Chapter 8: Seven-day free trial

Leaving Raphtalia in charge of the firewood. Naofumi took out his cooking tools and began preparing the overabundance of food Sakura brought back. Before, she would bring back rabbits. But now she returned, carrying several boar-like monsters he hadn't even seen before.

Did she go further out? I knew she could kill most things in the forest, but how strong of a buff did she receive?

Boar Charger Shield: Conditions Met

Equip bonus: Speed boost (low)

Could this be a transformation? No, it can't be. If it were, it would have a time limit, probably. That could mean it is something permanent. So an evolution of sorts would mean the slave trader was correct.

Naofumi opened his menu and scrolled to the party menu. Skipping past Raphtalia's status, he went to Sakura's, confirming what he thought. Sakura's race changed from filolial to filolial queen, meaning that it was indeed an evolution. It also gave her a very good boost to her stats, Sakura now being on par with someone who's level 25.

"This queen evolution. Is actually quite neat."

"Sorry to interrupt. But who are you talking to?" Raphtalia asked. Naofumi can only assume she was standing there when he started thinking aloud.

"Don't worry about it; drop the stick by the fire and drink this," Naofumi ordered, tossing a bottle to Raphtalia. The bottle slipped from her hands as she attempted to catch it, but she grabbed it before it could hit the ground.

"It's medicine I made. It should help with that cough you have. Probably."

"Umm, you sure I can drink it?"

"As far as I'm aware, it's not poisonous. So you're clear to drink."

Raphtalia was discouraged but drank it anyway. As soon as she had a sip, however, she spat out the contents and began to gag. "Blegh, so bitter."

"Hey, don't waste the medicine. Don't you know how long it took to make this?" Naofumi pulled out a rag and cleaned Raphtalia's face with it.

"But it tastes so bad."

"That's the taste of proper medicine, not those lame gummy vitamins you get for breakfast."

"What's a gummy vitamin?"

"Something currently beyond your understanding; now drink!"

"Ughhhh."

/~/

A few hours after lunch, the group went deeper into the forest to level up. Inside. Naofumi was surprised to see Sakura's new strength firsthand. She was decimating most creatures she came across and even feeling with only a kick. Granted, many of them were balloons. But the ones that weren't didn't stand a chance.

Raphtalia was doing pretty well herself. Despite being level one, many of the balloons would die in a single slash. Sakura was also nearby, ready to assist if any balloon survived her first strike. With the two of them working together, Raphtalia quickly shot up to level 3, with no signs of stopping anything soon. Until.

"Umm, master?"

"What is it?" Naofumi asked.

"Not that I'm complaining. But… well, why do you want me to fight?"

"Oh, there are many reasons. First, I at least wanted someone who could speak words instead of annoying squawks half the- AGH!, damn it, that actually hurt." Naofumi yelped.

Sakura, who felt insulted, decided to kick Naofumi in the shin. Before, it would just bounce off with a clank, but she was now strong enough to actually damage him. A grim realization for the future.

"Alright, sorry, you didn't need to kick me."

"Gaw." Sakura turned her head, still quite offended.

Gotta keep that bird's feelings in mind before she ends up breaking a limb.

"Anyway. My second reason is to fight against the waves. I thought a hum… well, demi-human in this case—would be a nice addition to the team. But I got you instead." Naofumi grumbled.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize; it's that bastard's fault anyway. Who knows, maybe you'll be of some use." Naofumi got in front of Raphtalia to defend her against a boar. Its body was soon flung away by a powerful kick from Sakura.

"But why are you trying to fight against the waves? Isn't that the duty of a hero?"

"Well, if you put two and two together, what do you think?"

"Oh, I know this, four!"

"I'm not talking about math, you idiot. I am a hero." Naofumi caught a balloon charging at them and pinned it on the ground, allowing Raphtalia to stab it. "Although I don't really care if this kingdom burns to the ground."

"A… hero?" Raphtalia finally noticed the shield on Naofumi's arm and how he only focused on defense. "Could he really be the shield hero?"

Naofumi heard her but decided to ignore Raphtalia's murmurs.

They continued along with their hunting, taking down everything in sight. Being this far in, however, the balloon presence has grown less and was instead placed with usapil. None of them got a chance to approach, however. Sakura was quick on the attack, kicking through every rabbit in sight.

Naofumi himself hadn't done anything until he heard some rustling in a bush. Just as he thought, a rabbit leaped out of it and attacked, but he caught it mid-air and pinned it to the ground.

"Alright, finish it off," Naofumi ordered.

Raphtalia moved over to the rabbit, her hands shaking violently as she pressed the tip of her weapon on its neck. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"What are you waiting for? You have it by the neck; there's no need to change your stabbing position."

"I-it's n-not t-that. If I k-kill it, b-b-blood would start to d-drip."

"I've already been over this. If you aren't willing to fight, you're going back."

"B-but."

"Shut it! If you want to go back and achieve nothing by slowly dying in a cage, hurry up and drive your dagger into its neck." Naofumi yelled.

"Gua?"

"Shut up and stay out of this, Sakura! Now hurry up and choose." Naofumi demanded.

Raphtalia tightened her grip, pressing her dagger on the usapil. But her grip suddenly weakened as she lowered her blade to the ground.

Blood… scary. But... I need to... do it. For Rifana, for everyone!

Naofumi was about to call it quits, but with a rush of adrenaline, Raphtalia picked her dagger back up and drove it into the usable neck. Blood started to pour out of its body as she removed the dagger. At first, she breathed heavily, unaware of what she had done. But her eye soon focused on the dead rabbit, causing her to vomit at the sight.

"I guess that's enough for now. Sakura, take her back to camp slowly; I'll handle the cleanup here." Naofumi ordered.

"Yes… master."

Raphtalia got back up, slowly making her way over to Sakura.

"Gua." Sakura growled.

"What? Ow!"

Naofumi held his shin in pain after Sakura delivered a swift kick to it. She tossed Raphtalia onto her back and ran off, uncaring about her passenger's motion sickness.

"Damn bird."

/~/

Back at the camp

After getting back to the camp and starting a fire. Raphtalia sat down on the log, waiting for Naofumi's return. While waiting, Sakura sat by her and began nuzzling her head on Raph's face. At first, she was apprehensive about it, but she quickly got used to it and even returned the favor by scratching the back of Sakura's neck, a gesture the bird enjoyed.

"I see you two are having fun." Naofumi mocked.

"F-fun-. No, sir, I wasn't doing anything of the sort." Raphtalia panicked.

"Sure you weren't. Now get some rest already; we leave this town tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Raphtalia got off her log and over to the sleeping bags laid out on the ground. Instead of using them, however, she curled up on the grass next to them.

"No, you idiot, use the bags!" Naofumi exclaimed.

"Umm, yes, sir, sorry, sir." Using the sleeping bag. Raphtalia slipped inside and began to fall asleep.

Instead of sleeping himself, Naofumi dragged a log over and pulled out supplies for medicine crafting. Before he could start, however, Sakura came over and sat next to him.

"Gua?"

"Go to sleep."

"Gua gua?" Sakura squawked, looking over to Raph.

"I assume you're concerned about you, little buddy. Well, good, she's going back tomorrow."

"Gua!?"

"She's a liability. She barely killed that rabbit; I can't trust her with my life."

"Gua gua!"

"No, and that's final."

"Sakura refuses!."

"I said no!" Naofumi exclaimed. Knowing Sakura, he assumed this back-and-forth would go on for a bit. That's when he did a double take, realizing she heard a voice. But when he searched, he couldn't find the source.

"Over here."

Looking over at the source, Naofumi witnessed as Sakura began to glow. Her body shifted from that of a massive, feathery bird to that of a body of a slender yet well-developed young woman.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

Naofumi threw his cover at the woman, followed by a balloon to attack. But as it flew through the air, she caught both the cover and the balloon.

"I get it was shocking and all, but could you not?" Sakura squeezed her palm, popping the balloon in her newly formed hand.

"Shut up. Who the hell are you?"

"We'll Sakura was just transformed into light and reformed into a human, in the same spot. Who do you think Sakura is?" Sakura groaned.

"Bullshit, Sakura is a damn bird. And why are you naked?"

"Well, I don't magically spawn clothes, so of course I wouldn't have them. As for question one,"

Sakura exploded into a puff of smoke and reemerged in her filolial form.

"There, happy now?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"What in the—."

"Yeah, yeah, really surprising. We aren't getting rid of her." Sakura argued, transforming back into a human.

"That conversation is the last of our concern at the moment."

"You sure? Because it's pretty important."

"Again, she's a child and can barely fight. I only considered getting one so they help in the areas you can't. But now that you're like this... somehow, she's even more irrelevant now!"

"Please, it's not about the potential. You just don't like females, do you?"

"I'm not sure what that has to do with this issue. But yes, in fact, I do not." Naofumi snarked.

"So what? Do you plan on getting rid of me too?"

"No, because you have a monster crest."

"And she has a slave crest, so that's not a good excuse either," Sakura argued back.

"I couldn't care less. Now first, I'm going to find the shield that has a monster mutation feature, and then I'm going to find a way to turn off your backtalk."

"Like that even exists." Sakura chuckled.

"It's better. Ugh, this is so confusing." Naofumi groaned.

"Mommy, Daddy, nooo!"

The two of them paused their argument and looked over at Raphtalia, reaching out into the air.

"So these were the night terrors he was talking about."

"Poor Talia, you should really do something."

"Why do I have to? You're the one who's attached to the kid." Naofumi groaned.

"Oh right, send the naked girl to comfort the crying child; smart idea."

"You're a transforming bird; don't act like you have one option."

"What Sakura is saying is that she is expecting a human face and not some random monster. Unless you want to add heart attacks to her list of problems."

"Ugh, fine. I liked it more when you were quiet." Naofumi grumbled.

Sakura had a smug look on her face as Naofumi went over to Raphtalia and picked her up. Cradling her in his arms, Naofumi rocked her back and forth until she stopped crying."

"Aww, that was adorable. Maybe singing would help too."

"Shut up!" Naofumi groaned once again. "This causes an extreme change of plans."

Handing Raphtalia over to Sakura, Naofumi began packing up the camp.

"Wake her up; we need to go."

"Come on. Can't we wait till morning?" Sakura whined.

"No."

"Fine."

/~/

The streets of the loud and busy castle town were now silent. Most people have already retired to their homes for the night, making it easier for Naofumi and his party to sneak around.

"Umm… master. Is this your mistress?" Raphtalia asked.

"As if." Both grumbled.

"Under…stood?" Raphtalia tilted her head in confusion.

"It's hard to explain. Hell, I don't even know how to explain it. But that girl is Sakura."

"I kind of just. Focused reeealy hard. And Sakura was like this."

"That doesn't help at all!" Naofumi exclaimed before covering his mouth.

"Okay. Master, might I ask, why are we sneaking around then?"

"It would be a hassle if someone saw a giant bird; it would be an even bigger issue if someone saw me with a naked woman and child. I don't need any more crimes pinned on me."

"Crimes?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Sakura could explain it then." Sakura chimed in.

"Do what you want."
Reaching his desired destination, Naofumi went up to the door and knocked on it. A few seconds go by with no answer, so Naofumi knocked on it once again, a tired man opening the door seconds later.

"The shop is closed, and this isn't even the correct entrance. Come back tomorrow!"

"I get that it's late, and I'll pay you for that. But right now, I need some assistance, old man."

Elhart sighed as he remembered the voice. "Alright, what did you do this time?" Elhart grumbled as he fully opened the door. When he did, he noticed the newest addition and her lack of decency. "Another one, huh? Thought you were only getting the one?"

"Long story short."

Naofumi nudged Sakura on the arm, and she proceeded to transform, surprising Elhart as she ripped up the blanket that was her cover.

"Huh, that's not something you see every day."

"I know it's a saying, but you say that like it isn't anything new."

"I've never heard of a monster transforming into a human before; it's usually the other way around. It does seem it follows the same concept as a therianthrope transformation, however, which I assume you need clothes for." Elhart sighed.

"Thanks again, old man; I owe you one." Naofumi also sighed in relief.

"You owe me a lot more than that, kid."

Ushering the group inside, Elhart went to the back of the store and pulled out a random beige dress he had lying around.

"These aren't the best clothes, but they should work for now. You'll have to go to the magic shop if you want materials for transforming clothes." Elhart explained.

"Transforming clothes?"

"Yeah, clothes that transform with the user. Non-magic clothes tend to get shredded in these types of transformations, like what happened just now.

"I wasn't even paying attention to Sakura?"

"Rude." Sakura spat as she exited the changing room in her new dress. Naofumi goes over and picks up Raphtalia, who is sleeping on the floor.

"What, it's rude to not look at a naked woman now?"

"Who said that?"

"Ugh, you're hopeless. Old man, where's the shop?"

"Well, it's closed like mine," Elhart grumbled. "I'll take you tomorrow before I open up."

"You're a lifesaver. I'll bring you your money first thing in the morning."

"You better. See ya, kid, you two lass."

The two of them waved goodbye and exited the building. Not wanting to set his camp back up, the two of them agreed to spend the night at the inn.

/~/

The next day, Naofumi knocked on the back door of Elhard's shop. When he finally answered with a yawn, he escorted the group over to the tailor's shop. From there, he waved them goodbye and left just as quickly.

"Oh my gosh, she is so cute! Her hair, her wings—they can all be used to make a perfect piece of clothing. There is so much inspiration standing right in front of me I can make hundreds of designs in seconds!" The tailor marveled as she examined Sakura from all sides.

"Um, sorry to interrupt your... inspiration session. But you do have the materials to make magic clothing, right?"

"Oh yes, of course. Elhart sent a message to the witch earlier, and she said we could use her spinner for today, as long as she gets half the profit. But who cares about money? This is all about making the perfect design for her!" The tailor raised her fist with pride.

"Sure. Just make it quick." Naofumi groaned.

"Give me five, no six hours. And she'll come back with the best dress ever! Come, I'll take your measurements right now." The tailor squealed in delight as she grabbed Sakura's arm.

Surprisingly enough, Sakura wasn't able to withstand the strength of the tailor and was dragged into the shop as a result, leaving Naofumi and Raphtalia looking puzzled by the scene that just took place.

"No wonder the old man left so quickly. Out of my hands from here." Naofumi walked off, only to stop when he noticed Raphtalia didn't follow.

"Oi, hurry up. I'm not searching for you if you get lost."

"Y-yes. Sorry, master." Raphtalia stammered as she ran to his side.

Along the way of his morning routine, Naofumi couldn't help but notice Raphtalia's funk and decided to take her to the nearby tavern to eat. By doing this, though, it brought the thought of Sakura teasing him to the back of his mind. Perhaps he was getting too attached.

Damn conscious, Naofumi grumbled as he stepped inside.

Ignoring the usual gossip about his arrival, he ordered two meals and sat back until it arrived.

"Skill bland." As Naofumi ate through his meal, he saw Raphtalia attempting to refuse the call of hunger and just stared at him eating instead.

"What, aren't you hungry?"

Raphtalia shakes her head. "Yes, I don't need any food."

"Is that a lie?" Naofumi asked, getting silence from Raphtalia.

"Then eat. It's an order now." Raphtalia's crest glowed purple, but it didn't have to shock her for the tanuki to be digging into the meal. But midway through, she stopped and looked over at Naofumi.

"Master… Are you going to... send me back?"

"Where'd you get that from?" Naofumi lied. At times like this, he'd usually come off as blunt. But he was genuinely curious about what she asked.

"It wasn't Sakura if that's what you were thinking. I don't want her to get into trouble for my sake. I just... before I fell asleep. I overheard a bit of your talk."

"I see." Naofumi took a sip of his drink. "Then yes. I was. Though I'm not cruel, so I was going to take you back to your home instead of that man. That way, whatever happens to you wouldn't be on me." Naofumi stated bluntly.

"Oh…" Raphtalia sulked. "There's no place for me left, so it's best you leave me here. I'll be fine."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My home... everyone. They were taken by the wave and hunted down by the knights. My home." Raphtalia began crying and held back her tears.

So these are the cause of her nightmares. Sakura won't let me abandon her in the middle of nowhere either. Guess we're stuck with each other, at least until I find an alternative.

"I tried to stay strong. For everyone. But I f-failed my parents; Rifana and K-keel are gone. And now no one's left." The tears she tried to hold back started streaming down her face. Not wanting to cause a scene, he took her outside so he could clean her face.

"You're making this difficult for me," Naofumi grumbled. I'll give you one last chance to prove yourself, so I'll make this very clear. I need a functional and not broken child to act as a party member. If you can do that and not disappoint me, you can stay. But here's the harsh truth. If you want to find your friends and rebuild your village, get stronger. No more whining about killing rabbits or being scared at the drops of blood. You need to get better for them. You understand."

Raphtalia stopped crying and looked up to her master. "Y-yes. Understood. I'll try."

"Good. Now go finish your meal; I'm not wasting any money on you." Naofumi order.

"Yes, master... actually. Can I ask something?

"If you want to make a demand, I expect you to do better during our next hunt."

"I will. I just... want to find somebody. I need to know if he's okay." Raphtalia pleaded.

"If that's what you need to improve, then I accept."

Naofumi extends his hand for a formal handshake, but Raphtalia runs up to Naofumi and gives him a hug while sobbing, trying to speak some words.

"Thank you, Master!"

Meanwhile with Sakura

"Ok child, what do you think about this?"

"Sakura's like, 20. And it's too long."

"Understand, and this one."

"The length is fine, but it's too tight on Sakura's chest. Do you have anything different?"

"Of course, this isn't even the final product."

"Then why does Sakura need to do this?"

"Because before I make the final iteration, I need to find the type and style of the dress you need. Colors, the perfect hemline, extra designs. This is truly what needs to be done before one can consider a dress to be perfect. Oh, just imagine the final design; you'll be a beauty."

"Sakura knows pretty. But what about combat effectiveness?"

"Don't worry, I have something for that too; it would be loose enough for your wings and limbs to move freely, as well as having good defense stats for attacks. Speaking of which, you might want to try some pants under the dress; I can't have you running around flashing everyone. Not to mention a proper bra... unless you want a sarashi like others, I could do that."

"Sakura doesn't really care about the extras; can she just go to sleep.?"

"Once you're done with the wheel, you can sleep till I'm finished. But trust me, this shall be one of my best creations yet! Now start spinning the wheel!"

"Finnne~" As Sakura started to spin the wheel, some thread started to come out before the crystal suddenly cracked and shattered.

"Oh. Sakura doesn't think that was supposed to happen."

"Don't worry; I have a spare crystal on backup in case this exact situation happens."

"You do?"

"Right, it's right, he—oh god." As she grabbed the crystal, the tailor slipped on some cloth she tossed aside and dropped the shard on the ground, shattering it.

"So… Got any other spare?"

"Noo," the tailor said weakly while on the ground.

"Want me to go grab another?"

"That would be appreciated."