuki to a child before her eyes.
This...is definitely not what I was expecting.
" I...I can explain..." Raphtalia said shyly.
" Yes, I think we need to have a talk Raphtalia "
So yeah...that just happened. To those of you wondering, yes, the idea of Raphtalia having shapeshifting powers was in fact borrowed from Qin's story. Originally I didn't actually plan to give Raphtalia any of these powers but made this change because since I'm giving Raphtalia a massive and literal handicap with the loss of her arm, I figured that giving her access to shapeshifting powers on top of powers granted to her by Mein's Mark would be a good way to at least somewhat balance things out for her.
I also felt like it was more natural for Mein to figure it out right away, since she's more suspicious and in some ways more intuitive. So she would know that something was up with Raphtalia the moment it happened.
I hope you all enjoyed the bandit raid and Itsuki showing up. I hope I managed nail the right amount of action,I find that writing action scenes to be hard for me since I think I'm not nearly as good at writing them as I think I am.
And Itsuki's interrogation scene...I'll be honest with you all, his character is becoming much more unnerving than I ever intended for him to be. To the point where I think he outclasses Mein in the scary as hell department. I love it. And I got to show a bit more human side to Slayer which is a win to me.
One other thing I wanted to point out is that while I may have borrowed some of Qin's original ideas on the 'Great War', I did take a few creative liberties here and there...you'll see what I mean eventually.
With that said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.