Chapter Twenty-Four: Hot Spring Fiasco
The next few days passed by quickly for Naofumi.
He and his party had been gradually traveling across the plains of Melromarc. Stopping in various towns for business and the like.
Naofumi heard no news about him being discovered, though there were rumors he was traveling north. That was followed by news of security being increased along Melromarc's northern border.
The thought of his tormentors wasting all those resources trying in vain to locate him brought a smile to his face. He was grateful he'd made the choice to double back.
The only issue he had listening to the news and rumors from people wherever they visited was that no one seemed to know anything about what the other three heroes were doing.
He didn't care for Motoyasu one bit, but the other two... he hoped Ren and Itsuki were ok at the very least. It would suck if the Church were to turn on them too.
Anyway, either because they were traveling towards the interior of Melromarc, or because of their high levels, the monsters that had been harassing his party before had begun to avoid them like the plague. The few that did try to attack were so weak that they were barely worth the effort for Raphtalia and Filo to fight.
Because that distraction no longer came up to bother him all day, Naofumi had thrown himself into the other various tasks he had to tackle, like learning Melromarc's written language. Translating his medical grimoire. Gathering herbs and compounding more medicines for his Night Merchant Business. Unlocking abilities from previous shields he'd acquired but hadn't taken the time to unlock. Crafting new accessories. Reading the magic grimoire. Etc.
Naofumi had considered himself to be someone that was interested in learning about a variety of things. Whenever he'd played any online games with friends he almost always ended up being sidetracked by wanting to maximize his crafting skills and various other abilities instead of leveling up. But even Naofumi was starting to find his schedule a little ridiculous. If he wasn't working on one thing, he was doing two other things at the same time.
It felt like he was juggling all the tasks he had to do and was barely succeeding at doing them all.
After all his work and hard effort, he still found himself stumbling his way through the written Melromarcian alphabet. He'd only managed to translate two more recipes from his grimoire that he didn't think would be useful, weed killer and gunpowder. Why the hell were those two in a medical grimoire anyway!?
He hadn't gotten a new spell reading the magic grimoire, which he still had over half of it left to look through page by page. He was fortunate he only had to equip a shield for a period of time to unlock its equip bonus, but it took several hours to do it for one shield. And if he wasn't paying attention, he'd miss the notification and would waste hours that could have been spent unlocking other shields in his arsenal.
Hell, if it hadn't been for him managing to teach Raphtalia and Filo how to imbue gemstones with mana, he would have tossed the idea of crafting accessories out the window altogether. Thanks to them, he'd managed to get an amethyst and two garnets ready for accessorizing.
He successfully enchanted two Good quality Silver Necklaces he'd managed to shape. The amethyst silver necklace dropped from good quality to normal quality when it was enchanted, but it acquired Defense Up (Low). It sold in a town he'd visited for 80 Silver, well worth the time and effort he'd put into it.
The garnet silver necklace had stayed at good quality, but the enchantment it'd gotten was Health Up (Slight). It'd sold for 50 Silver. It'd been a little disappointing after his first sale, but he'd gotten way more for the two than he thought. There had technically been a third accessory, a bracelet, that he'd crafted for the last imbued Garnet, but because he'd messed up shaping the silver into a bracelet, he'd ended up destroying both the accessory and the gemstone when he tried to enchant it.
Naofumi would rather forget about having ever made it. What a waste of money.
He had to improve his skills more in that regard to not mess up like that again. But if he could get more materials to make more accessories, he'd make a real killing out here! He could easily charge double, triple, maybe even quadruple the normal price and still have happy customers since demand vastly exceeded the supply!
He'd be rich in no time!
"Are you thinking something greedy over there Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked from the wagon behind him. The wagon covering had been replaced with a new light grey cloth, and she stopped what she was doing to lightly glare at him.
"... No." Naofumi lied.
"Are you actually lying to me?" Raphtalia said, her voice sounding displeased.
Damn it?! How could she always tell!? Raphtalia crossed her arms, waiting for him to answer.
Where lying didn't work, it was time to change the subject. That move didn't always work out, but he had as of yet to find other means of avoiding Raphtalia's 'mind' magic or whatever she used to read what was on his mind. "So are you looking forward to the next town, Raphtalia?"
Raphtalia's serious look turned into a frown. "I don't know… Are you sure we should do this?"
Naofumi and his party were currently traveling through some low rocky hills, approaching another town. However, their main purpose wasn't to sell merchandise, though he would visit any sick people if called upon.
He had a different purpose in mind.
"We've been going at it hard the last few days," Naofumi replied. "One of the people I healed in the last town was talking about visiting the hot springs here to help him recover. I thought we could use the chance to recover ourselves." And Naofumi could use the chance to take a break from all the things he was trying to learn.
Naofumi actually felt pretty happy having learned about the hot springs. There'd been a pretty popular hot spring near where he went to college in his world.
He hadn't always had the money or the chance to visit, but he had always looked forward to it when he could go there.
"But, but you also said we'd be staying the night," Raphtalia said worriedly.
"We spent the night in an inn two towns ago. What's the difference?" Naofumi asked.
He wasn't making plans on staying the night in every town he visited. But now that he had the Mask Shield and a good reputation as the Nocturnal Doctor going, he felt the risk of sleeping in a comfy bed at night was far lower than it had been a couple of weeks ago.
Especially with all his enemies searching for him in the wrong part of Melromarc.
He wanted to take the chance to destress for a change. Where he wouldn't have to let any thoughts or worries trouble him. And a hot spring felt like the perfect way to do it.
"I… I just… I mean..." Raphtalia struggled with trying to find something to say. Naofumi looked back, and even though she was trying to protest, he could see her wagging tail behind her was giving away how much she was looking forward to the Hot Spring.
He guessed she really did want to relax but she also didn't want to stop working on improving herself. He hadn't been the only one working himself hard trying to accomplish everything.
Since Filo could also use spells, the two of them went over magic together while Raphtalia was on the driver's bench. They were working on hastening their incantations for shorter spell cast times and implementing magic into their fighting styles. They were also learning how to conserve their mana by trying to cut off excess mana while maintaining their spells.
They had a lot of work to do, but they were making surprising progress. Filo knew a surprising amount about magic, and while Raphtalia didn't always understand, she paid close attention to her daughter as she'd demonstrate.
When Naofumi was on the driver's bench, Raphtalia would work on her motion sickness issues while organizing his supplies in the back of the wagon, which she had been doing before talking to Naofumi. When they'd stop to camp, Raphtalia would gather firewood and then go through some of the basic sword forms Elhart had shown her the last time they were at the Capital before she had dinner. She'd then sit with Naofumi afterward to help him with translating or studying depending on which grimoire he was working with before taking some time to play with Filo and put her to sleep.
She knew how important it was for them to get money and update their equipment. She'd sometimes hunt while gathering firewood to help lower their food budget for Filo. She was pushing herself trying to do all she could to help make it easier for Naofumi to accomplish his goals without many distractions...
Because of this, he saw this as a chance to let her know how much he appreciated it.
"Think of this as a gift from me to reward you and Filo for all of your hard work," Naofumi said lightly. "Trust me. You've earned it."
...
Raphtalia slowly perked up at his words. "Well, if you really want to go." She said more happily as she started to smile.
"Besides, if you're really worried about us being recognized, I can always order us a private hot spring so no one will walk in and bother us," Naofumi then added nonchalantly as he faced forward again.
"... ... Uh… Uh…" Raphtalia was suddenly blushing a fierce red. Her tail also began wagging fiercely behind her, like she was about to take off. 'Oh no! If me and Master Naofumi are alone together in the Hot Springs! Then!-' There could be a really high chance of them kissing and her really getting pregnant.
'AHHHHHHH!'
Naofumi, poor dense idiot that he was, didn't catch to her thoughts. Only thinking about how nice it'd be to relax together.
And besides, the wagging tail always gave away when she was excited about what was coming up.
"Can Filo join Daddy and mommy in the Hot Springs?!" Filo asked excitedly.
"Of course Filo. As long as you remain in your child form when we get into town." Naofumi agreed since Raphtalia would protest if he didn't. He really hoped Filo didn't transform into her big bird form while they were inside.
"Yaaaay!" Filo replied happily. "I can't wait to feel the warm water on my feet!"
"I'm sure you can't. You okay with that Raphtalia?"
Raphtalia calmed herself down. "Yes!" She answered. There'd be no worries of kissing as long as Filo was with them!
"Alright, one private hot spring for the three of us, coming up!"
If he hadn't invited Filo to join them, then she probably would have passed out from shock. But with Filo there, there was probably no chance of anything serious going down!... right?
Right?!
An hour later, after presenting his merchant credentials at the toll gate, parking their wagon near the stables, and checking in at the inn, Naofumi and his party entered the Hot Springs.
"Ahhhh…" Naofumi sighed in relief. 'Best, idea, ever.'
He settled into the warm water and leaned back against the edge of the hot stone. The Hot Spring they'd entered was in a private room the color of sandstone. The room had three stone walls with an open ceiling and an open balcony giving a view of the mountains bathed in the evening light.
Naofumi had a towel wrapped around his waist and his Mask Shield was resting on his hair, kind of like a pair of goggles.
It'd cost an extra 4 Silver to reserve this hot spring alongside what he'd paid for their lodging for tonight, but he was already thinking it was more than worth it.
Plus, it turned out the people in this town were in good health. So he wasn't going to be called upon for any sort of business.
It was finally time to sit back and unwind...
"Yippeeeeee! This is so much funnnnnn!" Filo said happily as she swam by. She had a towel wrapped tightly around her body.
"Filo, this is supposed to be a place to relax, not to play around," Naofumi looked very annoyed as Filo ruined the relaxing atmosphere.
"But daddy, this is Filo relaxing!" Filo replied happily as she continued swimming.
...
Naofumi's head sank lower into the water. He would have felt more annoyed, but this felt even better than the hot bath he'd taken at Elhart's place before the Wave of Catastrophe. And it'd be too much effort to restrain her.
So he let Filo's behavior slide… for now. If she began to splash him, then he'd throw her out, not caring what kind of tantrum he'd have to deal with afterward.
"Filo, if you're going to swim, can you please do it on the other side away from me and Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked nicely. She was resting a few feet away from him and also had nothing but a towel wrapped around herself.
"Awwww, why mommy?" Filo asked curiously. She stopped swimming to stand up and face her.
"That might be how you relax, but it's hard for me and Daddy to relax when you're when you're splashing around so loudly near us sweetie," Raphtalia said kindly.
"... Ohhhhhh." Filo nodded her head in understanding. "Okay, Filo will swim on the other side then." She turned away from Raphtalia and Naofumi and obediently swam away.
Luckily, the hot spring was several dozen feet long. Filo had plenty of room to swim away from them.
"Thanks, Raphtalia," Naofumi said gratefully.
"No problem." Raphtalia looked at him and smiled happily. Then her face suddenly turned red, and she looked away from him again.
He figured it was likely because of how hot the room was. His face was pretty red too, so he let it slide and closed his eyes.
'It's been so long since I saw what Naofumi looked like under all that armor!' Raphtalia shook in embarrassment.
The last time had probably been when she'd been measuring him for Jerry back in Mirso. And he looked even more amazing now than he had back then. His lean muscles looked a bit more firm, and all sorts of small scars covered his arms and legs. Unattractive to others, but a sign of the Shield Hero's bravery to Raphtalia.
Battle scars, that was hot.
She took another glance at Naofumi, and then quickly looked away again. It was like a part of her wanted to jump Naofumi and feel his developing muscles all over again. Or trace a line along the scar on his calf. Or to press a finger to his chin as her lips slowly pressed to his and-
'No! I have to restrain myself! I can't get pregnant with the Waves of Catastrophe going on! I refuse to kiss Naofumi!' She thought determinedly…
She then turned to look at Naofumi again and started to shake all over. 'But Naofumi's body looks sooooooooo good when it's on displayyyyyy!' She couldn't make up her mind!
And was that blood slowly leaking from her nose? She'd heard Rifana joking about this phenomenon happening before when they were younger, but Raphtalia never thought she'd get to experience it!
Naofumi sighed in relaxation again. Even when they were relaxing, Raphtalia somehow managed to do something to make his life easier.
Heh, he still had no idea what would happen after the waves ended. He still pictured himself going back to his world after the waves were done, but the idea of Raphtalia coming back with him seemed to solidify more and more in his mind with each passing day.
He trusted her more than anyone else and she trusted him. He just wasn't sure if Raphtalia would want to leave this world behind to be with him or not… she certainly wouldn't leave without Filo, so that made things a bit more complicated. He could say that Raphtalia was a cosplayer whenever they went out in public. But Filo...
Yeah, he had no idea how he'd explain her to others. Oh, and not to mention, there was still the matter of Bitch to deal with.
Whatever happened, she had to pay for everything she had done or planned on doing to him before he returned to his world. He could not go back until she'd paid in full for what she'd tried to do to him!
...
Naofumi tensed up… there'd went his chance at relaxing.
Of course, when he could finally lay back, his mind just had to wander over to that red-haired demon.
He figured his life would be far more relaxing if she'd never been born. Hell, he probably would have settled on his feelings for Raphtalia by now if she hadn't made such a dark pit of anger deep in his soul.
Nothing could make him go from relaxed and calm to unstable and angry like that Bitch.
"Naofumi, you said we were here to relax."
Naofumi was brought back to reality. Raphtalia hadn't moved any closer to him. She was keeping her distance in the hot spring. But she was gazing at him in concern now.
Naofumi sighed and rested his head back against the edge of the Hot Spring again. "Sorry. Bitch was coming to mind again." He said flatly, but apologetically.
It was moments like this where Raphtalia reading his thoughts was useful.
"Alright." Raphtalia understood. After all, she didn't like the Bitch Princess either. "Let's not have that pig ruin our chance to relax," Raphtalia suggested.
…
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Naofumi said. Smiling a little at the fact that Raphtalia had called Bitch a pig again.
"Maybe I'm right?"
"Fine, you're completely right, Bitch is definitely a pig," Naofumi said with a roll of his eyes. "But don't forget I'm the one who suggested relaxing here in the first place."
Raphtalia smiled. "Of course." She said happily.
He could hold a grudge against Bitch like nobody's business. But he couldn't stay mad at Raphtalia. Not when she had her own special way of calming him down and reining him in should he ever lose control.
Hell, he started to imagine her calling Myne a pig and the King a donkey, and he was already starting to sink into the water again, finding relaxation and happiness at the thought of their reactions.
He really needed to figure out his feelings for Raphtalia soon.
He'd be a lot happier when that happened.
…
"Hmmm… The origins and benefits of this Hot Spring." Raphtalia read to herself. While he'd been relaxing, she'd caught sight of some placard placed in the middle of the Hot Spring. She held her towel to keep it from falling as she read it. Her instinct to jump Naofumi was getting stronger for some reason. Most likely because she could tell that he was thinking happy thoughts about her. So she'd gotten up to distract herself with something. "In ancient times, a Silver Razorback-"
"A Silver Razorback?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"It looks like a boar type monster. Nothing too big according to this." Raphtalia answered. It showed a muscular man holding what looked like a dead boar in one hand while his other arm was wrapped lovingly around the waist of a beautiful lady. The boar in the picture didn't look all that large.
"Hmmm…" Naofumi went back to relaxing in the Hot Spring. Whatever the legend was about, it had nothing in comparison to the relaxation he was feeling again.
He doubted even the damn brat would be able to ruin his state of relaxation.
"Is Daddy thinking something meannnnn?!" Filo whined as she swam by Raphtalia.
On second thought, if Filo was learning to read his mind too… "Don't swim so close Filo. It's annoying." Naofumi repeated dryly to her.
"But Filo's not swimming close!" Filo childishly complained. She was halfway across the Hot Spring from him for crying out loud!
"Too bad, I still think you're too close to me," Naofumi replied without any care in his voice.
"Boo!" Filo turned and swam back to the outside edge.
Who knew such childish displeasure could be carried in one word? Naofumi sunk deeper into the water, refusing to let it bother him.
Raphtalia resumed reading, trying her best to bury her disappointment. "In ancient times, a silver razorback was sacrificed so its blood would intermingle with the water of the Hot Springs, purifying it..." Raphtalia looked down at the water they were all relaxing in.
Did that mean they were bathing in some monster's blood?! Ewwwww...
But... it was a legend, and the water didn't look tainted by blood, so… she swallowed her discomfort at the sentence and continued on. "The razorback was sacrificed by a couple who deeply loved each other, and because of them, their love mixed with the water like the blood of the razorback. Purifying it." She smiled at that.
Okay, that was kind of sweet.
Raphtalia looked back at Naofumi, but he was floating on his back now. He looked at peace. 'I... I really wish that Naofumi loved me too...'
Raphtalia went to reading the last paragraph. It had a heading over it that said: For Couples.
"In relaxing in this hot spring, it's effects are…" Her eyes comically widened. "SUCCESS IN LOVE!?"
Floating on his back, Naofumi's ears had been below water. At hearing Raphtalia shout in surprise though, he quickly jerked and stood up. "What is it? What's going on?" He quickly asked. Were they being ambushed or something already?! Filo stopped swimming to curiously look at Mommy.
Raphtalia didn't answer. She was reading the rest of the text quietly to herself. "The couple that enters this hot spring together, will be united eternally... But, but that means that… that..." Raphtalia looked back at Naofumi. The confused Naofumi who was now standing, with his body besides the towel wrapped around his waist, the rest of his body fully on display.
His body looked so much better above water than below water. The rivulets of water traveling down his lean, toned muscles seemed to awaken something from within her.
Could it be, was this fate?...
Raphtalia's face was nearing maximum blood flow, and it wasn't because of the steam of the Hot Spring.
"Raphtalia, what's going on-" Naofumi tried to ask.
"Ahhhhhh! Please stay away! I don't want to be a real motherrrrr!" Raphtalia quickly backed away from the pedestal and Naofumi. Holding tightly to her towel as she tried to back away to the edge where she could climb out and run away. Her instincts were yelling at her to throw away the towel and jump Naofumi right then and there. But she didn't understand why she had to throw away the towel!
Oh Gods, scratch what she'd thought before! She wasn't ready for Naofumi to love her now! She was so embarrassed!
"Wait, Raphtalia-" What was going on now?!
Raphtalia tried to step out of the hot spring in protest of her screaming instincts but slipped as she did so. "Wahhhhh-" SPLASH!
Raphtalia fell back into the hot spring.
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi started to move towards her to help but then saw something floating in the water where she'd fallen. 'Wait, is that…'
Raphtalia resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and spitting out hot water. Fortunately, it'd helped to snap her mind out of wherever it'd been. "Ugh…"
She'd really made a fool of herself there, hadn't she? It was just a stupid old legend. And it wasn't like Naofumi would ever fall for someone like her.
He was either too traumatized by Bitch, or too dense in the head to fall for her womanly charms. She was such an idiot...
"Uh… Raphtalia…"
Raphtalia turned to Naofumi to apologize. Only, he quickly looked away when she turned. There was a blush appearing on his cheeks. But why-
A cool breeze passed over her body.
She quickly looked down at herself. Her slip up had caused her towel to come flying off. The towel Naofumi had seen floating nearby. So her body…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Raphtalia screamed as she covered herself with both hands and sunk to her neck in the water. "Please don't look Naofumi!"
"I, I didn't mean too!" Naofumi yelled back as he turned completely around. 'Damn it! It's just like the scene in that one anime!' Naofumi's cheeks were red with embarrassment. He slapped a hand over his eyes.
For good measure, since Filo had swam up next to Naofumi when Mom fell in the water, he also slapped a hand over Filo's innocent eyes. She was confused by all the action.
"Daddy?" Filo said confusedly.
"I'm sorry! I swear I didn't mean to stare!" Naofumi quickly spoke over his shoulder.
"Ahh! AHHHHHHH!" Raphtalia was beet red and was panicking as she struggled to grab her towel out of the water and wrap it around herself again. Her instincts were yelling 'MATE' in her mind like her life depended on it. But because of her embarrassment, she wasn't able to focus on her instincts.
Naofumi had been staring at her naked body!
NAOFUMI HAD BEEN STARING AT HER NAKED BODY!
It honestly hadn't been the first time he'd seen her naked. Having to bathe out in rivers or streams while they were on the run before the first wave, it had happened a few times where he'd had to help wash out her hair. But back then he'd only looked at her as a child. He'd only done so to help her out.
Now though, she was an adult, and she looked very much like an adult. Whatever his thoughts on the matter, he hadn't been looking at her as a child.
She was really internally panicking. Partly because of how embarrassed she was, and partly because she didn't know if Naofumi approved of how her body looked or not. Was it stout enough, or was she too fat? Was it good for him to see her naked, or would it lead him to kiss her and, and… "AHHHHHH!"
"Why is Daddy covering Filo's eyes-" Filo tried to ask.
"Because mommy's indecent right now and we can't look!" Naofumi tried to say calmly, but it came out frantically. Why'd he ever think a private bath was a good idea?! This was like the worst-case scenario he could have ever thought of happening in a hot spring. He'd had towels ordered for them specifically to avoid this!
Naofumi still heard water splashing, but Raphtalia had stopped screaming. He didn't dare to uncover his eyes to see if she'd gotten the towel back on yet…
He honestly shouldn't have been thinking about something like this given the situation… However, the situation had grown too incredulous for him to not do so, and he was a guy, so…
'You know, seeing them for myself, I seriously wonder how those breasts of hers never get in the way of her fighting. I mean, they're so big and full-'
He should have uncovered his eyes before forming that thought. Because Raphtalia had finally managed to put her towel back around her body again. And when she looked back at him, she was immediately able to tell that he was thinking something indecent about the situation... which not only made her more embarrassed, but also mad.
"NAOFUMI!"
"What-" Naofumi tried to say.
Wham!
Before he could say another world, Raphtalia, in her embarrassed anger, delivered a massive kick to Naofumi's balls through his towel.
Whatever he'd been about to say died on his lips.
The Mask Shield he had equipped didn't have the best defensive rating since it was more meant for stealth. Even if he'd had his best shield equipped, Raphtalia's attack would have still beaten his defense.
"Owie…" Naofumi squeaked out.
In that moment, he understood the pain he'd put those bandits through. And he regretted ever subjecting them to this horrible, horrible pain.
Naofumi fell over sideways into the water of the Hot Spring.
Raphtalia quickly realized what she'd done and gasped in surprise. "Master Naofumi!" She cried in worry as she moved to help him up.
"Daddy!" Filo cried.
The two of them worked together to lift the Shield Hero out of the water. Raphtalia moved him onto the stone outside of the hot spring.
"Ughhhhh…"
"Naofumi, please, speak to me! Say something!" Raphtalia yelled in worry as she shook him.
"Whyyyyyyyyyyy…" A nearly silent plea came from his lips. His mind was thinking the exact same thing.
Again, he felt like this whole scene had been taken out of some anime or manga he'd watched or read back home. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was.
"Oh no, this is bad," Raphtalia said. "This is really, really bad."
"Were you punishing Daddy for being a bad guy?"
…
Raphtalia looked confusedly at Filo. "Why would you ask something like that at a time like this?!"
"Daddy taught Filo to only perform that kick when other people were being bad." Filo innocently replied.
… Raphtalia facepalmed. 'I'm setting a bad example for my daughter, just like Naofumi…'
The two of them rushed to get him to their room.
Naofumi never thought in a million years that he'd be doing this. But here he was, lying on his bed in the inn room, nursing his sore balls with a bag full of ice. Even after applying healing ointment and a couple of Fast Heal spells to the area, it still felt sore.
That had been one hell of a kick.
He couldn't speak coherently for twenty minutes after having received that kick. During that time, Raphtalia had carried him back to his room, apologizing profusely the entire way. She'd then sent Filo to get Naofumi a bag of ice from the innkeeper after setting him on the bed, and then Raphtalia had disappeared shortly afterward. To where he didn't know.
Filo returned with the bag of ice, and then went off to swim in the Hot Spring again. Naofumi had spent the last several hours since then icing his poor groin on and off while lying in his bed.
So much for relaxation. Although at least the bed felt nice.
Still, he couldn't help but feel at least a little guilty. After all, Raphtalia wouldn't have kicked him if he hadn't chosen to stare at her naked body like a peeping tom.
Wait... that sounded like something Motoyasu would do. No, he could not allow himself to turn into that idiot!
Crap, he really hoped this wouldn't drive a wedge between the two of them. Especially after they'd been getting along so well…
...
…
Naofumi must have nodded off, because the next thing he knew he heard the sound of the door opening again, and his balls were freezing! He jerked up and threw the bag of partly melted ice away from his body. 'I already received a hard kick there! I'd rather not take the chance of freezing my balls off and lose any hope of ever having kids forever!
"Um… Master Naofumi?"
Naofumi looked up. The bag of ice had almost inadvertently hit Raphtalia in his attempt to dispose of it. Raphtalia had walked out of the small hallway leading from the door into the room. The bag of ice had hit the wall in front of her.
She was looking at him, unsure if she was welcome or not. She looked to be holding something in her hands.
Naofumi sighed defeatedly. The poor girl looked about ready to break down again. She must have felt really bad about what had happened earlier. Him inadvertently throwing the bag of ice in her direction likely complicated matters. "Come in."
Raphtalia stood still for a moment, and then she numbly moved to sit on the bed opposite Naofumi. She stayed staring straight ahead, not wanting to look at him.
Naofumi sighed again and moved to sit next to her. One of his hands moved to rub her head. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I fell asleep and that bag of ice almost froze my legs." He said comfortingly. "I wasn't mad at you."
"I… I…" Raphtalia bowed her head, lowering it away from Naofumi's comforting hand. "I'm sorry Master Naofumi!" She buried her face in her hands. "I swear I didn't mean to attack you in the Hot Spring! I swear I didn't!"
Naofumi looked stunned. She must have been more shaken up by what had happened then he'd thought.
"Hey, I can admit I deserved it-" He tried to say in an attempt to calm her down.
"Please, please don't say that. We both know that was stupid of me. Please don't leave me here… don't leave me behind for being a failure..." The half-Raccoon quietly begged.
Failure?! WHAT?!
He was starting to wonder if there was more going on that he didn't know of. "What are you talking about?"
She didn't answer and kept crying. Naofumi lowered an arm over her shoulders, hugging the crying girl into his side. "It's alright. You're not a failure. No one's being abandoned here. It was just an accident. That's all it was."
Raphtalia always tried to act so strong at times. It was easy to forget that she'd only grown to adulthood more than two weeks ago. She didn't have the same amount of time or experience that Naofumi had.
The two of them remained quiet after that for a long moment. Naofumi didn't think much to himself during that time. He was mainly worried about why Raphtalia would have thought that he'd ever think of abandoning her… he couldn't think of anything at first, and when he finally did think of something, he decided to ask.
"Raphtalia, have you been pushing yourself so hard lately because you're afraid I'll abandon you for not being able to level up?" Naofumi worriedly asked.
"N-No…" She mumbled. She whispered something under her breath after that, but he didn't catch it.
"What was that?" Naofumi asked.
Raphtalia scooted away, clasping her hands in front of her. Naofumi's arm fell down onto the bed again.
"Is it because those Church Shadows from before managed to knock you out?" He asked. He'd remembered that had been around the time he started to see Raphtalia pushing herself harder.
"No." She murmured again.
"Then what is it?" Naofumi asked.
...
"... Naofumi… be honest. What do you think of me?" The half-Tanuki girl quietly asked.
Naofumi had a feeling she was using the same tactic he'd used earlier. "What do I think of you?" He asked confusedly.
Raphtalia shyly stared down at her body. It wasn't her main concern, but it was part of her concern. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if it was her body that kept Naofumi from wanting to form a deeper relationship with her.
Yes, she was also embarrassed at how she'd lashed out while being embarrassed, but that wasn't the main issue either. The issue did center around this topic whatsoever.
What was keeping Naofumi from wanting to be in a relationship with her? Was it because she wasn't strong enough? Was it because she'd failed to protect him and Filo from those who wanted to hurt them?
Was it because… she was a demi-human?
He'd reassured her before that wasn't the case, but was it possible that it was?
Naofumi followed her eyes and was finally able to somewhat understand her question.
He could not forget that this girl loved him, and his opinion of her would vastly outweigh anyone else's. Still, he found himself at a loss for words thinking about how to respond.
...
Raphtalia took his silence the wrong way. Maybe her body really was the problem. She was just too fat in all the wrong places. Her tail sagged sadly on the bed behind her at the thought.
"... … Raphtalia. You know I'm not good with this kind of stuff…" Raphtalia continued looking down at the floor. "... But, but that doesn't mean that I don't mean it when I tell you that you're beautiful."
He found his mind flashing back to the time at Elhart's shop when Raphtalia had asked him if she looked fat or not in her armor. He was positive she had been joking around with him back then. And he'd been honest in saying she looked amazing. She looked even more amazing now than back then! And he'd be damned if all this reminded him of the after scene of that novel/manga/anime/whatever he'd been thinking of before!
Raphtalia finally looked up at him. She looked incredulous at his response. "Look, I don't know if this is all because of some self-esteem issue or whatever," Naofumi said seriously. "I don't know if you're pushing yourself so hard lately because of body image or something. But I think you're beautiful the way you are, and I'd be damned if I let what happened today convince me to leave you behind.
"So please, don't worry about it. Let's just agree to leave this behind, and continue with our lives. You got me?" He said seriously.
...
Raphtalia sniffed again, but her tail was starting to wag behind her again. "I…" She surprised Naofumi by tackling him onto the bed with a tight embrace. "Okay!"
'Good.' Naofumi slowly relaxed and hugged her back. He hoped he'd managed to help Raphtalia out. Though it was hard to tell at times.
After a moment, Raphtalia sat back up, looking a lot happier than she had before. Maybe he'd be safe with assuming he'd been successful today. Naofumi also sat up.
He was about to say something, but then he saw something on the sheets next to Raphtalia. "What is that?" He asked.
"Huh?" Raphtalia looked down at where Naofumi was looking and started to blush again. "Oh, I almost forgot." She grabbed the object and showed it to Naofumi. It looked like a large purple crystal. Naofumi almost thought it was a large uncut amethyst, but it didn't look like a gemstone to him. Then the item description came up, showing it was a gemstone.
"It's called Latium," Raphtalia said sheepishly. "I got it from a Gagoko nest just outside the town." Her tail drooped behind her again. "I overheard these two girls saying that it was rare to find around here… and I thought that getting you a gift would help to make up for earlier…"
Naofumi took the Latium from Raphtalia and examined it. With the right tools, he figured he could get a few gemstones from this one crystal. And he wasn't sure if his appraisal of the crystal was correct or not, but he was guessing Latium was a pretty rare gemstone… it was something he'd have to figure out.
He started to smile again. "I'll make good use of it." He patted her on the head. "Thank you, Raphtalia."
Raphtalia's tail was swishing happily behind her again! Naofumi had to hold back a chuckle. For a second, seeing Raphtalia look so happy, he felt something bubbling up inside his heart.
It felt weird, yet warm at the same time. He felt the urge to lean closer, and she did too. They felt the urge to stare into the depths of each other's eyes, and-
"Awwwww, no fair!" The two snapped out of their moment and looked at the hallway. Filo was standing there, pointing angrily at the two. "Filo wants some love and attention from Mommy and Daddy too!"
...
That damn loli girl!
The warm feeling was now long gone. Here he'd been thinking he was on the verge of some great discovery with Raphtalia, and this KFC farm came out of nowhere and ruined it!
"Filo!" Raphtalia complained. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. What had been going on? It was like she couldn't remember the last few seconds. Had she really been about to do it? Had she been on the verge of kissing Naofumi and getting pregnant!?...
She didn't know whether to feel happy or angry about Filo interrupting their moment now.
"Mommy always gives Filo love and attention! Filo wants love and attention from both Mommy and Daddy for a change!" Filo complained childishly.
"I'm not your Dad! Now go to bed this instant young lady!" Naofumi yelled at her angrily.
"But Daddy's sitting on Filo's bed!" Filo complained.
Technically she was right since Naofumi had switched beds to comfort Raphtalia.
Naofumi, maybe out of spite, laid down on what was formerly Filo's bed. "Too bad! The other bed has a wet spot from the ice bag, you're sleeping on it now!"
"Wahhhhh!" Filo cried as she ran over to Naofumi's former bed.
Raphtalia sighed. Here she was hoping she'd get to sleep peacefully by Naofumi's side. But Filo was going to be angry for a while. So it looked like she'd have to take his place... again. "Here, how about you let Mommy brush your hair sweetie." Raphtalia offered Filo as she sat behind her on the bed.
"But Filo wants Daddy to brush Filo's hair for once!" Filo complained.
"I'm going back to bed," Naofumi said as he turned away from the two to sleep.
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia begged.
"Huahhhh!" Naofumi pretended to be snoring away in his sleep.
"Boo!"
Raphtalia sighed again. She really didn't know who was more childish. Filo, or Naofumi... Regardless, she started to gently brush Filo's blonde hair.
Naofumi almost thought he had one over the small girl. And he was close to drifting off to dreamland, when...
Poof!
Filo jumped from Naofumi's original bed back to hers. Transforming into her bird form mid jump.
"ACK!" Naofumi screamed as Filo's large feathers clogged his airway.
"This is Filo's bed! Daddy can sleep on the bed with the wet spot Daddy made on it!" Filo said with finality.
"Get off me!" Naofumi yelled.
Unfortunately, Filo refused to budge, and Naofumi was forced to concede as he extracted himself from under the girl. He glared at her as she changed back into her child form, sticking her tongue out at him before pulling the blankets over her and turning away from him.
"You know, she'd be a lot more receptive if you gave her more love and attention." Raphtalia said wisely.
Naofumi grumbled as he moved back to his original bed to go to sleep.
Filo was totally not getting breakfast before they left tomorrow morning.
The Bow Hero stood behind Van Reichnott's manor. His hood was up, but it didn't hide his gaunt face. The dawn of the coming sunrise lit the sky in front of him. Signifying a new day for the people of this world.
'... Why…'
He'd been thinking that like repeat ever since the little girl had died so needlessly the night before. Ever since he'd used a skill, Transport Bow, to teleport his party and the surviving former slaves all back to Van's estate.
Ever since he'd helped the little girl's mom and her friends bury the girl at the base of a hill near Van's estate. Ever since he'd watched the mom and the other demi-humans break down at the grave and cry.
He'd...
He'd never seen such a heartbreaking scene for a game before in his entire life… he'd never known such a thing existed in Dimension Wave...
Why did that noble have to kill Lily?
Why did she have to die?
…
What had she done to deserve it?! It wasn't fair!
Her blood was still on his clothes. A reminder of how he'd hesitated in saving the little girl's life… a reminder of the catalyst that had brought up memories he'd suppressed, and turned this game into a nightmare.
'Why, why did it have to happen?!' Were the game mechanics in this world really that cruel? Or was he in some dream-like state? A state that wanted to make him feel miserable…
Astate that made him want to hate himself for being so weak... just like he'd been in the real world...
...
"Are you okay, Sir Bow Hero?"
Van Reichnott appeared next to Itsuki. Staring out at the sunrise in the distance. He was normally a cheery fellow. But, like the rest of the demi-humans in his land, he mourned with the mother and friends of the girl who had been killed by her master. In accordance, he had chosen to wear a black outfit.
…
"Why did he kill that little girl?... why did he kill Lily?" Itsuki finally asked in a sad voice.
Maybe by asking another NPC, he could learn what had programmed the other NPC to do it. Maybe, he could get an answer that would turn this back into his favorite game so he'd be able to avoid that situation happening again in the future...
Van glanced at him. His eyes looked sad. "I don't know." He admitted. "I cannot fathom what drives others to commit such acts of cruelty to one another."
...
That hadn't been the answer Itsuki wanted to hear. He was supposed to get an answer to situations like this! "But he didn't have to do it," Itsuki said, crossing his arms in front of him. "He had no reason to... She was just a little kid!"
"He said it himself that he was dying! So why! WHY THE &^%$ DID HE HAVE TO DO IT!? WHY DID HE HAVE TO KILL A LITTLE GIRL AFTER BULLYING HER HER WHOLE LIFE!?" Itsuki was breathing in and out heavily after yelling at Van, who looked unfazed.
Fresh tears leaked from Itsuki's eyes, tears he hadn't known he had left.
He was only talking to another NPC, yet he was taking it so much more seriously…
"Why… just… why…" He said sadly.
This fantasy world had already been cruel to Lily, having her programmed to be born into slavery. Just like his best friend, who had been destined to be born in the slums of poverty. Just like how it was programmed in their society that, whenever someone at the bottom was finally seeing light in the form of special abilities awakening within them, that others with greater abilities would show up to block it out.
They'd force those at the bottom of the food chain back into the darkness they'd feared all their lives.
It had led his best friend to take her life. It had led this noble to kill a little girl before she was given the chance for freedom...
Why did her life have to end, right as he was there to free her… why did the noble have to block the light when it was in reach… why did it have to happen?... why couldn't he just let it go... why...
Just... ... ... why?
…
Van sighed sadly after a moment. "I don't know, Sir Bow Hero." He said, before looking up at the light of the coming sunrise. "If I knew why people felt justified in mistreating or killing those they felt superior to, I could answer you that and much more. But sadly, I do not know the answer. And thus, I don't have an answer that will satisfy you or me. I fear I never will."
Itsuki looked down at the ground. It was too much. Seeing that girl had reminded him too much about his former past. The life he'd tried to outgrow before coming here. The life he'd tried to outgrow… ever since the day he'd felt… it'd be better he no longer existed, just like his best friend…
...
Maybe he should quit… there was still that one dictator that needed overthrowing… maybe he could still do that and leave this storyline quest behind… maybe then he could leave these memories behind…
But could he really do that?... after seeing what he'd witnessed yesterday night?...
Van rested a firm hand on Itsuki's shoulder, and the teenage Bow Hero looked to him in surprise. "I can't give you an answer. But what I can tell you is that this won't be the last time this happens. There's a price to pay if Melromarc won't free its slaves. And unless you help, more demihumans like Lily will die cruelly at the hands of their masters." He said seriously.
"They need your help, Sir Bow Hero. I need your help to prevent this from happening ever again." Van nodded his head. "Sir Itsuki, are you willing to help those who can't help themselves?"
...
Itsuki said nothing for a moment. It was like one of those turning points of dialogue in a quest. Where the NPC said something profound to you to encourage you to continue...
Itsuki chose to look up at the sunrise that appeared at that moment. A beautiful gold circle that gradually started to rise out of the horizon in the distance. The light that brought fresh life and hope for the people in the world. The light that drove away the darkness of the night…
It was almost perfectly timed. Was this really a turning point… did that mean Justice was calling out to him to go through with this Quest?...
A quote from a manga he'd read back in his world came to mind.
People forced to live in darkness will never know the light. Yet the first light they'll see after the long night isn't the sun. But the light that heralds its coming... Only you can lead this people out of the darkness. Only you can help them identify the light of the coming sun.
…
Itsuki's fists clenched tightly at his sides. "I'll do it." He said.
Even if he was confronted with more horrors in what was to come. "I can't stop now." Even if he did hate himself, he couldn't stop. He had to stand for justice. He had to punish those wrongdoers for every crime they'd ever committed.
He wasn't going to allow these nobles to bully their slaves ever again. There was a price for freedom. And Itsuki Kawasumi was more than willing to pay it.
"Then I'd suggest we go in and get some rest," Van said, leading Itsuki by the shoulders inside. "You have a long road ahead of you, my friend."
And so he did.
And so, he went.
A noble went toppling over the back of his desk. He had a bloody nose and a broken arm.
"Please, I swear I'm innocent!" The cowardly noble begged for his life as he tried to scoot back.
The room around him looked like a warzone. Two of his guards were lying in pools of blood on the ground. The third one had been thrown out the window behind his desk several stories to the ground below. The fourth one stood nearby, making sure his former lord couldn't escape.
He agreed that the Lord was a vile man, and had refused to defend him. He'd been the one to throw the third guard out the window.
"Please Sir Bow Hero, have mercy on me!"
"My informant here told me you supplied a fifth of the knights that were stationed in the region of Seaetto," Itsuki said calmly from under his hood. "You're holding some of the demi-human kids they captured alongside others in your cellar where you torture them and abuse them." He didn't state it as an accusation but as a fact.
The noble's eyes widened. He thought the Bow Hero had come to punish him for the heavy taxes he'd placed on his citizens. He'd heard that the Bow Hero had been out and about in the world bringing corrupt nobles to justice a couple of weeks before the last wave. But now... "What is this?! The Bow Hero would never care for the lives of such creatures-" He started to yell.
"Sir Itsuki, we found the last of them." A mage woman dressed in dark clothes appeared in the doorway.
Itsuki turned his hooded head to look at his party member. The mage gently led two kids, a boy, and a girl, into view. The girl had dog ears on her head, the boy was a Raccoon. Both were dressed in rags and shook with fear when they saw the noble.
The noble squeaked in terror at their appearance. He hadn't been imagining things when he saw notifications for his slave contracts being undone earlier.
It really was true. The Bow Hero had turned against them.
"Is that all of them?" Itsuki asked. "I would have sworn I was told he owned more slaves."
"The guards executed three of them before we got there. Four more were already dead." The woman said sadly.
It looked like she wanted to cry from the memory of the sight she and the other party members had experienced when they took down the guards and broke into the cellar.
Their knight, Aksel/Armor, was back out front, vomiting from what he had seen in the dark parts of this noble mansion. Crystal was out there as well, stony eyed and shaking with rage. Karn, she had no idea, but when he'd left, he'd looked disgusted. And she, she was saddened, and livid at the same time.
"The four we found dead. Their bodies were naked... and chained to the walls. All four were girls, and showed signs of being raped before they died."
...
Itsuki's face didn't change. His eyes, however, glared with a new level of disgust for the Lord kneeling on the ground in front of him. "Are you so twisted that you'd even force yourself on little girls in their dying moments? Stealing that which is most sacred to them just before they died."
"Please, Sir Bow Hero, you have to understand, I was only doing what the Gods wanted me to do!" He pleaded again.
There it was again. Just like every other noble who abused their slaves.
It was all for the sake of their religion, for the sake of their faith, for pleasing their so-called 'gods'.
What kind of horrible programmer would ever put this in a game?!
"Your gods wanted you to help exterminate a village full of people… to sell their kids into slavery..." Itsuki said slowly. "Then they asked you to take some of these kids, bully them into submission, put them through hell, and to end their lives so monstrously?!" He yelled in rage and disgust. "Don't you even feel sorry at all for anything you've done to them?!"
...
The noble growled. "I will never be sorry for dealing with those worthless abominations!" He yelled, pointing angrily at the demi-human children. Who cowered behind Rachel, shaking in fear. "They are devils in the eyes of God, and every one of them deserves to suffer like one for thinking they could live in our world against the Almighty's holy will! And if you're going to fall from your position in the heavens, then I'll force you to come to terms with the will of the ALMIGHTY!" He snapped his fingers after saying those words. Activating the slave command on his HUD that would kill these last two demi-human children.
...
He looked surprised and snapped his fingers again. The command to kill the last two slaves wasn't working! Then he saw through the rags of the clothing the two kids were wearing that the slave crests on their chests were gone.
No, their slave contracts really had been terminated. "But… but… how…" The noble was shocked.
Little did he realize he'd just thrown away his last chance for mercy from Itsuki. "Rachel." Itsuki addressed her. "Lead the children outside. I'll be out to transport them away in a moment."
"Yes, Sir Itsuki. Come along little ones. I'll make sure to keep you safe." Rachel said, grabbing the small malnourished hands of the kids as she led them away from what was about to happen.
"You have to believe me! I only did what the Gods wanted! I swear!" The Lord pleaded again. Not liking the look that appeared in Itsuki's eyes.
Itsuki breathed in. "No. You weren't. If such a being exists, they would never want their names to be tarnished like this." His bow changed shape. Its color was now a sinister white, and strange symbols appeared on the haft near Itsuki's hand. He pulled a normal arrow from a quiver on his back and placed it against his bow's string, pulling it back. "Nobody who receives satisfaction from bullying and raping innocent children to death deserves to live. Your soul shall join those in hell who thought the same as you."
The Lord froze in fear. Seeming to realize only then that there was something horribly wrong with the Bow Hero. "Now, foolish sinner, I will dispense the Justice of your Gods upon you and your house for all that you've done!"
"No, nooooo-!" The noble, in desperation, charged forward to attack him one last time, ignoring the pain of his injuries.
Itsuki released the string.
The Lord's words were cut off as he tumbled back into the ground.
His eyes stared glassily up at the ceiling above. The normal arrow, his trademark way of execution to hide his identity, had pierced through the Lord's frontal lobe, killing him instantly.
It was clean. It was fast. In all honesty, it was a lot more merciful than what the man had deserved.
It was far more merciful than what any of these damn nobles deserved...
...
He barely spared a glance at the Lord's corpse before turning to face the Lord's former guard. His bow had long since returned to its normal default form. "Go. Spread the word of what happened here," Itsuki ordered. "And keep my identity a secret. I want to make sure all the nobles and Lords in the area get the message that a vigilante is coming for them. If they refuse to repent of their wrongdoing, they will receive Justice, just like this man."
The guard bowed to Itsuki, and then turned and ran out of the room.
Itsuki watched on for a moment more, and then sighed. The strange symbols that had been hovering around his bow finally disappeared.
He looked exhausted as he stared at the dead Lord.
...
'Oh... Gods!' Itsuki immediately faced away as he vomited.
It was only supposed to be a game, but...
Killing monsters was one thing. Killing people, looking at their dead bodies was like a reminder of his dead best friend. Ever since that first noble almost two weeks ago, he'd tried so hard to find a way to have mercy on them. He tried to find a way to get through to them, to resolve fights through diplomacy instead of bloodshed.
But each time somehow ended like this… Justice would take him over, and he'd dispense it upon the criminal as if he was judge, jury, and executioner...
...
A green-haired girl who was unsurely holding a sword in her hands appeared in the entranceway. "Fue... Sir, Sir Itsuki, is, is everything alright?" She unsurely asked after letting out a whimper.
Itsuki forcefully recomposed himself. "Is everyone out of the mansion, Rishia?" He asked.
He'd saved the green-haired girl just two days ago. She'd been held by another nobleman who'd loved to abuse his slaves, as well as bullying lower-class nobles. Taking bribes from merchants. Overtaxing his citizens and lining his pockets with the extra that wasn't sent to the Capital. Hiring bandits to harass lands around him so they'd lose all their wealth and be forced to leave their lands in his hands.
He'd been a horrible human being, to the point where he'd been asked for help by another nobleman besides Reichnott to deal with him. However, while searching his manor after the battle, he'd found Rishia in a cage, completely separate from the rest of the noble's former slaves.
She'd been the daughter of the nobleman who'd hired him to stop the abusive Lord. It was no wonder why he and his wife had asked him for help.
After saving her, he'd brought her back to her parents' home in a neighboring village, where he'd learned more in-depth about what'd happened. And where he'd gotten more updated information about the current noble he'd just killed.
For some reason, before he left, Rishia begged him to let her join his party. He'd accepted, figuring he needed all the allies he could get. Though, as of right now, she didn't look to know where she fit into it.
He already had two mages, a swordsman, a spearman, and an armored tank in the party. Not to mention, Itsuki himself specialized in long-range attacks.
He wasn't even sure why he'd accepted her now. She reminded him so much of his former self. Her constant whimpering was like being continually slapped with a fountain of memories of himself from his old world.
He hated it. It made him want to hate her too.
"Oh, um, yes Sir Itsuki," Rishia replied nervously. "They're all waiting out front."
"Good... Use your fire magic and burn this place down." Itsuki ordered.
"Fuehhhhh!" Rishia's eyes widened hysterically. "B-But-" She started to say nervously.
"I'm sick of the other nobles disregarding me," Itsuki said. "I'm tired of them not listening. I'm tired of having to kill them. I don't want to have to kill them all. But I need them to get the message. I can either free the slaves using the cleansing potions Van gave me, or I can free them by killing their masters.
"I don't want to kill them all, but they're leaving me with little choice. Now, will you burn this place down for me, or are you going to stand there and remain useless?" Itsuki asked harshly.
...
"Fuehhh..." Rishia whimpered, but turned and ran from the doorway. Itsuki could hear her unconfidently yelling a chant for a fire spell as she ran down the hall.
'And to think this was only the sixth noble on the list that Van gave me.' Itsuki shook. There were too many other names to go after still on that list. And likely other nobles and Lords who weren't on that list who'd avoided being on Van's radar. Melromarc was a big country, and there existed many Lords and Earls.
Van hadn't known some of the things that Rishia's parents had told him about this noble. And they hadn't even known of all the evil going on in this place even with that info…
Itsuki was finding that, outwardly, most of these nobles made themselves like saints in their communities. But inwardly, they were nothing but ravening wolves. Giving pleasing words from their lips while seeking to destroy those they owned beneath them.
He couldn't believe it. But he'd seen it face to face. He'd seen nobles who, when given the chance, had activated a kill command on their slaves, rather than letting them go free. He'd failed so many times since Lily. And he hated himself for it.
They were only NPC's, but every step, every corner only seemed to hold another trauma. Another memory he'd worked so hard to suppress in his mind after coming to this world.
This storyline quest was steadily turning into a larger and larger nightmare… The things he'd seen already from these nobles he'd killed…
Itsuki shuddered to himself. No, he'd made a promise. He'd sworn that he'd see this through.
He only wanted to punish them for their crimes. But ever since he'd targeted the first noble on his list, he'd found out just how terrible some of these nobles and Lords were to their slaves, most of whom were women and children.
They didn't deserve to live after the crimes they committed. And he had as of yet to pay a visit to the worst nobles on the list like Idol Rabier.
And the thought of how they could treat his slaves worse than these bastards sickened the Bow Hero more than the dead body in front of him.
This was what he had to resort to. A life for a life. Fair payment for all the evil they'd done. But was that fair justice? Killing them here and now? After the way these kids had suffered under them?
...
He turned around, forcing the rest of his bile down and pushing his confusion of having killed another person away inside his mind. There were more slaves needing to be freed, and more nobles and Lords to punish. He finally had the chance to be the hero of justice that hunted evil from the shadows. He had to be that hero of justice.
As Van said, no one else in this country could pay the price but him. Naofumi was on the run. Motoyasu had disappeared to another part of the country to 'get stronger.' And Ren had taken a task from the guild to deal with Motoyasu's mess in the town of Leruno. So he had to keep on going.
He had to.
By himself.
Hero Clips!
Dud Bombs (Canon scene)
"Yes, finally, I have found a way for me to attack!" Naofumi yelled excitedly as he held up a round black ball to the early morning light. It looked like a cannonball, with a short fuse attached to it.
"Master Naofumi, what are you doing now?" Raphtalia tiredly asked. Naofumi's yelling had woken her and Filo up.
"Raphtalia! I used the gunpowder recipe I learned from my grimoire to make myself bombs!" Naofumi said gleefully. "Now I'll finally be able to attack monsters without you and Filo's help!"
"Daddy, Filo's not sure that's how it works-" Filo tried to warn him.
At that moment, a small Silver Razorback, just like the one Raphtalia had seen on the placard yesterday, stumbled into the clearing. The arrow that appeared over its head indicated it was a normal level 10 monster. "You two stay back! I'm going to handle this monster all by myself!" Naofumi said gleefully as he used the campfire to light the fuse to his bomb.
"Um, if you say so." Raphtalia and Filo watched as Naofumi chucked the bomb at the boar.
"That thing has enough gunpowder in it to knock down a building! There's no way a weak level 10 monster can stand against such power! Bombs away-!"
Poof!
The bomb... exploded? A little bit of smoke came out from the bomb when it impacted the monster's skin, but otherwise, no large explosions happened.
The smoking, intact bomb settled on the ground by the boar. Naofumi's right eye twitched at the lack of explosion. 'But, how!? That bomb should have blown the stupid pig sky high-'
Words appeared on his HUD.
Remember that abyssmal Attack stat of yours? Don't think that you'll be able to escape it by trying out other means. I'll just disappoint you in that regard.
"Are you kidding me!?" Naofumi yelled angrily at his shield. The little monster started squealing and running away. It hadn't even noticed the bomb hitting its side. "This isn't fair! In the real world, that would blow up an entire building! What kind of bull sh-"
A blast of air parted Naofumi's hair. He stopped speaking, slowly turning around to see what had caused it.
It was an actual adult Silver Razorback. Much larger than what the guy in the placard was shown to be carrying. It was easily twice as tall as Naofumi, and its tusks were longer than his arms.
It was glaring down at him. The purple arrow pointing down on its head indicated it was level 48… and the little Silver Razorback from before came charging up alongside it. Cuddling and squealing with its mother and letting her know how the scary man had frightened him.
The boar looked over Naofumi at the still smoking object on the ground...
Yep, it figured out he'd just tried to hurt one of its cubs.
"Ra-Raphtalia-" Naofumi tried to say.
"You said you could take care of it all by yourself Master Naofumi," Raphtalia said. She was in the middle of brushing Filo's hair.
"Daddy said that Daddy could handle this, so Filo and Mommy won't intervene," Filo rolled her eyes.
The mother boss Boar squealed loudly as it charged Naofumi.
"AHHHHHHHH! HELP ME!" Naofumi yelled in fear as he ran away from the giant boar. The monster tore up the ground as it chased Naofumi into the hills.
...
"... When do you think we should help Daddy out?" Filo asked after a moment.
"Hmmm… after he gets his morning workout in," Raphtalia commented as she continued to brush Filo's hair. "I noticed he was acquiring a little bit of a gut when we were in the Hot Spring. This should help him to work it off."
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Naofumi ran by. The mother boss boar still hot on his tail.
And that's the story of how Naofumi eliminated the last of his belly fat and became the hottest looking hero of them all.
And Raphtalia got the mother of all nose bleeds the next time she saw his hot naked bod.
Ha. It'd totally been worth it.
Till Next Time
Allen