So sorry this chapter came out so late but I've been swamped ever since I returned to my college a week ago and I doubt things are going to get easier. Sorry to say but updates are probably going to be slower from here on out, please bear with me here.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and ideas.
With that said, let's get this chapter started!
Chapter 38: Trailing Behind
A few days had passed since they had left the capital and Naofumi had to admit that he was very much enjoying Titan Storm's presence. They were very friendly and he had to admit that it was a nice change of pace compared to his own companions that were very secretive and dangerous. Titan Storm was much more open about their feelings and emotions by comparison.
Still Naofumi could not deny that he did feel a little bit weird around Alice's party members, not because of their personalities or anything...but rather his own knowledge of what happened to them in Goblin Slayer's story. It was more than a little surreal hanging around Clarissa, Rufus or Nina, he especially got goosebumps at the knowledge of what happened to all three of them in canon, but he kept that knowledge to himself. It was like talking to a dead person.
He couldn't help but wonder if there were other people from different series from his world that made it into this isekai one. Still he had to consider the fact that there were clear differences between what he saw on his computer to here. Slayer had only hunted goblins and Priestess's party didn't survive in the canon story. That was clearly not the case here and made him think about why Titan Storm left Slayer in the first place.
The goblins in the original story were basically written as just a one-note hateable race, considering the fact that Slayer's anger and hate is directed towards demi-humans that aren't all bad...I can make a pretty good guess as to why Alice and the others left.
Naofumi glanced over at Titan Storm who were quietly sitting on the opposite side of the carriage, Ake having taken the role as driver for now. Mein was riding on Jun beside them to act as an escort, leaving Naofumi in the carriage with the others. Clarissa was reading a magical book, Nina and Rufus were sleeping, and Alice was in the middle of teaching Raphtalia some magic, having offered to take Mein's place as a substitute teacher. Naofumi feeling at ease around Alice despite the fact of her religion.
Alice doesn't seem to be on the radical side of her religion and she does seem like a genuinely good person so that's a plus. And they do have actual names to call themselves by.
Naofumi always did think it was stupid how none of the characters in Goblin Slayer had real names. Calling them by their class or title got old really quickly for him.
" So how's Raphtalia's progress coming along?" Naofumi asked to break the ice." She can cast any spells yet?"
" She's getting there, Shield Hero. Most racoon people have a natural affinity for illusion magic " Alice softly smiled at Raphtalia " She'll pick it up yet "
" Thank you for teaching Raphtalia Alice, Mein has been doing it but you have a natural affinity for dark magic " Naofumi said, meaning no offense to his red haired companion.
" It is no problem Shield Hero. If it means aiding the Heroes and their parties in growing stronger, than I will gladly do it " Alice said. Which made Naofumi feel a bit bad for categorizing Alice as some potential religious nut when they first met, it was easy to forget that they were plenty of good religious people or at least those who practice their faith in moderation.
Naofumi watched Alice teach Raphtalia for a few minutes, the priestess gently guiding and instructing Raphtalia with gentle care, making sure the little girl understood what was being said before moving on to the next part. It reminded Naofumi a bit like Mein in a weird way, but there was just something...different about it. He couldn't quite say what it was.
" Alright Raphtalia, try conjuring the ball of darkness like we practiced " Alice commanded.
Raphtalia took a deep breath as she held out her hand as she focused the magic. Naofumi, Alice and even Clarissa who looked up from her book to observe the scene. Naofumi noticing that Raphtalia was visibly struggling as her hand started shaking a little.
" Perhaps you two shouldn't be looking too intensely, you're making the poor girl nervous " Alice lightly scolded both of them.
" Sorry " Naofumi apologized.
" Just take a deep breath Raphtalia and focus the power of mana into your hand " Alice instructed with the care and gentleness of a teacher " Part of using magic is keeping a cool head under pressure, so just...breath..."
Raphtalia breathing calmed and steadied as she held out her hand, much more steadily...and in just a few seconds, conjured a ball made out of pure shadows into her hand. Naofumi staring in amazement and Raphtalia blinking twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
" I...I...I did it ! I did it Master Naofumi !" Raphtalia said happily.
" Yes, you did Raphtalia " Naofumi smiled.
" Good work. You did well " Alice complimented her with a bright smile.
" What's going on? What happened?" Mein called out from outside the carriage.
" Raphtalia conjured her first ball of shadows!" Naofumi replied.
" Wait, really?! And I didn't get to see it ? " Mein sounded incredibly agitated at this " Ake, stop the carriage! I want to climb into the back and see this for myself "
Naofumi laughed at Mein's insistence to see Raphtalia's magic for herself, and praise her personally for it.
It was a small victory. But it was a start at least.
Mein's POV
They travelled a few more hours before they stopped and rested for the night. Mein still feeling very much indifferent over the fact that this Alice had managed to teach Raphtalia how to cast her first dark spell trick. Mein may not have had the affinity for Dark, but she was getting close to teaching her little raccoon how to cast her first spell. With some more time she was certain she could have done it.
No, she is definitely not bitter about it in the least.
She decided to focus her efforts on setting up the fire and making sure that there weren't any monsters or spies around them. She had to be extra careful using Dark Vision around Titan Storm, they may be on their side for now, but Alice is still a member of the Three Heroes Church at heart. There's no telling how she would react if she discovered Mein's heretical secret and the fact that Naofumi had been hiding her all of this time. Mein was certain that the rest of Alice's group would fall in with her in fighting them.
While Mein was certain they could easily dispatch Titan Storm if need be, Mein would rather avoid stabbing the Church's toes by killing one of their faithful. And as much as it pains her to admit, Naofumi and Raphtalia wouldn't approve of it either.
It took only a couple of minutes to set up their camp, due to the extra help from Titan Storm. With that, Naofumi got to work preparing dinner for them all. The camp was quiet for the most part with only audible noise being the cracking of the fire and Naofumi stirring the soup in the large pot he had bought before they left the capital.
" So when we meet up with Itsuki and Slayer...any tips ?" Naofumi asked off-handedly as he cooked their food.
" Fighting against bandits or working with Slayer? "Clarissa asked with a slight smirk.
" I meant the first thing, but both I guess " Naofumi shrugged.
" When it comes to bandits...while they certainly aren't military commanders or organized armies, they aren't complete idiots. Half the time " Clarissa explained " They usually have enough brains in their thick skulls to come up with some manner of strategy in fights and formations"
" Bandit groups typically prefer ambushing their target and overwhelming them with brute force and numbers " Alice continued " Rabbit men will hang in the backline or in the trees to hit targets with their precision marksmanship, bears and larger demi-humans will try to barrel through with brute force, faster races like cats and foxes will focus on flanking and ambushing "
" Don't forget birds !" Rufus interrupted " Man birds were the worst. They can fly and are usually skilled enough to move quickly in the air, making them nightmares for anybody who isn't an archer or mage with a damn good aim "
" Some bird demi-human bandits favored tactics are...grabbing somebody and dropping them to the ground " Nina shuddered at that mental image" Ugh, we've seen that happen to some innocent people in the past "
Nina got nodding agreements and shudders from the rest of the group.
" Any advice for how to combat them? "Mein asked.
" Try to break their flow of combat, don't let them overwhelm you. Try to take out their archers, flyers or anybody else in the backline. A well-placed spell or bomb can give you some much needed breathing room in combat " Alice advised " Don't try to take bandit groups head on if you can, if you're attacking a bandit hideout than stealth is preferable or rely on ambushes to take them out. Bandits like using ambushes but never expect to be ambushed themselves. If you can draw them out of their hideout without going in, that is much better "
The princess in disguise took a mental note of the advice Alice gave them, she knew best of all how important information was to killing your target- Knowing your enemy and their weak spots was half the job.
" And what about Slayer ? " Ake asked, as he sharpened his sword. The knight glanced at the priestess " Is he going to have a problem with Sir Naofumi when we get there ? "
Mein narrowed her eyes at the priestess wondering how she is going to respond.
" He definitely isn't going to be happy about your presence but considering how the last two times Slayer met with the Shield Hero, I think you'll be fine " Clarissa spoke up.
" I would say try to avoid talking to him too much if you can...and maybe keep your distance " Alice warned.
" Noted " Naofumi took that advice to heart " Dinner's ready by the way "
Mein felt her stomach rumble from the long day of travelling and she had to hold back the droll in her mouth from the delicious smell of Naofumi's cooking. Ake helped Naofumi handing out bowls to everyone( Filo got an extra large bowl that was bought just for her). Upon first taste, Mein was in heaven from the warm and soothing taste of Naofumi's stew.
The princess in disguise glanced at the adventurers and could visibly see their satisfaction at Naofumi's cooking, even the no-nonsense Clarissa looked mildly impressed.
" Damn Shield Hero, you're a pretty damn good cook ! Not even the chef at the guild can top you !" Rufus commended Naofumi with a smile as he gorged down on his food.
" Don't let Greg back at the guild hear that " Clarissa said with a smirk.
" Rufus, don't eat too fast you're going to choke !" Nina scolded and almost as if on cue, the Warrior started coughing from eating the stew too fast.
Mein had a small smile on her face, perhaps their journey will be better than expected.
Itsuki's POV
Itsuki let out as a sigh as he walked outside the inn, he could still hear the sounds of celebrating and cheering coming from the inside. His group had just taken out another small-time bandit group that was terrorizing a nearby town and the townspeople decided to throw him and his team a nice thank you party. Audrey was ecstatic about it, quickly getting into a drinking contest with some of the town folk. Welst looked uncomfortable last time he checked, and Slayer was sitting silently at the table. Itsuki was certain he was the kind of man who rarely drank alcohol, and he respected that.
While Itsuki genuinely appreciated the sentiment, he wasn't that big on parties-he was much more used to planning out his next move, figuring out the next target, the where, whens and how he was going to accomplish his objective. But Itsuki had enough sense to know that his group needed a break every now and again, he definitely needed one too.
He rested his arms on the wooden railing of the inn, looking up at the sky where all the stars are. They had arrived in Rabier County a while ago but they hadn't yet made contact with the lord in charge to perhaps request assistance if they needed it. The Hound Lord was said to have a small army protecting him, so they might need the extra manpower.
It did not go unnoticed by Itsuki that even when he wasn't on a mission, he could never stop thinking about what the next one will be.
We need to make contact with the lord of this county, get some additional fire support, then we need to figure out where the Hound Lord is hiding, scout out his base of operations and figure out a plan of attack-
His thoughts were interrupted when Itsuki heard the sounds of somebody exit the inn and come outside, from the sound of metal footsteps he thought it had been Slayer, but turning his head he saw the familiar blonde hair of his only female party member.
" Armina "
" Itsuki...You alright ? " Armina asked kindly.
" Just a little tired, I'll be right as rain in the morning " Itsuki waved her off.
" Not the biggest fan of parties ?" Armina smiled at him.
" I like them just fine, though the parties back in my world were a little more...classy " Itsuki replied.
" Classy? "
" I come from a rich family, our parties were always just glorified meeting places for my parents to butter up people they were selling to " Itsuki explained
" The Bow Hero comes from wealth, wouldn't have believed it if you told me"
" Well, you heard it straight from me " Itsuki said, briefly thinking about his family back home. His parents had always been distant, both too busy running their conglomerate to pay him much mind. He didn't really care much to be honest. Their absence allowed him plenty of time to do his own activities in secret, with them none the wiser.
Their company was famous for selling hero support devices, gadgets and the like. They were extremely successful, selling to multiple hero agencies in different countries. They were even the primary suppliers of hero equipment to UA...god, what he wouldn't give to get into that school.
His thoughts turned back to his past, the things he had done, the lives he had taken, the pain he inflicted on others...
Yet he cannot bring himself to feel guilty over many of those things. Is he a sociopath then ? Or does he just not give a shit ? It was impossible to tell which is which.
Itsuki turned his attention back to Armina who he realized had been staring at him for the past few minutes.
" What ? "
" Sorry, I was just wondering...how do you do that thing where you read people's minds ?" Armina asked inquisitively " I've seen the way you interrogate people, you don't usually rely on beating the truth out of them and instead read their minds...how do you do it ? "
Itsuki smirked a little " I have a superpower that lets me read people's minds..."
" Okay, mind reader, what am I thinking about right now ? " Armina asked.
Itsuki took that as a personal challenge as he activated his 'ability'. He observed Armina closely, every single detail of her body language being taken into account. The slight twitch of her shoulders, the way her eyes moved, the way her hands swayed and fingers twitched. All of it helped him paint a clear picture
" You're thinking ' there's no way he can actually read my mind' " Itsuki smirked as Armina's eyes widened a little in response " I'm right, aren't I ? "
" Lucky guess "
It was a lucky guess, but she doesn't need to know that.
" Try telling me something a bit more specific, oh great mind reader " Armina said humorously.
" You were born in a normal village, you had a happy upbringing, your father was an adventure-" A twitch in her lips " No, he was a soldier. Part of your village's militia. Very high ranking-"
Getting closer.
" He was the leader of your town's militia, he was your childhood hero " Itsuki said confidently, Armina's body language subtly confirming it " You were inspired by him, this lead you to become an adventurer and fast forward to here...did I make any mistakes ?"
" One. My dad was a captain but he wasn't the leader, good try though " Armina smirked.
" Figured, my method isn't perfect " Itsuki shrugged.
" What is your method anyway ? "
" I use a modified method from my world called 'cold reading', where I make a bunch of educated guesses about a person based on their body language, behavior and a lot of other factors " Itsuki explained " Quite useful in interrogation when you have the time but when you don't, torture can also be useful depending on the situation, its not nearly as unreliable as people think. When enough pain is applied, most scumbags don't have the wits or brains to come up with a good enough lie "
Armina gave him a mildly horrified and shocked look.
" What ? "
" Itsuki I have to ask but...you're 17, how do you know all these things ? " Armina asked in a concerned tone " I've seen the way you do things, you act like you've done this before "
Itsuki chuckled at that, finding it amusing in a way.
If she only knew...
" Sorry Armina, I don't give the goods away for free..." Itsuki said slyly " But maybe in time I will "
" I'll get it out of you one way or another " Armina challenged.
Itsuki smirked " Good luck then..."
Mein's POV
About two hours had passed since dinner and they were all busy with their own things. Ake had taken over teaching Naofumi language for the night, Titan Storm was busy doing their own things and Mein was carefully checking her status.
Mein considered the other problems they would have now that they were working with Titan Storm, with them around Raphtalia would be restricted to her child form, neither she or Ake could use any skills that were provided to them via Mein's Arcane Bond. They already have enough problems with those Shinobi knowing who Raphtalia is and what Mein is. She could only imagine how terrible the outcome would be if Alice reported them to the Three Heroes Church.
The princess glanced over and watched the priestess take off her tabard that had the Three Heroes Church symbol emboldened on it, leaving only her armor in its place. Mein could see that she was wearing medium armor befitting a warrior cleric.
" Hey Rufus, you up for some sparring ?" Alice asked her warrior friend, who simply slumped his head on Nina's lap.
" Ugh...maybe tomorrow Alice, I still feel too full from dinner " Rufus waved her off.
" Dummy, I told you not to eat too much " Nina chided but Rufus's head was still in her lap and she was gently playing with his hair.
Mein thought about it for a brief moment, its been quite a while since she's had the opportunity to spar with anyone and Mein was curious to see what this Alice was made out of.
" Perhaps I may be your sparring partner ?" Mein suggested out of the blue. This caught attention from the rest of the camp who looked at Mein in surprise.
Alice herself seemed surprised for a moment before nodding " That would be much appreciated, thank you "
" What sorta rules shall we play by ? "
" Let's stick to whoever can pin their opponent to the ground is the winner " Alice suggested which Mein agreed with.
" Magic ? "
" Let's avoid using any magic and just stick to steel this night. We definitely wouldn't want to worry about accidentally starting a forest fire "
Fair point.
Mein mentally prepared herself for the upcoming fight as she took off her purple cloak and handed it to Ake. She stretched her limbs a little to limber up, she already had a feeling that this Alice was no slouch when it came to fighting.
The two stood a good few feet away from each other, Mein could see that Alice wielded a mid-length steel sword somewhat similar to her own blade. The princess in disguise steadied her breathing as the two prepped for battle.
" Ready ? " Ake announced " On your marks-"
Mein gripped her sword in anticipation, Alice assuming a defensive stance.
" Begin !"
At that first shout, Mein pushed herself forward and charged straight at the priestess with incredible speed. She had to rely on her quick movements to overwhelm the priestess and force her to the ground. Alice stayed stationary right up to the moment Mein swung her sword at her-
Instead of blocking or parrying the attack, she sidestepped at the last minute catching Mein off guard. It took her a split second to realize what had happened and quickly block an attempted stab at her side. Mein exchanged a few blows with Alice, the two of them parrying each other's strikes. Every strike that Mein sent her way was blocked with her blade.
Her reflexes are good, reaction time tempered, she's been trained well.
Mein complimented the priestess but that didn't mean she was going to go easy on her. And Mein got the impression Alice wasn't going to do the same.
She parried another strike but this time she tried to deliver a swift kick to Alice's leg to knock her off balance, but the priestess countered that too with her own kick ! Mein barely had enough time to move her back from a swipe at her face with the hilt of Alice's sword.
Alice is focusing on defense and counterattacks, I need to break through her defense and get her on the ground.
Mein thought of a plan in place as she made her move, parrying another strike and attempting to go for a shoulder bash to knock Alice to the ground -
The sound of mechanical moving parts made her instincts flare up as her eyes caught just in time to see a blade coming from under Alice's left wrist ! Mein barely moved her head back in time to avoid the sudden blade but didn't notice Alice move her legs for a swipe and Mein didn't have the time to counter it.
She felt herself knocked to the ground and before she could get up saw the blade aimed at her throat. The swell of anger at her loss rising up to the surface.
" Good spar " Alice said modestly and Mein didn't say anything, but she did accept the hand up if only not to look like a sore loser.
Alice's companions smiled as they clapped for their leader, Alice blushing a little in embarrassment for being able to defeat Mein.
" That was some fine fighting techniques you used " Ake complimented " You trained ? "
" Slayer taught me many techniques he was taught...and I was trained by Anna and Mother Altara " Alice explained. It made Mein raise an eyebrow, Alice was trained under that superior nun they met ? What a coincidence.
" What was that weapon you just used ? " Mein asked, glancing at Alice's bracers on her wrists.
" Oh this ? "Alice flicked her wrist again revealing the blade under her wrist.
" Wait a second, you have a hidden blade ?! " Naofumi asked in surprise and amazement, suddenly very interested.
" Yes, is that so surprising ? " Alice raised an eyebrow in confusion.
" It actually is, I thought those were only used by the Shadow Guard Brotherhood " Mein inquired, looking at the hidden mechanism in Alice's bracer.
" Shadow Guard Brotherhood ?" Naofumi asked.
" They were an ancient cabal of assassins who were interested in controlling the populace through whatever means necessary, but they were destroyed a long time ago and now only their descendants remain scattered " Alice explained " And you are correct they used to be in service by them, but their hidden blades are still used by other assassin and spy groups. I was able to get this one through my mentor at the Church "
" That is amazing ! " Naofumi complimented.
" While they are certainly useful in certain situations, they have very limited use in a full on fight. The hidden blade itself doesn't possess any attack rating of its own, so it relies wholly on its user having a high ATK stat to land a critical hit " Alice explained " So aside from stealth or last resort situations, the blade has very little use, but the bracer does have some other nice little additions that make it useful "
" Oh..." Naofumi almost sounded disappointed in that.
" That being said...I did bring a nice little gift for Raphtalia " Alice smiled as she approached and kneeled down " I wanted to give you this as a reward for mastering your first spell. Give me your left hand Raphtalia "
Alice took out what looked to be a strange item Mein had never seen before, it had leather straps attached to some kind of underside metal part. Alice strapped the strange device to Raphtalia's left wrist.
" Okay, try flicking your wrist Raphtalia " Alice said.
The raccoon was confused for a moment before flicking her wrist and a blade sprung out from the device strapped to her wrist. Raphtalia was surprised at first before she flicked her wrist again and subtracted it.
" This is just the strap-on design that only has the hidden blade, if you want the gauntlet version I can try to get you one " Alice explained " Should still help if you ever need to defend yourself "
" Thank you so much Alice, I really appreciated it " Naofumi nodded in gratitude.
" Thank you..." Raphtalia said as well.
" It is my pleasure Shield Hero..." Alice yawned " We should probably get some sleep, we have a long day of travelling ahead of us "
Mein had no disagreements there as she quietly retired to the tent she shared with Raphtalia after her loss at the hands of the priestess.
As she drifted off to sleep, Mein thought back on the first time she had ever been to Rabier County, all those years ago with Thomas...
Malty was happy to have finally gotten to stay at a nice home for once, Thomas had brought them to this new place called Rabier county and this big man with a mustache let them stay at his nice big house and Malty got to sleep in a nice comfy bed, it was much better than camping out.
But even as Malty laid down on the nice comfy bed, she couldn't fall asleep, her mother's voice still echoing in her head.
Mother had given up on her. Malty was dead to her. End of story. She was no longer looking for her...she was only out to kill Thomas.
The thought alone made tears come to Malty's eyes, she couldn't handle the pain of being abandoned. Why is this happening ?
Without a second thought, she got out of bed and wiped her eyes, maybe talking to Thomas will help. He always knew what to say.
She left her room and wandered the halls of the very nice mansion, the carpeting was fine and it almost reminded her of home. Which just made how she was feeling hurt all the more.
Malty whimpered in fear as she moved through the dark hallways with few candles in place to light the way. A few minutes of walking allowed her to pick up the sounds of...shouting ? But it was muffled in a way.
The little princess moved towards a wooden door that was left partially open where she could hear voices on the other side, but she couldn't make out exactly what was being said. She moved closer and closer, and finally peered her eye inside to see Thomas and the fat man from earlier talking. The fat man was leaning against a couch while Thomas looked visibly angry.
It made Malty afraid that Thomas was going to do something bad again.
" THAT MOTHERFUCKING HARPY BITCH !"
Malty almost fell back and gasped from the sudden shouting. She managed to catch herself and stay quiet, intent on listening.
" Yell louder why don't you, I don't think they heard all the way to the castle "
" Go fuck yourself Rabier" Thomas spit towards the big man " All this time I thought it was that rat bastard Aultcray who sold me out, but it was that Queen bitch all along ! "
Was Thomas...talking about mother ? What had mother done ?
" Yes, quite sad what our Queen did to you. Now if you're done complaining about your life, may we get back on topic? " The fat man suggested crudely.
Thomas looked angered at what the man had said but didn't pursue it any further.
" We need a hideout, someplace safe..." Thomas glanced at the fat man " We can't keep running forever with that whore still watching the borders and Shadows on our tail "
" I may be able to provide such a place that you may discreetly inhabit. A nice abandoned watchtower that should still be hospitable enough for you to make a home out of..." The fat man said with a grin on his face.
Thomas glared at the fat man.
" What do you want Rabier ? " Thomas asked coldly." You wouldn't be sticking your neck out if you didn't want something so spare me the run around and just tell me what the fuck you want"
The fat man shrugged as his expression turned to one of seriousness " Very well then, I want you to bring me my old friend Abby. We need to have a talk "
" The Bitch Lord ? You want me to haul her ass in, in exchange for a hideout ? "
" That's the simple price I'm offering...do you accept ? "
Thomas didn't have to think long as he opened his mouth again " I accep-"
Malty accidentally pushed the wooden door forward a little more than expected which made it creak loudly, alerting the two men.
" What the hell was that !? " Thomas shouted and Malty screeched in fright at being discovered.
She was almost about to run back to her room, when the door was slammed open and Thomas quickly caught sight of her.
" T-Thomas ! I-I-I...I'm sorry !" Malty apologized with tears in her eyes.
What happened next however was not what she expected, Thomas's eyes softened a little and he knelled down to the ground to her level.
" Malty what are you doing here ? " Thomas asked in surprise.
" I-I-I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep and I-I..." Malty stammered, unsure of what to say.
" Hey, its okay kid, I'm not mad just surprised..." Thomas said gently.
" Well, this is definitely unexpected " The fat man said.
Thomas gently picked her up and propped her up on one arm " I need to put Malty back to bed, we'll talk about this later...but I accept "
" Good choice " The fat man smirked " Sleep well princess..."
Malty turned away as she was carried back to her bedroom, Thomas gently setting her back down
" What were you talking about with that man ? "
" Just...grown up stuff kid, you wouldn't get it. Not yet anyway..." Thomas evaded the question.
Malty wasn't satisfied with that response and pushed further.
" Thomas...what are you going to do ? " Malty asked, looking up at her mentor.
The man didn't reply right away but instead gently smiled at her, patting her on the head.
" I'm just going to do what I do best kid...now get some sleep " Thomas said as tucked her in." Goodnight princess..."
Malty still didn't get it but felt lulled to sleep, as the last thing she saw was Thomas leaving the room.
Malty opened her eyes to see the top of her tent, she felt that her breathing had increased while she was asleep. She turned her head to see Raphtalia was sleeping in the tent with her as well...the poor thing shivering from the blanket not being pulled up.
Malty quietly pulled the blanket onto her sleeping body, Malty peeked her head out to see that the sun was about to come up but chose not to wake the poor girl. She needed all the sleep she could get.
She stared up at the fading stars and the moon, a single thought on her mind from her dream.
Its about time I returned to my roots. Maybe I can get a meeting with dear old Lord Rabier later, we have some catching up to do.
I apologize that this chapter is so short for such a long waiting time for a chapter that is mostly just set-up for this arc. I'll try my best to get the next chapter out as soon as I can but no promises.
Fun fact: I was originally going to have Mein win the spar but I changed it because I wanted to show that Alice was no slouch when it came to fighting, even though Mein is arguably speaking the better trained/ruthless fighter, Alice is the more experienced one and working with Slayer gave her plenty of experience taking down humanoid enemies.
I am very much enjoying writing about Alice and Titan Storm, glad that they are getting some of the spotlight in this chapter. As will Slayer.
On the part with Itsuki...I'll be honest, I don't know enough about psychology to accurately say or confidently confirm that he does have some manner of mental problems like sociopathy so I will leave that up to you all for now. I absolutely hate it when writer's slap half-assed mental diagnosis onto fictional characters after looking at a list of symptoms on google. It very much misrepresents the actual illness with the 'hollywood' version of it. Hence why I try to steer away from being too specific about mental problems for the most part.
Giving Raphtalia a hidden blade was not quite something I planned but I think for the current situation, it fits quite well. Also giving Alice/Priestess Dark affinity was a bit of personal irony on my part since she used primarily light based miracles in canon.
Now let's answer some guest reviews shall we ?
To Caspian123:
Titan Storm and Lana's group definitely are NOT going to become part of Naofumi's crew, they are adventurers and have their differing reasons for not joining. Alice for more obvious reasons.
Bit of spoilers for later, but I do plan to have Titan Storm and Lana's group tag along for some other quests later in the story. What role they will play for the main plot, remains to be seen by me.
To reality deviant:
Glad to know you're excited for this upcoming arc and the horrors that are to come as a result.
:P
To EXCUBITORE:
Be careful what you wish for. :)
To Guest:
Thanks ! I'm glad you like my version of Aultcray, I definitely wanted to make him an actual smart character instead of just implying it like in canon.
...
I will admit that I didn't plan to kill off Keel so early but I think for the overall tone of this story, it makes sense to kill her off after running away with Raphtalia, her death certainly wasn't meaningless. Raphtalia is definitely learning how to fight better as the story goes on.
...
Cutting off Raphtalia's arm was definitely a brutal thing for me to do but it makes sense. Raphtalia is hardly a prize fighter, her level is too low and she has no real combat experience. I was originally just going to let her get off with a few scratches, but it would come off as weak and meaningless, if they were just injuries she was going to easily recover from. Taking a whole limb is a fitting punishment for Mein and Naofumi bringing a literal kid to a monster wave.
...
Good theory but sadly that's not what happened. Don't fret though, I still have plenty of ideas to make Mein and Naofumi suffer so stay tuned for that !
:)
To ABitterPill:
I like to think Malty is making all these Outsider references unintentionally. I don't think she needs to worry about getting discovered for it, since its more of a phrase people say than an actual damning evidence she's a heretic.
I don't want to give any spoilers for his character...but I think I've been giving enough hints for you all to figure out what kind of person Itsuki was back in his world.
With all that said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.