Sorry this is a bit late today. Had Midterms and a class I was in.
Fair warning, I have no idea how long this arc will be. I planned the beginning and the end. I'm still figuring out the in-between. That means, we'll probably have more periods where updates don't come for two weeks. I don't know how often two-week updates will be, hopefully, they won't be too often.
It depends on if college doesn't act up, and if upcoming chapters aren't as hard to write as this one was. But anyway, it's the start of a new arc, so let's step right into the boring stuff here in the beginning.
Arc 7: Chapter Thirty-Five: Search
"Do you see anything Filo?" Naofumi called out to his daughter.
"No. Filo can't smell either of them, Daddy." The large bird shook her head sadly.
"Smell… oh, right." Filo's way of searching was different than a normal person's because she was a monster. He sometimes forgot about that. "Eclair, Dou-Lon?"
"Nothing." Both of them responded from the back of the wagon simultaneously.
"... Raphtalia-" He turned his head to look at her. But she shook her head. "I see..." Naofumi went silent again, looking forward, holding the reins to his daughter as she silently pulled the carriage across the barren landscape.
It had been five days since the battle with the Spirit Tortoise. Filo was pulling a wagon along the swath of destruction left across the face of the land. Somewhere in the distance behind them, its enormous body still rested on the ground where it'd been slain.
It'd been a short time, yet so many things had happened since that day that Naofumi almost felt sick thinking about it.
But with nothing else going on, his mind naturally recalled the events of the last few days.
Early in the morning after the battle; after Naofumi's long night with Filo, Raphtalia, and Fitoria, the Shield Hero's rest was interrupted by the leaders and military commanders of the coalition. They'd seen Itsuki before him. They'd been planning on seeing Ren after that.
He'd wondered if there was something they needed to discuss with him. But then, to his complete surprise, they expressed their gratitude and relief for his help and for his miraculous survival. Werner and those with him were especially happy that he was doing well.
The Shield Hero still wasn't used to getting praise from others. But it felt… surprisingly good. They were genuinely thankful for what the heroes had done. The general who'd originally opposed them the day before the battle even offered to set up a feast that would be held that day in their honor. He and many others also promised to lend their aid to them when fighting the Waves in countries outside their own if the need for it ever arose.
Though when Werner had suggested building a new temple in Siltvelt to his name, Naofumi finally put his foot down.
Thanks was nice. Help was also nice. Worship, no.
That crap could stay far away from him.
While talking with them about the battle, Naofumi couldn't help but notice that the blue hourglass that'd been in the corner of his vision since the Guardian Beast had awoken was still active. Melromarc and Cal Mira's Wave counters were still paused too…
He had a bad feeling about this, and he'd started to wonder if maybe their celebration was premature. And then, in the middle of their visit with him, before he could contemplate on it more, the meeting was interrupted by a loud scream.
Soon after, Naofumi's day became even worse.
"Urgh, what happened here?!" Naofumi forced his way through the pain he still felt from yesterday to push himself into Ren's medical tent. Without his armor, he was forced to run around in his bedclothes.
The dog girl inside, however, didn't answer. She was on her knees, hands over her face as she cried and screamed.
"W-Wyndia!" Raphtalia hustled in behind Naofumi, looking in shock at the dog girl. There was a rush of movement going on outside. It was like her screaming had put the entire camp into motion.
Naofumi's eyes fell on the empty cot. Then on the dead shadow and the message that he'd left on the ground.
"I… I don't believe it…" Mirellia walked inside. Her composure had dropped, finding the Shadow she'd ordered to watch over the Sword Hero dead.
'Ren, what…?'
Naofumi looked from the words to the arrow the Shadow had drawn. Looking in its direction… There was only one landmark that came to mind.
That feeling in his gut firmly settled into place. Somehow, Naofumi knew, their business with the Spirit Tortoise wasn't over yet.
"Your Majesty…" Naofumi turned to face her. "There's something I need to tell you." He then informed Mirellia about the hourglass and the paused wave timers. How it possibly had something to do with the Tortoise not being defeated yet. And also what he felt the Shadow had been trying to inform them about Ren's kidnapper.
While he was talking, Itsuki came charging in. Rishia and the rest of his friends followed, trying to get him to stop since he still needed rest. However, upon facing the scene, they also stopped. Itsuki's already pale face paled further. "What the hell…?"
When Naofumi finished, Mirellia was frowning. "In light of these events, I'll have to agree." She looked behind her at the various leaders of the coalition. She snapped her fan in front of her face, building a composed air around her once more. "The Sword Hero has been kidnapped, and it's likely our kidnapper has fled to the Spirit Tortoise. Around-the-clock shifts will be set up by the army to monitor anyone exiting or leaving its corpse…" She continued speaking, giving out orders for the other leaders to give to their soldiers.
In light of what'd happened, they agreed to the requests. A second Cardinal Hero had gone missing. Rank or status didn't matter. They had to act and make sure that Ren and Motoyasu were found, and fast.
It was a good thing many in the camp had been drawn by Wyndia's scream. Never before had orders been carried down from the chain of command so quickly.
"Naofumi…" The Shield Hero turned to the shocked Bow Hero. "What's… what's going on?" He'd heard it, but he… he couldn't believe that Ren was just… just…
"I'm sorry. I wish it wasn't true." Naofumi looked towards the cot again. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
Itsuki collapsed to his knees, putting his hands over his face as he began to sob.
Naofumi looked at the similarly crying dog girl. Eclair had arrived and was helping her to stand up. Wyndia was clutching a blue scarf in her hands. When had she grabbed that?
"Don't worry, we're going to help you find him," Raphtalia told her gently. "As you said, you can still see him on the slave master HUD. You know that he's still alive. That means there's still a chance to save him."
However, Wyndia didn't stop crying. And eventually, Raphtalia, Eclair, and Rishia had to lead her out of the tent.
Naofumi shook his head.
This had been a terrible way to start off the day.
And just when he was thinking that they'd finally be given a break too.
That morning… needless to say, everything went to hell.
Ren's two surviving party members after being told what'd happened became a mess. Itsuki cried, threw a tantrum, cried some more, then got to work. Naofumi hadn't seen Ren's dog girl since that day, but he assumed it was because she was still grieving over Ren's disappearance, he hadn't asked Eclair about it since the swordswoman took to visiting the dog girl each evening…
And as for the feast the coalition had been planning on throwing for the Heroes. It had been canceled.
None of the leaders had felt like celebrating after learning that the Sword Hero had been kidnapped right from under their noses.
Sections of the army now stood guard around parts of the Spirit Tortoise. They kept tabs on who entered and who left the large corpse. There was also an increase in patrols around the Hero's section of the coalition camp. The few people who'd been set up close to the Heroes tents before had been moved to other sections of the camp. A group of high-leveled Shadows also kept watch over the area, in case Ren's kidnapper made a reappearance at night during the rare times the Bow Hero or the Shield Hero were sleeping in their tents.
As for the Spirit Tortoise, with the exception of the heroes and important officials, only the coalition's scholars and Shadows were allowed access to its body.
The Shadows were currently exploring a cave system they'd discovered in the mountains on its back for a way into the Tortoise. Itsuki, who was helping them, was certain that there was a way leading into it, not only because of his game but because Rishia had verified such an entrance existed thanks to a book she'd read on the Spirit Tortoise a while ago before she'd ever met Itsuki. But so far, they'd had no luck, even with the Bow Hero helping them out.
Itsuki jumped into helping out before he'd completely recovered from his injuries, just like Naofumi had. But the two of them weren't suffering from any pain anymore. Besides a scar on Itsuki's front and back, the blonde kid was completely fine.
But the boy took the loss of their friend much worse than the Shield Hero had. In the few times that Naofumi had seen him in camp since the battle, Itsuki was always busy with something. Training with Granny. Studying information on the Spirit Tortoise with Rishia and Rachel and the rest of Mirellia's scholars.
When the Shield Hero saw him last night, the poor guy had bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep. Though if Naofumi were to look in a mirror, he'd more or less look the same as Itsuki.
Naofumi just wasn't as obvious about showing his concerns as the blonde kid...
As for the scholars, they were going through the remains of a Chinese aesthetic town in the middle of the mountains that the beast carried. The corpses of its inhabitants had littered the streets. The smell of putrid rot hung in the air. The town had been completely ruined. And the leaders decided they didn't want the soldiers going through it in case they began looting what had formerly been a sacred place.
After cremating the bodies, the scholars had begun going through the town, working to preserve the artifacts that they'd discovered. Their efforts were especially focused on the temple. Amongst the artifacts of ancient heroes, there had been the remains of a past message from an earlier generation of heroes discovered on a mural of the Spirit Tortoise on one of the ruined walls.
The writing had been in Japanese, so only Itsuki and Naofumi could read it. They'd read it together and tried to guess what it meant.
Those summoned from Japan… If you can read these words… Know… Please…
… Monster very dangerous… After the seal… Seventh… Destroyed…
After looking into it… The goal… Of the world…
Please… Intent… Do not break the seal.
Those that sacrifice all do so for the world.
Their sacrifice will be rewarded.
Yet pride… no… Can read these words… Then…
You must for… defeat…
The way to defeat it is…
Eight… Hero…
-Keichi
The seventh would break the seal, fitting with the number 7 on the blue dragon hourglasses in their HUDs.
Sacrificing for the sake of the world lined up with what Fitoria had told them.
The Eighth Hero it mentioned was most likely Fitoria. Mirellia called the other Vassal heroes of the world the "Seven-Star" Heroes. Fitoria's Carriage wasn't listed among them. It was more than likely that she was the eighth Hero being referenced.
Besides that, the message had been too degraded from time to read anything else. Some very important information had been missing. Fitoria hadn't been able to help them there either, as she'd forgotten the contents of the message long ago. But she did remember Keichi being among the Heroes she'd helped that time long ago when she last faced the Spirit Tortoise.
He'd been the past Sword Hero. She remembered him as the hero who'd held the girl he loved in his arms as she died.
Reading the contents of the message over again, it made sense why the past Sword Hero had left it. Naofumi almost felt himself reaching back in time in sympathy for Ren's predecessor...
Itsuki also pointed out something that Naofumi initially didn't notice. Unlike the rest of the message, it looked like the part after "The way to defeat it is" had been purposefully erased. While the rest of the message had been unreadable due to centuries of time, the part after those words had been deliberately scratched out.
After thoroughly examining it, Itsuki concluded that the act if vandalism had been recent. At most, someone had erased that section within the last few months...
Naofumi had needed time with Raphtalia after that to prevent himself from exploding. If the feeling in his gut was correct and there was another step they needed to fulfill before the Spirit Tortoise was completely defeated, then whoever had erased that part of the message was an idiot! Out of everything they could have erased, why did they have to erase that part?! Actually, how could they have known to erase that part?! It was written in Japanese!
Unless, whoever did it had been fluent in Japanese, and hadn't wanted that information to be available to the heroes…
The scenario only added to the sense of unease Naofumi felt. This wasn't the first time important information had gone missing or had been destroyed before the Heroes could acquire it. Itsuki's friends still couldn't find out where some of the scrolls and books they'd been given had gone. And there had been a lot of records of past heroes in the church that had been messed with or destroyed. Something that'd happened long before the Heroes had ever been summoned.
Was it possible that there was somebody out there actively destroying all information that'd be useful for the heroes? But who, and why? And why had some of it been destroyed before they'd even been summoned?
...
That covered the majority of important events Naofumi was aware of regarding others from the last five days. As for Naofumi himself, he and his party had spent the majority of their days backtracking along the path of destruction the Tortoise had caused.
Their mission was fourfold. To search for any information on Motoyasu, Ren, and their potential kidnapper, in case the kidnapper had fled beyond the Spirit Tortoise and not into it. They also had to find communities that had survived on the fringes of destruction, who needed the coalition's help to rebuild. They had to deal with any surviving familiars still trying to cause havoc in the surrounding areas. And they had to deal with any bandits taking the chance to loot areas that'd been destroyed for a quick buck.
Yes, even though the Tortoise was dead, the minions it'd sent out over the last couple of weeks were still very much alive. And they were attacking those trying to rebuild their lives. Or they were attacking those idiots who thought stealing from the dead was ok. Whenever Naofumi and his party came across these situations, they had to pause their search to help deal with the problem.
Even though they were saving lives and helping others out… nothing led towards Ren or Motoyasu. In five days, not one person had seen anyone who looked like the Sword Hero or the Spear Hero.
The only information that he did manage to get was from a group of refugees that'd fled from the country of the Spirit Tortoise. Apparently, soon after Motoyasu's arrival in the country, the first thing he did was obtain an audience with the King, during which he informed him about the real danger of the familiars, and convinced him to evacuate his people. It was in the middle of that evacuation while he was helping everyone out that the Tortoise woke up and began its rampage.
Motoyasu had last been seen running off with his girls to face it, buying time for the group of refugees and others to escape before the Tortoise destroyed the city they'd lived in.
...
It was sad. In the end, Motoyasu hadn't run off to wake it as they'd first thought. Instead, he'd been worried about the safety of those he didn't know and ran off to save as many as he could. And because the Spear Hero had followed his gut, he'd managed to save the lives of thousands before the Spirit Tortoise woke up.
Naofumi struggled with guilt from that. He'd told the older Hero off, and then Motoyasu went and did something majorly heroic. The Shield Hero had underestimated the blonde. Without Bitch manipulating him, Motoyasu was more than capable of being a big damn hero… if only he could learn what'd happened to him after he rushed off to fight it.
Mirellia had checked in with that Church in Faubley again. According to them, they were certain that the Sword Hero and the Spear Hero were still alive.
Was it possible that whoever had kidnapped Ren had also kidnapped Motoyasu? But then, why would someone powerful enough to kidnap two Cardinal Heroes allow the Guardian Beast to rampage freely over the world? Naofumi gripped the reins tightly in frustration.
None of the other nations in the coalition had stepped forward to claim responsibility. Did that mean some third party was involved? But then why would they do something as stupid as kidnapping a Cardinal hero… to kidnap Motoyasu… to kidnap REN after the Tortoise's defeat…
Why? Just WHY? It made him so furious, and guilty, and he couldn't think straight from it, and...
A hand gently rested over his. "Naofumi. Calm down. You know it's not your fault that this happened." Raphtalia gently told him. Just like the other dozen times that she'd told him that over the last few days.
He sighed and relaxed his grip. "Yeah… but it doesn't make me feel any better." Naofumi focused on Filo again.
Raphtalia said nothing, only holding to his arm and cuddling up against him again. Unlike the others, she sat next to him. Her furry ears tickled the side of his neck. Her close proximity warmed him and chilled him at the same time.
To think that over a week ago, he'd hurt her. And now, they were closer than ever.
...
Gods, he really didn't deserve this girl. He felt the mountain of debt he owed her grew by the day.
At least there'd been one upside to all this. He didn't know if it had something to do with him almost dying. Or maybe it was because of what'd happened with his doppelganger during the battle. But he hadn't had one panic attack since the battle.
He still felt his anger lurking in the background of his mind like a coiled cobra, waiting to strike, but he felt like he'd somehow gained more control over it compared to before. He was no longer afraid of it but also knew not to follow it blindly either. It also helped that he made sure to tell Raphtalia what he was feeling during their promised relationship counsels whenever they came up. In the rare instances at night before bed, she helped him vent some stress with training.
It'd definitely helped him far more than bottling everything inside...
Because he swore, if he ever found the idiot that'd kidnapped Ren while the kid was struggling through the lowest point in his entire life, they were going to meet his Cursed Shield. And he'd make sure the meeting was up close and personal.
He didn't care about the consequences of doing so. He was pulling out that Cursed Shield whether Raphtalia and Itsuki liked it or not. This was one thing where he would refuse to bend to his shield's defense role. He wanted to HURT whoever it was that hurt Ren.
Raphtalia was looking sadly at him now, so Naofumi shifted his attention to Filo. "Any luck, honey?"
"I'm sorry, Daddy. Filo isn't finding anything out of the ordinary." She said back sadly.
"You two-" Naofumi tried to look back.
"Nothing." Eclair automatically answered. Dou-Lon nodded grimly next to her. "Not one scent."
…
Naofumi sighed again in frustration.
"Sir Naofumi…" Dou-Lon hesitated. "Maybe Miss Fitoria has found something?" He suggested.
"... Good point. Filo, has Fitoria found anything on her end?" Naofumi asked.
Filo cocked her head as she concentrated. A few seconds later, she shook her head. "Fitoria says there's no sign of Sword Guy and Spear Guy where Fitoria is searching. None of Fitoria's flock has found anything either."
Damn.
Just… damn.
Mirellia's entire spy network. The Shield Hero and his party. The freaking Bow Hero searching the Tortoise top to bottom with his enhanced senses. Even Fitoria and her entire flock were out searching the land. And yet they couldn't even find a trace of where the Sword and Spear Heroes had gone!?
Naofumi and Itsuki had taken Ren's loss hard, but Fitoria… gods, he'd thought she'd been devastated before. That morning after he'd told her what'd happened...
"Was he taken off-world or something?" Naofumi sarcastically joked in an effort to think about something besides the loss they were all struggling with.
"... No. Fitoria says it's impossible for Cardinal Heroes to move between worlds without receiving permission from their weapons," Filo answered after a pause. "And… the weapons wouldn't give their permission to do so unless the fate of the world was on the line."
Huh, you learn something new every day. Not that it helped them in the slightest. But at least they didn't need to worry about Ren or Motoyasu being taken to some other world.
Yeah, they only had the entirety of this damn world to search. With thousands upon thousands of miles of territory, which they could never hope to cover in a short span of time.
This was a damn waste. That's what it was. It was beyond stupid to think this would work. Hell, they'd be better off bashing their heads against a wall instead of-
"Naofumi, how about you take a nap?" Raphtalia suddenly suggested.
"What? No, I'm-" Naofumi began to object.
"You're tired and you're frustrated. You haven't been sleeping well at night either, have you?" She asked.
"What are you talking about? I've been sleeping just fine-" Naofumi began to retort.
"You mean whenever you think I'm asleep and go outside, it's to sleep by yourself?"
…
Naofumi looked away, grimacing in anger. "I can't stop. I feel like if I take a break, I wouldn't be able to stand back up and keep going again..." Naofumi struggled to find an argument to counter with.
"Naofumi... I can direct our daughter just fine." Her words were gentle, but her face was stern. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but he still couldn't find the words. "You don't have to worry. If anything happens, I'll wake you up immediately. Right now, you need to rest. Otherwise, you'll only grow more angry and frustrated. And then we'll have to go back early for another relationship counsel.
"Would you rather we call off the rest of today's search to address your nightly escapades?"
…
There was a short pause as she left that part hanging in the air between them. He said nothing, and when she spoke again, her voice was gentle. "You know what happens when you work yourself too hard. So please, take a moment to care for yourself and let us take over."
…
Naofumi wanted to be stubborn about it. However, looking back, he found that Eclair and Dou-Lon had already prepared a spot for him to lie down. Even Filo was looking back at him with worried eyes.
He sighed in defeat. "If anything happens, you'll wake me up. Got it?" He told them.
Dou-Lon saluted. "Don't worry, we'll trouble you only if it's important.."
"I'll keep watch for Bakako, just in case he misbehaves," Eclair stated dryly.
"Hey!" Said Bakako shouted in protest.
Raphtalia took Filo's reins, kissing Naofumi on the cheek as she did so. Naofumi rubbed the spot, feeling a small rush of warmth to his face as he moved into the back of the wagon. He changed his shield to the Pillow Shield, something he'd somehow unlocked before the mess with the Spirit Tortoise went down. Not that he was complaining, since it'd finally given him something to rest on at night besides some random shield.
After he'd laid down, he felt exhaustion creep up on him. Within minutes, he was passed out.
Dou-Lon checked up on the Shield Hero, making sure that he was asleep before sighing in relief. "Sir Naofumi has been pushing himself too hard lately, hasn't he?"
"He has… he, Sir Itsuki, everyone has been pushing themselves too hard after everything that's happened," Raphtalia said sadly.
"Is Mommy okay?" Filo asked worriedly.
Raphtalia attempted to smile. "As okay as Mommy can be right now."
"Okay, Filo understands. Not every time can be a happy time." Raphtalia was briefly surprised by Filo's show of emotional maturity, and then the giant bird looked ahead again.
They were now traveling through what had once been a thriving forest. But now, there was nothing but dead trees all around. The very life had been sucked out of them by the Tortoise's passing. It would be a long time before the land itself would heal from the destruction of the Guardian Beast.
"You said earlier that Sir Naofumi has been going out at night?" Eclair suddenly asked.
Raphtalia nodded. "I'm not sure what he's been doing. But I've noticed that his shield has a new accessory. I also found some balloon fragments near Filo's wagon this morning."
It was possible that Naofumi was trying to work at night to craft new accessories. It was also possible he was teleporting to and from the Capital at night to search for balloon monsters to vent his frustration out on. They were the only monster he could do it on, after all, since his attack stat was so abysmal.
It'd been five days, yet the two heroes who'd nearly died hadn't taken the time they needed to rest and recover. With everything they were taking upon themselves to move heaven and earth to try and find their friend or to train or take out their anger…
Raphtalia didn't know what Rishia was doing to help Itsuki out. She herself was doing her best to help Naofumi. But there was only so much she could do with how stubborn he was… at least he'd given in and was resting now. At least he was being more open about his feelings than before. Still, if she'd read him correctly earlier, she knew what'd happen if they ever found Ren's kidnapper.
And the scary thing, when she imagined it in her mind, she couldn't see herself stopping Naofumi from using his Cursed Shield. Because… like Naofumi, she wanted whoever had kidnapped the Sword Hero to pay.
She hadn't felt like this since the time Idol Rabier had killed Rifana. Only, this felt different. She was very angry, but not to the point that she wanted to straight-up murder Ren's kidnapper. Rather, she wanted whoever it was that'd caused pain for all of her friends to get punished. Whether that was by her blade or by Naofumi's cursed flames, only the future knew what would happen.
If she could, she'd use her blade to inflict the punishment so Naofumi wouldn't have to resort to such extreme measures.
She didn't let her mind focus on her anger for long. Raphtalia's lower lip quivered in worry as she thought about those who'd been hurt just as much as the two Cardinal Heroes. "Eclair, you checked on Wyndia, Tersia, and Farrie last night, right?"
"I… yes. After me and Dou-Lon finished sparring, I checked to see how they were progressing with their training." Eclair sighed.
"... It didn't go well." Raphtalia guessed.
"Actually, Farrie's taken to my training regiment like wildfire. Last night was the first time I had to tell her to stop and take care of herself." Eclair shook her head. For someone who loved training more than anything, that was saying something. Raphtalia didn't have long to dwell on it though as the rose-haired knight continued. "It's Wyndia that I'm concerned about. She still won't talk to me, or anyone else for that matter."
"You mean she's still… searching for Ren by herself?" Raphtalia asked.
Eclair nodded, looking off to the side. "I understand her feelings. She's my pupil. They were both my pupils, Miss Raphtalia. I want to be out there helping her… but she still won't let me or anyone else help her out."
"..." Raphtalia's hands clenched Filo's reins tightly. It wasn't that she couldn't understand what the dog girl was going through. Depression, anxiety, loss, she was more than familiar with those emotions. When she'd lost her parents, when she'd lost her village, when she'd lost Rifana…
But she'd always pulled through! She'd found there was light at the end of the tunnel! That it was possible to smile and be happy again! And she did so because she'd had help! Without Filo, without Naofumi...
Granted, Wyndia was handling it differently than she had… at least the dog girl hadn't shut down and become a mess as Raphtalia had. Still, that didn't excuse the fact that their friend needed their help! She couldn't just go off on her own each day to search for Ren! She was being stupid and reckless!
And every night when she came back, she only looked more devastated than ever! Yet she wasn't accepting assistance from anyone! Not from Eclair! Not from Raphtalia! Not from Tersia or Farrie or anyone else for that matter!
It was like she was punishing herself. Like she refused to believe there could be happiness for her until she found the Sword Hero.
Raphtalia finally realized her knuckles had turned white clenching Filo's reins, and she breathed in deeply before relaxing her grip. The fur of her tail also began to relax from the spiked, agitated needles it'd been just a minute ago.
"Have Farrie and Tersia tried to talk to her-" Raphtalia tried to ask after she'd calmed down.
"Farrie's too busy with training. Tersia has tried. Several times." Eclair interrupted. "She hasn't had any better luck than I have."
…
Raphtalia went back to breathing in and out calmly, trying to keep her own frustration with their friend from boiling over. As she did so, Eclair thought back to the last time she'd seen Wyndia in camp.
"Wyndia, please, I just want to help."
It was nighttime. Eclair had been told that Wyndia had finally come back after searching the nearby mountain range all day. But she heard no noise from inside the tent. Maybe she wasn't back yet...
However, when Eclair tried to pull open the tent flap to look inside and make sure, a small hand from inside gripped the flap tightly, preventing her from looking in.
"Wyndia?" Eclair recognized her.
"Go away… leave me alone…" A cold voice replied from inside.
Eclair swallowed and shook her head. "I'm your teacher. I'm duty-bound to make sure you're okay."
"... I don't want your help. I'm done learning the sword. I don't want you as a teacher anymore." Wyndia's voice spat from inside.
"But, Wyndia-" Eclair tried to speak.
"You were the one that tried to 'help' me before, Eclair. And because of that, Ren is gone."
…
There was a long silence after that. Eclair stared at the cloth of the tent, unable to process what the Dog Girl had just accused her of.
"Go away, and don't bother me ever again."
…
There was no further response. The knight sadly lowered her head, leaving a tray of food on the ground. "I'm sorry, you know."
"I didn't want you two to be unhappy. I didn't want to see either of you hurt. I thought… I never imagined that anything like this could happen..."
...
Eclair still got no response. And reluctantly, the rose-haired knight walked away. Leaving the dog girl alone in her tent, again, just like every other night since the day Ren had disappeared from their lives.
When the rose-haired knight spoke again, it was in a quiet whisper. "I'm not surprised she doesn't want to talk with me. I was the one who took her away from Ren that night."
With the two demi-humans nearby, their ears picked up her quiet words perfectly.
"M… Miss Seaetto, surely she doesn't think that," Dou-Lon said, sounding unsure. "You acted out of concern for her as a pupil, and as a friend. It wouldn't be right for her to blame you."
"Yes… I did act out of concern. But that doesn't change the fact that it's because of me that she wasn't around to try and stop Ren's kidnapper when he or she showed up." The swordswoman said bitterly.
"And do you believe based on what we know that she would have been in any condition to fight back?" Dou-Lon asked.
"... … no, I suppose not." Eclair reluctantly agreed. It was possible her acting that night had very well saved Wyndia's life. "I don't think she sees it that way though."
"Then, how about when we get back, we go and help her together." Raphtalia pouted angrily. "She's not going to get better by isolating herself from everyone. That nearly ruined Naofumi!"
The Shield Hero stirred in his sleep. Raphtalia quieted down, realizing how loudly she'd yelled there. Eclair and Dou-Lon were looking at her with something akin to respect. "Well, what do you two say?"
"I agree. But…" Dou-Lon thought his response over carefully, recalling the experiences of the loss of his own allies. "As much as I disagree with what she's doing, forcing our help on someone unwillingly probably isn't the best move we could do. Perhaps there's another way we could reach through to her? Perhaps another close friend or family member that we could get in contact with?"
"I don't think she has any family left. As for other close friends besides us... there is one person I can think of," Eclair said. "However, she's from a different world. And she didn't leave Wyndia on the best of terms."
…
…
"Then, I guess, let's see what we can do when we get back." Dou-Lon relented, seeing they were the only ones close enough to the Dog Girl to try and help her. "There is something I feel I should ask. Can either of you think of a reason why anyone would kidnap the Sword Hero?"
"..." The rose-haired knight leaned back in the wagon in thought, her fingers idly stroking the scabbard of her temporary replacement sword. "I've been wondering that myself. It was one thing for Melromarc to summon all four heroes. But for someone to kidnap the Sword Hero while we were all recovering from our battle with the Spirit Tortoise?"
It was beyond cowardly. Whoever had done it likely had no shred of honor in their soul.
"Plus, you'd have to be strong enough to kidnap them. There aren't many people with that kind of strength outside of the Seven Star Heroes or us." Dou-Lon said. "And no one saw any strange wagons or whatever leaving the camp that night."
"Meaning whoever kidnapped the Sword Hero either portaled him out or used illusion magic strong enough to trick everyone in camp to take him away," Eclair stated grimly. That made tracking the perpetrator down that much tougher since they didn't even know how Ren had been kidnapped.
"According to her Majesty, the Seven-Star Heroes of the other countries are currently searching the country of the Spirit Tortoise for clues on who woke the Tortoise, so they're out. I also doubt Raphtalia or Maya would consider kidnapping the Sword Hero as a joke." Eclair frowned. "Is there anyone else we know of who is skilled in strong illusion magic?"
"Not that I know." Raphtalia shrugged. "I know I've fooled an army before… but I used the monsters from the Waves as a baseline. Without that, it would have been much harder for my illusions to work on everyone." Meaning if illusion magic had been used, it would have had to have been on par with, or even stronger than what Raphtalia was capable of now to get Ren out of the camp undetected.
"Um, Fitoria has been thinking about it, and Fitoria has a possible theory for who could have kidnapped Sword Guy." Filo suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"According to Fitoria, there were some people who tried to hunt Fitoria in the past. Their strength was comparable to Vassal Heroes, even though some of them didn't have any special weapons." Filo said. She then paused in concentration. "Fitoria… Fitoria thinks they were threats to the world."
"Hmmm… I haven't heard of these kinds of individuals before." Eclair cocked her head sideways slightly.
"Fitoria hasn't met someone like them in a long while because of Fitoria isolating herself in the Sanctuary. However, Fitoria fears that reemerging to take on a larger role might have drawn them out." Filo continued, sounding worried.
"Well, there's also the possibility of it being the actions of a Hero from another world," Raphtalia said. "Like Glass and L'Arc. Maybe they kidnapped Ren to target Naofumi and Itsuki."
"If that was their goal, then why haven't we heard of a ransom note or anything since then?" Dou-Lon asked. "Why are they keeping them alive if they aren't going to contact us to negotiate an exchange or something."
…
They realized all they had were questions and no answers. Talking about it further would only waste their time.
Naofumi stirred again, and Eclair and Dou-Lon saw as a troubled look crossed his face.
"Raphtalia, I need to ask, do you think Sir Naofumi really cared that much for Sir Ren... or is he only putting on a show for me and Dou-Lon?" Eclair asked.
"Daddy's not faking about Sword Guy at all!" Filo defended her daddy defiantly.
Eclair stayed silent, waiting for the raccoon girl's response.
"Well, how should I put this…" Raphtalia began to think it over.
"Naofumi told me this a while ago, but when he was summoned from his world... He had to leave a little brother behind. He… cared a lot for him." Raphtalia paused, wording what was coming next carefully.
"I think… I think after he decided to stay in this world, he started looking at the Sword Hero the same way as his little brother." She admitted to them. "At least, that's what I'd guess from their interactions. He's only told me stories, but I feel Ren and his brother were similar in some ways."
…
Eclair looked down at the sleeping Naofumi again. "I wondered why he took such an interest in seeing the Sword Hero happy…" Eclair's shoulders fell. Naofumi truly was human. He was capable of making great mistakes. Yet he was also capable of such empathy.
"I'm sorry, Miss Raphtalia, I shouldn't have thrown doubt over the Shield Hero's views of his fellow heroes, especially after seeing what he was willing to endure to protect us all during the last fight." Eclair apologized.
"It's fine, I don't really know for sure… I'm not sure if Naofumi himself knows it." Raphtalia said sadly, looking back at his sleeping face. "I just can't help but feel that way whenever I think about their interactions.
"In some ways, it makes me feel guilty that he decided to stay here for me. Even if it did make him happy..."
The group stayed quiet after that. Observing the changing landscape around them as Filo ran on.
...
...
"Urghhhh." An hour and a half later, Naofumi woke up from his nap. He didn't feel any better than before, but he didn't feel worse. His sleep had been rough and troublesome, but there hadn't been any nightmares. Or any other dreams that he could remember.
He found that Filo was still running. The sun was also beginning to lower towards the evening sky. Dou-Lon and Eclair both gave him a nod at seeing him awake, but besides that, the two said nothing and focused on their surroundings again.
"Has there been any trouble?" Naofumi asked Raphtalia.
"We stopped by a town to deal with the familiars there. But no one saw the Sword Hero or the Spear Hero." Raphtalia answered sadly.
Naofumi groaned. "Didn't I tell you to wake me if anything happened?"
"And nothing happened that we needed to wake you up for." Raphtalia honestly answered. Eclair, Dou-Lon, and Filo both nodded as well at Raphtalia's words. "I hope you were able to rest well. There's still a couple of hours left before we have to go back."
"Urgh…" Naofumi groaned again but didn't protest any further. He sat on the driver's bench, taking the reins from Raphtalia. She went back to cuddling against his side, her tail wrapping around his leg. And he rested an arm over her shoulder, holding her close so her body could warm him up.
Nothing more was said as they rode on for the rest of that day.
Nothing else of note happened during their trip. They found several more destroyed villages. A couple more dead forests. And a few pesky familiars they had to dispose of. But in the end, they were no closer to finding the two missing Heroes than before.
As it began to grow dark, Naofumi portaled his party back to the coalition camp to report to Mirellia once again about their failure to find any information that'd help them out.
The Queen stayed silent as the Shield Hero gave his report. Naofumi felt like he was wasting her time. The Queen had been at work reading some texts on the Spirit Tortoise when he came in. Did she really have to waste her time dealing with him?
He'd be better off going back out there, trying to be useful while her Majesty and her scholars worked on finding out what they were supposed to do to deal with the Spirit Tortoise once and for all.
"I see…" When he'd finished, Mirellia closed her fan. He thought she was going to dismiss him, but what she said next caught him off guard. "I'd like for you to take the rest of tonight off to clean up and rest."
…
Naofumi blinked. "Your Majesty, I-"
"Please, just Mirellia is fine." The Queen said tiredly while rubbing her eyes and putting her fan on the table next to her. "We're already shared our deepest secrets and fears while crying on each other's shoulders. I think that we're well past the need for formalities, Naofumi. Behind closed doors at least."
"Alright, just Mirellia, but shouldn't I at least go to the Spirit Tortoise to check on Itsuki first?" Naofumi chuckled to himself bitterly.
"He's not there anymore." Mirellia rolled her eyes at the Shield Hero's vain attempt at humor before continuing. "I have had him brought back, and have ordered him to rest for tonight as well," Mirellia said firmly. "I have also ordered Granny to bring him back if he tries to sneak off to train again. And have told Rishia to take a break from studying alongside my scholars to make sure that Itsuki doesn't try anything tonight that'd go against my orders."
Naofumi blinked again. It wasn't often, but Mirellia looked at him very intensely at that moment. "I feel that the Cardinal Heroes have been pushing themselves too hard lately. I cannot overlook that."
"B-But that's because we're trying to figure out where Ren and Motoyasu went! That's far more important than us-" Naofumi tried to argue.
"I am well aware of how important those two are, Naofumi. As I speak, those of my Shadows that are still alive are searching every crack and crevice of the Spirit Tortoise that they can. And Fitoria, to my understanding, is still out there looking everywhere she can think of for them too.
"The two of you and the Queen of legend have already accomplished far more in the past few days than I could have hoped for. But right now, I'd rather the Heroes addressed their personal well-being instead of working themselves to exhaustion." Her tone was final.
Naofumi clenched his fists. It was just like with Raphtalia earlier, only, Mirellia wasn't Raphtalia! She wouldn't understand him the way Raphtalia did! "Mirellia, I'll take breaks, but I can't stop and rest until Ren and Motoyasu are safe! I can't bring myself to do that when they're somewhere out there and-"
"Naofumi."
There was no demand in the queen's voice, and yet it made the Shield Hero pause and feel oddly embarrassed as she looked at him with genuine concern.
"I am ordering you to rest." She continued. "I have been informed of your nightly escapades alongside Itsuki's. This goes beyond exhausting yourself. You two are being reckless, and putting yourselves in a position where you could also share Ren and Motoyasu's fates if you're not careful."
"Believe me, I understand what it's like to feel helpless. Thinking that you have to do something, anything to progress. But running in circles won't do you or anyone else any good.
"Do not try to sneak out again. My Shadows will inform me if you do so. You can resume your work in the morning, but only if you take the time tonight to rest."
…
Naofumi searched for something, anything to say. Then, it was like his own mind slapped him with what Raphtalia had said earlier.
"You know what happens when you work yourself too hard. So please, take care of yourself and let us take over."
"I know I need to rest. It's just… me and Itsuki don't want anything bad to happen to Ren or Motoyasu." Ren had been kidnapped, right under their noses. And it was possible the same thing had happened to Motoyasu. He couldn't even imagine how they both felt right now. Especially Ren, having just unlocked his Cursed Series… If they didn't save them…
"I understand. I truly do." Mirellia told him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "But if you two drive yourselves to exhaustion, who's to say whoever kidnapped Ren and Motoyasu won't choose to kidnap you two? Then, what would we do without your help?"
It was a good point. Too much of a good point, really. Naofumi sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry for being difficult. I'll take tonight off."
"You haven't been difficult at all, Naofumi." Mirellia shook her head. "I am only doing what I've wanted to do from the start. Making sure that the Heroes get the proper treatment and rest that they deserve."
Naofumi bowed to her, and she surprised him with a hug. "Do not fail Ren and Motoyasu. They're counting on you and Itsuki to be strong enough to rescue them. Their friends are counting on you too."
"... alright. I'll try." After saying goodbye to her, he left the tent. He felt conflicted about being benched for the night. But it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it when it was clear everyone was worried for his wellbeing.
Plus, it wasn't like there was anything he could do to find them. Judging by how the last few days had gone.
Fortunately, Filo was there upon his exit to immediately cheer his sarcastic self up with her smile and presence. "What did Mel's Mommy have to say to Daddy?" She asked.
"Heh." He playfully rubbed the top of her head at her positivity. "Mel's Mommy told Filo's Daddy to rest for tonight."
"Mel's Mommy is smart. It really looks like Daddy needs more rest." Filo agreed.
Did he really look that bad? Naofumi smelled himself and grimaced.
Yep, he really was that bad. A trip to the Hero's temporary bathhouse was in order. "Is Mommy around?" He asked. Now that he was thinking about it, perhaps the half-tanuki girl wouldn't mind helping him to wash his back.
"Mommy went off with Red Vegetable Lady and Tiger Guy to see Dog Girl," Filo commented. "Filo decided to wait for Daddy until Daddy was done talking with Mel's Mommy."
Darn. So much for that. "And what do you want to do now?" He asked.
"Well, Filo's feeling pretty hungry!" Filo cheerfully admitted.
…
Naofumi rubbed his forehead, but he smiled at the predictable answer. "Alright, after Daddy washes, I'll do that."
Filo pouted. "Boo, Filo's hungry now!"
Uh oh.
"I'm sorry, but Daddy needs to wash the stink of the last week off."
"But Daddy smells great to Filo!"
"And that's definitely a sign that I need to wash." If he smelled great, that probably meant that he smelled like a monster. Gods, how had Raphtalia stayed cuddled up next to him today? Now that he was actually noticing it, he couldn't stand his stench!
Had she really kissed him on the cheek?! She really must have loved him to be brave enough to do that while he smelled like this!
Filo pouted up at him adorably. Naofumi gave her a playful smile and rubbed her head again. "I'll cook dinner after I wash up. Mel's Mommy ordered Filo's Daddy to take care of himself. I'll take good care of you later, I promise."
"Okay…" Filo jumped, hugging Naofumi around the neck. "Filo just remembered. Mommy told Filo to give this to Daddy when he was done with Mel's Mommy."
Naofumi hugged the little girl back. Tears pricked the edges of his eyes. "Thank you, Filo." Not only for the hug. But for forgiving him for his mistakes. For thinking of him as her father. For everything really since the day she'd hatched.
Filo let go of him, giving him one last wide, happy smile before running off to find Mommy.
He was lucky, really. If only Melty could be as forgiving as her best friend…
He still had to portal back to the castle to apologize to her, didn't he?
He'd portaled back there a few times. Besides relieving his stress, he also gave Elhart the Barbarian armor set he'd formerly worn. Due to the Spirit Tortoise's attack, it now looked like an unrecognizable chunk of molten slag.
The situation that followed after that was almost too ridiculous for Naofumi to want to think about right now, but at least the blacksmith was making a new armor set for him. He could portal back tomorrow to see if Elhart had finished it yet and...
He groaned. He decided to do as Mirellia said and take care of himself first. He could think about the second princess after he'd showered and cooked dinner for the night. So he went to do just that.
After scrubbing himself down until his skin was red from agitation, Naofumi entered the private bathhouse.
While resting in the cold pool of water, Naofumi closed his eyes and tried not to think about anything else. He tried to let his worries for the other Heroes wash away just like the stench of the last week.
…
"Shield Hero…"
Naofumi's eyes shot open. That voice…
"Please, you must destroy my body."
"Who are you?" Naofumi sat up, looking around himself.
But nobody else was in this section of the bathhouse. Naofumi was all alone.
"It isn't over yet. You must destroy me before it's too late."
That voice seemed familiar… could it be…
"Please. I beg you. You must destroy me."
…
"What?" Naofumi looked shocked.
"As I am now, I cannot complete my task. So… so I beg you and your compatriots to help me!" His shield flashed brightly in response.
Naofumi was stunned. He'd thought this woman was here to attack him, but now, he didn't understand any of what was going on at all. Why was she asking him to destroy her?!
Didn't she know he didn't even have an attack stat to destroy anything with?!
"What do you mean?!" He covered his head with his arms and turned away, thinking he must be dreaming. But then why had his shield flashed there!? How were her hands holding his?!
This didn't make any sense!
"I… I'm over there. Please, stop me." The lady pointed out the window, towards the east. "If you don't, there will be so much unnecessary death."
"What do you mean? I don't understand-" Naofumi turned to face the mysterious woman again.
But she was gone.
His eyes darted around the room. There wasn't a single trace of whoever he'd seen being there at all. It was like she'd vanished into thin air…
He'd thought he'd been imagining things back then. But…
"How can I destroy you if I don't know what I'm supposed to destroy?"
…
No voice replied to answer him.
"Please, I'm guessing you're connected with the Spirit Tortoise somehow. The information on what to do to beat it is gone. What am I supposed to do?" Naofumi asked again.
But again, there was only silence...
Had he only been imagining that voice? But it was the same one as that woman he'd seen before. Why had she chosen again to speak to him now about what he already knew?
The head had been cut off, and there'd been no sign of activity since then but… if they did discover that there was something else they had to do to defeat the Spirit Tortoise...
He didn't know. And he got the feeling that Mirellia wouldn't tell him if she'd learned anything more about the Tortoise until after he had a good night's rest. He resolved that he could go to her to ask about it tomorrow. Hopefully, she and her scholars will have made some breakthroughs by then.
By the time he exited the bathhouse, he felt clean for the first time in a long time. He walked to his tent to grab Filo and Raphtalia, and he planned on taking charge of one of the kitchens to cook them a nice, nutritious meal that'd help them to sleep that night and wake up full of energy tomorrow.
However, his plans were dashed as he didn't find either of them there.
Instead, waiting for him was none other than the Second Princess, Melty Melromarc.
Author's Notes:
Yeah. This was tough to write. Sorry if it was boring. I haven't done this in a while, but suggestions for what you want to see me cover at the start of the arc would be greatly appreciated. I'll see about fitting them all in since, once we jump into the main part of this arc, there won't be any stopping until we reach the end. Thanks again, and I wish you all a great week.
Hero Clips!
Power of Friendship (and money)
"So, what is it this time, Shield Bro? New sword for your girl. Some claws for your daughter. Perhaps, an upgrade to my infamous Barbarian Armor?" Elhart wagged his eyebrows at the Shield Hero, who gave no visible reaction to the blacksmith's teasing.
"No new weapons this time, but as for my armor…" Naofumi trailed off, suddenly unsure if he should present it or not.
"Actually, where is your armor?" Elhart asked, leaning on his counter curiously. "It's not often that I see you out of it. Did it become too uncomfortable or something? That happens sometimes. If you want, I can refit it for you free of charge since you're a regular."
"Well, um, I guess that's one way of putting it…" Still unsure of what to say, Naofumi bit the bullet and pulled the molten pile of junk out of his shield, setting it on the counter.
…
Elhart stared, trying to process what he was looking at. "Naofumi, what the hell is this?" Elhart asked in a flat voice.
Crap, did he actually have to say it out loud?
"Apparently…" Naofumi found no point in beating around the bush. "This is what happens to Armor when the user blocks a breath attack from a powerful monster."
…
…
There was a very long pause after that. Elhart looked from Naofumi, then to the armor, and then back again.
"Get out."
"Look, I can ex-"
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY STORE!" The man bellowed, slamming a balled fist on his counter with enough force to make the entire store shake and a few of the display pieces fall on the floor.
Naofumi sighed. The blacksmith's face turned red as he continued his rant.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? IS THIS A GAME FOR YOU, BRAT?! I PUT MY BLOOD, SOUL, AND SWEAT INTO MY WORK TO MAKE SURE YOUR PALE FROWNY #$% DOESN'T GET REDUCED TO A RED SMEAR ON THE GROUND AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT MY PRECIOUS MERCHANDISE?!"
"It's not like I intended for this to happen. That giant turtle nearly killed me-" Naofumi tried to protest as Elhart took a deep breath.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TIME AND EFFORT I PUT INTO THIS PIECE!" Elhart cut the Shield Hero off. "IT WAS PRICELESS! IT WAS ONE OF A KIND! YOU WOULD HAVE TO SCOUR EVERY SECOND RATE STORE IN ZELTOBLE TO FIND SOMETHING WITH EVEN A FRACTION OF THE QUALITY THAT THIS ARMOR WAS!"
The blacksmith continued ranting for a good few minutes. Naofumi kept on trying to get a word in to defend himself, but the blacksmith wasn't listening at all. Naofumi had tarnished his trust in the blacksmith beyond recovery. There was absolutely nothing the Shield Hero could do to fix their friendship-
Clink!
Naofumi, having enough, finally dropped an open bag of gold coins on the counter.
"Will this be enough to convince you to make a new set for me?" Naofumi asked, making sure that Elhart was finally paying attention to him again.
…
Elhart looked from the pouch of gold coins to Naofumi. "Well… I… yeah, I guess it was about time for an upgrade!" And just like that, Elhart was smiling and treating the Shield Hero like nothing had happened as he picked the pouch up and began counting the coins. "Oooh, this is twice your usual rate! Tell me what you want and I'll make it for you as quickly as I can!"
"Urgh…"
So much for the power of friendship. Naofumi felt his wallet was almost ready to scream at him once again with how little money was in it now.
That was a sign that everything was almost back to normal for the Shield Hero. Damn, he could really use a vacation soon.
Till Next Time
Allen