Chapter Twenty: Fantasy Game Gone Wrong
It was two days before Naofumi's trip to Algade.
A group of men sat around a bar table in a private room at Lute Village's inn. They ranged from men in their early 60's to young men who couldn't shave yet. Some looked like farmers and tradesmen, others looked like merchants. There were a few members of the town guard.
All of them had serious expressions on their faces.
The innkeeper stood watch at the door to make sure none of the Capital Knights nor the Princess and the Spear Hero's other party members getting drunk in the dining room wandered in on what was being finalized.
"It's decided then?"
"We can't live under these taxes."
"If any more people move out, our village will die."
"If we don't do anything, we'll die anyway."
"The soldiers the princess brought are extorting those of us who remain for what we have left."
"And our real Lord hasn't made it back from the Capital yet."
...
The discussion stopped. Everyone around the table turned to look at Albert. The former town guard Captain, and their de facto leader. While some that could had paid the 50 Silver toll so they could leave for other villages, saying "Monsters would be better than this," he had stayed to help out those who had been left behind.
He'd done the best he could to use his authority to keep the Capital Soldiers from doing illegal things in their town. However, Myne had stripped him of his authority that day, claiming he had overstepped his bounds too many times.
Now the soldiers were free to do whatever they pleased, and their new Lord was doing nothing to stem their greed. The Princess had finally dropped the straw needed to break the camel's back. He nodded his head to them. "The Princess and the Spear Hero have done nothing but hurt our village since their arrival."
Murmurs of agreement came from around the table. Their faces hardening at the truth of Albert's words. The enormous toll had kept people from leaving the village or visiting. No woodworkers or stone workers could go out to get the materials needed for rebuilding. What little food that had survived the wave was starting to run out without supplies being able to come in. No one was able to report the knights for their unlawful behavior. Worst of all, the inn had run out of its last supply of wine and beer. Courtesy of the Princess purchasing it for the Knights for their diligence in 'bringing Lute back to life.'
More like she'd wanted to drink it herself instead of allowing it to go to waste on the 'peasants' as she so aptly called them when Motoyasu wasn't around.
The inn's supplies of alcohol had been their only refuge from what was happening to their village. And now, it had been taken away, and they couldn't try to hide from the truth anymore.
The toll wasn't helping them. It was slowly killing them. And they'd realized the Princess didn't care if that happened or not.
They had all reached a decision. Even though they'd be labeled enemies of the state after this no matter how it panned out, it didn't matter to them. They had families that were suffering, and unless they did something, this village would likely become their tomb.
"It's time to take matters into our own hands. The Order of the Spear Breakers will no longer tolerate such injustice to our town." Albert said with finality. "What we do now is for the good of our village."
The group silently got up. "Let's give them a message they'll never forget." The young man who was formerly a strong advocate for the Church muttered. The villagers drew their various weapons from shortswords to pitchforks. Some who were formerly adventurers donned armor they had left by their chairs. Albert put on his leather/steel uniform, which had formally symbolized his calling as the Captain of Lute Village's Militia. Not all of the villagers in this room had been trained to use weapons, but desperation drove them to fight for their homes and loved ones. They were determined to liberate them or die trying.
Finally, as one, they moved out into the dining room.
The drunk knights and Motoyasu's party continued to drink and be merry... Up until the first knight was hit in the back of the head by a sword hilt.
"For Lute!"
The sound of raindrops hitting against the windowpane echoed through the dark room of the Lord's study. On the sides were bookcases full of different books. Ranging from past reports/censuses on the village's progress to journals previous Lords had kept. The floor was carpeted. Several desks were placed haphazardly near the bookcases. The main desk was in the back of the room, in front of the window. Sitting at the desk, looking bored out of his mind in the candlelight, was the new Lord, Motoyasu.
"Ugh. I don't understand this crap." Motoyasu complained to himself.
He threw another document full of what looked like scribbles away from him and the desk he was sitting at. Even with the help of a spell the court magician had made for the Cardinal Heroes, he couldn't read it. The only light in the room was the candle burning in a corner. "I can't read this world's language! Why does Myne think it's a good idea for me to stay here! Hell, I don't even know how to run this village!"
This world was supposed to be his favorite game. Where he was supposed to have fun all the time and hit on many fair maidens.
Yet he wasn't having fun at all. He was bored out of his mind trying to learn how to run a stupid country village of all things!
Myne and the rest of his girls told him he was doing a great job. He believed he was doing a great job. But it seemed like all he ever did was stay in this house. Getting reports from the knights or from his party members about how the village was doing. Rarely was he able to go out because of how much he was supposed to 'learn.'
'Ugh, to hell with learning about this crap!' He could care less about the reports. He wanted to be out monster hunting, showing off his strength to his girls like the good old days. Getting all leveled up for the next wave and all that wonderful stuff.
Hell, he'd even prefer being tasked with hunting down Naofumi then doing this.
"I thought being Lord would be more exciting…" He'd never thought a game could get so boring before with its storyline details.
…
He briefly debated inside his mind about the possibility of sneaking out and slaying some monster in a nearby dungeon. But where was the fun in that if his party didn't sneak out with him? He let out a bored sigh and hung his head. "I just wish that something exciting would happen-"
The door of his study slammed open. "My Lord!" A heavily breathing knight burst in. "Trouble! There's trouble outside! We need your help! We need-" He started to say rapidly in a genuinely scared tone.
"Whoa, slow down," Motoyasu said impatiently as he stood up. FINALLY! It sounded like something exciting was happening, but he couldn't understand the damn NPC!
The knight took a couple of seconds to breathe. "A fight broke out at the inn! The people of the town are revolting!" The Knight said, comprehensively enough that Motoyasu got it.
The townspeople were revolting?! But Myne had said everyone was happy!
"Please, my Lord! Your party is already outside helping! We need your help-" The knight was continuing.
Motoyasu was already rushing past the knight. "What?! My girls are having to fight without me!?" He yelled as he ran out the door. "I have to help them!" He left the heavily breathing knight behind.
"But sir, the fight, it's getting out of hand-" The knight tried to warn Motoyasu. But Motoyasu had already run down the stairs and burst through the front door. He ran outside, thinking he was going to run straight for the inn. However, right after running out the door into the village square, he stopped in surprise.
He'd been told the fight had started at the inn. However, the fight had now leaked out all over the village square. He saw knights half-dressed in their armor, those who hadn't been partying at the inn since they chose to sleep instead, who had been woken up by the sound of fighting and revolt and were fighting alongside their fully dressed yet drunk comrades. But they were being beaten by the villagers, and badly.
"Forward Spear Breakers! Make these blasted bastards never want to visit our village again!" One of the former town guards yelled to the villagers fighting with him against a group of four knights. Three of them were half-dressed, and the armored knight was clearly drunk. The other three could have managed by themselves thanks to the villager's inexperience with their weapons if it wasn't for the drunk knight that kept on getting in the way of their strikes. Similar situations were happening all around.
Motoyasu quickly recovered his wits. This was bad. He'd never had a game scenario like this before, but he had to act quick. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a village to be Lord over anymore.
It looked like dozens of villagers were fighting in the square against all four dozen knights he and Myne had brought with them. He had to help, but first, he had to make sure his girls were safe.
"Fast Gust!" On one end, he saw two of his girls cast wind magic. Sending a whole group of revolting villagers flying back into the walls of buildings. They looked to be doing well with their entourage of knights backing them up, but they looked a little tipsy as well from drinking. He was about to go over to help when he heard a familiar yell.
"Fast Fireball!"
Motoyasu turned to the side in time to see Myne cast a magic fireball at a boy who didn't look over 15. There were two other villagers around where the boy had been. But both of them were on the ground covered in burn marks. The boy's eyes widened, and he dropped his sword as he covered his head in fear.
However, the fireball never hit him. Instead, it slammed into the metal shield Albert wielded on one arm. "Get those two to safety!" Albert ordered the boy as several of his town guards appeared around Albert. The boy quickly nodded in fear and started dragging one of the two men away.
"Stop them! Arrest the traitors!" Myne ordered several of her knights. All the knights around her were in full armor, but they appeared drunker than the rest of their fellows. Those she shouted her orders to raise their swords and shields and charged haphazardly at Albert and his group. Bellowing in rage as they did so.
Albert didn't even have to move. He'd trained his guards well during his time as Captain, and most of them had had to fight for their lives during the wave. Both in the village, and near the coal mines when they had to protect the rest of the villagers from the wave monsters.
They weren't afraid of a few drunk idiots in armor.
With ease, the guards used their swords and/or lances, tripping up the knights who charged at them. Before hitting them hard over the head to make sure they didn't get back up anytime soon. Myne stepped back in surprise at half of her force being wiped clean.
"Forward!" Albert ordered his group of trained men around him. The former town guards brought their swords up and charged the drunk Princess and the rest of her entourage of drunk knights.
"Myne!"
Motoyasu finally charged past her drunk knights and took on the group of six town guards.
Motoyasu hadn't trained with his weapon for as long as these guards had, but he was a far higher level than they were. He'd killed monsters bigger than them. And he had skills he could use as the Spear Hero! "Lightning, Spear!"
Motoyasu sent an arc of electricity at the group, and three of the guards jumped to the sides to dodge the attack. The three other guards were too late to react, however, and got hit by a current of electricity that sent them down to the ground. Shaking, unable to move, but still alive.
Motoyasu took on an offensive stance as the other three guards got close enough to swing at him. "Gale Force Thrust!" He thrust his spear forward, and a burst of wind came out, sending two of the guards tumbling backward across the ground.
The last one slid under the attack and tried to swing at Motoyasu from behind, but Motoyasu caught it on the haft of his spear. Then in one motion, he pushed the guard off balance, and hit him over the head with his spear, bringing the guard down. He almost thought it was over now that Myne was safe-
"Hah!"
Motoyasu turned just in time to block Albert's sword strike to his head with his spear. Motoyasu growled and moved to shove the former Captain away like he had the guard, but Albert immediately jumped back as Motoyasu tried. Not having expected it, Motoyasu stumbled forward, and barely blocked the next strike that came when Albert jumped back into his space again and swung his broadsword at him.
Motoyasu found himself locked in a duel with the former town guard Captain. Despite Albert's relatively large size, he was quicker on his feet than Motoyasu had expected. He didn't use his strength so much as he used his agileness and dexterity to give no room for Motoyasu to attack or use his skills.
Motoyasu tried, again and again, to get the man back from him so he could use one of his spear skills, but he kept on closing the distance no matter what Motoyasu tried to do. Forcing Motoyasu to stay on the defensive. The rare times Motoyasu did get an attack (mainly by swinging his spear like a bat), Albert would use his shield to protect him before thrusting with his sword.
"Why, why are you doing this?!" Motoyasu yelled in frustration when their weapons were locked.
"Doing what?" Albert calmly asked.
"It's obvious you're the leader of this revolt!" Motoyasu said angrily. The weapon lock ended and he jumped far back, raising his spear as he did so. It was about time! "Meteor Thrust!"
A ball of blue-colored mana burst from his spear at Albert as Motoyasu landed on the ground. The large man, however, slid right underneath the skill and immediately struck at Motoyasu's side. Forcing him back onto the defensive.
Damn it! Game knowledge told him the strongest man was generally the leader of anything. And this guy wasn't just strong but he was also skilled. "Why did you and the other townspeople suddenly decide to rebel?!"
"Because you and the Princess have done nothing but hurt our town since you got here," Albert said lowly. Nearby, the knights and the Princess were locked in battle with other angry villagers. "And we want you and the rest of your knights out."
"What have I done to hurt your town-" Motoyasu tried to ask. What this man had said made no sense. Why was he the one at fault for what was likely their problem-
"You charged a toll that no one could pay." Albert cut him off as he swung. Motoyasu blocked the strike. "Those with jobs outside of the village can't afford to work them. Merchants and tradesmen have avoided our town since they can't pay a gold coin to enter and leave a village," Albert continued as he calmly struck at Motoyasu again and again. "Food is starting to run out, and none is being brought in. The toll is keeping everyone locked in here, allowing your knights to do whatever they please without fear of being punished. The Princess said the toll would be used to help rebuild the village. But none of that money has gone to rebuilding. It has instead lined her pockets."
Motoyasu had been a little surprised at what Albert had been saying. At the accusation to Myne though, he immediately started to defend her 'good' name. "No, Myne would never do such a thing!-" However, in doing that, he let down his guard.
Whack!
The flat of Albert's sword struck Motoyasu across the face. He stumbled back to the side, holding the side of his sore jaw. Then Motoyasu received a hard kick to the chest, sending him flying back through the air into an empty crate that had been left on the side of the street, breaking it into many pieces. He struggled with trying to get back up.
"She has. And so much more. And you have done nothing to restrain her careless actions, Cardinal Hero... Actually, I wouldn't call someone like you a Hero." Albert said as he calmly approached, holding his weapon to the side.
"You didn't protect our village during the Wave of Catastrophe. You didn't help to clean up your mess after the wave was over. You haven't even done your job as Lord. You've done nothing heroic in our eyes. All you've done is hurt the people we care about." Each sentence was delivered with the stinging blow of a sledgehammer.
Motoyasu stared up in shock at what this NPC was telling him. He wasn't… being a hero? He was… hurting the NPC's here... 'No… I wasn't trying to hurt them. I, I was only doing what Myne said would best help others-'
Albert shook his head, as if in disappointment. "You may hold the Spear of Legend, but you aren't a hero to us. If you want to make us happy, then take your Party and your knights, and leave our town!"
Motoyasu was so stunned, he didn't react to what happened next. Because in the background of all that, Myne had noticed the Captain's back was turned and had been chanting under her breath.
"As Source of thy power and as the next Queen, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature, and blast my target with a raging inferno!"
"Captain, look out!"
Albert turned, but the Princess had already finished chanting. "Zweite Fire Blast!"
Albert's eyes widened in surprise at the fire spell that came bursting from the Princess at him. The light from it lit up his light blue irises. He put his shield over him, hoping it would somehow help him to survive the oncoming blast. But as he did so, he didn't notice the man who jumped in the way of the oncoming spell. The man who would save his life.
Boom!
A large explosion lit up and shook the town square, stopping the fighting all around.
Rain fell like a drizzle from the sky. The dead silence that followed was palpable as everyone stared at the dust cloud that had formed from the explosion in surprise… wondering what they had just missed...
...
The dust cleared and Albert coughed where he laid on the ground. The shockwave had sent him flying into the wall of a building. His back ribs felt sore, but not broken. He blinked his eyes to clear them of the bright flash that had accompanied the explosion. 'How am I still alive?'
His eyes finally cleared enough that he saw where the spell had exploded. His heart stopped in his chest. 'No.' He got up, despite his muscles protesting the movement. 'No!' He started to run forward. Towards the charred body lying sprawled on the ground. 'No no no no no no!'
"Will!" He shouted.
Albert got to the guard at the same time as several of his fellow guards. Two of them got on either side, helping to roll the guard named Will over while another worked to pry off his helmet. When it came off, they found they were already too late. Will's strangely unmarred face stared glassily up at the sky, even as the blackened skin of his body felt hot to the touch below.
His last act had been to sacrifice his life so his Captain, and likely the Spear Hero due to his close vicinity, would live. "Oh… Will…" Albert and the rest of the town guards hung their heads at the loss of their comrade.
…
"Why are you all just standing there!"
Motoyasu groaned and blearily opened his eyes. He was sprawled out on the ground. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten there. He couldn't remember much of anything past what the large man had said to him… however, he was becoming more coherent when Myne started yelling orders to all the knights in the square. "I order you to arrest all these peasants!"
Motoyasu shakily stood back up, leaning on his spear for support. "No... please stop..." He could see people peeking out of their windows now. Mothers with children, fair young maidens who weren't wooing at his presence, but instead looking at him with fear in their eyes.
He couldn't take it. He had to say something. Anything. "Myne-"
"Arrest them! Arrest them and throw them in the-"
"I believe that's enough."
...
Everyone in the square turned at the sound of the authoritative voice. Walking into the village square, with several squads of knights made up of young men and women from Lute Village, was none other than the Former Lord himself. Unlike before when he'd left despondent, he reentered his village with authority and purpose.
"What is this?" Myne asked haughtily.
"Second Princess. I believe it's about time you and your little entourage left our fair village." The former Lord said calmly.
...
Myne giggled into her hand. "Are you trying to order royalty around, because if you are, then that means I can accuse you of treason and-" Myne started to say like the snot-nosed spoiled bitch she was.
The former Lord, in reality, the real Lord of Lute, unrolled a royal decree he'd had hidden in his left sleeve till she spoke. Myne's mouth stopped working not only because she recognized it, but the royal signature of her Father was at the bottom of it. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"I went to the Capital and had a nice, long talk with your Father." The newly reinstated Lord of Lute Village said. Though he was calm, there was an edge of mischief and victory in his tone. "It appears his Majesty didn't take to kindly to his favorite daughter overtaxing the latest victims of a Wave of Catastrophe. If word got out, it could tarnish the royal name. So he called me back to my position as Lord of Lute Village and permanently overruled your previous decree."
Myne scowled deeply. Her face looked as red as her hair. Her fists clenched at her sides. "You might be the Lord again! But I'm royalty! You can't order me-"
"Actually, I can." For once, the Lord finally smiled in the presence of the demon bitch. He pointed to a line written near the bottom of the decree the King had signed. "As Lord, I'll have the right to order whomever I deem unworthy to leave my lands. Royalty or Heroes being no exception." He said, a note of victory in his tone.
...
Myne looked speechless. And at the same time she looked very angry. "Also, since the toll still stands, you and every knight here will have to pay it on your way out. I'll obviously be getting rid of the toll after you leave, but I don't think you or your knights will have a problem paying such a ridiculously high toll with the deep pockets you have." The Lord said calmly as if to rub salt in the wound. Myne opened her mouth to angrily retort. "You said it applied to everyone, did you not? Even I shall be paying it, since I entered the village." The Lord cut her off before she could speak. "Do you want word to get out that royalty is willing to break its own laws, and make your Father even angrier than he already is?"
"... But, but-" Myne tried to find something to say. She wasn't getting her way! Had this crooked old man even paid for himself and all these knights to enter-?!
"Myne, I'm tired." Myne looked at Motoyasu as be approached. For once, his trademark smile was gone. He looked incredibly depressed.
It was like Myne saw her last chance of being able to get her way closing in front of her. If her Cardinal Hero and his reputation couldn't back her up, then...
"Let's go."
…
She looked angrily at the Lord. This definitely wasn't what was supposed to happen! She'd only made Motoyasu the Lord here so no one could get in her way of leeching this town of every last coin it had! It hadn't been so he'd have experience with ruling a place so it'd look better when they became the next Queen and King. It was only to fulfill her selfish twisted desires right now in the present. And now, she wanted more than anything to throw a tantrum. "You might have won this round!" She took 50 Silvers out of her pockets and threw them at the feet of the Lord. It was barely pocket change all things considered. "But when I get back to the Capital, I will send more knights to gather these traitors and have them hanged for attacking one of the Cardinal Heroes and the Royal Princess! I can promise you that!" She spat out spitefully.
"And as Lord, I promise I will deal with these men. For now... get out of my village." The Lord said calmly, glaring at the Princess with disdain. She returned his glare, but he didn't back down.
...
Myne huffed but turned on her heel to leave. Motoyasu and the rest of his party similarly dropped 50 Silvers at the Lord's feet and followed after Myne. The rest of the knights followed suit. Each doing the same. Some looked spiteful, others looked angry, but a few looked sad and regretful. More than a few threw down a few extra silvers while looking at their friends the Lord had brought with him from the Capital... as if doing so would act as an apology for everything they had done to their village.
The Lord, the knights he'd brought with him, and everyone else said nothing and watched as it happened one by one. Until, finally, the last of the knights were walking towards the gates of the village.
Once they'd left, the Lord sighed and looked to Albert. Those who had been wounded were being tended to. Will's family was already around his body, weeping tears of sorrow for his death. Several other similar situations were happening around the square.
They had won, but at what cost?
"You couldn't have waited one more hour for me to arrive, my old friend?" The Lord asked.
Albert looked at where a family sat weeping for their son. It had been the same young man who'd advocated to his friends that the Shield Hero wasn't a devil. He sighed. "We couldn't wait for help. We were suffering more and more every day… my Lord, our village was dying-"
"And now every man here is considered to be a traitor of Melromarc." The Lord said, cutting off Albert. "And despite what his daughter did, I know the King well enough to know he won't forgive an attack on his daughter. He'll want you all turned in and executed for it. Our village may as well be dead. I'm sorry friend, but there's nothing I can do."
Albert sighed. "I know."
...
"There's nothing I can do." The Lord repeated, before turning away. "Except turn away and pretend I didn't see all of Melromarc's traitors escape my town with some of the funds from the toll."
…
Albert looked at the Lord in surprise, then at the knights. None of the knights were making a move to apprehend anyone. Some were going as far as looking away and pretending that none of them existed. Tears came into Albert's eyes as he realized what the Lord was doing. "Do you promise to take care of the rest of the villagers we'll be leaving behind?"
"I see and hear nothing." The Lord said as if he was talking to himself.
...
Before Albert could speak, his son approached him. Though smaller in size, Ake stood proudly in his full knight armor and smiled up at his father. The young lad looked better, more confident than he had before. "Don't worry, Dad, me and my friends are staying to make sure the rest of the village is protected from monsters. We'll make sure that no monster will be able to threaten our town."
...
More tears appeared in Albert's eyes, and he gave his son a proud hug. "Thank you." He whispered proudly. He then gave a small respectful bow to the Lord and gathered some of the silver coins on the ground into a pouch. Realizing that, for now, this would be their only source of money that'd help them to escape to another part of the country. He still made sure, however, not to take too much, since the rest would be used to help out those staying behind.
Once finished, he turned to the others with a calm look on his face. "You heard him. Gather what you need and say your goodbyes. We'll leave after we've given Will and the others proper funerals."
The group that had gathered around him nodded numbly. As if they were coming to the realization of what was going to happen now. Without another word, they left to spread the word to everyone else who had to leave. Albert walked over to Will's family, giving them what comfort he could.
"Ake. Get a headcount of the villagers that'll remain." The Lord said calmly to the town guard Captain's son. "I need to know who is left in our village before I can proceed to fix all the damage the Princess has caused to everyone."
"Yes, my Lord," Ake replied respectfully, before rushing off to the other Lute Knights to relay the orders.
The Lord looked at his home. Myne's blast had scorched part of the side black. He was glad that it was raining. If it hadn't been, her fire magic could have caused more severe damage. 'If I had only gotten an audience with the King sooner…'
He sighed to himself. He was already guessing in his mind that the village would be half the size it was before, and with the new damage that had been caused by the fighting, and despite the knights he'd been allowed to bring with him to restore order to his lands…
His original optimistic view of the village being rebuilt in a week had gone out the window. Not only that, but many of his closest friends and allies in the world were going to be on the run. Having started a rebel faction against one of the Cardinal Heroes and one of the strongest kingdoms in the world.
'Albert. My old friend. I wish you luck in your journey. I hope that one day, you'll be able to return to your home, and that your son and I will be able to welcome you with open arms as a free man.' The Lord thought, before he went about to start fixing his village.
Again.
Motoyasu rode on his pet dragon in the middle of the entourage of half drunk and half discouraged knights. Several of them were being carried in stretchers, having wounds that kept them from walking. Myne was riding in her carriage with the rest of his girls in front of him. But for once, he wasn't thinking about them. He was looking down despondently at his Spear.
"You didn't protect our village during the Wave of Catastrophe. You didn't help to clean up your mess after the wave was over. You haven't even done your job as Lord. You've done nothing heroic. All you've done is hurt us since you got here."
'Was I really not doing my job... am I really not acting like a hero for these people?' Motoyasu thought sadly to himself.
Myne had told him he was doing a great job before. His party members told him he was doing a great job before. The King and every noble in the kingdom had told him he was doing a great job before. Even the Pope had had a private audience with him once to tell him how great he was doing…
And yet, he couldn't shake the words this NPC Captain, who had trounced him in combat, had said to him. He couldn't shake the scene of all those villagers fighting against what they felt was tyranny.
Worst of all, he couldn't get rid of the image of the charred man lying on the ground. The NPC that Myne had so heartlessly killed. As well as the bodies of the others he'd spotted on his way out.
Had that been heroic? Had that stopped the fighting? Had it solved the problem?
No. It was because of that old man coming in and kicking Myne, himself, his party, and all the knights out, that the fighting had stopped.
And he hadn't done a damn thing.
Motoyasu held his head in his hands. For once, he didn't know what to do anymore. If his closest friends, who he trusted with all his heart, were leading him to do wrong… 'But they aren't leading me wrong! Myne has always been nice and friendly and… and…'
He started to fall asleep in his saddle. His mind not wanting to deal with the paradox he was dealing with, nor the abundance of negative emotions he was feeling. He still saw this all as a game. It wasn't supposed to be real! Yet he was so tired. He was so drained…
If... this was a game... he no longer wished to play it.
Requirements Met: Cursed Series Unlocked
In another part of Melromarc
It was supposed to be so simple.
It was supposed to be so easy.
Itsuki looked up at the nobleman's house. He took in a deep breath, doing his best to calm his nerves while hiding in the tall grass. 'Alright. It's almost time.' With there being a bit of time before he was needed, he thought about the past few days.
Two days ago, he had arrived at Van Reichnott's estate. There, he'd been warmly received by the NPC noble, who'd been much more cheerful than Itsuki had seen than any other noble so far. It was like Van wasn't programmed to be fake and haughty but actually looked and acted authentically.
Whatever the case, he could tell Van didn't see Itsuki as someone to boost his popularity or meet some political agenda. He was just happy to have his estate graced with visitors, especially one of the Four Cardinal Heroes.
After exchanging pleasantries and giving his party members room in Van's estate, he and Van had sat down to talk. Itsuki had explained what had happened in the Capital, and how he had decided that he wanted to help free demi-humans that were being abused by other nobles. Ending with how he'd been told that Van could help him to achieve that.
The nobleman had agreed to help him. Even going as far as writing a list of names of various nobles along with the bad things each one was known to do to their slaves. Itsuki couldn't read this list, obviously, so Rachel was the one currently holding on to it.
Van had also offered up areas of his land where Itsuki's lower-leveled party members could take care of monsters. So, not only did they get the chance to continue leveling up with the help of some local demi-human adventurers, but they also got paid for getting rid of the monsters that tried to cause problems in Van's area of authority.
Now: Aksel, Crystal, and Marx were back at Van's estate hunting monsters. While Itsuki, Rachel, and Karn were dealing with the first noble on the list. A noble in his 60's whose name he hadn't bothered to learn. Van's notes said the noble starved his slaves. There wasn't anything serious like whipping or rape as far as Van knew. All he had known was that this noble's slaves were well known for being malnourished and forced to work until they dropped from exhaustion. Itsuki figured this job could be accomplished with only him, Karn, and Rachel. So he'd left the three new party members back at Van's so they could grind and increase their level.
'Any moment, Karn and Rachel will signal me…'
The two had snuck into the manor in the dead of night. Not that it wouldn't have been easy to do already. Given that in the day they had spent scouting the place, they'd only found two guards out front. Both of whom had appeared to be nodding off almost all day as if they were bored. The small manor was also a fair distance away from the town and its guards. It would give them valuable experience, however, in dealing with future nobles with far more protection.
Rachel and Karn's jobs were simple. Locate the noble, and locate where he kept his enslaved demi-humans. Karn would make sure the noble remained asleep while Itsuki would go in, free the demi-humans, and get them all out without anyone realizing the Bow Hero had been the one that saved the slaves.
Simple. Easy. Flawless. No room for error.
…
After a moment, Itsuki saw a small purple-colored torch move past one of the bottom floor windows. His sharp eyes caught sight of Rachel, the black-haired mage, holding the torch. 'Rachel's found the demi-humans. But Karn hasn't given his signal yet…'
…
…
He waited a few minutes, but still saw no sign of Karn.
Itsuki stood up. He had waited long enough already. His main goal was to free the demi-humans. He could knock out the noble if he woke up and found out what Itsuki was doing.
He ran quickly across the short distance between the long grass and the manor, keeping a hand on his hood to keep it from flying back. The lazy guards snoozing away at the doors didn't hear his silent approach. He quickly hid under the windowsill and took a moment to look around, making sure he hadn't been spotted before he tapped his fist lightly against the window. Rachel pulled open the window for Itsuki, allowing him to quickly climb into the manor itself. He set foot on the carpet. He noted the layer of dust in the hallway they were in.
"Did Karn also give his signal?" Rachel asked.
Itsuki shook his head. "Not yet. But I doubt an old man will cause us much trouble. For now, let's free the slaves." Itsuki said.
Rachel gave a slight nod and led the way down the hallways of the manor. It wasn't luxuriously decorated as Itsuki had assumed from his previous visits to other nobles. And again, he saw more dust as he went along. 'Why does his place look like a dump?' Itsuki wondered in his mind.
Then again, this was also a lesser noble, one who could barely afford the ten slaves he already owned. That didn't excuse him from mistreating people, but maybe there was a reason he had to work them so hard with little food.
Itsuki shook his head to clear it of the thought. 'He's still abusing people. He doesn't deserve to keep these slaves with him.'
Eventually, they came into one last hallway and approached a wooden door. "I'm guessing they're behind here," Itsuki said.
Rachel nodded. "The door's already unlocked. I'll stay up here and keep watch while you make sure they're ready." She said as she leaned back against the wall. There were no guards or servants in the house at night as far as they knew. But Karn hadn't reported about locating the noble. That meant the noble was likely not in bed at this late hour. They couldn't take any chances.
Itsuki nodded, and opened the door and walked in. Behind the door was a stairway that led down into a basement. When he reached the steps at the bottom, he'd been wondering why he could see no sign of a guard posted anywhere to keep the slaves from escaping. After walking in, he saw why.
The sight made him gasp slightly in surprise.
The slaves were handcuffed medieval style to the walls. Sitting on stone benches in nothing but rags, their hands raised above them in the air in an uncomfortable position. They looked weak and malnourished. The floor was dirty, it smelled of feces and urine, and the basement was dark besides a torch burning on a wall. It was like a sight fresh out of a medieval prison cell he'd seen in a book back home.
Only, this was happening, and not in a picture book...
None of them stirred at first when Itsuki came in, but as Itsuki approached one that looked like an adult woman, she wearily blinked her eyes to look up at him. Those brown eyes of hers were defeated, crushed by the strain of years of hard labor and mistreatment.
Itsuki worked quickly, freeing her hands from the cuffs holding her hands above her head. She looked down at her free hands, tired, and confused at what was going on. The other slaves began to stir as well, hearing the sound of their fellow slaves being freed.
"Don't worry. I'm getting you all out of here." Itsuki spoke in a calm voice to soothe their nerves. He moved from one NPC to the next, uncuffing them from the walls. It was a variety of demi-humans. Some had dog ears/tails, and others had Raccoon features. One had fox ears and a fox tail. Itsuki strangely noted that they were all girls. Three adults, and six children. There wasn't one guy with them.
He finished freeing the last one and checked his Bow's inventory. He took out several potion bottles Van had given him. "Be careful with these. I'm told they're hard to make, but pouring them on your slave crests should be enough to sever your contracts." He said as he handed them out to the slaves. They looked confused, and some were starting to murmur with each other in low voices. But one of them opened her shirt and poured some of the vial on the slave ink.
With a hiss, it started to disappear off her skin. Excitedly, in low whispers, she showed the others how the slave crest had disappeared, and they started to do the same.
Itsuki did a quick headcount while the slaves eliminated their contracts. "Wait. Aren't there supposed to be ten of you?" He asked. He had only counted nine.
The murmuring stopped, and the oldest one, a woman with fox-like ears and a tail, along with work lines on her face and arms from years of hard labor, looked up at him. They all looked surprised that he had spoken in their mother languages. Was this stranger freeing them, normal? "Well?" Itsuki asked impatiently.
"She… Lily… my daughter..." She tried to speak. It didn't look like she was used to speaking with how scratchy her voice was.
"Sir Itsuki!" Rachel suddenly yelled from up above, startling some of the slaves in the room. "I hear yelling in the manor! It's Karn! Something has gone wrong!" She said. The normally calm and reserved mage sounded worried.
Not all of the slaves had understood what Rachel had said since Rachel didn't come with an auto-translator like Itsuki's bow. But the few that did started to whisper worriedly to the rest. "He… our master… took her…" The fox lady coughed into her arm, almost dropping the vial she'd been given. "He's... beating her right now for-"
Itsuki cursed under his breath and ran up the stairs before she could finish. Leaving the confused and fearful demi-humans behind. Just his luck. Their simple plan was turning out not to be as simple as he had thought. It turned out the noble not only starved and overworked his slaves, but he also beat them.
"Stay here and protect them! I'll go find Karn!" Itsuki ordered Rachel as he ran past her into the manor. "And keep an eye out! One of the slaves is missing!"
"Wait, Sir Itsuki-" But he was already around a corner and gone by the time Rachel started to yell.
He didn't know his way around very well, but now that he was out of the basement he could hear the yells. It sounded like they were coming from the floor above him. Itsuki came across a staircase and booked it up to the second floor of the house. The yelling sounded much clearer now. He could recognize Karn's voice and a different voice. But both were still muffled enough that he couldn't pick up what they were saying.
Itsuki unstrapped his bow from his back as he approached the source of the noise. It was coming from right behind a set of closed doors. Running forward determinedly, he kicked open the doors and charged in.
The scene he ran into stopped him.
He was in a large office space. Karn stood next to another set of open doors. Behind him was what looked like a bathroom. He held his sword to his side.
Right in front of Itsuki was the old noble. He'd looked to have been trying to back towards that doorway when Itsuki came in. The old noble immediately backed away in surprise. But what stopped Itsuki wasn't that the noble was only dressed in shoddy night robes, or that Karn had his weapon out, but the noble was holding a knife to the neck of a crying little girl. One that had fox-like ears on her head. The missing demi-human daughter, Lily.
"What's going on?!" The hooded Itsuki demanded.
"I found the noble," Karn said. "He wasn't in his room. But I snuck through the bathroom and found him beating the girl in here. I was going to pull back to find you, but he spotted me, and has been threatening to kill her if I didn't leave."
"I said stay back! I'm not afraid to hurt this filth!" The noble threatened, digging the knife just a little into the girl's neck. A line of red came from under it. The girl whimpered at the pain that came from the sharp blade.
Itsuki held up his bow, and an arrow appeared on it. The nobleman's eyes paled at that. "Wait, that bow-" He tried to say.
"If you hurt that girl, I will have no problem ending your life here and now," Itsuki said, forcing himself to stay calm. His intention in coming here hadn't been to kill the noble. But this old man was threatening to kill an NPC right now. In this storyline quest, he figured that would be a big no-no.
He could not allow that to happen. Otherwise...
He aimed the arrow so that it would enter the man's arm. The one that was restraining the girl. He didn't dare release it yet out of worry that the noble would accidentally kill the girl. "Release her. Now."
The old noble growled. "So it's true. I thought it was only a mere rumor. But it turns out the Bow Hero did decide to turn his back against the humans back in the Capital!" He angrily said. The girl whimpered in his grasp, wanting with everything she had to get away from this vile man. "I can't believe you'd turn your back on us like this! After everything we've done for you!"
Itsuki looked floored by the man's statement. Here he was, cornered in his own office, yet this NPC was acting as if he, the Bow Hero, owed him everything.
This wasn't normal. "If you value your life, then you'll let her go-"
"You know," The noble interrupted. It seemed that seeing one of his own Gods fall from grace had broken something in him. "My whole life, I've done all I can to try and please the Gods. I thought in enslaving as many of these abominations as I could afford, that I'd be able to fulfill his will. That by working them like pack mules and feeding them feed worthy for cattle, I'd be able to please the multitudes of heaven." A creepy smile came onto the old noble's face. "But it turns out, I've been wrong the whole time."
"You're not going anywhere. Free her now, and I'll show mercy on you." Itsuki again forced out calmly. 'What's wrong with this NPC? Did I do something wrong, did I-'
The noble laughed. The demi-girl whimpered. "I'm already a dead man Sir Bow Hero! Or Fake Hero as I should call you! My doctor has given me weeks to live at best. Nothing you say can frighten me!" When Itsuki made eye contact, he saw the look in the man's eyes. And suddenly, it was like he wasn't looking at another NPC.
"Come on Icksuki?! What's the matter? Too afraid to fight back?!"
A child version of Itsuki was pushed back onto the gravel ground. He covered his head with his hands and began to whimper as the three bullies appeared overhead. "Please, Shamuin, I don't want to fight-"
"Well too bad!" The bully named Shamuin cut him off with a yell. Itsuki whimpered louder as the two other bullies lifted him up by his armpits, forcing him to be face to face with Shamuin. "You think just because you're so smart that you can look down on me! Remember that you're the one with the trashy ability!"
Itsuki looked fearfully into his eyes. Eyes that showed hatred and a little bit of insanity. "It's time for your lesson Icksuki! Your lesson on how worthless you are!" He said before he delivered another hard punch to the young Itsuki's face with a hand made of stone.
Itsuki put a hand to his head, trying to force the repressed memories back so he could return to the present. 'No! I'm in a game now! I already died back in my world! Those memories don't matter to me now. This is only a game! I'm only trying to save a demi-human girl! I've moved past all that now!-' He thought frantically to clear out the bad memories.
It was too bad he was too focused on his thoughts. Otherwise, he might have been able to prevent what happened next.
"I'm already as good as dead. And if I'm going to die at the hands of a traitor, I'm going to die having pleased the real Gods and not the fake one in front of me!" The man screamed. The girl's eyes widened in terror.
Karn's eyes widened in shock. "No, don't-"
The noble's knife slashed through the girl's throat.
...
Seamlessly.
Effortlessly.
Red blood sprayed out onto the floor.
She didn't have the chance to even gasp.
Itsuki froze up. The arrow disappeared from his bow.
Karn stood stock still.
The girl dropped to her knees first. Her hands inching up to the gash in her throat. A look of wordless shock on her face.
Then she fell sideways down onto the ground. Unable to speak as she choked on her own blood.
Time resumed for everyone in the room.
The noble started to laugh gleefully. Watching the little demi-girl thrashing on the ground in front of him. Karn and Itsuki stood still a moment more. Karn's face slowly hardened. Itsuki watched with a look of horror.
"No! No!"
The young version of Itsuki stared in horror at his ten-year-old friend. Lying in a growing pool of blood. The knife she had used to slit her own throat laid on the ground nearby. Somewhere in the background, a group of girls that had bullied her to this point were laughing to themselves.
"The poor thing." "Guess she couldn't handle the truth." "That's what she gets for being such a weak little freak." They all said mockingly in low voices to each other.
"Jaylee! Jaylee! Please, wake up!" The child Itsuki cried as he tried shaking her body. As if it would somehow bring her back to the land of the living.
His friend since preschool, one of the only ones who'd stood up for him in the face of the bullies, didn't move. Her light green eyes stared glassily up at the ceiling. "No! Jaylee! Please wake up! WAKE UP!" The child Itsuki cried.
The bullies behind them continued to laugh at his sorrow as he lifted his head to the sky and screamed.
In the real world, the noble continued to laugh. "Yes, finally! A worthy act that will appease my Gods!" The old noble exclaimed triumphantly.
Itsuki was still staring at the girl, shock written on his face. "Now when I die, I shall be welcomed into the hosts of heaven! I shall be graced with thrones and dominions untold! I shall be considered greater than the greatest saints-"
The nobleman was cut off, literally, by a fist that slammed into his face with the force of a sledgehammer. Itsuki was no longer frozen. And his face was a portrait of rage. "YOU BASTARDDDDDDDDDDDD!"
The nobleman fell back onto the floor and tried to stand back up, but in his rage, Itsuki jumped onto the noble and continued to punch his face again and again. The nobleman, first caught off guard, started laughing crazily under the assault, causing Itsuki to ignore all else.
He punched harder. He punched faster. The laughter filled his mind with memories. Only it was reversed. He was not the one on the ground, curling into a ball to protect himself from the laughing kids above that were kicking him around.
Instead, he was the one on top, punching the hell out of this, this… monster of a human!
He didn't know at what point the laughing stopped. He didn't know why the noble's face was replaced one by one with the face of those from back home. The faces of those bullies who had called him weak. Stupid. A worthless nobody that should have never been born... Who had belittled him almost to the point of committing suicide like his childhood friend. One of the only people that had ever been there for him.
He did not know how long the moment that felt like an eternity lasted.
All he knew was that Karn was suddenly pulling him back off the noble, and blood was dripping from his hands. Blood that wasn't his. "Sir Itsuki! Sir Itsuki! He's dead already! Enough with this!"
Itsuki gasped in surprise. The rage cleared, and he looked down at his hands, covered in the old noble's blood. Down below, the noble's face was a mess. Somehow, using only his fists, he had broken the man's skull in multiple spots. Along with most of his rib cage and sternum area.
The old man was definitely dead. Karn was staring at him in disgust. "What a worthless excuse for a human." He spat on the man's corpse.
Itsuki quickly looked behind him. The little girl was lying in a growing pool of blood. She was still weakly convulsing, but she did not have long The hate drained from his face, replaced with another emotion.
Fear.
"No, no!" Itsuki quickly pushed Karn out of the away and hustled over to the little girl. He got down on his knees in the pool of blood and lifted her small frail body up to examine the wound on her neck...
His heart constricted in his chest. 'No... ' He tried to cover it with his hand. Tried to find something, anything on him that could staunch the bleeding. But deep down he knew he could do nothing. The cut was too deep. Not only had it cut through the major artery, but it had cut through her windpipe. Even if he stopped the bleeding miraculously, she would not be able to breathe.
She was going to die. Die at the hands of a bully. Like his friend had. Like he almost had. And there was nothing he could do to help her out.
'No, please…' He choked back sobs. It was not just a storyline quest now. This NPC was still alive, but even now, he couldn't save her, just like he couldn't save his friend from the bullies...
…
Itsuki felt a weak hand press itself against his cheek. He looked up in surprise from the cut to the girl, Lily's face.
Though she was dying, she was smiling. Unable to speak because of her throat being slashed, she allowed her face to speak for her. More specifically, her eyes, which were filled with emotion.
Itsuki was stunned by the brief display. The girl had finally realized she was being freed from this painful existence.
No longer would she have to watch her mother work until she dropped.
No longer would she have to cry for her missing dad at night.
No longer would she be pulled aside for the slightest infraction to be beaten by her master.
No longer would her friends fear that they had to sleep and never wake up again.
She was free. Free from this horrible master. Free from the terrors of this world. And the Bow Hero was there to see her, an unimportant slave, off to the afterlife.
Itsuki was stunned at how real she looked. For her eyes were just like... just like...
...
Her eyes looked past Itsuki, and then the hand that had been pressed to his face dropped back down to the floor. The pain faded. The arms of Lily's father were already wrapping around her, welcoming her home.
She died, a smile still on her face…
…
"No… … … … NO!" Itsuki yelled in despair as he shook her, but the girl did not move. The look of realness, for a moment, had reminded him of his world.
"Sir, sir Itsuki-" Karn tried to say.
Itsuki lost it and cradled the girl's body to himself. Sobs wracked his frame. His mind was a blank. The stench of blood like iron was everywhere. Just like that day years ago.
Karn yelling for his attention faded to the background.
The noise of the doors opening did not matter. The sounds and outbursts behind him did not matter.
For this moment, Itsuki could not view this world as his favorite game. No, it was like reality with all of its nightmares.
A reality as harsh as his world. Only unlike reality, he could not escape this game. There was no logout option. No save point. It was still there, in the background, taunting him as it had in his childhood.
That, even as a hero, those bullies were still right.
He was weak. He was useless. He could not even save a weak, innocent, little girl who'd suffered the same fate as his childhood friend.
He was worthless, and he hated himself for it.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Requirements Met: Cursed Series Unlocked
Hero Clips
By Royal Decree
Myne scowled deeply. Her face looked as red as her hair. "But, but you can't! I'm the Royal Princess! I'm the one who's supposed to be in charge!"
"Actually, I'm the one in charge now. And this signed decree proves it." The Lord said brightly. The scene was set in the square, with all the knights and villagers on both sides watching the spectacle.
The Lord flipped the decree over, showing more writing on the back of it. "Eh-hem." He cleared his throat. "By royal decree, I, the Lord of Lute Village, am bestowed the right to rename anyone who stays in my land whatever I desire." He looked up at Myne and squinted as if he was looking at her closely. "I shall call thee, Demon Witch."
Myne's eyes widened drastically. "What-" She yelled.
"Yes, that fits nicely. By royal decree," The Lord continued. "I have the right to order anyone to do whatever I want, no matter how ridiculous it seems." He yawned as if he was bored. "Would thou be-est so kind as to entertain this old man with a tap dance, Demon Witch?"
"That is not my name! I am the Royal Princess! I will not do any such thing-" She tried to say.
Several of the knight mages the Lord had brought with him started casting jets of electricity from their hands at the ground around Myne's feet. She eeped as she started doing a tap dance, avoiding the arcs of lightning shot at her feet. "Stop that!" She yelled in fright.
"Yes, that's more like it." The Lord said, smiling widely as he watched.
Myne seethed as she was forced to be humiliated in front of everyone. "When I get my hands on you, I'm going to make you wish you were never born-!" She was yelling.
"By royal decree." The Lord continued.
'Wait, there's more!?' Myne thought hysterically to herself. What had papa been thinking when he signed that royal decree!? "Sir Motoyasu! Sir Motoyasu!" Myne yelled for help.
"You know, I don't know why." Motoyasu was sitting on a barrel nearby. Talking with Ren and Itsuki. "But something's telling me I shouldn't be trusting Myne so much these days."
"Or maybe that you shouldn't be trusting her at all." Itsuki strongly suggested.
"Nah, I don't think that's it," Motoyasu said to himself as he continued to think the complex problem over. "I mean, I'm supposed to trust my friends, right? But she keeps on leading me into bad situations again and again and I don't like it. But, she's still my friend, so I have to trust her, right?" He repeated himself.
Itsuki groaned to himself at how thick-skulled Motoyasu was being.
"I'm just here waiting for my chapter to come out," Ren said boredly.
"Wait, but I'm a Princess! I can't do that-"
"It says right here, by Royal Decree, I can tell anyone to jump off a cliff, and they have to do it." The Lord replied smugly.
"That's too specific for a royal decree though-" Myne started to say angrily.
"Escort Demon Witch to the cliff please." The Lord said boredly. "And make sure to throw her off the highest one Albert."
"No, get away from me! Sir Motoyasu! Helppppp!" Myne yelled.
XD
Till Next Time
Allen