Chapter 5: Hero's Party

"You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I'm the one who should be saying that to you. You better not overdo it. You aren't getting any younger."

"Oh please, I'm not that old yet."

I shook my head with a sigh at Gramps' rather cheerful reply as I stroked Blanc's head, the solemn filolial making sorrowful chirps as she rubbed her head against mine.

After I was accepted into the Bow Hero's party, gramps decided to throw a small farewell party for me, much to the dismay of the Itsuki who had wanted to leave immediately.

Somehow or other, that ended up lasting till late in the evening and we ended up postponing our departure till next morning.

"…Is Keel…?"

"Still not out of his room. You would think he would at least say goodbye."

I let loose a heavy sigh. Keel had not taken my decision very well; after what happened yesterday, he no doubt saw me as the same as the leaving villagers; and I couldn't blame him for thinking so.

I had apologized to him for it, but it didn't seem to do much to quell his temper.

"…It can't be helped. Just keep an eye on him for me." I told gramps. The last thing I needed was for him to charge back into the forest again.

"Will do."

I then turned to the filolial I was petting, "I'll be counting on you to protect gramps and Keel, okay Blanc? Do not let anything bad happen to them."

"Kwak!"

"Now you better not keep your party waiting any longer; it's the Hero's party, after all."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be off now."

"See you, Liya."

With one final wave, I turned around and left the cottage that was my home.

"Sorry for taking so long—"

"Took you long enough!" Mald grumbled in annoyance, "If you are going to be part of the Bow Hero's party, you are going to need to be less selfish!"

"Selfish…!?"

I could feel my vein bulging with my rising anger, but I pushed it all down. This bastard was part of the same party now, and it would do me no good to antagonize a party member on the first day.

"I apologized for taking this long. My grandfather was getting up in age, so I wanted to make sure he would be alright without me—"

"Tch, all excuses! A member of a Hero's party has to devote themselves to the Hero's work! Any other duties are secondary!"

This guy was really trying to sell himself as a devoted follower…

"Enough of that, Mald." Itsuki told him, "Family is just as important, especially with grandparents. It is only natural to worry for them."

"A-Ah, yes! Of course it is, Sir Bow Hero! Thank you for enlightening me on the topic!"

Wow, how was this guy's nose not brown from all that brown nosing?

"So, are we heading straight for the capital?" I asked. The Wave was only a few days away, so we needed to hurry and get our Class-Up as soon as possible.

"No, not yet. I was thinking of heading for Port Lola first."

"Huh? What for?"

The Bow Hero turned to me, his eyes roaming up and down at me, "We would need to get you better equipment."

"What's wrong with my current one?"

"They are… subpar to say the least."

"S-Subpar…!?"

The [Light Rogue Armor Set] was one of the best light armor sets around! Sure, it looked a little worn down from use and lack of proper maintenance, but it was still fully functional!

And the damn thing cost me several dozen silvers!

"You should know that the Wave isn't something to be underestimated." He explained firmly, "If you were to have a chance, you would need to equip better gear."

"I don't think getting me a new armor set is really necessary—"

"I agree, Sir Itsuki!" Mald interrupted me, "To have a member of the Bow Hero's party wearing such boorish looking armor!"

"Boorish!? I'll have you know—"

"You are right, Mald! Do not worry, Miss Liya. I'll be sure to get you a great armor set to replace your current one!"

"—And they're not even listening to me…"

My whole fighting style focused on not getting hit in the first place; having stronger armor meant more weight which would slow me down. It was one of the reasons I chose to wear leather armor.

"Oh, how generous you are, Sir Itsuki!"

"To care so much for a new party member…!"

It didn't help that the rest of the party seemed to make every suggestion he made sound more extravagant than it normally is.

Was my decision to join this party a rash one, after all…?

"Ah, monsters!"

I turned in the direction one of the party had pointed and saw several Usapils, Eggugs and Pikyu-Pikyus rushing towards us with murderous intentions in their expressions.

"I've got this—"

"Please wait, Sir Itsuki. This is perfect timing." Mald turned to me with a sneer, "Why don't we let our latest member show us her capabilities? If she is to be part of the party, she has to be able to handle such lowly monsters."

Trying to assert dominance over me, is he? This guy must really hate my guts.

But if it would get him to shut up…

"Sure."

"H-Huh!?"

Ignoring the stupid look on his face, I unsheathed Chain Cross and leaped into battle.

The battle honestly hadn't taken me much effort at all. With my current level, I was more than capable of dealing with these riff-raff.

The first Usapil that entered my range was immediately cut down with a swing of my chain whip; the airborne Pikyu-Pikyu that followed afterwards was pierced right through while an Eggug was crushed by a backhand before I sent the bird monster's corpse into another of its compatriots.

All in all, I managed to defeat all of them within less than a minute; I stood right in the middle of all the slain monsters as I turned to Mald, the man staring at me in disbelief.

"A-Ah, huh? H-How is an apothecary so skilled in combat…!?"

"I am Lv31, after all."

"B-But you're just an apothecary…!"

"And a part-time adventurer."

"Ah, right. Mald was unconscious back then." Itsuki realized, "Miss Lisa is actually pretty skilled. She even helped in our fight back at the noble's mansion."

"She did? Then, her level is…"

Wait, did he think I was carried all the way to my current level? Please, such a thing was looked down upon by adventurers.

"Mald, you shouldn't judge people by their appearance alone." Itsuki reprimanded him, "Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. You have to know how to see beyond first impressions."

He really shouldn't be the one to preach that, since he had been calling me Miss this whole time; not that it bothered me anymore. At this point, I just let him think what he wants.

"I… I understand, Sir Itsuki." Mald bowed, "I'll learn to keep that in mind."

"So, are you satisfied with the results?" I asked the armored man, a smug smirk on my face as his face turned red from either rage, annoyance, or the combination of both, "If you are, why don't we get moving? The sooner we get to the capital, the better."

"I agree." Itsuki nodded, "Let's move out!"

We all slowly made our way to Port Lola, Mald seething and glaring at me at the rear throughout the entire trip.

Looks like I'm officially on his shit-list, not that I care at this point. The feeling is mutual.

Aside from encountering several more monsters, the rest of our trip to the port town ended up being pretty eventless.

Mald had taken the initiative to take care of the monsters by himself; no doubt to get back in Itsuki's good graces.

Though if I were to be honest, it looked less like an armored knight fighting, and more like a rookie adventurer flailing his sword around in hope of hitting his target.

There was still some form and technique, but there's a certain lack of skill and experience in his strikes. It became pretty obvious that he had no real experience in combat, as expected of someone of noble birth.

Regardless of that, he was still able to slay the monsters; if a bit amateurishly.

"So, this is the best blacksmith in town?" Itsuki asked as we entered Kagu's smithy.

"Only when it comes to weaponry. Didn't you come here before?" I asked.

"We didn't have the time to check out the city before your quest."

"Q-Quest…?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

I was confused at the unfamiliar word, but I chose not to comment on it.

Maybe it is a term from his world?

Kagu was nowhere to be seen but considering the sounds of smithing that could be heard at the back, she must be busy working on something.

"These are the products of the best blacksmith in town? Such shoddy craftsmanship." Mald scoffed, "I suggest we look elsewhere, Sir Itsuki. The creator of such tasteless works can't possibly make anything that meet our requirements."

"Well, sorry for my shoddy craftsmanship."

Kagu walked out of the smith at the back with a scowl on her face as she glared at them, "My works may not be like the shiny and flashy stuff the nobles like to parade around like some trophy, but they are the best around this part; not that someone like you could tell the difference."

"Wha—You better watch your tone!" Mald shouted, "Do you have any idea who you are addressing!?"

"You can be fucking royalty and I won't give a damn. If you're just here to insult my works, then I have nothing to sell to you. Beat it."

"You… How dare you speak to me in such a manner! I am the son of—!"

"Oh, Liya. Long time no see." She greeted me with a grin, completely ignoring Mald's outcry, "Heard you got into a pretty bad scuffle."

"Yeah, and got pretty badly injured. But I'm all better now."

I then noticed the look she was giving me; I rolled my eyes and pulled out 10 silvers from my coin pouch. "Don't worry, I hadn't forgotten about my tab."

"That's what I like to hear." She graciously accepted my coins and then turned to the party with a scowl, "Why are you with these rude assholes?"

"Y-You dare ignore me…!"

"Please forgive my party member, ma'am." Itsuki bowed to Kagu, "He meant no harm by his words."

"Are you the leader of this party?" She asked.

"Yes, I am. My name is Itsuki." He greeted, "I'm here to buy some new equipment for my party mates."

"Is that so? To buy my tasteless weapons and boorish armor?"

"He didn't mean any of that. I'm sure you have great looking armor and weapons." He then turned to Mald, "Mald, please apologize to the lady."

"Grgh…!" Mald grumbled in annoyance, before saying, "I'm… sorry for saying those rude words."

"Hm… well, I guess that's good enough." She scoffed before turning to the Bow Hero, "So, what can I help you with, Mr Itsuki?"

"I'm hoping to get Miss Liya some new armor."

"Oh? What's wrong with her current one?"

I gave Kagu a look as she corrected herself while covering her knowing smirk. This wasn't the first time someone mistaken me as a girl, after all; and not the first time I just chose not to correct them.

Trish had thought I was one for almost a year.

"No offense, but I believe she could use a better set compared to her current one." Itsuki explained.

"None taken. The [Light Rogue Armor Set] was the cheapest set among the armor available for her… height."

Mald snickered at the indication which I simply gave him the finger in reply.

"Do you have any specifications?"

"Something sturdier than her current set, but not clunky enough to hinder her movements."

"Hm…" Kagu pondered for a moment, "Funnily enough, I had just finished a custom armor set that fits that description. And it was just for Liya as well."

"Huh? For me?"

I don't remember putting in an order for a custom set. Aren't those supposed to be extremely expensive?

"Actually, Culann was the one that made the order." The smith explained, "Even paid and provided the materials for it."

"…How much was it?"

"Ah, don't worry, the payment for this is already paid for."

"Still, how much did Culann pay for this?"

"Around 180 silvers."

"Grgk!?"

I nearly choked on my tongue at the insane price. I had always known that high class armor often cost an arm and a leg, but that much!? And Culann burned all of that for me!? I'm honestly both touched and horrified.

Kagu headed to the back of the shop and brought out a crate filled with armor parts, "Here we are; the [Wolf Scout Armor]."

"Wolf? Why?"

"I used mostly Dire Wolf pelts for it, so the name turned out like that."

"Dire Wolves…?"

Come to think of it, we had never turned in that request; all the shit after the Wave made me forgot about it. Did Culann use the materials from back then?

"Hm…" Itsuki looked at the set, "It looked to have better defense than her current one. Why don't you try it on, Miss Liya?"

"S-Sure."

I gingerly picked up the armor set, trying very hard not to think of the price for it.

The set consists of a leather cuirass with a metal chestplate and fur edges around the collar, dark leather vambraces and greaves that cover the back of my hand and reach up to my knees, finished with a waist cape with fur edges that reaches halfway down my thigh.

"How is it?"

"It… surprisingly fits."

Unexpectedly, it actually fits like a glove. How did Kagu know my measurements?

"Huh, it's lighter? Despite the metal pieces?"

"I applied Air Wake on it, so it should be lighter than the [Light Rogue Armor Set] while being sturdier." Kagu explained.

"Air Wake?"

"It's a production process that allows the armor to get lighter by absorbing the wearer's magic energy."

"That is quite an impressive skill." Itsuki noted in awe, "This is quite the masterful work you have made, Miss Kagu."

"Thanks for the compliment." Kagu noted while giving a smug smirk to Mald who just growled at her, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, may I have looked through the bows you have in stock?"

"Sure thing, what types of bow are you looking for?"

As Kagu entertained the Bow Hero, the rest of the party simply took a look around the store while I readjusted the new armor set for a more comfortable fit.

I was annoyed at how the waist cape was designed to make it look like I was wearing a short skirt. I bet Kagu did this on purpose…

"Liya?"

"Oh! Hey there, Trish."

The shop's door opened and Trish of all people walked in; she looked plenty surprised at me being here, "Fancy meeting you here. How are you?"

"I'm the one who should be asking that." She stated, "Are you feeling better now?"

"Oh, plenty better."

"That's good to hear." She then looked me over, "I see you got Culann's little gift."

"Did the entire party know?" I asked.

"Pretty much." She nodded. "It was about a week ago, the day after you woke up from your coma. He said that your current armor wouldn't be up to task for the fights ahead."

…Did he predict that I would be looking for a way to get a Class-Up? I guess I'm more transparent than I thought.

"He is such a nosy busybody…"

"Hahahah…"

The guy's missing an arm and still did this? Come on, he should have better things to focus on besides spending a ton of money on a custom armor set that I may or may not use.

Hopefully, Fionne scolded him for wasting all that money on this.

"Hm?" She then noticed the Bow Hero's party wandering about the shop, "Aren't they the Bow Hero and his party? Why are they with you?"

Oh, right. I haven't told her about my decision yet.

"I'm officially part of the Bow Hero's party now."

"W-What!" She quickly pulled me aside and whispered, "You joined their party!? Isn't that kind of rash!? You only know them for a day!"

"It is necessary." I whispered back, "I can't get a Class-Up without their assistance."

"A Class-Up…? Ah, that's true. Without connection to the proper nobility or an introduction letter, it is impossible for commoners to get one."

That fact still made me wonder how Arjun managed to get a Class-Up in the first place. Did he have similar connections?

"See? This might be my only way to get one. And from what I can tell, the Bow Hero isn't actually that bad of a guy."

"It's not him that I'm worried about…"

I followed her glance to Mald, who was looking glaring right at them. The guy knows how to hold a grudge; though I'm not one to talk about holding grudges.

"Oh, him. Yeah, he is definitely someone I can't hope to get along with."

"It's not just him."

"Hm?"

Trish glanced around before whispering to me, "The rest of the party members are most likely just like him. If you don't follow their way, they might try to kick you out."

"…so that's what you mean…"

What she said makes sense; the rest of the party, Mald included, act less like adventurers and more like parasites. Such bastards suckered up to strong and influential individuals, playing the ever faithful follower while raising their levels while gaining fame and fortune without as much as putting in the effort.

You often see them jumping between parties and often leaving many up and coming adventurers either broke or dead, sometimes both. They were the types of people that adventurers hate the most.

Fortunately, such bastards were easily found out and they often immediately got kicked out of parties the moment their true intention was revealed, with some suffering even worse fates.

I remember hearing of a party of them getting beaten up by all their past and current victims before being sold off to Siltvelt as slaves; the entire guild immediately threw a party for their service.

From the way he had been trying to show me up to the Bow Hero, Mald was the prime example of that sort of parasitic behavior. And to make matters worse, he was obviously trying to be the closest to the Hero to both gain dominance and become the party's de facto leader.

He was already attempting to influence Itsuki's decisions, and it looked like he had already succeeded a few times. It didn't help that Itsuki was easily pleased via some compliments, so someone like Mald had no trouble sucking up to him.

If this keeps up, any new member would end up either being like Mald or kicked out by him and his fellows for not abiding by his rule. This would surely severely limit the party's capabilities to assist the Hero in the Waves in the future.

"They may try, but I think they would have trouble trying to kick me out."

"You're that confident in your skills?"

"At least compared to them, though it is not just that."

From what I could see, Itsuki seemed to be strangely invested in me for some reason, so he probably didn't want me to leave so easily.

So, if I could keep Mald from attempting to downplay my skills, it would give the Bow Hero even less of a reason to kick me out; and it would have an additional benefit of preventing him and his kin from asserting dominance over any future party members.

And despite being much of a glory hunter, the kid did genuinely want to be an ally of justice; so he probably wouldn't try to kick people out without a just cause.

"I don't think that would be enough." Trish said with a frown, "That guy is of noble birth, and his types know how to get someone to do his biddings with the right words. He could easily make up an excuse to kick you out and the Hero would buy into it."

"You think so?"

"I know so. You wouldn't stand a chance against him in a battle of words."

Okay, now I'm a little worried. If Mald was exactly like what Trish said, then I might get booted from the party as soon as I gave Mald an opening.

"Miss Liya, we're heading off—Oh, aren't you…?"

Itsuki seemed to have finished his shopping and approached me and Trish, his party not far behind; Mald still giving us the glare.

Trish gave me a glance before she curtsied to him, "My name is Trish, Sir Bow Bow Hero. It is an honor to properly make your acquaintance."

Huh, that's odd; why was Trish going all formal with him all of the sudden? She only uses such language when dealing with nobles and the like. I mean, he was the Bow Hero, but still.

"O-Oh. I'm Itsuki, the Bow Hero." The teen bowed back to her in response, most likely stunned by the super formal way Trish had introduced herself.

"Allow me to express my thanks for helping rescue my dear friend Liya, Sir Itsuki, Sir Itsuki. It couldn't have been possible without your help."

"There's no need for thanks. I'm just doing my duty as the Bow Hero."

"With that said, I was told that she is now part of your party."

As expected of Trish; she sure catches on quickly.

"Ah, yes. She wished to assist me in my fight against the Waves and injustice."

"Is that so? That's quite noble of her."

I could hear the skepticism in her voice as she glanced at me; I quickly shook my head in response. I had never once said that it was for the sake of justice! He was just adding words into my mouth!

"Well, if it is of no trouble, may I join your party as well?"

"Trish!?" I turned to her in shock. What was she doing!?

She ignored me and carried on talking, a hand on her cheek as she said in a worried tone, "While I am aware that Liya is more than capable of protecting herself, I feel a little uneasy about letting a young maiden like her partying up with a bunch of guys."

"Ah, t-that's true…" Itsuki agreed, a tinge of red on his cheeks. Looks like he understood the implications of her words.

I too understood the implications, but not the whole maiden undertone. She most likely wanted to join to prevent Mald from attempting to kick me off the party or worse. And judging by the reactions of the rest of the party, they understood as well.

"But still, I can't exactly just let you into my party for that reason alone. The battle up ahead would be most arduous."

"You need not worry about me; I'm confident that my skills would be a great asset to your battle with the Waves."

"Oh, what kind of skills do you have?"

"I mainly provide support at the rear with magic, my attributes are wind and darkness up to the Zweite level. I'm also fairly decent with a sword, so I could aid in the frontlines if you so desired."

"A mage!" The Bow Hero looked ecstatic at the prospect of Trish being a mage, like a kid getting what he had wished for on his birthday, "That's perfect! We are in need of more rearguards! What kind of spells are you capable of?"

"Attack spells, mostly. I do know a few debuffing spells as well."

"And a Black Mage as well… that's exactly what we needed." Itsuki nodded with a smile, "Very well, I'll gladly welcome you into my party—"

"Please wait, Sir Itsuki!"

Mald's outburst caught our attention as he stood between the Bow Hero and Trish, "Do not trust this woman! She is not who she made herself to be!"

"What are you talking about, Mald?" He asked him.

"I didn't notice it at first, but now I am certain. This woman is Trish Circe, the former heiress of House Circe, and a traitorous witch!"

"Oh, now I remember!" Gree cried out, "Wasn't she expelled from the family last year?"

I let out a small groan at the revelation while Trish appeared to be unfazed at the armored knight's declaration, though I could see her fist clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned white.

"A witch, you say?" Itsuki looked at the armored knight with confusion, "What is House Circe?"

"House Circe is one of the Kingdom's great noble families, one that had served the royal family since its founding." Mald explained before pointing at Trish and accusing, "This witch was once the heiress to that noble lineage, until she assassinated Count Circe, her very own father!"

"She what!?" Itsuki turned to Trish in shock, "How could you, towards your own parents no less!"

"…"

Trish gritted her teeth so hard, it looked like it might cause her gum to bleed. I wouldn't blame her; that accusation had followed her around since she had first registered at the Adventurer Guild and had caused her much grief in her career.

It was one of the many reasons Culann had reached out to her when she first arrived here; that, and it was just in his nosy nature to help.

"She would have gotten away with it too, if her stepsister, Lady Medea hadn't found the poison used in this witch's room! She should have been executed for the evil deed, but in Her Lady's kindness, she was instead stripped of her noble status and cast out of her home."

"Her Lady? Hah! Don't make me laugh!" Trish scoffed in anger, "What about that two faced skank deserved to be call that?"

"You see, Sir Itsuki?" Mald pointed at Trish in visual disgust, "This witch would dare spit on the kindness she was given! If we let such a person in the party, it would forever stain our justice!"

"That's true…" Itsuki nodded.

I let loose a sigh as I glanced at Trish, my partner only moments away from exploding onto Mald in the most painful way possible.

As much as that would be interesting to let it happen, it would only prove Mald right about Trish and get Itsuki to reject Trish straight out.

"Trish, calm down." I put my hand on her shaking shoulders, "You know it would only prove him right."

"Liya…"

"Besides, I believed that rumor was false." I stepped up and told the armored knight, "Trish was framed for it by her own stepsister."

"It's only natural that you would attempt to defend your friend." Mald gave out an exaggerated sigh as he grinned at me, "But what proof do you have that she was framed, hm?"

Honestly, the rumor had mostly been debunked by now, and for a very obvious reason too.

"I believe the Count's cause of death was poison, right?" I pointed out, "The poison in question being the ever potent Teresita."

"That's correct. The symptoms matched."

"Well, besides being fast acting, odorless and colourless, Teresita is also known for having a particularly interesting quirk to it; it turns into a harmless clear gas the moment it is exposed to the air."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if Trish had used Teresita, she wouldn't have been caught at all."

"G-Grgk!"

That's right. It was one of the reasons Teresita was widely used in assassinations. For all intents and purposes, Trish should have never been caught for using it to begin with.

And yet, her stepsister was said to have found a vial of it on her person? That's too suspicious, if you ask me. Trish wouldn't be dumb enough to keep an extra vial of it.

"That makes sense." Itsuki noted, "If the poison can quite literally turn into air, she couldn't have been caught in the first place."

"B-But, it doesn't change the fact that a vial of the poison was found on her person!" Mald cried out.

"It could have been planted by her stepsister to frame her." I pointed out.

"Baseless accusations with no grounds for it! What reason could the Lady Medea have to frame her sister for their father's assassination!?"

"A grudge, perhaps? From what I've heard from Trish, they didn't have the best relationship."

"Hah! As if the kind and generous Lady Medea would carry a grudge! It was in her mercy that this witch didn't get executed in the first place! She should be grateful!"

"Well, if I hated someone, I wouldn't have let them get executed so easily. Maybe she had the same idea for Trish?"

"Again, all baseless accusations—"

"Enough!"

Itsuki's cry stopped our debate as he turned to Mald, "I don't know what the actual truth of the matter is, but it doesn't change the fact that Miss Trish asked to join our party because she worries for her friend. I can hardly call someone like that a witch."

"B-But, Sir Itsuki—!"

"I've already decided and I'm not changing my mind on this." He then turned to Trish, "I welcome you to our party, Miss Trish. Do not worry, whatever past you have is of no importance compared to your desire for justice."

"A-Ah, huh… many thanks many thanks, Sir Ituski. I look forward to working with you. I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise, Miss Trish. Now, are you in need of gear? I believe it should be within our budget…"

"There's no need for that, Sir Itsuki. I'm actually here to pick mine up."

Mald gritted his teeth so tightly that he might actually crack them; his face red in pure anger that it might actually turn purple. Looks like this was the first time he had failed to influence Itsuki's decision to match his own.

And judging by the sour look on the other two members of his little pack, he was not the only one not pleased by the Bow Hero's decision. I would be surprised if this didn't put me and Trish to the top of their blacklist; if we weren't already.

Only one day in this party, and I was already worry for its future…

…
To be continued…

There! This chapter is finally done! Damn, this took forever to write and rewrite.

As you can see, Liya is off to a rocky start as you all know; Mald is quite the asskissing bastard, isn't he?

*Sup! So, this is the rewrite of my rewrite of my Shield Hero OC fic. This time, I'm going to make a few changes so that it would be more than just a Canon rehash.