Chapter Forty-Six: Grief and Guilt
"..."
…
"... urgh…"
Naofumi groaned to himself. He wanted nothing more than to fall back into the dark abyss of his mind and continue sleeping. But the sounds of light thumping beneath him and the light rustle of his body were gradually forcing him to wake up.
'What is it now?'
...
When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a brown feathered back. His eyes confusedly followed the feathers up to the long ostrich neck, and then the head of the Filolial he was riding.
Wait… what the hell?!
The Shield Hero sat up and rubbed at his eyes. 'Am I dreaming?! This can't be Filo! She doesn't have brown feathers! And she's a lot thicker in her Filolial form!'
"Gwah!"
Naofumi looked to the side. There was another Filolial, this one was blue feathered. A passed-out Ren rested on its back, drooling on its feathers. On the other side of it was another brown feathered Filolial, being ridden by a passed-out Itsuki.
Naofumi groaned to himself. 'Don't tell me we escaped that one monster only to become a meal for a herd of wild Filolial.'
Why did the world hate him so much?
At his groan, the Filolial he was riding turned its head to him. It chirped happily at seeing its rider awake, and the Filolial lowered its head to Naofumi while running, as if it was asking to be pet.
He hesitantly did so, and it started gwahing happily.
Okay, maybe they weren't going to be dinner. Either that, or it was trying to get him to lower his guard. He hoped it was the former and not the latter. But it was being kind of cute with him petting it…
Okay, he'd believe it if it didn't think they were dinner.
The Filolial raised its head and faced forward again. With that out of the way, Naofumi realized they weren't surrounded by forest anymore. The Filolials they were riding were running on a road that weaved its way through some hilly countryside. He could see lots of grasslands all around along with the random tree. But he didn't recognize the place from his travels.
"Where are you taking us?" Naofumi asked.
"Gwah!" His new Filolial friend(?) squawked. It reminded him of Filo before she became the giant talking chicken daughter she was now. And unfortunately, just like back then, he still didn't understand its language. But it rubbed its wing in his hair. Just like Filo had.
It probably meant it was taking them somewhere safe.
Probably. He still kept a lookout just in case.
After a moment, he saw a set of buildings appearing over a hill. It looked like a farmhouse and a barn, but he couldn't tell.
The road the Filolials were running on, which Naofumi finally noted to be unkempt, went by the place. And it was when they were close that Naofumi's eyes widened.
It was a farmhouse, but the windows were broken. The wood was covered in claw marks and poked with holes. The grasslands around it weren't grasslands, but what had formerly been farmland reclaimed by nature. The barn's roof had collapsed. And tools and other things laid on the ground, covered in rust.
'What happened here…'
Naofumi was silent, watching while the Filolials ignored it and ran on. Paying attention, he found more buildings in the distance. On closer examination, they were in the same shape as the first. A closer run by of another former farmhouse showed several skeletons, lying on the ground in front of the door.
Naofumi shivered.
It was like the land itself had died.
A little while later, Itsuki finally woke up on his Filolial. And he almost fell off from the surprise of waking up on the running beast. "What the hell?!"
Ren stirred at Itsuki's voice, and he sat up and groggily rubbed at his eyes. "Is everyone okay?" He groggily asked.
"Yeah. I think so." Naofumi said.
"Do you know why we're riding these things, Ren?" Itsuki asked. The Filolial he was riding looked back at him with curious eyes while running.
Itsuki sweatdropped in nervousness, finding what it was doing kind of creepy.
Ren nodded. "You two passed out during the fight. I didn't have the SP to use my portal skill. The Church's Army was close to finding us and I couldn't drag you two away. Then, these three appeared." He started petting the blue Filolial's feathers. It Gwahed in satisfaction. "They managed to save us."
"Alright… last question. Is that one monster we faced dead?" Itsuki asked. "Because if that thing's alive…" Itsuki shuddered. It would likely reappear in his nightmares.
"Yeah. I killed it." Ren answered simply. "We wouldn't be here otherwise."
"Thank the Gods." Itsuki rested his body against the Filolial's neck.
"Last I checked, it wasn't chasing you," Ren said simply.
"It was still scary!" Itsuki complained.
"Sure it was," Ren said calmly. Though he was inwardly sweatdropping because it had honestly been the scariest thing he'd faced by far in this world.
Had Naofumi not been there to tank damage or to debuff it, he would have died a hundred, no, a thousand times over.
"Oh come on! I know it scared the crap out of you too Ren! Your girlish screams were what allowed me to lead our parties towards you two in the city!" Itsuki revealed.
"What?! I wasn't screaming like a girl!" Ren yelled at Itsuki angrily.
"Were too! It sounded like, veer right! Or, ahhhhhh!" Itsuki said mockingly.
"So um… Where are these Filolials taking us too?" Naofumi asked a really important question. Interrupting a possible argument from taking place.
Ren breathed in deeply to calm himself. "Seaetto," He answered. "Well. That's what I asked. I think." Ren tried to think about what had happened last night. He then grimaced, feeling his ankle throb in pain.
"Fast Heal." A green glow surrounded Ren, and the pain mostly disappeared.
Still, it'd probably be for the best if he took it easy today.
"Thanks, Naofumi," Ren said.
"No problem…" Naofumi didn't question Ren anymore. The poor boy looked beyond exhausted despite sleeping through the night.
Itsuki humphed, but he didn't try to argue with Ren.
About ten minutes later, they came over a rise, and a town appeared in the distance. The Filolials ran towards it.
"That… I think I see some demi-humans walking around there." He said.
The closer they got, the worse the town looked. The Filolials squawked in triumph. They ran by a damaged sign that looked like it was supposed to be hanging to some pole, but Naofumi was able to read it despite how damaged it was.
Seaetto Township
Looks like they listened to you, Ren. Well done.
It also explained why the surrounding area looked so horrible. This was the site of the First Wave of Catastrophe. The one that hit several weeks before the Kingdom summoned them.
The Filolials slowed from a run to a trot as they entered the town, Itsuki smiled. He was right. Demi-humans were out and about. A lot of the buildings looked to be in bad shape. But they were busy clearing the debris, cleaning the road, and making buildings that were still standing livable again.
Naofumi was surprised at how they were already there and how much progress had been made.
Guess it helped when you had hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes working together.
The demi-humans gradually stopped what they were doing. Staring at the three of them as they trotted on by. It felt weird to Naofumi. But fortunately, they got right back to work.
The Filolials slowed as they passed a large wagon. Naofumi recognized it as the one Filo had been pulling last night. But there was no sign of her.
Finally, a familiar figure ran towards them. "Sir Heroes?! Sir Heroes?!" Van Reichnott yelled.
The Filolials came to a full stop, looking down at the man curiously. The three dismounted. Ren and Itsuki still looked exhausted and a bit sore from riding their Filolials. But Naofumi felt fine. "Lord Reichnott."
"Thank the Gods you're all okay." Van bowed respectively in front of them. "When your party members met up with us late last night, we became worried. I became even more worried when they explained why you weren't with them. It's a relief you made it back safe and sound."
"Where are our parties?" Ren asked.
"First, I must ask if you managed to kill the monster Idol released," Van said.
"Yeah, we did," Ren said in an annoyed voice. "Why does that matter-"
"If that monster had escaped, it would have likely rampaged through the kingdom and killed many more innocents than the current Waves of Catastrophe," Van answered.
"... oh…" The Three Heroes looked a little pale. They hadn't realized the monster would be that seriously dangerous if they hadn't killed it.
They were suddenly a lot more grateful that they'd managed to kill the thing.
"As for your parties," Van continued. "Sir Ren's party is resting in the former inn in the eastern section. Sir Itsuki's party is resting in the building right of the bathhouse in the west."
"Oh, okay." Ren suddenly looked unsure about facing his party.
"And mine?" Naofumi asked.
"... I believe they went on ahead to the village south of here. By the coast." Van said.
"Why are they down there?" Naofumi asked.
…
Van answered, and Naofumi got back on the blue feathered Filolial. He told it where he wanted to go, and immediately, it and the other two ran off away from the village, heading further south. A pair of demi-humans ran up to Van, grabbing his attention.
"Shouldn't we go with him-" Ren said, having second thoughts about seeing his party altogether. He was suddenly afraid of what they'd think of him suddenly abandoning them the way he had.
Itsuki put a hand on his shoulder. "We'd only get in the way… and we need to let our parties know that we're okay first."
...
...
It was a long moment before Ren nodded, and he and Itsuki walked off amidst the old town of Seaetto. The ghost town Van and his demi-humans were gradually turning into their temporary home.
For fifteen minutes, Naofumi held to the blue feathers of the Filolial he rode. Staring at the horizon in the distance.
'Lurolona Village…'
He didn't know what he should be thinking or feeling. But he recognized the name. She never told him the name of her village herself. But he'd managed to make a good guess by studying his maps and gathering information about the Waves that Lurolona was her home village…
It was ground zero for the Wave. As bad as the town of Seaetto had looked, he was likely to stumble across something much worse...
...
The scent of the sea washed over his nose. The hills around him cleared away. And finally, the remains of a ruined village at the edge of the sea came into view.
Naofumi stopped the Filolial he was riding. It and the other two looked at him. Naofumi had to take a moment to stare at the devastation that had only been described to him before.
What had been a sprawling village before the Waves was now nothing but ruins.
Homes sat in various states of collapse. From partial to complete and total. The streets were full of rubble. Fishing boats down on the beach were overturned and badly damaged. Shops were destroyed and/or vandalized. The Church at the head of the village stood like an empty tomb. Bewailing the death of its home with silent, dry tears.
Naofumi slowly entered the village on the Filolial. Still looking around in amazement at everything. He found discarded toys and family pictures on the ground. Things that had been lost or left behind in the midst of what had happened to the village. 'This… this was Raphtalia's home village?'
He couldn't even picture people living in a place like this. So complete was the devastation the Wave and the knights of Melromarc had wrought on the place.
It was like they had destroyed it with the intention of making sure no one lived here ever again...
The Filolials squawked at Naofumi, and he got thrown off. They turned tail and ran off away from the village faster than Naofumi had thought possible. He rubbed at his backside, which didn't really hurt from being thrown off because of his defense stat. It was more annoying that he had been thrown off and abandoned here.
'Damn it. What got into them-'
"Daddy!"
Naofumi turned again, just in time to see a giant poof of feathers. And then a small blonde girl tackled into his chest. Wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"Filo?!" Naofumi hugged the little girl, who he realized was crying.
"Filo was so afraid. Filo was worried Daddy was hurt and wouldn't come back." Filo cried into his shoulder.
"Don't worry. Daddy's fine. We somehow managed to kill the dragon monster and got away." Naofumi said in an annoyed voice. He'd only been gone for one night. Still, he started rubbing the KFC girl's head.
"Good job on getting everyone to safety, Filo."
"It was really hard. Filo wanted to go after you so badly. But Filo was tired and didn't want to put mommy in danger." She said as Naofumi set her on the ground.
Naofumi was about to ask where Raphtalia was, but then Filo continued. "Did you bring any dragon meat back for Filo?!" She asked excitedly. "Filo smells something good in the air!"
Naofumi looked at her in disbelief. He chuckled at how quickly Filo turned the topic towards food. He also realized why those Filolials ran off.
They likely didn't want to become Filo's next meal.
"No. I didn't have the chance to absorb any meat."
"Boo!" Filo pouted.
"But I'll get to making you that banquet I owe you." He said. "You've more than earned it."
Filo brightened up immediately. "Yay!"
Naofumi chuckled, patting his daughter on the head. At least she was in a good mood. Or maybe it was the promise of food.
Oh well.
"Filo!? Why did you run off?! You should be resting!" The indignant cry came from none other than Melty. Who appeared running around a corner of a pile of rubble before suddenly stopping at the sight of Naofumi.
"I found Daddy!" Filo said happily, hugging Naofumi's leg. "Daddy's okay!"
"Oh, Sir Naofumi." Melty recomposed herself in an instant. "As you can see, I managed to guide Filo and the others safe and sound." She said. Sounding calm and composed like a proper royal. "I do believe thanks are in order."
"Yeah, good work," Naofumi said dryly. "Looks like I'll be trusting you for a while yet." Melty nodded approvingly to herself.
"Second Princess." He added before looking back to Filo.
Melty flared up at the nickname. The composed royal was gone in an instant. "When are you going to stop calling me Second Princess?!" She indignantly asked. "It's so rude and annoying!"
"Funny. I thought that was your name." Naofumi said sarcastically. Brushing Filo's hair with his hand.
"BOO!" Wow, it was like Filo was rubbing off on her new best friend more and more.
Naofumi rolled his eyes, feeling somewhat better at the reaction. Annoying royalty helped put him in a better mood for some reason. Though he knew Raphtalia would disapprove…
The hollow feeling in his stomach returned again at the thought. "Where's Raphtalia?"
…
Melty and Filo looked sad. Filo pointed towards the sea. In the direction of the cliffs. "Mommy has been there ever since Filo brought her here…" She said. "She didn't want Filo to sleep with her or anything… Mommy said she wanted to be alone."
It was worse than Naofumi could have imagined. If Raphtalia was pushing her own daughter figure away…
"I'll get to making that banquet for you, Filo. Just… give me a moment to talk to Mommy." He said, moving to walk past her towards the cliff.
As he walked by, Filo grabbed his hand. He looked down and found Filo looking up at him. She was crying.
"Please, help mommy get better Daddy."
She cared more about her mommy than her food. Melty was also looking up at him, her hand over her heart. She looked really sad, just like her friend. Maybe Filo was rubbing off on her in more than one good way...
Naofumi nodded, released Filo's hand, and continued on.
He had to climb over pieces of rubble every now and then. He'd been worried about getting the slaves out of the city. He'd been worried about the monster chasing them. He'd been worried about the Church Army. About Ren and Itsuki as well as their parties. He'd been worried about protecting everyone and getting all of them to safety.
But he'd forgotten to worry about the emotional turmoil his sword and companion had to have been going through the whole time. What she had to be going through right now. She'd lost her best friend. She'd gone on a homicidal rampage from anger and grief… she hadn't reacted to anything after that last night.
It took several minutes, but he eventually found her.
The sun was low in the morning sky. Its rays made her auburn hair shine like diamonds. But she looked far more fragile than any gem he'd ever worked with.
She was on her knees. Kneeling in front of a fresh dirt-covered grave. A gravestone marker she'd made rested at its base, a little flag sticking out from the rocks.
Next to it was another grave. This one was not fresh, with grass growing over it. Naofumi was only able to tell it was a grave because of the grave marker. She didn't move, even as he approached from behind.
He stopped five feet away from her. Looking down at her. Suddenly, he felt unsure of what to do. Unsure of what to say. Unsure if he could do anything to help.
'What can I do here?! Emotions aren't even my specialty!'
He almost backed off. Unsure if he could or should help. But then Raphtalia turned her head, looking back to him.
Her eyes were red, puffy from crying. Dark bags were under her eyes from staying awake all night. She had no smile, and her face yelled grief. Her tail didn't move in happiness or anything when she saw him. It rested limply on the ground.
He couldn't walk away, not when she was like this. His brain finally kicked into gear, and he walked up to her. He wordlessly pulled his cloak off of himself and wrapped it around her. When his hands touched her neck, it was cold.
She was cold.
Raphtalia didn't speak at first. Not until Naofumi had finished wrapping his cloak around her. "You're… you're okay?"
"Yeah... We were able to handle the monster. None of us got hurt too badly." Naofumi said softly. She didn't react to his voice.
He rubbed her cold shoulders, but he still got no reaction. A frown started working its way onto his face. "Raphtalia. What can I do to help?"
Raphtalia turned to the grave. It was like she hadn't heard a word of what Naofumi had said. "Raphtalia?" He asked again.
"I should have been there. I should have helped her." She uttered quietly.
...
Naofumi hung his head, resting his hands on her shoulders. His worst fears were confirmed. She was still suffering from last night. The immediate thing to come to mind was to tell her how it wasn't her fault. "Raphtalia-"
"I could have done something." She said, stopping him. More tears started leaking down her face. "I could have snuck on ahead of everyone. I could have used my magic to avoid all the knights. I could have gotten there in time. I could have… I could have saved Rifana."
"Raphtalia, we didn't know what was happening to her-" He tried to say. Reaching down for one of her hands in an attempt to comfort her.
"But I did know Master Naofumi!" Naofumi flinched at the term, and at her slapping his hand away from her. She gripped at the cloak around her, wanting to throw it off. But Naofumi's hand on her other shoulder kept her from doing so.
"I felt that something was wrong out there! I didn't know what it was! But now I realize that I FELT IT WHEN SHE DIED!" She clutched at her hair, unable to remove the warm cloak from her body. "It's my fault she died! I could have done something to get there sooner! I should have done something to get to her sooner! But I didn't! I waited until it was too late! And now she's dead! It's my fault that Rifana died!"
Naofumi stared at Raphtalia. It was like everything she had been bottling up all night. It was trying to force its way out. But she didn't want to let it out.
"It's all my fault! I should have been there for her… I should have… I should have been there for her." Raphtalia said, sniffling to herself. She was already bottling it in again.
Naofumi was silent.
"That wasn't the worst part." She sniffled. "When I found out she was dead. When I found out I was too late… the first thing I wanted to do was kill him. I wanted to kill Idol for what he did to us… for what he did to her…"
'Raphtalia… it wasn't your fault. I would have done the same thing in your position.' He thought. Hoping that Raphtalia's amazing mind-reading abilities would work their magic.
She shook her head. "I didn't just want to kill him. I wanted to make him and his entire city pay for Rifana's death… I wanted to do something Rifana would have never wanted me to do."
Hearing Raphtalia say it, he was reminded of what it had been like to be under the Shield of Rage. How he wanted to kill Bitch. And how he tried to kill everyone that got in his way.
At first, he'd wanted to kill her if only to protect those he loved. But after a while, he wanted to kill just to make everyone pay for the way they'd treated him since being summoned.
Raphtalia sagged where she knelt. "I'm worthless. I couldn't… I couldn't save my best friend... I'm not worthy to be at your side. I'm not worthy to be at anyone's side." Raphtalia cried softly. "I'm worthless…"
…
...
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her. "You're not worthless," Naofumi said sincerely, from the bottom of his heart.
"Not to me."
Raphtalia was still. She wanted to refute it. She wanted to say he was wrong, but he turned her to face him. He stared into her deep tea-red eyes, freezing her in place.
"I know it hurts… but don't hold it back. Let it all out. I'm here for you, every step of the way." He embraced her tightly. His cloak still covered her.
...
Raphtalia's red eyes widened, and then they shut tight.
Tears flowed freely from them, and she buried her head in Naofumi's shoulder.
"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?"
She screamed, thinking about her best friend's death. Thinking about the murderous rampage she'd went on trying to kill Idol. Thinking about how she'd been so useless that she couldn't help Naofumi when he was risking his life to protect them from a strong monster. Thinking about seeing her village in ruins once again. And more.
"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Someone as great as he didn't deserve someone like her. Nobody deserved her. Not even little Filo deserved her.
But he didn't let go. He held on. Just like she'd held on to him long ago when he was at his low and didn't want anyone by his side.
"Why?! Just... wahhhhhh...!?"
Naofumi said nothing. He merely held the crying girl to his shoulder. The crying girl whose heartrending screams turned to sobs as her throat got sore from screaming. His hand comfortingly went through her hair and patted her head the entire time.
She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him. She wanted him to let her go and to let her suffer for her mistakes. But he didn't, and his love and care for her brought the grief and loss she'd tried to hold onto to the surface. Where it released itself through her tears, her screams, her sobs;
Her everything.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
Naofumi still didn't move. The sun slowly moved across the afternoon sky towards evening.
He didn't want her to bottle this up any longer. He wanted to help her let it go.
At last, he felt her sobs dying down to sniffles. He'd had a long time to think and to ponder. He felt now was the time to whisper in her ear.
"It's not your fault... You did everything you could do... I'm so proud of you, Raphtalia."
He whispered to her more words. Raphtalia's crying gradually died down more and more. Other than gripping tightly to him, he wasn't sure if he heard what he was saying or not. But he continued regardless. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I wouldn't want to help people if you hadn't helped me. I wouldn't have beaten that monster if you hadn't given me hope."
His eyes shut tight, and some of his tears fell into her hair. He had been unsure what to say earlier. But the words flowed off his lips as naturally as water cascading down a waterfall.
"You're amazing, Raphtalia. I don't know where I'd be without you. You've always been strong for me. You've always given me hope that things will turn out better. Please, if you're not strong enough to face this alone, then let me help you. If you have no hope left, let me share the hope I have now because of you.
"Let me stand by your side so I can protect you from the fire and brimstone of this world." A sob wracked his own throat. "I love you so much Raphtalia. I'll do anything in my power to keep this from happening again. I promise."
He wasn't sure how much of what he'd said had been heard. She had cried herself to sleep sometime during his speech. But he adjusted himself so Raphtalia could be comfortable resting against him. He kissed the top of her head and floofed her ears in her sleep. "I love you. Whether you like it or not. I'm not letting you go."
He held Raphtalia. And he didn't let go as all the hate, all the rage, all the sorrow, all the grief, and everything in between she'd held throughout the night finally drained away. Letting her drift off into a deep sleep.
Raphtalia looked around herself. She didn't recognize the place. It reminded her of her village. But her village was supposed to be destroyed…
"Raphtalia!"
Raphtalia turned her head. A short, small weasel girl appeared from the door of her home, smiling at her.
"Rifana?" Raphtalia said confusedly.
The girl smiled happily. "The one and only."
...
"Ri-Rifana!" Raphtalia ran forward and embraced her smol friend. Tears leaked down her face.
"Lucky you! Getting to be held and comforted by the Shield Hero!" She said happily.
Raphtalia found herself smiling as she let go of her friend. "What? Are you jealous?" She teased her friend.
"You don't have to be rude about it!" Rifana pouted, her tail bristling behind her.
Raphtalia let out a small laugh at the familiar reaction. "Well, I can also tell you that he's a great kisser."
Rifana looked stunned. "You kissed a boy!?" She asked incredulously. "And I wasn't there to see it!?" Now she looked offended. "How could you do that to me?! I missed the chance to ruin your moment and make you super embarrassed and everything!"
Raphtalia laughed some more. Her friend had always been the girly romantic. The fact that she had gotten her first kiss before Rifana was mind-blowing to the weasel girl. "And the Shield Hero too! No fair! You're super lucky Raphtalia!" Rifana pouted.
Raphtalia laughed a little while longer… then the expression on her face became sad. "I'm sorry…" Her head fell, and her tail sagged behind her. "I should have been there for you. I should have tried to rescue you sooner. I'm… I'm so sorry I was too late."
…
"It's fine, Raphtalia." Rifana was smiling again. "You didn't know what was happening to me…"
Raphtalia sniffled. Getting down on her knees for Rifana. "But… I didn't save you in time, Rifana. I didn't save my best friend in the whole world." She whispered. "It's my fault."
Rifana set a hand on her shoulder. "You and I both know that's not true."
Raphtalia didn't say anything in response to that. Rifana continued to smile. "Even though you didn't save me, you still saved everyone else. You saved Keel."
Raphtalia sniffled, and Rifana wiped a tear away from her cheek. "Don't worry about me. I'm finally free of Idol, and he got what he deserved in the end." She started giggling to herself. "They're still trying to clean the fat stains off the stone." She said mischievously.
"Rifana…" Raphtalia rolled her eyes.
Even in death, her best friend was still weird.
"You know that I'll be watching over you, right Raphtalia?" Rifana asked.
Raphtalia looked her in the eyes. "You… you promise?" She asked in a small voice.
Rifana nodded. When she made a promise, she kept it. "Thank… thank you," Raphtalia whispered, more tears falling down her face.
"Of course. After all, someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble." She teased.
Raphtalia pouted. "You were the one that always caused trouble before!" She complained. Why did her friend have to ruin a heartfelt moment between them?!
So rude!
"And that means I'm the perfect person to keep you out of trouble in the future," Rifana said happily. "After all, I don't want to see you falling into another Episode like this again." She said seriously. "The Shield Hero needs a strong companion by his side. You need to be that for him, Raphtalia."
"Hmmph!" Raphtalia couldn't stop the smile from coming onto her face, and she hugged her best friend. "Thank you, Rifana. I'll do my best to be strong."
Rifana hugged Raphtalia back. "Don't worry. If you need help, I'll never be far from you, Raphtalia." She let go of Raphtalia and smiled. "Don't forget to smile for me, okay? Your smile was the only thing that motivated me, that motivated everyone from the village to have hope and to hold on.
"I'm sure the Shield Hero will love your smile just as much as I did."
Raphtalia sniffed and nodded her head. Smiling for Rifana. The light around them brightened. The dream Rifana had set up for them was ending.
"Take care of him. Take care of the great Shield Hero, you lucky girl."
In Naofumi's lap, shortly after she'd fallen asleep, a smile worked its way onto Raphtalia's face.
She didn't know if the dream was real or not. Or if it was her subconscious way of filling in the void the grief and sadness had left in her when she cried it out.
But at last, she felt at peace.
She felt ready to be the pillar her Naofumi could lean on once more.
Ren slowly walked into the inn room. His eyes darted around at everyone's sleeping faces.
Tersia and Farrie were dead asleep, sitting next to each other on a couch. Bakta was out of his armor, sprawled out on a bedroll with his mouth hanging open and drool coming out. Welt was in a single chair. Slowly rocking back and forth in his sleep.
Ren gulped. They all looked so peaceful. So relaxed. He didn't want to bother them while they were like this. He didn't want to bother them at all...
He turned around to leave. But then he realized something.
He didn't see Wyndia in the room.
'Where is she?' He turned and looked around again.
He snuck over to the other end of the room. Being careful not to disturb anyone. Then he opened the door and peeked inside.
"I said I didn't want to be bothered, Tersia."
Ren paled. Wyndia was awake. And she was sitting on the edge of a twin-sized bed. Facing away from him.
"I'm serious. I'm fine. I don't care if that idiot ran off to face… that giant monster. I'm not some fragile vase that needs to be taken care of. If he wanted to be an idiot, that's his right."
Ren stood there. Not saying anything. He was too anxious to speak up and say it was him.
It felt like an eternity that he stood there. Then, his brain finally clicked into action. And he started moving to close the door.
"Wait… Okay. Maybe I am a little worried, Tersia." Wyndia said, her voice sounding oddly vulnerable.
Ren stopped. He was doing his best to remain calm. He wanted to say he wasn't Tersia. He wanted to just close the door and leave. He was stupid! Why did he listen to Itsuki?! He couldn't bear to face his party now after abandoning them the way he had!
His outer shell was crumbling from how guilty he felt for trying to sacrifice himself so they could escape!
Yet he couldn't tear himself away. Wyndia leaned forward on her bed, crossing her arms under her small chest. "He's just so… thick-headed. Even more, than my father was." She continued. "He doesn't think things through. He says he wants to involve us, but when things really get dangerous he pushes us away. He keeps on rushing headlong into danger without thinking if we want to help him or not."
Ren wanted to speak. But he couldn't. His voice was choking up in his throat. Wyndia sighed. "I know what you're going to say. You've told me it before Tersia. He just wants to protect us. He wants to keep us from getting killed.
"But I don't want him to protect me! I don't want the person who was strong enough to kill my Father to treat me like I'm some lost puppy that needs help! I don't need that! I just… I just want…" The next part was so quiet, Ren didn't hear it.
Ren continued to stand in silence. Staring at the back of Wyndia's head. "I want him to realize that we care about him. I don't want him to beat himself up for his mistakes. I keep on trying to get it through that thick skull of his, but nothing ever works Tersia. He's too stupid to get it."
She whispered the next part. "I hate it… I want to hate him… but I can't."
Ren almost fell to his knees. "I'm worried about him Tersia," Wyndia whimpered, still unaware that it was Ren at the door. "What if he didn't survive? What if he doesn't come back… what if he's hurt out there, and it's my fault that I wasn't able to help him. I want to get stronger too so I won't have to be left behind when he faces danger, but I don't know if he'll allow that to happen or not."
…
…
"Tersia-" Wyndia finally turned towards the doorway.
But no one was there. The door was still cracked open.
Outside the building, Ren leaned against a wall. He was breathing in and out heavily, on the verge of having an anxiety attack.
'I can't… damn it. I can't…' He felt more guilt over what he'd done than ever before.
He nearly cried out at feeling his hurt ankle flare up again. He'd moved too quickly trying to flee from the building.
He sat back against the wall and put his head in between his knees. Feeling terribly guilty about what he'd done.
'Why… why do I do this to myself?…'
...
...
He sat outside for a while after that. Gathering himself until he felt the cool and aloof shell of his was fixed. Then he went back in. Hiding his inner turmoil under his outer shell.
His party was awake this time when he entered. Thanks to Wyndia asking who'd been at her door. At his entrance, they surrounded him in relief, happy that he was okay.
They congratulated him for the kill when he confirmed he killed the monster and took out the dragon fragment as proof.
Wyndia, of course, saw that he was injured. And forced him to lie down on a couch so she and the others could treat him. And he allowed it. He allowed the Tsundere girl to treat him.
He didn't want to make her any madder with him than she already was. Even as she helped to wrap his ankle, she looked suspiciously up at his face.
Ren wasn't sure how much more guilt he could handle. And didn't mention anything of what he'd overheard as his party cared over him.
Eclair slowly pushed the double doors open. Claw marks covered both sides of the wood.
The outside of her Father's manor was a mess. Untrimmed overgrown bushes dominated the paths. Windows were broken. The land of his estate all around had been taken over by nature. And the area reeked heavily of monsters.
Right after opening the door, a black dog with long fangs and red eyes jumped at Eclair, barking loudly in agitation.
She deftly sliced, and the monster fell into two pieces around her. An experience notification appeared on her HUD, but she didn't acknowledge it. She continued on into her former home.
The loud barking got the attention of the rest of the pack living in the manor. After walking through the front living room, she was attacked by the rest of the pack.
Eclair kept calm. She turned and sliced. Spinning and cutting and beheading the invaders until, at last, the remaining few dogs fled from her, yipping in fear and terror.
They jumped out the broken windows and ran for the hills. Wanting to get as far away from the scary strawberry-haired knight as possible.
Eclair cleaned her blade of blood on the fur of one of the monsters. She was in a hallway now. Tattered pictures of herself, her father, and other family members hung or laid against the walls on both sides.
'To think… this happened because I wasn't here.'
Continuing through the manor. She found the dining room her Father normally held feasts for the townsfolk.
The long table was in pieces. It looked like silverware had been set up for a meal. But it was all over the room. Bent, twisted, in pieces, and rusted.
She found a room with the musical instruments her Father had loved to play. Those same instruments were destroyed. Just like the dining room.
Eclair didn't mind. Her fingers had always been better suited for holding a sword, and she'd appreciated the sound of slicing through air more than the notes from a piano.
As she moved throughout the manor, she saw more bones scattered here and there. But she didn't know whose they were. If they were her Father's, his servants, his knights, or some random monster.
It was almost surreal. After all her attempts to get here. After being rejected, then imprisoned, and various other things, she was finally here.
She was finally trying to find her Father's remains. To give him the honorable burial that he deserved.
She found the doors to her old room. Surprisingly, they were still locked and untouched, just like she'd left them. It took a good kick to bring the locked doors down.
Besides the layer of dust inside, everything was as she'd remembered it.
She didn't have a girly room. Her bed was made with the precision of a knight. Her study table was empty. A stand with another set of her customized armor on it rested in the corner of the room. She had wood floors instead of carpet. She remembered requesting that from her dad since it was easier to practice swordsmanship on the hardwood than soft wool. Scratches in the wood here were from her early days of using a sword and not from the claws of monsters.
Despite there being no signs of her Father, she walked in. She grabbed the armor from off its stand. She went by her collection of favorite swords that still hung on the wall. Right where she remembered leaving them.
She examined them, letting her fingers softly trail over each one, remembering with fondness the memories each sword contained. She then grabbed two of the best ones.
Only one sword was missing. The sword she was supposed to inherit from her Father.
She moved on. She still had to find her Father's remains. She still had to make sure he was given a proper burial.
But she hadn't found him outside the manor. She'd been told by one of Van's demi-humans, someone who had lived in Seaetto before the Wave struck and destroyed her home, that he'd died here. But Eclair still didn't know where.
'Father, where did you fall?'
She checked the master bedroom, the kitchen area, the servant's quarters, the launder's room, and several other places inside the manor. All of which had signs of dust and destruction. Until, finally, she walked into one of the last rooms.
His study.
What she saw made her stop.
The inside of the room was covered in claw marks. The furniture was ripped to shreds. The bookcases were toppled over and covered in claw marks. Despite all this, the room had signs of a struggle. Some of the marks on the walls were from a blade and not a monster.
Looking through the room, she saw a glint coming from under a fallen bookshelf. She reached in and pulled the item out.
It was her Father's sword.
She proceeded to lift the bookshelf up and set it to the side. Tattered books fell to the ground. But at last, her search came to an end.
The skeletal remains of her Father rested in the pile of books.
Eclair covered her mouth in horror. She'd expected it to be bad. But this… his bones were covered in chew marks. His armor was nowhere to be seen. He was dressed in the tattered remains of the robes he'd been wearing while filling in as ruler for Queen Mirellia.
'He didn't even have time to don his armor for the Wave.'
Tears filled Eclair's eyes, and she got on her knees in grief. She'd known her father was dead for a long while. But seeing it with her own eyes caused her heart to wrench in pain. It became all too easy to picture how frightened he was. How he'd struggled against the monsters that invaded his study so soon after the appearance of the Wave. Too soon for him to even get the armor he needed to protect himself.
She'd hoped he'd had time to run out, to don his armor and defend his people. But he'd been caught unaware in his study. Unable to go out and save those he'd loved and protected during his years as the Lord of Seaetto.
And she hadn't been there to help him.
'I'm sorry, Father. I should have stayed here. I should have been here to protect you and everyone else from the Wave.'
Her hands gripped one of her Father's skeletal hands.
She should have stayed so that all of this wouldn't have happened…
After a long moment, Eclair wiped tears away from her face. It was hard, but she'd found his body. Now, at last, she could give him a proper burial... She just had to gather the courage to bring herself to move him...
She held his hand a moment longer. Wishing she could feel something alive. Not this cold bone and metallic... feeling…
...
...
'Huh?'
She let go of the hand. She hadn't been aware before, but there was something held loosely in the skeletal hand.
She moved the hand and turned it over.
It was slightly rusted from time. But gripped in the palm of her Father's hand was a necklace. Attached to it was a rosary with a depiction of the sword, bow, and spear.
'Father was a worshipper of the Four Heroes Church… why is he clutching a rosary?'
She took a look around the room again.
Now that she thought about it, why were there so many sword marks on the walls? Her father wasn't that sloppy.
In his prime, he'd been one of the best swordsmen in Melromarc. The day she bested him was the day he'd been the proudest of her. It had taken her years and years of training to get to that point though.
So why did his study look like a war zone...?
She unearthed the rest of his skeleton from the tattered books. Looking more closely at the bones and his robes.
She had to look past the marks monsters had left on his body long after he'd died. Some bones were missing. But she eventually found something different.
The bone in his right arm had a slash mark on it. One that came from a blade. There was another blade mark in between two of her Father's ribs. Further examination showed similar marks on different bones.
She flipped over the bookcase she'd uncovered him from. Part of the shelves was broken. But it wasn't from being clawed. It was from an impact. Likely her Father being thrown into it.
...
'No…'
She remembered when she asked the Royal Knight Commander for permission to go home and bury her dead Father. How he'd laughed it off and told her to stop bugging him. And how when she pressed, he told her to leave his office, before he met the same fate as the damn bastard.
...
The dots connected. And Eclair's fists clenched in realization. "That… that BASTARD!"
She punched a hole in the wall. The weak wood easily gave way to her fist, but it stung. She held her hand, her face reflecting her pain.
Her father had died during the Wave. But it hadn't been the wave monsters that killed him.
It had been a person. Scratch that. It had been a group of COWARDS, who'd gone in and killed her Father in the least honorable way possible while a Wave of Catastrophe was going on!
And she had a feeling the Royal Knight Commander knew who they were.
It was hard to calm herself down. She couldn't fathom why her father had been killed and why his murder had been covered up.
It was even harder to bring herself to carry her Father's remains outside of the ruined manor to dig a grave for him.
But the hardest part was having to fill the grave with dirt. Watching as the remains of the man who'd raised her and loved her with all his heart was finally given the burial he deserved. The sword he'd wielded to the end was placed reverently over his chest.
Eclair didn't want her inheritance. It belonged to a man far greater than she could ever hope to be.
When it was finished, she touched her fingers to her lips and rested them against the dirt. "I promise, Father. I will find your killers, and I will bring them to justice. Your death will not go unpunished."
She turned around and left. Leaving the grave and her old home behind.
It would be a long time before she returned to this place.
But she knew the next time she returned, it would be after her Father's killer had been brought to justice.
Hero Clips!
Second Princess
"Hey, Second Princess, grab the pot over there for me."
"My name is not Second Princess!"
"Whatever you say, Second Princess."
Naofumi was busy cooking the banquet he'd promised to Filo. Melty had volunteered to help. But now, she was highly regretting it. She picked up the pot with clenched hands.
"That does it, I'm sick of this!" Melty yelled.
"Sick of what, Second Princess?" Naofumi asked, not even looking up from the pot he was cooking monster meat in.
"I'm sick of you always calling me Second Princess!" She yelled, pointing the pot angrily at Naofumi. "I've done nothing to deserve this verbal abuse! Second Princess is not my name! It has never been my name and you know it!"
"Calm down, I don't see anything wrong Second Princess," Eclair said, walking by on her way for sword training.
Melty looked shocked at Eclair addressing her by the name.
"Eclair's right. You need to calm down Second Princess." Naofumi said.
"But that isn't my name!" Melty yelled. Looking like a confused, indignant, offended little child.
"Second Princess. Maybe you should let someone else help Naofumi with the cooking." Raphtalia said gently, approaching the girl from behind and head patting her between her two ponytails.
Melty looked even more shocked. "No, not you too Raphtalia."
"You heard her Second Princess. Get out of the way so we can get dinner ready."
"What about the pot you asked me for!?" Melty indignantly yelled.
"Don't worry, I'll handle it for you, Second Princess," Raphtalia said with a smile, taking the pot from Melty before walking to Naofumi with it.
"Why!? Why are you doing this to me?!" Melty yelled, pulling at her ponytails. "What did I do to deserve being called-"
"Second Princess!"
...
Melty slowly turned in shock. "There's no way..."
Filo ran up to her, smiling happily. "Second Princess! Filo's all rested and ready to play now!"
"No... not you too, Filo..." Melty said, her voice shaking.
Filo cocked her head cutely to the side. "Second Princess? Is there something wrong-"
"No! MY NAME IS NOT SECOND PRINCESS!" She yelled. This couldn't be happening to her! HER BEST FRIEND COULDN'T BE INFECTED BY SIR NAOFUMI TOO!
"But Daddy calls Second Princess that all the time? Why can't Filo do the-"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Melty screamed and ran away. It was bad enough Naofumi called her Second Princess. It was worse that Eclair and Raphtalia were also taking to calling her that.
Filo was the final nail in the coffin.
"Wait, Second Princess!" Filo chased after Melty.
"My name is Melty! Melty Melty Melty MELTY!" Melty cried in her indignant voice.
"What's up with Second Princess?" Raphtalia asked Naofumi curiously.
He shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe she's going through puberty."
"Hmmm... poor girl."
Melty continued to indignantly scream her real name while Filo tried to chase down her best friend.
Till Next Time
Allen