Chapter 7: An Unfair Duel
"They really went all out for this…" I noted in awe.
The banquet was hosted within the royal castle, in a large hall decorated with a lot of fancy looking decorations with many tables dotted about filled with a buffet of various delicacies of all sorts that you couldn't normally find in the average tavern.
Aside from the Heroes', their respective parties, and the knights that had fought in the Wave, there were also many of the upper class in attendance, if their gaudy attire was any indication.
It made us adventurers stick out like a sore thumb; the four of the Sword Hero's party looked particularly uncomfortable by that fact.
Trish, however, was perfectly at home here, so were Mald and his two goons; they were nobles after all, or former noble in my partner's case.
I had found a small spot near the wall that was far enough to hide from the many leering looks the noblemen had given me since the banquet began, and close enough that I could keep a lookout for whatever that spoiled princess could be planning.
Seeing as she was petty enough to attack Trish in the middle of a fight, I wouldn't put past her to try something else on her here as well.
And the moment she did, I would make sure that she would regret doing so.
"Are you sure you can finish all of that?"
I looked up from my plate, which was stuffed with every fancy food I could get on it, "Not everyday I get to eat such things. Might as well eat my fill."
She sighed at my antics before digging into her own meal; her plate was just as filled as mine.
The rest of our party could be seen meandering among the crowd, with some already chatting and boasting to a few nobles that were interested in their exploits.
Mald in particular looked to be trying to stick to Itsuki as much as possible, no doubt to try and regain his former standing with him.
"Excellent work, Heroes! I'm truly shocked! We had suffered far less damages compared to the last Wave!"
I looked at the king as he happily and loudly praised the three Heroes for their work, despite the Shield Hero being one of the main reasons the casualties were kept to the minimum.
So even the king is discriminating against the Shield Hero, huh… though considering his past with Siltvelt, I can't exactly blame him for doing so.
And speaking of the Shield Hero…
A glance over and I saw him standing near the window away from the crowd, scowl ever present on his face; I swear he looked even more prissy than before.
Though that was to be expected, with all the wary glances and hateful glares the nobles and knights were giving him.
"…It pisses me off." I told Trish, "He risked his life to hold back the Wave and this is the thanks he gets for it?"
"It can't be helped." She sighed, "At the end of the day, the only ones that know of it are the ones present."
"I know that. Still…"
At least he wasn't completely alone here; Raphtalia was already running up to him with a plate filled with various foods from all over the banquet hall.
It was obvious that she was his slave, even without me checking for the slave mark. The way he had commanded her wasn't like that of partners or leader and follower. And the last time I saw her was before those slave traders raided Lurolana.
While I was pretty upset that he had no doubtedly forced the poor girl to fight, it was clear he had also taken good care of her and never seemed to abuse her in any shape or form; her healthy and scar-free body was the antithesis of that.
Raphtalia also looked to genuinely care for him as well, especially back during the Wave where she immediately ran to his aid when she saw that he was in trouble.
At the very least, I was glad that her master was him and not some perverse sicko or sadistic racist bastard.
"Oh my! Looks like Princess Malty was speaking the truth."
"Grgk…!"
Trish flinched from the voice as she looked up at the noblewoman that had approached us.
She looked remarkably like Trish, with the same light blue hair and matching eyes popping against her lacy dress that reached all the way to her ankles, with a silver brooch encrusted with jewels tied up her long hair.
"It has been a while, Big Sister."
"Sister…!?"
So this woman was Medea, Trish's younger sister? The one that framed her, got her noble status revoked and banished her from her home?
If I hadn't known of that, I would have thought that she was just a polite noble lady.
"…what do you want?" Trish growled.
"Can't I greet my own sister? Even if you are disowned, we still share the same blood. Although, to think that you wear such distasteful attire to an event like this…"
Due to the princess's petty actions and the monsters from the Wave, Trish's clothes were in a state of disrepair and unsuited to be worn into the castle.
As such, she had to wear her backup attire; a simple blouse and long skirt with a hooded robe over it all.
"I've asked you what you want from me!"
"Oh dear, how barbaric!" She said in a mocking tone, "Had your days being a filthy adventurer erased all your hard-learnt manners? Hard to believe that someone of your status had turned into something like this."
Okay, wow. I see that the skilled tongue lashing is a family trait. Still, for Trish to be this flustered just from her being here…
"Grr…! If you have nothing to ask of me, then get lost!" She shouted at her sister, "I want nothing to do with a traitorous bitch like you!"
"I see your poisonous tongue hasn't dulled the slightest, Trish."
She froze at the presence of another noble approaching us in big strides; a nobleman with blonde hair combed backwards in a fancy white and purple suit.
"Jason…"
He walked next to Medea who slid her arm around his with a knowing grin, "I've heard about it from the princess; you had somehow convinced the Bow Hero to let you in your party. Quite shrewd, but unsurprising coming from you. What, trying to get back your noble status by buttering up to him?"
"I had no desire for that!" She shouted at him, "My reasons for joining the Bow Hero's party aren't for—"
"Don't try to lie your way out of this. Why else would you join? You had always wanted more power than you could possibly get. That's why you poisoned your father, is it not?"
"That's not what—"
"And to make matters worse, you even dare treat sweet Medea like this! If she hadn't managed to convince his majesty to lessen your punishment to banishment and disownment, you would have been executed for patricide!"
"…"
For once, Trish was left silent at the harsh words being thrown at her; her own past had been somewhat of a sore point of hers that she didn't like it to get exposed anymore than it already did.
But even then, she would still try to talk about some more, or just screamed at the person talking shit about her.
This… this was something else. She didn't even look angry anymore, just frustrated and sad.
What is her connection with this man to get such a response from her?
"Come on, Jason. I think she had enough."
"Yeah, you're right."
Surprisingly, it was Medea who asked the nobleman to stop his berating of Trish; she even acted as quite the innocent lady to him as well. What's her angle in all of this…?
"…On account of our previous relationship, I won't try to stop you. Just be warned, if you even dare cross paths with us again, I will not be as generous."
With that said, he turned around and walked away; Medea giving Trish a smirk as she departed with him.
"…Trish?"
Squeezing her shoulders seemed to snap her out of whatever daze she was in. "Oh, Liya."
"Is that little bitch really your sister?"
"…unfortunately." She sighed, "I had the feeling that I might run into her here, but I never thought that she'll…"
The surrounding nobles were all looking at us, some were even loudly whispering about Trish; most of it was about her part in her father's poisoning.
Wait, did she purposely make a scene in order to draw attention onto Trish!?
"I guess this is her way of warning me." Trish growled, "To make me know my place, that kind of shit."
"What kind of sick…!? How dare she!" Words failed to describe the amount of rage I was feeling over all of this. Wasn't her stained reputation enough for her!?
"As if it wasn't enough, she had to bring Jason into this…"
"Jason?" That blonde nobleman? Come to think of it, he had mentioned something about their past relationship, "What's his deal with you?"
"W-We were…" Just saying that had her stumbling over her words, "He was my… fiancée."
"F-FIANCÉE!?"
"Must be quite a shocker, huh?"
A shocker was a gross understatement! I mean, this was Trish we're talking about here! She would tear any man who even attempted to hit on her a new one with her words alone!
And there had been someone who wanted to marry her!?
"It was an arranged marriage."
"Ah, that makes sense."
She gave me a glare for my truthful comment before carrying on, "We weren't exactly lovers, but we were close enough to be considered friends. I thought he would always have my back. And yet…"
He left her and went to her sister, the one that framed her in the first place. Worst of all, he actually believed her to be her father's killer.
No wonder she was beside herself when he showed up; the close friend she trusted ended up believing the word of her enemy rather than hers.
"Trish, I…"
"Don't worry; I'm used to it."
That fact just broke my heart; I had known that her stained rep had made things hard for her, but I never knew how bad it really had been for her.
And then it clicked; I now know why the Shield Hero's expression looked so familiar.
It was the same expression as Trish's before she got recruited into our party by Culann; the look of hatred and anger towards everyone, the glare she shot out whenever someone talked shit about her.
Like her, the Shield Hero was betrayed by someone he had trusted; no doubt the woman that he was framed for assaulting.
If that was to be the case…
"Don't you dare move one step from there, Naofumi!"
Everyone's attention immediately turned to the argument the two Heroes were having; the Shield Hero looked pretty annoyed at the Spear Hero who was pointing his finger at him.
"I've heard about it!" He shouted pretty angrily, "That Raphtalia here is in fact your slave!"
The Shield Hero sighed in irritation, "Yes, she's my slave. So what?"
"So what!? People can't force other people into slavery! Especially not us! We come from another world! We can't behave that way here!"
"That's your logic, not mine. Besides, there's no law that forbid the use of slaves in this country. Why can't I use one?"
"That's…!"
Motoyasu must be either blind to anything that had nothing to do with his quest for woman, or was really an idiot for saying such a thing.
If he disliked the idea of slavery that much, why did he only act when the Shield Hero had one? He must have seen the use of slaves all over the kingdom, yet he did nothing about them.
I bet he only cares when the slave in question was a beautiful lady, like Raphtalia. Or rather, did he not know that slavery was legal in this kingdom?
"Naofumi, I challenge you to a duel!"
The sudden proclamation shocked the entire banquet hall, especially when the matchup was extremely one-sided; he should have known that the Shield Hero couldn't exactly fight by himself, the guy could barely hurt the corpse monster!
The Spear Hero was unperturbed by the stares he was getting as he lay out his challenge, "If I win, you have to set Raphtalia free!"
"…And if I win?"
"Then you can keep doing whatever you want. You can keep using Raphtalia like you always had."
Both me and Trish facepalmed the stupidly one-sided wager he was proposing; it was obvious that he was just using it as a way to 'free' Raphtalia from slavery.
"This isn't a duel, it's harassment." Trish noted with a grimace.
"…what a farce. Raphtalia, we're leaving."
"Y-Yes!"
Sure enough, the Shield Hero was having none of his nonsense and headed for the banquet hall exit; a perfectly justifiable decision in my eyes. I mean, why risk fighting a losing fight when there was nothing to gain from it.
Although it seemed that it wouldn't be made easy for him, as the guards by the door blocked his way with their spears.
"I've heard what the Spear Hero had to say." The crowd of nobles parted ways as the king strolled up to the arguing Heroes, "I've heard rumors of a Hero using slaves, but didn't believe it to be true. The Shield Hero truly is a villainous man."
Okay, now this had gone passed discrimination and into just straight up bullying. The king knew that the act of slavery was legal and even encouraged, yet the moment the Shield Hero used one, he was the evil one!?
"If the Spear Hero's words wouldn't suffice, then my orders will! Accept his duel, Shield Hero!"
"I refuse!" He snapped back at the king, "Why should accept such an obviously fixed match!? Just pay me my due and let me out!"
The moment he said that, the guards around the king moved in unison and surrounded the Shield Hero; a couple went and detained onto the Raphtalia.
"In this land, my word is law! If you don't cooperate, then we will seize her by force!"
Anger immediately rushed to my head at the sight and I rushed forward to aid them; but Trish grabbed onto my arm and stopped me.
"Stop, Liya!"
"Let go of me, Trish!"
I couldn't just sit back and watch Raphtalia get forcefully taken away again! Not if I can stop it!
"I'm as miffed about this as you, but this isn't some thugs in a tavern! This is royalty! Attacking them, justifiable or not, is considered treason!"
"You don't have to fight! I will—"
Raphtalia's cries were silenced when she was gagged by a strip of cloth around her mouth;
My rage peaked as I struggled against Trish to run up to the guards with every intention to punch the daylights out of them for doing so.
"Liya, stop this!"
"What, then I should do nothing and let this shit show play out!?"
"Better than letting you get executed! I don't want to have to tell Mr Hohen that you died like this!"
Those words stopped my struggling; the thought of gramps hearing about my death was soul crushing. I couldn't do that to him.
As such, I reluctantly held my hand and watched as Raphtalia was dragged away and the king announced that the palace's gardens would be the location of the Heroes' 'duel'.
The plants in the garden were cleared away and a platform was raised from the ground to act as the dueling stage. Many torches also surround it, lighting up the dark garden and allowing us to see the proceedings.
The other Heroes and their respective parties were given a spot on the castle terrace to spectate from, with the Spear Hero's party near the stage beside the detained and gagged Raphtalia.
On the stage itself were fighters of this farce of a duel; Motoyasu spun his spear around with immense confidence while the Shield Hero held up his shield with a more cautious strut.
"The duel between the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero shall now commence!" The king announced, "It will end once one of the combatants is pinned or admits defeat."
"The fight is so one-sided, it's ridiculous." Ren groaned, "The Shielder class couldn't even attack, so why doesn't Naofumi just surrender? At least he wouldn't get humiliated like this."
"Isn't it obvious? He wants to keep that poor girl as his slave!" Itsuki stated firmly before turning to me, "Don't worry, Miss Liya. Motoyasu would free your friend in no time!"
I had to hold myself back from decking him in the face.
The Sword Hero, I could understand his somewhat empathetic view on the whole thing, as the outcome didn't concern him.
But the Bow Hero had stated multiple times that he wishes to enforce justice, and yet did nothing to this obviously unjust act and even encouraged it.
Was it because it was the Shield Hero being harassed? Was that it!?
The Sword Hero's party, however, didn't seem to share the same empathy as their leader.
Welt and Terisa had fought beside the Shield Hero, so they must already have doubts over his rumored bad deeds; their comrades were adventurers as well, so they at least know what's a fair match.
This was definitely not a fair match.
"Begin!"
"Hurraahh!"
Once the king announced the start of the duel, the Spear Hero charged at his opponent and stabbed forward with his spear; the Shield Hero intercepted his attack with his shield and held his ground.
"Ha! I supposed that is to be expected of the Shield Hero!"
"…This reminds me of that old folk story from elementary school."
"Hah?"
The Shield Hero glared up from behind his shield, "The contradiction of the strongest spear that can pierce through the toughest of shields, the strongest shield that can defend against the sharpest of spears."
"…What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if this was indeed the battle between the strongest spear and the strongest shield, you lost the moment you couldn't pierce my shield!"
"Such nonsense!"
With a swing, he knocked away the shield. His spear then changed forms and he stabbed at the Shield Hero, the spear tip glowing red before it somehow duplicated with each stab.
"Chaos Spear!"
The spear turned to a blur as several stabs struck the Shield Hero; he managed to parry away most of them, but some had managed to graze him and drew blood.
The Shield Hero must be of a lower level if the Spear Hero attacks could actually hurt him. This just makes this duel even more one-sided.
Once the attack ceased, he charged forward at Motoyasu with his shield in front of his face; a textbook shield bash move.
The Spear Hero stabbed at him in an attempt to stop his advance, but it was easily avoided and he was tackled to the ground by the Shield Hero. After mounting him, the Shield Hero swung his fists down at him, only to get ineffective metallic clangs as a result.
If it had been anyone else, I was sure that move would have been effective in taking down the Spear Hero, especially when it was clear that he wasn't as adept in actually using a spear.
If it was Culann, he would have instead avoided the charge and attacked from the more vulnerable flank. Though comparing a relative newcomer to a master was kind of redundant.
"Did he actually believe that would work?" Ren sighed, "The Shielder class has no way of inflicting real damage in the early game."
"He must be extremely desperate to win." Itsuki scoffed, "Why else would he—"
"GGAAAHHH!?"
As if to answer their question, the Shield Hero pulled a Balloon of all things out from under his cape and slammed it into the Spear Hero's face; the monster immediately started biting down at him much to his displeasure.
Had he been hiding those under his cape this whole time!? I didn't even notice!
The Shield Hero followed that up by pulling out even more balloons and slamming them into his opponent, aiming specifically at his limbs and crotch. He even pushed down on the one by his loins to make sure the teeth sink in deep.
"Hahaha!" Trish burst out laughing at the creative way the Shield Hero had inflicted hurt upon the Spear Hero.
No one had even thought about using those annoying little things as hidden weapons before! It must be thanks to his high defense stat that allowed him to even carry them in the way he had.
Not only that, the Balloons' attacks were independent of his, so the Shield Hero's abyssal attack stat would have no effect on them.
"How dirty!" Mald shouted, "To use monsters in an honorable duel! The Shield Hero has no honor!"
"Honorable!? You want to talk about honor!?" I shouted at him, "The Shield Hero has no way of fighting on his own, yet he is forced to fight anyway! What's honorable about all of this!?"
"Miss Liya…!?"
I ignored Itsuki and went on an angry tirade at the parasite, "So what if he uses monsters!? Would you rather have him just take all the Spear Hero's attacks until he can't take anymore!? That's not a duel, that's fucking harassment!"
Rojeel stepped up to defend Mald's case, "E-Even so, to get outside help is against the rules of a duel!"
"That's right!" Gree nodded, "What he is doing is nothing but a dirty trick—!"
"The Balloons were under his cape this whole time, it is not considered outside help." Trish told him, "If anything, they could be considered part of the Shield Hero's arsenal."
"What she said made sense." Ren nodded, "If anything, they make this duel even more fair."
"That's right!" Farrie agreed, "It's like saying me casting spells against a swordsman is a dirty trick!"
"Grr…!"
It was clear that Mald and his goons were outnumbered in their views on how the Balloons were being used. Even Itsuki looked to be convinced.
"GGAAHHH!"
We all looked back at the duel to see the Spear Hero getting bitten down by two dog heads from the Shield Hero's shield.
"Air Strike Shield!"
It was then followed up by him summoning an astral shield on top of Motoyasu, effectively pinning him to the ground.
"L-Let me go!"
"Not so tough now, are you!?l
Once it was clear he couldn't escape, the Shield Hero slammed his shield into the Spear Hero and let the dog heads on it bite into him; Motoyasu letting out a scream of pain in response.
When the astral shield faded away, the Shield Hero stepped back and threw a couple of Balloons at his opponent
"Shield Prison!"
He then summoned a cage of chain and shields and trapped the Spear Hero with the Balloons who all eagerly started biting and tearing into him, if the cries of pain coming from within it was any indication.
When the cage broke, the Spear Hero was left reeling in pain, covered in countless bite marks; one of the Balloons was even hanging off his cheeks.
"Give it up, Motoyasu! You've lost!"
"Grr… not to the likes of you!? Never!"
"Then I'll hold you down until you admit it! Air Strike Shield!"
The Shield Hero summoned another astral shield and pinned him down yet again; he then struck him with his shield and got the dog heads to bite into him again.
"I-Is this for real…?"
"The Shield Hero is going to win this…!?"
"How can this be…!?"
The audience members were all shocked by the turn of events; the detestable Shield Hero they hated so much was beating one of their most worshipped figures. I bet no one had ever anticipated such a complete reversal.
With the way things were currently going, the Shield Hero would no doubt be the victor of this unfair duel. Raphtalia wouldn't be—
"I am the source of all power! Hear my words and heed them!"
"Trish!?"
Trish suddenly stood up and started chanting, she pointing straight at the audience. Following her gaze, I realised that the princess had her arm raised and her mouth was moving.
She looked like she was casting a spell. Was she about to interfere with the duel!?
"Bind those limbs and hold them in place! Zweite Shadow Bind!"
With that last chant, the princess's shadow moved into action; their dark tendrils slithered up her legs and into her arms before tightening around them and forcing them to move down.
However, the spell had long been cast, and the wind spell hit the Shield Hero on his back, knocking him off the Spear Hero.
"Was that magic!?" Ren cried out, "Who did that!?"
"Trish, who was it?" Itsuki asked.
"The princess." She told him angrily, "Looks like I was just a few words too slow."
"Her again…!?"
"Again?" The Sword Hero turned to the Bow Hero, "You mean she did this before?"
"Yes, she did." He told him, "Back during the Wave, she fired a fire spell at Trish when our backs were turned; it was a coincidence that I caught a glimpse of what she had done."
"Tch, so she's more than she appears to be…"
Looks like even the Sword Hero had been fooled by her sweet mask. That girl was one scheming bitch.
Back down at the duel, the Shield Hero had gotten back up and turned his head towards the princess with gritted teeth; she had the audacity to give him a knowing smirk.
"YOU BITCH—!"
"AARGGHH!"
The Spear Hero seized the opportunity the princess gave him and got rid of all the Balloons he had been stuck with. With nothing left to hold him back, he charged at his opponent with a thrust.
The Shield Hero barely managed to avoid the first thrust before he parried the following strikes with much difficulty. Without any monsters, he was left with no other way to fight back.
Then with one large swing, the Spear Hero broke through his guard. He then spun his spear and changed its form.
"Thunder Spear!"
"GAAAHH!"
With a thrust, he stabbed towards the Shield Hero and let loose a large lightning bolt that struck into him, inflicting tons of damage and forcing him to his knees.
Setting his spear tip next to neck, Motoyasu proclaimed tiredly, "I… win…"
"The victor of this duel is the Spear Hero!"
The audience all cheered in delight of the complete reversal by the Spear Hero; the man in question strutting along the edge of the stage with a smirk as he waved at the audience,
The other Heroes, however, weren't as amused at the result.
"This isn't right." Itsuki stated angrily, "He won because that princess intervened."
"Yeah, such a victory isn't deserved." Ren noted with anger present in his voice.
"Hold up!"
The Shield Hero got back on his feet, a deep scowl and rage underlining his voice, "You didn't win anything, you cheater! Someone interfered with the duel!"
"What are you talking about? You lost fair and square." Motoyasu told him.
"Fair and square, my ass! Your comrade intervened with her magic!"
"Stop making up excuses, Naofumi. That's what a sore loser would do."
"That's not it at all, you idiot!"
Did… did the Spear Hero really not notice him getting knocked off!? Was he that blind!?
"Oi!" The Shield Hero shouted at the audience, "You all saw that, didn't you!? That bitch fired magic at me!"
"…"
Sure enough, the audience kept quiet. What else could they do? It was the princess that interfered; there's no way such an accusation wouldn't backfire in their face.
"Why should we believe the words of a criminal?" The king stated almost mockingly, "This is the Spear Hero's victory, fair and square."
"Like hell it is. This is all just a farce…!" Ren growled, "This wasn't a duel, it's just harassment!"
Glad to see that one of the Heroes managed to realise that fact; Itsuki on the other hand seemed conflicted about all of this.
"In fact, how can my daughter possibly intervene when she is all tied up like that?"
"Daughter…!?"
The Shield Hero was not aware that she was the princess? But why did he singled her out from the audience? Did she do something to him as well?
Wait, could it be that the woman the Shield Hero was rumored to had assaulted is…
"Sir Itsuki." The king turned to us in the terrace, "Have your party member release Princess Malty at once."
"A-Ah, yes. Trish, please."
With great reluctance, Trish undo the spell bindings on the princess; the scheming little bitch immediately ran up to the Spear Hero and clung onto his arm like a love-stricken girl.
"Oh, Sir Motoyasu! You did so good! Always knew you were the best of the Heroes!"
"Thank you, Malty! Your faith in me gives me strength!"
The sight just enraged me; both how easy the Spear Hero was manipulated by the princess and how manipulative she was with pretty much every man around her.
I bet the king too was bend around her finger, he did look the type to overly pamper his first born.
"Now then, Sir Motoyasu, the Shield Hero's slave girl awaits your rescue."
"Ah yes, of course!"
When I saw the priest approached Raphtalia with a pitcher and the guards forcefully opened up her top reveal the Slave Crest on her chest, my mental hold on my rage finally snapped.
"Liya, no!"
Trish quickly grabbed onto me before I could do anything.
"Let go!"
"I won't!"
"I have to do something!"
"Not like this! This is not worth getting executed for!"
"Yes it is!" I shouted angrily, "If I let Raphtalia get forcefully taken away again, how can I face her parents!? How can I face Keel!?"
"L-Liya…"
"Move!"
I pushed Trish away and leaped over the railing, using Chain Sword's chain to repose down into the garden; the priests and guards all looked at me with confusion and wary. I looked past them and at Motoyasu removing the binds and gag of the now freed Raphtalia.
I won't let them take her away again! Not if I can help it!
"Miss Liya, wait!"
Ignoring the Bow Hero's cries, I unravelled the chains from Chain Sword and dashed towards them with every intention to fight; the guards quickly drew their respective swords in response.
I then reeled my arm back and—
*SMACK*
I paused in my movement and looked on in shock at Raphtalia slapping the Spear Hero hard.
"…eh?"
"When had I asked you for your help!?" The raccoon girl shouted at the confused Spear Hero, "When had I ever asked to save me!?"
"But, but, Raphtalia, you were being abused by him, weren't you? The Slave Crest—"
"Mr Naofumi never made me do anything I didn't want to do! The only time he used the Slave Crest on me was when I was too scared to fight!"
"But that's still not okay! He shouldn't have made you fight to begin with!"
"Mr Naofumi can't attack monsters! That's why he needs me to do it for him!"
"It didn't have to be you! He'll work you to the bone!"
"Mr Naofumi never let a monster hurt me, not even once! And he always let me rest when I was tired!"
"No… no, no, that's not true! He's not as thoughtful of a guy you think he is!"
"Then, would you save a sick, filthy slave like he had?"
"H-Huh?"
"Mr Naofumi did a lot for me." Raphtalia told him, "He fed me whenever I was hungry. When I got sick, he made medicine for me. Would you have done all those things?"
"O-Of course I will!"
"If so, you should have saved one that isn't me."
With those last words, she turned away from him; the Spear Hero could only stand there in stunned confusion and watch the raccoon demi-human walked towards the Shield Hero.
"Liya, don't do—huh?"
At around the same time, both the Bow Hero's and Sword Hero's parties pushed passed the audience and into the garden; they too were stunned and confused over the current situation
"What's going on here?" Itsuki asked.
"I'm… not sure yet." I told him.
Though I do have a good feeling about what comes next.
When Raphtalia approached the Shield Hero, he flinched back and even screamed at her, "Don't come any closer!"
"…I've heard the rumors." Raphtalia told him, "That Mr Naofumi had forced himself on one of his party members, that he was a horrible person."
"That's right! He's a criminal, the worst!" The Spear Hero shouted out, "You should know since he made a sex slave out of–"
"Mr Naofumi had never done anything of that sort to me! Not even once!"
"H-Huh!?"
The Spear Hero no doubt had good intentions behind all of this nonsense, and wasn't doing this out of pure malice. But it was clear that he didn't have the full picture and just jumped to his own conclusion over the whole ting.
In fact, I believe he was the first to believe the false claim behind the Shield Hero's crimes.
"Mr Naofumi, I–"
"Let go! Don't touch me!"
Raphtalia reached and held his hand, but it was violently shoved away.
The poor guy seemed even more broken than before; hunched over, shoulders shaking and was even openly sobbing at that matter. It was looking at Trish from a year ago, when I finally managed to get her to trust in me.
"I didn't do it! I… I didn't…"
He was only summoned just weeks ago, right? What kind of crap had he endured this whole time?
"…You aren't able to believe in anyone but an obedient slave, aren't you?" Raphtalia said with great sadness underlining her tone, "But please, calm your anger and listen to what I have to say."
"Shut up…!"
"Even if the world turns its back on you, even if everyone brands you a criminal, I'll still believe in you. I believe in you, Mr Naofumi."
"Shut up! You're lying! You just to frame me of something else!"
"I know that you're not the person they had accused you of being; you would never force yourself on someone else. You are not that kind of person."
"You're… I…"
"You didn't do it, Mr Naofumi. I'll say it as many times as you want me to: you didn't do it."
With one final word of assurance, Raphtalia pulled her master into a warm hug. Tears stopped from the Shield Hero's eyes as he looked up at her in complete shock.
"Raph…talia…?"
"Yes, Mr Naofumi. It is me, Raphtalia."
"What, no! That can't be right!" He cried out, "Raphtalia is just a little girl! But you're a…!"
"When we demi-humans raise our levels as children, our bodies proportionally to match." She explained to him, "This is why we're treated as monsters by the humans. As such, while my mind is still that of a young child, my body is that of a mature adult."
"Huh? T-That's… huh?"
"Do you still not believe me, Mr Naofumi? If so, please place the Slave Crest on me once more; it will be proof of my loyalty to you, proof that I will henceforth be your sword. For the Shield Hero, for the man that saved me from the pits of despair, I will do all that I can."
"Ah…Ahhhh…"
The Shield Hero let himself get pulled into Raphtalia's arms and loudly cried into her bosom; the amount of relief and frustration could be heard in his cries.
"Tch, what's this nonsense?" The princess suddenly said, "Even after all the work Sir Motoyasu had put in to win and free her."
I had half the mind to walk over to her and punched her in the nose for her bullshit; but the king was still here, so I held myself back.
"No, you're the one that lost the duel, Motoyasu." Ren told him firmly.
"Huh?" The Spear Hero looked at him in confusion, "That's not true! You saw me win, didn't you!?"
"Yeah, we saw it." Itsuki added but with a glare, "We both saw the princess attacking Naofumi from behind with wind magic. That was why Miss Trish had her bound up in the first place."
"T-That's not true! No one confirmed it!"
"There's no way they could speak out against the king. Can't you see that?"
"Re…Really….?" He seemed to realise that to be the case, but he still tried to argue his case, "But he threw monsters at me! That has to be against the rules!"
"They were under his coat when the duel started, so they could be considered hidden weapons, which isn't against the rules of the duel." Ren told him, "It's like asking a magician not to use magic against a swordsman."
"Well, that's fair, but…"
"Motoyasu." Itsuki turned to him, "All the fault in this duel is yours. Give it up. You have lost."
"No… but… this can't be fair! I mean… Raphtalia is obviously being brainwashed by Naofumi!"
Okay, wow. He was really grasping at straws now; who was it that said that making excuses was what sore losers do?
"How can you say that after the scene we just witnessed?" Itsuki asked with growing irritation; Ren said nothing but definitely agreed with him.
Looking at the scene of the Shield Hero peacefully resting on Raphtalia's lap, it was clear their relationship was more than slave and master.
"You okay, now?" Trish asked me.
"…Yeah."
Especially now I know that they wouldn't be able to take Raphtalia away without looking bad in every sense of the word. At least she would be safe from harm in the Shield Hero's party.
Still a bit miffed on the idea of her being a slave, but if that's what she wants, I would not get in the way.
"Still, this is a detestable criminal?" Trish asked, "What about him is detestable? Or a criminal?"
"H-He assaulted his party member!" Mald told her, "He had committed the worst possible offense in this kingdom!"
"Really? And who's the victim?"
"It was the princess. Or at least…" There was a tone of suspicion in his voice, "Now I'm not too sure if that's really the case…"
"Hah? Her? Assaulted?" She laughed, "As if! If anything, she would consent to it and then spun a tale about it being an assault."
"That's…!"
"…Miss Liya." Itsuki walked up to me, "Are you sure about all of this?"
"I'm sure of this." I told him, "After all, better for her to be protected than free to get captured again."
"But aren't you against slavery?"
"I still am. But if the other option is getting lynched to death by a bunch of racist assholes, being owned by someone would be considered the safer option; especially if that person is a benevolent one."
"That's not what I would describe Naofumi. But…"
Looks like Itsuki was starting to have doubts over the Shield Hero's 'crimes'; which he should be, if he wishes to uphold justice.
Hopefully, he would be able to see through all the lies the Church had spread and truly become a Hero of Justice.
…
To be continued…
Hey, hey! Not expecting the second chapter so quickly, aren't you? Well, surprise!
It helped that this chapter was mostly unchanged from the source material, with the duel between Motoyasu and Naofumi being the mix of the manga, anime and LN. So I had little trouble writing this chapter.
But as you can see, the status quo had somewhat changed, with both Ren and Itsuki now suspicious of Malty's credibility in the whole.
With that said, I thank you all for reading!
*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.