"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
…
Finally the time came and with it, the six of them left in a flash of light.
…
Siltvelt
…
Naofumi teleported to Siltvelt with Raphtalia, Ren, Mirellia, Aultcray, and Fitts.
The high priest had become accustomed to the event and knew that it was Naofumi who was the cause. His lord had arrived again and the high priest began to greet him. "Ah, Shield Lord. It's great that you…"
The moment the light faded and those that Naofumi brought were seen, a few gasps were heard from the few in attendance.
"Ren." Naofumi motioned.
"Already doing it." Ren answered, moving forward and beginning to register to the hourglass.
The high priest approached slowly and asked the obvious calmly, so as to not upset his living god. "Lord Shield, for what reason would you bring those two here? You are aware that-"
"Have flying monsters been attacking the people of Siltvelt?" Naofumi wasn't interested in answering other people's questions.
"Y-Yes, and we are glad you've come, but I have to ask, why bring them?" The high priest answered Naofumi dutifully, but still wanted an answer.
"A powerful monster has woken up and is picking a fight with the entire continent. We are going to need to stop this issue together. Every country on this continent would be stupid not to help deal with this." Naofumi said.
"All the same, they shouldn't be here." The priest seemed upset. Naofumi couldn't tell who looked more upset, Aultcray or the high priest.
"They'll be heading to the battlefield with me soon. Is Melromarc going to fight alongside me and not Siltvelt?"
"No! Of course not! We'll die for you!" The high priest said proudly.
"If you can die for me, you can simmer down for me too." Naofumi responded, unimpressed.
The high priest was left defeated. Naofumi motioned for Ren to stand behind the queen and Aultcray as they began to leave. Naofumi, of course, led the way, opening the large doors of the church and pointing to the right at the castle a little deeper in. Raphtalia was to the left of the queen, Fitts was to the right of Aultcray. Everyone except for Naofumi and Raphtalia put something over their heads. Their hoods' ability to properly conceal them was hit and miss, especially with Mirellia not removing her crown.
They moved together through a small crowd. Between the size of their group, Aultcray mumbling to himself, and the speed at which they were traveling… They caught a few people's attention. A few guards went to intercept them, but one mean glance from Naofumi sent them backing away.
Naofumi suddenly liked that everyone in the capital city knew what he looked like. That post-wave celebration was fruitful after all. Naofumi noticed that the guards he sent away stopped others from directly following him. This made it easier. In less than 10 minutes, they were at the front gates of the castle.
And who was there to greet them? Renair and the mammoth therianthrope council member. They seemed to be arguing about something.
"They are always arguing. Do they do anything else?" Naofumi thought.
They caught sight of Naofumi and began to conduct themselves with more tact. "Ah, Shield Lord, I'm glad you returned so soon. I assume you've also dealt with the issue we face?" The mammoth therianthrope asked.
"Hmm, it must be serious for you to not have brought your adorable kids along." Renair began to question why he came.
They both got their answer when Mirellia pulled her hood back and revealed herself to them. "The entire continent has quite the battle on its hands. The familiars are merely a prelude." Mirellia told them both.
The mammoth therianthrope went to yell, but Renair put her hand up to silence him. "You're defending our enemies now? She came to our den." The mammoth therianthrope protested.
"Indeed. You think she doesn't know that? How dire would the situation have to be for her to make a move like this?" Renair snapped back, her playfulness nowhere to be seen.
Her fellow councilman saw her point and headed into the castle. "I'll tell the others to come to the throne room… Jaralis will not be happy." He said as he left.
Renair turned to Mirellia and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Renair Toth, one of the members of Siltvelt's council… is that…?" She noticed Aultcray.
Aultcray pulled back his hood with some reluctance. After a moment, he met her gaze, his hate clear on his face. Ren also ditched his hood. Fitts was the only one that did not.
"If the king of wisdom came here in person… this truly must be a crisis. Follow me." Renair motioned and walked inside.
Everyone besides Naofumi and Raphtalia was hesitant. Who could blame them? This place was unknown to the rest of them. For once, Naofumi felt he had more information than other heroes and Mirellia at the same time. That was rare. They eventually followed Renair, but lagged behind purposefully. They were taken directly to the throne where they waited with Renair for a short time. While there was an opportunity, Mirellia spoke.
"I doubt Werner will attend this, correct?" She asked innocently enough.
Renair smiled lightly. "This is about Siltvelt as a whole, not just a council meeting. He's the appointed representative of the elite races. He could attend if he so chooses."
"Which is to say, 'if he knew about it', yes?" The queen asked while hiding her mouth with her fan.
Renair didn't react much. "Yes. I doubt Jaralis or his underlings will go out of their way to tell him of this meeting." She responded with an almost uncanny expression. She seemed to steel her emotions so as to not give away her intention.
The queen continued. "And you, you're an ally of Lord Iwatani, correct?" She asked.
"Every member of the council is an ally to Naofumi…, even Jaralis. That said, I do love spoiling his kids. If that answers your question." She responded. She'd not claim to be too close to Naofumi, despite how much she wished it was true. She tried leaving a good impression, but their time together was not long. She still felt she was right in focusing on the kids.
"Then I ask you to have this." The queen presented a piece of folded paper to Fitts, who walked over and handed it to Renair. The process was done slowly, with slight tension. "This is a proposal that I co-authored. I'd like you to present it to the other council members when you feel it is appropriate." The queen explained.
Renair examined the outside of the letter a moment before opening it to view its contents. Renair's fake smile was replaced by a real one. "My, my. This will turn more than a few heads… I honestly thought those talks you had with Werner were empty promises. I'll happily propose this to the council… when you are not within striking distance." Renair told the queen.
Everyone there besides the two speaking had no idea what the conversation was about, not even Aultcray. Before much more could be said, the doors slammed open from the main hall and the council members walked through.
Jaralis was the first to enter and he let his anger show. One look at Aultcray and Mirellia nearly sent him into a bloodlust. "Shield Lord! Why bring these fools here!? They are not welcome in this castle! This city! This country!" Jaralis was not acting coy as he did with Naofumi prior.
It didn't bother Naofumi much. He was much the same way at times. It wasn't like Jaralis could do anything with him and Ren here. "How has Siltvelt fared against the bat and yeti monsters in my absence?" Naofumi asked his own question.
Jaralis looked like he was about to explode, but another council member spoke up first. "We are not weak. We've been sharpening our claws for two decades. When they came, they hit hard on our weaker members, but they were eliminated. They're nearly entirely eradicated from our borders."
"This situation hardly requires us to suffer their presence." Jaralis added, barely keeping it together.
Naofumi took some papers out of his pocket and walked to the center of the room, between the two groups. He did this to be better able to block any wrong moves, and to grab everyone's attention. "Those familiars are more deadly than you think." Naofumi opened up the papers, looking at them. "If a familiar touches you, it can infect you with a parasite of sorts. That parasite feeds on the victim's life force and converts the victim's flesh into a new familiar, killing the host." Naofumi stopped there for now.
He looked up and a few council members were grimacing. They had some passing familiarity with this event. Naofumi figured as much. Demi-humans and therianthropes were far more likely to use their natural claws and fangs to fight. Naofumi assumed they lost more people to this method than Melromarc.
"Is there… any way to deal with it after contact?" One council member asked.
"Yes. There are numerous methods. All of them are right here." Naofumi pointed to the papers he held. He turned to the queen to add to his statements.
"One of my newest greater lords is a talented alchemist and demi-human. She and her team have fully studied these monsters. We know their weaknesses and much more." The queen offered.
Naofumi held the papers out for Renair to take. She accepted. She looked through the papers for a moment. "This handwriting…" She then handed it to another council member and they looked over the details. The information was too detailed to be fake. The papers also included a few different potion recipes for dealing with the infection.
Again, Siltvelt benefitted, and again, Jaralis had to take a mental step back. While a few questions went back and forth between others, he took a few breaths and calmed down. After which, he asked the next question.
"This is indeed useful and will save many people. Thank you, Shield Lord, for bringing this to us. So, for what purpose did you bring those four humans?" Jaralis asked.
Ren presented his sword as he answered for himself. "I'm Ren Amaki, the sword hero. Naofumi and I are working together to deal with this crisis. I also came to register to the dragon hourglass here… as for them-"
Mirellia spoke loudly. "We've come because a monster is behind these attacks. A monster written about in stories as old as those of the wave. The Spirit Tortoise walks this world anew." She warned.
The room took in the news, an audible pause overtook the arguing for a moment.
"The Spirit Tortoise… Have you confirmed it?" One councilman broke the silence with a question.
"My shadows have witnessed it firsthand. It is larger than a living mountain." Mirellia pulled no punches.
"I see, so…" The same councilman began.
"You're actually here…" Renair continued the thought with heavy doubt.
"To ask us to help you?" The mammoth councilman finished.
"To fight alongside Melromarc?" Jaralis reiterated.
Raphtalia took a step forward and spoke. "Naofumi-sama has already promised to participate. You can simply say that you will meet on the same battlefield to defend Naofumi-sama." She argued.
Renair shook her head quietly.
"...That's ridiculous!" One council member yelled.
"If we meet on a battlefield with Melromarc soldiers then it'll be to eliminate them!" Jaralis threatened.
"That you even thought we consider it is an insult to the memory of our late king!" The mammoth yelled.
"I knew this was a waste of time. Let us leave before these animals stop pretending to be domesticated." Aultcray matched their bluster with his own.
What ensued was a shouting match that got them nowhere. Jaralis took a step towards Mirellia and Aultcray and Ren stepped in front of them. On and on they yelled.
There were a number of guards in the room. They didn't wear heavy armor like those in Melromarc. In fact, they had very little metal armor at all. They wore black suits made for mobility. Up until now, they had remained quiet, motionless. Well-disciplined and awaiting orders.
However, they too had only so much they could take. The council had called their god's plan ridiculous. Naofumi came offering support, information, and a plan. He came to save the people. How dare they!? No one seemed to notice the rising tension in the guards besides Fitts, until one of the guards took action.
"Our God has spoken!" The guard closest to the throne moved forward. He slammed the base of his lance into the floor, grabbing the attention of the Council and making the other guards raise their weapons.
It wasn't towards Mirellia and those with her though, but rather Jaralis and the other members of the Council.
"What treachery is this?!" Jaralis demanded, looking around the room with wide, angry eyes.
The guard who'd spoken pointed the tip of his lance at the lion therianthrope. "This is no treachery. We are loyal to Siltvelt, and to our great God. If you dare to obstruct his way, then we shall cut you down on the spot no matter who you are!
"If Melromarc is willing to work with our God and you're not, then how low the mighty Council has fallen indeed!"
Those words physically struck the council. They seemed to almost enter a daze as if they were just now noticing that water was indeed wet.
"What will your decision be?!" The same guard yelled again. "Obey our God's wishes, or suffer death at the hands of his servants!"
"You worthless hakuko! I'll show you who's allowed to talk down on who!" Jaralis stood, his fangs bared and his claws out.
Naofumi looked to his left and made a decision. He strode over and sat on the throne of Siltvelt. "You will all shut the hell up!" Naofumi's voice echoed throughout the room.
Everyone got quiet for a moment.
Every guard in the room dropped to the floor. "All hail our great God!" The guard with the lance practically threw his weapon away and prostrated himself at Naofumi's feet.
One by one, each councilman knelt to Naofumi as well. They had reservations, but the law was the law. The Shield Lord can take the throne if he so chooses, and they will respect the throne. Jaralis calmed down immediately. No one said anything for a moment. Naofumi now controlled the situation. He waited a moment to speak, to give everyone time to reset their tempers.
Just as Naofumi went to speak, the door opened again. "I heard yelling, is everything… okay…? Lord Shield." Werner entered the room bewildered. He saw Naofumi sitting on the throne, and he saw Mirellia of all people standing there.
"Lord Werner! We have supported our great God as you requested!" The guard from earlier yelled again.
"... Thank you, Captain Dou-Lon. You and your men may stand down." Werner told his subordinate.
He was confused, but managed to regain his senses enough to take a knee to Naofumi. The other guards in the room put their weapons away, smiling widely in awe at the Shield Hero.
Naofumi was done asking anything. "You will do as I say. You will stagger your troops, the same as Melromarc, not committing too many troops to this fight as to leave the country unguarded. You will also guard your borders heavily during this whole operation, as there are always bad actors…" Naofumi ordered "Mirellia, when will you advance?" He did not address the queen with any additional respect, as he was now acting as Siltvelt's king.
"I've been making contact with the remaining military of the countries destroyed by the Spirit Tortoise and its familiars. If Siltvelt were to commit to fighting the Spirit Tortoise as well… We'd march as early as tomorrow. And begin consolidating our forces in four days." The queen seemed to not mind the manner in which Naofumi was speaking to her.
"Then Siltvelt will also march tomorrow. Siltvelt will not ally with Melromarc, even I won't try forcing those wounds closed. Let those allies know that they can meet up with Siltveltian forces if it's closer to their current position. Our armies will only share a battlefield and a goal…" Naofumi chose his words carefully, something he never did. "Jaralis, you did really well in gathering the best men in the shortest time with that wave. I assume you can do so again?" Naofumi asked.
At his words, Jaralis stood. "Of course, Shield Lord. I'll go do that right now. I only brought exceptional fighters, but if the power of a soldier need only go toe-to-toe with those flying monsters, then I'll have 10,000 men before first light!" He responded, flashing a smile at Werner. Jaralis was now being seen as the most useful, something Jaralis was fighting for until now.
"Then I will gather 20,000 men!" Werner announced.
The two stared each other down, but from Naofumi's position, it looked as petty as Filo and Leon's fights. Filo leaned into her father, as did Raphtalia. They were sensing bad thoughts.
Naofumi dismissed all four of them. "You'd gather more forces if you actually went and did so, not bluster." Naofumi commented.
Jaralis and Werner took those words seriously. They bowed to Naofumi then left in a hurry to outdo one another.
As soon as they left the room, Naofumi spoke again. "The rest of you should do the same… This is as good as we'll get." He spoke to the queen.
"It's more than I expected. If that's everything, we ought to leave." Mirellia was relieved and no longer saw a reason to be here.
Naofumi and Raphtalia immediately left the party. Before Ren could ask, Raphtalia answered. "Naofumi-sama will have to remain here to see this through. We likely won't see each other again until we reach the battlefield." She told him.
"Yeah, we didn't bring any troops, and I'll summon the kids here shortly. Take care." Naofumi told Ren and the others.
Before they could leave, Renair approached Mirellia halfway and presented the paper Mirellia gave her earlier. "As things are, we can't agree to this." She said with more bite than she had before the other councilmen.
Mirellia seemed very disappointed, but she quickly took the letter after getting a good look at it. "A shame. Well, I came uninvited, you've shown me courtesy enough." She turned and walked next to Ren, signaling him that they were now leaving.
"...I see." Ren replied. [Portal Sword]!
Ren, along with Mirellia, Aultcray, and Fitts left in a flash of light. Naofumi used [Tele-communication] to update the kids, before summoning the three of them here. They still wanted Monti to stay in Lurolona for now.
Upon only seeing three, Renair had to ask. "Where's Monti? Did something happen?"
Raphtalia responded. "Lurolona was attacked by the familiars while we were here last time. They managed to survive, but we lost several people. Because of that, Monti asked to stay in Lurolona until he is needed." She revealed.
"Quite the dutiful son." Renair commented.
"And what about me?" Leon wanted Renair's praise as well.
"I like all of you, but we both know you aren't very dutiful. Maybe, 'strong-willed'?" Renair stayed nice, but wouldn't lie to the little dragon.
"Yeah, I'm strong." Leon liked the sound of that. He seemed to not understand her meaning at all.
The mammoth council member raised his head. "We apologize for our rude behavior before. We were already under pressure from these monster attacks, and then the vixen of Melromarc and the wise king appeared in Siltvelt's throne room. I ask that you consider forgiving us, given the extraordinary circumstances." He spoke with more manners than anyone had heard him before.
Naofumi saw the guards of the room still ready to strike the council members down, he waved them off. "I'm not you king, or at least, I'm not staying your king." Most of the council members went to speak, but Naofumi beat them to it by continuing. "This is just like with the wave. I'm here to help… when my help is needed. Otherwise, I don't want this responsibility. I don't even want to be in charge of the Seaetto territory, but it's where Raphtalia's dream is and the best place to live a normal life one day… I can't wait to hand it off to Monti, I don't want to deal with all this crap." He added.
"And we appreciate the effort that you and your family puts forth for our sake and the sake of Siltvelt as a whole." Renair responded, others nodding.
They all spoke a bit, Naofumi and Raphtalia sharing concerned looks every once in a while. Things would be complicated for a bit. Naofumi and the others had a busy day ahead of them.
The fact that Naofumi sat upon the throne of Siltvelt and had the council bow to him was enormous news. The continent would know of it by week's end.
…
Melromarc
…
Ren and the others returned to the eastern border. Filo, Teal, and Leon were concerned their parents weren't there, but they were told they were about to be summoned.
"Seeya, Wyndia!" Leon waved before the three were whisked away.
Walter was concerned. "Where's lord Naofumi? Where's Leon and the others?"
"Lord Iwatani sat upon the throne of Siltvelt and has temporarily declared himself king." Mirellia answered, her face hidden by her fan.
"What!?" Walter was blown away
"Poor savior. I bet he's hating it." Godiva commented. She grabbed Walter's collar to keep him from freaking out more.
"He very much is." Fitts agreed, as he moved to retake a place near his men.
Ren greeted Wyndia and the others, but he had a question and wanted an answer before it left him. "What did you try giving the council? What was your proposal?" Ren asked the queen.
"Not trying, succeeded." Aultcray corrected. "Mirellia would never accept someone turning down her offer without resistance." Aultcray added.
Mirellia shared a look with her husband before closing her fan and answering more fully. "Indeed. She did not return the proposal to me, but something else. Something she wished for me to know and not the other council members. Curious… To answer your question, Amaki, I offered something Melty and Lord Iwatani had been discussing lately. A means to stop slavery in both Melromarc and Siltvelt."
"!" That grabbed everyone's attention.
Several people reacted strongly to that, nearly all of them were positive. The others were more concerned with more conflict.
"How? How can you do that with things as they are?" Ren asked, several others echoed his doubts.
"Through subtle regulation. Once agreed upon, Melromarc and Siltvelt will attempt to pass mirroring reforms. If they pass something, we try to mimic it and vice versa. The goal is not to wipe out slavery directly. Naofumi understands the economic incentive is too great. However, he told us about how certain laws and bannings worked in his world. We have additional history to pull from." Mirellia borrowed the staff Aultcray had been using as his replacement weapon, using it to create a small image.
"We outlaw slaves under a certain age. Something no one would really care about. Say, any child under 6 years old? Then we pass laws that outlaw most of the harsh conditions many slaves suffer. Then we pass laws requiring a certain standard of living for slaves." Mirellia continued.
Everyone heard her, but only some understood the goal.
"Then we slowly increase these three demands. Up the age restrictions, restrict more actions owners can take against their slaves and increase the standard of living for them. By doing this, we slowly erode some of the economic incentives that compelled many into having slaves." Mirellia explained.
"Even still, slavery is too useful. Small-time slave owners may die out, but the big wigs will endure." Serena argued.
"...That's the plan." Fitts saw the trap being formed.
Mirellia smiled devilishly. "Precisely. The goal is actually to lower the number of slave owners as much as possible, even if the number of those enslaved stays the same or even goes up slightly."
Godiva figured she was missing something, but had to voice her confusion. "If it doesn't lower the number of slaves, then why bother? Doesn't that just lead to economic problems where only those with a lot of money can afford to use slaves, and therefore stay ahead of everyone else?"
"Yes. The goal is to lower the number of enemies before we declare them as such." Mirellia spoke seriously, as if talking about real war.
Fitts and Walter seemed to be the only two present that put things together with the pieces the queen offered them. So she continued.
"Eventually, we'll outlaw slavery in one swift motion. Then what can they do? The number of people that benefit from the slavery will be too few and everyone else will hate and resent those who had the options that they couldn't personally afford. Even former slave owners will cheer when we tear down their competitors." Mirellia revealed to them.
Everyone was stunned. The more they thought about it, the more it worked. Even the perceived benefits that larger slave owners gain against smaller competition would lead to them either not caring about the restrictions happening, or even preferring them. They'd not realize how few like-minded people they'd find when the queen came for their slaves directly.
"The only issue with this plan is if people cling to slavery due to a racial sense of superiority. If we began making these changes, then internationally speaking, it'd be seen that humans are becoming easier to enslave than demi-humans. There's a lot of different ways that could go. Not even Aultcray can accurately predict what would happen then." Mirellia admitted she had Aultcray helping plan the logistics and predict enemy reactions.
Everyone was impressed, except for Ren. He'd seen something like this before.
"So as long as Siltvelt and Melromarc cooperate, even on just this one thing, and only for a decade or so…" Godiva now understood.
In response to his lack of reaction, Mirellia admitted what Ren was likely thinking. "Then we'd see this through, and with little blood. Lord Iwatani spoke to Lady Mia about guns. He said that many countries couldn't manage to ban them for personal protection and it led to the various governments issuing restrictions and stipulations as a slow crawl towards the banning of those weapons. We will copy their playbook. Best of all, such tactics have been rarely used in our world. Even the very tactful will be blinded by our true motive."
No one knew what to say after that reveal, but Ren managed to stay on point. "So what did that council lady give you exactly?"
Mirellia half-turned. "Nothing so large scale or as impactful as what I just spoke of… She just gave me the name of the spy she has in Melromarc. So that we can use them as a means to communicate and plan our moves in the years that come." Mirellia turned back and moved ahead.
Mirellia looked at the paper once more before burning it completely. "Huh, 'Orion'. Such a needlessly important sounding name. Ridiculous." She thought. Her thoughts shifted a moment. "To think that Naofumi could really just sit upon the throne of Siltvelt and gain it in its entirety in seconds. I knew the possibility existed, but I thought the council would have taken more than a mere moment to bow. He's won them over so completely in such a short time… It's a good thing Naofumi doesn't desire power, he'd be a tough opponent."
The queen led the others back to the gathered military force. By nightfall, all those in Melromarc that would participate in the coming battle had gathered. That meant Mia and Lord Wymarc were not coming. Lord Wymarc still refused any of the queen's commands, while Mia's importance was not to be gambled on the battlefield. Mirellia was handed one of Mia's new weapons by Walter. She found the thing odd, but clearly useful. And even though the MP conversion was poor, this was just a proof of concept. Mirellia need only find talented blacksmiths to assist her to see even greater results.
Walter felt insulted that Mia was getting all the credit when he was the one that focused the weapons and made them shoot straight. They'd have been useless without him. Of course, he wasn't going to say that to the queen's face. So he stood there and suffered.
Melromarc and Siltvelt had torches burning all night. Everyone received rest in rotation so as to not worsen their condition.
…
Siltvelt
…
Naofumi and Raphtalia slept in the same room they had before, with the kids having the next closest room again. They got up early and cleaned up. They'd be marching today. Naofumi stole a glance at the kids. "We have to do this and they need to help, but… I really hate bringing the kids along for something like this. War, again. When does it end?" Naofumi lamented.
They wanted to return to Lurolona that morning, but they lacked the time. They put on their armor, held their weapons, and walked out of the castle ready to march.
When that happened though, Naofumi's jaw fell slack. Raphtalia covered her mouth, and the kids stared in disbelief. There was no end to the people in front of them. There were so many soldiers that they filled all the streets in sight. They couldn't even see all of them. The council bowed in greeting Naofumi.
Jaralis spoke first. "I exceeded my promise, Shield Lord. Just over 20,000 soldiers are here with us, the others will gather as we travel." He informed Naofumi proudly.
Naofumi felt, or rather didn't feel Filo tug on his cloak. Meaning that Jaralis wasn't lying. "20,000 people… I'm now personally responsible for over 20,000 people…" It was jarring.
Werner went next, ushering forth people towards Naofumi. "Not all of those gathered here are because of Jaralis. I brought 2,000 men and more will gather, but I assure you that many of these men are worth 10, no, 20 men." Werner informed Naofumi confidently.
Naofumi intended to give them only a glance, but kept looking as they seemed quite a bit stronger than anything Naofumi could consider normal. There were 50 or so soldiers near the front.
Their armor and weapons were different from Melromarc knights.
They all seemed powerful, and Naofumi couldn't help but notice that there were only three types of demi-humans among them. The winged demi-humans of the same race as Werner. The Genmu, turtle-like demi-humans with snake-like tails. And a large number of demi-humans that looked like they were white tigers. They could have been snow leopards, but given the other two, it was a safe bet to assume white tiger.
"Thinking back, Jaralis referred to them as Hakuko, so there's no room for doubt… Then where's the azure dragons?" Naofumi finished his thought.
"I've heard it a few times, but these are the elite races of Siltvelt, right?" Naofumi asked Werner, while still looking at the men.
"Yes. Each of us can make it to level 60 before needing to class up, and we can reach a staggering level of 120. Not to mention our stats for their level are exceptional." Werner told Naofumi, trying to impress him.
Jaralis seemed more rattled than normal. "Stop trying to prop up a dead legacy. The hakuko are a shadow of what they were and your other elite races are to follow. We've grown beyond this notion that talent and prestige is for you alone." He rambled on and on.
"Yes, but against a foe like the Spirit Tortoise, being level 100 will be more of a handicap than being level 120." Werner responded in a calm manner. "Throwing endless weaklings around will do no one any good. Especially Shield Lord."
Jaralis' eye twitched and he went to continue, but Naofumi was tired of their antics for the day… and it had been minutes. He walked towards the men that wore the same uniforms he saw in the throne room the day before.
Their uniforms were similar to the outfits Mirellia's shadows wore under their cloaks, with some additional protection.
They wore black bodysuits with a monastic scapular. Light sets of plating lined the vital points of the cloth. The females of the group had, in addition to this, a Chinese martial artists dress and a pair of sandals on as part of their ensemble. Their arms were bare, revealing smooth white fur that caught the rays of the sun. And the dresses of the females had slits down the sides, allowing them easier movement in combat.
All but one of them had the same hair and tail color. The exception was a female who had brown hair and no fur on her arms. Her ears as well as her blue eyes, however, betrayed her as a hakuko as well.
The leader of the group had the only other noticeable difference. With gold colored eyes instead of blue, as well as a white sash tied around his waist with a symbol on it that Naofumi couldn't read. That likely meant it was in Siltveltish or another language. He also wore a pair of thick gauntlets over his fists.
"Those outfits, why do they wear those?" Naofumi asked, looking them over.
Werner seemed to jump at the chance to answer. "These are Siltvelt's royal knights. Though until yesterday, no one sat on the throne, they would sit guard the throne. Lest someone other than the Shield Lord tried to foolishly sit upon it." Werner told him.
A small sweat drop formed as he remembered Leon trying to sit on the throne the first time they saw it. "Had they not stopped him, they'd have probably made Leon eat shit on the stone floor." Naofumi thought. Filo seemed giddy at Naofumi's thoughts and Leon grabbed Raphtalia's hand.
"Okay, I am not that easy to read. You people can read my mind. Admit it!" Naofumi thought loudly.
Naofumi was pulled away from his thoughts when he noticed that the man leading these royal knights was the same person that threatened Jaralis the day before. The man had a large lance at his side. Naofumi never really got along with people that used those kinds of weapons, but it was very important that they got along during these battles. "Jaralis and Werner, Jaralis and Renair, Jaralis and this guy… So really I gotta talk to Jaralis, still-"
"You, what's your name?" Naofumi asked the leading knight.
"Shield God is addressing me! This unworthy hakuko is unworthy of such attention!" The hakuko man immediately prostrated himself, as if pleading for forgiveness.
The other hakuko with him prostrated themselves as well. "Please, forgive us our unworthiness, great Shield God!"
Naofumi formed a larger sweat drop. "God dammit. Or I guess, me dammit. Werner just introduced you guys as badasses and the first thing you do is roll on your backs, call yourself unworthy, and give me that look that says you want your belly rubbed?" Naofumi fought to not facepalm.
"Our unworthiness is too great! Come, brothers, sisters, let us build a temple to our God so we may plead for his forgiveness properly!" The man yelled to his comrades.
The other hakuko rose. They were already pulling tools and building supplies as if from nowhere in their outfits. They seriously looked ready to build a temple on the spot!
"Dou-Lon, you don't need to do such a thing!" Werner yelled in a panicked voice. "S-Sorry, Lord Shield.
Naofumi was impressed, or he would have been if this wasn't distracting their departure time. "Um, Dou-Lon, was it? Stop that shit and get to marching. It's okay if we meet the enemy first, I can stall. If Melromarc gets there first, then it's a problem. Move!" Naofumi yelled, his morning now fully ruined by religious fanatics.
"Are these people worse than the Three Heroes Church? That's the question." Naofumi jokingly thought to himself.
The royal guards stopped mid-stride. They turned to Naofumi with tucked ears. "Have we… Have we bothered you? Are we displeasing you?" Dou-Lon asked.
"Fuck. He looks like Monti right now. Get that sad face the fuck outta my face you piece of sh-" Naofumi's thoughts were interrupted by Raphtalia tugging on his shoulder.
"...It's fine. You are doing great… So, let's leave… Please." Naofumi said, in abject torture.
The royal guards threw their tools away as if they were trash as their eyes brightened. "The Shield Lord has given us our first order." Dou-Lon said. "Our first divine task!" Another reiterated. "Onward!" A third called out. With that, the royal knights began to trample any and everyone to do exactly what Naofumi told them to do. They were clearly strong, but… Naofumi turned to Werner and made a face.
"...I'll speak with them at once." Werner said while being too embarrassed to look up.
It was three hours into the march before the traveling positions were corrected and they could focus on reaching the pre-planned destinations. They absorb lesser forces as they left Siltvelt, then meet up with various remnants of armies devastated by the Spirit Tortoise before finally meeting up with Melromarc's forces within a day's travel from the Spirit Tortoise's position.
It was the battle with the Three Heroes Church all over again, but with even more lives on the line.
.
[Author's Notes]
Naofumi made Siltvelt come to the table with Melromarc over the Spirit Tortoise issue. But to do so, he had to sit on the throne of Siltvelt. Many forces may react to that news in time. What consequences will come from Naofumi's actions? And with Naofumi currently acting as Siltvelt's king for this conflict, will Siltvelt's forces behave? For that matter, will Melromarc's?
We also hear the plan Melty came up with by taking things Naofumi told her and collaborating with her mother to form the steps they'll take to outlaw slavery with as little violence as they can. This will be Melty's first act as the future queen of Melromarc, and possibly the most important.
Also, before someone says it, I know water isn't wet, it makes other things wet. Please discover humor.
Those who recognize Dou-Lon will be rightfully confused, but you see, This chapter was in part a small collaboration I had with Allen Blaster. As I beat him is something dumb I can't even remember and was granted something of his. I chose Dou-Lon. What? I made Monti, I obviously like pathetic catboys. Allen wrote Dou-Lon's dialogue, as well as the descriptions. Thanks for the help!