Chapter 19: Enter Siltvelt
When you're the god of a nation, you'd expect things would usually go swimmingly. Even at its worst, it would be infinitely better than the treatment Naofumi received in Melromarc. This was not the case for Naofumi, however. Not only were the people extremely hostile towards him, but he also didn't even get a step into Siltvelt before the shenanigans occurred.
At least in Melromarc, they used his accusations to toss him out. Siltvelt, on the other hand, didn't care about subtlety and just straight-up attacked. All because of Ren.
"[Erst Shield!]" Naofumi shouted, summoning a shield to protect them from the barrage of arrows. Even with Naofumi's abilities on full display, the guards fighting them just dismissed his abilities as some sort of replica. And it was hard to blame them, seeing as he himself dealt with a replica of the four weapons. So why couldn't someone make a replica of the shield?
"New land of opportunities. How are you liking it at the moment, Naofumi? Ren joked.
"Not the time." A massive ball of flames came their way. Naofumi prepared himself to defend, but Draco leapt into the air, dispersing it with an opposing ball of lightning. The lightning then exploded, raining down more bolts upon the enemy, paralyzing the ones who ended up getting hit.
"Raphtalia, Sakura. Move in."
"On it." Drawing their blades, they both dashed into the battle.
"I'll help them out then. [Tranquil Sword]"
Approaching the main group, Sakura shot forward, covered in win, barreling through many of the guards. Ren and Raphtalia then moved in and attacked the fallen guards before they could even have a chance to recover from the fall. The enemies that Ren struck suffered no wounds but soon quickly fell to sleep. Raphtalia's, however, weren't doing so well. None of the attacks they suffered were lethal, but many of them were writhing on the ground in agony.
"Dragon Vein! Hear our petition and grant it! As the source of your power, we
implore you! Let the true way be revealed once more! Give us the power to
overcome the obstacles before us!"
"Cooperative Magic: Grand Deucalion!"
Wyndia and Keel chant a spell. Keel messed up several times, forcing Wyndia to pick up the slack. But he followed along well enough for the spell to activate.
Rising from the moat below. The waters once used to protect them began to rise and turn on their masters, sweeping them up and carrying them away with a powerful wave.
The rest of the guards backed up, bracing themselves as the water approached. But an axe came from the gate, cutting through the spell in an instant. The axe then flew back, resting in the hands of a massive minotaur beast man.
"Where is the sword demon!?" The minotaur snarled.
Looking at the minotaur towering over him, Ren gulped as his sword burst into flames. "Careful, guys, he seems pretty strong."
"His presence. It's similar to what Fitoria and Sakura did near the end of their fight." Raphtalia pointed out.
"If that's true, we must approach this fight cautiously. Keel, back up Raphtalia. Draco, keep doing what you're doing."
"With pleasure." Draco clapped her hands, drawing out lightning, before eating it.
"[Roaring Thundering!]" Opening her mouth, thunder boomed as Draco unleashed a beam of lightning at the minotaur.
But the minotaur didn't flinch. It took a stance and swung his axe, cutting through the beam.
With a mighty roar, it began to charge. Sakura was the first to step up and rushed forward to clash weapons with the minotaur.
Her little attack didn't go well, however, as she was easily overpowered and hit into the floor. It raised its axe, ready to finish her off. But Naofumi got in the way, defending his bird from the danger.
"Agh," Naofumi grunted. He was planning on deploying a shield prison-like always, but a gut feeling told him to take the attack head-on instead. And good thing that he did. The attack was strong, stronger than anything he felt before. Even with the current buffs to his shield, he struggled to defend against it.
"You dare mimic our shield hero's holy artifact with your cheap replica! You must die!" The minotaur brought his full weight down upon the axe, slowly forcing Naofumi to the ground. The shield hero struggled to keep the attack up, but he was given relief as Keel came in, kicking the axe to the side.
"[Lightning Rush]!"
Using earth vein. Wyndia worked with Draco and conjured up another ball of lightning. This time, the ball then morphed, transforming into a Western dragon, before flying at the minotaur. At the same time. Raphtalia attacked him from the side, with Sakura recovering and attacking as well.
Being cornered. The minotaur chuckled as he split his axe. He used both ends to block both Raphtalia and Sakura's attacks and effortlessly knocked them away. He then began charging at Ren, running through the lightning like it was nothing.
"[Thunder Sword!]" Ren finally rushed in, launching a skill at the minotaur's axe. Knocking it aside, Ren came back around and delivered a clean slash with his [Blazing Sword] across the minotaur's chest.
It winced in pain, but he simply brushed the singed hair off his body before starting his attack.
Naofumi had no time to breathe as the minotaur came back swinging. He targeted Ren and Naofumi specifically while ignoring the attacks from the others.
Ren was the only one who could actually hurt their assailant, and he was using skill after skill to do so. But all that did was just make the fight brawl in the minotaur's favor, where one mistake could mean certain death for them and a minor wound for the minotaur.
Thankfully, Naofumi had everything he needed to defend Ren. But he was starting to waver as the attacks became faster and faster. Soon enough, the bull got in a solid hit and hit Naofumi over the edge.
He was only able to catch himself thanks to the rope shield. But the minotaur quickly ran forward and raised his axe.
"Perish, you false prophet of the sword devil!" The minotaur planted his feet into the ground and reconnected his axe. Energy similar to that seen during Fitoria's fight technique soon began converging on the axe, making it glow as he hit it at Naofumii. "[Crushing Bull!]"
"Not a chance! [Parry Stance!]" Ren planted his foot into the ground and clashed with the minotaur. The skill Ren used was Parry Stance. It would shift all of someone's attack into defense, but only for a few seconds, allowing some to block attacks from even the toughest of enemies.
This allowed Ren to take on the full-force hit from the minotaur before backing up and swinging again. This time, directing his blade toward the bull's neck.
"[Counter Stan-!]"
"Cease this ruckus at once!" A commanding voice shouted. The voice caught the attention of everyone, with Ren deciding to whiff his attack on purpose, just to see what the commotion was about.
Finally some respite. Naofumi grumbled as he climbed back onto the bridge.
When he got up, he saw who gave the order. A tall and lanky bird demi-human with a pair of red wings on his back. Wings larger than Sakura's. Something the filolial pouted at the sight of.
"I swear. Causing terror and destruction at the gate is one thing, but to attack the shield hero and his companions is certainly unforgivable!" He declared, not only reprimanding the minotaur but the entire guard as well.
He seemed to be some sort of authority figure. Not only was he able to stop the reinforcements from going in and attacking, but he also was able to stop and even command the minotaur to apologize and leave. But not after chewing him out for a few minutes, however.
Throughout all this, Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He was unsure if that final attack would even work, but he was glad that he and Naofumi were able to make it out in the end without any major injuries.
"Lord Hero, I deeply apologize for this terrible homecoming. I am Lord Werner, and I ask that you come to my abode so that I may offer you some relief." Werner knelt on the floor, saluting in shame.
"You're lucky that none of my party members were seriously hurt in this altercation. If they were, things would be going very differently." Naofumi threatened.
"I know you must be mad, Lord Shield. I shall take responsibility for what happened today. Frederick, grab the carriage and clear a path to my estate!"
"Yes, sir!" A fox demi-human ran down the street and returned with a carriage minutes later. Sakura was beaming with joy, while the rest of the group was confused and cautious about the whole situation. Naofumi didn't know if Werner could be trusted, but he had little choice in the matter after they pretty much pushed him into the cart.
/~/
"I humbly apologize once again for this situation. We weren't prepared for you to escape the bounds of Melromarc so soon. Truly, the shield lord is a man of great miracles." Werner praised.
He poured both himself and Naofumi a cup of tea, ignoring Ren entirely as he sat back down.
"You need to train your men in perceptiveness better. I was clearly doing things that only the shield hero can do. If Siltvelt is this rubbish when it comes to identifying their God, then I have low hopes for this country." Naofumi remarked, beaming with frustration.
"I can assure you, my lord. Every person involved in this scuffle will be properly punished under your orders."
After pouring his own cup of tea, Ren jumped into the conversation. "So may I ask? What is up with all this sword devil, fake shield nonsense?"
Wener sighed. "If you must know… sword. Siltvelt follows the church of the shield, opposite to that of the church of the three heroes. All other heroes are either seen as devils who are against the shield or followers of the strongest and most glorious hero. It's obvious that Siltvelt sees you as the former since our hero was unrightfully accused and left to fend for himself." Werner explained with a scowl directed toward him.
Ren sighed. He opened his mouth so that he could speak of a rebuttal of any kind, but he had nothing. He's already been reminded time and time again about his failures, but this jab was the one that hurt him the most. Of course, that's excluding the constant regret he gets whenever he even glances at Wyndia.
He was at the trial and said nothing. He heard the philosophies of the church and did nothing. He called him weak during their first meeting and did nothing to help. By the time he acted, the damage was already heavily done, both physically and psychologically.
Wyndia was an example of how little he thought about his actions. Did he truly deserve this forgiveness? Can he truly atone for what he did to Gaelion? Perhaps he deserved this pain for everything he did.
"Even though that's true and all. I and Ren have been working with me for the past couple of days—no, scratch that, weeks—to stop the waves. He was the one who helped me escape Melromarc by lending me his dragon. So if you want respect from me, then I demand you show some common courtesy to one of my best and only allies." Naofumi declared, defending Ren while also forcing Werner on the back foot.
"S-sorry, my lord. I wasn't aware of-."
"Then be aware next time. I don't want this place to be a repeat of Melromarc. And you aren't giving me the best first impression."
"Yes, sir. I shall inform the council tomorrow morning. I will also do my best to adhere to your request during your stay here. We're aware of your status as a hero, but we want to make sure that Siltvelt is your go-to country if anything happens."
"I'm hoping that you can keep that promise. I don't want to be disappointed again."
"Y-yes sir."
/~/
"Well, this was certainly an adventure. How do you plan on getting back to Melromarc exactly? Especially with the fugitive thing going on at the moment?"
"I'll cross that path when I get there. Worst comes to worst, you three can fight the wave while I try to handle Angry Bird." Naofumi shrugged his shoulders. "By that time I'll have a waypoint in Siltvelt, so no more dragon travel is needed.
"If you say so. Just be warned, I won't be able to make it back to you in time for Zeltobles wave, so you're on your own until the end of that."
"Don't forget that you're also on your own. You already know everyone's methods, so start using them." Naofumi advised, attempting to encourage Ren. But the sword hero replied with a sigh.
"I've been trying, but they don't show up. I don't know what is wrong." Ren grumbled, visibly frustrated.
He must still not believe in their legitimacy. Even on a subconscious level.
Ren frowned as he folded his shoulders. "I'll keep trying, but I'm not hopeful." Draco started to take off and hover lower to the ground.
"Oh, and… thanks for standing up for me back there. I may not be your best companion after everything, so—
"Yeah, yeah, take responsibility for your actions or do the right thing next time or whatever. I get you're going through some things right now, but I heard it all already." Naofumi mocked.
"Same here." Wyndia grumbled as well.
Ren sighed. "Fair enough. Good luck, Naofumi." Ren flipped Draco's reins, commanding her to fly off.
"Keep up your practice, Keel! I want progress by the time we meet again!" Wyndia shouted, still as stern as ever.
"Yes, master!" Keel responded back.
Sakura and Draco also shared a moment; though it was pretty irrelevant, as it was mostly their banter. By the time it was already high in the sky, it flew off.
"So what's the plan now?" Raphtalia asked.
"Sleep and meet with the council of Siltvelt tomorrow. We need to mobilize the army, get you classed up, as well as register to the hourglass. So we have a lot of stuff to do before the wave hits."
"How much time do we have?"
"I'm not sure. Hopefully, it's enough." Naofumi leaned on a nearby wall. "The best we can do is adapt to the situation. We're in another country, so stay on guard and keep an eye out for the others. I'm 60% sure they won't try anything now that they know my status, but it won't hurt to be cautious."
Raphtalia nodded her head and unconsciously wagged her tail. "I'll do my best."
"Alright. It's getting late. I'm going to do my usual routine." Naofumi walked off and opened his status screen. All 4 of his current party members were accounted for, minus Ren and Draco, who had just left. Naofumi had to keep a close eye on Siltvelt and its machinations. He's heard a lot of bad things about the country, so it was only natural that he'd be cautious.
Raphtalia must have been thinking the same thing. She seemed more aware and alert of the things around her. He also heard her chanting a few times as they walked down the hallway. Naofumi can only think that it's an attempt to detect any illusions being cast.
Looking back. He was glad that his struggles were starting to turn up. But he can save those emotions for later once he's truly in the clear.
/~/
Later that night
A harpy descends upon Werner's mansion and stealthily lands on the roof. She had been informed that the shield hero finally arrived in the country, and it was now her time to get in and secure a spot in his harem. She didn't care if she was a main girl or not; a concubine to the shield hero still held prestige in the nation of Siltvelt. So no matter what she did, she would be winning either way.
Flapping off the roof, she approached the window that was suspected to be the shield heroes' room. Looking through the window, she indeed found the room to be his and smirked at her opportunity.
"Hehe. First come, first served." Carefully opening the window, the harpy flies into the room and silently lands on the ground. As she went back to close the window, she looked down to witness another woman running up the wall at an angle. She tried to close the window quickly, but the goat woman jumped in at the last moment.
"Oi, buzz off; this is my night." The harpy whispered.
"Not if I have anything to say about it. The shield hero will be mine.
"You both are already too late. It's our night." Turning to the unknown voice, a girl camouflaged into the steps, along with a few others hiding on the roof and walls.
"So… Want to do an orgy instead?"
"Agreed, but who will be first?"
"I call it!" The harpy jumps over the other woman and strips her clothes off midair. As she is about to land on the bed near the shield hero, another woman appeared in a puff of smoke and held her by the neck.
"Sorry. Naofumi is not taking requests right now." The pink bird tightened her grip around the neck of the harpy.
"W-who t-t-the h-hell a-are y-y-you?" The harpy stammered through her breath. She never got an answer, however, as she was soon punched out of the room and knocked through the outside wall by the pink bird.
"He's waking up, scatter." The girls quickly hid as they saw the shield hero waking up.
"Ugh, Sakura, what the hell?" Naofumi sleepily complained.
"Oh, just some idiot maid fell. You know how they are sometimes."
Naofumi sighed as he laid his head on the pillow once more. "Well, tell them to shut up before I go out there myself."
"Don't worry. Sakura will handle it." Sakura cracked her knuckles.
Not wanting to deal with or even know of her nighttime shenanigans, Naofumi went back to sleep. After a few minutes of making sure he wouldn't wake up, the girls all went out of hiding and confronted the bird.
"So you're the shield hero's main girl then. Well back off and share some with us!"
"With Naofumi. Ha, not a chance." Sakura had a good laugh before composing herself. "Alright then. Who's up first?
/~/
Waking up from his slumber, Naofumi sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. Excusing the maid that fell last night, this was the first time he had a peaceful, nonanxious nap. He was under Siltvelts' proper protection now, so all the shadows, church lackeys, knights, and monsters he had to worry about in Melromarc were all gone. All he had to worry about was Werner doing something that would betray his trust, but Naofumi knew he wouldn't do anything to provoke his wrath. That was his thought until he finally opened his eyes.
The room was a wreck when compared to what he slept with last night. Messed-up furniture, holes in the walls, and, for some reason, dozens of almost naked demi-humans were scattered across the room, all knocked out. Some were on the floor, others were on the wardrobe, and a really unlucky one was currently being choked out by Sakura, with her fist preparing to punch the girl in the face.
Naofumi contemplated the scene in front of him and was about to let Sakura go about her business. But the thought of something going wrong made him hesitate.
"Put her down, Sakura," Naofumi commanded. Sakura even after hearing the command just stood there. Even with her whining about her orders half the time, she would never purposefully deny Naofumi's commands. Knowing something was up, Naofumi got out of bed and went over to his bird, only to find the reason for her insubordination.
Sakura stood there, asleep with a snot bubble forming from her nose. The girl she was holding had several bruises across her body and bags under her eyes that Naofumi could only assume were from last night. Most people would be knocked out if they were choked for that long, but Sakura was doing it in such a way that she could breathe in oxygen while simultaneously bringing enough pain to keep her awake throughout the night.
The girl's mouth did move when she saw Naofumi. Even when it wasn't audible, Naofumi could tell that it was a cry for help. He didn't want to help, but he figured that causing the death of this poor girl would be a hassle.
"Hey, wake up!" Naofumi shook Sakura awake. The bird slowly opened her eyes before jolting awake.
"Huh? Where?" Sakura looked around the room, witnessing all the chaos that ensued.
"Care to explain?"
"Huh? Ohh. Sorry, Sakura forgot about this one."
"Wait, don-" Before he could stop her, Sakura had already drawn her fist back and planted it into the face of the poor girl. They crashed into the wardrobe, forcing it to open and revealing even more beat-up women.
Naofumi sighed. "You can tell me what happened later."
/~/
Extra Story: Bird Up
Deep within the cover of the night, a woman shrouded in darkness makes her way into the stable. Lighting up a lantern in the dark corridor, the light soon revealed the pens of several Filolial. The birds were awake and squawking, but the woman ignored their calls and specifically headed for the one in the middle. The spear hero's prized bird.
"So you must be Freon. The idiot has caused me a lot of trouble and money with his last action. He's also been ignoring me lately and stays with you instead of me. I say that this is a fair enough trade to get him back on track."
The girl pulled off her hood, revealing the crimson hair of Malty. She then pulled a cup of liquid and forced the Filolial's mouth open.
"To think he wasted a week in an attempt to raise you. You're nothing but a creature who survived breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Have a nice first drink. And while it's your first, it'll simultaneously be your last. As she raised the bottle, a foot came in and kicked it out of her hand. Confused, Malty looks back, only to see a naked child with white hair standing behind her.
"Damn it, kid. Don't you know how much that costs?" The girl walked over to the cold and picked her up by the neck. "I'll have you and your family sold into slavery for this. And even then, it'll take you years to pay off what you just broke."
"Leave Yuki alone!" The girl demanded.
"Ha. Like some commoner who can't afford clothes could tell me… what to… do."
Noticing the command didn't come from the child she had, Malty noticed that her lamp wasn't giving as much light as before. Looking behind her, she saw that Freon got big and towered over the princess with an angry look on her face. Freon also wasn't the only one. All the other filolial in the stable have suddenly become large as well. Towering over the princess and slowly backing her into a corner.
Malty attempted to run, calling off her plan. But her path was blocked as the child she recently choked disappeared in a puff of smoke and also transformed into a giant bird, blocking off her final path of escape.
As the filolial closed in, Malty drew her blade and swung it about to scare the birds off. The filolial, however, just ignored the flailing woman, and all rushed her at the same time, knocking away her blade and pinning her to the ground. The screams of Malty were all drowned out by the fluffy feathers of the Filolial, and she was pummeled into the ground by the birds she had just recently tried to kill.
/~/
Ryute Village Report
Funds: 16 Gold (-52 for supplies and Filolial)
Fighting Force: 1 (Motoyasu's party)
Ryute Council: Motoyasu, Malty, Ex-Ryute lord. (Established by Motoyasu to assist him in village building)
Repairs: 97% complete
Current sources of income: Gems, wood.
Livestock:
Cow: 47
Chickens: 34
Goats: 39
Filolial: 8 Freon (Special), Yuki, Kou, Kuro, Green, Crimmy, Marine, Luna)
AN: Yes, I like filolial, how could you tell? Thank you for reading, and leave a review.