Side Story: Heroic Regression

And here we are again with a side story heavily requested by our readers! But real quick, a guest review needs answering: curioustomjerry-I don't exactly have any plans for the heroes to meet the rulers before the start of what will probably be the Spirit Tortoise arc, though I might be able to squeeze a quick appearance in somewhere. Also, shout out to Gadget boy for giving me the idea on how to outline this chapter. Now, onto the story!

Immediately After the Second Wave

"Just who in the world are you Darius Saxon, so-called Armory Hero," Itsuki thought aloud as he and his party along with the other two heroes and their parties walked back towards the castle.

"It does raise a few questions," said Ren with a hand to his chin, "we were all told there were only supposed to be four cardinal heroes and now someone else claiming the title of hero has shown up practically out of nowhere."

"Are you two still stuck on that new guy," said Motoyasu in mild annoyance, "he's probably just some pretender trying to cash in on the waves and make some kind of name for himself. I mean did you see the entrance he tried to pull off, a throne of weapons, seriously."

"I agree wholeheartedly," said Myne who was practically hanging off of the Spear Hero, "He not only travels with a filthy demi-human that he makes no effort to control but he's also made it clear that he's sided with that dreadful Shield Hero, even after we were kind enough to warn him."

"But that still doesn't answer the question of how he summoned those weapons and chains in the first place," Ren pointed out, "not to mention he demonstrated that he does have the ability to absorb materials into the jewels on his bands, something that only cardinal weapons should be able to do."

"That's not the only question we need answered about him either," said Itsuki, "One thing we need to know without a doubt is whether or not he's on the side of justice. It's always possible he sided with Naofumi because he intends to stop him from committing another crime."

"Or he could just be some lowlife who happens to know a few magic tricks," Said Motoyasu, "All we gotta do is ask the king about whether or not there's an Armory Hero and if he says no then that's that."

"Or," suggested Ren, "we wait and see whether or not he shows up at the castle this evening. If he does intend to travel with Naofumi, who's currently penniless, then they'll have no choice but to come up to receive their reward for fighting the waves."

"I guess that means it's time for the next fated encounter event of this game," remarked Itsuki as they continued on to the castle.

Melromarc Castle: After the Spear and Shield Hero's Duel

"You saw that right," said Itsuki as the two heroes were heading to their quarters for the night, "please tell me you saw what happened back there?"

"Are we talking about Myne's illegal use of magic or how Darius created a replica of your bow out of thin air?" Asked Ren.

"One that he used to threaten the king with," added Itsuki, "It was even building up energy like my bow does right before an attack."

"Yes, but there was something slightly off about it," Ren pointed out, "the coloration and the energy were different. It's possible he can only create and maintain those replicas for a short time. Given what he told us at the banquet, it actually lends a bit to his story of being a cardinal hero."

"Or he might be like one of those copycat characters that stores and uses the fighting styles of several characters," Itsuki suggested, "and if I remember correctly, those guys are almost always bad guys."

"Not always," said Ren, "I believe there was a hero of sorts from something known as the Fate series who was able to copy and generate weapons and an anime that I can't quite remember the name of where a ninja used some sort of ocular power to copy other techniques. He became the village leader at some point near the end of the series."

"They made a series like that in my world too," said Itsuki, "and guess what, the main villain had a similar ocular power and was capable of taking on an entire army. The only way they were able to beat him was by using sealing techniques to halt the power of his eyes and then nine tailed demons bombarded him into oblivion."

"Really, the series ended differently in my world. Maybe we should stick with what we've seen so far," said Ren, "He did help us out during the wave and his story about being from another world is plausible given that he knows the names of countries that aren't from this world. He threatened the king twice but both times were in defense of his comrades, even if the second time seemed to be a bit more emotional than logical. He also raised that shield wall which dispersed whatever wind magic Myne had used, meaning he was telling the truth about preventing interference as just raising a shield wall slightly off to the side in the middle of the duel wouldn't have really changed the outcome."

"It was still surprising to see Motoyasu get that outclassed by a guy who can't even attack that much," said Itsuki, "but I guess that's what he gets for underestimating his opponent. I heard he had to turn in early due to a headache."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," said Ren dismissively, "what we should be thinking about right now is whether or not we should accept Darius as the cardinal hero he says he is or try to call him out on it?"

"Well surprise characters like him tend to be overly friendly and try to earn the trust of the other heroes before betraying them in most games," Itsuki recalled.

"If that were the case then he would've tried befriending one of us instead of a known criminal," Ren pointed out, "Which would mean he might be more like one of those characters who have their own goals and motivations that don't align with anyone. For now, I think we should just give him the benefit of the doubt as he hasn't shown any actual open hostility towards us and he's brought up some interesting observations about the King."

"Well worst comes to worse and he does betray us, he'll quickly learn what happens to those that challenge justice," said Itsuki, "speaking of which, we should probably make sure him and Naofumi get what they were promised for fighting the waves. After all, if the royals aren't willing to uphold the laws they set in place then who will?"

Outside Lute Village: After the Race

'This is some bullshit,' thought Motoyasu as he was forced to lay in a cart on the way back to Castle Town. 'I've been humiliated twice in barely a week's time and I got my jewels kicked in by a fat bird of all things!'

"Is he gonna be alright?" Asked one of the Spear Hero's other party members, a girl wearing a witch's hat.

"I don't often deal with these kinds of injuries," replied the old healer who was currently applying magic to the affected region, "but I do believe he'll make a full recovery in a day or two."

"Oh this sort of thing is nothing," assured Motoyasu with a dismissive wave from his spot on the cart, "just give me an hour or two and I'll be back up in no ti-ow!" The cart just so happened to hit a bump at that moment.

"Well I'd recommend wearing a bit of protection around that spot from this point on," said the healer, "it'd be a shame if one of the cardinal heroes suddenly became unable to please those of their heart's desire."

"That means you'd best be doing your job healer," warned Myne, "His highness, and I, shall be most displeased if you fail."

"All talk about Sir Hero's junk aside," said their other party member, a girl with pink hair tied in a braid, "what exactly is our plan now?"

"Well that should be obvious," said the Spear Hero with a thumbs up, "we go out and recruit a few more cute party members, grind some levels and help those in need, like heroes are supposed to do."

"And if we encounter that blasted Shield Hero and his right hand, the Armory Hero, we'll make them pay for our humiliation," added Myne as she rubbed a sore spot on her back. 'I just hope Sir Motoyasu choses wisely, otherwise some of our new party members might be discouraged from traveling with us.' Thought the royal while hiding a cruel smile.

Castle Town: Local Inn

"So you actually managed to slay a dragon," said Itsuki, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised given how into monster hunting you've been."

"It was a tough fight," admitted Ren, "tough enough that I actually had to bring in my party to take it down. But they did their jobs and managed to give me the opening I needed to deal the finishing blow."

"Well I suppose I haven't done anything quite as grand as that," said Itsuki, "my party and I just did a few little favors for the resistance of Koteraan and now their king is overthrown. He won't be overtaxing his people again any time soon."

"And naturally you went in and out with as much subtlety as possible," commented Ren, "do the people up in that country even know that it was the Bow Hero helping them out?"

"All they need to know is that their problem is taken care of and that it was the adventurers from Melromarc that did it," said Itsuki smugly, "my party and I are dedicated to eradicating evil wherever we find it, big or small. We sneak in during the night and disappear before anyone even knows we were there. But they'll see the results and know that justice was done."

"Not that we really need to be subtle about it," said Ren, "we're the chosen cardinal heroes, so we'll get praise and reward whether people know we did the deed or not. That's why I decided to go ahead and leave the dragon's corpse as a landmark. It'll give people hope knowing the cardinal heroes are strong enough to slay even the strongest of monsters."

"Speaking of the people," said Itsuki, "have you heard the rumors about those other two figures going around lately?"

"I've heard something about a 'Savior of the Heavenly Fowl,'" replied Ren, "and the occasional mention of a 'Merciful Dragon Knight' on the way back from the dragon slaying. The people seem to like them pretty well because they both deliver supplies, food, medicines and other assorted items throughout the kingdom."

"Well I happened to hear on my way back that the so-called Savior also heals the sick and that the Dragon Knight is an accomplished monster hunter. Honestly I thought the second one was you for a moment given that the king did offer us all dragons."

"Apparently for one to be considered a dragon knight, however, they must be able to master riding a flying dragon," said Ren, "I honestly thought it might be Darius and Naofumi for a moment but where would they even find a flying dragon or this weird fowl?"

"Well we can ask them if they happen to show up at the next wave," said Itsuki as he stood up, "in the meantime I need to get going. Justice needs serving and I believe we both have rewards waiting on us."

Immediately After the Third Wave

"Oh, who was that?" Groaned Motoyasu as he rubbed his head, "two boss monsters is one thing but a crazy fan lady too."

"It does seem like we triggered some kind of event this wave," said Ren, "perhaps it was one of those fights we weren't meant to win." But even as he said that he couldn't help but recall the words of Naofumi and Darius: 'This isn't a game!'

"Then what do you call that cheating rage shield Naofumi pulled out of nowhere," Questioned Itsuki, "and I'm pretty sure I saw Darius use some other power up trick right before I passed out. Neither of them are at the level we are and yet somehow they managed to hold their own."

"And that lady with the fans called us their servants," spat Motoyasu, "where does a boss get off saying who is and isn't a hero anyway?"

"It doesn't really matter what she thinks she's our enemy," said Ren, "What's important right now is that we get healed and level up even higher. That way we'll be able to fight on equal footing next time."

"And we'll show that boss chick who the real heroes of this world are!" Exclaimed Motoyasu before grabbing his throbbing head again.

"Well then we'd best not waste too much time," said Itsuki as he noted his party was waving at him, "I'm heading back to Castle Town to stock up, so if you need anything my party and I will be there." Ren and Motoyasu simply shrugged at this statement as Itsuki joined his party and began heading back towards their destination.

"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that Sir Itsuki is already back up and on the job," said Rojeel.

"It takes a lot more than that to keep a hero of justice down," remarked Itsuki, "but now we know to prioritize leveling a bit more in preparation for the next wave. Speaking of which." One of the lizard monsters which had come with the wave had suddenly stumbled out of the bushes in front of them, looking more confused than anything. Itsuki readied his bow and pulled back the string. "We might as well get started right n-BOOM!"

His statement was interrupted by a fireball roasting his target as the monster fell over dead in front of them. "Who dares interrupt the justice of the great Bow Hero?!" roared Mald as he pulled his sword out.

"Oh," said a surprised girl with green hair in twin braids as she adjusted her glasses a little, "I'm sorry I didn't know more adventurers had shown up. Are you here to help quell the remaining monsters from the wave?"

"Our entire purpose is to quell the waves and all evil that crosses our path!" Exclaimed Mald, "and you have just stolen a kill from the greatest of all, Sir Itsuki the Bow Hero!"

"What, you mean 'the' Bow Hero, as in the real one?" Questioned the girl with varying degrees of surprise and confusion.

"Of course he's real," said Rojeel as she pointed to Itsuki's weapon, "No one else could wield this legendary weapon."

"So that's the real legendary bow," said Rishia as she stepped closer to examine it. "It's a much lighter color and the jewel is yellow instead of white."

"You make it sound like you're comparing this bow to another one," said Itsuki.

"I'm sorry," said the green-haired girl as she looked back up, "It's just that the bow that saved me and my country was a replica of this one."

"Replica of the-wait a minute," said Itsuki, "are you telling me you're from the country of Koteraan, the one that Darius claimed to have visited recently?"

"Yes," she said, "my name is Rishia Ivyred and I hail from the country of Koteraan, which was recently liberated by the Armory Hero, Darius Saxon, and the rest of his party. I actually came here as part of a group to help him and the Shield Hero combat the waves as a way to repay him for his kindness."

"But he stole the identity of the great Sir Itsuki and used it to pretend to be a hero!" exclaimed Mald, "Your country was already saved by us when we helped your resistance oust the previous king."

"It was a short-lived peace I'm afraid," said Rishia as she bowed her head a bit, "as soon as their own power was fully established, the revolutionaries went and hiked up the taxes anyway while also hiring mercenaries and bandits to quell dissent. Many fled the country as refugees, some of whom were lucky just to survive making it to the border of Melromarc. Even my family, who are nobles, couldn't afford some of the prices put on us and I was taken away as part of a payment to another lord."

"But that can't be right," said Itsuki, "the country was doing fine when we left."

"I don't blame you for the state it fell into," said Rishia, "you couldn't have known what would happen once you left and I'm certain you would've done the same as Darius. He says he imitated you because he didn't have the same authority as a cardinal hero, but he revealed who he was in the end and the people still celebrated his help. We're a much happier nation working towards a better tomorrow now thanks to him and-oh, you seem to be hurt." Rishia reached up and began using a simple healing spell on a mark that Itsuki had failed to notice on his hand.

"You can use healing magic too," noted Rojeel with a hint of surprise.

"I can actually use several forms of magic," explained Rishia, "they said I had a fair bit of talent during my schooling."

"You know we actually do lack a magic user," said the Bow Hero as he examined his hand, "tell you what: how would you like to travel with a real cardinal hero and help us dispense justice?"

"R-really," squeaked Rishia, "Oh, but I'm already working with Sir Darius and Sir Naofumi, I can't just abandon them."

"You're not abandoning them," said Rojeel, "just making a switch to something better. Don't worry, we'll let the rest of your party know where you went off too."

"I suppose that could work," said Rishia, "I know Sir Darius would understand me wanting to help as much as I can."

"Forget that imitator," Mald almost spat, "you'll be traveling with a real hero of justice now."

"Mald's enthusiasm aside," said Itsuki, "I would like to show you how we handle things. So what do you say?" Rishia looked to the side for a bit as she pondered her options. 'Well our group is going to have to split from Darius and Naofumi's parties for a while so that we can all travel a little easier, and this would be a good opportunity to help out those in need. Plus, I can learn what really happened to my country and how I can keep it from falling into such a state again.'

"I'll do it," said Rishia as she looked back up, "traveling with a cardinal hero is considered an honor for any adventurer, so I accept your offer."

Melromarc Castle: A Couple Days Later

"What do you mean the Shield and Armory Hero kidnapped the second princess?!" exclaimed Rishia as the gathered parties all stood in the main hall of the castle, "that doesn't make sense, why would they do something like that?"

"Quiet down Rishia," said Rojeel with a bit of a warning in her voice, "the heroes are currently holding a council. It is not our place to interrupt them." The glasses wearing mage wanted to say more to that, but instead decided to at least listen to what the accusations were.

"What sort of proof do you have to back up this sort of claim Motoyasu?" Questioned Ren.

"We got all the proof we need right here," replied the Spear Hero as he held up a crystal ball and began playing the recording on it. What they saw did appear to be both the Shield and Armory Hero's parties fighting off Melty's guards with either evil or sadistic looks on their faces while Melty looked absolutely terrified by what was happening.

"So it seems they may have finally shown their true colors," said Itsuki, "I also recall hearing that Darius and Naofumi even threatened the King and Malty a couple of days ago."

"Where did you get this recording by the way?" Questioned Ren.

"Malty got it from the royal mages and brought it straight to me the moment she heard," replied Motoyasu, "she said her sister's guards recorded the whole thing in their last moments before sending it to the castle. She's worried sick you know."

"I guess that means we won't be able to ask any of the guards how those two found the princess in the first place," said Itsuki.

"We don't need too," said the Spear Hero, "Malty told me her sister actually went looking for them, something about getting them to come back here for some reason before they got out of the country."

"Wait, they were trying to leave the country?" Questioned a confused Ren, "Why would they suddenly decide to kidnap the princess if they were leaving? It sounds like a spur of the moment decision at best."

"Or they had it planned out all along," replied an annoyed Motoyasu, "come on guys it's like I've been saying since the beginning those two are no good and now we have actual proof."

"Out of curiosity though, what are you thinking Ren?" Questioned Itsuki.

"Well we do still need to get the princess back," replied the Sword Hero, "but I think we should avoid killing either of them unless absolutely necessary. There's still a few pieces not adding up here."

"I don't see what pieces we're missing," said the Spear Hero, "we're going out to save the princess from her captors. It's pretty much the textbook hero's quest right there."

"Well if something does turn out to be fishy, we should be able to handle it," said Itsuki, "we're the cardinal heroes after all and now we get to prove it to them as well."

"Now you're talking!" exclaimed Motoyasu, "so let's go save us a princess and a darling little angel!"

"Uh, what angel?" Questioned a confused Ren. 'Angels aren't in this world too are they?'

"Oh, uh, nothing just thinking out loud," said Motoyasu, "but yeah let's go show them what real heroics look like!"

One of the Royal Clinics: After the Battle with the Pope

"Unbelievable," said Ren as he sat up in his hospital bed, "how did we miss something like an entire cult operating in the Kingdom?"

"The Three Hero's Church is the state religion," rationalized Itsuki, "there was no reason to think they would make a move on the crown, or so we thought."

"I still can't believe we actually took orders from Naofumi," grumbled Motoyasu, "And then Darius just comes in and makes it look like a milk run. How many cheat abilities do those guys have?"

"He said it was a onetime thing," Ren reminded them, "I doubt he'll get a moment to shine like that again so easily."

"But there's still the matter of that wrath shield," said Itsuki, "and the fact that Darius saved us using a replica of that shield. I still can't find anything about that ability in my help menu, can you guys?"

"Not a thing," said Motoyasu, "I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that there's a weapon out there as strong as any of ours. If other people can get their hands on cheat gear like that then what are we supposed to do?"

"We still have the option to keep on leveling," Ren pointed out, "and now that we know things have clearly been hidden from us by the Three Heroes Church we may be able to find a way to get even stronger."

"I just hope we don't run into any more surprises like a freakin' coup de tat attempt," said Motoyasu, "I mean seriously a frame up job and a smear campaign against two out of the five heroes. That sort of nonsense should've been obvious from the start."

"And yet you were the only one who didn't investigate the church," said Itsuki smugly, "actually come to think of it, didn't it seem like Myne knew the pope?"

"Oh crap I forgot," said the Spear Hero as he almost leapt out of his bed, "I need to go check on the rest of my party. No one's seen them since we got back!" The cardinal hero rushed out the door, leaving his two fellow heroes to simply stare after him for a moment before shrugging.

"I've said it before," commented Itsuki, "that guy has a one track mind when it comes to women."

"Guess we'll just pick up the slack as usual," said Ren with a sigh before one of the nurses suddenly showed up at the door.

"Excuse me Sir Heroes," said the nurse, "but I have just been informed that the Queen wishes to see you both at the castle tomorrow morning. She will be making a special announcement and would like all four heroes to be in attendance. However, the only party members that shall be permitted are those of the Shield and Armory Hero."

"What, but why?" Questioned Itsuki, "Our party members have always been allowed in the castle before?"

"I'm afraid I know not," said the nurse, "I only know that the Queen was very specific in her instructions that no other parties be allowed in tomorrow."

"I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference one way or the other," said Ren, "If it's just an announcement then there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"Alright," said Itsuki, "but I can guarantee that Mald isn't going to be happy about this?"

Castle Town: After the Trial of Bitch and Trash

Whatever the three heroes had been expecting from the announcement that day, a full on trial and sentencing of two people they'd trusted to one degree or another was not one of them. The now returned Mirellia Q. Melromarc, the Queen and rightful ruler of the kingdom, hadn't held back in the trial either. She had both her daughter and husband dragged into the throne room in chains and ordered a slave crest applied to Malty to insure she wasn't lying. From that point on it'd been revelation after revelation as she laid out the crimes the two had been charged with including cooperation with The Three Heroes Church, framing Naofumi and Darius for crimes they didn't commit and multiple abuses of royal authority. The Armory Hero and his party took things one step further as Rifana pointed out the guard captain who'd helped Malty start a massive fire in the forest while Darius brought in the multiple victims of Myne's party who'd been either scared away, forced out or in a few cases sold into slavery.

It had been an eye opening scene as Malty denied nearly every charge only to be electrocuted by her slave crest for lying. The culmination of it all was their punishment which would've ended in beheading by guillotine if Naofumi hadn't stepped in and suggested their new names: former King Trash and former princess Bitch, who was also called Slut while adventuring. Darius added onto the punishment by having the ex-princess beaten to a pulp in front of her father and forbid any healing of her face. The two criminals, along with the rest of Motoyasu's party members who'd helped Slut commit some of her crimes, were now currently being held in the castle until the Queen decided what else should be done with them.

The one bright spot in all of this unpleasantness was that the Queen declared a time of celebration for the birth of the new state religion, the Five Hero's Church, and for justice being served to those who'd threatened the well-being of the kingdom. This is why the three heroes were currently in one of their favorite Inns along with many of the other townspeople who were eating and drinking the night away. "I still can't believe some of what I heard back there," said Itsuki between bites of food, "I mean we'd figured out that the princess wasn't as pure and innocent as she'd been acting this whole time but to think she was responsible for that many crimes."

"It's not the straight forward sort of thing I was expecting either," admitted Ren, "but then again this whole thing hasn't been as straight forward as expected. Still, it's good to know that Naofumi wasn't the lowly villain we thought he was and that Darius really is a cardinal hero."

"Speak for yourselves," said Motoyasu, "Even if she did a few things wrong did she really deserve to have her beautiful face destroyed like that? At least the guillotine would've left something nice for the funeral."

"I think you've got bigger concerns right now," Itsuki pointed out, "because as of just a few hours ago you officially have no party members whatsoever to speak of. You might want to do something about that before the next wave."

"I ain't worried about that," said Motoyasu as he took a bite of some red fruit that had been laid out on the table with the rest of the condiments, "It was pretty easy recruiting party members before so how hard can it really be to find a few new ones? I'll get to it once I finish some more of this delicious fruit. Hey waiter, where'd you get this stuff from anyway?"

"A village from the Southwest brought them in last month," explained the waiter, "according to them the fruit was actually made by the Shield Hero after he saved their village from a cursed seed."

"Uh," a sudden, potentially embarrassing realization crossed the Spear Hero's mind upon hearing that, "How did that seed get into the village anyway?"

"Well I don't know quite all of the details," said the Waiter, "but apparently one claiming to be a hero retrieved the cursed seed from a labyrinth that had been designed to keep it locked away and presented it as a miracle crop to end the village's famine. Instead of a miracle, however, it created a number of vines and plant monsters that ravaged the area until the Shield Hero arrived and ended the infestation. His ally the Armory Hero assisted in burning the remaining monsters after that while Sir Shield Hero used his own magic to create a new seed capable of growing incredible plants that bear this fruit. I'm not sure how much of it is actually true but this fruit's delectability is authentic."

"Uh yeah great," said Motoyasu a little nervously, "I mean there was no way an actual hero would've screwed up and taken a cursed seed like that, so it was probably an imposter."

"Didn't Naofumi mention something about you delivering a seed or something that messed up a-," Itsuki started to say before the Spear Hero suddenly shot to his feet.

"Anyway! I'd best get to party recruiting so you guys have fun," said Motoyasu as he hurried away from the other two.

"Wow, guess that really was his handiwork after all," commented Itsuki as he took a swig of his beverage. But as he put it down, he noticed Ren's mood had shifted to a more melancholy one as he poked at his own food. "Is something wrong Ren?"

"He wasn't the only one to mess up," replied Ren, "we messed up too in our duties as heroes."

"What do you mean," said Itsuki, "Motoyasu may've blindly trusted Myne-er-Slut but we actually looked into the Three Heroes Church. Not only that we stood up for Naofumi and Darius after that rigged duel."

"But I caused an epidemic Itsuki," said Ren, "I assumed that dragon's carcass would just up and disappear but it didn't. Instead it caused a sickness to spread through the nearby village, and that was before it reanimated into a zombie dragon. If Naofumi hadn't acted it would still be there right now."

"Doesn't that just mean there are extra conditions for defeating it," suggested Itsuki, "It's possible that monster was supposed to revive itself and you just left before it could activate."

"But what kind of sense does that make?" Questioned Ren, "If it were like any other game the corpse would've reanimated right away. But it rotted and decayed like any corpse would. Even the VR tech in my world can't replicate something like that."

"Well I'll admit this world is a lot more complicated than we first thought upon arriving here," said Itsuki, "but one slip up doesn't mean we're not heroes."

"Those 'slip-ups' as you're calling them cost people their lives," said Ren, "can we really be sure some of our other acts of heroism turned out as well as we hoped?"

"I don't know what you want me to say right now Ren," replied the Bow Hero with a frown, "If I had a way to prove whether or not this world is actually a game I'd tell you."

"There might be," Ren said as a thought entered his mind, "We have some time now, so I'm going back to that village to see for myself what happened."

"If you really think you need too," said Itsuki with a shrug as he took another bite of his meal.

"Are you saying you're not curious about what happened to the country you saved?" Questioned Ren with a raised eyebrow.

"My new party member, Rishia, is actually from the country I saved," responded Itsuki, "from what I've heard she doesn't blame us for what happened and honestly I don't believe she has much reason too. If the revolutionaries turned on their own people then all that means is that I didn't expend as much justice in that country as I should have. Darius may think it would've been better for me to show myself and use my authority as a cardinal hero openly but that might've left a potential evil still sitting on the throne."

"Isn't it also possible he'd have been too intimidated by a cardinal hero to cause any further trouble," Ren pointed out.

"I eliminated an evil from that kingdom," defended Itsuki, "as heroes it is our duty to eliminate any and all evil that crosses our paths. Naofumi and Darius might've been cleared of all charges but that doesn't mean they know better than us or that they're-." The Bow Hero was interrupted by the sound of something splashing nearby. As it turned out, the one getting splashed was Motoyasu.

"No means no!" exclaimed a red-headed girl wearing some leather armor with a rapier on her belt as she held a now empty wine goblet in her hand. "I am sorry that you currently have no party Sir Hero, I really am, but I won't travel with someone who knowingly or unknowingly keeps such awful company."

"Oh come on the other girls were gathered by Myne and the King," pleaded the Spear Hero, "But I'm handpicking the party members this time so there should be no problem."

"And if some of the other members turn out to be disreputable but pretty who will you believe?" Questioned the Adventurer, "because it seems all 'Slut' had to do was bat her eyes and you'd forget there was even a problem. Until today I honestly didn't think it was possible for someone to be so thickheaded that they'd actually continue to defend someone who was clearly proven guilty."

"But I was just-," Motoyasu tried to say before he was silenced by the Adventurer raising her hand.

"I am honored that you considered me for your party Sir Hero," she said, "but I have my own party that needs attending too. So I bid you good day." She bowed quickly before turning and leaving as a wine drenched Spear Hero stared dumbfounded after her with the same thought repeating over and over again in his head. 'What in the world just happened?'

The Zombie Dragon Village: The Next Day

"Sir Ren," asked one of his party members, Welt, as they stood outside the village, "for what purpose have we come back here?"

"There's something I need to investigate," Ren answered simply, "for now, head into the woods and see if you can't find any monsters. We still need to get our levels up for the next wave."

"As you wish Sir Hero," replied his party member before the rest of them headed off. Ren, in the meantime, pulled the hood of the brown cloak he'd brought with him further over his head as he proceeded to walk into the village and observed the state of it. The people seemed happy as they went about their daily tasks, though that didn't disguise the fact that the village was still a little run down.

"Ah, and what brings you here?" Questioned a man wearing a white cloth cap with a type of cape flowing down around his shoulders.

"This village," said Ren, "is it true there was some kind of an epidemic here not too long ago? It seems hard to believe."

"And I wish it was nothing more than an exaggeration," replied the man, "but not too long ago this village was indeed afflicted by an epidemic carried by the winds from that mountain." Ren looked up to where he was indicating, quickly recognizing the former dragon's nest. "You see the corpse of a dragon slain by the Sword Hero had been left there as proof of his achievement. But as it rotted and decayed, the physiology of the mountain changed and bore several poisonous monsters while also producing something of a toxic miasma that caused much of the village to fall sick. It was the worst I'd ever seen since I opened the village clinic."

"You run the village clinic?" Said a somewhat surprised Ren.

"Indeed," replied the now named Village Doctor, "and it was filled to the brim at the time. That graveyard over there is where we had to bury the ones who passed away due to the illness inflicted upon the village. It was only after the Savior of the Heavenly Fowl came and disposed of the dragon's remains that we were able to finally be rid of the epidemic."

"Savior of the Heavenly Fowl," repeated Ren, "Isn't that just an alias the Shield Hero went under?"

"Indeed it was," replied the Village Doctor, "And if what I've heard recently is correct, he's been cleared of all charges. A good thing too in my opinion. He wasn't the most pleasant person I've ever met but he seemed the responsible sort. I can only hope the Sword Hero learns to be just as responsible."

"How do you mean," said Ren as he bit back a hint of anger at the man's words.

"Well I can't necessarily blame him for not knowing the dragon's corpse would cause an epidemic by just being left there," explained the Village Doctor, "But it does make me wonder if he approaches some of his other heroic duties haphazardly and-oh, are you leaving now?"

"I've seen what I wanted to see," Ren replied without looking back, "and the next you hear of the Sword Hero, it will be about him claiming victory." This statement only served to confuse the Village Doctor further but Ren was no longer focused on him as he made his way back through the village gates and towards the area where his party members were. But before he reached them, one of the Queen's shadows appeared.

"A moment of your time Sir Hero," said the masked woman as she appeared from behind one of the trees.

"What is it," questioned Ren in annoyance, "I'm somewhat busy at the moment."

"I bring word from her highness, the Queen of Melromarc," replied the Shadow, "she wishes for you to attend a party this evening."

"It sounds like a waste of time," said Ren as he turned to leave.

"Her highness also has some information she wishes to share with the heroes specifically," added the Shadow, halting the Sword Hero in midturn, "I don't know the details myself but I am told what she has to say will be a great boon for you. I would suggest at least showing up for that much."

"Fine," said Ren, "I'll be there but it had better be worth my time."

"I doubt you'll be disappointed," said the Shadow, "her highness never sends us to give out simple party invitations without good reason. In the meantime, I bid you farewell Sir Hero." The Shadow disappeared back into the forest as Ren turned and kept walking. 'I won't be tripped up so easily next time,' he thought.

Castle Town: The Morning after the Five Hero's Council

"Unbelievable," grumbled Bitch through her still throbbing jaw as she and her other two party members waited outside of a flower shop for the Spear Hero, "What sort of man allows this type of damage to happen to a woman's face?"

"Honestly you should count yourself lucky," said her friend, the pink-haired girl with a braid, "the alternative to a permanent name change and a brutal beating was decapitation."

"We should all count ourselves lucky," added the party's magic user, "the two of us were doing hard labor in the castle's prison along with that guard captain. Our sentence was going to be a week for every day those girls we sent off spent as slaves. Something the Armory and Shield Hero suggested. This was our only other alternative and only because the Spear Hero begged the Queen for any party members she could find. We were all she could come up with."

"But we still have these bothersome crests blemishing our skin," sneered Slut, "and now I can't take any direct actions that will harm that devil and his right hand or even insult those filthy demi-aaaaah!" A quick jolt quieted the former princess as Motoyasu finally emerged from the flower shop with bouquets for each of his 'new' party members.

"Sorry that took so long," said the Spear Hero as he handed the flowers off to each of them, "they got the order mixed up or something. Anyway, we need to get moving if we're gonna beat Naofumi and Darius to the ship."

"I quite agree," said Bitch in her feigned sweet voice, only avoiding being electrocuted because she was still basically telling the truth, "maybe if we're lucky we can even set sail ahead of them and reach the island first. The less we see of them the be-." The former royal wrinkled her nose as she noticed that something smelled rather, atrocious. Looking down she discovered the source, the bouquets. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS?!"

The three girls quickly dropped the flowers just in time as noxious green fumes shot out of a strange red flower that had been hidden among the others. "These are red haze flowers," realized the magic user, "those shopkeepers were trying to make us sick."

"Hey what are you trying to pu-OW!" A flower pot connected with the Spear Hero's face, causing him to stagger and fall over as the shopkeeper and his helper looked on in slight embarrassment.

"That one was meant for the Bitch, sorry," he apologized, "but it goes without saying don't ever come here again if you're buying for those three harlots."

"Hey where do you get off with-huh?" The pink-haired party member's sentence was interrupted by some fish 'accidentally' falling off of a passing cart onto her head.

"Sorry, didn't have that basket as secure as I thought," called the cart driver before pulling around the corner.

"Oh the nerve of these people," spat the pink-haired girl.

"I think it might be best if we got out of here before-SPLAT." The mage's sentence was also interrupted, in this case by a tomato as the vendors, stall owners and shop keepers weren't even trying anymore to hide their displeasure at the three criminals walking down the street.

"Oh what do they know, let's get out of here," grumbled Motoyasu as they continued down the street while attempting to ignore the occasional whisper that just happened to be loud enough for them to hear and the bits and pieces of rotten food thrown their way. It all came to a head when a ball came flying out of nowhere and nailed Bitch right in her already injured face.

"Oh that does it, who dares to damage my face further!" Yelled Slut as she looked around for the source of the projectile and located a couple of laughing kids. "Get back here you little vermin!"

"Wait Myne we can't just attack children in broad daylight," pleaded the Spear Hero as he and his other two party members ran around the corner after the former royal, only to stop when they realized it was a trap. At the end of the alley was a wagon filled with monster balloons of all colors and every one of their angry little eyes was currently pointed at the group.

"This one's for infesting our village with vines Bitch," said the oldest kid, a brown-haired youth as he smiled and pulled the pin out of the lock on the wagon. Immediately, all of the balloons burst out and raced towards the Spear Hero and his party, their angry mouths chomping the whole way.

"Oh not monster balloons again, run!" Exclaimed Motoyasu, likely remembering the pain they inflicted on him during his duel with Naofumi as the party turned and beat a hasty retreat out of the alleyway. It was unfortunately not hasty enough as some of the balloons managed to grab a hold of them while the rest continued to chase the group down the street. It would go down as the fastest exit they'd ever made from Castle Town as well as the messiest. From that day onward, the party of the Spear Hero would be forced to sneak around with their identities concealed if they wanted to avoid scorn, much like a couple of certain heroes once did. As the saying goes: Karma's a Bitch.

Ah, the ironies of life. The three heroes have gone from being celebrated champions to being as useless as they once claimed the Shield Hero to be. But now, a quick question for all of you: what should the next prompt, if any, be for the next little side story? Should we even have another side story? And would it be a good idea to move all of the side stories into a separate story once the actual story picks up again? Leave your thoughts in your comments and reviews as well as what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. See you all next time.