Chapter 14: Land of the Ivyreds
The princess snored, sprawled out across the surprisingly comfortable beds of the bandits. Usually, she'd never do this—neither the snoring nor the unsightly sleeping position. She had learned to suppress those a while back when she underwent etiquette training. She'd never forget the bullying she underwent at Faubley, yet here she was, sleeping without a care in the world.
She caught herself doing this around two weeks after she began helping Naofumi. Although she hates to admit it, she likes Naofumi. The arguments and his blunt attitude forced her to be more blunt and assertive herself. For once, she felt alive. Unconstrained by the constant need to present herself as the crowd princess, she could just enjoy herself now, even if she pretends not to.
"Princess, it's time to wake up... Princess?"
Rishia nervously shook Melty, but that only resulted in a bit of grumbling nonsense before turning over.
"I'm the queen of the world."
"Princess?"
"Little shakes aren't going to wake her up," Keel informed. She was currently going through her daily struggle of wrapping up her ever-growing chest fat. Now that she knew she was a girl, it made a lot more sense as to why it was happening. Infinitely better than her old excuse of two "giant knots" from battle.
"Fue? You're female?"
"So I've been told. Anyways, you need to take her pillow if you want her to wake up."
"Her pillow?"
"Something about a doll or whatever. The specifics don't matter." Keel shrugged.
"You sure that's okay?"
"Not my issue."
Keel finished wrapping, then put on her shirt. Leaving the room, Rishia turned back around nervously as she grabbed onto to the princess's pillow. Melty had a strong grip and refused to let go, but after a few tugs, Rishia successfully retrieved the pillow from Melty's grasp. That's when she shot awake and immediately started yelling.
"No Nana! Don't take Mr. Ham-" Melty looked around the room, or the cave, to be exact. She remembered where she was, and her face turned red as she saw the cowering Rishia a few inches away with her pillow.
Clearing her throat, Melty began to speak. "Miss Ivyred… sorry for yelling." Grabbing her dress, Melty walked in embarrassment as Rishia contemplated her actions. Out of all the things she thought she'd do in this life, startlingly, the princess was not one of them.
"Fueee!"
/~/
"Your daughter is like, four, right? Won't a toy or doll be a better present than jewels?" Chino asked. She laid down her cards and won the pot with her three-of-a-kind hand.
"Damn, she's good at this." The bandit reshuffled the deck and dealt out a new hand of cards.
"Also, I know. But it's the best I got. Her grandparents can afford some of the most extravagant gifts in Melromarc, and here am I, a jobless loser living off the pity checks of their ex. I want to be in her life, but I have nothing to show for it. And I'll never hear the end of it after this. "Seriously, Rogan? Robbing people? We thought you were better." Rogan mocked. "Thought I was better.". Some bullshit."
"Wow, tragic."
"Tell me about it." Rogan sighed.
"Chino. Stop playing cards with the prisoners and help us out over here!"
"Hold on, master, I'm about to win their hidden stash!"
"Ignore those last orders, then!" Naofumi ordered. He tossed a bag of treasure towards Sakura before pulling out another.
"Morning everyone."
"Morning Melty!" Everyone greeted.
"Naofumi, are we about done here?"
"Yeah. The second food cart was eaten through last night, so we have space needed."
"How convenient."
"I know. We would have missed out on all this treasure." Naofumi maniacally chuckled.
"It's quite the stash as well. I feel bad for taking it." Melty mused.
"If the original owners ask for it, we'll return it. Until then, crime does pay."
"Hey, master! Can I keep this?"
"Once the hoard is packed up, you all can take one thing."
"Yeah!" The villagers cheered before bagging the treasures even faster.
/~/
Once the treasure was bagged and the bandits loaded up, the caravan began to move again. There were a few hiccups, with some of the bandits trying to hop away. But they were quickly dealt with. That was the only eventful thing that happened during their trip to the castle town. Once they were there, they turned in the group and got the reward of reluctant guards.
The only one spared was Chino's new playmate. Naofumi didn't care since he wasn't part of the main force. So he was promoted to her new prisoner. Sadly, he was left in handcuffs, but he was relieved that he wasn't going to the dungeon.
After a stop in the castle town and a quick visit to their favorite blacksmith, the caravan began their final stretch into Ivyred territory. And as soon as they arrived, they could tell why the cry to help was so urgent. Before they even got into the village, they had to tread through the broken and muddy roads.
It was as if a battle had taken place, and the resulting damage left the road basically unusable. The uneasy look on Rishia's face says it all. It was a miracle that any merchant traveled to their village at all.
"Wow, this place is worse than I thought."
"Naofumi." Melty grumbled.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Any longer, and the lord might have had a coup on his hand for his incompetency." Naofumi surmised. "Thankfully, it's not as bad as Lurolona."
"So, what should we do?" Rishia asked.
"I need to get a better grasp on the situation first before I start giving orders. I'll go talk to the Lord while Melty's unloading the supplies."
"I assume we're working until we have to leave for Siltvelt. How long will that be?"
"Once I get my letter back from the capital, we'll determine our actions from there. Until then, don't worry about the time."
"Alright. I'll start delegating tasks." Melty smiled.
Breaking away from Naofumi, the caravan made its way to the town's center. A damaged fountain that only produced small spurts of water every few minutes. The buildings around them were damaged; the roofs and walls were either smoking or missing entirely. The tile of the roads were cracked or missing entirely, and the well that stood proudly near the fountain caved in. The villagers of the Ivyred territory began to gather, while others hid in their houses. They looked malnourished and sickly. And
It felt melancholic to the villagers. They know the feeling one may feel seeing their village damaged by forces out of their control. The team leaders and Melty began barking orders, spreading out the squads at their command. For one reason or another, they were fired up now to help this place recover. All they had to do now was wait for the command from their master. And he said the command was coming sooner than anyone could expect.
/~/
"I told you hundreds of times already. I did not make any requests to the adventurers guild!" A man yelled.
As Naofumi approached the lord's house, he could only feel dismayed at the current state of it and the village entirely. Unlike him, the Ivyreds didn't have a manor to call their own. Their "manor" was smaller than his by a good 1500 square feet, a feat he'd learned to calculate from his conversions with Delia. And if it weren't for the ability he learned, he would have certainly gotten lost, as their house was almost indistinguishable from the rest.
It took the same beating from the storms and bandit attacks, with part of the roof being caved in and smoke rising from the side as charred wood. Naofumi reminisced about the time he first entered Lurolona, a similar sight but much more manageable.
Does he have to do this? He had hundreds of other things he could be doing at the moment, many of which were more important than this. To most, he was doing this for money, and they're sort of right. Money and building a new connection in this world were two of his goals, but they weren't the only ones. In reality, his natural urge to help took precedence. And the lengths that Rishia and her family went to ask for assistance gave him every reason to follow his gut. Now all he had to do was do as he always did.
"We came here to this town and dealt with your bandit issue. We demand compensation!" An adventurer argued. His hand sneakily hovered over his blade as he stepped towards the lord. Whether it was an intimidation tactic or not was up to question, but Lord Ivyred didn't back down.
"I, nor anyone else in this town, called for the guild!"
"So you're just planning on letting your town get ransacked! What kind of lord are you!?" Another yell, this time more audible than the rest. The nearby villagers could barely hear the argument, but they began to murmur as the last statement was heard from halfway across the village.
So they're spreading false rumors to make the Lord look bad. They certainly aren't adventurers, then. Naofumi surmised as he got off of Sakura. Chances were, there was going to be a fight. So he promptly cast a buff spell on his bird before approaching the group.
"That is certainly untrue! This slander will not be tolerated in my territory!"
"Or what, old man? You already refused to feed, house, or even pay us; now you threaten us because we call out your corrupt ways!" The man pulled out his sword.
Lord Ivyred stood back, a small cyclone of wind generating in his hand. The two stood off, sweat dripping off the lord's head as he readied himself. He felt something was up from the beginning, with the false request and blatant slander. But this assassination attempt in his own home was the last straw. He prepared his spell, raising his hand towards the nearest man, but someone else stepped forward, pushing the adventurer's sword down with ease.
"If you two are arguing about bullshit, I have matters to discuss with the Lord." Naofumi groaned. Even with no attack, his bloodlust was enough to force "adventurers" to back off. But they readied themselves once again, once they composed themselves.
"Back off, civilian. The tyrannical actions of your lord must be dealt with." The adventurer ordered.
"Article seven of the Melromarc and Adventurers Guild Agreement. In the event the adventurer completes a commission or quest without the proper documentation, the requester cannot be identified. The adventurers who completed said commission shall be labeled as a good Samaritan act, and no pay shall be received unless provided out of the good will of those helped/rescued." Naofumi lectured.
"W-what?"
"TLDR. No documents, no payment. Harassing and even threatening the Lord for following the law is an illegal offense. An offense that could lead to the revoking of your adventurer's license. By the way, where is that license!?" Naofumi raised his voice, purposefully making sure that the villagers heard what offenses the "adventurers" made against their lord.
As many more people gathered around to see the situation firsthand, the "adventures" backed off and grabbed their "prisoners.".
"You're lucky, Ivyred." The "adventurers" stormed off, leaving the premises on their horses as Naofumi stared them down.
Lord Ivyred sighed in relief, the spell in his hand dissipating as he faced the new visitor.
"Thank you for coming to my aid, Lord Shield. I was unaware that such a law was passed."
"Good because I made it up. Starting a fight with supposed members of the guild will only make you look worse in the eyes of the people."
"So you came to the same conclusion? That they were fakes?" Ivyred asked.
"It doesn't take a genius to realize something was up. It made things more apparent when I asked for their license." Naofumi chuckled.
"Still. First the bandits, now this. I'm being attacked on every front of my reputation, and I can't keep up."
"I know. You're lucky I arrived when I did. Any longer, and you might have had a coup on your hands." Naofumi scoffed. "Me and the princess are pulling out all the stops for this. So I hope you find a way to pay us back."
"In due time, I'm certain this debt will be repaid."
"I'm aware. You even sent collateral without even being asked."
"It wasn't collateral. My wife wasn't happy that we had to sacrifice our wedding rings and Rishia's prized necklace. But we did it anyway. We worked hard to keep this village stable, and we'll sacrifice what we have to. Even if it's, it's significantly important."
"But it's not just the village you're trying to protect, correct?" Naofumi pressed. Lord Ivyred looked away, trying to hide the shame on his face.
"I see. Well, not that it matters anyway. The real issue here is the blatant sabotage going on. If we want to get you on the right path, then we need to start building your economy along with the village itself. Thankfully, Melty is here to help you re-establish trade in the area."
"The crowed princess is here!" The lord placed a hand on his face. "She must think this place is repulsive. I'll never recover from this embarrassment." The lord slumped to the floor.
"You'll live. Now, as I was saying,. Melty will deal with your logistics. I, on the other hand, will be dealing with the rebuilding of this place, including but not limited to the crops, buildings, livestock, and whatever I come across. Of course, this will add to the bill later. Are you fine with that?"
"Y-yes." Ivyred hesitated. "I shall give you free reign when it comes to the rebuilding of the territory. I'll help provide any materials necessary."
"No need. Your permission is all I need."
Territory Reform
Permission Granted: Temporary access to Ivyred territory received.
Charting Layout
Calculating Building
Estimated Amount: 40
Total Amount: 32
Current number of buildings with missing material: 40
Current Population: 243 People
Citizen Satisfaction: 22%
Offering Points Awarded: 128
This thing is working faster than expected. I wonder if it could do plumbing as well. Naofumi pondered as his shield loaded more and more information.
After redesigning the Lurolona village flag and submitting it as the official flag for the territory. It was begrudgingly blessed by the king before accidentally being absorbed, wasting an entire day of work. But from those threads came a shield. And from that shield came oh-so-powerful abilities.
Iwatani Territory Shield 0/25
Abilities Unlocked Equip Bonus: Maturation Adjustment (Medium), Stat Growth Boost (Small), Territory Power, Annex
Skill: Terrain Reform
Terrain reform allowed him to select an area, use the material's to craft, and build pretty much anything. He could plant trees, build houses, and place benches in a fraction of a second. The only caveat was that this only worked in his territory, something the shield somehow charted out the second he got it. That, and Delia will be pissed whenever he uses it. The ability is almost worth the one-hour fit she'll throw.
The shield also had a few other effects. One of them allowed him to temporarily take control over an area that wasn't his and build there. Or if it was near his established territory, he could add that area permanently to his territory. Of course, that ability would cause some trouble if he wasn't careful. So he made sure that he'd only use it after confirming with Melty.
"With this, repairs will be trivial."
"With the shield?" Lord Ivyred asked.
"Easily, one of my greatest abilities." Naofumi grinned as the lord behind him grew in confusion.
Perhaps hiring the shield hero was a mistake. Ivyred thought. He was never one to listen to the preachings of the three heroes church. But seeing the shield hero in person acting the way he did was a little off-putting, even if he could see past his facade. None the less, after a sigh. He saw the shield hero off and watched as a giant tree baring fruit sprouted from the ground. Then seconds later, it grew an eye and began shooting seeds at everyone.
"DAMNIT ALIA, WRONG SEED!" Naofumi yelled.
"WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE THAT!? I SPECIFICALLY SAID NO PLANT MONSTERS, NAOFUMI!"
"...I think I made a mistake."
/~/
"Make way. The princess, the bow hero, and Master Tanji have entered!" A knight yelled.
As soon as word came out, the Tanji returned with both the princess of the nation and the bow hero. They quickly scrambled to give them the warmest welcome possible. They had to be extra welcome since it was the first princess to arrive, and the rumors surrounding Malty depict her as a person that's not to be messed with, no matter what age or gender you are.
The "parade" lasted around five minutes as they hurriedly rushed to the lord's estate. It was a weird day for the civilians, having two of the most influential people in the country arrive on a whim with their lost lord in tow, along with plenty of other random people. But questions wouldn't get them anywhere, or at worst, someplace undesirable. So all they did was cheer for their arrival and move on with their day like nothing happened.
Tanji was dreading this return. The princess had enough, but now he had to deal with his father, the same father who put him in this situation in the first place. Only God knows the mental torture he'll have to endure for failing, let alone the thought of having to stay with Malty any longer. These thoughts plagued his mind until he reached the door.
"Welcome back, young master Tanji."
"Afternoon Gerald. I apologize for the amount of guests I brought."
"No need to fret, young master. I'm just happy you're finally bringing someone over."
"Gerald, do not." Tanji groaned.
"Wait, you're a lord?" Itsuki asked.
"No, I'm just his son. The title of lordship would go to my-Augh!" Tanji yelled as the door slammed open into his face.
Backing away, a valiant laughter echoed from the door as a man came through. He had a well-toned body and silky brown hair that flowed with the wind. Across the bottom of his right golden eye was a scar. That, along with his Halberd handing off the backs of his gold and purple clothes, told Itsuki that he meant business.
These NPC designs are getting better.
He was never really impressed with the looks of the NPCs in this world; they were just a bunch of generic fantasy designs to him. Of course, the major NPCs of the world obviously looked different to tell them apart. But Lord Zail was the first to actually look unique while still keeping the minor NPC-esque design.
"Princess. Lord Bow. It is a pleasure to have you in my humble town." The Lord greeted. He bowed to Malty first, shook Itsuki's hand, then wacked Tanji on the head.
"Ow. The hell did I do?"
"You got captured, that's what. That's exactly why I told you physical is better than magic!"
"Magic had nothing to do with that. And I thought you'd be happy that your son was alive and not sold as a slave in Siltvelt!"
"Don't raise your voice at me, boy!" Tanji was hit again, this time being sent into the ground.
"Now get out of that hole and give me twelve laps around the town!"
"I'm not doing shit!" Tanji yelled from his hole. Lord Zail could only facepalm as his son climbed out of the hole.
"That boy is defiant as ever. I apologize for anything that might of happened during your travels. He's probably still shaken up from whatever happened."
"No need to apologize. He was a great ally in our escape." Itsuki praised.
"Still. That's no excuse for his actions. He should be respectful at all times around you two. Unfortunately, his tongue still has a knack for profanities." The lord grumbled. "Still, an ally in your escape, you say? Does that mean the shield hero got to you as well?"
"Yes. I confronted him when I heard he imprisoned the princess. But he fought me back with his slaves when I attempted to exact justice upon him." Itsuki explained.
"I see. We originally tried to stop him as well, but we haven't heard back from our forces. That's when we discovered that they were all wiped out, with the few remaining ones being imprisoned or sold to Siltvelt. The shield devil's evil grows once again." The lord's nose stiffened as he addressed the hero specifically.
Itsuki felt something was up. Malty was already grinning, and the king's explanation felt off. But hearing Naofumi's transgressions made his anger flare up. Whether the Lord was right or wrong didn't matter. Naofumi flat-out admitted his crimes to him, and it will be he who stops the tyrannical shield hero before anything else gets out of hand.
Turning to the Lord, he placed a hand on his heart and raised his bow to the air. "Lord Zail, I, the bow hero, will make sure Naofumi will pay for the crimes he committed against your men." Itsuki declared.
"But surely you go by yourself? With the amount of force he has, he outnumbers any of us." Lord Zail explained. The grin on his face grew wider before he composed himself. "I propose an alliance. I'll supply the men and weapons necessary, so we can raid that village of theirs and kill the shield demon!"
So this is a quest line? Man, I hate that they got rid of quest screens. Itsuki grumbled.
"I agree to this alliance. We'll stop Naofumi at all costs." Itsuki shook hands with Lord Zail, the latter grinning at what he had just pulled. Malty, meanwhile, saw the potential of this meeting and jumped in to offer her two cents.
"I may not be able to offer the help of the crown due to the shield's brainwashing tactics. But I can ask for help at the church!" Malty exclaimed, her Myne persona operating at full force.
"That's an excellent princess. The church of the three heroes will most certainly be on our side. With the three of us here, the shield demon wont stand a chance!" The lord stabbed his halberd into the ground and let out a valiant laugh. Itsuki was confused about the laughter but began to laugh along with the Lord anyway. Malty was also laughing, albeit in secret.
Tanji, meanwhile, got annoyed and left the three as he wandered into the manor.
"Let's see how lord iwatani handles this one." Tanji muttered as Gerald closed the door behind him.
/~/
New Character: Lloyd Ivyred
Despite being a lord of Melromarc,. He has no aggression towards the shield hero.
Know's wind magic up to the Dreifach Tier.
Iwatani Territory Flag: A flag mixed with the designs of the old Lurolona flag, the Seatto Family Crest, and Naofumi's shield. It was made by Strelitzia and her team of fashion idiots. (The same group who put Keel in a dress)
Iwatani Territory Shield Abilities
Maturation Adjustment: Adjust the growth rate of certain stats (Works on allis within the party or under his ownership (slaves/ monsters)).
Stat Growth Boost: Give a boost to stat growth (Same conditions as above)
Territory Power: Boost the power of all allies within the Iwatani Territory (Allies count as people/monsters within the party, under his ownership, or blessed with his permission)
Annex: Take control of unmarked land or temporarily take control of another lords land (with permission)
Terrain Reform (Prepare for a long one)
A skill that's basically Sims City. The territory is marked out beforehand on a map and gives the user certain options. These options can all be selected and controlled via a cursor provided by the shield.
Move: Move Existing Buildings to somewhere else. (Doesn't work with people inside.) (Requires Offering Points)
Place: Place items created by Create and combine
(Requires Offering Points)
Remove: Removes the selected item and converts it to materials.
Create: Creates buildings and furniture objects using materials present within the shield. (Requires Offering Points)
Combine: Combines two materials together to create a new building, furniture, or shrubbery. (Requires Offering Points)
Offering Points: Points needed to do everything (except placing and removing) Points are gained weekly, with the exact amount determined via a number of factors such as population size, satisfaction of the populous, the amount owned, and the current amount of land owned.
Mache Kun: Yeah so I was finishing my last semester of college, hence the hiatus. Aside from that, a short chapter this time, but more Itsuki. He's still convinced that the people are NPCs, lol.
Now to talk skills. Shield hero also didn't really go in-depth with the offering points, so everything stated is basically a head cannon. (Like, a party causes crafting prices to go up. Why does the shield have inflation? Who tf knows?
Annex, however, is a newly made ability so Naofumi could claim land in the future (cough, spoilers) I'm not sure how it worked in the light novel since the shield automatically mapped out Lurolona as Naofumi's territory, so this would make it easier for me to track. Aside from all that,.
Thanks for reading
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