For those who want to know, I posted a Valentine's Day one-shot for Ren and Wyndia yesterday. I hope those who've come to like the ship thanks to this fic will enjoy it.
Chapter Six: Through Hellfire and Brimstone
The next two days came and went with little to no action to speak of.
After the events of that night were told to Motoyasu, he immediately stepped into his big brother role and forced Itsuki and Naofumi to stay in their homes with their party members. As well as that, he and Ren had to arrange for the town meeting to be pushed back a couple of days so all sides could take a break.
However, he didn't leave to report to the Queen, as he hadn't seen all that'd happened. And Ren didn't want to go face her alone.
Naofumi wished he could have been angry about having to wait to deal with that… but he hardly had the energy to feel anything after all that had happened. So after he'd made sure everything was settled, he fell onto his bed and slept for the next twenty-four hours straight.
When he finally woke up, he got to work with Melty and the rest of his party to prepare an outline of laws regarding slavery. He hardly interacted with the other Heroes during that time. His party did all they could to help him, but for the first time in a while, he felt totally, and utterly helpless in the face of all that'd happened.
All he could do was help where he could. And hope that things would work out for the best...
...
Finally, the destined day arrived.
The lightning storm had long since passed, but the sky remained filled with dark, gloomy storm clouds. The morning of that day greeted the countryside with more rain, adding to the already gloomy atmosphere inside of Lurolona.
Instead of holding the meeting outside, it was held inside the Church so that everyone could stay dry and warm. Naofumi came prepared for a debate, just in case. But he soon learned that it was already a moot point.
"Are we in agreement with going forward with this?" Melty asked.
Itsuki sat in a pew up front, staring down at the ground. He slowly nodded, conceding his position. Ren sat next to him, and he also nodded his head.
Naofumi and Motoyasu sat in the front pew beside theirs. Naofumi nodded. And though Motoyasu wouldn't be using the slave crest, he wasn't going to stop the other Heroes from doing so. He nodded as well.
The rest of the townspeople, who were sitting behind them, showed no sign of protest either.
"... Alright then…" Melty pulled out the list of laws she'd outlined. Another list which she'd had prepared in case they'd changed their minds was thrown away.
By the time the meeting was almost over, Melty had the laws regarding the use of slavery in their country finalized, and read them out loud to everyone for their approval.
"Slavery, as it exists in other countries, is banned for anyone, noble, royalty, or otherwise, who chooses to live within Lurolona's borders. Those who come to enslave will be harshly punished for their actions, no matter who they are or where they come from." The second princess began to speak. She looked at everyone between each reading, with everyone nodding their heads in agreement to each point presented.
"Slave crests outside of use on prisoners are only allowed use by the Cardinal Heroes, and their use of them will henceforth be known under the title of "Hero Service Seals". The Cardinal Heroes are allowed to use only the lowest level crests for this, and only with the intent of strengthening those who choose to bear it.
"Humans cannot make the choice of having the seal applied to them until they've reached the age of sixteen. Demi-humans, due to their unique biology, and out of respect for their culture, will have the choice made available to them once they reach the age of ten.
"The Heroes cannot force those who don't want the "Hero Service Seal" to bear it. Attempting to do so will result in them being banned from using it. Further offenses will result in punishment for said Hero.
"Those who choose to bear it will become a part of the 'Heroes Army'. Those who wish to serve in the Heroes army will be granted the option of getting their level reset to reap the most benefit of having the Hero Service Seal applied."
"Those who choose to bear the "Hero Service Seal" are to have the option of being able to remove the seal made available to them indefinitely once they reach Level 40 and receive a class-up.
There were a few other laws she mentioned in regards to the monitoring of the Hero's use of the crest as well as what would be expected of the people who would choose to serve in the Hero's Army. Then came one of the most important laws that Naofumi himself had helped Melty to draft up before breakfast that morning.
"A Hero treating anyone with a Hero Service Seal as property, or removing from them their right of autonomy, is illegal. The maximum punishment allowed under this... is death. Should a Hero be judged guilty and be given the death penalty, it will be administered after the Waves or whatever disaster that prompted their summoning to our world is over, and only if he or she fails to make retribution for the people they wrongly enslaved before then..."
Naofumi remembered Melty at his house, asking him if he was sure about this proposal. But he'd looked at Raphtalia, and then at Filo, followed by Eclair and Dou-Lon, before looking back at the Second Princess, responding that he wanted to make sure that neither he, nor the other heroes, would ever forget the consequences of abusing this power for their own selfish needs.
She'd nodded, and didn't question him anymore on the matter.
Now, looking behind him at everyone there, he saw shocked looks on the people's faces.
Melty paused, waiting for their approval. She wouldn't ratify this otherwise. As much as Naofumi annoyed her, she didn't want to risk the chance of putting him or the others to death. However, the people did eventually nod, and they gave their consent to the conditions imposed on the Heroes.
Thus, the consequences of misusing the crest hung over the heads of the Cardinal Heroes like a large stone, ready to squash them underneath should they abuse the people they were supposed to help.
There were more rules and stipulations that the young princess continued with, some of which Melty hoped would extend into the far future in case the Heroes would get summoned to their world again. However, Naofumi didn't need to worry about those. Some of them were in regards to how slave crests would be administered to prisoners, and what would be allowable in regards to how to treat them.
Because if slavers did attack Lurolona again, there was no way in hell they would get off easy with a fate like death.
It was too bad that the Heroes wouldn't be put in charge of prisoners. Naofumi would have enjoyed making a slaver or two experience the pain that they'd put others through. Tearing families apart. Killing parents. Kidnapping children. All to get a few silvers in their pockets.
Disgusting.
...
Naofumi glanced at his shield gem with disdain as it changed back from red to its natural color. He needed to talk to Fitoria again, and soon.
What happened to Itsuki was a hell of a wake-up call. Seeing how a fellow hero had acted under the influence of the curse series gave him a lot to think about. If only he could figure out why he was so angry lately...
When the meeting was concluded, there was a small funeral held for Terra.
Naofumi couldn't say much for the details, but regardless, it was a sad, somber affair for everyone there.
A demi-human who'd been a priest before his enslavement gave a speech to the gathered crowd. Naofumi didn't pay so much attention to the eulogy as he did to the coffin. It was an open casket funeral, and Terra almost looked like she was peacefully sleeping inside.
It was yet another stark reminder that this world was real.
...
The kids Terra had been taking care of cried quietly around her grave plot when her coffin was lowered down. And they were the first ones to drop handfuls of dirt on it out of respect for the person who'd selflessly treated them as her own.
Itsuki stood in front of the grave, just staring down at the black coffin that Jerry had made for the large woman. No one stood near the Bow Hero except for his party members.
Naofumi noticed many of the villagers giving Itsuki a wide berth as they approached the grave to pay their respects to Terra
One of Itsuki's hands trembled, and Rishia hesitantly took it in her own. The others tried their best to comfort him, and Maya hesitantly tried to cheer him up. But he simply continued to look down at the grave with a hollow look in his eyes. Itsuki's lower lip trembled as he did so.
Naofumi found it hard to tell if it was the rain droplets, or tears going down the sides of Itsuki's face.
'Itsuki…'
He wondered if the Bow Hero would ever recover from this…
…
Raphtalia took his hand in hers. "You're worried about him, aren't you?" She asked.
"..."
Naofumi's hand clenched in hers. "It's my job to protect them. But I let this all happen… and now I don't know how to help him… or… if I'd even be capable of helping him..."
She gently kissed him on the cheek, catching him off guard. "He might be suffering in a way you once did, Naofumi. But Itsuki isn't you. What he needs isn't something we can give him."
"But I..." Naofumi hung his head.
She gave his hand one last squeeze, before kneeling and putting her hands together. "For now, Terra deserves a safe journey to her loved ones."
Naofumi looked from her, to a definitely crying Itsuki, to her again. He sadly shook his head and stepped back to allow others to pay their respects.
He didn't know what to do. He honestly felt bad for the young man. However, he couldn't afford to let Itsuki wallow in self-pity. They needed to get the Bow hero on his feet again, or else he'd just backpedal further into depression, and then he'd really fall apart at a critical moment later on.
Naofumi knew.
It'd happened to him.
There wasn't much else that Naofumi could remember about the event. There was one stranger, a demi-human who had ears like Terra, that stood beside the grave alongside Itsuki and his party. But he didn't get a chance to interact with him.
When all was said and done, when it was time to leave, Ren used his portal skill to bring himself, Itsuki, Naofumi, Dou-Lon, and Eclair to Melromarc's Castle.
Soon after the departure of the Three Heroes, the rest of the townspeople, as well as the party members of the four Heroes, slowly returned to their homes through the falling rain.
The only exception to that was the kids who continued to stand over the grave of their former caretaker. Their clothes were drenched.
"You should move indoors. You're going to catch a cold if you stay out here."
A few of the children turned their heads at the source of the voice, revealing that it came from Raphtalia. They then exchanged some somber looks between each other without saying anything.
"Raphtalia's right, everyone." Keel broke the silence with a nod. "Terra would be mad if we got sick."
"Terra's not here anymore though." The oldest girl in the group quietly murmured.
"Just like our parents." A boy sniffled loudly after speaking.
Raphtalia bit on her lower lip and looked away, unsure how to respond as her own old wounds briefly reopened.
"Even if they're… gone, we should still respect their wishes." She finally managed to say.
The boy from before sniffled again, choked up on his feelings. He then slowly turned away and started to walk towards the church. A couple more children looked at him before lowering their eyes to the ground and joining him. The rest followed soon after, with the exception of one girl with cat ears.
Raphtalia slowly approached her and saw that the cat-eared girl was gritting her teeth in anger as she glared at the gravestone.
"Anya. Aren't you going to follow everyone else?" Raphtalia asked quietly.
"It was meaningless." Anya spat out, tears running down her face.
"... Meaningless?" The half-tanuki, half-raccoon girl blinked in confusion.
"She should have run as soon as she'd realized that she was outnumbered. Or she could have surrendered. I doubt those bastards would have minded having someone else to sell. But instead she..." The girl shuddered. "She let herself get butchered for no reason."
...
Raphtalia's confused look turned into a small glare. "It's easy to criticize someone in hindsight, isn't it?"
The catgirl closed her mouth and didn't respond.
"Anya, have you ever been in a fight?" Raphtalia asked with a hard look in her eyes. "I have. I've been in many. Too many." The raccoon girl grabbed Anya by the shoulders and moved her body around so she could. "And let me say this: You can't always make rational decisions in a fight. You could be the most intelligent and wise person in the world... but it would mean nothing when there is no time to think."
Anya bit on her lower lip as Raphtalia continued in a softer voice.
"Terra was woken up in the middle of the night by a suspicious noise. She left her room to figure out what it was only to see her house invaded by a group of armed strangers, some of which were forcibly dragging children, HER children, out of their home. You say that she could have run, but at that moment there was only one thought overshadowing everything else in her mind.
"Her children were being hurt. They were in danger and needed help. Her help. And so, she acted. She did what she thought was the only available course of action at that moment, because even if you weren't hers by blood, even if you hadn't known each other for long, she loved you and felt responsible for you. So much that she was willing to throw her own life away to save you."
Raphtalia briefly stopped talking when she saw that Anya had begun to furiously shake while clutching her hands at her sides. She slowly moved one of her hands to pat her on the head. "I would have done the same thing if I was her. Wouldn't you?"
"... I- I'm…" Anya's head fell, and tears fell off her cheeks onto the mud below. "I'm sorry." She managed to choke out. "I'm so sorry, Auntie Terra…"
"Shhhh, it's okay." Raphtalia hugged the catgirl close. She continued to cry into Raphtalia's stomach. "I'm sure that she's forgiven you. I know how hard this is. Even if I've grown up, I haven't forgotten this pain. I doubt that I ever will. None of us will."
The girl quietly sobbed while embracing Raphtalia. She said nothing for a moment, allowing Anya to finally let out some of the sorrow she'd locked away inside.
"Come on, let's get you out of this rain." Raphtalia eventually said.
Still shaking, Anya listened, and Raphtalia led her away from the grave by the hand.
When the pair entered the church they were greeted by a curious sight.
Filo was sitting on the floor in front of the pews in her Filolial queen form with the rest of the kids huddled around her for warmth to combat the rainy weather outside. She was humming a simple melody to herself, one that Raphtalia immediately recognized as the lullaby that she occasionally sang to her before bed. Raphtalia couldn't help but tremble slightly upon hearing it.
The atmosphere was still far from positive or even neutral, but at the very least no one was crying anymore. She wondered if the slight raise in mood was because of Filo, but then she saw a half-eaten tray of cookies set on the podium where the priest would usually stand. A little note was attached to it, and the handwriting on it was very messy.
Sorry for your loss. I know this isn't much, but have as much as you like and come to my house later if you ever need anything else.
~Naofumi
Raphtalia sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course, he didn't think to mention this to her. He'd probably taken the time to cook these last night while she was asleep. "Well, I guess a lunch like this is okay once in a while." She sighed before gently nudging Anya forward. "Come on. We should grab some before Filo's patience runs out."
"HMPH!" Filo stopped her humming and puffed up her feathers proudly while turning her head away. "Filo would never steal someone else's cookies!" The impressive display of willpower was somewhat ruined by the line of drool running down her beak.
"You stole two of mine though!" One of the kids whined.
"Filo did no such thing!"
The sight made Anya tense up and she let out a barely audible grunt while covering her mouth. She quickly collected herself and bowed to Raphtalia. "Thank you Raphtalia nee-san. And please, give Sir Shield Hero my thanks too." She then ran up to the tray, grabbing a handful of the crispy disks before joining the rest of her playmates.
"Oh yeah! Mine too!" Keel perked up. "These are really good! Shield bro is amazing."
The other kids nodded in agreement, muttering their approval.
Raphtalia tried one herself. It tasted really, really good! She was almost tempted to grab two or three more when one particular comment made her go rigid.
"Yea, he saved us, unlike that Bow Demon."
None of the kids reacted to it strongly, only continuing to mutter in agreement as they chewed on Naofumi's gift.
…
"Excuse me." The young woman tried to keep her voice calm. "What did you mean by Bow Demon?"
The children visibly tensed up as fresh memories of that night were recalled. "Sir Itsuki, who else?" One of the boys answered matter of factly.
"... Keel?" Raphtalia looked at her best friend with a hard expression.
"I mean…" The dog boy squirmed in place uncomfortably. "What else would you describe it as?"
"His eyes shone like the purple fire." One girl continued.
"He killed everyone around him without mercy with those flames of his." Another boy added.
"He killed that one man... even though he didn't deserve it." A girl shook in fright.
"He doesn't deserve to be here. He's evil." Anya finished with a tone of finality and the other children nodded in agreement.
What was this? Raphtalia had heard eerie comments from some of the villagers. But to hear it from the children too!?
She understood Itsuki would have some backlash for attacking Naofumi in front of everyone, even if he'd saved all the people there previously. He'd set himself up for even more backlash by trying to kill these kids. But for them to label him as a Demon!?
That reminded her too much of what had happened to Naofumi. It hit a little too close to home.
However, as she struggled to form a reply, a different voice cut through the children's murmurs of agreement.
"No. He's not."
Motoyasu uncrossed his arms and stood up from the pew that he was sitting in.
"S-sir Motoyasu?" Raphtalia nearly jumped in surprise after turning around. "When did you get here?"
Motoyasu blinked in confusion and cocked his head. "What do you mean? I've been here since long before you arrived, I say!"
"Eh? R-really?" The raccoon girl glanced back at the kids for confirmation.
"Umm, yea. Spear guy was already here when Filo brought the cookies." Filo nodded in confirmation.
Oh wow, this was somewhat embarrassing. She couldn't believe she hadn't even noticed someone else was there.
"Ah-Uhm, m-my apologies Sir Motoyasu. That was so very rude of me!" She quickly bowed her head.
"Oh no no, It's fine, really. There's nothing to apologize for. I wasn't trying to draw attention to myself." The Spear Hero gracefully bowed back with a flair of his arm.
"Ah is that so? Wait, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training? And where are your party members?" Her embarrassment quickly turned to confusion. "I don't think I've ever seen you without them since that unpleasant business with the church."
"Ah well, Rino and Elena are resting at my house." Motoyasu scratched the back of his head, it was his turn to be embarrassed. "I asked Granny to give us a break from training today. As for why I'm here? Well, I just wanted a quiet moment to myself to pr-… to think, you know?
"But then I became a witness to a miracle!" Motoyasu suddenly spread his arms out with a blissful smile. "An angel descended from heaven, carrying a golden tray overflowing with Ambrosia! It was the perfect thing, I say!"
"But… It's not even yellow." Filo narrowed her eyes as she glanced at the unmistakably plain gray tray.
"Ah…I… see." Raphtalia sweatdropped at the Spear Hero's passionate display and tried to keep her hand from idling over the grip of her sword.
Seriously, this obsession of his with her daughter was unhealthy.
"But I digress." Motoyasu's dip into perverse worship of Filo suddenly vanished as quickly as it came and his expression turned uncharacteristically serious as he pointed his finger at one of the kids. "I shall repeat what I said before! Itsuki is not evil!"
This made the crowd of kids who were silently observing the exchange a moment ago scowl.
"Sir Motoyasu, no offense, but you weren't even there," Anya said flatly. "You didn't see what he was like."
"Yea, you didn't see it when that bastard Itsuki showed his true colors!" A boy heatedly spoke up. "You don't know what he's really like at all!"
"Is he even a hero? What if he's really a demon faker too?" A second boy asked, pointing an accusing finger at Motoyasu.
"Whoa guys, come on that's a bit-" Keel tried to put a lid on the conversation that suddenly grew heated.
"Why else would he try to defend him!?" The youngest boy in the group, barely six years old cried out.
"After Itsuki tried to kill us!" A girl shouted.
"Children please, calm down. Sir Motoyasu was just saying that-" Raphtalia attempted to damage control the sudden outburst of emotion. Filo looked back and forth in distress, unsure what to do when suddenly.
THUMP!
Motoyasu sharply drove the shaft of his spear into the floor, making everyone go silent. The top of his face was hidden in shadow.
"You're right." He breathed in sharply. "I wasn't there. I didn't see what happened. What little I know comes from what Ren told me."
The kids glared at him with contempt. "So you admit to talking out of your &^% then, stupid spear?" A bratty looking boy snorted.
"No. I stand by what I said." Motoyasu answered unwaveringly. "Because I don't need to be there to know what happened to Itsuki." He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly while clutching his spear.
The atmosphere in the room tightened like a cord about to snap.
The Legendary Spear suddenly began to change and twist into something sinister. Dark mist oozed off of it, surrounding Motoyasu's figure. The darkness around his face deepened.
Finally, he opened his eyes, which now glowed with an otherworldly green tint. The light of his curse revealed his face, showing his carefree smile was gone, replaced by an envious scowl. "In fact, you could say that I already have a front-row seat to what he experienced." He said through gritted teeth.
The children all took a step back. Terror showing in their eyes.
"Sir Motoyasu! Stop!" Raphtalia finally recovered from her shock, unsheathing her weapon in a single fluid motion and pointing it at him. Was another Hero about to lose control and-
"Relax, Raphtalia. I can… handle this much." The Spear Hero shook his head before exhaling the breath he'd been holding. At the same time, the spear transformed back into its default form. His eyes returned to their warm amber tone.
"There. I told you I could handle it." He waved his hand in front of him dismissively.
"Sir Motoyasu…" Raphtalia slowly sheathed her weapon but still looked at him with disapproval. "Have you forgotten what the other Heroes told you about that weapon?!"
"Never use it again. Some big bird said so. Yadda yadda yadda. Anyway," He looked over the kids again seriously. They were wide-eyed, and many of them were shaking. "I believe that seeing something with your own eyes once is better than anything I could say, right?"
The children were deathly quiet. They continued to look at Motoyasu in fear.
"I bet that looked familiar to you all. Was that more or less what Itsuki looked like?" He asked.
It took a moment, but eventually, they shakily nodded their heads. "S-Sir Motoyasu? W-Why do you have that weapon too?" Anya finally asked.
"Will you allow me to explain so no more stupid rumors and assumptions about demons will ever pop up again in this town?" Motoyasu asked back while cocking his head to the side.
…
The children slowly sat in pews around the Spear Hero. Raphtalia had to stand among them, rubbing their heads to help them. Filo stayed back, however.
She wasn't going to get close to Spear Guy, no matter how serious he looked.
Motoyasu's gaze hardened as he pointed at his spear with the thumb of his free hand.
"Weapons are not toys. You should know that by now. They are dangerous, and Legendary weapons are, appropriately, legendarily dangerous. I don't know the exact mechanics behind this Cursed Series us Heroes have. But the fact of the matter is: when a Hero loses all hope in his life and gives up on his purpose to save the world, the legendary weapon breaks."
"B-breaks?" One of the boys swallowed hard.
"But how? It's still there." Anya pointed a shaking finger at his spear.
"Well, it doesn't break completely." Motoyasu clicked his tongue and rubbed his head. "I guess it gets cracked? Damaged? Not physically but spiritually maybe? Look, a lot of it is just assumptions and guesswork on my part and I'm definitely not the smartest guy in the world, so it's not meant to be literal.
"But anyway, when that happens, when we lose all hope and would rather die than keep fighting, the Cursed Series manifests in our weapons. It feeds us a new purpose so that we can continue fighting for the world, and unlocks a new weapon form that gives us greater power and abilities. But from what I've seen, that weapon form takes the shape of our worst emotions at the time of our despair. And using them always comes at a price. Whether on ourselves, or on those around us.
"You'd think that'd be the worst part. But from that point on, even if the hero doesn't use the weapon form that was unlocked from that traumatic experience, the curse still lingers, always, constantly, influencing our emotions from the shadows like a watchdog in the back of our minds. Waiting for the perfect moment to pounce and to tempt us to use it once again."
Raphtalia stared at the Spear Hero. She knew what he meant. She could always tell those moments was unnecessarily angry, and was tempted to pull out that weapon when she was near him.
"In fact, it doesn't even have to tempt us. It's right there, in our Weapon tree, just waiting for us to select and use it. One thought, and I can equip it again. Just like Naofumi, just like Itsuki."
The kids were silent.
"Tell me, haven't you noticed Itsuki acting differently lately?" Motoyasu asked. "Angry, greedy, or perhaps… prideful."
The kids shuddered, thinking back on it. None of them answered the Spear Hero.
"That's the thing with these weapons. They're a curse for us. If I were to guess, Itsuki attacked Naofumi that day for more than one reason. And as bad as that was, it's even worse when we lose control while they're equipped. It's like we become the epitome of Wrath. Pride. Greed. Lust… Envy." A dark shadow passed over Motoyasu's face briefly.
"I'm not exactly sure why we become like that. But it's always like you're fighting with someone, something, some darkness in your mind for dominance. And when you lose control of it... Imagine suddenly getting dunked in an ocean of some silky, oily, black tar that's also boiling and on fire." Motoyasu narrowed his eyes with a grimace.
"I don't know if that's how Naofumi and Itsuki perceive it as, but that's how it works for me. But the scariest part is not getting dunked in the curse. It's sinking into it. With each passing second, going deeper and deeper into that ocean until, before you know it, there is nothing but a suffocating void of blackness all around you. No way to tell up and down or how to get out.
"You struggle desperately, clinging to the few vestiges of your sanity, trying to remember who you are and for whose sake you fight for. And you're maybe barely able to pull your head out for a second only to immediately be dragged back down and start over again."
The children listened to the spear hero's explanation with bated breaths.
"And while you're down there in that pitch-black abyss, that darkness is in control. It twists your desires, and makes you act with no sense of morality. It doesn't matter who you're surrounded by or what you were doing. All you can think about is what the darkness provides. And what it could do to give you more power."
…
A deathly silence fell on the church's interior. Motoyasu took a brief moment to catch his breath. He realized that he had begun to sweat profusely.
"Sir Motoyasu, are you okay?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.
"It's fine. It's just… bad memories. A lot of them." He said sadly. An image flashed by his mind. He was facing Naofumi on a road. The Cursed Spear held tightly in his grip. A moment where he hadn't been entirely in control of himself.
When it passed, he looked over the children again. "Now that you know the necessary context for it, I want you to understand what happened to my friend Itsuki."
"He woke up in the middle of the night to a scream, and most likely rushed out of his bed in a panic. He tried to locate the source of it even as his party woke the rest of us up. Then, he found one of the people who he'd saved. One of the people he'd felt responsible for, was dead. He then learned that others, innocent children that he'd also saved, had been kidnapped by the group of evil people that killed her."
"But why didn't he wait for the other heroes to get ready first!?" One of the boys protested. "He should have waited, and-"
"Because he didn't think…" Anya's eyes widened before she lowered her head sadly. "He acted."
…
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
"Anya?" The other children turned their heads at her quizzically.
"That's a good way to put it. Yes." Motoyasu frowned. "He didn't think straight and was overtaken by panic and loss after seeing someone die. So he charged in alone, trying to follow your tracks only for rain to hit at the worst possible time. And when he thought that he'd lost the trail he sank so deep into despair, imagining that he had lost you forever, that he equipped his Cursed Series so that he'd have the power he needed to find you."
...
"He did, as you know but…" The spear hero's frown turned into an outright grimace. "You know what happened to him when he used it."
…
Some of the kids had tears in their eyes. "Sir Itsuki…" They murmured.
"Allow me to repeat myself again. Itsuki is not evil. He's more stubborn than a brick, but if anything, he cares about you more than anyone else here. That's why he reacted so strongly and was willing to pay any price to save you. I understand that you and the other people in our village are angry and will probably never forgive him for trying to kill you. But joining them and looking down on Itsuki isn't going to help him move past this… hating him isn't going to help anyone with anything. I know that better than anyone."
Motoyasu sighed and sat back on a nearby pew.
The kids stared. Utterly speechless...
...
"He's right, really."
"Raphtalia-chan?" Keel asked quizzically.
Raphtalia gave Motoyasu a grateful look, and then looked over the children. "Itsuki truly didn't wish to harm you. But that evil weapon he used…"
She put a hand to her heart. She thought back to a time when Naofumi had similarly lost control. How he'd attacked everyone. How he'd attacked her.
Looking down past her hand, she saw the flame-shaped scars she still had on the undersides of her arms. No potion she'd drank, no healing spell Naofumi had tried had worked on fixing them. "The same thing Itsuki experienced happened to Naofumi before." She showed the underside of her arms to the kids.
"Raphtalia..." The kids stared at her scars.
"I guess I could have pushed him away and never trusted him again for what he did. But I didn't want that. I knew this wasn't what he had wanted to do. And he looked so destroyed by what he'd done. The last thing I ever wanted was to see Naofumi so depressed again."
Her hands clenched into determined fists. "When you really think about it, isn't what we do cruel? We summon these people from another world and selfishly force them to bear arms in our names against their wills. To fight for our lives by putting their own on the line.
"When you get down to it, the Legendary Weapons are just like the slave seals that all of us had to bear before, only, there's nothing that the Heroes can do to remove theirs. Is it really any wonder when they eventually break under the weight of the stress and responsibility of saving the world and all of its people?
"Despite all the power that we put in their hands, they're still people at the end of the day. People who are no different from us. We breathe the same air, we eat the same food. We laugh when we're happy. We cry when we're sad. We bleed when we're hurt. We're just the same.
"They can suffer.
"They can feel pain.
"And, saddest of all, they can still break.
"While the world can rely on them to protect us, who can they rely on to protect them?
...
"To force someone else to fight for your survival against their will under the threat of death seems like the very height of hypocrisy for a former slave like me. That's why the least I can do is help Naofumi and fight together with him.
"That's why I fight. I can't just stand idly by and watch Naofumi suffer by himself for my sake. I want to help him. I want to share his burden, so that he would never have to rely on something as evil as the Cursed Series ever again to finish his mission. So he knows that he isn't alone. So that there's meaning to his monumental task besides his own continued survival! I want to help him so he'll never break in front of me ever again!
"..."
The kids sniffled, and wiped at their eyes. "Raphtalia nee-san…"
"Well said, Shield Hero's companion."
They turned to look at the new voice. A tall figure stood in the back near the doors. He was taller than Terra, and his shoulders were broad. Visible scars covered the bottom of his neck, evidence of his time as a slave.
"Who… are you?" Filo asked.
"I wasn't there when it happened… all I know for sure is that my wife is dead, and I am a widower." He said sadly.
"... You mean, you're Auntie Terra's…" One of the children put their hands over their mouth.
"Yes." He nodded.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Raphtalia bowed.
"And I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner." He looked down sadly, but then he looked up again. "However, I know she wouldn't have wanted this."
The kids looked at him confusedly as he approached. He set two large hands on the shoulders of two of them. "I'm sorry if this sounds insensitive. But after seeing Lord Itsuki, I can say the last thing my wife would have wanted to see was for the Hero who risked everything to save our lives to be hated and scorned by everyone, including the kids she'd helped to care for." He said seriously.
"..."
"Even if you weren't hers by blood, she has always cared for children around her. Even when we were slaves, even though she was always afraid, she'd take on the hard jobs so the kids wouldn't have to. She'd work herself to exhaustion or sickness, sometimes both just so her 'kids' could have it a little easier."
The children began to cry all at once. Raphtalia and Keel hugged all of them. "I'm not like my wife. I cared for her, and no one else." His black eyes hardened. "But she loved you children, and she loved Lord Itsuki for saving our lives.
"I noticed how after that, she changed. She refused to be scared anymore, no matter what we were faced with. She became more of a bear than I ever could be…" A single tear fell from one of his black eyes.
"So in place of my wife, I want to ask you... no, I'm pleading with you to help Lord Itsuki. If what the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero's companion have said is true, he is in great need of your help. He is breaking, and will continue to do so unless you intervene."
"... But… why us?" One of the kids asked.
"Because the greatest source of his guilt is towards you. No action will be more important than what you take towards him in the future."
"... How can we help him?" Anya asked seriously. The others looked at her in surprise. "Even if I'll never forget what happened that night," Her hands clenched at her sides. "Even if he almost killed us... I can't deny what Uncle Worth's said. I can't deny what Raphtalia nee-chan and the Spear Hero have told us. If his weapon really broke... if he is really breaking right now because of something he was forced to do by that darkness, I don't want to hate him. I don't want to hate the Hero that originally saved us from the horrible nobles that enslaved us. I want to hate that darkness! I want to help him fight it! I want to save him! Please, tell us how we can help him, Uncle Worth!"
He looked over them all. His eyes fell on Anya. "I'm sorry. That is something that you'll have to figure out yourselves." His eyes glinted. "But as long as that desire exists, all of you will find a way to do so. And you'll find a way to come to terms with your grief. I should know, since Terra helped to raise you all."
He let go of their shoulders. He turned around to leave. Raphtalia, Filo, and Motoyasu watched him go in reverent silence.
"Have you come to terms with your grief?" Anya asked.
...
"I still have a debt of gratitude to repay to Van Reichnott for his kindness... But when that's done, I know what I'll be doing when I come back."
He left his parting words to hang in the air. "I'm going to become what Terra wanted me to be, and I'll fight by Sir Itsuki's side in her stead,"
"Through hellfire and brimstone if I have to."
Author's Notes:
People were asking for it. Here's Motoyasu getting to play a part. A very essential part.
Till Next Time
Allen