Chapter 12: Get Along Bunch
Naofumi woke up as the sunlight beamed onto his face. Looking over to the bed next to him, he noticed Raphtalia wasn't there. This was a usual occurrence. It was less common now, but on a night when she would have a nightmare, she'd sleep with Sakura, who, for some reason, likes to sleep in her carriage more than an actual bed.
Getting out of bed with a stretch, Naofumi left the room and headed downstairs to the alley where they parked the cart.
"Oi, wake up. It's time to grind." Naofumi knocked, only to get no answer.
With a sigh, he opened the curtain and saw that it was empty.
Typical Sakura, probably went out for food. Raphtalia, however... could she have gone with her? Naofumi pondered. He then noticed a note near one of Sakura's pillows and picked it up. Even with her barely legible handwriting, Naofumi was able to understand the message well enough to read it.
Dear Naofumi,
Out for today, doing some important stuff. If you need a cart, call Tebba.
Love: Sakura
P.S. Taking Talia with me. :)
"Of course, there go my plans for today," Naofumi grumbled. He crumbled up the paper and tossed it back into the carriage. "And who the hell is Teba!"
/~/
Meanwhile, with the girls
"You want Fitoria to train you?" Fitoria asked. She was not prepared for Sakura to contact her so soon, so she was still at her ruins, far away from any form of civilization.
"Yeah. I need to be able to kick your ass next time if you try something funny again." Sakura stated bluntly.
"I also desire to be trained, Miss Queen… Though not for Sakura's reasoning." Raphtalia bowed, still a bit nervous.
"Well, that certainly is a reason."
"You also broke Sakura's favorite and only sword. So she thinks you owe her."
"Right, Fitoria did do that." Snapping her fingers, the two filolial by Fitoria's side ran off into the ruins. Several loud crashes were heard inside until both birds returned with a black blade. Sakura couldn't help but marvel at the blade presented in front of her, despite it looking worse for wear.
"Fitoria will get it cleaned up for you. Until then, she will grant you rest and train you." Fitoria declared.
"Ha, told you." Sakura cheered.
"I ask you to save your cheer till after the training. You'll need all the energy you can get." Fitoria summoned her carriage, the doors opening automatically. Raphtalia got in with no issue, but Sakura had to be tossed inside after arguing with Fitoria over who got to pull it. After she was inside. In a blinding flash of light, they all vanished.
/~/
With a free day on his hands, Naofumi decided to grab a quick meal and went over to the tavern. Once he got over, he saw a crowd of people (mostly women) crowding around the entrance. Since none of them were getting food, he pushed past. That was until one of them grabbed him by the hood and attempted to pull him away. But she quickly found that the shield hero was heavier than anticipated.
"What the hell are you doing? The sword hero is in there."
"Is that so? Thanks for the heads up; take this as payment." Naofumi opened his cloak, allowing a balloon to escape from his torso and jump on the woman. As she thrashed about, trying to get the monster off, everyone else took a step back, not daring to block his path, or else they'd suffer the same fate.
Looks like I found what I'll be doing today then. Naofumi walked over to a table nearby and sat down. Ordering his meal like normal, he glanced over to Ren, only to see a weird sight. His party was sitting at another table across from him, with only one girl sitting with him.
She wore a white blouse and black skirt, both of which he figured were magic clothing. Along with that, she had long blue hair and a blue thunderbolt embroidered on her sleeve. That was all irrelevant, however. The real eye-catcher was her feature. She carried a pair of blue lizard-like wings and a lizard's tail, unlike Sakura's, who was feathered and had no tail in her human form.
Two possible options for her identity were made clear. She was either a dragon-type demi-human or she was a monster similar in nature to Sakura. He was unable to figure out which, but he could tell she was no normal demi-human, so he leaned more toward the monster idea instead.
"You've been looking at us for over a minute now. What do you want?" Ren questioned.
"And it better be worth Pops's time, or I'll remove your—."
"Not yet, Draco." Ren reprimanded as he pushed the Draco back into her seat.
"Pops?"
"None of your concern. So what do you want? Quest, autograph? Because if it's the latter, I refuse."
"I'm just here to talk," Naofumi replied as he removed his hood.
"Naofumi?"
"No, I'm Mizuki from the Yakuza. Of course, I'm Naofumi, you idiot."
"So you are here? The rumors said that you'll be in Ryute by now." Ren pondered.
"Got an issue with that?"
"Not at all." Ren waved his hands. "Actually, I was planning on finding you to talk about something."
"Why? So you can lecture me for—."
"I'm sorry for not believing you."
"Rap… Wait, what?"
"I'm sorry for doubting you during the trial."
"... Is this a prank? Some ploy to make me let my guard down?"
"No, I'm being serious. The more I looked into this case, the more cracks in Malty's testimony started to show themselves. At this point, it's a fable."
"What are you talking about?"
"Allow me to explain. It was two weeks after the trial."
/~/
"Lord Ren, we're about ready to go!" A female adventurer called it.
"That's good. I have one more errand to run, so be ready by the time I return."
"Yes, sir!" The group replied.
Leaving his room, Ren walked through the streets of Melromarc with a hood over his head. The trial to him had seemed like an open-and-shut case. The king and Myne made it very difficult for Naofumi to weasel his way out of taking responsibility. But one thing did seem off, however, despite it being swept under the rug almost immediately. And it had to do with that egg.
It didn't make sense. He saw Naofumi before he went to bed, and he didn't have anything despite being out all day. This single question plagued his mind, with the locals of the town even stating it was strange. There were very few monster vendors in Melromarc, none of which were in town. But that didn't seem right. That only added even more questions to the list, one of them being, how?
That's when he remembered; he said it came from a monster trader in town. So if he were to find said trader, all his questions would finally begin to line up to one singular answer. Was Naofumi robbed, and did he truly assault Malty that night?
It took him a while to find the rumored tent, but once he did, he marveled at its size. He had never actually been to a circus; the closest he'd ever been was online, like most people. One thing most games have in common with a circus is that it's a place where monsters gather. He had found his clue.
"So what Naofumi said was true." Ren stepped inside and immediately had to guard his nose. The smell of rotten food and wet dogs assaulted him as soon as he entered. The smell was repugnant, sure, but he didn't want to turn back now. Mustering all his strength, he marched over to the front desk and rang the bell.
"My, my, a new face enters."
Confused about where the voice was coming from, Ren leaned over the counter, only to see a short purple man standing there.
"Whoa." Ren jumped.
"No need to fear. I don't bite. As long as you're a human, of course." Belokaus chuckled.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? Well, I'm the owner of this wonderful establishment. It is an honor to meet you, Sir Hero. Belokaus bowed, but instead of ease, it only made Ren flinch again.
"How did you—"
"Know? Well, it's quite easy to find someone who's snooping around. But no worries, I'm not like others. I use my contacts in order to sell my merchandise." Belokaus grinned.
Seeing no reason to hide his identity, Ren removed his hood.
"I'm not here to buy anything. Just here for a few questions." Ren stated bluntly.
"A shame. But I'm ready to offer my services to you, sir hero."
"Then tell me. Iwatani was here, correct?"
"Ahh, the shield hero, yes. He was my first-ever hero customer. I'm actually making a request for him right now!"
"So he did buy something?"
"Indeed. He pulled on my monster lottery or received a filolial egg. You should see it now; it's growing so fast. Oh, if only I could advertise it." Belokaus sulked.
"So Naofumi was telling the truth. So why would Myne lie about this?"
"The princess has done this quite a few times. Her powers of manipulation are kept pretty well hidden. But I have my ways." The trader chuckled.
"MYNES A PRINCESS!"
"The first princess, to be specific, but her younger sister holds the title of crowned princess."
"But why fake being an adventurer, and why accuse Naofumi?" Ren pondered before looking down at the trader.
"You. Can you tell me everything that happened during Naofumi's visit?"
"I can. But—
"I'll pay… almost any price." Ren blurted out. He didn't really want to buy anything, but he knew most people tended to be swayed once money was brought up. He expected more pushback, however, and not an overjoyed man pushing him towards the monster cages.
"Two heroes doing business in my tent. This must be my lucky year."
"Sir hero. You aren't even considering a purchase?"
"Alright, alright, just give me the egg gacha already. And you better keep your word." Ren threatened.
"No worries, sir hero. I assure you, this will be worth the trip."
/~/
"And that's where Draco came from," Ren explained.
"How the hell did you get a dragon!? All I got was a lame bird!" Naofumi exclaimed.
"I have a weapon form that increases my luck. Though it's pretty useless since there are no critical hits." Ren scoffed.
"Since when did those exist!"
"Since forever." Ren folded his arms. "Have you tried absorbing stuff into your shield?"
"I'm well aware of my weapon absorption properties."
"Then you can get that from a 4-leafed clover."
"I call bullshit," Naofumi grumbled.
To lighten the mood one more time, Ren had Draco leave the table as he changed the topic.
"Anyway. I'm planning on getting this info to Ren and Itsuki after the wave. Maybe then we can clear your name with all the evidence I found."
"My name is already through the mud. Clearing it now wouldn't do much."
"But it will put you in a spot where you could build up your reputation gain."
"I guess that makes sense. But with how this was done, I'm pretty sure the king won't allow a makeup trial. They both seem to be against me."
"Then we'll find a way… what?" Ren asked after he saw Naofumi's disappointing gaze.
"Don't try to bullshit me."
"But I'm not. I have the evidence to prove your innocence!"
"Not that. You're just doing all this just so you don't feel guilty." Naofumi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "If you wanted to make this right, then you would have stood up for me during the trial and not weeks after because you felt bad!"
Ren hung his head low. He knew what Naofumi said was true and didn't know how to answer.
"You want to be sorry for what you did? Listen up. This may sound unbelievable, but a bird queen—
"A bird what?"
"Yes, a bird queen. Now shut up!" Naofumi shouted. "Anyway, she told me to tell you that the ways aren't just exclusive to Melromarc, and we need to deal with those as well."
"But that's impossible. My game didn't give me any information about this."
"Because this isn't your game! Do you want to earn my respect back? Listen to her so I don't get killed because of it."
"I see." Ren pondered. "Alright then. After Melromarc's wave, I'll portal over to Zeltoble and check on the wave timer there."
"Hold up, portal, timer?"
"Yes, the portal weapons and wave countdown you get from the dragon hourglass… You didn't go to an hourglass, did you?"
"NO! I didn't even know the countdown was public in the first place!" Naofumi shouted, throwing his hands into the air out of annoyance.
Ren looked over at Naofumi and then at Draco, who was carrying back some food on a tray.
"Tell me, Naofumi, do you know how to copy shields?"
/~/
"I hate this damn shield so much!" Naofumi grumbled.
With Ren going into tutorial mode on him, he had just learned several new things about the shield that could have been useful weeks ago. The first was called a shield copy, which basically could have been other shields this whole time, instead of being stuck with the Nue shield. Not that the Nue shield was bad and all, but he was missing out on a whole new world of skills this entire time.
Thunder Dragons Shield, C
Equip Bonus: Def 6, Lightning Resistance (Medium)
Special Effect: Drake's Reflection
Mastery Level 0
Learning this had pissed him off, but the next tip sent him over the edge. So much so that he couldn't be bothered being angry.
It was the power-up methods, something everyone already supposedly knew. Everyone except him, of course. There were 3, each one focused on increasing the stats of the weapon and making it stronger.
The first was called Mastery. Weapons would gain a mastery bar that raised the longer he used that specific weapon form. The Nue shield, which thankfully updated itself once he learned the method, was at 82% after about a week of use. Once the bar reached 100%, the weapon would be mastered and have its stats raised.
The next was Energy Imbument. It worked hand in hand with mastery. Once a weapon was at 100% mastery, it could be reset back to zero. This reset would give the user energy, which could be used to awaken a weapon form, increase stats, improve abilities, and, depending on the shield, even unlock new ones.
It's also noted that energy could be gained by converting materials in the weapon, such as monster materials.
The last one was probably the most typical for an RPG, Rarity. There are seven tiers: C, UC, R, SR, SR, LR, and AF. Each shield starts at C and can be upgraded to a rank utilizing energy, increasing its abilities and stats. Unfortunately, every attempt at a rank-up has a chance of failure. And whatever sadist made this shield made it so every failure did a full reset back to C, wasting all that time and energy.
"At least you know it now." Ren nodded.
"But it doesn't make sense. Why wasn't it in my help menu?"
"Perhaps because you didn't know it?"
Naofumi groaned. "This is giving me more trouble than it's worth. Let's just get this over with."
Naofumi pushed open the door to the cathedral, home to the church of the three heroes. Another part of Ren's investigation took him to the church of the three heroes. And unsurprisingly, the shield hero was not one of them. In fact, the shield hero was considered a sinner. After learning this, everything finally began to make sense to Naofumi. Of course, the people turned on him so fast; he was literally the devil to some of them.
"I hate this place already." Naofumi sighed.
Walking past several terrified priests, he reached the dragon hourglass, only to be blocked by a priest before he could register.
"Greetings, Lord Sword, shield hero." The priestess grumbled.
"Cool it, sister. I just need some sand from the hourglass to get the wave countdown. I am still a hero who has to defend this place."
"I'm afraid I have to refuse. The sand from the hourglass is sacred, and the process of extracting it is a long and dangerous process."
"That's cool; I'll wait. Surely you can do it as quickly as possible, or else the whole country could be destroyed." Naofumi sat on the ground out of defiance, knowing what the sister was saying was bullshit.
"You dare disrespect the holy grounds of the three heroes. I hope God will smite—"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ma'am. I'm sure he didn't mean to insult anyone."
"I totally di—"
"What he meant to say is all four heroes are needed at the wave, or the catastrophe would get worse, you see. Surely you can help him out there at the request of another hero course." Ren did his best to leverage his authority, but the priestess was not having it.
"What? No, this can't be from the sword hero; it must be an imposter!"
"I say that's quite enough, sister!" Another third party exclaimed.
The priestess was immediately shaken by the voice. Even without looking back, she could tell how much trouble she was in.
"L-lord Balmus?"
"Rejecting the request of a hero, on holy grounds too. This is beyond blasphemy!" The pope reprimanded
"But it's a fake. A trick from the shield de…"
"Perhaps you need to look again. He is the exact same man we served last time. No matter how crazy the request is, it is almost treasonous not to abide."
The priestess fell to the ground and wailed out to a statue of the bow, spear, and sword.
"I'M SORRY FOR MY INSOLENCE!" The priestess cried out. She ran out of the cathedral in embarrassment, leaving the pope to take her place.
"I'm deeply sorry for any trouble Sister Feil has caused. Please, step up to the hourglass so we can assist."
"Finally, it took forever," Naofumi complained.
Surprisingly no one. The extraction of the hourglass's sands only took a few minutes. Once they were complete, he dumped the batch into his shield, unlocking a new form.
Dragon Hourglass Sand Shield
Locked: Level 50
"Well, that's disappointing." Naofumi checked his level. At the moment he was 32, thanks to that trip they took. Sakura was supposed to be the same, with only Raphtalia shortly falling behind at level 30. But when he saw their levels, he had to do a double-take to confirm what he saw. For some reason. Both their levels dropped to 25. Even scarier, their health was pretty low. Now low enough that they were in immediate danger but still low enough that it showed whatever they were fighting was a struggle.
What the hell is going on over there?
/~/
"HURRY UP AND SHOOT IT!"
"I'M TRYING!"
Sakura, in her Filolial form, narrowly escaped a blast of flames from a dragon. When she landed, Raphtalia stretched out her arms and shot two balls of light at the monster, but it did nothing as the dragon tanked the attack and began charging up another breath of flames.
"We're going to need more than two balls, Raphtalia!"
"I'm working on it! [FAST HOLY!]"
/~/
They better be okay. I don't know how to track them if they aren't.
Focusing on the hourglass for now, Naofumi stretched out his hand. A beam then shot out of his shield and connected with the hourglass. Seconds later, a screen appeared on his face.
Dragon Hourglass Registered
Countdown till next wave: 5520 minutes
"Alright, where are the settings to make these hours?"
Countdown till next wave: 64 hours, 32 minutes, 23 seconds.
"These things need better settings."
"Is there anything else you need?" The pope asked.
"Nothing for now." Naofumi turned his head and headed to the doors of the cathedral.
Ren also left, but not after doing a head nod in an attempt to seem mysterious.
Once they both left, however, the Pope left the chambers, but not before calling over another sister.
"What do we do now, sir?"
"It seems that the sword hero has been brainwashed by the shield. We can't release this to the public, but we need to get rid of them both."
"You're going to use it?"
"Not yet, but it's still early enough to summon more heroes. Mobilize the shadows. Once they're done with the sword and shield hero, we'll set our sights on the other two." The pope ordered.
"As you wish, my lord."
/~/
"Just like that, the plan worked. Now it'll make traveling between countries easier."
"Do you think the bird queen was telling the truth, though?" Ren asked
"It didn't seem like she was lying. She could have killed me right there and then, so the likelihood of it being a trap is low."
"She's that strong!?"
"Right now. Nothing we can do can compare. So I'm going to stay on her good side. I don't know about you, but I suggest doing the same." Naofumi replied.
"I'll keep it in mind. If I find Itsuki and Motoyasu. I'll pass on the information to them."
"Don't be like that, pops. It's a filial; she's clearly not a threat." Draco mocked. In a puff of smoke, the dragon girl transforms into a large cyan dragon with a thunderbolt necklace.
"I'm going to grind a bit more before the wave. I suggest you get some armor. You are our tank after all."
"I don't need to lecture; I already have some pre-ordered."
"Alright then." Ren whips the reins on Draco, and she is flapping her wings. "I'll see you during the wave. Good luck until then." After saying his goodbyes, Draco flew off, speeding away in a flash of lightning.
"Why couldn't I get a dragon?" Naofumi grumbled.
/~/
"Achoo." Sakura sneezed.
The second she lost concentration, Fitoria delivered a powerful punch to her face, knocking her to the ground.
"Ow."
"Sakura, are you okay?" Raphtalia asked.
"Yeah, just... Sakura feels that she was just insulted."