"Sir Hero is wise to not just trust anyone who approaches." Funnily enough, she seemed pleased at my reluctance to trust her. "I sense that the others are… less so."
"They're idiots, you can say it." I said with an eye roll. "They'll get their reality check sooner or later." Sooner, in Naufumi's case. "What I don't understand is, why are you speaking to me? You could have checked on my wellbeing well enough without revealing yourself. What are you really here for?" I asked. And now she seemed even more pleased.
"I want to issue a warning. There are many people with eyes on the Heroes, people who'd like to see the Heroes' power used to their benefit." She started.
"This isn't my first rodeo, I already knew that." I scoffed. "Frankly, I'd be more suspicious of Nobles that don't want to use me for their benefit."
"Ah, but Sir Hero, I said nothing of Nobles, did I?" her smile turned smug, annoying me even more.
"Sure, whatever you say." I wasn't going to mention the Church. If she knew I didn't trust them, and she worked for them, that would be more than a little problematic for me. And if she worked for a Noble or something, that's probably less of an issue, but will most likely be inconvenient at some point in time. "Anything else?"
"My Mistress wishes to know what your intentions are." She told me.
The word 'Mistress' suggests that she works for the Queen, but she could just be covering up the true identity of the one she serves. Even if that wasn't the case, the Queen was still a dangerous woman. Already I'd heard the nickname 'Vixen of Melromarc' in passing once or twice. And in the anime, she plotted the fall of the Church and the King from the other side of the bloody continent. She would probably be a more reliable ally than either of them, but that didn't mean I should trust her, even if this Shadow worked for her.
"You mean besides fighting the Waves of Calamity and surviving?" She didn't dignify my sarcasm with a response. "I don't know." I replied, somewhat honestly. I mean, there's all sorts of things I want to do. I can save the Dragon that Ren is supposed to kill, save the children from Raphtalia's village, I don't know the full details of what goes on with the Spirit Tortoise, but I can probably improve that situation somewhat. But on the whole? I'm not really sure what my endgame is here. I'm not even sure I can go back to a normal life after all this. "Since I'm starting over from scratch, I suppose my short term goal is to regain all the strength I lost." I decided to indulge. If I was too secretive, or too vague, she might end up telling whomever she serves that I can't be trusted. Better to give her something. It'll give me a bit more time to get a read on her.
"And the long term?" Was her predictable response.
How can I answer that question in a way that doesn't paint a bigger target on my back? The King, the Queen, the Church, and whoever else already have their eyes on me. Whatever I say is going to go right back to whomever she serves, I can't be sure that she actually does serve the Queen, or even that the Queen has my best interests at heart. Hell, she might even be working for one of the other countries.
"And what exactly is your interest in this matter?" I responded with a question.
"Beyond obeying my Mistress as I am sworn to do? I have a vested interest in not seeing this world destroyed by the Waves of Calamity." Her voice had a hint of snark to it, matching my earlier sarcasm. "Collecting information on the Heroes, as well as the mysterious fifth Hero, will serve my Mistress in preventing that, and at the same time, I might help you defend this world as well, even if it is only minutely." She seemed to believe what she is saying, but she's a fucking Shadow. "You still haven't answered my question, Sir Hero." She noted.
"I am aware." I nodded. "And once I have an answer, I might be willing to share it. I get the sense that this is not the last time we'll be speaking like this." I told her.
"A valid assessment." She confirmed. "Very well then, I shall take my leave. I will see you again before the next Wave, Sir Shepard." She told me.
"Which is when, exactly?" I asked.
"A little over a month from now." She answered, and with that, she backflipped, rather high I might add, and disappeared from view. I let out a deep sigh.
"One month." I whispered.
XXX
After more brooding in the garden, I went back to my room and was able to get at least a little sleep. It was a little after sunrise that I was summoned to the dining room once again for breakfast with the others. Like last night, we made some small talk, speaking about what kinds of things we were expecting from this world, the monsters, the missions, etc. I tried to subtly plant ideas in their heads on how they should go about things. Being careful with unknown magic items, dragons are intelligent beings and killing one for no reason would be murder, that sort of thing.
I'm not sure it stuck, but at least I tried.
After eating, we were escorted back to the throne room, where once again, the King was waiting for us on his throne. Like yesterday, guards lined the red carpet on either side, and there were spectators, both behind the guards, and up on the balconies overlooking the throne. Gathered in front of the King, facing us, were the numerous adventurers that the King had gathered. Including a certain red-head.
"These adventurers have been chosen by me personally to accompany the Heroes on their journeys." The King announced as we approached him. "They are among the finest in the land, and I have no doubt they will prove invaluable. Unfortunately, Sir Shepard has chosen to start his journey alone, and though I disagree with his decision, I will respect it." He declared.
As expected, the adventurers all stepped forward, standing behind the Hero they chose to serve. And as expected, none of them went with Naufumi.
"Wait, what?!" Naufumi exclaimed, apprehensive as he realised what happened.
"Hm, I certainly did not expect this…" Aultcray said thoughtfully.
"Oh yeah, sure you didn't." I couldn't help thinking.
"Apparently, rumours have been spreading across town that the Shield Hero has no knowledge of this world." Aultcray announced after one of his advisers whispered in his ear.
"Someone must have overheard us talking last night." Motoyasu whispered.
"Somehow, I get the impression that it wasn't unintentional." I whispered as well.
"Well, what am I supposed to do now?!" Naufumi demanded.
"It would be fair to split them up three apiece, but forcing the issue may not be wise." Itsuki commented.
"Well then what do you suggest?! Shepard can go it alone, he has an actual weapon!" Naufumi shot back.
"He's right. I'm a loner myself, but travelling without a party would be a bad idea." Ren spoke up. "Anyone who can't keep up should just join Naufumi." He said to his party. Nobody budged.
"I will join the Shield Hero's party, if it will be allowed." Someone finally announced. Sure enough, the red-headed princess Malty stepped out of the line forming behind Motoyasu.
"Are you sure?" Motoyasu asked, concerned. I highly doubt it was for her safety though. He only got a nod in response, and Naofumi looked ecstatic.
"Very well then." Aultcray spoke up. "With this situation resolved, I will provide the five of you with funding to begin your journeys." He said as five servants approached us. "Sir Shepard shall receive 1000 silver, and Sir Naufumi will receive 800 silver, just this one time, due to their circumstances." The servants with the two biggest bags of money approached Naofumi and myself and handed us the money.
"Much thanks, Sire." I said to the King with a nod, which he returned.
"The other three will each receive 600 silver." He announced as the rest were given their money. "Now, with that done, procure any necessary equipment, and set forth to build your strength!" He commanded us.
"Sir!" We responded in unison.
XXX
"Finally that's done." I said to myself under my breath as I left the castle. Now it's time to get to work.
My inventory was still full of all the stuff I had before, so supplies weren't all that necessary, though I did get some lower quality potions to use, rather than the super powerful ones I have now. Better to save those until I actually need them. You know, when I'm over Level 100. Besides the potions, I already had some food, a tent, and various other things I'd need when camping out in the woods. I didn't plan on staying in an inn. Not immediately.
Anyways, after supplies, my first priority was equipment. I could probably get away with the simple clothes I'm wearing now for a little while, but eventually I'd need equipment to match my Level. I figured it would probably be a good idea to get some new equipment now. So with that in mind, I sought out the blacksmith shop I remember seeing in the anime. It took a bit of asking around, and a bit of exploring, but eventually I found it.
"Oh, Shepard!" Naofumi said as he saw me. He was now wearing a simple set of chain mail armour with a brown fabric covering.
"Naofumi." I greeted with a nod.
"Sir Shepard! Good to see you!" Said a peppy red head.
"Hi there, miss…" I trailed off, pretending not to know her name.
"Oh! Sophia. Myne Sophia. Please, call me Myne." She said with a cute smile. I have to admit, she'd probably win an Oscar is she went to Hollywood.
"Myne." I nodded, turning back to Naofumi. "Equipment is a good first step. I suggest you grab some potions and dried food if you plan on leaving the city." I told him. "And keep anything you don't use in the inventory. It becomes a pain to keep track of everything." I added, looking over the armour that was on display.
"Inventory?" The two asked in unison.
"You don't know?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Of course he didn't, but this might help him keep his stuff when Malty inevitably betrays him. "The Cardinal weapons come with an inventory function." I said, raising my hand. With a small glow, one of the potions I bought earlier appeared in my hand, shocking them. And then, it disappeared with the same glow. "You can do the same thing with money, since the Weapons have a Wallet function too." I added.
"H-how?" Naofumi asked, composing himself.
"The same way you do anything with a Cardinal weapon, willpower." I told him. "Will it to happen, and it will." I said. With a thoughtful face, he picked up the hoodie he was wearing before and tried to put it in the inventory. "Don't try to ask it or force it, you need to will it. Like moving a part of your body, make it happen naturally." I told him. After a few moments, the hoodie disappeared with the same glow we saw a second ago.
"It worked!" Naofumi smiled.
"Well done Sir Naofumi!" Myne smiled widely. "And thank you for your help, Sir Shepard." She turned the smile to me. Heh, I can see the cracks in your facade, you cunt.
"What's all the commotion?" A new voice asked as a Dwayne Johnson lookalike emerged from the curtain behind the counter. "Another customer?" He asked.
"Oh, Erhard, this is Shepard, the Gun Hero." Naofumi introduced me.
"Arms Hero." I corrected him.
"Hoh! You must be the veteran Hero that was summoned by accident." Erhard realised with a big smile.
"Is that what people are saying?" I asked with a groan.
"Two Heroes in one day? I might actually be good at my job!" The blacksmith announced with a wide, joking grin.
"Word on the street is you are, hence my coming here." I told him. "Harrison Shepherd, but please just call me Shepard." I told him, holding out my hand.
"Erhard, nice to meet ya!" He grinned, shaking it.
"I'll leave you guys to your business. Thanks for the help, Shepard." Naofumi said as he and Malty made to leave.
"Anytime." I responded as they left.
"So, what can old Erhard do for you?" The blacksmith asked, leaning on his counter. Must be nice being the shop owner. My old boss used to yell at me whenever I leaned.
"Firstly, do you have any firearms in stock?" I asked.
"I do, two of them, but they were custom orders, not for sale." He told me regretfully.
"That's fine. Can I take a look? Just looking at different weapons like mine can help it develop and evolve." I tapped the holstered pistol at my side.
"That… should be fine." he said unsurely. "Just remember though, they're not for sale." He reminded me, an edge of warning in his tone.
"That's absolutely fine." I nodded. With that, he went back through the curtain and came back a moment later with two guns, placing them on the counter. "Interesting." I said, picking up the smaller one. It was a flintlock, with a polished barrel, and ash-coloured wood base. Nothing fancy as far as flintlocks go, but it would probably be worth a few tens of thousands of pounds to a collector back home, even more in this brand new condition.
With a smile, I drew my weapon, and brought it up. Focusing, I activated the Copy Skill, and my pistol shifted into an exact replica of the flintlock, with the purple gem above the handle that is..
Basic Flintlock
Bonus: +10 Weapon Damage
Aptitude: 0%
"What the what!?" Erhard exclaimed as he saw what happened. "What did you just do?" He demanded of me.
"I copied your weapon exactly, adding it to my arsenal." I explained nonchalantly. "How much would you charge for that?" I asked.
"That's-! Wait, what?" He asked, face turning from angered indignation to confusion in a split second.
"I am not a thief, or a plagiarist. I fully intend to compensate for the use of your weapons." I told him with an eye roll, placing his flintlock back down on the counter. "Of course, I will not be paying anywhere near full price, considering you haven't actually lost any of your supply." I said firmly.
"That's… fair." he finally decided. "You could have explained that to me beforehand, you know?" He gave me a light glare.
"Where's the fun in that?" I smirked, picking up the other weapon.
A musket this time. Unlike the flintlock, this one was more brightly coloured, a deep golden brown wood as the base. It also had a nice bayonet at the end, which would be helpful. It was actually a bit shorter than I'd expect a musket to be, but he did say it was a custom order. Once again, holding my own weapon in the other hand, I activated the Copy Skill, and my weapon morphed to match the musket.
Basic Musket
Bonus: +12 Weapon Damage, +8 Damage Resistance
Aptitude: 0%
"Perfect." I smiled, putting the musket down. My weapon morphed back into its Desert Eagle form, and I holstered it. "So, how much per weapon?" I asked.
"Well, like you said, I haven't lost anything, but you are still using one of my weapons. I could just charge the cost of the materials, but that seems a bit much given the circumstances." He thought out loud. "Let's just call it five silver each." he told me. Incredibly generous, more than I expected. Nodding, I raised my fist, and a glow could be seen leaking out through the crevices between my fingers. As I opened my hand, 10 silver coins were resting on my palm. Erhard let out an impressed whistle as I placed the coins on the counter. "Was there anything else I could do for you?" He asked after putting the money and guns away.
"Yes, actually. I'm in need of some armour, something that won't inhibit my mobility, but still be fairly durable. I plan on camping out in the woods for a few days." I told him. "Leather is my preference. Some chaps, a vest, vambraces, and gloves would be best." I added.
"You know what you need, that helps." He nodded in appreciation. Within a few moments, he'd returned with everything I'd asked for.
Leather Chaps - Level 1
+15 Damage Resistance
+20 Fortitude
+10 Mobility
Leather Vambraces - Level 1
+8 Power Resistance
+5 Power Damage
Leather Vest - Level 1
+12 Damage Resistance
+15 Power Resistance
+10 Fortitude
Leather Gloves - Level 1
+8 Aura
+8 Efficacy
The stat bonuses were about what I expected from Level 1 armour. Some of them were actually a little more than typical Level 1 armour. Just goes to show how good this guy is at his craft. Anyway, he charged 150 silvers for it, at a discount I might add, I think he may have felt a little bad about his borderline overreaction earlier. It all fit me well enough, though I had to swap out my leather pants for some thin fabric pants, since leather on top of leather would be difficult and might make it harder to move. Plus, they didn't offer stat bonuses, the chaps did. So they had to go. The vest and vambraces went over my tunic well enough, and the gloves fit snugly and weren't too thick. Everything was just what I needed.
"This should be fine until I hit Level 10." I thought to myself. "After that, I'll need to either upgrade it, mod it, or get some new stuff."
"All good?" Erhard asked.
"It's perfect." I told him, giving him the money. "Now, one last thing. Is there a goldsmith nearby?" I asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes." He told me, crossing his arms with a smile. "My sister owns the jewellery store a few stores down. She is as good with gold as I am steel." He said proudly.
Since when does he have a sister? I don't remember her showing up in the anime. Then again, real world here, not an anime. Plus, why would Naofumi go to a jewellery store? He could craft all his accessories himself, and I think I remember something about him having access to a jewel mine.
"Awesome, thank you." I said with a nod.
"And just for the record, if you hit on my sister, I'll crush your balls with my hammer." He told me, completely seriously.
"If she looks anything like you, that won't be a problem." I shot back with a cheeky grin, leaving as I heard his indignant shout.
XXX
What in the fuck.
"Welcome to Ellie's Gems." The young woman before me said with a polite smile.
She looked nothing like Erhard. Sure, their skin tone and eye colours were the same, but they looked nothing alike. Her face was a lot more angular, and she was a hell of a lot shorter. She was as tall as Itsuki for Christ sake! And she was actually, you know, pretty! Erhard is only attractive because of his muscles. Without them, he's average at best. This girl has flawless skin, beautiful black hair tied into a practical ponytail, and she wore a simple, yet elegant dress that went down past her knees, and covered her upper arms. The tiny amount of cleavage it shows would be considered bold in this mediaeval world.
"Is something wrong Sir?" She asked.
"Oh, no, sorry, I was just surprised. You look nothing like Erhard." I told her, getting a small chuckle from her.
"You are not the first to say that." She told me with a smile. "So, what can I do for you?" She asked.
"Well, my name is Harrison Shepard. I'm the Arms Hero, and I have something that may interest you." I told her.
"Hoh! You must be the veteran Hero that was summoned by accident." She realised.
"Nevermind, I'll take it back. You're definitely Erhard's sister." I deadpanned. She laughed at me for a moment before going back to her polite professionalism. "As you apparently already know, I've been a Hero for a while now. I've built up a tidy sum of currency from the country I was summoned to. Currency that is now completely useless to me." I told her, getting one of each coin from my Wallet.
The copper coins were round, like the ones here, but they had ornate patterns etched into them, and they had a hole in the middle. The silver coins were pentagonal, with the country's coat of arms on one side, and a gryphon on the other side. Finally, the gold coins were hexagonal, with the coat of arms as well, but a dragon on the other side.
"Fascinating." She said, taking the coins and inspecting them. She even whipped out a monocle. "Why bring them to me though?" She asked.
"I realise I could go to the Melromarc Treasury and exchange them there, but that would involve bureaucrats, and they're always taking their time, and then they'll probably impart a tax, so it would probably just take a long time for me to only get less money than I'd get selling them at face value of the metals." I explained.
"That is true." She agreed, inspecting the coins. "Damaging or melting down currency is illegal in Melromarc, but that only applies to our national currency, so I'm sure I can buy them off of you. Give me a moment." She said, reaching under the counter and pulling out a set of scales.
She placed the gold coin on one scale, and one of her own on the other. They were about equal in weight. Next, she did the same with the silver coin. My silver coin was four times as heavy as hers. Finally, my copper coin was twice the weight of hers. That means four times and twice the value, respectively. The gold coins were apparently identical, give or take a gram or two.
"Are the values between the coins the same as over here?" She asked me after a moment.
"No, they are not." I told her. "48 copper coins makes a silver coin, and 24 silver coins makes a gold coin. There were also platinum bars, worth 12 gold coins, but those were very rarely seen." I explained. She gave a hum of thought.
"Alright, I'll give you 10 gold coins for 10 of these." She told me, holding up the gold coin I'd given. "Also, 100 copper coins, for 50 of yours, and 500 silver for 125 of your silver." She offered.
"Sounds perfect." I said with a nod, withdrawing the requested cash from my Wallet.
"And do you have any platinum bars I can see?" She asked. I nodded and got one out for her. Unlike the coins, this was a square bar about as long as a toothpick, and as thick as my pinky. There were intricate snake carvings all over its surface area. She inspected it and gave it a smile. I bet she could probably get 50 gold coins for a ring or something made with that. If it was well-made that is. Based on her merchandise, I'd say Erhard was correct when he commented on her skill. "How do you feel about an extra 10 gold coins for this?" She asked.
"Trying to stiff me on two gold?" I asked with a smirk. "10 gold and two accessories."
"10 gold and one accessory." She returned.
"Deal." I nodded. She gave a bright smile as we shook hands.
I was now 20 gold, 500 silver, and 100 copper coins richer. Or, since silver seems to be the most common currency used, 2501 silver richer. I now had a little over 3200 silver coins in my Wallet. A considerable boost in wealth, I'd say. I also had a nice new earring on my left ear.
Amethyst Earring(gold)
+20 Aura
+18 Efficacy
+15 Fortitude
Very nice.
XXX
OK, less nice, but not nothing.
Orange Rifle - Level 1
+3 Weapon Damage, +4 Power Damage
Aptitude: 0%
Hardly worth my time in the long term, but I suppose currently I should take everything I can get. The Orange Balloons are so weak they die after one shot. It should make filling the Aptitude gauge quick. Each and every weapon has an Aptitude gauge that fills up as I use it. When it hits 100%, the stat bonuses become permanent. Different weapons will fill the gauge at different speeds, but the general rule is that the stronger the weapon, the more I have to use it to increase Aptitude.
With that in mind, I shifted to the Orange Rifle, which was nothing more than an orange bolt-action rifle with a black barrel and serrated edges at the top, likely symbolising the teeth of the creatures. Pulling the bolt, I fired at one of the approaching Orange Balloons, killing it instantly.
Orange Rifle - Aptitude: 3%
With a smirk, I looked at the balloons that surrounded me. They were not long for this world.
XXX
Harrison Shepard
Arms Hero
Level: 2
Offensive Stats:
Weapon Damage - 92
Power Damage - 70
Aura - 84
Mobility - 63
Efficacy - 76
Defensive Stats:
Damage Resistance - 77
Power Resistance - 64
Fortitude - 94
Alright, so I have a nice little boost to my stats here after mastering the Flintlock, the Musket, and the Orange Rifle. I also used my stat points gained from levelling up on my Mobility and Power Resistance, my lowest stats. My equipment was also giving them a boost.. All in all, a productive use of the past 2 hours. The Orange Rifle took about 15 minutes to fill the Aptitude gauge, but the other two took a bit more time.
With a small breath, I sat at the edge of a river, taking a break, and using the time to focus on other things, like my Skills Menu.
Skills:
Detection - 1
Crafting - 1
Brewing - 1
It seemed that my initial three skills were all that remained. At the start, I only had three slots for Skills in this menu. However, every time I reached a milestone of 10 Level ups, meaning Levelling up to Level 10, and then 20, and so on, I got another slot for a new Skill. I thought they'd reset when I got here, and though Skill Levels did, the Skills themselves did not. Skill Levels ranged from 1 to 600, and the higher the Level, the more you can do, with 600 meaning you've mastered the Skill.
Activating my Detection Skill, I looked around. Some of the plants around me were glowing. If my Detection Skill picked up on them, that means they have some kind of use. Walking around, I gathered some of the plants. Every time I picked a flower or herb, the Skill increased by 1. Unfortunately, I couldn't just pick 600 flowers and be done with it. Once I hit 30 on my Detection, the plants stopped glowing, and they stopped adding to the Skill Level. Sure, thanks to the milestone I now instinctively knew where each and every plant or flower I could use was within a small radius, but I couldn't increase my Skill Level by getting them anymore.
Everytime it seems like my Weapon is absolutely overpowered and broken, which it actually still is in some ways, it comes up with something to bring it down. It can be annoying sometimes.
With that narrative in place, I sat back down and got to work on another skill, Brewing. By reverse-engineering one of the health potions I bought earlier, I was able to learn a recipe I could use to make them myself. I don't know if this recipe is the same as the recipe other brewers use, but I wouldn't bet on it with how broken the Cardinal Weapons can be. Anyway, the potion requires 3 ingredients, and as luck would have it, I have 10 of each ingredient, which was done intentionally, by the way. So, after feeding one of each ingredient into the gem on my rifle, it showed a 3 minute timer. And when that timer was up, out popped a brand new potion. It was low quality, sure, but at my current level I didn't need anything else. And this potion increased my brewing skill by 4 for each one I made. Over the next half an hour, I made 10 more potions, bringing my Brewing Skill up.
Skills:
Detection - 31
Crafting - 1
Brewing - 41
Unfortunately, crafting requires materials I don't have access to at the moment. Things like iron ore, wood, crystals, leather, and other materials for crafting things like weapons, armour, and accessories.
With my break done, I decided to get back to grinding.
XXX
Red Rifle - Level 3
+8 Weapon Damage, +10 Power Damage
Power: Red Slug - Fires a non-lethal round with 30% extra damage.
Aptitude: 100%
Usapil Pistol - Level 2
+5 Mobility, +6 Fortitude
Aptitude: 100%
Two new weapons mastered.
Harrison Shepard
Arms Hero
Level: 5
Offensive Stats:
Weapon Damage - 100
Power Damage - 80
Aura - 84
Mobility - 73
Efficacy - 76
Defensive Stats:
Damage Resistance - 80
Power Resistance - 72
Fortitude - 100
All in all, not bad for a day's work. The sun was starting to set when I decided I was done for the day. I got a new Power, which I think will actually come in handy along the way. 30% extra damage? That would be devastating if I were to use a Level 70 Power or something, even if the rounds were non-lethal and wouldn't pierce any armour or skin. Anyway, Before the sun set, I decided to set up my tent, and a fire. I didn't have to rub two sticks together to start the fire though, thank God.
"Abstinere ab igne." I chanted, my hand facing the teepee of firewood. With a flash, the wood ignited, and I had a fire that would passively repel monsters. Magic fire for the win. After cooking and eating a fish that I'd shot out of the river, along with some of the dried fruit I had in my inventory, I decided to call it a night. It was barely after sundown, but I wanted an early start tomorrow, so I figured I'd turn in early.
After I'd put my armour in my inventory, I lay down on the bedroll in my tent and allowed myself to relax. I didn't feel all that tired, mainly due to being used to working in conditions far more difficult than this. It's like running a hundred metres after running 10 kilometres every day for half a year. It just doesn't hit that hard anymore. Of course, that doesn't mean I shouldn't be taking it just as seriously.
As I lay in bed, my mind drifted over to Naofumi, and what he would likely experience in the morning. I felt shitty for not doing anything, but at this point, I was an unknown to this world, and if the King trusted me at all, it was probably quite scarce, to say nothing of the Church or the Nobles. If I stand up for the Shield Hero after a rape accusation, there's no telling what the backlash would be. I don't have the luxury of looking out for others just yet. I did my best to help him subtly. That's going to have to be enough.
If he didn't listen, that's on him.