Before we get into this chapter, I would like to take a moment to reminisce about the past four years I have spent beta reading for Ambition of a Red Princess which has since ended this week if you are unaware. I've had some pretty good times beta reading for that story and I am happy to start beta reading for Ascension of the Red Princess next.
Now for a moment of silence.
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Okay, moment of silence is over, back to my story.
So sorry this chapter took much longer than I would have liked but writer's block was a bitch and I was being really indecisive regarding the fight that takes place in this chapter between some of the characters. Hopefully I can get the next one out sooner rather than later because my sem break is coming up, but I won't make any promises regarding it to not shoot myself in the foot.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing some feedback/critique.
With that said, let's get this chapter started!
They had spent the last few days preparing and making plans at the fort or rather Thomas had been hard at work these past few days making plans. He had taken her out of the fort to travel to Rabier City and the Vallière City to talk to people for information and scout. The little princess felt her skin crawl and stayed extra close to Thomas when they went to one of those...bad places, that Malty kept her eyes closed for the most part and kept the hood of her travelling cloak up. Thomas had gone to speak with so many people that Malty almost lost track of them, he spoke to some Madam Sylvie and many others for information. It was almost a week before they returned to the fort, not to rest but to continue planning.
Malty hadn't spoken much since he told her about his plans to go after the Vallière family, she truly did believe him when he said that he was doing this to allow them go back home. But she didn't know how to feel about what he was doing, she knew that he was going to do some...really bad things to people. People that she knew and had met before, it made her feel a pit in her stomach that she couldn't shake off as she thought back to the names on the board.
The family names of her friends. Her family too.
Iris. Katarina. Bertia, Father...would they be hurt as well? They were her friends and they hadn't done anything wrong. Father, she wasn't happy with what he did but she didn't want him to be hurt. She always hated it when he and Thomas got into arguments.
But what could she do?
The princess looked up at her friend who was standing over the table in the office, focused on the large parchment laid out on it that almost looked like a map but Malty knew better. Thomas had gotten drawn plans about the layout of the Vallière estate, guard patrol paths and placements around the estate, and possible entrances for them. Malty had only been to the Vallière home a few times, but Thomas had worked there for a while before he met her. He had apparently gotten the plans from a guard that worked there, who Thomas had convinced to help them. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.
" Frequent guard patrols around the estate, that hasn't changed much...security is reduced inside. Guess Lady Vallière still didn't take my advice about having patrols inside the estate, always so damned worried about the carpet and shit." Thomas seemed to be muttering to himself as he overlooked the map of the estate." The slaves should be located down here in the barracks beneath the estate, they'll be crucial at overrunning the guards, allowing me to get to Lord and Lady Vallière "
Malty shifted uncomfortable her chair as she looked at her friend in both concern and worry. The way he was just calmly talking about hurting people he once knew with no hesitation in his eyes...it made her feel uneasy.
" T-Thomas?" Malty spoke up after rustling up her courage, raising her head to look at him directly.
Thomas instantly looked up from the maps to turn to her. " Yeah, kid?"
" W-W-What are we doing?" Malty asked shakily.
Thomas looked between her and the plans, before letting out a sigh. " We're getting a job done kid."
" No, I mean what are we going to do? What are you...going to do to Lord and Lady Vallière?"
Thomas doesn't answer her right away, instead choosing to look at the ground." I'm...going to take care of them. Personally, to make sure the message gets sent to your mother "
He doesn't say outright what he's going to do to them, but Malty already knows what's coming. She thinks back on what Thomas did to that dog lady, the screams, the tearing of flesh, the begging and crying still echo in her mind. Would he do the same or even worse to Lord and Lady Vallière? She doesn't know anymore. But a nagging voice in her head still tells her to say something to Thomas.
" W-What about Cattleya? She was nice and kind to me, she cared about you, you always talked well about her..." Malty said meekly. She still remembers how often Thomas would praise Cattleya for being his favorite of the Vallière. She was the only one who didn't treat Thomas like he was just another grunt and he always looked so happy when he talked about her or got one of her letters. It was an emotion she doesn't think he has felt in a long time since they were forced to flee the palace.
Thomas was quiet for a moment, as he turned away from her and Malty worried that she might have said the wrong thing.
" Thomas...?"
After a moment, Thomas turned back at her with a sad expression on his face." She's dead, kid. She passed away two months ago."
It took Malty a minute to understand what Thomas had just said, but his words echoed in her head.
Cattleya was...dead? No, no, it couldn't be. It couldn't have happened.
" W-What? How? But I thought she was getting better and-" Malty sputtered but she was still having trouble understanding it.
" Her illness had finally caught up to her. The doctors did everything they could but even they couldn't save her." Thomas's voice was steady but Malty could see that there was a sadness in his eyes, a buried grief that he hasn't felt in a long time.
But there was something else behind the sadness...there was anger too. A hate in his eyes that almost made her want to take a step back, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
Thomas took a deep breath before he spoke again." There is nothing of value left within the Vallière family at this point. They need to be taken care of "
Malty herself needed a moment to breath, Thomas said it as if it was such a simple thing but...Malty still wasn't sure.
" Do we...do we have to do this?" Malty asked quietly.
"...Yes, I've said before that this is the only way to allow us to go back to the castle. Your mother will never let us back willingly " Thomas said with venom in his tone as he spoke about mother.
" B-But mother-"
" Your mother doesn't care about you, kid! She doesn't care about you or anyone! Its time you realize that." Thomas sudden shout made Malty jump in her chair in fear, Thomas had never raised his voice at her. His every breath was slacked with anger. " She abandoned you, kid. She wrote you off as dead in a month. She even had your own father as a puppet condemning me publicly just so she wouldn't have to get her precious hands dirty!"
Malty couldn't believe what she was hearing, mother...used father? All this time, she had thought father had been behind Thomas's trial but mother actually being behind it all...
Things started making a lot more sense and Malty could feel her heart clenching in pain as Thomas continued speaking. She wanted to cover her ears to block it out, but her arms refused to move.
" And do you want to know why she did all this? Why she threw us away like were nothing than a pawn on a chessboard?" Thomas spits in anger. " Because she wanted to cozy up some more with the Church! She knew that giving my head on a silver platter would make her look good with them!" Thomas shouted with anger and heaving like an bloodthirsty wolf.
" Your mother doesn't have a heart...she doesn't care about you, your father or anybody!" Thomas shouted." So I say to hell with them all, let the Outsider count them when its over "
Malty stopped listening after that, her mouth hanging open slightly as she thought about everything Thomas had just told her, a feeling in her stomach that made her want to throw up as her heart hurt so much at this revelation.
Mother didn't care about her. She didn't love her. She gave up on her and declared her dead after only a month. Thinking back on it, she's not sure she's even heard her mother say 'I love you'.
Malty felt her eyes sting as tears slid down her face, yet her voice did not break down into sobbing. Perhaps deep down, she already knew this She mourns as she feels that she has lost a mother. Maybe she never had a mother, only a queen to serve.
She felt a gloved hand gently wipe away her tears and she looked up to see Thomas standing over her with a solemn look on his face.
" Kid I'm-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken to you like this." Thomas apologized, which is more than mother ever did.
" I-Its...its fine..." Malty tried to hide her pain, as she looked away from him as he knelled down to her level.
" No, its not." Thomas said firmly and at that moment, Malty felt the tears flow freely.
She felt the sobs escape her mouth as her words came out as sputters, as Thomas pulled her into a hug like he did that day. Malty mourned the loss of a mother that day.
But there was something else, something behind the sadness and sorrow she felt...
For the first time since they had left the castle, Malty felt something other than anguish, fear and sadness...
She felt anger. Towards mother, towards father, towards the whole world.
Thomas was right. He was always right.
Chapter 49: Just Fight it Out
Mein didn't know how long she had spent pacing around in her room for, it felt like hours since the meeting had concluded and Mein still hadn't processed what had happened back at Rabier City. Her mind still coming back to that moment when the raccoon-Ash's eyes turned to recognition and he spoke the words that she never would have thought to hear out of the mouth of a damnable bandit.
Ash, the raccoon demi-human knew her. Actually knew her for who she was, not just as the princess but back then when she was with Thomas.
He was one of the slaves Thomas freed from House Vallière during the attack. That she helped free down there in slave quarters of the Vallière estate 10 years ago. It felt like a lifetime ago but Mein can still remember every detail of what had happened. Sneaking into the estate, avoiding the guards, Thomas causing a distraction that allowed her to sneak into the slave quarters with a large of bag of holy water to help them take their slave seals off and convince them to help overrun the guards.
She also remembers the screams...Lady Vallière being dragged beneath the earth after being subjected to the worst fate Thomas could inflict on a person and the daughter of House Vallière being subjected to the same horrors she put her slaves through all these years. She recalls Thomas didn't raise a hand to help her as he left her to the whims of the slaves. She remembers the ancestral home of House Vallière burning, the first victims of Shadow Demon's war against the crown claimed. Lives that she had helped claim.
Mein took a deep breath as she sat on her bed to try and recall every last bit of information about what happened after the assault on the Vallière estate. Dredging up long buried memories that she almost wanted to stay forgotten.
After the attack on the Vallière estate, Thomas had briefly taken in those former slaves for a short while back to the fort. Apparently he had decided that they were useful and he seemed to have taken pity on the poor former slaves who likely wouldn't have survived the month before being captured and executed for their crime of aiding the Shadow Demon, provided they weren't pressed back into slavery all over again. Mein recalls those weeks of training at the fort with the other slaves, she remembered it actually being nice having a few more people at the fort other than herself and Thomas. He had even taken those slaves out on a few jobs to show them the ropes of survival. After, maybe a few months they eventually parted ways with them and that was the last Mein and Thomas ever saw of the former Vallière slaves.
Until Mein ran into one of those former slaves today and killed him with her own two hands.
The princess turned heretic looks at her two hands, the hands that had killed a slave that Thomas had saved whose life she had taken.
She couldn't help but see them slacked in blood-
Mein shook her head as she pushed whatever feelings of confliction she felt away as she needed to assess the situation, being forced to think back to the moment Ash killed himself just to protect his boss.
Mein internally cursed herself for being so distracted by Ash's proclamation that he recognized her, that he actually managed to use her own blade to commit suicide. She was almost impressed by the amount of dedication he had towards Thomas's teachings back at the fort. It was one that Thomas himself didn't directly teach to Mein but she had overheard it once when he was teaching the former slaves in the courtyard.
If you are captured with no hope of rescue or escape...than grant yourself a final mercy and end it quickly. However you can, whenever you can, just get it over with quickly because I can promise you your torturer will not. Better a quick death than forced to sell out your allies.
Thomas would have been proud of Ash, if not for the fact that he was working as a goddamn bandit of all things.
And that was the main crux of the issue that Mein couldn't wrap her head around: How did Ash end up working as a bandit?
Thomas didn't keep in contact with the group after they left as far as she knew, so what happened after they went on their way is a mystery to her. Mein couldn't remember all the details but Thomas did teach them some skills that would help them survive, maybe even carve out a living in Melromarc. So what could have possibly happened before then and now that drove them on this path?
Mein racks her brain for answer...and comes to only unpleasant ones that she does not like but the logical part of her mind forced onto her.
It wasn't hard to imagine it, how were a bunch of former demi-human slaves with nothing but some shoddy leather armor, second-hand weapons given to them by Thomas and a few basic survival skills supposed to live? They would be lucky if they could catch a job cutting lumber, cleaning clothes or doing the occasional odd jobs in Melromarc, provided anybody would be willing to hire them on account of their demi-human status. They wouldn't be able to join the adventurer's guild either on account of them being obviously runaway slaves and Mein knew that many manhunters were registered with the adventurer's guild who would have enslaved them the second they stepped into the guild hall.
All these scenarios and possibilities led Mein to one horrifying conclusion: What if Ash wasn't the only one to turn to banditry? What if the others also did the same?
The Marked Princess burnt that idea up as fast as she came to it.
No, no, no,no,no, that can't be! It can't !
The thought that her fath- Thomas's actions actually led to the creation of a bandit group disgusted her to her very core and likely would have disgusted Thomas himself. He despised bandits above everything else and the knowledge that he might have accidentally created one? Absurd! Ridiculous even!
No, Ash was simply an outlier who joined the Hound Lord's group out of desperation. The rest likely went their separate ways and are either in hiding or dead.
Mein tried to repeating that to herself over and over, but she hadn't even realized that her own breath had quickened and her hands were shaking. It made her grit her teeth in anger as she fought to control her own body. Eventually she decided just to go to sleep, but as she laid down in her soft bed and stared at the ceiling, a single thought permeated throughout her mind.
Thomas...what the hell have you done?
She did not get much rest that night.
Naofumi's POV
" There was something seriously off about Mein during the meeting " Itsuki said as he paced around the room, while Naofumi sat down on his bed. His fellow hero had gestured for them to meet up in his room after the meeting with the others, likely to discuss what had happened in Rabier City. He was not expecting Itsuki to bring up the fact that there was something going on with Mein.
" You noticed that too?" Naofumi inquired. He thought back to the sight of Mein's hands shaking underneath the table, he didn't know why but there was something just unsettling about seeing someone like Mein shaken up.
" Yeah, noticed it all the way back at Rabier City when we were heading back here. After we finished searching the hideout, Mein was very weirdly quiet the whole way there. Body language during the meeting indicated that there was something bothering her in more ways than one " Itsuki described what was going on with Mein, to the point that it surprised Naofumi that he wasn't the only one who had noticed. Though maybe that might just be some mild pettiness on his part.
" Yeah, I noticed that her hands were shaking underneath the table after the meeting was over " Naofumi added, to which Itsuki turn to him with surprise in his eyes.
" Her hands were shaking?" Itsuki repeated, before his expression took on a more thoughtful look." That is a...very strong reaction then. It indicates some measure of emotional shock, whatever happened certainly shook her to her core"
" What could have happened that shook her up that much?" Naofumi wondered out loud.
" She seemed perfectly normal on the way there, calm and everything..." Itsuki's flash with realization " But it wasn't until after we left the hideout that her demeanor changed, after that Ash guy died if I remember right "
" What exactly happened in there while you and Armina were fighting outside?" Naofumi questioned.
" According to Mein, after she dragged him back inside she was attempting to interrogate him when he suddenly pushed her knife onto his throat " Itsuki said with a hand to his chin. " His wounds were consistent with what she said, though neither me or Armina saw it happen so we only have Mein's word to go off on "
Naofumi detected some hint of suspicion in Itsuki's tone as he came to the same thought." You don't think Mein like...purposefully killed him, do you?" Naofumi posed the question fearfully. In truth, he doesn't think Mein as the kind of person who would just kill somebody for no good reason but the Shield Hero had come to learn that there was plenty about his companion that he didn't know.
" No, I don't think she was lying about that but I do think that more happened in the time they were alone than Mein is letting on." Itsuki shook his head." What I'm wondering is how the bastard distracted Mein long enough to push the blade onto his throat. She doesn't strike me as somebody who would let something like that happen"
" She definitely wouldn't but what could he have possibly said that got to her so badly? Mein isn't the kind of person who scares easy." Naofumi admits to his fellow hero. He had seen Mein's ability to keep calm firsthand, it was both amazing but horrifying at the same time. Memories of when she executed all those bandits flash through his mind, but he pushed them away.
" Unclear, all I heard was him shouting ' Long Live the Shadow Heir' before we busted into the hideout to find him dead " Itsuki shrugged his shoulders." Not much else to really go on from there "
" Did you really not learn anything from Mein during your trip?" Naofumi pressed his fellow hero, who gave him a sideways look.
" Not much, though she did seem very protective about her father for some reason. Besides that, nada " Itsuki saw the look Naofumi was giving him and responded." Hey, intelligence gathering takes a while. I didn't say I would have her entire life story in a few days"
Alright, that was fair.
The Shield took a moment to think over what Itsuki had told him about Mein, it wasn't anything new on his red headed companion really. Nothing he didn't already know like how she's pretty private about her life and hiding more than she's letting on. But the one thing that caught his attention was Mein being defensive about her father for some reason, that was new to him. After taking a moment to think about it, he doesn't think Mein has ever really talked about her family much at all over the course of their time together. Sure, she's told him that she's the daughter of some fallen noble house but that was about it.
" Unless you give me something tangible to work off, this is going to take a while " Itsuki replied simply.
For a brief second, Naofumi pondered the idea of telling Itsuki about Mein's hand in the false rape accusation and the whole being the Marked of some dark god asshole but quickly shot it down. Not just because he felt that it would cause more problems than it would solve but it doesn't feel right blabbing about that to somebody outside the party without a very good reason. Well more than he's already doing by going behind everybody's back to ask Itsuki's help.
After a moment of thinking, Naofumi came to a comfortable middle ground on what he should say.
" Itsuki, have you ever heard about the Marked?" Naofumi posed the question to which his fellow Hero looked at him strangely.
" Marked? What the hell is that?"
Naofumi took a deep breath as he explained, carefully choosing his words " According to the Church, they are basically heretical agents of the Outsider which is...I don't even know how to explain it really, but to the Church he's an evil heretical god and the Marked are his agents. From the way, I hear it the Marked are the equivalent to a Cardinal Hero "
" Our darker equals, huh? That's interesting " Itsuki said calmly, seeming to take in the information." But what do they have to do with Mein?"
" Well, the Shadow Demon was apparently one of them, that was how he managed to kill so many people." Naofumi said slowly as he remembered Mein during the meeting and the shaking hands." And whenever Mein talks about him...I don't know, she gets this weird distant look in her eye. It might be nothing but I thought it was worth mentioning "
Itsuki had a thoughtful look on his face but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. " Maybe...I'll keep that in mind for now."
" So what's your plan now?" Naofumi inquired.
" Lay low for a bit, gather some more information about this Shadow Demon if I can and work from there." Itsuki explained." Immediately chatting Mein up so soon is sure to tip her off, so I'm gonna focus a bit on the bandits before getting back to her" Itsuki let out a sigh as he rubbed his chest." Thank god those bandits we fought at the fort and hideout were pretty weak, or else I'm not sure I could have engaged them in close combat "
" Fair enough, thanks for the help Itsuki..." Naofumi said as he guiltily remembered the fact that Filo kicked him not too long ago. " By the way, before I forget to say this again...sorry about Filo kicking you a few days ago"
Itsuki expression turns somewhat sour but still neutral at the reminder of what happened, before he simply let out a sigh. " Whatever, just make sure it doesn't happen again, we got enough problems to worry about than some overactive kid with a temper"
" Fair enough." Naofumi got the impression that Itsuki didn't necessarily forgive Filo for what she did, but was willing to let it go out of practicality than anything.
That was good enough for him.
Mein's POV
A few days had since passed quite uneventfully at Silver Keep surprisingly enough. The Bow Hero and his party, Slayer and Titan Storm would go out to scout potential hideouts and destroy them if possible at the time. The Bow felt that his team along with Slayer and Titan Storm who appeared to be the foremost expert on hunting bandits of the demi-human and beastman variety were more than sufficient to take down any bandit camps or hideouts they come across. Any larger encampments they would rally what was left of the fighting force of Silver Keep to battle, but so far they have had zero issues. Mein couldn't say she was surprised in the least, bandits tended to be an unskilled lot of thieves and scumbags who preyed on the weak, and relied on numbers to brute force a win.
Mein herself and the rest of the party had spent the past few days in Silver Keep, helping defend it in case of another bandit attack like the one the Hound Lord launched not too long before they arrived. The heretical princess had to admit that this Hound Lord had some serious balls if he was willing to outright attack a fortress like Silver Keep, then again its likely not a secret that the famed fortress of light has seen better days and that was bound to make any bandit extra arrogant. Still Eclair has been consolidating what was left of her fighting force and men to rebuild the fortress to the best of their ability.
So that just left Mein and her group at the Keep to bide their time with whatever they could find. The princess in disguise for her part was mostly feeling bored at the Keep with little to do besides rest and kill time. Perhaps she should have asked to go with the Bow Hero and Titan Storm to hunt down some bandits, that would have at least helped her feel better after what happened at Rabier City.
" Bad form! With technique like that, you would be lucky to kill a balloon!" Aslatiel shouted as he easily knocked down two dog demi-human knights with his superior skill. Mein had to give credit where credit is due, it was clear that this Aslatiel didn't get his position through favoritism from Eclair but from his own merit and skill. The princess could certainly respect that.
At least watching the knights of Silver Keep get beat up by their superiors provided some sense of entertainment. Mein had been watching Aslatiel train some of the more inexperienced Silver Hand knights in the inner training courtyard of the Keep. Naofumi, Ake, Raphtalia, Jun and even the brat Filo were watching as well with varying degrees of interest. Though Raphtalia seemed to be the one with the most vested interest in the fight and Mein recognized that yearning to learn in Raphtalia's eyes that she knows all too well.
" Did you see that Raphtalia? How Aslatiel used a defensive strategy by letting the two knights charge at him rather than meeting them halfway and then using their own movements to his advantage?" Mein points out to the raccoon girl, who nodded in response." That was a good move, instead of trying to brute force your way through multiple enemies, its better to disorient and throw them off balance to even the odds "
Raphtalia nodded in agreement with her teachings, as she shyly looked up at her." Will...you teach me big sister Mein?"
Mein cracked a small smile as she patted the girl on the head, ruffling her hair a little." All in good time Raphtalia...once we're away from prying eyes that is "
The young raccoon girl returned her smile, as she focused on the fight as Aslatiel called over two more knights that looked barely older than 20 over to train them or more specifically kick the hell out of them with impunity. Though as she did that, Mein noticed out of the corner of her eye that her dear Jun seemed to be looking at Raphtalia with a jealous look and pout formed on his lips but he didn't say anything.
Is Jun...jealous of Raphtalia?
Mein found it honestly adorable which made her smirk as she moved over and gently patted the dragon boy on the head in surprise.
" I promise I'll teach you too Jun " Mein said in a soft tone.
Jun didn't reply but instead held her hand gently to his head and she could swear to the gods that Jun was quietly purring under her touch.
" Mommy's boy" The annoying mocking voice of Filo made both Mein and Jun snap their heads at the dumb bird, who was giving Jun as a mocking look.
" Fat stupid bird!" Jun instantly spit back at the dumb bird." We should have left you for the bandits! At least, they would have gotten some food from your fat body!"
Filo's eyes widened in anger, clearly the brat didn't expect to be hit back with an insult herself. " WHY YOU-!"
The dumb bird and Jun looked ready to go for blows, but luckily Mein and Naofumi were quick to react. Mein quickly grabbing June by the arms and holding him back which wasn't any problem for her, while Naofumi needed Ake's help in holding the dumb bird back as she was jumping and flailing in an attempt to hit her dragon boy.
" Come on Filo, don't fight!" Naofumi tried to calm the brat down to no avail.
" You-you are a dumb, dumb stinky dragon!" Filo shouted petty insults at Jun and Mein." And you're stupid and ugly too!"
" Filo, that's not nice!" Naofumi generously scolded at Filo, but it was clear that it was not working in the slightest.
Mein could physically feel her eye twitch in anger at the insult at not just her darling Jun but herself as well, as she desperately wanted to let Jun go to teach this brat a lesson but knew that Naofumi would immediately step in to stop them. She turned her gaze to Aslatiel still beating the hell out of Silver Hand knights and that gave her an idea.
" Mein, say something please!" Naofumi's eyes pleaded with her to help him, but she had other things in mind.
" Let them fight " Mein said simply.
" Yeah let them-wait what?" Naofumi whipped his head at her in shock, it almost made him lose his grip on Filo but he quickly caught it again.
" It'll be good for them " Mein replied calmly.
" How is letting them beat the hell out of each other going to be good for either of them?!" Naofumi questioned with an expression that told Mein he was trying to figure out if she was serious.
She was indeed, being serious as Mein pulled Jun back with ease." They've been at each other's throats since day 1 Naofumi, and all this pent up aggression clearly isn't going anywhere. Better to have them work out their anger in a controlled environment rather than risk having the two of them getting into an argument while we're in the middle of a fight or a similarly tense situation, void forbid "
That was only part of the truth that Mein was telling Naofumi to get him to agree. The real truth was simply that she hoped to see her favorite dragon boy put that idiotic bird in her place once and for all. A part of her hopes that if Jun wins this fight, it will at least teach Filo some better manners or at least make her more compliant as she does seem to have enough intelligence not to mess with someone stronger than her. She didn't miss all those times Filo gave the Bow Hero a glare over the time he hit her with a paralysis arrow, but knew she couldn't do anything about it. Mein was hoping for a similar outcome here.
Naofumi looked conflicted about her suggestion. " I mean, I get your point but isn't there a better way than just having them beat each other up?"
Mein gave him a blank look as she turned his attention to the two monster children shouting insults at each other. " Do they look like they are calm and willing enough to talk about their problems Naofumi?"
The Shield Hero shifted his gaze from the kids to Mein, and the princess knew that she was winning.
" Mein, may have a point Sir Naofumi. Filorials and dragons naturally hate each other, so having them spar might be for the best to work out their anger." Ake surprisingly stepped up in support for her idea. " Back when I was part of the knights whenever two guys had issues with each other, my captain would force them fight it out in the ring. They wouldn't exactly come out of it best friends afterwards, but at least they wore each other out of their anger for the most part and gained some begrudging respect for whoever won. "
Naofumi looked like he wanted to say something, but Filo answered for him. " Let me fight daddy! I'll teach that stupid dragon who's better!"
" In your dreams, you dumb bird!" Jun shot back.
The Shield Hero still looked conflicted for a moment before sighing." Alright fine, but if things get out of hand-"
" We'll step in of course, if either of them go to far." Mein said, but she was mostly talking about the dumb bird. She believes that she at least taught her amazing Jun enough morals not to lower himself to the stupid bird's level.
Filo and Jun had finally stopped thrashing about in an attempt to hit each other, finally settling down at the agreement that they would fight.
" Now I just need to procure a fighting arena for us..." Mein said as she walked over to Aslatiel in the center of the courtyard, who had just gotten finished defeating the last batch of new knights. The mouse knight turning to her as he heard her approach.
" Excuse me Aslatiel, but do you mind if we take a turn using the ring for a moment?" Mein very kindly asked in her sweetest tone possible.
But the knight didn't seem the least bit moved by her polite ask, giving her a rather dismissive look. " We're in the middle of an important training session right now where I'm preparing my men to fight against wave monsters and bandits " Aslatiel said in the tone of a military instructor.
But Mein gave Aslatiel a blank stare as she turned her gaze to the large group of knights who were currently laid unconscious or groaning on the floor.
"...You get 5 minutes " Aslatiel replied before walking off to the side to yell at the lazy bums to get up.
Mein smirked as she went back to the group. " We're good to go "
" Alright, guess we're doing this " Naofumi said as he guided her to the ring.
But before the fight could start, she quickly pulled Jun off to the side to prepare him for the coming fight ahead. She knelled down to Jun's level as she looked into his eyes to make sure he was paying full attention.
" Jun, listen carefully. Filo has better speed and stamina than you, so a prolonged fighting isn't going to go in your favor." Mein whispered into his ear as she gave him battle advice. She had to concede that the dumb bird was faster and had more stamina than her Jun. " But Filo's weakness is her impulsiveness, she'll likely try to charge at you and try to overwhelm you with brute force. Do not let her, use her force against her and try to trip her up in the fight"
The princess turned heretic knew that for all Filo's strength and speed, it all meant nothing due to the fact that she was an impulsive brat that she was sure any skilled opponent could take down. Thomas had always taught her that power without skill was virtually worthless, if one did not have the skill to triumph over a superior opponent. He certainly didn't live as long as he did with the entire nation hunting them down due to the black eyed bastard's Mark alone.
" I won't let you down mother" Jun looked up to her with determination in his eyes.
" Atta boy " Mein smiled as she patted his head.
The two monster children stood in the center of the training arena a few feet away from each other with Mein and Naofumi standing off to the side with the rest of the Silver Hand knights who looked quite interest in getting to see a filorial and dragon in human form fight each other. Ake stood in the middle of them to act as a sort of announcer.
" Alright kids, listen up. We're gonna do one round only, no transforming into your monster form, whoever pins the other for three seconds is the winner, nothing beyond that clear?" Mein was mildly confused by the way Ake decided on having the victor be decided by a pin down, but she quickly realized that the knight was obviously setting the rules up in a way that meant that neither could do any permanent injury to each other. Smart.
" You're going down you stinky dragon!" Filo tried to goad Jun but her dragon didn't bother gracing it with a response. Good boy.
The two squared off against each other with their fists raised as Ake slowly backed away from the ring.
" Ready...BEGIN!"
The moment Ake gave the word, Filo made the first move in the fight. As expected by Mein the dumb bird charged at Jun with no clear plan or strategy in mind besides what Mein assumed to be 'hit really hard'. Mein's eyes easily tracked the dumb bird fast movements as she ran at Jun in a straight line with no plan, no strategy, just running off pure instincts and relying on brute force to win. Perhaps against similarly untrained beasts that kind of strategy would be viable...but not here.
Before Filo's feet could make contact with Jun's chest, the dragon boy sidestepped her attempt to kick him and Mein's eyes followed his movement as he held out a foot to trip her other leg up, which resulted in Filo falling face first into the hard stone and before she could even get up, she was met with a elbow hit to the back of the head. Impressive.
Though Mein could see Naofumi visibly flinch at the sight of his precious bird getting hurt.
" She'll be fine, don't worry " Mein reassured him but based on his still worried expression it was clear that it didn't help.
Filo's eyes flashed with anger as she quickly tried to go for another kick but Jun reacted quicker and delivered a hard punch to Filo's gut that literally knocked the wind out of her before tackling her to the ground. Mein watched as the two rolled on the ground as both seemed evenly matched in strength.
" SURRENDER YOU STUPID BIRD!" Jun yelled as he tried to keep her pinned.
" N-NOOO!" Filo thrashed but she was not able to throw Jun off, both of them struggling for dominance. Filo attempting to kick Jun away, while Jun attempted to hold her down. Even though she was fighting in human form, it was clear that Filo was still trying to fight like a filorial who relied on strong kicks instead of like a human who utilized a mix of kicks and punches in a real fight.
But as the two monster children rolled on the stone ground, Mein could quickly see that this fight was going nowhere and worried that if Filo got the upper hand, she would be able to beat Jun into submission as loath she is to admit, the dumb bird does have the advantage in that area.
So Mein decided to even the odds a little with some advice.
" You need to hold her in a submission hold Jun!" Mein shouted from the sidelines." Twist her wrist and push down on her shoulder to keep her pinned!"
Jun's eyes turned to her for a brief second which resulted in him getting a stray kick in the abdomen but it was not enough to push him off. The next punch Filo tried to throw, Jun managed to catch her wrist and like she ordered, twist it around to use it as leverage as he pushed down on her shoulder forcing her face first into the concrete holding her in a submission hold. The dumb bird thrashed and tried to move, but the hold was too strong to break and Mein knew that it was over for her.
" Yes! That's it Jun!" Mein cheered from the sidelines, even Raphtalia was clapping alongside her.
" Hey! That's not fair Mein!" Naofumi chided her for giving battle advice to her boy.
" I could shout some advice to Filo but I doubt she would listen " Mein replied sarcastically." Besides, the battle is almost over "
Ake took a step forward as Jun held Filo pinned to the ground. " 1...2...3!" Ake counted loudly " The match is over! Jun wins!"
Mein clapped loudly in happiness for her boy, even a few Silver Hand knights and Raphtalia were clapping alongside her.
Jun had a big smile on his face as he turned to them with his fist raised in the air in victory, Mein would have immortalized the moment with a recording crystal if she had one on hand at the moment. But she was willing to attribute it to memory instead this perfect moment of her dragon boy's victory-
Up until Filo kicked him right in the back that sent him flying.
Mein had been so focused on Jun that she hadn't even noticed Filo get up and hit Jun in the back when he wasn't paying attention.
" HA! Take that you stinky dragon! I win!" The brat had the audacity to look proud after hitting her darling boy.
" Filo!"
" Jun!"
Both Naofumi and Mein shouted in shock at what had just happened, the stupid bird was that petty over losing that she would do something as dishonorable as striking an opponent from behind and having the audacity to look proud about it? How dare she! Even the knights who had been watching from the sidelines looked shock at this action.
The princess quickly ran over to her dragon boy, hoping to the Outsider himself that he didn't break his spine from that strong kick." Jun! Are you okay? Can you see me?! " She shouted as she helped him stand up, clearly dazed from the strike from behind.
" Ugh mother..." Jun was clearly out of it from the sudden attack from behind for a moment, but she's fairly certain he didn't have any bones broken on account of he was able to stand up fine after a moment. If the way his eyes flashed with anger as he quickly realized what had happened. " YOU STUPID BIRD! "
" I win! You lose to you stinky dragon!" Filo's annoying voice grated her ears and it was enough to send Jun into a rage that he would charged at her if not for Mein holding him back.
" Filo! That's not right to say!" Naofumi chided her, but Mein was certain she wasn't listening in the slightest.
" You didn't win, you overgrown bird! Jun did!" Mein couldn't help but shout at the annoying little brat in retaliation.
The brat however didn't seem to get the memo, and instead smugly smirked at them. " Sore loser much?" Filo said with sticking her tongue out in a mocking way.
Mein had never hit a child before but Filo was working very hard to be her exception to that rule. Plus, she was neither human or demi-human technically so she was fairly certain that it didn't apply to her. The only issue would be Naofumi's obvious objection to her slapping the hell out of his stupid bird daughter, which was just about the only thing that stopped her from doing just that at the moment.
But that didn't mean she couldn't get creative.
At that moment, Mein decided with breathtaking speed to loosen her grip on Jun-
SMACK! SMACK!
Within mere seconds, Jun's fists made contact with Filo's stupid face twice causing blood to dribble down from her nose and for the dumb brat to collide into Naofumi who had run over as well. Filo was clearly surprised by the attack but her eyes flashed with anger similar to Jun and she looked ready to retaliate if it wasn't for the Shield Hero coming into hold her back.
" THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ake shouted at the top of his lungs so loud that it almost made Mein jump." Break it up you two!"
The two monster children gave each other death glares before settling down
" Jun won that fight, suck it up Filo." Ake said before he turned to give Jun a hard stare." And you need to get a handle on yourself boy "
Mein had the distinct urge to tell Ake not to lecture her child, but stood down as she realized it would be more trouble than it was worth.
Filo and Jun glared at each other for a moment, before backing off. No words were said but it was clear that this was by no means the end of their rivalry. Mein had to admit that this wasn't quite the outcome she was hoping for, she had hoped that Jun triumphing over Filo would at least teach the dumb bird to avoid causing any further trouble. But it seems that the dumb bird was far more stubborn or simply too stupid to admit defeat when she is outmatched. Oh well, at least now she can no longer deny that Jun is her superior and Jun did get the opportunity to beat Filo and smack her once, so she's willing to take this result for now.
Both Mein and Naofumi escorted the two monster children back to the sidelines so Aslatiel can get back to work training his men. Their 5 minutes was up anyway.
The princess turned heretic patted Jun on the head, looking down at him with a proud smile." You did well Jun "
" Thanks mother!" Jun replied happily.
" I hope with all the commotion we heard, that means training is going well Aslatiel " A new but recognizable voice caught Mein's attention as she turned her head to see Eclair walk into the training courtyard with that mouse knight, Lucatiel by her side.
Immediately all the Silver Hand knights saluted and bowed their heads at the sight of their lady in respect and reverence, Aslatiel included.
" My lady, training is progressing slowly we had to take a short break because of the Shield Hero and his party here " Asatiel responded as his commanding officer and lady approached him.
" The Shield Hero is here? Well, this is a lucky coincidence " Eclair's gaze turned to them, her eyes lingered on Mein for a brief moment before turning her attention to Raphtalia surprisingly.
The heiress turned Lady walked towards Raphtalia with grace and purpose as she looked down at the little raccoon girl. " Excuse me, but are you from the Hirata family from Port Harp?" Eclair asked kindly to Raphtalia who was incredibly nervous at suddenly having the heiress of Silver Keep's attention on her.
" U-Um, yes, yes I am..." Raphtalia replied with a slight stutter.
" I see..." Eclair's voice was even and calm, but what happened next was something Mein could not have predicted.
To everybody's surprise, Eclair fell into a kneel in front of Raphtalia with her head bowed down low as if she was addressing the Queen of Melromarc herself." Then I would like to formally apologize for the failures of my family and my own. It was our sworn duty to protect the people of Port Harp and we failed miserably, if you feel the need to strike me, I would not stop you "
So...quite a few things happened in this chapter. Mein pinning over her past with Thomas, Itsuki and Naofumi talk which included the apology over what happened and Jun and Filo roughing it out in the ring. I'll be honest, I was really indecisive on what should be the second half of this chapter since I was flip flopping between having Itsuki and Naofumi fight, maybe Mein vs Eclair, or Mein beating up some Silver Hand knights. I'm not sure I made the right call here but let me know.
And of course, the big reveal that it was actually Queenie who was behind Thomas's condemnation. I actually foreshadowed this a few chapters ago with the one where Thomas was screaming his head off about the Queen to Rabier. How this changes the story from here, you'll have to keep reading to find out.
:P
Sidenote, but I'm an actual idiot since the apology between Naofumi and Itsuki about Filo kicking him was supposed to happen back in chapter 47 but I forgot because I'm stupid. Which is probably why the apology seemed kinda awkwardly placed there.
Sorry if the pacing of this chapter felt a bit off, with the big emotional scene at the start rather than at the end. I am aware this makes the chapter pretty front loaded where most of the heavy emotional impact happened in the first half, and the second half is mostly just filler set-up for future events but I sadly couldn't really come up with a good alternative for it, so here we are. Should probably start pacing these chapters better.
Hope you all enjoyed the flashback scene with Thomas though, I definitely wanted to show that while he did genuinely care about Malty...he was also kind of an asshole who may have inadvertently turned her into the cold hearted bloodthirsty killer we have today. Not to say that Queenie doesn't share a part of the blame for what happened, but I wanted to make it clear that there was plenty of blame to throw around for how Malty turned out.
And of course, next chapter we're going to get to see Eclair apologize to Raphtalia in full over what happened at Port Harp.
Now let's answer some reviews shall we?
To jmwilliamsart:
I can't give any spoilers about what kind of role Medea may or may not play within the story since we're a long way of from the arc that involves Gods and Monsters, but I will just say that you are correct that something is controlling the Waves of Catastrophe which will all be revealed in due time. Stay tuned.
To yohanntejadapolanco:
I know I already answered in a PM but I'm just going to leave this here for everybody.
I won't pretend that I didn't buffed up the heroes a bit to give Naofumi a real challenge, I wouldn't really say I gave the other heroes a massive headstart compared to Naofumi. Itsuki is the only one who's actually combat trained while Motoyasu never got his doctor's license and is only working off of what he remembers, I kept Ren's backstory mostly the same with some minor edits on my part. That's not to say the 3 heroes won't have to work hard to get strong, I can promise you all that they will definitely have to put in the work to get strong like Naofumi.
Regarding your other review... like I said before I'm an actual idiot and I hate that its taken me this long to get to Naofumi's life before being summoned. In hindsight, Naofumi probably should have been the first hero whose backstory interlude I showed instead of Itsuki. Truth be told, it was never my intention to make him a tertiary character, but rather a second character alongside Mein in the story but I underestimated my own incompetence by focusing too much on Mein these past few chapters. Hopefully within this arc and the upcoming interludes, I can show off his backstory a bit more since I did modify it quite a bit like Itsuki's.
To Caspian123:
I can't answer any questions regarding the Beast Lord for spoiler purposes but let's just say that at the end of this arc, things are going to come to a head and we'll see who's truly worthy of calling themselves the Shadow Heir.
:)
With all that said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.