I'm glad I managed to get this chapter out in just a bit over a week. Hopefully I can churn out a couple more before my next semester starts.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter.
With that said, let's get it started !
Chapter 36: Dead Men Tell No Tales
After getting the gemstone they needed to craft Filo and Jun's clothes, they started heading all the way back to the capital to Aunt Nellie's. Naofumi had to admit that it was a bit of a pain, but it was worth it if it meant that they could finally have Jun and Filo be around them, without risk of their clothes tearing or worse getting accused of being a pedophile which Naofumi definitely wanted to avoid.
Three days had passed since they left the monster dungeon behind and Mein had barely spoken more than a few words. No more than was actually needed to maintain communication. She constantly had her hood pulled up and when they stopped to rest for a while, she barely ate.
The Shield Hero glanced at his first companion currently sitting in the driver seat of the carriage, leading Filo this time around. He looked over at Ake who was giving him a look that screamed ' Quit being a bitch and just go talk to her'.
If only it was that easy. Naofumi has been meaning to talk to Mein, but she would always evade the topic and be too busy to talk or something or the other. It didn't help that Naofumi didn't even know exactly what was bugging Mein to begin with, since she didn't tell any of them what had transpired in the time she split up from them to re-joining them later.
Naofumi couldn't help but feel like this was when you pissed off your girlfriend but she didn't want to tell you what you did wrong and you were left in dread wondering. Though perhaps that comparison is a bit too silly and whimsical for Mein.
He glanced over at Raphtalia who looked sad since Mein shouted at them, she was trying to read a grimoire but seemed to be proving difficult for her. Jun had a dejected look on his face, no doubt from the fact that Mein wasn't talking to anyone, including him since two days ago.
Naofumi let out a sigh, acknowledging that if anybody was going to talk to Mein, it had to be him. It was necessary but Naofumi couldn't deny feeling some anxiety over their upcoming talk.
Its just talking to her. Quit being a coward and just talk to her, what's the worst that could happen ?
Knowing Mein, a multitude of different things could happen but he'll kept that to himself.
Before Naofumi could do anything, he felt the carriage weirdly slow down all of a sudden. He glanced over at Ake who had noticed this too and gave a jerk of his head that told him to go talk to Mein about it. Of course, it had to be him.
The Shield Hero peeked his head out the front of the carriage at Mein, who was sitting in the driver's seat with her hood pulled up.
" Mein, what's going on ? Why are we stopping ? " Naofumi asked his redhead companion, who was still as stoic as ever.
She didn't answer right away instead pointing ahead of them with her finger " Look "
Naofumi looked ahead on the road were 4 grey wolves...and they were feasting on what looked to be a deer of some sort. Their bloody sharp teeth making Naofumi flinched as they ripped the deer apart limb by limb.
" That deer looks pretty tasty..." Filo drooled a little.
" Filo, no " Naofumi lightly scolded the bird girl before turning back to Mein " Do you think we can drive through and they won't follow ? "
" Probably..." Mein said but she got off the carriage and approached the wolves without a moment's hesitation.
" Mein, what are you doing !?" Naofumi shouted from back in surprise at seeing his companion very calmly approach the wolves.
" I feel like killing something..." Mein responded back with sword in hand.
That should not be a normal thing to say for a human being.
Naofumi quickly got out the back of the carriage and watched Mein walk towards the wolves, the way she walked was distracted, purposeless, almost as if her instincts was controlling her instead of her mind.
The wolves noticed Mein approach them and growled at her viciously, blood dripping from their mouths and looking ready to pounce...but Naofumi already knew that Mein was the real predator here.
The first wolf jumped at Mein, aiming for her throat- but Mein blinked to the side and thrust her sword into the heart of the wolf, making it cry out in pain and cause blood to start to spill from its wound. Mein finished it off with a harsh kick to the throat that broke its neck.
The remaining three wolves all seemed to understand the present danger and now seemed to be more cautious about Mein. Two of them attacking at the same time while the other hanged back. Mein didn't move an inch.
Instead she calmly sidestepped the first wolf's attack , before delivering a slash to the second one that charged at her, a clean cut right across the eyes that left the wolf sprawling on the ground in pain. The first wolf didn't last much longer as Mein shoved her blade through it when it tried to jump at her.
Naofumi watched in slight fear as she stabbed the second downed wolf straight through the brain, killing it instantly.
The last wolf visibly whimpered in fear of Mein, backing away as a result. Naofumi didn't know whether to be impressed or kinda scared at the fact that Mein was able to strike fear into the hearts of animals and monsters too. Before Mein could get any closer to the last wolf, it turned tail and bolted into the forest. Disappearing into the treeline and bushes.
Naofumi let out a sigh as the wolf fled, at least it was finally over-
The Shield Hero watched just in time to see Mein chase after the wolf into the trees and bushes, blade in hand and a bloodthirst in her movements.
" Mein, where are you-" He was too late as Mein was had already disappeared into the treeline " Goddamnit !"
" What's going on ? " Ake called out from the front of the carriage.
" Stay here, I'm going after Mein !" Naofumi said before he ran off into the trees. He switched to a lighter shield to let him run faster, but he couldn't really tell if it helped or not. His Barbarian Armor was made out of mostly leather but it still weighed him down and made him slow.
Fortunately he didn't have to run very far in order to catch up to Mein. Since she seemed to have already caught up to the fleeing wolf, who only made it as far into a small clearing covered by the trees.
The last wolf was unfortunately too slow to escape the fast speed of Mein, it was easy to forget that she was also the fastest member among them. Which meant the wolf had virtually no chance of escape.
When he found Mein in the clearing, he could see that she had already ended the wolf's life by stabbing it in its sides...
What Naofumi found horrifying was when she started stabbing her blade into the wolf's body repeatedly.
The Shield Hero stood in shock for a moment as he watched Mein repeatedly stab the dead body of the wolf. That was when he heard her breathing become ragged and heavy, seeing the look in Mein's eyes revealed a sort of hidden anger. Each and every one of her thrusts seemed fueled by that undying anger and hate.
He almost wondered if she was imagining that the wolf's corpse was somebody else she hates.
Naofumi shook himself out of his stupor as he moved to intervene, no longer being able to watch as Mein stabbed at least a hundred more holes into the wolf.
" Mein...Mein ! Stop, its dead already !" Naofumi shouted but Mein didn't stop, just continuing stabbing
" Stop, will you...STOP !" Naofumi had enough and grabbed her swordarm and held her back. It was actually kinda difficult on account that Mein was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked but he managed to pull her away from the wolf's body.
She finally did stop and her breathing slowed down to what he thinks was normal for her. Her clothes silver boots were splattered with blood and some had gotten on her battle skirt too, but she was silent about it the whole time.
" Mein, what the hell has gotten into you ?" Naofumi got right out to it. This wasn't like the Mein he knew at all or at the least one he's gotten to know these past few weeks.
The Mein he knew was calculating with her moves, smart, everything she did had a purpose and reason behind it. Running off into the forest to go after a sole wolf just because she felt like killing something wasn't at all like her. Even her executing those bandits a while back...he may not have liked it, but there was some reason to the precision of violence.
Was this another side of Mein he had no idea of ? Or was this just something he had never even noticed until now ?
He didn't know, but he had to find out.
"...I felt like killing somethi-"
" That is not a normal or healthy response and you know it ! " Naofumi said in frustration " Seriously Mein, what the hell happened back in the dungeon that's got you acting like this ? "
Mein was silent for a moment, turning away and crossing her arms. It was unclear to Naofumi whether she was pondering whether she should tell him or considering blinking away to avoid this conversation.
" I was attacked back at the dungeon, okay ? " Mein said quietly.
" You were attacked ? Why didn't you say anything, were you hurt or-"
" I wasn't quite attacked...physically..." Mein interrupted him, fidgeting a little as she spoke " The creatures I fought, they seemed to have the ability to read my mind and...take on the forms of people I knew "
They could read her mind and shapeshift too ?
" I saw you and Raphtalia there, you know..." Mein said quietly.
She saw us ?
" What did...we say ? "
" Do you really want to know the answer to that question ? " Mein said and Naofumi regretted asking that question slightly. But he was starting to get a clear picture on why she had been acting like this recently.
" Mein...you have to know that what you saw wasn't real-"
" Of course, I know it wasn't real !" Mein shouted back " But...what I heard it felt real...and it wasn't just you and Raphtalia who were there, he was also-"
Mein stopped herself before she could continue, as if she was holding some kind of deep dark secret close to her chest and was close to accidentally revealing it. It made Naofumi both intrigued and concern, because he felt that whoever 'he' was, he seemed to be the cause of Mein's current state.
" Who are you talking about Mein ? " Naofumi said gently " Who did you see ? "
Mein was silent once again, as if contemplating to tell him or not.
" I saw my father..." She said quietly, barely above a whisper.
" Your father ? Is he..."
" He's dead. He died when I was around 10 years old, my mother had died just a few years prior to that. I was raised by my aunts and uncles " Mein said blankly, but Naofumi detected a tone of sadness mixed with grief in there.
" Mein I'm...I'm so sorry..." Naofumi sounded genuinely sympathetic to Mein's situation. He had lost some distant grandparents over the years, but he had no idea what it was like to lose a parent.
" Don't be. I've gotten over it already... "
Naofumi's brows furrowed, the death of a parent isn't something a person just 'gets over' and from the looks of it, Mein never did. He himself didn't have the best or closest relationship with his own parents...but even he would be sad if they ever just suddenly died if he was still just a kid.
" Seeing him again...it reminded me a lot about my childhood...who I am as a person...and how alone I am " Mein rattled off.
Naofumi expression turned to one of sympathy as he took a step forward.
In an act of either boldness, bravery or stupidity...Naofumi reached out and held Mein's hand, surprising the red head.
" You're not alone Mein..." Naofumi whispered " You have me, Raphtalia , Jun and many others who are here with you through thick and thin "
Mein didn't seem to react at the moment...until Naofumi felt her squeeze his hand comfortingly.
" Thank you...Naofumi " Mein said as she pulled down her hood, showing her beautiful face again.
" No problem, now come on, let's get back to the others. They're probably worried sick over us "
Mein smiled, probably for the first time in the past two days " Indeed..."
Mein's POV
Their little group spent the majority of the day travelling with little interesting beside her own wolf hunt earlier of note. They eventually stopped by the side of the road where there were fortunately a nearby stream that they could use to wash up. Mein even helped catch some fish for dinner, which would have been much easier if Filo hadn't constantly been jumping into the river and scaring all the fish.
After setting up the tents and fire, Mein had one last important thing to do for the day before she could allow herself to rest.
She pulled Raphtalia, Jun and Naofumi aside to give them a proper apology.
" Raphtalia, Jun, Naofumi...I want to apologize to you all for yelling back at the dungeon " Mein said sincerely. She had yelled at all of them back at the dungeon...now that she has a little bit more clarity of her mind, she regretted what she said.
And she wasn't so proud that she was incapable of giving a sincere apology. Thomas had taught her better than that.
Raphtalia weakly smiled " Its okay big sis, we know you didn't mean it..."
" Of course, you weren't thinking straight at the time " Naofumi gently smiled at her " Can't stay mad at you when you saw things that...weren't there "
" I still love you mother !" Jun wasted no time hugging her.
" You are both too good for me " Mein smiled as she patted both Jun and Raphtalia on the head.
" Hey, what about me and Filo ? " Ake called out from the fire. While Filo was too busy chewing on a fried fish to pay attention or care.
" Sorry, I don't care enough about either of you to give a sincere apology " Mein snarked back.
Ake very calmly raised his middle finger and gave her the bird. The universal signal for 'fuck you'.
" Wait a second, the 'bird' has been invented here ? " Naofumi asked in surprise.
" Of course, some of the first heroes were the ones that's brought it into this world when they were summoned " Mein explained as Naofumi laughed.
" O-Of course, they did..." Naofumi tried to stifle his laughter to no avail.
Mein rolled her eyes but she was at least glad that things were better...for now at least.
Once dinner was finished and Mein had some time to herself, she went about absorbing some of the Nue materials that Naofumi had given her earlier. She was impressed hearing that the group managed to defeat a nue all by themselves. But she supposes that she shouldn't be too surprised with Ake's help and Naofumi's intelligence.
She didn't unlock anything of particular notice from the Nue, except for some thunder resistance enhancements which she won't complain about and some others.
New Skill Unlocked!
Shocking Grasp
When touching someone, deliver a powerful shock of lightning to stun them. Only usable with hands.
Mein couldn't help but turn her nose up at the new skill, it wasn't outright terrible but it did feel a little situational since she would have to use her hands to use this skill. Then again, she can always get creative and use this skill for more interrogation type matters.
She turned to the rune she had acquired from the dungeon...she swears to the Outsider that this better unlock some kind of useful skill for her to use. She aligned her Mark up with the rune and let it be absorbed.
New Skill Unlocked!
Bend Time
Slow time down for a few seconds
Mein's eyes widened as she looked at her HUD and she had to read that line again to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.
She could control time !? Well, technically just slow it down for just a few seconds but it was still a very powerful skill. Very few mages and even heroes in known history had the power to control time. And she just had it as a skill.
Mein smirked as she felt her mood improve considerably.
After she was done with that, she sat with the others by the fire, Naofumi gently prodding the fire with a stick while Ake was busy sharpening his sword. Filo seemed to be busy looking at a bug with a hungry look in her eyes.
Mein took a good look at her surroundings to make sure that there were no immediate threats and there didn't seem to be any wayward monsters sneaking up on them.
" So uh...Ake, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now " Naofumi broke the ice of silence, which caught both the knight and Mein's attention.
" What is it ? "
" Are there any like...good noble houses in Melromarc ? " Naofumi asked awkwardly.
" What brought this on ? " Ake raised an eyebrow at the Shield Hero.
" Well, me and the other heroes don't trust the King...I guess the Amelia's were fine, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Lady Iris was trying to butter us up " Naofumi recalled the party they had at Iris's house after the 2nd Wave " So I was thinking if there were any good noble houses in Melromarc. At least ones that don't hate demi-humans outright"
Naofumi glanced over at Raphtalia when he said that and Mein inferred what he was getting at: He was looking for a place where demi-humans like Raphtalia could live in peace. Unfortunately places like those are far and few in between in Melromarc.
And its definitely easier listing off noble houses that aren't self-entitled cunts like Consevatie family than listing all the bad ones.
" The Arc and Seatto family come to mind. They are both martial houses and pretty honorbound people " Ake explained " The Arc family is pretty okay with demi-humans for the most part, while the Seatto is...or I suppose was, more open about their acceptance of demi-humans. Port Harp was their crown pinnacle of what cooperation between humans and demi-humans could achieve...all rubble now "
" Right..." Mein said as she patted Raphtalia on the head, who whimpered at the reminder of her home " Perhaps you should move on Ake "
" Sure. I suppose House Claes and Noches are...neutral, but they aren't so bad from what I've heard. The Amelia's are opportunistic pragmatists at best and the rest of the noble houses may very well choose to support you to further their own agenda or betray you heroes later down the line " Ake gave the bitter reality.
" Great..." Naofumi let out a sigh as he leaned back " Well, at least we have some options..."
" Then may me and my companions offer one more ? "
In that moment, a low ominous voice pierced Mein's ears, causing her instincts to flare up as she sensed danger close to them. Her eyes dart to the shadows behind her to locate the voice and she performs a barrel roll towards Naofumi and Raphtalia before a hand could reach out and grab her. Her sword is out and pointed at the group of people coming out of the shadows. They wore black cloaks with the hoods pulled up to hide their faces in its shadows.
Ake and Naofumi already have their weapons out, while Filo and Jun growl at the group. Raphtalia tried to stand with them, but she couldn't hide her fear at the sudden appearance of these mysterious people.
The two groups stared at each other for a moment, neither one making a move but Mein noticed
Suddenly the man at the front held up his hands " My apologies, perhaps we should have been more tactful with our approach "
Mein didn't soften the least in her glare at the front man " You. Approach...slowly and pull down your hood. Keep those hands where I can see them "
The front man looked back at his comrades as he took a brave step forward and slowly pulled down his hood, revealing a pair of raccoon ears...and a face that Mein recognized.
" I remember you...you are that raccoon that met us back at the blacksmith shop in Woodpine " Mein still remembered their encounter back in Woodpine. She knew there was something off about this raccoon.
" This is the guy you met Mein ? " Naofumi asked in surprise to which she nodded.
" So you do remember me, I suppose I should feel honored " The raccoon man gave a half smile " Please can we all just lower our weapons, we mean you no harm..."
" Tell the rest of your group to step forward, any sudden moves and I'll break your legs afterwards " Mein threatened and she was completely serious about it.
The group looked agitated at her threat, but the raccoon man held up his hand and told his group to step towards them into the light. It was then that Mein could see that they were a small group of people, a small team of 5 people...including the raccoon man. The princess could also see the outline of blades at their sides.
" Kick your weapons over to us..." Mein said simply, not dropping her blade for a second.
" Mein, is that really necessary ? " Naofumi questioned.
" I don't want to take any chances " Mein said, not taking her eyes off the group " Do it..." Mein repeated.
The raccoon man sighed as he and his group kicked over their weapons, which were just a couple of...katana's and shortswords ?
" Alright, now that you are not an immediate threat...who are you and what business do you have with our group ? " Mein asked suspiciously.
The team looked among each other, as if contemplating what to say, before the supposed leader stepped forward.
" We are Shinobi from the land of Q'ten Lou...we come here to plead for the Shield Hero's assistance "
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A sharp silence washed over their group, Ake gasped in shock for a second while Raphtalia hid behind her leg. Naofumi held up his shield even higher at that, while Jun and Filo looked confused.
Mein herself was going through panic, shock and acceptance all in the span of a few seconds. She should have accepted some of the other nations would send their envoys and spies into Melomarc, either to curry favor with one of the heroes or even outright try to convince them to flee Melromarc. Mein was honestly more worried about Siltvelt Ravens coming after Naofumi than the spies from a dead nation.
This could be a while different problem altogether, especially with Raphtalia being the granddaughter of Emperor Kajirou.
" How do we know, you are who you say ? " Ake asked.
The raccoon man slowly, very slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring " This is the signet ring of House Uzumaki. You can't get it anywhere else outside of Q'ten Lou..." He flicked the ring over to Ake, who caught it and inspected it.
The knight spent about a minute inspecting the ring before giving a nod " Its the real thing. Not a forgery as far as I can tell..."
" Alright, so you really are...Shinobi from Q'ten Lou, but what do you guys want with me ? "Naofumi stepped up, not quite lowering his shield yet. Out of protectiveness of Raphtalia no doubt.
" Like I said before..." The raccoon man and his group knelled down and bowed their heads towards them " We have come to beg for your mercy and assistance Shield Hero "
" Uh...okay, but you don't need to bow " Naofumi awkwardly said.
" Of course, my apologies " The raccoon and his team got back up.
" Getting back on topic, you said that you wanted my help ? "
" Yes, you may have been made aware about the existence of Q'ten Lou...but you may not know is how dire our home nation's situation really is " The raccoon man said with a grave expression " Famine and poverty plague our lands, a good majority of our island is uninhabitable wasteland, we are practically defenseless against the wave and the common people are living in a constant state of fear and hopelessness... our homeland is tethering on the edge of total destruction"
Naofumi looked genuinely unnerved while Mein noticed that Raphtalia fidgeted uncomfortably-perhaps it is because this is the first time she has ever heard about where her family's lineage comes from ?
" The Shield Hero Noriko Tatsumiya decimated our lands, slaughtered our armies, even now after so much time has passed, the effects are still being felt to this day " The raccoon made his heartfelt plea " We beg of you to help us..."
Naofumi seemed to take a moment to consider everything he had just heard, before he spoke.
" You could have gone to any of the other heroes, why go to the guy with the exact same weapon as the woman who destroyed your nation ? " Naofumi asked but Mein already knew the answer.
" I won't insult your intelligence by trying to lie...it is because you are the rightful King of Siltvelt and hold power there that we have come to you to ask you to not follow in the same footsteps as one of your predecessors, Noriko who viciously attacked our island and-"
" If you're going to try and lie about your own history, perhaps you should make sure that there's nobody around to correct you on it " Mein interrupted which made the raccoon man flinch.
While Mein was definitely not the best student in terms of academics, even she had heard about the history of Q'ten Lou along with the real reason for why 'Bloody Fist Noriko' destroyed it.
" Lie about history ? What do you mean Mein ? " Naofumi turned to her.
" What our raccoon friend here is omitting from his story about how his nation was destroyed...was the reason for why Noriko attacked in the first place and the people of Q'ten Lou were hardly innocent in this case " Mein explained and the Shinobi along with Raphtalia even seemed to flinch as she speaks.
" Originally Q'ten Lou existed as a simple hermit nation that nobody really cared about or respected. They didn't even hold any sway or power in the way of international politics at the world at large " Mein retold everything she remembered from her history lessons " This was changed some time ago, when the people of the hermit nation unearthed some kind of rare and special ore that could only be found on their island. This allowed them to create weapons and armor that were resistant to the Cardinal and Vassal weapons, giving an average soldier the power to overwhelm a Hero "
" This of course, allowed them to finally gain some ground on the world stage and they even gave themselves the title of 'The Judge of Heroes',the nation that keeps the heroes in check " Mein took a breath before continuing " After Noriko Tatsumiya was summoned, there were reportedly some...disagreements between Siltvelt and Q'ten Lou. While the actual details of these disagreements are unknown, this lead to heightened tensions between the two nations, with neither side willing to back down "
" Don't tell me Noriko attacked Q'ten Lou over some petty disagreements ? "
" No...it was actually the hermit nation that attacked first "
" Wait a second ! " Naofumi turned back to the Shinobi " You guys were the ones who attacked first ? "
The Shinobi didn't speak but instead nodded their heads in shame.
" But why even ? Why did they attack ? "
" World domination " Mein said simply " That's the reason most scholars agree on. Apparently, the hermit nation felt that they had been mistreated and forgotten for too long and that the current cycle of heroes was...unsuitable. So they sought to kill all of the Cardinal and Vassals in a bid to take over the world. They had some success too, managing to take out 3 of the Vassals and reportedly some of Noriko's personal party at the time "
" This obviously didn't last long. After regrouping with the other Cardinals and Vassals, she rallied her troops and attacked the hermit nation. The island was decimated when Emperor Kajirou released the stored up magic of the ancient Holy Sakura in an attempt to wipe out Noriko and her forces...which failed and just turned most of the island into a wasteland. Afterwards she ordered all of their anti-hero weapons and armor to be destroyed, the blacksmiths who made the gear were either executed or disappeared...and so ends the tale of the 'Judge of Heroes' " Mein finished with a breath.
The Shield Hero had long since lowered his shield, now taking on a more thinking expression as he assessed all the information she had just given him.
" Is my companion correct ? " Naofumi asked curtly.
"...Yes, everything your companion has told you is correct about my nation " The Shinobi leader and his companions all had sad looks on their face " I will not pretend that my nation are blameless victims in the history of the conflict between Q'ten Lou and Siltvelt...but I ask you Shield Hero, haven't we suffered enough !? "
Naofumi was caught off guard by the sudden shout, as the raccoon man looked passionate about what he was saying right now.
" The people who are living on Q'ten Lou right now...none of them were even alive when our idiotic ancestors thought it would be a good idea to pick a fight with the rest of the world and most of them were killed when Noriko attacked the island " The Shinobi spoke with honesty and passion in his voice " Now we are still paying the price and being judged for the actions of a bunch of deadmen none of us had the displeasure of knowing...our nation isn't allowed to have an official army, we aren't even allowed a seat at the international conference to stake our bid to summon a hero. We are completely at the mercy of the rest of the world..."
Mein glanced over at Naofumi who had a look...familiarity on Naofumi's face ? He was empathizing with the Shinobi for sure, but there was something else at play here that Mein couldn't figure out.
" Yeah, I can relate to that..." Naofumi could relate ? Was the nation he lived in back in his world part of some Great War too ? Mein was unsure as Naofumi spoke " But what would you want me to do anyway ? "
" When you eventually reach Siltvelt and they crown you their King, please give clemency to our island and allow us to build stronger relations that aren't
" Well...I haven't really had much thoughts about going to Siltvelt and becoming King...but I will do what I can to make sure your nation doesn't suffer anymore " Naofumi nodded " You have my word "
" Thank you...Shield Hero "
The princess cursed under her breath, it seems the Shinobi have managed to worm their way into Naofumi's good graces by appealing to his sympathy. And Mein can't even properly snub them without making herself look like the bad guy. Not when these Shinobi have followed them all the way-
Wait a second...if these men have been following us for a while now, that's mean they've been monitoring us and that would mean...
Mein's brain allowed her to come to a single conclusion and it was one that genuinely terrified her.
" Hold on a moment " Mein cut into the conversation making all eyes turn to her. She glared directly at the Shinobi in front of them " How long have you been following us Shinobi ? "
"...Since before the second wave "
" You were those cloaked bastards that we saw tailing us " Ake chimed in.
" Yes..."
" If that's true and you have been monitoring our movements...then you know what I am...and who the girl is, don't you ? " Mein said threateningly.
It was the only thing that made sense, no way this group had spent so long tracking and following them that they had never once saw Mein using her Marked powers or Raphtalia transforming.
"Yes, I am aware of what you are and who that raccoon girl is..." The Shinobi leader glanced over at the raccoon girl hiding behind Mein's leg " Didn't expect to find Emperor Kajirou's great granddaughter all the way out here..."
Mein grimaced as she raised her sword again, prepared to engage the Shinobi. She should be able to take them all out quickly if she uses her newly acquired Bend Time power combined with Blink.
" Mein wait ! We don't need to fight ! I think we can trust these guys " Naofumi said naively.
" Yes, please be assured that your secret is safe with me and my team "
" Yeah, that's real reassuring..." Mein doubted the honesty of the Shinobi.
" Let me clear here when I say that our mission was to make contact with the Shield Hero and ask him for clemency...to be frank, our nation has bigger problems to worry about than going after the grandchildren of our dead emperor " The Shinobi leader explained " And we are not stupid enough to go spreading rumors or trying to expose one of the companions of the Shield that we are trying to beg for aid "
Mein lowered her weapon a little, that made sense.
" And before you go thinking that me and my team is planning to make use of this blackmail, who would even believe us ? Our word isn't worth crap at the world stage and I have no doubts that me and my team would be executed before we could set foot into a court "
Mein thought about it for a minute and found that she was agreeing with the Shinobi.
" Alright, I'll hold you to that..." Naofumi reminded.
" Of course, goodnight Shield Hero..."
The Shinobi said as they picked up their weapons and disappeared into the shadows.
Once they were gone, most of the group let out a sigh of relief.
" Well, that was intense...fucking Shinobi from Q'ten Lou ? What are the odds ? " Ake asked out loud.
" I'm just glad nobody died at least " Naofumi said thankfully as they sat back down " And we didn't start a fight with the spies from Raphtalia's home..."
" Do you think they'll come back for me ? " Raphtalia asked with fear in her eyes.
" If they will, Big Sister Mein will give them a thrashing that would impress Noriko herself " Mein said with a smile which comforted the raccoon.
" Are sure it was a good idea letting those Shinobi go Naofumi ? " Ake questioned.
" Yeah, I think so...those guys seemed genuine in their intentions and wanted my help...and I doubt they would try to blackmail me with your or Raphtalia's secret if it meant risking retaliation, so I think we're in the clear "
Mein wanted to say that she would feel much more secure if she had been allowed to slaughter the Shinobi, but she will keep that to herself.
" Hey, cheer up Mein...things are starting to look up a little " Naofumi encouraged.
Mein almost wished she had Naofumi's optimism, maybe then she could look at their situation a bit better.
The next two days passed by rather quickly with them managing to return to the capital ahead of schedule. The best part about this trip is that it allowed both Naofumi and Mein to set Castletown as their portal and waypoint. They had both managed to reach level 50 between killing bandits, those shadow monsters and the nue allowed them to unlock the Portal Shield and Warp skill, even if they could only set 3 points at a time, this will still give them a massive advantage of being able to portal to and from locations.
After setting their waypoint in an out of the way alley, they head to Nellie's shop with the gem and got their two monster children to work.
" Daddy, Filo is feeling tired..." Filo said as she spinned the wheel.
" That's because your mana is being converted into string, just keep it up for just a little bit longer " Nellie encouraged.
" I'll give you a treat after this " Naofumi gave some more food like encouragement.
" Really ? I'll go faster than !" Filo started spinning the wheel slightly faster than before.
" Better hurry or I'm going to give that treat to Jun " Mein said with a smirk.
" No ! " Filo started moving a lot faster after that.
In no time at all, the two monster children had managed to convert a good portion of their mana into string. Though the two needed to lie down after that, since their mana had become so depleted in such a short time.
" Okay, so...what do we do next ? " Naofumi asked as he held a basket magic thread from Filo, while Mein held a basket full of magic thread from Jun.
" Next is the easy part, you can take it to a tailor and they can have it made for you " Nellie explained.
Mein briefly thought of taking them to some of the tailor shops that Mein fancied back when she was still the official princess of Melromarc, but scrapped that idea as the shopkeepers might recognize her and end up blurting something out. Better to leave it to Ake and wait for one of his friends to show up.
" Ake, how about you to Eda's shop ? Its been awhile since you last saw her after all " Nellie suggested.
Right on cue.
" Oh god no !" Ake shouted " We are not going to-"
" AKE ! Its so good to see you again !" The tailor, Eda instantly hugged Ake the moment they entered the shop.
The woman in question was around Mein's age or so, with olive hair and wore a pair of glasses. She wore the clothing resembling that of an expert tailor.
" Hi Eda..." Ake sighed as he was smothered by the woman.
" Ake, are you going to introduce us ?" Mein asked with a smirk.
" Oh, hello ! Are you Ake's party ? And are you the Shield Hero ? I heard my little Ake had joined up with a hero's party but I didn't believe it !" Eda moved from Ake to Mein and Raphtalia, enthusiastically shaking their hands " I'm Eda, I used to be Ake's sitter back in Lute since he was a little baby, you should have seen him running around saying that he was going to be a knight "
Mein tried and failed to stifle her laughter, Naofumi was at least gentle and just smiled.
" Eda..." Ake said with a blush.
" Oh my dear Eda, I think you and I are going to be good friends " Mein said, thoroughly enjoying this with every moment of her being.
" No, you're not " Ake got between her and Eda " We have a job for you, we need you to make clothes for these two-"
" Oh my god, they are so CUTE ! " Eda practically screamed as she started gently touching Jun and Filo's cheeks. The two children enjoying it a little " I just want to cuddle them a little !"
Mein could see Raphtalia hide behind Naofumi a little, this Eda can be a little intimidating for sure.
" Please don't say that out loud " Ake warned.
" S-Sorry..." Eda coughed a few times to get control of herself again " So you said that you had a job for me ? "
" Yeah, we need you to make some transforming clothes the kind that beastman and some demi-humans wear, out of this thread " Mein and Naofumi handed the basket of threads over Eda.
" Magic thread, huh ? Its not often I get orders like that, but there are always such a treat to work with !" Eda giggled as she looked over the baskets " So are these two demi-humans who can transform ? I thought most demi-humans only got a handle over their transformation magic when they are older " Eda gave a curious look at Filo and Jun.
" I'll...explain to you later " Ake tried to purposefully avoid the question.
" How soon can you make the clothes and how much will this cost us ? "Mein asked, she didn't know how much transforming clothes went for on average, but she had to guess that they were expensive.
" Well, since you guys are friends of Ake, I'll be giving you all the friend of a family friend discount !" Eda said proudly as she pushed her glasses " As for how long it will take...as the best tailor in Castletown, I promise I will have them ready by tomorrow ! Guaranteed or you can have your money back !"
Mein seriously doubted this woman was the best tailor in Castletown, but she's not going pass on the opportunity to hold Eda to that promise and save money.
" Alright, just try not to overboard and not sleep or eat Eda " Ake said with a tinge of concern.
" You worry too much Ake !" Eda took out a measure tape " Now let me just take some quick measurements and then I can get to work !"
After allowing Eda to take Jun and Filo's measurements, they were promptly pushed out of the shop to allow Eda to begin her 'masterpiece'.
" So Eda seemed nice, we should visit and talk to her some more " Mein said with a teasing smile on her face.
" Fuck you " Ake turned back to Naofumi " So what's next on the agenda Sir Naofumi ? "
" Well...since our quest of getting clothes for Filo and Jun is pretty much finished, we can get back to acquiring a magical prosthetic for Raphtalia " Naofumi said " And I suppose we should check in at the adventurer's guild to see if there any quests we can do on the side while we're doing that "
Mein had no disagreements as they headed towards the adventurer's guild. It was a pretty average day all things considered, people were going about their business and paying them no mind.
As they walked, Mein stared up at the castle...her home...or what was once her home. It feels like a lifetime ago that she was the First Princess of Melromarc, feels like a lifetime since she became one of the Marked-
It feels like a lifetime ago that she had last seen Thomas alive.
" Mein ? " Naofumi called out to her " You okay ? "
"...I'm fine, let's go " Mein changed the subject as they reached the guild in just a few more minutes.
Upon entering the adventurer's guild, Mein could see that there weren't that many people around at this hour. Probably because most adventurers have already departed to do their daily quests, Mein can only hope that there is something remotely good left on the board.
Walking up to the board, Mein can see that there were quite a few papers still up, but upon reading none of them looked particular profitable or beneficial.
" Wolf pack clean-up...bandit groups in the north...a group of leftover Wave monsters..." Ake listed them off " Which one shall we pick Sir Naofumi ? "
Naofumi seemed indecisive as he was staring at the board with an inquisitive look on his face. He was looking at one quest from another with an inability to pin down which one they should pursue.
" Hey Shield Hero over here !"
A loud voice called out to them and Mein turned to see three demi-humans...along with a four-human group of adventurers following approach them.
" Remember us ? " The rabbit girl gave a flirty smile to Naofumi.
Okay, raise your hand if you all have completely forgotten about that one chapter where Mein and co were being followed ? Me too ? Good, glad we're on the same page.
XD
To be real with you all, I was planning on having Naofumi run into the Shinobi from Q'ten Lou for a while now. I was thinking about having Naofumi meet the fake Ravens from Siltvelt like what happened in Qin's story, but decided to try and shake things up.
And funny enough, I was actually planning on there being a full-on fight between Mein and the Shinobi since I thought that would be pretty cool but then I realized that would be redundant when I literally had her just calm herself back from a broody stage earlier in the chapter.
The history of Q'ten Lou is going to be a bit different for obvious reasons with Noriko destroying the nation, but what those changes are is yet to be seen.
Let me know what you think of the story so far and if I have not completely screwed up the pacing and plot of the overarching story yet.
See you all in the next one.
Angel Out.