Chapter Five: Slave Justice
"Damn! That bear bitch was crazy!"
"Our source didn't warn us we'd have to deal with her!"
"Was she trying to get us killed?!"
"Good thing that demi-human's level was so low! Otherwise, we might have actually been in trouble!"
The group of level 45+ slavers laughed to themselves. Some of them were riding on the front seat of the prison carriage. Others rode on horseback beside the carriage, carrying several lanterns to light up a small patch of the road in front of them.
Inside, clinging to the bars were the kids they'd captured from the village.
"Let us out!" One of them yelled.
"You're gonna pay for what you did to Auntie Terra!"
"Just you wait until the Heroes catch up, ya jerks!" Keel yelled. "Then you'll really be sorry that you ever messed with us!"
"Quiet down, you rats!" One of the slavers yelled, beating his sword on the bars of the cage. The kids standing close to the bars immediately backed away, fear plain to see in their eyes. "Ain't no heroes going to care about some measly backwater village!"
"We're going to make a lotttttt of cash off of this job!" Another kidnapper exclaimed in glee.
"First we're paid to kidnap demi children. And then we're gonna get paid when we sell them to a new owner. That sounds like a win-win to me!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
Keel growled in the cage. The other kids began huddling together. Some of them cried either because of being captured, or because of what had happened to Terra. Their mama bear caretaker.
"Miss Terra… why did they have to kill her?" One of the kids sobbed.
"Hey, it'll be alright." Keel said to them soothingly. "I'm sure Brother Shield and the others are on their way to save us as I speak. They'll make these idiots pay for what they did to her, I know it!"
"Silence rats! This is what you deserve for trying to reestablish that dumb village of yours!"
"Your kind ain't welcome in Melromarc!" One of the slavers beat his sword on the cage of the prison carriage again. The kids huddled closer together, and Keel did his best to comfort them.
"Damn this rain. Of all the damn things." One of the slavers riding on a horse shivered in annoyance. His lantern tilted, and the rain put it out. "Damn it! Why's it got to be raining all of a sudden?! This sucks!"
"Hey, at least it'll help to cover our tracks!" Another one said. "Count your blessings since this'll keep those other damn demis from following us."
"Let them, I won't mind bathing my sword with more of their blood!"
"This rain will be worthless if y'all can't keep your damn mouths shut! You morons should take lessons from our new guy here." The leader on the wagon yelled at them all, before turning to look at one of the riders with a smirk. "Now he's what I'd call a cold-blooded bastard!"
The other slavers snickered to themselves, glancing at the silent man. He stared straight ahead, ignoring his comrade's mirth at the easy money that would soon line his pockets. His equipment looked barely held together by prayer as well as constant patch jobs and repairs.
The horses continued to pull the carriage along through the drizzle. Lightning flared across the sky several times. Thunder sounded, both close and far. But they continued on into the storm. After all, the sooner they got these brats to Zeltoble, the sooner they could sell them for a profit, and spend their earnings on booze, whores, and other great stuff in the Capital!
"Hey, newcomer, should we stop by that town of yours on the way?!" One of the men mocked. The man remained silent.
"Oh yeah! The one suffering from famine! I'm sure there'll be some women there that'd be desperate for a few coins! Maybe even-"
Lightning flashed once again, illuminating the pitch-black surroundings of the forest around them. Thunder rumbled in the sky…
A moment later, lightning struck nearby, the brief flash of light revealing a shadowy figure standing in the middle of the road in front of them. The horses came to a sudden halt and whinnied in fear. Thunder slammed into the raiding group's ears, almost stunning them as much as the mystery figure's appearance.
"What was that?!"
"Was that a person!?"
"Damn it! All the lanterns went out!"
"Mage! Use your magic!"
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" A slaver in the back got off his horse and came to the front. He chanted for a few seconds, and then raised his hands overhead. "Zweite Light!"
A ball of light appeared in front of them, unaffected by the falling rain. The illumination revealed a hooded figure several dozen feet in front of them, holding a large, white bow with a violet gemstone in the center of it. His face couldn't be seen under his hood. The mage fell back, a shiver going down his spine.
"Oi, who goes there?!" One of the slavers yelled.
"You're blocking the road mister! Get out of the way!" The leader of the slavers dismounted from the carriage, and approached with his sword held up.
The shadowy figure remained silent for a moment, and then looked up at them. "You have it wrong... You are the ones who are in my way." He spoke coldly. So coldly, the leader stopped in his tracks.
"If you value your lives, you'll step aside, and allow me to acquire my targets."
The kids looked past the armed men at the lone figure. A smile came onto Keel's face. "Ha, it's the Bow Hero! He's come to save us!"
The other kids started cheering as well. "Yay!" "We're saved!" "He's going to avenge Auntie Terra!"
At the kids announcing it was the Bow Hero, some of the slavers tensed up in their saddles. "Eh, those demi brats are probably bluffing us!" The leader shouted back to his comrades. "This fellow is likely just some local hunter from their village who happened to stay out late!"
"Why would we lie, that's definitely…" However, Keel's next words, as well as the cheers of those with him, slowly died as they studied Itsuki closer. His face under the hood looked too pale, and his violet eyes too hollow.
Wait, Itsuki didn't have violet eyes. And something else caught their attention. Despite the light drizzle around them, Itsuki was completely dry. Steam, or fog, whatever it was, clung around the lower part of his body. Was that coming from the rain?
What was going on with Itsuki?
The slavers still looked unsure. But Itsuki nodded, and lightly chuckled. "I guess that's correct. I am what you'd call a hunter."
That seemed to calm the idiots down. And they chuckled in response, thinking that the problem was as good as handled there. "Well then, Mr. Hunter." The man leading the group pointed his weapon at the Bow Hero with a wicked smirk. "How about you stand aside so me and my men can take these brats somewhere safe-"
"I'm a hunter… of evil." Itsuki's voice came out dark, twisted. "And you, fiends, are my prey." He pulled the string on his bow back.
"Wha-" A very bad feeling suddenly went down the leader's spine. He barely had time to take a step back before a massive, pale arrow, almost like a ghost.
Separated his head from his body.
Several seconds later, his severed head landed in the mud with a wet splat. The look of surprise still plastered on his face.
…
At first, there was only a numb feeling of complete shock among everyone present.
And then, as Itsuki calmly walked forward, casually stepping over the corpse like it was just another bump on the road, chaos erupted.
"AHHHH!"
"BOSS! HE TOOK OUT THE BOSS!"
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!"
What followed was like a scene out of a nightmare.
Some of the men tried to charge their horses forward, only for them to neigh and buck them off before running away. The smarter slavers who hadn't charged turned their horses around at that and tried to flee.
"Oh &^%%, it really is the Bow Hero!"
"Forget it, we didn't sign up for this-"
"Rain of Arrows."
Arrows pierced the horses' legs, and then the legs of the men. It was so fast that it didn't seem possible with their numbers. They screamed in pain and horror as their legs were pinned down to the ground alongside their steeds. Their tendons had been severed. The horses' fear-filled cries filled the air.
The men who'd been thrown off their horses got back up. "There's only one of him! Get him!" One man ordered.
They roared and charged Itsuki. The mage cut off his light spell so darkness would be on their side. However, Itsuki had already produced a different arrow, one that shined like a star in the night. A special arrow just for them. "Join my fight for justice."
The arrows went through one, then two, then half of them. They stopped, suddenly stooping over as if dead. And then, they straightened up, mad grins on their faces before starting to attack their own comrades.
"Aieeee! What are you doing-" The screaming slaver was beheaded by his compatriot.
"JUSTICEEEEE!"
"No, stop, sto- ahhhhhhhh!"
"Kill them all!"
"No mercy for the wicked!"
"Stop, STOPPPPPPPPPPPP-"
The children began to huddle inside the prison carriage. "K-K-K-Keel. W-What's Sir I-I-Itsuki doing?" One of them cried.
"H-He's being s-sc-scary…" The rest of them started to cry in terror.
Keel watched, stunned as Itsuki left those who'd charged him behind for the ones pinned to the ground.
One of them had managed to fight through the pain and pulled the arrows out from his legs. He was now trying to army crawl away from the bloody massacre. Itsuki was almost impressed at his level of pain tolerance.
Almost. But not enough.
He summoned two arrows, and stabbed them into the man's arms, pinning him to the ground once more. It was a mercy to do so. His wounds would have bled out long before he reached civilization.
"AHHHH! Why, why are you doing this?!" The man screamed in terror. Itsuki twisted the arrows, making the slaver scream louder in agony.
His screams… were so pleasing to Itsuki's ears.
It was almost like music.
"Y-You're supposed to be a Hero!" A nearby man's eyes were wide and frantic, watching as his fellows continued killing each other even while covered in ghastly wounds. "Why, why are you doing this to us!? Is it those kids there?! We'll give them up! We'll promise not to touch them again! We swear it!"
"Please, we'll do anything! I'll do anything!" One of the pinned men, the silent guy from earlier, sobbed hysterically. "I'm just a mercenary assigned to protect this group! I only agreed to this job because I can't afford to feed my family!" He cried pathetically. "The Waves brought famine to our lands! I couldn't bear watching them starve anymore! So please, if only for them, spare us so I can apologize to them for what I've done!"
One of the kids shivered as she observed the man. Somehow, she had instinctively known that what the man had said just now had been the truth. He was the only one among them who hadn't smiled even once as they attacked Terra and dragged the children out from their beds. His words were not a desperate lie to save one's own skin in the face of certain death, but a plead of mercy born out of fear of what would happen to his loved ones, should he disappear.
"None shall be spared the rod of retribution," Itsuki spoke flatly. The man's confession had only angered him more. More of that ominous aura covered his bow. "For all who harbor evil in their hearts, no quarter or mercy shall be given."
The remaining men began to cry in terror and despair. The mercenary put his hands together and began praying. "Please, Gods above, watch over my family, and keep my children from repeating my mistakes! Carry my love to them, and keep them safe for all their days-"
Cursed fire appeared around Itsuki's body. "This, is, JUSTICE." The fire spread out, covering everyone around him.
Keel hugged everyone close, huddling everyone in one big shaking pile in the center of the prison carriage.
The children couldn't see what happened next... but they could hear every agonizing second of their kidnapper's screams as they burned alive.
It was almost like the day Lurolona had been destroyed by the Knights. But somehow, this was even more terrifying. The man who'd prayed for his family at the end screamed the most out of them all.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Itsuki walked out from amongst the bodies. Burns covered all the visible parts of his skin, but he didn't seem to notice, nor did he care. The bodies of those he'd burned to death were beyond recognition. It was impossible to tell who had been who, or if they had even been male or female. It was like staring at black, burnt-out husks.
The ominous aura settled around his bow once more. His eyes and gemstone were still a violet color. But he had dispensed justice on all the wicked in the area. His task was done.
Itsuki destroyed the lock on the cage and opened it. "It's safe to come out now, my children." He said, in the same, cold, unfeeling voice. "Don't worry. I shall protect you from now on."
They didn't come out. They were terrified to the point of crying, and some had even peed themselves because of what they'd just seen. "P-Please don't kill us, Sir Itsuki." One of them stammered out.
"P-Please don't hurt us."
Their begging confused Itsuki. Why would he kill them? His bow was to be directed only at evil. So why were they afraid?
Could they be hiding something? Were they perhaps… evil themselves?
...
He understood. Since they were afraid of him, then they must be harboring evil in their hearts.
Of course.
Everything made perfect sense.
To be afraid of him meant they were evil.
It seems that his task was not yet done, after all.
If they were afraid of him, then the answer was that they were evil, and that they had to be expunged.
How perfect. He must destroy evil wherever it lurks. And it was lurking right in front of him.
That is his purpose. That is his Justice.
Itsuki drew his bowstring back as another wave of cursed flames enveloped his body. The children began to cry in terror even louder, realizing what was about to happen. Keel's eyes widened in horror. Everything that he'd had to go through as a slave. All the effort that he'd put into restoring his home village. In the end, it was all for naught. The Bow Hero was going to slaughter them like cattle.
The dog boy felt something snap inside him at that moment, and his fear suddenly turned into righteous anger. He bared his fangs and let out a low growl. No! This wasn't what a man would do! He could see his life flashing before his eyes, and a certain memory of his Father suddenly flowed to the forefront of his mind. The last time the boy had seen him fighting alongside Raphtalia's parents to protect him and the other villagers.
A cold feeling of clarity completely overtook Keel as he felt every muscle in his body tense near the breaking point. His father wouldn't give up in this situation, no matter how futile it was! Hadn't Keel said earlier today that he'd become strong enough to prevent his village from being destroyed a third time?! Even if the odds were unfathomable and his death certain, he would fight. Anything short of that would be like a spit to the face to everyone whose sacrifices had ensured he'd live, healthy and free, here and now.
A man's duty was to protect the ones he loved!
"ROWR!" With a dog-like growl coming from his lips, Keel leaped through the air and bit down on Itsuki's wrist with all his heart.
"AH!" The Bow Demon masquerading as Itsuki stumbled back in surprise, the skill on his bow fizzling out. Keel's fangs dug into his wrist even harder, but the cursed-soaked skin of the demon was hurting the boy more than his fangs were hurting the Bow Hero.
The sheer audacity of Keel's desperate lunge took Itsuki completely off-guard… but only for a moment. His purple eyes flared as he tried to point his weapon at the boy, but the awkward position and Keel's vicelike grip made it unable for Itsuki to retaliate properly.
"Get off." Itsuki commanded, his voice dripping with malice as he tried to throw Keel off.
The boy's mouth and face felt like it was on fire as the cursed blood seeped from the shallow wound like molten metal. Tears began to run down from the corners of his eyes but he held fast, even using his hands to latch on to the bow hero's arm and digging into his skin with his nails to prevent him from using that horrible weapon.
"I SAID GET OFF!" Itsuki punched the boy in the face with his free hand.
"Keel! No!" The children huddling at the back of the prison wagon cried out. The boy's body began to shake from the pain as he felt his own blood trickle down his face, but he did not let go and instead kicked the bow hero in the kneecap.
Itsuki grunted from the impact but hardly felt any pain. It only seemed to make him angrier and he proceeded to smash Keel into the wall of the prison wagon repeatedly back first.
"Get off! Get off! GET OFF!" The bow demon screamed with every bone-cracking impact. The last one was too much. A sharp burning pain shot through the boy's spine and his jaw slacked just for a moment, enough for Itsuki to throw him off his body and out of the carriage.
Keel rolled across the mud, and let out a whine as he felt something hard hit his arm. By the time he finished sliding, he was covered in heavy cuts and bruises, not to mention the cursed burns on his face, hands, and mouth.
Itsuki looked down at his wrist. It was healing over already, but blood, his blood, covered it.
His anger exploded. He had been granting them the mercy of a peaceful execution, and this mutt abused his kindness to get a cheap shot in?! "You treacherous little dog!" He jumped off the carriage and began to approach.
Keel felt like his whole body was in agony and on the verge of breaking down. Several of his ribs were definitely cracked. He felt lightheaded and had trouble breathing. However, he managed to force himself to stand up again and faced Itsuki, a defiant growl coming off his lips. "I won't… I won't let you hurt them!" He yelled in anger.
"No! Keel run! Don't do it! You can't win!" The terrified children cried out to him.
Itsuki's anger seemed to recede as he listened to their desperate cries. He briefly glanced back with an expression that was hard to decipher before facing Keel again.
"So you will stand in the way of my justice?"
Keel shook at hearing the Bow Hero's voice come out so dark and twisted. But he stood his ground. "That's right! As long as I breathe, I won't give up! That's what Raphtalia would do!"
"... I see…" Itsuki slightly lowered his bow with a conflicted look on his face. Keel held his breath, wondering for a moment if Itsuki was regaining his senses. But it was a false hope. The Bow Hero raised his cursed weapon up again. "Then I shall punish you first."
The legendary bow began to glow. "Everyone, run!" Keel charged Itsuki, fangs bared as he prepared to attack. "He can't use any other skills while charging this one! This is your chance!"
"KEEL!" One of the girls cried out.
The boy could already tell that he was not going to make it in time to interrupt the skill before it properly formed again. It was going to be too late. He was too slow because of his level, as well as the wounds that he'd received. But he wouldn't give up! Not while he could still move!
His body might be small and weak, but it was the only thing he had! He had to give the others a chance! He had to-
Itsuki released the bowstring. Keel's eyes widened again as he saw the angry blinding red flare ahead of him. There was no way for him to dodge this.
'How weird.' He flung the handful of mud that he was clutching in his hand in Itsuki's face. It wouldn't make a bit of difference anymore since the skill was already primed, but Keel didn't care. Part of it was spite and part of it was the hope that, if his final act of defiance could distract the Bow Hero for just a moment, the others might be able to escape. 'I always thought dying would be scary. But, I guess-'
"Explosion Sh-Shot-"
"HIGH QUICK!"
Two things happened almost simultaneously. The mud that Keel had thrown splashed against the Bow hero's eyes, momentarily blinding him, and making him stutter. And then a massive bird foot slammed into Itsuki's side with a disturbing bone-crunching noise, sending him flying. The Bow Demon rolled and tumbled through the mud, before smashing into a tree on the side of the road, leaving a burning trail in his wake that hissed angrily against the pouring rain that seemed unable to extinguish it.
The arrow that he'd released had gone completely off course and landed somewhere in the forest. The explosion that resulted was almost enough to light up the night sky and the deafening crash of it made Keel's ears ring.
'What… what just…?'
"Leave Keel alone!" Filo yelled angrily.
Keel blinked in disbelief as he saw Naofumi jump off from Filo's back, immediately brandishing his shield and standing in-between his daughter and the eerily still form of the Bow Hero ahead. Other people, holding lanterns and magic lights could be seen running from the direction of the carriage that the Filolial had immediately abandoned as soon she saw that one of the kids that she has been playing with recently was about to be turned to ash. The loss of extra weight had barely been enough to give her the burst of speed needed to intervene.
When everyone had caught up, Naofumi briefly glanced back and nodded before speaking out. "Good job Filo. That was a close call. And you Dou-Lon, my friend, just earned yourself a fancy accessory and a dinner from me. I used to wonder how you managed to find me twice, but now I see that you aren't just an annoying stalker, but a hell of a tracker in a league of his own. To not lose a scent at night in this downpour is downright phenomenal."
The Hakuko stuttered, unsure how to respond to his God's sudden praise, as well as the offer of personal reward. He chose to simply bow in acknowledgment of the Shield Hero's compliment. This was no time for freaking out.
"Keel!" Raphtalia cried out in worry as she rushed over to the boy.
"Ughhhhh, that was too close." Keel stopped gaping at last and felt his legs turn into jelly as the last bits of the adrenaline keeping him up finally left his body. He felt himself starting to fall over but was promptly caught in Raphtalia's warm embrace. The Raccoon girl easily picked the boy up and held him close to her body.
Keel felt an overwhelming feeling of relief wash over him. He was suddenly feeling exhausted but he struggled to stay awake just a little more. He had to brag about this. "Hehe, you know Raphtalia-chan, you weren't there to see it, but I did something really cool just now. It was very manly. Sir Itsuki was about to kill us all but I stood up to him and even made him bleed! Was I cool or what?" He let out a tired sigh as he grinned, revealing that a few of his teeth were missing.
Raphtalia's body shook and Keel could see a downright murderous glint in his friend's eyes for a split second before tears began to streak down her cheeks.
"The coolest, Keen-Kun." She choked out while struggling to smile. Her arms were shaking.
"Heh." He blushed at the praise and closed his eyes.
"K-keel!?" Raphtalia looked momentarily terrified but quickly calmed down as she saw the boy's chest continue to softly rise and fall. He was still alive but the stress had been too much for his young body and made him pass out.
...
Naofumi briefly contemplated coming over and using some of his potions or healing spells to help but the noise coming from ahead made him steel himself again. Itsuki wordlessly stood back up and turned to face the Shield Hero. His eyes shone with an unnatural purple light. Naofumi gritted his teeth and slightly raised his shield while taking a step back. He was secretly hoping that this might have been some sort of misunderstanding. But the look in those eyes was unmistakable. It was just like his own when he lost himself to madness. The cursed weapon in his arms blew away the last remaining doubts.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL THE KIDS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SAVE NOW, ITSUKI?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Naofumi couldn't help but let some of his anger and bitterness slip. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!? WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO KILL KEEL AND THE OTHERS?!"
Naofumi's passionate yelling made Itsuki go still for a moment. That voice. The Bow Hero recognized it. It made him…
A̠̩̺̪͇n̨̮͖g̷͙̺͈̜̠͔r̘̱͎̙̠y̻̩̰͙̦̣͡.
"Naofumi," Itsuki growled out, making the Shield Hero tense up. The malicious aura surrounding Itsuki intensified and slammed into Naofumi.
"Wh-what's going on with Sir Itsuki?" Aksel asked.
The Shield Hero's face paled. Oh, this was ba-
"Meteor Shot!" The skill that came from Itsuki's bow looked far more powerful than usual. The very air it flew through shook with malicious intent.
"Meteor Shield! Shield Prison! Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Royal Shield!" Naofumi desperately chanted one skill after the other. He and the group around him were surrounded by all the various shields before Itsuki's skill impacted.
And all of them shattered one after the other. Naofumi's eyes widened in shock. Itsuki was strong, but to break all of his shields?! He even had Melty with him, and the Royal Shield still got destroyed almost instantaneously!
"Reflect Slash!" Ren tried deflecting the remainder of the attack when it broke through the last barrier. But even he wasn't able to reflect all that was left of it back at Itsuki. "AH!" He cried out in pain as he was launched back into several of his party members.
"Ren!" Wyndia and the others immediately tried to help him up. Fortunately, he wasn't terribly hurt.
"Decipher the laws of nature, and heal my targets, Fast Heal!" Naofumi's simple healing spell fixed up the few injuries Ren had just suffered, and helped out Keel as well.
"Thanks, Naofumi." Ren stood back up with some help from Wyndia and Bakta.
Itsuki had been launched back as well after his own skill struck his body, however, he almost immediately got back up. The wound on his chest began to heal over, leaving only another tear in his armor. In fact, all the other wounds he'd suffered had already healed over. His eyes looked even crazier than before.
"Is this, is this what I think it is?" Ren swallowed hard as he stood next to the Shield Hero with his Sword held up.
Naofumi was about to answer when he saw Itsuki pull the string of his bow back again. "Here it comes!"
There was a strange glint in the bow hero's purple eyes that made the blood in Naofumi's veins suddenly grow cold. The Bow Hero slightly turned his weapon, away from Naofumi and Ren.
And at the prison carriage where the children were.
"NO!" Naofumi dove sideways, but it was too late.
"Bunker Shot!"
"HIGH QUICK!"
Filo came to the rescue again, forcibly pulling the carriage out of the way, and jumping with it right before Itsuki's skill hit the area it'd been in. The sound of another ear-splitting explosion rang through the air and a massive steaming crater on the road was left in its wake. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The children inside the carriage screamed in fear, holding on to the bars that made the walls of the carriage for dear life.
Rachel, Maya, and Crystal, who'd been standing near the carriage, were sent to the ground by the explosion. Even though it hadn't directly hit them, it still hurt a lot. "Guys!" Aksel ran over to them in worry.
"&^%$! EVERYONE! BE CAREFUL! ITSUKI IS STUCK IN HIS CURSED SERIES!" Naofumi yelled at everyone else.
"What?!" Aksel, who had been in shock at Sir Itsuki attacking them, helped a limping Rachel to stand, and then they looked at Itsuki.
They paled as they realized that the Shield Hero was right.
"Fueh…" Rishia trembled. "Sir Itsuki…"
"Erst Arrow! Second Arrow! Dritte Arrow!" Naofumi quickly moved, blocking the next three attacks at the carriage with his shield. Each was more powerful than the last, but they were the simpler skills of Itsuki's arsenal. "Grab his attention!" He yelled at Ren.
"One Hundred Swords!" Ren knelt to the ground, retaliating with one of the few ranged skills he had.
Itsuki growled as he twisted this way and that. Several of the swords sliced into him. However, just like with previous attacks, the wounds quickly began to heal over. "His curse must give him fast regeneration abilities, just like Motoyasu." Naofumi gritted his teeth.
He blocked several more regular arrows the Bow Hero had sent at the carriage. His arms felt numb from blocking. His HP bar had also dipped somewhat in his vision. "Urgh!" He switched to the Shield of Hope II. Screw the timer! He needed all the defense he could get right now!
"And burn my target! Zweite Hellfire!"
"And blow our target away! Zweite Tornado!"
Wyndia finished firing off one of her fire spells just as Filo, Farrie, and Tersia launched simultaneous wind spells together.
"Meteor Slash!" Ren added his own special skill to the mix.
The area around Itsuki became encased by the different attacks. "Fueh, please don't hurt him!" Rishia cried out in worry.
"I'm trying not to, but we need to get his attention off those kids!" Ren yelled.
The rest of them watched, hoping the attacks had been enough to at least knock him out.
Then, the wind and flames cleared, revealing Itsuki still standing tall. His bow glowed brightly.
"Explosion Shot."
His retaliatory skill flew through the air at Ren. His eyes widened in shock. He'd definitely grabbed his attention, but maybe he'd done it too well.
"Ha!" Naofumi got in front of it, and barely managed to redirect the attack to the side using his shield. Still, it hit the ground too close to them, and Bakta and Welt were injured by the close-by explosion.
Itsuki unleashed a barrage of normal arrows. All of which Naofumi struggled to try and block. With the higher defense shield equipped though, his HP bar no longer dropped.
"Fast Heal!" He used the spell on himself to heal what damage he'd taken.
Ren was pale as a ghost. "I don't get it. Why is he keeping that bow equipped? Does he want to fight us?"
"I think he's lost control, Ren! Give these to everyone else while I try something!" Naofumi threw some healing potions at Ren when the attack ended before preparing to receive Itsuki's next attack.
"Eagle Piercing Shot!" A screeching eagle appeared on his bowstring. This one, however, had the now-familiar cursed fire streaming from its wings.
Naofumi sweatdropped. "Of course, he just had to use that skill."
Itsuki released the arrow. The eagle's caw seemed darker for some reason as it sped towards the Shield Hero.
However, unlike earlier that day, this time, Naofumi was prepared for it. He hadn't wanted to try this out on the Explosion Shot, since if he'd failed, it would have been fatal for those near him.
He still couldn't redirect every attack. He still couldn't attack worth a damn. But as a shielder, he had to learn more ways to defend those around him! To trip up his opponents, and give his allies chances to attack! After the training he'd undergone, he still couldn't reflect very well.
But if he focused, he could GRAB the opponent's attacks out of the air!
"HA!"
The eagle arrow screeched in surprise as Naofumi's fist closed around it. The Shield of Hope II glowed brightly on his arm. Naofumi then threw the cursed arrow on the ground, and crushed the arrow under his boot.
It let out a dying screech as it disappeared.
Itsuki took a step back in surprise.
"Itsuki! I know you're pissed off right now! I've been there! But you have to fight this! This isn't JUSTICE, you're being controlled by the curse!" Naofumi yelled, pointing a finger at the Bow Hero. Itsuki took a step back, horror written on his face. The dark aura around him faded somewhat. Yes, it was working!
"Wake the hell up and realize who you're attacking before you do something you'll regret-"
"NAOFUMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" The dark aura around Itsuki intensified. The others around Naofumi cowered down as a burst of wind slammed into them. Ren, who'd finished giving the last healing potion to one of Itsuki's party members, looked up in terror.
Itsuki pulled his bow back, and shining arrows began to fill it. Naofumi saw his eyes fall not on him, but moving one to one on everyone around him.
Rachel's eyes widened. "No, Sir Itsuki, stop-"
"JOIN MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The arrows flew through the air. All of them headed for Ren and the others.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield!" Naofumi quickly summoned the shields again to the sides to protect everyone. The arrows failed to penetrate them. Naofumi blocked the last few with his own Blessed shield.
When they hit; dark, twisted thoughts began to invade his mind.
Find them.
Hunt them.
Avenge them.
Avenge Terra.
No mercy.
Show no mercy.
Hunt.
Fight.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill!
KILL THEM ALL!
Naofumi shook his head, gritting his teeth through sheer force of will to expunge the thoughts. His shield glowed brighter. The timer, which he'd tried hard not to pay attention to in the corner of his vision, dropped by two minutes after the thoughts disappeared. The Robes of Michael surrounding his figure faded somewhat.
"Itsuki, stop it, please-" Maya tried to yell after being healed by a potion.
"You're wrong. You're wrong you're wrong you're wrong YOU'RE WRONG YOU'RE WRONG!" Itsuki screeched at her and the others. "JUST JOIN ME AND ADMIT YOU'RE WRONG!" Cursed fire began to spread from his bow over his body again. More shining arrows filled his bow, but just as quickly, they disappeared as one of his hands clutched at his head.
"ITSUKI!" Naofumi roared.
"The people! The slaves! Their deaths! It's… IT'S ALL WRONG!" Itsuki clutched at his head.
"Please, we know you don't want this! Just stop already-" Ren tried to yell.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" More cursed fire began to stream off Itsuki's clothes.
"Urgh, damn it, he's becoming even crazier!" Naofumi raised his shield to defend again.
Even with it, he was really starting to wish he was a higher level. He'd made it look easy, but it was all he could do just to catch Itsuki's one attack.
If the Bow Hero wised up and used a spread skill in this state, they were done for.
Ren took a position beside him, his sword raised in an effective offensive stance. "We don't have a choice then. We have to go all out and stop him before he kills us."
"We'll help!" Aksel said behind them.
"We can't leave Sir Itsuki like this!" Crystal said determinedly.
"We'll get through to him, no matter what!" Rachel and the others quickly got ready behind the two Cardinal Heroes. Raphtalia and Filo, Naofumi's biggest powerhouses, stood to the sides of Ren and Naofumi. The mages began chanting. Ren and Naofumi looked over their list of skills.
However, Itsuki continued to scream. His cursed fire glowed brighter. A shiver ran down all of their spines. Was it even possible? It was like his dark ominous aura was growing tenfold.
Rishia's eyes widened in terror. "Fueh! S-S-Sir Itsuki!" She cried out.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"No, no!" Rishia wanted to help! But she couldn't move?! She hadn't been able to move this whole time! It was like her legs were frozen to the ground!
"Everyone, on my mark!" Naofumi yelled. He didn't have much time left with his Blessed Shield. They had to make this work!
Tears came to the timid girl's green eyes. She had to stop this! She had to stop Itsuki before he killed anyone else! But she couldn't!
She was too weak!
She was too pathetic!
She was too timid!
She was-
"What is it about?"
"Well…" Rishia stared at Itsuki, waiting for his answer. "It's just, at the execution earlier, when I realized what was going to happen to Balamus… there was a part of me that wanted to take out my bow. To take aim, and to kill that Soul Worm before it could finish the job. I really, really wanted to do it."
"Fueh… then, then why didn't you?" She asked curiously.
"... … … Because… after experiencing everything that the three heroes church did firsthand. After nearly drowning in all the blood that I was forced to spill. After I almost went insane from all the senseless deaths around me... Yea, I might have felt bad. But as much as it makes me sick to admit this, I truly believed that Balamus deserved his fate…" Itsuki chuckled sadly to himself. She felt like her own heart was breaking seeing him like this.
"I guess that's why I got this stupid Cursed Bow of Justice. My sense of Justice is completely warped." He looked down at the table sadly.
Wasn't there anything she could do? Something she could say that would cheer him up?
…
"Sir Itsuki?"
"Sorry, I guess I was rambling there-"
"No, I just, I just wanted to say that you're wrong."
…
He looked up and stared at her. For some reason, she didn't shrink back in nervousness. It was like the words she was meant to say came right to her mind. And she allowed them to freely flow off her tongue.
"I know that I'm not one to speak. I've never been one to stand up for myself, or for others since I'm so weak." She said, her voice sad. "But that day, when I was sitting in a cage, wondering if I would ever see my parents again. You saved me." She smiled, looking down shyly at her hands resting on her chest. "When you stood up for me. When you faced that evil man... I finally knew what it was like for others to stand up for you. To fight for you. To right the wrongs done to them. And I… I wanted to become that. I wanted to help you with what you were doing."
Rishia was surprised, mostly because she actually meant it. Even if she was weak. Even if she wasn't very useful to have around. She felt… like she could be something more in front of Itsuki. In front of her Hero.
She looked up at him with fondness in her eyes. "... So please, don't say such awful things about yourself, Sir Itsuki. There's nothing wrong with your sense of justice. It helped you to save me, to save others."
A boost of confidence from deep within sheltered her next words. "And if something happens... if you ever do decide to do something unjust... then I promise, I'll stop you! I'll tell you that what you're doing is wrong and help you return to the right path!"
Rishia's eyes widened. And her feet ripped free of the muddy ground at last.
That's right! Her promise! She'd promised she'd stop him! How could she forget her promise!?
The muddy ground threatened to trip her up. Itsuki loomed threateningly like a tall, dark mountain in her vision. But despite the fear she felt, she charged forward regardless through rain and conflict.
She had to fulfill it, now, before it was too late! "Sir Itsuki!"
"Ready-" Naofumi began to say. It was almost like she was watching what was going on in slow motion.
The other Heroes were preparing to charge forward. The mages were almost finished with their spells. The looks of reluctance and sorrow on her friend's faces. The looks of regret on the hero's faces as she began to run by them. The agony and rage painted on the face of the person she-
She had to stop this! SHE HAD TO!
"Meteor Shie-"
"SIR ITSUKI! STOP! PLEASE!" Before they could register what was happening, before Itsuki could process what was happening to him, Rishia dashed past Naofumi and Ren, closed the distance between them, and dove through the rain, tackling the burning Bow Hero into a hug.
Through the cursed fire surrounding him, a confused look came over Itsuki's face. A spark of sanity shone through the darkness that was devouring him from inside.
...
"Ri.. shia…?" He muttered, like the name was unfamiliar to him.
Naofumi and Ren raised a fist, stopping everyone else. The mages canceled their spells. Their raised weapons lowered in disbelief.
Rishia continued to hug Itsuki tightly despite the cursed flames. It hurt. It hurt so much she wanted to scream. But she kept her voice calm and reassuring. "I know you're hurting, Itsuki. I know you want to lash out at us. But what you're doing is wrong. You're hurting your friends. Please, stop this."
No. Why was she getting in his way? Why was she standing in the way of Justice? Why was she stopping him from avenging Terra?
Could she... actually be evil too?
The thought hung within his mind for what felt like an eternity as the malevolent burning black presence that held his heart prisoner tried to twist it. To show that she was evil, trying to get in his way, of the way of his perfect, flawless self, and that it meant that he had to eliminate her.
… But, that… that didn't make sense. That was impossible. Anyone but her. She is… she...
The contradiction made the world that he perceived around him crack. The delusion wrought upon by the curse began to crumble, no longer able to sustain itself.
"Sir Itsuki, please, listen to me," Rishia whispered into his ear. Her body trembled, and not just from the pain that she was in. "I know it hurts. I know you're going through so much anguish right now. But doing this isn't going to make things better. What you're doing right now. This person, consumed by hatred and pride. This isn't who you really are. The Itsuki I know is a kind, understanding, courageous person who always helps everyone he can. Even if he sometimes gets a bit full of himself and thinks he's always right, he'd never willingly hurt another person."
Itsuki growled. He tried to select some skill for his Bow. But it was like he was at war with himself. But why…
"Please, remember who you are, Remember your friends are here to help you… I'm here to help you, despite all of my weaknesses." She rested her head on his shoulder, tears streaming down her face.
Help him… she…
"Please, stop before it's too late!" She yelled with all the confidence she could muster. "Wake up, come back to us, come back to me!
"ITSUKIIIIIIIIIIII!"
Her scream reached the center of his mind like a piercing light. The darkness, which had barely been holding itself together, began to rapidly crack at her yell. It tried to put up one last desperate resistance, the flames surrounding the two of them briefly flared up to the sky.
And then, the suffocating black cloud around him collapsed, allowing fresh, warm green light to envelop his being.
'... … ...What... what am I doing? What…? What was I doing?!'
The cursed flames dissipated entirely. The warmth of Rishia's embrace finally registered to him, clashing with the coldness of the rain falling on them, the rain which he suddenly began to feel as his clothes got soaked.
Rishia. She was hugging him...
The remaining darkness in his mind began to recede from the light. The violet glow leaked away from his eyes. The color of his Bow's gemstone gradually filtered back to its normal gold color.
The Cursed Bow disappeared, replaced with his default starter bow. Itsuki's reason had returned, and the Bow Hero, no longer held tight in the grip of his Cursed Series, looked around himself in shock.
"What… how…"
Naofumi felt the oppressive aura around Itsuki disappear. He sighed out in relief as he relaxed.
"It's alright now, he should be okay." He said to the others.
Ren's party looked unsure, but Itsuki's party sheathed their weapons in relief. Several of them looked to be on the verge of crying.
Itsuki collapsed on his knees. Rishia was surprised, and then, he gripped onto her tightly, sobbing into her stomach. "Wah! Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Fuehhhhhhhh!" She cried loudly in turn from surprise as well as relief. Itsuki was holding on to her tightly. His body was shaking. He continued to cry as the memories rushed through his mind.
The horrors of what he'd done and almost done. Mercilessly killing all the slavers. Attacking Keel. Almost killing the kids. Hurting his friends, Naofumi, Ren, and everyone else.
He couldn't bear it. The screams of those men, their dying pleas. The looks on his friend's faces as he tried to attack them over and over again.
it was too much for him to handle. He almost wanted to die.
Rishia eventually calmed down, and looked down at her Hero sadly. "It's, it's okay. Everything's okay now, Sir Itsuki." Rishia quietly whispered to him. "You're back on the right path now. That's what matters right now." She got down, moving Itsuki's head to her shoulder. One of her hands began to hesitantly stroke his blonde hair. But his crying didn't stop.
"I… I almost killed them… I almost killed all the kids… Terra died trying to protect them." Itsuki sobbed harder. "And I, I almost… I almost killed them! I almost killed all of my friends! I almost killed you!" Rishia gripped him more tightly. Trying desperately not to start crying again.
She'd fulfilled her promise. But now, her Hero needed something more. Something greater.
A shoulder to cry on. And friends to comfort him.
Slowly, Itsuki's other party members gathered and settled around their leader. Rachel used a spell to cast a wave of darkness overhead, protecting them from the rain. And then, they all got down on their knees and surrounded Itsuki in a large group hug.
Maya was next to Aksel as they did it. But for once, the knight wasn't bothered by her at all. Both of them looked terribly unnerved as well as sad to see Itsuki like this. Both of them cried, hating to see their friend in such great pain.
With the threat out of the way, Naofumi began to direct the efforts to check the bodies of the slavers. As horrible as the charred mess in the back was, it was preferable to the mess and gore in front of where the prison carriage had been.
It was like the men had fought right up until their hearts gave out. It was a sickening mess of blood and gore. He'd never seen anything like it before in his life.
"Thank goodness Rishia stopped Itsuki in time," Raphtalia said next to Naofumi, while slowly stroking Keel's head. She was holding the boy in her arms again, afraid to let go of her childhood friend.
"Yea…" The Shield Hero nodded grimly. Had Itsuki done all of this while under the effects of the Cursed Series? That blasted idiot! He should have known better than to use it! He looked back at Keel in Raphtalia's arms and then at the other kids. Some of them were still crying!
Itsuki, you blasted, stupid, stubborn, annoying, little ^%$#ing idiot!
In fact, he couldn't take it anymore. He marched over before Raphtalia could read his mind and stop him, moved between Itsuki's party members, and when no one was expecting it, he bitch slapped Itsuki right across the face.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"
It didn't hurt, no ATK stat to blame, but it did shock the Bow Hero out of his crying. "I've had it up to here with you!" He gestured to the top of his head in anger. "This isn't the time to bitch, cry and moan, you moron! The slavers are dead, and the children are safe! So calm down and get a hold of yourself!"
Raphtalia facepalmed nearby.
...
"You, YOU MONSTER!" Rishia screeched as she stood up. Naofumi's hearing felt like it'd taken damage as she pushed him back. It was surprising that she actually managed to do that since his DEF made him a brick wall at this point. "CAN'T YOU TELL SIR ITSUKI IS HURTING RIGHT NOW! HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS TO HIM! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF-"
"No, Rishia…" She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around in surprise. "He's right... again." Itsuki breathed in deeply, trying to regain some semblance of control. Tears still fell down his face, and his expression didn't change. "Thank you, both of you, all of you, for stopping me before I… I…" He hung his head again depressedly. More tears fell from his face.
"... Fueh…"
Naofumi saw Raphtalia's look of disapproval, and angrily huffed. "You know, you really *&^ up here, Itsuki," Naofumi told him coldly, but with less anger than before. "You should have known that they wouldn't have gotten far, even if we temporarily lost their tracks in the rain. Not when Filo's faster than any other mode of transportation, and we have the help of all those skilled demi-humans capable of tracking their scent, and… and..." Naofumi couldn't lecture Itsuki further at that point because of how depressed the kid looked.
And because Raphtalia's look of disapproval deepened with each word he said. Filo, Melty, Eclair, Ren, and everyone else had joined in too. It was like he was suddenly the bad guy here!
Even Dou-Lon looked conflicted about whether or not he should be glaring at him or not.
"And..." Naofumi looked away from them at the mangled dead bodies. He finally acknowledged the darkness steadily creeping into his mind at last. "And… if I had gotten here first, I would have done the same thing as you." He looked down at his shield gem with a scowl as it flashed red again. "I'm sorry." He muttered.
Itsuki saw the Shield Hero's conflicted look.
He wasn't the only one who'd suffered from this.
Filo quickly came up to Naofumi and hugged him around the waist. Raphtalia gently set Keel on the bench of the prison carriage before joining Filo and hugging Naofumi, so his head could rest on her shoulder. Rishia and the others similarly gathered around Itsuki protectively.
Itsuki sadly continued to cry.
Eclair put a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. Melty stood behind Filo. And Dou-Lon stood nervously to the side, unsure what he was allowed to do until Raphtalia grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and also had him join hugging Naofumi opposite her.
Several minutes passed while all sides calmed down.
...
Finally, when Naofumi was done, he grumbled something under his breath.
"Daddy, are you okay?" Filo asked, sounding worried.
"Does Lord Naofumi require anything from me?" Dou-Lon asked.
"No, just…" He had everyone let go of him, and approached Keel. He pulled several healing potions from his shield, and began chanting his strongest healing spells he had under his breath.
Raphtalia, realizing what he was doing, lifted Keel's head up for him so he could have the dog boy drink the potions while he chanted.
A moment later, after five potions and nearly draining his entire MP bar, Keel looked far better than before. His bones had mended, and all his cuts and bruises had disappeared. Naofumi briefly pulled out the Shield of Hope II again to fix the cursed burns, but they were fortunately pretty minor. When he was done, he had no defense debuff at all. Strange.
Had Itsuki somehow held back and inflicted Keel with a minor curse? Was it because Keel was very low level? Or was it something else…
"Ugh… Brother Shield, is that you?" Keel groaned as he woke up.
"Don't worry, everything's fine now, Keel-Kun," Raphtalia told him. Keel smiled, revealing a full set of teeth again.
Naofumi shook his head and switched to a different shield. He could worry about it some other time.
"Thank goodness. I knew, Brother Shield would find a way to handle it." Keel smiled widely up at his best friend.
"Keel-Kun…"
"... Filo, pull this carriage back to the town and come back for us later." He ordered his daughter. "Eclair, I want you driving the carriage in case more slavers are nearby to attack."
"Yes, Sir Naofumi." Eclair gave a curt bow before climbing onto the driver's bench.
"... Melty, I want you to stay with the children. Make sure they're okay."
He must have been humbled if he was addressing her by name. Melty nodded, and got in the wagon with Keel and the others. Several of the kids gripped onto the Second Princess and Keel. They were no longer crying, but some of them still shook in fear.
"It's okay. You're all safe now." Melty whispered gently to them.
"You all were super brave. We're going to be alright now. Brother Shield will make sure of it." Keel told them confidently.
Filo had to remove the dead horses from their holsters. And then she grabbed the slaver's former carriage and sped off towards Lurolona, carrying the terrified and shocked children away from the sight of the massacre.
"So, want to tell me what the hell happened while we wait for Filo to come back?" Naofumi finally asked the Bow Hero.
After a long moment, Itsuki nodded. Thanks to the time Naofumi had spent healing Keel, he felt a little better.
He gave a summary of how he'd been following the trail. How it started to rain. How he had almost lost the trail entirely, and then just…
He didn't have to finish. The evidence of what had happened was all around them. Itsuki's party stayed protectively around the blonde kid, in case Naofumi had any more bright ideas.
"So you basically hit rock bottom… and inadvertently equipped your Cursed Series. Damn it." Naofumi muttered. "Besides the Cursed Series, is there anything else that you can recall? Something that would help us know why they were dumb enough to attack our village?"
Itsuki tried hard to remember. There was so much blood though… "Maybe… I think, they didn't realize we were guarding that village." He finally muttered.
"... huh?" One of Naofumi's brows arched up at that reveal.
"While talking… they didn't seem to know who I was. They thought I was just some hunter…" Itsuki began to shake again. "Oh god, one of them wasn't a slaver. He was only a desperate mercenary with a starving family, and I… I…" He nearly collapsed in horror. Crystal and Karn, fortunately, caught him in time, but Itsuki continued to tremble in their grip. "I killed someone begging me for mercy. What, what have I done…"
Rishia whimpered, seeing her Hero fall into a bad emotional state again.
Naofumi frowned. "This kidnapping attempt seems too stupid. If they didn't even know we were here, why did they bother drugging the knight's wine?"
The statement was enough to knock Itsuki back to reality before he fell into Despair again. "... huh?"
Ren then walked up and explained that he'd gone to the knight's barracks trying to figure out why they weren't doing their duties. Then he tried to search the barracks, trying to figure out why they were all knocked out. "I was about to give up and leave since we needed to leave immediately when I came across this." He pulled a bottle of leftover wine out of his sword. He could barely read the text on the bottle, but he managed to do it without Naofumi's help. Holiday Spice.
"I looked some more and found several of these lying around, all of them empty. I had the Apothecarian sniff it before we left. He confirmed it was drugged with a particularly effective concoction, one that's normally used on patients before surgery." Ren said.
"But where did the wine come from?" Itsuki asked. "How did it get to the village, and-"
"I would like to know that myself, but unfortunately, you didn't leave anyone alive for us to interrogate," Naofumi said in a hard voice. Itsuki lowered his head in shame. "However, Ren did manage to wake one of the knights thanks to the Apothecarian. Apparently, they all thought it had been a gift from Mirellia. A few bottles were waiting on their doorstep after the town meeting, along with a card congratulating them for their loyal service, a card bearing the royal seal on it." Naofumi said.
"... But, but Mirellia wouldn't…" Itsuki trailed off. Mirellia wouldn't have done this. "You mean, don't tell me…"
"Naofumi, do you think, this kidnapping was meant to provoke us?" Raphtalia asked the uncomfortable question that suddenly sprung to everyone's minds.
The Shield Hero shrugged. "Honestly, I can only guess what they hoped to accomplish with this. But one thing is clear. This kidnapping was planned. And someone helped these slavers out, yet hid the fact that we were guarding this area." He scowled. He wasn't one to blindly start pointing fingers at people without proof, but there was only one person horrible enough to do this coming to mind.
"Bitch."
…
A cold feeling went down the spines of everyone there.
As the silence fell, it finally dawned on Itsuki, the point that Naofumi had been trying to make all this time.
They couldn't always protect those they cared about by themselves. What Naofumi had been suggesting wasn't a means of taking away the basic human rights of everyone under their care. Rather, it was a way that'd help their friends to focus on becoming self-sufficient. Helping them to grow stronger, so he'd never have to worry about them dying in battle should they as Heroes mess up.
They'd become strong. Strong enough that no one could ever hurt them and take their loved ones away from them ever again. Even if it was immoral and cold, it was the pragmatic and logical thing to do in this immoral and cold world.
Naofumi hadn't been arguing with him about slavery being bad after all. Itsuki had been right on that. But he'd been wrong about why Naofumi wanted to do this. What he would do for the sake of his allies, and his friends. Accepting the responsibility and consequences...
Eventually, Filo came back. By that point, the Cursed Fires had been put out, and they were done trying to check the bodies for anything of worth. They had no documents or anything that explained who their boss was. If they'd had such documents, they'd likely burned with those killed by fire.
All they had left was a hand-sized sack of silver coins that had melted into one solid block from the heat of the cursed flames. It was likely the money that they'd been paid to do the job.
It seemed like too great a cost to give their lives up for.
"What should we do with the bodies?" Bakta asked while biting on his lower lip.
"Leave them," Naofumi answered. "Filth like this doesn't deserve to be touched. Let the monsters be happy with their meal tonight."
"... But bury that one." Itsuki shakily gestured to one of the burnt-out bodies. "He didn't deserve this…"
…
"Okay." Naofumi nodded and turned away. They did as Itsuki asked. No one asked how Itsuki knew which one was which.
That man would live on in his nightmares for the rest of his life.
After the burial was completed, everyone got back into the carriage. Itsuki continued to tremble, even after Rishia put her coat around him to try and help him. She was trembling, even worse than him.
"N-Naofumi." The boy stuttered in pain.
Naofumi looked back at Itsuki, and finally noticed both he and Rishia had very bad cursed burns covering their exposed skin, though Itsuki's was far worse than hers. Itsuki felt even more guilty, seeing he'd hurt her again.
"Damn it." Naofumi sighed, but changed to the Shield of Hope II again. "Let's get this over with." After his angel transformation and all that was complete, he activated Ray of Hope.
Naofumi gritted his teeth as he took the pain of their curses into himself. It was painful, extremely painful, far more than Keel's minor curse had been. Naofumi had a front-row seat to all the pain both had experienced over the course of the curse's infliction, as well as Itsuki's current mental trauma.
He wished he could say he took it like a man. But at the end of it, he was lying on the floor of the carriage, entirely drained and pathetically weak. He was also crying. Crap, to think Itsuki had been going through this much!
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia quickly looked him over in worry.
The Shield Hero groaned, relieved to finally switch out of the Blessed Shield to his weak default Small Shield. "Raphtalia, please take the reins. I can hardly… urgh." Naofumi collapsed back against the wood.
Raphtalia slowly nodded, and after helping Naofumi to at least sit up against a bench, she took Filo's reins and began directing her back home.
"Oh &^%$, does Fitoria know-" Naofumi started to say in realization.
"No, for some reason, Filo felt it best to cut off Fitoria's connection on our way here. Does Daddy want Filo to tell Fitoria what happened?" The large bird turned her head and asked with a concerned look.
Rishia whimpered as she held Itsuki close to her. Naofumi shook his head. "Just tell her we had to deal with some slavers that attacked our village. Don't mention anything that happened with Itsuki for now… tell her later, when we're more emotionally stable."
"Kay…" Filo's cowlick glowed, and she began talking under her breath to Fitoria. Naofumi sighed in relief. He was glad Filo had the foresight to hide this from Fitoria. If she'd learned that Itsuki had lost control…
Well, that wouldn't have been a very pleasant meeting. They were lucky to have built up a lot of goodwill with her lately. However, he'd rather they were in a better spot before they told Fitoria about this.
Because he had no doubt she'd come to see them as soon as she learned about it.
He also grimaced as he saw the 35% debuff staring at him from his HUD. He knew what he'd absorbed from the two had been much worse than what his Shield of Rage II had wrought way back when on Raphtalia. He was lucky, or unlucky depending on how he looked at it, that he hadn't passed out from the pain this time.
This had just been on the verge of what his current Shield's abilities could deal with.
And that dark aura that had been emanating from Itsuki… If Rishia had been a few seconds too late with pulling Itsuki out of his cursed state, who knew what would have happened.
"Don't you ever use that Bow again, you idiot," Naofumi half-heartedly spoke while pointing weakly at Itsuki. The Bow Hero was huddled amidst his party members opposite him. "Otherwise, I'm not healing whatever damn curse you put on yourself."
"O… Ok…" Itsuki remained quiet for most of the ride back. Everyone else remained quiet too. Now that the experience was over, they wanted nothing more than to rest.
Ugh. Naofumi just wanted to go to sleep and forget all of this had ever happened.
Wyndia was oddly silent next to Ren. Even though she'd gone through the Filolial class-up, even if it hadn't been by choice, she was supposed to be strong enough to help. Yet, when confronted by Itsuki's strong, dark aura, she could do nothing but stare in horror. She'd felt so weak and pathetic in the face of it. Yet Rishia had overcome her weakness, and managed to calm Itsuki down.
If only she'd been stronger...
Almost everyone else riding in the wagon had similar thoughts.
…
…
It wasn't until they were almost back that Itsuki spoke again.
"If these... kids and their caretaker had been stronger, would it have prevented this tragedy from happening?" He quietly asked Naofumi.
…
Naofumi didn't say anything at first…
"You know I don't want to answer that." He muttered.
"I know…" Itsuki sadly muttered.
…
…
"Tomorrow. Let's go to the Capital." Itsuki said.
...
"Are… are you sure?" Naofumi asked.
…
"I don't… I don't want to… to lose anyone… again..." He gripped onto Rishia tightly, unable to finish. Rishia rested his face against her shoulder, tears streamed from both her and Itsuki, as well as his friends, who stared at their leader, realizing what he meant.
Naofumi knew what he'd meant too. A couple of his own tears went down his face. He sadly nodded in response.
"We have to report what happened to Mirellia anyway. We can handle that first… before..." He muttered. It was sad to have someone else who understood almost perfectly what he'd been going through since his first week in this world.
Ren stayed silent, but nodded.
The slavery debate that Naofumi had never wanted to win was, at last, over. And it was clear who the winner was.
But in the end, even if Naofumi had won the slavery argument out of necessity. Even if it might save the lives of thousands down the road…
It still felt like a hollow victory. A victory he'd never wanted.
Till Next Time
Allen