I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out, ending semester assignments have been keeping me busy for the past month. The good news is that my semester is finally over ! So that means updates should be a bit more frequent now hopefully.

:)

This chapter is shorter than the rest since it acts as set-up for the next one where some back-alley knifing takes place.

Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading and making sure everything was okay.

With that said, let's get this chapter started !

Chapter 47: Meeting of Minds

The Seatto Lady was of course, reasonably surprised by her sudden appearance in the war room.

" Y-Y-Your Highness !? What are you-!? I mean, how are you even, I'm so sorry I should-" Eclair stammered while being torn between bowing and questioning how she seemed to appear out of thin air.

Mein decided to show some mercy to the stammering noble and put her hands up to calm her down as she approached " At ease Eclair, there's no need for any bowing "

Eclair looked surprised at first by her words for a moment, but she still ended up bowing her head at her anyway despite Mein giving her a pass not to" Whether you are here officially or not is irrelevant, you are still the princess of Melromarc " Eclair said with respect in her tone, not like the fake kind of respect she's used to receiving from the toady nobles with their stupid snide smiles. Still she appreciated the gesture, it has been a long time since anybody treated her with the respect and courtesy befitting a princess.

" You are too kind Eclair " Mein said with a smirk, as she thought about the best way to go about this. Eclair was more of a knight than a high-class noblewoman like Iris, so there's no need for Mein to play any intricate mind games with her. Straightforward, blunt and honest is the best way to go about this...with some slight twisting on the truth for her own benefit.

So I need to start connecting with her on an emotional level and the best way to do that is to hit her where she's most vulnerable now.

" You have my condolences by the way...about what happened to Uncle Uther " Mein spoke with genuine sympathy in her voice.

Uncle Uther had always treated her kindly, much better compared to her harpy bitch of a mother and Thomas genuinely did like and respect him as well. It was one of the reasons for why Thomas had never went after Uncle Uther out of respect. It makes her feels disgusted a little that she's using his death to get close to his daughter. There truly may not be a low Mein isn't willing to stoop to, to get what she wants.

She pushes that guilty feeling away as she sees the look of sadness pass Eclair's face.

" Thank you for your sympathies...though to be frank, they should be with the common people who suffered much more heavily than I did " Eclair said with self-disappointment in her voice " Because I was too weak to defend them from those bastards who attacked us after the Wave ...the survivors of Port Harp were enslaved "

Mein felt a twinge of sympathy come upon her as she tried to comfort the Lady Seatto " What happened at Port Harp wasn't Uncle Uther's or yours fault. Its those slave driving bastards who are to blame "

A somber smile crossed Eclair's face " Perhaps...yet it does not change the fact that I failed in my duty to protect them from harm. While I was being pampered and treated by the King, the survivors of Port Harp were being enslaved or Chief God knows worse, and I couldn't do a damn thing to help them " Eclair spoke in a saddened tone as she leaned on the table, covering her eyes with her hand.

Mein briefly wonders whether she should tell Eclair about Raphtalia being a survivor of Port Harp to gain her trust. It would help get her onto Eclair's good side to know that she and Naofumi managed to save not just a child of Port Harp, but a member of the Hirata family. But on the other hand, they are trying to keep Raphtalia's status as the heir to the last celestial Emperor of Q'ten Lou discreet and drawing attention to it by telling Eclair that one of the Hirata family still lives could be troublesome...

She decides not to waste the opportunity. It's not like she plans to tell Eclair about Raphtalia's true lineage anyway.

The princess in disguise places a gentle hand to Eclair's shoulder getting the noblewoman's gaze to her " Not all hope is lost Eclair. Raphtalia, the raccoon girl in our party is from Port Harp. We managed to rescue her from a slave trader "

Eclair's eyes flash with hope as she turns back to Mein " Y-You're serious ? She's from Port Harp ?"

Mein nodded " Certain of it. She's from the Hirata family "

" The Hirata family...I didn't think any of them survived "Eclair looked shocked for a moment as she needed a minute to take this all in, before her expression turned to one of resolute determination " Thank you for telling me this...I'll remember to give a proper apology to her for not being able to protect her family " Eclair bowed her head in thanks.

" Don't mention it " Mein said though she resisted the urge to sigh at Eclair's proclamation. Just like Jaune, Eclair had grown up wanting to be an honorable knight like her father. Stubborn, naive, and too damn honorable. It was a little attractive though.

" Forgive me for asking but...how did you get in here ?" Eclair asked in confusion " I didn't hear the guards outside signal your entry or the door open for that matter, so how did you get in ? "

" I um...have my ways " Mein answered vaguely, holding her left hand behind her back instinctively." Nevermind that, how have you been Eclair ? Becoming the Lady of your house and managing a Keep cannot be easy " Mein casually changes the subject.

" I will not lie, it has been hell since I returned to Silver Keep from the capital. We are running low on supplies, our combat strength has taken a severe drop and I am worried we may not be able to defend against the next Wave " Eclair admitted with a sigh, not telling anything Mein didn't already know. Its a good question on whether the Silver Hand's or the Seatto family in general will be able to make it through this current Wave of Catastrophe to the end. They have lost many men thus far and the situation looks bleak even to Mein. Still that is not something she could say to Eclair's face.

" You can rebuild. Uncle Uther managed to do it after the war, you can as well " Mein says encouragingly. She knows that she's giving a sappy optimistic view of the situation, but it was the best thing to say in the current situation.

Eclair gives a small smile at the encouragement " Thank you...but putting that aside for a moment, forgive me for being blunt your highness, but what are you doing in the Shield Hero's party ?" Eclair asked curiously.

Mein had a feeling this question was coming sooner or later, anybody would wonder why the First Princess of the nation is posing as an adventurer within the Shield Hero's party. She's willing to bet that Father has kept Eclair out of the loop of the current events that have been going on through Melromarc, not that hard considering she's been in the castle's private hospital since the end of the First Wave. It wouldn't surprise her if she didn't even know about Naofumi's farce of a trial just a few weeks ago.

She needs to play this smart over how she answers and speaks to Eclair. She needs a way to rope Eclair into her corner...and the best way to do that is to gain her trust.

" I will admit that I didn't initially plan to join the Shield Hero's party, as a matter of fact, I'm not even 'officially' in his party as the First Princess. I am currently under the alias of Mein Sophie for the time being " Mein confesses.

" Then why ? I don't understand why you're concealing your identity " Eclair asks.

Mein thinks about it for a moment before shifting her line of questioning to something else " What has Uncle Loknar and Father told you thus far about the situation in Melromarc ?" Mein needs to know exactly what information Eclair is already aware of so she can twist the facts into her favor.

" Not much. I know that Uncle Aultcray went against orders and summoned all of the heroes early in Melromarc, but besides that I've honestly been focusing more on what information I could acquire about Silver Keep when I was at the castle " Eclair admitted.

So her bet was correct as expected. Father and Uncle Loknar have kept Eclair mostly in the dark...perfect. Now that gives Mein the perfect opportunity to pull Eclair into her corner.

She just needs to do two simple things: Destroy Eclair's trust and image in both Mother and Father.

It gives Mein brief pause for a moment. She wouldn't bat an eye over destroying whatever poorly crafted image of mother is in Eclair's head but father...he was kind to her and treated her well after Thomas's death and her ' safe recovery' from his clutches. Yet his love for her always felt suffocating, like there was always a distant sadness in his eyes when he looked at her, not like the way Thomas took care of her during that year together. Father was better than mother certainly, but that's not exactly a high bar to beat.

Was she really prepared to do something like this ? To paint him as a villain to somebody who trusts him ?

" Did you know the King was part of a plot to defame the Shield Hero ? " Mein's mouth moved quicker than her brain before she even realized what she had blurted out.

It would seem she is still capable of such underhanded dealings. This was low even for her.

But she cannot stop. She has come too far to half-ass this. Thomas always warned her against doing things half-assed. You either don't do it or go all the way. Malty was an 'all the way' girl to the end.

Eclair's body went still as it was shocked by the information Mein had just told her out of the blue.

"...What?" Eclair's voice was quiet as if it couldn't believe what it had just heard.

And Mein knew she had crossed a line here.

What was the harm of going a bit further now ?

Mein took a breath before continuing her explanation " Before the 2nd Wave, the King was planning to frame the Shield Hero for the crime of rape in order to discredit him and frame him as the Shield Demon everybody knows from the Three Heroes Church. Thankfully, I was able to catch wind of my father's idiotic plan and manage to put a stop to it before the Shield Hero's image could be tainted, and I have undertaken the task of making sure he is safe until the Queen's return from Cal Mira " Mein purposefully manipulated the story around a little to make herself sound like the grand saviour of the story, while omitting her role in the conspiracy.

" N-No...n-no...the King wouldn't...he couldn't have..." Eclair grasped the table for support as she tried to take all of this in " Why in Chief God's name would he do something like this ?"

" It could be entirely possible that he was manipulated by members of the Three Heroes Church or perhaps misguided by his own hatred for demi-humans and beastman. Regardless, my father was part of a plot to discredit the Shield Hero, I'm not sure whether he had much of a plan beyond that but..."

" I...I'm sorry I need a minute to think this is all through..." Eclair took a few breaths before refacing her " If what you're saying is correct than our King has committed treason against the Crown...Chief God above..."

Eclair's eyes were dilated, her breaths slow and shallow, she's in shock.

She's vulnerable. Time to strike the killing blow.

" Though I'm afraid that the Queen coming back isn't going fix all of our problems...I'm not entirely whether she can be trusted after what she did to Uncle Uther " Mein purposefully says that last part vaguely in order to get a response.

" W-What do you mean by that ? " Eclair sounded fearful in her voice " What did our Queen do to my father ?"

Mein takes a deep breath before answering in a cold tone " Our Queen named Uncle Uther the regent of Melromarc in place of father "

That was the killing blow.

Eclair took a step back as if she had been stabbed right through the heart, her legs shaking a little as if she was freezing in snow and Mein was worried that she was about to fall to the floor in shock.

" N-No...that can't be...our Queen would never do something so...idiotic..." Eclair said clearly in shock as she struggle to stand still. " S-She couldn't have-"

" Take a breath Eclair. Sit down " Mein was quick as she grabbed Eclair by the arm gently and helped to a seat by the table. A small comfort for her from the whirlwind of emotions she's likely feeling. Eclair took a few deep breaths to get her breathing under control before speaking again.

" Thank you...I'm sorry I just don't understand, why would our Queen do something like this ? We have been loyal to the crown for years, my father was loyal to her, I was..." Eclair asked, but not questioning Mein she could tell. As if she was asking the gods themselves was horrible sin they committed to be betrayed like this. Mein feels a tinge of sympathy for Eclair, as she no doubt held mother up as her personal hero like many other young noble girls.

She did too at one point. That was a long time ago.

" Sorry to say Eclair, but my mother is not nearly as 'kind and noble' as she may seem to everyone else. She is a politician first and foremost, and is not above sacrificing others to get what she wants " Mein knew this from experience as she spoke to Eclair " As for why she appointed Uncle Uther as regent instead of the King, she likely wanted to lure any enemies out of hiding by giving them a perfect target to take out. That way she can find those disloyal to her and harshly punish those who are a threat to her rule "

" B-But...the King said that my father died defending Port Harp ! He couldn't have been killed by an assassin !" Eclair argued.

" Was he really though ?"

" Huh ?"

" Was Uncle Uther's body given a proper examination for cause of death ? Did you see it yourself ?" Mein questioned, sowing the seeds of doubt in her mind." Its not unlikely that some assassin sent by a noble or hell even the Three Heroes Church themselves eliminated Lord Seatto and simply used the Wave as a cover to further their own devious agendas "

Mein knows that she's completely spitballing here without proof to her assassin theory, but its the best theory she's got to push blame onto mother. She just hopes it will be enough for Eclair.

" I...I can't believe this...I...my Queen would never just toss us away just for the opportunity to strike at one of her enemies " Eclair seemed to be buying into her theory at least " My father was always loyal to the Queen to the end, how could she even-"

" In the Game of Thrones, absolutely nothing is off the table. Your father's death may not have been intentional on my mother's part but it was just another political move for her. Nothing more, nothing less " Mein said coldly, her own feelings towards her mother seeping into her tone as a cold rage filled her heart as she thought of that wretched woman.

Eclair went silent, not really sure how to respond to that and Mein knew she had this in the bag.

Mein wasn't sure whether she truly wanted to share this...but might as well get a bit personal if it meant burning mother's reputation a bit more.

" Do you remember the time when I was kidnapped by the...Shadow Demon ?" Mein asks, internally flinching at Thomas's old moniker.

" Not...really ?" Eclair responded in confusion, not quite sure where Mein was going with this.

" Understandable that you can't remember, it was so long ago when we were all still children but I remember..." Mein could remember it as if it was yesterday, but she still remembered that day. That damn announcement mother made declaring her dead." There was a nationwide search for me of course...but do you recall how long that search went on ?"

" I don't-"

" One month"

A silence washed over them, as Eclair's eyes widened in shock at what Mein said while the princess's eyes were cold and distant as she recalled that day.

One fucking month.

That was how quickly mother gave up looking for her and declared her dead to the rest of Melromarc, all so she could have Melty without guilt. She could still remember crying that day in the middle of the crowd, damn near giving away their position, but she thinks it was that moment that she realized what a cold-hearted bitch her mother really was at her core. That she cared for no one and nothing except securing her own power and legacy.

" My mother gave up searching for me after a month. A single month was how long it took before she decided that I wasn't worth the effort to retrieve and bring home " Mein said coldly.

" My god...I'm so sorry..." Eclair genuinely gave her sympathies like so many others before her.

" If I wanted sympathy, I would have told you something a lot more colorful than that..." Mein ruefully smiled at the sympathy. It was a nice sentiment, but it did little to fill the aching void in her heart.

" Still the fact that my Queen could do that to her own daughter...it makes the idea of what she did to my father a lot more believable " Eclair placed a hand to her forehead as she tried to catch her breath " Gods above...that means my father lost his life...for nothing ?"

" No " Mein said clearly interrupting Eclair's self-grieving session as she gently placed a hand on her shoulder " Uncle Uther did not die for nothing. He died fighting for the people of Port Harp and died honorably " Mein speaks genuinely about Uncle Uther " And all is not lost yet. I am still here "

Eclair's eyes look into hers as if pushing for an explanation.

" Mother may pretend to care about the well-being of the common people and her precious 'allies'- but the truth is she doesn't hold on to anybody she can't control or dispose of in an instant if the need arises. She says that she cares about the common people yet she lives in a fully furnished castle with the best luxuries gold can buy and goes on month long 'diplomatic trips' around the world while the rest of the country burns " Mein says spitefully " I on the other hand, have lived the other life. I know what the common people go through everyday and understand their issues in a way no other noble can truly attest to "

Mein wasn't lying. During the year Thomas had her, she lived more or less like a common person. Not afforded any luxuries and having to live off the land on multiple occasions. She likes to believe that she grew a deeper understanding of the common folk after that.

" That is why a gave up my identity as Malty S Melromarc to become Mein Sophie. To protect the Shield Hero from harm and ensure the survival of my nation. Along with making sure my girl Raphtalia comes up alright " Mein explained in detail.

"...I can see why. It is quite honorable of you to risk yourself like this just to protect a few people " Eclair says earnestly, and Mein almost scoffs. Of all the words, she would describe herself with 'honorable' isn't one of them.

She lost her honor years ago.

" I'll be honest, I didn't really think much of you despite all the times we met. Even though our fathers were close friends, I didn't really think of you as one " Eclair confessed " To be honest, I always thought you were kind of scary and standoffish "

Scary is a compliment for me.

" Thank you for saying that Eclair, but the point I'm trying to make here is that when this is all over, you don't need to go crawling back to mother just because Uncle Uther supported her. Think for yourself and know that...you have an ally in me if nothing else " Mein said the last part meaningfully.

She hopes Eclair gets the message and becomes loyal to her if nothing else. She didn't want to just have spilled her guts and personal secrets for nothing.

" This is...a lot to take in, I'm sorry but I'd rather be alone right now " Eclair says and Mein fears that she may have bungled her plan by being too bold.

No point whining about it.

Mein was about to leave when she heard Eclair call out to her.

" I-If you want to speak to me again, just ask for me !" Eclair said quickly " I...think I might want to speak to you again soon "

Mein suppressed a smirk as she turned back to Eclair " Of course Eclair "

When she left the war room she didn't even bother hiding her presence, calmly walking out the door surprising the two guards.

" Evening gentlemen " Mein said calmly.

"WHAT THE-!? Who are-!? Hands in the air !" The guards jumped from the sudden shock and scrambled for their weapons.

" Its okay ! She's with me !" Eclair called out to the guards stopping them from stabbing her.

Mein didn't waste another minute as she walked away from the war room, she trusts Eclair to keep their little meeting discreet for the time being. When she rounds the corner to return to her room, she was surprised to see the knight leaning up against the hallway with a bored look on his face.

" You sure took your sweet time princess, I've been standing here like an idiot for 20 minutes " The knight said angrily.

" You look like an idiot all the time so that's nothing new " Mein rolled her eyes at him " Secondly, I don't recall asking you to wait for me "

" First off, fuck you. Second of all, you didn't actually specify how long I had to distract those guards for " The knight gave her a dirty look " I hope you got whatever you came here for "

Mein smirked at him " Plenty. I have a feeling we got a new ally among us "

Naofumi's POV

Itsuki's room wasn't any different from Naofumi's, in fact they were pretty identical in nature if he was being honest and there were no notable differences that he could tell. Naofumi's eyes glanced over to a journal that was on the table that was still open and as he passed by it, he could see that it was written in Japanese. His native language.

" You taking notes for something ?" Naofumi asked his fellow hero.

" Taking notes about the case, trying to narrow down where the Hound Lord is, he's a slippery bastard but I'm confident one of his men will break eventually " Itsuki answered cooly " Enough about that though, what did you want to talk to me about ?" Itsuki asked as he sat down on the bed.

Naofumi took a deep breath as he got the impression that Itsuki wasn't one to waste time.

" I wanted to talk about Mein...I feel like she's hiding something from me " Naofumi confessed. He honestly felt like crap talking about his companion behind her back, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was to her than he knew and he couldn't very well talk to Ake or Raphtalia about it. So Itsuki felt like his safest option, if only just to vent a little.

" Hiding something ? How ?" Itsuki questioned but sounding a lot more interested than before.

" Like in the way she acts and behaves around us...one minute she can super friendly and all hot girl next door stereotype...the next she can be executing and torturing bandits without batting an eye. Its like she's wearing a bunch of masks and I don't know which one is real " Naofumi complained, feeling like he was in one of those crappy thriller fantasy stories " You saw that yourself today when she interrogated those bandits back at the fort Itsuki, I could see it in her eyes, she was fully prepared to impale that bandit if I hadn't stopped her in time "

" Well, Mein might be an axe murderer and you might just be her next mark " Itsuki said humorously.

" Haha...assassin sounds more likely" Naofumi replied sarcastically.

" In all seriousness, I noticed that about your companion too...there was something seriously off about her in the way she moved and interrogated those bandits today " Itsuki explained " She was angry yes...but there was a certain precision to her violence against those bandits "

" Precision ?"

Itsuki rolled his eyes at him " Contrary to popular belief, torturing somebody into talking takes a whole hell of a lot more than simply having a sadistic streak. It takes months of training, creativity and a deep understanding of pain. Emotional and physical to be able to inflict it on others "

Naofumi was a bit unsettled by the way Itsuki said that " I'm...surprised you seem so well-versed in the art of torture. You were acting a lot like Mein back at the fort too, but more showy than Mein "

Itsuki gave him a smirk that reminded him too much of Mein " What can I say ? I like putting on a bit of a show when I'm interrogating scumbags "

" You sound like you've done this before " Naofumi asked curiously.

" Let's just say that I've dabbled in the fine art of hurting and hunting people "

" Goddamn, what were you before being summoned, a kid super spy ?" Naofumi said half-joking.

Itsuki didn't respond but instead gave him a wide grin that sent chills down his spine.

Okay, I think I'm afraid of Ituski now a little.

"Going back to your companion trust issue...I gotta ask, but what has your companions told you about the Wave so far ?" Itsuki changed the question suddenly.

Naofumi was confused by the change of question but went along with it anyway " The bare basics I guess. That the Wave doesn't stop until the Boss of the Wave is defeated and that the Dragon Hourglass can tell us when they are coming next " Naofumi shrugged at the question.

" So they've told you that there are Waves OUTSIDE Melromarc ?"

"...Wait, what ?" Naofumi slowly turned his gaze back to Itsuki, with shock filling his bones. Mein and Ake definitely never told him about there being Waves outside Melromarc.

" I was curious about whether the Waves spread outside of Melromarc so I started asking around...turns out Waves happen all over the world " Itsuki spoke with graveness in his tone.

" A-All over the world ? Then why were we-"

" Summoned together ? Yeah, I asked the same thing too. Turns out our summoning was deeply illegal " Itsuki explained crossing his arms " Apparently no single nation is supposed to summon all heroes at once, each nation is traditionally supposed to summon only one hero. But from what I've gathered the King here went AWOL and summoned us all behind everybody's back "

" Wait ! Hold on, way too much information at once. So none of us were supposed to be summoned by Melromarc all together...does that mean the King is a fake ? A political usurper or something ? "

" No, from what I've gathered he is the true King...but the country is actually a matriarchy and the Queen is the one who holds power " Itsuki said with a thinking look on his face " Though she's away at some conference from what I can gather "

" Still the fact that my companions didn't even tell me about other Waves is kinda...messed up " Naofumi wasn't sure how to feel about it really.

" To be fair, even if they told you its not like we can leave this country without being considered deserters and we would be putting our companions in the hot seat if they helped us, so maybe that's the reason why they didn't tell us " Itsuki explained with a shrug " Its not like my companions said anything either until I brought it up "

Naofumi thought about it for a moment and ended up agreeing with Itsuki.

Okay, that's a bit more reasonable explanation for why they didn't tell me but it still would have been nice to know.

" I guess, still would have been nice to know " Naofumi mumbled under his breath, before he remembered one other thing he wanted to talk to Itsuki about tonight.

" Actually there's one other thing I wanted to bring up with you though...have you learned about any of the past heroes that came before us ?" Naofumi questioned to which Itsuki shook his head.

" No, I've kinda been focusing on getting stronger and preparing for the Wave. Why ? "

" Well, I learned that one of the past Shield Hero's...was Noriko Tatsumiya " Naofumi spoke with a cold certainty.

" Who the hell is that ?" Itsuki responded with a confused expression that made Naofumi surprised that Itsuki didn't know what he was talking about.

Oh yeah right, Dungeon Seeker wasn't really that popular or maybe Itsuki never read it. Or it doesn't even exist in his world.

" Noriko Tatsumiya was a character from a manga I remember reading back in my world called 'Dungeon Seeker' " Naofumi clarified this time and Itsuki sat up straight a bit more after hearing that.

" What ? You're sure ?"

" No doubt about it. If I remember the story right Noriko was pretty much the main antagonist of the story after she betrayed the main character, Junpei Takeda though she died near the end of the manga...could it possible that she got summoned here as a Hero ?" Naofumi questioned out loud.

" Fictional characters getting isekaied as legendary heroes...I want to say it sounds completely stupid on paper, but after everything we've experienced thus far we can't discourage possibilities of something like that happening " Itsuki sounded skeptical but it didn't sound as if he was completely dismissing the idea.

" To be honest, I'm not completely sure whether it's the same Noriko or if it's just some crazy coincidence of the same name " Naofumi wondered out loud. If it was the Noriko he was thinking about, it made him wonder why the hell would somebody like Noriko be summoned as a hero ? From what he remembered, she was a pretty awful person if her throwing her best friend into a dungeon to die was any margin and became mentally unstable towards the end of the story.

Then again, maybe the summoning requirements are a lot looser than he imagines. If a no-name shut in otaku like himself could get summoned to save a freaking world.

" I'll have to do a bit of digging on that, but thanks for letting me know " Itsuki took note of it mentally it seemed " Going back to your Mein issue...what do you intend to do about it ?" Itsuki raised an eyebrow at him, curious what he was going to do about it. Though Naofumi wasn't sure he had a good answer for Itsuki.

" To be honest, I'm not sure what I can do. Mein is good at reading people, she's skilled and quite frankly I'm not sure I can lie to her without being caught. So I'm honestly kinda stuck " Naofumi had no delusions by how outclassed he was. Mein was arguably the most experienced and skilled person in their group, he's not nearly arrogant enough to believe he can get to the bottom of whatever she's hiding without being caught in the process.

Naofumi watched as Itsuki put on a thinking expression before he spoke again " Why don't I help you out Naofumi ?" Itsuki offers suddenly.

" What do you mean ?"

" I mean, I'll help you get to the bottom of whatever's going on with your companion, if there's a potential conspiracy going on against us than I want to get to the bottom of it " Itsuki smirked at him again " And I do love unraveling a good mystery "

Unsettling, but I'll take whatever help I can get.

" Well, I appreciate it but how are you going to figure anything out ? Mein keeps a tight lid on her secrets so I'm not sure how you'll get her to open up " Naofumi asks.

Itsuki seems to think about it for a moment before answering " I think I have just the idea to get her to open up, by putting her in an environment her true self can't resist coming out in " Itsuki gave him that unsettling smirk once more.

Mein's POV

" We need to take out the spies in Rabier City immediately " The Bow Hero said firmly to all of them.

It was early in the afternoon that the Bow Hero called them all back to the war room to discuss their next move forward. Mein had been enjoying a pretty good morning all things considered, got some breakfast that was actually much more plentiful than before thanks to the influx of supplies that they managed to bring back from the fort.

She sent a knowing glance at Eclair who seemed more focus on listening to Itsuki than she was to thinking about their conversation last night. She's relatively certain that she managed to hit her mark in securing Eclair's allegiance but she would have at least appreciated some acknowledgement about their conversation last night.

Oh well, she can pry her brain for information about it later.

" I agree, we need to act on this information now " Slayer was the first one to step up and agree to the Bow Hero's plan " The sooner we take out the Hound Lord's eyes and ears, the better and we may be able to discover his location in the process "

" I mean, I'm on board with taking them down but what's the rush to go after them all of a sudden Itsuki ?" Armina questioned.

" Because we have to operate under the assumption that the fort we took out yesterday was in close contact with the spies in Rabier City, it won't be long before they find out about the attack and close up shop, because they will think that whoever we captured cracked and gave up their location to us " Itsuki explained.

Mein found herself agreeing with the Bow Hero. If these cowardly bandits had any sense at all, they would immediately assume any of their captured accomplices would sell them out in a heartbeat. There was never any honor among thieves or bandits in this case.

" Fair enough. What are you thinking Itsuki ?" Naofumi asked.

" I take a small team to Rabier City to flush out the spies and capture them " Itsuki said which caused a few uncertain looks in the room, but the Bow Hero quickly continued " If we go in with a large team, we run the risk of the bastards catching wind of us and making a break for it before we even find out where they are. A smaller team is preferable for subtlety and I doubt there are going to many of them anyway "

That eased some nerves and made some of them nod their heads in agreement to the Bow's logic.

" Who are you planning on bringing ?"

" I was thinking myself and Armina...if that's alright with you ?" Itsuki had the courtesy to at least ask his companion what she wanted, despite the fact that he could easily order her around.

Armina smirked at her hero " Always happy to kick some bandit ass "

" Alright that's two people...who to bring last ?" Itsuki wondered out loud " Welst and Audrey are immediately out. They aren't exactly very stealthy despite the fact that they don't really talk a lot "

" Hey !

" Fair "

Audrey let out an indignant yell, while Welst boredly agreed with the Bow Hero as he read a book.

" Then I can come with-"

Before the famed bandit slayer could offer himself up, he was immediately pulled back by Alice and her crew who gave him a blank stare.

" No offense Slayer, but you're not exactly the best at blending into a crowd with your armor and weapons." Alice told him bluntly to his face.

"...I can wear a cloak " Slayer replied blankly.

" That does not hide the fact that most of the time you look like living armor " Clarissa's dry remark, almost made Mein smile at the fact that Slayer was being critiqued by his former team.

Slayer didn't say anything in response, but Mein got the feeling that he was withdrawing his bid for joining the Bow Hero to Rabier City.

" So Slayer's out, I don't think Naofumi or Ake are suited for stealth either, no offense "

" None taken " Naofumi said, while the knight shrugged in agreement.

" So that just leaves...Mein " The Bow Hero's gaze landed on her, putting the disguised princess on the spot " How do you feel about coming with me and Armina to pay the spies in Rabier City a visit ?"

Mein considered the Bow Hero's offer for a minute, she honestly didn't plan on heading back to Rabier City so soon though this was mostly to take out the spies located there and to potentially get intel on the Hound Lord which would aid their cause. And she couldn't possibly turn down the opportunity to make some bandit's lives more miserable. Though she would be lying if I she said she wasn't doing this mostly for the latter reason.

" Happy too, Bow Hero " Mein nodded her head in agreement with a smile on her face.

" Only taking the girls with you on this mission huh ? " Naofumi said jokingly " You trying to NTR me Itsuki ?"

Mein quirked her head in confusion, unsure of what 'NTR' meant exactly.

Itsuki snorted at him in a chuckle " Tempting but I'm a firm believer in monogamy " Itsuki said as he refocused on the mission " Anyway so me, Mein and Armina will head into Rabier City to capture the spies. With any luck, these bastards will know where we can find the Hound Lord "

Again sorry this chapter is so short, but I promise the next one will be longer in terms of content. Hope you all enjoyed Malty playing manipulations with Eclair, she might not be as politically well-versed as Ambition Malty but she is fully capable of manipulating people. Similar to Naofumi and Itsuki having a nice chat over general topics as well as talking about Mein. Hope I didn't disappoint.

And yeah, it is the same Noriko from Dungeon Seeker. She's kinda the 'bad Shield Hero' of past/reason everybody in the present day hates Naofumi reason though not quite for the same reasons as Mikage. Hope I'll be able to get more information about her out in the future.

Now let's answer some reviews shall we ?

To EXCUBITORE:

Glad you liked witnessing Malty's brutality, that was quite frankly just a taste of what's to come of it in this arc. Canon Malty wouldn't have anything compared to Marked Malty since she actually has the skill, raw power and will to seriously put the hurt on other people.

Thanks for saying so ! I'm definitely a big fan of Dishonored myself. I try to find a good balance between world building, action and character-depth/growth moments to really explore these characters and this world since its drastically different from canon.

Yeah, Ake might be an annoyance to Malty but he keeps her head on a swivel to make sure she doesn't forget her goal of boning Naofumi.

To jimwilliamsart:

You are definitely correct that Malty needs to know there are people out there like Naofumi or Raphtalia who love her and won't abandon her like Queenie did when she went missing. Malty definitely has a whole host of underlying issues that she's buried and doesn't want to unravel, which will unfortunately be unearthed whether she likes it or not.

Malty and Naofumi are definitely perfect for each other in this story since they both provide the perfect counterbalance to each other's characters, Naofumi being the good guy who stops Malty from going full grim-dark homicidal murderer, and Malty with her cynicism and gritty nature that keeps Naofumi grounded in the real world.

As for how Naofumi will react to finding out the truth...well, that remains to be seen.

With all that said, thank you all so much for reading and see you all in the next one !

Angel Out.